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
Saraswat Lunch Menu from Rasachandrika
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
Karela with kachori masala – Bitter gourd made better
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
Capsicum Rice
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.
Thiruvadarai Kali and Thalagam / Eazhu Curry Koottu
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
Another Banana Cake – David Lebovitz inspired
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
Farka – a Tunisian breakfast porridge
(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
Microwave Semolina Banana Coconut Cake in 15 minutes
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.
Oats and Mango Breakfast Smoothie : WBB # 13
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
Easily the easiest to make Brownies
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
Peanut sesame balls
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
Recipe for Spicy pumpkin coffee cake
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
