No introduction..no background stories..no memories nothing…just plain simple cravings…welcome to my chat filled outing.. To satiate my sudden cravings for samosa chat
Well one has to dive deep into it to locate the chole and crushed samosa…
Dahi puri chat…
I was too busy / greedily eating up my samosa chat, I put hubby to the task of clicking pics of his favorite dahi puri chat.. Giving him a chance of trying out his photography skills.. 😛
Yes of course it is a different story that I ended up eating 3 of those puris, cause hubby being the generous one lets me have my fill…hence the many pics of the dahi puri in all angles and close ups..
And while your at it, Please do stop by for some pani puri too… 😜
Today’s post is about a yum tea time snack called Masala Khari..
Masala khari
Khari is a kind of puff pastry.. Fluffy and crunchy to munch on..
I don’t know much about it’s origin..but wiki stated that The khari biscuit was a part of the cuisine of the Irani Zoroastrian population..All I know is I love this yumm tea time snack…
It’s available with toppings of sugar or plain and simple salted versions…here I have it topped with chilli flakes and a bit of spices…
Topped with chilli flakes and don’t miss the layers
Mine is not home made..it is a ready to eat snack available in most bakeries and stores in India..
Since I am on my eternal never ending diet mode I would like to post and share about few superfoods which are soo common and soo underrated…
Freshly obtained tender coconut water!!
Since the pandemic started and even before that in my quest to understand what to eat and what not for weight loss I have come across, read about and consumed soo many foods… Which so called are low in calories and help to loose weight!!!
Nowadays we have an aqua mineral water infused with vitamins and all the essential nutrients… a diet coke with zero calories..super energizer power packed drinks..a ready to have low calorie high ptotein smoothie and what not…Come to think of it why would anyone want to pay extra money and go for something which doesn’t seem as healthy as advertised, when a humble, easily available tender coconut does the job at a lower cost?? Way back as a kid I remember sipping them for as low as 5 rupees which has escalated to 25 Rs per coconut and the prices rise during summers.. 🌴
This is one super food/ super drink which can be had even during pregnancy when one is coping with morning sickness or when you have a stomach upset..gastric issues..electrolyte imbalance or plain and simple to just loose weight and stay hydrated… 🌴
As a doctor I advise this to my patients when I prescribe certain medications which cause potassium depletion in the body.. Due to it’s potassium and varied mineral components it helps to stabilise the sodium potassium levels in the body…🌴
It’s such a naturally occuring elixir which has all the nutrients one can ask for in any health drink and most importantly has soo many health benefits ranging from lowering sugar levels to working it’s magic as an antioxidant.. 🌴
Of course it’s important to consume the water fresh from the coconut.. I still don’t believe in those packaged coconut drinks as they usually have some kind of preservatives…🌴
Stay hydrated!!!
As I was scrolling google for some gifs..I came across that September 2nd is celebrated as World coconut day!!! Super coincidence of some sorts…🌴
I incorporate this drink everyday in my diet..helps me stay on track with my weight loss…So if you get your hands on one.. Make sure to grab it and stay hydrated… 🌴
Until next time.. Have a great September everyone 🤗🌴
In a follow up to my diet food and cravings, today, I really really wanted to have some egg bhurji and plain paratha!! 😋
Plain paratha with Egg bhurji!!
Ok so for the Non Indian reader friends..
Egg bhurji is scrambled eggs mixed with onions and few spices..
Plain paratha or chappathi as we call it in southern India is simple wheat bread…
It is a simple everyday meal in most Indian homes but very special to me cause as a kid I remember hogging it every single day… A sort of comfort food… 😍
Now speaking in nutritional terminology it is a complete meal with Carbs.. Proteins and takes care of the daily micronutrients too…( for the weight watchers and calorie counters😉)
Chappathi or plain paratha is made on an everyday basis in every Indian household and eaten with sabjis ( curries- both veg/ non veg) Jams..Pickles..onions..stuffed..
I like it with ghee and sugar,so now you all know how I piled on those extra kilos…my school snack box used to invariably contain atleast one ghee sugar laden paratha🙈
( My mum thought It would help me grow vertically- as in tall, but I ended up growing horizontally) 🙈
As time flew and with less time for breakfast, I started enjoying my parathas with Tea.. Oh yes the love for tea is never ending!!
The thought of having tea wid parathas/ chappathi would freak out many!!! But have you tried it?? If not just try it once.. Puris with tea.. Parathas with tea.. Even dosas dipped in tea… Ahh heaven!!! It sure needs some time for the taste buds to get used it but once you do I am sure you will love it😍
So much for my simple cravings… Easy to make.. Less calories.. Nutritious and yummy!! Until next time.. Have a great week ahead everyone!!!
For the few reader friends who know.. I have been on an eternal diet… Have achieved my goal, I am on a weight maintainence mode… Still I watch what I eat and count my calories too.. Some days I just follow the simple diet and some days I crave for foods..
Sometimes the cravings don’t essentially mean only biriyani or something exotic… Have been craving for this simple veg meal since a week so finally went ahead and prepared this one..
Bhindi pyaaz and Roti
Bhindi is hindi word for Okra/ Lady’s finger..
Pyaaz is hindi for onions..
Roti is flattened wheat bread!!
At a better angulation!! 😜
Plain simple phulka/ roti goes with any veggie / non veg and is incorporated in many a diet plan…
And of course a sudden urge to have chocolate too.. As I gave a piece to my daughter I couldn’t resist biting into India’s favorite dairy milk… With my favorite roasted almonds…
Today post is about a salad.. Hesaru Belle Kosambari
Hesaru Belle – Split green gram Kosambari- Salad( in the South Indian kannada language)
Hesaru Belle Kosambari
Kosambari is a simple and easy to assemble South Indian salad. A very healthy and yummy one served usually in weddings and festive occasions where food is prepared and served in large quantities…If you go to a typical South indian wedding where food is served and eaten seated..not the buffet type..(as in you are seated in rows with a banana leaf spread in front of you, the traditional way of having food in the South of India at functions..)
Pic courtesy: Rediff.com
You will find the servers first placing salt, pickle on the banana leaf followed by this Kosambari/ salad.. It is yum, refreshing and a really tasty salad..so by the time we wait for the actual food this salad helps to satisfy the initial hunger pangs.. I have had this normally at weddings and I totally love it so encorporating this in my weight loss diet as it has a healthy mix of proteins and veggies..
It is made up of Moong lentils/ moong daal, veggies like carrots, cucumber are also added. Addition of fresh coconut is one of the highlight in kosambari and it does make a lot of difference to the final dish. A final tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves is also done. However, the tempering part can be skipped
Ingredients
🥗Soak 1/4 th cup of yellow moong daal for about 2 hours 🥗Grated carrot 🥗Finely chopped cucumber 🥗One green chilli chopped 🥗Freshly grated coconut ( can be skipped) 🥗Salt to taste 🥗A teaspoon of lemon juice..
For the tempering/ tadka
🥗A pinch of mustard…Jeera.. Asafoetida…Curry leaves… Chopped coriander and a teaspoon of oil
So in a bowl.. 🥗Mix in the chopped cucumber, grated carrots and coconut,chopped chillies, coriander.. 🥗Squeeze some lemon juice add in salt.. 🥗In a small pan take some oil add in mustard..jeera..asafoetida..coriander..curry leaves..
🥗Add this tempering to the salad and mix well..Can be had as it is or mixed with curd too..
Do try this really light and refreshing salad as a side dish or with your regular meals..
How’s July treating you all??Thanks to the second lock down in India..( not sure if I should be thankful about it) I have become active again on my favourite site..I just feel I have soo much to post and talk about but never could make time to edit and post..
Every Sunday it’s a norm that we go out on a long drive.. Followed by ice creams sessions..chai or chats.. I am not too fond of chats and steer clear of junk foods as I am on an eternal life long diet but Sundays are my cheat meal days.. The one day I really don’t mind tasting food that I crave to eat the entire week..
Today was all about pani puri..I am sure there is not a single Indian soul out there who doesn’t know what a pani puri is.. But for my non Indian reader friends .. Pani puri are called as puchkas in bengal..gol gappa in hindi..and just plain simple Pani puri where I live..
They are a common street food, Small rolled out, puffed up wheat puris filled with mashed potatoes..pulses and masalas.. Served with spicy masala water called pani…😜
My plate of pani puri.. Served with mashed potatoes..black gram.. tangy tamarind water and spicy flavoured pani…Keeping it simple and basic…
We often joke about how the pani puri bhaiya will give an extra sukha ( dry) puri..
A typical sight in India!!
In India the best way to have it is to group up around the stall, small plates or cups made from leaves will be handed out to each person, while the pani puri bhaiya will hand out the stuffed puris straight out of the pot, catering to each ones needs of extra spicy and extra tangy, he will instantly keep adding one puri to each ones plate and the extra sukha(dry) puri is a bonus..
The way we eat it is to make a hole in the small puri, stuff it with the mashed filling and onions..dip it in the masala water and savour it whole in one gulp and enjoy the flavours having a party in the mouth..Thats the master chef way of putting it..I am sure Gary..George and Mark( master chef judges ) would be soo proud of my description of it… 🙈😛
Kolkata puchkas… Had it at a stall called puchkalicious
With evolving trends like everything else the pani puri also has evolved with different fillings and toppings but the one that scared me the most was when I heard they sell chocolate filled pani puri😩😳🙈🙈
The basic meaning of having spicy tangy mouth watering pani puri is lost.. Hope they don’t invent ice cream pani puris or such stuff…
Chocolate coated pani puris…Not a big fan of these 🙄🙈
During my Internship, we were posted in a government hospital for about 2 months, so the routine was that all friends would meet up for breakfast at this awesome place called Halli manne ( literally translated as village house, it’s still there in Bangalore) where they used to dole out fluffy idlis and other yummy breakfast items, they had a huge variety to offer..
My friends used to try out every item on the menu..I was determined to do the same but god knows why I used to end up ordering one Idli and one vada with sizzling hot sambhar and this continued for the whole two months we were posted there, everyday breakfast was the same, yummy hot Idlis and I never tired of it..
The Idli family😉
This trend continued even during my post grad days, when my friends used to order Pooris, Dosas and Poha, I used to stick to my staple of one Idli one vada again and again,so that’s when I realised I have an never ending connection with the humble idli..humble Nee..humble idli..😉 given the fact that idlis is also a diet food so my calorie count was in check( remember I am on an eternal never ending diet)
So much for my love for idlis..
Oh and even the day after I delivered, I was given Idli and milk so now you know, Idli rocks!! Annnddd I am hungry typing soo much about idlis, I want one plate right now!! 🤤
So if ever you come across this humble everyday staple in the South of India, grab a hot plate with sambhar and let the magic work…have a great weekend all..🤗🤗🤗
