Baghare Baingan
Been long that posted anything on my lovely blog. Don’t know where all the motivation has gone. Not that I’ve stopped cooking, …
Been long that posted anything on my lovely blog. Don’t know where all the motivation has gone. Not that I’ve stopped cooking, …
It’s the festive season when I miss India the most. There is something special about each festival there. The smell of the air, the crowd in the market, the decorations, the social gatherings, and above all food. It is absolutely unbeatable. But, I am so so far from there. Can’t smell anything in the air, there is no festivity around. All I can do to get the feel is to make some traditional food and connect with the roots. And, so I did.
It’s not thanksgiving yet, but I have a center piece for my table. I am not a thanksgiving doer, but I do like thanking people for the good round me. So, here it is for all of you.
I had never tasted Gobhi Mussallam until I made it for one of my friend couple who came over for Dinner. They are special so I had to made something special. I started searching on Internet on what can be possibly so good to make them feel special. And, I discussed the menu with my all time foodie and bestie and here is the result of that discussion. I decided that Gobhi Mussallam will be the crown of the table.
My hunger pangs bring out the best of me in the kitchen. Abhisek doesn’t like mushrooms at all, but I love them. That leaves me with only a few opportunities to experiment with mushrooms. He won’t let me pick them from the grocery store unless I promise using them only in pasta or pizza. But, I generally use that as an excuse to sneak in the whole pack. So, I had them on the shelf waiting for me to experiment with them instead of throwing them into yet another pasta. And, then there were evening snack requests from my always hungry stomach. The result? Well, no prize for guessing, a yummy side dish that you will never stop making. It is super yummy and super easy.
Pasta is a staple in my kitchen. Especially, when it’s weekend. But, I’ve mostly been making pasta in white sauces; alfredo and bechamel. Have tried pesto and a few red sauce variations too, but darling husband has always preferred white sauces over anything else. However, his requests for pasta with a different taste never ended. That gave me enough motivation to experiment with pasta again and again. For I believe, pastas never fail. And, it didn’t this time as well. Tried a new combination of lemon, garlic and cream and I am super impressed with the result, so was my husband.
Hello spring!
Even though it is still cold here in Stockholm, but there is spring in the air and I love it. There is a different kind of freshness, something that tells me something is about to begin. Yes, the flowers are about to cover the ground. It will be green soon, and there will just fragrance all around. And, there will be berries…yay!!! They are already in the market, but it is just the beginning.
All my friends and relatives know that I am a paneer lover. A die hard fan. It is one thing that never fails me. But, strange enough that I haven’t posted any of paneer recipe’s on the blog. May be I take it for granted. Well, that is the first sign of how much I love it. The sign of it being an integral part of my life.
The trigger for this recipe, however, is the regular complaints from the love of my life. He has been complaining that the food at our home is getting boring day by day. Well, the real reason is that he has not been given the chance to be my guinea pig since a few weeks. So, it is obvious that things would look dull and boring, won’t they? 🙂
Agar firdous baroye zameen ast, hami asto, hami asto hami ast – Amir-e-Khusru Dehluvi
(If there is paradise on earth, It is here, it is here, it is here)
Kashmir, not only it is a heaven on earth, but it has heavenly food as well. The special flavor that the cuisine has is unbeatable. You get that punch in every bite and each flavor unfolds it in layers.
I so wish to visit Kashmir once in my life and absorb the heavenly beauty inside me. It is one of my thousand desires. The snow, the peaks, the flowers, the dal lake, the shikara, the beautiful people, the folk songs, the traditional food, the people, the firan, the jewelry, I can go on and on. But, I will not go further writing the intro to this blog or I will start writing about Kashmir and its impeccable beauty instead of Gobhi Kalia. This dish is my ode to Kashmir and my desire to see the beauty hidden there. So, here I go with the recipe for Kashmiri Gobhi Kalia.
Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heartwarming!
This dish is all about memories. I was newly married, just a couple of months, I recollect. Like a typical new wife, I was trying my hand at every nice dish in the zest to impress Abhisek. Not that he was not already impressed, but you tend to do more everyday to keep your love happy. So, I made Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan, and that has been my best shot till date. I have tried so many dishes, so many cuisines, but this one has surpassed everything else. Even after 2 years into our marriage, when I ask him about what has impressed him the most, the list starts with Mirchi ka Salan.
Figs have been in season since some time now. Even though their season is not so long, atleast here in Stockholm we don’t get it for more than a month or two. I have been picking them from the super market. Also, thought of making something with them, but they are so melt in mouth that I can’t keep my hands off. I was in the grocery shop over the weekend and saw the figs again. Back of mind I was planning for Abhisek’s b’day and I picked them thinking, “will do something with these”, but I still had no clue about the ‘what’.
Was surfing the Internet looking for his b’day dinner and cake. Found a lot of upside down cakes, such as pineapple, apple, plum, etc and there it was. I decided that I will take him on a trip to middle east. So, here is what I did, a fig upside down cake, which is also eggless. It is packed with the nutrition of figs, the richness of caramel sauce and the goodness of cinnamon. What else can one ask for? The cake turned out better than my expectations. Absolutely delectable! And, Abhisek, don’t ask about him. I am sure I am getting the demand for another bake soon.