Pearlsofeast

Bliss Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 04:32:00 +0000

I am not use to raw food yet... apart from fruits and nuts. I have always preferred toasted or warm food even though when it is comes to the salad. I normally would jazz the crunchy salad leaves with warm roasted veggies, grilled meat or warm beans.

I also prefer to toast nuts and usually throw the bag of unsalted raw nuts into a warm oven and toast them in a low temp until they are crunchy and toasted. One I find that they taste divine and totally irresistible.....secondly I feel they retain the freshness for a longer period of time.

Easy and Basic Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Jul 2016 07:50:00 +0000

Remember those Idyllic summer holidays back when we were kids? Those carefree afternoons and the endless evenings, the stories from grandma’s bag of surprise. Those frozen treats and best of all no homework or school to worry about. I sometimes wonder why I ever gave up being a child and traded those precious years to grow up to be the woman I am now.

Nargishi Kofta or Scotch eggs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:12:00 +0000

I grew up in the lovely eastern state of Orissa sun drenched and bordered by the mighty India Ocean. The abundance of rich soil and the industry of the farmers meant that fresh food was always plentiful and the variety of fruits and vegetables encouraged the local populace to experiment with different ways of cooking and with the introduction of spices from the southern states and the influx of the Moghuls from the North who bought their meat & saffron & sweetmeat resulted in a confluence of culinary delights that was simply pure soul food. I should remember to write up a post on the culinary journey of my humble home state in India.

Karachi Biscuits

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 06:45:00 +0000

Yesterday evening as I glanced out of my window I saw my gaunt little Japanese maple in the heights of its prime in the autumn, the riot of colours marrying sweetly with the warm green grass around swaying in the chill of the autumnal breeze. Just a few months back the same little tree sported its prime in youth and was like a full bodied wine with green leaves and barely could an empty branch be seen. Soon in a few weeks it will be just a brown little stalk inviting the wrath of my husband’s hedger blades all in the name of pruning it to shape, and as winter gives way to spring in a couple of months, little delicate leaves will spring forth from those brown stalks and they will bring with them the magic of rebirth and the mystery of the divine who ordains it thus that despite the different seasons and the abuse that my beautiful Japanese maple tree suffers it still smiles and brings and shares such immense joy. Simply standing there in the middle of my front yard, it gives me hope, joy, passion, bliss and happiness, the entire gamut of human emotions all distilled into me.

Rose and Almond syrup cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 03:59:00 +0000

Prawn cutlets with sweet potato wedges

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 04:18:00 +0000

Most of you my dear readers who are frequent visitors to my space in the digital world would be well aware of my passion for cooking food and blogging about it to share it with all food enthusiasts like myself for the pure joy & happiness that it gives me and what better way than to share the smiles than through a blog post?

Baking especially has been a deeply nourished passion that has been simmering within me since I was young enough to handle the oven and one that occasionally erupts bringing me to a sense of ecstasy when I bake something out of my favourite cookbook. I have a A5 journal that was gifted to me by my elder son Rohan for mother’s day and that little book has the choicest of my recipes written specially for the apple of my eye to experiment and try out in his kitchen when he is old enough to handle an oven independently. Blogging was that beautiful realisation of mine that gave me a podium, a pedestal from which I could express my love for food and share it with all you who nourish this passion like me. Food is not just for the body, it is pure unadulterated music for the soul. Something that not just nourishes the body but also elevates us to that higher plane where creativity flows unchecked like an impish little child. I always thought that the magic of words were enough to express my deepest desire and love for food.

Jazz it up with Apple dishes, this winter...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 May 2016 01:18:00 +0000

Winter is here and I am sure if you are from this part of world, you have already felt the chill in the wind. Last few days, it has been freezing cold especially waking up in the morning and taking the first bold step out of the comfy doona. My body clock is so used to getting up early in the morning that I start to feel restless staying up in the bed and not having enough courage to step out and gearing up for my daily walk. Honestly just getting the warm cuppa brewed and clasping the mug does great justice to the clattering teeth and my freezing Palm.

Yakhni (Stock) Pulao

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 May 2016 00:17:00 +0000

What happens when you stumble upon a beautiful recipe book with stunning photographs? Don't you start pinning your favourite recipes in your mental scrapbook and wondering whether the pantry has a stock of all the ingredients and perhaps that one special spice to add a twist to the recipe you have just seen to make it more personal, to improve upon the original and make it personal?

Gluten free Almond and Orange cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 May 2016 10:49:00 +0000

My dad always used to remind us growing up that the business of Life is “LIFE” not business. His words ring so true to me now, however in the humdrum of the daily urban rush, the burnt toast and the missing bus to work, I sometimes choose to ignore the reality of what life is really meant to be. With popular adages like “there’s so much to do and so little time” and the rush of everything from the myriad exponentially increasing pages of face book to the bottomless cups of coffee and the never stopping inflow of mails in the inbox, sometimes life becomes a hamsters wheel and I feel trapped in this plastic cage running for certain but just not knowing where I am running towards….

Chicken patties

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 May 2016 06:32:00 +0000

Who doesn't love to be spoiled?

I felt very special, spoiled and pampered last weekend on mother’s day. It wasn’t owing to any expensive gift or box of chocolates and flowers or stuff straight from the shelves of shops but the genuine & unconditional love that my little ones showed me and tried and put on their best of behavior for the a day to make it super special for me. It’s one of those days when the boys stopped squabbling, woke up early, did their stuff without being reminded or told repeatedly and actually came out and helped me with the breakfast and they even set the table up and cleared the plates afterwards. I sometimes wish Mother’s day would come more regularly….ha!I must be dreaming.

Whole mushrooms stuffed and baked

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 May 2016 21:32:00 +0000

This is my 100th post and I am so thrilled and excited leaving behind an electronic bread crumb trail of my gastronomic and photographic memoir that I hope will inspire someone out there, an unknown stranger perhaps who has accidentally stumbled upon my site while navigating the ropes of the digital highway or may be it is just destiny playing its magic or even better one of you my regular readers who remains my inspiration and sole reason to go clicking and capturing pictures of what appeals to my subconscious self.

Oreo cake for the Birthday Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Apr 2016 06:30:00 +0000

Dearest Rohan,

Happy Birthday!You turn 12 today and this is an exciting time for a young boy to become a young man and while you stand at this beautiful cusp of time and are making this amazing transition to entering into adulthood,we feel so blessed and privileged that the gods blessed us with a tiny little bundle of joy 12 years back.

When you arrived into our lives, the joy the beauty and magic that you bought with yourself was simply overwhelming. We have never known so much of happiness since you arrived into our lives with your toothless stare and your baby fat. As you started to crawl and explore the world on all fours you were like a little tiger cub and that’s when I started calling you “My little Tiger” and your name stuck. We have so many fond memories of you growing up and the best of your moments are etched in our hearts and now when we see you sprawled across your bed with that smile that only a divine and pure soul has when one is asleep, they come flooding back and we have never shield to kiss hug you and tuck you back in to continue with your dreams of the world you create within yourself.

Caramel Chocolate Anzac Slice

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 07:23:00 +0000

"Anzac Is not merely about cross. It is about courage, and endurance, and the duty, and love of the country, and mate-ship, and good humour, and survival of a sense of self- worth and decency in the face of dreadful odds"

- Sir William Deane

April 25 is peharps one of the most significant days on the Australian calendar, marking the anniversary of Australian soldiers arriving at Gallipoli in 1915. Anzac day is a national day not only of mourning, but of remembrance, gratitude, pride and hope. It is a time to remember those who sacrificed their lives to protect the freedom of generation to come, who died fighting for their right to call this great sunburnt land the lucky land.

Date cups filled with Khoya/Mawa

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 23:43:00 +0000

Every journey begins with a dream and every dream is a tiny seed that is implanted in our tiny boxes on top of our shoulders and likewise every trial and experiment in the kitchen involves a culinary journey through our hearts and minds and creates that gastronomical sense of WOW! That no other creative venture provides. I have found creating recipes in the kitchen a complete and wholesome experience of mind, body and soul and the pleasures from seeing the outcome is a surprise and such a wonderful surprise.

Marinated chicken thighs skewers on a charcoal flame

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 23:58:00 +0000

I often reminiscence the idyllic Sunday noons when I was a kid frolicking around with my cousins living the life of my dreams. Amongst the make belief stories of our plays and changing roles from being the fair maiden to fighting monsters and marrying off my dolls, Somewhere we would taper off being grumpy little kids getting into an argument and fight only because we would have burnt off our breakfast and hunger would set in from the wafting aroma of freshly baked flat bread (Roti's) from the Choolah (the Eastern version of the Tandoor) and the Dalma especially the burnt smell of chilli and onion that would be lavishly thrust into the cooked dahl. The boys would get their kick only when they smelt the wood charcoal fire licking the marinated chicken and mutton pieces skewered into cast iron rods.

Fast forward 30 years and 7,500 Km from home I couldn't let the extra long summer days in Sydney go without a coal barbecue. Trust me when I say this no fancy barbecue can match the scculuent taste and the aroma that charcoal brings to a barbecue. So like my grandma 30 years back, my husband sat kindling the fire for 45 minutes and that dear readers is the only time consuming part of this amazing recipe.

As my boys sat around breathing the aroma, I couldn't but resist snapping a picture and posting this up to share. Memories are all but the only treasures I will forever cherish.....Oh! how I miss those idyllic summer days that I see my boys now living their dreams.

Ingredients

----------------

1kg Chicken thigh fillets,trimmed and cut into 3 cm pieces

2 tbsp sour cream

1tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1tsp turmeric powder

1tsp chill powder or more depending on your spice level

1tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1tsp garam masala powder

finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp kasturi methi ( optional)

sea salt

metal skewers

oil for basting

Squeeze lemon juice and sea salt to the chicken and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain excess liquid and marinate the chicken with all the above ingredients for minimum 30 minutes.

Ignite the charcoal barbecue and thread the marinated chicken into metal skewers.Cook them, turning and basting occasionally, until cooked through.

Serve it with salad and warm flat bread.

Note- Use wooden skewers if metal ones are unavailable. Soak them in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning.

Chalkboard Fondant cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 01:51:00 +0000

"Hey Mom !!!! we are having a surprise party for our teacher's birthday and I want to surprise him with a cake" said Rohan. Okay let me see I said !!!! I had to do this and no way I could have wriggled out of this.

I have longed to make a Chalkboard cake and this was the perfect opportunity for me to try out. I really love the idea of being able to write on a cake like a blackboard and it is not as difficult as it sounds and best of all you also get a blank canvas to express your creativity through words and pictures. What can be better than a palette that allows you to express yourself and then you get to enjoy eating it too.

I covered the cake with ganache and black fondant and I used wilton's white- white icing with vanilla extract to thin it out. Using a fine paint brush navigate through your wildest imagination back to your school days & don't worry if you are not happy with the outcome on your chalkboard cake, you can easily wipe it out with the vanilla extract and start all over again. Just like a regular blackboard. How cool is that!!!!!

Rohan was very happy with the outcome........

I have taken few classes to learn the art of cake decorating and am still learning the ropes and trying out new ways to develop my passion. This was one of my dreams coming true and I throughly enjoy it whenever I get an opportunity.

I love making Roses and and flowers too. I followed a wonderful book to get an idea how to craft the roses step by step. It was a beautiful gift from my sis in law.

I am thankful to my friends who gave me an opportunity to unleash my passion and freedom to decorate & sculpt the cakes of my choice for their loved ones. Here are a few samples I have done to compliment my skills.

No bake ---- Chocolate tart with berries and passion fruit

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 05:17:00 +0000

Last weekend we had a family get together with our lovely friends for dinner. I wanted to make a dessert that keeps adults and kids happy. The question is .......what is most preferred dessert !!!! that is not too overly sweet and can be easily whipped up with minimal ingredients and above all that can be readily sourced from one's pantry.

Tons of recipes do flash by mind and majority take a back seat because it is often time-consuming and my weekend morning's are frantically crazy with trips to supermarket and kids activities.I generally have to keep that in mind before jumping into the kitchen even though some of the recipes do kick my adrenalin rush.

While waiting for the kids activities to finish, I had a quick flick through the Nestle baking recipes booklet. It is an amazing book and multitude of recipes left me undecided to choose between lemon tart and chocolate pie. I wanted to make something chocolatey and easy. I made up my mind with the chocolate tart and just swapped the base of the lemon tart. The original recipe involved baking the tart but I used crushed chocolate chip cookies and butter to make the base. I mixed and matched the recipes in my mind to suit my time and taste. I used blueberries, raspberries, and passion fruit as a filling. The toppings were dark chocolate melt with butter and thickened cream. Interestingly the recipe required only refrigeration, no meddling with oven. The final outcome was very welcoming !!!

The dessert turned out to be hit and appreciated by the kids and adults. My kids requested it to make it again because they couldn't t feast on mega portion sizes as they would normally do.

So here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

-----------------

For Biscuit base

----------------------

200 g Choco chip cookies crushed

80 g Butter

Filling

-----------------------

1 punnet Raspberry

1 punnet Blueberry

2 passion fruit pulp

1 lime or lemon zest

1tbsp rashberries jam

Topping

------------

250g Nestle dark chocolate melt

1/3 cup thickened cream

20g butter

White chocolate swirls -- optional

----------------------------------------

1tbsp thickened cream

40g white chocolate melt

In a medium bowl combine the cookies and butter, press the mixture into a greased pie / flan tin
( 20cm ) with a removable base. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Combine the fruits in a bowl, using fingertips gently mash the berries and pulp. Add the Zest.

Combine the Nestle Melts, Cream, and butter in a double boil and stir it until melted.

Remove the pie from the fridge and spread the raspberry jam over it. Spread the combined fruit evenly.

Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the fruits. Melt the white chocolate and thickened cream in a microwave in short intervals. Make a swirl using a spoon and toothpick.

Refrigerate the tart for 2-3 hours or until the chocolate is set.

Voila, it is ready to slice it and enjoy !!!!

Channa Dal ( Buta Dali ) and Pumpkin (khakaru)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 06:05:00 +0000

A guest post from by dear Hubby .....

Odisha is not short of overwhelming all your sense.The smorgasbord of sounds, sights, smells and not to mention the heat, humidity and the incessant honking. It is not for a weak of heart.

Odisha, remains an enigma even for those who have lived and spent their entire lives in the same eastern state lovingly adorned by the mighty Indian Ocean. A paradox beyond description and comprehension and I dare say leave one very poor of experience and virtues for who has not had the privilege to visit and simply savour the insanity that calms even the most raging of swollen rivers.

A home in equal to the wealthiest of people while the poorest of the poor coexist in muted happiness and silence, Coconut and palm tree fringed shores that carefully hide the majestic some even impenetrable jungles. A city that boasts over 1000 temples some even dating back to before the Christ graced us with his benevolence to being nominated as the smartest city in all of the sub continents. This amazing paradox is my home.

Here you will come across people who would humbly fold their palms and with great reverence wish you with a “Namaskar”. I bow to the god in thee”, You will be fortunate to meet & know the 32 million deities who look after you some of them having over 1000 names each by which they are addressed & you will find in the same womb of compassion the selfless love of labour and humility.

In our recent sojourn across the beautiful plains of Odisha travelling as we once used to do as kids on the train, I reminisced with fond memories of times past. It was these iron carriages that would shuttle us to the patiently waiting arms of my grandmother who unconditionally loved us simply for being ourselves. The fondest of memories I have of hers are the delicious sweetmeats that she would have pre-prepared as a welcome surprise and the very quirky fried pumpkin seeds with potatoes that were specially reserved only for the apple of her eye, her daughter’s elder son me.

Time and space have somehow failed to mar this amazing tradition that somehow continues generation after generation, Now my kids travel from an even more distant land and I wonder if they are collecting some precious memories in the tin boxes in their heads when they are received by their grandparents who come to airport armed with sweetmeats and savoury snacks & tetra pack juices.

Orissa has always with great humility and to a certain level of my own personal displeasure never claimed ownership of having invented the myriad dishes that are now popularly claimed to be hailing from neighbouring states. Somehow the Odiya’s have been taught that humility and silence are a better judge of the moral character of the once fierce warrior clans of Erstwhile Kalinga.

Why the very bedrock of Buddhist philosophy sprang to life on this very land when a million innocent lives lay down on the swords of Emperor Ashok who wanted to conquer this land that lived fiercely independent and had the audacity to challenge the emperor of the subcontinent. Here in this land where even death is a celebration, what would you expect from just another regular living day?

I do hope you find what you stories amongst the billions of loosely strewn shells along the sands of the majestic Konark shores I hope you find your dreams etched into the stone sculptures of the sun temple or a million other shrines some that date back to the early civilizations.I hope you find the peace in your hearts in the noisy bazaar of the many cities and I hope you find your adrenalin rush as you walk through the whisper quite forests around the Chilika lake.

As you journey through the plains I dare you to shed every doubt, fear and shame you have carried so far and in return feel the abundance of love and respect for simply being a child of God’s creation. You have every right to be here just like the stones, the air and the stars before you

Just be a silent spectator, observe everything, opine very little or none if you can. Let her charm you, the magic, the sheer madness that is Orissa overwhelm you, and not to forget I hope you can try the gastronomic delights of this eastern pearl of the great subcontinent where the largest kitchen of the world feeds the very almighty Lord Jagannath (lord of the world) every single day.

I hope you have a great holiday here….! & never forget we are after all just gypsies, travelling through time and space.

This has been one of the most sought after recipe on my blog and I have just updated it by making it more presentable. Here is the link to the recipe.

Chenna Jhili

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 23:45:00 +0000

Oh, finally I am back after a long time with a new post. I have no idea what was the reason for procrastinating this post. Frankly speaking, whatever the reason, it may have been I am happy to be here with all of you.

Blogging is such a pleasure because it gives me an opportunity to try out new recipes and make a couple of changes to the original recipes. It helps me to connect with my creative side and I am surprised how did I manage to stay away from it for such a long time. I needed a bigger hammer to crack open my self-created hard shell and a big jolt to organise my props, camera and accessories. I had always had it on my new years resolutions for past few years and I am glad I finally managed to tick it off. The last couple of years, I have been a very good girl in scoring majority my new year's resolution.

This is a lovely dessert from Odhisa and I have fond memories of gulping it down warm and fresh from the sweet shop. This is a speciality from the coastal districts of the state and marks its origin from a place called Nimapada. The town centre is lined up with shops specialising with this particular dessert. It is very simple and basically a different version of Gulab jamun. As most of Odiya desserts are milk based and milk is curdled to make chenna that is widely used. Fresh chenna is used in this recipe and I wouldn't recommend using store bought paneer as a substitute.

Chenna Jhili

Ingredients

250 grams Chenna ( curdled from using 1 litre of Milk and 1 tbsp vinegar)

2 cups of caster sugar

2 cups of water

1 tsp plain flour

1 tsp semolina
Cardamons crushed

oil for deep frying

Directions

Take the fresh Chenna and add plain flour and semolina to it. Knead it very well to get a smooth texture on a flat surface. This is an important step and this process will take at least 15 to 20 mins. Use your palm to knead it.

Boil water and sugar for approx 10 minutes to make the syrup and add crushed cardamoms to it.

Roll the chenna into walnut shaped ball and slowly make the roll into a log shape and give it a heart shape by overlapping the edges and sealing it. If at this stage it breaks or cracks, then I would recommend you to knead more.

Heat the oil and deep fry them on a medium fire to get a beautiful dark rich colour. Remove it once done and straightway add it to the hot syrup. Soak it for a couple of hours and relish it.

About me

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 02:46:00 +0000

Life begins at 40! This is a mantra that I have embraced for myself. The roller coaster ride of life so far has been fun and, fortunately, a blessed one and I believe that the rides towards the setting sun will be filled with even more fun, & challenges and even more satisfying and enriching.

My blog Any one can cook was born in 2006 in a cold, hazy, wintery night in Beijing. Soon after I moved from beautiful Sydney in the southern hemisphere, my restricted physical movement because of the harsh weather stormed my brain and led me to a completely new world food blogging.

Blogging in China was strictly under scrutiny but I slipped and crawled to scribble few posts carefully weighing words without having the social cops knocking on my front door. My flow of posts came to a stop soon after I stepped into motherhood with my second one. The Space I once adored and cherished seemed distasteful and became a distant priority. So my frequent visits came to a no through road.

The blog that I had started had an initial plan to centre around many untold recipes from my native place Odisha, India. But slowly my passion for baking scattered and filled the empty spaces. I had a deep down love for baking and it all started from a no fame vanilla sponge cake that my mum often gladly whisked around without any expectations in my early teens. Her promise to gift an OTG after my HSC was a foundation to an unknown trail that built a passion for getting into professional cake decorating sphere. I have a few creations to compliment my skills and take pleasure in messing my kitchen space with flour, fondant, cutters and tins.

I grew up in Odhisa, India, but Sydney has been my home now for many years. No matter how far and wide I have travelled I still find a pleasure in this Koala and Kangaroo land. Having also lived in many Asian countries I have loved and cherished human interaction and their cultures. I fell in love with Ikebana while living in Tokyo and travelling to islands on days when our life was too hectic in busy Manila. I have loved my bargain hunting days in shopping streets of China and meandering around the labyrinth streets of Hong kong.

A professional in development sector I constantly juggle my daily routine with my two adorable boys and caring husband. I credit my eldest boy and my husband for my never ending hunt for new recipes and baking ideas. Their constant and honest feedbacks have always provided me with a room for improvement.I am thankful to my supporters and visitors that stop by my space and their complements and comments have always provided me with a source for betterment. I am thankful to my Odiya friends for adoring my Chenna Poda recipe and making it the most sought after recipes in the blog.

I hope I will keep my promise and my plan to share more Odiya cuisine. Your feedbacks and comments are important to me. So come and join my trail !!!! You can find the latest updates in Facebook and Instagram.

Love

Shibani
Shivsm@yahoo.com

facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

Lamingtons

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 01:26:00 +0000

The last few weeks I have been hearing my son murmuring a new song and I was wondering what he was up to these days. Since the words he was uttering were not very clear and so I repeatedly begged him to sing as it was a really nice tune. Later I came to know that it was one of the may Christmas carols they have practicing for his Christmas day event at school. I was glad to know about his costume too and we all parents are eagerly looking forward to this event.

The end of the year is always a busy time and at Rohan’s school they have been busy preparing for the Christmas event and constantly buzzing stay at home mom to volunteer for decorating the auditorium and dazzle it with Christmas lighting. I too was part of this group and it was great to know the details of the show. Parents have been asked to share some goodies at the end of the show and I thought of making these lamingtons.

Chocolate tart – believe me it is delicious!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:04:00 +0000

With holidays at the next bend the count down has already begun to the best time of the year. I can see many families are gearing up for the break and busy scheduling their holiday plans. I was also thinking of going to India during the vacations but since my hubby is tied up with work so we thought postponing it to January. I have always seen my son getting excited about our India trip as lot of things are always on card when the visit is only for a short period.

Since most of the Indian families residing here are taking a break, I thought of having a get together at my place last week. It was due since a long time. It was a girl’s only day out in the afternoon when most of kids are at school. My son was not happy with the idea as he insisted that kids should be an integral part of any party. “Yeah! May be next time” that was my blatant reply!

Coming to the menu I always have a special corner for the desserts and for me it is the final crowning glory. The special dish to be relished in spite of no place left in the tummy. I had made this chocolate tart and even though I had managed to click few pictures of the tart before the party begun, later by mistake I deleted the pictures from my disk. On browsing franticly I was lucky enough to find a picture of a slice.

The recipe is adapted from

http://frenchfood.about.com/od/desserts/r/choctart.htm

No changes made to the original recipe.

Variation - After popping the tart into the oven, I realized that adding orange zest would have been a good idea. The tart varies according to type of chocolates used. I had use semi sweet dark chocolates so it was little bit on the bitter side.

Dalma ( lentils with vegetables ) - An Oriya delight

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:57:00 +0000

The mere mention of dalma will take you down memory lane to a place nestled in the eastern part of India known as Orissa, a coastal state by the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the most comfort and staple food of Oriya people. Whatever the occasion, dalma adorns the menu and I remember once when I slurped this scrumptious close cousin if dal at Govinda’s restaraunt in Sydney, betting my hubby that it is non other than our coveted dalma. We chatted with the Pujari (cook) and he said that it was indeed from Orissa and was offered as Prasad to Lord Sri Krishna at the ISKON temple.

It is absolutely a simple and fuss free recipe. The more the variety of vegetables, the better the taste is enhanced. I always love to have it in Orissa because we often get those vegetables that sometimes are hard to find here in the supermarket. Vegetables like raw banana and raw papaya are used .Since I don’t find them I often cook with regular vegetables that are mostly available in all the season. The important part of seasoning is using roasted cumin and dry chili powder. The recipe can be found here.

Here is list of ingredients for Dalma

¾ cup Tovar dal (lentils)
1 cup pumpkin cut into big chunks
1 medium sized potato cut into big pieces
1 cup eggplant cut into big chunks
1 large tomato diced
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 teaspoon ginger grated
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Pinch of Hing (Asofotieda)
2 dried red chilies
1 teaspoon pancha putona
1 teaspoon ghee
Salt to taste
Roasted cumin and red chili powder for seasoning

Method.

Soak dal for 30 minutes. Drain and mix all the vegetable adding bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of ginger. Add 2 cups of water and cook in a pressure cooker on a medium fire. Allow couple of whistles and switch of the gas. Don’t over boil the lentils. If the dal has dried up, add more water but the consistency should be thick.

In a pan heat the ghee, add hing, dry red chilies, pancha putona and 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger. When they start to crackle, add the cooked lentils and simmer it for couple of minutes.

Season it with roasted cumin and red chili powder and chopped coriander.

Serve hot with rice.

The other accompaniments that goes well are

Tomato and khajuri ( dates) khatta

Dahi baigana

It has been a week now to the deadly terrorist attacks on Mumbai the financial capital of India and much of the world has condemned these ghastly and gory attacks on innocent people in Mumbai. It is unfathomable why some people commit such heinous crimes and malign religion which has nothing to do with these acts of inhumanity.

My heart is bleeding with the pathetic sight of Mumbai. The charm and glow of the Taj Hotel has vanished leaving so many people devasted and mourning. But what is so inspiring is the state of solidarity, faith and strength among the common affected people who are determined not to bow down before the threats of terrorism, they have become rock solid hard and are going about their business as usual. These acts are simply criminal, ghastly and unpardonable. Although among the perished, I have not known anyone personally but I grief & cry for the perished ones and my soul reckons to be with them to console them in their tragedy. To those of you who have lost your dear ones I pray to god that he gives you the strength and the patience to bear this irreplaceable loss and I pray for peace for everyone and all. I hope and pray that people learn to just be human beings and if nothing else at least have some respect for another human life. Let us all pray that when god has gifted us an advanced brain let us not act as animals and even animals do not attack unless provoked or are insanely hungry. Why can’t we human beings if we cannot be as human beings, be at least like the animals and not kill another being. I have lit a candle in the memory of the departed and I pray and hope that peace will prevail.

Festive cookies and let the sweetness flow in you

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:12:00 +0000

Food is always part of festivals. Or let’s put it that way food goes hand in hand with festivals. With December fast approaching the moods are often elevated with the holiday shopping and the mistletoe and the Christmas wreaths and the warm glow of fluorescent bulbs in the shopping centers even though the weather outside is harsh and crisp. Perhaps the contrast is what is most alluring. The rhymes of jingle bells on snow frosted streets and the noble Santa preparing for the kids, the whole atmosphere is almost magical. Shopping and booking tickets for holidays takes top priority. Almost all of us are set in a mood for partying. Window shopping is great as the shops are dressed up at their best. Xmas tree are beautifully jeweled up with latest glitters and hangings. Kids are eagerly waiting for holidays to come and some promising vacations are awaiting. It is always exciting as the New Year approaches with plenty of get together on cards.

I have spent few Christmas seasons in Sydney soaking up in the bright summer sunshine. Being nestled in the southern hemisphere it is extremely warm to hot and an ideal time for picnics in the park with the Barbie roaring and the boys with their stubbies discussing footy. There are so much of outdoor activities with every possible inch filled up at the beaches and the parks. The parks are completely filled up unless you decide to go early and reserve a spot for yourself and your friends. That happens most of the time when few families decide to meet up and couple of them are requested to reach early to spot a nice place early with their esky’s overflowing. It is completely different scene when compared to rest of world during the month of December.

Flipping through a few pictures of the bygone days I happened to recollect that I had baked gingerbread cookies for a get together and as usual they were always a hit with the kids. Seeing those pictures Rohan was excited and wanted me to bake some more of those now. Luckily I had scribbled that recipe and it is indeed a pleasure to know that Susan of Foodblogga is hosting a theme Eat Christmas cookies-2 so I was all set and keen to roll them up.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons of honey
60 grams butter
250 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
60 grams brown sugar
30 grams cocoa powder
2 teaspoon dry ginger powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 egg yolk

Method

Put honey, sugar and butter in pan and simmer till the butter is melted. Keep stirring fast and take off from the heat occasionally. Sieve the flour, baking powder, ginger and mixed spice. Pour the above the mix and using the egg yolk roll a smooth dough. Refrigerate for 10 minutes and roll them on a flat sheet depending on the thickness you would require. Using a cookie cutter cut the desired shapes.
Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes at 180’C.

For the lighter and egg less ones I have used the following ingredients with the similar method adapted from 101 one things to make and do

Ingredients (egg less)

2 tablespoon butter
½ cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoon honey
1 cup plain flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
½ tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ginger powder
Pinch of salt

The fun part was playing with sugar. Although it was bit of mess but I thoroughly enjoyed decorating these cookies.

I used 3 tablespoons of icing sugar with few drops of milk, and a drop of lemon juice. Blend them properly adding colour of choice. Spoon them in the piping bags and snip the tip off checking the thickness you would desire. Carefully layout the cookies and it is just a gradual practice. Keep some toothpicks and paper towel handy to wipe up if something doesn’t work up as well as you planned on it to be.

Let the one color completely dry up before using other colors. Decorate it with Smarties.
My husband is insistent on marketing his company’s products even if we can’t find any. I have used M&M’s though much to his distaste.

I hope & pray the festive season brings cheers and good tidings to everyone and I hope we can all collectively forget the erratic slides of the DJIA index and pray for everyone’s happiness and peace.

Shahi vegetable pulao

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:24:00 +0000

Last weekend we were busy as there were couple of things lined up at home and I had no intention of having lunch outside with the last few indulgences. So I decided to have something healthy and filling, Nutritious yet delicious and what best but a medley of all veggies chopped & thrown into the pot for a quick lunch that could be satisfying and filling too. I cooked a pulao shared to me by my mother in-law with a tiny variation from the regular recipe of using coconut and poppy seed paste. I like the rich taste imparted by the paste though.

One who is acquainted with this space of mine would immediately recognize that I use poppy seeds (khus khus) quite often and this is specialty of eastern Indian cuisine. Poppy seeds are mild but have a rich and nutty texture when added to gravies.

Pulao are always handy when it comes to having a quick brunch. It can be made with left over rice and some frozen veggies thrown in adjusting spices and condiments to suit one’s taste. It was part of my regular cooking when I was working and had no time to whip up an elaborate meal.

Coming to my recipe all you need is

1 cup Basmati rice uncooked
2 cups vegetable chopped (cauliflower, carrots, beans, peas)
1 small onion chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
whole Garam masalas ( 2 cardamom, 3 cloves, and 1inch cinnamon)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder

For the paste

2 teaspoon poppy seeds
3 to 4 teaspoon fresh coconut
2 fresh green chilies
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped
2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves chopped

1 tablespoon ghee/oil
Salt to taste

Cook rice and it should not be sticky. Make a paste of the ingredients and keep it aside. In a pan heat ghee, add whole garam masalas, bay leaf. Sauté chopped onions till translucent. Add ginger and garlic paste. Add and sauté the chopped vegetables. Cover and cook till partially done. Add the paste, cumin and coriander powder. Cook on a medium fire till the vegetables are done. Sprinkle water if the paste sticks to the pan. Add salt to taste.

Finally add cooked rice and mix well. Cover and simmer on low fire for 5 minutes. Serve hot with papad and pickle.

Kitchen notes - When grinding poppy seeds, dry (not roasted) grind them first and then add rest of the ingredients and little water to make a paste.

More recipes with poppy seeds

Prawns curry

Spicy chicken korma

Sending this recipe to Rice mela hosted by Srivalli of http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com