Wanderberry Tales

New Year started on a pretty low note. Climate is amazing here in Dubai and so very apt for all sorts of infections! So after two weeks of medicines and rest, we are slowly getting back on track.  Phew! finally food tastes like food!  Two weeks almost made us forget what it was like to be foodies with our tongues absolutely losing its sense for taste. The beginning of a New Year went by and our third wedding anniversary too confined within blankets and cup after cup of ginger tea! Since it did not exactly feel like a New Year - we decided to postpone all our celebrations till we were fine and we are on the verge of recovery now. Now, I do wish we could have posted about a dinner date or romantic outing on our anniversary but never mind we did something special too! We took care of each other:) It is not easy having two sick people taking care of each other but we did tide through proving true the marriage vows we took three years back - 'In sickness and in health'!...

Long weekend here in Dubai and the climate is getting better. We have vowed to make good the beautiful climate this year. Summers always prompt us to stay indoors and if at all we step out - malls and restaurants are the only solace. The changing season beckons us outdoor - probably for a picnic in the park or walk by the beach. Yay!! We managed to do both this weekend and that makes me content. It's not every day that all you plan materializes. That was my happy weekend - more to go with a movie planned and an extended day off tomorrow Over to the post for the day. I have already mentioned in several earlier posts how much I love the place I was brought up - Brahmavar. Not just the place - the cuisines as well. The recipe today is a popular curry that is served for weddings in the Udupi/ Mangalore region. I can still visualize the dhoti clad men who serve food for the weddings walking around with buckets of this curry shouting - 'Huli Huli Huli'. Those who have been ...

It is the peak of the summers in Dubai and my heart longs for the monsoons in India. Waking up to the sound of rains.. A rainy evening with a mug of hot coffee.. A walk in the rains.. Getting splashed - ugh!! Sounded annoying back then, but now! I need that one splash.  And of course, the hot fried bajjis that lifts your spirits. That is something I can do in Dubai too! My thoughts went scrambling and this is what it resulted in. Cheers to Goli Bajji/ Mangalore Bajji with hot tea that sent me down many memory lanes. While I get nostalgic, why don't you guys have a sneak peak at what is below -  Ingredients All purpose flour - 1 cup Yogurt - half cup Rice Flour - 2 tbsp Onion - 1 medium chopped Ginger - 1 tbsp grated Green Chilly - 1 sliced thinly Curry Leaves - 1 sprig finely chopped Coriander Leaves - a handful finely chopped Asafoetida - 2 pinches Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1 tbsp Salt to taste Oil for deep frying Method ...

A small tea shop in front of our college campus was the favorite hangout place during our free hours in college at Brahmavar. This is where we have feasted on the Mangalore Buns as it is popularly called. Do not go by the name Buns! It is nowhere similar to the normal buns baked out of the oven. It is deep fried in oil and usually served as tea time snack along with chutney. It is sweet, hence can be eaten without a chutney also. That is precisely what I did roaming around with a piece in my hand and preparing for our trip to Al Ain Zoo. That is a long awaited trip and we finally did it this weekend Yay! Guess what we were lucky too! Got to see the majestic White Tiger and White Lion in all its glory and majesty. I had packed a few buns for our evening snack time which we gorged on after the visit to the Zoo. I hope you guys too try out this recipe, you could make it a tiffin box recipe for your kid too:) A simple way to use the overripe bananas which you do not feel like eatin...

I am back from my vacation ! 3 beautiful weeks and so many memories - just the perfect start. A new year and a lot more resolutions. A growing vigor and enthusiasm to do a lot more this year. While I ponder on where my resolutions and vigor takes me why don't you guys go ahead and catch my latest recipe. Chicken Sukka - a Mangalorean style chicken preparation that uses plenty of coconut and quite a bit of spices - name it and you have it. The dish goes along well with dosa, neeru dosa, sanna, chapatti to name a few. So here is the recipe - straight out of my akka's kitchen. Ingredients For the masala - (you can choose to make the masala and refrigerate it. Lasts for 4-5 months. Kashmiri Chilly - 50 gms Pepper Corns - 2 to 3 tbsp Coriander seeds - 2 to 3 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds - a pinch Ajwain - a pinch Turmeric Powder - a pinch Garlic - 2 pods For the dish Chicken - 1 kg cut into small pieces Coconut gr...

Kundapura Chicken Curry is a traditional chicken preparation popular along the coastal belt of Mangalore - Udupi - Kundapura region. It is an excellent accompaniment for kori rotti, sanna , neeru dosa and rice as well. So that is another jog down the memory lane. Takes me back to Brahmavar and the tastes of Brahmavar which I grew up to love. It's not just the food but also the special people in my life who cooked this for me. My two akkas Geetha akka and Sabitha akka who took care of me and my sister just like their kids. I am sure Geetha akka is still waiting for me to get home to prepare her special dishes. Here I have the recipe of Kundapura Chicken for you - Ingredients Onions - 2 chopped Tomato - 1 chopped Curry Leaves - 1 sprig Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Coconut milk - 1 cup Chicken - 1/2 kg Oil salt to taste For the paste - Ginger - 1 tsp chopped Garlic - 1 tsp chopped Cinnamon sticks - 1 inch stick Cloves - 5 to 6 Whole pepper - 1 tsp Coriander see...

Brahmavar - that is where I was brought up. A lovely place with even more lovelier people and amazing food. It is a small town along the Udupi coastline, 70 kms of Mangalore. No prizes for guessing my favorite Mangalorean meal. Boiled Rice and Fish Curry - That is definitely a marriage made in heaven:) Attend any weddings in the Mangalore region and you will realise that people are least bothered about the fish in the curry, all they need is the gravy for a sumptuous meal. My earliest memory, is the fish curry we constantly order at Hotel Ashraya - a restaurant in Brahmavar along the National Highway. Our favorite waiter at the restaurant told us that the flavour of the curry increases if it is kept over night and then served. My cooking experiments proved the same. Try making this curry with sardines, mackerel or even anchovy, it would taste as good! Flavors do not necessarily come from complicated recipes - you will know this once you read this recipe, try it ...