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Uncategorized

Traditional cooling food – Panakam and Kosumalli for Sri Rama Navami

March 24, 2010

The more I dig into our traditional foods, I’m amazed at how intelligently and seasonally our ancestors ate. Panakam and _Cucumber Kosumalli _that are offered as Neiveidyam on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami which falls in the summer season

by Nandita Iyer 
11 Comments
Uncategorized

Saraswat Lunch Menu from Rasachandrika

January 18, 2010

Regional Indian cooking has such variety that it’s mind-boggling. Every culture has had it’s cookbook bible that it trusts to preserve the heritage and authenticity – Meenakshi Ammal is one such great lady who put down traditional Tamil cuisine in three volumes. Such books are not only wonderful to discover in our kitchens the kind of food that is hardly ever available in restaurants, but also to give a great insight into the other cultures in our country. I can say the same about some of the food blogs 🙂 Rasachandrika, written by Ambabai Samshi is one such cooking bible for Saraswat community – and I was glad to buy it a few months ago – this showcases Chitrapur Saraswat cooking

by Nandita Iyer 
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Indian, Nutrition, Vegetables

Karela with kachori masala – Bitter gourd made better

July 16, 2009

As a child, I didn’t have the choice to avoid any foods. Whatever was made at home, I had to eat – and while at that time I hated the rules, I now realise that thanks to this, I appreciate all kinds of foods today. Bitter gourd was one exception though at that time, where I would have the option to

by Nandita Iyer 
30 Comments
easy, gluten free, Glutenfree, Indian, medium, Party dishes, Pressure Cooker Recipes, Rice, Tamil Brahmin Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian

Capsicum Rice

June 4, 2008

This is a South Indian version of a Bell Pepper Pulao / Pilaf. A burst of aroma is the characteristic of this dish, from the freshly toasted and ground spices. Try this with plain yogurt or raita.

by Nandita Iyer 
29 Comments
Curry, easy, Easy Indian Cooking, Lentils, Pressure Cooker Recipes, Rice, Tamil Brahmin Recipes, Vegetables

Thiruvadarai Kali and Thalagam / Eazhu Curry Koottu

December 24, 2007

KaLi and thalagam are a unique combination in Tamil Brahmin cuisine. Kali is a kind of jaggery sweetened upma and thalagam is a curry made using 7 vegetables, specially on this day of the year. Generally sambars are always had with rice or tiffin items like idlis and dosais. It is quite unusual that here a savoury thalagam is made to pair with the sweet Kali

by Nandita Iyer 
11 Comments
Baking, Nutrition

Another Banana Cake – David Lebovitz inspired

December 14, 2007

I never tire of making banana cakes (or bread if you like to call it that). Banana cake was the first thing I ever baked and it has remained a hot favourite. Besides, now that we are trying to avoid eggs in baked products too, it is fun to look at innovative ways to bake our favourite goodies by usi

by Nandita Iyer 
19 Comments
Breakfast, vegetarian

Farka – a Tunisian breakfast porridge

August 24, 2007

(If you love trying out something new, then do prepare something ethnic for breakfast, something different from your own culture and send it across to Glenna for WBB #14 by 27th August, 10 pm Central Time, details here) Picking a recipe from a place I’ve never visited and preparing it to the best po

by Nandita Iyer 
17 Comments
beginner, Desserts, Healthy, Nutrition, Steamed, Sweets, Vegan, vegetarian

Microwave Semolina Banana Coconut Cake in 15 minutes

August 9, 2007

One of the few cakes that you can bake in a microwave oven – using semolina (rava), banana and coconut milk. Use coconut oil instead of ghee to make this vegan.

by Nandita Iyer 
18 Comments
Breakfast, Nutrition

Oats and Mango Breakfast Smoothie : WBB # 13

July 18, 2007

When Madhuli asked me how I felt about Oats as a theme for Weekend Breakfast Blogging, I thought, wow, she’s a girl after my own heart. According to me, the simpler and blander an ingredient, the more you can dress it up, the more creative you can get. It’s like working on a blank canvas. Oats for m

by Nandita Iyer 
16 Comments
Baking, Desserts, Easy Bakes

Easily the easiest to make Brownies

May 10, 2007

It was a last minute desicion to attend a dinner potluck at a friend’s place and I had to come up with something fast and good. Since there was plenty of food planned, brownies seemed like a good idea. However, the fact that brownies had never been a part of my prior culinary experiments, was making

by Nandita Iyer 
20 Comments
Indian, Vegan, vegetarian

Peanut sesame balls

December 18, 2006

This is another such recipe that turned out accidentally. I buy half a kilo of peanuts at one time. Due to the humid Indian weather, they have to be either stored in the fridge or roasted and stored in air tight containers, in order to protect them from fungus and other pests. Coarsely crushed roast

by Nandita Iyer 
6 Comments
Baking

Recipe for Spicy pumpkin coffee cake

December 9, 2006

Along with cluster beans, French beans and Haricot beans, tomatoes, bell peppers and herbs, I wonder what made me pick up a large wedge of red pumpkin as I was shopping for vegetables in our nearby supermarket yesterday. I had blogged about this one for From my rasoi – Pumpkin in September. This red pumpkin was cooked and mashed into a batch of lentils, greens and spices to make a Parsee Dhansak

by Nandita Iyer 
14 Comments
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AS FEATURED IN

AS FEATURED IN
  • Another photo from a shoot I did with my neighbour for her saree draping workshop at @ahundredhands last month.
🌼
This saree belonged to my grandma and it is nearly 40 years old. The silk has been washed several several times over the years. It drapes ever so softly and falls beautifully. I don’t even dare to iron this delicate fabric. ⭐️
Draped by my neighbour Janaki in whose hands the fabrics simply flow, a  knot there, a tuck here and a fold there and what you see this - no pins, no petticoat, no nonsense. The cascading back pleats are more dramatic but the front is lovely as well. Swipe to see the front style.
  • {HIRE ME}
Is my salad doing justice to the pretty bowl or is the pretty bowl doing justice to my salad?
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Mostly all leftovers from yesterday's ZESTY SALAD WORKSHOP goes into a big salad for our lunch today.
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Now getting to the 'hire me' part-- Since I am back in the workshop groove, if you are a lifestyle /beauty/ health brand or a corporate that wants to conduct healthy cooking / eating / salad making workshops for a group of people, then please email me at saffrontrail@gmail.com - you can also email me from my bio. Preferred location is Bangalore but I am willing to consider traveling to other cities too.
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If you know of a brand or HR friends who would be keen on collaborating with me for talks and /or workshops, please share this post with them💕💕
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Ah, the pretty bowl is from @freedomtreehome btw. Not sponsored .
  • (FULL RECIPE IN POST- SAVE the POST for the recipe )
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Bringing more Amla goodness to you with this post!
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Blueberries are on the top of every antioxidant rich foods list. The antioxidant content of a food is measured in Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) units. Amla or Indian gooseberry has an ORAC score of 2,61,500, which is over 50 times that of blueberries. I hope that convinces you to make amla a part of your diet. Here's a simple recipe for Amla- Raita. You can mix this with rice and eat as a simple meal.
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Amla Raita

Serves 4

4-5 amla 
¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp salt

3-4 tbsp coconut

2 green chillies

¼ tsp salt

2 cups yogurt

1 tsp oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

Pressure cook the amla with ½ cup water along with salt and turmeric for 4-5 minutes.

Drain amla and remove seeds. (Drink up any leftover water in cooker or add to dal)  In a mixer jar, grind together cooked amla, coconut, green chillies and salt to a coarse paste.

Add this to yogurt and whisk well.

Heat oil in a small pan. Fry mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once seeds splutter transfer over the raita. 
Do try this during the current amla- season and tag me if you post it here!
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For more such recipes, follow @saffrontrail
  • When I first came across @naina online, I was so blown away by the way she photographed people. Over the years, over bits of conversation, offline and online, our little friendship grew. I have even sent her pictures of shoes on WhatsApp to ask which colour to go with 😂
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She was in Bangalore over the weekend and we met for coffee and then lunch. It was such a pleasure to model one of her hand painted brooches - check these out at @khaosphilos, these are one of a kind wearable art.
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📸 @naina
  • If there’s one thing you need to try this season, it is my neighbour Tulsi aunty’s Amla Pickle. As winter comes in, this vitamin C and antioxidant packed condiment will keep you going. It makes a big batch as you can swipe to see in the photos, but what better gift to give family and friends, than a bite of good health? Save this post as the recipe that I shared in my column in @livemintlounge is here for you to use.
This is a unique recipe coming to you from a pickle expert and I have tried to share every bit of info that Aunty shared with us while teaching us last year. If you try it, tag me because I’d love to see you make this! #saffrontrail #stcooks
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Bowl: @freedomtreehome
  • Guess what is the main ingredient in this salad?

Clue: it's a good example of #zerowaste cooking
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Keep your answers coming in the comments. Shall disclose the correct answer in a few hours.
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UPDATED TO ADD: This salad is made from stems of Red Amaranth / chauli / Lal Math 
#stcooks #saffrontrail
  • Today’s a special day and I wore my maternal grandmother’s saree - one of the few that I selected from her wardrobe after she passed away, at the insistence of my aunt. I wear these so often. They are soft, drape easily and just feel good to wear. Doesn’t that make a saree the best garment, the fact that it can be passed down to your next generations?
  • What's your favourite thing to go with chai?
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It's that kind of day in Bangalore!

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