Destinations wishlist

We all have our wishlist.. wishlist like "Things I want to eat", "Things I want to do", "People I want to meet", and of-course "Places I want to see". What better time than now, when the new year unfolds , to look into my Destination wishlist , add a few and may be subtract a few as well. I simply love travelling. While I was growing up, my parents made sure we make a trip to any new land every year. Because of my school and studies, Baba's office and Ma's school , it was usually during Diwali holidays we made our trip to far and near...

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Dhaniya aloo

I love aloo or potato like no other vegetable. Potato in any form except for the potato wafers which does not allure me that much. As a small kid while reading stories of other countries I often envied the people and places where potato is a staple food. I think I can survive just on potatoes. During my bachelorhood days away from home at Chandigarh, when my roommate left for Delhi on weekends and I had to stay back for some reason, I always made sure I indulged in various potato recipes(my roommate refrained from potatoes)....

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Sunset by the shore

Sunset by the shore This is my first Acrylic painting. Little different from water colors, I thoroughly enjoyed painting with the acrylic paints. ...

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Swan

Birds have always fascinated me. They are one of the most beautiful creations of the Almighty. Beautiful with all the colors from an artist's palette they are epitome of art and perfection. Some like the weaver bird are expert architects while birds like koel are the greatest singer. Some are the greatest fliers like the albatross while some like "Birds of Paradise" should compete in beauty pageant. I can sit for hours  and watch documentaries on birds. Though mesmerized by their beauty , I never attempted to paint...

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Radhaballavi aka Daal puri and Kashmiri Aloo dum for Sunday Brunch

Now on a December day when the sun plays hide and seek , and I keep running around for a bit of sunshine, I don't feel like going for a breakfast and then an elaborate lunch. So for such a cloudy and lazy Sunday a good nice Brunch is the keyword.  And here comes Mr Husband's idea of daal poori and Kashmiri Aloo Dum. Of-course the daal was soaked the previous night for a different cause, but no harm done if its used for Kachauri or Daal Poori or as is called in bengali "Radhaballavi". The recipe of Kashmiri...

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Tulip

'Mid the sharp, short emerald wheat, scarce risen three fingers well, The wild tulip at the end of its tube, blows out its great red bell, Like a thin clear bubble of blood, for the children to pick and sell. - Robert Browning, ...

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Egg soya bean dum biryani

So one fine day I was in no mood of making the same old lunch of rice and veggies and daal or fish and neither was I in the mood of too much labor. I was looking for something interesting and easygoing. And then I thought about "Egg soya dum biryani" I had never tasted this recipe before leave alone trying it. Also two of the key ingredients of biryani : mint and coriander leaves were missing from my fridge but I decided to do away with them. "Lets see how it tastes the nontraditional style"...

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Instant microwave dhokla

Am I turning this blog of mine into a food blog? Well I don't intend to that, but I could not resist myself from posting this super duper easy recipe which I tried for the first time. And boom!! it turned out so well. Cutting short my blabbers , here's the quick recipe Ingredients 1 cup Besan, 1/2 cup curd, a teaspoon salt, half a teaspoon sugar, a teaspoon of ginger -green chilly paste a sachet eno, 1/2 cup of water a pinch of turmeric, one and a half teaspoon oil For tempering: 1 teaspoon of rai(mustard seeds) a pinch...

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Achari bharva baigan(Stuffed baby brinjal)

Phew .. the last few weeks have been quite stupendous on me.. loads and loads of academic work. Finally I am done(hopefully for good). Though there are many priorities assigned in line, I plan to take a short break and indulge myself in whatever i like best.. which is of course cooking blogging and painting..not to forget watching Star Trek with Mr husband. Oh I have become a huge fan of Star Trek recently thanx to the better half. I always despised Sci-fi, but that's past now. It all started with "Star...

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Kala Chana Chat.. a Healthy snack

After the hush and rush of the whole week, Sundays are usually for pure gastronomical indulgences from breakfast to dinner. But once in a while, its good to go healthy and simple. This Sunday I opted for a simplest and a nutrient packed breakfast..... A tasty Kala Chana chaat.  Kala Chana..this small black Mr Lentil is rich in minerals, fiber , proteins. But my better half does not like the chana curry, so I keep it more simple..    I soaked a cup of Kala chana overnight.In the morning, boiled the chana...

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Spicy Chicken.. oven cooked

My studies are keeping me very busy, and even though I feel like blogging at times, time puts the constraints on me.. I was planning to post this recipe for quite a long time but didnt really get into the mood of writing.  The recipe is originally Mr Husband's. This is one of the easiest and tastiest chicken recipe I have ever tasted. Ingredients: Chicken legs(8-10),  A small onion, few pods garlic, an inch ginger, green chilies. Bay leaves, kasuri methi, Red Chili Powder, a small cinnamon stick. Salt,...

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An apple a day

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” Steve Jobs Nothing much to say..  A visionary , a scientist, an entrepreneur  ,overall a great and complete person in all terms. Ironically I like many millions read the news on his IPAD..  He had said .. "I want to put a ding in the universe."  and he really did.. May you Rest In Peace..and a big thanks for all the ...

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Borir Jhaal (Aloo vadi)

The bori or Vadi as we call in Hindi are sun dried lentil dumplings. In the north its mostly spicy but we bengalies prefer the non spicy one. We have bori in small and medium size of massoor, urad , chola daal. During childhood days, come summer and Ma used to make these BORIs , sun drying them and then packing them in air tight jars for the whole year. Now a days Bori/ Vadi are readily available in grocery shops. We like putting these boris in vegg recipes as well as fish recipes. And sometimes its just the borir jhaal which...

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Fall colors

Today's painti...

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School Days

Here at Texas , the summer vacations are over and the schools are reopening. Pretty late ha.. yes in India schools reopen by 1-2 July. Yesterday while we were out for a bit of groceries, we saw the huge shopping complex buzzing with children of all ages and their parents, all buying anything and everything remotely associated with school. There were "so-called" sales and discounts on all ACADEMICAL items. The scene made me smile and the memoirs of my school days came rushing into my thoughts. The long summer vacation was always...

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A few of the paints..

Latest paintings poppies With love U n me in this beautiful world.....

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Soiling my hand with B4,B6,B8..........

During the school days, when there was not much of assignments and home-works, and not much to do in the sleepy afternoon, hours were spent drawing and sketching.Soon Ma and Baba felt that I had a knack for the art, and drawing classes became my playground. Then I was more into sketching. Later I took to painting. Its a long long time since I have sketched anything. Recently the dear hubby gifted me a set of colors and brushes. It fun again to play with colors. Hope I will sooner pick the pencils and charcoal as well.Here...

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Miles apart

Sitting by the side of the pond , Amu was throwing pebbles in the water. She was in no mood of playing or climbing the trees to get ripe mangoes. Her friends had come to fetch her but she did not like their company right now. Her mind was travelling far far away into the distant unknown land , the land of luxuries , the land of freedom , the land where Priya belonged. Priya was the granddaughter of the erstwhile "Jamindar" (Zamindar) of their village. Although the Zamindari system had long been abolished , Roop Narayan...

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Frittata...

This is one another recipe which I have never tasted. I was just browsing through one of the recipe sites, when I happened to discover it. Since Mr Husband is a great egg -o -holic , I decided to give it a shot.Now the wiki says: "Frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelette or quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta". The original recipe had sausages and bell peppers as ingredients , but since I didnt have either of them...

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Dahi Baigan.. eggplant in curd gravy

During the good old doordarshan days, we had this afternoon children's program... It was a story of a kingdom , the kingdon of veggies and the king was our very own cute , plump "बैगन राजा".. donned in a beautiful green crown, then he ruled over the entire veg kingdom.. and he still does..बैगन or বেগুন or eggplant or aubergine or melongene or guinea squash or  brinjal as it is lovingly called is many of our favorite. Be it Baigan ka Bharta or Bharwa Baigan or simple Begun Bhaja many of us can not say no to the humble...

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The story of a bengali kitchen

India is country of 28 states and 7 UTs and I can bet that the variety of recipes and cuisines is hundred times the mentioned figures. It is said that in India "With every 10 miles the dialect changes" and so does the cuisines. Being a land of varied demographics our cuisines are signatured by spices , herbs not to forget the immense variety of vegetables and fruits and pisces (thanks to our long coastline and perennial rivers). We love cooking feeding and eating. Being the land of "वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम " , the food and cuisine has been...

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The magic world of books

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.  ~Charles W. Eliot I dont know when and how I had entered the unfathomable world of books and reads but it was quite early days. Those times it was not the so called "books and novels", but light reading of Champak, and comics "Billu", "Chacha Choudhary" and "Pinki"s. Ma wanted me to read the ones which were in Bengali or English but I always preferred the Hindi ones. Our train journeys...

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Tomato stuffed

I am not in the mood of writing much today.. So here goes just the recipe. You need: A few tomatoes, preferably round ones Boiled Potatoes, grated ginger , chopped coriander and chillies, sweet corn if you like Scoop out the center pulp. You may use the pulp in any other recipes. Mash the boiled potatoes , add sweet corn, chillies , ginger, coriander, salt and a little chaat masala. You can replace potato with grated paneer. Fill in the tomatoes. Place in an oil smeared microwaveable plate. Season a little with salt and black...

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