My Dad is the official Khichdi maker at home & he makes the best Khichdi ever (Infact much better than my Mom)  He doesn't use many spices which is why its so simple & lovely & comforting. I actually make several versions of Khichdi  but nothing beats my Dad's Moong Dal ki Khichdi

There is nothing like digging into a hot bowl of kichdi on a monsoon evening. Serve it with some kadhi on the side & you'll be in heaven.

The weather here right now is perfect for a hot bowl of Tomato Soup & if it is spiked with some fresh Rosemary, can it get better than that??

It was very cold & gloomy this afternoon & it was a perfect excuse to dig into some piping hot soup .. I ate mine with some toasted Baguette and Aaah Bliss !!

What I loved was the addition of Rosemary. It adds an interesting twist but it isn't very overpowering. Next time, try adding Rosemary to any of your soups .. You will love it

Serve with some crusty toasted bread .. Enjoi !!!

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I guess, most of you reading this would know that it was my Birthday a couple of days ago .. Well, Shankar, surprised me with this Pulao for the Birthday lunch .. Hence, the name of this dish :-)

I was actually quite thrilled with the idea that He'd be cooking something. Since he is a novice, I wanted to give him instructions  lend a helping hand  But I was shooed away from the kitchen The only thing I did was, measure Basmati rice & soak it in water. I really don't know where he got this recipe from, but it was just fabulous ..

You Will Need:

For the Paste:

How To:

Serve with any Raita of your choice .. Enjoi !!!

While, Shankar was at it, I was quite unhappy about the fact the he was frying up all the ingredients to make a paste. I told him, it wasn't necessary because the paste will anyways be sauteed before adding rice. Because of this, we actually had a mini fight in between :-)  But the end result was very good .. Frying up the spices before grinding does lend a unique taste .. Do not skip it, if you are going to be trying this ..

Anyways, I did have a Fab Birthday .. All of you, who stopped by to wish me, Thanks so much .. It really made my day :-)

Here's another sweet post from me because, Yours Truly celebrates her Birthday today .. So here is one of my favorite desserts but with a slight twist. Yes, its Rasmalai with a hint of Mango ..

I made these using store bought Rasgullas, but if you have time, you can make Rasgullas from scratch. If you are hosting someone at a very short notice, & you want you add your own touch,  then this is a perfect dessert.

The addition of Mango pulp gives it a lovely flavor, but do not over do with it. You do not want the Rasmalai to be tasting like Mango Kheer.  If you are using about 500ml milk, then pulp from half a mango is sufficient.

You Will Need:

As a South Indian, I love Rice & there are no two ways about it. But, there was a time when I was watching my weight, & I stayed away from rice as much as possible, limiting its consumption to about twice a week. Did I miss eating rice?? Yes, BIG time ..

And this Broken Wheat Pongal was my closest substitute to rice .. Not in terms of taste, but cooked moong dal & broken wheat did create that mushy texture, somewhat similar to traditional Pongal .. So this was what my Lunch/Dinner would be, whenever I missed rice ..

Transfer to a serving bowl & top with a tsp of ghee before serving .. Serve HOT .. Enjoi !!!

Cream Cheese wasn't that commonly available in India until a few years ago. Frankly, I didn't even care that much because I really wasn't into different kinds of cuisine & I wasn't really into cooking. The other day, I finally brought home a pack of Britannia cream cheese & it was converted into a herbed spread ... Just perfect for crackers & sandwiches ..

Serve with your evening tea .. Enjoi !!!