The weather in Pune is chilly & cold in the nights. When there is a nip in the air or when it is raining heavily in the monsoons, we always want to reach for a hot cup of tea or coffee & want to have something hot & spicy like samosas, batata vadas or pakoras but then on second thoughts you may change your mind & want to reach out for healthy snacks. Well, biting into hot, steamy momos/dimsums with a lip smacking chutney/dipping…
…quite rich & heavy. Way back in the seventies, Mona Food on M.G.Road, Pune was the talk of the town for their excellent Chole Bhature. It was a restaurant which had an open dhabba style clean kitchen & we could see the experienced cooks boiling the chickpeas to perfection in huge pressure cookers. The masalas were ground in large grinders & the chole was prepared in large dekchis. The aroma of the masala with the right amount of spi…
…n Goa way back in the early 70s. Throughout our journey by bus from Goa to Pune we had to handle the clay oven with great care. We had wrapped it with lots of cloth & there was a big fuss about its safety. I never understood then, the importance of it until much later in life.. It was such a relief when we reached home, opened the packing & found the oven safe in one piece! We also had a clay stove for a long time. In those days we did not…
…ery happy when I see all sorts of assorted dinner rolls in the bakeries in Pune. Pune has wonderful Irani bakeries which specialize in all sorts of breads, cookies, cakes, pastries etc., so not many people venture into baking at home. The various shapes of buns & rolls do fascinate me but I have not yet come across a fish shaped bread roll.. I know the process to make various kinds of bread & dinner rolls is quite tedious & ne…
…at flour like I do. The Gujaratis use Tuvar dal to make the puran while in Pune & other parts of Maharashtra use Chana dal for the puran. To sum up, there are many variations to the Puran Poli across different states of India… Puran Poli is one of the original Maharashtrian desserts/sweet dish which is not served at the end of the meal but as a part of the main meal. In Maharashtra Holi is known as Rangapanchami (festival of colors) & is c…
…and freeze. To Freeze Pesto: Pour the pesto sauce in ice trays, top with olive oil, cover with cling film and freeze. Once frozen, remove the cubes, store in a zip loc bag, label with date and the weight of each cube of pesto and re-freeze. Thaw the required cubes of pesto when ready to use….
…g most desserts with dark chocolate. Mahableshwar, a hill station close to Pune is very popular for this amazing fruit. The season has begun and the market is flooded with strawberries. We are enjoying strawberries almost every day. I will be bringing you a whole lot of strawberry recipes you can select and prepare for your sweetie … Do you remember the Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting recipe I posted last year? This cake is…
…e cream. It is a feast for the eyes to see luscious, large strawberries in Pune from Mahableshwar & Panchgani and we are going nuts about it. Here is a recipe which you will love making for your family especially on Valentine’s Day. Enjoy this cold, creamy treat and be cool throughout summer. Relish this pure, simple, fresh and truly divine Fresh Strawberry Ice cream… 😀 Ingredients : 500 ml. Milk 200 gms. Sugar 35 gms. Corn Flour 3 Eggs (light…
…/pick up from dhabas (roadside eateries). We have excellent restaurants in Pune & we sometimes do order home delivery. The joy of making kababs at home is something to be experienced. The novelty of making your very own kababs is that you get to enjoy them the way you want to… you can adjust your spices as per your taste & make your own kabab mixes which can be different each time. You need to pre-plan & marinate well in advance to enj…
…ling film & freeze them to be used whenever you would like to bake! In Pune, pastry dough is not available in the stores, bakery or super markets across the counter so you have to make your own pastry dough! It may seem a little tedious, elaborate & time consuming but with practice you can easily make your own fresh batch of pastry dough. Besides, there is no limit to making your own special, unique fillings & toppings.You can do your…