Gajar Halwa

Carrot Halwa : please click on carrot halwa for the recipe 

Masaledar Aloo

This simple dish is so full of flavors that it never disappoints us, add whatever spice you have on hand ,you just cannot go wrong with it. We love  spicy and tangy food and hence use it a lot in our cooking ,the tanginess in this dish comes primarily from dried mango powder or Amchur powder. If you are like us and love the sweet tartness of raw mango ,then try some of this indispenable powder and we are sure you will be reaching for more of it.

This is our entry for

Think Spice: Think Amchur
  By...
http://ta5tebuds.blogspot.com/2010/01/think-spice-think-amchoor.html

http://sunitabhuyan.com/?page_id=341


Ingredients: Serves 2-3

Aloo/potatoes: 5-6 medium size (boiled and peeled)

Red chili powder: 1-2 tsp

Coriander powder: 2-3 tsp

Jeera/cumin Powder:1-2tsp

Amchur powder: 1tbsp

Garam masala ; 1/2 tsp

Haldi: pinch

Jeera/cumin: 1tbsp

Mustard:1tbsp

Oil: for cooking

Salt: to taste

Preparation:

Peel and cut the boiled potatoes into square chunks. Heat oil in a saucepan, add mustard, as soon as it begins to splatter add cumin seeds, wait till it splatters, add red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, amchur powder, garam masala powder, haldi powder, the cut boiled potatoes and salt to taste. Toss the potatoes so that the powders coat it well. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy with hot rotis and kadi ( a buttermilk based preparation )

Spring in a Bowl

As the New Year rolled in we made a resolution !  We decided to eat more raw and more healthy, promising ourselves to always have some type of sprouts ready at hand.

Moon bean sprouts have now become a staple for us , but, the alfalfa sprouts was a newcomer, but when combined with the crunchy cucumber and sweet strawberry it was instantly welcomed warmly by everyone in the bowl!!! ( and of course at home !)

This salad is so refreshing to eat and pleasing to the eye that it looks like Spring in a bowl !

This is our entry for

SHOW ME YOUR SALAD..... hosted by

divya-dilse.blogspot.com

AND

NO COOK EVENT ..hosted by

seduceyourtastebuds.blogspot.com

Ingredients: serves 2

Alfalfa sprouts: 2-3 tbsp

Methi/Fenugreek sprouts: 1tsp

Moong sprouts: 1-2 tbsp

Cucumber: 1 medium finely chopped

Cherry Tomatoes: 3-4 diced

Grapes: handful, halved

Orange: I medium peeled and cut into chunks

Straw berries: 2-3 cut into small chunks

Frozen corn: a handful, washed and thawed

For the dressing:
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp

Honey: 1 tbsp

Honey mustard: 1/2tbsp

Mint leaves: 2-3 finely chopped

You can use all of the above or mix and match to your taste buds

For the dressing: in a small bowl add lemon juice, honey, honey mustard  and mint leaves whisk well. Toss the above with the salad dressing in a salad bowl or serve it separately. You can add more dressing if your taste buds enjoy tangy-sweet .

Weeknight Meal-Thai Curry

Recently a friend shared  a simple recipe of Thai curry …she did not remember the  exact source , but, said that it could be from “Better home and Gardens”.  The ingredients are easy to find and the recipe is quick to make , before you know it , you will be enjoying a hot bowl of curry with rice, rich and filling, just a little bit spicy and a lot of delicious.
 Having been  adapted into different cuisines, over the years, curry, has varied tastes and colors. No matter what spices you mix together - it’s always guaranteed to  be exotic and aromatic!!


Ingredients: Serves 2-3

Cauliflower florets: 3 cups

Unsweetened coconut milk: 14oz

Vegetable broth: 14oz

Curry power: 1and ½ tbsp (2 for more spicy)

Cilantro: chopped 1/4th cup

Other vegetables: carrots, baby peas, beans, baby bok choy : 2 cups

Spring onions: for garnish

In a Dutch oven / heavy bottomed pan,  combine coconut milk, cauliflower, broth, cilantro and curry powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low. Simmer covered for 10 minutes or till cauliflower is tender. Stir in vegetable blend. (You could use frozen stir fry vegetable blend)Cook uncovered, season with salt. Serve with hot sticky rice and some peanut sauce and chili garlic sauce on the side.

Now if you want to make  thai soup…all you need to do is add some more vegetable stock and serve it with some pita wedges toasted in the oven with olive oil and a sprinkle of curry powder and chopped cilantro. ….you can’t resist this one!!!


Curry Powder blend: from Food Network – Alton Brown

• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted

• 2 tablespoons whole cardamom seeds, toasted

• 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted

• 1/4 cup ground turmeric

• 1 tablespoon dry mustard

• 1 teaspoon cayenne

Place all ingredients in a container with an airtight lid. Shake to combine. Store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. When ready to use, grind and add to dishes according to taste.

Bittergourd

I remember,  while i was in college, there was this advertisement in a local paper for a recipe with Bittergourd / karela in Hindi. I very excitedly told my mom, I,  would send one of  her  popular Gojju recipe, and almost envisioned myself being the prize winner..!.

I,  typed out the recipe using an old fashioned typewriter.. .....technology has  sure come a very long way !...checked spellings, ingredients and recipe.  Put into an envelope, sealed it with a good luck mantra  and kept it on my desk,  all set to mail.

 After a couple of months  I very disappointingly told my mom,  perhaps there were better recipes out there and we should quit thinking about the contest.  Later that evening as I got to cleaning my desk I saw the envelope safely tucked away in a dark little corner looking at me oh! so sadly!

I was surprised and as shocked as a deer seeing headlights!

When MJ and I spotted some fresh bittergourd last week, we decided then,  it would end up as my mom's gojju, for sure. So here is the recipe all neatly typed again, but, definitely getting posted  this time!!

Ingredients;

Bittergourd /karela
Seeded and diced into small bite size pieces

To grind to a fine paste:

Coconut grated -fresh or frozen -1 cup
Red Chillies-5
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
turmeric /haldi
rice flour - 1 tsp
for thickening the gravy.

For tadka/seasoning:

Oil-1tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Asoefitida/hing- a pinch
Curry leaves-2/3

Others:

Tamarind pulp-2 tbsp
Jaggery-2 tbsp

 Heat a pan,add oil and then mustard seeds,once it splutters,add hing and curry leaves.Add the diced karela  and saute. add a pinch of salt and jaggery  and the tamarind pulp with haldi,  cover and cook till soft .
Once the karela is soft and tender, add the ground masala paste to it,  mix well and let it simmer well.

Serve this bittersweet gojju  over steaming  hot rice with a tsp of peanut oil.

                                                                         simply divine!
                                                                                         
                                                                                            

Mouthwatering Malpua !

Our entry for
  Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) the web based food event that celebrates natural ingredients.

Hosted by:
http://siri-corner.blogspot.com/2010/01/jfi-fennel-event-announcement.html
http://www.themahanandi.org/2009/04/06/jihva-for-ingredients-2009-2010/

Ingredient:
Fennel

Malpua is a rich dessert that has as many variations as people who enjoy it all over India, Although it  appears as a labor intensive dish...it is certainly not, here is our no fuss, simple version.  It can be served by itself or with hot rabri, we  like to serve ours with thick almond milk/rabri (evaporated milk). The crunchyness of the pancake with a  mild sweet  fennel flavor from the syrup, soaked in a  smooth rabri makes it an  unforgetable treat !

The batter for malpuas  is prepared differently in different parts of india . The mixture is sometimes delicately seasoned with cardamoms. It is deep fried in oil, and served hot. The Bihar version of this dish has sugar added to the batter prior to frying, while the method prevalent in Orissa has the fritters dipped in syrup after they are fried.

Malpua is popular in West Bengal and Maharashtra where it is served during festivals along with other sweets.Different variations of Malpua use pineapples or mangoes instead of bananas. In  Bengal, malpuas are traditionally made only with thickened milk and a little flour (sometimes rice flour instead of wheat flour).

Malpuas in northern India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, don't contain fruit. There are several variations, using some or all of the following ingredients: maida (refined flour), semolina, milk and yogurt. The batter is left to stand for a few hours before being spooned into a kadhai of hot oil to form a bubbling pancake which should be crisp around the edges. The pancakes are then immersed in a thick sugar syrup. Malpua is a popular sweet to make on the Hindu religious occasion of Holi

Ingredients: serves 2-3


For thick almond milk/rabri
Milk: 1 cup
Cream: 1 cup
Almond paste: 2tbsp
Saffron: 4-5 strings
Sugar: 1 tbsp

For sugar syrup
Water: 1cup
Sugar: 2 cups
Saunf / Fennel powder: 1-2 tsp
Saffron: optional


For the pancake
All purpose flour/Maida: 1 measure
Milk powder: ½ measure
Fine rava: 2 tbsp
Baking soda: one pinch
Oil: for shallow frying
Milk: for mixing

Procedure:

For Evaporated milk/ Rabri:

In a sauce pan (heavy bottomed) add milk, cream, almond paste*, saffron and sugar (do not add more than 1tbsp of sugar as the sweetness will come from the sugar syrup). Reduce this to a fourth by simmering on medium to low heat and stir frequently. This is ‘rabri’ or evaporated milk.

*For almond paste: soak handful of almonds overnight, slip the skins off by squeezing the almonds between your thumb and fingers or buy almonds without skin which are readily available. Grind the soaked almonds into a fine paste using water.

For Sugar syrup:

Boil sugar and water together to 1 thread consistency. To test this, dip a wooden spoon in syrup, touch it with a forefinger carefully, it will be very hot! Press fore-finger against your thumb and gently tease them apart. You should get one wire stretching between finger and thumb. Two wire consistency is too thick for this dish. Add sau nf/fennel powder to the syrup; keep it warm on low heat. Don't forget the fennel powder, it adds to the sweetness of the syrup.

For the puri/pancake

Sift flour, rava, milk powder and baking powder together. Make a batter by adding cool milk. It should be thin, like pancake batter, a pouring consistency. Leave aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil/ghee in a pan; drop 1 scoop of batter in hot ghee/oil so that you get a flat circles or disc of approximately 3 inch. Fry until brown on both sides with crisp edges. (Refer to picture).

Drop the pancakes/puri in the sugar syrup. Serve warm with rabri or even vanilla ice-cream. Garnish with chopped/shredded pistachios and almonds .

As we entertained over the weekend, we made this  dessert  as a perfect finale to our spread of spicy flavorful Indian dishes. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.!

* Introduction adapted from wikipedia.

Q.E.D. Apples

Q.E.D. short for "quod erat demonstrandum", which we think means something like "which was to be demonstrated" in Latin. Be it math or love and affection, it definitely needs to be demonstrated. Go ahead, don't hold yourself back and do something special and different for your loved one and show them you care .

If cooking an entire meal is not your forte, try this simple dessert and surprise yourself in the process at how easy it is to whip up a dish like these 'QED apples'. It is quick and easy to make and perfect to indulge your valentine's sweet tooth.

You can use any apple of your liking for this recipe, or use one of favorites like a Red Washington apple, Fuji or a tart Granny Smith. They are perfect with vanilla ice cream for added flavor and richness.

Ingredients: serves 2-4

Instant oatmeal: 1 pack
Cinnamon powder: 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder: 1/4 tsp
Almonds blanched: 2 tsp
Butter softened: 1tbsp
Apples: 2-4 (we used Fuji apples)
Lychee juice/Apple juice: ¾ cup (we used lychee)
Vanilla ice cream

Procedure:

Heat oven to 375 F. In a small bowl add instant oat meal, ½ tsp cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, almonds blanched and butter. Blend with finger tips.

Scoop out the core of the apple, leaving a well. Do not cut all the way through to the bottom. Fill them with oatmeal mixture.




Pour lychee/Apple juice into 9 inch baking dish. Stand apples and bake uncovered for 30-40 min till apples are tender.



Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dust of cinnamon. There’s nothing quite like the smell of apples and cinnamon.


Adapted from: “Half Baked Gourmet Desserts” by Tamara Holt. Thanks Tamara!!

Vermicelli for your midweek blues

Cooking a hot, nutritious meal, after a long day, may seem like a daunting task,but don't fret! ... we have just the right recipe for you. It is very quick and easy and high on taste and flavor. Labeled under '30 min meals’, this dish is definitely worth a try. The fire from the green chillies is well balanced with the hint of sweetness from the coconut and the freshness of the lime just kicks it up another notch.

Wondering where you can find all these ingredients????....just stop at your nearest indian grocers ,and you are sure to find them.

Ingredients:

vermicelli: 1 cup (MTR/Bambino)
Onion: medium, finely chopped
Oil: 2-3tbsp
Green chilies: 3-4
Mustard seeds: 1tsp
Urad daal/white lentils: 1tsp
Chana daal/split chickpeas: 1tsp
Cashew nut: optional
Curry leaves: 3-4
Cilantro: A handful ..finely chopped for garnish
Grated coconut: 2-3tbsp for garnish
Salt: to taste
Lime/lemon: to taste
Water: 1 & 1/2cups

Procedure:

Heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan on medium-high heat, roast the vermicelli till it is golden brown. Keep aside.

In the same pan heat the rest of the oil, add mustard, when it begins to splatter, add chana daal, urad daal and cashew, after it is roasted add green chili, curry leaves, turmeric and onion. Make sure the onions are well sauted, now add the water and salt, bring to a boil, add the roasted vermicelli..Lower the flame to medium-low heat and let it cook, stir occasionally, to avoid lumps. Turn off the heat once it is cooked and has absorbed all the water, let it sit for about 10 min, add lime juice and mix well.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and fresh coconut. You could make it more nutritious by adding finely chopped vegetables of your choice.

Bharva/Masala Bhindi (Okra)

Quibombo in Spanish, gombo or bamia in French, bhindi in north India, bamiesr in the eastern Mediterranean and okra in english, popularly known as the 'ladies finger', okra is a green fuzzy tapered pod with ridges around it. It is rich in vitamins A, B, C, iron and calcium and is a good source of dietary fiber which is low in calories.

This particular variation of bhindi sabji has always been a favorite in our family. The fresh green bhindi contrasts beautifully with the bright color of the masala. Always take your time , picking and choosing your okra as it is the key to making a crunchy juicy dish. Choose the tender medium ones, bright green in color, so they have less seeds. The larger the okra pods get, the tougher they become. This sabji comes alive from the moment you hand pick each okra.

Ingredients:

• Bhindi: 1lb (500gms)
• Barbeque or Garam Masala : 4-5 tbsp
• Amchur: 1 tsp (only use with garam masala as the bbq masala includes amchur)
• Turmeric: 1/4th tsp
• Chili flakes: 1tsp
• Sugar: pinch
• Salt: to taste
• Oil: for shallow frying
Make sure you taste a pinch of the masala before you add in the salt, as sometimes it includes salt.

Procedure:

Wash the bhindi and pat dry with paper towel (this is an important tip as it will reduce the gumminess, characteristic to okra) Trim the head. Split the bhindi vertically 3/4th way down to the tip. (You could do a single split or a double, as shown in the picture).



In a small bowl mix the rest of the ingredients other than oil. Fill the bhindi with masala using your fingers or scooping up the masala with the knife to stuff the bhindi.



In a shallow skillet/ wok or preferably cast iron pan, heat some oil on high, when the oil is hot, drop in the stuffed bhindi one at a time. Sauté it till the oil coats almost all the pods, reduce heat to medium and let it roast. Cover it on low heat for about 2-3 min. Do not over sauté; it will split the pods open. You will know if the bhindi is done when it changes color from bright green to dull green. Enjoy with hot rotis and daal.



Health tip: Roast 1tbsp flax seed, grind them into a fine powder and sprinkle over the bhindi masala and sauté. The nutty flavor of the flax seed compliments the okra very well.

About Me

It's probably one of the hardest things I have done. To write ‘about me’ I’ll give it my best shot.  I am Maitreyi, also go by Simi to many of my friends. As a young preschooler, my friends had a hard time pronouncing my name. I came home one day and told my parents, “I am Simi”, I have no idea where I got that from. After a few weeks of negotiation, everyone started calling me Simi at home. With a coffee cup as a profile picture and Simi as the author, I began my journey. I am surprised, how blogging has changed me, I love sharing my life and my food with you. Am not shy anymore to tell you who I am or how goofy I can be. 

It was summer break and I must have been five or thereabouts... my mother was working on an oil painting. I remember her mixing colors. What followed thereafter really interested me…. scoping the colors on her brush into meaningful strokes on the canvas. I was enchanted and wanted to dip my fingers in the colors, and she let me. During the weeks that followed, I made my first art doodle. There were mountains, flowers and me feeding some chicks.   Excited that her daughter had created something, she even sent the doodle to an art and craft magazine and it was published. I am really glad that I have a copy. That is probably where my love affair with weaving visual stories started.

School and University brought me a career into the world of data and numbers: media planning and advertising. I liked working with data but something was missing. Motherhood... changed my life, I did not want to miss a moment, translate that to 'stay-at-home' mom. I began to enjoy cooking. It brought me more pleasure than sitting in SWOT meetings all day. I fell in love with my kitchen, my spice rack, my collection of assorted bottles, all the colorful daals (lentils). The colors, textures and aroma seemed to engage all my senses and quench my creative thirst to some extent. Mixing ingredients to create a meal that not only fills you but feeds your soul, has something mystical about it.  It's just not a meal you serve to satiate your hunger, it's more than that. It is not something you can quantify or put into words, it can only be felt. As I look back, my fondest memories, have been around people and food. (thanks to my mother, who is an amazing cook)

Some mornings, I would find myself doodling in my art-pad, some that went nowhere and some that satiated the artist in me.I would study painting for hours and wonder why I wouldn’t be able to create something that touched the depth of my inner self. The artist in me was still unfulfilled.

It was a weekend when I started my blog, just on a whim, to describe my successes and failures in the kitchen. It was more like a list of recipes. Soon I realized the images that showcased the food and the recipes were poles apart. Even though my recipes had been tested multiple times in the kitchen, the images did not do them any justice. We eat with our eyes first but I was having difficulty expressing it visually. I had thought that I was an artistic person and it broke something in me to see my dum aloo (stuffed potato) images. I had spent four hours cooking an exotic silky curry that tasted really nice, but the images had a different story to narrate. I started learning about photographs. It was like learning a new language. The more I learned, the more I enjoyed the journey. Somewhere, it fulfilled the artistic urge in me. There was color, depth, light, shade, everything that I loved about painting and most importantly it tied so beautifully with my ardor for cooking. I love the visual aspect of food. Imagine a cold autumn day: the cool cloudy sun streaming through a window and a warm bowl of Thai curry soup on the table by the kitchen window.  It’s such a comforting feeling and to transform this emotion into a photograph is very gratifying. I call my art ‘Culinary Optics’ because it ties together both my passion for cooking and photography.

As my creative vision developed, I started painting my own surfaces/backdrops for food, it probably fulfilled my penchant for dipping my hands in the paint (literally). Even though a lot of times they are not a prominent element in the photograph, they create a mood or add just the pop of color required. But the process of painting these boards almost evokes a childlike excitement in me. I have blues paired with greens and purples with reds and pink and grays - the combinations are limitless. The best part, you don’t need to be a fine art specialist and if you don’t like the outcome, just repaint.

From blogging came growing my own herbs in summer. I have always had a fondness for gardening and that extended into my small patch of herbs, they can add life to any dull meal and are great subjects for photography.

It’s strange how every aspect of blogging has become a part of my life or one can think of it the other way! It all came together, bought congruence to my being. I don’t have to take time out to be able to blog, it not a task for me to complete. I have never made a schedule. From growing my herbs, cooking, painting surfaces, photography or shopping for props, everything gets done on time, that is what they probably call ‘finding your calling’.

This is my little home where I share who I am and what I do best - bringing fresh food to the table - capturing food through my lens. Hope you enjoy my space as much as I enjoy sharing it with you. Thank you for your support! This is me and my blog is a true reflection of who I am.

Why turmeric n' spice ?

I know turmeric is a spice. So, what's with turmeric n'spice ? Growing up in India, whenever I asked my mother for a recipe or she gave me and my sister ( more my sister than me) instructions to make a curry, she would always say, "haldi aur masala". Even today, when I ask her on the phone she will say, "haldi aur masala" haldi meaning turmeric is to enhance the color of the curry and masala aka spices is for the flavor. So, there was nothing more fitting for my blog than turmeric n’ spice, after all, it’s my memories woven around food. 

You can view my portfolio - Simi Jois 

Contact information for photography, styling and content development. 

To buy images:  Adobe Stock (Premium Collection) 

For food photography tutorial email me.


email : turmeric53@gmail.com
Mobile : +1  847 893 9138 


Simi 

just peanuts

No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut. ~Channing Pollock

Our recent visit to India, found us rediscovering some of our childhood favorites like “The Humble Peanut“ . Around the time that we were in Bangalore, the annual peanut fair or Kadalekai parishe in kannada, was held in Basavanagudi near the Bull Temple.This annual two day fair brought back memories and sent us on a nostalgic trip . Every year the farmers from the nearby villages come with their harvest of peanuts and offer it to Lord Basava/ Nandi the bull as thanksgiving . The streets are strewn with the peanut shells,and there is an atmosphere of fun and festivity.

Over the years peanut for us had become one more ingredient to be bought at the grocers and we had forgotten what it meant to just sit down and enjoy it by itself. Luckily we found these yellow spicy peanuts which reminded us of our blog name, we tasted them and instantly fell in love with them,and decided to jazz it up further with onions and cilantro and a sprinkling of lime over it to freshen it up.



These spicy peanuts are very easy to make, Dry roast peanuts (couple of handfuls) and remove the seedcoat. Heat pan, add 1 tsp of oil, a little more than a pinch of turmeric, same amount of rasam powder, 1/4th tsp of curry leaf powder (curry leaf powder can be made by dry roasting curry leaves and grinding it), hing(aesofoteda), 1/4th tsp sugar, some freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. Toss the roasted peanuts into the pan and enjoy!!

Thanks for visiting Turmeric n Spice! I don't know when, where or how I feel in love with cooking. Twenty years ago, I would not have believed that about myself :) time is a strange self revealing process, with each passing year it unveils new aspects of our personality. I enjoy cooking and it is more than mixing ingredients in the right proportion as per the recipe - it is celebrating the pleasure that food brings to our lives. It is two years since I started the blog and I have enjoyed every moment of it. This is my space where I can share who I am and what I do best - bringing fresh food to the table -celebrating food. Hope you enjoy my space as much as I enjoy sharing it with you. See you around. MCJ or just call me Simi as my friends address me:))

Zesty Rasam

You will enjoy the process of making rasam as much as you enjoy savoring it. This aromatic dish is usually enjoyed with freshly made steaming hot rice and a dollop of homemade ghee/clarified butter.

Ingredients:

• Rasam powder: 1 tbsp
• Toor/Arhar lentil/dal : 1/4th cup
• Tamarind : Lime size ball (soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze the pulp from the husks. If using store bought tamarind use 1/4th the amount as it is a concentrate)
• Jaggery: 1tbsp
• Salt: to taste
• Tomato: 1 small diced in 4 (optional)
• Ghee: 1tsp
• Mustard: 1/3rd tsp
• Asafoetida: a little more than a pinch
• Coriander: to garnish
• Curry leaves: 3-4 leaves

Procedure:

• Pressure cook the dal along with the tomato with double the amount of water.

• Bring to a boil along with tamarind pulp, jaggery, turmeric, rasam powder and salt. You can add more water if desired. Let it boil well till it is frothy on top giving all the ingredients a chance to give out their best flavors. Add chopped coriander leaves.

• For seasoning: heat 1tsp ghee, add mustard, let it splatter now add asafoetida(hing)and curry leaves pour immediately over the boiling rasam. Cover and shut the heat off. Enjoy it with hot steaming rice and ghee.

Aromatic Rasam Powder

The taste of rasam is not only a treat to the palette but also an aromatic therapy in itself. The spices in the rasam powder just come alive the moment you bring it to a boil. The texture and the aroma of each of the spices used are so different, but put together they make a perfect blend for a healthy everyday meal.

Infused with therapeutic benefits, rasam or saaru is definitely a member of our ‘comfort food club’!. It is an important dish that always makes its presence felt at every festival, ritual, or weddings.

Ingredients for rasam powder:

• Pepper: 1 cup
• Jeera : 1 cup
• Methi (seed): 1 cup
• Mustard (seed): 1/4th cup
• Cinnamon: 8-10 sticks
• Coriander (seed): 4 cups
• Curry leaves: 2 stalks ( remove leaves from stalk)
• Red Chili (whole): 2 cups ( if you use chili powder it shld be about 1/3rd of a cup), and 3 cups for a more spicy rasam powder.

Preparation:

• Dry roast all the ingredients separately till golden brown and till the mustard and black pepper pop….enjoy the sound effects!! For red chili (whole) use 1/4th tsp of oil to roast in a hot pan, switch of the flame before you put in the chilli, just so that its fumes do not send you into a fit of cough!! Remove from the stove immediately for the same reason.…very quick action required, this is not the time to pick up the phone that is ringing! In case of chili powder, do not heat the chili powder just add them to the rest, the warmth from those ingredients is enough to bring out its flavor.

• Let it cool, grind the above ingredients in a blender or a burr grinder. Make sure the blender/burr is free of any moisture. Note: the burr grinder does not handle whole chilli or curry leaves too well. For easy grinding the red chilies should be crisp.


• Now mix all the powdered ingredients together with a ladle or feel free to use your fingers. Store in a dry, air tight container. Rasam powder has a long shelf life. It ages with time.

Enjoy your creation!

Art For Our Soul

“Laughter is brightest where food is best.”
Irish proverb.

Food and humor can change the way we look at the ups and downs of life. Often times when we are down or tired, the smell of familiar dishes can perk us up, giving such food the privilege of being called ‘soul food’. For centuries now, food has been considered ‘Prana’- energy,……energy for the mind, energy for the body and energy for the soul. There has consistently been a stress on freshly cooked food, as stale or stored or reheated food is considered to have lost its “prana”.

Always appealing to our five senses,cooking food is by itself an energizer. There are certain smells, herbs, spices and flavors that brings out our innermost feelings.The very thought of cooking gets many of us visualizing the dish, just as some of us remember it merely through taste. Food is the common thread that binds borders, time, age and brings people together .

Modern machines, processed and canned food, have taken the art(and heart) out of cooking, most have started to believe that merely mixing ingredients can make a dish, and earnestly ask for a recipe, which no doubt does create a dish but not necessarily a tasty palette licking one. Paints, brushes and canvas, on their own mean nothing much, use them in harmony and you have created Art….We apply the same to food and blend our grains and spices to create ……
Art For Our Soul.!

"Yaa Devii Sarva Bhooteshu Kshudhaa Roopena Samsthita
Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namaha"

“I bow again and again to the Goddess, who dwells in all creatures in the form of appetite”

Welcome to Turmeric n Spice.
We hope you enjoy this art as much as we do.