Sarika

Its a winter season and green peas are everywhere in market and in kitchen. Green peas pulav,Green peas usal,Matar pattice ,matar chi karanji,stuff matar paratha,matar soup and you can really get innovative here.Even simple poha upama suddenly has green appearance in abundance Now there is an argument here you get matar throughout the season or haven't you heard about frozen mutter. But then grown up in modest middle class family one of the values that got imbibed is to have seasonal stuff.Season stuff which you get Rs 30-40 sh/kg, off season can roar up to Rs 150 quarter kg and then buying it at that price is a sin :)  (here there is no question of whether you afford it or not. Just your whims to have some food will not justify that price.) So when its a season you stock it up and then deep freezer section will have different dessert boxes filled with green peas. You take out one box for the menu on the card. Whenever I make mattar pattice I remember mavshi who had invited me for ...

Scene 1: Dropped son at stop for school bus and on the way back picked up milk packets from centre . while tea was on, milk was up for boiling I was on daily task list one by one.. collect malai ,warm left over milk ,set curd , make buttermilk for day. Took vegetables out from tray and started cutting it. "So much work you have in the morning." exclaimed my sister in law who was watching all these morning silent movie. Really? Ya..we really don't do all this in USA.Just take out milk can  from freeze and make tea. Canned milk so no need to boil.Curd doesn't set well of that milk so no question of setting curd. No curd no buttermilk. Skimmed milk so no malai no butter making no ghee making. and there I am thinking >>all this may be comes naturally in many of Indian house holds..We have grown up watching mothers /grand mothers doing all these activities and as we set our own kitchen many of that we picked up unknowingly. Scene 2: All of them were meeting for schoo...

Aam Panne or "Kairiche Panhe" is a traditional maharashtrian drink. Every family usually have its own version of this recipe. If you have not tried it you must give it a shot this summer. It is super easy to make and super refreshing and healthy too. Ingredients 2 medium size raw mangoes (Kairi) which approximately makes 1 bowl of pulp 1 bowl sugar 1 tsp cardamom powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp black salt Steps Rinse raw mangoes well. Remove small section near the top. Put in a bowl, pressure cook with some water added. After 4 whistles turn off the gas. Scrap the pulp of these boiled mangoes. Add sugar, elaichi powder, cumin power and salt to this pulp. (1 cup of sugar for 1 cup of pulp .You can adjust sugar proportion as per your taste but Aam Panna real taste is slightly sour.   You can also replace sugar with jaggery in equal amount.) Blend it in a mixture and your Kairi Panhe mix is ready. Refrigerate for some time. Add 3 table spoon of this mixture in...

Time that I have spent in kitchen in last 15 months is probably more than that I have spent there in entire life.Its that urge to try out something new more than actual love for cooking I guess.New in this case is strictly restricted to new for me which could be as simple as basic cake.The real new which leads to invention innovation I have no plans to reach there and happy to leave it for my favourite chefs who have given so much glamour to cooking.I mean the way they present jeera tadka dal makes it look so special.Their fancy utensils spatulas background kitchen and kitchen appliances including microwave freeze or simple mixer grinder its treat to watch.In the end the way which they present dish and taste a spoonful you decide ...you will try it once. This list of "should try it once" probably overgrown in my case is one reason I could think of my time in kitchen and off course simplicity.Cooking these days have really become simple isn't it.From ज्वारीची भाक...