Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
My sister - Sukanya Mani :D
Talk about art and passion, my sister Sukanya Mani is a self made artist, her love for kids and art has made her an arts teacher for children at a Studio in Ballwin MO U.S.A. She also paints oils and acrylics and loves to add an Indian twist to her paintings. Her paintings have inspired me to paint and experiment with keen ideas and colors just like her. I remember sitting next to her as a kid and drawing meaningless scribbles, and thinking one day I'm going to draw something amazing just like her. Her imagination, her creative skill set and her unending love for art has come together to create some wonderful masterpieces. Knowing her personally, i would say she is doing exactly what she is meant to do. Her keen interest in fashion, cartooning, water colors, portraits, caricature, and playing with colors right from a young age has made her a dedicated artist. I have always been in awe of her paintings and how passionate she is about what she does. She's the perfect daughter, a loving wife, the mother of two, a business women, an art lover, a teacher, and the sweetest sister (that's quite a handful).
Check out http://www.sknymu.blogspot.com/ and find out what Sukanya's paintings are all about. If you have a natural eye for art and a love for bright colors to perk up your every mood, I'm sure your going to love her paintings on your wall.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
My fallen hero
My grandfather was a quiet man. He had always found it difficult to express himself, and sometimes we had to find out from his expressions to know exactly what he was thinking, and even that was a vague guess. He was an extremely active person who loved to go on long walks, visit temples and read the Gita. As a kid, I remember how much I used to miss my grandpa when he went away on his long trips. He was an engineer, and used to spend a great deal of time away from us, in construction sites. While he was always kind and gentle to me and my sister, he was a strict disciplinarian to my father and his brothers. So much so, that his children had never been close to their own father. My father and his brothers were banned from playing cricket, cards, watching movies, having too many friends, traveling out of the station, and even staying in another friend or relative’s place. Money was a big issue back then, it was actually a wonder how my grandpa had raised four sons and provided for his wife as well. My grandpa had effectively; put deep fear into his sons’ minds without having to lift a finger. My father used to tell me, how grandpa never used to hit them or even raise his voice, he was always quite, and since he rarely spoke, every single word from his mouth was listened to with keen intent.
However, to me he was a silent and tender man, who used to always feed me the choicest items off his plate, had the largest collection of reader’s digest that I have ever seen, a dozen files of the worlds most amazing bridges, and a huge variety of coins and stamps. To me and my sister, he was a darling. While he never really let us get too close to him, he was always gentle and even tempered with us. Soon it was time for me to move away, as me and my sister were sent off to boarding school. There were no kisses and hugs when we parted, just a dignified goodbye, since my grandpa didn’t like us to make a fuss over him. No matter how much I wanted to kiss him and give him a tight hug, my father warned me against doing so.
An entire year passed, and we got the news that our grandpa had passed away. We came back to our house, and found everyone to be either teary eyed or in a grumpy mood. While we were sitting and mourning our losses, our uncle came and began to separate all his collections, or “junk” as he called the number of books and papers. As I began to sift through them, I came across a file market PRIVATE in bold red, and curiosity getting the better of me, I opened it anyway. I saw quite a few papers there, one was a letter, that spoke of him rescuing a laborer in a construction site and there was another of him taking up almost three jobs simultaneously to support his family. There was a letter from an old lady, who was thanking him for returning a piece of her jewelry that she had missed on a train. Even though it was obvious my grandpa had been poor, he had been a dignified and honorable man. All these small details had shocked my dad, my uncles and even my grandma. They knew him for the strict and grumpy old man he was, but nobody had thought how deep still waters actually run. My grandpa had supported and devoted his life completely to his family. As they all wondered, why they never knew about all this, I knew my grandpa; he loved us and showed it through his actions, and not through words. As I mentioned in the beginning, my grandfather was a silent man…
However, to me he was a silent and tender man, who used to always feed me the choicest items off his plate, had the largest collection of reader’s digest that I have ever seen, a dozen files of the worlds most amazing bridges, and a huge variety of coins and stamps. To me and my sister, he was a darling. While he never really let us get too close to him, he was always gentle and even tempered with us. Soon it was time for me to move away, as me and my sister were sent off to boarding school. There were no kisses and hugs when we parted, just a dignified goodbye, since my grandpa didn’t like us to make a fuss over him. No matter how much I wanted to kiss him and give him a tight hug, my father warned me against doing so.
An entire year passed, and we got the news that our grandpa had passed away. We came back to our house, and found everyone to be either teary eyed or in a grumpy mood. While we were sitting and mourning our losses, our uncle came and began to separate all his collections, or “junk” as he called the number of books and papers. As I began to sift through them, I came across a file market PRIVATE in bold red, and curiosity getting the better of me, I opened it anyway. I saw quite a few papers there, one was a letter, that spoke of him rescuing a laborer in a construction site and there was another of him taking up almost three jobs simultaneously to support his family. There was a letter from an old lady, who was thanking him for returning a piece of her jewelry that she had missed on a train. Even though it was obvious my grandpa had been poor, he had been a dignified and honorable man. All these small details had shocked my dad, my uncles and even my grandma. They knew him for the strict and grumpy old man he was, but nobody had thought how deep still waters actually run. My grandpa had supported and devoted his life completely to his family. As they all wondered, why they never knew about all this, I knew my grandpa; he loved us and showed it through his actions, and not through words. As I mentioned in the beginning, my grandfather was a silent man…
My bathroom mirror
Strange as it may seem, my bathroom mirror has actually shown me a lot of my problems, and that too first thing in the morning. We have been through a lot together, I saw my first chipped tooth there, my first white hair L, the annoying pimples that break out every now and then, and how can I forget the tumbled and frizzy hair first thing in the morning. But then again, it shows me a lot of amazing things too; it shows me the sparkle in my eyes just before I get to bed, the glow in my face right after a shower, it shows me how even my teeth are, and it even shows me just how wide my smile can be.
Maybe it’s weird to ponder so much over a bathroom mirror, but its true, you are going to see only what you want to see. I learn that every morning, I can either keep looking at my chipped tooth, or I can look at my even teeth. I can think of what a beautifully sunny day it is, or think how badly I’m going to tan today. While some may ponder over their bathroom mirror for other reasons, I mainly ponder over it to figure out how positive or negative I’m going to be today. Beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder!!
Maybe it’s weird to ponder so much over a bathroom mirror, but its true, you are going to see only what you want to see. I learn that every morning, I can either keep looking at my chipped tooth, or I can look at my even teeth. I can think of what a beautifully sunny day it is, or think how badly I’m going to tan today. While some may ponder over their bathroom mirror for other reasons, I mainly ponder over it to figure out how positive or negative I’m going to be today. Beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder!!
Indian style Spinach pasta
There are plenty of variations for this particular recipe, but this is the basic pasta recipe, that can be eaten without guilt. Here is what you need -
1.1 bunch plain spinach
2.Elbow macaroni or any pasta that you like (about 1 packet)
3.2 medium sized tomatoes - sliced thinly
4.2 medium sized onions - diced finely
5.3 large green chillies - slit
6.spices - salt, chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, cumin seeds.
7.Garlic - about 3 - 4 pods
8.Olive oil about 3 tsp
Procedure -
1.Cook the pasta according to the given instructions in the packet (add some salt and few drops of olive oil to the boiling water so that the pasta does not stick)
2.As the pasta cooks, chop the vegetables, pluck the leaves of the spinach, wash nicely and leave to dry (no need to chop them)
3.In a pan heat the olive oil and add the cumin seeds and garlic before the oil heats up completely.
4.Now add the onions and green chillies and wait til they turn transparent
5.Add the tomatoes and wait for them to cook, remove from heat onto a separate plate.
6.In the same pan, heat some more olive oil and once it heats up add the spinach.
7.Cover it for about 2 minutes, and you will see that it has wilted completly, after it has wilted and all the moisture is almost drained out, add the onion - tomato mix.
8.Add all the spices and mix it really well.
9.Now add the pasta, and mix it well, and close the pan with a lid, for about 2 minutes.
10.At the very end you can add some grated cheese and drizzle a little extra olive oil on top. And, voila! you Indian spinach pasta is ready
Now i know not all of us are Popeye, and we don't love spinach. However, with this recipe, since we add a lot of really flavorful spices you can barely taste the original taste of the spinach. Which makes it ideal for spinach haters. You get a lot of nutrients and fiber, and don't really get to taste it. You really don't need to cut up the spinach, as its going to wilt in the heat anyway, so you are saving an extra step! :)
There are so many variations to this recipe, you can add mushrooms, bell peppers,broccoli, beans, peas, carrots, and so many more.
1.1 bunch plain spinach
2.Elbow macaroni or any pasta that you like (about 1 packet)
3.2 medium sized tomatoes - sliced thinly
4.2 medium sized onions - diced finely
5.3 large green chillies - slit
6.spices - salt, chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, cumin seeds.
7.Garlic - about 3 - 4 pods
8.Olive oil about 3 tsp
Procedure -
1.Cook the pasta according to the given instructions in the packet (add some salt and few drops of olive oil to the boiling water so that the pasta does not stick)
2.As the pasta cooks, chop the vegetables, pluck the leaves of the spinach, wash nicely and leave to dry (no need to chop them)
3.In a pan heat the olive oil and add the cumin seeds and garlic before the oil heats up completely.
4.Now add the onions and green chillies and wait til they turn transparent
5.Add the tomatoes and wait for them to cook, remove from heat onto a separate plate.
6.In the same pan, heat some more olive oil and once it heats up add the spinach.
7.Cover it for about 2 minutes, and you will see that it has wilted completly, after it has wilted and all the moisture is almost drained out, add the onion - tomato mix.
8.Add all the spices and mix it really well.
9.Now add the pasta, and mix it well, and close the pan with a lid, for about 2 minutes.
10.At the very end you can add some grated cheese and drizzle a little extra olive oil on top. And, voila! you Indian spinach pasta is ready
Now i know not all of us are Popeye, and we don't love spinach. However, with this recipe, since we add a lot of really flavorful spices you can barely taste the original taste of the spinach. Which makes it ideal for spinach haters. You get a lot of nutrients and fiber, and don't really get to taste it. You really don't need to cut up the spinach, as its going to wilt in the heat anyway, so you are saving an extra step! :)
There are so many variations to this recipe, you can add mushrooms, bell peppers,broccoli, beans, peas, carrots, and so many more.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Amar Chitra Katha
I got these for my nephew, but ended up reading them in about 15 minutes. They brought back some wonderful memories of my childhood. :) Like the 1st Tinkel that was published, the binded copies of amar chitra kathas and these beautiful illustrations :) 
Bhindi Masala Strips -
If there could be a quick side dish, then this is it. The dish is super easy/quick/tasty too. Here is what you need -
Bhindi or Okra - 20 pieces (slit length wise - remember to keep the top and the bottom of the bhindi intact and make sure they are not slit all the way)
Spices - salt, chilly powder, cumin powder, garam masala, coriander powder
Vegetable Oil to shallow fry the bhindi (as required)
And that's all we need, now how do you make these strips -
1.In a large bowl combine all the spices and taste a little to see if the salt is enough.
2.Now stuff the bhindi really well with the spice powder.
3.In a flat non-stick pan heat the oil (add as much or as less as you require).
4.After the oil heats up, add your bhindi and cover it with a lid for exactly 1 minute (enough for the bhindi to cook). If you leave the lid on for long, the bhindi is going to turn all soggy and that's NOT what you want.
5.Now remove the lid and continue to fry them in medium heat. Keep a close watch over them, as they can easily get burnt.
6.Keep turning the bhindi and make sure they don't get burnt or stick to the pan.
Remove them from the pan once all the sides are done.
7.Slide in the next bath of bhindis, most probably you wont need to add extra oil as the oil from the first batch should remain.
After all the sides are fried, remove them and eat the with rice/chapati or parathas :)
If there could be a quick side dish, then this is it. The dish is super easy/quick/tasty too. Here is what you need -
Bhindi or Okra - 20 pieces (slit length wise - remember to keep the top and the bottom of the bhindi intact and make sure they are not slit all the way)
Spices - salt, chilly powder, cumin powder, garam masala, coriander powder
Vegetable Oil to shallow fry the bhindi (as required)
And that's all we need, now how do you make these strips -
1.In a large bowl combine all the spices and taste a little to see if the salt is enough.
2.Now stuff the bhindi really well with the spice powder.
3.In a flat non-stick pan heat the oil (add as much or as less as you require).
4.After the oil heats up, add your bhindi and cover it with a lid for exactly 1 minute (enough for the bhindi to cook). If you leave the lid on for long, the bhindi is going to turn all soggy and that's NOT what you want.
5.Now remove the lid and continue to fry them in medium heat. Keep a close watch over them, as they can easily get burnt.
6.Keep turning the bhindi and make sure they don't get burnt or stick to the pan.
Remove them from the pan once all the sides are done.
7.Slide in the next bath of bhindis, most probably you wont need to add extra oil as the oil from the first batch should remain.
After all the sides are fried, remove them and eat the with rice/chapati or parathas :)
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Raw banana kofta balls
I wanted to show you what the kofta balls look like before they were added to the curd gravy :) Enjoyyy
Raw banana Kofta
Since every other day there is either amavasai or pournami or something else in between.. it isn't always that you can use onion/garlic in a bramin household when you cook. So here is a dish, which will make sure you don't even miss the onion n garlic taste.
Raw banana Kofta -
Ingredients - Raw banana (peeled & boiled 2 nos), 1 1/2 cup curd, water 1/2 cup, garam masala, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, ginger and 3-4 green chillies (finely chopped), salt, jeera, asofodita, cumin and dhaniya powder, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves.
Procedure -
1. In a big bowl mash the raw bananas, ginger, 2 green chillies, garam masala, cumin and dhaniya powder, salt, turmeric powder.
2.Now make them into small balls or flat cutlet shaped circles.
3.You can deep fry or shallow fry these balls.. i chose to shallow fry (cos they r healthier)
4.Drain the oil in a tissue paper and keep them aside.
5.In a pan add oil and jeera, now add then green chillies, ginger, turmeric powder, salt, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and saute till brown.
5.Immediately add half a cup of water and after 2 mins add 1 and 1/2 cups of curd and stir well for a few minutes in low flame
6.Add the kofta balls and serve with coriander leaves...
- This came out really really well.. this is the first time i've tried a kofta recipe.. that too with raw banana.. and as time passes the kofta balls don't melt and mix with the gravy.. they really absorb the taste well and remain solid.. its darn easy, fast and really tasty!! A must try i would say! the best part is that it doesn't have too much oil in it either (as you aren't deep frying as you would in usual kofta recipes), so it is healthy.
Baby Potatoes in Yougurt Gravy
So I've been cooking a lot lately.. & thought I'll share with u some of these delicious Indian dishes :P (that's me drooling)
What you'll need -
Baby potatoes (one kg - i used 3/4th kg)
Green chillies - 3 large ones slit
One cup fresh curd
Olive/vegetable Oil - 2 tsb
Spices - jeera(cumin seeds), mustard seeds,cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, chilly powder, garam masala, coriander powder
How you'll be cooking -
1. Boil the potatoes and make sure they are not too soft
2.Let them cool a bit. Now you can peel them and pierce them with a fork.
3.In a big bowl add all the spices to the baby potatoes and mix them well, and let them marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure the spices coat the potatoes really well. (you can add some oil at this stage to blend them better)
4.In a pan, add the oil and add the mustard, jeera and slit chillies, now after they splutter, add the baby potatoes and roast them a bit for about 8-10 minutes in low or medium flame.
5.After they are well roasted add the curd and stir thoroughly.
6.Now let the gravy simmer for a bit and add freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice/phulka/nan...
I am a huge fan of jeera and green chillies. There are very few dishes that i don't use them in :)
p.s i promise to put up better cooking pictures soon :)
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