Besan Ladoo

Wednesday mornings were special for a little girl as her mother would give her 11 Rupees  to get Besan Ladoo for lord Ganesha from a Mithaiwala (Sweet shop) next door.  On special occasions, she tried two varieties of besan ladoo after visiting  Ganesh temple on Wednesdays with her sister and brother. Time flies and now she enjoys Besan ladoo made by her mother-in-law (MIL) while remembering her childhood days. Then, one day thousands of miles apart from her memories, she attempts to make them with an andaaza (approximate) recipe -  remembering bits and pieces of how MIL moved the ladle effortlessly with a lot of patience and love and yet, thinking about the little girl running to the sweet shop.

Polenta Tart/Pizza

I am excited about this post for two reasons.  First, this is the last post for the year and also 52nd post on this blog which started in 2010. I am happy that I could post one recipe on an average per week.  At times I got lazy, others overexcited but overall I really enjoyed this hobby:)

Whole tomato bruschetta

We went to Hawaii earlier this month.  I was wondering how different would it be considering we live in Santa Barbara which is on the coast.  It is so beautiful!  For me the temperature of water and snorkeling almost everyday were enough reasons to go to Hawaii. I have never spent so much time splashing in ocean water; it was a great feeling.

Red and geen salad - Christmas special from Sid

This winter salad is about bold tastes and vibrant colors. Roasted beets and pomegranate seeds are red and make the bulk of the salad. The green comes from the strong herbs: lime basil, mint, cilantro, arugula and green onions. Soft mild crumbled feta provides texture, contrast and balances sweetness of pomegranate; could be replaced with goat cheese. Roasted pecan and walnuts provide the crunch. Anjana suggested a sour lime and orange dressing, which was almost perfect.

Sooji Dhokla (Semolina /Yogurt Steamed Cake)

If I have to pick one "goto" dish which is tasty, repeatable and presentable, it would be the Sooji dhokla by Isha of Intrepidcook. It is easy to make "hard" dhokla - believe me I have done that so many times until this superb recipe came along to make the softest dhokla ever.

Babagnoush (Eggplant Dip)

Babagnoush is cousin brother of Hummus that uses chicpeas instead of Eggplant (baigan). Interestingly, there is a third cousin called mamagnoush which uses Zucchini instead of eggplant.

Pita Bread

One of my favorite cuisine is Mediterranean. The central item on table in this cusine is pita bread which is easily available in grocery stores. I appreciate home made Indian roti(bread) so much over the store bought roti that I have been thinking of making pita bread at home for a while now. In a way they are quite similar to Indian bread.