My Kitchen and Beyond

Following the Appam trail

2015-04-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

What do you do, when you a. Want to vacation during the Christmas/New year time b. Are on a limited budget c. Hate long flights d. Love seafood You go to Kerala. My very own Kerala postcard picture Our decision was also largely influenced by a kick ass ticket deal on Air Asia which took care of points b and c from above. Our trip was about 9 days long with

Tamate ka katt (Tomato extract)

2014-12-01T06:19:00.006-05:00

This one is for the bookmarks, the little sheets of paper that you pull out to cook from, the recipe lists that you scribble for inspiration or an online link that you save and forward to yourself. This viscous red concoction that fires up the taste buds with its simple but incredible taste. Growing up, I loved eating the tangy tamate ka katt, a staple in Hyderabad with boiled

Roasted Beetroot and Haloumi Salad – A warm salad for chilly days

2014-11-14T06:27:00.001-05:00

The chill is beginning to set in Bangalore and as days get cooler, I find myself hating any task that involves leaving the comforts of a blanket. The problem is that, in Bangalore, indoors become pretty chilly while the outdoors stay bearable and yet its not cold enough for any form of heating (atleast not for the husband). So, my clothes get more mismatched than those of a scarecrow,

A very short 'Food Trip'

2014-10-25T00:05:00.001-04:00

Hear of an eatery named Food Trip and you think of a global menu, a vibrant décor and at least something that you've never seen or tasted before. So with moderate expectations of a ’cool’ new joint in Koramangala , the husband and I stepped into food trip (where the semi decent Leb Mex was previously located). I glanced at the interiors and kind of

The 100 foot journey

2014-10-10T07:13:00.002-04:00

I feel like mouthing an aging bollywood actress, "comeback? What comeback? I ‘ve been here all along." But the facts are clear, the ‘latest post’ is dated April 2013, and an embarrassingly poor frequency of posts, this is definitely a hiatus. The apologies Dear Blog, You've been in my thoughts for months and probably years, thought of you when I

Cheesecake done light

2013-04-13T14:19:00.000-04:00

Cheesecake used to be my fave dessert during the times that I was not a dessert fan at all ( a separate post perhaps on that). I love fruits and I love cheese so a strawberry cheesecake eaten for the first time, where else but in New York was heavenly. The super creamy texture of the cake along with the tartness of the berry topping is some thing to die for. This was the first time I was

Product review - Bliss gourmet bread

2013-01-28T02:25:00.000-05:00

I love sandwiches and my husband even more. My lunchweek has atleast one sandwich day much to the surprise of some of my colleagues who think that sandwiches can only be snacks and not a meal. My ideal sandwich would be one with fresh veggies and cold cut meat on a hearty submarine bread with a hint of cheese But finding a good sandwich bread/ submarine/ baguette in india is pretty hard so I

Linguini in pesto with srimp

2012-12-22T02:08:00.000-05:00

There is something about Italian cuisine that makes seemingly simple dishes taste better than an elaborate dish that would have taken hours to put together. The simple and fresh ingredients blended with amazing herbs and the best cheeses to give a flavor that's hard to not like. I've seen the purists of spicy food lap up Italian fare like second nature. While in Milan I saw that Italians are

Hotel style coconut chutney

2012-10-13T23:49:00.000-04:00

Bangalore's very own version of fast food are it’s multiple darshini hotels that are located with as much frequency as probably ATM machines. Usually suffixed with a sagar these eateries have patrons thronging the place all 7 days be it a quick breakfast before work or a filling lunch. We love hopping down for a weekend brunch and walloping down idlys, dosas or upma, sometimes we are hungry

Khagina- hyderabadi style scrambled eggs

2012-09-07T03:47:00.001-04:00

Just like making dal every region in India (and Pakistan) has a unique way of making scrambled eggs. The goan akhuri or the north Indian bhurji are but minor variants of breaking a few eggs into a fried medley of onions and your favorite spices. And thus, there is also a hyderabadi style of scrambling eggs. The focus here is to fry onions and ginger garlic ad done for a salan or curry and

Roasted bell pepper and carrot soup

2012-08-28T07:46:00.000-04:00

I've never liked the rainy season. As a kid, July was always the month when school would be in full swing after the initial excitement of a new class and the fresh smell of new textbooks would have faded. The roads would be muddy and the scooters and autorickshaws would splash the muddy waters around. Noses would stuff up and vicks would be your best friend. There were some upsides to the

Chocolate chip cookies

2012-08-10T07:39:00.002-04:00

My mother in law loves cookies, so this mother's day I decided to surprise her with this simple recipe. These cookies are chewy and highly addictive, we finished up the whole batch over tea! Ingredients 2 ½ cups plus all-purpose flour/maida½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt12 tablesppoons unsalted butter, melted1 cup brown sugar½ cup granulated sugar1 large egg1 egg yolk2 tsp vanilla essence1 ½ cups

Kathi rolls

2012-08-03T04:26:00.000-04:00

Ramadan Kareem. The holy month is here, a time for prayer, reflection and togetherness. As much feasting as fasting. Every Ramadan I struggle not just with waking up early for seheri but also with trying to come up with non fried decent tasting iftar snacks. Over the years the husband and I have become increasingly averse to the idea of deep frying anything, though we enjoy the occasional samosa

Tomato egg drop soup

2012-05-23T06:29:00.001-04:00

I have this cookbook by Sanjeev Kapoor called "Khazana of healthy tasty recipes", that has a whole range of low cal healthy indian and 'fusion' dishes, from salads to desserts, in true Kapoor style. Each recipe is followed by a small nutritional nugget which is guess is a must for such a book. But on a closer look I see that they mention some thing like 225 calories for a Mexican corn pie or

Beetroot Cutlets

2012-05-12T05:31:00.002-04:00

I had no clue about the existence of beet root cutlets till I was in my grad school. Growing up in Hyderabad I don't think I ever came across or ate these red round snacks. Here in Bangalore, beetroots are abundantly available and I routinely include them in my everyday cooking. One afternoon I thought of the cutlets I had eaten years ago and decided to recreate the same. I scouted for a good

Lamb Kofta Curry

2012-02-19T03:52:00.002-05:00

Minced meat or kheema is a favorite amongst most meat eaters. There are numerous ways of cooking this chewy shred of meat but kofta, shaami or the hyderabadi shikampur remain popular. I had tasted meatballs (kofta both in the dry and the gravy form) but always considered the gravy version difficult to cook. I would fear that the balls would break resulting in a mushy inedible paste. The book "

Whole spices and tomato chicken

2011-11-27T02:03:00.001-05:00

Who does not love a chicken curry? who does not love a chicken curry that is easy to cook and tastes heavenly. This curry recipe uses whole spices , cinnamon , cardamon and caraway seeds to give this lingering yet not overpowering aroma to the dish. Apt for everyday lunch or an elaborate dinner. 1 kg chicken 6 tblspoon oil 3 medium onions sliced Whole spices 4 cloves 4 green cardamom 3, 1/2

Pad Thai, from an Indian kitchen

2011-10-25T05:04:00.000-04:00

Pad thai, is one of those dishes that are universally liked, many times re-ordered, always saved as leftovers and ordered by the non red/green/yellow curry eating person at a thai restaurant. I was first introduced to thai cuisine in the US, where I found myself switching from the eaten - since - childhood - indo -chinese - food to the lemon grass and basil leaves spiced thai cuisine

Ande ki kadi (tangy egg curry)

2011-08-27T08:30:00.001-04:00

I love eggs. If my husband and I ever happen to take part in one of those game shows where you are asked questions about your spouse like his/her favorite color, dream vacation, celebrity crush, favorite food, I think he has it easy on the food question (not sure about the rest though!). As a kid, I remember I was forced to eat eggs in a attempt to make me gain weight and grow tall. Though I

Comfort Food - Khichdi

2011-07-12T22:36:00.001-04:00

There are some foods that you always associate with being simple and home cooked. The humble khichdi may not make it to the menu of a gourmet restaurant (yet!), does remain fairly popular across different Indian cuisines. Most versions involve cooking rice to a soggy consistency, but this one, the hyderabadi style retains the grains intact and can be eaten on any day regardless of the

El Tablao - When spain said hello to Bangalore

2011-06-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

At first there was a vinyl flyer announcing 'opening shortly - el tablao' and in a few months stood many more announcements of operation; I would glance at it everyday on my way to work conjuring up images of delectable spanish delicacies served my way. A few weeks later when husband and I found ourselves contemplating choices for a quiet sunday night dinner - el tablao it was. As I entered

Restaurant review - Elements Eatery

2011-05-27T12:06:00.004-04:00

Mosque road in Frazer town is a foodie's delight. If you are a serious non vegetarian this street will not disappoint you. Kabab places, biryani joints, a customary Empire restaurant, small chai and samosa shops, a great shawarma place (a separate post on that in the future) and some set ups serving authentic 'muslim dishes' such as paya and kheeme ki roti. In the midst of the busy road and

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2011-05-14T04:06:00.003-04:00

I came across this amazing blog, full of great low cal recipes. I had some stewed strawberries and some grape extract which got me craving for some pancakes. Gina had the perfect answer in the form of this recipe. Here goes the recipe after a few modifications by me Ingedients 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup slim milk 4 regular egg whites 2 tsp olive oil 1

Prawn Biryani

2011-04-03T12:52:00.005-04:00

I decided to give my husband a surprise a few days back by cooking one of his favorite dishes. Wanting to make something authentic, something reminiscent of the taste he grew up with I decided to go with – Prawn biryani. I had recently laid my hands on a traditional cutchi memon cook book by Hajira Mohammad and was waiting to try one of the recipes from there. I made a few modifications to