Vegan Carrot, Cauliflower and Tomato Soup with Optimum Vac2 Vacuum Blender Review

Learn how to make Pressure Cooked Vegan Cauliflower, Tomato and Carrot Soup

When Froothie contacted me in April to try their latest Optimum Vac2 Vacuum Blender, I was in a middle of packing and moving houses from Cornwall to Yorkshire. They sent me the blender as soon as we shifted to our new house but it took me over a month to give it a try. I was so caught up with unpacking, turning the house into a home, buried under a pile of paper works and settling the kid into a whole new place and school that before I could blink it was summer holiday and we left to India to spend all of the summer break with our family. When we returned from India, I finally got time some time to try the blender to its full potential by making smoothies after smoothies along with using it for making nut butters, curry pastes, spice blends, pasta sauces and even dosa and idli batters. So here is the detailed post about my experience with the Froothie Optimum Vac2 Vacuum Blender after using it rigorously over the last 3 months.

Optimum Vac2 Vacuum Blender

Froothie Optimum Vac2 Vacuum Blender comes with a blender base, BPA free 2 liters jug with 6 stainless steel wet and dry multi-purpose blade assembly, two-part lid, heavy duty tamper tool for improved processing and mixing, spare vacuum seals and instruction manual. It also comes with a recipe book with over 70 mainly vegan recipes. Vac2 blender comes in 3 colour choices (red, black and silver) and has 8 different speed settings and has some preset buttons that will set the time and speed for you like smoothie, veg and fruits, pulse, nuts, and soup. It has the option to turn the dial to set the timer yourself. The bright blue LED screen on the blender base shows the speed and time setting. Pretty straight forward.

Rajasthani Haldi Ki Subji Recipe | Fresh Turmeric Curry Recipe

Learn how to make Rajasthani Haldi Ki Subji or Fresh Turmeric Curry ~ Fresh turmeric and green peas cooked in a spicy, creamy tomato and yogurt curry

Curry lovers all over the world are familiar with one ingredient without which you can’t imagine cooking curry! I am talking about one of the most popular spice turmeric which leaves yellow stains on everything which it comes in contact with. It’s one spice that’s been traditionally used as a spice in Indian, Asian and African cuisines for more than 4,500 years! So what made this quintessential ingredient for curries and stews to migrate to fancy (not) things like Turmeric Lattes, cold pressed juices, smoothie bowls etc? What is it about this stone age staple that suddenly graduated into some kind of super food in the last couple of years?

Turmeric has always found its way into our dinner plates every single day. There isn’t a savoury dish in our home that goes untouched without a sprinkle of this gold dust. I grew up hearing about the healing properties of turmeric since I was a toddler. One sneeze and my grandma would run to her kitchen to make me a cup of Turmeric Milk or Kashaya with a generous pinch of turmeric. According to her there isn’t a cold or sore throat can’t be healed with a warm cup of turmeric milk. A scratch, a cut or deep wound was healed with a coat of turmeric paste either prepared by grinding the fresh turmeric root or by mixing ground turmeric with water. Pimples, skin problems? No problem. Ground turmeric from fresh roots or powdered form mixed with sandal wood paste or gram flour or milk or fresh cream had always been our choice of face mask for any beauty treatments. The trust we have on this golden hued spice was not born a year or couple of years ago, but since over 4,500 years ago which is now backed with scientific researches making turmeric one of the most admired super foods of the century.

Shahi Paneer Recipe | Simple and Easy Restaurant Style Paneer Curry Recipes

Learn how to make Shahi Paneer ~ Indian cottage cheese in creamy tomato, almond and cashew nut gravy

India is the largest producer of milk and it is no surprise that we Indians love milk and milk produce. Starting our day with strong milky coffee or tea, we integrate milk and milk products in various recipes. It may even sound little strange when we say our meal is incomplete, especially for a South Indian, without a glass of yogurt or buttermilk, either mixed with rice and pickle at the end of a meal or spiced with few green chillies, cumin powder etc or sweetened with sugar. Milk, yogurt, buttermilk, ghee, butter and cream are part and parcel of Indian meals. And there is one more milk product which we all love and quite crazy about! It’s Paneer or Indian cottage cheese.

Paneer (pronounced pa-nir) is a fresh cheese used in Indian subcontinent for centuries. When I say cheese, it is acid-set, unsalted, non-melting firmer cheese. It is also a fresh cheese, meaning you can make it and eat it right away and it requires no aging or culturing. It required just 2 ingredients; milk (preferably full fat milk) and lemon juice or vinegar and is very easy to make at home by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or vinegar and the acidity in the lemon juice or vinegar causes the milk to separate into curds/milk solid and whey. The whey is separated with a help of a strainer lined with cheese cloth to collect the milk sold. This crumbly and moist form is called ‘Chhena’ and is used in making many sweets like rasgulla, ras malai, sandesh etc in Easten Indian and Bangladesh. When the chhena is pressed to remove excess water by pressing doen heavy object on top, we get the solid paneer block which is then cut into cubes and is ready for cooking straight away.

Paneer is a versatile and a very popular ingredient used mainly as a star ingredient for many North Indian curries. With its fairly mild, milky flavour and dense crumbly texture which doesn’t melt like other cheese, its best when paired with strong and spicy flavours like in classic Indian curries or dishes like Palak Paneer (spinach based curry), Achari Paneer (tomato base with Indian pickling spices), Matar Paneer (peas and tomato), Paneer Jalfrezi (tossed with bell pepper in lightly spiced tomato paste), Paneer Kurma (lightly spiced yogurt based dish), Kadai Paneer (whole spices and tomato paste), Paneer Kofta (deep fried paneer dumplings in creamy gravy), Paneer Tikka Masala (marinated paneer with vegetables) and many other Paneer curries. It also makes a wonderful filling for Samosa, Paratha and even can be mixed with dough to make extremely nutritious rotis.

My quest to learn more about the origin and history of Paneer left me wanting to know more about it. As per Wikipedia, the word “Paneer” is of Persian origin. The Turkish word peynir, the Persian, Armenian and the Azerbaijani word panir, all derived from ‘paneer’ referes to any type of cheese. However the origin of paneer is still debatable as Vedic Indian, Afghan-Iranian and Portuguese-Bengali origins have been proposed for paneer. The wiki further explains that the Vedic literature refers to a substance that is interpreted by some authors as a form of paneer. While according to Arthur Berriedale Keith, a Scottish constitutional lawyer, scholar of Sanskrit and Indologist, a kind of cheese is “perhaps referred to” in Rigveda, author Otto Schrader, a German philologist, believes that the Rigveda only mentions “a skin of sour milk, not cheese in the proper sense”. According to K.T. Acharya, an eminent food historian, the acidulation of milk was a taboo in the ancient Indo-Aryan culture, pointing to the legends about Lord Krishna make several references to milk, butter, ghee and yogurt, but do not mention sour milk cheese.

According to Wiki and Quora, based on the texts such as Charaka Samhita (Compendium of Caraka, an ancient Sanskrit text on Ayurveda), B. N Mathur wrote that the earliest evidence of a heat-acid coagulated milk product in India can be traced to 75-300 CE, in the Kushan-Satavahana era. Sunil Kumar etal. interpret this product as the present-day paneer. According to them, paneer is indigenous to north-western part of South Asia, and was introduced in India by Afghan and Iranian travellers in the 16th century and was made from goat or sheep rennet. These cheeses were the predecessors of modern paneer which requires no animal products, such as rennet, for coagulation making it one of the important sources of protein for lacto-vegetarians D.R. Ghodekar of India's National Dairy Research Institute also believed that paneer was introduced into India by Afghan and Iranian invaders. According to writers such as K.T. Achaya, Andrea S. Wiley and Pat Chapman, the Portuguese introduced the technique of "breaking" milk with acid to Bengal in the 17th century. Thus, Indian acid-set cheeses such as paneer and chhena were first prepared in Bengal, under Portuguese influence.

With such interesting history and packed with nutrition, Paneer is definitely one of the most popular ingredient in Indian cuisine, especially for lacto-vegetarians. Apart from many other curries mentioned above, there is one more dish that is quite popular in Indian restaurants often served with some type of Indian breads such as poori, naan, tandoori roti or rumali roti. The dish is called Shahi Paneer where the word ‘Shahi’ refers to royal in reference to the imperial court. The dish Shahi Paneer is made by cooking the fresh paneer in thick and creamy gravy of tomatoes, fresh cream, nuts and spices.

The first step in the preparation of Shahi Paneer is to make fresh paneer by adding an acidic liquid (I prefer lime juice to vinegar) to boiled hot milk. The chemical reaction causes the curds or the milk solid and whey to separate in a couple of minutes. This is then collected in sieve lined with cheese cloth to separate the whey from the curds and squeezed to remove as much moisture as possible before pressing it down under a weight for couple of hours to get a block of paneer which can be cut into cubes and used right away in curries. Don’t discard this whey as it contains very high nutrients and this liquid can be used to make dough or in soups or stews. If you are short of time and don’t have fresh homemade paneer, you can always use store brought one for convenience.

Once the paneer is ready, proceed to make the gravy base for the curry. Now there are two versions of this, one that uses tomatoes and the second without tomatoes. Personally I prefer tomatoes in gravy as they impart mellow sweet and sour when combined with other ingredients making the dish more flavoursome! To make the spice base, first the onions and tomatoes are lightly fried in little oil or ghee and then cooked with whole Kashmiri chillies and dry nuts in little water for couple of minutes. This is then ground to smooth paste to get the gravy base. Then we proceed to make the tadka of whole spices with ginger-garlic paste and tomato puree or paste before adding the ground nut paste. To this then we add fresh cream or if you want to reduce the calorie like me, add whisked full fat yogurt. This makes rich and velvety smooth base gravy truly fit for the royals. 

Finally the star ingredient of this dish paneer is added to the gravy and is simmered for couple of minutes so that the paneer absorbs the rich aroma and flavour of harmonious blend of spices. If using fresh paneer, just add the cubes directly to the gravy and if using store brought one, you can lightly pan fry the cubes with little oil or ghee until it turns golden brown on both sides. The whole cooking from start to end doesn’t take more than 40-45 minutes. Just make sure that your Indian pantry is nicely stocked with the spices and ingredients listed below in the recipe and you will end up cooking this Shahi Paneer again and again for your loved ones.

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Shahi Paneer (Indian cottage cheese in creamy tomato, almond and cashew nut gravy)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30-35 mins
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Serves: 5-6 people
Shelf Life: Best served fresh but can be refrigerated for 2-3 days
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads (Whole Wheat Naan or Butter Naan or with any stuffed parathas) or plain/flavoured Basmati rice

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Ingredients:
200-250 gms Paneer, cut into 1 inch squares of 1 cm thickness
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tbsp thick Tomato Paste or ¼ cup Tomato Puree
¾ cup thick Yogurt, whisked
Salt to taste
1 – 1½ tbsp. Oil or Ghee

For Almond-Cashew Nut Paste:
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
3 large or 4 medium Tomatoes, chopped
12 Almonds
12 Whole Cashew Nuts
3-4 Dry Kashmiri Chillies or Byadagi Chilli (Read notes)
½ tbsp. Oil or Ghee
2 tsp Sugar or Jaggery (I used jaggery which is unrefined cane sugar)

Spices Used:
1 inch Cinnamon or Cassia Stick
1 Bay Leaf
4 Cloves
4 Green Cardamoms
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves
½ tsp Garam Masala (Adjust as per taste)
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional, but recommended)

Method:
Preparation:

1. Cut the paneer into cubes and keep them aside. If needed, you can pan fry the paneer pieces in little oil or ghee until it turns golden brown on both sides. Keep the fried paneer pieces in a bowl of hot water to keep them soft and crumbly.
2. Chop the onion and tomatoes and make fresh ginger-garlic paste by crushing them with a help of a pestle and mortar.

Prepare the almond and cashew nuts paste:

1. Heat ½ tbsp. of oil or ghee in a pan and add chopped onions, tomatoes and sugar or jaggery. Sauté them on medium flame for a minute. Mix in ¼ cup of water and bring the water to boil.
2. To this add almonds, cashew nuts and Kashmiri chillies. Cover the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool down to room temperature before grinding it to smooth paste. Keep it aside until needed.

Proceed to cook:

1. Heat 1-1½ tbsp. of oil or ghee in a pan and cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms and ay leaves. Stir fry for a minute before adding ginger-garlic paste and fry it until the raw smell disappears, about a minute or two.
2. Mix in tomato puree or tomato pasted dissolved in 3 tbsp water and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Next add ground almond-cashew nut paste to the gravy and mix them well. Add half of kasuri methi crushed with fingers and salt to taste. Cook uncovered for 4-5 mins on medium flame.
4. Remove the pan from heat and mix in whisked yogurt or fresh cream and stir well. Bring the pan back on heat and simmer the gravy for 4-5 minutes. Add about ½ cup or more of water if you find the gravy too thick to adjust the consistency. Add salt to taste and mix well.
5. Next add the paneer, garam masala, kitchen king masala if using and remaining kasuri methi and let the gravy simmer for another 5-6 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
6. Serve this delicious, velvety smooth Shahi Paneer with any Indian flat breads or flavoured basmati rice and enjoy!

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Sia’s Notes:

• If using fresh paneer, just add the cubes directly to the gravy and if using store brought one, you can lightly pan fry the cubes with little oil or ghee until it turns golden brown on both sides.
• This is a mild curry as we are using Kashmiri chillies. If you prefer spicy curry, use hot chillies instead of Kashmiri chillies.

Vegan Spicy Tomato Chutney Recipe | Quick and Easy South Indian Tomato Chutney Recipe

Learn how to make Spicy Tomato Chutney ~ Vegan South Indian style tomato chutney with aromatic spices and garlic

I can’t believe how fast the days are zooming past. Was it just a week ago we celebrated LD’s 6th birthday?! Within a month’s time he will finish his year 1 and move to year 2 this fall! It is going to be painful and really difficult to say goodbye to the teachers and the teaching assistants who have helped him with the transition and made his first year in big school a memorable one.

With the summer holidays fast approaching, I’ve decided to make a little handmade and homemade gift for the most important people in LD’s school. This is our way of saying thank you. Among other, one thing I am going to include is a jar of Vegan Spicy Tomato Chutney. This is not just any tomato chutney; this is THE Tomato Chutney that has conquered my heart and taste buds!

Achari Paneer Masala Recipe | Quick and Simple Achaari Paneer Curry Recipe

Learn how to make Achari Paneer Masala ~ Paneer/Indian cottage cheese cooked in a creamy onion and tomato gravy flavoured with pickling spices

The weather gods are still indecisive in my neck of woods. One day it’s all bright and sunny with warm breeze and blindingly blue skies and the next day it’s wet and gloomy dampening our spirits! When I am about to pack our winter coats in vacuum bags and take out light cardigans, the heavens open their doors to downpour like never before. It’s supposed to be spring and the summer bank holiday is just a couple of days ahead! Well, its bit exasperating is an understatement!

While the weather gods continue to struggle to make up their mind, there is no doubt in my mind about the food that is churned in my kitchen. Hot and spicy curries are and will always be the firm favourites in my home during all four seasons, even on scorching summer days! Sounds crazy? Well, I am not taking about the curries that demand all your attention and time. I am talking about the curries that needs couple of minutes of your time and all you need is to breeze in and out of kitchen for stirring the glorious food simmering in a pot on the stove top. Yes, I am talking about such recipe which is simple and easy to cook and yet ends up looking and tasting like you have spent hours slaving in the kitchen while perfecting it, recipes like Achari Paneer Masala.

Tameta Reveya | Vegan Stuffed Tomato Curry Recipe from Kaushy's Prashad at Home

Learn how to make Tameta Reveya/Stuffed Tomato Curry ~ Sweet and spicy peanut stuffed tomato satay

After the success of her first cookbook ‘Prashad Indian Vegetarian Cooking’ which is one of my most favourite cookbooks, Kaushy Patel’s second cookbook ‘Prashad at Home’ focuses on simple, quick and fuss free Indian cooking from her vegetarian kitchen. The recipes are little quicker and easier compared to the restaurant recipes from her first cookbook which will find its way into your dinner tables and hearts! The heart and soul of the cookbook remains the same, Gujarati inspired vegetarian Indian food with tantalising recipes which any home cook will find delightful to cook with easy to follow recipe instructions.

There is a short introduction by the author Kaushy Patel in her own words mentioning the idea behind the cookbook with simple home food which is quite different from her previous cookbook showcasing the restaurant dishes.  The recipes range from fuss free recipes to cook on weekdays to suit the busy lifestyle to elaborate dishes to enjoy in leisure to Indian fusion dishes. Kaushy emphasises on enjoying the cooking whether you have 20 minutes or 2 hours, bringing you and those you are cooking a great pleasure. Kayshy’s ‘Spice Tin and Seasonings’ contain the detailed guide to ingredients used in the cookbook and the ‘Practical Points’ shares top tips and how-to's  into preparing and using the ingredients in cooking.

Restaurant Style Paneer Jalfrezi Recipe | How to Make Paneer Jalfrezi

Learn how to make Restaurant Style Paneer Jalfrezi ~ A quick stir fry of paneer, bell peppers, onion and tomato in a spicy tomato paste

India is the largest producer of milk and it is no surprise that we Indians love milk and milk produce. Starting our day with strong milky coffee or tea, we integrate milk and milk products in various recipes. And our meal is incomplete without a glass of yogurt or buttermilk, either spiced with few green chillies, cumin powder etc or sweetened with sugar. Milk, yogurt, buttermilk, ghee, butter and cream are part and parcel of Indian meals. And there is one more milk product which we all love, Paneer.

Ingredients for Paneer Jalfrezi

Restaurant Style Paneer Jalfrezi Recipe

It is Paneer or Indian cottage cheese and there are very few who doesn’t like Paneer. Paneer is used in many dishes like the ever popular Matar Paneer, Kadai Paneer, Nawabi Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala (Fried cottage cheese served in creamy and buttery onion-tomato gravy), Malai Kofta (Deep fried cheese dumplings in rich, creamy tomato gravy), Paneer Tikka (grilled paneer cubes marinated in spicy yogurt), Paneer Paratha and many more. Since the large population are pure vegetarians in India, the use of milk and milk produce are given more importance for their protein and calcium supplements and Paneer is something which is loved by all, especially the little ones. Lil Dumpling is no exception and he loves Paneer cooked in mild gravies. Bored of making same paneer curries, I ventured into little adventure of making spicy Restaurant Style Paneer Jalfrezi.

Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle Recipe | Simple Andhra Style Tomato Pickle Recipe with Nirlep Cookware Product Review and A Giveaway!

Learn how to make Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle ~ Instant Andhra style tomato pickle flavoured with spices, tamarind and garlic tempering

It is always hard to come back to England after a fun filled trip to India! The colours, weather, buzz, noise, and the sense of never being alone are just other things you miss apart from family and friends. The holiday is always too short when one visits home!!!

Juicy, firm, red Tomatoes for Instant Andhra Style Tomato Pickle

This holiday with our family was one that finally helped us in taking one of the big and most important decisions of our life. I will talk about it in one of my next posts in coming days. For now all I want to talk about is food... The food cooked by our loved ones and the few I cooked for them, like this Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle!

Simple Tomato Salad | Summer Salad Recipes

Learn how to make Simple Tomato Salad ~ Basic tomato salad with basil and lime and pepper dressing

I am not going to bore you today with my rants and rambles. Although my mind is bursting with thoughts, the words have abandoned me today as they refuse to flow at my fingertips which otherwise enjoy tap dancing on the keyboard! The exhaustion has finally overtaken my desire to share one of my most favourite recipes from the treasure chest of secret family recipes!

Aloo Matar Recipe | Simple Vegan Potato and Peas Curry

Learn how to make Aloo Matar ~ Simple curry of potatoes and green peas cooked in spicy tomato gravy

She was sleeping soundly, smiling in her sleep while she dreamt of splashing water in the stream that gurgled next to her grandma’s house. Or was it the dream where she was chasing colourful butterflies in the garden or climbing the guava tree in the backyard that produced the sweetest guava with delicious red pulp inside! The ceiling fan spinning lazily above made the wild curly waves on her forehead tickle her cheeks, nose and eyes. When the persistent afternoon sun shone brightly on her face, little girl with pigtails sighed and snuggled back under the covers, blissfully embracing slumber.

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad Recipe | Simple Indian Salad Recipe

Learn how to make Sprouted Moong Bean Salad ~ Indian styled sprouted moong bean salads with assorted vegetables and chilli-lime dressing

As far as I know, there is no concept of salads in Indian cooking. Thinly sliced pieces of cucumber, tomatoes and onion rings with lemon or lime wedge is mostly the kind of salads served with main meals. Sometimes few whole or chopped green chillies accompany these vegetables as we Indians really like real spice kick in our meals!

Tomato and Watermelon Salad Recipe | Simple Summer Salad Recipe

 Learn how to make Tomato and Watermelon Salad ~ Simple and refreshing summer salad recipe with lime and balsamic vinegar dressing

I believe in the age old food philosophy that ‘you are what you eat’. Couple of months back, in the beginning of spring season, our kitchen was a busy hub of sizzling deep fried goodies in a hot pot of oil. Although I am not really fond of deep fried food, I found myself binging on the not so healthy but absolutely delicious food days after another! It didn’t take very long for me to gain couple of pounds and add few inches around my waist!

Sweet and Spicy Peas Curry Recipe | Simple Peas Curry Recipe

Learn how to make Sweet and Spicy Peas Curry ~ Dried green and yellow peas cooked in sweet, sour and spicy tomato and tamarind gravy

It is summer…finally and at last we are getting the much needed vitamin D! With temperature shooting up and the sunshine spreading its warmth and smile around, we are spending more time outdoors and making the most of very few brilliant days of sunshine. Finally we can go out without swaddling ourselves in thick layers of cloths and even the thin jackets and sweaters are left behind hanging in the coat hangers :) Oh yes… Yes, yes, yes! Sun sure makes me happy!

Bombay Potatoes or Bombay Bataka Recipe | No Onion-No Garlic Potato Curry Recipe

Learn how to make Bombay Potato/Bombay Bataka ~ Potatoes cooked in a hot, sweet and sour tomato and tamarind gravy (No onion-no garlic recipe)

So we had another episode of Lil Dumpling falling sick and then were rushed to children’s ward in an ambulance after distressed emergency call to 999! It, unfortunately, was our 3rd time being admitted to hospital in this year, not counting every month’s visit to the doctor’s clinic with very sick Lil Dumpling suffering with wide varieties of viral and bacterial infections. I am starting to think that 2013 is not really a year of good health.

Creamy Tofu and Pepper Curry Recipe | Vegan Tofu and Capsicum Curry

Learn how to make Creamy Tofu and Pepper Curry ~ Vegan curry of capsicums/bell peppers cooked in a mildly spiced creamy tofu and tomato gravy

"I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to be told."
~ Mark Twain

I have a story to tell… This is a story of little boy and the moon. This is a story of their friendship that is growing stronger and deeper with every passing day. This is a story about smiling lips, twinkling eyes, dimpled cheeks, excited shrieks and infectious giggles. This is also a story of trembling lips, teary eyes, fiery tantrums, disappointed sighs and hopeful tomorrows. This is a story of little heartbreaks and break ups, and at the same time this is also a story of life long friend ships and make ups! Yes, I have a story to tell…a very special story to tell…

Vegan Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup Recipe | How to Make Simple Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

Learn how to make Vegan Creamy Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup ~ Quick and easy roasted bell pepper and tomato soup with caramelised onions and garlic

The temperature outside continues to drop in spite of we officially stepping into spring since last week! This weekend we will set our clocks 1 hour forward across the European countries to mark the spring daylight saving so that evenings have more daylight. In less than a month’s time the sun will rise before 6 am only to set after 7 pm! And in two months time we will have the difficulty to convince Lil Dumpling to go to bed at 7 pm as he will be left wondering why one needs to go to bed when the sun is still shining bright till 10 at night only to wake up at 4 in the morning to find sunrays streaming through the curtains!

Spicy Tomato and Garlic Thokku Recipe | How to Make Spicy Tomato and Garlic Chutney/Relish

Learn how to make Tomato and Garlic Thokku ~ Spicy tomato and garlic chutney/relish for Dosa and Idli

One thing I never thought of becoming when I donned motherhood hat among other very colourful and interesting hats I wear day to day life was getting absent minded and forgetful! Someone who could remember couple of dozens of 10-12 digit phone numbers or every family and friends’ birthdays or anniversary dates was starting to find it difficult to even remember her own cell phone number.

Afghani Borani Kadoo or Kadu Bouranee Recipe | Afghani Sweet & Savoury Pumpkin/Butternut Squash

Learn how to make Afghani Borani Kadoo or Kadu Bouranee or Kadu Borani ~
Pumpkin or butternut squash cooked in sweet tomato and onion gravy with a hint of spice, a traditional Afghan recipe

For one month we watched my 3 and half months old Lil Dumpling, lying on his soft blanket chewing his chubby fingers or a teether, rolling from his back to tummy and tummy to back, cooing, gurgling and giving me that oh-so-adorable gummy, toothless smiles which made my heart flip over and happier, and watching his drool wet the colourful blanket underneath him. And then suddenly from the day he turned 4 months old he showed more interest in the food we were eating, watching us closely as we placed every morsel of delicious food cooked by my Amma in our mouth. He started noticing the way our mouth moved, chewing the aromatic and flavourful food. All of a sudden his otherwise favourite meal, milk, looked pale to him in comparison to the colourful food on our plates. For a baby who enjoyed banging spoons and his toys on the tray attached to his high chair, he began noticing the food spread out in our dining table and soon his coos and gurgles were replaced by high pitched demanding cries with his mouth imitating chewing action whenever we all sat down at meal time!

Spicy Tomato and Bell Pepper (Capsicum) Chutney Recipe | How to Make Spicy Tomato & Pepper Relish

Learn how to make Spicy Tomato & Bell Pepper (Capsicum) Chutney/Relish

My neck of wood is turning grey, matching with the greys of skies! The giant tress on the road sides look naked, except for few stubborn dried leaves hanging tightly to their skeleton of branches. Soon these leaves too will be blown away from there, leaving the trees look like big dark ghosts looming around in the sunless early evenings and days. The air has turned crisp, sharp and chilly; biting my skin, making me bury my nose under the thick furry scarf around my neck.

Paneer Pepper(Capsicum) Curry Recipe for Blog Anniversary | How to Make Simple Paneer Curry

Paneer Pepper (Capsicum) Curry

With one hectic and busy work and family life, I almost missed the blog milestone! Yes… Today Monsoon Spice turns 6 years old or young :) It’s been exactly SIX years since this blog was born on a lazy afternoon! Wohoo… SIX YEARS!!! I know I need to stop repeating the same thing again and again, but I find it difficult to believe that my love and passion for food blogging is still going strong after all these years!