Re-doing a recipe from one of my oldest posts……Blast from the Past 
As I am typing this out, I am also biting in to small pieces of heaven- my lovely buttery, flaky and super soft croissant which I baked from scratch. It was one hell of a journey- kneading, adding the butter, rolling out…but it was worth all the effort and I am game for this journey anytime. read more…
Once before when I had cheesecake, I hated it…it tasted like cardboard, had too much of gelatine in it and God knows what else ! Since then I have had my reservations against this cheesecake business. But ever since watching the Friends episode where Rachel and Chandler fought it over a stolen cheesecake, I have been craving for one. Around the same time, Ally was hunting for some cream cheese to make some for her upcoming dinner party. Her party came and went but we were still searching for cream cheese. We tried every inch of Bangalore but absolutely no luck. But yesterday I officially called my hunt for cream cheese quits and decided to substitute it with Mascarpone cheese which is easily available in my city. I read up on quite a lot of recipes and finally decided I will give my own recipe a shot. The cheesecake came out fine- I am not sure if it fits the bill of an original cheese cake but it definitely suits my taste. It was sweet, dense and soft. However I made one big mistake- I was too impatient and dug in to it before it set well. Hence it crumbled a little bit. However the little that was left the next day after my devouring, it had set well and was perfect. Try this out and let me know how it works for you read more…
Your perfection companion for tea, ENJOY !!!! read more…
The first time I had Undhiyu was at Rajdhani Restaurant in Bangalore. It was an instant winner for me though it was literally swimming in oil. I tried recreating it last month for our dinner and it turned out pretty well. I just blindly followed Aayi’s Recipe. So click on to get hold of the recipe.
Every time I conjure up this dish- it is always a winner but albeit, only for the strong-mallu-palette. This recipe calls you to endlessly peel those shallots and if you are still in a good mood after peeling a kilo, try slicing it too. The tastes of this dish takes you back to your childhood- those careless running around the mango trees in the ancestral house and ofcourse, Grandma’s unbeatable dishes cooked with lots of love. read more…
I am taking a short break- it is exam time and I am totally freaking out. Though I am often tempted to run to the kitchen and whip something up but I am sure my exam stress will kill the dish, leaving me sadder. read more…
Wishing all the bloggers and my reader a ” Merry Christmas”. May the spirit of Christmas touch your heart.
Simi & Mr R
I feel it is important that my family, i.e Mr R and me have our own Christmas traditions. Though it has been almost 3 years since our wedding (celebrating 3rd anniversary on Jan 1, 2010) we have never got time to start any tradition of our own. This year I was adamant that no matter how busy we were we need to atleast bake some fruit cake and pass it on our friends and family. We started off by soaking the fruits in brandy one month ahead and also have set aside some for next year. Today after I pushed off Mr R to office, I put on my apron, pulled out all the ingredients from the shelf and took out my Ammayi’s (Mr R’s maternal aunt) trusted Christmas cake recipe. She is one of the best bakers I have known- what really makes all her recipe so special is the fact she cooks and bake with so much love and care. My first attempt at Christmas cake did not turn out to be bad at all- it is moist, fragrant, and fruity. I only wished it was a wee bit darker. I am also waiting to see how the taste will improve over time.
This cake and the spirit of Christmas which is – Joy & Hope is dedicated to the four women in my life who have been and continue to be great inspiration in my life. Ammayi (Annie Philip) whose courage and loving spirit always touches my heart; Vimalamma (Vimala Cherian) whose contagious spirit and die hard optimism makes you always see the light at the dark end of the tunnel; Mummy (Dr Salila Thomas)- my mother-in-law who is my special blessing from God- whose strength and determination will lead you through your darkest hour; and my mother (Lekha Joseph) who gave up her own identity and desires to raise our family. It is she who taught me the power of endurance and patience that every women should have to raise her family.
I hope that my readers also find those unsung heroes in your life who have sliently been your strength and inspiration.
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When your oven ditches you and you are dying to have some piping hot Naans with Chole- presenting you the Tawa version. I am yet to see a Tawa version of the Naan so I am also claiming to have created this recipe…
