Vinayaka Chavithi/ Ganesh Chathurthi

తొండము నేకదంతమును దోరపుబొజ్జయు వామాహస్తమున్
మెండుగ మ్రోయు గజ్జలును మెల్లని చూపుల మందహాసమున్
గొండొక గుజ్జురూపమునఁ గోరిన విద్యలకెల్ల నొజ్జ వై
యుండెడి పార్వతీతనయ ৷ ఓయి గణాధిప ৷ నీకు మ్రుఎక్కెదన్

Happy Vinayaka Chavithi to all !!! This is one of my favorite days of the year. I have fond memories of how we used to welcome Ganesha home and perform the puja. It used to be grand affair then and it still is for me. The entire family used to involve in decorating the palavelli (mandap) the night before with flowers and fruits and the next morning we all dressed up in our finery and performed pooja while Dad read out the pooja vidhanam. When it came to the story time, we kids used to read it out loud. Then came the part we all loved...prasadam :). Mom used to make Undrallu (steamed rice balls) along with many other dishes. And that evening we used to make it a point to see atleast nine Ganapatis. Oh how much I miss those fun days.

Yesterday at our home here in Los Angeles, we celebrated Vinayaka Chavithi with our one year old son. He enjoyed seeing Ganesha and kept folding his hands to say "namaste" every other minute. Here is our eco friendly Ganesha made out of clay. I used play dough to make it.

                                                        Before pooja -

After pooja -

For Prasadam, I made Undrallu (steamed rice balls), Allam chutney (Ginger chutney), Pulihora (Tamarind rice), Badusha (sweet made with flour and dipped in sugar syrup), Panakam (Jaggery syrup).

Recipes for all the above dishes coming up soon :). 

Tofu Jalfrezi

Paneer Jalfrezi is a popular dish. It is a spicy curry made with bell peppers and paneer. I used Tofu which is a much healthier substitute for Paneer. For someone who does not like Tofu very much, I can attest this is one yummy dish. Goes well with Rotis (Indian bread).

Ingredients -

Tofu - Extra firm
Red bell peppers - 2 medium sized
Green chillies - 3
Red chillies - 2
Cumin seeds
Onion - 1 big one
Tomatoes- 1 Big one or 2 small ones
Turmeric
Salt to taste
Chilli powder
Curry powder - Optional
Garam masala




Preparation -


Heat a pan and add oil ( I use Pam vegetable oil spray for all my stir fries). Stir fry Tofu until medium brown color. Add red bell pepper slices and continue stir fry until done. I like my peppers crunchy, so I dont let them cook all the way.

Heat another pan, add oil half table spoon of cumin seeds and a couple of red chillies. Add onions and saute. Add salt at this point. Adding salt helps onions to cook faster. Add pinch of turmeric and another pinch of curry powder(optional). If you do not have curry powder, just garam masala will do.  Add slices of tomatoes and cut green chillies. Finally add chilli powder. Cover the pan with a lid and cook.

After about 5 minutes, add the stir fried Tofu and peppers to this and leave it on stove top for about 2 minutes. Add chopped cilantro on the top and switch off the flame. Tofu Jalfrezi is now ready to be served :). Enjoy !!!!!

Our dinner tonight- Roti with Tofu Jalfrezi and Guacamole.

Holiday Fruit Tree

I made this edible center piece for a holiday party at work. It was extremely easy to make and everyone loved it. Try it out...its definitely a crowd pleaser. 

You will need-

Toothpicks

styrofoam cone - I got mine from Walmart

Fruits - I used Kiwi, Cantaloupe, strawberries, cranberries,black berries

Cookie cutters - I used round and star cutters

Method -

Cut out different shapes from the fruit. I made stars out of Cantaloupe and rounds out of Kiwis. Attach toothpicks to the cone, and then attach the fruits. Cover up the entire cone with fruit.I added lots of cranberries to fill in the gaps and they gave the tree a very festive look.I made this the previous night and covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it.I served it with coconut flakes on the platter for the snow effect. Try it and Enjoy !!!!

About me

I am a food lover and never fail to enjoy a good vegetarian meal. My interest in cooking originated from this. I started trying out different cuisines and served them in  "desi versions" which my family loves. I love experimenting in my kitchen and this blog is to share space with all the food lovers out there.

I am a software Engineer by profession. Born and brought up in Hyderabad. You would soon see the Hyderabadi influence in my recipes. We Hyderabadis believe "food without considerable amount of spice is not edible" or at least my family and friends do. My parents are from Andhra and I grew up on traditional Andhra food back home. So wait for the good old traditional recipes as well.