tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43050217069478547572024-10-04T21:54:27.413-07:00Vegetarian cooking with indian spices ... come cook with Avial.Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-52038394104713242062016-04-18T15:13:00.001-07:002016-04-18T15:13:52.121-07:00

All this sunshine in Oregon is making me nostalgic and miss my hometown. The stomach feels queasy and you want to go back in time to those oh so fun days. It brings back memories of my favorite things -  mangoes, oh so soft idlis, bondas, filter coffee, walking at the towers park, evening sunsets from my terrace and reading lots of Danielle Steele novels. Filter Cofee with podi idlis In

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-13395640623722993822015-12-29T14:26:00.001-08:002015-12-29T14:26:03.150-08:00

Moong dal dahi vada The story of the moong dal vadas. When I was back in India last year this time, my mom made some amazingly soft vadas and made buffalo milk yoghurt. If you haven had buffalo milk, it is thick more creamier and richer than cow's milk, so obviously the yoghurt will be thick and creamy. That dahi vada was the best I have ever had. Fast forward to May , I tried making the

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-13359579963136384902015-11-29T17:22:00.003-08:002015-11-29T20:12:21.884-08:00

Fall, the season for soups and squash. I always used to associate butternut squash with something sweet, until I tried this sambhar at a friends place. Butternut squash is hard to chop, so if you can buy it already cut it saves you half the time. This sambhar is very easy to make does not require any fancy ingredients. I hope you enjoy it with some hot steaming rice and potatoes , dont forget to

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-74331047189861612162015-11-11T11:20:00.002-08:002015-11-11T11:20:31.636-08:00

Diwali brings back memories of lighting diyas, decorating the home and fireworks. Mom used to make a lot of savories for us, as no one in my family was very fond of sweets. But being so far away from home , there is one sweet that reminds me of my childhood it is magas. I remember my grandma always used to have a box full of magas and she would remove 1-2 pieces everyday as prasad for her

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-33540691979872898522015-05-13T13:46:00.000-07:002015-05-13T13:46:45.654-07:00

I used to hate pizzas a few years ago, I had a bad pizza somewhere in India which gave me a feeling that every pizza was a hard rubbery dough with little to no veggies and yucky tasting cheese. Over the years I have tasted some good and great pizzas. Tried making some at home and this deep dish pizza is by far my most favorite. Its pretty simple to make this pizza but you will need a cast iron

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-51091784205579043462014-06-10T11:03:00.000-07:002014-06-10T11:03:08.239-07:00

Val Papadi Quinoa  Since becoming pregnant, lunch usually calls for something quick and easy. The less time I spend in the kitchen, more time I get in relaxing, reading and doing whatever it is that I want to do . I adapted this recipe by interchanging rice for Quinoa to make it more healthy and wholesome. Val Papadi Quinoa Serves: 2 Preparation time : 5 mins Cooking time : approx

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-88570935932213303642014-01-21T16:45:00.001-08:002014-01-21T16:51:46.451-08:00

My entire family loves lasagna. Many years ago there used to be a fusion restaurant on Mount Road in Chennai which served some great lasagna. It was a very different lasagna with a bread crumb topping and loads of spinach. I like this particular recipe because it uses both white and red sauce, has a ton of veggies and is not cheesy at all. I hope you enjoy making this for your friends and family

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-29999838397819601812014-01-15T14:19:00.000-08:002014-01-15T14:19:32.441-08:00

My grand mother is a great cook. She makes any vegetable taste delicious. She has magic in her fingers. She makes this salad type stir-fry very often to go with rotis. I hope you enjoy her recipe.  Cucumber Carrot Stir Fry  Time: 15 mins  Serves: 2  Ingredients: * 1 cucumber - peeled and sliced lengthwise * 1 Carrot - peeled and sliced lengthwise * 2

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-83366392504861623992013-12-21T15:25:00.000-08:002013-12-21T15:26:12.364-08:00

It's my first Christmas in Portland. I have lived here for 2 1/2 years now and never been in the city during Christmas. It's surprising to see how busy all the shopping malls are. Just today we went to one near our home which is rather small and could not find any parking at all, which is quiet surprising as there is usually lots of parking in the area. I have been at the shopping malls a lot

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com2United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-41.116323 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-42135185431108437472013-11-20T15:59:00.000-08:002013-11-20T16:01:50.626-08:00

Ahh, Kati rolls. Reminds me about my college days when I used to sneak away with my sister to get kati rolls from the vendor outside the big retail store. Kati rolls are said to have originated in Kolatta, where Kati kebabas were enclosed in a paratha. In India, Kati roll is a popular street food available at any mall and street corner. It usually comes with different fillings topped with cheese

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-64650029770474872082013-11-18T15:40:00.001-08:002013-11-18T15:40:50.429-08:00

How has your weekend been? Mine was good. We did quiet a few things, caught up with friends, went on a long hike after a long time, went shopping at IKEA and tried to watch a movie using Chromecast. Every time I go shopping at IKEA I have to buy a few more air-tight jars for my pantry. I have an obsession for jars, any size, shape and color jar and have quiet a collection in my pantry.

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-38104464699464416672013-11-12T16:32:00.000-08:002013-11-12T16:32:48.132-08:00

On a glommy fall evening, all you want to do is snuggle by the fireplace and read a book or watch a movie. Cooking is the last thing you want to do. This Quinoa Pulao is easy, healthy and delicious. It takes only a few minutes to cook and most of the ingredients are in your pantry already ! So lets start cooking. Recipe: Time : 20 mins Preparation : 5 mins Serves : 2 Ingredients:

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-48014909701593344962013-11-06T14:42:00.000-08:002013-11-06T14:42:00.635-08:00

When I woke up this morning, I heard from my mom in India, that Tarla Dalal India's most celebrated and loved chefs passed away. It is a very sad day. Back in the day when I was a kid and my mom always likes to cook, we used to refer to her cook books and still do today. It was just yesterday that I made her pav bhaji recipe. In India, Tarla Dalal is the equivalent of Julia Child in the United

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-28767807865542762662013-11-05T14:32:00.001-08:002013-11-05T14:35:02.752-08:00

I love mushrooms. They have an earthy flavor which is best felt in a bowl of "mushroom"y soup :). They are also in season right now, and so are fresh and cheap. The local farmers market in Portland has different types of wild mushrooms , some of them can cost up to $20/ pound ! You should check it out if you are in Portland. But for this recipe I have used the easily available crimini mushrooms.

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-6041780620153493212013-11-04T15:17:00.000-08:002013-11-04T16:20:07.934-08:00

It's fall already ! The year has flown by so soon. I remember last December I went home to India and now its almost December again :O. Come Fall and there are different winter squashes and pumpkins available everywhere. They are hard to avoid. I haven't experimented a lot with butternut squash, but I seem to be liking it a lot lately. When its cold and rainy, there is nothing like a hot bowl of

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-90997305255563018122013-07-21T21:14:00.002-07:002013-07-22T15:17:57.216-07:00

I have been wanting to write every week, but since I have started my marketing internship, my days have gotten very busy and hectic. This recipe is a traditional gujrati recipe and is my grandma's. My grandma is a great cook. She brings a lot of flavor into every dish with her magical hands. She taught me how to make this dish many years ago when I was in college, its been my fav and most loved

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-2154350136843609872013-06-12T22:05:00.000-07:002013-06-12T22:05:59.874-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had been binging on sugar. Sugar in chocolate syrup, cake, mochas and chocolate !  I decided to put my sugar cravings at a stop by going on a sugar free diet from Monday - Friday, so apart from sugar in my coffee, I dont add any sugar any where else. Being so hard on oneself, you want to treat yourself to a sugar free dessert during the week. Here is my recipe of a

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-60882243096398151672013-06-05T10:19:00.000-07:002013-06-05T17:41:48.615-07:00

It is strawberry season finally, I have been waiting a whole year for it. Last year due to bad weather, the strawberry season was very short and I missed out on eating my favorite Hood Strawberries. Last week, I went berry picking with my friend and her cute 11 month old daughter . We had a great time, as we were the only 3 ppl on the strawberry field. I picked not much but about 5 lbs of

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-33145977386015411352013-05-24T13:42:00.001-07:002013-05-24T13:42:34.878-07:00

We have stopped for lunch at this cute little cafe in Dalles Oregon . Brama caffe - serves Italian and Greek food. We ordered two panini's one with chipotle chicken and the other with Caprese . Each table has these cute expresso shot glasses and are really cute . My chicken panini with Greek salad was very good. The brown bread with seeds and oats added the perfect crunch to the chicken

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-73462637621011855962013-05-24T10:30:00.000-07:002013-06-05T09:26:32.832-07:00

Whenever we had to leave for a road trip or rather any trip in India, my mom always always used to make her methi theplas. So that we have something to munch on along the way. These theplas were so good that on days when we go bored of eating outside we would eat a couple of the theplas with some tea or coffee. Well, my theplas dont exactly taste like my mom's and they require so much effort

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-49304492496282966422013-05-22T14:55:00.001-07:002013-05-23T23:53:23.229-07:00

I have a confession to make. I used to hate oatmeal, It was the most un-appetizing breakfast. I have tried many times as a student to cook oats with buttermilk, milk, water, even olives ! Alas, but to no vail. I used to hate it. Then a few months back my mom made me try masala oats, a ready to cook savory oats porridge available in India and I was hooked. I ate it so much, that I got around 30

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-22038914134972159682013-05-15T22:54:00.001-07:002013-05-16T13:31:08.902-07:00

There has been so much happening last week that I couldn write. I have been baking a lot. I took part in the food bloggers bake sale in Portland, Oregon. I baked Rose-water Raspberry cupcakes and Coconut Haystack cupcakes. I had a lot of fun meeting new people and taking part in my first bake sale. Though its still May, weather in Oregon has been great for the past couple of days. Weather in

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-74164785378822750812013-05-01T12:23:00.000-07:002013-05-15T23:02:02.772-07:00

When the sun is out in Oregon and the temp is in the mid 70's , I absolutely can't cook ! I just want to sit outside, read a book and have fun. That's the time I want to look for something quick & easy to cook. Left over rice theplas is a dish my mom used to make with left over rice or khichdi. Its a good way to use up left overs and also savor something delicious. It was so delicious I

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-28455558670983625312013-04-25T16:16:00.002-07:002013-04-25T16:19:22.994-07:00

Savory Pies have never been my kind of food. The word "pie" is still a bit foreign to me. Having lived most of my life in India, I haven grown up on pies. So I am still at this phase where I am exploring pies and learning to like them. I should tell you how this recipe originated it, I wanted to make a Nettle-Mushroom pie. I had a huge bag of nettles from the farmer's market. I have

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305021706947854757.post-51149901979350553502013-04-17T23:55:00.001-07:002013-04-17T23:55:41.613-07:00

Avial, is my favorite dish. It is such a great way to use up left over veggies in your fridge and have a hearty healthy meal. In Chennai, where I am from, It is made during important festivals and occasions. I learn't to make this dish from my mom-in law, who makes it so well. Here's a picture of the traditional banana leaf lunch at my mom-in law's. Avial is my favorite south indian

Priyanka Bhatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224017974710024849noreply@blogger.com1