Roasted Red Pepper Bread

by

I got tagged!

Well, this is something that has been going around food blogs for a while and is called the Seven Links Challenge, where bloggers choose 7 of their posts that deserve to be recognized and talk about them.

Sawsan of Chef in Disguise tagged me.

Firstly, I want to thank Sawsan for thinking of me for this challenge and secondly, for taking me back on sort of a walk down the memory lane of all my posts.

By the way Sawsan has a great blog and some amazing recipes and stories. Do check her out.

Now the rules for being tagged are simple. The first thing you have to do once you are tagged is to list out 7 of the following things from your blog:

1. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL POST:

It has to be the post I did on my brother and my mom’s famous chocolate balls. Why is it beautiful? Well, because it was dedicated to one of the most beautiful persons I know (and I am talking about the inner beauty here) and it talks about a recipe by another beautiful person in my life (here I am talking about both inner and outer beauty)- my mom.

2.THE MOST POPULAR POST:

According to site stats, its the Macaron Cake post I did. And rightly so that it is the most popular one. It is also one post I am really proud of because I turned a complete failure into a great tasting delight!

3.THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL POST:

I don’t think I write anything too controversial; well, at least I try not to. But I guess the one on Mooli Parantha is the only post that comes to my mind. Well, at least my mom thought it was controversial as I was really heavy worded in that post! The post is also an example of my previous photography!

4. THE MOST HELPFUL POST:

Hopefully, my GMT posts are the most helpful ones because I really do put a lot of research in them. But I guess, if I had to pick one it would be the carrot cake truffle post I did. Again a failure that turned into something really delicious!

5. THE POST THAT WAS SURPRISINGLY SUCCESSFUL:

It has to be the coconut ice cream post. And the surprise has to be more from my Mom’s side than mine’s. She was sure that I would fail in making a nice creamy ice cream. She tried her best to convince me not to make it, but I did and she was pleasantly surprised by the taste, the texture and the fact it was made without an ice cream maker!

6. THE POST THAT DID NOT GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVED:

I think the Caesar Salad post. It was one of the earlier posts I did and I actually can’t complain about the lack of hits on that post because I did not even put a picture up for it. Plus, hardly people viewed my blog then- my blog and its existence was only known to a few of my close friends and family. But, the recipe that I used has always been a hit with everyone. And that’s why I feel I wish it should have gotten more attention.

7. THE POST I AM PROUD OF:

It has to be my April Daring Bakers’ Challenge because of the creativity involved. I love those vegetable bowls even though I would most probably use them as decoration pieces (as they do get a little chewy when you dehydrate them). It was also the first time I tried my go at fried ice cream and noodle bowls.

Now that that is done. As part of being tagged, the second thing you have to do is to carry the tagging on and tag 5 more bloggers.

I would like to see what the following bloggers have to say about their posts:

And since all of you were kind enough to read through this (and even if you weren’t), I will leave you with the recipe for this Roasted Red Pepper Bread I had made the other day.


Read More →

Garam Masala Tuesdays: Kakori Kebab and Lehsooni Naan plus Giveaway Winner Announced

by

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”

— Julia Child

While we celebrated India’s birthday (our country has completed 64 years of Independence), the culinary world was celebrating the birthday of one of the most famous personalities where food is concerned- Julia Child. She is the most prominent figure in revolutionizing America’s culinary scene, bridging the gap between the home kitchen and the professional one. For Mrs. Child, mistakes were not the end of the world, just part of the game. I guess even the big boom in food blogging can be attributed to Julia Child and the admiration that one person had for Julia Child’s cookbook. Julie Powell’s Salon blog may be the first cook-through blog. And of course, the movie itself introduced a lot of people to the food blogging world.

We have a lot to thank Julia Child for. Mostly, gratitude is due for the inspiration she gave to us home cooks to follow our passion and not to give up on something we are passionate about. Julia Child began learning to cook when she was thirty-seven years old. That in itself should be a testimony to the fact : It’s never too late to follow your dreams!

Coming now to this week’s Garam Masala Tuesdays. I have two recipes for you and of course, the winner of my first Blogiversary Giveaway !

Read More →

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

by

It’s India’s Independence Day and though I would have liked to post something Indian today, its also the reveal date for the Secret Recipe Club. And true to the Indian personality, I’ll give more importance to another country than ours. And I don’t mean it in a mocking way. I think that’s something about Indians, a testimony seen in their past: they have always welcomed foreigners, their ideas and their culture with open hearts, absorbing it in with our own. This has resulted in a great influence in every aspect of the Indian life- most predominantly our food. And that’s what makes India so unique.

As one of my friends PB (from the garlic noodles fame) put on as her FB status:

“Can’t imagine what would my life be without jalebi & doodh, butter chicken & garlic naan, being stuck in traffic for hours, cribbing about the infrastructure in this city, alloo tikki in chandini chawk, my 3 am friends spread around this country, my fav city delhi, over the top expression of love among family…list is endless!!would I wish were born elsewhere??…nah…can’t help but feel partiotic!! Independence day is around the corner:)”

I remember when we were in school, 15th August was marked by flag hoisting, patriotic plays and songs being performed by us school children, a thought provoking speech given by the chief guest and then distribution of sweets to all the students and an overall feeling of being a proud Indian citizen!

This day also makes me even more proud of being born and brought up in a defence environment- dad’s an air force fighter pilot, brother a Naval fighter pilot, father-in-law a retired air force officer, grandfather a retired police officer and several others of my family in the defence. I am the kind of person who appreciates the efforts of all these individuals and others who serve the country every day of the year, but on Independence Day seeing others appreciate the sacrifices of such individuals, makes me even more proud of my family and privileged to be part of them. Jai Hind!

Anyway, coming to the secret recipe club (the brain child of Amanda).

This month’s assigned blog was Bizzy Bakes. Chaya’s emphasis here is on what she calls QED – Quick, Easy and Delicious recipes. In her words,

I find cooking and baking to be comforting and I truly enjoy all aspects of the culinary arts including the clean-up.

Chaya also has another blog: My Sweet and Savory that focuses on Chaya’s growth as a cook, and includes a variety of recipes and techniques.

Chaya also features Ina’s Garden a popular biweekly linky, on her blog Bizzy B. Ina’s Garden is a place for “all things Ina”. And being a fellow Ina Garten fan, I had to pick up a recipe from Chaya’s Ina’s garden post. And I found just the recipe, Indonesian Ginger chicken.

Read More →