mayurisjikoni

Happy Chaitra Navratri     The 35th theme for #FoodieMonday #bloghop was #NavrathriSpecial.  I was in a dilemma as to how I will get this post ready in a day as I was travelling on Sunday. I've already posted many fasting recipes . I'm glad this theme was chosen as I've learnt something new. Did you know that Navratri is celebrated 5 times in a year? I didn't know that. The first is Vasanta/Chaitra Navratri (around March or April), Ashad Navratri (around June or July), Sharad Navratri (around Sept or Oct),Pausha Navratri (around Dec or Jan) and Magha Navratri (around Jan or Feb). Our family celebrates the Sharad Navratri.     Chaitra Navratri begins on the first day of the Chaitra month(this year 8th April) and ends on Ram Navmi Day. During this period Goddess Durga is worshipped, prayers are offered and people fast. During the fasting period, some take only fruit, milk and water, others fast by eating one meal only and others do not eat any grains or pulses dur...

salvaged    The Shhhh cooking secretly challenge was on break for a few months.The group was revived this month and I am glad. I enjoy cooking with the secret ingredients given by a selected partner. So how does it work? Well every month you are paired with a fellow member. We give each other 2 ingredients to work with. No one else in the group knows the ingredients except the partners. If we are ready with the recipe before the 16th of the month, we post the picture on the group Facebook page. Other members begin guessing what the 2 ingredients are. Its really fun because we can be left scratching our heads or we may guess them easily. Usually it is difficult. The reveal date is 16th of every month. That's when we post our recipes. Sometimes we miss the most obvious ingredient. Everyone comes up with innovative dishes right from juices to desserts. This month my partner was Niloufer of Kitchen Samraj  and she gave me lemongrass and ginger as my two ingredients. I immedi...

Healthy and refreshing    Did I mention its pretty hot here, yes I think I did. Yesterday we were without power the whole evening and night! Afternoons can get quite humid. These days, we don't even feel like have a cup of hot tea. So I resort to making iced tea. Sometimes, I just get the herbal tea bags and infuse it in hot water in the morning and put it away in the fridge to cool. Today I decided to make some lemongrass and mint iced tea. There was a time when I had a huge lemongrass plant in my garden and I was giving away parts of it to friends and relatives to plant in their garden or pots. Now I have to either buy it or get it from my friends! One of friends gave me a huge bunch of lemon grass just a few days. I am enjoying making iced tea and normal tea with it. Make this refreshing and cooling iced tea on a hot day or serve it after a heavy meal. LEMON GRASS AND MINT ICED TEA Serves 4 3 cups of hot water 1 tea bag a handful of fresh mint leaves, or about ½ cup 3 to 4 ...