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...

MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON -SEPT 2017 #80TH BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: PROTEIN RICH DISHES/LENTILS DAY:17      If you browse through the internet, you will be inundated with recipes with cauliflower as the main ingredient especially if one is trying to follow a vegan or paleo diet. Cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza base, cauliflower tortillas etc etc etc. Besides cauliflower rice, I've yet to try my hands on the other recipes. As a kid I didn't like cauliflower too much. I think I hated it as the overcooked version smelt awful. I don't like to overcook it for sabjis, curries or for any dish where I'm using cauliflower. Even when I prepare soup,I just cook it enough so it remains a bit crunchy.     Did you know that cauliflower besides being rich in protein, is rich in Vitamins C, K and beta carotene. It belongs to the cancer fighting cruciferous family. Sulforaphane which is present in cauliflower, helps to regulate blood pressure and improves kidney function....

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 ...

MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON -SEPT 2017 #80TH BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: PROTEIN RICH DISHES DAY:5    For this protein rich dish I nearly drove my husband up the walls! I wanted to bake individual portions for this recipe but my son's kitchen didn't have any individual oven friendly bowls. I researched online for the right kind of bakeware, and it had to be from my favorite shop Stokes. Next day it was raining but I insisted that we go to the shop. From home its about a 30-40 minute walk. Hubby took out all sorts of bakeware from the kitchen and I just kept rejecting them as my brains could only see the bakeware I had seen on the Stokes online store. Finally, as we all know, women tend to get they way so I won. Went in the rain to the shop, we walked, had a delicious panini sandwich with coffee for lunch in a cafe and we came back with the goodies. Now please do tell me that the walk in the rain was worth it :)      A Shepherd's Pie or Cottage pie is usually a meat pie...