Saffron Trail

healthy vegetarian cooking

Saffron Trail Digest

2013 – The Year that was. A recap.

Over a slice of rum-soaked fruitcake and steaming hot chai, I realise that 2013 was a reasonably productive year for me. But memory fails me the details and I don’t have a ‘dear diary’ to fall back on, so this is an attempt to capture all that I remember. The year started with a surprise birthday pa

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AS FEATURED IN

AS FEATURED IN
  • not always in a saree and big bindi
  • Two delicious recipes that use whole bunches of spring onions for that punch of allium flavour as well as the bright green colour- in my latest column for Mint Lounge. . Sharing the recipes below so you can save the post to your folders / take screenshots. . ❓Apart from using them as a garnish, what are your favourite ways to use spring onions❓ . SPRING ONION ‘AKKI ROTTI’ Makes 4 INGREDIENTS 2 tsp oil 2 cups spring onion greens, finely chopped 2-3 green chillies, sliced 2 tbsp peanuts, crushed 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp fresh coconut, grated 1 cup rice flour 2-3 tsp oil for cooking METHOD Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and sauté spring onion greens until wilted. Stir in green chillies and peanuts. Add one cup water to this along with salt and coconut. Bring to a boil. Empty the cup of rice flour in the water. Turn off flame, cover and keep aside to steam for 10 minutes. Using a wooden ladle, incorporate all the flour into the liquid to make a dough. Remove on to a flat surface and knead to form a smooth dough. Divide the dough into four portions. Between two plastic sheets or baking paper, roll out into a thick roti. Cook on both sides on a hot pan using a few drops of oil until golden spots appear. Serve with coconut chutney or podi. SPRING ONION AND POTATO SALAD Serves 2 INGREDIENTS 250g potatoes (4 small) 1 tbsp olive oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced (optional) 1 cup spring onion greens, finely chopped 1/4 tsp salt A pinch of chilli flakes 2 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp wholegrain mustard METHOD Pressure cook or boil the potatoes. Peel and cut into 1-inch size chunks. Over low heat, sauté the garlic in oil in a pan. Add celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Toss in the chopped spring onion greens and stir on medium flame for 3-4 minutes or until wilted. Add the potatoes, salt and chilli flakes and toss well. Remove into a bowl. Add lemon juice and wholegrain mustard and toss well to combine. Serve warm or cold .
  • That was dinner last evening. Cabbage subzi with onion and potato, carrot-cucumber-basil salad with salt and lemon juice, phulkas and dahi. According to my son, I make the perfect cabbage to go with roti and ammama (my mum) makes the perfect cabbage to go with Rasam rice 😍 . I like to stick to a very simple dinner on Mondays which means either roti subzi or dal rice kinda menu. Much needed if the weekend has been frought with indulgences.
  • Making our day better by simply sitting in a corner of a room- this lovely bunch of flowers. . I subscribe to this weekly flower box from @theshadesofspring and they send us a surprise mix of flowers every Saturday. . Check my stories for more pics
  • Inspiration can come in any form. Whether it be food, fashion or even furniture. This marshmallow inspired sofa is a prime example how one can beautifully be #Reinspired. @scriptonlineind has found the perfect balance of style and comfort to provided a unique #FreedomOfLiving. Guess it's time to #ScriptMySpace. . . Tell me how you’ll reinspire these marshmallows? I plan to dip them in the melted chocolate and then drizzle white chocolate and sprinkles over it 😍
  • Currently in harvest mode are these green Mysore brinjals and small sized karelas --swipe to see these plants in my garden. . Do share with me your ideas for these two veggies🍆🍃 because I'm going to have a lot of these in the coming days😁
  • in my happy place . . . . This saree is over 12 years old bought from Kalanjali -Hyderabad
  • This beautiful song from the movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is set in Raag Khamaj. It’s a tough one sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Javed Bashir, took me quite a bit of practice to learn at least some of the soulful nuances of this number.

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