mayurisjikoni

BM#85 MAIN COURSE WITH GRAVY OR RICE        What constantly baffles me is when people who usually prepare meat and fish dishes cannot think beyond simple potato curry for vegetarian options or a simple pea pulao for rice options. I'm seriously hoping that all die hard non vegetarians will think of vegetarian world beyond potatoes.    When you're a member of a group like Blogging Marathon, there can never be a shortage of new dishes, new ideas or a twist to any dish. For the BM#85 one of the themes that members could choose was MAIN COURSE WITH GRAVY OR RICE . Indian Cuisine definitely does not have a shortage of how many types or styles of gravies or curries one can serve to Vegetarians. Simple potato curry to more exotic koftas can grace the table for lunch or dinner. Neither is there a shortage of the styles of rice one can prepare, right from the simple and humble jeera rice to an elaborate biryani.    For the #85 BM theme, we had 32 dishes whi...

Guest No.10          I was supposed to post this last week but the whole schedule got messed up. I had some posts that had to b live on certain dates (that's what happens when you're in too many groups!) and problems with the internet. It rained a lot last week and many places in Mombasa were flooded.           My 10th Guest on the blog, its my sister in law Heni. She's married to my cousin Hiren. His mum was my 3rd guest. She had prepared Tangy Creamy Potato Curry . I've not had much opportunity to spend time with Heni, but whatever time we spend together at my dad's home, their home or an outing, its  fun. When I first met Heni, she appeared to me as a very friendly, caring, loving and warmhearted person. She is a fun loving person, always smiling and ready to help any time. She is a great cook herself and my hubby loves her non vegetarian curries.She taught me how to make farali theplas . Along with my brother's wife, they b...

aromatic delight A few weeks ago I had a request from one of my neighbours... can you please teach me how to make an egg biryani. That got me thinking. When was the last time I actually made egg biryani? I just couldn't remember. It's also not a recipe that I had written down so I couldn't just give it to her to follow. So we got tinkering in the kitchen and as we went along, wrote down the ingredients we used. I must say it turned out pretty yummy and the neighbour's family too were happy with the end result except that they found it mild. Cooking rice has its own charm. After the smell of bread, I think my other favour aroma is that of rice cooking. An ideal Sunday lunch meal as after that everyone can doze off, laze around and  pretend they cannot move an inch! Enjoy the recipe. Most of the spices required are readily available in any Indian grocery store. EGG BIRYANI 6 Servings For the rice : 2 cups good quality rice (pishori, basmati etc) 3 to 3 ½  cups water 4 to ...

Rich and heavenly Rice cooked plain or with other ingredients is a meal on its own. Most people love rice in some form or the other. Today I am going to share my biryani recipe with you. Everyone has a different method of making biryani, be it vegetarian or non vegetarian. Some just let it cook over low heat usually on top of a sigri (jiko, charcoal stove) in a pan, some put it in an earthen pot, seal it and then let the biryani cook. Usually the lid is sealed with a flour dough to retain the flavours and steam. Modern methods are less complicated. Just prepare the layers, cover with a foil and in it goes into the oven. Slow cooked biryanis are much tastier. However, my version is quicker. I prefer to use ghee for this recipe as it makes it more flavourful and the aroma is heavenly. Ghee or clarified butter and all the spices mentioned below are easily available in all indian stores. VEGETABLE  BIRYANI 6 to 8 servings For the rice layer : 2 cups basmati, pishori rice 1 tsp salt 1 c...

For my Nunu   As I have mentioned before, I have learnt to cook from my mum, kaki, other women in my life and most of all from Nunu. Nunu is my mother in law. The patience that my mum didn't have with me, Nunu had in abundance. Lots of dinners, lunches, parties was the norm when I entered the V.V. Patel household as a new bride. To top it up my sister in law Arti too was under training.... learning how to cook. At breakfast time Nunu would explain to her how to make a particular dish and at that time I didn't have just a pair of ears but perhaps 2 or 3 pairs open ready to pick up new recipes, ideas, tips etc.       Nunu had to learn cooking by herself. She lost her mother when she was very young and had the responsibility of cooking for her father and brother. She learnt the basics from her aunt (kaki). When she got married and moved to Mombasa, she slowly formed her own group of friends who were more like family members. She learnt recipes from them, from cook ...