Pearl Coucous with tomatoes

It has taken me forever to come back to blogging!Oh how I have missed this part of my life!
Couscous has long been on my list of 'must try' and the box just stood a silent sentinel on the shelf.. days passed on to weeks and weeks to months but there was no change of status.
Finally today, tired of eating the same old stuff and the urge to blog made me pick up the box and rattled the contents ( much to the amusement of Little S).. and after a game of 'shakey-shakey.. box-box' to which the little tyke roared uproariously, I got down to the prep.
I adapted the recipe from Suvir Saran's American Masala

You need : ( serves 4-6)

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Dry Red Chile
1/2 Cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground Peppercorns
2 med. Red Onions thinly sliced
2 tsp kosher Salt ( I used regular salt)
3 med. Tomatoes chopped
1 large cup Pearl Couscous
4 cups Water
1 tsp unsalted butter

Heat Oil with chile, cinnamon and peppercorn (ground) in a large skillet on med-high heat until the cinnamon starts to unfurl. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring often until onions are soft. Add tomatoes and cook until thick and jammy.

Stir in couscous and cook for a minute. Add 1 cup water, once the water comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium. Cook until couscous sticks to the bottom of the skillet and water is absorbed, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the skillet back and forth.

Add another cup of water and cook until water is absorbed, still stirring and scraping the pan.

Add another cup of water and cook until water is absorbed , stirring occasionally.

Add 1 more cup of water and cook until couscous is very sticky, stirring and scraping for about 10 mins.

Turn heat to lowest setting and Cook for 2 mins.

Cover the skillet and turn off the heat, let it sit for 5 mins. before serving.

I did not see where the unsalted butter was used....

Saran says :

Made in Rissotto style (sometimes called Israeli couscous) has a great toothsome pastalike quality is creamy and outrageously tasty. It is an excellent side dish or can even be served on its own with some Parmigiano -Reggiano cheese, some broiled shrimp or pan- seared scallops. For even more depth of flavor use vegetable broth or chicken or beef broth instead of water.

When I had the first morsel, I was not too sure I agreed with Saran about the 'outrageously tasty' claim. 'It's OK' was my reaction. But perhaps I am being too hasty, another small voice whispered in my ear.. and after the first few tentative bites I found myself liking it very much indeed ( ummm.. still not outrageously tasty, imho..). It takes time to get used to I suppose.. or maybe it is just my taste buds 'murdered by masalas' as M puts it. The simplicity and minimal use of spices always surprises me and I have now come to appreciate it!

The year is almost at an end and 'how time flies' is something I keep contemplating! This time last year... thoughts keep coming into my head.. this time last year I had entered my 2nd. Trimester and today.. today my little baby is already 6 months old! This time last year, I felt the littlest tug in my tummy, today, he TUGS my hair.. tugs my mangalsutra, tugs my shirt...

It has been a GRAND year and despite some downs, I look back on it with great satisfaction, happy and grateful for my treasure, my Boy!!

Hope to see you all soon,hopefully before the year ends!

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Simple Pleasures :Lal Bhoplyachi Rassa Bhaaji

Hope you all had a Rocking Diwali!! So???? Did you all gorge on goodies? Deep fried, soul satisfying, crunchy-munchy stuff?? I know I did ! This year I teamed up with a couple of my friends and we made our lot of goodies together. This made it easier for me, we could keep a watch on the children and have a good time cooking, laughing and gossiping too.


But now, simple food is on my list.. I haven't really cooked a vast deal and somehow a kind of inertia has gripped me, I open my drafts folder, type a sentence and log out. Maybe it is because I am totally tied up with Little S and have little time for myself, specially since the husband works away from home and is here only for the weekend.
A simple Sambar- Rice with a side of this vegetable or something similar is on the menu when M comes home and a quick sandwich and I am done when I am on my own!

The other day I picked up a neatly cut and cored piece of Butternut Squash and came home with the intention of making one of my childhood fvourites.
Of course, back home this is made with pumpkin, but the pumpkins here are not my cuppa, I doubt if I will ever be able to chop them, so , b'nut squash is my choice.
usually made during fasting (upvaas) days, this mild vegetable is a great accompaniment to sabudana khichadi or Vari rice, but I also like it with a phulka or plain daal-rice.

I make this so often that I use andaaz, so the measures are guesstimates.

You need:

~ 2 cups of Butternut squash (peeled, cored & cubed)

1 Thai chile

1/2 tsp Cumin / Jeera seeds

2 tbs. Oil / ghee

1/2 cup powdered peanuts or Peanut butter to save time ( I used creamy peanut butter)

1 tsp Tamarind concentrate or Soak a walnut size ball of tamarind in warm water and extract the pulp.

1 lump Jaggery

Salt to taste

Cilantro to garnish

Water

Heat oil or ghee in a wok, add the cumin seeds. After they sizzle, add the chile.

Add the cubed butternut squash. Mix well, Add about 1/2 cup or less of water , cover and cook till tender ( should not be mushy).

Once the squash is tender, add in some more water ( this depends on the thickness of the gravy you want) , add the tamarind and jaggery, salt and the peanut powder /butter.

Let the whole thing come to a boil. Switch off the heat and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with rice, phulka, vari rice or sabudana khichadi.

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Tomato Chutney and Adai

My hands were itching to try this chutney! Tangy tomatoes with simple spices .. what's not to love? When I land a cookbook, I cannot rest until I have tried all those recipes that catch my fancy. What happens then, is, those recipes feature on the blog in a line!

As a child I knew of only one green chutney was the one my Mom made by grinding together coconut, green chiles, cilantro, ginger, cumin with a dash of lime juice and sugar and salt. This tasty chutney was a base for our sandwiches, to be mixed with dahi-rice, to be enjoyed with poha, upma, wada... and therefore, tomato = koshimbir or gravy or in a sandwich. The imagination did not go far beyond that!
My first taste of a Tomato chutney was about 6 years ago when a South Indian colleague had brought this in his lunch box and his Mom had given a generous helping of both dosas and chutney ( this was for our mid- night or 3:00 am snack after our shift at the call center) knowing fully well how much we appreciated it!

1/4 cup Canola Oil ( I used about 3 tbs)
36 Curry leaves torn
2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tsp Mustard Seeds
12 Dry Red Chiles
1/2 tsp Turmeric
3 1/2 lbs ( about 6-7) Tomatoes , cored and chopped
1 (4.4 oz) tube Double concentrate Tomato Paste or 1 (9oz) Can Tomato Paste
2 tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper ( I used about 2 tsp)
1 tsp Sambar / Rasam pwd. or 1/2 tsp Curry pwd. ( I used 2 -3 tsp Sambar pwd.)

Heat Oil with curry leaves, mustard , cumin and chiles in a large kadhai /wok over medium-high heat until the cumin has browned.
Add Turmeric and cook until the chiles darken
Add remaining ingredients and cook for 10 mins. stirring occasionally and pressing the tomatoes on the sides of the wok to mash them if they do not break on their own.
Reduce heat to Medium and cook till the chutney is thick and jammy stirring often for another 25-30 mins.
(if you are using hard winter tomatoes cooking time is reduced)
Taste for seasoning , transfer to a plastic container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

I made changes to the spice proportion, I prefer my chutneys with a slight kick.


I paired this fab chutney with this Golden Delicious Adai for a lip-smacking combo. I love adai, it is so convenient to make! No fermentation! And So very crisp! The perfect solution for winter when the batter takes forever to rise.

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T & T - Baby Corn Manchurian

It's that time of the month!!! Oh, C'mon... You know what I mean! It's time to Try and Taste!!!
Zlamushka has a wonderful blog up for the test! Sia churns out awesome food and warm stories about food and life.

She LOOOOOOOOVES Indo-Chinese food! So do I!

I mean, what's not to love? It's hot, spicy, tangy, everything that the spice loving Indian wants. 'Real' Chinese Food on the other hand, for us ( who want food that tickles the tongue or I can even got to the extent of saying, food so HOT that it burns a hole right thru to your sole!) is a total let down. At least it was for me. Having sworn off that Chinese food, every time I make Indo-Chinese, I have a bite and say, "Hah! THIS is the real stuff, smack! smack!"
Monsoon and Indo-Chinese food have a special place in my heart!
It was POURING! Five soaked-to- the- skin kids were walking happily along the Queen's Necklace enjoying the thrill of the lashing rain and the waves that erupted over the ledge and sprayed us with foam! Only my youngest cousin was in the danger of being blown away, she was after all very young and thin. Her elder brother was of the opinion that it wouldn't be such a bad thing if that happened. We shushed him then but secretly admitting the truth in our criminal minds. The four of us were a gang, she was an extra and not up to our 'standard'. Poor Takli as we nicknamed her! She put up a lot from us, just to be a part of our notorious gang.
After our day out in the rain , the famished five would go home to hot showers, a quick change of clothes and head out to a nearby restaurant to dig into Chinese food.
We would storm into the restaurant and place our order. The waiters would look at us with a sceptical eye.. "these bedraggled kids".. they would think," 3 skinny girls ( OK, one was a medium build- yours truly) and 2 skinny-on-the-verge-of-puberty boys. HUH!"
But once the food arrived and they saw us tuck in, they eyes would have a reverential look and they would hurriedly whisper behind their trays, " look at them go".
Our order was fairly predictable, Hot-n-sour soup, Fried Rice, Manchurian, Hakka Noodles or Schezwan Rice and Noodles ( kick up that spice level to make our wet hair stand on the end)
Repeat the same thing till we were bursting at the seams.

Sia's recipe brought back these wonderful memories and a longing to eat some spicy Indo-Chinese food and after a quick look at the list of ingredients my mind was made up!

To go to Sia's recipe click on the link above (and take a peek at the other awesome Indo-chinese recipes as well) or refer below for ease of use.

Ingredients:

10-12 Baby Corns

3-4 tbsp Flour/maida

1 tbsp Cornflour

1 tsp Dry Red Chilli powder (Adjust acc to taste)

1 inch Ginger, chopped finely

3-4 flakes Garlic, chopped finely

3-4 spring onions, diced

1 small Green Capsicum/Bell pepper,diced

2-3 Green chillies, chopped (Adjust acc to taste)

3 tbsp Tomato Sauce/Ketchup

1 tbsp Soya Sauce

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves,finely chopped

Oil for deep frying

Salt to taste

Method:
In a pan take little oil and fry chopped garlic, chillies and ginger.

To this add Capsicum and saute it for 1-2 minutes.

Add Spring Onions, Coriander leaves,tomato sauce and soya sauce(if you want it to be more spicier add chilli sauce)

Cut Baby Corns length wise and keep aside.

Make a little thick batter with maida, cornflour, chilli powder, salt with water.

Coat the baby corn with the batter and then deep fry at medium flame till they turns golden brown.

Drain them in paper towel to remove excess oil.

Add the fried baby corn with the sauce you have prepared and mix well.

Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and serve hot.

Yummy! Nothing beats Indo-chinese food! NOTHING! Try it to believe it!

THANK YOU! Dear Sia, for this wonderful recipe!

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Moong Daal Parathas with Fragrant Gujarati Garam Masala!

As a little girl I was very fond of birthdays and birthday parties! I was the center of attraction, people would pamper me, put up with my fussing and demands.. they did that anyway.. hmmm.. the cake, blowing candles, cutting the cake and eating it and finally.. presents! If blowing candles brought a twinkle to my eyes, accepting presents brought roses to my plump cheeks! Not content at having the time of my life on my birthday, I ensured that I had the same on my cousins birthdays too! My parents had a hard time holding me back when it was time to blow the candles!
Now you may wonder where all this is leading to. A couple of weeks ago I received a parcel in the post.. I was excited , the roses bloomed again! This time however it was a parcel for Little S, from dear Trupti . She sent him the most adorable baby clothes!! But wait, that's not all!! There was something in it for me too! (Yaaaaay!!)

This beautiful little jar contains fragrant Gujarati Garam masala! I was thrilled! I confess, I did not know that there was a Gujarati Garam Masala. I tell you this stuff is amazing!


For some time now , I have been laid back about making parathas / rotis and the likes. I missed parathas and wanted to make some. Trupti's masala came in at a time when I was craving for some spicy filling enclosed in a warm toasty whole wheat cover, piping hot, off the griddle with pickle on the side...ummmmmmm!
A few months ago I made Dhal Puri and the memory lingered and I wanted to re-create it, but this time I wanted to experiment with a different daal and use the Garam Masala. So this time around I opted for Moong Daal.


For the Filling :
1 cup Moong Daal
1 Dry Red Chili
1 Bayleaf
1 tsp. Ginger - Garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce , alternatively use 1-2 green chilies
1/4 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala (this imparts a subtle flavor which we prefer)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Sugar (optional)
Juice of 1/2 Lime
1tbsp Chopped Cilantro

For the Cover :
Whole Wheat Flour / Gheun ka Atta
Oil
2 pinches Salt
Water
Mix all the above and make a smooth dough (like the one made for Rotis. I did not use any specific measures for the dough. Any left over dough is used for making Fulkas.)

To make the Filling:
Pick and Wash the Moong Daal. Soak it in plenty of water for about 2-4 hours. In a saucepan add water, daal and cook till it is al dente.
Drain ALL water. Keep the daal aside for a while (after the daal was at room temperature, I kept it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours)
Grind to a coarse powder. I used my chopper.
Heat Oil in a wok/ kadhai. Add the bayleaf and red chiles.
Add the ginger-garlic paste ( keep a safe distance from the wok, this thing sputters and spatters.
Add the moong daal, chili garlic sauce. If using green chile's, add to the tempering and then add moong daal.
Mix well, add the garam masala, cumin pwd. Salt, sugar.
Do not overcook the mixture, this tends to make the filling very dry. Mix and let the spices blend in well.
Remove from heat, add lime juice and chopped cilantro. Let the mixture cool.
To make Parathas:
Heat the griddle/ Tawa.
Take a golf ball size piece of the dough and roll out a disc ( approx. the size of a puri).
Into this disc spoon the filling.
Bring together the sides and seal to make a ball.
Dust with flour and roll out parathas.
Transfer to the hot griddle and cook on both sides on Medium-High heat.
Brush with oil on both sides and cook till you see brown spots appear. Serve hot with pickle and curry of your choice or with plain Yogurt.


If you are new to making parathas, check out Cynthia's superb slide show on making parathas.
This Paratha is similar to dal puri and the subzi is a great accompaniment to the paratha.

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Veggie Enchiladas with Roasted Pepper Sauce

I was browsing thru the cook book section in the local library when I found American Masala , pouncing on it and leafing thru the contents was but natural! From there, picking out the recipes I liked most ( and of course were vegetarian) was a quick job. Selecting what to make first (and blog) was difficult!
The book has 125 recipes and pictures which are VERY drool worthy (of course they have to be, it's a cookbook Duh!!) I picked this recipe first for the simple reason, I had almost all the ingredients at hand.

M and I both like Mexican cuisine and for me, when I first came here, this was something that shared a likeness to Indian cuisine.. Tortilla= Roti. They too make Rice, Salsa = Tomato Koshimbir (Tomato Kachumber)!! I had heard of Mexican Cuisine tasted it once in Delhi ( some place where one gets Mex food served by waiters in cowboy outfits and Punabi accents) only to dismiss it all as a sorry affair. Now things were different when I had crossed borders and with a very limited choice in food I could eat outside, this soon became my option.

Then I read in another blog (which is now private) that lard was freely used in these preparations and I recoiled in horror and stayed miles off from it that day on. The only place I agreed to go into was Baja Fresh only because it clearly mentions No Lard. But somehow things changed.. I did not enjoy eating out that much. I missed the Enchiladas, Quesadillas, Tacos but nothing would persuade me to try it again. My only option was to make all these at home.

This recipe is different from what I have eaten outside, but I ain't complaining! It makes a wonderful one-dish meal and the sauce can be made ahead of time. Making the filling and assembly is not very time consuming.
A wonderful recipe and a good choice to make if one has guests coming over for an informal dinner, this taste is sure to make them enjoy every morsel.

For the Sauce ( serves 8-10)

3 tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Red Onion Chopped
4 Lare red Peppers Cored and chopped
2 Med. Tomatoes chopped
4 Garlic cloves
1 Jalapeno ( I used 3 Thai Green Chillies as I had those)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Gropund Peppercorns
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 pound Mozzarella or Queso Fresco cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 450 deg. F. Grease a large baking dish with 1 tbs. oil, add onion, tomato, peppers, garlic, jalapeno. Sprinkle with salt and ground perrecorns. Drizzle with remaining oil. Toss to coat. Roast the veges. until soft and brown, for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 mins.

Transfer the veges to a blender along with cream and blend until smooth. Pour the puree into a med. saucepan and simmer. Reduce heat and add cheese and cook until it starts to melt. turn off the heat. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.

This sauce is slightly sweet and has a delicate smoky flavor associated with red peppers and is a delightful chnge from the regular Enchilada sauce.This sauce can also be used as a dip with chips. For the Filling:

2 tbs Canola /Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Jalapeno finely chopped
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp. Coriander powder
1/2 tsp ground Peppercorns
10 Med. Carrots, peeled and grated
1 head Cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Toasted cumin
1 tbs. Salt
Juice of 1 1/2 Lime

In a large wok or kadhai, heat Oil with Jalapeno, Cumin Seeds and ground Peppercorns on medium heat cooking until the cumin is fragrant and brown.

Add Coriander pwd. and cook for 15 secs. Add the cabbage and Carrots. Cook, stirring ocassionally until the cabbage has wilted yet is still al dente- about 4 mins.

Stir in Cilantro, Cayenne pepper, Sugar, Toasted Cumin and Salt.

Cook fo r 30 secs and then remove from heat. Stir in Lime juice.
For the Veggie Enchiladas with Roasted Pepper Sauce:
1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter at room temp.
Roasted Red Pepper Dip ( recipe as above)
8 Whole Wheat Tortillas (6 inch)
1/2 the Carrot - cabbage filling recipe as above
1 cup shredded cheese ( I used readymade Mexican blend from the store)
Sour cream to top (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 deg. F.

Grease a 11x 9 inch baking dish with butter.

Add 1/2 cup Roasted Red Pepper Dip , spread it evenly and set aside.

Heat a griddle / Tawa. On med- high heat toast the Tortilla until it is pliable and toasty.

Roll a heaping of 1/4 cup of the carrot-cabbage salad in each Totilla and place seam side down in the baking dish.

Cove with the remaining dip and top with an even layer of cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and a golden brown.

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro & sour cream , if using.

And before I sign off, Rajee has honoured me by giving my humble blog this award!! Thank You ever so much Rajee! You made my day !

In turn ,I would like to pass on this award to :
Bee and Jai
Suganya
Nupur
Sia
Cynthia

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Tried and Tasted a Fabulous Jugalbandi of Okra and Spices!

This month Zlamushka has the dynamic Jualbandi blog up for her Tried and Tasted series. What makes choice SO difficult is the mind boggling variety of food these Jugalbandits have cooked! The amazing recipes are topped off with photographs of food that I had hitherto come across only on glossy cookbook covers. The dynamic duo cook, garden, travel, give photography solutions and tips.. do everything!!Looking thru their extensive repertoire, I landed on this and my mind was made up!

I had a pack of okra sitting in the fridge these many days and I couldn't really decide what to make of it. I love okra in all it's forms, not so the Husband, he will eat it, but will have some comment to pass, like this one time I made okra the Maharashtrian fasting style and in my humble opinion, it tastes good with tamarind- jaggery and peanut powder gravy, but DH had only one word to describe it 'murder', okra he maintained is best either in Sambar or dry. So dry it was! And what better than a tongue tickler with spices like fennel, nigella, cumin, amchoor?!

Every bite is a delight! I tis easy to make, not time consuming (which is a priority for me now),my only crib was, the quantity .. in this case supply did not match demand.This recipe is definitely a keeper, I will only double the quantity the next time. Thank you Jai and Bee for this wonderful recipe.

I followed the recipe with only a couple of changes. I am also reproducing the recipe here with my changes but for the original version, please click on the link in the first paragraph.

Ingredients:

About half a pound (1/4 kg.) tender okra

1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

3 green chillies slit

1 tablespoon besan (chickpea flour) * I used Rice Flour

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala powder * I used 1/2 tsp Rajwadi Garam Masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp amchur (dry mango powder) (or 1 tsp lime juice) * I used 1/2 tsp Amchur powder

3 tbsp oil

salt

Method:

1. Wash and wipe the okra and cut it diagonally into inch-long pieces. .
2. Heat the oil in a wok or pan to nearly smoking, add the fennel, cumin, nigella seeds and green chillies, after a few seconds, lower the flame and add the besan and all the powdered spices except the amchur.
3. Fry for a minute or so, until the besan stops smelling raw, then add the okra and the salt. Stir gently to coat with the spices, and spread them out in an even layer.
4. Leave the pan uncovered on medium flame.Turn them over after 3-4 minutes (maybe more if you are using a non-stick pan) cook them until crisp.
5. Towards the end, add the amchur powder. Stir for a minute, and take it off the flame.
Serve hot with rotis or with rice and plain yogurt.


Mistakes I made and Lesson I learnt: MUST use FRESH okra (I made this mistake despite the list of ingredients stating tender okra). I used a packet that was in my fridge for a few days and heaven knows how long on the Vons shelf. If you do not grow your own (like the Jugalbandits) and rely on the store, try to select by testing the okra by simply bending the end of the okra, if it snaps easily, it is fresh. I also went a little overboard with the rice flour , it did not taste bad, no way, but visually a little less appealing perhaps?

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Batata Wada for Anita's Party!

It's a Mad Tea Party and everyone is invited !!!

My blog quietly turned two in July, I was excited but I could not celebrate that special day, being Mommy is a 25 hr job! Oh well, I'm just glad that I can post something... as and when I can. So when I saw Anita's invitation, I knew, this was one party I did not want to miss!

And it was a while since I had made these! Deep frying though very gratifying to the tongue is a disaster for my waist! I am one of those unfortunate beings who magically manage to gain weight by just looking at stuff, I kid you not!

Apart form being the sole means of nutrition for 2 solid years of MBA, Batata wada, for me, is anytime food.. think picnics, guests for tea, kitty party, a savoury served on the side at a dinner, at movies, rains and hot wada-pav!

Torrential rains and Wada Pav is my favourite combo! I love the rainy season in Mumbai (except when the streets are waterlogged and life is disrupted for days) perfect time for a walk in the rain, get soaking wet, stroll to the nearest wada pav stall ( eat this snack on the roadside, restaurants do serve it on their menu, but it can NEVER taste half as good) and devour this awesome snack, standing under the awning .. with a cuppa ' cutting chai'. Warms the cockles of your heart and completely satisfies the taste buds!

For the Wadas you need:

4 Boiled Potatoes
1 tbsp. Oil for tempering
1/2 spn. Mustard seeds
4 Green chilies chopped ( +/ - according to individual taste)
A few curry leaves, torn to pieces
1/2 spn. Turmeric
3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 inch piece Ginger grated
Salt to taste
1-2 spns. finely chopped Cilantro

For Covering : (No measures here, I use approximates)

Besan / Chickpea flour
Red chilly pwd.
Salt (only so much that the covering does not taste bland)
Pinch baking soda (optional)
Water to make a batter
Oil for deep frying

Mash the boiled potatoes.In a kadhai, heat 1 tbsp. oil, add mustard seeds,after they sputter, add green chilies and curry leaves, ginger-garlic, turmeric. Saute a while. Add mashed potatoes, salt. Add chopped cilantro.

To make the batter for covering, mix all ingredients listed above. Mix well to ensure that there are no lumps. Careful with the water, the batter mustn't be too runny nor too thick.Heat oil in a kadhai. Make balls of the potato vege. Dip the ball in the batter and deep fry in oil till it turns a nice golden brown. Drain on a tissue.Serve hot with garlic chutney, fries green chilly and Pav.

I served these with green chutney -Grind together 1 bunch Cilantro, 5 Green chilies, 1/2 inch Ginger, 1 small clove Garlic, Salt to taste , juice of 1/2 lime

And Sweet n Sour Tamarind Chutney : (I used approximately) Lime sized ball of Tamarind soaked in hot water for about 15-20 mins., Jaggery twice the amount of Tamarind , 1/4 tsp. red chilli powder, Salt to taste, 1/4 tsp. cumin powder
Squeeze out the tamarind pulp, discard solids. Heat a saucepan, add all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil the mixture for about 10 mins. till it thickens to the desired consistency. Cool and serve with wada-pav.

Typically Wada Pav is served with dry Garlic / Lasun Chutney

This wada pav is my contribution to Anita's Party! Do you have your platter ready??

* On a different note... the Husband gifted me a Nikon DSLR as a pregnancy + birthday gift!! I was very confused when I was asked to choose a model and so I asked the experts. Thank You Bee and Jai!!I am yet to learn everything but as of now I am just going crazy clicking Little S!!! and in between took a hasty shot of the wada pav and back to S!!!

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MBP- LESS IS MORE !!

More than 6 weeks have rolled by and I haven't posted anything! Life has been hectic, no doubt, but I am enjoying every bit of it! The sleepless nights... okay, so it's waking up just once in the middle of the night..., the diaper changes, the baby talk and the coos and gurgles in response with an occasional smile as a reward! Though I have peeped in at other blogs, I haven't done much.... no cooking, but it's time to go back to that! My parents have gone back to India and now M and I are on our own with Little S!
So while my baby is amusing himself on his play mat and conversing with the ceiling (his favourite activity) I am scribbling away at my blog!

Nupur's theme forMBP has come at the right time! Now that time is a constraint, I will have this wonderful collection of super recipes all in one place!

Before going back, Mom wanted to make sure I have some snacks at hand when hunger pangs strike me and I may not have time to make anything when tending to the baby. And since she was also handling EVERYTHING (read cooking, cleaning, all chores around the house, handling the baby and me in my hysterical moments when I'd sob when the baby cried ) else around my home, it was only fair that she save time and energy somewhere!

Among other things that she made, she was very keen on trying out Microwave Besan Ladoo, which are our favourites.

Tee's recipe is a HIT!! Mom saved a huge amount of time and also energy and arm exercise! Within no time we had the ladoos ready!

We followed the recipe with only one change, no raisins! As it is, I am not a big fan of raisins and MBP calls for 5 ingredients or less!

Thank You Tee for the wonderful recipe and Nupur for this wonderful theme!!

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Thank U & I Tried & Tested One Hot Recipe!!!

To all who sent in their good wishes and blessings for Little S !! I can hardly believe that in a few days he will be a month old! Time flies and how!!

I started this post before I clocked in to the hospital.. hoping to post it ..but the morning I was going to, I knew 'it was time'!

She asked if you have met the ridge gourd? I nodded... and replied.. from a safe distance. The only thing I had ever tasted (and did not really fancy) made from the ridge gourd was a bhajji/ fritter, where the cover is nice and crispy, the vegetable had turned soggy, limp and squishy.
Maybe it was a fact that we were all fussy eaters that the ridge gourd never made its way into my Mom's kitchen (for the same reason the Bitter Gourd, Dill and various other veges never found an entry either). My marriage and later blogging opened up a whole new world to me, M likes his vegetables and blogging showed me so many ways of making the most 'blah' vegetables good looking and yummy.
Going back to the ridge gourd, I was still very doubtful how I would like it.. I would pick it up at the store, run a tentative finger over the ridge, lightly squish it in my hand, wave it around like a mace and finally neatly stack it back and pick up the usual Bell Pepper, Opo Squash, Spinach or something 'safe'.
So when Zlamushka selected One Hot Stove , out of all the wonderful recipes Nupur makes, why did I opt for something like the ridge gourd curry? One, I wanted a 'dependable' recipe, this was my first time cooking with the ridge gourd and so make or mar type thing for me. Second, I wanted to cook and post it before I checked in to the hospital tummy n all and I also had this gourd on hand and not really in the condition to go out shopping for anything else just then! (the posting didn't happen!) I followed the recipe as it is and am only linking it to this post. The only change I made was making it a little spicy! That is all..... Goes without saying that the recipe was wonderful! Ridge gourd CAN taste wonderful! Thank U, Zlamushka for hosting this event and Nupur for your wonderful recipes!!

Other wonderful recipes I have tried over time from Nupur's blog:

Chavli Amti
Eggplant Rasavangy
Glazed Tofu
Pizza base
Carrot Pickle Pin It

It's a Boy!!

We are Blessed with a Baby Boy!!! Little S came into our life on June 5th and changed everything... made everything BETTER... PERFECT!!!

I will be back soon... right now I'm having fun with my Angel!

See you all soon!!!

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An Honour! A Snack, A Friend's 'Easy' Recipe & A Break.......

I'm THRILLED!!! Happiness and Sunshine Everywhere!!! So MANY Good ... nay... GREAT things have happened!!
First... Delhibelle has very generously passed on an award to me (making me DROOOOOOL over her dessert recipe.. how I wish I could have a portion of that....) !! Thank U so much Dear!

Secondly... my Ma-in-law sent me some stuff I (badly) wanted and shamelessly asked for!!! Why shamelessly? M was TOTALLY against 'expanding the kitchen to the size of a 5 star hotel kitchen' and it was an additional load for my parents to cart all the way from India from January to mid May... SO!
My first act,within 30 mins of my Parents arrival was to make them snap open their bags and show me 'my loot' which my in-laws sent me and the other stuff Mom- Dad got for me! I had asked for a Medu Wada Maker ( Anjali brand). I had seen this waaaay back in Apna Bazar Co-operative stores in Bombay. I wanted this, only because I am an occasional victim to deep fried wadas and have tried in vain to make round-wadas-with-a-hole-in-them (otherwise they are not medu wadas) and convinced myself that 'this' was the only way I would be successful. So a couple of evenings ago, I finally got around to making medu wadas!
I basically used my wada recipe with the addition of 1/2 cup Yellow Moong Daal soaked with the urid daal to make the batter. And yes, I added the Soy chunks as well! To the batter I also added 1/2 inch grated ginger, 2 finely minced green chilies, 2 crushed peppercorns and 2 finely chopped curry leaves.
Heat oil, not upto the smoking point, in a wok / kadhai. To test how hot the oil is, drop a very small amount of batter in the oil and if the batter rises to the top, you are set. Add the batter to the medu wada maker and press the knob on the top, directly into the kadhai. Deep fry the wadas to a nice golden brown. The first 4 wadas... not so round.. but DEFINITELY Medu wadas!! and VERY crisp!!!
Aaahhhh!! MUCH better!!! The trick was to make the batter thickish (but with a blender that one gets here, that is not possible)
Dunk the wadas in sambar and serve hot with chutney!!
Some Chutneys that go very well with medu wada smabar :
Coconut chutney- Sailu's blog
Nandita's - Coconut Chutney
And my all time fav!!
We now come to making a hearty dinner! Last night , I wanted to make something 'nice' for my parents.. and something not from my blog, I have been re-trying many dishes once again , now that I have more than 1 to cook for! and a while ago my friend Ashwini, who likes to cook, has 2 adorable boys (the younger is a few months old), but is a bit hard pressed for time had e-mailed me her super easy recipe for Daal Makhani. But I got round to trying that just about now! Thank You, Ashwini! this is an easy recipe and yummy too!
For the Daal Makhani:
1 cup Whole Black Urid daal
2-3 tbsp Rajma / Kidney beans
1 small Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
1 tsp each Ginger and Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Red Chili powder
1 Green Chili
Salt to Taste
1/2 tsp Garam masala
Butter for tempering
Cream / Butter

Soak the Urid daal and Rajma in water for a minimum of 4 hrs. ( overnight is also fine). Pressure cook these with salt and red chilli powder (depends on your pressure cooker, in my new Pressure cooker it took only 3 whistles and on sim for 4 mins.)
Heat oil / butter in a wok / kadhai. Add onions and saute till brown and tender. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Saute till it does not smell raw. Add the tomatoes and cook until mushy and oil starts leaving the sides.
At this point add the daal and mix well. Add Garam Masala ( I dislike the 'too strong' smell of garam masala so I use it a bit sparingly)stir and give it one good boil. Check for salt, add if required.
Add fresh cream and serve hot with rice or roti. I substituted butter for cream.

I served the Daal Makhani with this absolutely marvellous and fragrant Ghee Rice !!And FINALLY... announcing a small break! I will take a small hiatus from blogging... to WELCOME a new member into my family!

I am due in a week now and so it's time to take a break, enjoy these last few days with M ( who is biting his nails to bits) and my parents and though at a great distance, my in-laws who are very anxious for me! I've had a grand time these 9 months and once I got over my 'cry-baby' days I loved every minute! Thank God I had no nausea or any aversion to any type of smell or food! Sadly, what did affect me was high sugar levels in my last trimester ( and hence the protein diet posts!) and I was on a severe diet and could only fantasize about food, not eat anything I wanted (fret...fret...fume..)! But all is well and it has helped me and the baby is safe (touchwood) !

Before I go however, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Nupur who when I disclosed to about my pregnancy, sent me a parcel of chikki and this awesome candy! I felt pampered when I ate these.. trust me, those first trimester days when hormones play havoc with the system, and no Mommy and Daddy to hold your hand and say 'there, there' and a confused, bewildered and 'lost' husband looking at you with sad eyes , just because the volcano of emotions erupted (yet again)... something like this is a life line and even if it is splashed with a few salty tears, it tastes like heaven!!
And Cynthia .. do I even need to say anything about this warm hearted person? She immediately sent me her recipe for cook up rice (with vegetarian options) which would help me in my protein intake, sadly, I could not try it out.. my Doctor banned rice TOTALLY! But, it is bookmarked and I will try it out the first opportunity I get!!

So see you all soon.... I will not be able to post for a while and may not be able to peep into your blogs.. but I will catch up as and when I can. Have a lovely weekend!!

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Palak Methi Mudda Bhaji from Karnataka

My Parents are here!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!
Meeting them after 1 1/2 year was a treat!!! I spent the first week talking, non-stop, at all odd hours of the day/ night (like 4:00 am on the first day of their arrival) and on a volume that threatened to shatter the window panes !! Thankfully the battery ran low after the first week and now I am back to (as) normal as I can get! Their ear drums are safe and my Father sighs with relief! He confesses himself astounded at my capacity and energy to talk SO much (this is after regularly talking to them on the phone for at least 30-45 mins everyday 'to plan' their trip here).

This was also an excellent opportunity for me to pamper them a little with all the food I want to cook for them. And they in turn also wanted to do the same for me!! All in all we are having a wonderful time together!!!
My Mother had this opportunity to make one of my favorites last night, thanks to the fresh bunch of Methi/ Fenugreek I found in the Indian stores! The very sight of that fresh bunch sitting on the shelf was enough to make me pounce on it and grab it, sadly just one was available... well, something is better than ajibaat (ajibaat is a Marathi word for absolutely) nothing...

My Mother learnt this version from her Mother-in-law, who was a fantastic cook and Ma is tickled pink at the thought of having this humble recipe on the blog and wondering why I did not think of it myself.. I have made this before but it is something so routine for me... shrug... but now that I think about it, this combination is wonderful, healthy and deserves its place on the blog.

The root of this recipe is in Karnataka ( Bijapur), the simplicity and the lack of overwhelming 'masalas' is the magic of this recipe.

It goes well with chapati, bhakri and rice (heck I even eat it with whole wheat bread!)

So without further ado, here's my Ma's first presentation on my blog:

2 Bunches Palak / Spinach
1 Bunch Fresh Methi/ Fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup Cooked Moong/ Toovar (arhar) Daal
2 Heaped tbsp. Besan
Marble sized ball of Tamarind (soaked and pulp removed)
Jaggery (twice the quantity of the Tamarind)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil
2 cups water

For the Tadka (tempering)
2-3 tbsp. oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4 cloves of Garlic, sliced
4 dry Red Chilies
1 -2 Green Chilies ( sliced lengthwise)(+ / - to taste or how hot the chili is)
1/2 tsp Turmeric
a few curry leaves (if you can get them)

Do the prep.Wash thoroughly and chop the spinach and fenugreek leaves (use only leaves if you wish to avoid the slightly bitter taste fenugreek tends to impart, otherwise a small stalk is OK. Cook the daal and mash it slightly. soak the tamarind in warm water, squeeze out the pulp and discard the solids ( you can also use ready made tamarind pulp)
Heat 1 tbs. oil in a wok / kadhai, add the chopped spinach and fenugreek, cover and let it cook.Once the greens are thoroughly cooked, mash them slightly and add the Besan, mix well to avoid lumps. Add in the cooked daal, Tamarind pulp, Jaggery and salt. Add about 2 cups of water and let the mixture cook well.
Tadka: Heat Oil, add the mustard seeds, after they pop add the sliced garlic and cook till they turn golden . Add the green and red chilli pieces. Lastly add the turmeric. Pour this over the vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly and cook for 2 mins. to incorporate the flavor of the tempering.
Serve hot with chapati, bhakri, rice.

*Points to note:

• Usually Toovar (arhar) Daal is used, but since it is acidic in nature, Yellow Moong Daal makes an excellent substitute without compromising on the taste.
• This vegetable is semi solid in consistency. After cooling down it becomes slightly solid so you might want to add extra water if re-heating.
  

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Dahi Wadas with a small twist!

I continue my quest of finding recipes or making up some with protein as the main focus or even means of making BLAH! tasting stuff YUMMY!

I prowl around blogs (and end up drooling at all the super recipes completely forgetting the quest!) pick up bits and pieces of recipes, sigh when I find a particular recipe SO tempting yet FAR from my 'must -try' list as of now.. remind myself... just a bit more.... a bit more time, then you go right back to the sinful and satisfying carbs ( in moderation whispers the Husband in my ear) POP goes my delectable dream of biting into these and digging my fork into a slice of heaven or even making a hearty meal of Good Ol' Rice!

M sniggers behind me as I type this and says.. "interesting ... how you go from desserts to main course on your wish list and not a mention of protein in there!"

I arch an eyebrow and coolly say.." as it happens, I have a recipe in mind...loaded with protein... and I was just going to make and blog about it.. and when u eat it, I'd like to serve it to you with a generous helping of your words.. compliments of the chef"...Now having said that, I HAD to work on a recipe! This recipe ( which Nupur of One Hot Stove has also tried and liked!) has been on my list for a very long time and the more I thought of it, the craving just kept growing!

I also had a packet of Ruchi Soy Chunks lying (unopened) in the pantry.. now these, I find particularly boring ( not as nauseating as Tofu though) and plain ugly and so the unopened box lay there awaiting nirvana. Well, today's your lucky day I mumbled.
So I carefully measured out:
1 Cup Urid Daal
1/2 tsp methi / Fenugreek seeds
Soak these in Water for at least 4 hrs.

Prepare the yougurt (dahi) sauce. To a bowl of plain yogurt (use any yogurt you have, regular, no fat) add water to thin it out a bit, salt to taste, crushed ginger and green chili paste and sugar (depends on how sweet you like it) and finely chop cilantro for garnishing. Keep this refrigerated. Shook out approximately 20-25 Soy chunks and cooked them as per directions on the box ( with a pinch of salt) drained and squeezed out excess water and let them sit.

Grind Together the soaked Urid Daal + Fenugreek seeds along with the moist Soy chunks to a smooth batter and adding salt. Heat the appey pan and add a few drops of oil. Gently spoon the batter and let it cook to a golden brown , flip and cook thoroughly on the other side. Once done, remove on to a tissue ( not that there is any extra oil on it, but it's a habit with me now)

Soak these wada in the yougurt sauce. It is entirely optional if you want to dunk the wada in water to soften them and then (after squeezing out the water) adding them to the yougurt. I did not go thru all that. Soaking them in the yogurt sauce was, in my humble opinion, enough. Given a bit more time, the wadas soaked up the flavor from the yogurt and became very soft. garnish with a dash of black pepper powder, a sprinkling of red chilli powder (optional) and the chopped cilantro. Enjoy! * Notes:

• The yogurt sauce was not very thick keeping in mind that the wadas were not pre-soaked, I kept it on a 'flowing but thick' side
  
• To one batch of the wadas I also added a pinch of baking soda, to make them crisp. In the end (after adding them to the yogurt) there was no noticeable difference. but if you just want to eat a couple wadas as they are, tastes better.
  
• This is just one of my whims, but I stir the batter in one direction only and gently.

Verdict: Not the perfect dahi wada, but overall VERY satisfying and so much healthier ! I am sure I cannot get over my dislike for Soy chunks, but this is a great way to disguise them and enjoy them too! Specially since I am rather partial to dahi wadas and also given to snacking, a habit, I'm afraid I will never get over.

I also realise, no matter what, I must be careful of what I eat, M is right (sigh, he almost always is, where my eating habits are concerned) I am a slave to carbs and shy away from protein. And though I cook good food, I MUST consciously consume more protein and go slow on carbs. And so my quest will continue!

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Stuffing away old phobias!! A bitter awakening! and a MeMe!!

For as long as I have known, I have kept a *safe* distance from THE Bitter Gourd! I always wondered HOW people ever liked and ate it! My eyes would bugger out if they said they *loved* it and it was their favorite!

And I would think... " It does not even look appealing! All spiky!" And who wants to eat bitter stuff? What's the point? It also was not a part of my Mother's cooking, no one would touch it, so she did not force it upon us ( oh she made the usual remarks about us being fuss pots and how one must experience all 'rasas' usually ending with ice cream and bhelpuri being the only food we considered worthy of our notice...)
My first experience of tasting karela was actually at a 'varsha-shraddh' and I couldn't really discard it, but the horrid bitterness travelled down my throat and gagged me and I never forgot the ordeal and swore NEVER to go within miles of 'that' thing again.
I had heard of its benefits but stubbornly refused to apply them in any way to my life. In case any of you want a hasty re cap of how 'good' it is ...read on (source : http://www.herbalcureindia.com/)

Karela fruits have long been used in India as a popular home remedy for
diabetes mellitus.
Latin Name:Momordica charantia Linn.
English Name / Common Name:Bitter Gourd / Bitter melon
Sanskrit / Indian Names: Karavella, Karela
Karela contains Gurmarin, a polypeptide considered to be similar to bovine insulin, which has been shown in experimental studies to achieve a positive sugar regulating effect by suppressing the neural response to sweet taste stimuli. Karela fruit is regularly used in the Indian diet and is known as a folk remedy for diabetes mellitus. Bitter melon is rich in iron and has twice the beta carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, twice the potassium of bananas, and contains vitamins C and B 1 to 3, phosphorus and good dietary fiber. It is believed to be good for the liver and has been proven by western scientists to contain insulin, act as an anti-tumor agent, and inhibit HIV-1 infection. At least 32 active constituents have been identified in bitter
melon so far, including beta-sitosterol-d-glucoside, citrulline, GABA, lutein,
lycopene and zeaxanthin. Nutritional analysis reveals that bitter melon is also
rich in potassium, calcium, iron, beta-carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C.
Benefits of Karela / Bitter Melon
Bitter Melon is useful in treating Diabetes.
Bitter Melon reduces sugar levels in blood and urine
Bitter Melon helps achieve positive sugar regulating effect by suppressing the neural
response to sweet taste stimuli.
Bitter Melon has shown significant antilipolytic and lipogenic activity.
Bitter Melon is a good blood purifier
Bitter Melon treats worm infestations
Bitter Melon stimulates pancreas and liver and helps in good absorption of food
Bitter Melon is useful as an emetic, purgative, as an anthelmentic, in piles, and jaundice

End of gyan!! Back to getting over the old phobia .. my friends here did not seem averse to eating karela and smiled palyfully at my intense dislike and were amused no end when I shuddered at the thought of making and eating the bitter gourd! They stressed that their way of making it, I would not even realise I was eating karela! Thanks, but ummm.. I'll pass!
Slowly , even blogosphere was getting saturated with the dreaded melon! There was no running away from it! This was the first one that really appealed to me and I was determined to try it out, not for my sake, but for M. He likes it!
Then one day I was chatting with my friend S (my Heroine!) who said she was making stuffed karela for dinner... and for M's sake I asked her to mail me the recipe. She was surprised no doubt at my unusual request, but did not say anything at that point of time ( why discourage something like this?)
That evening I proudly told M that I was going to make karela chips and stuffed karela for him, he was delighted ( and under the obvious misconception that I was also going to eat it !). However at the Indian Store, the bitter melons did not really look that fresh and I ended up with just 2 from the lot that looked better than the rest. Though a bit disappointed M suggested I make the stuffed version first and so I dug up the recipe once again ( it was sent over 2 weeks or so ago and was in my mail box).

In Heroine's words:
3 or 4 small tender Bitter Gourds / karela
1 dry Red chilli (optional)
1 Bay leaf (optional)
1 Finely chopped Onion
1 chopped Green chilli or according to taste
1 small Tomato chopped
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp each coriander pwd and cumin pwd
1 tbsp Besan / Gram flour
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Garam masala pwd
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Few sprigs Cilantro finely minced

First scrape the surface of the bitter gourds/karelas...make a slit length wise....don't cut it into half....remove the pulp and seeds from inside...keep aside. Then boil the karelas in water with 1 tsp salt...cook till it becomes tender.Keep aside. Heat oil in a kadhai....add cumin seeds....one dry red chilly whole...and one bay leaf....when the seeds crackle...add green chilli and chopped onion...when the onion becomes transparent...add ginger garlic paste and the masalas and besan and turmeric pwd...cook for a while then add the tomatoes....when they are cooked add the pulp and seeds of the karela...fry for sometime...add salt....then add 1/2 cup water...cover and cook for sometime on low flame. When the water is completely dried...add garam masala and coriander leaves....remove from heat...and let it cool! when the mixture is cool enough....fill into the split karelas....make a paste of 1 tbsp besan...a little salt and water....roll the karela in it and shallow fry them....when its crisp remove and serve hot with roti !

* changes I made: I did not add the pulp and seeds to the stuffing. The bitter gourds I got had real HARD seeds ( are they supposed to be that way?) and also the fact that I was rather nervous about the bitterness.. so all in all, I chucked them away. Also did not add water and cook the stuffing, eliminated that step as the tomato I used was very juicy and the whole stuffing looked good to me the way it was. Verdict: This recipe is THE one for me! And the 'me' is not a typo! As I was making the stuffing I was convinced that it is a HIT! I went ahead and spooned a bit onto a slice of bread and tasted it ( ahem...the stuffing had to cool down before I stuffed it.. ) ooooooooh!! Goooood!

Where I goofed: the part where one rolls the stuffed karela in a thin besan batter and shallow fry it, the batter I made was too thin and so did not 'stick' to the vegetable. But as confirmed from heroine, it was not a big deal and certainly not meant to be coated like a bhajiya! just to ensure that the filling did not spill out.. that I managed well!

M loved it! his obvious enjoyment at this unusual treat was heart warming! He really enjoyed it! his boyish delight and swaying his body with every bite and his compliments made my evening!! And what he said was true.. there was no trace of bitterness in the gourd! Encouraged by this I tasted it and liked it too! Yes, this was not 'that' taste! My dislike ( or dread) for karela dissolved with every bite and now I am convinced that IF I make it in this way, I am going to like it as much as M! Thank you S, for this wonderful recipe!!

And now for the MeMe!! Shubha Of Chutki bhar Pyar Tagged me .. It's been a while since I did a Meme and I'm glad I got this opportunity! Thanx Shubha!!

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?

Charlie Wilson's War

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??

The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle - Hugh Lofting

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?

Saanp Seedi!!!

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? Aah! this varies!

I used to read Femina and all that in inda ( never subscribed, just from the library) and now I just leaf thru the colorful magazines when waiting to check out at the stores (all those gossipy mags with all the dumb celebrities hounded from their layers and their fab clothes and the even fab scandals!!)

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?

The wet earth after rains! So soothing !

Perfume :Davidoff's 'Cool Water' !

Good Food!

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?

My Dad chuckling! Contagious!

My Husband tramping up the stairs, coming home from work.

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?

Being underestimated

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?

Huh? *blink, blink* Honey wake up, you are late Again!! Subha ho gayi Mamu!!

9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?

USA:

Hardly an option for a Vegetarian.. Pizza hut, Domino's, In n Out, Subway

India :NOW we're talking!

Pav Baji: Achija's (Ghatkopar-Mumbai) Number one !

Manis' ( Ruia College) for The yummiest south Indian snacks EVER!

DP's (Ruia College again) for Masala Pav

Kailash Parbat ( Churchgate) for AWESOME chaat!

The corner Vada Pav wala in Tilak Nagar-Chembur, also in the Kirti College area, Jubo vada pav in Thane (near rthe station) Tip - top for chaats

And a corner in Sindhi colony-Thane (E) where one gets LIP-SMACKING paani puri from the L.L.B Paani puri wala!

Frankie at Shivaji Park!

There is a Dosa Wala in Khar- Mumbai ( for those who know it, near film star Rakhee's bunglow) if he is still there, for the sheer variety of tasty Dosas he made (like a dosa mela there!)

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?

Something uncomplicated and short! To be announced!

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—'IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY '..

I would be just the way I am now, careless with it!

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?

I used to! Young blood and all that!

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?

I used to... when I was little.

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?

Absolutely Cool! Majestic!

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

(pardon the pink!)

A cream colored Fiat ( Premier Padmini), My Basanti!!

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?

Water!

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD :

Read to my heart's content ( not that I do not now, but there are chores...)

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? :

Yes, Kinda..... short stems ..

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?

Black-Brown with burgundy highlights!

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?

India : Good Ol' Bombay & New Bombay

Banglore : short stay (3 months)

Kolkatta ( 3 weeks)

Currently in Los Angeles county , CA

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Tennis

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

Apart from being an enthusiastic cook, have you guys seen the wonderful Henna/ Mehendi designs on her blog? Very intricate and beautiful!

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?

Nothing except the bosxspring, but back home I'd stuff loads undere the mattress, old pictures, letters , wrist watch (which I forgot for almost a year!), money, hair-bands and clips, an old sim card, pens, pencils and markers, hanky, paper clippings, keys.......

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??

Yes! If my parents have no objection!

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?

Both! have the capacity to sit up late and get up reasonably early!

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?

Eggs STINK!

27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?

Anywhere with a book!

28) FAVORITE PIE?

Haven't tasted many, but I liked Pumpkin when I had a small slice.

29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?

Butterscotch , Fresh Strawberry, Mango, Sitaphal, Roasted Almond

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?

C'mon! let's see who is the fastest of 'em all!! If they would like to play along, I'd like to tag:

Shilpa of Aayi's Recipes
Nupur of One Hot Stove
Musical of Musical's Kitchen

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