Gujarati Methi Thepla Recipe | How to Make Methi Thepla

Learn how to make Gujarati Methi Thepla ~ Gujarati multigrain flatbread made with fresh fenugreek leaves and flavoured with ground spices and sesame seeds

My friend was surprised when I told him I find cooking very relaxing and therapeutic. How can getting out pots and pans, chopping and grinding, sautéing and stirring be considered therapeutic, especially when you have to not only cook, but also wash, wipe and put them away was his question. Well, cooking becomes just a task or chore when you think it that way.

Ingredients for Gujarati Methi Thepla

For me cooking is more than day to day chore. While I find chopping vegetables and fresh herbs quite relaxing, the heady aroma of roasted spices makes me slow down and enjoy little pleasure of life has to offer. The steam coming out of pots and pans gives me free facials every day and the flexibility of adding or substituting any ingredients of my choice gives me a sense of freedom. The colour of various fresh leafy, green, yellow, red, orange and multi-colored fruits and vegetables fascinates me and makes me happy. The process of transforming raw, solitary ingredients into a savoury amalgamation of flavour, taste, smell, texture and colour is always magical. And the ultimate pleasure is when you are rewarded by ohh’s and ahh’s, great positive feedback from the people you love busily licking the food you cooked. This kind of therapy is priceless, fun and also delicious! Well, not every task or chore gives you this kind of pleasure. Do you think I am right? What makes you relax and enjoy?

Rotimatic Review, FAQs and Discount Code | Everything You Need To Know About Rotimatic

A complete Rotimatic Review, FAQs and Discount Code 

About a year and half or two years ago, a video went viral on social media where a robotic kitchen appliance measured, kneaded and rolled the dough balls, flattened it, puffed and roasted it and pushed perfectly cooked round rotis. I was very sceptical when I first saw the video, but at the same time I was really excited to see this staple unleavened Indian flat bread called Roti, with over 4000 years of History dating back to Harappan civilisation, and consumed by millions of people of Indian subcontinent finally have its own dedicated modern machine which makes roti from scratch with a touch of a button. This dream was made into reality by inventor wife and husband team Pranoti Nagarkar Israni and Rishi Israni with their 8 years of hard work and never give up attitude.

If you haven’t already guessed by now, I am talking about Rotimatic which is world’s first ever automated roti maker with its cloud based software and an impressive assembly line with chockful of robotic goodness! The look and finish of the product is quite sleek and minimalist with glossy white exterior that belongs to the 21st century design concept. So, does the Rotimatic live up to its hype? I am hoping that my extensive review of Rotimatic with FAQs will help you in finding out everything you need to know about this ‘smart’ kitchen appliance. 

But before we go through the detailed review, I am teaming up with Rotimatic who are giving exclusive discount of US  $75 to the readers of Monsoon Spice. Order via https://rotimatic.com/order-priority-uk-monsoonspice to jump the queue and order Rotimatic directly without signing up on the wait list PLUS receive a discount of US $75!

Veg and Coconut Ragi Rotti Recipe | Vegan and Gluten Free Finger Millet Flat Bread

Learn how to make Veg and Coconut Ragi Rotti ~ Vegan and gluten free coconut and veggie loaded finger millet flour flat bread

“Ghar ki murgi daal baraabar” is a Hindi idiom which I have come to appreciate over the time. The literal word by word translation is a chicken at home is no better than daal (everyday lentil soup) and it is used when someone undervalues the things which they own. It is quite similar to English quote ‘the grass is greener on other side’. Are you wondering why I am talking about chicken, lentil soup and grass today? Well, I have a very good reason to rant about… So stay with me if you have time to hear (more like read) my rants, or simply scroll down to the recipe of Veg and Coconut Ragi Rotti, a vegan, gluten-free finger millet flour flat bread loaded with vegetables and coconut.

In the last couple of years I have seen a rise in interest for the super foods. While quinoa, kale, green tea, cranberries were the super foods of the past, the cauliflower, chia seeds, coconut and beetroots are the trending super foods of the present. As much as I appreciate the health benefits they have, you will never find me publishing recipes after recipes of green, red, pink and rainbow coloured smoothie bowls, cauliflower rice, chia seed puddings etc here in my blog unless my family and I really love the dish! I am not a food snob, and I don’t follow any latest food trends. Being a food blogger and running in a circle of foodies, I am bound to come across many articles and recipes that celebrate the current food trends. I enjoy reading them, swooning over the beautiful food photographs, and sometimes, I try couple of recipes to see what the hoopla was all about. That’s where my fascination with the super foods ends as I just continue to cook and enjoy the food that I am most familiar with, like ancient grains that have been tried and cooked for centuries by our ancestors in India.

Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha Recipe | GitaDini Product Review and A Giveaway

Learn how to make Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha ~ Spicy Indian flatbread made using sweet potato mash and assorted Indian spices

There is always a new gadget to add to the kitchen to brighten up the décor, ease cooking prep, or to store things more efficiently. These days the market is flooded with hundreds and thousands of kitchen gadgets, available in various size, shape and budget to suit every need. There’s a lot more to product design than simply making something look good! For me, a good product is one that I find easy to use, it does the thing that it says in the label, something meets my needs, something that I like to use regularly and lastly, the look is appealing to me. For me, GitaDini products tick all the boxes and easily fit the bill of a good product. This post is about my experience of using GitaDini kitchenware and cookware extensively in my kitchen for the last two months. You can scroll down to find the details about how you can enter a giveaway to win this beautifully crafted kitchenware from GitaDini!

GitaDini is a US based family business founded by a dynamic husband and wife team, Jitu and Gita Patel. Apart from their wide range of home décor and furnishing line, they have a beautiful collection of kitchenware which I will be reviewing here. I’ve always worked with brands which I find best fit for my blog readers, mainly related to food and cooking. I usually take couple of weeks to extensively test the products in my kitchen before posting an honest review as I don't believe in misleading the blog readers with false information. It has been close to two months since I started using the GitaDini kitchenware and I am in a stage where I can happily share my experience.

Methi - Paneer Paratha Recipe | Simple Paratha Recipe

Learn how to make Methi-Paneer Parathas ~ Simple and quick recipe of Indian flat bread flavoured with fresh fenugreek leaves, spring onions and Indian cottage cheese

“When are you going to teach your daughters to roll perfect roti? You should teach them soon or else they will get an earful and ruin our family name when they get married”, said the nosey distant aunt to my mother. I had just waltzed into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water and propped onto the counter facing Amma. My mother winked at me and continued to roll perfect round rotis, one after another, as I pretended not to hear the whole conversation.

It didn’t take her much time to see how ‘keen’ I was to learn this essential cooking skill which apparently is the golden ticket to man’s heart. At that point I just burst into peals of laughter and the look on the aunt’s face said she was not very amused at my antics. Trying to stifle the second round of loud laugh, I told her I don’t care a hoot about making the perfect circles as the rotis will taste the same even if they resemble the map of India or any other shapes in geometry. She looked at me straight in the eyes and what if your ‘new’ family likes only the perfectly round rotis then?! My father who came rushing into the kitchen after hearing me laugh like a maniac had heard the entire conversation between us and was happy to end the conversation by saying that he preferred his daughters to join the family where they didn’t see the shape of the rotis but the love, affection and effort that went into making it.