2013 - The Magical Year that flew by.

The year 2013 seems to have flown past. So much has happened that has filled my life with lots of happiness and given it a completely new meaning.

1. I picked up my paints and brushes this year again, after almost 15 odd years. It's been a very colour-full year. I completed close to 20 paintings. I made my first 'made to order' painting. I know I have a very long way to go, but I am happy with the tiny baby steps I have taken.

2. I finally started blogging. I baked like never before. I have a long list of recipes to tick off in this coming year. So much more to try and learn.

3. My friends have been my life line. They have criticized, praised, pushed me on to do more and do better. I cannot image a day without my chats and emails exchanged with them. Thank you all for the faith you show in me.

4. I am amazed at how fast my children are growing. There are moments I wish where I could just shrink them back a little and hold them forever in my arms.

5. We holidayed and indulged in a lot of out door activities as a family this year. It has been loads of fun.

6. I crossed a milestone in my life, where life has begun all over again for me. I am just raring to go :)

7. I had the chance to share many happy family moments. They were some of the best of the year. The laughter, joy, feeling of being loved unconditionally is just unparalleled. 

8. I got inked. Painful while it was being done, but I now cherish it. Maybe another one in the coming year, who knows. I have always been known to be impulsive :)

9. And I sat beside a tiger and touched it. The 'awesome-est' thing I did during the year !!!

A few not so happy times too, but all these happy moments have helped me to tide over them.

Thank you all for your love and support in 2013. I look forward to 2014 with a lot of energy. I also promise to be more visible in this space.

Eat well, sleep well and laugh more :)

Garlic, Olives and Dried Mixed Herbs Focaccia

An old recipe rehashed to make a new one.  That's what this one is. We were having soup for dinner and I wanted to make a simple bread to go with it.

I decided to try my Tomato Rosemary Focaccia recipe but with garlic, olives and dried herbs. It did not take me too long and the result was yum. I am reposting the recipe here with the changes.

You need:

• 1.5 cups lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp yeast
• A large handful of sliced black olives
• 2 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
• Less 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• More olive oil
• 2-3 pinches coarse salt

Steps:

• Add the first five ingredients into a bowl.
• Beat it for about one minute till it all comes together into a sticky dough.
• Line a 11" x 9" tray with parchment paper and coat it liberally with olive oil.
• Scoop the dough into the tray.
•  Spread the dough into all four corners. Make small indents on the surface with your fingers.
• Cover the tray with cling wrap and set aside for about 1 hour for it to rise.
• After it has risen, arrange the olive slices on the dough.
• Sprinkle the chopped garlic, herbs and coarse salt. Drizzle with olive oil on top.

• Preheat the oven to 190degrees C. Place the tray in the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes and then turn it out into a wire rack to cool.
• Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

• I cut 2" x 1" thin slices of the left over focaccia and toasted it in the oven till crisp. The kids loved to dip it in their soup and crunch on it.

Nameless Payasam

Onam, the Harvest festival of the southern state of India, also marks the homecoming of Mahabali, the Asura King from 'Patal', the underworld. As he loved his subjects very dearly, he would come to visit them every year. His visit was celebrated as Onam.

As all indian festivals,payasams are made. This one does not have a name in our home. Mom used to make it on occasions and has always been one of my favourites. I took the recipe from her and made it after a long time for Onam this year.

Simple and easy, this sweet dish comes together in minutes.

You Need:

• 2 tbsps rice soaked in water for about an hour
• 8 cashew nuts soaked with the rice
• Grated fresh coconut - 3 tbsps
• 1 cup grated jaggery
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsps ghee / clarified butter
• Few chopped cashews
• Few small pieces of fresh coconut
• Two pinches of cardamom powder

Steps:

• Grind the rice along with the cashews and grated coconut to a paste.
• Melt the jaggery in one cup of water and strain to remove any sediments.
• Add the jaggery syrup to the rice paste and stir it well. Add one more cup of water to it. On a medium low flame heat it. Stir it continuously till it slightly thickens, about 10-12 minutes. It will start looking glossy. Take it off the heat and let it cool.
• In a small pan heat the ghee on a low flame and roast the cashew nut pieces till slightly brown. Strain it out of the ghee. Then add the coconut pieces and fry till slightly brown.
• When it cools, add the milk and stir well. Stir in the cardamom powder, fried cashews and coconut pieces into the payasam.
• Enjoy the payasam warm or chilled.

Notes:

• You can make cardamom powder by grinding a few pods of the cardamom along with half a teaspoon of sugar and sieving it. Use the fine powder for your sweet dishes. The remaining husk can be added to your tea leaves for cardamom tea. 
• It makes about 8 small servings.
• You can use two cups of milk and one cup of water for a richer taste.
• Always stir in the milk when the payasam has cooled down, else the milk may split.
• If you like your Payasam very sweet, add a quarter cup more of jaggery. 

If anyone knows the name to this Payasam, please let me know :)

Anytime Noodles

Suddenly there has been this flurry of activity in my life. Sadly, blogging is what took the back seat. I plan to rectify that now and will make sure I try and post more recipes soon.

Maggie was a novelty and a treat to us when we were growing up. I still slurp away on a bowl full of soupy Maggie when nostalgia strikes and I miss home a lot.

My kids love Maggie. They often ask for it, so I add a whole bunch of veggies into it to make it a meal for us. This recipe does not have any measurements. Just add what you have on hand, adjust the spices to your taste and its done.

You need:

• Spring onions - finely chopped, greens and onions separated 
• Baby corn - small cubes
• Carrots - small cubes
• Capsicum - small cubes
• Snow Peas - string them and cut into 3 pieces
• Beans - small cubes
• Sweet corn
• Bean Sprouts
• Garlic - finely chopped
• Ginger - optional - finely chopped
• Tomato - optional - small cubes
• Soya Sauce
• 3 packets of Maggie Masala noodles
• Light soya sauce
• 4-5 drops of Dark soya sauce
• Chili sauce
• Salt - optional
• Fresh coriander - for garnishing

Steps:

• In a large wok take 2 tbsps of oilve oil. When medium hot, add the garlic and the ginger (if using) and stir for a few seconds till fragrant. Then add the onions and stir for about a minute. 
• Add the beans first and stir for a few minutes, then add the baby corn. A few minutes later add the rest of the veggies and stir around till slightly cooked. Make sure the veggies still retain their crunch.
• In a small bowl, mix together the masala pouches, the soya sauces and the chili sauce. Use just 4-5 drops of the dark soya sauce and keep it ready.
• Boil the noodles, when cooked, drain well and stir into the veggies and add the sauce and mix well.
• Check salt.
• Garnish with corriander and serve hot.

Notes:

• Add finely chopped green chillies if you like it spicy.
• Be cautious with the amount of salt you add as the masala packets already have some salt in them.
• You can saute the veggies and keep them ready. Add the cooked noodles just before serving.
• Use regular soya sauce if you do not have light/dark soya sauce.
• Use what vegetables you have on hand and according to your taste.

Pancakes

I am back finally after a really long break. Too many mundane everyday chores have kept me busy. Shrugging off all the laziness, I decided to do a post on our current favourite breakfast at home - Pancakes.

I have never been a cereal person for breakfasts. I like hot breakfasts. What I love more is a dish that gets done in minutes.  This recipe is super easy and once you have your ingredients set out, it's ready in a jiffy.

Both my kids love it, and finally, we can stop running to McDonalds for our weekend quota of pancakes :)

You need:

• 1 cup all purpose flour, leveled
• 3 tbsps fine sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• Few drops vegetable oil

Steps:

• Set aside all the dry ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a larger bowl. 
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until it comes together. If there are a few small lumps, let them be.
• Heat a non stick pan / girdle over a medium low flame. Spread a few drops of oil in the center of the pan.
• When the pan is hot, pour a small ladle full of batter and let it spread to a round.

• Cook till you can see bubbles on the top, about 1-2 minutes, let a few bubbles burst. Flip the pancake gently and let it cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes.

• Stack them in an aluminum foil and cover them so that they remain warm.

• Serve hot with chocolate sauce, honey, maple syrup, butter or just sprinkled with some icing sugar.

• This recipe makes about 13-15 pancakes.

Notes:

• Omit the vanilla essence for plain flavored pancakes.
• Add chopped berries to the batter for a more filling meal.
• The pancakes can be kept warm in the oven covered in the foil at the lowest setting of the oven.
• I needed to use only 3 drops of oil before I made the first pancake. The rest came off the pan easily without having to use any more oil.

India Break

Nothing feels as good to me as being back in my own country. Being a total hard-core desi and Bombayite, makes me revel in the familiar sights, fragrances and madness that the city has to offer. Spending time in the midst of family and friends has its own thrills. We spent three weeks filled with all of this. From catching up with old friends, to being pampered by family, taking the kids sight seeing, it's been nostalgic, as always.

We spent the first week in Bangalore. With lots of sibling bonding for me and my kids, we had a fabulous time. Got wet in the rains, ate lots of food and met a close friend after ages. We took the kids to a fire station and to a farm. They had a blast. It was sheer pleasure for them to be able to touch animals and feed them. 

The sunset views from my brother's apartment are sheer poetry. A picture cannot capture their beauty, but I still tried.

Beyond the family time, some of our most special moments captured:

The Bandra-Worli Sealink:

The Gateway of India:

The Taj:

The view across from Nariman Point:

In Singapore now, happy but craving for more, as always !!! The kids have brought back some awesome memories. I look forward to get back into my painting and cooking up some new yummy dishes :)

See you all soon on this space again.

India Calling !!!

The kids begin their 5 week summer break this weekend. We are off to India to spend loads of family time..... with grand parents, uncles, aunts and cousins. A time for the children to bond with their cousins and make lasting memories.

It's been more than two years since the kids have been to Bombay. We have made lots of plans to make sure they get to see the city we love so much. The city that will always mean 'home' to me :)

I am going to be off this space for a while. I will be back with lots of pictures, shopping, memories and recipes very soon.

Till then, have fun, be good and stay safe :)

Nutella Layered Cake

I discovered the sinful magic of Nutella only a few years ago. I very shamelessly sneak a spoon or two when no one is watching to indulge myself.

This recipe got me completely drooling when I saw it for the first time. I could almost inhale the aroma as I was reading about it. And I finally made it a few days back. 

You need:

• 1.5 cups of all purpose flour, more for dusting
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup heaped sugar
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 8 tbsps Nutella

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160degrees C. Prepare a 9x5 inch loaf pan by brushing melted butter in the bottom of the pan and the sides well. Add flour and make sure all the sides of the pan are well coated. You can also layer the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well and keep aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter well for about 3 minutes till fluffy on a medium high speed.

• Then reduce the speed slightly and add an egg and beat till well incorporated. Add the remaining eggs in the same way.

• Add in the vanilla extract.

• Add the flour mixture in three batches. Beat the mixture on a low speed with well combined before you add the next batch of flour. Finally beat for about 30 seconds.

• Pour 1/3rd of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
• Add 4 tbsps of the Nutella over the cake batter and spread it evenly.

• Then add another 1/3rd of the cake batter and spread it evenly over the Nutella.
• Add the remaining Nutella over the cake batter and top off with the remaining cake batter.
• Make a slight cut with a butter knife. Do not over mix.

• Bake the cake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Check by inserting a tooth pick in the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Let it cool for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake on a wire rack and turn it right side up. Give it two hours to cool completely.

• Cut the cake into slices and serve.

My daughter loved the cake. My friend's son polished off a few pieces and told me it was superb :) M, your son made my day !!!

Stuffed Capsicum Rings

I ate this delicious and unique starter at a friend's place. What I loved the most about it was its very different taste. It was impossible to guess the ingredients by just tasting it.

I noted the recipe from her and have since made it numerous times. It has always been relished by my family and friends.

You need:

• 4-5 capsicums, medium size, thin
• 1 large raw banana or 2 small ones
• 1 cup bread crumbs + more for coating
• 1 tsp dried herbs
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 cup grated paneer
• 1/4 cup finely chopped capscium
• 3/4 cup grated cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt

Steps:

• Wash and cook the raw bananas with the skin on in the pressure cooker for one whistle.
• Wash and cut capsicums on the top and scoop out the insides. Microwave the capsciums in water for about 3-5 minutes till slightly cooked. Immediately put them into chilled water so they retain their colour and crunch.
• You can chop finely the cut tops of the capsicum and sauté it in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes till it loses its moisture.
• When the bananas have cooled, peel and grate finely. 
• Add to it the cheese, grated paneer, chilli flakes, dried herbs, 1 cup bread crumbs along with the sauted capsicums. 
• Mix well. Check for salt and add as required.
• When the capsciums have cooled, dab off excess water well with a tissue from the insides and the outsides. 

• Stuff the mixture into the capsicums gently making sure they are well stuffed. Wrap the capsciums in clingwrap and keep in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.

• Cut the stuffed capsicum into thin slices. 

• Coat each stuffed capsicum ring on both sides with bread crumbs well and fry it on a girdle with a few drops of oil on both sides till golden brown in colour.
• Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Notes:

• Make sure you use thin capsicums, they are easier to slice and they retain their shape well.
• I have also made this without blanching the capsicums. The capsicum was just crunchier. It did not affect the taste in anyway.
• Add more chilli flakes if you would like extra spice.
• If you have extra filling left, you can make cutlets out of it.

Tomato Rosemary Focaccia

Bread making has become an addiction. I keep searching for simple, new recipes that do not take much of an effort to make.

I wanted to make bread with this recipe that I had bookmarked almost a month back. I had a packet of fresh rosemary that I had picked up at the grocery store last week. I thought of using it with tomatoes in the bread. 

You need:

• 1.5 cups lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 sprigs of rosemary coarsely chopped
• More olive oil
• Coarse Salt - I forgot to add this

Steps:

• Add the first five ingredients into a bowl.

 

• Beat it for about one minute till it all comes together into a sticky dough.

• Coat a 11" x 9" tray liberally with olive oil.
• Scoop the dough into the tray.

•  Spread the dough into all four corners. Make small indents on the surface with your fingers.

• Cover the tray with cling wrap and set aside for about 1 hour for it to rise.
• After it has risen, cut thin slices of the tomatoes and arrange on the dough.
• Sprinkle the chopped rosemary and coarse salt and drizzle with olive oil on top.

• Preheat the oven to 190degrees C. Place the tray in the middle rack and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes and then turn it out into a wire rack to cool.

• Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

• I baked it for 35 minutes. I think 30 minutes would have been enough. I would have preferred it a little less brown.
• The crust of the bread was crisp and the inside was perfectly soft.
• I forgot to add coarse salt. It tasted good, but a bit of the salt would have made it better.
• I did not line the tray with baking paper. It was a bit of a trouble to turn out the bread without breaking it. The next time I would surely line the tray.
• You can use a little larger tray. Your bread will come out thinner.

Kesar Elaichi Shrikhand / Saffron and Cardamom flavored Sweetened Yogurt

As a child I was an extremely picky eater. My house rules with regard to food were very strict. We had to eat what was cooked by mom. And we had to finish what was on our plates, even if it meant spending an hour plus at the dining table. We also had to deal with scary stories that if we wasted food, Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, would not bless us. And that instilled a lot of fear in us. Who did not want money !!!

My love story with food began only in the last fifteen years or so. When I started to earn, I also started visiting restaurants and slowly ventured into tasting new dishes and cuisines. 

Shrikhand is one such dish that I, for some strange reason, never ever ate as a child. I also do not remember when and where I first tasted it. It is usually eaten with puris and Shrikhand - Puri is a great combination.

Living away from India has many minuses. I miss being able to buy fresh Shrikhand. Thus came about the urge to make it at home to satisfy the craving. I also realized it is very easy to make and also stays fresh in the refrigerator for a few days if stored in an airtight container.

You need:

• 2 cups hung yogurt
• 3/4 to 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
• 2 pinches saffron - crushed and soaked in 1 tsp milk

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk the yogurt with the sugar till well blended for about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the cardamom powder and the saffron milk to the sweetened yogurt and whisk well.
• Check for desired sweetness and add more sugar if desired.
• Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.

Notes:

• To make hung yogurt, pour the yogurt into a thin muslin cloth and tie it up tight. Place a heavy container over the muslin and keep it on a perforated vessel with a larger vessel below it to collect the whey. Place it in the refrigerator overnight for perfectly thick hung yogurt.
• The whey can be used while making gravies or for kneading your dough to make phulkas.
• Add 1/2 cup of puréed mango pulp to make Amrakhand. You will need to add lesser sugar as the mango pulp will already be sweet.
• You can also garnish with finely chopped pistachios and almonds.