THE KITCHEN AFFAIRE

It was my sis n law's surprise baby shower over the memorial weekend. Guess who arranged for it? Me me me - my hubby darling :D and of course her dear hubby :) I made her this Castle Cake. Though it did not turn out as I hoped, it was not entirely a no no. :) Check this out :D I wish I could make it look better. Well, its my first such cake. Its completely home made. Two tiers of chocolate cake, middle layer made of Pound cake. Home made snow white buttercream and designed using pastry bags and piping :) And a cone on top to give it the tower like feel :D

This is a typical Kerala dish generally served for the Kerala "Sadya" or feast. It is a yogurt based side dish. Today is one of those days when I dont feel like yapping a lot! So here is the recipe folks :) Ingredients Mustard seeds - 1/4 t Okra, thinly chopped - 1 C Green chillies, slit - 2 Curry leaves - a few Turmeric powder - 1/2 t Oil - 1 T Yoghurt - 1 C Salt - to taste Method Heat oil in a pan.Splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, green chillies and okra. Fry for a few minutes, until the okra turn crispy and light brown. Add turmeric and salt. Turn off the heat after 2 minutes. Add the fried lady`s finger into the yoghurt and mix well.

Thanks a ton to Priya ( Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes ) for her awesome collection of yummy and traditional Rajasthani dishes. All of you should go through her blog for some very interesting details about Rajasthan and its vast culture and of course - Rajasthani Food. :) It was in Priya's blog that I found this interesting dal made using five kinds of lentils. I had heard of this before from Ammu (my sis n law) but had not got a chance to try. And I have to say that it tasted so yummy! :D All of it got over in an instant! :) I have simply used the same ingredients mentioned by Priya. Coz I want the exact Rajasthani edge in the taste.  :D Ingredients Toor Dal - 1/4 C Moong Dal - 1/4 C Masoor Dal - 1/4 C Chana Dal - 1/4 C Green Whole Moong Dal - 1/4 C Onion, chopped - 1 C Tomatoes, chopped - 1 C Turmeric Powder - 1 t Red Chilli Powder - 1 t Coriander Powder - 1 t Cumin Powder - 1 t Garam Masala - 1/2 t Salt - to taste Oil - 1 t For Seasoning or

There are days when the only thing I want to do is sit on the couch like a couch potato. On those days I try to minimize the time and effort I normally put into cooking. This simple “dal” (lentil) fry recipe comes to my rescue then. :D Not only is it a simple recipe, it is quick too! And if you have a cooker it takes less than 10 minutes to be served.  :) Cool eh? No wonder I adore this recipe. Ingredients Toor Dal – 1 C Mustard Seeds - 1/2 t Cumin Seeds - 1/2 t Onion – ½ Tomato – ½ Green Chilli - 1 or to taste Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 t Oil - 1 T Salt - to taste Method Boil toor dal in a deep bottomed pan in 3 C of water for 20 mins. An alternate method is to cook dal in a cooker up to 2 whistles. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds. Add chopped onions and mix till they turn translucent. Add Green chilli, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and add tomatoes

A very thoughtful event initiated by my friends Priya ( Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes ) and Reshmi ( Rasoi ). Maitri is all about food and friendship. Doesn't it ring a bell? Yes, of course. I am sure all of you have made a number of friends through this huge world of food blogging. [caption id="attachment_512" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Maitri"] [/caption] This is a chance for you to enhance this chain. Lets chip in and make more friends. :) For more details on this event, do go through this post .

I  am always on the lookout for almost-vegan recipes. :) You must be wondering - almost vegan?? Yes. Almost-Vegan.  Meaning, I try my best to reduce the usage of oil and milk products. But as you would have understood by now, Indian food tastes best when you splash it with butter and ghee. :D While on this pursuit I came across the black eyed pea patty recipe a lot of times. Each time I saw this I thought I would try this next time. And it went on for some time. Last day I came across this again. I decided it was time to try my hands on this J All of the recipes I came across were Americanized ones. Meaning - low in spices and salt. So, I made mine with a “Desi” twist. Ingredients Black eyed peas (soaked in water -> overnight) - 1/2 C Green chilli or Jalapenos - to taste Garlic, minced - 1 clove Bread (left over) - 1/2 C Lime Juice - 1 T Cilantro, chopped - 2 T Turmeric powder - 1/3 t Chilli Powder - to taste Amchur (dry mango) Powder -

Punjab Cuisine reminds me of two main dishes - Sarson Da Saag aur Makki Di Roti & Chole. Both are my favorites!! :) Healthy too. There was a time when I hated greens or leaves. Lately, I am in love with them. And "Sarson Da Saag" tops my chart of favorite greens! "Sarson" means Mustard Greens and "Saag" means curry or gravy.  "Sarson Da Saag" is a very popular curry in Punjab (India) and is traditionally served with "Makki Di Roti", which is Indian bread made of corn flour. I found Mustard Greens @ a Vietnamese place here. It was named "Gai Choy" there. Nevertheless, it was the same. Do try this healthy and yummy curry friends. :) Ingredients Mustard Leaves – 2 bunches Spinach – 1 bunch Water – 2 C Oil – 1 T Onions, chopped – 1 1/2 Tomatoe, chopped – 2 Ginger, minced – 1 T Garlic, minced– 1 T Salt – to taste Red Chili Powder – to taste Garam Masala – 1 tsp Seasoning or "Tadka" O

[caption id="attachment_458" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="Maitri"] [/caption] As I was blog  hopping last day, I came across this lovely blog -  "Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes" authored by Priya. It was there that I learned about this initiative called "Maitri". Maitri is a "friendship chain" initiated by Priya Mithrawal (  Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes  )  & Reshmi Pillai ( Rasoi  ). The basic idea behind this initiative is to make a lot of friends who are food bloggers and also to do this with an element of fun. :) This is what you do for Maitri: Interested bloggers will be matched with two other bloggers. Each of these bloggers will send one another a mystery ingredient. Using this mystery ingredient us bloggers will cook a dish and share it in respective blogs. This is the basic idea behind Maitri. Aint this fun friends? :D I am so excited!! I am yet to get a match (buddy). Once matched I