THE KITCHEN AFFAIRE

The thought of egg puffs brings back fond memories of my college days. The bakery near my hostel sold the tastiest puffs in the world. That too, egg puffs. An egg puff and Sharjah shake was always the popular combination at that hangout. It was just fantabulous. I was trying to recreate that aroma and taste. Though I couldn't match that taste, it was pretty close. :) Ingredients Puff pastry sheets : 1  Eggs : 3  Chopped onions : 2 cups Ginger paste : 1 T  Garlic paste : 1 T  Coriander Powder : 1 t  Garam masala : 2 pinch  Turmeric powder : 1/4 t  Red chilli powder : 1 t  Salt as required  Oil : 3 T   Method Preparing Thaw the pastry sheet by leaving it out in room temperature for about an hour or so.  Boil the eggs and take the shell.  Cut each egg vertically(lengthwise)into two halves. For the stuffing Heat oil in the pan. Fry onion until it gets brown.  Then add ginger a...

Ingredients Chana dal (split bengal gram/kadala parippu) – 2 C Onion – 1, finely chopped Green chilli – 3, finely chopped Ginger – 2 t, finely chopped Curry leaves – 2 sprigs Kayam (asafetida) – 1/8 t Salt - to taste Oil for deep frying Method Wash and soak chana dal in water for 2 hours.  Drain the water completely and make sure that the dal is dry. Coarse grind the drained dal (do not add water) for a few seconds. Make sure not to grind it to a smooth paste.  Add rest of the ingredients except oil to the ground mix and gently mix together.  Make small balls with the ground mix. Heat oil for deep frying pan on high flame.  While the pan gets hot, flatten the balls in your palm. When oil is really hot, reduce the flame to low-medium and add the vada/fritter.  Fry till the vadas (fritters) become golden brown or if you like it extra crispy, fry till you get a darker shade.  Drain excess oil on a tissue paper....

This is something I had wanted to try since long. Thanks to a pot-luck party the other day, I got to try this.. And we all loved it :) Check it out.. Ingredients 6 hard-cooked eggs 2 T mayonnaise 1 t Sugar 1 t white vinegar 1 t prepared mustard 1/2 t salt Paprika Method Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside.  In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork.  Add the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard and salt; mix well.  Stuff or pipe into egg whites.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Refrigerate until serving.

We love Mediterranean food. After Thai and Italian, Mediterranean wins our vote :) Well, I am not sure of this order though. :) Fadi's and Kasra are our current favorite Mediterranean eat outs. We are yet to try other new places. Nothing can beat the rich and creamy Hummus at Kasra. Nor can anyone beat the awesome Lentil Soup from Fadi's. But friends, if you think someone can, do let us know. We would loveee to try it out :)  So today, I was all determined to turn the first night of the long weekend into a Mediterranean night.  I was all pumped up to cook a perfect spread. ahem ahem. Or at least a near to perfect spread. hi hi. ;) Cmon guys, it did turn out good. :) In fact, I successfully made Pita Bread, Tahini paste and Hummus . Whistle whistle!!! :) And the yummy spread was celebrated with a second round of wine ;) Here is the recipe for you guys out there :) All thanks to this Mediterranean website - > DedeMed . Ingredients Flour - 3 C +...

How can I even dream of having a Pita bread without this yummy creamy dip --> Hummus of course. :) Like many other cuisines, Mediterranean was also introduced to me by my hubby dear. He loves Hummus and now, me too :D And thats how I ended trying to make it at home. Ingredients Yogurt - 1/4 C Garbanzo Beans / Chick Peas - 2 C Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) - 1/2 C Lemon Juice - 1/2 C Garlic cloves - 3 Salt - 1/2 t Citric acid - 1/4 t Water - 2 T Mint Leaves - a few For garnishing Parsley - 2 T Cayenne Pepper or Paprika - 1 t Olive Oil - 1/4 C Method   In a food processor, add the garbonzo beans, garlic, lemon juice and salt, blend until smooth.  Next add yogurt, tahini, water, citric acid and mint leaves. Spread the hummus in a plate and garnish with parsley, cayenne pepper and olive oil. Serve with pita bread.

I just love bonda. Sometimes the word bonda sounds very funny. Does it to you guys too? hi hi..  Anyways, bonda is one of the popular snacks in Kerala (India). The first thing that comes into my mind when I think of them are of those little bakeries which display freshly made bonda's in glass cabinets right in front of the store. One look at those yummy ball like thing and you know you want it!! I remember dragging daddy to the bakery to buy me some :)  Nostalgia..  Here is the recipe for you guys.. Make em and I hope you enjoy them too! Ingredients For the filling Potato - 3 Onion, chopped - 1/2 Green chill - 2 Curry leaves - a few  Turmeric powder - 1 t Salt - to taste  Oil - 1 T For the batter Chickpea flour/Gram flour/Besan - 1 C Rice flour - 1 T Ginger, finely chopped - 1 t Red chilli powder - 1 t Asafoetida/Hing - 1/2 t Salt - to taste  Water - as needed Method For the filling  Pee...

I just love all kinds of fried snacks. :-) Well, I love everything about food. So here I was blog hopping and I came across this lovely blog of Arundhuti called My Saffron Kitchen . And I found what I was looking for, the ultimate recipe for Dahi Vada. Thanks a ton dear :-D Dahi Vada is one of the most popular varieties of Indian Chaat. A yummy snack that everybody loves to relish, especially during a hot summer day. Dahi Vada is made in different ways across different parts of India. South Indians make it without adding Tamarind Sauce and call it "Thairu Vada". I love both the styles. :) Whats not to love? Yesterday, heat was at a record high of 101 F!!! Can you imagine that? I shouldn't be complaining a lot as I have lived in cities (in India) where it was more hot and humid. Those were my high school days. A time when heat or no heat, life was all about fun, friends and food :D  Dahi Vada is a combination of lentil dumpling and yogurt to...

I just love the aroma of fresh snacks and bakes that surrounds a bakery. This reminds me of my favorite bakeries at Kerala. They are KR Bakers at Cochin and Famous Bakery at Kasargod. I miss the mouth-watering taste of cutlets, puffs and egg rolls. All these thoughts made me hungry and I was determined to make cutlets :D I did not have this much determination even during school exams. :D This is one awesome snack… Try it out :) Ingredients  Potato - 2 Beetroot - 1 1/2 Onion, chopped - 1 C Ginger - 1" pc Garlic - 1 t Green Chilli, chopped - 2 Pepper Powder - 1 t Garam Masala - 1 t Egg - 2 Bread Crumbs - 1 C Salt - to taste Oil - for frying Water - enough for boiling Method  For the Filling Peel the potatoes and beetroot. Boil them together for 8 mins (I microwaved) or until they turn soft. Remove from oven. Mash and allow them to cool. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Add all ingredients from onion to green chilli...

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) ...

When indian cuisine mixes with Chinese you get a few indian styled Chinese cuisines. One of them being the Gobi Manchurian! Restaurants always serve this mouth watering dish with so much aroma that you wont think twice about finishing it.  :D  Guess what! I tried my hands on this superb dish and i can say that it tasted good. Let me pen down, how. Ingredients For the batter All purpose flour/Maida : 1/2 cup Corn flour : 6 t Finely chopped garlic : 1/2 t Finely chopped ginger : 1/2 t Red chilly powder : 3/4 t Salt to taste Oil to fry For the curry Cauliflower florets : 4 cups Chopped onion : 1 cup Green chilly : 2 Green onions : 1/4 cup Capsicum : 1/2 t Finely chopped garlic : 2 t Finely chopped ginger : 1 t Coriander leaves : a few Red chilly powder : 1 t Soy sauce : 2 T Green chilly sauce : 2 T Tomato sauce : 3 T Oil : 2 T Salt to taste Method To begin with, cut the cauliflower into medium size florets and add ...