homemantra

Posted in Breakfast, Rice & Dal, South Indian

The Pongal

It was a Saturday morning, 11 am; my friend and I were waiting to be seated in a room packed with people and filled with aromas of Sambar and Madras Coffee. The heavy rains did not have any effect on turnout at this small local restaurant, ‘The Pongal’. As soon as we settled down, my friend ordered two plates of pongal. Wait, what? Isn’t it a name of a festival? Before he could explain, the food arrived. And oh my god it was nothing less than a festive moment. On a big banana leaf, there lies a big serving of ‘pongal’,…

Read More

Posted in Salad, Spring - Summer Special

Spring Salad

Once my friend from China shared her secret behind her zero size figure – ‘Jīng jìjié xìng chī’ That means ‘Eat Seasonally’, a basic mantra of Chinese Medicine. What could be a better season to enjoy salads other than Spring? The vegetables at farmer’s market looked so fresh and luscious, even I was tempted to try my hands on salad. I am not a salad person but I am proud of my creation 🙂  So simple and so yummy! Ingredients – a bunch of your favorite greens – lettuce, spinach, arugula 2-3 tangerines 1 medium cucumber 1 small avocado 1…

Read More

Posted in Breakfast, Superfoods

My New Affection: Oatmeal

When I saw my friend eating oatmeal at Starbucks, I literally laughed at him. It looked like baby food to me. But the price and especially the three toppings – brown sugar, dried fruit and nuts caught my attention. Since then I have become a big fan of oatmeal. Chinese tradition believes that the most important meal of the day is the first meal. So why not make it nutritious and delicious? I like to start my day off with this big bowl of warm and hearty old-fashioned oatmeal topped with fresh fruits such as strawberries, banana, red apple and walnuts and…

Read More

Posted in Entertaining, Subji / Curry

Pav Bhaji – Yum O!

Pav bhaji is my weak point. It tastes best when you have it at a road-side place or not-so-healthy place It was a long time since I made it so when we invited Kandy for dinner, pav bhaji was our first choice. He loved it. This is how I made it. [purerecipe]

Read More

Posted in Superfoods

Not my cup of tea!

Yes, tea is simply not my cup of tea. I just hate it. But my husband is a big big fan of tea and sadly my everyday starts with making tea for him. I am still wondering how to avoid it   If you like tea, here are few simple ways to make it more interesting. You can add a pinch of grated ginger or 1/2 chopped mint leaves or home-made tea masala – grounded powder of black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. I do use tea but for a different reason. Not because it rejuvenates my mind but it does rejuvenate…

Read More

Posted in Appetizers, Continental, Entertaining, Winter Special

Deviled Eggs

With Easter just around the corner, this is a great time to try this  deviled egg recipe. These are cute, little, very tempting and especially go well for a potluck party and take no more than 5 minutes when you have boiled eggs ready! The tricky part is getting the perfect hard boiled eggs and lengthy part is to peel the eggs but my ‘Pro Tips’ section has covered both the tricks so stay tuned! This is a slightly modified version of classic recipe with a spring twist that comes from fresh cilantro. You can subbed cilantro by any fresh herb…

Read More