mayurisjikoni

Those Tiny Spices Make All The Difference    It's really amazing how addition of small amounts of spices can make a dish taste so different. Every Indian household has it own spice (masala) box or dabba (tin) which we use for our everyday cooking. Some spices like turmeric powder and red chili powder will be standard in any spice box. The variations come with the other spices. Don't get me wrong, all the spices are used all over India but in some cuisine some spices are used in a larger quantity than others. My spice box has the typical  spices that will be found in the masala dabba of most Gujaratis. Mustard seeds(rai), Cumin seeds (jeeru), fenugreek seeds (methi), carom seeds (ajmo), turmeric powder (hardar), red chili powder (lal marchu) and coriander cumin powder (dhana jiru). The latter we tend to use in almost all the curry/ shaak dishes we prepare.    Why am I talking about spices? Well, I discovered a whole new combination of flavors when I made Santula...

Assam - The Red River State    November is when the Shhh Cooking Secretly Group visited Assam. Assam is a state in the North East of India. Its strategic location makes it the 'Gateway to the Seven Sister States of North East India'. Assam's history goes way back to the ancient times, having been mentioned in the Mahabharata, was known as Asham during Aurangzeb's time and the British developed the tea estates  during the British Rule. Assam is well known for its flora and fauna and the famous tea estates. Assam itself has nearly 500 varieties of orchids. Its also known as the state of the  Red River due to the presence of the Brahmaputra. Its a state rich in culture and traditions. Coming to the Assamese Cuisine, Assamese are by and large non vegetarians. The staple food is rice. Their food is not too spicy or oily but is still rich in taste. They make use of naturally growing herbs and vegetables which is used in making fish and meat dishes. Most of the dishes prep...

MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON -SEPT 2017 #80TH BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: PROTEIN RICH DISHES DAY:8    Coming back to Mombasa is certainly a jolt back to reality. No more wide pavements, traffic order, running water in taps, well stocked supermarkets etc etc. After a long journey from Montreal to Nairobi with a 3 hour stop in Paris, hubby and I were exhausted. As we came out from the arrivals terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, we thought just one more hour and we'll be home. I could only think of my bed as I could barely keep my eyes open. Strong coffee too was not helping. One of the worst airports to move from one terminal to the other is Nairobi and Addis Ababa. Which of the two is worst I really cannot say. From the arrivals, with rickety wheels trolley we have to cross the parking area, with no proper path for pedestrians, dodging cars and trying not to hit parked cars with your trolley we reach the domestic terminal. While carrying out this trek, just pray that ...

GUEST NO.8 ON THE BLOG     My 8th Guest on the blog is Mehwaesh Islam. Now you may be wondering how did an Islam enter the Patel family. Let me clear up the air for you. Mehwaesh is originally from Bangladesh, married to my best friend Daxa's son. Daxa and family are more like family than friends to me.Paras, her son is like my son. So technically that makes Mehwaesh my daughter in law. I first met Mehwaesh during their wedding in Bangladesh. At first sight she appeared to me as a very sophisticated lady. On getting to know her, she is a very intelligent, caring, quiet and a friendly person. I had the opportunity to lunch with them at their quaint little home in London. From her little little kitchen she was able to put out quite a fare from chaat as a starter to egg biryani and sabji followed by dessert. What I loved about her cooking was that little Bangladeshi touch and flavour to most of her dishes. As I follow them on social media both husband and wife team practically ev...

Venturing out to try something different    Yes, its Monday (so soon) and can you believe it we are into the 6th week of the 2017. Time flies. For our 78th theme on #FoodieMonday #Bloghop we decided to go regional with #RegionalCuisine. As soon as the theme was decided I knew I wanted to try out a cuisine that I've never done before. So it had to be the Eastern part of India. I guess having made baked yogurt and rasmalai doesn't really count. I decided on Litti Chokha from the state of Bihar. Well, some say that its also from Uttar Pradesh. What made me choose Litti Chokha? Two reasons, one being that my son in law is from that state, well now Jharkand which was a part of Bihar once upon a time and my neighbour Priya as she comes from UP and makes litti chokha.          What is Litti Chokha? Well, its a traditional snack from the state of Bihar. The litti is made from wheat and stuffed with a filling (pitthi) and roasted over coal, cow dung or ...