Cooking Learning 04

A delicious milk based drink enjoyed during Holi; Thandai is a chilled drink full of flavor from nuts, seeds and Indian spices! February has come to an end and March is almost here. I look forward to March for two reasons; the lovely colors of spring and Holi. While it still feels like deep into Winter right now, I am glad Holi is around the corner! The festival of Colors, Holi is celebrated across India in different ways. Some with colors, some perform pujas; but everybody enjoys Thandai. This spiced milk preparation is famous across the country.  Made from a special masala called Thandai masala, this milk is served chilled; sometimes even spiked with a substance called bhaang. The masala is a mixture of seeds, spices and nuts; mainly almonds, pistachios, melon seeds, fennel seeds and poppy seeds. Sometimes served topped with saffron or rose petals, this one is super yummy! While Thandai is more famous in Holi, it is also enjoyed in Mahashivratri. I still remember visiting th...

Blogging Marathon #73 Week 4 Day 3 Theme: Ingredients through Mail Dish: Pina Colada Smoothie Bowl A sunshine smoothie bowl inspired by the famous Pina Colada, this is Vegan and needs just a couple of ingredients. What do you like to top your bowl with?  Smoothie bowl, the trend that has been all over the food world for a while! The idea of eating your smoothie has taken centre stage for a while and now everybody is innovating new combinations and flavors.  For the longest time I have not been a fan of smoothies. Back in India there were a few places that stirred up some of them, but they never caught my fancy. I mover to the US and tried some here. Not that they were not good, but I never developed a liking for them. Then came these bowls, colorful smoothies in fancy bowls; topped with fruits, seeds and nuts!  These bowls are so pretty, it is hard to say no to them. Having tried a few at breakfast places, I finally decided to take a plunge and explore this colorful world...

Blogging Marathon #73 Week 4 Day 2 Theme: Ingredients through Mail Dish: Chocolate Walnut Brownie Decadent brownies; a perfect combination of chocolate and walnuts. These brownies are so good, it is difficult to stop at one! Brownies, I think the name itself is enough to get me thinking of a ton of delicious desserts! Compared to chocolate cakes, I prefer chocolate walnut brownies. Precisely the reason why I avoid making them; because I binge on them whenever I make them!  For this week's Marathon I decided to make them and put them up on the blog. As my theme this week is Ingredients by Mail, and Srividhya gave me walnuts as my second ingredient, I made these decadent brownies.  At first I thought I would make a Greek dip using peppers and walnuts. But whenever I looked at the walnuts on my kitchen counter, I kept thinking of brownies. So finally they are up! Chocolate and walnuts in a batter, baked to perfection and served alongside some ice cream defines the best...

Blogging Marathon #73 Week 4 Day 1 Theme:  Ingredients through Mail Dish: Foxtail Millet Upma | Thinai Arisi Upma South Indian style upma made from Foxtail millet, vegetables and spices. This amazing one pot breakfast is perfect for busy mornings! Foxtail millet, an annual grain from consumed in India is an interesting millet. This millet is high in carbohydrates, which serves as an excellent source of energy from carbs. It is a food rich in dietary fiber and minerals such as copper and iron. Pretty similar to quinoa, this grain is a more affordable one. Little did I know all this till this theme for the Blogging Marathon came up, Ingredients by Mail. I was paired with Srividhya, who has a wonderful blog Vidhya's Vegetarian Kitchen . Instead of mailing the ingredients, we decided to meet up and exchange the ingredients. It was such a wonderful evening, gobbling down cakes and discussing blogging, food and other things.  Along with all the fun, we exchanged our ingredient...

Blogging Marathon #73 Week 3 Day 3 Theme: Flavors of India Dish: Tuver na Thotha ane Dhokli One pot dish from Gujarat, this  Tuver na Thotha ane Dhokli is perfect for roti and rice. A long lost recipe that is rustic and has a perfect blend of flavors! Tuver or fresh pigeon peas, those green pearls that are signature to the winters. I simply LOVE them in everything from kachoris to undhiya and from curry to stir-fry.   While these green beans were available in the local markets in India only during the winter months, they are available in frozen aisles of the Indian stores in US. That means they are available year round and I love to have them more often.  Back in India, I used to enjoy this simple yet flavorful dish, made from tuver and dhokli(wheat dumplings). The dish is full everything yummy and perfect for steamed rice and rotis.  I have had it several times but never made it the way I did it for the blog. From measuring each ingredient to noting the perfect time...

Blogging Marathon #73 Week 3 Day 2 Theme: Flavors of India Dish: Gathiya Waali Kadhi A tempting and comforting bowl of Kadhi with added flour dumplings, this Gathiya Waali Kadhi is an easy to make yet yummy recipe from Gujarat, a state of India!  Today is the second day of this week's Blogging Marathon and my theme is Flavors Of India. Through this series, I am trying to post Gujarati recipes that have been lost over the years. Yesterday I posted some yummy  Bajri Dhebras , a signature dish from my paternal grandmother and here is my maternal grandmother's most awesome kadhi.  Everytime I visit her, she makes this kadhi for me. My mother has learnt it from here, but somehow it does not taste the same when she makes it! I simply LOVE the way my granny makes this humble dish. Coming to the kadhi, this one is a blend of Gujarati and Punjabi kadhi. The base is sour and sweet just like any Gujarati kadhi, but has some add-ins like Punjabi Kadhi Pakodi. This dish was once ...