SabudanaVada

As a mother, I always wish for my daughter to eat well, study well, and surpass me in every way. My husband often teases me, saying I put her wishes first—and it’s true. When she asked for sabudana vada, I couldn’t resist making them. They turned out delicious, crisp, and filling.  

Simple Recipe:  

- Soak sabudana for 20 minutes, drain, and leave it covered for 2–3 hours.  

- Boil 3 potatoes and mash them.  

- Mix 150 g soaked sabudana with the potatoes, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, 1 spoon of saunf, roasted groundnuts, and salt.  

- Shape into patties and fry until golden.  

- Serve hot with homemade chutney or sauce.  

Never wanted to cook

When I look back, I realize I never wanted to cook. I used to tell my mother that I would always keep a cook, because I wasn’t meant to be one. But life often takes us in directions we never imagined. I still wonder—someone who loved phones and technology, how did I end up spending so much time in the kitchen?  

Cooking was never my passion. In fact, I disliked certain things so much—like asafoetida (hing)—that I never even wanted to touch it because of its strong smell. Yet fate had other plans. Slowly, I began cooking, and eventually even started building online recipe collections.  

Now, I do enjoy cooking to some extent, but as the years go by, I feel my interest in it is gradually fading.  

-l

Cooking sometimes needss a break

It has been 20 years since my marriage, and in all that time I have cooked almost every single day. If I were to count the exceptions, they would barely add up to a month—or perhaps a little more—scattered across all those years. At times, it feels as though the cooking never ends, stretching from morning until night without pause.  

Yet now, I find myself losing the joy I once felt in it. I don’t fully understand why. Maybe it is because, in most middle-class homes, the wife is expected to be everything at once—the cook, the laundress, the cleaner, the caretaker of the family. And as I step into the 21st year of marriage, the expectations from my husband remain unchanged, as though time itself has stood still.  

It leaves me wondering: when will these roles evolve, when will the weight be shared? For years, I have carried the rhythm of the household, but somewhere along the way, the music of it has begun to fade.  

"From kadai to bread—brinjal fry made fun, sweet, and snackable."

Brinjal Dry

"Brinjal is a favorite for many, especially in the form of brinjal fry. Here’s a simple twist you can try: slice the brinjal into rounds and heat oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds and a pinch of ajwain, then toss in the brinjal slices. Sprinkle salt and fry until they turn crispy. For extra flavor, add any masala of your choice if you prefer it spicy. I’ve added a touch of jaggery powder, which gives a mild sweetness kids will love. You can even layer this preparation between bread to make a delicious snack."  

Biscuit and Bread Pudding

 Biscuit and Bread Pudding

Serves- 8(For below propotion)

Ingredients-

Bread- Depends on the size of container

Digestive Biscuits- Depends on the size of container

Sugar- 150 grams

Fruits 

Custard powder- 1 ½ tablespoons

Water- ½ litre

Method-

• Take a bowl and spread the bread and keep it aside for now

• Next boil water with the sugar. Wait till the sugar melts, then add custard powder mixed with 1 tablespoon of water to the boiling water.

• Add diced desired fruits to the water (I have added apple and banana).

• Once the consistency is a little thick, let it cool a little and then pour it on the bread next repeat the layer with the biscuits and pour the mixture on the biscuits.

• Let it set in the freezer for 3-4 hours.

• Garnish with dry fruits or ice cream.

Carrot Halwa with Oats

 Carrot Halwa with Oats

Lockdown and husband working from home, daughter's classes started, both husband and daughter will crave for snacks in the evening, time flies like anything it's almost 4 months we have not stepped out of the house other than one or two times for groceries. Thought of a sweet which is my daughter's all time favourite.

Here is the recipe, I always keep it simple.I do not like milk so I try to use almond milk.

I took 15 minutes to prepare

It serves 6 servings

All you need is 

Carrot grated 4

Sugar or Jaggery 150 gms

Oats 11/2 tablespoon 

Cardamom 2 

Cashews 6 to 7

Grated coconut 1 tablespoon

Ghee 1 ½ table spoon

For garnish, take 4 cashews break into small pieces, 4 to 5 black grapes, 4 to 5 grapes. Fry it in spam adding a teaspoon of ghee.

Take the cashews, grated coconut and cardamom and grind it adding water, keep it aside.

Take sugar in a pan, add water till the sugar covers, once it melts add grated carrot and oats, if required you can add water to cook the carrot. When it thickens with no water left, add the grinded mix to this let it cool for 5 minutes stirring continuesly,  when there is no moisture left,  finally add ghee.

Garnish and serve.

Ice apple Juice

 

 Ice apple (palm fruit) is a seasonal fruit of the sugar palm tree and is widely available during the sizzling summer. The fleshy fruit loaded with translucent, juicy fluid has excellent cooling properties.

Ice Apple Nutrition:

Ice apple is a low-calorie fruit providing 43 calories per 100 grams ,11 grams of carbohydrates and rich in calcium and phytonutrients. It also contains a minimal amount of fibre, protein, vitamin C, A, E, K, B7 and iron which confers you with a host of healing health benefits.

Some of the benefits of ice apple

1. Ice apple acts as an excellent coolant and naturally cools the body in the summer and regulates the body temperature. It quenches the thirst and provides energy to stay active throughout the day.

2. Ice apple is packed with good amount of minerals sodium and potassium which helps in maintaining the fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. This property of ice apple works best in preventing dehydration and fatigue in summer.

3. It is a natural remedy for several stomach ailments and digestive issues, ice apple helps in relieving constipation and promotes bowel movements. It also relieves acidity and stomach ulcers. Ice apple eases minor stomach ailments and nausea that often occur during pregnancy.

4.The presence of several phytochemicals in ice apple possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial in slowing down the process of ageing and reducing the risk of health problems such as heart disease and cancer.

5. Skin problems such as heat rashes and prickly heat are very common in summer. Applying the flesh of ice apple on the affected areas relieves the itchiness and provides a soothing effect.

6. Ice apple is loaded with potassium and helps in cleansing the toxins out of the body and promotes the liver health.

7. A low-calorie watery fruit ice apple is an ideal deal to lose weight. The presence of water keeps you satiated for a long time and help in losing the weight naturally.

 

Ice apple juice made with simple ingredients: Milk, Rose petals,  and sugar. 

Cut the ice apple into small pieces mix with cooled milk and add sugar, mix it and cool it later garnish it with rose petals.