Tomato Kurma, Dill-Dabeli Masala Parathas, Chutney Pudi-Aloo fries with Strawberry Lassi!

Happy Holi to all of you! :)

Yes!! Spring..err.. Summer like weather is here at last! It was sunny 80+F the last weekend and hot rest of this week too! But ground is still not warm enough, I will have to wait until May to start planting in my veggie patch.

In other news, if you remember my little experiments from last week's post of not shopping for 14 days and to go on liquid detox for one day a week, here are the updates!
I did not shop last Saturday as I usually do but ran out of milk, OJ and bread 2 days later. With two teenagers around, I had to shop on the 10th day! I fell 4 days short of my goal, mission NOT accomplished!

But I did successfully complete one whole day of liquid diet on last Thursday though! It wasn't bad at all, lived on 7 cups of liquid for the whole day. Body surely protested by giving me headache and nausea but my mind is lot stronger even though it felt like the longest day of my life!! Next day, hubby says I needed to drink about 10-12 glasses (8oz each) of liquid per day to avoid dehydration and headache if we are not eating solids! Well..too late now, will keep that in mind in future! :P

Btw, we have two birthdays to celebrate this weekend, very busy days for us parents as well! My boy is 14 and my girl is 18 on Saturday and Monday respectively! Finally, one is an adult. YES!! Oh wait, she gets her own bank account and a credit card next week! OH NO! HELP!! :D
Details in my next post.

Okie dokie!! Now let's get on with it without too much yakking from me, shall we? I have spicy Tomato Kurma, festive masaledar Lachcha Parathas, my mom's Chutney pudi, Dabeli masala smothered Aloo fries and a delicious Strawberry lassi for this week. Sounds good, huh?
I will be sending these to few events, logos and links are at the bottom of the post. You can click on all the photos to enlarge them.

Tomato Kurma:
Tomato Kurma is adapted from one of the Mallika Badrinath's books. It's delicious and down to earth as most of her recipes are. Tomato is a fruit but mostly used as vegetable in our kitchen. It is also high in Vitamin A and C, which are good source for us, specially for kids. Since kids usually like Tomatoey Spaghetti sauce, using Tomatoes in Kurma is another way to utilize the goodness. With antioxidant benefits, Tomatoes are excellent for reducing the risk of Cancer too.

You need:
4-5 Tomatoes, Cilantro to garnish, 1 tsp Jaggary or sugar, enough salt.
Seasoning:
2 tsp oil and 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 garlic,chopped,1 large onion chopped, 1-2 green chillies, sliced.
Grind all these to a smooth paste with enough warm water and keep aside:
1/3 cup fresh coconut, 5-6 Cashew nuts, 1 tbsp Poppy seeds, 1 tbsp Coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp chilli pd or 2 red dry chillies, 1 tsp Garam masala. (no need to roast the spices before grinding)
To make Kurma:
1. Heat oil and ghee, add cumin seeds, garlic, chillies, stir for a minute and add onion and fry until soft.
2. Add Tomatoes, salt, sugar, cook until Tomatoes are soft. Turn down the heat.
3. Add the ground coconut masala to this dish and simmer for 30 mins or until you get a delicious aroma. Adjust the salt and spices, add cilantro.
4. Serve with Dill masala Parathas or Dosas or idlies.

Festive Parathas for Holi! Dill and Dabeli masala stuffed Parathas:
Since Holi is not one of the well celebrated festival in South India unlike in North India, I am not very familiar with the traditional Holi festival foods. After reading the choices at Purva's blog about Parathas as one of the foods for Holi, I made these masaledar colorful Parathas for her Holi event. They are colorful with Dill (Ashwini's idea to add Dill) and flavorful with the Dabeli masala added to the dough. Enjoy! :)

You need:
2 cups of Wheat flour, 1/2 cup Dill leaves chopped, (optional), 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp Fennel seeds powder, 1 tsp coriander seeds pd, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp Dabeli masala (store bought or home made), 1/4 cup yogurt and enough warm water to make a firm dough.

Home made Dabeli Masala:
2 tsp cumin seeds pd, salt, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp Kala namak (black salt), 1 tsp Mango powder, pinch of Nutmeg/Mace powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/8 tsp clove powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric. Mix all these and use as needed.

Layered Parathas:
Enlarge the collage if you want to see the details of folding the Parathas.

To make Parathas:
1. Add the above in a mixer or mix by hand and knead this to a firm non-sticky dough for 5 mins. Divide into equal portions. Cover the bowl and rest the dough for atleast 15mins or more.
2. Now, look at the collage. First roll one dough ball to 4", spray no-stick or brush some oil, fold the top 2/3rd way down. Fold the top again to a cigar style and stretch the dough to make it longer.
3. Now curl this elongated dough into a peda or snail like shape, flatten and roll out again gently without pressing too hard to keep the layers to a 5-6" circle. Repeat with others.
4. Heat a tava, cook these parathas both sides until golden, brushing with oil or ghee on top while it's still warm and sprinkle some Dabeli Masala on top.

Note:If you don't want to make layers, you can also just roll the dough balls to 5-6" circles' 1/8th thick and cook on Tava too.
Serve these with Tomato Kurma or just with plain yogurt or raita or Pickle.

Mom's Karnataka style Chutney Pudi:
This is one of the three Chutney pudis/powders my mother makes at home. This one has 2 kinds of dal and it's supposed to be very spicy to go with plain Yogurt and rice or dosas and idlies with some ghee. But I add a bit less chilli pd than usual. You can add as much as you like. Great with hot chapatis with a tsp of ghee drizzled on top of this chutney pudi as well.

You need:
1 cup Chana dal,
1/2 cup Urad dal,
1/4 cup dry grated coconut,
and 1 tsp coriander seeds.
enough dry red chillies to your taste.
or enough chill powder,(do not roast this but add it to the grinder)

enough salt to taste,
1 /4 tsp Turmeric,
1/2 tsp Sugar (Optional)
1 tsp or more Tamarind powder.
(or take a large marble sized tamarind (not tamarind paste), roast this until it's a bit dry and stiff. As it cools, it will be drier and easy to powder along with others.)

To make chutney pudi:
Roast first 4 of the above ingredients one by one in a hot pan until reddish, cool them and powder adding the other ingredients on the list coarsely. Do not powder this mixture very fine, it should grainy like Semolina/Rava. Adjust the salt, chilli and Tamarind as you like it. Crunchy Chutney pudi should be well balanced, spicy and tangy. You can add some sugar too, if you like the sweet, tangy and hot taste!

If you make a small amount of chutney pudi and use it quickly, store it in a jar with airtight lid on the counter or in the pantry. If not, it's better to keep it in the fridge, lasts longer there since this pudi has coconut in it.

Dabeli masala and Chutney Pudi laced Aloo fries with Strawberry Lassi for kids!
well...who doesn't like thick cut baked golden Potato fries? They are excellent to munch on for kids and adults. With masala sprinkled on the crispy baked Aloo, they are great for snacking on their own or on the side with a burger or few cutlets. You can use large Potatoes cut into fingers and fry or bake to make these masalaedar aloo fries.

To make masala Fries:
I used frozen crinkled cut Potatoes, baked them at 450F oven until golden. Took them out and sprinkled half the portion with above Dabelai masala, dry herbs and salt and sprinkled the other half portion with salt and my Chutney pudi which I have given recipe above. You can cut Potatoes into long 3-4" fingers and shallow fry and sprinkle with masalas if frozen is not Potato fries are not available to you. Serve this with delicious thick Strawberry Lassi!! Slurp!! :)

Strawberry Lassi:
When FIC event said Pink, I immediately thought Strawberry smoothies. After seeing many smoothies and milk shakes in other blogs, I thought of making it Indian fusion Lassi with Strawberries. It was delicious. If the strawberries are fresh and sweet, you need less sugar and few ice cubes. I used frozen Strawberries, so more sugar needed and no ice! How thick or thin you want the Lassi, it depends on how much water you add. Strawberry Lassi is a great source of Calcium, Fiber, Vitamins and Protein too. Enjoy.

Here it is:
Add 1 cup frozen or fresh Strawberries, 1 cup plain Yogurt, 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup ice cubes, 1/8 cup or enough sugar powder into a blender and make a smooth thickish drink. If you like to add flavor, add few drops Vanilla essence or few Pistachios while blending. But natural flavor of Strawberries is good enough for me. I like my Lassi little thicker, add more water if you want thinner Lassi. Chill Lassi for an hour to serve. Makes about 3-4 servings.

Here are logos of each event, link to their announcement pages and list of my dishes I am sending to these events, please click on the collage to enlarge. Thanks to all the event hosts, enjoy! :)

Tomato Kurma, goes to Sanghi of "Sanghi's Tasty Bites" blog's new event "Fall in Love-Tomato".

Chutney Pudi, goes to Smitha of "Kadumanga" and to her "Colors of taste-Podis" event.

Masala Potato fries, goes to Deepa of "Simple Home cooking" blog's event "Cooking for kids-Potato" and this event is started by Sharmi.

Wheat flour Dill-masala Parathas, go to Roma of "Roma's space", who is guest hosting "JFI-Wheat" this month, an event started by Indira.

Colorful and festive Dabeli Masala Parathas, also go to Purva of "Purva's Dawat" blog's event "Festive Food-Holi".

Delicious Strawberry Lassi, goes to Priya of "Priya's easy and tasty recipes" who is guest hosting "Food in Color-Pink", an event started by Harini.

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My tried and tasted dishes from other blogs, thanks for posting these, girls! :)

Kathirikkai Mor-Kuzhambu, from Malar.
(Cubed the Eggplants since I only had the US style huge purple ones. Finger licking recipe, different from the usual Mor kolzhambu!)
Moogachi Hirwi Amti, from Meera.
(Was delicious and nutritious, skipped the optional coconut milk but added everything else)
Keerai Molagutal, from Super chef.
(Added a bit of tamarind, can't go wrong with this yummy Spinach and dal Molagotal!)

Book I am reading now:
"The quilt and other stories" by Ismat Chughtai. (1915-1991)
Born in 1915 and growing up in a very conservative Muslim family in India, Ismat Chugtai started writing in Urdu when she was in her 20s. Her short story "The Quilt or Lihaaf" was about a young girl who was temporarily staying with her female relative remembering an incident where two women were having a sexual relationship, which was frowned upon at that time. She was charged with "indecent writing" in 1944 for this story by the British Imperial court and she won that case too! How about that?! Happy International Women's day to her! :)
Her stories have been sufficiently well-translated into English by two women; Tahira and Syeda, other stories are very interesting too although it's not easy to translate from poetic Urdu to English. Her other stories are equally endearing in this book. It must be excellent to read them in Ismat's own words in Urdu but unfortunately most of us can't. Thank God for English translation!

Movies I saw:
"Flashbacks of a Fool"
Daniel Craig, "MR. BOND" himself! 'Nuff said!! ;D
But seriously this movie makes you see how and why some "rich" people are such sad souls and every sad soul has a sadder story to tell! Great "R" rated movie to watch )

"I've Loved You So Long"
Loved this French movie with English subtitles. Kristen Scott Thomas, a British actress, keeps you glued to the movie until the last minute to know what happened in her past and why she killed her 6yr old son!

At last, I won a "Drool Worthy" award from Rathna of "Asvadha" blog when we sent in the entries for her "Made for each other" event. I have never ever won anything in my life, so I am deliriously happy, didn't even know I even get a surprise gift! WOO HOO! Thanks Rathna! :)

Lastly, thank you so much to all the bloggers who shower me with many cute awards week after week. I appreciate each one of them, cherish it and they are all listed on the sidebar with your names in it. Hugs to all of you, I am lucky to have all of your support. All of my blog buddies are welcome to grab these awards, you all deserve them. Have a great weekend my friends, have fun!

THUKPA with TS-JA, ADAS BIS SILQ with KHOUBIZ!

HUH? WHAT?! That's what you are thinking, I know! It was all "Greek" to me too until I tried these tasty dishes from Arunchal Pradesh and Lebanon! :D

(Some of you are waiting for a particular post, check out the links way below!)
Well..today I am taking you all to a culinary tour of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of RCI-North East of India, one of the lesser known states in North-east region of India, to have a delicious Noodle soup and salt Tea.
After we are done touring North-east of India, I thought I would fly you to Middle East and visit Lebanon to taste one of their soup and bread too! How does that sound? Pack your hungry tummies and let's go buddies!

Arunachal Pradesh, North East India:
North East India covers these states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
Arunachal Pradesh in one of the states in North east of India I am choosing to explore and cook from. The name Arunachal Pradesh means "land of the dawn lit mountains" in Sanskrit. It is also known as "land of the rising sun" because of it's location in the easternmost state of India.
YAKS!!
Have you ever seen one before? There are plenty in Arunachal Pradesh and the local population uses it's sweetish milk for making Tea, cheese, Butter, Yogurt etc. Aren't they beautiful?

Most of the people living in Arunachal Pradesh are either of Tibetan-Burman origin or indigenous tribal origin, speak Tibeto-Burman languages and their cuisine is very much influenced by these cultures as well as China which borders the state. Most Arunachalis belong to 19 major tribes and 85 tribes, who has a tradition which is diverse and of rich culture, language and beliefs, including immigrant Bengali, Bodo, Hajong and Chakma and immigrants from neighboring Assam, Nagaland and other parts of India. The most major tribes include the Adi, Galo, Nishi, Khamti, Monpa and Apatani. Most popular festivals are Sangken,Solung,Nyokum,Longteyalu,Khan, Dree Etc which they celebrate with dance, song and food.
OPO, a fermented rice beer is made everyday in most homes and very much enjoyed by the people of Arunachal Pradesh!
The earliest references to Arunachal are found in the era of Mahabharata, Ramayana and other Vedic legends. Several characters, such as Princess Rukmini, King Bhismaka and Lord Parashurama, were referred to as people from this region in the Mahabharata. (Info from WIKIPEDIA.)


Thukpa with Ts-Ja are my two dishes for "Regional Cuisine of India", a event started by Lakshmi from "veggie cuisine" and Bhags from "Crazy Curry" blog is hosting RCI event this month choosing the beautiful region of North-East India. I am choosing Arunachal Pradesh to show case.Thanks for hosting Bhags!:)


Thukpa/Gya-Thuk with Ts-Ja!
These recipes (with my own few additions) come from "The essential North-East cookbook" by the author Hoihnu Hauzel and book is available at www.indiaclub.com.
Thukpa is a popular noodle-based soup with vegetables (or meat) in this region. The Buddhist Monpa and Sherdukpa tribes are more inclined to Burmese or Chinese influenced food and their popular dishes are Momos, Chowmein and Thupka. Oil and spices are sparingly used, chillies and ginger and sometimes fermented Bamboo shoots and fish are used for flavoring the soup.
This lightly flavored Thukpa was very tasty. Even my kids liked it, similar to American Chicken Noodle soup with loads of veggies. YES! You need a fork too for the Noodles!:D

Ts-Ja is a tea made of Yak's milk or it's butter, tea leaves and salt is added instead of sugar!! DO NOT ask me how to to pronounce Ts-Ja and DO NOT ask me whether I used Yak's milk and drank this salted Tea! Ain't tellin' ya! ;P
I am just giving you the recipe exactly as the book says they make this tea in AP! Have fun making it if you can find Yak's milk! :D

To make these:

To make 2 cups of Ts-Ja:
1. Boil 2 cups of water, add 1 cup Yak's milk or 1 tsp unsalted Yak's butter and 1/2 tsp salt.
2. Bring to boil again with 2 tsp tea leaves. Take the pan off of the heat.
3. Cover the pan and let it sit for 5 mins. Strain the Tea and serve. Enjoy!:)

Delicious Thukpa:
1. Cook 1 fistful of dry Egg noodles or Spaghetti pasta in boiling water with salt and bit of oil until cooked, strain, cover and keep aside.
2. Boil 5 cups of vegetable stock or chicken stock or water, add 2 cups of mixed vegetables of your choice, 1 garlic (my addition), 1 green chilly sliced and boil for 5 mins.
(I used 1 carrot, chopped, 1/2 cup Green beans chopped, 1 can sliced Bamboo shoots, few baby Spinach, 1 small Potato cubed, 3 tbsp Green onions,1 small tomato,chopped.)
3. When veggies are almost cooked, add 1 breast of chicken, chopped (optional), cook for 2-3 mins untilcooked. Take the pan off the heat.
4. Add 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tbsp Cilantro and pepper pd, cover and let it sit for a minute. Stir the soup, add cooked Noodles and enough salt if needed and garnish with chopped green scallions. Serve hot.


I am also sending Thupka since it's a one dish meal to Archana of "Archana's Kitchen", for her event called "One D", which is one dish meal event. Enjoy hosting Archana!:)
That's it from me for Arunachal Pradesh cuisine! :)

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Adas Bis Silq with Khoubiz from Lebanon are my contribution to "A.W.E.D.-Middle East" event which is launched by DK of "Culinary Bazaar" blog and being hosted by Siri of "Siri's corner" this month. We are visiting Middle East!! Thanks for hosting Siri, enjoy!:)


Lebanon:
Lebanon is a religiously diverse, mountainous country in the Middle East. Before the civil war, Lebanon was considered the banking capital of the Levant and was widely known as the "Switzerland of the East" due to its financial power. Lebanon also attracted large numbers of tourists to the point that the capital Beirut became widely referred to as the "Paris of Western Asia".
Gibran Khalil Gibran is known to be one of the world's famous writers, particularly known for his book "The Prophet", which has been translated into more than twenty different languages is from Lebanon.
The Lebanese Cuisine is considered to be a Mediterranean, basically Levantine Arabic delicacy consisting of a variety of fresh vegetarian recipes, salads and stews all seasoned with a flavorsome combination of herbs and spices, is considered to be a very balanced, healthy diet. "Mezze", which are appetizers and also a Lebanese parsley salad known as Tabbouleh are the most popular. (Info from WIKIPEDIA)

Adas Bis Silq with Khoubiz:
These recipes come from the author Tess mallos, with my slight changes or additions. Her comprehensive cookbook is called "The complete Middle East cookbook".
Adas Bis Silq is basically a vegetarian lentil soup with Sliverbeets or red chard greens as we call it in US and flavored with light spices, makes a delicious soup full of protein and fiber. I added some cumin pd for taste and used a bunch of my first ever yield of baby red chards from my own veggie patch. YAY! :)
Khoubiz is a soft Lebanese flat bread similar to Italian Focaccia or a thick Naan if you make them smaller, baked plain or with spices sprinkled on it, great for dipping or mop up the Lentil soup.

To bake spiced Khoubiz:



First, let's make the Lentil soup:
1. Soak 1 cup brown lentils or whole red lentils(whole Masoor) or Egyptian lentils as they are sometimes, in water for 2 hrs, then wash and drain it.
2. Add 2 1/2 cups of water or stock or veg broth to lentils and Microwave for 10-12 mins on high or until soft but not to a mushy mess.
3. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a pan, add 1 shallot,chopped, 1 garlic chopped,fry until softened.
4. Add 1 cup of washed and chopped red chard leaves, 1 tsp Cumin powder, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, cover and boil for 3 mins.
5. Take the pan out of the heat and add 2 tsp lemon juice, mix. Serve with a slice of Khoubiz and lemon slices.



Now the Bread!
I have the cut the original recipe into half since we didn't need too many Khoubiz. Mine is almost like rustic deep dish Pizza crust with spices on it! You can sprinkle cheese on top too and eat like a snack, great for kids to munch on or with any soup.

To bake one big or 4 small round Khoubiz, you need:
3 cups flour, more or less,
1 1/4 tsp or half packet of dry active yeast,
1 cup water,
3/4 tsp salt,
1/2 tsp sugar,
1 tbsp oil.
Spice mix: if you like it spiced, sprinkle chilli flakes, Garlic pd, Sesame seeds, Onion seeds, mixed herbs etc or Zatar mix.
How to bake:
1. Mix yeast, 1/4 cup warm water(110F), sugar and let it foam for 5 mins.
2. Add yeast mix to a mixer bowl with 3 cups of flour mixed with salt gradually , 3/4 cup water, oil. Mix and knead well for 4 mins until you get a smooth dough. Add more or less flour as you need.
3. Brush oil on the dough, cover and let it rise for an hour or until doubled.
Preheat the oven for 500F.
4. Punch down the dough. You can divide this into 4 smaller round breads or roll into one flat round about 1/2" thick like Focaccia, make dents with your fingers on top of the bread. Place them on the oiled baking pan, cover and let it rise a bit for about 10mins.
5. Sprinkle the spices if you are using. Bake in the oven for about 10 to 15 mins or until golden on the bottom and slightly golden on top. Use your judgment for exact timing but don't let it bake too long.
6. Take out and cool on the rack. Slice into wedges to serve.

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Book and Movie?
I just started to read a book called "Tamarind Woman" by Anita Rau Badami and watched "Dances with Wolves" again last Sunday.
I was too busy to finish the book, what with all the kids' last 10 days of school activities, field day, field trip, pep rally, Trisha's NHS Induction ceremony, Tushar's Guitar concert etc. School ends on the 11th. YAY!!
More work for me cooking lunch for 3 people everyday during the summer break and all but still YAY! :D

Dishes I tried last week:

Bhinda Ni Kadhi from Coffee's blog.
Dabeli Masala from Trupti's blog.
Dabeli from Rricha's blog.
Phulko Luchi ar Aloor Dom from Sandeepa's blog.
Cheesy Dal bread from Sunita's blog. Used this (spicy Butternut squash stir-fry instead of dal)
Methi Shag Bhaja from Jayashree of "spice and curry" blog.
Thank you Prajusha, Sireesha, Jayashree and JZ for your awards. I always appreciate it! Remind me if I have forgotten to mention any of you! :)
A big hug to Anamika for passing on a very beautiful 'Arte y Pico' award (photo on the sidebar)! What a beauty!! Thank you Anamika.
I am passing this beauty to "Bee", "Happy Cook" and "Sig", my dear blog buddies. Enjoy!:)



Have a great rest of the week, see you all later!:)

GUJARATI CUISINE

Gujarati Thali (platter) is my contribution to "Regional Cuisine of India", a event started by Lakshmi from "veggie cuisine" and Mythili from "Vindu" blog is hosting this RCI event this month showcasing the beautiful state of Gujarat. Thanks for hosting Mythili!:)
(Since it's RCI and I am proud to showcase our Indian states one by one, 2-3 dishes per post rule do not apply!!:D)

Gujarat:
Palitana, a largest "Temple city" in Gujarat:
A pilgrimage site on the Shatranjaya hills with 863 temples built over a span of nine hundred years!! Isn't this absolutely amazing to look at?! I didn't know anything about this city until now!! (Photo is from www.indbazaar.com)

Gujarat is situated at the westernmost part of India,laced with beautiful beaches and ancient temples.Its official and primary language is Gujarati with Gandhinagar as it's capital. Most of the Gujarati Hindus are very strict vegetarians and their vegetarian cuisine is unmatchable in taste and variety. Kutch is one of the important areas in the state which has an independent identity and they speak Katchi. Here is the photo of the world's first Swaminarayan Temple built in Ahmedabad.
National leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel are the natives of Gujarat. Gujarat was also the site of some of the most popular resistances against the British including the Satyagrahas in Kheda, Bardoli, Borsad and the Salt Satyagraha. Dandiya Ras, Garba are few of the popular dances for the region.(Info from WIKI)

Gujarati Thali:
Lilva Pulao(Surti Papdi, Avarekalu), Mathri (a crispy snack, store bought), Vatana Bateta no Rotlo (Greenpeas and Potato roti), Lachko dal, a beverage/dipping sauce called Komal and Sukhdi(Wheat flour, Cardamom, ghee)for dessert!



Gujarati dishes:
Most of these recipes came from Tarla Dalal's "Gujarati cookbook", who has undeniable authority on Gujarati cuisine, being a Gujarati herself. I did make some changes to her original recipes to suit my taste and convenience. Here are the recipes the way I made them, enjoy!:)

Mathri:
I bought Haldiram's Mathri at the Indian store but they are easy to make at home. It's not in the Gujarati book, so I am not sure if it's a Gujarati snack! Anyway, here is the recipe:
1. Mix 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/2 cup Wheat flour, 2 tbsp Semolina/Rava, 2 tbsp hot oil, 1 tsp Ajwain seeds, 2 tsp grated ginger, salt, 1/4 tsp Baking powder, 1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns , few chilli flakes, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp crushed Kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves), 1/2 tsp crushed Coriander and fennel seeds with littler water to make a stiff dough. Let it rest for 10 mins.
2. Make a large marble sized balls, press a little to flatten it and deep fry them until golden.

Lilva Pulao:
Simple and delicious!
Grind these to coarse paste: 1/2 cup Cilantro, 3 green chillies, 1/2" fresh ginger, 2 garlic without water.

1. Cook Lilva beans(I used frozen Surti Papdi) with water and little bit of salt until soft, drain. Keep aside. Cook 1 1/2 cups of Basmati or long grain until soft, fluff and keep it aside to cool a bit.
2. Heat 2 tbsp butter or ghee, add 2" Cinnamon sticks, 2 cloves. Add cooked and drained Lilva beans, salt, ground paste. Mix well for 2 mins.
3. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon juice and add cooked rice and mix well. Serve with Lachko dal.

Lachko Dal:
A very simple dal seasoned with Cumin and garlic.
1. Cook 1/2 cup Tuar dal with 2 cups of water, salt, 2 green chillies, 1/4 tsp turmeric in a pressure cooker.
2. Heat 2 tsp ghee, add 1 tsp Cumin seeds, 1 broken red chilly, 2 garlic sliced (my addition), when golden, add the dal and simmer.

Greenpeas and Potato Rotlo:
I added a bit of wheat flour to make the dough pliable.Without it, it's hard to make the Rotis.
1. Cook 3 large Potatoes, peel and mash. Put it in the wide mouthed dish. Heat 1 cup frozen green peas in the Microwave, drain the water and mash as much as you can, add to the mashed potato.
2. Add in 2 tbsp Rice flour, 3 tbsp wheat flour or cornstarch (my addition), salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp green chillies(2) and (1") Ginger paste to the Potato mix and knead. Divide into 6-8 round.
3. Heat the non-stick pan. Take a piece of foil, spray no-stick oil. Press a dough ball to a thickish square roti with your palm, gently place it on the tawa and cook both sides, drizzled with some oil on top until crisp and golden. Cool them on the cooling rack. Repeat with other dough balls and serve with Komal.

Komal:
In her book, Coconut and yogurt are just mixed with water and seasoned to serve as a drink. You can do that if you like. I didn't want to drink coconut milk as it is! So I heated both up without adding any water, seasoned to serve as a dipping sauce for Rotlo and as side dish with Pulao too. It tastes excellent!
1. Beat 1 cup plain yogurt and 1 cup Coconut milk (I used canned), salt and 1 tsp sugar with a whisk well. Put it in the Microwave for 5 mins at 50% power. (Might split if you heat it on high heat or you can simmer on the stove top gently until little thick like sauce.) Cool it before adding seasoning.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil, add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 3 minced curry leaves, 2 tsp minced Cilantro, stir for a minute and cool. Then add it to the yogurt mix. Serve with Rotlo or Pulao on the side in a cup.

I am sending this yummy heart shaped Sukhdi to Pooja from "my creative Ideas" blog for her "Valentine's day" special event. Thanks for hosting Pooja, hope you like my entry.
I am also sending this to Zorra for her "Heart for your Valentine" event. Thanks for hosting Zorra!:)


Sukhdi, a popular Gujarati dessert:
I wanted to make something really Gujarati for dessert. Sukhdi or GolPapdi as it called, is made of Wheat flour, ghee, Cardamom and sugar and cut into diamond shapes. This sweet is somewhat like between making Mysore Pak (lot easier than that!) and Rava Laddoo. I made it into heart shape for Valentine's day!!:)



Here is how to make Sukhdi:



1. Heat a non-stick pan, add 1/2 cup of ghee. When hot, add 1 tbsp Poppy seeds, 1 cup Wheat flour, keep stirring until it is cooked and smells good like roasted flour. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar or Jaggery. Stir until sugar melts.
2. Add 1 tsp Cardamom powder, mix well. Take off the heat, add 2 tbsp milk, stir to mix well. It will form into a lump and it starts to leave the sides of the pan.
3. Take out and shape it into any mould you like and garnish with toasted Almonds. You can serve this warm or cold.





Enjoy!:)

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Books I read:

1. "Around the table" by Lela Nargi and various authors' remembering and writing about their home, families and food including Maya Kaimal's Kerala and American grandparents.
2. "Parineeta" by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. A tiny story book, not the filmy version although I love the film too which I own.

Movies I watched:
1. After I watched "The Godfather" movies last month, I wanted more of Marlon Brando!:D
I borrowed "A streetcar named desire" from the library. Boy, he was so handsome when he was young!! Did you know his son Christian Brando's mother is from India, born in Calcutta(Kolkota)? Christian Brando died recently of Pneumonia.
2. "The toast of New Orleans", a 1950s musical about a "not so sophisticated" Bayou fisherman(Mario Lanza) who gets trained as a Opera singer and becomes the toast of New Orleans but falls in love with his co-singer(Kathryn Grayson) who thinks he is below her at first and then...you know how it goes, Bollywood ishtyle!;D Loved it.

Here are my Super Bowl goodies:
Tandoori chicken Puff pastry, Spinach and Feta Puffs, Raspberry and sweet coconut puffs for dessert, Taquitos, spicy Buffalo wings, Sesame crackers, Bagel chips, Guacamole, Spinach dip, Cheese Fondue with Pretzel bread cubes, Chili with Doritos!! A Cosmopolitan for me and few Beers for Arvind went well nicely too!:D
Super Bowl was as exciting as these were, we loved the game this year. Well done Giants!!:)


For Nita, who requested the recipe for Puffs. Enjoy!:)
Tandoori Puffs: Chop chicken to small cubes, about 2-3 cups. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan, add 1 onion very finely chopped, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/4 tsp each turmeric and chill pd or paprika,salt,fry until onion is golden.Add 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp of Tandoori masala (store bought, best one I use is Sharwood's brand or you can make it like this recipe), 1/2 tsp cumin-coriander powder and 1/4 tsp Pepper powder and mango pd or 1 tbsp yogurt. Stir in the chicken, stir on medium heat and fry until cooked thru' without adding any water. When done, adjust the spices and cool. Cut Puff Pastry to 4" squares, place a tbsp or more of Chicken, fold over and seal. Bake at 400F for 12-15mins.(You can add this chicken on Tortilla with cheese and cover with another, heat it to make Quesadillas too!)
Greek Puffs: Microwave frozen Spinach until cooked and dry, cool. Add salt, pepper, pinch of Nutmeg and Feta cheese, mix and stuff in the puffs. Do the same as above.
Sweet puffs: Any Jam plus 2 tbsps of sweetened coconut or Chocolate chips and coconut(my son's idea) or Nutella and Almonds etc.

Have a great weekend!:)

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to all of you!

Well...this is my last post in 2007! Christmas and Hanukkah are almost here, hope you baked lot of cookies and ready to have some fun! Although personally we don't celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah at home, I love baking few cookies and kids love decorating the X-mas tree with colorful ornaments. My last year's holiday posts are here and here. I love how people smile more and kinder around this time, even though they are little stressed about shopping for gifts and getting ready for the big day!!

Have a wonderful blessed Christmas and Hanukkah, enjoy the holidays with your families! :)

Photos are from about.com and freefoto.com.

About Christmas and Hanukkah:
To read all about how Christmas is celebrated around the World, click on the link. If you are curious about how did the Christmas start or the history of Christmas, click on the link.

Click on the link to read the beautiful story of Hanukkah; about the "Miracle of the Maccabees" etc.

Now, the cookies!!



I am sending these delicious Rugelach to Susan from "Foodblogga", who is hosting "Eat Christmas cookies" event. If you want to try myriad recipes for cookies, head over to her round up here to bake them to your heart's content! Thanks for hosting Susan!:)



Rugelach:
Rugelach in Hebrew means "creeping vine", according to WIKI. Usually dairy products are not used in this to keep it Kosher. But I do like Cream cheese and added colored sugar added to this recipe! I adapted the recipe from "Ina Garten" of "Barefoot Contessa" with my own different fillings like Mango jam,Papaya jam,Raspberry jam, Pineapple jam with coconut and Nutella! YUM!!

To make the crust:
4 ounces cream cheese,softened, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1/8 cup granulated sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour.

Filling:
Combine 6 tbsp of granulated sugar, 1/8 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts to top the jam. Keep aside.

1/4 cup fruit preserves, pureed or any jam, nuts you like or chocolate and coconut fillings etc. Use your imagination!!

Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk.

To sprinkle on top: Mix 3 tbsp granulated sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon powder or red and green colored sugar.

How to make them:



Cream the cheese and butter in a mixer until creamy and light. Add 1/8 cup sugar, the salt and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just mixed. Take out the dough onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in two pieces, wrap each piece in plastic and chill for 1 hour or more(must do this).

Roll each ball of dough into a 9" circle using as much flour as you need on the counter top. Spread each with the jam filling and sprinkle the filling and press the filling lightly. Cut the circles into 12 or 8 equal wedges, starting with the wider edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, end piece under on a baking sheet sprayed or lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge for 30 or more minutes.



Preheat the oven to 350F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon pd or take colored sugar and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for about 17-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Remove, let them cool on the sheet for a minute, and then remove them carefully onto a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Makes 24 mini cookies or 16 big cookies. Process is little messy and you must chill the dough and the rolled cookies as long as you can but they are so delicious, they are absolutely worth the effort and time. Hope you try.



Meeta from "What's for lunch honey?" blog's "Monthly Mingle" this month with an interesting theme of "Drop in and decorate".She is asking us to bake and decorate cookies and donate them to shelters etc in our own community. I will take these cookies to a family with kids I know who would love and appreciate them. Thanks for the great idea Meeta!:)


Festive cookies:
These are the easiest and delicious cookies to make and with red and green festive colors,they make a attractive presentation and I am sure kids would love to grab by the handful!

You need: 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) softened to room temp, 7 tbsp Powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence, 1 1/4 cup plain flour, 1/8 tsp salt. Red and Green food color and colored sugar to sprinkle.

To bake cookies:

1. Add and beat butter, sugar pd and vanilla until creamy and light in a blender with paddle attachment or in a bowl with a wooden spoon by hand.
2. Add in sifted flour and salt little at a time and mix just until just blended.Take out on the counter top and knead to a soft dough gently, not too much.
3. Divide this dough to two and mix red and green food color to each and knead to blend the colors. Cover in Saran wrap or plastic and chill for half an hour in the fridge.
4. After 1/2 an hr, preheat on the oven to 350F. Take out the dough, shape the colored dough into wreaths, canes(make 2 ropes,and twist then around each other), 2" round balls and crescents.
5. Place them on a double layered cookie sheet and bake for about 12 mins. DO NOT let the cookies get brown on top. Take out the cookie sheet, let the cookies cool for 2 mins on the sheet. Gently remove them on to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before you store them.

Note: To make plain white butter cookies without color or fancy shapes like the photo below, add 1/4 cup more flour (ie 1 1/2 cup instead of 1 1/4 cup) to the above recipe, chill the dough and shape into 12 round cookies and bake. Take out the cookie sheet out of the oven and sprinkle some sugar powder on top and transfer them to cool on a rack. Makes about 12 cookies. Double the recipe if you need more than 12.

Vanilla-Butter cookies:
This recipe can be adapted to make Khara/spicy Biscuits/cookies. To make Khara biscuits or spicy cookies just skip vanilla and sugar from the above recipe and add finely chopped curry leaves and green chillies or chill flakes, pinch of Ajwain/Caraway seeds, 1 tsp cumin powder, salt. Bake as above. Enjoy! :)

Here are two holiday punch and a mocha drink I liked to wash down all those cookies!

Holiday red Punch:
Recipe from "cooking light" magazine.
To make it:
3 cups of Cranberry Juice,
3 cups Raspberry Juice,
2 cups club soda,
1/4 cup Vodka or black currant liqueur.(Skip this if you like non-alcoholic punch)

Mix all and add Ice cubes or chill to serve.Serves 6-8.


Non-alcoholic party Punch:
This recipe from "www.cooks.com" web site which I liked.
To make it:
4 cups cranberry juice
1 cup sugar
2 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups ginger ale

Mix juice and sugar, chill. Add ginger ale just before serving. Serves 10 to 12.

Minty Hot Mocha:
Recipe from "Cooking light" magazine.
To make it:

1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp instant coffee granules, 4 3/4 cups skim milk, 1/2 tsp Peppermint extract.

1. Mix sugar and cocoa, add water, boil stirring constantly. Stir in coffee granules.
2.On medium heat, simmer these for 5 mins.Add milk, stir for 5 mins. Take off the heat.
3. Add mint extract, beat well with a whisk until frothy. Serves 6.

That's it folks!:)

I am back blogging and commenting after almost 3 weeks of silence! Hope you are all keeping well. I had a good productive break, caught up with lot of reading too. We had our wedding anniversary last week (Dec 7th) which I didn't tell you here since I made a big deal about our 20th last year!:D

We enjoyed our anniversary in Charlotte last weekend relatively quietly this year, watched movies, shopped a little and visited few restaurants of course!! Thank you Linda, TBC, Raks, Neema, Kribha, Raaga and Meera for your wishes!

See you next week! :)

GOBBLE GOBBLE! HAPPY THANKSGIVING FOLKS!! :)

A very happy Thanksgiving to all of you!:))

Here is my last year's Thanksgiving post! This post is just to thank all of you all more than the usual recipes galore. Enjoy your families and friends! I will be on a short break from Thursday until Sunday. Kids have 5 days of holiday, got to start driving to some unplanned little town just for a weekend getaway!:)

Historically, harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by most of the cultures all over the World. You can read all about it here.
Here are few an interesting facts and Myths about Thanksgiving!! Did you know they had suggested the Turkey as one of the birds for American symbol before they chose the Eagle? They also think that they might not have had the Turkey for the "First Thanksgiving" feast!!

"Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday to give thanks at the conclusion of the harvest season.Families and friends gather for a reunion, a day of thanks, and a festive meal." (WIKIPEDIA)
President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a Federal holiday as a "prayerful day of Thanksgiving" on the last Thursday in November, 1939 and was approved by the US congress in 1941.

Here is my thanks:
I thank each and every one of you who come to visit to say hello to me every week and share part of your lives with me and teaching me a lot about many things too and to my family for being there for me always. Without all your support, my blogs and life in general would be colorless and bare!! I have made many new friends through blogging this year and in one short year, you have made me feel so loved and appreciated like never before.For that, I am grateful to all of you.I haven't even had a day of allergy or flu for more than a year, I think my mind and body are happy and in sync, thanks to all of you and my family!!:)

Blog friends, let's keep all our blogging purely fun and without malice. Life is too short for ugliness, let's all be beautiful!! Enjoy, laugh, love, live, (try and forgive mean people who leave nasty comments!) and count your blessings. Wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving!:)

I thank GOD for bringing Fall colors to North Carolina at last! There is light at the end of the tunnel after all. YAY!!:D


NC is in it's element with full force. It's just gorgeous around here right now!! Heaven is back on Earth!!

"The World is my Oyster!!"
This quote comes from Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor";
Why, then the world's mine oyster,
Which I with sword will open.
Sword? Nay, I shall open my World Oyster with a click of a mouse at crack of dawn, with a smile on my face and with light loving heart armed with my fully loaded blog roll to reach all your Laptops in every corner of the World! How about that for a change Shakespeare saheb?! Hahaha!!

Photo from fotosearch.
I thank God for laptops too!:D
It's still amazes me how these little Laptops and desktops connects and unites us all like minded people from all over the World!! It's like having the whole World on your lap and you forget the real World around you sometimes!:D

Thanksgiving feast in USA:
"Thanksgiving meals are traditionally family events where certain kinds of food are served. First and foremost, Turkey is the featured item in most Thanksgiving feasts (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as a "Turkey Day"). Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, turnips, yams and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner." Info from WIKIPEDIA.

Our Thanksgiving Feast!
(We are having our Thanksgiving lunch a day early, so we can plan to leave on Thursday afternoon, that's why a little delayed post today!)
Turkey cutlets with Mushroom Turkey Gravy, whole wheat Bread-corn-herbs stuffing, Cranberry-Pineapple-Mandarin orange sauce, Apple butter, Mango Chutney, sauteed Green and Yellow beans in sauce topped with French's crunchy fried Onions, Mashed Garlic Potatoes with gravy and maple syrup glazed Yams(skipping Pumpkin Pie this year)in Graham Cracker crust with little cream on top (which melted by the time I took photos!) and served with warm Apple Cider flavored with a Cinnamon stick and lastly, added a handmade Turkey to the platter, my son's old elementary school craft project, a wooden clothes pin Turkey!!:D

Here is a platter for you, enjoy!:)



How did Thanksgiving became a tradition in my house?!
Before we moved to USA from England, we had never heard of Thanksgiving at all! That first year in 1994, we were really puzzled to see all these traveling,celebration and most of all cooking Turkey and all the mishaps one encounters while cooking that bird! When you don't have kids in school, you don't really learn much about local traditions and then kids grow up and teach us a few lessons of history of the land too!:)
I still didn't really think of celebrating until one day my son, then a 3rd grader, who is born and raised in US said "I am an American, I want a Turkey too!" Well..who can say no after that!!:D
I baked a 7lb Turkey for the first time following all the directions on the pack, it came out perfect. Turkey with all the trimmings was on a beautifully decorated table made my son and us very happy. Then he decided he doesn't want to deal with all bones after all. So next year, we just baked the Turkey breasts and year after, we baked a whole Chicken Tandoori style and now we are back to Turkey cutlets and all those trimmings!!:D
Anyway, we like the thought behind the "Thanksgiving" of giving thanks to all the people around us for caring and helping us thru' the year, not to mention the yummy feast attached to it and decided to celebrate Thanksgiving as one of our Traditions too just like we chose to celebrate Diwali and Shivaratri! Now, we look forward to Thanksgiving like any other family in America!:))


This post goes to Meeta of "What's for lunch Honey?" blog as my entry for her "Monthly Mingle" with a theme of "Traditional Feasts" this month. Thanks for hosting Meeta!:))


Here are my maple and Dogwood trees infront of house blazing with color and lawn is green too!



Savor every minute of life, enjoy the long weekend! See you all on Monday in your blogs and will post JFI-Toor dal next week!:))

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I tried and loved Mythreyee of "Try this recipe" blog's Chana Masala recipe on Monday. This is not the usual North Indian Chana or Chole masala but very tasty South Indian style recipe, I added a cubed Potato instead of grinding it. I served it with Pooris, it was delicious. Thanks Myth!:)

KARNATAKA CUISINE-LAST COURSE ROUND UP!! :)

Finally, take a deep breath!! First some Spice powders and Pickles and then Sihigalu(Desserts), Badami Halu , a Kashaya (medicinal drink) and Bisi bisi Mysore coffee to end the meal, Karnataka style!!:)

Masale Pudigalu:

BisiBele bhath Masale pudi, from Namratha of "Finger licking Food":



Sarina Pudi, from Nagu of "For the cook in me":



Puliyogare pudi, from Madhavi of "My Veggie World":



Bisibele Bhath Pudi, from Madhavi of "My Veggie World":



Saaru/Sambhar Powder, from Namratha of "finger licking food":



Chutney pudi, from Easy craft of "simple Indian food":



Rasam/Thili saaru powder, from Namratha of "finger licking food":



Saarina Pudi, from Siri of "Siri's Corner":



Huli powder, from Priya of "Food and laughter":

Photo not available.

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Uppinakaigalu:

Bamboo Shoot Pickle, from me!!:)



Amla(Nellikai) Pickle, from Shilpa of "Aayi's recipes":



Bettada Nellikai Uppinkai(Gooseberry Pickle), from Vijaya of "Daily meals":



Maavinkai Uppinkai, from Kamini of "Bubbling-Cauldron":



Nimbekai Uppinkai, from me:



Budukumabalakai(Bottle Gourd) Sandige, from Shilpa of "Aayi's recipes":



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DESSERTS AT LAST!!:))

Ragi Halbai, from Smita of "Smita serves you right":



Chiroti, from Tee of "Bhaatukli":



Hayagreeva, from Mythreyee of "Try this recipe":



Balehannu Dose, from Roopa of "Recipe of choice":



Pineapple Kesari Bhath, for Rina of "Rina's recipes":



Balehannu Appa, from Seema of "Recipe Junction":



Kadalehittina Unde, from me:



Kesari Bhath, from Sharmi of "Neivedyam":



Balehannu Rasayana, from Supriya of "Monsoon spice":



Mysore Kajjaya, from me:



Rava Kesari Bhath, from Prajusha of "I cook I post":



Halasina Hannu Appa, from Smita of "smita serves you right":



Aantu Unde(Dry Fruit Laddoo), from Latha N of "The YUM blog":



Patholi, from Vee of "keep trying":



Mysore Pak, from Aarti of "aarti's corner":



Rava Laddoo, from Bee of "Jugalbandi":



Besan Unde, from Raaga of "Chef at work":



Dumrote, from Lakshmi of "The yum blog":



Kesari Bhath, from Srivalli of "Cooking4allseasons":



SaKKare Kichidi, from Anu of "Kitchen Queen":



Sihi Kadubu/Karjikai, from Manasi of "a cook at Heart":



Huranada Holige/Obbattu, from Ujwala of "Cuisine Point":



Kobbari Mithai, from Madhuli of "Food court":



Rava Kesari, from Madhavi of "Madhu's vantalu":



Avalakki Manohara , from Roopa of "recipe of choice":



Mysore Pak, from Vijaya of "Daily meals":



Kesari Bhaat, from Kribha of "Veetu samayal":



Sweet and tangy/Takka Idlis, from Manjula of "Dalitoy":



Sihi Avalakki, from Suma of "Veggie Platter":



Rave Unde, from Mamatha of "Karnataka recipes":



Shenga Holige, from Latha N of "The yum blog":



Shavige payasa, from Namratha of "finger licking food":



Kesari Bhath, from me:



Balehannu Idli, from SMN of "cook spot":



Halasina Hannu dose, from me:



Kayi Bellada Dose, from me:



Kayi Gasagase Payasa, from me:



Kobbari Unde(Laddoo), from Sobila of "Tamil Menu":



Chiroti-Badami Halu, from me:



Benne Biscuits, from me:



Badami Poori, from Suma of "Veggie Platter":



Madgane(Kadalebele Payasa), from Raaga of "Chef at work":



Mysoor Pak, from Latha N of "The YUM blog":



Pineapple Kesari Bhath, from Rajitha of "Hunger pangs":



Chiroti, from GV of "add flavour":



Sihi Shavige, from Latha of "masala magic":



Avarekalu Sweet, from Lakshmi of "Taste of Mysore":



Geena Sundan/Ginnu, from Raaga of "Chef at work":



Kadlekai Mithai/Chikki, from Siri of "Bendekayi karimb":



Hesarubele-Kayi Payasa, Mysore style from me:



Dumrote, from Priya of "Food and laughter":

Photo not available.

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Badami Halu:

Badami Halu, from Suma of "Veggie platter":



Badami Halu, from Tee of "Bhaatukli":



Squash Badami Halu, from Viji of "VCuisine":



A Kashaya, from GV of "add flavour":



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And the grand finale`! What a glorious way to end these hearty meals with desserts with a hot cup of filter coffee to wind down and say goodbye to Regional Cuisine of India and to state of Karnataka, Mysore style!!:))

Bisi Bisi Mysore Coffee in steel lota and cup as they serve in Mysore, from Namratha of truly "finger licking food" blog! Thank you Namratha!:))


Tumba dhanyavadagalu ellarigu, Namaskara. Matte sigona, alli tanaka arogya nodikolli nanna preethiya gelathiyare! Hahaha!!!
(Thank you very much and bye to everybody. We will meet again, until then take care my beloved friends!)

Here are my own Karnataka cuisine posts. Check here and here. I have used 369 photos in total for all 4 RCI Karnataka round up posts!! Now I need to sleep for a week, whaddaya say?! ;D
See Y'all on Wednesday. Have a great weekend!:))