A healthy porridge for breakfast made with foxtail millet and served warm. This savory thinai kanji is made with whole hulled foxtail millet perfect to kick start your day with good carbs. The hard-core breakfasts are really lovely to sit down and have, but this year our schedules seem to have been pushed too far ahead. Barely out of bed, it is really hard to down something worthwhile before the run. Then comes smoothies which are fine on the warmer days but for the colder rainy mornings that don’t feel comfortable. This is when kanji comes into focus. As such I am a huge fan of these soft po ..read more

When life gets to the point of absolute crazy, remember to breathe take a moment and get some veggies in your meals. Harder said than done as the veggies take the longest time to prep than cook. Today I am back with one of my absolute survival hacks from the supermarket aisles. Though I love the farmers market, whole foods etc, when life gets to a point you are literally drowning  some of the veggie packs from aisles are a life saver. What we have is a shredded coleslaw mix that we transform into a quick shredded vegetable stirfry aka kadamba poriyal. Thankfully these packs are he ones t ..read more

Keep cool this summer with a glass of citrusy, sweet lime juice. Serve chilled in tall glasses this delightfully simple mosambi juice that is freshly squeezed. When you travel from one end to the other in Bengaluru you will quickly figure out whatfruits and vegetables are in season. The first ride to my mother in law’s place as soon as we reached India, clearly suggested I get my hand on some mosambi. It has been a few years since I have seen some, so without hesitation grabbed a few t the first vendor we saw. The slightly yellow green fruit with a sweet citrusy arils resemble and orange in ..read more

Get your glasses ready for the fruity, citrusy refreshing mango lemonade. This fuss-free, make-ahead recipe will bring you some sunshine and joy. I am sure I have Thursdayitis. I am not sure if that is a thing, but surely if we can have Mondayitis,  Thursdayitis should not be far away! I believe it is the day when most of my meal prep is reduced and I know the weekend is still a bit far which causes this feeling. I don’t really have a solution to this, so the one thing I do is keep cooking minimal this day. Of late the one thing I am loving to have when I come back from work is a mango l ..read more

Enjoy this deep-fried lentil fritter with pumpkin flowers for tea time or that breakfast add-on. The mathanpoo vadai is a crunchy and savory protein-rich snack you can meal prep easily. Does the garden yield as much as to sustain all your food needs? No, it certainly doesn’t. Then why do you keep the kitchen garden going? The simplest answer to this is it gives so much peace and a sense of achievement with the few bits that we get from the garden. I bet maybe a few leaves, pods, carrots eggplants or some fruit. All are valuable lessons that we have learned by planting them. The pumpkins are s ..read more

Masala French toast is a savory bread breakfast recipe that has Indian flavours seamlessly incorporated with the French bread technique. Try this easy fusion recipe for your impressive breakfast mornings. What does your Mother’s day treat look like? I love to call it breakfast on bed, but in reality, I would just like to come down and ask what’s for breakfast today like the rest of my family and then be served something simple like a masala toast and a cup of tea. This will be a happy treat for the day. Here is the plate I envision, hope you like it. What is masala French toast? French toast ..read more

Garnished with caramelized onions and cashew nuts, enjoy every bite of this dum-cooked, Malabar vegetable biryani. This is a perfect mild-tasting biryani that is enjoyed for any occasion. Rarely but surely they will have a small celebration at my mum’s workplace. If it is a lunch meeting surely there will be that parcel of biryani. Though a picky eater, I like digging into my mum’s pack of lunch and grabbing a few bites. I got the chance as I practically lived under her table at work all the little life that I was off school. Slowly, I developed a taste for this Malabar vegetable biryani wher ..read more

If there is one item that I can eat 365 and not be repetitious it has to be a salad. With so many veggies, fruits and beans to add, as well as tons of varieties of herbs and dressing, each salad is different. So here is just another one, a pink one for sure. This salad is surely an autumn-inspired one. With the tons of fresh sweet beets landing in the markets, it was meant to be relished. Along with crisp radishes and roselle onions, it is one of the best pink salads put together. Ingredients to make the beetroot radish salad Beetroot: sweet beets are so delicious in a salad. It is not just t ..read more

Guess I was nearly a teen when my ammama (maternal grandmother) was unwell and my mum went to look after her for a while. Being a small town everyone knew she was away and ensured my dad and me were fed and looked after well. Having girls of the same age,the lovely Suma aunty next door ensured, I get to have dinner at their place. Looking back now I have to say I was an idiot! I was not fond of food and probably believed I could live off air and water! The lovely aunty prepared beautiful Konkani-style meals and hardly a couple of bites went into my mouth. Nowadays, when I try these Gowda Sara ..read more

Vishu is all about the spring harvest. Though a shorter season it is a prep for the upcoming hot humid summer and the monsoons to follow. It is the beautiful Vishu Kani that wakes you up to watch the harvest gleam golden in the light of the oil lamp. The fragrance of fresh harvest of red rice, jackfruit, varieties of beans, and the yellow flowers of “kani konna” all together make it a real treat. Since the kani happens early in the morning breakfast before the sadhya becomes all the more important. What is Vishu kanji? The Vishu kani is seen early in the morning. This means breakfast becomes ..read more