tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190018082024-03-07T04:27:08.570-05:00One Bite at a TimeKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-33056319307217264452009-07-17T14:32:00.002-04:002009-08-06T07:46:35.878-04:00Nellikai Oorugai - Indian Gooseberry pickle and a questionWhenever I think back of my childhood, I fondly remember the Otaheite Gooseberries (சின்ன நெல்லிக்காய் / Phylanthus acidus/Phylanthus Distichus) tree that mom planted, when we were kids. It was a small tree in our backyard, that bore a million fruits which was more than enough for us and all the kids on the street. Passers by would shake the tree and enjoy the fruits and my mom gladly let them Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-76607828133422903202009-06-24T09:45:00.019-04:002009-07-22T10:35:30.661-04:00Kefir - A probiotic healing drink!(Homemade plain Kefir - shaken a bit to show how it coats the bottle, papaya kefir!)When I was just getting started into Kombucha (another post), I kept coming across something called Kefir (pronounced Keh-fear!). Not wanting to distract myself, I just briefly glanced through it and forgot about it. Soon came the diabetes, the Candida and the food intolerances - all pointing to something wrong Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-44457736801106023752009-06-09T17:48:00.007-04:002010-11-10T22:44:15.414-05:00Chettinad Mutton Soup / Aatukaal PaayaCall it by any name - Chettinad mutton soup, Chettinad mutton bone soup, Aatukaal soup, Aatukaal paaya, Trotter soup, Nenjelumbu soup based on the type of bones used - This is my most favorite soup in the whole world! :) There's absolutely nothing else like this one. To top it off, this mineral rich bone soup is very good for health.My mom learnt this recipe in Sivakaasi, from her neighbors who Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-30573162036882664302009-04-21T14:30:00.009-04:002010-02-10T15:14:13.616-05:00BEST EVER Thakkaali Oorugai - Amma's Slow roasted Tomato pickleEvery time we come home from the hostel and its time to go back, the following conversation would occur on the day before, between my mom and either me or my sister or both. We were in the same college and hostel so our timings to go back to the hostel would be the same.Mom: What do you want to take along when you go back?Me/my sister: Thakkali OorugaiMom: Just that? Me/my sister: Yes. By now, Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-74643391183150697022009-04-08T19:12:00.009-04:002010-03-15T17:01:15.604-04:00Soaked Wholewheat Rotis - What's the idea behind soaking?It all started when I read the book 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon. An online friend from one of the forums I belong to, told me about this and I went looking for it in the library. It is a book that really challenges the politically correct nutrition... What I read there, shocked me, surprised me but mostly, overwhelmed me. And then life intervened in the form of newborn and I promptlyKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-22085351988575131932009-03-06T04:14:00.000-05:002009-03-06T08:20:04.300-05:00Beetroot curryThe words 'Beetroot kulambu' doesn't make me gape with a look of horror on my face now. But it did once. I was 12 then. Both Amma and Appa had to goto a very early wedding at 4 am in a different town. And my neighbor, an Aunty who lived with her family, in the house above ours, volunteered to serve us breakfast. My younger sister and me liked that Aunty, so we didn't think much about the Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-91405288939540535772009-02-13T21:42:00.001-05:002009-02-13T21:52:03.418-05:00Go Salma!Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-53678481406464706612008-10-20T10:05:00.010-04:002009-04-22T09:21:45.913-04:00Kollu Chutney and Kollu Kulambu!I used to love those 'Love is....' comic strips in the morning newspaper. Still do. I wish I could get my daily dose of those comic strips now in email. Anybody know of a source? Anyway, here's my attempt at a 'Love is....'Love is being served with a plateful of kollu chutney, kollu kulambu, rasam and rice when you have a bad cold and can't think straight and when everything else tastes like Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-134847104393794452008-09-30T22:43:00.014-04:002008-12-05T08:22:23.336-05:00Carrot Mini MuffinsLittle Miss Mischief is a big fan of muffins and mini-muffins are of the perfect size for my little muffin. She used to jump with joy exclaiming 'Mashay Mashay Mashay' which I think came from Milkshake but she really meant muffins! Oatmeal banana muffins, Carrot muffins, Wholewheat muffins, Blueberry muffins - she loves them all. Filled with nuts and fruits and wholegrain goodness, muffins used Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-44215427982831181812008-09-29T12:23:00.017-04:002009-02-03T13:15:44.773-05:00Wholewheat Bread with bran and sesame seeds!Once in a while, some of the creative genes in my body wake up. I'd love to say, they wake up and dance! But to my horror, they just wake up and create a mess. In the kitchen. Now if only I can overlook the mess they make, then I'd say, some of those times resulted in some yummy things. But there was this instance where the creative genes woke up and left absolute no mess - just some yummy yummy Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-16170454974524459672008-09-18T14:12:00.004-04:002009-04-09T12:56:14.911-04:00Get Preppy - SproutsSprouted moth dal, ready to be frozenEvery time I make sprouts(just any beans), I make a large batch and freeze half of it. Comes in very handy later. I use it later in many dishes, like this one, stir fried with some spices. Sometimes I throw a handful in soups; or in green beans stir fry. I think I could even grind it and use it in adai or dosas or make pesaraddu. I squeeze out as much air as Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-38996508436226354062008-09-17T08:19:00.014-04:002008-09-17T10:38:00.865-04:00Move over baking pan, here comes the cast iron grill!I Love Fish. I love it more when it's roasted in the oven. You might have seen previous posts on roasted fish here and here. This summer, we craved for grilled food, but we couldn't grill outside since we live in a super high rise building with no balcony!DH and me were talking about this and about the still unused stove top cast iron double burner reversible grill/griddle that we got for a nice Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-67550098775902354192008-09-13T14:31:00.006-04:002009-06-25T12:51:58.928-04:00Manathakkali Vatral Kuzhambu [Tangy curry made with dried manathakkali berries]Manathakkali or manithakkali or milagu thakkali is a type of nightshade plant. In English, it is black nightshade. Looks like it is called Makoy or chukkitti keerai. Indosungod also has a picture here. The leaves and berries are very healthy and is a cure for many ailments. Esp. stomach ulcer! I can't remember the number of times my mom fed me these leaves and berries... These plants were alwaysKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-41465476496184060762008-08-26T11:45:00.006-04:002008-10-30T10:42:15.157-04:00Sprouted moth dalMoth beans/Matki sprouts is something that I discovered while in Pune. First from my friend's dabba; then from fresh vegetable markets. The vendors sold these sprouts in small packets. These sprouts are used in Misal and Usal dishes and just by themselves - sauted with some spices. After trying to use the market sold sprouts (which had tiny stones!) twice, I resorted to sprouting it at home. And Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-44701556634513404842008-08-18T09:35:00.009-04:002008-10-20T12:03:07.838-04:00Whole Masoor dal (brown lentils) - another comfort food!It was only after I came to the US, that I discovered this dal. First it was the orange colored broken masoor using which my roommate made an amazing dal. I tried to replicate it on my own, after I moved out. But failed miserably. The whole masoor dal didn't turn out any better too. It tasted okay... but okay wasn't good enough. I wanted tasty. Then it was Meenal Mehta's Sabut Masoor dal which Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-35243831504404573672008-08-12T14:06:00.015-04:002008-10-21T08:25:08.211-04:00100% WholeWheat bread - No added gluten flourSome of you must have read about my really poor baking skills in comments sections of many posts by skilled bakers. I had almost given up on breads until I found out about bread machines. :) Obviously I was thrilled, when a friend of ours gave us her Bread machine before she moved. I scoured the net for all types of interesting recipes to use in the bread machine. One such winner is this 100% Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-32266602221700272772008-08-03T21:14:00.008-04:002009-04-22T09:21:45.913-04:00Ribbon PakodaAs far as I can remember, no Diwali passed by without my mom's special Ribbon Pakoda. We had to have it to make it a Diwali. Thick, crunchy, crispy, right amount of salt, right amount of heat, not oily at all by any means - the perfect way it should be. Amma used to soak 2 kgs of rice and grind it in her grinder machine and add pottukadalai powder (roasted gram dal) and other stuff and make it Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-77066647649881715582008-07-29T13:57:00.009-04:002009-04-22T09:21:45.914-04:00Mor Urundai Kuzhambu (Lentil dumplings in Yogurt sauce)Mor Urundai Kuzhambu - A mor kuzhambu (yogurt sauce) with paruppu urundais (lentil dumplings) floating in it. Ahhh! I first had a taste of this yummy goodness from a friend's lunch box in my XIth Std. at School. Now, My mom makes awesome mor kozhumbu - the best I've ever tasted. And I love it. I love it to the point that I could keep it in the fridge and have it for the new two days, till it getsKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-27416656105768091102008-07-18T09:01:00.007-04:002009-04-28T15:55:45.696-04:00Hot and Spicy ShrimpMy late-mama (maternal uncle) used to brighten up a room with his presence and be the life of the party anywhere anytime. Once in a while, he used to get an urge to cook and he'd do it without any masala powder or chilli powders. And the end dish would be really good. Lip smacking, tongue tickling, 'give me more, right now!' - THAT good! Once in a while, I try to make some dish like that - Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-62723388756672233692008-07-17T15:47:00.003-04:002009-04-09T12:56:14.911-04:00Get Preppy - Curry leavesI get very less time to cook these days. Like every other parent. Or a busy non-parent. I do double a recipe once in a while and freeze it for later, but the taste isn't really as good as freshly cooked. So, I've resorted to prepping some stuff, these day, to help me to cook faster. The fridge and the freezer help me to get my kitchen more preppy. While the obvious advantage is that it saves me aKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-9167376472906935412008-05-26T14:28:00.012-04:002008-09-17T09:21:00.754-04:00Toppings maketh a pizza!Some are crust-people, Some are cheese-people. Obviously, We are toppings-people. We are the kind who think 'Toppings maketh a pizza.'Thanks to a Wholewheat pizza base from the store, some yummy organic cheese and a pizza stone suggested by this couple, we had our first glimpse of pizza heaven. Absolutely delicious! Yumm! It was a zillion times better than delivery pizza, at least 10 times Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-6750127530171686422008-05-26T13:05:00.011-04:002008-09-16T17:43:47.068-04:00Venn Pongal - A sumptuous breakfast fareYep, I got my mojo back!VennPongal is the fair looking cousin of the rich Pongal. When I wake up on a Saturday morning, with no idli batter, no mood for upma, a 'Noooo way!' for cold cereal, a 'Yuck!' for slimy oatmeal, 'You got be kidding me!' for bread and eggs and 'Nope, I don't want to stand in front of the tava for long' to make besan cheelas or yellow mung dal dosa, the thought of Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-45574675788984746322007-09-22T11:12:00.001-04:002008-09-16T17:10:11.382-04:00Beetroot Palya - RCI KarnatakaI have had the delight of eating Authentic Kannadiga food prepared by loving friends and their families. Maybe that is why I was very shocked to hear a friend of mine say that she doesn't like Kannadiga food, because it is tooooo sweet esp. the sambar! I was shocked! And then I started laughing... Loud!See, this is the friend who asks me to prepare sambar every single time she comes to my place..Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-34634306039452154672007-08-21T15:49:00.000-04:002007-08-21T18:38:04.199-04:00Toronto Living - a beautiful TempleThe Swaminarayan Temple in TorontoWe finally had a chance last weekend, to visit the new temple in Toronto - The Swaminarayan Temple. It is a very beautiful temple - full of intricately hand-carved marbles imported from India. Read more here. Using no nails and no steel, the temple is held together through the sheer force of gravity and has been assembled like a jigsaw puzzle.Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19001808.post-13611760280583332102007-08-13T11:21:00.002-04:002008-11-03T08:35:30.332-05:00Chicken Liver FryMany might say 'Ewwww!' or 'Blech!' but there are some serious fans out there for chicken livers. Chicken livers are excellent source of nutrition (click here) ... Just a 22 gm piece of chicken liver can give 62% of Vitamin A, 14% of Iron, 77% of Vitamin B12, 41% of Folate, 29% of Riboflavin, 22% of Selenium and 17% of Pantothenic acid, 14% of Niacin and also satisfy 9% of the protein Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938245544735604650noreply@blogger.com20