Ganesha Chaturthi 2013 celebration

Yesterday was Ganesha Chaturthi ,

lord Ganehsa's birthday

 so to give some festive touch to home decked the Ganesha corner at home some tealights and some flowers

 thats all was needed to deck the corner.

the pics below are of my neighbors home ,btw thats  my new Ganesha painting in oil .

got to know yesterday that apart from Modak

 Ganeshas favorite naivedyam is boiled peanut,corn ,sweet potato,puffed rice and so many other things .

the pic of Ganesha corner at her home

wish you all happy festival
linking this post to
the weekly story week 33 hosted by colours dekor.

Janmashtami 2013 - Charnamrit for Bhog

While having lunch with my friend I got nostalgic reminiscing about Janmashtami Celebration

some two decade back ,we got sad that our children wont be able to enjoy the festival the way we did ,
yesterday morning I just asked Advay you know which gods birthday is today ? his prompt reply was Krishna ,I asked him who told you this and he said I guessed .

When we were kids there was no guessing game we would wait for this festival like anything ,would go to market and get Krishna miniature toys ,colour sand and sawdust to make road ,garden and do so many other things with help of father ,uncle and Dadi ,with all stock ready we would start with the decoration early in the morning which would go on till evening and amidst all this would be treated to the fasting delicacies prepared in the kitchen by our mom and aunts.

Advays knows Krishna story ,he loves to listen to his tales specially the one where he steals butter from the hanging pot but what we have seen ,the way we enjoyed the festival specially this one he would never feel it.

So when I asked my friend what to prepare for bhog she told me she will be preparing Charnamrit .I had never prepared this at home so asked her the ingredients to be mixed and prepared the same for the bhog.
the above pictures were sent by my sisters 

Recipe name Charnamrit
recipe source friend
Ingredient 
milk one cup
curd   one cup
honey one tbsp
gangajal/ganges water
ghee one fourth tbsp
chopped dry fruits cashew ,pistachio/almond ,lotus seed two tbsp
few strands of tulsi leaves
Procedure
mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
keep aside for half an hour .
serve in small bowls after the pooja .

the below pics are of my neighbours Janmashtami Celebration

glimpse of naivedham prepared by her

and some more

wish you all happy festive week ahead
linking this post to
the weekly story week 31 hosted by Colours Dekor.
take care and happy blogging.

Rakshabandhan 2013

last week was Rakshabandhan

this year I kept it simple as I had oil painting class the same day didn't prepare anything special except for Sevai and Coconut rice which was paired with plain chapati ,stir fried cauliflower with potato ,coriander chutney and cucumber onion raita.

Advay's cousion had sent Rakhi from India

,sharing some pics of the celebration

the above pic is of Rakhi thali

She had sent roli,candy along with rakhi which I have kept in the decorated plate

 Recipe of Coconut Rice is inspired from cook book
Recipe name - Coconut Rice
Ingredient
Cooked rice two cup
onion sliced one
ginger grated one fourth tsp
urad dal one tsp
chana dal one tsp
mustard seeds half tsp
cumin seeds half tsp
curry leaves eight
dried red chili crushed two
fried cashews two tbsp
dessicated coconut two tbsp
salt as per taste
Procedure
heat oil in non stick wok,once hot lower the flame
add the cumin and mustard seeds,followed by chana dal,urad dal and dried red chili
once the dal changes colour add the sliced onion and ginger
keep stirring till onion starts changing colour
add salt,curry leaves,dessicated coconut ,cashew and rice
stir till all the flavors have combined ,
serve warm.
recipe of coriander chutney blogged here 
recipe of sevai blogged here 
recipe of allo gobhi matar sabzi blogged here

thats all friends,wish you all happy festive week ahead.
linking this post to
the weekly story week 30 hosted by Colours Dekor.
Foodabulous Fest event hosted this month by Nivedhanam.

Phalahar meal for Shravan Month and Varalakshmi Pooja pics

Today is the last monday of the holy Shravan month which ends tomorrow ,prepared simple meal of dahi wale phalahari alloo and kuttu paratha for the fasting.

recipe name  phalahari alloo dahi wale /curried potato in yougurt sauce

recipe source my friend

Ingredient 

three potatoes boiled ,peeled and cubed

green chili two sliced

cumin seeds one tsp 

oil or ghee to cook two tsp

rock salt /sendha namak as per taste 

curd beaten half cup

Procedure 

heat oil in non stick pan,once hot lower the flame 

add cumin seed and green chili and let it splutter

add the cubed potato and let it cook till its brown 

once the potatoes have evenly browned add the beaten curd 

stir for five minutes and let it simmer for another five minutes

season with sendha namak/rock salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves

serve warm with kuttu paratha /buckwheat flour paratha

recipe of the kuttu paratha blogged here.

Last week was invited to attend Vara Lakshmi Pooja Ceremony at friends place 

sharing with you all few pics of the Pooja Ceremony

Goddess Lakshmi 

Varalakshmi Pooja 

all the diyas lit up 

Naivedyam
clicked few pics of the Puran Poli preparation too

linking this post to 

the weekly story week 29 hosted by Colours Dekor.
Thats all guys,wish you all happy week ahead
take care and happy blogging.

Phalahari stirfried paneer with coriander chutney ,

I know its been a while since I published anything ,have been very busy since past one month as I am doing something which I had longed to do heres a glimpse of what I have been learning

 today  thought of stealing some minutes to write this post :-)
Sharing with you all simple fasting recipe for the ongoing Shravan Month monday fasting 

Recipe name Pan fried cottage cheese with coriander chutney 
Ingredient 
cottage cheese one cup thawed
sendha namak/rock salt as per taste
black pepper powder one fourth tsp
pinch of red chili powder
oil to cook one tbsp
procedure
heat oil in non stick wok,once oil is hot lower the flame
add the drained cottage cheese and keep turning till they are evenly browned
sprinkle rock salt,black pepper powder andred chili powder
once they are evenly cooked remove and keep them on kitchen towel.
serve them warm with coriander chutney and a bowl of curd

for the coriander chutney
grind the chopped coariander leaves with half of tomato ,a green chili,one fourth inch of ginger,roack salt and per taste .
wish you all happy week ahead

linking this post to
the weekly story week 27 hosted by Colours Dekor.
take care and happy blogging.

whats gonna be in tiffin tomorrow ?

Me - "what should i give you in the lunchbox paratha or pori?"
Advay -"Mummy why you give me paratha everyday ?"
Me -"but you dont eat rice ?"
Advay -" I will eat rice with peanuts ,or peas or vegetables "
Me-" you mean Lemon rice?"
Advay - "ya ,Advaith gets it,"
Me - "okay will give one day rice and one day paratha "
this was the conversation we had when I asked him what he wants to take for tifffin a day before,so now I am doing the same and ya he is eating rice thanks to his friends.:-)
sharing with you  tiffin meal /lunch box recipes

Poori with aachar

Roti with Matar Aloo sabzi,salad and fried cashews

Chena Paratha recipe blogged here 

Palak paratha with fried sausage recipe blogged here 

egg roll recipe blogged here 
and the final one :-)

Lemon rice recipe blogged here 
Thats all friends ,wish you all happy day
take care and happy blogging

weekend cooking - Curried sea bass kerala style

Weekend for me means less of cooking and more of eating :-) so this weekend I zeroed in this recipe which I saw in the cookbook,this curry looked perfect to me for sunday lunch brunch paired it with the ready to eat paratha with some onions and cucumber on the side :-)

Recipe Name - Kerala style fish curry 
Recipe source cookbo0ok
Ingredient
Seabass fillets 700gm
salt as per taste
black onion seeds half tsp
red chili flakes half tsp
oil one tbsp
for the curry 
one onion chopped
two tomatoes chopped
two tbsp tamarind paste
curry leaves one tbsp
mustard seeds half tsp
fenugreek seeds pinch
oil to cook
salt as per taste
half tsp each of ground coriander ,turmeric and red chili powder
one cup coconut milk

preparation 
pat dry the fish slices and sprinkle salt,red chili flakes and onion seeds
keep aside for 30 minutes.
procedure
Heat oil in non stick wok add mustard and fenugreek seeds and let it splutter
add curry leaves and chopped onion and fry till the onions are golden brown
add the powdered spics followed by tomatoes and keep stirring till the tomato is done
add tamarind paste followed by half cup of water and let it simmer for two minutes
add coconut milk and simmer further for five minutes till thr sauce thickens.
remove from flame and keep aside.
for the fish 
heat one tbsp oil in non stick grill pan ,once hot lower the flame
fry the fish fillets skin side down over medium heat for five minutes
serve the fried fish fillets topped with the curried sauce .

Linking this post to
The Weekly Story week 24 hosted by Colours Dekor,
Take care and Happy Blogging,

Tea break

There are so many things going in my mind,so today I thought of taking a tea break for myself, plugged the  iphone and played some random old song,prepared crispy mint paratha ,paired it with stuffed red chili pickle and a mug of cardamom chai and  lived that momemt of sipping tea,tearing paratha and relishing it with the pickle,devouring  the meal as if there's  no tomorrow,forgeting everything for some minutes and breathing  for just self,,.:)

It's been a while since I had my own space but now as Advays school is open things are back to normal or maybe that's what I feel, it took me two months to write this post or to share with you all my musings .Now my posts wont be sporadic , will catch up with my favorite blogs soon sharing with you all   the recipe of Mint Paratha.

Recipe name - Mint Paratha 
Ingredient
whole wheat flour two cup
salt as per taste
mint leaves half cup chopped
carom seeds half tsp
red chili powder pinch
oil to cook
Procedure
In a mixing bowl mix all the above ingredient and one tsp of oil
add enough water to knead the dough ,cover with cling wrap and keep aside.
after 15 minutes divide the dough into equal sized lemon sized balls
flatten each ball and and roll with the help of rolling pin
place the  paratha on a preheated griddle
once brown from both sides apply oil and cook till its done,
serve warm with pickle and chai..
recipe of cardamom chai blogged here
recipe of red chili pickle blogged here 

I do miss the morning ritual of reading my favorite blogs on the google  reader while enjoying the tea with toast ya I do miss Google Reader,where are you guys following your favorite blogs do let me know,
linking this post to
The weekly story week 23 hosted by Colours Dekor.
take care friends ,will catch up with you all soon
take care and happy blogging,

Advay's lucnh box for the month of April

Its been a month since Advay's new term started ,now since he has two lunch break one short and one long everyday I have to think of something different to pack in his tiffin box,
sharing with you all pic of the lunch box meal which he had in April,this post is also for my friends who ask me suggestion about what to pack in tiffin

The above pic has Onion Paratha and fried egg.

Advay loves  to eat chicken sausage in the above pic I have prepared sandwich with lettuce leaves,cucumber slices,cheese slice and sliced pieces of fried sausage.

the above lunch box has Sattu Paratha 

simple sandwich this one has lettuce leaf.,cheese slice,cucumber slice ,tomato and onion

ya he loves to eat aachar specially aam aachar ,have packed plain paratha,fried cottage cheese ,aam aachar and roasted cashewnut .

cottage cheese,toamto and cheese slice perfect combo for sandwich

have kept fried sausage ,paratha and a box of grapes

Sandwich prepared with leftover Matar Paneer Curry
for Pyaz Paratha
Ingredient 
Wheat flour two cup
salt as per taste
oil to cook
to mix in the flour 
finely chopped onion one
grated ginger one tbsp
green chili one finely chopped
carom seeds half tsp
garam masala powder half tsp
one tbsp gram flour
one tsp oil
Procedure
In a mixing bowl mix finely chopped onion ,grated ginger,green chili ,carom seeds,garam masala powder add wheat flour,gram flour ,oil and salt.
knead dough to form a smooth mix
divide the dough into lemon sized discs and roll out chapathi shape
roast on a preheated tava till brown from both sides.
serve warm.
Linking this post to
The Weekly Story week 14 hosted by Colours Dekor.
take care and happy blogging.