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I am big on breakfasts, and strongly believe in equal opportunity for breakfast foods- so you will often catch me serving them for lunch, tea and dinner as well This month (or what's left of it), I decided to give some thought to including more whole grains into breakfast. I do love my so-not-whole-grain poha, sabudana, rava dosa and baguettes, but let me add some whole grains to my repertoire too. Today's whole-grain tweak: Brown rice in idlis and dosas . The idli-dosa family of breakfast foods has got to be one of the most strongest contenders in the "nutritious meets delicious" department. There is something about the whole ritual of soaking rice and lentils, grinding them, fermenting the batter and churning out fluffy idlis and crispy dosas that is just very fulfilling. Makes me feel like a real proper cook :D Until a month or two ago, the biggest challenge for me was the grinding of the batter; I had to manage with my KitchenAid food processor. Just f or th

The quest for whole-grain breakfasts continues as I travel around the blogs learning some new recipes, tips and tricks First stop- Tasty Palettes : Quinoa Upma It took a long time for

I know ..I know, it has been nearly a month since my last post. It has been one of those crazy months when life just came at me at top speed and blogging was the first thing to be crossed off the list temporarily. Our Dale bhu-bhu began showing some strange symptoms a couple of weeks ago. Since he is 9 years old now (quite possibly even older), we are realistic enough to expect some age-related health issues. Well, the poor puppy endured a fair bit of poking and prodding in his usual peaceful and stoic manner as his vet tried to diagnose what the heck is going on, and it turns out that he has a hormonal disorder called Addison's disease . We are taking it one day at a time a nd hoping he responds to the hormone replacement. By all accounts, this is something that can be managed so we are quite optimistic about Dale's health. I'll be back with a real post in a couple of days. Meanwhile, here are my Daily Tiffin columns: February: Dear Food Diary March: Cutting-Edge Safe

Every few months, Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness does exactly that; spreading happiness all around by hosting an event called Blogging By Mail . The premise is a simple one: bloggers are secretly assigned someone to send a box of treats to, and in turn get a box of treats from another blogger. This time around, BBM had the theme "Little Things" . My "secret Santa" was Marye from Texas Kettle and Cup , a blog about (what else but) tea and coffee. Marye also writes another blog called Baking Delights . I opened her box and here's what tumbled out... Coffee : Fair-trade Whole Bean Espresso Tea : Berryblossom white tea and "Herbal Revive" Chocolate : Dark chocolate with orange and spices and Dark chocolate with cranberries and almonds! Two ways with Chipotle : Chipotle Pepper spaghetti, and a bottle of chipotle granules. Now this is going to be well-used in my spice-lovin' kitchen! Pretty baking cups in cheerful spring colors. Herb seed pack

What Bengali dish is being made (rather inexpertly) in the picture below? Care to guess??

While things are sluggish here on the blog, my real life is a bit of a whirlwind (by my standards anyway) as I meet up with friends, attend social engagements, do some summer cleaning and try not to trip up on the miles of yarn I have managed to tangle myself into Last night, I got to feast at a wonderful potluck in honor of a visiting food blogger. Alanna is hosting Pille of Nami-Nami , here all the way from Estonia, and invited a few of the local bloggers over for a get-together. It was so nice to see Pille in person (I have been reading her blog for years) and learn a little bit about Estonian food (she gave me a little cookbook of Estonian recipes, and I can't wait to try some of them). Having attended a few food blogger gatherings, I can tell you for a fact that they provide the sort of feast that money can't buy. Bloggers whip up their most impressive and fla vorful dishes and everyone wins, except maybe my waistline. and I happily stuffed myself with pizza, barbecu

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri . Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, sheÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿ âÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿ

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri . Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, sheÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿ âÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿâÿ

Many months ago, Coffee started a popular food blog event called the Monthly Blog Patrol (MBP). The event revolves around browsing through our favorite blogs and choosing recipes to cook in our own kitchens. I am thrilled to be taking over the baton from Sia (you still have a few days to get your Street Food entries to her) and guest hosting MBP for the month of July right here on One Hot Stove . The theme for July is Less is More ! This means that you have to browse through your favorite blogs and your bookmarked recipes and choose those that have FIVE ingredients or FEWER to make for this event. What is the idea behind this theme? 1. To explore minimalism in cooking. 2. To appreciate the pure taste of ingredients and flavors as themselves. 3. To understand the role of each ingredient in any recipe. I will always love to both cook and eat elaborate creations, but sometimes it is magical to see how a handful of ingredients can come together into a great dish with the right recip

Onions Red Chillies Tamarind = Zesty Onion Chutney TBC shared her mother's recipe for the simplest Onion Chutney . A few weeks ago, I made dosas and realized at the last possible minute that I had no coconut on hand for the accompanying chutney. That's when TBC's recipe came to the rescue! My only tweak to the recipe was to add a bit of tamarind juice for some tang. This is how I made the onion chutney, inspired by TBC's recipe : 1. Heat some oil in a heavy skillet and add 3 coarsely chopped onions . 2. Saute for a few minutes until the edges start browning. 3. Add 2 dried red chillies and salt to taste. 4. Continue to saute until the onions are soft and browned. 5. Cool the mixture. Grind to a fine paste, adding 2-3 T tamarind juice along the way. This post is my first entry to MBP : Less is More . Piping hot dosas dipped into this sweet-tangy-hot chutney- it was an utterly delicious combination. The Budding Cook is a great resource for simple and tas

Getting your 5 (or more) a day is easy and delicious when you find the right recipes ..that's what I have been learning from the bloggers. First up, a gorgeous and couldn't-be-simpler subzi from Arundathi . A mild hint of cumin and mustard allows the fresh colors and flavors of spinach and corn to shine through. Arundathi tells us that this is a recipe she carried with her as a student, and it is a nice reminder that such recipes are worth going back to even after the bare-bones pantry days are gone. Spinach Corn Cumin seeds Mustard seeds = Spinach with Corn I served this simple and delicious spinach-corn with rice and bhindi ni kadhi from Coffee . This okra kadhi is a superb recipe. I was almost tempted to eat the spicy stuffing with a spoon! My attempts at frying the stuffed okra were quite fruitless this time around; the stuffing leaked out :D Next time, I might bake the stuffed okra before making the kadhi. Next on the list, an irresistible radish relish from An

Onions Red Chillies Tamarind = Zesty Onion Chutney TBC shared her mother's recipe for the simplest Onion Chutney . A few weeks ago, I made dosas and realized at the last possible minute that I had no coconut on hand for the accompanying chutney. That's when TBC's recipe came to the rescue! My only tweak to the recipe was to add a bit of tamarind juice for some tang. This is how I made the onion chutney, inspired by TBC's recipe : 1. Heat some oil in a heavy skillet and add 3 coarsely chopped onions . 2. Saute for a few minutes until the edges start browning. 3. Add 2 dried red chillies and salt to taste. 4. Continue to saute until the onions are soft and browned. 5. Cool the mixture. Grind to a fine paste, adding 2-3 T tamarind juice along the way. This post is my first entry to MBP : Less is More . Piping hot dosas dipped into this sweet-tangy-hot chutney- it was an utterly delicious combination. The Budding Cook is a great resource for simple and tas

..or how to kick up brunch a notch ! Last weekend, an old college friend dropped in for brunch and I got a chance to try a bookmarked recipe from Sunita . Sunita's world is a place full of luscious food, images of nature and glimpses of her family life. A visit to her world never fails to cheer me up! Sunita's recipe for Coriander Rosti called for the simplest of ingredients and resulted in the most tempting crispy nuggets (you have to go look at her pictures for yourself). My minor tweak: I used chipotle flakes instead of pepper to give the potatoes a smoky flavor. One could make many variations of these patties by using red pepper flakes or finely minced fresh chillies or crushed peppercorns as the spice. Potatoes Cilantro Chipotle = Breakfast Potato Patties that will wake up your taste buds. (Inspired by Sunita's World ) 1. Wash two large (I used the huge baking potatoes sold here in the US) potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Boil them until

A few days ago, I was idly leafing through a food magazine while waiting somewhere and a boldly highlighted recipe caught my eye It claimed to be 2-ingredient guacamole . Ever since I decided on this Less-is-More theme, I have been very interested in few-ingredient recipes, and I read the recipe eagerly. Only to find that the two ingredients were 1 tub of refrigerated guacamole and 1 tub of refrigerated salsa . And the method stated: Mix them together . Viola! I stared at this incredible "recipe" for several moments, trying to decide whether to laugh or to cry. In the end, I just shook my head and flung the magazine aside. When recipes call for "convenience products", it sometimes can go to such hilarious extremes. Other times, though, I have to admit that short-cuts do make it poss ible to make meals even when life gets too hectic for all meals to be made from scratch. There certainly are many times in my life when a jar of pasta sauce or a bottle of Thai cu

Today's few-ingredient recipe is a savory bread - Caramelized Onion Bread from Baking Bites . Bread certainly is a miraculous food- powdery flour and plain ol' water coming together in a fluffy loaf with the help of millions of little bugs called Baker's yeast. Or our Indian breads- where you don't even need yeast. Just experienced hands that know how to turn out perfect flatbreads. In this recipe, Nic built in tremendous flavor right into the bread with the help of some beautiful browned onions . I halved the recipe to make a loaf of bread in a standard loaf pan, and used a mixture of bread flour and white whole wheat flour. Other than these two small variations, I followed Nic's recipe exactly. Flour Yeast Onions Sugar (tiny bit) Pepper = Fragrant Caramelized Onion Bread This bread was delicious! Next time, I would make sure that I cook the onions thoroughly...this time, the water left behind in the cooked onions turned into little pockets of pasty

No, I'm not describing one of the Desperate Housewives ; I'm talking about a wonderful dessert I made last weekend. Chunks of tangy-sweet oranges dunked in thick cardamom-scented milk. This beauty of a sweet treat is called Kamlalebur Kheer and is a recipe shared by our favorite Bong Mom, Sandeepa . I would describe it as a delicious variation of basundi , with the fresh tangy taste of oranges contrasting with the cloying richness of thickened milk. Milk Condensed milk Cardamom Saffron Oranges = Blissful Orange Basundi To amplify the citrus notes, I added some orange zest , which perfumed the whole dessert with unmistakable orange flavor. I stirred in cardamom and saffron because I seem to be pathologically incapable of leaving these out of Indian desserts. The condensed milk was sweet enough for me and I did not need any extra sugar. In fact, the whole can of condensed milk was a bit too sweet for my taste; next time I will add a little less. Here's how I m

Anybody out there? :) [Hearing echoes of my voice in this poor neglected empty space] What can I say? Time sure flies! Do people remember how to write rudimentary HTML after months of not writing any, I wonder? Is it like riding a bike? Over the past several months, I have been writing SAS code instead of blog posts, studying and working as best as I can, and spending quality time with the needles and hooks . Somewhere along the way, I found the time to reach a milestone birthday- the big three-oh (YAY! I think.) For all those who left loving e-mails and comments asking how I am- thank you! I am doing well, busy but happy :) And for all those who could care less about me but want to know how Dale is doing- he is well. A little older and grayer around the muzzle, but much wiser, he says. Am I " back to blogging"? Yes and no. I'm off to India soon for a vacation, and my schedule is still awry. The plan is to indulge in some guilt-free blogging, writing whenever I can a