Show Me Some Love, Its My Birthday !!!

Yay, My blog turns three I could not have been happier and proud. I could not have had this milestone if not for my dear readers, family and friends and for their constant encouragement and support. So from the bottom of my heart thank you, thank you and thank you.

Three years ago when I started my blog never thought it would have a life of more than few days but here I am still going strong and enjoying every moment of it. My blog has helped me in more ways than I can imagine, got me connected to people who are passionate about what they do be it technology, food, photography, business etc , its sheer joy that I experience when I read them. Made few good friends by getting to know them through blogging. Blogging also made me realize the importance of knowing source of what I eat and be conscious of quality above quantity. Blogging has become my creative outlet and a way to wind down a hectic day. Above all, it has become a personal journal, which I can always look back at.

San few occasional comments like “She blogs cause she has nothing better to do “, I have had a blast last three years and hope I keep the same tempo for years to come. Only regret I just do not find time to change my blog layout, a blog makeover is way overdue. Hopefully before I turn four.

I am also super happy to celebrate my birthday on the festival of colors Holi. Happy Holi everyone.

Now wish me Happy Birthday and Good Luck will ya!!

Aloo Paratha's

Reposting one of my blog favorites Aloo paratha, Its been pouring here and this recipe comes at perfect time, hot parata's and pouring rain make a good combo. Have a great weekend !!!



Ingredients makes about 6-8 parathas
5 small Potatoes peeled and boiled
1 tbsp kasoori methi
1/2 tbsp haldi
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp corriander powder
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
a pinch of amchoor (dry mango powder)
handfull of finely chopped fresh corriander leaves
and salt according to taste
For Roti1 cup atta (flour)
salt according to taste
water for kneading
oil for shallow frying (optional)
Process For filling
1. Mix in boiled aloo and all the dry ingredients and mix well.
For Paratha
1.Mix all ingredients except water. Add a little at a time and form a soft dough. try to make this at least 30 minutes before using.
2.Always keep covered with a moist cloth, and see that the cloth is kept moist
For stuffing paratha1.Roll a thick roti and place a small portion of the filling in the center
2.bring all the edges of the roti together and make sure that the entire filling is covered
3.and then roll into a nice round shape dusting with flour as required
4. heat a griddle/tava and place Paratha
5.let it cook on one side and then repeat on the other side
6.Add a tspn of oil to paratha and let it fry till it gets golden brown.
Serve hot with raita.

Moong Dal Vada Sabji

Moong Dal Vada Sabji

Had one of the most hectic week in the year so far, seems like I still have a ton on things in my to-do list and very little time, anyways that's life. On a completely different topic I was amazed at how many people had their FB and twitter status mentioning that they found god , a 5.6 footer from Mumbai and plays right hand, one sport that makes India stand. I am not a huge fan of cricket, I always watched it for the glamor and for the stars in the box, but my brothers were such huge fanatics of the sport.

Coming to today's recipe I had few home made moong dal vada's (minapappu vadiyalu)from back home, sometimes I get stuff and wonder why the heck did I get it in the first place and mostly likely it goes into the garbage, luck this time came up with a recipe to make sabji. I was so amazed by the taste and for a change my kids loved it too. I always though the vada's would get soggy but no they have held their shape even after soaking all the tamarind juice and flavor.

Ingredients

1 Cup Moong dal vada ( minappapu vadiyalu)
1 small onion sliced thinly
1 small tomato cubed
1 Green chili (adjust accordingly)
Tamarind size of a quarter
Salt
Haldi
3-4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp Rice flour
For Thadka
1 tbsp Urad dal
1 tbsp Jeera
1 tbsp Mustard seeds
½ tbsp hing
8-10 curry leaves
2-3 red chilies

Process

1. Heat few table spoons of oil in a pan, when hot add vada's and fry till they turn golden brown approximately 5-6 minutes and keep aside.
1. Now in the same pan heat 2 tbsp of oil , when hot add all the ingredients for tadhka, when mustard seeds start to splutter
2. Add onions, tomato, G.chili, salt and haldi and saute for a minute or two.
3. Now add 2 cups water, add tamarind ,moong dal vada's allow it to boil until vada's turn for about 3 minutes.
4. Now add sugar and check for salt and adjust accordingly
5. Allow to boil for 3-4 minutes and remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice and tastes well the next day too.

A Busy Busy Day

One of those days where you wished you had 48hrs. Stuck in loop on few things, hopefully I will see the end soon.

See you all tomorrow.

Mehandi Art Like You Have Never Seen Before

I have been a huge fan/follower of Darcy's Mehandi designs for a long time, it's about time I share my fondness with my readers. Darcy's creative and intricate designs are out of the world and beautiful. I can't wait for a chance to get my hands decorated by her and now for the best part she is right here in the bay area, specifically in Mission San Fransisco.

So for your next event be it a girls night out or a bridal ceremony think about having Darcy.
More information on Darcy and contact can be found here
Few image from her flickr stream below.
Click here to view her complete portfolio

All picture courtesy Darcy

National Margarita Day

National Margarita Day

Summer Time Sunshine click here for reciepe

Bum's Rush, recipe here

Blood Orange Margarita ( Courtesy Sloshed)

Guess what day it is today, apparently National Margarita Day, not bad for a Monday I say, though I am not a Margarita kinda girl, here are few that I loved just for the looks.

Now if you are looking for more ways to celebrate today check out Wiki how for more details.

More Margarita both alcoholic and virgin ideas at Sloshed

Have fun, Now Monday is not bad after all.

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi Masala

Well weekend is done, its amazing how fast time flies come Saturday and Sunday, had a
super busy weekend. I had an email from one a reader mentioning that when ever she makes bhindi it turns gooey, so posting or rather reposting one of my favorite recipe with few tips/tricks I have learnt the hard way :). This is a very common dish found in any desi restaurant.

Stuff that worked for me to get Bhindi fry right is to make sure there is no moisture on the bhindi, they need to be dried well. 2. It should not be cooked covered. 3. As much as we hate using oil bhindi needs oil, I usually use pam. 4. Before adding bhindi to pan make sure pan is super hot. 5. Use non-stick pan if possible. 6. Using amchur powder makes bhindi's dry.

Ingredients
1 pound Bhindi (Lady Fingers) cut into small pieces
1 big Onion finely sliced vertically
1/2 Tomato cut into small cubes
Salt according to taste

For thadka
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp kasoori methi
1 tbsp Jeera
1 tsp Haldi
1 tbsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

Process

1. Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a pan ,when hot add kasoori methi,haldi and ginger garlic paste and Jeera
2. Add Onion and fry till Onion turns translucent
3. Add Bhindi, salt and garam masala, mix well
4. once Bhindi is fried add tomato and Black pepper mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes



Serve with your choice of carbs !!

Greens

Picked a small stem during 4th of July vacation in Tahoe last year, glad to see it thriving.

Hope everyones having a great weekend.

TGIF

First signs of spring in my yard, love sweet peas so tender and beautiful, lady like I say.

Boy this week went by in a jiffy, glad weekend is here. It's going to be a busy weekend but looking forward to it. Seriously out of recipes for today, need new ideas to cook and blog.

Pepper Fried Rice

Pepper Fried Rice

Well looks like I have a theme going this week with leftovers, early in the week posted recipe for left over roti's and today its a recipe for leftover rice. My mom used to make this once in a while and may be since she made it so rarely I really used to love it. I can count on my fingers what I would eat at home growing up, I was one picky eater but for some reason I loved this especially once I was in college. This recipe sure makes me nostalagic. Ingredients
1 Cup boiled rice ( preferable rice that's cold to touch)
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup peas and carrot
1 green chili slit length wise
1 shallot cut very fine
2-3 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tbsp pepper corns
salt according to taste
1 tbsp oil or spray like Pam


Process
1. Separate cooked rice with hand till you can see separate grains .
2. Add oil or pam in a pan, when hot add garlic and green chilies and finely sliced shallot.
3. Once shallot turns golden remove from heat and keep separate.
4. In the same pan spray pam or oil and add carrot and peas and peppercorn and saute for a minute.
5. To the above add separated rice and saute.
6. Add freshly ground pepper, salt and shallot garlic mixture and mix everything together.
7. Check for salt and adjust accordingly.



Serve piping hot and we at home eat with ketchup, I know might sound weird but that's how we ate growing up.

Cupcake D'lights

Pic courtesy http://cupcakedlights.blogspot.com/

I am an ardent and a long time fan/ follower of the blog CupCake D'lights, a beautiful blog all about cupcakes from South Africa. I don't think we can call these cupcakes," cupcakes" seriously they are a piece of art form. Every time I look up a new post on her blog my jaw just drops, some really serious creativity I say.

Stop by and check out Cupcake art @ http://cupcakedlights.blogspot.com/ and say hello to Zalita, for all you know you might find inspiration for your next party .

Easiest Chutney for Idli ever - Onion Tomato Chutney

Well I can bet there is no easy chutney to go with idli then this, I mean seriously no preparation at all, all you have to do is few ingredients and grind them that's about it. This is a my latest addition to my recipe repository.

Ingredients

1 Medium sized white onion cubed

1 Medium sized tomato cubed

Ginger about an inch thick

1 tbsp Cumin

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt according to taste

Process

1. Grind all the above ingredients except lemon juice into fine paste.

2. Remove from grinder and add lemon juice and mix well.

Well that's about it, now tell me can it get any simpler than this. Enjoy with idli or dosa. You can also spread this chutney on one side of the dosa while making to give it a nice flavor.

Quick Dinner with leftover Roti

Quick Dinner with leftover Roti

Today was one of those perfect days, I mean seriously having a day off on Monday beats nothing. With beautiful weather and all weekend chores done it was time to just chill and later play with kids in the park. Best part of today, I was able to complete Chitra Banerjee's latest book One Amazing Thing, loved the book will write my review soon.
I have previously blogged today's recipe with a slight variation , reposting with few modifications, this works when you have stale or left over rotis ( roti's that are edible of course). I am not sure if fresh roti's would work for this recipe since they usually are very soft, you need roti that's a bit hardened for getting this right.


Ingredients
3- 4 Rotis/toritllas
Onion – 1, chopped finely
tomato - cubed into small pieces
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
2 Green chillies chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garam masala powder
8-10 Curry leaves
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp Oil
Salt according to taste
Process

1.Heat the oil in a pan, when hot add mustard, ginger garlic paste,curry leaves, green chilies, all the dry masala's and tumeric powders and mix well.
2. Now Add the onion and saute till they turn golden brown, now add chopped tomatoes,fry for a minute or two and salt and mix well.
3. Shred roti/chapathi/ tortilla into small pieces
4. Add shredded roti to above mixture and toss well so that all the roti pieces are well coated, takes about a minute or two.
5. Remove from flame and add lemon juice and adjust salt accordingly
6. Garnish with corriander and enjoy it piping hot



Tastes best when eaten piping hot, you can additionally garnish with finely grated ginger,carrot, jicama .

Egg Bhurji Wrap / Egg Curry Wrap

Egg Bhurji Wrap / Egg Curry Wrap

I have just gotten used to cooking eggs at home ie once kids started eating them, earlier to that I could hardly bear the smell of raw eggs. But I have since learnt to cook eggs camouflaging the smell. Well see I grew up is super authentic vegetarian home, where eggs were no-no.

Today's recipe I am sure is very common, but to me this is new. Eggs are super high in protein and keep your hunger pangs in control. This recipe can be customized according to your style, you can add choice of your vegetables like asparagus, mushroom, and grated cauliflower etc.

Ingredients
5 medium eggs
1 medium Onion cubes finely
2 tbsp green chilies
2 tomatoes
few curry leaves

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp oil
salt according to taste

Roti or Tortilla for wrap

Step1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan,when hot add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and onions and saute till they turn golden brown.

Step 2 : When onions turn golden color, break 5 eggs into the pan slowly one after the other.
Step 3 : Allow the eggs to cook while lowering the flame, let it cook without tossing too much.
Step 4 : After 2 -3 minutes toss the egg mixture and mix till all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Step 5 : Allow it to cook for about 4-5 minutes , once done allow to cool and garnish with coriander leaves.
Step 6 : Now wrap the egg burji in a roti or tortilla and enjoy an wholesome meal.
Tastes well when egg burji is hot to warm, you can sprinkle lemon juice if you like it a little tangy.

Peace and Love on Valentines Day

You must be the change you want to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

May all of us find peace and love within us and everyone around.

Have a great Valentines !!

Whats your color

Want to know what's your color click here

Have a good weekend

Dhahi Bindi - Repost

Dhahi Bindi

I realized I have quite a few awesome recipes in my archives, which I completely forgot, was browsing through them and have marked few which I think I would want to cook again, one of them is Dahi Bindi inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor.

Click here for recipe

A busy Day

Was quite an hectic day, but glad it ended on a very inspiring way. Met one of my favorite author Chitra Banerjee on the eve of her book release "One Amazing Thing". Just getting started on reading. More when I am done with the book .

Oh My Valentine - Gifts Ideas

Valentines is just around the corner, though I really don't believe that you need a special day to tell that someone special you love them, still being told that you are loved and appreciated is always a good thing.

I am huge fan of etsy.com , a place to buy and sell all handmade things. I have picked few pendants that would please any lady, click on the link for more details. Most of the artisan are offering shipping by valentines so go check it out. Best part all of them are customizable to your choice.

For the one with unconditional love
For a special daughter
For the rock star
Sisters - best friends forever

For the lady who loves shopping

For the Diva

For mom, who nests and loves

For the soccer mom,
For the Gardener
For the cook For the would-be mother,nothing better to show case her bump For Mom - who is your strength
For the Artist

Most of these range from $5 to $45. I hope you liked my selection, let me know what you think.

All pictures courtesy etsy.com

Cucumber Peanut Chutney/ Dosakaya Palli Pachadi

Cucumber Peanut Chutney/ Dosakaya Palli Pachadi

Today's recipe is something new I learnt a few weeks ago, seriously its so hard to come up with ideas to cook given the same set of vegetables, that's when friends come to rescue. Tried this at a friends home and I loved it and best part its very easy to make without complex procedures. I am all in for simple stuff I just feel its a waste of time trying to cook very elaborate on weekdays any thing simple I am up for it.

Ingredients
1 cucumber ( Indian yellow one works best, if not English cucumber would work as well)
1/2 cup peanuts roasted
1/4 cup tamarind juice or 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tomato cubed
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp channa dal
1 tbsp jeera
curry leaves
hing a pinch
4-5 red chilies
4-5 green chilies
1 tbsp oil
Salt according to taste


Process
1. Heat oil in a skillet, add urad dal,channa dal,jeera and mustard seeds,curry leaves, red & green chilies and saute.
2. When mustard seeds start to splutter add tomato cut into cubes.
3. Cook for 2 minutes now add peanuts and saute will all is mixed well.
4. Grind the above mixture add coriander while grinding.
5. Now take cubed cucumber in a bowl and add above mixture and salt.
6. Mix well and adjust salt according.

Makes an excellent combination with hot rice.

Broccoli Stir with Moong Dal

Broccoli Stir with Moong Dal

Had a fun filled evening watching super bowl, sometimes impromptu events turn out so much better than planned . It was a totally unplanned and turned out to be super fun especially for kids. Kids were so happy that Saints won they were rooting for Brees big time.

Few days ago when I posted spinach with moong dal got few comments on fb saying that this combination would work for cabbage very well, this week I had broccoli lying on my refrigerator so replicated the receipe with broccoli instead spinach. Pretty simple and stir fried Broccoli tastes amazing.

Ingredients

about a pound of broccoli, cleaned and chopped fine

1/2 cup of moong dal soaked in water for about 1/2 hr

For seasoning

2 tbsp finely diced ginger

4-5 red chilies

1 tbsp cumin/jeera

1 tbsp urad dal

1 tbsp mustard seeds

8-10 curry leaves

a pinch of tumeric

salt according to taste

2 tbsp oil

Process

1. Heat a skillet and add oil , when hot add cumin,urad,mustard, red chilies , ginger and curry leaves

2. saute till mustard seeds begin to crack

3. Add drained moong dal and fry till the raw smell is gone for about a minute or two

4. Add cut broccoli, tumeric and salt and stir well.

5. Cook covered for 4-5 minutes.

6. Broccoli cooks very fast, check for salt and adjust accordingly ,remove from heat and serve

This in fact makes a complete meal, wrap it in a roti or a tortilla and make it a healthy wholesome meal.