Italian Gremolata Recipe / Zesty Italian Herb Sauce Recipe

Italian Gremolata hails traditionally from Italy. This is basically a condiment, which is conventionally made with fresh green herbs, garlic, olive oil, with lots of lemon zest and juice, incorporated to add a punch to this Sauce.

Navratri Special Meethi & Teekhi Chutney / Hot & Sweet Chutney / Coriander Green Chilli Peanut Spicy Chutney / Date Tamarind Sweet Chutney

Sharad Navratri has commenced this year. Different parts of India celebrate the festival in different ways. In the Northern part of India many devotees of the Goddess keep a day long fast. After prayers, veneration and offerings to the deity at sunset the fast is broken. Only certain types and categories of food are allowed to be eaten during this fast. Also determining  the exact ingredients which will make the dishes differs from family to family. For example some families do not eat Chutneys for these 9 days. However those who do ensure firstly that the Chutney is vegetarian, gluten free and comprises only the ingredients allowed during this fast.

Sweet Pineapple Chutney Recipe

For Bengalis Chutney is always emotionally yours. Chutney not served or missed during the course of a grand meal, can result in a small heartbreak of the diner. Chutney is an integral part of a Bengali meal and without Chutney being served a Bengali feast remains incomplete. Whenever a meal for guests in a Bengali house is being planned Chutney, Papad, Mishti and Doi(Sweet Yogurt) are a must. Initially it was the tomato chutney which was omnipresent in all the platters and then came Mango, Dates, Mango Leather (Aam Shotto), Kamranga ( Star fruit), Chalta ( Elephant Apple), Pineapple etc. etc. until a brigade of Chutneys was formed and this kept on growing with each passing year. Ah!!! the taste of each of these relishes are still fresh on my taste buds even to this day.

Bengali Style Beetroot Chutney Recipe / Beetroot Relish In Bengali Style Recipe

Whenever my eyes gaze through the bountiful colours around, which the Creator keeps filling in, on this huge canvas called nature, I wonder what magic and love the Creator combines to be able to paint each and every bit of this vast landscape with exotic colours. I remember watching this Disney movie called Tinker-bell where fluorescent pattern winged fairies are responsible for all the enchantment we see around. Whatever be the reason of their nemesis the hues of nature cannot be matched ever with the manmade artificial colours. The colours of the pink dragonfruit or the minty green from the spear mint leaves, the tangerine hued Oranges, the Gold dusted turmeric, the amber kissed saffron or the ruby red painted beetroot, nothing oh nothing can bring the smile upto my eyes than a hand with tinted fingers, splashed with gorgeousness from these brilliant shades.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad With Sunflower Seeds And Curry Leaf Pesto ~ Hello Summer

Have you tried clasping sunshine in your palms ? I used to do that often as a child. With the onset of the summer months, the commencement of the summer holidays from school, life would be one joyous ride, with a dozen cousins of all sizes, who too would come visiting during their summer holidays. Playing hide and seek in one such hot summer day, I had hidden behind the huge grand old banana tree in our backyard. As the sun peeped through its long ribbed green leaves it created different types of pattern on my legs. Small triangles, circles, squares and a solo hexagon , tiny golden patterns all over my legs and I had forgotten all about the game I was in , too busy in my attempt to clasp these golden shapes of sunshine in my palms. Thinking about that afternoon and how simple and full of innocence the ways of the mind were, never fails to light up a smile on my lips, as radiant as the sunshine, eons away under the banana tree. 

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.

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.

Bengali Vegetarian Thali ~ A Splash of Unassuming Nuances And Striking Flavours

Bengali Cuisine has the nuances which have been imbibed from a very long and rich history with strong influences from the Mughal style of cooking, the British Babus, whose khansamas (male cook) modified the existent Bengali cuisine to suit their palates. Not only that, the style of cooking dishes, also varied as one passed through the length and breath of Bengal itself. Then there are also many dishes from Bangladesh which was earlier a part of Bengal, India. 

Plastic Chutney Recipe | Kachche Papite Ki Chutney Recipe | Bengali Style Raw Papaya Chutney Recipe

Continuing the series on Bengali Vegetarian dishes, I bring to you, dear readers, a tongue tapping side dish called Plastic Chutney. This chutney is made with raw papaya and has a very unique texture . I don't know why this Chutney came to be called Plastic Chutney. I assume it must have been to do with the thinly sliced papaya slices, used in this Chutney and their close resemblance to small pieces of plastic sheets. Even my Ma and aunts think the same. I am yet to come across either a folk lore or any history associated with this nomenclature. If any of you my valued readers know how this chutney came to be called Plastic Chutney please leave me a comment on this post and I will happily include the trivia. 

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.

Keema / Qeema, Sabut Malka Masoor, Methi Biryani / Chicken Mince, Whole Red Lentils, Green Fenugreek Biryani ~ My Ode To The Ingenious Chef Sara Riaz

The Biryani love affair is growing stronger and stronger with each passing day in my family. Whether it's that special meal in the weekend, or that one symbolic dish to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or the star dish at any family get together or house parties and even for potlucks, the one dish that is chosen with total majority is Biryani. My eternal gratitude to the queen who first had Biryani cooked for her famished soldiers when she visited their barracks. This one pot dish which houses the flavour of each of the ingredient you would have used, with full vigor to reveal to you a decadent gush of aroma, the moment you remove the lid and allow the fragrant smoke to take over your senses and of those with you at the dinning table.

Vangi Bhat / Aubergine Rice With Bendekai / Okra Raita ~ Udupi Cuisine

Those frequent trips to Udupi Restaurants holding on to daddy's finger, comes flooding in my mind as I am told that the first Blog Hop theme of 2016 is South Canara cuisine. Picture of a tiny head bobbling from side to side, a pony tail held in place with a pink rubber band with a few pink and blue plastic butterflies adorning it in gaps flashes by. Happiness was abound those days and smiles galore especially on these unplanned trips to my favourite Dosa restaurant, as I would remember these overcrowded indigenous joints with their bright red chairs and unceasing chatters. Perching myself on a chair I would happily hear daddy ordering Masala Dosa and as the order would be relayed to the open counter a few steps from us, I would with the biggest possible smile turn towards the large hissing griddle which puffed up smoke furiously as the man behind it sprinkled it with water with a swift movement of his fingers. The next thing I knew would be the clank clank of his spatula as he would get the Dosa ready, place the filling, fold the dosa and place it on the plate having a few cavities which would be filled with smoking sambar and colourful chutneys. I still can feel the thrill as I would break a piece from the dosa, dip it in the sambar then the chutney and savour it. That was my understanding of Udupi cuisine for a very long time.

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.

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. 

RED KIDNEY BEANS PILAF/RAJMA PULAV WITH FIERY AVOCADO RAITA - HAPPY BEATS SERIES

With prayer on my lips and a wish in my heart that all the HEARTS IN THIS WORLD should beat with HEALTH AND HAPPINESS I commence the HAPPY BEAT series. Every recipe in this series will be cooked with the aim that it keeps the heart health its priority.

Friends I am no authority on the heart as I am neither a doctor nor a dietitian. Then you may ask why this series? I have gone through the experience of a family member suffering from a near death, massive heart attack in the summers of 2014. The heart attack left his heart function at a meager 42%. These recipes and whatever information I will put down here is my journey , my experience and what I adapted to nurse his heart back to health and a heart function of 50% within a span of one year.

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.

TAHINI - MUCH LOVED MIDDLE EASTERN DIP

TAHINI is basically SESAME SEEDS BUTTER. Traditionally Tahini is made by soaking sesame seeds for a day in water. Then the seeds are crushed to separate the bran from the kernels. The crushed seeds are put into salted water, where the bran sinks, but the kernels float and are skimmed off the surface. They are toasted, then ground to produce their oily paste.