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Oats and Mango - Breakfast in a Glass : WBB # 13
2007-07-18 11:12:00
When Madhuli asked me how I felt about Oats as a theme for Weekend Brea kfast Blogging, I thought, wow, she's a girl after my own heart. According to me, the simpler and blander an ingredient, the more you can dress it up, the more creative you can get. It's like working on a blank canvas. Oats for me is one such blank canvas, it is just there to absorb any flavours you might care too add. This
More About: Mango , Glass

Fried rice with mustard greens
2007-07-18 07:56:00
Reader update: My internet connection has just been restored after almost three weeks. I have been receiving some of the entries for JFI Chillies, and sorry if I am unable to respond to each of your mails since I am travelling for the next 10 days. Indira has been kind enough to take on any queries you might have. The round up shall be done as promised by 8th August. Mustard greens - then and
More About: Rice , Greens , Fried Rice , Fried

JFI for August - Chillies (Spicy recipe inside)
2007-07-08 11:42:00
Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in the announcement. The heavy rains in Bombay have disrupted my phone and internet connection since 10 days now, and I have no idea when it is going to be reinstated. I'm doing this quick post from my parents' house where I am visiting for a few hours today. JFI or Jihva for Ingredients is Indira's brainchild and each month our avid food blogger
More About: Recipe , Chillies , Spicy , Inside , August

Vijaya Venkat's all-natural lunch box ideas
2007-04-21 14:50:00
Vijaya Venkat is one of the pioneers in holistic nutrition in India. The Health Awareness Centre (THAC), which she calls a temple, is the institute that she set up in 1989 by Vijaya Venkat and now run with daughter Anju Venkat.I had had the good fortune of talking to her around 6 months ago, as part of an interview for a feature and I found her thoughts utterly simple yet completely inspiring. Just last week, it came to my knowing that even Bee had used Ms. Venkat's tiffin service when she was working in Mumbai.I was thrilled to bits when the Times of India's Mumbai supplement Mumbai Mirror carried Vijaya Venkat's recipes for lunch boxes for the whole week. I cannot help but share with you.She believes that we must eat food as closest to its natural form as possible. Fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouts, spices are all considered first grade food and you'll find steaming as the commonest cooking technique in all her recipes.Day 1 and 2 - Cutlets, Veg salad with tadka, Three bean...
More About: Ideas , Lunch , Natural , Enka

Bloggers' Choice Awards - Campaign starts late
2007-04-20 12:16:00
Sunset at Juhu beachMeeta has been a sweet friend and nominated me for Best Health Blog and Best Food Blog, and then some other nice people have actually voted for me. I just happened to notice it today and hence am quite late in joining the campaigners' bandwagon. If you've liked reading my blog, please vote for me in the category that you seem fit! Thanks in advance and hope to see some votes coming in - after all it is the first time I've been nominated for any award ;0
More About: Personal , Awards , Campaign , Start , Star

Keerai Masiyal - Simple Spinach Mash
2007-04-18 09:24:00
Masiyal is ready! Our lunch today with Mor Kozhambu, Beans Paruppusuli and RiceSince my mom is here to stay with us for a few days, it is my pleasure to present / record some really simple traditional recipes like Keerai Masiyal.According to my knowledge, there are three common dishes made with Spin ach in Tambram cuisine. The first one being the simple mashed spinach or Masiyal ( Masikka means 'to mash' in Tamil) , the second one being Keerai Kootan / Keerai Milagootal which is a delicately spiced spinach - lentil preparation had with rice and the third (and my not-so-favourite) Pulikkeerai or spinach soured with tamarind. There is also a fourth variety in which cooked udad dal is added to mashed spinach. The recipe I'm sharing today is Keerai Masiyal or very simple mashed spinach that can be served as a side when you are just in the mood for some steamed rice and dal. This one also goes fantastic when mixed with some sambar and had along with yogurt rice (tairsaadam).This is a f...
More About: Simple , Spinach , Mash , Nach

Onion Rava Dosai with Spicy Tomato Chutney
2007-04-08 07:24:00
Thinking about calories is taboo on weekends, so says me! After a extremely fulfilling Asian dinner** last night at our favourite Lemongrass Cafe - Bandra, we wanted to continue the good food times into Sunday morning. And what better way to let the good times roll than with super crisp dosais!Dosa is in a Tamil Brahmin householdAs good Tambram kids, we have eaten an abundance of Idlis and Dosas well into our adult life. My granny would make the batter once a week in the large wet grinder machine that occupied place of pride in the balcony. (I hear it is used by a local Udipi restaurant to whom it was sold. Gran has moved on to the small table-top version) I remember that my grandpa has bought this in Saravana stores in Madras way back in 1984 and got it to Bombay. How does my memory go so far, you may wonder. But I tie this to the fact that he had bought me one of my favourite purple pavadai with a pink border in that same Madras trip, so it is not very difficult to remember :)If t...
More About: Breakfast , Chutney , Spicy , Spic

Instant Green Moong Curry
2007-04-06 11:51:00
Green moong / mung beans are nature's best offering for vegetarians. High in protein and yet easily digestible with the bonus of extra fiber makes this a super food. Some people find the soaking routine a deterrent. Where is time to plan ahead of time, most of the time! As much as I love these wonder beans, I invariably forget to soak them or sprout them. But with a recipe like this on hand, I can have mung as many times in a week as I like. Besides, Ayurveda considers Mung beans as one of the very few foods which balances all three doshas. More on Mung beans and Ayurveda here.This is a very versatile dish that pairs superbly with rotis / puris / bread or rice. A bowl of yogurt comes handy to cool of the spicy overtones.My wholesome lunch today - Phulka rotis with mung curry and spiced raw mango slices Instant Green Moong / Mung BeansTime taken - Under 30 minutesCategory - Side, Rice / Roti accompaniment, Vegetarian protein, Ayurvedic foodRecipe source - OwnMakes 2 large portions,...
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Detox diet - Part II - Weekend detox plan
2007-04-04 17:10:00
After the wonderful response to my earlier post, I thought it would do good to share a sample plan which you can try over the weekend. This is adapted from the interview of a Bombay based nutritionist that I did while doing a feature on the same topic. I will try and answer the rest of the questions asked in response to the earlier post in its comments section.How to do a weekend Detox PlanDay 1Plenty of water and fruits for the entire day in unlimited quantity. Include all fruits excluding bananas and chickoo.Breakfast: Water melon.Mid Morning: AppleLunch: Papaya with lemon squeezed on it.4 PM: Grapes6 PM: OrangesDinner: PapayaDay 2Breakfast: Any melonLunch: Salads + Vegetables + Pineapple. Use cold pressed organic oils (either sesame or ground nut) No potato should be included.Mid Evening: BananaDinner: Salad + Vegetable + Soup.Day 3Breakfast: Fruits with a herbal tea like peppermint teaLunch: Salad + Vegetables + Sprouts + 1 RotiMid Evening: Any fruitDinner: Salad + vegetable+ so...
More About: Health , How To , Diet , Weekend , Week

Detox diets - An overview
2007-04-01 11:16:00
Spring is supposed to be the best time not only for spring cleaning but also for cleaning up the mileu interior of our body. A few pointers on how to get into a detox diet and how it helps are outlined in this article.Detox seems to be buzz word among the health conscious. It is something akin to spring cleaning your house. Dusting, vacuuming, throwing away used, old stuff and creating a fresh, clean atmosphere inside your body. Our body has a detoxifying system in place made up of the liver, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skin, all of which work to eliminate toxins that enter our body thorough air, water, food and skin. But considering the times we live in, the kind of foods we eat, the lifestyle we follow present too tough a task for these built-in detoxification systems. Some of these un-tackled toxins start building up in our bodies causing a host of health problems like loss of vitality, dull skin and hair, weight gain, abdominal bloating, indigestion and a general...
More About: Health , Diets , How To , View , Over

Summer Food series # 1 - Herby Tomato salad with pine nuts and cheese
2007-03-30 11:30:00
Tomatoes, pine nuts and soft cheeseWe are still in March and its scorchingly hot in Bombay. Just the day before, the temperature touched a record 41 C (almost 106 F). I was blaming global warming, just to be informed that the reason was not global but very much local . The Summer Food Series that I announced a couple of days ago has been my natural reaction to this unnatural heat in the city. These days, we are automatically inclined to eat raw, juicy fruits and vegetables. My fridge is full of oranges, limes, apples and my counters are strewn with tomatoes, a large watermelon and a couple of cantaloupes. But some of the tomatoes are sunning it out as per Anjali's instructions.Standing in front of the gas stove is becoming quite a task and with super simple salads and raw foods, we intend to beat the heat to some extent.Our nearly raw diet this week resulted in the discovery of some amazing salad combinations. Fruit-vegetable-spice, vegetable-nut-herb, and not try substituting you...
More About: Cheese , Salad

Potato in Tamil Brahmin Cuisine
2007-03-28 10:15:00
Potato wedges - a global favourite | Recipe coming up soonRegulars on Saffron Trail would have realised that I have been unfair to the global favourite - the potato by never having openly expressed my love for this humble vegetable. To clear a few things, I too like all others, love this vegetable dearly. My all time favourite home food is Urulaikizhangu Curry and Vengaaya saambaar with rice, which is potato roast and onion sambhar. This is my soul food. If I could choose my last supper, this would be it.Potatoes are made in several ways in our Tamil brahmin household and none of them that I know use garlic as a spice. I am happy to share with you some simple authentic Tambram potato recipes.The recipe source is my mom (Amma), who cooks mostly traditional food with the exception of a pav bhaji or pulao etc. to meet my sister's demands.Recipe 1Urulaikizhangu Roast - This is had with a traditional Sambhar, rice, salad and fried appalam & vettal (rice flour crackers) whichforms the m...
More About: Potato , Cuisine , Brahmin , Sine

Hip-notized by Shakira - Live in Mumbai on 25 March, 2007
2007-03-26 14:05:00
Scene in my balcony on Sunday morningI am sitting with DH and our friend, L sipping on some lovely masala chaas made by DH and my friend N calls. "Hey - I have an extra pass for the Shakira 's performance this evening! Are you coming?" And I was thinking - "Am I dreaming"??I didn't do anything stupid like refusing her and there we were at the MMRDA grounds at 5.30 pm waiting for the gates to open while being awed by the serpentine queues. I have attended quite some concerts in Bombay and this was the biggest crowd I had seen.We were in the ground by 6 PM and people were cramming in, slowly and steadily. Women (young and younger) and kids were a majority of the crowd. By 7.30 PM people were getting restless, with the long wait and the crowds. After a bit of booing and shouting to pass the time, we finally got a glimpse of her sillhoute behind the drapes. I wasn't much of a Shakira fan until I saw her live. She has this magnetic effect that grabs your attention. How else can we exp...
More About: Personal , Mumbai , Live , March

Eggplant dip and Red Bean dip - Party starters
2007-03-25 05:48:00
Dip, dip, dip!Sometimes, you just want something light to nibble for dinner. While I've labelled this recipe under Party Start ers, you need not necessarily have a party to enjoy this kind of finger food. This is perfect stuff to share with your partner while watching your favourite movie on a Friday evening.My evening menu this Friday was oven baked roti chips, plenty of them to dip into an oven roasted eggplant dip called the Badenjan dip and a red kidney bean dip. The Badenjan dip is quite different in preparation and taste, from the Baba Gannouj which I've shared earlier with you. While it may sound light, it is quite filling as the components are the same as any other Indian meal - Chips (roti), Eggplant dip (Vegetable ) and Kidney bean dip (Dal / Lentils). This can be served with a salad like Fattoush and you have a complete meal.For a party, I'd highly recommend Nigella's own spread for exotic evenings from her book Feast - Pita chips with Eggplant dip, Red bean dip, Fattou...
More About: Bean , Around the world

Poro - the jewelled Parsi Omelette
2007-03-23 13:40:00
Parsis love their eggs. Well , that is an understatement. Their Akuris are made with a dozen eggs into a tall frittata stuffed with onions, coriander and chillies that suffices the entire family at breakfast. Poro is an omelette that is as beautiful as the Parsi women. I'd like to christen it the Jewelled Omelette.24.03.07 Update - While browsing in the Crossword bookstore this afternoon, I flipped through Katy Dalal's Jamva Chaloji - A Parsi cuisine cook book and she recommends that you have the Poro with chips, buttered bread and sour limes. This is one dish that Parsis make when the whole family is together for breakfast or also for a dinner when they are too lazy or tired to cook anything elaborate. Poro is also made on days when they must abstain from meat or fish. PoroCategory - Eggs , breakfastTime taken - Under 30 minutesServes 4Recipe source - Best ever curry cookbook by Manjula Baljekaringredients2 tbsp vegetable oil1 onion, finely chopped1/2 tsp ground cumin1 clove garli...
More About: Breakfast , Elle , Parsi

Quick and easy Bhindi Masala - Spicy stir fried okra
2007-03-21 05:10:00
Bhindi masala - Up, close and personalBhindi / Okra / Lady's finger or Vendakkai is one of the favourite vegetables of my adulthood. When I was a kid, it was a different story. Like how it happens in many a Tambram family, my folks used to lure me with tales of how eating vendakkai ( the tamil word for Okra) can help me score full marks in Maths! I could never figure out the connection between eating bhindi and maths, unless ofcourse I was doing calculations on the huge number of seeds that came along with it, but hey we didn't argue much as kids did we?When I read Manisha's post on Okra Kichadi, I realised that this vegetable has surprisingly never starred in any recipe in a lead role in the last one year.Last evening, I had to catch up with some friends over dinner. So I decided to leave some delicious hot dinner for DH at home. Bhindi masala, rotis and a black grape raita were what made the impromptu menu, made with things that were outermost in my refrigerator.I was inspir...
More About: Vegetable , Quick , Sala , Spicy

How to make a Mojito and New Year's Eve in Goa
2007-03-16 06:15:00
Warning -This is a weekend fun post - or rather a slight diversion from our weekday healthy and weighty matters!Candolim beachI'm not a sucker for cocktails. Too much sugar syrup and the weird colours are enough to put me off. But Mojito (pronounced MOHITO) is different from your regular cocktail. We were ushering in 2007 in Goa, the hip and happening Baga and Candolim beaches in North Goa. The last I'd been there was for my office picnic in the summer of 2004 which was to the Ramada resort in South Goa. We had pretty much the whole beach to our crazy bunch, the DJ playing music all night and free booze flowing. All this in an office picnic and more...I used to work one cool ad agency, before you all start imagining about where I used to work - haha!New Year 's Eve in GoaMore about our New year's Eve visit - Candolim is a beach where most of the charters from UK and Scotland land. Pretty much every local speaks English with a Brit accent - because that's the only English they he...
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Tomato salsa - Instant tomato chutney
2007-03-14 07:41:00
Tomato salsas are gorgeous looking things and only 5 minutes get in-between seeing this picture and tasting it in your mouth. Believe me when I say that because I've just made it to go with my lunch of chapati ( fluffed Indian bread ) and cabbage curry. This one is going to add some fun and zing to my otherwise boring lunch.The one thing that'll be nice to have is a mortar and pestle to have that rough ground texture. A single pulse of 3-4 seconds in your food processor will substitute though.Tomato Salsa | Instant tomato chutneyCategory - Chutney s / Salad / Fat free / Weight loss recipesTime taken - Under 5 minutesMakes 1 cupSource - My owningredients2 tomatoes medium sized - roughly chopped2 cloves garlic peeled4-5 black pepper cornsPinch of coarse salt1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juicePinch of cayenne pepperSpring of coriander leaves - choppeddirectionsIn a mortar, pound the pepper corns with garlic pearls and coarse salt till roughly ground. Add the chopped tomatoes (in batch...
More About: Vegetable , Low fat , Tomato

How to snack and lose weight
2007-03-13 07:25:00
I was exercising like a maniac, eating the right foods, no in between grazing and yet my weight refused to budge. Since I did not have too much to lose in the first place, it was all the more difficult. While I'd like to believe that I'm just a little short of a health freak, I didn't have a figure to match. When I went to a nutritionist with my concerns, the diet plan they drew out for me was so much more than what I was eating already. At least 4 meals a day, and the Ms. Cynical in me said - "Wow! That's generous! But will it work?" Work it did and I am now almost close to the number I desire. And I not obsessed with it either. As a part of the weight loss tips that I plan to include here, snacking is one of them.How snacking helps weight loss A little something inbetween meals helps in two ways. Prevents your metabolism from dipping. A good BMR (basal metabolic rate) is very important to make sure your body keeps burning calories at its resting state. Prolonged periods for ...
More About: How To , Weight , Lose Weight , Low fat , Snack

Savoury pancakes with mushrooms and onions
2007-03-11 06:36:00
Who doesn't like mildly sweet spongy pancakes all dripping with maple syrup? There weren't many pancake-serving places in Mumbai earlier so my first brunch with a stack o' pancakes was in at the IHOP in Rochester, NY. My favourite being the multigrain pancakes, which had the grainy bits within and a choice of syrups with a bit of sweetened cream on the side...US is a place of indulgences, including pancakes. Crepe Station at Bandra in Bombay is one of our favourite breakfast destinations for the weekends. They serve wonderful omelettes, pancakes, waffles and nowadays its raining strawberries in their menu. But unfortunately they don't serve stacks of pancakes :)When I do them at home, I like to keep them light, texture-wise as well as calorie-wise. I had shared with you my eggless version of sweet pancakes a while ago. But not everyone like sweet stuff for breakfast. These low fat, high fibre pancakes are the best for such people. No eggs, no butter, these pancakes can be a diet...
More About: Breakfast , Mushrooms , Mushroom , Room , Pancakes

Friday Food Video - How to make naan bread
2007-03-09 04:48:00
A Holi video at the end of this post specially for you to enjoy!I felt so proud when I saw the Indian naan occupying place of pride in the supermarket shelves in London on my last visit and they were selling like hot cakes, or breads rather. When I bought a pack from the local Sainsburys and tried one piece, it tasted more like regular white bread with just a flatter, oval shape and some coriander sprinkled on the top. I was pretty disappointed.The perfect naan is a kind of elusive delight.Top 5 excuses for resorting to store bought naan bread are:Oh! I don't have a tandoor!It turns out too rubbery!It came out like a crisp!Too time consuming!It's not meant to be made at home!Many bloggers have demonstrated their beautiful naan making skills which inspired me to try them at home and boy, they were delicious. Just today, I came across this hugely popular video of making naan bread at home and Friday Food Video s is born. For those who can't view the video below, click here. So throw...
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Early morning stories - Part I
2007-02-16 15:14:00
I just realised today that I tend to bake a lot whenever DH is away on his official trips. Though I don't eat high carb food myself, it is good to have some fresh homemade bread or a loaf of cake waiting for him when he is back, my way of showing him that I'm glad that he's back!The bread making started last night after I came back home late from a conversations over coffee with my girl pal. Before turning in for the night, I mixed up the flour, yeast and other ingredients and left it to rise overnight. The first thing I went to check in the morning was the bowl of dough. It had risen beautifully and it was so silky smooth to touch, just like a baby's bottom! Not sticky at all. After a bit of kneading and shaping, I kept it covered up. Meanwhile my morning cup of ginger tea was ready to be savoured with the newspapers.Early morning scene from our balcony - The moon is still around and what lies beyond the crowd of buildings is the Arabian sea.The morning half hour spent sitting ...
More About: Stories , Tories , Morning , Stor , Part

Teratti Paal - Mother of all Tambram sweets in Diwali Blogging - III
2006-10-20 13:53:00
Continued from Diwali Blogging - I and II.....It's not like I've been going crazy cleaning and cooking. Nankhatais were made almost 10 days ago. Khajas were made last Sunday. Then there was a big break. My domestic help fell ill and I managed whatever cleaning I could do by myself...I can see all my friends in the US say- No maids here! But the kind of dust that settles on everything that has stayed in one place for more than 5 minutes, is so typically BOMBAY. I often tell DH, if I didn't move for a couple of hours, I'd be covered with dust myself.The baked Karanjis took shape 3 days ago and then it was only today that I decided to make the stuff for the finale. Since I'd bought some extra milk for the day, I wanted to make a milk based sweet. I thought - why not Teratti Paal? For all those who aren't familiar with this one - this recipe has only two ingredients - Milk and Sugar. Milk is boiled and boiled some more (read as atleast 40 minutes per Litre) - to obtain a semi solid...
More About: Desserts , Indian Sweets , Sweets , Mother

How to make South Indian filter coffee
2006-08-16 15:34:00
A day that begins well, goes well!This is a long-intended post. Right since June when my in-laws were visiting us from Chennai. I've always loved the aroma of traditional filter Kaapi. I also have two filters jostling for space in my over-crowded cabinets. Just that I'm not an extremely well-planned person and I can't wait for the coffee to percolate in the morning, when I want my caffeine fix in a hurry. Also, my decoction would always be too watery, so much so that I could easily pour half a cup of decoction into half cup of milk and still it would never be as 'strong' as I'd like it to be.I observed Mom-in-law's technique when she was here and it was some serious technique. Seriously good coffee in the end. That's how I make my coffee nowadays and I make sure if I want that coffee fix in the morning, I get out my percolator the previous night. Other days it's good old tea. Not that I love tea any less.Mom-in-law's Filter Kaapi ~You'll need a traditional percolator whic...
More About: How To , Coffee , Indian , Beverages , South Indian

Childhood memories and a fat-free snack
2006-07-21 06:37:00
It is a common notion, that more the oil more the taste, and vice versa. This is one thing that totally defies the notion. Sukha Bhel ! Bhel was the ultimate treat in school days. There used to be this bhel wala with his cart and a glass box mounted on top of the cart. He used to serve bhel puri, sev puri and pani puri like any other bhel wala. This 'bhaiyya' used to stand right opposite my balcony in Wadala, and that wouldn't make life easier for me. My grandparents wouldn't allow me to eat street food and it required many many days of excellent behaviour to convince them to let me indulge in that tangy treat.In the glass box, there used to be stacks of fresh kurmura (puffed rice), another stack of sev, 3 steel dabbas filled with green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney and the last one with red hot spicy chutney. The walls of the box would be lined with tomatoes, boiled potatoes and in the mango season-raw mangoes. Onions and coriander, finely chopped would fill another big bowl....
More About: Personal , Childhood , Free , Hood , Mori

Penne Upma ( Pasta Indian Style )
2006-04-16 13:03:00
This would have been an ideal entry for my blog- had I chosen to stick to the name "Fucine" for my blog. Fucine as in fusion cuisine. But then, my love for traditional Indian food, prevented me in going all out after fusion food. Each morning, I wonder what do I make for breakfast. Oats / Cereal gets too boring at times. It just so happened that I had some left over boiled Penne pasta and Upma being one of the staple breakfasts at home- i decided to put the two together.It's just like regular upma, where rawa is substituted by pasta. This recipe would serve two people and taken under 15 minutes to get done.Ingredients :2 cups boiled / leftover pasta (Penne/ Fucilli / Macaroni ) 1 medium sized carrot-finely chopped 1 small onion finely chopped 2-3 springs-spring onions-finely chopped10-12 French beans-finely choppedPinch of turmeric8-10 Cashewnuts / Handful peanuts ( Optional)For tempering: 1 tsp Udad dal, 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds (Rai), 1 tsp green chillies-finely chopped , 1/2 tsp gi...
More About: Breakfast , Style , Pasta , Past

Masala Mor ( Spicy Buttermilk)
2006-03-15 14:50:00
Masala Mor (Spic y Buttermilk) Appetizer / Coolant / Digestive Nothing like a glass of cool buttermilk to wash off oily food, or cool the system in the hot Indian summers. Mumbai or Bombay, where I live, has three seasons, summer, summer and summer. So something like masala mor is truly cherished all year round.Take a cup of thick yogurt / curd, best if you have homemade yogurt. Add 4-5 cups of water to dilute it.Take one small piece of ginger, one small green chilli ( must be the hot variety), a small bunch of clean coriander / cilantro and 3-4 curry leaves. Pound them together with some sea salt with mortar-pestle, or any other available gadget. Add them to the diluted yogurt. Using a hand blender, blend the yogurt with water and pounded spices.You may roast ¼ tsp of mustard seeds either dry or pop them in very little hot oil to garnish the buttermilk.Rock-salt adds a wonderful taste to this too!
More About: How To , Beverages , Sala