Spicy Eggplant Curry (Vankaya Masala kura)

Today's dish is made by my neighbor aunty and since it is an eggplant curry made in a different way, I had to click to pictures and post the recipe for future reference. One of the perks of living in India is the loving neighbors who share their homemade dishes and recipes. 

When I signed up for this month's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge', I knew I might have to bother my mom to make some of her signature dishes so that I can share them with you all. But luckily I have more than one source here and thanks to my dear aunty I have a yummy eggplant curry in my repertoire. 

This curry is partially made in the pressure cooker and then finished off in the saute pan. This method helps in cooking the curry with minimum oil and also expedites the cooking process.

Behind the scenes of Food Photography

Blogging Marathon# 42: Week 3/ Day 3
Theme: Misc Food Related -- Behind the Food Photos
Topic: Behind the scenes of Food photography

After getting the backgrounds and props ready, it is time to take the photos of your yummy food. First thing to consider is the Lighting. Here's a previous post where I talked a little bit about Lighting. Finding good natural or artificial light is absolutely critical for food photography.

Thotakura Thelagapindi Kura (Amaranth Greens-Sesame Curry)

I have a very simple and healthy curry today. I watched it on a Telugu cooking show and made it right away. I made this last month in US when I had a bowl full of fresh amaranth leaves that I harvested before leaving to India on vacation. I think this curry can also be made with other greens like spinach, kale or swiss chard. 

Props for Food Photography

Blogging Marathon# 42: Week 3/ Day 2
Theme: Misc Food Related -- Behind the Food Photos
Topic: Props

Props used in a food photo can really make or break a food photo. A well styled and presented photo is a definite plus to any food blog. Props include your serve ware, napkins and everything else that is used in the photo.
I am always amazed how some bloggers have the eye for styling their pictures. The whole setup looks well thought of and the props are placed in strategic locations drawing the eye exactly to the main attraction or the hero of the photo which is the dish that is being presented. This is an art that some have within themselves and some of us need to see and learn. I'm not a very creative person, but I take inspiration from various sources to come up with something that is not exactly the copy of the original but a close representation of it. This below is one such inspired photo.

Backgrounds for Food Photography

Blogging Marathon# 42: Week 3/ Day 1
Theme: Misc Food Related -- Behind the Food Photos
Topic: Food photography Backgrounds

We are starting our 3rd week of blogging marathon today and I took up an interesting theme that doesn't involve cooking. I am going to try and show you what goes behind the scenes in my house after the food is cooked and before the clicks are taken. First day is all about backgrounds that I use in my food photography and how you can make them at home.
When I started blogging in the pre-historic times (if you really want to know, that was 8 years back), I didn't give much thought to taking food photos, they were taken at night with flash on the dining table with absolutely no props and no sense of presentation. But through the years and watching some amazing food photos by fellow bloggers and food magazines, I've learnt that presentation is as important as the taste of food itself and since the virtual readers cannot taste your food, they need to feel it through their eyes. So every aspect of food photo is important including the backgrounds used for the photo.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Foxtail Millet Payasam (Korrala/ Thinai Payasam)

Blogging Marathon# 42: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: All about Millets
Dish: Foxtail Millet Payasam (Korrala Payasam/ Thinai Payasam)

We are getting ready for our upcoming summer vacation to India. My son's been talking about this trip for weeks now and he definitely wants to go to McDonald's and get his Happy Meal toy. I'm excited too to visit my family and spend time with my mom. Shopping is also on my to-do list.

So for the final day of this week's marathon, I made a dessert with foxtail millet. This dish is the millet version of paravannam or rice pudding. I cooked the millet in water and added some whole milk to give some richness to the dish. I used jaggery and a little bit of sugar to sweeten it.

Ragi Dosa (Finger Millet Dosa)

Blogging Marathon# 42: Week 1/ Day 2
Theme: All about Millets
Dish: Ragi Dosa/ Finger Millet Dosa

For day 2 of blogging marathon, I have a very simple and nutritious breakfast made with finger millet/ ragi. I saw the recipe on a Telugu cooking show. The original recipe was actually for 'Pullatlu'or sour dosa. Dosa has to be very well fermented and should turn sour to make these dosas. My batter got very foamy and fermented well but it didn't get very sour, so I'm calling these dosa instead of pullatlu.

Using ragi flour in a dosa batter increases its nutrition and adds an earthy taste that is best enjoyed hot. I rarely make dosas because I'm forgetful in soaking the dal/ rice and I'm very lazy to pull out my stone grinder. But I recently found out that my American blender grinds both dal and rice to a nice smooth consistency, so now I have no excuse for not making idlis or dosas more frequently.

Bajra Methi na Thepla (Pearl Millet/ Sajjala Thepla)

I'm sticking with the theme of the week, All about Millets and made these theplas with bajra flour (pearl millet flour) and methi. This year I planted only a few greens in my backyard because with the India trip I didn't want the plants to suffer while we were away. I harvested most of them and gave some away to family and friends.

I had half a pot of methi leaves that needed to be used up. I bookmarked this recipe from 'India: The  Cookbook' by Pushpesh Pant. I borrowed this book from the library, but had to return it since ran out of my renewals. I think I renewed it about 6 times, but finally had to return the book before they snatch my library card permanently from me. Even with all the renewals, I couldn't get through most of my bookmarked recipes. So I took pictures of the recipes on my phone, this way I can get to them whenever I want to.

Bajre Ki Khichdi (Pearl Millet/ Sajjala Khichdi)

Blogging Marathon# 42: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: All about Millets
Dish: Bajre Ki Khichdi

Yet another month rolls by and today we are starting this month's blogging marathon. Big difference for me is I'm joining the lovely BM gals only 2 weeks this month, because it is vacation time and we are packing for a month long trip to India --- yay!!!!!! I wanted to skip this month altogether, but Valli's themes pulled me in.
So for the first week, I picked up a relatively easy theme, All about Millets. I have started cooking with millets about 5~6 years back and interestingly I tried foxtail millet for the first time in a Mexican dish. It wasn't until later that I found out that they are very commonly used in India too.

Millets are an ancient cereal cultivated in the dry climates of Africa and northern China. Interestingly millets were the staple food of Indian, Chinese and Korean civilizations. There are about 6000 varieties of millet throughout the world with grains varying in color. Foxtail millet is one of the oldest varieties.