Travel | Horsleys Hill - When destination does not matter

Endless playing time, uninterrupted sleep and travel plans....the word vacation brings with it the joy of indulging in activities we all love.

First day of holiday for my children begins after the end of mid-term exam and we were deciding on a small weekend getaway near Chennai. And the next thing I knew, we were already on our way to Horsleys Hill. 

With no particular destination in mind and no prior bookings required, these weekend getaways are a perfect way to rewind. I love these quick weekend trips for the sheer joy of traveling with my family, when destination does not matter to us and we travel just to be together for some time.

Yelagiri - Travel gives you a story to tell, the story of Bhairava the dog

Think of a quick weekend getaway from Chennai and the first hilly place that strikes immediately is Yelagiri.

We love such short and sweet weekend trips by road. These trips are a great way to rewind, spent some quality family time together and just do nothing but relax with nature.

The best part of our trips is that both are children co-operate and are well accustomed to our frenzy way of travelling They get up as early as 3.30 am, take bath and make themselves ready for the trips.

Recipe | Quick and easy yogurt eggless cake

This eggless cake recipe is quite easy to bake and can be adapted well to cook a steamed version of cake.
I use the same batter to fill small aluminium moulds and steam them in a pressure cooker (without vent) for about 20-25 minutes.

Recipe | Easy Eggless Custard Cake

Custard powder used in the recipe gives a light texture to this egg less cake.The idea of using custard powder in baking a cake came from Aparna's blog.
You can replace the custard powder with cornflour.

Recipe | Quick eggless Date cake

The goodness of Dates and wonderful aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg make these cakes a perfect tea-time goodies.
At times I replace Dates with Date syrup which is readily available in market. The syrup reduces time to assemble and bake this cake.

Recipe | 5 minute Chocolate Brownie in a mug

A slice of rich & dark Brownie is a delight for any chocolate lover, be it a gooey, chewy, fudgy or cakey brownie you just cannot stop with one.Brownie is probably the easiest to make as against baking a cake, bread or any other goody. No waiting time needed for that intimidating yeast to work and flexing muscles for kneading the elastic dough, just mix it and bake it and you are in for a sinful treat.

Recipe | Quick Pasta in Rice Cooker

When it comes to a quick weekend dinner at home, nothing can beat piping hot delicious Pasta.

I have been cooking Pasta recipes in pan and wok for many years now, but have never had Pasta which tasted so rich and creamy.

On any normal day I first boil Pasta shells in hot water, drain and combine the al dente Pasta with sauce.

I tried the same Pasta recipe in my cool touch Maharaja Whiteline multi-cooker the other day and was blown away by the richness and creaminess of the sauce and the Pasta. Not to mention about the hassle free cooking where I just had to throw all the ingredients in the multi-cooker, sit back and relax for a while till my Pasta is done.

The recipe is a breeze if you have a Harissa sauce or any tomato based dip ready in your refrigerator. 

A walk down memory lane - My Trip to Udaipur - I

There are many things in life that I wish I could keep with me forever. The memories and days spent at my hometown in Udiapur tops that list.

I had a chance to visit Udaipur last week, which incidentally was my shortest ever trip to my hometown. I started at the wee hours of morning, left my children behind for a week, changed two fights, killed never-ending transit time at airport, and then traveled by road again to finally reach Udaipur late in night.

Yes, I did it all in one day. But I am not complaining.

Recipe | Three Lentil Fritters or Parippu Vadai

Parippu Vadai or lentil fritter is a perfect tea-time snack and a popular street food In South India. These deep fried crispy delicacies is quite versatile and can be easily adapted to suit the taste buds of any family.
At home my MIL makes a variety of these Vadai and each version outshines the earlier one.
This recipe uses three different lentils.

Recipe | Peppercorn Lentil Fritters or Milagu Vadai

These peppercorn spiced lentil fritters or Milagu Vadai are a delicacy of South India. Normally prepared and offered to lord Hanuman, these thin crispy fritters are quite easy to prepare.

Travel | Just another weekend in Yercaud

Every travel leaves you with some unforgettable travel experiences you would want to treasure for ever. And what better way to freeze those precious moments than writing a bogpost and reflecting on your travel time with family and friends.

“We have a marriage invitation from my colleague in Metur city this weekend. Do your Google search and let me know if there are any good places nearby worth visiting.” Hubby informed me from his office and cut the line.

A few Google searches and I liked this small hill station Yercaud in Salem district which is located in the Shevaroys range of hills in the Eastern ghats of India.

But wait...there is more. Every other person in the forum was advising  not to visit Yercaud, as this small hill-station has nothing great to offer in terms of places of interest in the city.

Which was all the more better, as visiting every nook and corner of the city and spending the entire day running from view points to museums to photographing the monuments is not our cup of tea. We had done the same during some of our earlier trips and disliked doing it.

Recipe | Panjiri - A Nourishing Indian Dessert

The Panjiri is a winter specialty made in many houses in North and West India. This dessert is heavily laced with dried fruit and nuts and many other medicinal herbs to boost immune system and provide extra calories to sustain the extreme cold conditions there.
In many parts of India Panjiri is given to new mothers as an aid to increase lactation and to provide extra nourishment after delivery.

Travel | Pudukkottai - Getting immersed in the rich cultural heritage of rural India

Continued from here..
Stop. Take a deep breath. And walk, fly or catch a train away from the city and into a world where the average pace of life is slower than slow. "It is not down in any map; true places never are." ~ Herman Melville. 

Many of these rural destinations have gained popularity in terms of their artwork, history and natural beauty. 

If palatial mansions are what makes Kanadukathan then these hand-made tiles from soil have brought Athangudi on travelers map.  

Travel | Kanadukathan - Where art, architecture and craft meet

Continued from here..
Chettinadu is a cluster of villages in Tamil Nadu and Kanadukathan and Karaikudi are a few popular towns in it.The colossal palaces and bungalows in and around Kanadukathan are a good place to understand and appreciate the love for art, architecture and craft of the a very influential business community of South India called Chettiars.

Travel | Tiruchirappalli - A strong urge to reconnect with history

A vacation with your loved ones is a perfect way to give your mind and body a much needed break when work pressure creeps on, making you unfocused.
And that is what we did during our year-end winter holidays. As always, this vacation was also unplanned and we could not book tickets for our trip timely.

My hubby suggested we drive down by road and explore something different this vacation.

A close family friend of hubby who hails Kanadukathan suggested we make a trip to this lesser known town of South India.

He also ensured that the rich heritage of Chettinadu palaces, simplicity of rural villages and many ancient temples surrounding the town will mesmerize us.  

So, with the strong urge to reconnect with history and explore the grandeur of South India, we started our trip on a weekend.

Recipe | Easy Cocoa Brownies

Easy Cocoa Brownies, the recipe is my savior when I have unexpected guests at home and my pantry is devoid of cooking chocolate. These Brownies are egg free and quite easy to bake. The process of heating butter and sugar gives a wonderful gooey texture to these Brownies.

Recipe | Churma Ladoos - Traditional Diwali Sweet

Hmm...traditional sweet recipe from Rajasthan -  and I could not think beyond Churma Ladoos. 

The instant flashbacks I get when I think of Churma Ladoos is - firewood, smoke filled kitchen, large black iron kadai (wok) and my grandma with a ladle sitting on a small wooden stool, slow roasting coarse whole wheat flour adding ladlefuls of fresh homemade cow’s ghee from a copper burni (pot) beside her and a funnel in another to fan the hearth.

Recipe | Quick Saffron Fudge or Kesar Peda

Kesar Peda is one of the 30 recipes I did for an assignment for a regional magazine. The issue is out and is liked by many who called to say the same. Here is quick saffron Peda recipe; 

Recipe | Kesari

Semolina Kesari is a popular sweet in South India. In my hometown Udaipur we make Suji ka halwa which has almost the same ingredients but proportions are different. Halwa has fluffy texture while Kesari is fudgy and seta like burfi.

  

Ingredients;

• 1/2 cup Semolina or rawa
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tbsp. Ghee
• 10-12 cashew nuts
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
• A pinch of orange food colour

Method; Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and roast cashew nuts till they turn brown in colour.

Add semolina to the same pan and roast till it turns light brown in colour.

Boil milk in another vessel and add roasted rawa and orange colour in it. Stir it well so that there is no lump formed in the milk.

Cook for  3-4 minutes till rawa gets cooked.

Add sugar and keep cooking for another 4-5 minutes till Kesari leaves the sides of the pan.

Add ghee, cardamom powder and fried cashew nuts in it. Grease a large plate with oil and spread the cooked Kesari on it. Flatten the top with a ladle and let it cool completely.

Slice it in desired shapes and serve. 

 

Notes;

1. Replace water with the same quantity of milk for a slightly different taste. Milk makes this Kesari recipe richer and denser. 
2. Avoid orange colour if you are allergic to food colours.

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Recipe | Methi Pakoras or Fenugreek Fritters

Ingredients;

• 1 cup tightly packed Methi leaves
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp. red chilly powder
• 1 tsp. Chaat masala
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry
• Water as required

Method; Pluck Methi (fenugreek) leaves, wash it with water and chop them finely.

Take a large vessel and add chopped Methi leaves and rest of the ingredients eacept oil and water.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly with hands. Add water if you feel the batter is not binding together.

If you want crisp Pakoras add very little water and keep the batter thick, almost like chapatti dough. If you wish to make soft Pakoras add enough water to make a batter of flowing consistency.

Heat oil in a wok and drop small portions of batter to make Methi Fritters or Pakoras.

Notes;

Add a little hot oil in the batter to get soft Pakoras.

 

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