Recipes From My Kitchen

I came across the Avid Baker's Challenge a few days back and was waiting for the month to begin so that I could participate in the challenge. For the month of March, Hanna chose Mushroom Cheddar Tart as the recipe.  Mushroom and Cheese in a tart! Can there be a better combination than this? No. The addition of cheese into the dough and into the tart mixture gives it such a nice taste. As per the original recipe, Parmesan cheese needed to be added to the dough. I didn't have Parmesan, so I added cheddar. It gave a very beautiful balance and sharp taste to the tart base. The original recipe used Hi-maize flour, which I didn't have. So I substituted it with the all purpose flour itself. Overall, it tasted so divine. The butter, cheese and ofcourse the mushrooms and red pepper, made an ideal combination together. They just burst in your mouth with loads of different flavors. The Avid Bakers are baking from the King Arthur Flour website this year. If you ...

Tuesday 25th February, 2014, afternoon, saw Superstar Upendra visit Khandani Rajdhani for a hearty vegetarian thali meal with his fans. Khandani Rajdhani has associated with Upendra's recently released feature film - Brahma.  As a part of this association,  Khandani Rajdhani gave its patrons a chance to meet Superstar Upendra with their " Rajdhani - Bramha Contest ". Lucky winners got a chance to meet and dine with Upendra and other members of the hit production at Khandani Rajdhani's Indiranagar outlet. Bramha, a romantic drama film is directed by R. Chandru and produced by Mr. P. V. Manjunath Babu. The film stars Upendra and Pranitha Subhash in the lead roles. The movie which released on 7th February is slated to become the highest grossing Kannada film of all times with fans lapping up the flick across the state. Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Aji Nair, Vice President, F&B Division Mirah Hospitatlity said, "We are happy to be as...

If you really want to a taste of authentic crispy ghee dosa, Vidhyarthi Bavan is the must place to visit. Tucked into the busy market on the main road of Gandhi Bazar, we waited in a long queue before we could get a seat. The smell of the fresh flowers from the opposite flower stalls and the ghee dosa from inside the restaurant was surely increasing our appetite. Once inside, the ambience was very 1940’s. Needless to say, they are there since 1943, and not much has changed from then to now. The wooden bench seating, long ceiling fans, and the walls adorned by celebrities who have visited this place in the years, it really takes you back in time. Vidhyrathi Bhavan is famous for its crispy ghee dosa’s served hot from the tawa alongside a generous dose of coconut chutney. The fresh ghee immersed dosa is truly divine. Do not watch your weight when in Vidhyarthi Bhavan. Just indulge! It is sinful! The best part about the whole experience is the way the do...

I realized pasta's are the easiest one pot meals. If you have the sauce ready its just a matter of few minutes to dish up something hot and spicy, especially on cold winter evenings. I have a few packets of different kinds of pasta's stocked up in my pantry. I tried Basil Pesto Pasta earlier and it was too good! Italian cooking uses a lot of fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil. All these really make a difference to the dish. It does take a while for the Indian palate to adapt to this cuisine. What is most important is cooking the pasta well. When you drop pasta into a pot of boiling water, the starch granules on the surface of the pasta instantly swell up to their maximum volume and then pop. The starch rushes out and, for a brief time, the pasta's surface is sticky with this exuded starch. Eventually, most of this surface starch dissolves in the water and washes away, and the pasta surface becomes a soft solid. Here are some tips to keep in mind while cooking pa...

There are some people who enter your life like gems. These are the real diamonds. They have no ulterior motives, no inferiority complex, no superiority complex, no need to prove that they are better than you, or seek to have more than you. They don’t feel entitled and aren’t needy or dependent. They are not superficial or fake. They remind you of God and they understand you, when no other person does. They don’t wear a mask with you or pretend to be perfect. They are just real with you and honestly and sincerely only want good for you. You feel you can tell them anything without worrying that they will judge you or put you down for being imperfect. They know your flaws, but love you anyway. And they are loyal. You know they’ll be there for you. They'll always have your back. And best of all, time and distance doesn’t change this. Just back from an amazing trip to Nagpur, my hometown. Had been for a school reunion. We were meeting each other after 20 years. Many friends couldn...

If you have the pesto ready, this is a dish you can dish out in under 15 mins. Trust me. Ok even with the pesto, it took me about 25 mins. I am super fast! Have been wanting to try out pasta dishes since I attended the Master Class .  Pesto can be stored for upto 1 week. Add olive oil on top of the pesto to make it into a covering and store in the refrigerator. This is the best dish you can cook up within minutes on a cold winter afternoon. Its a great snack and lunch box idea too. Ingredients For Basil Pesto: 100 gms Italian Basil , 1/2 cup pinenuts , 1/4 cup garlic pods , 1/4 cup olive oil , 2 tbsp grated parmesan, Salt as per taste Method: Wash and clean the basil leaves and allow it to completely dry.  Put all the ingredients into a blender and churn it into a fine paste. Adjust salt as required. If you want to store the pesto, just cover it with enough olive oil and keep it refrigerated for upto 1 week. Ingredients For Pasta: 2 cups pa...

A few weeks back I blogged about the Master Class announcement . Held on December 7th with a total of 14 participants, this workshop was full of information and surprises. The concepts of Italian cooking were demystified by Chefs. We learnt the concepts of the right way of boiling the pasta to how much sauce should be added to coat the pasta well. A total of 8 recipes were recreated right in front of us. The tips and tricks shared during the workshop was very very useful. All the dishes prepared by the chefs were served for us to taste and discuss further on how to add variations to the dish. Chef's Shahbaaz and Chef Arun were very helpful and gave us a lot of information about the cultural heritage of Italy as well.  Overall a wonderful learning session, this is a must attend workshop for all who wish to get to know the basics of Italian cooking.  Stay tuned for the next workshop!!! Its coming soon!!!