Goodbye 2012 and Welcome 2013... Happy New Year!!!

A plate of Indian street food, Chaats is what I have for you on the last day of 2012. For me this plate of Chaat symbolises the life in general; a touch of sweet, a pinch of salt, a dash of sourness and a kick of spice! Just the way our life is, with ups and downs, challenges and achievements, happiness and joy, peppered with few tears and tantrums! But in the end it is quite satisfying and fulfilling experience... I hope the new year also brings new expectations, new opportunities, new challenges, and a whole new way of delighting people related with you!

Wishing you all a life changing, world shaping, wonderful, purposeful, awe-inspiring and ridiculously Happy New Year!!!

Warm Regards
Sia | Monsoon Spice

Merry Chirstmas!

The best gifts in life will never be found under a Christmas tree! Those gifts are friends, family, kids and the one you love!

To all of my family and the friends I have made, those who left for a while and those who have stayed...

Wishing You All A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Warm Regards

Sia

Eggless Fruitcake Cookies Recipe | Simple Christmas Cookie Recipes

Learn how to make Eggless Fruitcake Cookies for this Christmas

I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone. Well, almost! You get the picture. From the milkman to paper delivery guy to grocer to sales man/women at retail stores were known and addressed by their first names. The close community and helpful neighbours meant the crime rates were almost nil except for one or two occasions of some petty robberies. We grew up as kids or how every kid should grow up, fearless and happy! Yes, I am lucky to have a wonderful childhood, untouched by any kind of fear, hatred, or religion/state/caste boundary… My childhood was like any childhood should be…filled with laughter, innocence and mischief!

Carrot Kheer/Payasam Recipe | How to Make Carrot Kheer

Learn how to make Carrot Kheer/Carrot Payasam ~ Thick and creamy Indian sweet pudding of carrots cooked in milk, flavoured with cardamoms and topped with crunchy cashew nuts

Memories… Some memories are like a scripture carved in stones, etched in minds like crystal clear pictures. And then there are kind of memories, like dew drops on rose a petal which melts away as the morning sun kisses them, leaving behind blurry images… Some memories come rushing like waves after soaring high waves of mighty ocean, leaving you giddy headed! And there are other memories that come fluttering like a butterfly, lively and playful but transient at the same time, bringing little flashes from past!

Vegan Leek and Potato Soup Recipe | Quick & Simple Soup Recipes

Learn how to make Vegan Leek and Potato Soup

So this season’s first snow is here. With dropping temperature and many cold frosty nights, we kind of expected it to snow anytime! Probably snow is one of the best things about winter as the little girl trapped inside my grown up woman’s body come out with mischief in her mind and twinkle in her eyes!

Mughlai Paneer Kofta Curry Recipe | How to Make Paneer Kofta

Learn how to make Mughlai Paneer Kofta Curry ~ Deep fried paneer (an Indian cottage cheese) and dried nuts dumplings served in a creamy almond and cashew nut gravy

With winter looming over, I miss the sunlight terribly! Like the plants who cheer up when the golden rays touch them, I instantly perk up when the sunlight touches my face! But with a days getting shorter and sun making disappearing acts often, I try to make up for the lack of warmth of sunshine with food! Deep fried food to be more specific!!!

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.

Delicious Autumn!

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

~ George Eliot

15 Minutes Microwave Doodh Peda (Milk Peda) Recipe | Step by Step Doodh Peda Recipe | Diwali Sweet Recipe

Learn how to make simple and quick 15 Minutes Microwave Doodh Peda (Milk Peda) using Milk Powder and flavoured with cardamom

This Diwali is special in two ways… One it is Diwali, an Indian festival of lights, and the second being it marks our 7th wedding anniversary! After ‘saying yes’ and committing ourselves to lifetime some 8 years ago, it has been a wonderful seven years of blissful married life! In these seven years we have seen many ups, faced few lows, lot of laughter, few and far between tears, a handful of tantrums, spiced with few fights, peppered with handful of arguments and sweetened with joy!

Mysore Pak Recipe | How to Make Mysore Pak | Diwali Sweet Recipe

Learn how to make Mysore Pak or Mysore Paak/Gram Flour Fudge ~ Traditional sweet of Bengal gram/chickpea flour, ghee and sugar flavoured with cardamom powder from Karnataka, a South Indian state  

Once upon a time, many many years ago, there was royal cook named Kakasura Madappa. He was an expert in creating magic with sugar and ghee. Bored with making same kind of sweets and pudding with exquisite and expensive ingredients, one day he decided to experiment with very common and inexpensive ingredient which all aam junta (common man of India) could easily afford. The main ingredient of this sweet which Madappa was experimenting was type casted as ‘to be used in making savoury dishes only’ in the cooking world. Madappa ignored the looks of unapprovals and the little murmurs of snide remarks from fellow cooks and continued his experiment in cooking something remarkable. Little did Madappa and his contemporaries knew that his simple concoction of gram flour, sugar and ghee was about to create a history in the world of sweet confections!

Scotland ~ Through My Eyes!

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;

A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,

My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

~ Robert Burns

Mushroom-Pepper Curry | How to Make Simple Mushroom & Capsicum Curry

Learn how to make Mushroom-Pepper Curry ~ Simple and quick stir fry recipe of spicy bell peppers/capsicums and mushrooms marinated in aromatic spice blend

Autumn is here in full glory!
She has turned the world into one giant rainbow.
The sky is vivid blue and the grass is gold
The trees look like the Cupid’s colourful bow!
The birds are tweeting melodious songs
And the bees are buzzing all day long
People are covered from head to feet
In their woolly hat and coat
Little Dumpling likes his evening walks
While his boots crushes dry leaves and the stalks
Pitter-patter rain is here to stay
Dancing in the puddles is so much fun, I say!
Soon the winter will spread her chills
So let’s enjoy one last trip to the hills!

Punjabi Aloo Gobi Recipe | How to Make The Classic Punjabi Alu Gobi

Learn how to make Punjabi Aloo Gobi/Alu Gobi ~ Simple stir fry of potatoes and cauliflower flavoured with aromatic Indian spices

The summer that never was is really over! While the world enjoyed basking under the glorious sun and BBQs, we in Britain looked enviously at them but still hopeful for few days of sun and fun! We whined about the gloomy weather and dark clouds, grumbled about non-stop drizzles and cold nights, and then rejoiced when a mother nature showed little mercy with few days of clear blue skies and summer like weather! But it was no enough… It is never enough!

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!

Dahiwale Mushrooms | Mushroom Yogurt Curry Recipe

Learn how to make Dahiwale Mushrooms (Mushroom Yogurt Curry) ~ Marinated mushrooms cooked in spicy and tangy yogurt gravy

The entire India and Indian expats scattered around the world busy making preparations for Gowri-Gaesha festival of beloved Hindu elephant headed God Ganesha, the story at Monsoon Spice household is rather sad and quite different! With Lil Dumpling suffering from high temperature, both HD and me are taking turns in taking days off from work and looking after our precious little one. It’s been just 3 days and Lil Dumpling has lost oodles of baby fat!

Aloo Baingan Curry Recipe | How to Make Potato and Eggplant/Aubergine Curry

Learn how to make Aloo Baingan ~ Potatoes and Aubergine cooked in peanut and coconut gravy

~Warning: long whiny rant. So skip it if you are here for just the recipe part! ~ Summer is officially over in my part of the world, but for me it never started this year! With few days of sunshine and then days after days of rain and dip in temperature, we were left wondering is it really summer season?! Although we did enjoy a week or two of good weather with plenty of sunshine and clear blue skies, it was snatched away from our hands before we could actually enjoy it completely.

Rajma Masala Recipe | How to Make Simple Punjabi Rajma Masala/Red Kidney Beans Curry

Learn how to make Rajma Masala/Curry ~ Slow cooked Kidney beans in creamy and spicy onion-tomato gravy

“ The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking,
Might sometimes knock me down,
But I'm not breaking. ”
~ Wincy

We all dream… Dreams, that is what keeps fuelling our life to keep it exciting and going… But to make those dreams a reality is not as easy as we would like them to be! There are many obstacles, challenges, confusions, unknowns, with good measure of ifs and buts thrown in to make it stressful. But every life altering things always comes with few obstacles, many challenges, little sorrow, a lot of adventure and in the end peace and happiness!

Pressure Cooked Stuffed Baby Brinjal/Eggplant/Aubergine Recipe | Baby Eggplants Stuffed with Onion and Peanut Paste

 Pressure Cooked Baby Brinjal/Eggplant/Aubergine

Time! A four lettered word! But if you start looking for the deep meaning, all the time in your life will not be enough… This simple four lettered word is the most precious thing in everyone’s life! But it has become all the more valuable when I new joyous chapter of motherhood touched my life! Time has always been precious and now it has become a treasured part of my life!

Dhariwala Recipe | Simple and Quick Potato and Peas Curry

Learn to make Dhariwala ~ Potato and Peas Curry

As some of you like to think and brand me as a super woman who easily balances home, work, kid and food blog, I hate to burst that thought bubble. But here is the fact… I am far from being a super woman. I am just a normal woman who has limitations and faults and from time to time I demonstrate these qualities. There comes a time in my life where I don’t feel like cooking. Although it happens very rarely, it does happen for sure. It usually happens when I am tired of thinking and asking my better half what he wants to eat for dinner and he comes back with the great reply ‘whatever you want’!!! Just what I wanted to hear! Brilliant!!!

Kaju Masala Recipe | How to Make Simple & Quick Cashew Curry

Learn how to make Kaju Masala Curry ~ Cashew Curry

After long unexpected break from blogging, it feels strange to sit here and share few titbits of my life and a recipe. Although my mind is all jumbled up with hundreds of things happening around me, my heart and my fingers seems to know their business. As the words pour out from my heart and dances on my fingertips tapping furiously on the keyboard, first thing I want to say to you is a big thank you!

An Update and A Thank You!

Dear readers, 

I know it’s been a while since I updated Monsoon Spice with new recipes. Since my laptop battery has conked out, I am waiting for the new battery to arrive so that I can share some delicious food we have been enjoying. Please bear with me for few more days and I will update this space with freshly made home cooked meals ASAP. 

Warm Regards, 

Sia

Soute Kayi and Alasande Majjige Huli Recipe | How to Make Majjige Huli

Soute Kayi and Alasande Majjige Huli ~ Served with Rosematta Rice

Lil dumpling’s second birthday came and went… at lightning speed! We were planning to skip the birthday party and spend the whole day doing what LD like to do the best, that is running around in the open space chasing butterflies, bum bees (bumble bees;) and playing for hours on slides and in swings! But in the end we decided to have a very cosy birthday party, just like last year, with few special friends.

And Lil Dumpling Turns TWO!!!

Dearest Lil Dumpling, 

Second birthday already? I can't believe how fast you are growing up. You will be TWO tomorrow! Yes, T-W-O!!! I have pinched my hands some zillion times to see if I am dreaming but the red spots and pain tells different story… You are TWO!!! OK, I need to stop repeating it… But you are TWOOOOO!!!! You will be a superstar in no time!

Paneer Tikka Masala Recipe | How to Make Paneer Tikka Masala

Learn how to make Paneer Tikka Masala ~ Grilled or pan fried marinated Indian cottage cheese served in creamy onion, tomato and cashew gravy

I know it’s been few weeks already since this space breathed a new post… As the days are getting longer and nights are getting shorter, my desire to take a break from usual daily grind grew stronger… Summer, well, it is officially here in my neck of wood with soaring high temperature of 27 deg C.

Cauliflower Kurma Recipe | How to Make Simple Vegetable Kurma

Learn how to make Cauliflower Kurma

As soon as the early sunrays caressed the chubby cheeks of little girl with pigtails she opened her eyes slowly, rubbing it fast to kick the slumber still clinging to it in a hope of catching few more minutes of sleep… It was Sunday, a special day filled with promise of long hours of play time, favourite food and undivided attention of parents… Happily she climbed down from her bed and burst into the kitchen where her mother was cooking. She watched with fascination as her mother selected few spices from glass jars, a cinnamon, few green cardamoms and cloves grown in their farm along with other spices. The small cast iron pan was taken out from the top shelf and then her mother started roasting the spices… Within couple of minutes the whole house was filled with a heady aroma of spices. 

Simple & Quick Stuffed Baby Eggplants/Brinjal/Aubergine Recipe | Baby Eggplants in Peanut and Coconut Gravy

Learn how to make Stuffed Baby Eggplants/Brinjal/Aubergine ~
Quick and simple recipe for stuffed eggplant/brinjal/aubergine cooked in mildly spiced coconut and peanut gravy

It was one of those rare days of reflection where I sat in my favourite corner of our home, my small yet cosy reading room, on low divan dressed with a beautiful and colourful handmade throw and plump cushions in bright royal shades of red and maroons, gifted by my hubby’s brother and sister-in-law. On one side is the low side table I found in my neighbours skip, the items piled for discarding, now holding a small lamp, a family portrait, small vase of my favourite flowers daisies, and couple of books I love… Opposite wall has a tall book shelf housing my book collection, some important files and my most favourite treasures, art and crafts by Lil Dumpling. My amateur but colourful watercolours are displayed proudly on two walls which compliment and complete the room. None of the things match one another, but surprisingly when put together they somehow seems to work and complement each other…

They Inspire Me!

A bunch of blogs/website I love to visit… I found them to be really inspiring and visit them whenever I can… Some for wonderful recipes, some for soul touching narrations, some for good humour and laugh, some for brilliant food photography, some for larger than life photography and other for just being themselves without any frills and pretense! This is a work-in-progress list and I will update it as and when I come across the websites that touch my heart, make me think, makes me speak out, inspires me and make me weak at knees!!! :D

Semiya Kheer or Semige Payasa Recipe | How to make simple Semiya Kheer/Vermicelli Pudding

Semige Payasa or Semiya Kheer 

I am fond of sleeping. Period. 

Long gone are the days when I could sleep when I wished, where I wished and for how ever long I wished! ~sigh~ A sleep which I took for granted has become such a luxury these days! But at last I had undisturbed (well, kind of) and very much deserved good night’s sleep. After series of serious bouts of coughing sessions from Lil Dumpling to HD, I was the latest victim of chesty cough that caught me in its wicked, painful grip! After 2 successive nights and days of coughing till my guts threatened to tore apart, my throat and chest felt like they have been rubbed with sand paper! It was  high doses of antibiotics that came to my rescue and I am happy to announce (for whoever cares or not cares!) that I am still alive and kicking! 

Low Fat Oven Roasted Potato Wedges Recipe ~ Roasted Cumin and Sea Salt Flavoued

Low Fat Oven Roasted Potato Wedges ~ Roasted Cumin Flavoued

I had major plans for Easter break! A trip to pet farm for Lil Dumpling followed by a canal side walk to show little duckies following their Mamma ducks and then visit to local library with some spring and summer wardrobe shopping thrown in! Thursday evening I left the office little early, eagerly looking forward to spend next four days with my two men outside in open air, breathing fresh air and creating new sweet memories along…

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

(Updated on 31/01/2013)

With many queries/comments pouring in to my mail box everyday, I thought its time Monsoon Spice had separate FAQs page. So here we go…

Q: Who updates/runs this blog?

Q: How do I find a specific recipe or post?

Q: I didn’t find the recipe I was looking for in your blog, even after using all the methods?

Q: Why do you post only vegetarian and/or vegan recipes?

Q: Can you post more recipes for kids, gluten-free, vegan and/or bachelor friendly?

Q: I made/cooked following your recipe from Monsoon Spice. Can I post it in my blog?

Q: I tried the xyz recipe but it looked different from the photos you have posted! What went wrong?

Q: Your xyz recipe looks just like ABC’s recipe from UWV website/magazine/cookbook!

Q: Can you mention or tell me the exact calories in every recipe you post?

Q: I like/love your food photographs? What camera do you use?

Q: Do you use Adobe Photoshop to edit your photos?

Q: Are you active on social networks?

Q: How do I find you on Twitter?

Q: How do I join the Facebook page?

Q: How do I share your posts of Facebook?

Q: How do I share your posts on Twitter?

Q: How do I subscribe to “Monsoon Spice” by email?

Q: I left a comment but it hasn’t appeared. What happened to it?

Q: Do you have any favourite blogs?

Q: Do you do link exchanges?

Q: Do you accept guest posts from freelance writers, company/organisation PRs, bloggers etc?

Q: I want you to do guest post for my blog/website. How do I contact you?

Q: How do I contact you for suggestions or other matters? 

Q: Why haven’t you replied to my email?

Q: Who updates/runs this blog?

A: Hello… It’s me… Here… No, not there… Look here… Right here… Yeah! I am Sia and read About page to know more.

Q: How do I find a specific recipe or post? 

A: Please read the Recipe Index page which explains different ways to find the recipe you want.

Q: I didn’t find the recipe I was looking for in your blog, even after using all the methods?

A: Please leave your recipe request at Ask Sia page. Most of the Recipes blogged in Monsoon Spice are the one’s which we cook regularly at home or whatever we fancy eating. If it is simple Rasam/Dal Rice one day then other day it is something I learned from my Amma, relatives, friends, websites, food blogs, cookbooks or some cookery shows on telly. There is no particular rule I follow while posting these recipes. 

The recipes blogged are something which we ate, loved and want to replicate the same in future. Monsoon Spice is our treasure box of recipes which satisfies both our tummy and soul which I am sharing with you now. There are few recipes which I am not too fond of or haven’t got the right ingredients or just forgot about it all together or just don’t have enough time to cook. So if you are looking for a particular vegetarian recipe in Monsoon Spice please mail me a request, or even better, just drop a line at Ask Sia page.

Broccoli Paratha Recipe | How to Make Simple Stuffed Parathas

Broccoli Paratha ~ Whole wheat flat breads stuffed with spicy grated broccoli

We have experienced warm to hot to cold to chilling cold weather in the past one week. And tonight, it’s going to snow heavily!!! This sudden change in weather resulted in Lil Dumpling falling ill with dry, chesty cough followed by wheezing, something I always dread whenever there is extreme change in temperature as he is still developing his immunity to fight against nasty virus and bad germs!

Pickled or Brined Raw Jackfruit Rotti Recipe | Vegan and Gluten Free Jackfruit in Brine Flat Bread

Vegan as well as gluten-free ~ Pickled or Brined Jackfruit Rotti

Yesterday I went to work, little late than usual, and sat at my desk. I was there, physically, in my office tapping the keyboard and scrutinising the lengthy program looking for the line of code that stopped the program from running smoothly, as it should be! I sat there, may be for few minutes or was it an hour, tapping my fingers on lips, something I always do when I am concentrating while my glasses slowly slipped to tip of my nose… the seconds turned to minutes, slowly creeping to hour… but I was still staring at the monitor with a deep frown. A simple task of decoding which would usually take few minutes but not this time! What was wrong?

Tuvar Lilva and Tomato Curry Recipe | Simple Tuvar Lilva/Fresh Pigeon Peas Curry

Tuvar Lilva and Tomato Curry

It is one of those days when my fingers linger over keyboard without touching it for hours! After what feels like ages, I randomly type few words only to press delete button after a while… My mind is buzzing with hurricane of thoughts, ideas and stories that I want to share with my reader friends, but words seems to have abandoned me when I try to pen them down! It happened yesterday and I was hoping that foggy thoughts will clear and the words will come flooding to me from my heart and they will flow through my finger tips! But staring at the blank screen with blinking cursor for agers, I have concluded that I am going through the phase of writer’s block! ~sigh~

Palak Paneer Recipe | How to make Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer

Is it Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer? Which one it is? ‘What’s in the name?’ you may ask! Well, everything! How will you feel if you are addressed differently from your own name? Aha… yes! Now we are talking… so why this partiality when it comes to food? After all as long as the food on plate is edible, we shouldn’t be much bothered about how it is called, right?

Mango Ginger (Ambe Halad/Ambe Haldi/Manganari) & Coconut Chutney | How to Make Simple Coconut Chutney

Mango Ginger (Halad/Ambe Haldi/Manganari) & Coconut Chutney

I miss home! Home as in India that sits on top of small hill surrounded by greenery! The open space and the fresh air, the swing on large balcony and the little seating area in front of house, the rustle of Amma’s freshly starched cotton saree and the jingle of gold bangles in her hand, the sound of turning the news paper and the clicking of grandfather’s clock from my Appa’s study, the aroma of fresh blooms of jasmines and roses from my Amma’s little garden and the noise of leaves swaying to soft breeze, and the heady aroma of freshly brewed filter coffee and the roasted spices from Amma’s kitchen! Oh, I miss them all and more…

Tondekayi Palya (Tindla Palya) Recipe ~ A Pictorial

Tondekayi Palya/Tindla Palya/Stir Fried Ivy Gourds ~ It starts from here

I have been feeling extremely homesick today and was leafing through the photos I took when I visited home in December. I found few food related photos and thought you, my dear reader friends, might find them interesting. So here is the pictorial of one of my favourite recipes, Tondekayi Palya or Tindla Palya or Tindora Subji, which is a simple stir fry of Ivy Gourds, cooked using few basic spices and then generously garnished with fresh grated coconut. I randomly clicked few photos while our family cook prepared them at my in-law’s farm house. This delicious Tondekayi Palya or simple Tindora/Ivy Gourd Stir Fry was cooked by our family cook using very old and traditional fire wood cooking technique. The smoke coming from wood adds smoky flavour to this simple stir fry. I will not be posting the recipe as it has already been posted some 3½ plus years back. So if you are interested to cooking this simple Tondekayi Palya or Tindla Palya, please click here for the recipe.

Kadai Paneer (Karahi Paneer) Recipe | How to Make Restaurant Style Kadai Paneer or Karahi Paneer

Kadai Paneer or Karahi Paneer ~What’s in name?!

Past three weeks have been really testing and extremely busy week in MS household. First, HD got busy with mountain load of paper works needed for my in-law’s visa and then Lil Dumpling suddenly fell ill with severe cough and then gastroenteritis. Ah, the joys of sending your child to day care means seesawing between little runny nose to viral infections.

Sprouted Moong Usal Recipe | Moongachi Usal

Sprouted Moong Usal | Moongachi Usal

You know that you are watching too much TV when you laugh at the F.R.I.E.N.D.S jokes even before it is made! ~sigh~ Yes! The joy of staring in to idiot box for too long is rubbing on me and slowly I see myself blinking like an idiot at idiot box!

After coming back from 9-5 work load and then one frantic hour of giving bath to Lil dumpling (and in turn getting drenched from top to toe by all that splashing by LD), chasing the super active naked toddler around with nappy in one hand and night dress in another, stuffing his mouth with food and almost threatening him to disinherit in my will (whatever meagre wealth I can accumulate after spending most of my salary on his toys and fancy cloths and shoes and not to forget the bomb they charge at his day care in name of looking after him in my absence) if he doesn’t stop from throwing food all around except in his own mouth, trying to teach him brush his teeth instead of chewing and then patting him to sleep, I am left with long evening to kill. These past couple of days I am easily spotted with a dazed look due to heavy work load and bags of dark circles due to lack of sleep. I feel too tired and lazy to cook after a really busy day, I plonk on the sofa with a TV remote in one hand and the fingers dancing on buttons that will bring shame to the most competitive typists! 

About

Meet Sia:

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.  
~ Harriet Van Horne

Namaste, I am Sia. I am your hostess and also a daughter/sister/wife/friend/cook/blogger and most importantly, a mother to a most adorable and lovable little boy in the universe! I was born and brought up in a charming small town Puttur close to the coastal city of Mangalore in South India which is famous for its virgin beaches, red tiled houses and gentle backwaters. I was introduced to authentic and traditional Indian cuisine by my Ajji (grandma), Amma (mom) and half a dozen aunties in a typical food and fun loving family where the life revolves around food, love, laughter and good dose of gossips!

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. 
  ~ Julia Child

I was never serious about cooking, but was a foodie all through my school and college days! My cooking adventure started after I got married and moved with my ‘much’ better half to UK some nine years ago. With beginners luck and zillions of SOS calls at ungodly hours to my Amma (mother) and Atte (mom-in-law), I reached a phase where I could cook decent pot of rice and Rasam. Slowly but steadily I graduated from cooking simple, everyday home food to exotic and exciting Indian and world cuisine. I continue to enjoy this exciting and adventurous culinary journey with few kitchen disastrous, some blunders and tears, and lot of laughter and good food on the way spicing up my life!

I hold a bachelor degree in Computer Science Engineering and masters degree in MBA, but literature and writing is my passion. After working full-time as an IT professional in a very exciting organisation for over 8 years, I quit my job to enjoy small things in my life. Now I am a part-time food blogger and photographer, full-time daughter/wife/friend/sister/mother, voracious reader, doodler, curry plant killer, nature and adventure sports lover, tree hugger, bon vivant, bathroom singer and generally having an interesting life and enjoying it to fullest. Living one busy life means the blog posts are often irregular and I can disappear for weeks or months from blog-o-sphere. But whenever the post make an appearance, you can be 100% sure that they are always cooked and served with lot of love and passion.

Sprouted Moong and Coconut Akki Rotti | Vegan and Gluten Free Sprouted Moong Beans Flat Bread

Sprouted Moong and Coconut Akki Rotti ~ Vegan & Gluten free

Motherhood! It’s a simple word. But you can never understand its real meaning of this very simple word until you become a mother. This one simple word has so much depth to it. It has some emotions that you never experienced and the love that you never felt. It has joy that makes your head spin with giddiness and fun that will take the definition of fun to new levels. The spectrum of emotions you go through with in a couple of minutes is something you will never experience until you parent a child. Well, it is true in my case!

Aloo/Batate Bonda Recipe | Step by Step Recipe for Aloo Bonda

Deep fried crisp, delicious and addictive treats ~ Aloo/Batate Bonda

Winter!

Winter… Cold, bitter, biting, chilling and freezing!

Winter… Thick layer of frost on the window panes, but on roads and pavements is a real pain!

Winter… A flurry of snow, here and there and other times a thick blanket of silver dust every where.

Winter… Naked trees standing tall stripped from their glossy green hair!

Banana 65 Recipe | Deep Fried Raw Banana/Plantain in Creamy Tomato Gravy

Deep fried plantain in creamy tomato gravy ~ Banana 65

Last evening I decided to walk back to home from work. It’s not exactly a long walk as our cosy little nest is just over 3 miles from my work place and at my leisurely pace it takes around 40 minutes to reach home with some dozen plus traffic signals dotted around. Winter is at its peak right now. I noticed just a few people walking beside me.

Veg Manchurian or Vegetable Manchurian Recipe

Veg Manchurian

Nature is beautiful. Nature is inspiring…. And sometimes, it can be deceitful!

Don’t take it wrong, as my intentions are not bad… It’s just an observation from my end when I actually saw that little, delicate crocus buds blooming in our garden. Yes, Crocus blooms in mid-Jan! Who would have thunk?!

Cabbage Akki Rotti Recipe | Gluten Free Spicy Cabbage Flat Bread Recipe

Cabbage Akki Rotti Recipe | Gluten Free Spicy Cabbage Flat Bread

I think I need another vacation to recover from previous one! Well, it almost sums up my recent trip to India-aah!

Food-dozing-food-chasing the toddle-food-trying to stop Lil Dumpling from running wild naked-food-meeting dozens of aunts and uncles-food-travelling with one super active toddler-food-temple visits-food-catching few blinks while Lil Dumpling runs riot without a stitch of thread on his back-food-trying to avoid cousin jealousy when one kid snatches toys from other-food-catching up with all the latest gossips in family and friend circle-food-taking few photos in between Lil Dumpling’s short day naps-food-food-food-and more food! Well, this almost sums up my India trip!!!

Monsoon Spice Recipe Index

Namaste & Hello Readers,

Due to many e-mails and comments, I have tried to make recipe search on Monsoon Spice more user friendly. There are four ways you can search your favourite recipes.

1. Search Recipes by Ingredients: You can now browse recipes based on main ingredients used. It is listed under different categories in alphabetical order on the side bar of Monsoon Spice.
2. Search Recipes by Title: The drop-down list on the side bar of Monsoon Spice and on Recipe Index Page lists the recipes by region, type and courses.
3. Google Search: You can also browse the recipe you want by simply entering the key word on Google search engine on the side bar of Monsoon Spice and on this Recipe Index Page.
4. Search Recipes by Month: You can browse the recipes by month by clicking on the month on archive section listen on the side bar of Monsoon Spice.

Monsoon Spice Recipe Index is laid out for visitors to come and pick their meal in an easy way. I have categorised this Recipe Index is two ways.
1. One is to choose recipes based on Regions from which they come from.
2. Second is based on the meal types.

Being a Vegetarian, I blog Vegetarian Recipes in Monsoon Spice and most of them are Satwik in nature. Each and every dish created and blogged in Monsoon Spice is prepared with utmost love and passion. I have tried to recreate the same magic in my small kitchen which I have grown watching it happen everyday in my Amma (Mother) and Ajji's (Grandma) kitchen. Thus its no surprise that most of the recipes I have blogged are the ones I learnt from my Amma, Ajji, Aunts and Friends. Other recipes are the ones which I tried from fellow bloggers, cookery books and shows, internet etc. And there are few recipes which are the results of occasional accidents happening in our kitchen by me and my much better half, HD. Hence most of the Recipes blogged in Monsoon Spice are the one’s which we cook regularly at home or whatever we fancy eating. The recipes blogged are something which we ate, loved and want to replicate the same in future. Monsoon Spice is our treasure box of recipes which satisfies both our tummy and soul which I am sharing with you now.

I consider myself to be an amateur cook when it comes to cooking. I have just started this wonderful journey of culinary experience and I am eager to absorb the lessons I learn on my way. So be patience and correct me if I have gone wrong and posted something which you think is not quite right. I am more than happy to get your feedback and suggestion to make Monsoon Spice more interactive and interesting place for you.

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Pomegranate Rice - A Guest Post by Radhika @ Food for 7 Stages of Life

Light, Colourful and Packed with Flavours: Pomegranate Rice

It’s been more than 2 weeks since I came back from one month of fulfilled trip to India. All I did was eating-dozing, eating-napping and eating-sleeping… You know the drift! I am still getting over the fact that the holidays are over, I am not yet ready to post anything as of now… While the writer’s block is keeping away from penning my fabulous time at home, the cold winter kept me away from work and confined to bed with nasty chest infection! So while I recover from both cold and homesickness, a dear blogger friend Radhika has agreed to guest post in my absence. In spite of her busy schedule with a new and exciting job of parenting to beautiful baby girl, Radhika kindly agreed to share her favourite recipe of Pomegranate Rice with all of here in my virtual kitchen. Radhika’s gorgeous blog Food for 7 stages of Life is alive with her beautiful photography, exciting recipes, and lovely anecdotes. From simple home cooking to fusion cooking, her blog has everything and more. You can’t just help but marvel at her innovative and unique recipes and wonder how you didn’t think of cooking it before?! Thank you Radhika for gracing my virtual kitchen with yet another interesting and winning recipe. Please follow her on Twitter or join her fan club on Facebook to find more about her and her recipes.

Sweet & Savoury Seasoned Jowar – A Guest Post by Pavithra @ Dishes from My Kitchen

Seasoned Jowar - Sweet and Savoury

Recently I became acquainted with the multi talented Pavithra of Dishes from My Kitchen on social networking site. I was overjoyed when she readily agreed to guest post for the readers of Monsoon Spice in spite of her busy schedule. Her blog is a virtual treat where she dishes out modern Indian cooking using traditional recipes and techniques but giving it her own unique twist. Just like the beautiful lady here, her blog is gorgeous with one of the kind recipe repertoire and stunning food photography that will make you run to the kitchen to create the same magic! From scrumptious sweets to daring bakes, from traditional cooking to modern twists, her blog has wonderful collection of recipes to please every one of you. A heartfelt thank you to Pavithra for gracing my virtual kitchen and sharing her childhood favourite recipes with us all! Please follow her on Facebook if you don’t want to miss out her wonderful recipes.

Victoria Sandwich or Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe - A Guest Post by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums

Victoria Sandwich or Victoria Sponge Cake

It’s been just few months since I began participating in Susan’s Black and White Wednesday, a culinary food photography event where we are encouraged to look at food and anything related to food in monochrome colours. Sometime I failed and sometimes I succeeded in capturing the vibrant and colourful food look good in just two colours. But I found one amazing food blogger who not just takes beautiful photographs in monochrome but wows you every time by bringing them to life. Every single photograph in her blog has some stories to tell without the need of any words! Her photograph makes me go weak at the knees, lifts my spirit, and also makes me happy every time! I am talking about gorgeous lady Rosa who writes at Rosa’s Yummy Yums from one of the most beautiful countries, Switzerland. I am honoured to have her here today, on Monsoon Spice kitchen, sharing her beautiful photographs and fond memories with you all… Please welcome Rosa today and don’t forget to follow her on Twitter and Facebook if you don’t want to miss out some great food and photos.