Write Food

Everything is new with a lot of Red Pepper Hummus!!!

2013-04-23T10:28:00.003-04:00

Life has been quite a swirl after becoming a new novice home owner. After dealing with the usual barrage of legal papers, it was fun to sleep in your own master suite in a king size bed and cook in your huge kitchen where finally every kitchen tool has a cabinet place assigned for it. It usually takes a fortnight to realize that home ownership comes in with a lot of work:)

With Amo finding the stairs quite an adventure. I might need a foot massager at the end of the day very soon. Mornings have been busy with shopping for accents, drapes, rugs etc., and fixing them in the afternoons. I love shopping in my new area. We have almost all shops within 10 mins of drive from home including Trader Joe's that caters for my organic needs. Evenings have been busy with walking around the neighborhood with Amo or playing on the deck with him.

Weekends are busy with grocery shopping and running to Lowes for some hardware fix. I guess owing a home always needs your constant care and attention for a happy American living. From lawn mowing to garbage disposal...all has been a learning experience. Now I clean 3 bathrooms, a foyer, stairs, fireplace, pantry-kitchen with the rest of the cleaning I did in an apartment.... and somewhere I am still pleased that I do all this although it tires me out. I guess its always a bitter-sweet story owing a home.

I am still baking cakes for family and friends and this avocation is awesome as it pays along with satiating my creativity. But the dough quickly disappears buying something pretty for my home :). Recently, I made the below princess cake for my friend's daughter. So at the end of the day all is good with my weight in check after all the running I do behind Amo. Although, I think it is time to start looking for yoga centers and begin my soul mender: crotchet.

Hummus and similar spreads have been my best friends for these few busy week and this one below is a keeper!!! Spread in on pita, bread or bun....its all fun!!!!

with some deep fried pita

Ingredients:-
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 large (or equivalent to 4 oz) of red pepper
1-2 pods of garlic
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tbsps of tahini
2 tbsps of olive oil
1 tsp of cayenne (as per taste)
2 tsp of lime juice
1 tsp of chopped parsley
salt to taste

Method:-
Roast the pepper on a gas burner/ oven by rotating its sides every 5 mins until the skin gets charred.
The most easy way to peal the charred skin is to put the pepper in a bowl and covering the bowl with a cling wrap. This settles the hot vapor into moisture on the skin making it easy to peel. Wait for at
least 20 mins to remove the cling wrap. Peel and keep aside.

In a food processor add the beans, tahini, salt, cumin, garlic, roasted red pepper and olive oil.
Once the mixture is smooth like a paste add lime juice, parsley and cayenne for garnishing.

Kabuli Pulaw and Badenjan (Baingan) Boorani

2013-03-11T23:19:00.001-04:00

B.Boorani on top of Kabuli Pulaw

I love afghan food for its variety of vegetarian options. The first time I came across Badenjan Boorani and Kabuli Pulaw was while reading Khaled Hosseini's "A thousand splendid suns". It is a beautiful story every women should read. Read to remind each other that we are sisters. It is a story of how Mariam and Laila are bound to one another by a hateful relationship- wives of the same man. But during their journey become sisters and a family. They are not bound anymore by a man but by love and friendship. It is written in a time where women made boorani for her husband and his friends to eat and would disappear until they have eaten and gone. It is when her husband put pebbles into her mouth and forced her to chew (breaking her teeth) telling her how the pulaw tasted. It is a time where the other wife saved some halva and tea for each other to have in silence.

Kabuli Pulaw

Said that, I went to this restaurant where I tasted these two dishes. The restaurant's service was tad bit slow, decor was gloomy but the food was awesome. The felafels are surely the best in the capital region. I recreated badenjan boorani (BB) and kabuli pulaw today and avi couldn't just stop eating!!! Thank to Madhur Jaffery for the BB recipe :). I made the eggplant crispier and non soggy (oily) here. Instead of deep frying them directly, I lightly coated them with cornstarch and spiced. This worked wonders with the dish.

Kabuli Pulaw:-

2 cups of basmati rice
1 medium sized onion sliced
2 carrots julienned
5-6 black raisins (i used brown ones)
1 tbsn brown sugar
2 tbl sns of butter salt to taste

Method:-

Melt 1 tbsp of butter and fry the onions till pink.
Add the sugar and fry it for a min. (do not let it burn)
Add the washed rice and salt. Mix well.
Add 2.5 cups of water and let it boil covered.
Cover and reduce to low when the water has 90 % evaporated.
Cook until the rice is cooked and not sticky.
Melt the other 1 tbspn of butter in a pan. Saute the carrots and raisins.
Garnish on the rice and serve hot.

Badenjan Boorani

Badenjan Boorani:-
Adapted and tweaked from Madhur Jaffery's World Vegetarian.

Ingredients:-
1 eggplant sliced in rounds
oil to deep fry (you can shallow fry as well)
1 tbspn corn starch
salt to taste
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of cumin powder

Tomato sauce:-
2 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 of an onion chopped finely
2 garlic pod
1 tsp pepper
pinch of paprika
pinch of sugar
3 tsp of oil
salt to taste

Yogurt sauce:-
Thick yogurt whisked 1/2 a cup
mint leaved chopped finely
salt to taste

Method:-
Add the mint leaves and salt to the yogurt and keep aside.

Sauce:-
Heat oil in pan. Add the onions and garlic. Fry well.
Add the chopped tomato with all the other ingredients.
Cook well until the tomatoes are mushed and in a chutney (Thick sauce/ dip) consistency. The oil should have separated. Cool.

Eggplant:- (Do this just before serving)
Mix corn starch, salt, cumin power and coriander powder.
Coat each of the sliced eggplants to this powder and deep fry until cooked and crisp.
Take out excess oil with a kitchen tissue.

Putting it together:-
In each fried eggplant slice, smear the tomato sauce generously and add a dollop of minty yogurt.
Serve immediately.

Here is my mum's grilled baingan ki boorani. It is a whole lot different story here. :)

Momos @ Druk, Phuntcholing

2013-02-26T22:49:00.001-05:00

My very first encounter with momos were when I went to Phuncholing, Bhutan one lazy Sunday. My dad was posted in Hashimara, Assam (which borders Phuncholing) and our only escape to civilization was Phuncholing. One could taste awesome Bhutanese-Tibetan cuisine, go shopping for fancy fashion and cheap electronics. We air force base kids looked forward for this trip at the end of school week.

One day, with the help of my dad's colleague's friend, we went to the restaurant run by Druk company of Bhutan ( famous for making condiments). We ordered momos for starters and when they arrived they looked totally unappetizing for me. My mom being herself just put one into my mouth and said, "atleast taste it"! It took me a while to notice what was going on with a steaming hot dumpling stuffed in my mouth. At the end of it, I just loved it!!! I loved the stuffed vegetables, the soft flour shell and of course, the hot garlic-chili sauce. Momos being a soulful homely Tibetan food was like gourmet food for me. I was just used my grandma's south Indian, mom's north Indian and restaurant's Indian street food. Nevertheless, I must have gone to Phuncholing at least a dozen times more just to have Druk's Momos.

Thanks to all our friends who came along with us and make the trip so awesome- Narendrans, Vijayans (who can forget bittoo asking for oonu+upperi after a lot of Druk's food) and Thakkurs (thanks to munna uncle for driving us in his Maruti Gypsy)!!!

I finally decided to re-live those days by making momos for my family. I am sure all these people above reminisce the times we had when they hear momos. I made momos last Sunday afternoon and surprised Amo and Avi. For those who have never tried making these before, don't worry, it is not that complicated as it looks to be. Just takes time as you need to rest the dough for at least 20 mins. Totally worth the wait time to make it. Absolutely healthy and yummmmm.

This entry goes to the pressure-cooking event over at Desi Soccer Mom. I steamed Momos in my Indian pressure cooker and it didn't blow up in my face!!!

One doesn't need bamboo momo steamers to make momos. All you need are idli plates and steam them for 12-13 mins in your normal pressure cookers. (Don't forget to take the whistle/seeti out while steaming).

Tips to have a safe cooker experience:- (For ma)
1. Do not get distracted when the cooker is on the stove. No phone calls or TV.- Mom this for you.
2. Change the gasket every 6-12 months and safety valve in 12-24 months.
3. Clean after use and store in a dry place.
4. Do not open until the pressure has subsided- why do you have to hurry up ma??...just wait for 10 mins.

My prestige cooker and the idli plate freshly used and cleaned.

So here are the recipes
- Momos
- Garlic-chili sauce

Eggs purgatory

2013-02-16T22:21:00.005-05:00

Life is sometimes crunchy and other times smooth. It can be tangy exciting but otherwise it is sweetly cozy. It can teach you lessons stiffly and sometimes just see you enjoying the rain and decides to let you go. Life can hit you with spice just so that you can be better at handling its surprises. Life is complicated and so am I.

Eggs purgatory is a personification of life for me. It is complex. It is a lovely soulful dish where an egg is simmered in spiced tomato sauce. It has the right punch of spice, a stiff egg white and a runny yolk....and all the vanity life has to offer has manifested in this one dish. So it egg purgatory dedicated to my wonderful life and how much I love it.

Here is the recipe. I like my sauce thick so reduced it more than the recipe asked me to.

Here is where my recipe comes from. Enjoy yourself.I added some broccoli for a little crunch. Try adding cooked black beans...it gives a lovely stew flavor.

Celery Noodles

2012-11-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a long time since I wrote a post. A family tragedy left me with less inspiration and creativity. My FIL recently passed away after suffering from Liver cirrhosis. But, I am back now and back with something really healthy and yum.

I love noodles and who doesn't covet the yummy unctuous Chinese dish? This celery noodles is light and yummy. I recently read an article about celery and why it is called the negative calorie vegetable. Looks like the wonder diet mantra is to eat something that takes more calories to digest than the amount we gain when consumed. Celery just does that.

Recipe:-

I tad bit tweaked the recipe. I added some green chillies for lil heat, sun dried tomatoes for some tang and dry roasted peanuts for some crunch. I sauteed all of these in olive oil before I added the celery strips. While in the plate, I dressed the noodles with some drizzle of light salad dressing.

Click here for the awesome recipe from NY times.

Nei Appam...Yumm!!!!

2012-09-03T23:30:00.001-04:00

Avi loves this and I had to learn this from my MIL. We made this together for janmashtami this year ( I know I am almost a month late posting this post) and we loved it. I usually make makkhan-misri (Sugar sweetened butter) for janmashtami and this year it was great to pair nei appam with makkan-misri (MM- too looong to type every time).

My MIL has quick tips ans shortcuts to make life easier in the kitchen and yet turn the food into something salivating. I can't wait to make this on my own again. May be next year even Amo can have some. This year all he could have is MM and didn't he love his prasad.

Makkhan-Misri with Nei Appam

The caramel-golden brown hued sweet just melts in one's mouth. I should be spongy and soft to eat laden with ghee/ clarified butter. You may use 50% ghee -50% sesame oil as well. The later is a healthier option. You may increase the sponginess by adding half of a large banana. But by adding banana you also reduce the shelf life considerably. Usually nei appam last for 2 weeks with no refrigeration, but with banana added to the recipe, they last not more than a week.

Recipe:-
1 1/4 cup of powered jaggery
2/3 cup of small pieces of coconut
1 1/4 cup of rice flour
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of ghee (or 50 % use sesame oil)
Half banana mashed up (optional)
Little tamarind needed to avoid the ghee to fuzz up initially before making appam.

Method:-
Boil the water with jaggery until it melts completely without lumps.
Strain the liquid and keep it in the flame again. Keep flame in medium high.
Add coconut pieces and keep on stirring until it becomes thick.
Add the rice flour and mix well. take it off the heat. The mixture will be lumpy.
Let it cool (until the next day). Add water little by little and make the mixture into a paste with no lumps.
Add the banana at the stage if needed ( I didnt this time)
Keep the appam chetti in flame (medium) with all the holes filled with ghee/ghee-oil mixture.
Add some tamarind in all the holes and let the ghee get hot. This somehow doesn't let the ghee fuzz up and over flow. Remove the tamarind from all holes.
Add the paste in all the holes and cook on both the sides until golden brown.

Making misri is no big deal. This is Lord krishna's all time fav prasad and a must make for us. I usually cannot finish the misri all in one go. I refrigerate the rest and use it in my cooking (like adding a spoon in pulav before serving makes the rice yummy).

Makkhan- Misri Recipe:-

Ingredients:-
1/2 cup of butter at room temperature.
2 tble spns of mixed nuts chopped up
2-3 tsp of sugar/misri to sweet the butter.
Pinch of saffron
Pinch of salt

Method:-
Mix all together and serve at room temperature.

This year I made some semiya payasam, nei appam, makkhan-misri and some namak pare to welcome kutty (baby) krishna.

Gooseberry Pickle / Nellikkai Oorkai

2012-09-03T22:33:00.001-04:00

The best thing ever taught by my mother in law is her goose berry pickle. I love it and cant wait to have my curd rice to dig into some. For us south Indians, pickles are a must accomplice with curd rice at the end of the meal. Until now I have always been unenthusiastic about making pickles and preserves thinking they take a very long time and are a mess to make. I hate toiling in the kitchen with my 11 month old standing with the support of my pants. I am always wary when one day he will end up pulling my pants down!

This recipe takes not more than 15-20 mins to make and tastes lovely!!!! Thanks again to my MIL for sharing this and hoping the person (FIL) who loves this pickle recovers soon. It is time for them to leave! OMG! Time just flew this time.

With Curd Rice/ Thayir Saadam

Ingredients:-
1 frozen pack of gooseberries/ 1 1/4 cup of quartered boiled and soften gooseberries
3/4-1 cup of Sesame oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp of turmeric powder
6-7 tsp of kashmiri red chilli powder
1.5 tsp of fenugreek powder
6-7 tsp of salt (according to taste)
2-3 tbsp of sugar

Method:-
Heat the oil with mustard seeds and wait until they pop.
Keep the flame at medium high (7 out of 10)
Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and fenugreek powder. Mix well.
Add gooseberries, salt and sugar.
Mix for 2-3 mins and switch off.
Wait for it to cool completely and store in a dry, clean bottle.
Use a dry spoon to take out the pickle every time.
Store out if you are planning to finish this off in a month or else store in refrigerator.

Foodie Penpal Reveal!!!

2012-08-31T17:20:00.002-04:00

Sheila was my penpal for the Foodie Penpals event created by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean. I had a chance to pack something special for Stacey ( A Foodie Reader).

Sheila was so generous to send me a famous jar bake banana bread. It smelt soooo heavenly as I opened it. The taste was just perfect.

I was expecting the maple syrup from the farmers market when she said she is from Minnesota. Avi gobbled it up with pancakes in just a day!!!!

I personally loved the blueberry jam. I like it so much that I use a spoon of it everyday so that it wouldn't get over!!! Thanks a million sheila!!!

How can I forget my son's fav: Organic honey candies, dark chocolate and toffee!!! . Thanks to Sheila (Thanks for liking my FB page as well) and Lindsey for making this event so special for me :)))))

A Recipe For Rajesh Khanna- Paneer Bhindi Kadai

2012-08-04T23:52:00.001-04:00

My all time super hero and fab actor, Rajesh Khanna passes away. I was silent. I felt like a apart of my childhood may not exist any more. All those times when I felt lonely it was the soul searching Anand and Namak Haram that came to my aid. My first inspiration to go to the kitchen to make something (when I was 10 yrs to make nimbu paani) was Bawarchi. I cherished the meaning of a true companionship and friendship in Amar prem. Most of regular movies during the weekend involved Rajesh Khanna's movies. These were the only set of movies that the whole family agreed to see.

Avi is the most persistent soul I know who will never cease to make me crack up. He asked me to cheer up and cook something new to change my mood. Mean while, he who is not fond of old movies(bleached prints as he refers to them), just for my sake, played Bawarchi during dinner. We devoured my new recipe while seeing the old movie.

This recipe is for Rajesh Khanna. For the years of soulful movies that made me cry, laugh, love and smile.

Recipe and Picture Copyright:- Write Food

Ingredients:-

1.5 cup of sliced okra
1/2 cup of paneer
1 medium sized onion diced
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tsp of ajwain
1 tsp of jeera
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1 tsp of garam masala
2 tbsp of oil
salt to taste

Method:-
In a iron kadai, heat oil.
Add the ajwain and jeera. Let them sizzle
Add the okra and fry until the okra is crip. (Fry in high heat)
Add the diced onions and fry until they turn pink. (In medium heat)
Add red chilli powder, paneer and garam masala.
Fry well. Toss gently so that the okra doesn't break.
Add the tomato paste (make sure it is not too thick or else add 1 tsp of water to thin it up) .
Add salt and give it a toss. Turn off the heat and keep the curry close for 10 mins. Toss again.
Serve hot with rotis.

Hawt Kotthu Parotta!!!

2012-05-09T23:12:00.000-04:00

Been a long time I typed down a post. The little powder puff on the floor keep me on my toes. Yes, Amogh is crawling and standing supported. So he is now pulling, biting and licking things. He is all into digging into my plate, which I keep on dodging of course.

My father in law who is great help at this time running behind Amo while I am taking a breather made kotthu parotta the other day. We all ate the yummy delicacy while watching an old Hindi movie called, " Bawarchi". Yes, like my parents and in laws, I am a big sucker for old Hindi movies. Sometimes Avi teases me that I should have been born a generation before me :). I do believe old is gold in certain aspects of life. Like movies, jewelry, songs, comedy and food recipes. Does any one agree????

Some of all time favs are :-

chupke chupke,
amar prem,
thilana mohanambal (tamil),
golmal (old),
saraswathi sabatham (T),
bawarchi,
ek choti si baat.

Old Mohm. Rafi and Kishore .K are a treasure! Talking about your grandma's recipes, No one can dare deny that they are of any less value than gold. Remembering my Paati's Upma Khozhkatti, Kanchivaram idli, cheedai, muruku, tattai, rabari, moong dal halwa or even a secret rasam podi (powder)!!!!! I love my both my paatis, they are indeed cute and beautiful ...even without their teeth :))))

Recipe (tweeked a tad from my FIL's recipe)

Serves 2:-

4 medium sized parottas (ring/malayali parotta)
1/2 cup of chopped/sliced onions
1 tsp of tomato puree (thinned with 1 tbl spns of water) do not use tomato juice or tomatoes as they make the whole dish soggy or u need to leave the tomato uncooked (which most pple don't like)
4 green chillies
1 tsp of red chilli powder
pinch of turmeric
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of jeera
1 tbl spns of ginger garlic paste
4 tbl spns of oil
a spring of curry leaves
a fist full of coriander leaves
pinch of asafoetida
1 tble spn of lime juice (Fresh)
salt to taste

Method:-
Tear the parottas to a medium sized pieces. Make sure the pieces aren't every small as they will tend to stick, get lumpy and wet.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add the mustard and jeera. Wait to pop.
Add the chopped green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric.
Toss in onions, salt and red chilli powder. Fry until the onions are transparent.
Add the torn parotta pieces and keep tossing.
Add the tomato puree+water. Toss well.
Reduce the heat to low and keep the dish closed for about a min or two.
Take the dish off the heat. Add lemon juice and garish with coriander leaves.
Serve hawt :) with onion raita.

Vasant Panchami B'Fast!

2012-03-28T15:49:00.000-04:00

I know vasant panchami was a month back, but this post took quite a while to come into existence as my hands are full and my feet always at work. Vasant panchami always brings fond memories. Being a household ladies function, it is not a central or state holiday. As a child, I would get up on the vasant pachami day without a fuss, get ready for school early, wear my school uniform and make rounds to all the punju and UP households to eat the yummy breakfast Mrs. Mola, Mrs. Alok Kumar and Mrs. Lakhanpal had made for us girls. Three breakfasts, all alike were filling. Nevertheless, I gorged on them happily. The menu was always the same- Puri (Deep fried wheat bread), Sheera (semolina pudding) and Sookha kale chane ki curry (Dry black chickpea curry).

I would gladly have my feet cleaned by these ladies.They put some haldi on our hands and tied the sacred dhaga (thread) on our skinny wrists. Then they would make us sit on the floor and serve us breakfast.

I am reproducing the kale chane ki curry and sheera to say thanks to all those ladies who invited a south Indian young girl to join their homely sweet function with lots of love and affection.

Sookha Kale Chane Ki Curry:-

Ingredients:-

2 cups of soaked kala chana (soak over night)
1 onion chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
2 inches of ginger grated
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of jeera powder
2 tbl spns of oil
1 tbl spn of fresh lime juice
chopped coriander for garnishing
pinch of turmeric powder
pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Method:-
Cook the chana until soft and bite-able in the cooker with some salt.
Heat the oil in a wide base pan. Add the onions and ginger. Fry well for 1 min.
Add the kala chana and all the masalas. Stir well and cook closed for about 15 mins in low- medium flame. Stir every few mins to avoid burning at the bottom.
Add the lime juice and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Point to Notice:- Sheera should be mildly sweet and not laden with sugar like the south Indian kesari.

Sheera:-

Ingredients :-

1 cup semolina
1-1.5 cups of sugar
1 clove
pinch of cardamom powder.
1 cup of water
2 tbl spns of ghee +some more to add at the end while serving
1 cup of warm milk with a few strands of saffron
1/2 tbl spns of cashews fried in ghee
1/2 tbl spns of almonds fried in ghee
1 tsp of raisins fried in ghee

Method:-
Heat the ghee. and add a clove in it Add semolina and fry until it emits a nice aroma escapes.
Add sugar and mix well.
Add the water and milk and keep on stirring until the mixture reaches desired soft consistency.
Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
Stir in the fried almonds, cashews and raisins.
Add a dollop of ghee and serve hot.

Serve both with hot puris.

Karadaiyan Nombu Special!

2012-03-15T15:06:00.001-04:00

I am officially turning into an Iyer maami. Yes, funny though but ironically I don't mind the humor this time. All along my childhood and teenage years I used to really wonder why my mother takes the pain of getting up in the morning, dressing up in a madisaar (nine yard saree), making vellam/uppu adais and nombu saradu. Then going to work and hitting a dozen temples in evening during rush hour. I used to ask,"why take so much of pains during a working day? Get the adais from the shop and go to the temples during weekends". My mom would laugh and say," I am doing it because it gives me pleasure and you don't get these adais in a shop".

But I totally understand and appreciate her now. Karadayain Nombu is the southern version of Karava Chauth. We invoke the blessing of God and pray for a long fruitful lives for our respective husbands. It is celebrated on the first day of Phalguni Masam (month), which was yesterday. We remember the sati (pious wife) savithri for bringing back her husband back from God Yama (God of death). All though the husbands don't seem to be doing anything for our longevity, the tradition continues. I love the adais and the tradition. Hehe...

I have been doing this nombu for 3 years now. Past two years my mother has been telling me not to make the adais as it isn't that easy to get it right until you see someone making them. Past two years I have been making kesari or payasam for neivethiyam. But this time I surprised her by making them and making them right. Thank you Srirangam maama and maami for the recipe. Avi was surprised too.

These are the things I did:-

1. Put kolam (rangoli) and light the lamp.
2. Light incense and keep the manjal saradu next to God.
3. Dress to kill in madisaar.
4. Keep the adais and fresh vennai (butter) for neivethiyam.
5. Say this, "urugatha vennaiyum, oru adai yum naan nuuthen, oru kaalum yen kanavan, ennai piriyamal irukka vendum"!!! which means, Non-melted butter, an adai, I place in front of you, at anytime my husband should not be parted from me.
6. Do namaskaram to Avi.
7. Gobble up the adais after giving them to Avi.

Vadi-Subz Bahar

2012-03-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

Last month has been quite busy. However, I enjoyed every bit of it. Having amma gone back to India has not necessarily drowned me with work but it did test my organizing skills and my time management. Well, I am patting my back on what a good job I have done. I have kept the home as clean as it was before (as I like it to be); I have baked cakes and cupcakes; I have made fondant flowers; I have taken good care of myself- Shopped, pampered my hair with henna and done my evening prayers. I was going to gym but that ceased past a week as I sprained my back. I promise to get back on my crochet and reading. I am far behind my schedule on both of them. Hence, having a baby hasn't taken my life away from me. My craziness, avocations, narcissism and vanity is pretty intact! Avi and myself had decided that our parenting mantra is not going to be "baby is the only world we know" one. We decided we will give/ teach our son love, kindness, survival instincts, inculcating tastes in art and music, having proper decorum, and most importantly,giving him a safe environment. We will still grow on the individual that we are and still have our share of fun. Thanks to Avi for reminding me the above every time I get over obsessive about Amo.

Amo is right now teething and loves his teething ring. He is try to sit and move pushing his knees; Don't know which one will be achieved first. Amo has started to read his Elmo sing along book and he is immersed in them every morning after his breakfast.

How this awesome vegetable laden dish came along in my mind? I happened to open my refrigerator on Friday and happened to see a lot of left over vegetables that needed to to be used before they spoil. I hate to let vegetables spoil and always make sure they are used up fresh.The dish is rich, juicy and full of flavors. It has bountiful of vegetables in it. It does take time to make but it was yum and so totally worth it.

Recipe Copyright: Preeti Kashyap

Ingredients:-

2 cups of mix vegetables diced (I used cauliflower, carrots, okra)
1 cup of spinach leaves finely chopped
2 medium sized onions (1 diced and 1 chopped)
4-5 tomatoes (2 diced and 3 chopped finely)
1 cup of cooked soya vadi (boiled and cleaned)
2 tsp of roasted jeera powder
1tsp of jeera
4 peppercorns
2 cloves
2 tsp of gram masala
1 tsp of amchur
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of red chili powder
3 green chilies
2 tsp of fresh ginger garlic paste
1 inch cinnamon
1 inch ginger
2 pods of garlic
pinch of turmeric
pinch of sugar
4 tbl spns of oil
salt to taste

Method:-

Stage 1:-
Heat 1 tbl spns of oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste. Fry for few seconds
Mix in the diced 2 cups of mix veggies. Add salt and turmeric.
Sprinkle some water and cooked closed until the veggies are cooked. Every 2 mins gently toss the vegetables so that they do not burn.
Keep aside.

Stage2:-
Heat 1 tbl spns of oil.
Fry the cinnamon, jeera, cloves, peppercorns, ginger, garlic,green chilies, diced onions and 2 tomatoes.
Fry them until they have soften and onions are transparent.
Let them cool and puree them. Keep aside.

Stage3:-
Heat 2 tbl spns of oil.
Add the chopped onions. Fry until they have turned golden brown.
Add the chopped spinach.Fry them for a min until they turn tender.
Add the chopped tomatoes, jeera powder, garam masala, amchur, coriander powder, sugar and salt.
Add the puree and vadi. Cook well until the oil separates.
Cook until the vadi absorbs all the flavors and is juicy.
Layer the cooked veggies on top of the vadi gravy and close the handi (pan). Simmer for 1 min (dum cooking).
Serve hot with naan/roti.

Sree Annapurna's Onion Dosa and Red Garlic Chutney

2012-02-28T19:20:00.001-05:00

This is a peculiar dosa. Not many are fond of it and not many menus contain it? Well, how many people would want to walk away from a restaurant smelling like an overload of onions. Can the smell be really overhauled with a spoonful of minty mouth freshener given at the end? Complementary it might be, but mouth freshers are not supposed to be taken a ladle full. Some might differ with the above opinion. They would say the sweetness of onion in medley with the hot red chili-garlic chutney is to die for.

Onion Dosa- Crispy dosa smeared with red chutney might and stuffed (almost like a vegetarian foie gras) with sauteed red onions. To heck with the onion odor, your palate will thank you for it.

Onion dosa brings back a lot of memories. Every Sunday my appa would take amma and myself to Sree Annapurna restaurant (was a popular vegetarian eat out) in Coimbatore, India. I would dress up promptly with my matching hairband and sandals to have our family outing. Every time I would order this on the menu and not able to finish it. It was huge with loads of onions, so one dosa would be shared by three of us. Ice-creams from Arun ice-cream would follow to compensate for that ladle full of mouth freshener needed to dampen the onion odor. I would still have some odor on the way to home; with some sweet memories of togetherness to treasure. As I brushed my teeth before I could go to bed, I would always check again for the onion smell and smile at the mirror with satisfaction on my brushing skills.

Avi loved the red chutney!!! And this dosa will appear quite frequently from now on on the dinner table. We overate the dosa...gee:)

Ingredients:-
Dosa batter needed to make 6 dosas
2 large onions chopped finely
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
salt to taste
oil for sauteeing
butter/ghee/oil for making the dosa (about 2 tsp for each dosa)

Red Chutney:- (My recipe. )
5-6 red chilli
1 medium sized tomato
5-6 curry leaves
2-3 large pods of garlic
2 tbl spns of bengal gram
pinch of asafoetida
pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Method:-
Heat 2 tbl spns of oil in a cast iron pan.
Saute the chopped onions, salt and coriander leaves until transparent. Keep aside.
In the same pan, saute the bengal gram, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chilies. Grind it with rest of the ingredients. Keep aside the paste.
Spread the dosa and apply oil. Wait for the dosa to start getting light brown.
Spread a layer of chutney using a spoon. On the chutney, spread a layer of onions (spread as much as you desire).
Fold the dosa once crisp and serve immediately as onions make the dosa soft very soon.
Serve with some coconut chutney and sambar.

I just made a spring cake. It was a combination of a choco-coffee layer, an orange cake layer, vanilla butter cream and decorated with fondant.

Crispy Sweet n Sour Achari Tofu

2012-02-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

I am cooking and cooking big time recently. Two reasons, firstly, the winter has tied me down at home and that deflects all my creative energy towards cooking. Secondly, my new Lodge Cast iron pan and skillet. I just can't stop cooking in them. They make the food tastier and healthier. Plus, they are so easy to maintain and are keeps for life. Believe me, when my grandmother asked me to take some of her 40 year old cast iron pans, I laughed saying that they looked charred and old. But know for sure I know, they are as good as gold.

My weight loss is going sooo slow and I am slacking. I need motivation and pepping up. Is any one interested in a month's food buddy weigh loss help program? I thought it would be great to keep each other motivated. Writing posts on low fat healthy recipes, exercise plans and personal tip of toning and keeping one self healthy. I really need the help and would love it if you guys would join. Leave a comment with your email and I will send you guys a mail explaining what I have in mind.

Now to the recipe, thanks to Sharmi for her inspiration through her paneer achari tikka post. I did use the masala in her post but make a completely different dish with a week old tofu in the refrigerate.

Ingredients:-
4 tofu slabs cut into triangles
1/4 cup of basmati rice
1/4 cup of maida/APF

To grind:-
1/4 cup of mint and coriander leaves
1 shallot
2-3 green chillies
1 garlic pod
1 tsp tamarind
1 tbspn of panch puran masala
Salt to taste

Sweet and sour sauce made using this recipe

Method:-
Grind the ingredients to make it a sauce consistency paste.
Marinate the tofu triangles for about an hour in the paste.
Grind the rice to a powder and keep aside.
Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet.
Roll the tofu in maida and then roll again in the ground rice.
Fry the tofu on all sides until golden brown and crisp. (you can serve these as appetizers with hot sauce)
Pour the sweet and sour sauce on the tofu and serve.

Crochet is going on well. I am making my first afghan and super excited about it. It kinda beats my stress level down and I am in peace once again. I loved the below book that I am reading for Amo, he loves it too. The book subtly teaches kids how the whole family works together in making a perfect home and how considerate they are towards each other. I love the way it rhymes and seems so traditional. Amo simply loves the peek-a-boo holes. He is so thrilled to put his wrist through it and wonder.

I am going eggless, but an eggy breakfast for my family

2012-02-05T23:34:00.000-05:00

I am going eggless for sometime now and I hope it is only for a lil while. Until then, I am resisting my temptation and still making some awesome eggs for breakfast on Saturdays for Avi to give him a break from his 6 week cereal breakfast.

Egg is a wonderful source of protein and more than that, such a wonderfully subtle ingredient in the mornings that you can easily manipulate them into a thousand variety of dishes and that too most of them can be made in a jiffy. Yes, that's the wonderful egg for you.

Well, all though I am in an egg abstinence mode, I just can't restrain myself from making them for breakfast for Avi just to see him to roll and then close his eyes while chewing in slow motion and then saying, "hmmm...."

I love the an egg-celery sandwich. It was healthy, quick and totally yumm....

Traditionally the recipe involves mayo, but I add yogurt based salad dressing or light mayo.

Egg-Celery Sandwich

Serves-1-2 people
Makes:- 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 hard boiled eggs
1 tbspn of finely chopped celery
pinch of pepper
4 bread slices
Light yogurt based mayo (healthier than mayo)
pinch of salt (if needed-optional)
coriander or lettuce to dress the sandwich.
Butter for the bread- (optional-I avoided it as mayo is enough to make the sandwich greasy)

Method:-
Butter the 2 bread slices (can avoid it).
Dice the boiled egg into 1/2 inch pieces. Take the yolk pieces and mix well with the mayo/mayo substitute. Make sure the yolk totally breaks down so that you can hardly see the yolk chunks.
Now add in the white pieces, chopped celery, pepper and salt.
Add the lettuce or coriander on the bread. Layer the mixture on a slice of bread and seal the sandwich with the other slice of bread.
Enjoy!

Life: Just like that! with Vazhakkai Bajji

2012-01-30T14:45:00.000-05:00

January has been a month of seasons of me; Couple of good lows (being positive) and loads of highs. It started with a sugar high new year, went into an introspective mode with loads of crochet projects (yes, hooking yarn feeds my soul), met with friends a couple of times, had amma's send off party, a nasty salesman and now, its time for amma to leave. There is a dichotomy between sad and fun. Guess this is life; Life: just like that.

Crocheting is going strong. Made loads of season gifts and all were loved by the respective recipients. I have started to organize and plan this coming year carefully (yes, full of events and travel are on charts). Life seems less confounding and I have become an avid crocheter! I was at the brink of quiting it for sometime and Avi goes, " You kidding me right? It does universal good". Watever that meant! haha...I know what that means. He doesn't have to work on buying gifts, going to stores and shopping for winter wear. Men never grow up!

A shell cap : One day project

On the baby front, It has been just 3 months and I feel I have been a mom for ever. I don't know how not to be a mom any more. I tell you, kids do magic...for real!

Amma with kids at the party (Yes, Amo wore jeans)

Amma's farewell was so eventful. We had loads of laughter, discussions and more. The kids were having fun, food was great and amma was full of smiles!I had made peas pulav, veggie kurma, dal makhani, thair semia and amma's fav: Pineapple Gateaux. Although, the cake wasn't as soft I expected it to be but the cream and flavors were spot on!

My cakes have been doing good during the holiday season. I am getting better, but my friends say I am getting good.*Blush*...I am motivated. The more people I met, the more cakes I baked :P. Guess, it goes hand in hand.

Pineapple Gateaux

I am a very shopping friendly person and I believe that when you want to refuse a customer, do refuse but be polite. We went to staples to get a gift and the manager was so rude. Guess, he was having a bad bday. Jeez, we complained to the head office and they were sorry. Well, they lost a customer for sure!

Why does amma have to leave??? I am so used to her now being at home and discussing everyday nothings....guess, goodbyes are ineluctable. Life: Just like that!

On a sunny winter day: I was so tempted to be fare foot. This winter was good

Today's recipe: Plantain/ vazhakkai Bajji

Ingredients:
2 plantains thinly sliced (long)
water to make the batter
Oil to deep fry

For the batter:
1 cup of besan/chickpea flour
3 tbspns of rice flour
1-2 tsp chilli powder (as desired)
pinch of cumin powder (optional)
pinch of hing/asafoetida
pinch of baking soda
salt to taste

Method:-
Heat the oil at medium flame.
Slice the plantain lengthwise into thin slices.
Mix the batter ingredients together and add water slowly to make a batter that is in between too loose (pouring consistency) and too tight (dropping consistency).
Dip each slice into the batter and make sure they are evenly coated. Slide them into the oil slowly. Test with one slice to increase or decrease the oil heat accordingly.
Fry until golden brown on both sides and crisp to bite. If the plantain doesn't seem to be cooked inside, try reducing the heat and frying for longer.
Serve with coconut chutney or ketchup and a hot cuppa tea!

P.S: Yes, I still need to update some pictures of mine (from the sweets and dessert section)...work in process :P

Best 2 Copycat Recipes!

2012-01-23T13:12:00.001-05:00

Cheese cake factory's avocado rolls

Fettuccine with spaghetti sauce? Something I just tried for fun and came out great. I had to try the spaghetti sauce recipe that I saw in the No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain show. I wanted a lovely appetizer to go with it and it had to be Cheese cake factory's avocado rolls. I googled for a copycat recipe and to my surprise, it did come out just like the original one. My mom who is not very fond of Italian cuisine, surprisingly loved it. This meal was a big change after all the south Indian food we have been having past a week. The cashew dip turned out so very close to the one at the restaurant. I was simply thrilled. The only mistake I did was to grind a tad bit more of the coriander leaves than need, hence the green hue instead of the transparent white-ish color.

These two are the best copycat recipes that did not disappoint me. They were simply spot on!

Tony Bourdain's Spaghetti Sauce

The spaghetti sauce was simply awesome. Avi hates anything that is close to marinara and he said this was the best tomato based sauce ever! Thanks to Anthony for the lovely recipe and a wonderful show. I even love his new show, The layovers. One should see to learn what one can do during a layover at airports. I loved the Singapore, Changi airport episode. Being from Singapore, I was overwhelmed with a lot of nostalgia.Singapore is one country where in you can see most of the place in a day's time and eat awesome food.

Here is the best spaghetti sauce recipe from Tony Bourdain

Pindi Chole Biryani after being locked out!

2012-01-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

Yes! I got locked out of my own car. Silly, I know, but scary sure it is. I have been coveting about this Jen Lopez hobo for quite sometime. It was the right time to go and treat myself with some fine shopping. It was a lousy weather; Oh common, I had to get this for Christmas! A woman needs to have high heels, gloss and an awesome handbag! Sorry for digressing, Yes, I locked my self out with my car keys, mobile and my handbag in the car. I promise, I just don't know how the "all lock" button got pressed and I by mistake left the keys on my front seat to take some bags out of the back seat car. I got out of the car and closed the door and tried opening the back seat door and there, it just wouldn't. None, of them would. Thanks to the lady, Helen, at Kohls who lent her mobile so that I could frantically call Avi. Listening to my frantic voice, he cooled me down. He called AAA and asked me to stand outside Kohls. Waited for 15 mins to get my car opened. Got my bag. Raced home in the rain. Sat down for a cuppa tea on my recliner. Had warm tea with some yummy chocolate truffles. I needed the Lindt truffle to calm my nerves.

Have to be back on my diet and exercise after all the holiday treats!

Feeds one hungry soul.

Ingredients:
1 cup of warm pindi chole (should be thick, should not run water. A day old is ideal)
1 cup of cooked basmati rice with some saffron threads.
1/4 red onion sliced
Coriander leaves for garnishing
1 tsp ghee
1 tbl spn of cashews and raisins
Method:-
fry the cashews and rains in ghee
Deep fry the red onions
Spread the layers in a bowl.
Layer half of the rice. Spread a layer of pindi chole. Finish with a layer of rice again.
Garnish with the fried onions, cashews, raisins and fresh coriander.
Enjoy

Soul 'Full' Soup : A complete meal for a dieting soul

2011-12-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

"One only understands the things that one tames,"
said the fox.

~ The Little Prince.

One understands the things one tames- Whip your mind to learn and make it do what you want it to do. I have learnt that the only reason don't get something in life is because you haven't desired it enough and to desire something, you need to tame your demons. I have tamed some of my demons tonight. I have found time, peace and happiness within myself. I have realized that the more one delves into people to find happiness, the more he feels disappointed. In my own quite time tonight, I have learnt to be happy with myself yet again.I have learnt to keep my thoughts confined to myself again.

I have to be myself-giving it all I can to come to my healthy form and I want to do this being happy. No more frustration and no more tears. I have come out with a nice plan for my days to come. I have already started to work on being healthy and fit. I have to practice keeping my mind calm. I need so much encouragement to do that. I can't let go on my food. Many thanks to my mom- she is the anchor in my life, every time putting me before her. Making the right kind of food, pepping me to go to the gym and helping with the chores. This soup is a complete meal for the dieting soul. It is soulful and most importantly filling with nutrients. This recipe is dedicated my dear mommy. For the lovely time we had drinking this soup one afternoon with pearls of laughter on the side :)

Ingredients:-
1/3 cup of cabbage
1/3 cup of cauliflower
1/3 cup of corn
1/4 cup of celery
fist full of green beans
fist full of carrots
1/2 cup of cooked rice noodles
1 tsp of vinegar
2 pods of garlic
1/2 a tsp of low sodium soya sauce
2 cloves
2 green chillies
1 inch of cinnamon stick
few pieces of firm tofu
pepper and salt to taste

Method:-
In a pan cook all vegetables in 4 cups of water except for green beans.
Simmer and cook closed until the water boils down to 2 1/2 cups. Don't let the vegetables loose their color.
Strain and grind the vegetables thick with the green chillies.
In a pan add 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Fry the cinnamon and cloves.Add the green beans and chopped garlic pods. Saute well.
Add the vegetable broth (the strained water) and ground vegetables with the noodles and tofu. Cook in medium for 5 mins.
Add the vinegar, soya, pepper and salt to taste.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve Hot!

Peanut Chutney

2011-12-06T21:06:00.001-05:00

It has been a long time since I have said a Hi. Yes, my hands have been very busy and full :). Hope you guys have been enjoying the holiday season and the SALES!!!! With loads of toys and baby gears, Avi and myself sometimes start behaving like kids. Amogh has gotten out the child in us and we now realize how much we have missed being kids. Loads of changes have been noticed in Amogh. He makes an eye contact and smiles at looking at my face now. He is learning to touch and hold things now like his bottle, my hands, my clothes and my hair. hehe. I am enjoying every bit of it!!! Such big and bright eyes my boy has that he never ceases to fill me with joy. I can't wait to cook for him.

After 6 weeks of healthy pregnant diet that my mom made me have, I wanted to have some idlies and peanut chutney. This chutney is Shobha auntie's recipe whom I really really miss a lot.

Ingredients:-
1 cup of peanuts
2 big pods of garlic
3 dried red chillies
1 tsp of tamarind paste
1-2 tsp of jaggery powder
1 onion sliced
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of urad dal/black gram
1 sprig of curry leaves
4 tsp of oil
salt to taste
Water as needed

Method:-
Heat 2 tsp of oil and roast the peanuts, onion slices and red chillies. The onions should get translucent and red chillies shouldd darken.
Grind the above with some water, salt, jaggery tamarind and garlic pods to make a thick smooth paste.
For temper, Heat 2 tsp of oil and add mustard seeds and wait till they pop. Add the black gram and curry leaves. Fry for 30 secs- 1 min.
Add to the chutney.

A Special Introduction

2011-10-22T16:37:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we welcomed a new addition to our tiny family: Amogh. A tiny lil peanut that he is; is taking away all my time for now. That does not mean I will abandon you readers. Do have some patience. When ever I can, I will pop up with new stories, relishing recipes and gourmet travel. Thanks for all wishes and prayers for me through your lovely emails and comments.

Quince and Apple Sweet, Sour n Spicy Chutney

2011-10-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

Last week's trip to the farmer's market was quite a joy. I found my favorite cereal (a post on that will be coming soon); I found the fractal romanesco broccoli that I always wanted to try and I found my fav: Asian quince. After the chuk wangun , I have been on a hunt for these and finally got them. This recipe came out due to my craving to have something chatpata (Something edible that gives you a tingling sensation: usually something sweet and sour).

A natural fractal : Romanesco Broccoli

With the surprise breakout of sun this weekend, life has been comfortable and the want of summer sandwiches came again. This chutney is a mean accomplice to sandwich breads, paninis and each chapatis. Make them and refrigerate them for a week.

mom inspecting the veggies

This recipe is under copyright. Please link my name with site/page details when you reuse the recipe or any modified version of it.

Ingredients:-
2 medium sized asian quince grated
1 juicy red apple grated
2 tbl spns of olive oil
1.5 tsp of red chili powder (as desired)
2 tsp of sugar
1.5 tsp of tamarind paste
1 tsp of jeera/cumin seeds
salt to taste

Method:-
Keep the flame at medium (level 6 out of 10 levels)
Heat oil in a pan and add jeera. Wait for them to sizzle.
Add the grated fruits with the rest of the ingredients. Stir and blend well for about a min.
Lower the heat to low. Out of 10 levels I kept at 4. Keep the vessel closed for another 2 mins.
Remove and serve at room temperature.

Low Fat: Paneer Makai Gravy

2011-10-07T12:46:00.000-04:00

My friend, Niriha for a long time has been requesting me to add some yummies to a new category: Low Fat. With my pregnancy weight to be lost, this is the best time to start this category. I will try to add simple, yummy and nutritious dishes in this category when ever possible. Some of my dishes that I have posted earlier might be low fat, but this time I am making a conscious effort in making yummy food low fat. Who likes to have a low fat upma??? I certainly do not. I want healthy coveted dishes to be low fat.

Most paneer dishes are laden with cream, cashew nuts (high in cholesterol) and butter. Hence, for my first recipe, I had to make a paneer dish (Paneer: the most coveted ingredient by all Indians) lighter and healthier. I have been hunting for an inspiration for quite some time now and lo! I found it with Kanchana. She posted this awesome corn gravy dish called Makai Bhari Mirchi. I did leave out the heavy components like butter and cream. To make it a powerful vegetable packed side dish, I added some green peppers/capcisum as well. The capsicum added the crunch and some color to the dish.

Ingredients:-
3/4 cup of paneer (try tofu if you do not want to add paneer)
1/2 cup of diced capsicum
1 cup of corn kernels
2 green chillies
1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 tsp of coriander powder
2 tsp of red chilli powder
pinch of pepper powder (or more)
2 tsp of garam masala
pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp of jeera/cumin seeds
3 tsp of oil
1/4 cup of low fat milk (optional-could be avoided)
1 tsp of kasoori methi
Method:-
Add 1 tsp of oil and fry the onions and corn kernels for 10 mins in medium flame.
Grind the above with the green chillies and keep aside.
Heat the other 2 tsp of oil in the pan and add jeera. Wait for them to sizzle in hot oil.
Add the capcisum, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Fry well in medium heat by stirring every min. Do this for about 8 mins or until the capsicum is well cooked.
Add the turmeric powder and the gravy. Cook closed in low-medium for about 5 mins.
Add the paneer and milk. Cook for about a min in low heat. Add kasoori methi and mix well.
Serve hot.
Tada!

Avi and my parents absolutely loved it!
Do try this recipe and let me know how u like it or any other changes that can be made to make it taste better!

Amma's Pal Thirattipal (Milk Halwa)

2011-10-05T14:14:00.002-04:00

It has been quite a while I relished this sweet and requested my mom to make it for my favorite festival, Navarathiri. Being saraswati puja today, could there be a better occasion to learn it from my mom? (Rhetoric).

The past attempts of making this sweet turned into a series of disaster. First of all, I was apprehensive making it as the process seemed to be endless. Secondly, a coiled electric stove tends to burn the milk solids faster than the flame stove. I also tried using different cookers (Hawkins and prestige), but both tend to burn even if you keep the flame at medium initially. So vexed, I got a brand new slow cooker and tried making it slowly as someone had blogged about it being a successful method. Being the persistent ant I am, I decided to try yet once more. Inference you may ask? Well here it is: After 8 hrs, the darn milk got spoiled and smelled curdled early in the morning. Yuck! It was like waking up to a blocked or leaking drainage. So I proficiently packed the slow cooker and it is in hibernation inside my storage room. Hence, along with the milk, I burnt my wallet on the slow cooker and the pack of incense sticks I had light to up to put the smell away.

When my mom made this for my room-mates and friends while I was at Leeds, they all loved it! We were a diaspora of Indian roots in Leeds and regardless from which corner of India we came from, all of us loved this sweet. It is so simple in its composition and yet so tasty without any fuss. It is almost a paradox.

My mom's quick tips: Keep a wide base pan or cooker (the pan type) to make this dish. It has be a heavy bottom vessel as well. A wide base ensures it gets done faster as you increase the surface area of the milk and decrease the depth. The heavy bottom ensures you do not burn the settled milk solids at the bottom.

Do not add any saffron or cardamom to this dish as they over power the subtle flavors of the milk solids.

So here is a detailed description of the method:-

Ingredients:-
1/2 a gallon of whole milk
1/2 cup of sugar or more (as desired)
A wide base heavy pan
Method:-
1. Bring the milk to a boil in medium flame.
2. Reduce the heat at low (out of 10 levels, I keep at 4-5) and reduce the milk for about an hour until it reaches the below stage where in the color changes to a shade of beige. Stir every 1 min. Go on scraping the solids stuck on the sides as the milk goes on reducing so that they do not burn in due course of time.

3. Mix the sugar and stir it in well.
4. Once it reaches a semi solid structure, where there is hardly any milk but the mixture is still wet, turn off the gas. It will solidify more as time goes by or when you keep it in fridge.

5. Serve it hot or cold. I like it cold :)