Chengodilu

The weather has been so unpredictable recently. Last week, I thought that summer was almost here when it was too hot during the afternoons. And all of a sudden it is raining today and will be raining for the rest of the weekend too. So we are stuck at home. 

Its spring break here and with the kid also at home, we have been doing so many activities together; even cooking. And he loves it. One way to make someone eat something that they hate is to make them cook it, so that they appreciate the effort it takes to make it and the thought of having worked on it makes it interesting. So the same is the strategy that I have been doing with my kid too. Thankfully he will not get to know, untill he learns to read it here so I am safe... he he.

Custard Halwa

Happy Diwali to all. We don't celebrate it but having brought up in North India, it definitely gets real nostalgic every year when Diwali comes. We have been sharing pics of Diwali sweets over the family whatsapp group for the past couple of days. Everybody is either making it or getting it from the market to refresh the memories of Diwali spend in the small township that I was brought up in. Getting days off from school or work was always the highlight. But nothing can beat the fun having some diwali sweets or snacks and busting crackers with friends in our neighborhood. Ahh well, those days are gone, having left us with some memories to cherish.

That last minute rush to make some goodie for festivals is always there. No matter what the festival is. Well at least in my case it stands true. I go for the last minute rush. Even though I would have made n number of things , I might just add up one more thing to make it even more memorable or interesting. If it stands true in your case too, then this might be the last and right thing to make this Diwali. A halwa that hardly has anything fancy involved but would definitely have its absence been felt if not put up on the menu. So grateful to have found this recipe while I was so badly craving for sweets having gone through so many Diwali posts from fellow bloggers and friends. Made me calm down the cravings so easily :). So go for it, this Diwali. 

Rice Murukku ~ Spicy version

With Diwali approaching, you might be spending a lot more time in the kitchen preparing all the snacks and sweets for your family and friends. Sweets are one important thing on the menu and so are snacks. I still remember having Dahi Vadas, Chaats, Chakli etc along with the sweets, which our neighbor aunty used to serve us for diwali. Yum they were. Years have gone by but those days and memories are still so fresh. This spicy version of chakli is something that you should try to add a little variety to usual murukku/chakli that you make. If your family loves spicy food then I bet this would definitely be a hit.

This recipe just happened when I was trying out some other snack and it usually takes a lot of time, but I had to head to some place in an hour and just thought of giving it the murukku avatar instead. It wasn't a flop at all. My lil one loves spicy food and when I made it, he kept coming back to me asking "Eruvulla murukku Tharamo" meaning "Can you give me the spicy murukku". 

Dahi Vada or Indian Savory Donuts in Yogurt Sauce

My love for Dahi vadas get linked back to the Holi celebrations while I was a kid. Our neighbour aunty used to make these during Holi. Apart from all the sweets that she would serve for us, I used to love these. The taste still lingers around my tastebuds.

The perfect time to eat these vadas dipped in the yogurt sauce is summer. Its so refreshing and filling that you just forget to crib about the hot summer. The recipe to the amazingly yum dahi vadas is here.

Rasgulla

Belated Diwali wishes. I love diwali season because of the enthusiasm filled in everyone to decorate their houses with lights. Even the shops are decorated with lights - different types and in different colours. They look amazing. Every weekend and sometimes on weekdays too, we have a walk outside. The streets are pretty busy irrespective of whichever day we choose to go out for the walk. The chaat walas, balloon vendors, vegetable vendors etc. make sure that the street is always lively. My main attraction amongst them is the Halwai/ sweet shop vendors. It would be very unusual if we don't stop by the sweet shops. They even know how to make sure that we stop by, even if we were not intending to.

The other day, we were double minded if we should get some sweets, since we were feeling guilty of having them on a regular basis. And by the time we passed by the sweet shop, the vendor called out, Jalebi garmagaram , meaning Hot Jalebis. Oh god, this is called temptation. We were trying to control ourselves and there we let go our control over those two words that guy called out and fell for it.

Ladoo

Ladoo - another Indian sweet, that is close to our hearts. May it be a festival, or any other happy occasion - personal or professional, ladoos are a must to be served to share the happiness. Its after having seen the English Vinglish movie that I got an idea to try these :).

                      

It was like turning my promise of making it, a reality. Yeah, I had been asking my husband, if he liked ladoo and everytime the answer would be a big YES. One day he asked me if I really had the intention of making it or was I just making him tempt for it. Now when you are questioned like that , would you give up? Well, in my case, the next day there were ladoos at home when he was back from work.

Hot Jalebi for the festival of colours!

Happy Holi everyone !

Any festival is incomplete if you are not served with a sweet. On Holi, everyone looks forward to playing with colours. But at the same time, having sweets is yet another activity that has its own priority and can't be replaced. So how about having some Hot Jalebi's this year to make Holi special.

Hot Jalebi had been an obsession for myself and my brother since we were kids. I guess all kids like it- remember the Dhara ad, where the kid gave up the idea of leaving home just to have jalebi :). We looked forward for a holiday to enjoy having it. We would get it from a Halwai's shop on Sundays, the only day we didn't have to go to school. How much ever we got it, it wouldn't stay long.