Chironji Ki Dal Recipe / Gluten Free Curry Made With Chironji ~ Navratri Vrat Recipes

Rituals, age old traditions which we bring out from our rich cultural heritage treasure chest, are responsible for all the smiles, happiness and warmth around, when the festivities are in full swing. I have been a keen and inquisitive observer of these ceremonial practices from the time I was a little girl. Some of these customs fascinated me, some of them intrigued me and most of them made me ask the family elders innumerable questions. Yesterday was celebrated as Shashti, the day which heralds the beginning of Durga Puja and Bengalis follow some rituals on that day. These rituals are outlined in our scriptures and are abided accordingly. Kalp~Arambha is the ritual performed before the beginning of Durga Puja. Kalp~Arambha is the ritual of taking a pledge (sankalp) to follow each and very custom and ritual as is mentioned in the books without any deviation whatsoever. 

Nolen Gurer Payesh Recipe / Patali Gurer Payesh / Rice Pudding Made With Date Palm Jaggery Recipe ~ Rejoicing My Culturally Rich Roots

I have always loved rituals, customs, traditions that we follow as a part of celebrating our festivals in India. It's these little little things that make the whole event so exciting and enjoyable. I have inevitably looked forward to festivals so that I could be a part of these wonderful customs that they observe. I am sure many of you, beautiful people, will echo my thoughts. No matter which part of the globe you belong to, you must also be having your own sets of rituals and age old traditions. In my numerous travels I have repeatedly found that people all over the world, while celebrating festivals follow each and every ceremony religiously, which has been passed on through generations, till date, with equal fervour and joy. 

Murshidabad Postor Halwa Recipe / Khus Khus Halva Recipe / Poppy Seeds Halva Recipe ~ Rejoicing Two Fulfilling Years Of Blogging

Two years of a fulfilling journey into the culinary world of everything extraordinairé and I am all the more charged up to unravel further and further. This unending enthusiasm of mine to delve extensively into this fascinating world of food seems to be on an upscale even more now. As I sit back, retrospecting, the realisation dawns on me that so much has changed since this voyage began exactly two years from today. I have in my own little way learnt so many facets and things related to food which I would have never known had it not been for this Blog. My Blog propels me to constantly be on the quest for new cuisines, ingredients which I have never heard of before, connects me to the glorious past of countries through their food and also gives me the confidence to try recipes in my kitchen which I perhaps would not have done otherwise. Truly, this culinary adventure of mine has become so fascinating with each passing year.

Holige Saaru Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Obbattu Saaru Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

UGADI PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING...

Dear friends, Ugadi is just a day away, so the festive fervour has reached it's crescendo in my home. All the silverware, copperware & brassware are out, polished and shinning, ready to be part of the celebratory rituals, the day after tomorrow. New clothes are being paired with bangles, neckpieces and bindis, even nail paints, to get the right match, in time to be donned on the festive day. Few friends will be visiting today, tomorrow and offcourse on the day of Ugadi, there will be lots of friends coming over to share with us the festivities. Overall there is not a single dull moment in my home. Lots of things happening in all sections, but as usual the prime activity is totally kitchen centric. The whole house is being flooded with the aroma of ghee, which my mum-in-law is smearing  lavishly over the bobbatlu or Indian flatbread stuffed with spiced fragrant lentil and jaggery paste, which she is dishing out one after the other, making my taste buds dance with glee. I simply loooovvveee this festive fervour and eagerly wait for it.

Menthya Soppina Chitranna Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Lemon Rice With Fenugreek Leaves Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

Continuing with the Ugadi Special Recipes here, as we inch closer to the Ugadi celebrations with each passing day. My entire home is undergoing a deep cleaning and every nook and corner of my home is being spruced up. There is a lot of din throughout the day as from ceilings to a/c vents to sofas to carpets, you just name it, everything is being sprayed, soaped, mopped, wiped and made squeaky clean. All this intensive cleaning will be over by this noon and then immediately after, the entire family will get into a shopping spree including little D. The excitement is so clearly visible on each and everyone's face. This is what I love about festivals, the joy and happiness it brings with it, even days before it arrives.

Raw Mango Halwa Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Kachche Aam Ka Halwa Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

Ugadi or the Telugu New Year is on the 8th of April and the hustle bustle in my home is quite palpable. I am so glad that little D is learning about the diverse cultures that she belongs to with her parents hailing from different parts of India. Little D gets to enjoy and celebrate so many different festivals and she is lucky that her grand~mum enriches her with all the legends behind the various celebrations and rituals. I can see that her tiny fingers still have faint traces of the colours of Holi, which she joyfully celebrated only a few days back and here she is again getting ready to revel in the festive spirit of Ugadi. This weekend she will go shopping for new dresses, ornaments and many other things with her grandparents as we all will get ready to welcome the New Year with great pomp and joy.

Shahi Tukra & Moong Dal Halwa Canapés Recipe / Holi Recipes ~ Holi Hai !!

Happy Holi to all my dear friends and precious readers. Whether you are celebrating the festival of colours or not, I will wish you joy and smiles on this day and everyday of your life. We are having a Holi Party tonight after all the fun and frolic with colours throughout the day today. Before all the fun begins and I am sprayed with colours all over, I decided to finish all the dishes for tonight's Holi Dinner party. So I woke up this morning even before the sun and finished all the preparations and most of the cooking for the party. I just left the Appetizers ready to be just grilled and served. Since this is a party of very close friends and family only and not a very big gathering, I decided to cook everything myself and not hire a professional chef or maharaj, which I would have done for a larger gathering.

Dahi Gujiya Recipe / Holi Recipes / Stuffed Moon Shaped Lentil Dumplings In Yogurt ~ Holi Hai !!

The festival of Holi will be celebrated in India with pomp and vigour in less than a week. As we all Indians, no matter in which part of the world we live, gear up for the festival of colours, Holi, one can easily see the preparations, to stock up on different types of snacks and sweets have already begun in most Indian, Hindu households. As my kitchen too starts to revel in the holi festivities with the woks emanating a sugary aroma sometimes, sometimes spicy, my kitchen becomes a place where the moment you step in the salivary glands go into a frenzy.

Chironji Makhane Kheer With Mixed Nuts Chikki / Chiraunji Fox Nuts Milk Pudding With Nutty Caramel Discs ~ Celebrating Lohri

HAPPY LOHRI to all my readers,dear friends and everyone celebrating the festivities of Lohri. Today Lohri is being celebrated in India especially in Punjab with pomp and show. LOHRI is an Indian Festival celebrated to mark the end of winter, when people can come out of their homes and celebrate the harvesting of the Rabi (winter) crops and give in to relaxing and enjoying the traditional folk songs and dances, with sweets and festivities around a huge throbbing Bonfire.

KORAISHUTIR KOCHURI /GREEN PEAS STUFFED BENGALI STYLE KACHORI ~ SHUBHO BIJOYA

The annually awaited DURGA PUJO reaches its crescendo and bids goodbye to all the celebrations which are stacked away again until next year. With the Idol of Goddess Durga being immersed in the water, no matter how hard one tries, the heart does become a bit heavy. It brings in the feeling of parting and then waiting for one whole year until the festival returns. Though I have gone through this ritual of festivities which does come to an end on BIJOYA DASHAMI upteen number of times , since my childhood the melancholy beats in my heart still ring out loud and clear every single year, even now.

CHICKEN CHAAP PULAO/PILAF ~ DURGA PUJO SPECIAL

The celebratory mode continues in my home. Though we do not wake up to the beat of the Dhak/Drum or the sound of the conch shell/Shankh or the chanting of mantras, but I guess the fervour of DURGA Puja has our hearts filled and therefore every member of my family wakes up with a smile on their faces. Then, amidst the enthusiastic discussion of which new attire we will clad today and what all will accessorize it, the coffee mugs and morning cookies get forgotten. The brisk activity continues till we all decked in our finenary head out to the Puja Mandap. No matter how far one is from India and West Bengal, no matter if one is surrounded by a carnival atmosphere or not, the DURGA Puja days do bring in a whole lot of excitement.

CHICKEN KOBIRAJI CUTLETS ~ DURGA PUJO SPECIAL

A very HAPPY DURGA PUJA to all my readers, family and friends celebrating this festival. Durga Puja is a very significant festival and heralds a whole lot of festivities for Bengalis all over the world. We have grown up amidst the rituals , traditions and festivities surrounding DURGA Puja. But this is not the case with little D who was born far away from India and who though loves any kind of rituals and celebrations surrounding these festivals is not at all familiar with any of them. Every year I try in my own little way to bring to her a minuscule part of the pomp and fervour that is such an integral part of Durga Puja.

CHANAR /COTTAGE CHEESE KORMA ~ SHUBHO MAHALAYA

PAINTERS IN KUMARTULI, THE PORTER'S QUARTER KOLKATA DRAWING THE THIRD EYE ON THE IDOL OF GODDESS DURGA ON THE DAY OF MAHALAYA(IMAGE SOURCE)

SHIULI FLOWERS/NIGHT FLOWERING JASMINE FLOWERS SYNONYMOUS OF DURGA PUJA

As Indians we celebrate many beautiful festivals which span through different months giving us sweet reasons to adorn new attires, gorge into dishes which leave our taste buds doused in their flavours long after they have completed their journey into our gut and bask in festivities galore. Each festival brings in its own unique attributes, has its own legend and is our pathway to transcend on that blessed journey into our rich culture and heritage.Growing up in India I can't be  more thankful to the fact that I have had the opportunity to seep into the multitudes of diverse traditions which is the base of this gorgeous country. Each festival was celebrated with equal pomp and joy.

Apricot / Khubani Laddoos ( Vegan Sugar Free Gluten Free) ~ Happy Ganesh Puja

As the 10 day long festivities of GANESH Chaturthi continues in India, far away in my humble home in Dubai we too usher in the celebrations. I make it a point to celebrate almost all the INDIAN festivals which I grew up rejoicing either at my home or a friend's house or the community puja centre, no matter how tied up I am with work. Most INDIAN families who live far away from their homeland, in my conversations with them, I have learnt that just like me they make it a point to celebrate these festivals either at home or in the community collective celebrations. Most of my friends or aquantainces have echoed my thought, that it's these festivals which help us remain connected to our roots and bring forth our rich culture and traditions to our children.

Pineapple Laddoo ( Dairy Free Gluten Free) ~ Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

In India GANESH CHATURTHI heralds the commencement of a series of festivals which continue till the calendar changes the numbers on the year. With the hues in the weather changing to cooler mornings and days, the air is perfumed with the joy and happiness that these festivals bring with them. From nature to people and everyone around the whole environment is painted with the bright and happy colours of the festivities. From decorating the home and hearth with flowers, rangoli, to shopping for new clothes, to loads of sweets and delicious fares engulfing the kitchen with its delicious aroma, the jubilation is quite palpable in all INDIAN homes, who celebrate these rituals.

PAAN GULKAND GUJIYA RECIPE / HOLI RECIPES

Gujiya is the most popular sweet made during the Holi festivities. Gujiya is a sweet dumpling made with refined flour and stuffed with khoa traditionally.You can get very creative with the Gujiyas. These dumplings can also be made with whole wheat flour or semolina or a mix of these with each other or with refined wheat flour. Similarly there is no end to the kind of innovation you can do with its stuffing. I have stuffed these gujiyas with a mixture of Betel Leaves and Gulkand. Get as imaginative as you can and spray your Holi with a riot of Flavours.

Celebrate this HOLI with this delicious sweet which is an integral part of any HOLI RECIPE.

Bread Dahi Vada Recipe / Instant Dahi Vada Recipe / Holi Recipes

This HOLI RECIPE is for those wonderful people who strive hard to strike the perfect balance between home and work. Even as they excel on their work front, they leave no stone un-turned to make their home a haven of love and happiness. Being in the same shoes as these lovely beings, I can very well relate to the mammoth effort that is put to give equal weightage to both, to give 100% professionally while never missing an opportunity to add that extra magic to make your loved ones feel special.

FESTIVALS & CELEBRATIONS - SHORT ESSAYS

CHILDREN'S DAY

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see." - John W. Whitehead

Children's Day is celebrated on different days in different parts of the world. But it signifies one thing everywhere. It is the celebration of our children to lead this world into the planet we dream of. It is celebrating the importance of providing food, shelter, healthcare and education to our children. It is the pledge to provide them a war free love filled environment to blossom to the fullest.

It is said that the first Prime Minister of Independent India Shri Jawaharlal Nehru loved Children immensely and therefore on this Birth Anniversary 14th November, every year, Children's Day is celebrated in India.

Gopalkala / Dahikala Recipe ~ Janmashtami Special Recipe

Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrated in India & many places around the Globe, with pomp & joy to rejoice the birth of Lord Shri Krishna. As with all Indian festivals, on Janmastami also there are some special dishes which are prepared as an offering to Lord Krishna, believed to be his favourite dishes.

15 TH AUGUST, INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS - REALISING HOW MY INDIAN SOUL HAS KEPT ME CLOSE TO MY ROOTS