tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402Fri, 24 May 2013 13:55:08 +0000ItalianMangalore CucumberKootu Majjige HuliOriyaPeasMysoreMangoDalPotatoEggraithaGreensBreakfastPersianDillGreen BeansGujaratiBlogiversarySnake GourdChutneys and PicklesTofuR2IPakistaniGeneralCucumberPaneerCarrotMexicanTravelogueRajasthaniCabbageGojjuZucchiniSaladCornKoreanIndonesianSnacksKonkanidessertsSoupSaaru HuliMicrowave CookingRiceMaharashtrianSandwichThaiBeetrootBottle GourdMoroccanGreen TomatoSwissAvarekaluMalaysianMethiNoodlesChickenTomatoSri LankanMoongBaby BloggingGingerCauliflowerCat BloggingChickpeasAppetizersMemeRasavangiEggplantPumpkinProject Fifty-2Green PepperSpinachCurryChayoteAsh GourdBhajiPudiParwalPunjabiBengaliKosambariSoups and StewsOkraRadishWelcome to my blog - my ramblings about food, life, people, movies and anything else that I find interesting!http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Vani)Blogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-2148407016424965423Wed, 22 May 2013 11:04:00 +00002013-05-22T23:52:22.156-04:00CabbageAppetizersSnacksGujarati This is a first on this blog. I'm actually scheduling a post while I'm on vacation! One lone post, mind you. But scheduling it, nonetheless. Very proud of me I am!  Muthias are a favorite and are consumed by the pound by me. I'm talking of the steamed version, which are then tossed in a sesame-mustard seeds tadka and lightly browned. They make for guilt-free snacking and are oh-so-delicious. I http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/05/cabbage-muthia-steamed-cabbage-dumplings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-616912977060321817Mon, 13 May 2013 14:14:00 +00002013-05-13T10:14:38.595-04:00CurryDal We are off to India for a longish summer vacation. Longish because it is not our usual 2 or 3 week types, but for 6 full weeks! While I have fun there, eat good stuff and try and post about them, here is a saabut masoor dal recipe with coconut milk with ghee tadka for you. You could skip the coconut milk for the regular dal but add it to up the ante. Ingredients: 1 cup whole masoor 1/2http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/05/saabut-masoor-ki-dal-whole-redpuy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-2925407534319408379Sun, 05 May 2013 17:33:00 +00002013-05-05T13:33:00.055-04:00CurryPunjabiCauliflowerPotato My normal way of making Aloo Gobi involves cooking the potatoes and cauliflower right in the sauce. You really can't go wrong with this combination of vegetables and spices. But.. (yes, there's always a but) it is not the restaurant-kind of Aloo Gobi that I sometimes would like to have. Apparently, restaurants deep fry the vegetables, then combine them in the tomato sauce and cook through. Thishttp://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/05/aloo-gobi-spiced-potatoes-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-8027119702708890161Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:05:00 +00002013-04-28T22:27:38.452-04:00SnacksMaharashtrian "Misal" means a mixture and that is exactly what this dish is about. A mixture of various flavors and textures - crunchy, spicy, hard and soft ingredients, all neatly layered for an explosion of flavors that only leaves you wanting more. There are variations of misal based on region and ingredients  - Puneri, Kolhapuri, Dahi etc. Misal is high in nutrition value, thanks to the usal component, http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/04/kolhapuri-misal-spicy-bean-sprout-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-7795677744521550675Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:17:00 +00002013-04-19T16:26:02.817-04:00CurryZucchiniPeasPakistani This recipe comes from a Pakistani friend, who makes this qorma with chicken. She insists I pronounce it right - it is "qorma" with that "k" sound from the throat, and not korma like I'd normally say. We do have kurmas in South India and various kormas (navrathan, for example) from the North. "To-may-to" and "to-mah-to" kinda thing but there are minor variations in spices and ingredients http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/04/zucchini-and-green-peas-qorma-zucchini.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-1719272187454255712Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:42:00 +00002013-04-08T10:31:38.110-04:00MysoreProject Fifty-2 This week's theme for the Project-52 is "My Favorite Things". And these are a few of my favorite things - - Deep fried food! Anytime, anywhere kinda thing with me.  Only vegetarian and savory stuff though. I can totally live my entire life without the sweet stuff. - All curled up on a couch and eating garma garam pakodas, while listening to the sound of rain outside. Something about rain that http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/04/rava-bhath-and-few-of-my-favorite-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-7906881665104607357Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:24:00 +00002013-03-27T00:14:33.998-04:00Mangalore CucumberCurryKonkaniAsh Gourd One of the nicest teachers I had in my Middle School retired recently and it got me thinking about my teachers throughout my school years. Some, like this wonderful lady, were passionate about teaching, they were inspiring, and genuinely wanted to reach out and connect with kids. And some were plain nasty, who probably caused more damage to kids than educate them. And some folks who were in http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/03/puli-koddel-ash-gourd-in-coconut-gravy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-6791762986696242225Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:13:00 +00002013-03-18T14:10:35.211-04:00AppetizersGreen TomatoSnacksProject Fifty-2 He had the most adorable eyes - huge, doe-like, innocent, alluring eyes that would make anyone want to take him home to their moms while declaring their everlasting love for him. He was one irresistible charmer who made his way into my heart with just one look into his eyes. He was in my thoughts, day and night. So that is what I did - took him home to my mom and declared my love for him, thathttp://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/03/fried-green-tomatoes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-8404566516944304027Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:59:00 +00002013-03-17T17:59:34.173-04:00CurryMysoreEggplant Wishing everybody a wonderful new year, where you see all things positive happening in your lives, where there is joy in and around you and where we all make a positive impact in at least a few people's lives. Cheers to a beautiful & exciting 2012! A very long time ago, there was a cook at my grandfather's house called Madhuramma, who used to make a killer Badanekayi Ennegayi. This is a http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/01/badanekayi-yennegayi-eggplants-in-tangy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-7686275518982886341Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:09:00 +00002013-03-14T16:09:16.555-04:00KonkaniSnacksPotato Apparently the Indian Censor Board is going to take a closer look at "item numbers", the not-related-to-main-story songs in Hindi movies featuring skimpily clad females that purportedly increase marketability of a movie, to make sure they don't objectify women. Just the fact that they even use the term "item" is so derogatory.   The portrayal of women in Indian cinema has never been about http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/03/batata-phodi-pan-fried-potatoes-konkani.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-2425288948605291841Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:59:00 +00002013-03-04T14:08:39.117-05:00Soups and StewsChickpeasMoroccanCarrotA tagine is a thick clay pot typically used in North Africa. It has a flat and shallow base with a conical lid, which is designed to return the condensation to the bottom, thereby keeping foods moist during long cooking times. Any dish made in a tagine is also called a tagine. Moroccan tagines typically contain dried fruits such as dates, apricots and raisins, lending a light sweetness to the http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/03/moroccan-chickpea-and-carrot-tagine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-2090766608691981593Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:21:00 +00002013-02-25T20:12:44.976-05:00GeneralProject Fifty-2 What I didn't like about my childhood ... the theme for this week in the Project Fifty-2 series. Childhood memories are invariably romanticized and rose-hued, especially as we get older. It is the good times that always come to the fore when someone says 'childhood' to me. But deeper thought (and reading others' posts) brought out quite a few things that I did not like back then. School, for http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-i-did-not-like-about-my-childhood.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-6355924746386144562Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:17:00 +00002013-02-12T21:23:19.483-05:00PaneerCurryPunjabiSpinachBaby BloggingProject Fifty-2 Though I've not been posting here on the Project Fifty-2 for the past three weeks, I have been doing good with that. The theme for one week was "nonsense" and I had a blast writing a totally nonsensical poem (looks like there's a hidden poetess in me after all! haha :) The other themes were "people watching"  and a picture collage challenge. Check, check. So far so good. Palak Paneer is a http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-quicker-palak-paneer-spinach-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-3342801847619094652Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:28:00 +00002013-02-06T15:51:04.132-05:00BhajiGujaratiA quick update on the resolutions I made in Jan for the month. I did good on most counts. My fitness goals were met. I even increased the strength training portion, due to a new class in my gym that combines yoga and weights. (Don't you love it when you can kill two birds with one stone?! ) On the family time front, it was so-so. We did make an effort to increase our time together but with folks http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/02/ringan-bateta-nu-shaak-gujarati.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-6967106026604248704Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:18:00 +00002013-01-25T15:27:07.146-05:00 "Indian Cuisine" is a misnomer.  There are literally hundreds of "cuisines" that fall under that category, really.  Foods in India, differ by state, region, religion, community and season. Sailu of Sailus Food has embarked on an effort to capture the many intricacies of various Indian cuisines with her series Indian Food Trail. I am honored to have been a part of this, with the Mysore editionhttp://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/01/indian-food-trails-mysore.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-4274836316397880478Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:41:00 +00002013-01-22T14:42:50.348-05:00GojjuCurryMysoreProject Fifty-2 We're onto week 3 of the Fifty-2 Weeks of 2013 project and the theme this week is "A Pound of Flesh".  As always, it is open for interpretation and portrayal. So here's my maiden attempt at a poem. More prosaic, really and certainly does not follow any one metrical pattern. This poem came about from an observation that prayers to God that are made with so much bhakti, elaborate pujas and http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/01/southekayi-gojju-with-onions-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-5433073917238655737Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:48:00 +00002013-01-10T00:48:33.713-05:00RajasthaniDalProject Fifty-2 Hope everyone is having a wonderful new year so far. For weeks now, I have been complaining about the cold. I never expected this part of the country to get into sub-zero temps. But it did and complain I did. Today has been better and it will be getting warmer over the weekend and I sure am getting happier with the weather. For week 2, my resolutions still seem to be holding good. The theme forhttp://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/01/panchmel-dal-five-lentil-curry-and-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-6530951074454977019Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:38:00 +00002013-01-04T12:08:17.875-05:00GeneralProject Fifty-2One of the (many) things I'm deficient in is discipline. I never make New Year or any-other-time-of-the-year resolutions because I know how long they last with me!  So when I first saw this interesting post from Sra about the Project Fifty-2 Weeks of 2013, my first thought was, "This is not for me". I couldn't see myself posting something once a week regularly. I once did a 5-day posting "http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-fifty-2-weeks-of-2013-project-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-479668459113797067Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:51:00 +00002012-12-31T16:51:28.055-05:00Breakfast As 2012 comes to an end and the new dawn will usher in another year, I want to wish you all a 2013 where happiness and goodwill overflows and there is great harmony in all spheres of your lives. This past month has been about tragedies and more proof that evil dwells amongst us. Though the world did not come to an end, here's hoping that it is the dawn of a new era, which has us all doing our http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/12/avalakki-dosa-crepes-with-flattened-rice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-4747942314531319810Mon, 24 Dec 2012 23:58:00 +00002012-12-27T12:35:25.857-05:00RiceBreakfastMysore Come winter, it is almost inevitable that I go through a phase of lack of energy/enthusiasm, often visible in my lack of writing, posting, commenting, responding to messages etc. The cold, the shorter daylight hours (dark by 5!) all get to me, I guess. This time it hit early and the recent events with the kids in Newtown, CT only took it deeper. The tragedy hit everybody hard and sure left me http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/12/akki-rotti-with-cooked-rice-and-spring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-6684329602303734264Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:48:00 +00002012-12-04T09:55:30.952-05:00SnacksPotato I recently came across a book at my local library about coconut oil and its benefits. I always thought coconut oil couldn't be good for you, as it is high in saturated fats and I've often substituted it with other "healthier" oils, especially in Konkani cooking, where it is used extensively. Turns out, coconut oil contains fats which break down more easily than other oils, making it essentially http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/12/aloo-tikki-chole-chaat-potato.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-4340815746979692363Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:10:00 +00002012-11-29T09:56:17.111-05:00BreakfastEgg Egg Bhurji is my go-to recipe for a quick-fix side. We almost always have eggs in the fridge and everybody in the house loves eggs. I'm surprised, actually, to find that I don't have my regular egg bhurji recipe here. My usual version is along the lines of this paneer bhurji, though it can be made with any number of spices and seasonings. The recipe today comes from my Brother-in-law, B. He http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-very-south-indian-egg-bhurji.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-4666853421823656490Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:53:00 +00002012-10-25T00:36:47.315-04:00BreakfastSwissPotato What do you do when the spouse craves for some batata phodis (pan fried potato fritters) and ends up bringing home a 10-lb bag of potatoes?!! Why, you make those phodis, of course. And more phodis and then some aloo tikkis, which then gets turned to a chaat with some chhole. And the usual suspects - aloo methi, aloo gobi and puris with..aloo bhaji, of course! To his credit, the 10lb bag was http://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/10/rosti-pan-fried-potatoes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-5074975597170499034Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:10:00 +00002012-10-15T15:47:32.941-04:00Mysoredesserts I have been trying to fill the gaps in Mysore cuisine on my blog the past couple months and the sweets/desserts course has been the most neglected. If you're following my blog for sometime now, you'd know that I am more of a savory gal (this is the fourth sweets/desserts post in six years!). Does not mean I don't like them, mind you. Just that I don't take the trouble of making them, especiallyhttp://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/10/thambittu-and-akki-kadalebele-payasa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31355402.post-3225074133832539630Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:15:00 +00002012-10-10T22:23:16.907-04:00Saaru HuliMysoreDal Huli Thovve is a thick toor dal based curry, made with a freshly ground spice powder. The aroma of  freshly made huli thovve is something else! It is prepared on special occasions like weddings and in our community, is usually served in combination with Majjige Huli (vegetables in spiced yogurt gravy) and had together with rice. Both the curries are just fabulous by themselves but together, theyhttp://mysoorean.blogspot.com/2012/10/huli-thovve-and-majjige-huli-spiced.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vani)8