cooking tips

Hello Readers, I am back like more than a year after. Different commitments on personal and professional fronts kept me away from my blog which I missed so much. And what can be a better time to be back other than our very dear Durga Pujas. Just as Mahalaya was approaching the smell in the air also started changing. Especially in the mornings, one could distinctly smell the Shiuli, the signature smell of Durga Puja mornings. The place where I stay has a few Shiuli Trees on the way and passing them brings back a lot of childhood memories. During the Durga Pujas as a kid I visited my maternal grandparents house. We had a Shiuli tree in the garden. My dida used to wake very early in the morning and gather the flowers fallen on the ground for doing prayers. That earthy smell of morning mist and Shiuli is something I can only talk about but one has to experience it to understand. This time around Durga Puja is happening on all weekdays. Hence I decided to take two days off on Ashtami and Na...

Cabbage dal My kids love dal, but they don't like cabbage stir fry or any dish with cabbage. So one day I thought of adding cabbage in  dal and they didn't even realize that their favorite dal had cabbage in it. Whether you like cabbage or not, this dish takes dal to a different level. It can be served with rice or roti..a little ghee and papads on the side to go with rice makes it a yummy meal. Ingredients Toor dal or split moong dal - 1/2 cup Onion - half of a medium sized, chopped fine Shredded cabbage - 2 cups Tomato - 1 small, chopped (optional) For tempering Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Jeera/ Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Dry red chillies - 2 Curry leaves - a sprig Garlic - 3 cloves crushed Hing/asafetida - a generous pinch Turmeric powder - 1/4 TSP Chilly powder - 3/4 TSP Chopped coriander leaves to garnish Salt as needed Preparation 1. Rinse and drain dal and pressure cook with 2 cups of water. 2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds followed by jeera. Add crushed g...

Ingredients : Snake gourd/Padavalanga/Padwal - 1 medium Chana dal - 1/4 cup Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Shallots/Sambar onion - 4 or 5, peeled and sliced thin Green chillies - 2, slit Curry leaves - a  small sprig Salt to taste To grind Grated coconut - 3 to 4 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves Green chillies - 1 Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Preparation : 1. Pressure cook the chana dal with just enough water to cook for 1 or 2 whistles. The dal should be 3/4th cooked. 2. Rub the peel off the snakegourd, and chop it into cubes. 3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add onions, green chillies ad curry leaves and saute till onions start turning brown.  4. Add the cooked dal and the snake gourd and combine well. Add enough salt and cover and cook for few minutes till gourd is cooked. 5. Grind the coconut and other ingredients coarsely without adding water. Add this to the cooked dal and gourd and mix well. Stir fry for a minute. Serve with rice or r...