Baking Spree – Cakes & Breads

Soft Sponge Cake

My favorite sponge cake – perfect for evening tea time and I bake this frequently (sometimes go overboard with nuts)

A slice of cake

There, a slice of the tea cake This time, left it slightly crusty and it tasted yum!!

Choco Chip Muffins

Same batter, added some choco chips I had, and tuned them into choco chips muffins.

Butter Garlic Bread Rolls

This was the highlight – Butter Garlic Bread Rolls. It turned out to be super soft and delicious Thanks to Suhaina, for her recipe turned out to be a bliss. Guys, try this if you love garlic rolls. Bread making is slightly time consuming but worth the effort.

Leaving you with ideas to bake over this weekend. Try it, it’s so much fun!

Happy Weekend!

Sunday noon – a feast & siesta?

Bengali meal served traditionally in bronze-ware – ghee-rice, daal, fish curry, another variety of fish marinated with spices & steamed in banana leaves(macher paturi), a dry curry made of broad beans & potatoes, papad, sweet chutney, rice pudding(paayesh/kheer). 

A delightful feast followed by a much deserved afternoon siesta – pure bliss ins’t?

Paranthe wali galli revisited through pictures

During my stay in Delhi, I did not want to miss the much recommended – famous paranthe wali galli – where they serve a platter of crunchy stuffed indian flatbreads, deep fried in clarified butter with a variety of curries, chutneys & pickles. Sounds too calorific, isn’t? Well, It is.

As I cross the dusty & crowded streets of chandni chownk, Old Delhi, I find my way to paranthe wali galli. It was a wintry morning and the sun rays sneaked in with great difficulty … through the tinned roof tops and several entangled wires to reach the narrow lanes finally.

There are quite a few shops selling paranthe, and I learnt that all are from similar clan who have branched out to cater to more visitors in that crowded street. I entered this one, the oldest of all… where there was a board in front, hosting a collage of photographs of yesteryears political heroes, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi who visited the place for their meals after India was freed.

Here’s the man who rolls out the flat breads using a variety of stuffings: peas, potatoes, onion, pulses, mixed veggies, cauliflower, paneer etc..They surely don’t look appetizing or even hygienic but who cares when you wish to gorge on Indian Street Food. , that too with global fame? It’s featured on several TV shows, books & journals including National Geographic.

That’s the stuffed flatbread being fried until brown and crispy in pure clarified butter… !! I couldn’t have more than 1 ..it was quite heavy!

And, that’s the platter served before the hot & fresh flatbread arrived…with north indian style potato curry, a curry made using pumpkins, a sweet and tangy chutney, green chutney made of coriander leaves & mint, and some sort of crunchy pickle using radish, carrots & green chillies.

Luscious & Lip-Smacking Chocolate Brownie Cake

This was the special cake, I made for my brother’s birthday last week. Wanted to post earlier, but missed it. Thanks to Kalyan for posting the recipe The only modification was that… I smeared it with icing and decorated it with some chocolate chips and chocolate rice. Also, this was my first attempt in making a chocolate cake with icing. It truly turned out to be a nutty, chocolaty and delicious cake…! Oh, and my brother…he couldn’t believe it until I claimed

Delhi Diary

My Delhi trip turned out to be an absolute pleasure trip. Good project, good team, good food, and lots of shopping. Met some close friends. Visited places. All in all, good time spent. And now, I am back to my cosy place. No matter how far you travel, no matter where you travel…at the end of the day, it feels good to be back home…to feel safe and sound. To be back to your comfort zone.

However, I would miss the place. Especially, because it was a winter month. For, it had a different charm altogether. Here are some of the things…I would miss, I suppose.

• Cold-frosty-wintry mornings. Sometimes clouds marked with silent rainfall made it even dark and dreary
• Those foggy days and the long wait to catch a glimpse of sun… to get soaked in the warmth
• Regular tea servings to beat the chill-ginger and lemon flavored
• Heaters and blowers. Comforters and electric blankets. To warm up the cold rooms and our freezing limbs.
• Layers of clothing…thermal wears, sweaters, jackets, scarves etc … yet, an attempt to look cool
• Breakfast mostly of stuffed paranthe (Indian flat breads) and vegetable pickle, sometimes dose of chhole bhature, puri and aloo sabzi – north Indian breakfast staple
• Gajar and mung daal halwa; winter-special sweet indulgence
• Occasional munching of fresh-steaming-momos with spicy chilli sauce
• The times spent with friends at Dilli Haat, Purani Dilli and other market places
• Delhi’s well connected metro lines and its rides.
• Those nostalgic cycle-rickshaw rides and reading some of the hilarious sign boards in hindi on the way

“Travelling, to me is beyond moving. It’s about learning & experiencing new things, meeting new people, exploring a new chapter of my life…in a foreign land” – me 

Moments we create!

Well, I realise good moments are actually created. Just expecting things to turn fine all by itself is sort of inane. We must do things that bring us joy, do things that give us pleasure. We must create those moments, make them special. These days, I cook more often. I try new things, spend time watching classics on Television, listen to Mukesh/Md. Rafi / RD Burman songs, water my plants, I meet close friends, spend more time with family, read lots of books, journals,  & I write as much as I can.

O’er this weekend, I visited a very close friends’ place. It’s been a long pending one. This time, I had decided not to drop the plan, come what may. And, what an amazing time I had with him, his wife & adorable, beautiful, little daughter who is going to turn a year old in a few days.  Those were a few good moments. We went for an evening walk together along the road. There was so much greenery. We crossed a very old cemetery too. We talked, cracked jokes, laughed, remembered some good ol’ times, pulled each other’s legs, and walked back home. Later, we decided to go out for dinner, but on our way we changed our plan. We wanted to cook at home together.  We stopped by for grocery shopping and picked up all that we needed to cook up a sumptuous dinner. We returned home.

And in no time, while we were chatting, chopping, stirring & cooking, our meal was ready. Spicy Pulao, Chicken Drumsticks cooked in a tomato rich gravy on slow fire , Stir fried potatoes & frozen peas. All prepared and ready to be served with chilled coke. Yes. We gave a damn to calories and hogged instead. We did not regret going out. Had a relaxed hearty meal, & then I was dropped back home safely.

All in all, had a blast! Yes, we create moments like these and make life worthwhile. I shall cherish these special moments life long.

Series of events…

that has kept me occupied since last week! Plays, get-togethers, Children’s day competition at our NGO, Cooking…etc!

Alyque Padamsee & Sabira Merchant after their brilliant performance in “The Game“. The act was absolutely flawless.

Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak, Benjamin Gilani, Akash Khurana & others in “Antigone” – A Greek tragic play. It was my life’s best experience to watch such legendary actors perform live on stage. Naseer was marvellous, so natural.

Children’s Day at Safa(www.safaindia.org). All hidden talents were discovered during this drawing competetion. (Look at their winning smile …They all were fabulous and so creative!

Made some kachoris stuffed with green peas, Alu dum, Daal fry and kheer with nuts and jaggery for dinner.

And, further…am off to Jaipur for a Dance & Music festival o’er this weekend!!

Maggi & chai tonight ;)

Maggi is something; I cannot avoid. Period. Fear of putting on weight just vanishes, when a bowl of piping hot maggi is served. When there’s nothing in store, quick maggi comes to rescue our hunger pangs. I have tried many versions of making a maggi – plain, soupy noodles, stir fried with loads of veggies, with eggs, curry noodles, etc and I love all the versions. With these extra efforts, 2 minutes is not enough though !! I have tried having maggi at odd hours too, past midnight, during evenings, it’s just an anytime meal for me… & yes yeh dil still maange more

Once in Bangalore I remember, amidst so many junk food options I opted for maggi, you may now imagine my craze for maggi

Weekend Breakfast

Sometimes I treasure these moments … A relaxed state of mind amidst a good ambience`, lost in a fantasy world, having a quiet breakfast with a lavish spread…enjoying every bite, followed by a lovely-aromatic warm cup of tea! Isn’t it a great way to kick start a weekend ?

May you all have a fun weekend ahead

Today’s Dinner

Achaari Murg (Chicken Curry with pickle spice)

Actually last evening I was just browsing a few food blogs, I found them so enticing that I made a promise to myself…which is “ I shall try making a new dish every day”  Thanks to ecurry for her recipe today. It turned out to be super delicious! . Served with parantha, butter rice and crunchy floral salad.

May you all have a great week ahead

A day in a small town.

Bardhaman, a small town situated in West Bengal some less than 100 km North west from Kolkata.

A nice weather,sky all covered with grey clouds promising heavy downpour…. 

The historical Curzon Gate built in honor of Lord Curzon

A clearer view of The Curzon Gate

Sandesh…bengali sweets are incomplete without it’s mention. They are mouth watering, melts right into your mouth

Roshogulla with raw mango essence (Flavor of the season)

Ahhh hot fritters(Beguni and Alu Chops made of brinjals and mashed potato) with tea at a claystove stall. Nothing to beat a lovely rainy evening.

This man thinking I am a journalist while clicking pictures requested to click one of his pics

Silver lines..lightening up the night in the sky….

And…I leave the town next day early morning while the sun manages to smile bright after the night’s heavy downpour! While driving back; I envied the simple life that people led there, untouched by most of the modern transitions that has taken place in the cities. They live in their present, happy with the meagre they earn and live contented. They have not advanced, may be which is why they have not lost their simplicity.

Ghar ka khana!

Interestingly our taste-buds crave for an array of food each time. Sometimes spicy, sometimes sweet, sometimes plain simple food, sometimes no food at all may be. Most of the times, if dining outside I get tempted to try on different cuisines just for the sake of experimenting & experiencing (of course to kill my appetite too), when I realise some taste scrumptious and some don’t.                                

My food habits are pathetic, I hardly eat my breakfast. If breakfast means having a mug of tea, then I follow it ritually with a buttered toast (now I am bored of this too). Lunch is usually a Sub. I prefer Sub not for any Size Zero fad but my work gets really hectic and eating a heavy lunch makes me feel drowsy and makes it difficult to sit through the remaining hours post lunch.  Though some days, team lunch / lunch with friends becomes an indulgent. Dinner I skip if I have had a heavy lunch or may be chapatti/rice with some curry. 

What I long for is a nice weekend home cooked lunch, which I try and make it lavish yet simple. Nothing tops my list than home cooked food. So here I went to hand-pick some fresh looking luscious veggies from bazaar. (Not the super markets as I feel they are not the farm fresh ones). 

Today’s lunch was made of raw jackfruit and potato curry (one of my favourites), lady’s finger cooked with shallots in a poppy seed paste, some daal to go with rice & fresh cucumber salad and green chillies.

Dessert…? It was chilled Lassi (A drink made of sugar & yoghurt) topped with cream to beat the heat!

Event – Served with Love!

As I have always said and that’s what I strongly believe, cooking to me is therapeutic! The joy one can derive by cooking for the loved ones is inexplicable in words. I enjoy it to the core. I have not yet gained expertise in most of the cuisines… however; I can claim that whatever I cook or have cooked so far has always been with love & passion and that’s why i guess Mom’s khana always rocks as they somehow manage to add that extra element of love leaving the meals lip smacking  

I have been following Arundhuti’s blog for quite some time now, and I could not help but participate in one of her Events(Refer the link for more details)  that she declared sometime ago. The event says that this January prepare a dish that is most favourite with the person we love! It can be ANYone…parents, siblings, friends, husbands, kids, cousins …anybody we love to cook for!

Here’s what I made for my brother this month – “Gajar ka halwa” !! He simply loves it so much so that even a huge helping is always less and he wants to devour more of it. Carrots are best available during this season & i thought why not a dessert which is so famous in India!! 

An American writer quoted : “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”

Season’s Greetings!

Christmas is celebrated worldwide irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Perhaps it has to do with all the festivity & joy it brings along, isn’t? Long ago, I had bought this christmas tree & this evening just tried & decorated it with bells, stars, candies, confettis etc. It was so much fun…for all of us at home

Christmas without goodies is not done so baked cookies, cakes, made some nutty chocolates(they turned out unbelievably yummm ), & soft ‘n fluffy pancakes

Here’s wishing you all a very very HAPPY CHRISTMAS & a fantabulous year ahead!

God Bless!

Cooking Spree …

Working during the week leaves me with no stamina to get into the kitchen and cook; hence, over the weekends I make it a point to cook something really special. I plan for an entire day & therefore balance it out with a light breakfast or heavy lunch/dinner or vice-versa…! I could not have digested the meal without taking the pics to share with you all so here it is…

Breakfast was buttered toast with scrambled eggs and tea

Dinner was egg-mughlai parantha served with  aloo curry and chips

This was an exception, for some reason I had to cook the dinner during a weekday and am posting the pic now . Had made chicken curry and peas & rice in a jiffy ….

Now this was the FOOD of the day it turned out to be super delicious …..A rich chocolate cake . Come on, now don’t be mean and leave your comments for all my hard work

Deliciously I reminisce…

Now, this tag I could not have missed it … I love food & moreover love cooking if it’s for my loved ones including family and friends. I derive immense pleasure out of it especially seeing the delight on their faces after having a nice meal. There are plenty of such moments I fondly cherish, let me try and share a few with you all which is close to my heart:

• Somehow, I don’t know if it has happened to others, but with me it has happened several times. There are days when I have a severe craving to have my mom’s particular dish, and even before I tell her, I find that cooked the same day. It’s really uncanny to me….. :D but surely proves to be true that mum’s can read your mind. And, I end up embracing her with a smile.
• Sundays used to be special at home as my dad would take up cooking and all of us longed to sit together and have our afternoon meals. He was an excellent cook.
• Food memoirs and not mentioning canteen fun is not happening at all. During college times, friends and I used to visit the canteen to devour the samosas served with hot sambar (weird combo…I know) but trust me it used to be yummmm :D ! Up north anyway there’s a fetish for sambar, so we’d frequent it like crazy. For one plate of samosa we used to get unlimited sambar… so instead of ordering many plates, we used to order one plate of samosa and several servings of sambar. The canteen wala got so fed up that after a few days he changed the rule…..”Samosas served with one bowl of sambar ONLY”
• During the same college days, I remember when my best friend and I rushed to her place once after a long tiring day at college. Aunty was not there and Uncle could find nothing else to feed our empty stomachs but a fresh bottle gourd. He quickly made a curry out of it and served us with piping hot rotis. We devoured it to our heart’s content and can’t express how delicious it had turned out to be…
• I know am not a spoilt child, though love to behave like one :D when it comes to Mom still running behind me with food so that I have a morsel or two at least; while rushing to work during the crazy morning hours and listening to her grumbles…that I wake up late and do all this drama

Thanks to Puja . It was wonderful reviving some old memories.