Love and Calories!!

The first time I came across this dish was on our honeymoon in Switzerland. The country was beautiful as expected, the cuisine too didn't disappoint us. Since  this picturesque country shares its border with Germany, Italy, Austria and France, its cuisine too has a large influence of these countries as you go towards the respective borders. We enjoyed the famous cheese fondue, Swiss Cheese and Chocolates, Swiss meringue with cream and last but not the least our favourite breakfast item....POTATO ROSTI!! During our week long stay, Rosti dominated our breakfast plates. It was way back in 2007 when I experienced the dangling sound of metal Cow Bells hanging around the necks of the cows, the beautiful alpine meadows, the charming old houses decorated with coloured flowers, the diplomatic capital of the World Geneva where we visited the United Nations office, Jungfraujoch - my first snowy experience at the top most point of Europe and more....everything still remains fresh...

It was a chilly yet Sunny Sunday morning in the countryside called Newtown in Wales where I had gone to spend a weekend at my Best friend Meghana's place. Though she never gives a damn  about this place, I get a sense of serenity, tranquility and at peace whenever I come here. (May be because, I live in a city and I don't get to see those meadows, sheep and mountains anymore).  Sunday was well spent as we made some hot masala chai, poured it in a flask, took some crisps and drove to a tourist spot in Mid Wales called Llanidloes (Please don't take an effort to pronounce it, it's Welsh...and the spellings have no connection with the pronunciation..:P). We stopped at a beautiful man made reservoir called the Llani Lake and what a sight it was. The river Severn was locked inside the dam and tinge of snow covered hills surrounded it. I could only imagine, how beautiful it would be in peak summer. The picture below will give you an idea of how postcardish view it was....

"Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns,      One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns,          Give them to your daughters, Give them to your sons                   One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns,                          Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns!!" Remember this nursery rhyme? Oh sure you do!! And how I wished in my school days, that a real Hot Cross Bun vendor should come knocking on my door and I run with a penny or two in hand to buy those delicious looking Hot soft buns...mmmm!! Then the realization strikes, that these rhymes cannot apply in India, girl! You can only run with a 50 paisa to get a delicious Vada pav or a samosa, not Hot Cross Buns!! And how I used to envy the children living in the British land. But only after coming here I knew that these were just a thing in the past. There are no Hot Cross Bun Ve...

Oooh!! PANNA COTTA...This name gives you the feeling that it is the most intricate, sophisticated and  "Oh boy, we can't cook those at home" type of a dessert. Well, atleast that's what I thought until I tried to make it at home. Panna Cotta or "The cooked cream" in Italian is one of the easiest desserts one can make anytime at home. Less time, Less ingredients, Less hassle, No oven (That's a relief), No Egg, Voila....a great looking rich restaurant dish is cooked up!! Panna Cotta, originally from Italy, is a jelly like, rich, wobbly custard made up of cooked cream, vanilla and sugar with a little gelatine to thicken it up. Along with it, I have made a Strawberry coulis to top it off. The silky smoothness of the cream with the tanginess of the berry sauce will make your palate go all wohoooo about it. Make this when your guests come home and earn some brownie points, I say!! ;P Ingredients: 500 ml double cream 5 tbsp sugar 1 vanilla pod 4 sh...

Well the recipe of "Panna Cotta and Strawberry Coulis" will have to wait for some time because the King of all Rice Dishes..."Biriyani" suddenly agreed to honour my blog page. Now who can say no to a "Biriyani"? :) I was in a mood to make a lavish Chicken Biriyani this weekend so I dedicated my entire Sunday for it in spite of my runny nose and sore throat. Long time back I had posted the recipe of "Prawn Biriyani" and slowly I thought of sharing the recipes of all the types of Biriyani made in various parts of the sub-continent. The Awadhi Mutton Biriyani of Lucknow, My very own native's Malabari Biriyani, Sindhi Biryani, Lahori Biriyani and various other lip-smacking varieties of it. Today I tried one of the delicious and my very confident recipe of "Hyderabadi Murgh Biriyani" straight from the City of the Pearls "Hyderabad".     You will get a ten on ten with this recipe. It has never gone wrong for me even once, ...

Aah! Its so good to be back to my favourite place..My Blog!! Its my ultimate comfort place. I didn't realize it is more than three months now after my last blog post. I had been on a two month long, relaxing vacation with my family and friends in India and what a fine Holiday it was. The three Fs...Friends, Family and Food blended well each and every day of the ninety days I spent In India. I gorged on to some of the delectable delicacies of my native land made by my mom, my mom-in-law and my aunt. Also, I explored the new food joints which had come up in the last two years.  Coming back to the usual routine was a little tough as I still had my Holiday Hangover, but aye...I managed to cope with it and here I am with a brand new post and have started my 2013 with a Bang!!  I hope to post recipes frequently as i was doing it before.  I bought some lamb steak the other day from Tesco and tried my hands on making a quick dinner for two. ...

"Deepak ki roshni, Patako ki awaz, Suraj ki kirane, Khushiyon ki bauchaar, Chandan ki khusboo, Apno ka pyar, Mubarak ho apko.... Diwali ka tyohar" (The Bright lights emitted from the oil lit lamps,  Those fiery sounds of the fire crackers, rays of sunshine which showers happiness throughout, the fragrance of sandalwood & the love of our dear ones....I Wish you all these and much more on this joyous occasion called DIWALI! Wish you all a very Happy & safe Diwali. Eat, Drink & Be Merry!! The festive season is here again and am so fortunate to experience the whole Diwali atmosphere all around me. London, like Mumbai embraces all the cultures of the world & celebrating Diwali is no exception here. The whole Desi Community are busy buying new clothes, Diyas, fire crackers & Mithais. I make it a point to go to these Desi inhabited towns regularly, to experience the hustle bustle during the Indian festive season. I do not miss anything here, except for my ...