Summer..here I come!!

This spring, I'm not going to get enough of,

Stroll through the Cherry blossom!

Sunlight in the Woods!

Summer hats!!

and of course, whole new Summer Wardrobe!! :)

City beaches!!

And last but definitely not the least, Lemonade!!!

What are you liking this summer?

In love with botanical illustrations!

I was reading about lentils and pulses on Wikipedia (Why?? 'coz I'm crazy about the website and like reading EVERYthing out there) , and I came across this, botanical illustrations! I'd never paid this much attention to it coz its botony and I'm miles away from biology branches. But when I look at it as a form of art...I mean..

Seriously, how pretty are these?

Eggplant Fry

My lunch today was traditional Konkani “Vangyache Kaap” or what you can call Eggplant Fry.

I’m not big fan of eggplants. Mainly because you can never guess if there is any worm inside it just by looking at its pretty purple look. Secondly, I think it is ‘strictly’ vegetarian food. I mean whenever I go out with my meat-hater friends they order some eggplant recipe and later don’t seem to enjoy eating it. I keep asking, why eggplant? Why not cauliflower? Or okra? But I guess most of the fancy restaurants serve some slimy recipe of eggplant with delicious names. God bless eggplant eaters!

Anyways. This is the only eggplant recipe which I really like. Its simple, delicious and not-slimy at all!

You will need:

Eggplant: 1 medium, sliced

GG paste: 1 spoon

Chilly powder: 1 spoon

Cumin powder: 1spoon

Corn flour: 1 spoon

Gram flour: 1 spoon

Breadcrumbs: 2 spoons

Curry leaves: 8-10

Salt, oil

Season eggplant slices with ½ spoon GG paste, chilly powder, cumin powder corn flour, gram flour and salt. Put in some water to make the coating even. Marinate for 20 minutes.

On non stick pan, heat oil and put curry leaves and rest of the GG paste. Coat the marinated eggplant slices with breadcrumbs and fry them until golden brown from both sides.

Your delicious eggplant fry is ready. Serve it with lime wedges!

I had it for lunch with chapati. This can be served as a appetizer as well. I think it will taste good with linguini, never tried it though.

Do try this recipe and let me know if you liked it.

Love,

Pia

Penne in Tomato Sauce!

Hey People,

Todays recipe is simple yet sinful!

They say, a true Italian food lover doesn't care about the quantity of cheese used in the dish or the complex carbs in pasta. He will run couple of miles extra the next day, but will not compromise for that generous seasoning of Parmesan Cheese!

Here is my quick and easy recipe of Penne in 'asian style' tomato sauce using off-the-rack items. I made garlic bread as side dish.

You will need:

Penne : 1 cup, fully cooked, drained (follow instructions on the packet)

Garlic: 8-10 cloves, finely chopped

Chilly flakes: 2 spoons

Oregano: 2 spoons

Tomatoes: 2 medium, finely chopped

Chilly powder: 1 spoon

Cumin powder: 1/2 spoon

Butter, oil, salt, water

Saute garlic and chilly flakes in heated butter or olive oil. Toss the drained penne in and mis well. The pasta is already cooked, we just want to season it well well chilly and garlic. Remove from the heat and keep aside.

Heat oil/butter in a pan, put rest of the garlic and chilly flakes in. Some chilly powder and cumin powder to add asian touch. Throw in tomatoes and mix well. Add water if needed. Put salt as per the taste and cook well. You should know what consistency you want for your sauce. We are not going to blend it in mixie. We will keep its chunky texture. Crush a little with fork if needed. Your sauce is ready.

Cover the penne with this sauce. Garnish with more chilly flakes, oregano and of cause, Parmesan cheese (which I did not use cause you know.. :) )

Happy eating!

Love,

Pia

Green is Good!!

Hello good people,

Everyone knows that I’m a meat lover person. But there are few veggie recipes I’ll choose over meat if given choice. I’m planning to cover all my favorite vegetarian preparations under this tag. So animal-lover people, this is your den!

Today’s menu is a combo. Kinda mismatching one, but super-delicious.

Palak paratha with stuffed bhindi

Palak paratha

You will need :

Palak (spinach) : 1 bunch , Washed, cleaned, chopped

Garlic: 4-5 cloves, crushed

Chilies: 2-3, finely chopped

Coriander : 2-3 spoons, finely chopped

Besan (Gram flour) : 2-3 spoons

Aata (all purpose flour) : 4-6 spoons

Turmeric, chilly powder, cumin powder

Oil and salt

Heat oil and put garlic, chilies, turmeric, cumin powder and chilly powder to it. After a minute, put chapped spinach and coriander. Add salt to taste. Cover with lid. Let the spinach cook in its own water. Once the spinach is cooked, let it cool for 15-20 minuets.

Add besan and aata to cooked spinach and knead well. Add salt or oil if needed.

Let the dough set for another 10-15 minutes.

Roll parathas and roast them nicely. Use oil or ghee while roasting.

Stuffed Bhindi

You will need:

Bhindi (Okra) : 8-10, washed and dried

GG paste: 1spoon

Groundnut powder: 3-4 spoon

Chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder

Lemon juice: 3-4 drops

Salt, water

Oil to fry

Make deep slit on each bhindi lengthwise. Mix rest of the ingredients to form paste. Use water for desired consistency.

Stuff each bhindi neatly and let it set for 5 mins.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the stuffed okra. Cover for first 3-4 minutes. Once the okra is cooked, remove lid and let it roast till you see brown crispy outside.

Serve these two items with curd. Happy eating!!

The Moment of Truth!

Dhak Dhak Go...India Go!!

India is a country full of festivals. Country of varied religions. Where every day holds some auspicious value with respect so some religion. So what festival are we going to celebrate this week? Well its equally joyful and equally important to every India! ICC Cricket World Cup 2011!!

Cricket is not just a sport but religion for us. Every little boy leans to play cricket in crowded streets and dreams of becoming Sachin "GOD" Tendulkar someday! Grand Poojas are arranged for good luck in the game. We know our stats by heart and when we our 'Men in Blue' playing, every mother prays for her sons, every sister wishes good for her brothers and every boy cheers for his role model!

This year we have made it to Finals after winning historical match against Pakistan. After all this success, winning over Sri lanka should not be tough. Though they are equally good players. We have all our faiths on our Men. We are going to repeat 1983's victory this time.

Go India Go. The world cup is ours!