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Food For Thought

Food For Thought
Reminisces, ramblings and mostly Indian recipes
Articles: 1, 2, 3

Articles

And now it's the Mumbai Mirror...
2007-07-17 20:44:00
Their article 'Food on the Edge' -http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper. aspx?page=article&sectid=39&contentid =2007071603535431babfe33c&pageno=1My post on Dabeli -http://food-forthought.blogspot.com/2006 /02/maximum-city-maximum-taste-dabeli.htm lI have yet to receive a response to my mails.
More About: Mumbai , Mirror
I am back...
2007-04-17 18:33:00
I know, I know I have been gone for way more than three weeks. My apologies to those who visited this site for updates and thanks for checking up on me.I am also late in thanking all those wonderful people out there who voted for me in the IndiBloggies. A heartfelt thank you.And finally, my in laws are here visiting. You know what that means don't you? Lots of good food but very little time to blog ;-) Hopefully I will see you soon.
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Eight Things to do before a Trip
2007-02-23 01:08:01
1) Waste time wondering why days preceding a trip have 12 instead of 24 hours2) Remember you have to clear the fridge/ freezer3) Pick up half used packets of corn and paneer and a bunch of fenugreek4) Look at fridge wistfully since your husband will be turning it into a science experiment soon5) Decide on methi corn paneer pulao to get rid of everything at one go6) Go over your 'to pack' list while chopping fenugreek7) Hesitate over no. 6 and 7, rummage through neatly packed bag to be sure, repack8) Rush back to the kitchen and finally make the pulao with your favorite spice powder METHI CORN PANEER PULAO (serves 2)1 cup cooked rice1 bunch of fenugreek, washed and choppeda handful of corn5-6 paneer cubes1 bay leaf1 medium size onion, sliced2-3 green chillies1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste Roast and powder - 1" piece of cinnamon3-4 green cardamoms2-3 cloves Heat ghee/ oil in a pan. Add paneer cubes and fry till lightly browned. Remove and keep aside. Add bay leaf, then sliced ...
More About: Trip , Things , Thing , Eight , Fore
D is for Drumstick Dal
2007-02-19 07:04:01
After her superb A-Z series of Marathi cuisine, Nupur at One Hot Stove is now compiling an A-Z of Indian vegetable dishes. She has invited all bloggers to participate and graciously made it flexible by leaving the choice of vegetable (and language!) to us. Rather than wait for an 'M' (for 'muskasang' in Konkani) or an even later 'S', I am sneaking in this Drum s tick Dal for the on going letter D ;-)Let me hasten to add the staid name doesn't do the dish justice. It's not just drumsticks and dal; though of course the story does revolve around the two. There is also a fiery coconut masala in the background that asserts itself when you least expect it, and a raw mango that adds a hint of mystery. The plot thickens with the blink and miss presence of an onion. What will happen next? Will you bite into a juicy drumstick? Or chance upon a tangy mango cube? Only time will tell...SHEVGACHYA SHENGACHI AMTI (Drumstick Dal)(serves 2-3)1 cup split red gram(tur dal)1/4 of a small onion, c...
More About: Stick , Tick
Valentine-y Vanilla Hearts
2007-02-15 07:00:06
Choose which applies best -A) I think it's another marketing gimmick by greeting card companies, restaurants, soft toy manufacturers, Hollywood, chocolate makers, florists... B) I don't go overboard with the mushy stuff but there's no harm in having some fun. If you chose A, replace the word 'hearts' with 'cookies' and proceedIf you chose B this recipe is for YOU!!! VANILLA HEARTS (adpated from Williams Sonoma Essentials of Baking) (makes 16)2 cups all purpose flour2/3 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces1/2 cup super fine sugar1 tsp good quality vanilla extractsugar for dusting Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter. Preheat oven to 350° F. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl. Rub in butter with your fingers until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add sugar and extract and knead into a firm dough. Place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a disc of 1inch thickness. Cut out heart shapes with a 2 inch cutter. Arrange on sheet and bake at 350° F for...
More About: Valentine , Hear , Heart , Valenti , Vale
Leafy thin - Paan Pole
2007-02-13 18:58:09
This post was originally written in October 2006. Yes, that's how long overdue it is; but I have a valid reason for my procrastination - everytime I made these dosas, I forgot to measure how much water I added to the batter. Sure I could have used the generic description of 'a flowing consistency', but how useful is that if you are trying a recipe for the first time? So this time I wrote a reminder to myself and stuck it on the burner the night before. And that's how this post finally saw the light of day. I think the name 'paan pole' is an allusion to how thin these dosas are (paan = leaf). Its plus point - no fermentation required; its negative point - the batter, what else? I speak from experience when I say it's really easy to mess the batter up! But don't let such talk scare you. They are worth a little sweat - as soft as a fine saree and more comforting. They pair well with any chutney. This breakfast is made at least once a week at my in laws' home and it is a treat ...
More About: Leaf , Pole
Here it is - THE ROUND UP!!!
2007-02-13 18:58:09
Imagine yourself at your favorite restaurant - sit back, tune in to the mellow music and order whatever you like - it's all lip smacking good!{Please mouse over image for name of dish and contributor. Click on image to get to the respective post}Bread -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Soup & Salad -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sides & Snacks -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Curries (Vegetarian) - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Curries (Non-Vegetarian) -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rice - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Desserts -And ... that's it friends - 79 wonderful recipes to give you abundant inspiration in the kitchen for the rest of the year!For those who would still like to send in their entries I'd be happy to update this list as and when you mail me.Rosie has chosen GINGER as the ingredient for February - apt for the wintry months upon us. Head over to her blog for details.Thanks Indira for this opportunity.
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Travel weary - Osaman
2007-02-13 18:58:09
We have been traveling for the last couple of weeks - for a bit of business and a bit of pleasure; well as much pleasure as one can get bundled in layers of clothing and sightseeing in cold weather anyway.Back home after a zillion bland and greasy meals, I was glad to get into the kitchen and whip up (what else but) some comforting dal and rice. Instead of my usual preparation I decided to try a new recipe.My travel weary bones creaked and complained at the added work but like a brave soldier I pressed on. Oh alright, I admit it, updating my blog was the ulterior motive ;-)So 'Osama n' it was - a watery Gujarati dal made of red or yellow lentils. It is similar to the Konkani 'saar' or 'rasam' of the South - dal that can be had as soup or as an accompaniment to rice. Best of both worlds in my opinion!OSAMAN (Gujarati Dal)(serves 3-4)(adapted from this recipe)1/4 cup red lentils (masoor dal)1 tsp ginger paste1/2 tsp turmeric2-3 kokum (or 1 tbsp tamarind pulp)1-2 tbsp jaggery2 tbs...
More About: Travel , Rave , Wear , North Las Vegas
Snack Happy - Date Cake
2007-02-13 18:58:09
My cousin and her family visited us over the weekend for what was intended to be brunch, but ended up being lupper (lunch + supper) instead! Later, on an impulse we decided to bake a cake for tea. My little niece loves baking so it was nice to enlist her in the task as well.I came across this recipe a few months back and have made this cake so many times since then that I can probably make it in my sleep. Though I assure you, I wouldn't choose to bake during those precious hours.It is a snack cake - not too sweet or rich. The cardamom and brown sugar give it a very Indian dessert-like taste. The recipe is very, very flexible. I have made it without eggs, added walnuts instead of almonds and replaced vanilla extract with rose essence and it still obliged with great taste.So with my niece helping out with measuring the ingredients and my cousin helping out with eating the dates (and whisking the batter in case she reads this!) I baked this cake again last weekend.CARDAMOM DATE CAKECo...
More About: Cake , Happy , Snack
Winter Vege - Green Garbanzo
2007-02-13 18:58:09
Ever since I saw Indira's post on methi chole , I have had this vegtable on my mind. Then Vaishali followed suit by posting a ladoo recipe and my mildly obssessive nature wouldn't let me delay purchase any longer! So after making a trek to Trader Joe's I had these lovely, green pearls in my hand. And a few memories swirling in my head. At the local hang out in my city where everyone, well ... hung out on the weekend, was a vendor who sold 'harbhara chaat'. It was impossible to walk past his cart without buying a paper cone filled with the stuff. In fact it was impossible to be in the general vicinity and not be drawn to that mouth watering mix of steamed chana, onions, lemon juice and chaat masala. The softie ice cream and pav bhaji could wait. The chana? It was pure gold! HARBHARA CHAAT (Spiced Green Garbanzo) Cook chickpeas in salted water until just tender (frozen peas cook faster).Add chopped onion, green chilli and slivers of raw mango. Sprinkle chaat masala and ...
More About: Winter , Inter
Interesting Reads
2007-02-13 18:58:09
"High-tech tomatoes. Mysterious milk. Supersquash. Are we supposed to eat this stuff? Or is it going to eat us?" ~ Anita ManningI posted this quote on my blog a while back, thinking at the time that it was funny but also that it hit the mark in an exaggerated sort of way.Not that exaggerated I think, since reading an article I came across via The Accidental Hedonist, a blog I read often for Kate's unforgiving look at the American food industry. (Here's an ongoing list of products containing HFCS that she maintains).The article is an eye opener - "What is 'real' Kraft cheese?"While you are at it, spare a few minutes to read this excellent piece of writing - Unhappy Meals by Michael Pollan. It's quite a long article so if you are in a hurry scroll down to the nine rules of thumb at the end.
More About: Interesting , Inter , Read , Interest , Sting
Something Borrowed - Egg Curry
2007-02-13 18:58:09
Remember when I mentioned here that we had family visiting? Though I didn't find the time to blog at the time, I did manage to finagle a couple of choice recipes from my sister in law. Like this fabulous egg curry.Now eggs are very popular in my home, not only for breakfast but also for dinner. They are the quintessential stand by, like potatoes because they help me delay a visit to the grocery store! An empty crisper is okay as long as there is a full crate in the fridge, I think ;-)My egg curry is a simple onion tomato gravy with hard boiled eggs. When my sister in law mentioned that she made hers by adding eggs directly to the curry, I was immediately interested. So we made it one day while she was here and both my husband and I loved the curry so much, it has quickly become a staple in our family.This curry is definitely not stand by material; it's a dish you will make for itself, not because you are too tired/ lazy/ bored to shop. Poaching eggs in the curry gives it a very ru...
More About: Rowe , Methi , Curry , Something , Thing
What's Coming....
2007-01-04 18:35:00
A BIG thank you to all my blogger buddies for their response to JFI/ Coconut. It has far, far exceeded my expectations. Think 60+ entries – that far!! While I sort through the mails for the round up here are a few nuggets from the wonderful posts I have received -This eloquent blogger writes – “Tart and sweet, it will flirt with your palate! Menaskai is like the saucy belle that drives everyone to distraction.”The Bombay crowd will know exactly what she is talking about –“When I think of coconut, two sublime food experiences come to my mind. One is the tender coconut water that is sold on Indian beaches everywhere. The other is of Naturals tender coconut ice cream. Nothing but some cream and sugar, and a lot of tender coconut bits that melt in the mouth.”What has coconut got to do with romance? Read her nostalgic post - 'Those strolls on sandy beaches, hand in hand, 'ek narial, do straw dena bhaiya' (one coconut with 2 straws), watching the blazing sun sink under th...
Three mice & Radish Raita
2006-10-18 03:10:00
Three blind mice, three blind miceSee how they run, see how they run...Noone would mind these mice scampering around in the kitchen now would they?! Unlike the farmer's wife in the rhyme I didn't just cut off their tails, I used them to make a raita :-)The radish is generally used for a raita and the leaves to prepare a tambli similar to this one. I combined the two recipes today to make a sort of rai-tambli!KOSHIMBIR (Radish Raita )1 bunch of red radish, about 12-15 (or 1 white radish)1 cup yogurt1/2 tsp mustard seeds5-6 curry leaves2 tbsp roasted peanuts (optional)Grind finely with a little water -1-2 tbsp grated coconut1-2 green chillies1" piece of gingerWash radish and cut into small pieces. Take a handful of the leaves (use good ones), wash well and chop finely.Add salt then steam cook both in a saucepan. The radish is done when it changes color.Whisk yogurt with the coconut-ginger paste. Season to taste. Heat oil in a tadka ladle, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute for...
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The 'sweet' season - Goad Bhaat
2006-10-12 01:32:00
Come the month of October and my sensible, calorie counting self bows down before my indulgent, guilt free one. Burfis, ladoos, halwas... how can a mere human (and a weak one at that!) summon up the will to resist? She can't, and that's that.January 1 is the official "stop hogging" day my friends, till then lets all dig into the butter laden, sinfully rich and downright delightful treats that herald the festive season.I think dishes like these highlight the versatility in Indian cuisine. For instance a rice and moong dal combination is used to make a savory, comforting khichdi as well as a rich dessert like this one.Having seen this dish on other blogs I know that it is called pongal in the South. We call it 'goad bhaat' or sweetened rice; variations of this dish include kesari bhaat (saffron rice), narali bhaat (coconut rice) and sakhar bhaat (sugary rice). These dishes are all considered quite special and made only on festive occassions.GOAD BHAAT (Sweet Rice) (serves 4-5)1/2 ...
More About: Goa , Season , Seas
Light Dinners - Sprouts Sandwiches
2006-08-31 17:20:00
I like to incorporate sprouts into meals as often as possible and am always on the lookout for different recipes using them, since the usual curries can get kind of boring. I came across this recipe for sprouts sandwiches on one such 'search'.I haven't really tried a lot of Tarla Dalal's recipes for some reason, but this one sounded too good to pass up. Luckily my hunch was right - the sandwiches were just delicious. Maybe it was the onion sauteed in butter, or the pav bhaji masala but it all added up to something you'd eat at your favorite snack joint in India. Now if only I could get a Thums Up and the background score of a bustling Bombay on the side, I'd be right at home :-)I am sure any masala can be used in place of the recommended pav bhaji, but it actually gives the filling that 'street snack' taste we love so much. I reduced the spices and tomatoes from the original recipe and added some alfalfa sprouts for a crunch.The sandwiches will make a great kiddie treat, bru...
More About: Dinner , Sand , Light , Sandwiches , Sandwich
Feast for a fast - Sheera
2006-08-01 19:57:00
It's the first of the month already and time for another edition of JFI (Jihva for Ingredients). The ingredient chosen by Santhi this month was flour, which means I only had about a million dishes to choose from. Easy-breezy :-)To help make the decision easier I decided to look at some of the more uncommon flours that are used in Indian cuisine. These as far as I know, are generally associated with fasts. I thought this would be appropriate also because it is the auspicious month of Shravan.As a child I used to exasperate my mother with questions on why certain foods were allowed and others were not whenever she observed a fast; "why potato and not onion?", "why cumin and not garlic"? and on and on. Later I learnt the idealogy behind the ritual. Upvaas in Sanskrit is made up of two words - near (up) and residing (vaas). It suggests one becomes closer to God by practising austerity. So meals have to be as 'sathvik' as possible. Well at least that was how it was meant to be, but I ...
More About: East , Fast , Feast , Shee , Sheer
Summer Bites - Watermelon Pancakes
2006-07-10 23:06:00
Summer is a great time to indulge in fresh fruit juices, smoothies and sorbets. But if you want something a bit more substantial, here is a dish straight from my grandma's kitchen. When the days really warm up in the Konkan, dishes like these are favored over traditional, heavier breakfasts. This way you get a filling meal first thing in the morning, that's also cool and refreshing enough to beat the heat.Here I must add that these pancakes are actually an ingenious way of using a part of the fruit that would otherwise be discarded - the white part just under the juicy, red slices. I am always amazed at the extent to which life in the villages is respectful to nature. People in rural India have been environmentally conscious long before the rest of the world even coined the term; this is evident in how optimally fruits, vegetables or parts of a tree are used.Since packaged, pre-cut chunks are more common in the supermarkets here, it's fine to use them instead of the white part. C...
More About: Summer , Pancake , Cakes , Cake , Water
Mistress of Spices, finally
2006-06-15 21:21:00
I am so late to this event I think Mythili might have forgotten she hosted this one! Well things have been really busy so expect to see that excuse for a few weeks more until I can get back on track.As promised to my blog buddy though here is my write up on nigella seeds (kalonji). Not my first choice or my tenth for that matter, but by the time I got around to writing this, most spices I knew and used in my kitchen had already been well researched by my fellow bloggers. Which is why I chose kalonji - I am not too familiar with it and I thought it would be fun to learn more in the process.Identity Crisis -I always thought kalonji were onion seeds and have come across recipes that use the two interchangeably. This is only because the seeds have a faint oniony smell; the two plants however have no botanical relation whatsoever! In fact nigella seeds rarely seem to be recognized for their own selves, instead mistaken for black sesame or cumin due to their appearance.Whats in a name? -...
More About: Final , Stress , Spic , Finally , Mist
The Lentil Challenge - Madgane
2006-06-03 20:13:00
We have lentil based breakfasts, we have lentil based snacks and of course we have lentil based curries. So when Catherine invited me to the lentil challenge hosted by Something in Season, I was actually stumped because I had so, so many dishes to choose from! "How about a lentil based dessert"?, I thought. Yes, why not, because we have those too.Unlike popular Indian desserts, most Konkani desserts are not dairy-based. While the use of coconut, jaggery and cardamom is a given, they are usually combined with fruits, rice or lentils. Madgane is not a dessert in the traditional sense. We don't make it as a last course to a Sunday lunch for instance. It has rather richer associations - weddings, the Hindu New year and for me 'devasthan jewan' (meals eaten in a temple).During the festival at our temple in Goa, after the puja was done, we would race to the lunch area a little distance away. This was not because we were very hungry (well not always) but because the road was blistering ...
More About: Challenge , Hall , Allen , Lent , Halle
A 'handful' of nutrition - Mushti Pole
2006-05-17 00:35:00
Try asking my mother or aunts for a recipe and it is possible that at the end of the conversation, you will have a complete understanding of what goes into the dish, how long it takes to cook, what you could serve it with... essentially everything except the exact measures!Before leaving for the U.S. when I wrote down recipes of my favorite dishes from the women in my family, instructions included such gems as 'add abc ingredient with a light hand' or 'mix as much of xyz ingredient to make the batter just so'! Utterly frustrating for a new cook as you can imagine :-)There is a word in Marathi that encompasses this cooking philosophy - "andaaz"; which requires the cook to "sense" how much of an ingredient to add. I think because earlier women learnt to cook primarily by watching their mothers or mothers in law, they learnt to eyeball ingredients, rather than measure them.Mush ti pole (pronounced po-lay and is Konkani for dosa) has its roots in this old school of cooking I guess. M...
More About: Nutrition , Hand , Pole
To market, to market - Kairas
2006-04-19 06:56:00
Our neighbourhood supermarket can sometimes be a drag to shop in. The produce is maintained in artificial pristine condition, the only sound is of freezers humming and the only smell is that of a freshner. Pretty boring for an Indian used to the methodic chaos of a 'sabji mandi'. Luckily international food markets recreate a bit of that magic here. We visited one over the weekend; a cacophony of languages and accents greeted us as soon as we entered and we felt right at home!Vegetables were stored in no visible order, just laid in gigantic pyramids so customers could pinch, knock, smell or even taste to their heart's content before they decided to pick something up. The aisles were categorized by country and I took my time strolling through each; passing jars of heady wasabi, spicy habaneros and exotic baharat to get to garam masala. Now this is how shopping should be!I chanced upon some prized ingredients in this medley - unshelled peanuts and raw mangoes. Once we were back home...
More About: Market , Mark
Laguna Beach and a Date Shake
2006-03-26 04:06:00
It all started when I caught the tail end of a show on Food Network last week. The host (I think her name was Rachel but I can't be sure :-), went eating around Laguna Beach for under $40. All I saw of this sojourn was her check for the day - enchilada, blah, blah, DATE SHAKE, $39.82. The words practically jumped at me. I had to try the shake rightaway. That strangely enough, happens to me often. One would think between cooking, writing a food blog and reading other food blogs, I wouldn't still think of food. But no, I do.Most of the recipes I came across used a combination of vanilla ice cream and milk. I made a low calorie version using vanilla yogurt and the shake was still delicious. It's creamy and not too sweet, just perfect for a mid day energy boost.So I drank it sitting in my kitchen looking out at gray skies and bare trees instead of a sandy beach with the wind in my hair, but I still loved it!DATE SHAKE(makes 2-3 glasses)1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt4-5 dates, pitted ...
More About: Laguna Beach
Mix and match - Sprouts Pilaf
2006-03-07 19:53:00
It is Tuesday again, and time for Sweetnicks' ARF/ 5-a-day (antioxidant rich food) event. Since I played truant for the past few weeks I decided to make amends. That settled, I looked inside the fridge and saw my crisper was not exactly brimming with vegetables. Hmmm. I did what I always do in such inspirationally-challenged situations - borrowed a recipe from my mother! Sprouts pulao, my mother's way of cleaning the fridge of leftover vegetables before the next grocery trip.Since she can always rely on a basic stock of beans, sprouts are the only constant ingredient whenever she makes this dish. After that it is just 'mix and match', as she puts it. And that's the name we bestowed on the pulao over time - the mix and match pulao!Count the number of ways in which it is healthy - needs very little oil, uses a lot of vegetables and a cupful of sprouts - a nutritious, protein packed one pot meal. I think I did both Sweetnicks and myself proud today!SPROUTS PULAO(serves 2)1 cup ric...
More About: Match
Maximum city, maximum taste - Dabeli
2006-02-02 21:50:00
"Where are you from? Searching for an answer, in Paris, in London, in Manhattan, I always fall back on Bombay. Somewhere buried beneath the wreck of its current condition, is a city that has a tight claim on my heart, a beautiful city by the sea, an island state of hope in a very old country. I went back to look for that city. In the looking I found the cities within me."- Maxi m um City - Bombay lost and found by Suketu MehtaI found these words so beautiful that I went and bought the book (a Pulitzer finalist) right away. I am having a hard time putting it down since. Mehta unveils everything - the villagers who come to the city everyday to look for a living, the criminal underworld, the politics, the Page 3 socialites and yes, Bollywood. He gives us a glimpse into the lives of the people involved, thereby capturing the spirit of the city perfectly; it is the people that make Bombay what it is after all.Reading about the city I love (my home away from home) got me nostalgic about it...
More About: Taste , Abel
What's in a name? - Rose Phirni
2006-01-28 17:09:00
What's in a name?That which we call a PhirniBy any other name would taste as sweet...(my apologies to Shakespeare!)I had the good fortune of growing up in quite a lot of places. Though starting from scratch seemed daunting as a child, I now appreciate how it exposed me to a variety of cultures and more importantly, cuisines!At one time we were living in a big colony with very friendly people and I remember celebrating everything from Diwali and Onam to Eid. During Ramzaan a family living across from us would never fail to send us a bowl of Phirni. Oh the delight of that pudding flavored with rose. Can you get any more exotic than a dessert made with flowers?Phirni is esentially a Middle Eastern dessert and variations can be found in Lebanese, Moroccan and Afghani cuisines. It was probably introduced to our country by the Mughals. Indian cuisine has always had an unique ability to incorporate various influences over the ages and still retain it's essence.Coming back to Phirni, ther...
More About: What , Hat , Rose , Name
Sun, Sea and Fish Curry
2006-01-12 18:02:00
During our annual trip to Goa to visit our temple, Mangeshi, my family (foodies one and all) would wait patiently for all the religious rituals and innumerable temple visits to end so we could eat the amazing seafood that Goa is famous for.The day went something like this - on the way out stop at a stall for a quick breakfast, drive leisurely along smooth roads with the sea following you everywhere like a stalker, not knowing where you are going (Goa forces you to do this - ie. not have an agenda. The Goans attitude to life can be summed up by this quintessential Goan word - sossegad, which means to take it easy), chance upon a roadside eatery around lunchtime, place your order for fried catch of the day, fish curry and the tastiest rice I have ever eaten (the 'mundo' which has a unique nutty flavor), plant your plastic chair on the red earth with a benevolent palm shading you and savor every morsel.You can take as long as you want, this is Goa after all, and time is of no concern...
More About: Fish , Curry
Food Trends and Shrimp Fry
2006-01-10 22:35:00
I read an interesting article in the latest issue of Cooking Light, that lists the following food trends worth following -Locally grown foodsSince produce travels 1500 miles on an average and is picked 4 to 7 days before it appears on supermarket shelves, more people are heading to farmer's markets.Organic Food Studies show that on an average organic produce contains 27% more vitamins, 21% more iron and 29% more magnesium as compared to traditionally grown produce. Need one say more?Slow FoodSlow food embraces the psychological component of preparing meals and eating them - taking time to cook meals with fresh produce of the day and sharing the meal with family (Not the TV!).FlexitarianismFlexitarians follow a primarily vegetarian diet but occassionally obtain protein from lean meat, fish, dairy and poultry.The article got me thinking - Indians have been following some of these trends for years. Since supermarkets are not the rage (yet) most households purchase produce from local ve...
More About: Trends , Shrimp , Ends , Trend
T'is the season to repent - Tomato Saar
2006-01-04 19:43:00
After the endless Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year partying, the season to be jolly is indeed over (sigh). Now is the season to look at the scale, gasp, make a new year resolution and try against all odds to keep it (I will not, positively NOT have that chocolate brownie). Sigh indeed! To pacify my guilt pangs, I decided to make a simple, healthy dinner.Tomato Saar is my paternal grandmother's recipe (with my nod to today's need for meals in a jiffy). It is a staple of the Saraswat cuisine of Karwar - a land of gorgeous beaches, swaying coconut trees and the most delicous seafood. Karwari cuisine uniquely incorporates Southern and Western influences due to its proximity to Karnataka and Goa/ Maharashtra. This saar for instance is very similar to the rasam prepared in Southern India. There are several versions of this saar - with red gram (toor), horse gram (kulith) and even cilantro.I make a slight variation by adding a teaspoon of peppercorns to give it a truly fiery taste. T...
More About: Season , Seas , Epen
About Food For Thought
2005-12-28 18:47:00
One day I googled for an authentic recipe from my state.... and inadvertently stumbled into the world of food blogging. For a relatively tech savvy person I had had no idea that there were hundreds of people across the world making, photographing and writing about food everyday. Where had I been?Day one -I read till my eyes swamDay two -I moved onto the archives, while practically putting my life on holdDay three and Day four -Still hookedDay five -I hesitantly took a step towards creating my own blog, Food for Thought .It has been a creative, enlightening, roller coaster ride since.
More About: About , Koban
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