Manapparrai Murukku for ICC

We are travelling south to Tamil Nadu for this month's Indian Cooking Challenge. I am amazed by the variation of snacks we have across the country, with just a few changes in the ingredients and the method of preparation -- we end up with so many different type of snacks.

When I saw that Valli has a murukku recipe for this month, I was a little disappointed that we are going to make just another murukku recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised how just a few changes can make such a big difference. These murukkus are fried twice instead of just once in regular murukkus making them crunchy and very addictive.

Read more »

Kakarakaya Tomato Kura (Bitter gourd-Tomato Curry)

My MIL made this kakarakaya/ bitter gourd curry when she visited us last month. There are quite a few ways to take the bitterness away from bitter gourd, like boiling them with a souring agent like yogurt or tamarind and then squeezing out the bitter water. But this time my MIL salted thinly chopped bitter gourd pieces and refrigerated them overnight. In the morning, she squeezed out the water and made the curry in the pressure cooker.
Both refrigerating the salted bitter gourd and making the curry in the pressure cooker was new to me, so I promptly wrote down the recipe to post it here for future reference.

Read more »

Watermelon Lemonade

Here's a very simple and refreshing drink for your next summer party. Watermelons are a great summer fruit and this is a great way to use some of that huge melon lying in the fridge. 

The concentrate for the drink can be made ahead of time and then served chilled with more ice and sparkling water mixed in.

Read more »

Quick Paneer Pulao (Pressure Cooker Method)

We are celebrating Sapana's Virtual Baby Shower' today. Welcoming a new bundle of joy into the family is a very exciting time for the whole family and especially to the mom. So Sapana, here's wishing you 'All the very best for the new arrival'.

So our BM group decided to cook from Sapana to celebrate her Virtual Baby Shower. I picked a simple one-pot dish, Paneer Pulao from Sapana's blog. This dish was a hit with my family. I made minor changes to the original recipe to suit for taste preference.

Read more »