tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75229112118283285052011-12-19T10:47:08.495ZBhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.comBlogger1711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-66778621313743343612011-12-19T10:47:00.001Z2011-12-19T10:47:08.500Z

Presents & Parties, Music & dancing into the night. Singing & laughter, raising the rafters, Have yourself a wonderful time! This happens to be my favourite Christmas song this year, after S performed this & a few more songs at her school performance. There is definitely something magical about watching little kids go up on the stage and sing & dance without any inhibitions. S is totally into

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-52000546647419249732011-09-30T20:41:00.001+01:002011-09-30T20:41:48.546+01:00

I feel like I am perpetually running these days and always getting late for something or the other. Late for S’s school, my work, to cook dinner, to sleep and so on. Its no wonder then that I am late for posting for the Blog Hop too. I was paired with Sreevalli of Ammaji Recipes for this week and I had decided on what to make from her blog, long back but things were veru hectic and so everything

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-68752687664342966292011-09-15T23:05:00.001+01:002011-09-15T23:05:04.538+01:00

As expected I am back on a Wednesday for the Blog Hop of course. This time however I nearly missed the train. We are slowly coming out of the Holiday mood and settling in the school routine. Although we had everything arranged and ready for the start of school, I am still running around arranging for things as & when the necessity pops up. So nowadays it is just chatting with other mums about

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-19138381325718833272011-09-07T23:32:00.000+01:002011-09-08T13:39:18.327+01:00

Its time for the Sweet Punch and this month’s challenge was Chocolate Almond Biscotti from Joy of Baking. But before I move on to that, let me tell you a little about our weekend excursion to the ‘Chocolate Factory’, well, Cadbury World to be precise since the visit to the factory was just a part of the whole experience. We went on a Saturday and reached there after a long drive of more than 2

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-70033120500272173452011-08-31T22:02:00.001+01:002011-08-31T22:02:44.243+01:00

It seems like I am only posting for the Blog hop these days! A summer vacation with a 4 yr old almost hyper girl takes its toll. Dont get me wrong, I am enjoying it completely. Trips to the shopping centre (spending most of the time telling her to stay with me and not run, not to touch each & everything in a shop, explaining why we cant buy everything that we want and so on!), lots of drawing,

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-66397948045364275002011-08-17T23:55:00.001+01:002011-08-17T23:55:49.056+01:00

Its blog hop time again and this time I was paired with Kaveri whose blog Palakkad Chamayal, as the name suggests, showcases the Palakkad cuisine. One of those delicious sounding dishes would have been my natural choice but for the fact that I did not have any coconut at home. That is a problem you face if you end up making it at the last minute. I tried to look for a Palakkad dish which doesnt

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-56992100671217895692011-08-07T14:30:00.001+01:002011-08-07T14:30:26.189+01:00

Its time for a Sweet Punch and the challenge this time was to make Banana & Strawberry muffins, following a recipe from the blog Joy of Cooking. This was one of those rare occasions where I had completed the challenge just days after it was announced. Usually I manage to leave it till the last minute and then have to struggle to cook/bake, take pictures, draft the post and publish, all within 2-3

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-82996465291785702682011-08-03T23:10:00.001+01:002011-08-03T23:10:31.325+01:00

How does it feel to visit some one, look at their house, the way they have decorated & arranged it, admire the beautiful knick-knacks present, and then be offered food (lunch, dinner or even tea!)? Food that is so different from the way you cook the same kind of dish and also get to know the variety of food items that they usually make at home. This is exactly how I felt while taking part in the

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-89415504193435693462011-07-19T22:11:00.001+01:002011-07-19T22:11:15.161+01:00

Ok, first of all it does feel a bit weird to be back after such a long time. Weird and good at the same time. I was missing this for sure but did not seem to have any time at all for writing here. Even after I did manage to have some time, it was all spent in thinking about how to make the ‘comeback’. The first thought was an elaborate and grand dish to mark my return to the blog. But then I

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-54461930624600821502011-07-15T10:46:00.001+01:002011-07-15T10:46:07.775+01:00

  I know it has been a really long gap, far too much in fact. How do you get back after such a long time? I wanted to come back with a fabulous looking, delicious sounding recipe but that will be taking the readers for granted. How can I expect them to be still around when I, the ‘host’, was no where to be seen for nearly 3 months! So the purpose of this post is to first of all apologise to

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-30714588302779758992011-04-17T22:45:00.001+01:002011-04-17T22:45:59.422+01:00

It seems like only a few days back that I had held little Shreya in my hands and she had looked back with her large beautiful eyes, as if to ask – where am I and what is happening? It must have been a few days back when she started her nursery and I was so apprehensive about how she would take it. My fears were put to rest when she happily hopped inside the nursery, leaving me a with tears rather

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-25203912725180897672011-04-16T00:26:00.000+01:002011-04-17T01:01:51.209+01:00

Another classic today but with a slight twist. The Victoria Sponge cake was named after Queen Victoria and traditionally consists of layers of cake sandwiched together with raspberry Jam and whipped cream. The whipped cream is a must, otherwise it is just a jam sponge cake and Not A Victoria Sponge Cake! Read more about it here. The twist in my cake came from a book which has recipes specifically

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-23781703449426879272011-04-15T22:54:00.001+01:002011-04-17T01:03:52.762+01:00

When I started taking baking seriously, there was one blog that I regularly visited for ideas and inspiration.Deeba’s Passionate About Baking still remains one of my favourite sites whenever I want to refer something for baking. The lovely pictures and well written recipes have helped me a lot and some of the recipes have stuck with me as regulars. This Coffee cake was one of the earliest ‘

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-63779221303975094472011-04-14T22:29:00.001+01:002011-04-14T22:29:57.305+01:00

This is the fourth day of the Blogging Marathon, so we are halfway through. I am already feeling great about having done this as I have come back to regular blogging and also writing about baking, which I am very fond of. Also my cakes are getting a chance to see the light of the day and that is very good. Today’s cake is a classic recipe and one that I  had not tried for a long time because I

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-5100019735773941022011-04-13T22:42:00.001+01:002011-04-13T22:42:28.198+01:00

The Easter Holidays have started and the biggest task on hand is to keep Shreya occupied constructively. By that I mean not allowing her to sit in front of the TV for the whole day but at the same keep her entertained. Catching up with her other friends is taking us out of home for most of the days but on days when we are not meeting any one, it is quite difficult. Story – reading, play dough,

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-47096907312907604142011-04-12T21:42:00.001+01:002011-04-12T21:46:55.279+01:00

Continuing on with the Cake fest, I have an eggless one in this post. Although I have made eggless cakes earlier (Date & Walnut), this was different because unlike the earlier ones, this is not a dense cake. You can hardly make out that there are no eggs here. The original basic recipe is from Divine taste, which was for a Golden Yellow cake. I have adapted it to make a marble cake. The picture

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-620575545345741402011-04-11T16:52:00.001+01:002011-04-11T16:52:18.620+01:00

Today I am embarking on my first blogging Marathon. I will be posting every day for the whole week, which is a huge feat in itself for me, considering how my posts appear in bursts on this blog, more so because of my new job nowadays. As if life was not hectic enough, I now work half days and somehow try to manage all other things in the other half. I am now in complete awe of all you ladies who

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-12962030079752481412011-04-01T12:56:00.001+01:002011-04-01T12:56:06.244+01:00

I know, it has been a long gap again. I know I promised myself and my readers that I will post more regularly. I know I keep going back on this promise. But what can I say – life does that to you. Things have been really hectic (as if they weren't before)! I am now juggling a job in addition to the ‘normal’ things – raising a 3 (almost 4) year old, managing everything else that comes as a package

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-8680837299569261452011-03-07T22:36:00.001Z2011-03-07T22:36:29.596Z

If you are looking for something very delicious but dont want to spend too much time making it and want it to be as simple as possible, then these cookies are for you. This month’s Sweet Punch sounded too good to be true and even turned out that way. I couldnt believe that the cookies could be so good after the minimum amount of time & efforts it had taken. But they were absolutely perfect with

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-3092518851019410382011-02-28T14:51:00.001Z2011-02-28T14:51:40.939Z

Eating out for little Shreya invariably means having Chilli Paneer. She is a die hard fan of the dish and no matter how spicy it might be she relishes it, without so much as a thought to the other food items on the table. She can actually eat ‘only’ Chilli Paneer as her lunch or dinner or even breakfast for that matter! Weekends are usually spent in one of the Indian restaurant here where we get

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-8968360090237715642011-02-15T22:42:00.001Z2011-02-15T22:42:41.872Z

This month’s Indian Cooking Challenge was very simple, as in simple to make and a very simple dish too. But as they say the good things in life are always simple, this Dal too turned out to be very good. Every region in India has its own version of the Dal. Tadka Dal in the north, Amthi in Maharashtra, Saaru in Karnataka, Sambhar in the South and so on. The Gujrati version is a bit sweeter and

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-20611883875964613552011-02-07T20:25:00.001Z2011-02-07T20:25:07.885Z

Having missed a few of the recent Sweet Punch challenges, I was determined to make it this time. The challenge itself for the month of February helped a lot because it was very simple. The end result though was absolutely delicious and provides me with a great option for dessert whenever we might have guests over. There was however only one hitch. Since I got down to make it only at the last

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-945563869005031832011-02-01T19:33:00.001Z2011-02-02T09:40:39.416Z

I have been itching to get back to the blog but there hasn't been much cooking going on these days because of health issues. We are having this Khichadi almost every day, not that we mind. I am recovering now and so thought that I will get back to the one resolution I made this year, well not exactly a resolution but a change in the lifestyle you could say. Up until now I had never fasted,

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-91198901162579698292011-01-28T17:33:00.001Z2011-01-28T17:43:42.503Z

It has been quite a while again since my last post and I did promise myself that I will try to maintain the flow of posts this time but my health just wouldn't let me keep it up. I am still recovering from a viral fever that saw me tucked up in the bed for most of last week and is still making me feel like lying down everytime I think of doing something! But being bound to sit does give you a

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-51549234173234862172011-01-14T17:42:00.001Z2011-01-14T17:42:12.887Z

Coming back from a really long gap on this blog, I first wish all of you a very Happy Makar Sankranti. To help you in deciding about what special things to make this festive occasion and also to compensate for the lack of a recipe in this post, here are a few options from this blog Til Gul Ladoo Mysore Paak Moong Dal Halwa Godhi Kuttida Payasa (Broken Wheat Kheer) Muruku Parippu Vadai Kara Sev

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-2586783526430000842010-10-15T09:55:00.000+01:002010-10-18T09:56:37.990+01:00

This month’s Indian Cooking Challenge had us making a Punjabi Kadhi with the Pakodis (fritters). My association with Punjabi food has been a long one, as I have mentioned numerous times on this blog. Kadhi Pakodi is very special for me since it reminds me of my days in Delhi, which is where I was exposed to it for the first time as part of one of my classmate’s lunch box. Ever since it has stayed

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-2022554180829939392010-10-07T14:35:00.001+01:002010-10-07T14:35:07.683+01:00

I cant believe how difficult it is to resume writing once you have had a long break from blogging, never mind that it was unintentional. There are no specific reasons for the lack of posts. Of course I had been cooking everyday during this time and some of the things I made definitely deserve to be mentioned here but somehow I didn't get around to it. As usual I will blame it on the hectic

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-7139800450454960192010-09-15T20:14:00.001+01:002010-09-15T20:17:21.743+01:00

Aparna’s blog, A Diverse Kitchen, has been a constant source of inspiration. For me, its the best example of a food blog which successfully combines traditional and western recipes. If you have to decide the ‘category’ of this blog by going through the recipe index, its a tough job. The main reason being the wide variety of recipes you will find here. The blog totally lives up to the name and is

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-44813146369946580272010-09-08T15:05:00.001+01:002010-09-08T15:11:04.397+01:00

To be very honest, I am not a Quiche person at all. The main reason being that I dont eat eggs, not in their usual form at least. I only tolerate them in cakes, muffins, cookies etc. Apart from that I am not at all comfortable with eggs, mainly because of the smell. That may explain why I am buying Vanilla essence every other week. I add it to recipes that dont call for it but have eggs in it,

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-84263565321673451452010-09-03T15:23:00.001+01:002010-09-03T15:23:58.401+01:00

I admit I said the break was going to be only for a week but here I am, after more than a month. I did come back from the holiday in a week but have been running around to sort out a lot of things, hence the delayed break on the blog front. I missed a couple of events which I try to participate every month. And the most important thing is that my unread folder in the reader is over flowing with

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-19654671798596955112010-07-28T22:13:00.001+01:002010-07-28T22:13:42.295+01:00

The mango season was her favourite, always had been. Apart from the weather being favourable for all the kids to hang out for endless hours, it also marked the vacation from college and the visit to the village. While she didn't particularly like being surrounded by all the relatives commenting on how she had grown up so much and how it will soon be time to look for a groom for her, there was

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-36895348163704009612010-07-25T09:46:00.001+01:002010-07-25T09:46:51.965+01:00

The weather here nowadays is the best it can be. Bright & sunny most of the times with just a bit of drizzle thrown in now & then to cool it off. You would want to spend each weekend at the beach. Although that is practically not possible for us, we have decided to compensate for it by going away to the beach for a week – a day for each weekend of the summer! While we are super excited about the

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-1471295571054187602010-07-15T19:01:00.001+01:002010-07-15T19:01:13.037+01:00

This month’s challenge was Kara Sev, which turned out to be very different from the sev that we make at home. Having said that, I had never tried making sev, any kind, before this. I had seen my Mom make it every Diwali for the ‘faral’ but had never tried to do it myself. So just like the Muruku gave me practice for the Chakli making, Kara sev has made me familiar with the sev making process. The

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-28068371353547567832010-07-13T10:04:00.001+01:002010-07-13T10:04:28.338+01:00

Typical scenario on  the day that I am planning to bake something: Get up in the morning, take the butter & eggs out of the fridge. You never know when I can sneak in a chance to bake & I dont want to have cold & hard butter staring at me then. Besides its a tip I have picked up regarding baking – unless otherwise mentioned, all the ingredients should be at room temperature for you to have a

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-2345621990960565702010-07-08T07:20:00.001+01:002010-07-08T07:20:34.592+01:00

There is nothing devilish about them apart from the calories perhaps, but at least they dont pretend unlike some other food items which look quite innocent but pack loads of calories. Now thats what I would call devilish! These cupcakes can only be called delicious, yummy, superb and other such adjectives. This is my first Sweet Punch and we had to make Devil’s food cupcakes with a vanilla cream

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-60612634460742830132010-06-29T18:38:00.001+01:002010-06-29T18:38:35.614+01:00

I know this might sound odd, but I have only recently started to use Google Reader, any reader for that matter. Now, that doesn't mean I didn't follow all of your blogs before this, but the method I followed was, well a little different. As primitive as this might sound, I used to actually bookmark or mark as favourite the blogs that I wanted to read & every other day I would go to each of the

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-20765630500040684382010-06-22T15:53:00.001+01:002010-06-22T15:53:51.377+01:00

Let me start this post with a list of grains, lentils & beans in my Pantry. Toor Dal (Split pigeon pea) Yellow Moong Dal Green Moong Dal Black eyed beans Sona Masoori Rice Basmati Rice Brown Rice Urad Dal (Split Black gram) Chickpeas Red Kidney beans Moth (for Matki) Whole Moong Beans Whole Urad (Whole Black gram) Dried Vaal (Hyacinth Beans) Brown Chickpeas Red Chori (Adzuki

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-56879090070896823752010-06-15T23:13:00.001+01:002010-06-17T09:48:08.372+01:00

While this month’s Indian Cooking Challenge was not new to me, I had never gotten around to make at home, what is a major part of this challenge. Pani Puri, or Gol Gappe as they are called up in North India, was the almost unanimous choice when Srivalli opened the space for suggestions and I have to admit that although I didn't register my choice, I was quite happy that Pani Puri was chosen.

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-29570155902757983082010-06-09T16:32:00.001+01:002010-06-23T08:45:59.960+01:00

      The little girl was circling around her mother for a long time trying to get a glimpse of what she was doing on the kitchen counter. She, the girl i.e., always liked to watch her mum working in the kitchen. giving an impression that she was trying to learn the tricks of the trade or so to speak, never mind her young age. With all her

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-76517179295129558592010-06-03T11:30:00.001+01:002010-06-03T11:30:20.417+01:00

It has been quite a while that the same picture stares at you whenever you visit this blog. The only consolation was that it was Ras Malai :) The past couple of weeks have been very hectic, more than the usual that is. The daughter turned 3 years and it was like a week long celebration with 2 parties & the whole time went in planning & executing them. But S was

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-70992890801156974632010-05-15T23:49:00.001+01:002010-05-15T23:49:08.432+01:00

This month’s chosen ICC dish was the classic favourite Ras Malai. It is always my preferred dessert when eating out, for the simple reason that it is generally not too sweet but satisfies that craving for something sweet after a meal. It might look very complicated to make but this is one of the simplest dishes to make with very few ingredients. Although I have

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-48455665199060386792010-05-11T16:07:00.001+01:002010-05-14T16:37:24.063+01:00

How long do you spend planning the menu each day? Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner – do they dominate your thoughts throughout the day? Are you constantly thinking about how to use up the stuff lying in the fridge & how best to make use of them? Please say yes to all the questions above & tell me that you too spend a lot of

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-41465261127122519562010-05-05T16:40:00.001+01:002010-06-09T09:10:24.058+01:00

This must be first time ever that I was struggling to finish reading a book. As I have mentioned earlier in numerous posts, I can read anything & everything, then why did I have to keep counting the pages remaining, and wondering when I will be able to reach the end? The answer might lie in the way Julie Powell writes -  totally haphazard, without any organisation or sequence and too

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-4217876524442959762010-04-28T08:59:00.001+01:002010-06-23T08:45:59.963+01:00

  “It has to go on the blog this time at any cost!” She thought. She had made them a lot of times before this, but somehow never went around to publish it on her blog. The excuse being the classic one – lack of good photographs. But today she was going to make sure she had snaps, in fact she was going a step further & taking step by step pictures. These were always a hit on the blog. She

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The weather is getting better here. Although even as I am typing this, I can see dark clouds gathering around. But the temperature is soaring and its not freezing cold any more so even the occasional drizzle is welcome now. In fact its great to watch the new leaves glistening in the rain now that

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As the title suggests, this is something that I always have in my pantry. Now the reason that this is such a considerable fact is that it is not available here in London, not even in the Indian stores, where otherwise you get almost everything.  So how do I make sure that I always have this in store? I get it from India whenever I visit of course. And I get loads of it. This is always on my ‘

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-32757658652871635762010-04-16T11:14:00.001+01:002010-05-14T16:38:20.424+01:00

There has been a long silence on this blog and as is the case with conversations, it is a little difficult to figure out a way to break the silence & start talking once again. I guess the best way to start would be to explain why there was this long break here. There has been a series of illness at home for the past few weeks. It started with simple cold & cough & went on to graduate into

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-40919613538178666942010-04-03T10:38:00.000+01:002010-04-03T10:40:09.039+01:00

This month’s read for the Book Club was Sophie Kinsella’s Can you Keep a secret? While I am not particularly a fan of this genre of books called the chic-lit (I am more of a mystery, thriller, espionage reader), I was intrigued when I had read about this book. Her earlier Shopaholic series had gone by, with me barely knowing about them.  I knew what to expect when  I started reading this book

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-82795098201657775792010-04-01T22:30:00.001+01:002010-04-01T22:30:53.282+01:00

Thank you for sending in your entries for the Cooking For Kids event. I am extending the deadline till 24th April 2010. So now theres more time for you to come up with delicious breakfast options for the kids. I am looking forward to receiving a lot of entries so get cooking!

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-54251031456961061142010-03-15T22:14:00.001Z2010-05-15T23:53:13.796+01:00

The timing for making these couldnt be better. I wish everyone a very Happy Gudi Padwa! We call them Anarasa or so I had thought, because while they tasted a lot like our Anarasa the consistency & looks were different. I don't know if that is how they are supposed to be or if it was the way I made them. Anarasa is supposed to be a little coarser in texture and darker in

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-29260909350831359882010-03-09T22:51:00.001Z2010-03-09T22:51:03.549Z

This had been the first event hosted by me here at Taste Buds and as is natural I was a little apprehensive. But now while I am drafting this round up, I realise that there was no need for the apprehension. Thanks, Sunita for giving me the chance to hot this event. Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement and of course the

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-34737948443180307302010-03-05T21:16:00.001Z2010-04-01T22:33:24.176+01:00

Some one once told me that, once you have kids your whole world revolves around them. The time that you get up in the morning, what & when you eat, where and how you go out, what time you sleep! Practically everything. This fact is more than evident in the kitchen when you have to think of new dishes to entice your child into eating what you want them to eat. The challenge of course is

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-64185549028648454412010-03-03T08:43:00.001Z2010-03-03T08:43:19.142Z

First of all thank you everyone for the lovely entries for Think Spice:Think Amchoor. As I will be able to compile the round up only during the weekend, I am accepting entries that reach me before Friday. So you can say that the deadline has been pushed to 5th March! I have just finished reading Jeffrey Archer’s ‘The Paths of Glory’ and was reminded why  I love his books so much. He

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-38839807721481425002010-02-26T09:52:00.001Z2010-02-26T09:52:50.891Z

Thank you everyone for the entries for Think Spice: Think Amchoor event. And for those of you who are still contemplating on sending an entry, Hurry up! You have only 4 more days to go!

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-6579458868266461642010-02-22T20:20:00.001Z2010-02-22T20:20:59.570Z

Bhelpuri is a mixture or medley of puffed rice, Sev and/or Farsan, garnished with chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, fresh coriander and accompanied by two different chutneys, one sweet & tangy, the other spicy. The title might seem odd, after all Bhel is supposed to be instant, so what's so special about this one? Although Bhel is assembled instantly, there is a lot of

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-67041141104882019882010-02-15T22:51:00.001Z2010-05-15T23:53:28.906+01:00

I am back from the India trip and although it has been quite some time, I still have to get back to the normal routine. I blame the jetlag wholly for this, me being extra sensitive when it comes to that. So I have been having afternoon naps and in spite of that feeling drowsy by 6 in the evening, of course I am also wide awake at 3 in the morning! This month’s ICC had me really

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-82271311299639606942010-01-31T07:24:00.004Z2010-01-31T16:12:08.869Z

Think Spice is an event which was conceived by Sunita of Sunita’s World. The event has been going strong for more than 2 years, having explored a number of wonderful spices, some of which I hadnt heard about, I must admit. Having travelled all over the blogosphere, Think Spice is making a halt at Taste Buds for the month of February.Amchoor has been one of my favourite spices but off late I have

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-77446368420263166942010-01-21T08:43:00.000Z2010-05-14T16:38:49.930+01:00

The quest for cooking and eating something different from the routine makes me pick up various cookbooks from the library. This time I got Tarla Dalal’s Rajasthani Cook book and one weekend in December saw me trying a combination from this book. About the book itself, its a well compiled book with the usual suspects making an appearance such as Dal Bati, Churma Laddoo, Gatte ki Kadhi and so on.

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-52711395652594431512010-01-15T08:57:00.000Z2010-05-15T23:53:43.684+01:00

When I saw the recipe for the this month’s ICC, I was a little disappointed, not because I don't like Moong Dal Halwa, in fact I love it! The reason was that I knew I would have to miss this month’s challenge because I would be travelling to India during the month of January and I felt very bad that I will be missing making the Moong Dal Halwa. But I somehow could not give it a miss, so I

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-87739046836302897182010-01-05T08:30:00.000Z2010-01-05T08:30:00.553Z

I really meant it when I thought a couple of months back that there will be a spate of ‘cookie’ posts on this blog. The reason being that I had got a copy of Williams Sonoma’s Cookie collection (delighted to win it for MLLA-13 hosted by Sunshine Mom) and was itching to start trying each of the recipes out one by one. Although I have made a few, I never got down to post about them, my main excuse

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-11603565918274030382009-12-30T16:20:00.000Z2009-12-30T16:20:00.110Z

First of all, a New Year calls for a new look, so this blog gets a revamp and I hope you will like it. Since this is a new layout, please bear with me if some things don't work right away and do let me know about it. Now on to the post then….

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Finding this month’s book in my local library proved to be some thing of a task for me. Finally I managed to get the book called for me from another library. The book chosen for this month was Ladies Coupe by Anita Nair. There are essentially 6 stories, involving – of course 6 women, tied together by the central story of Akhila, who is a single woman at 45 yrs, having worked hard to keep her

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-87608625327368683062009-12-15T23:29:00.001Z2010-05-15T23:54:15.328+01:00

I had not heard about it before this, I must admit. But now I not only know what it is, I like it too. So here it is, this month’s ICC, deep fried yet again but savoury this time. Quick to prepare, it can be a great snack to munch any time! I followed Recipe #1 and used store bought rice flour. Chegodilu/Chekodi Makes about 20 Ingredients 1 Cup Rice Flour 1 Cup Water salt (as

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-9197920977816344882009-12-04T15:35:00.001Z2010-05-14T16:42:13.787+01:00

The weather is getting colder by the day, which itself is getting shorter and shorter. It starts getting dark by 3.30-4 in the afternoon and it does feel a little odd in the beginning. But as time passes we will get used to it & in fact I am sure it will feel odd when the day starts to stretch after March-April! When its cold & dark, you feel like having something hot & spicy, at least I do :) I

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-20438223806551761782009-11-30T23:12:00.001Z2009-11-30T23:18:19.987Z

Paneer is something we can never do without. Its almost as if we get withdrawal symptoms if we haven't had a Paneer dish in more than 5 or 6 days! So when JFI:Paneer was announced, I was very excited, both to participate and to feast on the round up! But looks like I am just about managing to send in my entry. This one features in almost all the restaurant menus & I have to admit, is always my

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-10403479612875444692009-11-29T22:02:00.001Z2010-04-03T10:40:09.041+01:00

‘This Book makes me Cook’ will be a regular feature on this blog from this month onwards and I have already started wondering why I had not joined it earlier. First of all as I have mentioned a lot of times earlier, I love reading and in spite of the busy schedule now or earlier when I was working, I have somehow always managed to squeeze in some reading. But most importantly the Book Club gives

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-64737115778369689742009-11-22T17:56:00.000Z2010-06-23T20:59:55.639+01:00

View Full Album Recipe – Categories  Recipe - Ingredients

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-27072655505096628922009-11-22T17:36:00.000Z2011-09-15T23:08:09.363+01:00

Cookies, Bars & Scones Chocolate Almond Biscotti Peanut Butter Cookies Shortbread Triangles Chocolate Chip Cookies Cherry Scones Nankhatai Orange & Oat Bars Saffron-Almond Cookies Hazelnut Chocolate Bars Whole-wheat Almond Cookies (Eggless)   Breads Tomato, Herb & Cheese Bread Cakes & Muffins White Chocolate Truffle Cake Eggless Marble Cake Black Forest Cake Banana &

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-18994745224335354772009-11-22T16:31:00.000Z2011-09-15T23:07:20.673+01:00

Chocolate Chocolate Almond Biscotti Hazelnut Chocolate Bars Devil’s Food Cupcakes Chocolate Chip Cookies Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins Banana flavoured Chocolate Milkshake  Molten Lava Cake Black Forest Cake White Chocolate Truffle Cake Eggless Marble Cake   Coffee Espresso Coffee Cake Filter Coffee Paneer Chinese style Vegetable stir fry Kadai Paneer Dum Paneer Kali Mirch

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-56655202069331920632009-11-15T19:55:00.001Z2010-05-15T23:54:15.331+01:00

…from scratch! Yes, I have wanted to try this out since a long time but every time I made them, it was for an occasion & so I didn't want to take a chance and ended up using the Gits pack. They always turned out fantastic for me, although I have heard from others that there might be problems even there. So making them from scratch was something very daring and I was not prepared to do it until

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-88011402596654662922009-11-15T10:48:00.001Z2009-11-15T10:48:55.276Z

Seriously, she really is a kid, 2.5 yrs old. I might have stiff competition coming up here, right at home! My daughter not only pretends to cook Pav Bhaji, Pasta, Pizza etc but also demands that her ‘dishes’ be photographed just like her Mom’s ! Have a look..   Dont miss the apron :) The DVD player is supposed to be her oven & my oven gloves are always in the living room with her trying to ‘

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-66752540042834099622009-11-11T18:59:00.001Z2010-05-14T16:43:01.795+01:00

Getting Inspired is not new to the Hindi film industry but I recently saw a new level of such inspiration when I caught a couple of songs of the yet to be released movie ‘Radio’ starring Himesh Reshammiya. ‘Mann Ka radio’  reminds me of I want You, Savage Garden & the other one ‘Janeman’ seems to be lifted from 'Notting Hill, ‘When you say Nothing at All’, right down to the bench in the park! In

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-4222799761397099852009-10-31T17:13:00.001Z2009-10-31T17:20:12.897Z

It was pure chance that I came to know about Flowerfest. The idea appealed to me instantly. The main reason being that I am very bad  at recognising flowers and that is such a shame because I love flowers so much. I have seen a lot of flowers & I know a lot of names but I cant seem to connect the two together. For example, take this one. I have seen this flower too many times. I know that there

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-63082392280732569532009-10-26T11:56:00.001Z2009-10-26T13:24:45.831Z

One of the fondest food memories of mine are about the bakery man who would come with a Tin Canister loaded with baked goodies – Khari biscuits & Nankhatai. He would go door to door asking regular customers, if they needed a refill of their favourite evening time snack and attracting new ones, with the aroma wafting through every time he opened the box to make a delivery. During the later years

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-64836387126179403802009-10-13T17:45:00.001+01:002009-10-13T17:45:04.188+01:00

Living away from ‘home’ means different things to different people. Opportunities, better prospects, better standard of living, better comforts etc might come across as Pros of living outside one’s country. But where there are Pros, there are bound to be some Cons. Staying away from your family, specifically parents in most cases, missing all those lovely festivals being celebrated in their true

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-14865672796966301232009-10-01T00:29:00.001+01:002010-05-15T23:54:15.333+01:00

While this is not the first time I have come across them, I knew them by a different name – Tengul. I got introduced to them at my friend N’s place and had found them very different from the ‘Chakali’ that we prepare at home specially for the Diwali Faral. This month’s ICC has brought back all those memories and I was actually visualising Manni’s kitchen, while I fried these Muruku. The recipe

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-6772077669658464972009-09-29T16:09:00.001+01:002010-05-14T16:51:59.596+01:00

I love books, reading and also collecting them. While Fiction in general & espionage/detective in specific are my favourites, I like all types of books. Autobiographies, plays, Factual, Science and so on, with the only exception of the self help kind of books, but again I have read quite a few of them as well. A recent addition to the above categories is Cookery. I can easily say that my

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-17337096730042355252009-09-03T09:48:00.001+01:002010-05-14T16:52:23.975+01:00

On my quest to find out as many healthy & low carb recipes as possible I had stumbled upon this one on the Tarla Dalal website. Since this was not just a tomato soup & the fact that ‘spicy’ was the key word in the name of the soup, I immediately bookmarked it but had never got along to make it. But the recent enthusiasm in eating healthy & ‘trying’ to lose weight led me to dig it out of the

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-14254047280314827582009-08-10T15:29:00.001+01:002009-08-10T15:29:35.144+01:00

23rd July marked the start of the Hindu Shravan month, considered to be the most auspicious month. This heralded the beginning of what I call ‘a series of worshipping’. Starting with Naag Panchami which was on the 26th July, there is the Mangalagauri Pooja every Tuesday, Lakshmi Pooja every Friday, Rakshabandhan on 5th Aug, Janmashtami on the 14th and so on. Now Festivals or Pooja call for

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-14068805515002829902009-08-04T15:01:00.001+01:002009-08-04T23:52:38.493+01:00

Its very difficult to think of something to make for an event if you are conscious about what you are eating. I have had to keep looking for something which can be accommodated in our current “diet” situation. I don't generally enjoy anything new if I am eating it alone, which is the case for lunch as GM is away at the office with his lunch box. So I usually cook up something new for any event

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-22243347582041632482009-07-30T22:19:00.003+01:002010-05-14T16:55:40.576+01:00

We always knew it, but the weighing scale brought us out of our optimistic thinking that the weight gain was temporary. On Sunday we realised that it was for real, was here to stay and in fact threatened to increase with time. It was high time we did something about it. And obviously food was the prime suspect. There were others like complete inactivity during the weekends, an almost wasted gym

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-28740820773845300992009-07-22T17:31:00.001+01:002009-07-22T17:31:28.474+01:00

I often sit & wonder how certain food items must have been ‘invented’.Actually I would really like to know the history of all the food items. I wonder why someone thought of collecting the wheat grains and making a powder (flour) out of it, adding water to make a dough and then rolling out Rotis and then baking them on the Tawa (griddle). What must have prompted the earliest human being to make

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-26336811854682318932009-07-06T15:30:00.001+01:002009-07-06T15:30:34.838+01:00

This forms one half of the ultimate (for me atleast!) comfort food – Varan Bhaat. The other half is simply boiled/steamed rice. Varan for me is something which I had always taken for granted, simple sounding & simple tasting, surely it must be very simple to make. Although it is very easy to make, I initially struggled to get the exact taste & consistency of the Varan that Mom used to make.

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-74370360282887981072009-05-29T15:32:00.001+01:002009-05-29T15:32:44.815+01:00

It had been a while since I had baked something and my Hand Mixer was literally calling out to me - ‘You were so keen on getting me home because you thought there was a lot of baking going on in your kitchen,  so why don't you put me to use now?’ Well, that prompted me to get into action and I was literally on a baking spree for a few days. Muffins, cookies (Nankhatai to be precise), cake and

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-71412878969861257182009-05-13T18:52:00.001+01:002009-05-13T18:52:48.065+01:00

Attending traditional kannada (North Karnataka) weddings was one of the things we enjoyed a lot about our annual trips to the village during the summer vacation. The celebrations, meeting the relatives and most importantly the food. But we did have a major problem with the food – that it seemed like rice was the only thing being served Anna – Tavvi - Saaru (Rice with cooked lentils &

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-16906540124281062542009-05-08T14:58:00.001+01:002009-05-08T15:59:15.205+01:00

With 3 of the Puran dishes (Puran Poli, Kadabu, Haygreev) already on this blog, this one was long due. I confess that when I made those three, I made this Aamti/Saaru every time. How can I let go of the chance where I have the Kaat (the water in which the split chickpea, reqd for the Puran, is cooked)? But never took the chance of posting it, but now here it  is. The consistency for Kaatachi

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-89567967154886617082009-04-22T16:19:00.001+01:002010-06-23T09:00:12.720+01:00

This ones a classic combination as far as comfort foods go. Of course a lot of broth preparations go quite well with Khichadi such as Tomato-Saar, Rasam, Amsul-Saar etc but there is something about this combination which makes even the otherwise supposedly bland Khichadi a welcome dish. As much as I love this, I can not come to terms with the fact that this can be regarded as a festive dish as

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-28732610562700303632009-04-11T10:26:00.002+01:002010-05-14T16:56:49.441+01:00

I first came across this one when we had been out at a restaurant having an Indian Buffet, Gujarati to be precise. In fact most of the items on the menu even apart from the Buffet, such as the South Indian dishes (Dosa, Idli, Wada with the chutney & sambhar), North Indian Dishes (The Paneer, the Aloo-Matar etc), the Indo Chinese(Hakka Noodles, schezuan rice ) etc all have a very strong Gujarati

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-75376448778448963622009-04-08T17:47:00.002+01:002010-05-14T16:57:08.171+01:00

This is a variation on those round ones. I stumbled upon Carrot-Ginger Appe at As Dear as Salt, when looking for options for breakfast and liked it very much. I made some changes to the original recipe and made these. The best part about them is that they are instant, no fermentation required. And they pack in carrots so they are healthy too. I would like to try a different combination of

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-67281125336562866642009-04-01T00:07:00.001+01:002009-04-01T00:07:49.849+01:00

While I am quite a confident cook, or if I can even say so myself at the risk of blowing my own trumpet, a seasoned cook, I am not so sure when it comes to baking. Although I am not new to baking, having made quite a few cakes, cookies, muffins even bread etc, I am always nervous when I am baking. It could be a tried & tested recipe but I am still biting my nails until I have seen the final

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-57833598710829492962009-03-31T22:01:00.001+01:002010-06-23T10:54:42.470+01:00

Is it a coincidence that I read this post at Jugalbandi on the same day that I read this announcement? Well, according to Master Oogway (Kung Fu Panda), there are no coincidences. So this one had to be destined. Even before I had seen the MBP announcement, I had bookmarked these Masala Peanuts. No oil, they say and that was all the encouragement I needed to make them. If only I had got some

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-51194224627043453232009-03-30T02:55:00.000+01:002009-12-30T01:56:18.851Z

Taste Buds was formed on the spur of the moment in March 2008, although the idea was given a lot of thought before actually going for it. It started as my journal for recipes that I had gathered from various sources such as friends, family, magazines, websites and of course other blogs. It has now transformed into a space where I share a lot of things apart from food, with my virtual friends

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-41787532014728900092009-03-26T18:14:00.001Z2009-03-26T18:14:56.781Z

This wasn't my first attempt. I have made Rasam before but not with such a delicious end result. Although rasam forms an integral part of a south Indian meal, I have yet to come to terms with this watery preparation. I have always wondered about how it can be described. Its not like Sambhar for sure, not even a Dal, because you can hardly find dal(lentils) in there. They call it a South Indian

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-80690828869936326532009-03-22T09:46:00.002Z2011-02-01T19:42:34.374Z

This one takes the record for being in the drafts for the longest time - almost a year! We must have had Sabudana Wadas at least 10-12 times after this was drafted. Every time I made them, I would sit with the laptop determined to publish it and everytime something or the other would happen (e.g not fitting in with the ongoing events!) and it would be pushed back. But now here it is finally!

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-10185513299619530772009-03-17T17:00:00.001Z2009-03-20T15:17:30.117Z

I don't remember where I had got this recipe from. It was collected during the days when I was actively (read desperately) looking for Paneer recipes all over. Google search results & some news paper cuttings plus many of those appearing in the magazines and not to forget all those cookery shows (specially Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana) made up my collection of these treasured Paneer recipes.

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-31464748881349546572009-03-11T16:41:00.001Z2009-03-11T16:41:17.009Z

Absolutely! Its sweet, its rich and best of all this one happens to be eggless too! And it has been made specially for the one year old. After all there has to be something fitting to mark the first Birthday, a very important milestone. In case you are still wondering, its the blog that has completed one year. Taste Buds started on this day last year after much deliberation and some

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-21974789536317854962009-03-01T00:33:00.003Z2010-05-14T16:58:38.459+01:00

I had made Lasagne for the first time around 3 yrs back, following a recipe from Tarla Dalal. I get these set of recipes emailed to me every week since I registered on the official website. This particular Lasagne recipe sounded simple enough and even included the steps for making the Lasagne sheets and that seemed quite easy too. But I had never had lasagne before so when the recipe asked the

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-52247129807772780452009-02-24T18:44:00.002Z2010-06-23T09:01:44.794+01:00

Or Butternut Squash Bharit to be precise. That is what is easily available here and that is what I used to make this classic Pumpkin side, which was almost like the real thing. I have come across a lot of people who call this by different names, all valid, I should add - Salad, Koshimbir or Bharit. This is my favourite way of having pumpkin. Use the flesh for this Bharit and make chutney out of

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-88854565455298035602009-02-17T00:58:00.002Z2010-05-14T16:59:46.242+01:00

Does that translation do justice to the good old Baingan ka Bharta? What do you think? Is there any other name by which it is known? I would really like to know. I tried to google for it and found that everyone has their own term. So, there, I add mine to the lot - Roasted Aubergine stir fry! Now, Brinjal/Aubergine/Eggplant is a very dicey (pun?) veggie, meaning some love it, some loathe it and

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7522911211828328505.post-90799124349221084372009-02-11T15:31:00.002Z2010-05-14T17:00:21.946+01:00

Raw Tomatoes are rare to find where I stay, so when I saw them at a vegetable stand, I filled up my bag, about 18-20 of them. I brought them back home happy with the loot & then started wondering what I will do with such a huge lot. The Chutney was of course the first thing on my mind but I did not want to make it out of all the tomatoes because I wasn't sure if such a huge quantity will survive

Bhagyashrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09690377118423770313noreply@blogger.com5