Thai Beetroot Coconut Soup Recipe ~ Pink For October Series

We, women, have been constituted in such a manner that we tend to lose ourselves in taking care of others. As daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, aunts, grandmothers we have an inherent quality of putting others before self, especially when it comes to family. Well, though it is hard to generalize and there will be exceptions to this, I am till date, yet to come across a dame who will say me first. When I sit back and think, I am made to believe that when Almighty was creating a girl, more love, care and sensitivity went into that creation. That's why we are what we are, special, epitome of love and kindness with a heart so giving, patient and nurturing. Not that I have not seen men who have these qualities ( was daughter to one and now married to one ), but again they are not at large, somewhat a rare gem to find and treasure, but not impossible to find. In this case you have to look high and low but when it comes to a lady, you will surely bump into one with soft, gentle, loving demeanor and who will put family before self, quite frequently.

Quick Mushroom Corn Green Curry Recipe / Oilfree Vegan Green Curry ~ Go Green

Ever since the festive season commenced, indulgence was served generally on all platters. Not that festivities have ended yet, but with so much of goodies having gone in, the tummy did scream for some rejuvenation. Every year whenever a little detox does the the internal system of our body good, we turn a "Go Green" page in my family. After the elaborate festive fares, quick fixes, takes over the kitchen menu. But please do not think that I will be posting anything mundane or boring here. Even these quick dishes have an element of fun and adventure in them.

Beetroot Paneer Curry Recipe / Lightly Grilled Cottage Cheese In Creamy Beetroot Curry

Whenever I am working with Beetroot I keep staring at that gorgeous colour that splashes out and kisses my fingers with love. Indeed as Red symbolizes the colour of love, I feel that there is a heart connection we have with the beetroot. For me it is the vegetable of love. Speaking about the heart connection, Beetroot loves your heart and your heart , the most important organ in your body remains healthy if you allow the love of Beetroot to spread over it. How? Without going into the technicalities, I would like to put down here, that Beetroot has high concentration of dietary Nitrate which our body processes into Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide in turn is known to help our blood vessels relax. As our blood vessels relax, there is a reduction in our blood pressure. Reduced Blood Pressure means Reduced Chances of Heart Diseases and Stroke. 

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. 

Hariyali Keema Recipe / Green Chicken Mince Curry Recipe / Keema Hara Masala Recipe ~ Just Recipes

With this post I am starting the Just Recipes series. This series will comprise of the dishes which I cook and post instantly. I have decided to keep the prelude to the recipe as brief as possible. Unlike my other posts, the posts in the Just Recipes series will contain only pertinent trivia about the dish presented to you. My culinary stories and travel stories will continue in my other posts. 

Surti Locho Recipe / Gujarati Street Food Recipe / Healthy Gujarati Snack Recipe ~ ' Locho Thai Gayo Re '

I write to liberate all the beautiful, confused, happy, sad, bad and good thoughts which remain in the closet of my mind. Mind, I say cause, the heart has a strong filter and allows only thoughts laced with love. For me writing in this blog, is totally like adding wings and letting my thoughts fly out into the realms of my dreams, traverse lands where simplicity and goodness abounds. Whenever I write, almost all the time I like to dwell in a beautiful life full of simple joys, multiplying laughter, subtracting hatred. Well, at least the time my fingers flies over the letters on the keyboards, I like to believe that such a land exists.

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.

Bajra Chi Bhakri Recipe / Bajra Roti Recipe / Indian Flat Bread Made With Pearl Millet Flour Recipe ~ Maharashtrian Cuisine

Bajra Roti is an Indian flatbread made out of the flour of Bajra or Pearl Millet Flour. This is gluten free flour and very rich in fibre. Tastes delicious when served with any curry. Making these Flatbreads with bajra flour requires a wee bit practice. As there is no gluten in this flour therefore rolling out the breads needs to be done carefully as cracks might appear all over the bread and finally the bread might break into pieces even before reaching the griddle.

Matki Chi Usal Recipe / Moth Bean Sprouts Curry ( Maharashtrian Style) Recipe ~ Flavours Of Maharashtra

Dear friends and readers, this post is a continuation of my earlier post on Maharashtrian Cuisine. I will share with you some more facets of this very delicious cuisine. Mumbai as we all know is not only the capital of Maharashtra, but is also the financial capital of India. Apart from leaving a distinct mark on the world map for its very prominent and extremely popular film industry, Mumbai is home to two very popular dishes namely 1) Vada Pav and 2) Pav Bhaji. Vada Pav is basically deep fried Potato dumplings coated in gram flour batter, served inside a square bun or pav with liberal servings of coconut chutney and a very spicy yet yummy dry garlic chutney. Pav Bhaji is basically a vegetable mish mash, wherein vegetables are steamed, spiced and mashed finely with a masher and served along with a soft bread roll or pav. Starting from Mumbai Airport , you will find the city dotted in every nook and corner with shops selling these two fast food dishes.

Zunka Bhakar Recipe / Jhunka Recipe / Bajra Chi Bhakri Recipe / Gram Flour Curry Recipe / Bajra Roti Recipe ~ Flavours of Maharashtra

I never tire writing this that how lucky I am to be born in a country where within every few miles there is a change in cuisine. Countless number of dishes abound this traditionally rich culturally diverse country. I don't think one lifetime is enough to be able to gather knowledge of all the different types of dishes that exist in the nook and cranny of India. I am thankful to the Culinary Hoppers because of whom it has been possible to cook so many different dishes from different regions of India in the realms of my kitchen every single month for the past one year and two months. This time the regional fare to experience was Maharashtrian food and I must say that I loved doing the research online and taking to friends and reading books to know more about the food and the nitty-gritties that go into making it in this particular region.

Garbanzo Beans, Apricot, Dill Meatballs Recipe | Vegan Meatballs | Kabuli Chana, Khubani, Suva Meatballs Recipe

In a world full of different people, we do not realise how many have touched our lives, influenced our thinking and shaped the person we are today. Even before we realise they have encircled us with a whiff of beautiful thoughts, sprinkled invaluable ways to improve ourselves and we without even realising, have been imbibing a little from each of them and evolving into who we are at this moment. But, that point of time, when this realisation dawns on us, we should without much ado, thank these priceless individuals and treasure them in our lives.

Pomegranate, Jalapeño, Mango Leather Chutney | Anardana, Jalapeño, Aam Papad Chutney Recipe

Chutney's from the Indian Subcontinent is that side dish which always enhances the flavour of the dish it is paired with. Chutney's are very versatile in nature and you can let lose your creativity to put together Chutney's of your imagination. You can dish out a relish or a yogurt dip with condiments or grind together roasted lentils with coconut or many other things to get the platter you serve it along with totally pepped up.

Beetroot Tofu Barfi / Fudge, Diwali Sweet, Vegan And Gluten Free ~ Let There Be Light

I have always tried to fill my Blog with happy posts. But this time, when I sat to pen down, it was with a heavy heart. The ruthless killings of humans both in India and many different parts of the World made me ponder, why oh why can't we stop all this once and for all. Life is such a precious gift and no one should cut a life short, no matter what the reason is. No reason for cutting short a life can be strong enough before life itself. A little more reasoning, love for people, increased tolerance can go a thousand miles in creating a world of peace and happiness. On this week, preceding Diwali, the Festival of Lights, my heart and soul in unison prays for universal peace. I pray that no mother should lose a son or daughter to intolerance anymore. I pray that the diyas / lamps of Diwali lights up not only our homes but are hearts and minds as well.

Malai Sabz Seekh Kebab / Veg Seekh Kebab ~ The Doe Eyed Fairy In Jebel Haffet Mountain

It was a moonless night, even the stars had covered themselves with a blanket of fluffy white candy floss like cottony clouds. The melancholy of the night was broken by the whispering winds and the tapping of my feet as I walked alone on the winding streets of Jebel Haffet mountains. The Jebel Haffet mountains looms over the hamlet of Al Alain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabhi and is approximately 165 Kms from Dubai. We had taken a weekend break and had driven down earlier in the day. We reached the Hotel Mercure Grand as the sun was setting, with little D sleeping blissfully in the backseat of the car. Though she was overtly excited about this trip, somewhere in the midway during the drive, she had fallen fast asleep. We decided to let her complete her siesta while we unpacked and got ready to unwind. 

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.

STEAMED FISH IN ARGENTINE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE - HAPPY BEAT SERIES

Yum

Today in the HAPPY BEATS series I talk about the importance of physical activity and its benefits to heart health. We all are very much aware of the rewards of physical activity to our body and whatever I am about to write here you all are very familiar with. I will still put them down because although we know it, most of us do not implement it in our day to day life, hiding behind the excuse of having no time.

TRI COLOUR PARFAIT - CELEBRATING A STEP TOWARDS A HEALTHIER & PEACEFUL INDIA ON THE 69TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

Yum

The fervour, the spirit, the pride is soaring higher than ever and I am truly blessed to have  been born in this land of the greats. Wherever in the world I go I wear my INDIAN heart, culture, tradition and values with the highest honour. It's been a celebration of life each day in this vibrant, colourful, incredible country. Today as India celebrates its 69th year of Independence I rejoice all the laurels , all the developments this country has garnered in these years. I acknowledge the joy of being free nurtured by my country where the essence of being free is the top priority. 

Mint Coriander Chutney Recipe / Pudina Dhaniya Chutney Recipe ~ Just Recipes

Mint coriander chutney is a very versatile dip and can be served with any fried vegetarian and non- vegetarian snacks as a dip.

RAJMA/RED KIDNEY BEANS POPS - WHET YOUR APPETITE WITH MY APPETIZERS

APPETIZERS are bite sized dishes served prior to the main course in a three course meal comprising of ( Appetizers, Main Course and Desserts). While deciding on designing an appetizer the chef basically chooses ingredients and works up a dish which will Whet the Appetite or in other words stimulate your gut and get your taste buds ready for the Main Course. Basically APPETIZERS set the tone for the meal, by keeping the mind and belly of the diners occupied while they wait for the scrumptious main course to appear on the table, which is meant to satiate their hunger to the fullest.