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Gooey Chocolate Melting Hearts - Recipe for Valentines Day
2010-02-12 02:00:00
I've come a long way from when I made those hand-shaped baked hearts for a Valentines Day a couple of years back. As much as I think they are cute, I'd just use a heart-shaped cookie cutter if I were to make it now. Anyway, this recipe has been flicked almost entirely from my friend Reema's blog. I made them a while back with some minor adjustments - I didn't have 4 eggs so I used the 3 I had and then added 2 tbsp yogurt to replace the missing one - but was waiting for V-day to come nearer before I post. Although TH and I don't really celebrate Valentines day, I know many out there do in case you are looking for a quick chocolate dessert to bake, here's what you may find useful, not to mention yummy! I have tried to give cup measurements wherever possible but for this recipe, ingredients would be easier to measure out if you have a kitchen scale. Gooey Chocolate Melting Hearts Adapted from here.  What I Used: All purpose flour / maida - 1/2 cup Bittersweet chocolat...
More About: Recipe , Sweets

Lemon Rasam Recipe
2010-02-10 11:29:00
My mom only makes one kind of rasam. Its watery, peppery, has no dal, and is ready in 7 mins flat. After getting married to a Tam Brahm I realized there are close to a gazillion different types of rasam and then some more. If dal or paruppu is added to rasam back home then we explicitly call it paruppu rasam and it resembles sambar, although taste-wise, its quite different. Anyway, long story short, now I am introduced to the world of rasam where every single variety has a unique taste not just on the ingredients used but also depending on who makes it. Isn't that mindbogglingly amazing?  Let's just say yes and move on shall we.  Ingredients for lemon rasam Lemon rasam is interesting to me for two reasons. Lemon or lime totally rocks. Although I would still choose a molten chocolate cake over a lemon pie for dessert, as a fruit, I respect lemon. It really packs a lot of stuff in its small yellow self. Another reason why this lemon rasam calls out to me is addition of fr...
More About: Vegetarian , Recipe

Arbi / Colocasia / Cheppankizhangu Fry Recipe
2010-02-08 10:16:00
I am not going to go yap yap yap through this recipe. The pictures will do the talking. Oh just one thing. If you are like me and used to turn down cheppankizhangu because its too "slimy" then this dish will make you rethink. Well, its fried, that's a no-brainer but apart from that, it also brings out the unique flavour this tuber has. What you need to make the Cheppankizhangu Fry (apart from a mother-in-law who cooks this for you and waits patiently while you click pictures at every step) 500gm cheppankizhangu / arbi/ colocasia / chembu 5 tbsp (more or less) rice flour 1 tbsp besan / kadala maavu / gram flour (optional - you can also use rava / semolina instead) 2 tsp red chilli powder A generous pinch of turmeric powder A generous pinch of asafoetida / perungaayam / hing Salt to taste Oil to deep fry Let's get started. Here's how to make the Cheppankizhangu Fry. 1. Wash and boil the Cheppankizhangu in enough water to cover it for about 10-12 mins until it is coo...
More About: Vegetarian , Recipe , Vegan

Nan On Tawa or Tawa Naan Recipe - Step by Step
2010-02-04 13:21:00
Naan or Nan is TH's favourite bread. That and palak paneer are his absolute favourite dishes to order in a restaurant. I recently got the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day from the library and got totally smitten by it.  I don't have most of the stuff that they have mentioned as requirements, like pizza peel and oven thermometer and baking stone and even a proper oven to do broiler method of baking in but this, this Tawa Nan I could try. The dough is the master Boule recipe mentioned in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I halved the recipe since I only wanted to use it for Nan the first time around.  Here's what we need first - 3/4 tbsp of active dry yeast. Please make sure that its fresh and not past the expiration date. Why do I mention this explicitly? Err... no particular reason. Let's move on.  Throw the yeast in a bowl with 1.5 cups of lukewarm water. I warmed my water in the microwave for a minute on medium-high powder. The recipe says no ne...
More About: Vegetarian , Recipe , Vegan

Meet My Oven - The Cheap, Basic Oven from India
2010-01-29 07:57:00
My butterscotch blondies recipe is special for two reasons: 1. It was my first step by step recipe 2. I posted pictures of my oven and every other reader of this blog immediately had a gazillion questions about it! Ok, I tend to exaggerate a bit but in this case, its only a teeny bit. True story. Considering all the emails I have replied (happily, may I add) on the subject, this post is terribly late. But then, here it is, finally, after a break of 9 days, my longest in a while. This, is my oven. And this here, is the list of FAQs. Go crazy folks! Q. Where did you buy the oven? What's the price? Amma got this for me from Shah Enterprises in Kottayam, Kerala (that's my hometown). The brand name is OK. I am positive you'd get this in most home appliances stores in Kerala although I am not sure of other places. If anyone has seen or heard of this, please leave a comment. The price is about Rs. 1200. No, I am not going to convert that into USD for you. Sorry, too lazy. Q. ...
More About: India , Others , Meet , Basic , Cheap

Food Photography Basics - Choosing Your White Table
2010-01-20 06:42:00
I'm kidding. This post doesn't have much to do with food photography as such. I have to revive that series, I know I know. But meanwhile, I am going to answer the question many of you have asked me through comments and emails. "What's that white background that you use in most of your pictures?" And today, I present to you.. TADAAA.. OOPS! Oh wait! That's my extremely cluttered, not-white-at-all coffee table. Here's my white table I use for food pics. He may look a bit confused but that's because he is not used to being photographed without food on him, you see. Its very convenient to have a hard, white base that easily cleanable and portable. The table weighs less than 1kg 2kg usual tables and you can bring it to any part of your house where there's enough natural light for your pics. See what I mean? A white base reflects light well and enhances the picture when you later edit using Picasa or any other software. I love using a plain white base most times partl...
More About: Food , Photography , White , Food photography , Table

Ellu Sadam / Sesame Rice Recipe
2010-01-13 05:06:00
I love sesame seeds. Whenever a recipe calls for 1 tsp of it, I dunk in 1 tbsp. The same goes for coriander powder but that's a totally different topic that should be discussed in a different context. For now, let's stick to sesame seeds rice.I am a huge sucker for variety rice. I am very South Indian like that I guess. But this is one recipe I had never heard of until I was gifted Chandra Padmanabhan's 'Southern Spice'. In ingenious and I am still wondering why it took me this long to finally get to it. Its great to pack for a trip and tastes best at room temperature with some raita. Now, how many South Indian Variety Rice recipes can you say this for?Ellu Sadam / Sesame Rice Recipe Source: Southern Spice by Chandra PadmanabhanWhat I Used:1 cup cooked riceFor the Spice Powder:1/2 cup white sesame seeds / til / ellu2 tbsp grated coconut4 dry red chillies1 tsp oilFor Tempering:2 tbsp gingelly oil / nallennai1 tsp mustard seeds3 tbsp shelled peanuts1/2 tsp cumin seeds / jeera2 dry...
More About: Coconut , Vegetarian Recipes

Keera Vadai / Lentils and Spinach Vada Recipe
2010-01-11 05:35:00
What better way to start a Monday than talk about deep fried snacks? However, this recipe, like a few others, is going to begin with a disclaimer. I don't claim that this is the authentic keera vadai recipe that all Tamilians are probably proud of. I used what I had in the pantry and whatever took the fancy.What I can guarantee is that its super simple and very crunchy. An ideal, quick tea-time snack. Its also quite crazy in a way that you can customize all you want. I used amaranth leaves / mulai keerai. I like the flavour and use it in pretty much all dishes that call for spinach / keerai. This picture reminds me how long back I made this recipe. My cutting board is not even close to its original colour that's seen here!I also used channa dal / kadala paruppu in this recipe although most vadai recipes call for toor dal or peas paruppu, which amma is what most South Indian restaurants use because its a much cheaper alternative to the expensive toor dal.Soaked Channa DalI love the...
More About: Recipe , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Spinach

Amma's Garden and How I Miss It
2010-01-08 07:17:00
Posts like these make want to curl up on my bed sucking coconut candy. I start thinking in long lines of 'what ifs' and drive TH nuts! And what do I do to make this better? Have one of my own so that I can look at it next time I feel like turning into a recluse and crying my eyes out. Or something like that. My mom has a green thumb. She loves plants and plants love her. I remember the days we used to have dinner on the terrace of our old house and her picking out the leeches from the orchid plants with her bare fingers and dropping them into the coconut shell with rock salt in it. Did I mention with her bare fingers? Yeah, my mom is like that. Now we have very little space around our house in Kottayam but she still manages to squeeze in maximum stuff. The plot is only 8cents (that's how we measure in Kerala) including the area the house is on, half of which is tiled, so there's very little soil area. Yet, she has green chillies..There's nothing like the flavour of fresh green ...
More About: Garden , Others , Miss

Pacha Andi / Raw Cashewnuts Aviyal Recipe
2010-01-06 07:28:00
I am running out of recipes in draft! Although I have a zillion recipes bookmarked and ingredients for some of them, I am just not in the groove yet. In laws are visiting for a week so hopefully I can get some nice recipes from the MIL.Anyway, this one is from my trip to Kottayam in August. The pics were hiding in my "Kottayam Holiday" folder so went totally unnoticed. Pacha andi, or raw cashewnuts are not easily available and from what I know, are seasonal, in addition to being quite expensive. We have a man who delivers this to all our relatives' houses in Kerala, he has a thick moustache and a gruff voice. Last time I asked amma, she said he is getting old and obviously his son doesn't want to get into the "family business". When I was a kid, raw cashewnuts used to be 200 rupees for one kilo. Now they are about 290-300rs.They are quite nice to eat as is, crunchy and fresh. When cooked, they turn a bit mushy and pasty (in a good way). The only thing we ever make with this is avi...
More About: Recipe , Coconut , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan

Tribute-to-Katherine-Hepburn Brownies Recipe
2010-01-04 09:13:00
I am going to pretend I am posting a step by step brownie recipe as my first recipe this year not because I am out of anything else to post, but because its auspicious to start with sweet stuff. You play along, ok? I am going to be honest with you and admit these brownies are not going to cooperate if you have weight loss resolutions. What they will do is transport you to chocolate heaven and back with each bite, this I promise. Here's a sneak preview of the final product.Now, let's get started with 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. I use Cadbury's which I brought from India. I am weird that way. I take back Hershey's for my relatives and bring back Cadbury's cocoa powder. I can't find the picture of the butter I took so imagine 1/2 cup butter here. At room temperature please. Now, to get what you see below, bring a pan of water to boil, place another heat proof bowl in it and add the butter. When it melts, add the cocoa powder and 1 tsp instant coffee powder. Don't worry, yo...
More About: Recipe , Chocolate , Brownies , Walnuts

The Unavoidable Recap - Recipes of 2009!
2009-12-31 07:33:00
I hadn't intended to do this, but then I am doing some other things tonight that I hadn't intended to do originally anyway. Before you let your imagination go flying, TH and I are going to one of those super crowded NYE parties we very dutifully avoid each year. I hate crowds. He hates crowds. We are so totally made for each other. This year? We don't have enough friends in SG for a house party and we did the "just you and me, first NYE after marriage" thing last year which was okay but not something you want to do two years in a row. So we are going to be brave and face the crowds. Who knows, maybe we would be converts after this. So 2009. Its been a horrible year for almost everyone I know. Part of it is definitely due to the recession but then some were beyond that. We had a bad year too, but I still can't help feeling blessed for all the good stuff that happened this year. But this post is about Edible Garden and the incredible year its been. I cooked a lot,...
More About: Recipes , Others , Recap

Mushrooms Stuffed with Brie : Recipe
2009-12-28 10:22:00
I think I am very smart so what I do occasionally is, read a recipe and if I like it, I read the ingredients again and fool myself into thinking I can remember them all when I go shopping. Here's what happened the last time I did that. Mini Portobello Mushrooms I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman and instantly knew I'll be making it. I read through the ingredients list and thought they were easy, especially since I had some brie left over after making this salad. Turns out that's the only ingredient that's common between her version and mine. Brie She used button mushrooms - I used portobello mushrooms She used parsley and green onions - I used cilantro (coriander leaves) and totally forgot the green onions She used brie - I used very little brie and then some mozarella She didn't use onions - I did But the bottom line is, this turned out super yummy! Its a quick appetizer and sure to win over any mushroom-lover. You can also make big batches in one go, so its awesome ...
More About: Recipe , Vegetarian Recipes

Hyderabad Style Bagara Baingan Recipe - Step by Step
2009-12-22 09:41:00
I am getting increasingly lazy these days. I feel like I have lost the mojo to try out new stuff with as much frequency as I used to or click pictures with as much interest. I have about 4 food photography basics posts in my drafts just lying there because I have to edit and upload pictures to go as examples with the posts. I also haven't been visiting as many blogs as I used to and my unread blogs list on reader just keeps getting longer and longer.I made this Bagara Baingan ages ago. Its loosely based on a recipe I saw in a Nita Mehta book at the library. I didn't borrow it so made this based on what I could remember from her recipe. The amount of ingredients are all my own approximation but it turned out very tasty, a perfect combo with roti, pulao or biryani (like they serve it in Hyderabad ).Ok now for the step by step. First, dry roast about 2 tbsp of white sesame seeds / til / ellu until golden brown. Set aside.Then, dry roast 2 tbsp peanuts until roasted and brown. Mine wa...
More About: Recipe , Style , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan

Cooking Class - Palate Sensations Singapore
2009-12-16 09:00:00
One of the managers in my team at work won an award because she is a pretty awesome manager. What does this have to do with cooking classes? Well, she is a food-lover, in addition to being totally hilarious, and decided to treat her team to an afternoon of cooking as a group. Again, where do I fit in? Well, she had some available slots in the group and guess who jumped at the chance?! Me! There you go, now I fit into the picture totally, don't I?And that's where it began. Joann had filled me in on how nice their kitchen is but even then I was all *gasp* and *double gasp*. I mean, take a look..Every surface either squeeks or is filled with food and/or kitchen gadgets. No complaints!There's one entire wall full of Le Creuset stuff. Saucepans, bowls, pans, stock pots, and the list goes on and on. The opposite wall was dedicated to Scan Pan. I hadn't heard of the brand before this but now, I am down. I go to their website every other day and just ogle. This is probably my favourite ...
More About: Cooking , Singapore , Others , Class

Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe
2009-12-14 02:00:00
This is from Nita Mehta's Soup s, Salads and Starters. I was slightly skeptical when I read the name of the soup but since I had some cheddar cheese lying around and really wanted to use it up. The soup was a pleasant surprise, not as heavy as I expected but quite filling and creamy.Cheddar Cheese SoupSource : Nita Mehta's Soups, Salads and StartersServes : 5-6What I Used:2 onions, chopped3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped25gm (1 cube Amul cheese) cheddar cheese, grated2 tbsp butter1 cup milk (I used low fat 'cuz that's all I had)5 cups water1/2 cup sour cream (I didn't use this)1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper1 tsp salt To Garnish:Croutons25gm (1 cube Amul cheese) cheddar cheese, gratedFresh coriander leaves (optional)How I Made It:1. In a pressure cooker pan, add the butter and brown the onions lightly. 2. Add potatoes and saute for 1-2 mins. Then add the water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Remove from fire. 3. When cooled, blend the pressure cooked onions and pota...
More About: Recipe , Vegetarian Recipes , Potato

Mom's Delight : Step By Step Recipe
2009-12-08 07:00:00
I have posted the recipe for Mom's delight ages ago but although its actually much tastier than the Marie Biscuit Chocolate Logs, its not as popular. This could be because the name is not popular, in fact I think I made it up when I was 12, I can't remember! Or because the picture is really not tempting. Anyway, anything to do with Marie biscuits and chocolate is totally my thing, I mean, you can't go wrong with that combination - its like crackers and cheese!So, I am reposting the recipe, but this time, with step by step pictures to give you a not-so-gentle push towards making it this holiday. How about that? I am nothing if not persistent ;)Here's most of the stuff you'll need. Cocoa powder or bittersweet chocolate, Marie biscuits or digestive biscuits (clearly the recipe is very forgiving!), about 1 tbsp butter to grease the tray or ramekins, condensed milk (low fat if you are in denial like me and think that actually makes this dessert guilt-free), and some chopped nuts (it...
More About: Recipe , Vegetarian Recipes

Vegetable Cutlets : Step-by-Step Recipe
2009-12-02 11:00:00
Vegetable cutlets have never really interested me as a child. Back then, I used to eat red meat and if a certain dish was available in both vegetarian and non vegetarian options, I go for the latter usually. Since then, things have changed a lot and I only cook vegetarian now, keeping TH in mind. Since anything fried get a thumbs-up from him, vegetable cutlets were no exception!*Disclaimer*- the pictures in this post are going to be less than nice. I made these on a whim one night and all pics were taken in the kitchen (yes, the same one I keep cribbing about for lack of windows or good light). Except for the first picture. This one was taken on the bright spot near the living room window right after I steamed the vegetables - 1 potato, 2 cups of mixed vegetables like peas, carrot, beans and sweet corn and one onion sliced long. Steam until the vegetables are cooked through yet not mushy. You can alternately pressure cook them 1 whistle. I know I said step by step recipe for vegetab...
More About: Recipe , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegetable , Potato , Vegan

Beetroot Rocket Salad with Brie
2009-11-30 10:08:00
The other weekend, I uncharacteristically went and bought a bunch of stuff I usually wouldn't. It all started with this amazing salad I had at an Italian restaurant and I was craving it ever since! If I crave for a salad, then you can rest assured it was actually that good. I was almost successful in bringing the same taste at home the very next day!Let's start with the Brie right here. Except for a couple of times I've had this with crackers at some fancy buffet, I've never bought Brie. That's totally changed now. I am a convert, to say the least. Hello there, you creamy, evil mound of cheesy goodness.Next we have Balsamic Vinegar. Again, its something I've had while eating out, I've come across it in other blogs but this is the first time I have ever owned a bottle of this. And while I was at it, I went and bought the best available bottle of balsamic vinegar in Singapore whose price shall not be discussed. Ever. You are good, you know you're good. This is what I ended up ...
More About: Olive Oil , Vegetarian Recipes , Salad , Beetroot , Salads

Easy Gobi Manchurian Recipe
2009-11-25 06:32:00
You are away from home for an extended period of time. You have tasted most of what the local cuisine has to offer you. Your mind wanders back to the dosa and sambar, chaat, dal chaawal, rasmalai, aloo paratha.. all those things you took so much for granted back home.Me? I crave Gobi Manchurian. One evening, I drove TH nuts saying I want gobi manchurian and I want it now. Its easy to find Indian food in Singapore, especially North Indian, but Indo-Chinese, not so much unless you are ready to go the extra mile to Little India, literally. That evening we went, and I was happy only after I polished off an entire plate of gobi manchurian all by myself. The next day, I made it at home. Yes, the very next day, why do you ask? I really wish I had step by step pictures, especially to show the batter consistency, but I have measured out the ingredients quite accurately so this should come out well for you. Gobi Manchurian Recipe What I Used:2 cups cauliflower, cut into floretsOil to deep fryF...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Capsicum , Cauliflower , Vegan

Poriyal Podi & Sweet Potato Poriyal Recipe
2009-11-23 04:00:00
I have been keeping a secret for a while. Yep, I have. And that is, my love for sweet potatoes. There you go, now you all know me inside out. That's all there is to me - I love sweet potatoes, chocolate, brinjal and step by step recipe pictures. I am a very simple person. Back to sweet potatoes. What does that have to do with this poriyal podi recipe you ask? Well, I usually have sweet potatoes just boiled and very lightly salted. It makes my troubles go away like nothing else can. But the other day, I was going through Chandra Padmanabhan's Southern Spice, for the umpteenth time, and saw this recipe called chakkaravalli kizhangu poriyal recipe. I had no clue chakkaravalli kizhangu is sweet potato. All this time I thought sweet ptoato is cheeni kizhangu in tamil although I have no clue how I came to that conclusion. I tried it and let me just tell you this much - it beats slightly salted sweet potatoes to the door and back, any day!To make this poriyal, you need poriyal podi. It c...
More About: Recipe , Sweet , Vegetarian Recipes , Potato , Vegan

Chakkakkuru Aviyal / Jackfruit Seeds Aviyal Recipe
2009-11-18 09:05:00
I love chakkakkuru! As I had posted earlier in my Jackfruit seeds in Lentils recipe, its not easy to get it here in Singapore. But the story is entirely different in Kerala. My mom usually has an entire ripe jackfruit sent to her by friends of the family and it will be waiting, ripe and fragrant in the kitchen corner, ready to be attacked. Fresh slices are eaten then and there and the leftovers stored away to make chakka varatti and kumbil appam and what not. The seeds are, of course, collected and sun dried before it goes into dishes like aviyal and mezhukkupuratti. Chakkakkuru aviyal is my absolute favourite and this time when I went to Kottayam, amma made it for me. This is her recipe and the picture was taken in Kottayam in amma's rustic old steel bowl. Chakkakkuru Aviyal Recipe Serves: 4 as a side dishWhat Is Needed:20 Jackfruit seeds/Chakkakkuru1 drumstick, cut into 3" pieces1 cup grated coconut8-10 small onions/shallots sliced long2 cloves crushed garlic3/4 tsp red chilli pow...
More About: Coconut , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan

Banana Bread Step-by-Step Recipe
2009-11-16 04:00:00
What's all the fuss about, you ask? Well, you have to try it to know why. I still don't know why this is called 'bread' instead of cake but I do know that its actually somewhere in between and tastes awesome toasted. This is also a fool-proof recipe. Really. Just throw some things together in a bowl, whisk it and bake it to get this awesome loaf full of a yummy banana flavour.We rarely buy more than 4 bananas at at a time so mine is a one banana banana bread recipe. Is that too many bananas in one sentence yet? ;)Here's some of the star cast. A banana (because this is a one banana banana bread recipe, remember? Ok, I'll stop!), 2 eggs, nuts - walnuts being the most popular but I added what I had in hand, a handful of hazelnuts and a couple of macademia nuts which somehow made their way into my pantry and I have no idea from where. Step one - mash the banana up. I used a masher because something about getting squishy banana pieces on my fingers turns me off. Next, whisk togethe...
More About: Recipe , Banana , Sugar , Bread , Flour

Palak Khichdi / Spinach Khichdi Recipe
2009-11-12 08:31:00
This is another recipe from Geeta Perima of the instant sambar powder recipe fame. A lot of you wrote in saying you tried it and loved it for its simplicity. This is another nice dish that she had made us for dinner on the night we landed. Paired with some mildly sweet Gujarati Khadi and potato chips, this made for an amazing dinner. You'll need some good quality halved green gram and normal rice that you use every day. I bought this green dal from Bombay and it was so fresh and shiny and dirt-free!You'll also need three kinds of greens for the recipe:1. Green spinach or palak2. Fresh coriander leaves/cilantro or kothmeer/kothamalli/malliyila 3. Mint leaves/pudina. I got all three bunches fresh from Little India, especially to make this dish myself :)You will also need to grind up some stuff. This is the essence of the recipe so, read on. Palak Khichdi Recipe Source: Geetha PerimaServes: 2 to 3What I Used:2 cups rice1 cup halved green dal (always use 2:1 ratio for rice:dal)1 bunch ...
More About: Rice , Vegetarian Recipes , Vegan , Spinach

Spiral Cookies : Step-by-Step Recipe
2009-11-09 08:00:00
Anyone who saw these on SJ's blog and wanted to make them, raise your hands. Yep, that's what I thought. They are so pretty and look so homely and nice right? That's what actually got me started on this quite messy yet great decision to try them myself. Disclaimer: I am not very artistic. I believe artistic people can make food look nicer and this is especially true for desserts and some bakes. That really didn't discourage me though. I have step-by-step pictures and although my cookies didn't turn out as smooth and spirally as SJ's, they still wow-ed a lot of a people and tasted great. We need to prepare 2 batches of dough and since each require 1/2 an egg yolk, let's get that out of the way. Lightly beat an egg yolk and set aside. We will later halve this. Melt (or bring to room temperature) 1/2 cup unsalted butter and add 1/2 cup sugar to that. Beat until well combined. Add 4 drops of vanilla essence to this along with a pinch of salt. Mix well. Now add half the beaten egg...
More About: Recipe , Cookies , Chocolate , Flour

Gobi Paratha: Step By Step Recipe
2009-03-06 10:59:00
I have been putting away this post for the longest time possible. I made this over a month back and took step by step pictures. I was too lazy to edit and upload and post so kept picking the simple recipes to post. Today I had to share this with you because I tried making layered gobi paratha in a different way and it was so much better than the traditional method of making the paratha, addng the filling, bringing the edges together and rolling it out again before cooking it on the tawa. I have given the shots of the usual method below. Now for the different method I tried, you have to endure the whole post :D Let's start with 1 cup minced cauliflower or gobi. Make it as tiny as possible. Like this. I recently got a Philips chopper/blender/whisk set and used the chopper blade to get it minced. Its super quick and I use this for pretty much all my chopping now. Since my kitchen has lousy lighting, I don't have step-by-step pics of how I made the filling but its quite straightforwar...
More About: Recipe , Vegetarian Recipes , Cauliflower , Bread , Vegan

Stir-Fried Tofu With Beans Recipe
2009-03-04 06:45:00
The IngredientsI was so tempted to hold on to this recipe and post it a couple of weeks later, what with all the emails and comments asking for the recipe, when I posted the picture of the ingredients for Click. I was loving the attention! You guys are so cool, you know, making me feel so loved and wanted. I have asked TH to contact you for some lessons on that.However, as much as I loved hearing from you all, I thought I shouldn't make you good people wait any longer. This is one of the few dishes that I buy for lunch from the local hawker centers near office. It seemed so simple yet tasted so good that I had to try it at home. I did ask the aunty at the food stall what they add to it but she just waved me off after saying "tofu, tomatoes, tomato sauce.." so I was thinking I'll pretty much improvise on my own. The recipe is inspired by Hooked on Heat with some minor changes from my end.But first things first. Huge thanks to Delhibelle for helping me identify the right tofu to buy...
More About: Recipe , Beans , Vegetarian Recipes , Tofu , Vegan

Basics of Food Photography - Q&A 1
2009-03-02 07:40:00
After the first four posts in the series, a bunch of you got back to me with specific questions. Though it was great to get all the positive feedback on the series, I wanted to make sure that I helped those of you who were not able to put the tips to practice. Though its hard to do this in a perfect manner remotely, I am going to try and answer the top two questions most of you had.For your reference, here are the first four posts in the series:1. Food Photography Basics 2. Aperture, F-Stops and DOF (Imp!!)3. Basic Editing with Picasa 34. Using the Right Bowls, Plates & ColoursQ: I read in your previous post about blurring backgrounds by controlling the aperture. I tried doing this in my camera but I can't figure out how to change the f-stop value. Help!A: I really wish I could take a look at your camera to help you with this. In all likelihood, I would give you a blank look back and go Google your camera model to see how its done, but either ways, its hard to help you with a se...
More About: Food photography

Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
2009-01-27 09:13:00
Paneer butter masala is something I make quite often. In fact, its one of the first paneer recipes that I tried and because I didn't use kasuri methi and because I followed a quick recipe, it didn't turn out.. well.. anything like paneer butter masala - the most popular of paneer recipes!TH loves it and so do I, though these days I have reduced the amount of butter and cashew nuts that go into it. Even then, this is an indulgent dish, definitely not for quick fix meals over weekdays.We like ours not too watery so I add very little water and let most of it cook away on the stove. If you have any ingredient that you add on top of all these, do let me know, I would love to experiment!Recipe For Paneer Butter MasalaWhat I Used:Paneer - 2 cups, cubedOnions - 3 big, pureedTomatoes - 2 big, (blanched, peeled and pureed)Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbspCoriander powder / malli podi - 1 tspAll-purpose curry masala - 1 tsp (or use garam masala - grind 2 cloves, 1 green cardamom and a 1" piece ci...
More About: Vegetarian Recipes , Paneer

Click Red - Hot & Sweet
2009-01-24 11:43:00
After much deliberation, battery-charging, camera-tweaking, bending, hemming and hawing, I finally have the entry for Click . I bought some dried cherry chillies from the wet market last weekend. Or what I thought were dried cherry chillies. They were actually dried red dates! Ah well, as long as they are red, it works. And maybe I can come up with some nice chutney or dip with them, who knows.As I did last weekend, I took close to 15o pictures today and finally have my entry. I am so happy I can finally think of food without wondering what colour it is. Phew. Hot & Sweet - My Click-Red EntryNow tell me. If these were in a transparent, unlabelled packet in a shop selling vegetables, wouldn't you have thought they are dried cherry chillies too? There you go!
More About: Chillies