Its cliché that I call myself a diehard foodie, because there are many encounters I make from time to time when I tell myself “oh! I dislike that” or “it tastes gross…. this is yuck!”. I hated papaya always but ate them with no favour because my parents reminded me how much good they would do. I could never stand the sight of jalebis and jahangiris from the time I can remember. I dislike the smell of flax and eggs in my bakes. The smell of strong coffee nauseates me even today. Breads, doughnuts and croissants were never my favourites. Several years now, I still despise samosas. My tummy aches each time I relish the street-side Indian chat. Bread Puddings at restaurants always taste gross. I could go on with this list.

Those exceptions apart, I still assert that I am a foodie at heart. As a kid, my parents did not face problems feeding me with whatever was made in our kitchen. My mom quotes often that even as a toddler I relished bitter gourd juice with as much penchant I did with any other fruit juice. I loved vegetables and fruits with far little exceptions. I was known to sneak peek into the kitchen in mom’s absence at odd hours and do furtive tasting of what was cooked for lunch and dinners. Frivolous memories of digging spoons into the prepared palya, skimming off the spiced watery part that floated on top of the huli saaru, sipping tumbler full of tamblis much ahead of lunch time, and flicking the roasted cashews and raisins that dotted the prepared halwas, till mom worried where they had disappeared still stay fresh and warm.

There were some dishes that could not be made ahead of time. They were meant to be made instantly and served immediately. One that attests my love for our cuisine is this paper-thin beaten rice spiced with green chillies and coconut. It’s really simplicity at its best and revokes fond memories of my school days when mom would whip this up in minutes to forage our hunger with such easy evening snacks. So dead simple and tastes great!

Hasi MeNasina Kayi Avalakki

INGREDIENTS

1 cup beaten rice (paper-thin variety)
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
4-5 green chillies, finely crushed
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
1 tbsp. sugar
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Crush the green chillies in a mortar and pestle or by hand. It's a common tradition to crush the chillies by hand, however to avoid the heat getting to your fingers, you may use mortar and pestle for the same. Crush these chillies into the fresh grated coconut so that they release all their flavors.

In a small kadai / wok, heat the coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the curry leaves if using. Switch off the gas and allow it to cool. Add the crushed chillies and coconut along with the tempered oil into the beaten rice, followed by salt and sugar to taste. Toss everything well so that the beaten rice takes in the flavour and spices. Serve immediately. Accompanies well with upma for breakfast or evening snack with tea.

Today, Veg Bowl completes 5 years of blogging, crossing yet another milestone that I am immensely proud of. Ever since its commencement since March 15th 2009, the journey till here has been fabulous and entirely satisfying. Like in any relationship, in this journey too there were highs and lows, ups and downs that made it difficult to tread the path - yet the love, the faith and the passion endured and so it succeeded. It’s hard to believe that Veg Bowl is 5 years now with 250 posts.

When I sat down to put together this post I had a hard time to begin this post with. Words did not flow so easily. I was stirred emotionally. You see, over the several posts in the past, I have never thought over so much as much as I did for this one. Nor had I spent so much time reading through my previous blog posts. Nostalgic as I may say, each post reminded me of the time and effort I had spent over each dish, each post; some to create, many to photograph and others to draw a story for the board. Each has its own story to weave. Over these years I spent in blogging, I have learnt a lot and matured in the process. It bettered me as a cook, as a photographer, and as a story teller.

There were many moments when I assumed I would no longer be able to pursue blogging because I was so pressed on time, work pressures and personal demands of life that it felt almost impossible to chase this passion. These were times when I was pregnant and I hated food or its sight, when I became a mother and nurturing my baby was the most important, when I switched jobs and I was busy unlearning and re-learning at work, when I brought back tons of workload home and that kept me occupied for weeks and weekends, when I had to baby sit the toddler all by myself and manage home unaided, when my husband was out of town for weeks and our life demanded more attention to other important matters than just hobbies - these were times I put aside blogging for those whiles. But there was sincere love and an enduring faith that helped me succumb to this appetite of blogging as and when time permitted me. I pursued it not under pressures of being active as a blogger, but as a medium to catalyze my culinary creativity that would help me unleash the diurnal pressures of life. Even during these moments I cooked a lot, but I probably did not make time to photograph or post them. Yet with all these failing reasons, I am here because I just love being here and doing what I love the most. Cook. Click. Share.

Over these years, I have received incredible support from many. A special mention to my husband for all his patience and care shown towards me during the time I am shooting, processing or blogging. Its his constant support and motivation that has inspired me to come this far. My parents, family, friends and many near dear pals have always extended their relentless motivation, many being positively critical about my work. I geared a lot of love and respect from many known and unknowns. The mails, the requests, the thank you notes from you readers have always made me feel special. Your comments aspire me to do better. Keep them coming so that I can keep myself going. Thank you all once again for all your love and Happy Birthday to Veg Bowl.

For this special day, I have some warm and delicious Breakfast Knots for you all. These are buttery and delicious and one of the best breads I have baked recently. Bake them in your kitchen and share them with a dollop of butter or jam with your family over cups of steaming hot tea or coffee. I am sure it will bring in more love and warmth that will help your day going.

Breakfast Knots

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 tsp. instant or active dry yeast
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 cups + 2 tbsp. all purpose flour; more as needed
1 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water and then add yeast. Let this stand for at least 10 min till the yeast is frothy. After 10 mins, the yeast should have frothed and bubbled up. Now add melted butter, salt and warm milk to this frothed yeast and stir well. Introduce the flour into this mixture and stir using fork till a coarse ball of dough forms. Alternatively you may use a stand mixer with dough blades attached for this purpose. When the dough comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a tbsp. flour at a time and knead it gently. If it’s too stiff to handle, add a tbsp. of milk at a time and knead well. Place in a oil greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. This takes about 2 hours. Once risen and doubled, punch it down. With little or no extra flour divide the dough to 6-8 equal pieces.

On a clean work surface, grease your hands with vegetable oil or butter. Next roll one piece into a 10-inch-long rope. Tie the dough into a loose knot with about 2 inches of dough free at each end. One free end of the dough will go over the knot and get tucked into the center, while the other free end will be tucked under the knot. Ensure they are securely fasted between the knots so that they don't open up while baking. Place them on the baking tray and allow to rise and double for another 1-1/2 hours. Brush milk over these bread knots and bake in a pre-heated oven of 180 deg C for about 15 minutes. Remove after 15 min and brush more milk on top of these knots and bake further for another 5 minutes. The knots will be baked to golden brown hues. Remove from oven and brush some warm melted butter. This helps in keeping the bread soft with a lovely soft, supple crust. Serve warm with butter and jam for your breakfast or with soups for your dinner.

Also, Happy Birthday to our dear little princess daughter who turns 3 today. You make our life so special and worthy! Wish you loads of love, luck and happiness!

I kind of cheated here. Some leftover delicious pesto was stuffed into the yeasted dough, then let it rise and baked it for our breakfast. That made up these delightful bread rolls paired with a cheesy mayo dip. When breakfast gets so simple and easy, there can never be a complain!

As I write, my freezer is loaded with walnuts right now. So do expect to see some walnut recipes back to back, which I hope you will love.

A while ago I was crazy to have an organic kitchen garden of my own. The kinds that could supply me few tomatoes, chillies, spinach, mint, curry leaves, and some greens. But I have given up on my tiny kitchen gardening now. Over these months I made frantic attempts to get my plants all the nutrition they needed in behest of keeping them organic. I aerated the mud, replenished them and fed them field fetched dungs. They grew well, but only for a part of the time. Then my life got so busy that pursuing the weekly routine of caring for them seized. Just watering did not help as they needed extra effort and care when gardened in pots. While many other plants failed to grow as much I would have loved them, it was the mint that surprised me the most. She spread wild and nice, her leaves bursting in depth of greens, the stalks emanating the peppery aromas of mint, making it such a delight to watch her each time I nutured her. I basked in the happiness of watching her bloom and contemplated on how much beauty she would bring to my dishes. Sauces, chutneys, desserts, and this pesto. Such small joys give bounty happiness.

So one evening this pesto was made; mint, some leftover dill and coriander stalks ground with walnuts and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper and liberally flavored with a dash of grated cheese. I've used the leftover dill and coriander stalks in making this pesto, but I recommend, you skip dill and only use coriander since both mint and dill have a unique strong flavour. Nevertheless, it's a comfort food that goes well with Garlic Spaghetti or into making these bread rolls for our breakfast.

Walnut Mint Pesto Bread Rolls

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm milk (maybe a little more or less)
2 tsp. active dry yeast (I used Baker’s here)
1/4th cup melted salted butter
1/4th cup powdered sugar

For the Pesto filling:

1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup mix of dill leaves and coriander stalks
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup walnut halves, lightly toasted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely grated cheddar

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve 2 tsp. of active dry yeast in half a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sugar. Keep it aside for 10 minutes till the yeast is active and frothy. If the yeast fails to froth, discard and start again.

After 10-15 minutes, in a separate glass bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dough; the frothy yeast, sugar, butter and flour, pouring just as much milk in small additions so as to form a sticky soft dough. The dough will initially be sticky, but later will begin to leave itself from the sides of the bowl. Knead into a smooth elastic dough with as little flour as possible. Stickier the dough, lighter will be the bread. Knead the dough for atleast 5-7 minutes so as to release its gluten which helps in a nice, light bread.Place the dough in a bowl, cover it and allow the dough rise until it has doubled in size (should take about 90 minutes in warm condition).

Meanwhile to prepare the pesto filling, grind all the ingredients except the cheese mentioned under pesto above. I like some bits of walnuts coming through, hence I used a mortar and pestle for this purpose. Set aside.

After about 45 min the dough should have risen. Give it a punch and knead it further for 5 more minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a rough rectangular shape with uniform thickness. Spread the pesto filling all over the dough. Sprinke over the grated cheese. Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight roll. Slice the roll into 9 even pieces. Gently poke some more grated cheese into the rolls. Place them on the baking tray and keep them in a warm place for at least 1 hour, until they've roughly doubled in size. Bake them at 180 deg C for 30 to 35 minutes.

Last month, my husband moved to the United States on a long term assignment, where he is expected to be stationed for atleast a year. With heavy hearts, we bid him a bye till we meet again next year. It wasn’t an easy decision for us to make collectively, to move or not to move with him. But we made a conscious decision and chose not to, at least till he settles himself to the new place and the biting chill weather. We will join him later, may be for a short term of a month or two, but that will have to wait. All through the last year, he had been frequently traveling to the States for work related, while our little girl and I made pace with the fact that daddy dear would be out of country, but be back soon with us for a good time.

This year will be a challenging one for me, to manage work and home single handedly. In his absence, I wish not to be torn between several things of our mundane lives, the intensity of which I did feel over the past one month since he left. I felt the forces that pushed me out of the comfort of living life of interdependence earlier to being an overly independent woman now. As a working mother, handling things singlehandedly doesn’t get easy – managing home, paying off bills, buying groceries, dropping off my toddler or taking her out for a walk, singing her lullabies, or greeting guests, waking up late nights to neaten my home (as that’s the only free time I get for myself), or taking official calls late evening after work. It’s not any easy, but life has to go on. At this moment, my life is mix of chaos and fatigue.

I never thought I would visit a dentist with a toddler in hand. But I did. She pulled out a few cables here and there while the doctor got busy drilling my tooth. I was prepared to face the doctor getting frantic pacifying my naughty girl while at work on me, but she amazed me by being a decent kid, except for pulling out the few cables of course!

In essence, I have learnt to stride with the new changes in our life. In this whirlwind of changes, I am learning to prioritize my time and being efficient, and yet be able to strike a balance. There are no long drives or movies we can go now. These days our weekends and holidays are dedicated to pillow fights and teddy plays. The only movies I watch are in the noon on the television when my toddler is off to sleep for an hour or two. On a positive side, since I am home now on most weekends I get to bake.

I baked some rolls for breakfast recently. I probably realized that since my last post on Cinnamon Pretzels, I have never baked anything with cinnamon solely. Cinnamon rolls topped my to-do list of recipes for long. I kept pushing them for a while since I had no fondness towards anything pronouncedly cinnamon-y in my bakes. My husband often reminded me how much people in the West, particularly in the US consider cinnamon a staple and how popular cinnamon rolls are. I honestly thought these rolls would change my perception towards cinnamon, but oh boy, I was so wrong. I hated them and I still do.

These probably may not be my favorites for my aversion toward this spice in particular when used solely and paired with anything sweet, but that does not necessarily mean you will not love them. I think I was too desirous to add a whole lot of cinnamon to these. Probably I would have loved them milder. But then these are nothing less than delicious. The little one relished them in numbers. I camouflaged the cinnamon-y flavor with a vanilla custard. They taste delicious and can be great for a gathering.

Cinnamon Bread Rolls

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm milk (maybe a little more or less)
2 tsp. active dry yeast (I used Baker’s here)
1/4th cup melted salted butter
1/4th cup powdered sugar

For the filling:

2 tsp. cinnamon powder
2 tbsp. brown sugar
Butter for brushing the dough
Couple of walnuts

Homemade custard or melted chocolate to drizzle (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve 2 tsp. of active dry yeast in half a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sugar. Sugar aids in providing food to the yeast and the warmth helps it breed. Keep it aside for 10 minutes till it turns active and frothy.

After 15 minutes, in a separate glass bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dough; the frothy yeast, sugar, butter and flour, pouring just as much milk in small additions so as to form a sticky soft dough. I use a fork to mix the ingredients. As you beat the ingredients, the dough will initially tend to be sticky, but later will begin to leave itself from the sides of the bowl. Knead into a smooth elastic dough with as little flour as possible. Stickier the dough, lighter will be the bread. Knead the dough for atleast 5-7 minutes so as to release its gluten which helps in a nice, light bread. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it and allow the dough rise until it has doubled in size (should take about 90 minutes in warm condition). Once risen, punch the dough down. Knead it further for 5 more minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a rough rectangular shape with uniform thickness.

In a small bowl mix equal amount of cinnamon powder with brown sugar. Slather some melted butter on the rolled dough and spread this cinnamon sugar all over the dough. Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight roll. Slice the roll into 9 even pieces. Gently poke some walnuts into the rolls. Place them on the baking tray and keep them in a warm place for at least 1 hour, until they've roughly doubled in size. Bake them at 180 deg C for 30 to 35 minutes.

Happy New Year 2014 folks! Welcome to the New Year with revived energies and new hopes for more dreams to fulfil. Hope you had a fabulous holiday time with your family and friends. I hope this new year brings good health, happiness, positivity, strength and peace to all.

We are getting over the holiday season and slowly bringing ourselves back into a routine. This year too, we headed to our home-town like we do every year during Christmas time. A short stay there with my parents and I was back home just before the new year eve. With work and office, this new year eve was a silent one for me. No frolicking, no partying. Just a retrospection.

While I have rarely listed down resolutions for new year in the past, simply because I find it too imposing to live with, I hope to make small promises that will help me bring about some basic changes to my lifestyle. The idea is to make our life more simpler and healthier at every possible step. To control and eliminate processed food to every extent possible, to cut down on sugar and salt intake, to relish more fruits and vegetables in organic and raw, to bring in variety to our palate of food, above all to consider physical well-being as a priority. I shall indulge judiciously, not resist, yet with a tab on them. I would love to learn more, cook a lot good. I am yearning for that healthy rustic food that is comforting at heart. I wake up early and sleep quite late, a not so healthy habit that I need to bring a change to. I need more sleep and I wish to take that up seriously. It is not a diet regime, but the motto is to eat good to feel good. And to feel good is to bring happiness and positivity to mind and body.

The recipe I share with you today is a rustic one that comes from the kitchens of my mother and grandmother. Kalasida Kempu Avalakki simply translates to Crushed Red Spices in Beaten Rice, where the whole red chillies are fried with mustard and curry leaves and then crushed by hand to a coarse texture. This releases all the spices from red chillies into the oil. Yum! I insist a good helping of sugar here as its the sweet, spice and salty flavour that makes this dish flavoursome. It's common to add chopped onions before serving, but I prefer it this way. Serve and consume this immediately as you make, since the paper-thin variety of beaten rice will lose its flakiness as it tends to absorb the moisture from the fresh grated coconut. This dish been there for ages in our traditional Havyaka homes, been loved by many for being so humble, often served as a snack with a cup of tea or an accompaniment to a breakfast. It takes just 5 minutes to put together, is gluten-free, easy on stomach, yet lip-smacking. It's a great tea-time snack, but is commonly served in breakfast as a side with uppittu. With all that partying and indulgent food you had over these holidays, this is an ideal recipe you will love to make. With just few everyday staple ingredients, its simplicity at it's best.

Kalasida Kempu Avalakki

INGREDIENTS

1 cup beaten rice (paper-thin variety)
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
4-5 whole red chillies (I've used Byaadgi variety)
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
1 tbsp. sugar
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a small kadai / wok, heat the coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the red chillies along with curry leaves and fry them till the chillies swell and change their colour. Switch off the gas and allow it to cool. Crush the chillies well in their oil. I like to use my fingers for this, however if you worry about the heat getting to your hand use a mortar and pestle for the same. Once you see coarse flakes of chillies, add this spicy oil into the beaten rice, followed by fresh grated coconut, salt and sugar to taste. Toss everything well so that the beaten rice takes in the colour, flavour and spices. Serve immediately.

Uddina ambade, Medu wade or uddina wade are all practically the same. Its all about the shapes. Uddina wade / medu wade are round, donut like with a hole in the center to ensure even cooking of these fried fritters and are often served with idlis or enjoyed as is for breakfast. Uddina ambade are smaller, round shaped fried fritters made with the same ingredients, often served as a tea time snack or as an accompaniment to an elaborate meal. In Mangalore, these very popular evening snacks are also sold as Biscuit ambades in konkani outlets and are relished with a spicy coconut chutney and tea or coffee.

Frying is not my forte. I panic, fumble and get fussy. While anything that is fried always tastes sinfully good, I hate the preparatory and the after work of cleaning oil and vessels that accompany it, also the fact that frying needs constant attention and hand work at the wok at all times. It's occasionally I get into those adventurous shoes when I think my husband and daughter deserve these treats atleast once a while!

These ambades are traditionally served with simple white coconut chutney. But for a spicy twist, I made a Tomato Peanut Chutney that my husband absolutely adores. I have made this chutney on several occasions and they go quite well with idlis, wadas, dosas and akki pundi. I reserve to post the chutney recipe for another day as they do deserve a dedicated post. Do try these ambades and let me know how you loved them.

Uddina Ambade | Black Gram Fritters

INGREDIENTS

1 cup urad dal / black gram
5-6 whole black pepper, broken roughly in a mortar and pestle
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp. finely chopped ginger
2 tsp. grated fresh coconut
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS

Wash the urad dal thoroughly and soak it in water for atleast 3-4 hours. This will help to soften the dal. Drain all the water out and grind the dal to a fine paste adding as little water as possible. The batter should be thick, but not stiff. Stiffer batter will result in dense ambades, while runny batter will soak in a lot of oil while frying. Incase the batter seems runny than thick, then you may add in a tablespoon of rice flour. Rice flour also makes the ambade crisp, so a teaspoon of it helps. The key to getting good ambades are in having the right consistency of the batter. Transfer the batter to a bowl and add in the finely chopped green chillies, ginger, grated coconut, peppercorns and salt to the ground batter. Beat the batter well with a wooden spoon and set aside.

Heat a wok-full of oil till its medium hot. Test the oil by dropping a pea sized batter to the oil. If it sizzles and rises to the top then the oil is ready. Lower the temperature and using a spoon, drop small dollops of batter into the oil side by side till they have just covered the oil. Do not overcrowd them, else they will be undone in center. Fry them on slow flame till they are golden brown. Remove and drain on a kitchen paper. Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Gojju Avalakki recipe, HuLi Avalakki recipe, Havyaka recipes

I have been busy lately. We’ve had lot of travel on our cards this month and have been really enjoying all of it. Earlier this month, we were off to Goa to celebrate our anniversary. Then we headed to Lucknow last week for my brother-in-law’s wedding. Next week, we'll be off travelling to Chennai to celebrate Diwali with the newly-weds. We are just back from the wedding, beginning to unpack and trying to settle our life into normalcy. After all those pre-nuptial sacraments and wedding ceremonies, the late night partying, lot of gluttony gourmandizing, home coming feels good and we are craving simplicity. Weddings like these bring about gastronomical feast and when it spans over a couple of days, over several meals, you know you’ve had excess of it. Here’s when we are in need of a serious post-holiday diet detox. To settle into something homely and comforting like this one.

As much as I wish, not on all days do I have the luxury of making a full-fledged breakfast at home. Most weekdays, we hugely depend on office cafeteria for our breakfast due to lack of time to make one, much unlike of what I have grown up being to. Infact back home at my parents place, breakfast was a 3 course affair and it still continues to be. Being the most enjoyable meal of the day, this is when the family comes together seated at the table and grows over healthy conversations. Starting with a coveted cup of morning tea, seldom a biscuit or rusk to accompany, it’s followed by a main course of either idli, dosa, upma, poha, roti subzi or anything solid and nutritious to fill the stomach, and always ends with a variety of fresh cut fruits to wrap the meal. It’s a norm to have homemade pickles, chutney powders, jams, honey, ghee, jaggery syrup within hands reach on the table to accompany our breakfast dish. Between my hectic routine, I may have gone away from those traditions of enjoying daily breakfast leisurely, but on weekends and days where mornings are at my luxury, I ascertain to make a breakfast that is filling and wholesome and boasts of my family traditions.

Gojju Avalakki, also commonly known as Huli Avalakki is a delicious Karnataka breakfast delicacy made from beaten rice (called as poha / avalakki). I wonder what took me so long to make this breakfast dish at home considering how much I love this dish. This is yet another dish that comes from the realms of our traditional kitchens. A dish that I have grown up eating and evokes strong memories and wonderful nostalgias. My mother made this effortlessly, particularly on special occasions like Shivrathri, Navarathi and Ganesh Chaturthi, where use of onion and garlic are forbidden. It often makes a prominent presence during festivities such as weddings, poojas and Hindu festivals. With a delectable combination of spicy, sour and sweet, this dish is so traditional that you would hardly find them in hotels and restaurants anywhere.

Gojju Avalakki / HuLi Avalakki

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Beaten rice (called as flattened rice / avalakki / poha – thick variety)
1 tbsp. Thick tamarind pulp
2 tsp. Sambhar powder
1 tbsp. Grated Jaggery
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
½ cup Grated Coconut
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. Coconut Oil (highly recommended)
1 tsp. Mustard seeds
2 Broken Dry red chillies
1 tbsp. Groundnuts
A Sprig of Curry leaves
A pinch Asafoetida / Hing

DIRECTIONS

Wash the beaten rice / avalakki in a couple of washes of water. Drain off the water and allow the beaten rice to absorb little water retained during washing. It should swell and soften in 15 minutes, yet maintain it's shape and texture. Once softened, add a tsp. of coconut oil (optional, but helps in keeping the avalakki separate), salt to taste and a pinch of turmeric.

As the rice soaks, prepare the gojju / huLi masala for the avalakki. In a small chutney grinder, finely pulse the fresh grated coconut along with thick tamarind pulp, sambhar powder and grated jaggery. Do not add any additional water while grinding. Set aside.

For seasoning, heat a tbsp. of coconut oil in a thick bottomed pan and add mustard seeds. As they begin to crackle add the peanuts. Fry them for few minutes till the peanuts change their color. Add the red chillies, asafoetida / hing powder and fresh curry leaves. Fry further for few seconds. Next add the avalakki to this and mix well. Add in the prepared gojju / huLi masala to the avalakki and gently stir the entire mixture further for a few minutes. You may cover and cook also. However, I like to cook open to ensure there is no excess water trapped that may make the avalakki soggy. When cooked, turn off the fire and serve hot. Gojju Avalakki goes well with yoghurt/curd, chutney powder or plain jaggery.

Hope you had a happy long weekend folks! And wish you a Happy Monday!

I often wish Sunday's don't go by so quickly and Monday's don't come by so soon. More often, I wake up to a thought of having yet another Sunday that is an extension of the previous day or a hope that the week passes by steadily, merrily and fruitfully, welcoming yet another weekend, and that too a happy, jolly one like the one we just had.

Last week with Eid on Friday, we had a long weekend. The week that went by, we had Independence day falling on Thursday and a quick Friday that that did not seem like a working day, so that counted for yet another lovely long weekend, or at least I like to think that we had one. :)

To make this holiday worthy, we made a day's trek to the nearby outdoors and that was such a welcome break. This Dal ki roti, whipped up from the previous night leftovers made up for our outdoor brunch, just apt as a wrap-up-take-away for any time munch.

Dal ki roti is an excellent way to use up left over dal from the previous day and translate it to a delicious snack or a breakfast dish. Being a popular dish in the North, this was one of those recipes I learnt from my mother in law, who makes it extremely well and is often accoladed for the variety of delicious parathas she makes. Since I have come to learn this, it's been a regular at my home, way too often when I have left-overs of dal from the previous day. It's versatile, easy to put together, healthy and delicious. You may use any simple dal recipe for this one, either moong, tuvar or masoor dal. The one I used is here, however you can use the ones with onions in them or heavier seasoning. A thicker one makes softer and tastier parathas, so I suggest you drain off the excess water if the dal is thin. I like to pep up the seasoning a bit here with some chopped onions, a few hot chillies, garam masala, fresh coriander leaves, but it really up to your choice and taste.

Dal ki Roti

INGREDIENTS

1 cup leftover dal
1 onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 chopped onion
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tbsp. fresh coriander leaves
2 cups whole wheat flour (varies depending on thickness of the dal)
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

DIRECTIONS

Drain the dal if there's excess water and combine the dal with onion, green chillies, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, garam masala, finely chopped coriander leaves and salt. Combine the wheat flour into this and knead into a soft dough. Set aside for 20-30 mins. Pinch out the dough into equal lime sized portions and with the help of wheat flour, roll out into a circle of 6"-8" using a rolling pin. Heat an iron griddle and cook each roti, flipping each side as they cook. Brush oil on each side of the roti and cook till golden brown on both the sides. Serve hot with onion rings, fresh curd and pickles.

It’s been far too long since I’ve put my thoughts into words and at times I think my pressures at work harass me so much that my creative side is fast dying out, a fear I live by because my blog survives a lot on this passion to write and share. And to blow that creative whistle out of me and bring my best here, I am of the sorts who needs to sit down, compose myself, cut off from all the chaos, and bring in positive verve that facilitates my artistic freedom. Least to say, I can never bring a good write up out here if my mind is stressed or has hazaar things running on it, which is how chaotic the past couple of weeks have been.

Work pressures aside, the dear husband has been away for another extended business trip. Well, his 3rd one in the past 6 months. Okay, it was meant to be a short quick one with a promise that he’ll be back soon and I bid him a happy bye. But as destined, things never get easy my way, and, to my dismay it has ended in a month long business tryst. In his absence, life as usual is never the same. I am living life of a super duper woman balancing several tasks over my shoulders. Or at least I like to think that way. Like, I dangerously tread on the 2 wheeler, zooming against time (the least I would want is not to miss my office bus and end up taking local over crowded buses at 3 stop-overs to reach my workplace) in high traffic zones and cross roads balancing the little 2 year old between my thighs to pick and drop her daily. Hardly do I realize that I could have just missed a near possible accident, a fatal one that too. The little one too thinks it’s fun to take her hands off the bike holders and wave in full swing to strangers on road or turn her head around by 120 degrees to watch a stray dog pass by! Kind of masochism yeah? Indeed.

The last week, the awry me broke a few basic rules too. The evening was pretty hectic, besides the fact that I was late from work. Adding the woes of traffic, my never ending rant on that, I was racing against time to pick my toddler. With an empty kitchen at home, a heavy headed mind, and a couple of constant calls from work, I thought skipping long queues at groceries should be okay once a while. After all living by rules isn’t always fun, right? So I crossed lines, avoided the folks ahead of me and headed straight to the billing counter. What followed was a series of heated uproar and mayhem. Worst, the embarrassment of getting annoyed looks and derogatory comments from folks around, especially if you are not the one used to it. A lesson learnt, don't break rules once a while if you've never done in the past. It makes the battered you feel battered further!

As if there was not enough on my plate already, the last week I had been pacing really fast trying to sort out things in my head and out. Every time I cleared the disarrayed state of interiors, put things back to where they belonged to, my toddler brought them back to square one from where I had started. Mayhem! Though that's an everyday story to say, when you are juggling through a hundred things, even the tiniest disruption is good to cause distress. In nutshell, for real, my frenzied current state of life seems like a fast reel action movie. For one, I am glad I wrapped up the most important to-do tasks on my list, even if that meant getting albeit a little stressed. With so many things going around, I haven’t really been able to sit down and compose or collectively bring myself to a humdrum. I missed blogging every bit. Every draft I put down ended as another draft. Next week, I’ll make a trip to the passport office, yet another ardent task I’ll cross my fingers at. Honestly, cooking has been my last priority between this commotion, since the little time or energy leaves me with hardly any gusto to bake or cook fancy. Thumbs up to those baby meals, quick fixes, one pot meals and odd indulgences in store-bought ice creams for a treat that we’ve been surviving on.

This week though I see things settling for better. The husband will be back too. Today, I made time for cleaning job, swapping bed sheet covers and paying off bills. I took my little one out to collect the laundry and do grocery shopping that didn’t seem too intimidating. This morning, I made a complete breakfast of this Onion Uttappa with Potato subzi. And more importantly, I finally got down to writing this post that will hopefully not end in another draft. Indeed that’s a good sign.

Onion Uttappa with Stir-fried Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

For the Dosa batter:

1 cup Urad dal
2 cups rice
½ tsp. Fenugreek seeds
Water, as required
Salt, to taste

For the Onion Uttappa:

2 large Onions, finely chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
A sprig of curry leaves, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Soak the dal, rice and fenugreek seeds in sufficient water to ensure they are submerged for atleast 6 hours. Grind them to a fine paste with water that is sufficient to make it a thick flowing batter. Allow them to ferment for atleast 8-10 hours. For the Uttappa, mix all the said ingredients and set aside separately.

Heat a non-stick pan or a greased iron pan by smearing little oil. Drop a dollop of dosa batter in the center of the pan and swirl it in circular directions using the spatula to spread the batter uniformly. Spread the onion mixture on top of this batter. Grease the edges and cover the pan, allowing it to cook on the bottom till golden brown. Flip over and cook on the other side as well. Serve hot with potato stir-fry and chutney of your choice.

South Indian Stir-fried Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

4 large potatoes, boiled and skinned
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
1 large onion chopped fine
1 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 green chillies finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp. lemon juice, optional

DIRECTIONS

Mash the potatoes roughly between your fingers. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan /kadhi on a medium flame. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and fry till the seeds splutter. Next fry the ginger and onions till translucent. Add the boiled, mashed potatoes, green chillies and turmeric powder. Add salt to taste and stir well till all is combined. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the flame and add lemon juice to taste. Serve hot with dosa or uttappa.

To make homemade peanut powder, refer the recipe here.

I am not entirely a bread lover. Given an option I prefer Indian flat breads or rice on any given day. But considering the number of bread recipes I bake, I see myself being a convert, probably soon. Baking them is entirely fun. There's a profound joy in kneading, proofing, watching it rise, punching it down, rise again and bake to golden hues. There's immense satisfaction one gets out of home made bread, the joy only a home baker knows best.

This recipe in particular comes from my drafts, long standing in nature that was baked late noon to satisfy the urge to bake bread couple of weeks ago. Clicked late in the evening and hence my dissatisfaction with its photography, it went into hiding for sometime into my drafts. But then that doesn't rule out the fact that this herbed bread is delicious and can jazz up any meal. This bread has a nice tang from homemade sun-dried tomatoes and herbed flavors from dill leaves. Pair it with soups, salads or pastas, they'll make a meal complete.

Sun-dried Tomatoes and Dill Focaccia

INGREDIENTS

250g plain flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried yeast
1 tbsp. olive oil
Approx. 160 ml. warm water
1 tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes
1 tbsp. dill leaves, chopped
1 tsp. red chilli flakes

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve the yeast in half a cup of warm water and teaspoon of sugar. Stir well and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. By then the yeast will activate and bubble up. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Gradually add the remaining water and bring the dough together. Knead it for a 4-5 minutes. Place it in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and place it in a warm place to rise for a 3-4 hours. The dough will rise and double in size. Once risen, give the dough a punch, deflate it and knead it on an oiled surface for five minutes. Place the dough on a baking tray, shape it to your desire and press dimples on top of the bread dough. Mix a tbsp. of olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped dill leaves and red chilli flakes in a bowl. Top the dimpled bread with this topping, spread it gently and allow the bread dough to sit in a warm place for an hour to rise. Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg C. Bake the bread at 200 deg C for 30 minutes, or till the edges crisp and the bread is golden brown.

Delhi was fun! A whole lot of fun! We are back after having a fabulous time there and it’s taken a week to unpack and settled down to routine like usual. I stayed away from blogging on Veg bowl for a while, didn’t blog hop either, nor did I check my mails. I did no business with my laptop, since I needed an intentional short break away from home chores and the daily grind at work, and this family function was just the perfect excuse. The engagement ceremonies went off smoothly and we had a real good time meeting family and friends, chatting, partying through nights, hitting the paranthewali gallis, shop-till-drop on Delhi streets, city sightseeing and needless to say, a hell lot of indulgence in food! We fit in a day’s trip to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri and loved going back to live history with the city. Beautiful indeed.

We came back with lovely memories and tons of photographs to be cherished. I am yet to sort them out, and while they run in thousands, I am clueless where to make a beginning!

Although being away was exciting to break the monotony of the day-to-day routine, it’s a warm, comforting feeling to be back home, and tuck ourselves into the bliss of home cooked food. We dined out mostly while in Delhi and Agra, on the oh-so-common butter parathas and cream laden heavy North Indian delicacies, that were delicious and sinfully good for our occasional indulgences, but far from the simple home cooked meals that we began craving at the end of our trip.

Back home this shavige uppittu was a humble, yet delightful breakfast dish we relished. Nothing fancy, but a simple upma that’s dotted with vegetables and flavoured with green chillies, lime and coriander herbs for the garnish. Served with milk and fruits by the side for the morning, this was the perfect way to revive the comfort of our home-made breakfast.

Well, this makes a great tea-time snack too.

Masala Shavige Uppittu / Masala Semiya Upma

INGREDIENTS

100 g rice semiya (called shavige, as in kannada)
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves, torn
8-10 cashew halves (can also substitute peanuts)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced to small pieces
3-4 beans, finely sliced
2 green chillies, chopped
A pinch of turmeric
Juice from ½ lime
1 tsp. sugar (optional, but highly recommended)
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

DIRECTIONS

Cook the rice shavige in plenty of boiling water. When it’s al dente, switch off the flame and drain off the water completely. Shock the cooked shavige by running it under cold/tap water for a few seconds. Drain the water off completely and add a tsp. of oil, salt to taste, sugar, turmeric powder to the prepared shavige, toss lightly and keep aside.

In a wok / kadhai, heat a tsp. of oil and add in the mustard seeds. As they begin to pop, add the cashew-nuts and fry them till they brown lightly. Next add the chopped onions and fry till they turn translucent. Add the chopped carrots and beans and fry till they are just done. Add in the green chillies and curry leaves and fry further for a minute. Toss in the cooked shavige to this and stir well. Cook further for another 4-5 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat and add in a dash of lime juice. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot as is or with a chutney of your choice.