tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21129709916175508862009-11-28T21:36:49.242+05:30A Vegetarian Kitchen in IndiaAparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-11095491446702488712009-11-27T20:05:00.002+05:302009-11-27T21:28:05.914+05:30

When I saw we were making Cannoli this month for the DB challenge, I must say I was a bit relieved. Even though I have never seen a cannolo before, I have had more success with things Italian than French when it comes to these challenges. The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry,

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-84905633623049826392009-11-25T23:51:00.003+05:302009-11-26T09:54:19.620+05:30

Just the other day I came across a blogger (sorry, don't recollect who it was) saying that she was a "carbs" person. I really know what that means. My favourite food group is carbohydrates (think rice, wheat, pasta, bread….) and if I stay away from them for too long, I actually get severe "carb cravings"! So you will understand that one of my favourite things is the aroma of bread baking in the

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-26988144741038912232009-11-23T20:58:00.002+05:302009-11-23T22:24:26.434+05:30

This stir-fry is one of my "original" recipes. Actually, it's less of a recipe and more of a "develop as you go along" set of directions! What I mean is that this is one of this dishes where you add what you think would go well with yard long beans and chickpeas to make it into a dish you would like to eat. I haven't been keeping very well this past week or so thanks to a very persistent bout

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-21969200187654706902009-11-21T22:09:00.001+05:302009-11-21T22:12:39.261+05:30

A first birthday is more of an event than a second one is, I agree, but a birthday is a birthday, I say. After all, it's not everyday that one gets to look back and see how far one has come while feeling good about the changes in oneself. I thought someone, maybe one or two of you, would remember that I've been around here for a just a bit over two years and wish me a happy birthday. If we're

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-50570605468330954142009-11-18T12:50:00.001+05:302009-11-18T12:53:15.590+05:30

Early this year, in March to be precise, I had written about BloggerAid Changing The Face Of Famine and their Cookbook Project. "BloggerAid is a growing group of international food bloggers determined to make a difference in aid of world famine. The love of food and community that brings them together drives the compassion of its members to reach out to the world to help those less fortunate.

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-67165533794407258062009-11-16T15:50:00.000+05:302009-11-16T15:50:13.891+05:30

My Kitchen Café is open again for this month and I am very happy to introduce yet another good friend of mine, Ganga who writes at A Life (Time) of Cooking. I cannot remember exactly when I first discovered her blog, but I remember that her beautiful pictures were very vibrant and full of colour. The other thing that stands out in her posts are the simplicity of her recipes for very tasty

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-84097040465880313632009-11-13T17:08:00.002+05:302009-11-13T21:49:06.707+05:30

Green tomatoes in a cake? That was I thought when I first saw Paula Deen's "Green Tomato Cake" on the Food Network. If you give this cake some serious thought, its isn't as surprising as at first glance. If one can make cake or bread using carrots, pumpkin or zucchini, why not with green tomatoes? I didn't bookmark the recipe, but that cake was the first thing I thought of when I saw the first

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-71163761171713823862009-11-11T08:23:00.001+05:302009-11-11T08:30:19.914+05:30

Apparently the Greeks thought that the persimmon was a fruit of the Gods. I never even knew of this fruit till a couple of years back when I saw it at the market here. I assumed it was one of those imported types of fruit which are now available here and invariably sold at exorbitant prices. Then last year, I bought a couple of persimmons (as I knew what they were now, thanks to blogging) to see

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-72635133140891061512009-11-08T07:04:00.001+05:302009-11-08T07:06:56.285+05:30

My two weeks away from home meant that I did no cooking at all. Now I am back, I still haven't got back into my routine like it used to be before the vacation happened. I cook, and we eat but I haven't been taking pictures to blog about it all. There a lot of little things (nothing earth shaking, or a matter of life and death) that just need to be done first. I shall do my best to keep posting

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-82402717436459693032009-11-05T17:36:00.055+05:302009-11-13T16:39:02.912+05:30

Last month, it was my turn to host Meeta's Monthly Mingle and I decided to have a High Tea party. Let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised at how many of you decided to join us for tea with a whole lot of the most gorgeous variety of food. Even the Queen would have struggled to maintain her composure out of sheer delight at the spread on the tea table!I was supposed to have done this

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-81770959510186322892009-10-31T07:21:00.003+05:302009-11-08T06:30:24.174+05:30

Diwali, to those who celebrate it, conjures up images of lit up oil lamps at dusk and enthralling fireworks displays in the dark sky. It also means plenty and plenty of sweets! In Palakkad Iyer homes, we also make traditional savoury snacks like murukku, pokkuvadam, thengozhal, muthusaram, etc. This Diwali, my choice of a savoury snack was muthusaram. Muthusaram (also referred to as “mullu

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-89493646453191571902009-10-27T05:59:00.000+05:302009-10-27T05:59:00.243+05:30

I guess the first question you want to ask is "Macaroon" or "Macaron"? This particular macaroon is that bit of confectionery consisting of two almond meringue cookies sandwiching a creamy filling. That very same French confectionery, in every colour and flavour imaginable, which is has so many food blogs obsessing over it.The choice of whether to call it a macaron (which most people insist is the

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-66355238191174611752009-10-25T21:29:00.000+05:302009-10-26T16:51:27.446+05:30

Every month this group of food bloggers get together, choose a book to read, and post what the book inspired them to cook. I have been quite inactive in this group for a while now, only because I live in a place which is famous for its beaches and food, but not for it’s libraries! This month it was my turn to suggest what we could read, and the popular choice was The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-57523485283478979482009-10-23T16:17:00.001+05:302009-11-16T15:36:11.209+05:30

It is once again time to throw open the doors to My Kitchen Café and this month, I am happy to have another fellow food blogger and good friend here. Harini who blogs at Tongue Ticklers is someone whose posts are nice combination of a humourous writing style, good food and pictures. Rather than talk about her, I will let you get to know her through this post and her blog. Harini is here with her

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-10294668464830463412009-10-19T23:02:00.005+05:302009-10-20T22:52:45.223+05:30

This book review came about thanks to BloggerAid…Changing the Face of Famine. BloggerAid...Changing the Face of Famine" is a growing group of international food bloggers who are determined to make a difference in aid of world famine. As part of this effort, they will be releasing “The BloggerAid Cookbook" which compiles recipes contributed by food bloggers across the world. The proceeds from the

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-87966741460351186412009-10-17T13:07:00.001+05:302009-10-17T13:09:37.961+05:30

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali. May this year brings you lots and lots of happiness in life and fulfill all your dreams. Indians everywhere are celebrating Diwali today. Festivals in India, like everywhere else, mean a lot of food especially sweets. For Diwali, however, the variety of sweets whether made at home or sold in the shops, takes on a new high. The concept of

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-87396400252532458312009-10-16T14:00:00.001+05:302009-10-16T14:00:00.467+05:30

I had bookmarked these gorgeous Black Forest Buns that Chuck made, quite a while back and had been promising myself I would bake them soon. Since we all know what happens to bookmarked recipes, let me just say I finally made them this week! The Black Forest cake is a favourite in my home, and it is now official here that my home-made version (even if not so pretty) puts the store bought one to

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-49765823709019416572009-10-15T15:57:00.002+05:302009-10-16T10:55:42.264+05:30

What do you do when life gives you papayas? More papayas than you can just eat? I made some jam! My husband and I love papaya, but our daughter will not even come near one. She will tolerate cooked unripe papaya but ripe papaya is just not her thing. One of the many advantages of living in a sub-tropical climate is that papayas grow here almost throughout the year. The other day, I had just

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-29898892943620530532009-10-12T19:44:00.002+05:302009-10-12T19:52:10.109+05:30

This post was written only because a very good friend who blogs at When My Soup Came Alive is celebrating her 3rd blog anniversary. Sra, being the "hatke" person she is, decided to celebrate this with a difference in the "Write Taste". As she explains it, "This event is not about cooking or recipes, it’s about food, and quality writing. What I want you to do is share your favourite pieces of

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-65901004411103702732009-10-10T20:59:00.004+05:302009-10-25T19:35:46.675+05:30

This is a recipe I found inside a pack of lemongrass tea which was gifted to me. It is a Sanjeev Kapoor recipe and what caught my eye was that it was a baked version of a traditionally deep fried savoury Indian snack.I have very vague memories somewhere in my childhood about eating the deep-fried namakparas, which I knew as "diamond cuts". I also remember my mother making these. She would knead

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-50297963719731360702009-10-08T12:19:00.002+05:302009-10-08T22:43:12.136+05:30

In my previous post I had asked if anyone could identify that little white flower. Arundati, Tejal and Ria were right. It is the flower of the cardamom plant. And if you didn't know that's just fine. I wouldn't have recognized that flower myself if you had asked me that question a month back! Last week, after ages it seemed, my husband had a long weekend off from work when he was actually free.

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-23702333574103475362009-10-06T15:34:00.002+05:302009-10-06T15:40:53.934+05:30

Coffee and chocolate can be quite an irresistible combination. I'm not really a coffee person and when I do drink coffee, I prefer it not too strong (not light either) and very milky. I can see all those coffee lovers (my husband included) wondering how such a concoction as I have described, could possible be called coffee. Well, everyone has their own preferences and that is mine. Now I do

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-32764631870696908912009-10-03T10:37:00.011+05:302009-10-03T11:36:35.459+05:30

Scones used to be the stuff of my childhood storybooks. A lot of those books used to be by British authors and they would conjure up elaborate evening teas in the homes of gentle folk (including various Dukes and Duchesses, Earls and their Ladies, the local Squire and his wife, the Vicar in his Vicarage or perhaps the local Parish priest to mention more than a few).Sometimes the tea time scene

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-25832317649714851212009-09-30T21:45:00.003+05:302009-10-03T11:00:38.955+05:30

The Bread Baking Babes having been baking (or should I say steaming, this time?) again and this month it's Xiang Cong Hya Juan Bao! That's quite a mouthful if you don't know Chinese (I don't) but these are very pretty looking steamed buns made with dough that has both yeast and baking powder.I remember saving a recipe, quite a few years ago, for some steamed Chinese lotus buns. Not only did I

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112970991617550886.post-62968055987942797832009-09-27T09:49:00.008+05:302009-09-27T21:54:30.084+05:30

Vol-au-vents (pronounced vō′lō vän′, that is "vol-aw-vahn") means flight with the wind. They were supposed to have been invented by an early 19th century French chef named Carême, who declared that these small pastry shells were as light as the wind and hence the name. The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat,

Aparnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989967318453941084noreply@blogger.com59