Love and Calories!!

A very easy, filling, quick tiffin which you can make in a jiffy, if you are that busy on a week day & also not want to miss the main meal of the day, i.e BREAKFAST!! Its Bread Upma. All the ingredients in this recipe can be found at all homes, all over the world. Prepare it, cook it, eat it & off you go! Ingredients: 10-12 bread slices 2-3 tbsp yoghurt 1 big onion (finely chopped) 1 big tomato (finely chopped) 5 green chillies (finely chopped) 1 capsicum/bell paper, optional (cut into 1 inch cubes) 1 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp red chilli powder 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp mustard seeds 6-7 curry leaves 2 tbsp oil 1/4 cup coriander leaves (finely chopped) salt to taste Method: 1) Cut each bread slice into 1 inch squares with a knife. Keep aside. 2) In a big bowl, mix the yogurt,red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt. Now add the cut slices of bread to it, mix well until the yoghurt mixture coats the bread pieces. Keep aside. 3) Heat the oil in

My honest confession, when you start a food blog, there is no looking back. You just carry on cooking & cooking & cooking. The pressure is so much to cook good, versatile & different food every time. Especially when guests come home & if they are aware of your food blog, then you need to match or rather excel their expectations. My best friend came home this weekend & we had a great time together gossiping, shopping & of course eating glorious food. She is a hard core vegetarian, hence my cooking skills were put to test as I said before. So I ended up making delicious Hara Kebab for her. Kebab is often the grilled or roasted skewered meat which we all talk about. So I thought, why not make it vegetarian & give my friend a surprise. "yeah, Baby...eat those Kebabs right now"...Don't worry...Its vegetarian! ;) Also I came across a "spinach event" which is going on in one of the blogger's space, so I thought, why not make my first

A quick, easy herb chutney which can be a good dip or accompaniment for any Indian fried appetizer. Use of lush green herbs makes this relish an attractive one too. The mint is so refreshing when you include it in your diet & it is also good for your digestive system. Though this is a Mint Chutney, coriander leaves are also used because, mint alone when made a paste, it loses its colour very soon. Usually coconut is used in Pudina chutney but this recipe has no coconut in it. Sounds all the more easy. isn't it? Ingredients: 120 gm coriander leaves 60 gm mint leaves 2 cloves of garlic 1-2 green chillies 1 small tomato (roughly chopped) 2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 lemon size tamarind or 1/2 raw mango (finely chopped) salt to taste Method: Blend all the above ingredients into a smooth wet paste with the help of some water. Chill it & take it out at the time you serve.

Quench your thirst with yet another summer drink which can be made just so easily at home. If you are a lover of tea, this is for you. And even, if you hate tea (like my sister...wonder, why she hates it??), this would be a great alternative. No need to spend bucks & buy those bottled Lipton iced teas anymore. It is this easy to make. Ingredients: 5-6 tea bags (which ever you use for your daily tea) 2 tbsp sugar (if you want more, it is upto you) 7-8 mint leaves juice of 1 big size lemon lots of ice cubes 1 lemon cut into thin round slices Method: Make the tea as usual with 1.5 litres of water & sugar. Switch off the heat when it comes to boil. Add the mint leaves to it and cover the tea. Let the mint leaves & tea bags infuse in the water for 10 minutes & no more. Strain the tea after 10 minutes by removing the mint leaves & tea bags. Let the tea cool in room temperature. At the time of serving, pour the tea into a pitcher with the ice cubes, squeeze the lemon j

I rarely diet, but when I do, I still try to eat delicious and not disappoint my taste buds. These days are some of my "am on a diet" days. Dieting for me works or not but I make sure, one week in a month I eat less oil, no fry food, just to silence my inner conscience!! This is a good healthy, light salad which I make along with a vegetable soup (will soon share the recipe) for brunch or even for supper. It keeps your tummy full, also the taste buds are happy & you can still say that "I am on a diet". ;) Check it out!! Ingredients: 1-2 capsicum/bell pepper (green colour preferably, deseeded & diced into 1 inch cubes) 200 gm paneer/indian cottage cheese (cubed into 1 inch ) 1 medium onion (diced into 1 inch cubes) 1 cup pineapple (optional, diced into 1 inch cubes) 1 big tomato (diced into 1 inch cubes) 4 tsp chaat masala 1 tbsp garam masala 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp olive oil (or any other oil) salt to taste Method: Take a big mixing bowl & pop in a

No eggs, No bake dessert it is...The easiest of em all, "Biscuit Pudding". One of my bachelor friend requested for some quick dessert recipes, and immediately I thought of this one. This is so easy to make and is done in no time that all you have to do is, make a chocolate sauce, layer the biscuits & sauce in a dish & keep it in the fridge to set. Cut it & eat it. Even my vegetarian friends can make it as it has no eggs. No baking required, no tension of whether it will get burn't in the oven. Sounds easy isn't it? It is easy...just try to make this one...A Quickie - di-quick rich & appealing Dessert!! Ingredients: 1 packet/300 gm of tea biscuits (marie or mcvities) 750 ml milk (for chocolate sauce) 150 ml milk (for dipping the biscuits) 1 & 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder 3 tbsp sugar 25 gm butter 3 tbsp vanilla custard powder a bar of plain dairy milk chocolate Method: Boil the milk in a saucepan to prepare the chocolate sauce. Make a wet paste of the

"Erachi"in Malayalam means "Meat" mainly of beef & "Ullarthiyathu" (pronounced as ullar - thi - yadhhu) literally means "shredded". If you are not able to pronounce it....forget it...you just concentrate on the recipe. :) This is a popular pub food of Kerala. Pub when I say here, is the local toddy shops, where people enjoy their local drinks and lick on to some of this hot meat fry & pickle. Slowly this dish gained its recognition in major restaurants of Kerala. "Erachi Ullarthiyadhu" can be made in many variations. Also the names are different in different regions of Kerala. But whatever be the name or recipe, the method to prepare this dish is the same i.e to marinate and cook the meat and then pan fry till the meat is completely dry . This recipe is given by my mother in law, who is a great cook of all times. She had made this for us once & I immediately took down the recipe from her.I have used the meat of a lamb b

"Rotli, daal, Bhaat ane shaak"!! Yes, a dish from Gujarat, the West most state of India, rich in culture, religious ideologies and of course the yummy unique range of food. The Gujarathi cuisine differ from the other regional cuisines of India. First & foremost difference is that most of the Gujarathi dishes are vegetarian & secondly, they love to add a bit of sugar to almost all their dishes. But it tastes so good. I often used to go have "Gujarathi Thali" at Gujarathi Samaj in Coimbatore with friends! The Thali consists of a An Indian flatbread, rice, lentil curry and vegetable gravy....The Gujju way of describing a Thali is what I have written in the beginning!! "Thepla" is a delicious Gujarathi flat bread made with a combination of flour and greens. Mostly, fenugreek leaves are used. A best way to consume greens, if you don't like to consume it the way it is. The Theplas are made so thin and crisp that they last long for 2-3 days. This mus

Light Cooking for me is a healthy approach to cooking. It is nothing but swapping your high calorie ingredient with a much less calorie one or use of less oil & no frying process. If you are health conscious or on a diet & would want to try out low calorie, Light cooking recipes, this is one of the dishes which you can try. Summer is in its peak & summer veggies are also in plenty, so why not include them into your diet at least once in a week. Less oil, no hassle frying, just boil it or bake it. Roasted Carrots & Spring Veggies can be a great accompaniment too with your roasted Chicken or steak. May the goodness of nature prevail & cheers to a healthy Life!! Roasted Carrots Ingredients: 750 gm /8-10 medium carrots (halved lengthways) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander salt & pepper to season Method: Boil the halved carrots in a saucepan for 10-12 minutes until they are tender but not so much. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 160 degree

Ingredients: 500 gm of chicken breasts (cut into finger length strips) 1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder 4 cloves garlic juice of 1 lemon 2-3 green chillies 3 tbsp cooking oil salt & pepper to season Method: Put the coriander, cumin seeds & the turmeric powder into a dry frying pan & fry for a minute. Tip into a blender & add the garlic, lime juice, chillies, 1 tbsp of vegetable oil & salt & pepper. Whizz for 1-2 minutes until smooth paste. Put the paste into a large, shallow dish, add the chicken & toss everything together. Cover & chill for atleast 20 minutes or upto 12 hours. Soak few wooden skewers in water for 10-15 minutes before cooking the chicken. Heat the Bar-Be-Que or grill or a non stick griddle until hot. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, drizzle with the remaining oil & grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a skewer.

A quick peanut sauce of Indonesia, ready to be served along with some mouth watering Chicken Satay. Ingredients: 200 gm salted peanuts 1 tbsp molasses sugar or jaggery(I have used soft brown sugar) 1/2 lemongrass stalk, chopped 2 tbsp dark soy sauce juice of 1/2 lime 200 ml coconut cream or milk Method: Put all the Satay Sauce ingredients into a blender & add 2 tbsp of water. Blend together & make a thick chunky sauce out of it. Chill it & serve when needed. PS: To view the recipe of Chicken Satay, please click on the "Oriental" category of this blog.

Vada is a generic, common name given across India, to a round shaped fritter fried in oil. Vada's can be made of either different lentils, gram flour or even potatoes. It differs in size too according to different cuisines. Its a perfect savoury tiffin enjoyed & relished by everyone. Its crispy on the outside and soft & fluffy inside...mmmm... I made "Uzhunnu Vada" today for my breakfast. Uzhunnu in malayalam is Urad Dal/ Black gram. Uzhunnu Vada is the Indian cousin of the Western DOUGH NUTS! Probably because of its similar looks!! Medhu Vada has become so popular now that it is now treated as a street food in India. I was missing my "Annapoorna Sambar Vada" of Coimbatore that today I ended up making some. My Vadas have not come out perfectly round but who cares, taste is all that matters. :) Ingredients: 2 cups urad dal (split black gram) 1 large onion (finely chopped) 3-4 green chillies (finely chopped) 15-20 peppercorns 2 inch ginger (optional, finel