Even though weekends are meant to be for relaxing, for me, it’s otherwise. I try my maximum not to take up anything during the awaited Friday and Saturday weekend, but then somebody plans out something, and I automatically become a part of it. There goes Friday relaxation for a toss. Then Saturday will be filled with all chores you had earlier planned to be split between two days, and at the end of the day, you wish that Sunday was also part of the weekend. I never seem to get out of it somehow… So here I am, on a Sunday morning, feeling exactly like the dog character, Snoopy!!! *Read – my eyes!!!* I had a suggestion from Sini of Kitchen Magic to include more vegetarian recipes on the blog. When I was browsing through my recipe index, I did notice that there is a dearth of vegetarian recipes, meaning recipes where vegetables are…
Nutella Mini Bundts
I really doubt if anybody hates Nutella. I have read through blogs of how much they love it, especially to lick it directly from the bottle to the mouth!!! It used to be like that for me in the beginning, but somehow maybe due to seeing it every time – I have a bottle always in stock, as my elder one loves having it with her toast and my B takes it like a tablet dose: 1 spoonful a day! – I’ve kind of lost the attachment to it. I feel that’s good, something that I can control!!! Today’s recipe is really quick fix when the kids are craving for something. Whenever, I am in no mood to search for a cupcake recipe to make, I just make it – it’s kind of engraved into my system now. And the kids just love it. It’s chocolaty and has the nutty flavor…
The perfect cuppa chai… ~ Milk Tea/ Chai Latte
I seriously believe that if you like having chai (tea) or coffee, you should have it the way you want it. I am very wary of the chai I drink. If it is not as per my taste, I normally don’t drink it. So is the case with coffee. If you ask me if I am a tea or a coffee person, well – it depends on my mood!!! Most of the time, I prefer drinking tea, as I feel that I prepare tea better. But when I am outside, I prefer coffee – filter coffee to be specific. Anybody reading this post – if you know where I can get the filter coffee gasket in Dubai, please let me know. I cannot wait to make my own filter kaappi at home, at my leisure!!! Today’s post is just a depiction of how I make my tea. Coming to…
Rose Ice-cream
Today I feel my head is not working. Is this called writer’s block? Must be… I’m actually not finding the words for this post of mine, so rather than wandering aimlessly, I guess I should do what is obvious – go straight to the recipe!!! 🙂 Nothing beats the feeling of making ice-cream at home. The only thing I hate about it is the waiting time. You have to wait for the next day to come to cover your urge. But then I really suggest, having a little cone or chocobar handy to cover the cravings of the day you are making the ice-cream and enjoy your homemade treat the next day!!! Howzzat? 😉 The time I saw this recipe, I had to make it. But I was really apprehensive how whipping cream would fare if frozen. But as you can see from the picture, the ice-cream looked amazing, and yes tasted amazing as well!!! I…
Matar Kheema – Chicken Mince and Peas
Life takes very curvaceous turns. Sometimes you are on a high, and when you feel you have reached the peak, it can drag you down in the most awkward way. When life moves the way it wants (or the way God has destined it to move!), we realize how vulnerable we are, to the uncertainties of life. We do not know what is in store for us, coming up in the very next moment. All I do every time is to pray to the Almighty that He does not grant such surprises that I may not be able to take mentally, in fact, for everybody. Some people are strong, some may look strong but at the back of things, they are brittle. Yesterday was such a day for me – I was excited in the morning but then in the evening it took a different turn. Alhamdulillah, things came back into place but then it made…
Malai Chicken Biriyani
This week has been an absolutely happening week – on my blog front, two back to back guest posts have really boosted my blog as well as my confidence, due the increasing number of positive comments coming by in the form of suggestions and encouragement. It is a very heartwarming thing for me, who was not expecting to be welcomed with such wide arms into this big food blogosphere. On top of that, Sajina of Saju’s Taste has given me the Leibster award!!! What more do I need? 🙂 That will be the feature for my next post… By the way, do hop onto her blog for some lipsmacking yet simple recipe ideas! Talking otherwise, it has been a normal, or rather a stressed week. However, the excitement on my blog has covered up for everything, so now the feeling is kind of neutral, which is good!!! 🙂 The…
Kerala Kappa Masala – Tapioca Masala
At least, I am on time. I finally bought tapioca last Tuesday and came home. We normally don’t buy tapioca due to my umma’s diabetes problem. So it has been quite some time since we have had some. As soon as umma saw the grocery, she immediately ordered my B to get fresh beef from the local grocery. Then she gave me a smile and said, “Ethrayum kaalam kappa biriyani thinitilla, onnu undakko?” (“I’ve not had tapioca biriyani till now, can you make it for me?”) Who can resist kappa biriyani? Finally, I just kept around 700 gms aside and used up the remaining to make the kappa biriyani, the recipe of which will come in due course. This weekend, I made the Kerala Kitchen challenge for our chai break. The recipe is adapted from Edible Garden, who is hosting this month’s challenge, however made slight changes to the quantities…
Kerala Style Baked Chicken
This was actually supposed to be my first guest post, but then the post for “Cooking with Thas” just happened without much planning and this post has become my second guest post in less than a week!Whatever said, this post is very close to my heart. I am just a little more than one month old and I am really honored to appear on a very well known and appreciated food blog for a guest posting. I do not think that Love2cook Malaysia – or Sri as is her name – needs any introduction. She cooks some of the most simple, yet amazing meals and her pictures are absolutely drool-worthy. She was one of the first food blogs I used to drool upon before discovering many many more. Her blog makes me feel that she’s somebody living right next door! I am sure all of us would agree to that statement……
Banoffee Pie
I was actually not intending to do this post anytime now, but then when my cousin, who happens to be carrying, saw the picture on my FB page and asked for the recipe, I couldn’t say no! So here I am posting the recipe, as good as fresh!!! 🙂 The DDL, Instagrammed… 🙂 I’ve been wanting to make banoffee pie for quite some time but thinking about the calorie laden dessert gave me weak knees. But then, what do you do when you are faced with the below situations: 1. Dulche de leche at half the price because the expiry is less than 2 months old. 2. Whipped cream spray bottle at 25% price because the expiry date is by this weekend. 3. Biscuits lying in your pantry, not wanted by anybody because it was not the biscuits you had intended to buy! 4. Some nice ripe bananas!!! …
Kichari/ Kichadi ~ Sweet Rice Lentil Mash
I am so excited. I just had to come online at this time to share it with all of you!!! 🙂 I am sure everybody might be aware of the blog called Cooking with Thas. When she published her invitation for guest posts, I just jumped at the opportunity. I went ahead and sent her our family recipe called Kichadi, which is a staple during Friday breakfast. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it would be featured immediately!!! It also happens that I am the first one to put across the guest post. Here is her tried version as published on Facebook. For the recipe that appeared on her blog, you can click here. Thank you all for your best wishes and continuous support. I would have never gone ahead with so much confidence if it were not for all of you… 🙂 * Updated on Nov 1, 2015: I hadn’t realised…
Chavvari Payasam ~ Sago/ Tapioca Pearls Kheer
I have had a love-hate relationship with sago. I love it in any of my dessert but when I try to cook it, I end up getting messed up lumps or thickened concoctions with no sign of the beautiful pearls in it. How much I hate that! When I was going through blogs, I was feeling satisfied that even experienced blogging cooks were facing this problem! Finally now, I have learned what kind of sago to go for, and how to cook it to ensure that those beautiful pearls are there when you need them. A big thanks to my FB friend, Afsath, for being very patient with my umpteen number of questions and answering them in detail. Finally, I am back to being in love with sago! 🙂 Here is a delicious payasam, very simple to prepare (provided your sago does not sink into oblivion!), yet very flavorful….
Dahi Murg – Yogurt Chicken Curry
Sometimes, you feel things are not going well. But then, when you think a bit more deep, things are not that bad as it looks! That is my case now. Most of the time, I feel very negative about things but then when I ponder on matters on a different perspective, things don’t seem to be that bad. I believe that is a real good sign – the Almighty is with you, watching and guiding, ensuring that you are there doing things right and legal, and making things better. OK, philosophy apart – I sometimes like to go on and on, but then I need to put a full stop!!! Oops… that’s an exclamation mark. Hehe… Today it’s a chicken recipe again, that I adapted from a cutout from the Wknd magazine. We are a total non-veg family. That doesn’t mean we have chicken, mutton or beef everyday. But fish,…