Saturday, August 24, 2013

Sweet potato chaat

This recipe is from a Mangalorean friend. This is awesome with some coconut on top! The recipe is here-

You should never miss hing with this one. A good and healthy side dish.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Masoor dal kebabs

I made this using raw dal, and my batter was a bit runny :-( But they tasted great with chutney. I didn't roll in bread crumbs or sooji. The recipe is here-

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Stove-top naan

Always wanted to try, I scrimped on the oil, you are advised not to!
Check the recipe here-

Friday, July 5, 2013

Dates roll

This recipe is from a colleague, who got these to office. I just couldn't wait to try them!

Ingredients:-
Dates:-100gm
Butter - 80 gms
Marie Biscuits-6-8
Optional- mixed nuts
Foil to wrap


Method:-
Chop dates and  nuts. Melt the butter and add dates. Let the dates become a little mushy. Switch off and let cool. Crush the biscuits and add to the mushy mixture. Add nuts. Make a dough and roll it, wrap in foil and keep in the fridge for abt 20-30 mins. Slice in shapes.
Makes a good snack, can add to tiffins! To make it more indulgent increase the butter! Another variant uses poppy seeds instead of nuts. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Book reviews

The Oath of the Vayuputras: Shiva Trilogy 3

Author -Amish Tripathi
Publisher -Westland (2013)
My rating- ****
I chose this series because it is about my favorite God, Shiva (!! The good thing is we have a wide variety of Gods to chose from) and I totally am in love with Shiva's portrayal in this trilogy. I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two books and I feel this last book This last book of the Shiva Trilogy has also been powerfully written.
The way this book is written and edited is perfect, the language is simple, so the reader can focus on the plot. The characters are well defined and clearly etched in your minds. The dialogues when General Parva makes his choice make for a good reading. I find Shiva's use of urban words and smoking chillum quite entertaining. I like Amish Tripathi's transparency in the way he just puts perspectives before you without telling you what is right or wrong. I also especially enjoyed the sections on war strategy and formations. They were descriptive and I have a visual memory of those.
However I found the end to be a bit disappointing. Shiva transforms into a broken-hearted man and loses the Neelkanth title in my mind, and the book loses its charm for me. I wish the end was better.

Ladies Coupe


Author-Anita Nair
Publication-Penguin Books

My rating- ***

I found this book to be a quick and interesting read, but essentially feminist. It is about a 45 year old woman, Akhila, who is discovering herself. Akhila boards a ladies coupe to Kanyakumari and meets 5 different women.

I liked the author's portrayal of the different ways in which women approach life and how they live it. It was quite predictive in some ways, all characters had a story which said- “ I was doing what was expected of me as a woman, and I was unhappy. I then did what I wanted to, and I was happy”.

However, there are some parts that I enjoyed also. I especially enjoyed the analogy where the author uses elements and compounds and their properties / reactions and compares them to her characters in the book!

I didn’t like the story of Marikolanthu ( the author included every possible scandal she could in that story) and I found the end to be shallow. That said, I feel that some pieces in the book had charm and I would definitely recommend it for a quick engaging read!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Strawberry cream cheese pie - no bake


I mainly used this recipe.

I subbed gelatin for the arrowroot powder. I also used some color for and added some pineapple pieces on top.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Baked chenna poda

Another recipe which I chanced upon. I have tasted this at a popular Oriya restaurant in Koramangala, Dalma. I was determined to bake this, and it turned out awesome!


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Raagi cookies

I always follow this recipe-
and I subbed sugar with Jaggery, and AP flour with whole wheat, and I skip the cocoa and corn flour! The results are always amazing. Melt in the mouth cookies :)

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Guacamole and hummus

Ingredients-
1 whole avocado deseeded and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
2-3 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of chickpeas thoroughly cooked
1 big lemon juiced
Salt and green chillies / pepper to taste
Method-
Tip everything in the blender. Blend blend blend. Serve as dip or alongside bread.
I served with pumpkin / lauki cutlets.