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A PERFECT SUNDAY

A PERFECT SUNDAY

I think most of you women, if not all, would agree with me, that after marriage, weekends are the days you would dread the most..You have so many roles to play, so many wishes to  fulfill, so many chores to be completed so on and so forth..where’s my space, where’s my time!! Are the questions constantly running through our minds..but never the less, every weekend is a circus and we put up a brave front with a beaming smile on our faces and end up getting more tired than a week day.

This weekend I wasn’t game for all this. I remember, in my childhood, mom used to just pack the lunch she would prepare and would take us out along with few colony ladies for a lunch picnic. I thought why not do the same. I told Ravi (as I never ask:)), that we are going to pack lunch and go to some place and have it there, preferably under a tree:) in some park..I know it sounds very funny, but what the heck, wanted a breath of  fresh air. Ravi readily agreed, with the passing thought that he has to drive and battle the traffic on a Sunday too..

Besides, in a place like B’lore, if you have to think of spending time on a weekend, it would either be at a movie, or a mall or visit some one or call someone over. Was kinda bored of doing all these things..

As enthusiastic I can be, I just packed the lunch prepared and some fruits in my small picnic bag. My mom used to be a bigger ‘enthu cutlet’ than I am. She would prepare a non messy meal etc..I didn’t bother about all that and packed our usual office lunch boxes with some bisibelebhath, curdrice and some sweets. We shortlisted on Nehru Planetarium as our picnic spot and it was the best thing that ever happened on a Sunday.

Many of us do not feel the need to visit all these places as we keep postponing for ‘the day’ to arrive..the constant statement is , “anyways we are in B’lore only, we can do it the next time”..the next time never happens.

It was a nice feeling, the place is also beautiful, flanked with a lovely garden and a science park. There were lot of people picnicking just like us and waiting for the show to start. There are shows throughout the day. The kids I’m sure, were having a blast. There are shows on solar system and the wonderworld of stars. We happened to get the tickets for  the Wonderworld of stars and it was truly amazing. It was actually ‘seeing stars in the day time’:)

Ravi located a perfect spot to lay our picnic mat under a nice tree. He was experiencing this for the first time and was a little apprehensive about how it would turn out and was hanging in there only due to my enthusiasm. The sun wasn’t too harsh and there was a nice breeze blowing making the whole set up romantic:)..we sat and had a relaxed lunch and just lazed around till our show started at 2.45. We also tried the science park which polished our physics sense quite a bit..after ages, I recollected things like, angular momentum, gravity, centrifugal force etc. We were as excited as kids whilst trying those experiments. We were like children ourselves and that was the best part of the whole day.

A perfect Sunday

Ravi enjoyed it the most and I couldn’t have asked  for more. We always feel that, just staying at home and watching TV is relaxing, but I feel change in activity is a better form of relaxation. We felt rejuvenated as we had a good dose of fresh oxygen. We actually took some time off to ‘smell the roses’as they would say… We’ve decided that from now on we are going to make things like this happen atleast once a month. I suggest that all of you must try this experience, I’m sure you will cherish it.

A perfect Sunday

CORNFLAKES-CRISPIES

Cornflakes- Crispies:

This is a very crunchy munchy affair and belive me you wouldn’t stop at a single helping. It’s an easy to make snack and tastes heavenly with a hot cuppa chai!!

Basically you can fry all the varieties of rice, sabudana (sago) crispies, fryums etc and mix it with the cornflakes. The cornflakes used here are without any flavour, the plain variety. So go ahead and try this easy to make recipe..I’m sure the kids will love this.

I also try this recipe with Khakras, especially the masala ones. Tastes awesome!!!

You’ll need:

Cornflakes: 1 cup (plain variety)

Crispies: as much as you like and any variety.

Rice Flakes (Poha-paper thin): 1 cup (microwaved to make them crisp)

Dry coconut pieces: 1/2 cup cut into long slices

Curry leaves: 8-10 nos.

Groundnut: 2 table spoons

Red chillies: 5-6 nos.

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspn

Cumin (Jeera) : 1 teaspn

Jeera powder: 1/2 teaspn

corriander powder: 1/2 teaspn

Salt to Taste

Asafoedita ( hing): a pinch

Turmeric: 1/2 teaspn

Sugar: 1/2 teaspn

Oil: to fry the cornflakes and crispies and for tadka.

Procedure:

In a wok, fry the crispies first and then the cornflakes and transfer these to a dish with tissue paper to soak extra oil. In the remaining oil, add mustard and cumin and let them splutter. To this add, asafoedita, groundnuts and let the groundnuts turn a little reddish. Once done,  add dry coconut pieces, and wait till the pieces turn a little yellowish. Add curry leaves and red chillies and keep stirring  for a while.  Switch of the gas and then add turmeric, sugar, salt, jeera and coriander powder. Let this mixture cool.

In a large bowl, mix the drained cornflakes and break the crispies to the size of cornflakes. Add the above mix to it and mix it with hand carefully and lightly, taking care not to powder the crispies. That’s it, the snack is ready. You can serve this snack with some nice hot chai. Enjoy your evening…

LET’S CHAAT!!!!

‘Let’s Chaat!!’

This whole week has been very dull and gloomy. Thanks to the weather depression, it’s really got me depressed. It’s been raining the whole day, getting out is an ordeal. I haven’t been able to go for my evening walks also, so no breath of fresh air.. Finally not being able to withstand, I called it ‘enough is enough’ and thought will spice up my life. I had picked up a packet of golguppas (small fluffed up puris) from a shop. I eventually ventured into making some chaat at home. At first I didn’t realize the amount of hidden work involved, but by the end of it, I guess it was worth every bit. The best part is the chutneys made can be stored in bottles and can be used whenever in mood for some more chaat. That means many more evenings to chaat..

I made some Pani Puri and some Sev Puri. Thankfully,I didn’t have churmuri at home or else in that fit of excitement would have tried Bhel Puri also.

Pani Puri:

I relish pani puris simply because they are very light on the stomach and ‘no one can eat just one’:)…You just can’t stop at one plate and keep asking for more. Actually that’s what happened at home.. I felt like a Thela walla, kept dipping puris and serving, my great husband just never stopped gulping one puri after another. I finally had to call it quits.

So here’s to add up some spice to your life on those sultry days:

Pani Puri and Sev Puri

For Pani Puri you’ll need 2 types of chutneys, the tamarind-dates chutney and the pudina (mint) chutney (pani), moong dal stuffing and some grated carrots, onions and corriander for garnishing.

Tamarind-Dates chutney: (Meetha chutney)

Tamarind: ½ cup (soaked for 2 hrs)

Dates: ½ cup (soaked for 2 hrs)

Jaggery: ¼ cup (according to your taste)

Cumin (Jeera) powder: ½ teaspn

Salt: to taste.

Soak the tamarind and dates for 2 hours and grind this pulp in a mixie. In a wok, add tamarind-dates paste and some jaggery . You can decide on the amount of jaggery to suit your taste. Add some cumin powder and salt. Let it boil till this whole mix thickens up. You can further strain it in to a bottle when cooled.

To dissolve the jaggery faster, you can also soak the jaggery for sometime into water and add this water to the mix.

Pudina chutney: (Pani)

Pudina: 6-8 leaves

Green chillies: 1

Corriander: 1 tablespn.

Salt : to taste

Fresh lime juice: 1 tablespn.

Everest Pani Puri Masala: 1 tablespn (you can add more, for tangy taste)

Chilled water: 3-4 cups

Grind all the ingredients in a mixie. In a bowl, add 3-4 cups of cold(fridge) water. To this add 1 tablespn of pudina chutney, salt and Pani Puri masala and stir. Let this liquid be a little tangy.

Dal Stuffing:

Moong dal: 1 cup (boiled)

Potato: 1 (boiled and mashed)

Salt: to taste

Chaat Masala: to taste

Mix all the ingredients and fill a teaspn of this stuffing into the puris.

Garnishing:

Grated carrot: ½ cup

Chopped onion: ¼ cup

Corriander: ¼ cup

Serving:

Take the dal stuffed puri, add the garnish mix ,1 teaspn tamarind-dates chutney into the puri and dip the puri in the pudina chutney liquid (pani) and serve it. You can also arrange the chutney and pani and puris in a plate and ask people to help themselves. This way you’ll save a lot of trouble for yourself:)..For sev puri, arrange all the dal stuffed puri on a plate and add the 2 chutneys to it and top it with some crispy sev. Garnish it with garnish mix mentioned and serve.

These chaats can really spruce up your mood. Nothing like having a nice hot spicy chaat on a rainy day.

BREAD UPMA:

Bread Upma:

Bread Upma

This is a healthy and a very interesting breakfast option. It’s one of the best ways to use bread which is 1-2 days old.

You’ll need:

Bread: 6-8 slices (make small pieces of bread)

Green Chillies: 2 nos.

Onion: 1 no. (diced)

tomato: 1 no. (diced)

Lime juice: 2 teaspn

Grated coconut and corriander for garnishing.

For tempering:

Oil: 2 tablespns

mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspn

Jeera ( cumin seeds): 1/2 teaspn

Hing (asafoedita): a pinch

Turmeric: 1/4 teaspn

salt : to taste

sugar: 1/2 teaspn.

Procedure:

In a Wok, pour some oil. To the oil add mustard, jeera and let them splutter. Once they are done, add asafoedita, chopped green chillies, onions and fry till onions are transparent. To this you can add some turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Stir the mixture and  add the bread pieces and mix well. Last but not the least add lemon juice to it and stir again and serve it hot garnished with some freshly grated coconut and corriander. A healthy and filling breakfast is ready.

CHANA DAL–COCONUT PAYASAM:

CHANA DAL–COCONUT PAYASAM:

Tulsi plant

Diyas in front of my house

Tulsi Vivah is the last day of Diwali for us. Goddess Tulsi (tulsi plant) is adorned and decked to be married off to Lord Krishna on this day. We deck the tulsi plant with flowers and amla twig and place a small idol of lord Krishna next to the plant. Beautiful Rangolis are drawn around the plant. The place is beautifully lit by lovely diyas. Traditional lunch with some sweets is served on this day.

I was quite done with vermicelli payasam made for all festivals, so thought this time I would give Chana dal and coconut payasam a try.

You’ll need:

Chana Dal (soaked for 3 hours): 1 cup

Jaggery : ½ cup (according to your taste)

Coconut grated: ¼ cup

Cardamom powder: ½ teaspn.

Milk: 1-1/2 cup

Nuts and raisins

Ghee: 1 teaspn

Procedure:

Pressure cook chana dal till they are nice and soft and keep aside. In a wok, heat some ghee, add nuts and raisins to it and lightly fry them. The pressure cooked chanadal can be lightly beaten so that it turns into a batter-like consistency. To the ghee and nuts, add this batter and some grated coconut. Pour milk and add jaggery and let it boil for some time..To melt the jaggery faster, you can soak the jaggery in milk for sometime and then add this mixture to the payasam. Finally sprinkle some cardamom powder and serve it hot with some ghee.

Chana Dal-coconut payasam

JEERA RICE:

Jeera Rice:

Jeera Rice

This has been the easiest of all the recipes that I’ve ever tried and the tastiest. This week has been very long and hectic as Madhuri (my colleague and friend at college) and I are busy organizing a creative week for students at our college. It’s been a wonderful experience for us and has been very tiring too.

After a long day at work I head back home and have an urge to eat something spicy, probably to energise myself. As I always say, cooking is therapeutic to me, I decided that I would make some hot steaming Jeera rice and dal. The combination is heavenly. Whosoever invented the combo..hats off to you!!!

It’s a very simple recipe and easy to make.

You’ll need:

Rice : 1 cup

Jeera (cumin): 2 teaspns

Cinnamon sticks: 2 nos.

Bayleaf: 1 no.

Jeera powder: 1 teaspn

Onion : 1 no. (finely sliced)

Salt: to taste

Ghee: 1 teaspn

Oil: 1 teaspn

Procedure:

I generally cook rice separately for any rice dish. In a wok, pour some ghee and oil. You can use 2 teaspns of ghee itself, since I find ghee too rich I substitute half the amount with oil. Add cumin seeds and let them brown a bit. Then add bayleaf, cinnamon and onions. Once the onions turn golden add some jeera powder and salt to it. Mix in the cooked rice and keep it covered for some time and within seconds Jeera Rice is ready.

DASARA AT MYSORE

Mysore Dasara:

Mysore Palace Illumination

Heres wishing all my friends and fellow bloggers ‘A Happy Dasara’.

I ‘ve always been hearing about Mysore whenever Dasara is round the corner. Since  5 years (that I’m in Karnataka), I’ve been trying to make it for Dasara, but my husband Ravi was never game as he says it’s too crowded and he hates crowded places. This year since we had 2 long weekends for navratri we decided we could make it without any hassle. We visited Mysore last weekend when Navratri celebrations had just about started.

Ravi and I have a special liking for this place Mysore and we would love to settle there after our retirement. The place was beautifully decked for the festival with lovely floral gateways everywhere. There were stages placed everywhere in the city for various cultural activities.  The highlights were the food mela, flower and vegetable show, doll house and ofcourse the magnificent Palace lighting.

The palace lighting was the highlight and despite some showers, the people’s spirit couldn’t be dampened. I think it’s worth a trip to Mysore Palace during Dasara. The present day heir, Srikantdutta Wodeyar actually sits on the throne symbolic to earlier times. The palace is beautifully decorated with flowers and it’s only during dasara celebrations that the palace is lit with innumerable lights. It’s an experience to witness and cannot be explained… the whole crowd keeps waiting for the illumination and in a split second all the lights turn on and you say nothing but ‘wow’..it’s an enduring image..

My Doll House ‘Bombe mane’

colosal mahishasura in flowers

Black chilies at the veg show.

Palace during the day

Series of arches

Gateway

Doll house

Mysore Palace Illumination

Navratri for us South Indians is also a festival of dolls. Many people showcase a series of colourful dolls. The dolls are arranged on steps with some theme, the main dolls being a couple i.e. husband -wife refered to as ‘Patada Bombe’..the various themes for doll house  could be dasha avtar, ashta laxmi, village scenes, school scenes, marriage scenes..For the first time, I also displayed my doll collection which I had collected on my trips to mysore and channa patna.

A visit to Mysore for Dasara has been a wonderful experience and it’s a photographer’s delight.

My Doll House 'Bombe mane'

SAGO CUTLETS (SABUDANA WADA):

SAGO CUTLETS (SABUDANA WADA):

sago cutlets

This was a trial and error recipe for me. I had soaked some sago overnight to make some yummy sabudana khichdi. I actually forgot to drain the extra water from the sago and when I checked the sago in the morning they were over soaked and soggy. I definitely couldn’t make the khichdi out of this. That’s when it struck me that maybe I could try my favorite sabudana wada. It’s actually a maharashtrian dish and I’m very sure that everyone will relish it. It was a good attempt and the wadas turned out to be very crispy and delicious. Generally cucumber is never added to this wada, since I had already grated to make some khichdi, I ended up using it in the wada and the taste was good.

You’ll need:

Sago -1 cup soaked and drained.

Chilies: 2 nos

Cucumber grated: ¼ cup

Roasted peanut powder: ¼ cup

Curry leaves: 4 nos

Jeera (cumin) powder: 3/ 4 tablespn.

Jeera (cumin): 1 teaspn

Salt: to taste

Coriander: 1 teaspn

Oil: to fry

Since I had over soaked the sago, I had to coat the sago patty with some maida and then fry it to prevent the cutlet from sticking to the pan.

Procedure:

In a wok, heat some oil. Add the full cumin to the oil and add chopped chillies, curry leaves and cucumber and sauté for a while. Once the cucumber is cooked, add roasted peanut powder, cumin powder and salt. To this add the soaked and drained sago and mix well and leave it on a simmer to cook well. Keep mixing and checking to avoid the base from getting burnt. Once this mix is cooled, you can make small patties and deep fry them and voila the cutlets are ready.

Generally these cutlets are served with sweet yogurt. They also taste great with some tomato sauce.

When its raining pouring outside, all you could do is have some crispy sago cutlets and steaming hot tea. Now that’s what I call bliss.

This is my contribution to Monthly Mingle:High tea treats hosted by Aparna and

and Meeta Monthly Mingle:High tea treats.

PINEAPPLE GOJJU

Pineapple Gojju:

pineapple gojju with rice

Gojju stand for rice accompaniment which has got a tangy twist to it. This gojju is generally a common feature at all the kannadiga weddings and people really relish it.

After buying a large pineapple and not knowing how to finish it prompted me to try this recipe. Ravi loves this gojju and this was for him with his favorite delicacy, hot rice.

I got this recipe from my dear friend Roma’s website ,www.romashrama.com

Thanks Roma for this wonderful recipe. She has mentioned Byadgi red chillies which are generally deep red in color and a tad spicy. Since I had this urge to make the gojju at 8.00 in the night, I have used simple red chillies. That explains why the color is not so red in my case..Otherwise the taste was just awesome. I have made some additions like red chilly powder and some hing (asafoetida) to the original recipe..Enjoy.