Karela fry salad(Bitter gourd salad)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Bitter gourd or karela or (ಹಾಗಲ ಕಾಯಿ) is a vegetable, I can eat any time, with anything.

I love to experiment with bitter gourd, as I like it. I have tried making chutneys, pickles, stir fries, simple gravies. I will try to post the recipes in the future.

Now, here is the salad, which I love to eat any time with anything or just like that.

Bitter gourd - 2 to 3

Onion - 1 medium

Tomato - 1 big

Lime juice - 2 to 3 tbsp

Chilly powder - 1 tbsp or as per taste

Salt to taste

Sugar 1/2 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Fresh coriander or Parsley(or both) - 1 handful chopped

(General tip to wash the bitter gourd to remove its bitterness

Wash the bitter gourd. Without peeling the skin, cut in to half length wise. Remove the seeds and apply salt both sides and keep for half an hour. Clean with water 2 times. The bitter gourd is ready to cook.)

(If you do not have time to keep it with salt, you can just peel the skin and wash it with saltwater.)

Cut the bitter gourd in to thin slices. Heat oil in kadai, add the cut slices and fry till brown. Keep on stirring other wise it will get burn. Before serving mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Add the fried bitter gourd at the end, mix it well and serve as a side dish.

Keep smiling,

Bhindi Do Pyaza

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

It is so easy to prepare food, when some one is guiding you!! That's why I enjoy very much when ever I follow other blog and cook any dish. And I post it in 'Food Remake' label, as it is very common in Indian film industry to remake the movies from one language to the other. So even my food here is the remake one!!!

This time I followed Sailu's (Indian food, Andhra recipes and Global cuisine inspired cooking) blog and prepared "bhindi Do Pyaza(Okra-Onion stir fry).

It was really delicious!!!!!!, tasty and I never loved bhindi so much!!!!

Please check her blog for the recipe(http://www.sailusfood.com/2007/08/23/bhindi-do-pyaaza-okra-onion-stir-fry/).

Keep smiling,

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Peanut chutney powder(Shenga Chutney)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all



I am from North Karnataka, and there different types of chutneys are always at home, and served everyday with meals. These powders really make the food more tasty. I will try to post other types of chutney powder in future.
Here is the recipe:
Peanut - 1cup
Dalia ("Puthani" in Kannada) - 1/2 cup
Chilly powder - 1 to 2 tbsp as per your taste

Curry leaves - 2 lines
Tamarind - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 4 to 6 big one(we get in UAE) or full one bulb if it is Indian.
sugar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric a pinch
Roast peanuts and remove skin. Mix all the ingredients and put in a mixer and make it coarse powder.
Chutney(ಶೇಂಗ ಪುಡಿ)is ready. Eat with chapatis and curds or hot rice and ghee.
But I always liked it with crispy jowar rotti(katak Jolada rotti) and curds.

This chutney powder is going to participate in

Pavani's Announcing JFI - August ’09: Peanuts,

and the (JFI) WAS STARTED BY Indira (@ Mahanandi)

Keep smiling,

Nivedita's Kitchen: Peanut chutney powder(Shenga Chutney)

Nivedita's Kitchen: Peanut chutney powder(Shenga Chutney)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Cervical Rib Syndrome(Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) and me!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi all,

Got confused with the Title of this post in my blog!! When you finish reading, then you will know the reason for the title.

First let me tell you what is Cervical Rib Syndrome. It is "compression of the neurovascular structures in the area just above the first rib and behind the clavicle. It represents a constellation of symptoms" (Ref. from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/760477-overview).

Why I am telling you about this is because, I am having this syndrome from past 11 years.

With this the bonus is: my 2 discs are also bulged in the back which gives unbearable 24x7 pain.

And I always controlled my pain by doing Pranayam, exercises and jogging. (It is easy for me and I enjoy doing all these as I was a State level Basket ball player.)

But this time, it was severe. So I went to Neuro surgeon. He suggested me to go for MRI.

MRI Experience:

Even though ten years back, I went through MRI, this time I was little scared. Before I went inside, I asked the person who was attending me, that how one feels inside. He told me that I will feel as if I am sitting in a traditional Mill Flour. And he told me not to get scared of the noise as it will be louder.. His strict instruction was not to move my body, head, and hands. Even coughing and sneezing was not allowed. He put me on the machine and told just keep my self calm and breathe slowly. He sent me inside, telling me he will be back in 10 minutes. I was really scared, but kept myself strong and lied down quietly. After a minute, the sound started. It was really scary!!! If he has not warned me before, I would have ran away from there. The sound went on for 30 seconds. Then silence surrounded me with only some data recording sound. I thought the sound will not come again. But!!! after few minutes, again the sound started "kharrrrrrrrr, khatt khatt khatt' Then I just assumed that I am in some Games zone and playing some video games and made my self strong. Again the sound went, but started again after few minutes. Mean while I was worried about sneezing, coughing and was really care full not to get them. But!!!! instead of cough and sneeze, I felt something is moving on my cheeks. I controlled some how, then my chin started scratching!!!! Then came the thought, If some insect or some moving creature is hiding here, and if it attacks me!!!!!!! Ohh, the ten minutes were horrible. At last after one more time the sound and data recording, the attender came and took me out!!!!

I got the report after 3 hours. I went to meet the doctor in the evening. He prescribed me 15 days steroids and advised me to put collar to my neck. I thought "wow such a big ornament for my neck" He told me to come after the treatment and go for surgery to cut the bulge as it is increased to a larger size in these 10 years.

Then the second stage, I thought (not only me!!, every one in the house) of going for second opinion. So next day my visit was to a Orthopedic Surgeon. Before checking the reports, he asked me to explain about my pain in detail and I did the same. Then he took the reports, put on the light.

He explained me in detail about my body parts on the report. He explained me that I have the Cervical Rib Syndrome(Thoracic Outlet Syndrome). This syndrome happens to one person among one lakh. I joked that I am unique in my own way!!! Plus my disc bulge is also giving me the pain. And both are different. He prescribed me 3 days steroids and one exercise which I have to do 30 times in the morning, after noon and night. It has to be followed for lifelong.

Now, I have started the same, hoping that I will get relief. Otherwise also it is ok! I am used to my pain so much that, may be I will feel that I don't have hand, if there is no pain!!!

Keep smiling,

Life and Laugh again!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Again from my daughter's corner!!

This happened when we were back in UAE. Taking care of my daughter's study was my responsibility. But my husband loved to take Moral Education for her as he loved stories from her book. (Now also, he loves to read Tinkle, Chanda mama, Amar Chitra Katha etc., other than big books!!)

One day he came very tired from the office. He was lying on the bed, and told my daughter Rajul to press his legs(dance on his legs rather). She was in playing mood. Instead of pressing the legs, she asked him the question "Pappa, last week you taught me a lesson in Moral Education no? Do you remember which one is that?"

My husband took a moment and happily told(he is very proud of his memory power)

"Yes! I do, we learnt "SELF HELP IS THE BEST HELP"!!!!

That's all!!! She saw his face, smiled and ran out of the house to play!!!!

Keep smiling,

Nivedita's Kitchen: Paapad Samosas

Nivedita's Kitchen: Paapad Samosas

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Curd Rice Balls(ಮೊಸರು ಬುತ್ತಿ ಉಂಡಿ)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Yesterday, after I posted the recipe for "Paapad Samosas" I was feeling guilty for those who are facing scorching heat. Now to make myself feel good, I am posting the recipe for curd rice balls(ಮೊಸರು ಬುತ್ತಿ ಉಂಡಿ).

This food was common in our house, for picnics. At least once in 2 months, My mother and her sisters and cousins always arranged for short picnics. There used to be so many relatives. And we were about 15 cousins. We always had great fun. There were variety of dishes prepared by our grannys, packed nicely and systematical. We visited fields, farm houses or temples. If nothing, we used to meet in some one's house at least. Those were the days!!!, I never wish to forget! This "curd rice ball" was common, as its was easy to give in our hand. We used to run and play while holding it in the hand and eating.

Now, for my daughter, its like a feast!

Here is the recipe,

Rice - 2 cups(cooked with more water)

Fresh curds - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1 medium (chopped)

Garlic - 3 to 4 flakes

(Optional, skip it if you do not like the garlic taste!!, but tastes great with garlic.)

Green chilly - 1

Fresh coriander - 1 hand full

Curry leaves - few

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Mix ready rice, curds, milk, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Crush garlic, green chilly, fresh coriander and curry leaves together. Mix it with rice.

Adjust the quantity of curds and milk. After mixing, the rice should not be very watery, as we need to make balls. Keep aside for half an hour. Make balls and serve in the hands.

Great refresher for the summer!!

Keep smiling,

Paapad Samosas

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Here It is raining continuously and too cold to keep the doors open. It is the perfect ti

me to eat some fried snacks with hot coffee!!

Sorry guys who are staying in the part of the world where the heat is on its height!!!

Now a days most of the cookery shows are full of fried food to compete with the weather.

So I too thought of posting the same.

This is the snack which has to be served immediately.

Here is the recipe,

Potato - 1 big(Boiled and mashed)

Carrot - 1 medium(grated)

Green chilly - 2 chopped finely

Coriander or Parsley - 2 tbsp (chopped)

Salt to taste

Amchur Powder(Dry mango powder) - 1pinch

Paapad - 4(big)

Oil to fry samosas.

Mix all the ingredients leaving paapads and oil.

Keep oil in a pan to hot. Cut the paapads in to four pieces with scissors. Take one piece and dip it in the water just for 3 seconds. keep it on the plate. Fill the ready masala in the middle. Fold the paapad carefully from all three sides. Close it applying the water on the sides. Fry immediately and serve hot with ketch up or sauce.

I am sending this to Shanti's (shanthisthaligai.blogspot.com)

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: LOVELY WINTER RECIPES.

Keep Smiling,