Content
I wanted to scream out aloud this recipe before the Jack fruits disappear from the markets, only to make a comeback next summer. While so many seasonal fruits which were once seasonal have become quite unseasonal, making their appearances tad bit sooner in the markets, one never finds Jackfruit before the onset of the blessed Summer. One can hope to chance upon a plump watermelon or a bunch of lus
I really dont know if this version of tomato kuzhmabu is authentic chettinad. But what i do know is that, whenever i make this kuzhmabu, Mr.P and i fight for it till the last tiny spoon tooth and nail. In fact, there are times when the kuzhmabu has spilled over midst all the pulling and shoving. And then both of us put up sorry faces and vow never again to fight for the kuzhambu, only to
There are some days when my pantry has a little of everything and not a lot of something. Say i may have one carrot and 2 to 3 beans sitting idly in the bottom of the veggie drawer. And there are some days when i have a loaf of bread whiling away its time in a mighty jolly way in the pantry. And that s exactly when i make bread kofta curry.What s brilliant about this kofta recipe is that
Quesadilla. I couldnt even spell that right a few years back. And now, look at me. My, my! What an incredible and delectable journey this whole blog thing has been. Before i begin yet another rambling episode on my blogging journey, let me get back to the quesadilla.Like i said, if some one had come and said quesadilla to me a few years back, i would have asked what villa? But a co
Mangoes. They are everywhere and anywhere in the vicinity. Situation at hand. So, what did the poor food blogger who cant resist anything seasonal( read me) do?Ahem..... she made the mango salsa Then she made some panna cotta with mango gelee ...........And then she even made mango pickle ( which she never does even if you put her at gunpoint). She even ate some
This space doesnt have the classic brownie recipe. You know, the ones loaded with chocolate and vanilla kicking you in the shins ( ahem.. the tongue i mean.) It has a blondie though. And i thought it was time i did justice to the brownie void on the blog. After all, if one loves baking, then one must also love brownies. That is the unwritten rule here at tomato blues.So, when i actu
Couscous was something that i learnt about after i began my blog. No. Wait. Not even then. It was only last year that i learnt about its health benefits, of which i m not entirely sure. What i m actually sure of is that i love couscous. Its filling and its easy to make. You can add just about anything to it and it instantly transforms into something delicious. I call that embarrassingly
We are watermelon maniacs in this house. Had i a garden, i m sure i would have grown big gargantuan watermelons all through the year. We never tire of the fruit. Watermelons are rich in iron, high in water content and less in calories. So, come summer, we are either downing tall glasses of watermelon coolers or eating chunks of it as we open the fridge for a drink of water. I also experi
Mr.P came up with a new diet regimen a few days back. Yes, he did. Dont raise that eyebrow or give me that "Not again" look. It s only ironic if he doesnt come up with a new diet plan every fortnight. Only this time, it involved eating something regularly and not abstaining from it. He suggested that we eat greens every day along with our regular sides. It seemed a swell idea and also a great way
Ok. So, this sunday, i was in a terrible terrible mood. You know one of those days, when you want to bite off every single person s head. One of those days when you aimlessly rumage about in the fridge and you find nothing worthwhile and hence you become mad. I hope i ve driven home my point.Towards the evening, this sulky phase of mine reached its saturation. And i knew. I just knew i had to turn
When i first began blogging, i was just an unseasoned eager beaver, wanting to tell the world about some good Indian food. Not that i dint enjoy other cuisines. But there s something so ethereal about some curd rice and pickle that i can simply not live on other cuisines. While the curd rice is ubiquitous at all meals, other dishes from around the world sneak into my dinner table every now and the
I ve always fancied dishes with fancy names. And i ve eaten more than one dish that s not as fancy as it sounds. Ever happened to you? Panna cotta however is different. The truth is i dint eat it until i made it. And when i made it, i knew i had found my ultimate soul dessert. I ve fancied making panna cotta. In fact i ve fantasised so much about panna cotta that i have dreamt about it in a zillio
Some years back, i dint know a broccoli from a zucchini. I had only seen such vegetables. Even though Coimbatore had a generous supply of such veggies because of its proximity to Ooty, these veggies were not very common in my house. I used to remember brussel sprouts being there every now and then on the table and i used to think they are baby cabbages.All this happened when i was 14 or 15. So, ex
We have affairs with food in my house. Yes. You heard me right. We have vicious cravings for delish food. We have a deep innate desire to eat some things repeatedly just like how lovers long to meet each other. And one of our constant affair is with the parathas. Both Mr.P and I enjoy eating parathas tremendously.You give Mr.P aloo parathas slathered in ghee and you wont find a happier soul in the
Now, what can I say about this wonderfully flavorsome fruit that s literally tasteless. Believe me, the taste is a total disappointment after that enticing fragrance that one gets to enjoy in a musk melon. May be that s why its called musk melon. And that s why not many people enjoy it too.Atleast, I was not introduced to Musk melon until I reached college. Bengaluru, being a paradise, is host to
Being a south Indian, ( I know, I know. I ve said it a zillion times and I m sure you are going to hear this for a long time. Maybe as long as I blog.) I don’t have too many authentic south Indian recipes here on the blogNot done, right? Right! I don’t know why. Blame it on the migration to one of the best places in the world or the friends whom I ve made in the past few years. But somehow I never
Its summer here and it wont be long before we start sweating like a stream of water. The temperature is mercurial and there s no respite at all during the days inspite of the AC. The best way to beat the heat is to replenish the body with as much as fluids as one can. And to make the best of the fruits available during the season.Well, its almost the end of the grapes and the orange season here in
I have a thing for things that are twisted or convoluted. And i also have a thing for citrus. We waited united as eager beavers the beginning of this month for Aparna to reveal the bread for this month. And she took us all by surprise by setting us to work on Torcettini Di St. Vincent. Before you all think my brains are addled, let me tell you that torcettini are cookies made with
It makes me feel bloated up with pride to host Black And White Wednesdays, a brain child of Susan, now adopted by Cindy Star. It s always a delight to be sent so many delightful pictures-all in monochrome. A big thank you and many hugs to the contributors of Week 80 s gallery.Rustic Roti From Sizzling Indian RecipesSweet Soul by the very talented Rosa &nb
I dont make much pasta at home. Because whenever i do, it becomes a meal for one. Mr.P loathes pasta and i dont make it often because of this. I prefer sharing my meal with everyone around. You must have figured out that much cos of this blog and all, ya know.On Thursdays, Mr.P fasts and on those days, if i have a lot of time on my hands, i do make an effort in cooking up a meal that only i enjoy.
I dont cook potatoes very often. Honestly, i dont like those gargantuan burly potatoes. I prefer the baby bite sized potatoes. Occasionally, when i do buy a few potatoes, our meals see this delicious creamy stew and we gorge on this alongside lacy aapams. They make a hearty breakfast that s very amiable with the tummy. I m not going to talk much today. Oh! i m just a lil tongue tied after a h
I am a terrific fan of Andhra cuisine. I love the flavors and the heat that comes along as a freebie. Its an exhilarating thing for me to eat hot spicy food and have tears trickle down my eyes. I love heat in my food. Ok. I agree. All my aforementioned statements almost mean the same thing. But sometimes, i just like being verbose. Anyway, coming back to Andhra cuisine, i ve always
The first time i ate boondi raita, i did not go gaga like every one does. Usually, that is over a bowl of boondi raita. I couldn't for the life of me understand what s the big deal about a bowl of boondi in yogurt. I mean, its that simple right? Wrong.As much as making boondi raita is simple, there s nothing simple about the taste. As i learnt much later when i was once again subjected to this rai
At the Praveen household, we are conscious and constant calorie counters. We dont indulge in deep fried foods and ghee laden desserts very often. With the exception of those instances where Mr.P will declare his abstinence from all divine food ( read deep fried and sweet) and go and gorge on samosas in office. Lets leave that man in peace, shall we? Its best if we remain oblivious to such things.B
When i began this blog, ( no when i began cooking, that s more like it), i never envisioned so much of passion in me for the ladles and the apron. I always thought i would be that passable cook who will put together a meal or two and then let the world be. But of course, like you all know, that dint happen. What i did not foresee myself enjoying so much was all the baking. I mean, i do enjoy cooki
I am back. To bore you all mercilessly with my very garrulous talk on the weather. The mercury just reached 40. Ok. 40 is not my kind of temp. Look, seriously, i m that 25 26 weather types. I grew up in cool places and it was never this scorching hot wherever i grew up. That is. So, my only respite is the AC. With constant worries of my inner Goddess about how the skin will look all pale, wrinkly
Should i even launch myself into an introduction for this ubiquitous yet tongue tickling dessert? Its omnipresent as far as the south of India goes and its that dessert which is fail safe and life saver at the most unexpected of times. So, why am i sharing the recipe? Because, while some of us have already made our marks in cooking food, there are newer brides and little girls stepping into colleg
South Indian cuisine has its own charm. I havent made the aforementioned statement just because i am a South Indian. When one gives a little thought to the ways of eating in South India, the realisation that the need to cook vegan or gluten free meals come to an end very quickly. And that too in a delicious way. Because a majority of the south Indian cuisine is predominantly vegan and gluten free.
We, cookies, have been blog hopping into each other s space the past few weeks. The last time, i cooked off from Jay. I made these amazing Microwave milk peda from her space. Its a month gone by now and its time for one more cook off from Roshni s space. Roshni s space is a treasure trove of recipes from across the globe. But then, living in UK, has made her a gl
My house ( read Mr.P) is not the one which likes to wake up to a breakfast of cookies or pancakes or a thick slice of bread. We like our breakfasts to be full blast Indian and more often than not, we eat a huge breakfast. So all this baking shaking comes to play only during those evenings when both of us need a bite or two. That s probably why you wont find cookie and quic
Baby potatoes. Who doesnt like them? Show of hands!Huh.huh..... did you just raise your hands??Then, i m quite sure you are going to have a potato haunting you in your dreams today. A bantam phantom of a potato shall come chasing you while you have a potato less dinner in your dreams. I bet on that!I mean, seriously, who can not love potatoes. Ok. I dont like the burly ones. But come on, baby pota
For a couple that eats pulao every other day, this blog stands unjustified. I make so many types of pulao but i really have no clue as to why i ve not bothered clicking a picture and sharing that bowl of awesomeness with you all. I mean, how dumb can i get?Looks like i can get dumber. Because, if you really take a look at my alphabetical recipe index, you will find that, while there are more
The diet regimen struck my kitchen just like it does every year. I knew that it shall perish as soon as it began. Or atleast, i expected that it will. But then, things took a different course this time. The regimen is still in action and its proving to be challenging to whip up something that s yummy and yet at the same time,low on calories. Not to mention, Mr.P s eddying desires to eat everything
There was a time in my life when lunch meant only egg fried rice. Those were the times in my life when travel included two hours of bus journey, dried rice strongly infused with the rancidness of soda bicarb and a very affectionate roomie who took as good care of me as a gardener would of his tulips and sweet peas. With literally a lioness' appetite and aching bones, i would come back to my hostel
While Mr.P is not very fond of the pennes and bowties, I have a fetish for pasta and the tongue twisting names that come along with them. It also happens that not only do I like the names but I enjoy eating pasta immensely. Because, its always a one woman meal affair when it comes to pasta, I hardly make it at home. In fact, it s been aeons since we even ordered pasta outside. But then, when I dec
We, Avant Garde Cookies, picked soups for week 1 of this month. The six of us do not have many soup recipes to call ours. What the group aspires to do every month is to explore newer cuisines and hone our culinary skills. And that s why we set ourselves the riveting job of simmering soups.I know what ya all thinking. Crazy people, these, making soups bang in the middle of summer. Right? If th
We are not oats lovers in the Praveen household. Its not like there are fifty people saying ayes and nayes here. It s just two of us in the household but we are not oats fans. Mr. P detests oats so much that he wont even take a look at it. As for me, i ve eaten a bit of oaty grub now and then but not a maniac either.That s the reason why the blog never features oats recipes. But on those rare days
Being a south Indian, no one can ever drive home the concept of eating an energy bar when hungry, to me. Especially being hungry in the evenings. No. For me, being hungry augurs platefuls of idlies or vadas or sometimes, a bonda or two.I can never, ever satiate my hungry tummy by nibbling on a piddling sweet bar. Well. That would have been the case a few years ago. You know how the story is,
I have a thing for Punjabi style delicacies. I go bananas over their aloo parathas and rajma chawal. While i make both of them regularly, i ve never been able to click them. I am also a huge fan of the Dal Makhani that the Punjabis make with ease. I love that creamy texture in the dal and the ural dal kidney beans combination lends a flavor thats very unique. I ve been making this dal for a long t
As a kid, i ve never liked bread. Coimbatore has this famous bakery called Iyer and Co. which probably sells the best vegetable puffs in the entire universe. Back in the 90s, it costed 5 bucks a puff and if Daddy was home on a weekday, when i came back from school, then i knew i was in for a puff treat that day. I used to heartily tuck in to that buttery puff and then wash it down with a tall glas
If you have gone to a beach anywhere in Tamil Nadu, the chances are that you have eaten this sundal. Sundal is nothing but soaked dry legumes, cooked and seasoned mildly. But what s so special about this beach sundal? You may ask.For starters, even though it is a simpleton of a recipe, there s some mojo that happens only in beach sundal or this sundal that s sold on beaches. Even extra special is
I have a gargantuan addiction of chinese food. Either ways that is. Indo chinese or the authentic Chinese food. You say it and i ll follow you like a Hutch Pug throughout. The brownie point is that i love cooking chinese too. Unlike other oriental cuisines that pretty much call for ingredient lists that are as long as the Great Wall, Chinese food has considerably fewer ingredients, more veggies an
Its been a while since i stepped up into the Daring Baker apron. I ve been wanting to make so many recipes but simply dont find the time. This month s challenge was one that had me jumping because, not only was it creative but also a wee bit easy. Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hi
I love fruits. And i m crazy about fruit salad. I mean, its such a simpleton of a recipe but still tastes as though you ve slogged for hours in the kitchen when you serve it up cutely in a dessert glass. I knew how to make the regular fruit salad, which was probably the only dessert apart from ice creams, that i ate, about 10 years ago. I knew that other desserts such as tarts and gelatos existed,
Three cheers to my bread baking group, We Knead To Bake. If not for the group, i wouldnt have dared to make classic croissants and i wouldnt have known that some thing called Hokkaido bread even remotely existed. Thanks to Aparna who has been patient enough to make us all feel that there cant anything easier than making a tangzhong bread. Now, if you all are wondering what
Hola!! Its going to be Easter soon and we, Avant Garde Cookies are also becoming friendly with bunnies and dyeing eggs. I mean, one can dye eggs only once a year right? The only difference is, i dyed my eggs with chocolate. Exciting way to dye eggs, ain't it? I had terrible fun making these chocolate eggs and needless to say, they disappeared, God know when and how. I have an empty tin n
I have never been a big fan of reducing the milk. Its for this reason that i dont try my hand at some recipes which involve the reduction of milk. I m not a big fan of the sugar syrup fairy either. Lets just say the gospel of strings never works well for me. So i m always on the look out for easy to whip and healthy desserts that will please a crowd.Along those lines, there s nothing that can beat
I am like this. I have a predetermined menu that i always turn to when i feel that its time i impressed my man. And my man is not easy to please, mind ya! The perfectionist that he is, it s not a wonder that it took me 2 years to master his method of dosa making. He likes his dosas round and not so soft yet not so crispy. That alone took me 2 years. And then the taste et al is totally another stor
Summer has kicked in. On a loud note. Its sweltering hot as soon as the clock strikes eleven in the morning. And the AC has to chill away at 18 C in the night and only then we manage to grab a wink. Such is the state of affairs here. Sordid. Isn't it?The heat only makes cringe at the sight of hot food. We ve bid our adieus to soups and deep fried snacks. Even moong dal ladoos. We are befriending s
So, i tell you that you actually dont need an oven to bake a cake? Wont that change many things? For me, it definitely would.Just so that i can kick away all those crazy cravings that i get at all God forsaken hours. It would save me the trouble of preheating the oven, get a cake mould out, grease, yada yada. See what i mean? The thing is i made some cupcakes without an oven. I really did make the
