It drove me nuts and for the next 2-3 weeks, every weekend, I would go through pretty much every book on the baking shelf hunting for this. And finally, one weekend I was rewarded with it, again! See, persistence pays off. This is not a cookbook review but more of me sharing a cookbook find with you. This book is gorgeous, to say the least! What I absolutely love about the book is the pictures....
Pin Actually, I lie. This is not the same book. I got this from Chennai this April when we were there because I lose the original one athamma gave me. And with it went the recipe of this super-crazy-easy Apple Crumble Recipe! I had been searching for the book online ever since and finally found it on a road-side second hand book stall in Pondi Bazaar. Such is life 🙂...
Pasta is an easy and filling snack or meal that’s especially kid-friendly since you can make it interesting by adding vegetables and cheese per your preference. Also, you can make the pasta sauce as spicy or flavourful as you prefer. You can also check out this vegetarian pad thai recipe , vegetarian lasagne with mushrooms , or this super simple basil pesto pasta for a quick weeknight dinner that your kids would love too....
While my interesting in food photography started as a side effect of maintaining a food blog and all the amazing food pictures out there in the blogosphere, it soon became quite a passion for me. Some of these posts were created when I knew practically nothing about photography and was learning along with people who were looking for answers and quick tips like I was. Whatever photography I know is self-taught and that’s really the best way to go if you are taking up food photography as a hobby....
Pin Lovely riot of colours at the entrance. This is the Robinson’s at Raffles City Mall. Adorable Katie Alice tins for coffee, sugar, and tea. I bought ramekins from this collection which were very cute too. Drool-worthy stoneware in shapes and sizes Korean style soup pots of stone and ceramic. Love the colourful lids Who doesn’t love Le Creuset. These were tiny, ramekin-sized ones. I bought a few to gift people because I suddenly felt guilty for being a selfish shopper...
Remember that Andhra meal I posted a few days back? Yeah, so there I was with a big bunch of Gongura leaves and very resourcefully I decided to make the Gongura Pachadi and the Gongura Adugula Pappu from Mahanandi, my first recipe attempt from that site. The idea is to cook the toor dal just right, where they can keep their individuality. Quite nice, if you ask me. The only issue I had with this dish is, it ended up a bit too dry....
Boondi or kara boondi recipe : learn how to make boondi, the spicy kara boondi that’s a favourite and popular South Indian snack, made especially during Diwali time. With a few tips and tricks and step by step pictures, this recipe should be easy for you to prepare at home even if you are a beginner in making Diwali snacks. The most important thing with kara boondi or even making boondi for ladoo is the consistency of the batter before frying the boondi....
I have tried making an omelette in various thicknesses, just to see what works best, and while I really enjoy the lacy thin omelets that are darker, these spongy, soft ones that are just cooked really hit the spot. While I am not a huge fan of almost-raw tomatoes (even on tomato uthappam , yes), The Husband loves them so I add some in. Paired with hot coffee / tea and some fruit, this is the quickest breakfast I can rustle up and still feel like I can laze around....
Methi matar malai - fenugreek leaves leaves cooked in paneer and a creamy base - a delicious creamy side dish that goes with pulao and roti equally well. While I have no issues adding cream to my dishes ( paneer butter masala , anyone?), I decided to make a version of this recipe with no cream by using or white melon seeds. You can very well use cashew nuts instead but I loved the nuttiness of melon seeds in my paneer makhani so decided to use up the rest in this methi matar malai recipe – or should I say methi matar no malai ....
When I made the 5-min Chocolate Mug Cake for the first time, my life changed a little. Before I knew it, I was whipping up ‘cake’ in a mug in less than 5 minutes whenever my tastebuds demanded, which was very often. After 2 weeks of too much mug cakes, I told myself to stop it already. While the microwave is not really meant for baking, these quick cakes are definitely an exception....
A simple peas pulao recipe (or matar pulao) is my go-to rice recipe when I make a time-consuming side dish, especially for guests. Learn how to make peas pulao using this easy step by step recipe. In general, I love pulao recipes on a busy day because unlike the South Indian food that I usually cook, various pulao recipes make for great one pot meals if you add enough vegetables to them, or it makes for a very quick main when you are toiling over a more complicated and richer side dish like, say, malai kofta ....
Vegetable pulao recipe : there are many different ways to make and customise a simple vegetable pulao recipe and I have tried my own variations over the years too. A pulao should be simple, flavourful, have a good amount of vegetables (that’s why it’s called a vegetable pulao after all!), and also have a subtle hint of spices. And no matter what, I do not like to bite into whole pieces of cloves and cardamom when eating pulao or biryani....
Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies recipe: learn how to make chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat flour and jaggery or atta and gur a healthier alternative to regular chocolate chip cookies. I prefer my cookies soft and fudgy, almost like brownies but still holding their cookie-shapes. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is not quite that but it’s definitely a super quick way to get a tray full of warm cookies in a jiffy....
Pin Baked salmon in foil - an Indian-style spicy oven baked chilli salmon recipe that’s a prefect weeknight dinner dish for the busy cook. Salmon is the perfect fish to start with if you are exploring and experimenting with baking fish and the options for marinade is really endless. I have used an Indian-style spicy chill garlic pepper marinade here that you can adapt to your taste. Baked salmon recipe Ingredients Instructions I am an 80’s child who grew up in Kerala, which I’m sure you know if you have been hanging around this blog long enough....
Chilli Paneer is an amazing Indian paneer starter dish. Just like every other Indian, I love Indo-Chinese food. Deep fried goodness in a creamy sauce or coated in thick, spicy gravy - what’s not to like! I even like the calories that come with it, I am very impartial that way! This Chilli Paneer recipe is one that was born of urgency and necessity. I prefer a dry version of chilli paneer than the kind with gravy so chose to go with that....
Pin Hot & Sweet - My Click-Red Entry Pin Hot & Sweet - My Click-Red Entry
This month’s fuit, dates, is a real delight because it is so readily available and in so many different varieties and prices. I bought a tub of lion dates from Food Bazar yesterday. I am going home in vacation for 10 days and may not be able to cook with dates at home, so was determined to come up with something simple for this month’s AFAM, hosted by Chandrika of Akshayapatra....
It was the same story with Indo-Chinese non-vegetarian recipes. She had quite a variety of recipes in hand and was especially good at making them. Back then, restaurants were fewer and her cooking was deemed truly restaurant-style. This Pepper Chicken, however, is a humble concoction of her daughter, yours truly. There was some chicken at home, amma was not sure what to make with it and said I can do what I wanted....
One day the baking bug bit me. It bit me so bad that by the weekend, I was itching like a mad woman to bake something! I usually have all the ingredients but sadly, no eggs. Since there are tons of eggless cakes out there, I decided to do a quick search. Allrecipes had my answer. There were tons of eggless cakes and eggless chocolate cakes in there. Some had warnings that eggless cakes will not be as moist and spongy as the ones with eggs....
In my home, we have always cooked rice in an open pot of boiling water and drained the excess water off once the rice is cooked. This helps in removing the excess starch in rice (the resulting kanji vellam is used to starch clothes) and the grains remain separate, the way we like it. My in-laws consume raw rice which is cooked in a pressure cooker or rice cooker, always. The consistency is more sticky and this works well for the kind of rasam and kuzhambu the rice is served with, not to mention pongal and other dishes made with this rice....
