tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-289065262024-03-06T21:36:38.331-08:00Happy Tummies... and full bellies!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-32709712803956449732011-08-07T13:36:00.001-07:002011-08-07T14:08:36.488-07:00Vitamin C special Strawberry LemonadeBright sunny Friday evening, old friends and BBQ is one good old equation to happiness. Strawberry lemonade adds little more zing to that.It goes really well with any grilled meat or veggies.Works great as a nice energy booster on a tiring day!!Ingredients:Strawberries 2 boxes.Lemons - 4.Limes - 4.Naval Oranges - 4-5.Salt.White Pepper.Sugar/honey/artificial sweetener.Ice.Frozen lemonade ( Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-45028890413861781442011-02-20T10:48:00.001-08:002011-07-29T13:36:54.678-07:00Four Cheese Stuffed chicken with fig sauceYou can turn any day into a special day...All you need is a little imagination!Here's what I came up with on one of those 'every day' days and it made that day a 'special' day....Ideas to make it special?well...got some tulips, served some nice wine and printed the Menu on a paper and kept 'reserved' sign on the table...Silly...isn't it?Ingredients:Chicken breasts ( possibly sliced)Monterey Jack Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-3827783618397291092010-01-08T22:55:00.000-08:002010-01-08T23:20:52.663-08:00BasundiSomeone asked me 'What would you like for your last meal on the earth'. 'Ice cream' and 'Basundi' was a ready answer. Basundi is a dessert made by reducing milk for hours.Eating Basundi has always been #1 on 'things to eat list' during the India visit. Somehow I haven't found any good place in bay area which serves basundi. I tried the instant mixes but they are miserable as they contain nothing Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-35859192404387957392010-01-07T23:03:00.000-08:002010-01-07T23:11:06.706-08:00Tambda Rassa and Sukha Chicken.On a rainy night of the winter 'Tambda Rassa' gives you a reason to stay home and still be happy. This curry consists of 2 parts - Suka Chicken aka dry chicken ( without gravy) and Rassa aka very thin gravy..almost like flavored broth.Without any more prelude here's the recipe. I have modified the original recipe to make it a little healthy but all due credit to Amruta and Ashish.Ingredients.1. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-58251784200733804622010-01-07T22:54:00.000-08:002010-01-07T22:58:28.615-08:00Spring Onion and Leek PithalePithale is a classic Mahatashtrian dish made out of gram flour. It's a hit at my home any day. Quick, easy and hands down delicious.!!Here is a little variation to the classic recipe. The original recipe has regular onions and has more gram flour than onions. I tried to make it little healthier by reducing the flour and adding fresh spring onions and leeks.Ingredients.1. 5 bunches of fresh springUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-37549839971070457792009-12-25T21:38:00.000-08:002011-07-28T10:37:40.445-07:00Salaam Bademjan!!Love for eggplant is in my genes. I belong to the region which produces best eggplants in south Maharashtra region. During the initial days of US stay - I was little skeptical before visiting a middle eastern restaurant. Being vegetarian I had choices between spinach and eggplant dishes. I chose eggplant and it was worth it.I tried making it at home and I think I was pretty close to the original Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-87162857151753276272009-07-05T18:23:00.000-07:002009-07-05T21:42:48.853-07:00Bhadang and Dry Bhel - Perfect for summer timeBhadang is a snack you would find in every household of Western Maharashtra region in India.It's basically seasoned puffed rice. They make it with different flavors. In recent India trip I discovered that they now make it in Tomato, Tamarind and Chilly flavor too.I would still like to stick to the basic version of Bhadang which I used to eat when I was a kid.Ingredients1 pack of puffed rice ( YouUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-74915589284500369952009-07-05T17:37:00.000-07:002009-07-05T21:42:26.987-07:00Kairiwali BhindiAmber Indian restaurant in Santana Row, San Jose serves great Indian food. Being Indian myself I am pretty picky about Indian restaurants and the food they serve. Amber is an exception and is one of the favorite restaurants too.They serve what they call 'Kairiwali bhidi'- Okra slivers, fennel seeds, tomatoes, green mangoes &dry mango powder. This is my version of my favorite Kairiwali Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-2366511618018677302009-07-04T19:58:00.000-07:002009-07-05T21:41:56.631-07:00Garlic Naan - My (Bread) Love!I love carbs (and it shows too..hehe!). There is 101% chance of me ordering garlic naan in any north Indian restaurant irrespective of what's the curry. It has garlic and carbs. It's one of those 'Why not!' recipes.( 'Why Not?' - If there is nothing bad in the ingredients, the final outcome has to be good! Why won't it be good!)Ingredients1/8 teaspoon of Dried Yeast.1 cup all purpose flour.1 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-36193555874937191022009-07-03T19:26:00.001-07:002009-07-05T21:41:29.754-07:00Chicken Biryani - No-nonsense mealI have a friend who believes that Biryani can only be Mutton Biryani. He believes that Chicken Biryani or Vegetarian Biryani are just by-products. Anyways as I don't eat Mutton, when I say Biryani it is always Chicken Biryani.Recipe Courtesy : KunalIngredients:1. 6 Drumsticks ( You can make it with Chicken breasts or Thighs but it tastes best with drumsticks).2 Medium Sized Onions thinly sliced.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-34777538935798973662009-07-03T18:46:00.000-07:002009-07-03T22:31:32.142-07:00Dadape Pohe (दडपे पोहे) - Perfect snack for any day.I always remember coming back from school when I think of दडपे पोहे (daDape Pohe). My mom would be waiting with something yummy everyday for 5 o' clock snack. It used to be a surprise everyday with homely delicious snacks like Chiwada(चिवडा), Bhadang, Bhel, Upama etc. My favorite would always be daDape pohe (दडपे पोहे).After many years, today I craved for it. It was a lazy Friday evening and I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-34475979961651473262008-01-05T15:46:00.000-08:002008-01-05T15:48:56.362-08:00Asian Style Roasted AsparagusPreparation time - 15-20 minutes.Serving - 2 adults.Ingredients:1 Bunch of fresh Asparagus.1 Medium size Red-Onion thinly chopped.10 cloves of garlic thinly sliced.1 spoon of Soy Sauce.1 spoon of Hot SauceSalt and Pepper.1/2 Spoon of olive oil.1/2 Spoon of Parmesan cheese.Procedure: Wash and Cut the Asparagus into 2 inch long pieces exclding the hard root part.Heat olive oil in the Wok.Add slicedUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-13621984021802205632007-09-18T09:46:00.000-07:002007-09-18T10:09:19.175-07:00A quick sweet treat!!I love desserts. I try to find different ways of making it interesting. One of my favorite and quick desserts is Fillo dough chocolate cups. Easy to make especially when you are entertaining a big group and don't want to spend much time in making dessert.Ingredients:6 Fillo sheets.1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips.1 Teaspoon Orange Zest.Little bit of Vanilla essence.1 Cup shredded Ghirardelli DarkUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-5085150784755664512007-09-17T14:28:00.000-07:002007-09-18T09:14:24.675-07:00Grilled Veggie PaniniI love sandwiches and I love Italian food. So according to transitive property of equality I love Italian - Sandwiches...aka Paninis.Essentially Panini is nothing but nice rustic bread, fresh pesto, olive oil, mozzarella cheese and any filling you want. It could be grilled chicken, salmon or salami. I, being a veggie lover would stick to grilled Veggie Panini.Pesto:1/4 Cup of olive oil.1 Cup of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-16212743451742856632007-09-17T13:55:00.000-07:002007-09-18T09:14:46.228-07:00Bharali Vangi ...aka Stuffed BrinjalI grew up in a small town on the banks of river Krishna in Maharashtra. We used to buy fresh vegetables everyday from farmers those days. There were no refrigerators, no preservatives. It was really all natural.I get the same feeling when I go to Farmers' market every Sunday. This Sunday I bought nice tiny green brinjals. Decided to make Bharali Vangi maharashtra special!!.Preparation time : 20 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-27901762536180915972007-09-10T22:08:00.000-07:002007-09-18T10:09:34.716-07:00Sol Kadhi....Home's calling....Sol Kadhi is specialty of Konkan.Simple but exotic. Kokam (Garcinia indica) is basically a fruit in plum family with pretty bitter juice. This juice is used by Ayurveda as an antacid. The dried shell of the fruit is used in flavoring curries in Maharashtrian cooking. It is similar to how south Indian cuisine uses tamarind for little sour taste. You can get the Kokam extract as well as the dried Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-60273689143000536772006-12-24T15:33:00.000-08:002007-09-18T09:15:35.282-07:00Happy Holidays!!Asha's Christmas Wreath Bread inspired me to cook something special for my Christmas party this weekend. Thank you so much Asha!! This is my version of Christmas Wreath Bread; not sweet but savory!!Ingredients:1 tube of Ready-bake Pillsbury Pizza Crust.2 spoons of dried Basil.2 spoons of dried Oregano.2 spoons of dried Thyme.9-10 Garlic cloves finely chopped.9-10 canned Jalapenos.2 spoons of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-48227766269260256172006-12-20T19:43:00.000-08:002007-09-18T09:15:51.284-07:00Dabeli - A college memoryDabeli has always been the favorite street food.It reminds me the college days.Cool evenings breeze,a cup of hot coffee, chatpata gossips and a plate full of Dabeli was real treat!!Here goes the recipe.( For recipes of Mint and Tamarind-Date chutney, refer the old posts on the same blog)Preparation time : 30 minutes.Serves 2 adults.Ingredients:2 medium sized potatoes. 4 spoons of cumin powder. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-1165352094655743772006-12-05T12:54:00.000-08:002007-09-18T09:16:10.398-07:00A Perfect Sunday NightSunday nights are perpetually depressing. The Monday blues start bugging since the afternoon. A good afternoon nap and a soothing dinner is the perfect remedy for it. That's the reason why I decided to make my mother's version of Masoor Dal Usal with extra garlic.Preparation time - 20-25 minutes.Serving - 2 adults.Ingredients:1 cup of Masoor Dal Soaked for 4-5 hrs.1 Medium size Red-Onion thinly Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28906526.post-1165083281328664972006-12-02T10:13:00.000-08:002007-09-18T09:17:17.089-07:00Tandoor Platter - The '007'Tagged with: VCC:VCC-Q4-2006: FAHC: FAHC-campaignPreparation time - 15-20 minutes.Serving - 4 adults.This reminds me of my childhood. We used to watch cricket matches and movies on TV in India and my mother used to prepare these for us as a snack. We did not have an oven then so she used to prepare it in the hot griddle with little oil. It was a lot of work so I thought of making it simpler and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3