tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10561963346474946232012-02-16T05:59:46.034-05:00Cooking in a Odiya home in America .. experiments and fun with food!Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-78956018997473468652012-01-07T00:04:00.001-05:002012-01-07T00:04:55.840-05:00

My blog has suffered a lot in the last few years due to my own negligence and lack of commitment. This new iPad that was recently gifted to me at work raises hope in my budding and sagging ( yes, they can occur together - trust me!) blogger spirit that there is still hoe and I can still salvage it. This in inline with my 2012 motto to remain positive no matter what. Your life's positive cannot

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-86243918112777649712011-08-03T19:48:00.001-04:002011-08-03T19:48:00.313-04:00

Kokum - hmm, what do I do with this? One of those ingredients that I had read about in some of my fellow bloggers posts. I had never heard of it before. When browsing through an Indian grocery store in New Jersey, I came across the mystical Kokum - got delighted and bought some. But to my utter disappointment and frustration, I just could not find the recipes using Kokum. They had been lying

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-14239009876074767892011-07-31T17:49:00.000-04:002011-07-31T17:49:49.730-04:00

Continuing on our tradition from back-home, I always try to make mutton curry with warm rice and salad for Sunday lunch. Not counting the weekends when I was overly lazy or when we have guests over who don't take mutton. Since cooking mutton takes atleast 30 mins, it is best left to be done over the weekend. The best taste is when it is fresh cooked. Re-warming and eating the next day does not

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-16019915905982552792011-01-09T09:00:00.001-05:002011-01-09T09:00:01.994-05:00

For the very first time, during Thanksgiving last year I attempted to make "Mashed sweet potatoes". It turned out  nice and served as a good side-dish. Enjoy! Ingredients: Sweet potato - 2-3 large Milk - 1 cup Butter - 3/4th of a stick - approx. 6 tbsp Salt - 1 tsp Pepper - 1/2 tsp Crispy shallots deep-fried or deep fried onions - as per taste Method: Boil the sweet potato till they are

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-88949236554558290102011-01-04T21:52:00.000-05:002011-01-04T21:52:47.404-05:00

Butternut squash soup I love soups, but somehow don't make them often! When we suffer from cold, we go scrambling for some soup in the pantry. Always have a good stock of packet soups but always miss Maa's make-from-scratch soup. She makes a delightful veg-stock chicken soup that everyone likes but that is the case with each and every item she prepares. Love you, Maa! :) Thus, I am trying to 

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-47484721257391768922011-01-03T23:44:00.003-05:002011-01-04T01:13:04.865-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!My new year resolution is to make 1 post per week no matter what. My problem of the past has been that either I don't have the pic or the recipe noted exactly with respect to the ingredients - but this year, I am trying to turn a new leaf and post whatever I had. So don't get frustrated (if at all someone is still checking back! If you are, thank you :)) if the pic or

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-5686523005358252412010-06-17T01:03:00.010-04:002010-06-18T16:00:22.551-04:00

Hello! Hello! Hello!Koi Hai? Itna sannata kyon hai, bhai! (Translation - Anyone out there? Why is there so much silence, buddy?) - A popular dialogue from a all-time superhit Hindi movie Sholay and very much indicative of my feelings as I try to revive my cooking blog.Let's start my comeback with one of the easiest desserts I have ever had to date (ofcourse, apart from eating away plain sugar to

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-16879323355541994262009-10-18T17:50:00.006-04:002009-10-18T18:41:35.804-04:00

My previous attempts at making khichdi or fried rice using the pressure cooker have always resulted in quarter-cooked rice or mushy yucky rice! Not this time. It was just perfect - guess I finally got the knack of making rice in pressure cooker ;)This is a recipe adapted from Archy's recipe book blog at http://archysrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/palak-rice.html#. There are some minor variations in

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-9120893704721447992009-09-18T07:59:00.000-04:002009-09-18T07:59:00.556-04:00

I organized the Indian-style house-warming aka Grihapravesh Satyanarayan puja. Organizing this puja was quite a experience - particularly in terms of cooking. This was one event when every single thing was taken care of by me. I won't deny that it was quite stressful, however, all's well that end's well. Now when I look back, I did have lots of fun and made some lovely memories for the lifetime

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-7083774493038977922009-09-16T07:08:00.000-04:002009-09-16T07:08:00.050-04:00

Any menu, particularly pooja menu that needs to be san onion and garlic, is kinda incomplete without a lentil-based item aka dal. Wikipedia entry for dal or lentil is here. This is very easy to make. It was the first item that I made while prepping for the pooja celebrations.Ingredients:Toor dal - 2 cupsSalt - per tasteTurmeric - 1 tbspDry red chilli powder - 1 tsp or per taste (optional)For

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-29012794025010279062009-09-14T11:26:00.000-04:002009-09-14T11:26:00.565-04:00

New house meant lot of new decor items. Being a horticulturist's daughter, plants have always fancied me. To add on the closed spaces out here, particularly when the chills sets in, needs plant to provide the greenery and freshness. Am trying to fill up my house with living plants how much ever I can maintain rather than the artificial greenery available in most home decor stores.Following are

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-20883707972696003722009-09-13T01:20:00.001-04:002009-09-13T01:24:42.741-04:00

Hey All,Sorry for missing from action for so long. Life just took over and whatever little time was left, I just could not get myself to blog. Though have been cooking and feeding relentlessly (hubby may differ on this coz regular lunch-dinners have not been that regular) and trying out different and new stuff.I cleared my Ph.D. qualification process exams with flying colors. Now when I look back

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-26208907171228374752009-02-22T16:00:00.000-05:002009-02-22T16:00:02.760-05:00

Coconut ChutneyIngredients (Makes approx. 16 servings) Coconut - 1 smallFresh Coriander Leaves - 1-2 handfulRoasted Chana Dal (Bengal Gram Lentil) - 3 tbspGinger - 1 inch pieceGreen chilli - 2-3, as per tasteTamarind Concentrate - 1 tspEasiest recipe ever - Get all these ingredients into the grinder and go vroom-vroom-vroom till it is a fine paste. Refrigerate and enjoy till it lasts! :)Devour

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-41778381947870813992009-02-07T06:00:00.001-05:002009-02-07T06:00:02.047-05:00

Last year when my parents were here with me, during Ganesh Chaturthi, my mom had prepared a veggie fun-fare for us. I still remember how tasty it was and that was when I started getting more into veggie food. Prior to that, veggie food was a side-dish in my house and it usually consisted of the regular stuff such as paneeeeeeeeeeer and potatoeeeeeeeeeee :)I have been meaning to post this since

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-69658724288737125982009-02-04T06:00:00.002-05:002009-02-04T06:00:01.796-05:00

Over the weekend, our eating schedule goes haywire. We just let it go as it goes. Since the week goes through with planned meals, we let the weekend takes it's own course. Sometimes we have a heavy brunch followed by a light lunch. Or a light breakfast followed by eating out. Or cook up something special and spend the rest of the day watching a movie or two over HBO (too lazy to go to the theater

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-662363363542058412009-01-31T16:06:00.000-05:002009-01-31T16:06:01.139-05:00

Feels great to be back blogging. Have got a lot of ideas/recipes on what to post next. Let me update on what has been keeping me busy and happy lately.I have been busy trying to complete the various components of my Ph.D. candidacy examination. Completed last year with the written exam and waiting with bated breath for the result. Come new year and we are back at work on day 1 - an email pops up

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-89335864648792667192008-11-21T16:17:00.002-05:002008-11-21T16:17:01.068-05:00

A long day at work followed by a trip to school to meet my advisor does not leave any energy to cook anything for dinner. But don't want to eat out nor eat any left-overs in the fridge - now what to do? Try to make the cooking interesting and try something new and simple yet special - and thus, I tried this saffron cream sauce. Made eggs with this sauce, however, I am sure this will taste equally

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-51702861195825314002008-11-09T02:00:00.003-05:002008-11-09T02:00:00.995-05:00

Colors of Fall are fast going away with the fast intruding winter. Here is a picture of the fall colors from my office window. Isn't it great?Meanwhile, with a busy work schedule, I am looking for one-dish wonders that can serve as dinner and lunch for next day tiffin. Seems like gone are the days when I can conveniently plan and cook multiple things..alas! Atleast for the next month or two. One

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-4420534892735038102008-11-04T15:08:00.009-05:002008-11-04T19:10:09.560-05:00

Kofta is something I had never made before. Really strange..somehow this has always evaded my cooking list till date. This recipe is from my dear friend Prajakta. We were sidies (a slang term meaning people staying in next door dorm rooms :) ) during our undergraduate days and were good acquaintances at that time. Now we work in the same company and have become good friends. We had to come all

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-74206589514865669052008-10-26T00:11:00.000-04:002008-10-26T00:11:06.425-04:00

IngredientsBhel Mix - 2 cups (Tip - You can get these in Indian stores. If you can't find it, use plain Bhel\Mudi\Muri with some mildly spicy mixture)Onion - 1/2 smallTomato - 1/2 small - deseeded, just use the fleshGreen chilli - 2-3Coriander Chutney - 1 tbsp ( I use Swad brand)Sweet Tamarind Chutney - 2 tbsp (I use Swad band)Coriander leaf - a few sprigsBoiled Potato - 1 small, chopped into

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-56377833866964676512008-10-19T11:00:00.002-04:002008-10-19T11:00:00.248-04:00

Chilli Ristras adorning the corridor of a hotel in Santa Fe - Real Chillis !?! Yes! A quite common sight in New Mexico...Hi All!As I mentioned in my last post, lot of exciting things happening lately in my life. I have taken on a new role at work and learning a lot of new interesting things. As a result of this change, I have a more organized life now and get to concentrate more on my programming

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-91307718029449339412008-10-12T14:00:00.003-04:002009-01-31T17:10:48.909-05:00

Hi there! I am back from my blogging break. It's been a while with lot of exciting things that I would like to share with everyone. Will do so in my next post. Till then, enjoy these healthy recipes from my kitchen to yours. Look forward to hear from everyone around and catch up.In Oriya household, lunch is heavy while dinner is light. Lunch includes rice, dal with or without a non-veg item and

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-67179282387717376682008-08-31T17:13:00.002-04:002008-08-31T17:17:32.114-04:00

Hi All,I will be off from blogging till October and possibly, November too. Will be travelling a bit during this period along with entertaining family and friends which is bound to take up a lot of my time. In addition to all this, I am starting to take a new type of assignment at work and completion of school work. Too many things to do before the end of the year..please keep me in your thoughts

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-6678621404841945292008-08-19T20:56:00.002-04:002008-08-21T20:23:19.575-04:00

Come weekend and a pretty relaxed one where there is no activity planned out. Feel like having a filling breakfast for a change and want to have something different and not too rich in taste.How about taking another shot at simei upma? Had tried it a few times before and it had either turned out too bland for our taste or too mushy..yuck! This time, I went about googling and found this and this

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-27213101292740782852008-08-14T21:20:00.000-04:002008-08-14T21:20:00.736-04:00

Dahi Bara (aka Dahi Vada) with Aloo Dum is a favourite street-food of the city of Cuttack in Orissa. Dara Bara is urad dal fritters in spicy yogurt gravy. You can't escape from the aroma of the same from the street vendors. Very enticing, I should say!Cuttack is a very vibrant city in Orissa. It is more than thousand years old and was the capital of Orissa before Bhubaneswar. I have plenty of

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-50841323205011307552008-08-03T23:00:00.000-04:002008-08-03T22:44:03.068-04:00

This year has been quite eventful so far. Apart from the various trips R and I have taken, we have had a few gatherings at our place to catch up with friends and family. Looking forward to a few more over the course of the coming months. Need to start learning lot more new recipes. I always like to have a few new items when I have anyone visiting us. Or even for potlucks, for that matter. This

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-61690576516915151142008-07-29T12:00:00.009-04:002008-07-29T12:00:01.451-04:00

Yes, yes and yes, this blog is one year old today. Time just flies. One day, I was contemplating whether I should start a food-related blog or not. I had been completely oblivious of the existence of this wonderful world of foodie blogs until I searched for a recipe and there was this pic-by-pic detailed explanation of the Aloo Curry recipe by dear Shilpa. Traveling from one link to the other,

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-416755634399205572008-07-27T12:00:00.006-04:002008-08-03T17:04:33.544-04:00

After Shilpa's Eggless Date Cake became a favorite in my family, the Eggless Mango Cake recipe by Lata definitely caught my attention as a must-try. On my day off from work, I set off on my attempt...and I was not disappointed. A day-off put to good use :) Here is the recipe with minor modifications from Lata's version. Thanks, Lata, for sharing this recipe!Ingredients Makes 2 medium-sized cakes

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-3922284736084516542008-07-25T17:47:00.001-04:002008-07-26T11:13:14.308-04:00

Chicken has always been my favourite. Since R prefers lamb over chicken, we don't have it that often. But when we do, I always try to make it in a different way so that it is something new and interesting for R to enjoy it as well. That's the reason I am always looking for new chicken recipes to try.On one of our recent trips to the Indian grocery store, found the Chicken Makhani masala by Chef

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-13552257351801392072008-07-24T22:10:00.004-04:002008-07-24T22:21:03.432-04:00

When I first had milk-cake (cake version of kalakand) as a ten-year old, my first question was "why is it called that? neither does it have frosting, nor is it milk!". Ten-year olds are so dumb! No offense to any other ten-year old before my nieces and nephews start complaining :)When I read Sandeepa from Bong Mom's Cookbook had a microwave version of the Kalakand, I just had to try it. R's

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-79099358169210496412008-07-06T17:43:00.002-04:002008-07-06T17:49:15.591-04:00

As a kid, summer meant early closing of school, lassi in the evening and lots and lots of festivals (some specifically directed for particular section of people such as unmarried girls, married women). And the most important change in food, you can have lots of mangoes "amba" to eat and the soothing "Pakhala" for lunch. Read on if you would like to get a glimpse at some of my most coveted

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-82774909394497836412008-06-17T22:21:00.005-04:002008-07-06T18:12:47.406-04:00

Hey All,That was a BIG break from blogging. Did not mean to, but just kept pushing back inspite of the fact that I have got lots to share in terms of cooking, nature photography with some interesting travel information. Will try to keep my cool and slowly and steadily, share the info than impatiently gurgling them all out everything in one post :) One thing that I have noticed is that even when I

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-43870283311923222382008-04-13T13:26:00.004-04:002008-08-27T20:56:51.792-04:00

When I read Sia's post on Carrot Coconut Shorba, I knew I had to try it. Maybe it was the cold cold winter outside. Maybe it was the pictures posted by Sia. Maybe it sounded like a tasty and unique combination. Maybe we are trying to eat healthy now. It was for all the maybe's. :) And I just loved it when I got to try it! I am trying hard to include soup in our dinner for atleast two evenings of

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-31613927110132252022008-04-12T12:08:00.008-04:002008-06-18T21:34:36.313-04:00

Hey All,It's been so long! Life just took over - work got hectic, school got deadlines! Everyone just conspired to keep me away from blogging. Got some new recipes in the meanwhile which I will post about shortly. Hope to become more regular in posting....Amen!Way back in February, dear Divya tagged me for a MeMe. The first time anyone tagged me, so it is definitely a delight. Almost feel like

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-52692816918928556072008-02-26T12:22:00.013-05:002008-02-26T15:30:55.298-05:00

Sooji Halwa is one of the easiest desserts to make. Anytime I am lazy to make an elaborate dessert for the two of us, I think I will go with this -- Lazy Pragyan's dessert. :) This is another sweet dish that I have learned from Maa during her stay with me. Back in India, we used to have this aplenty in the dorm cafeteria during dinner. This is also served as prasad in temples of Chennai,

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-50491958794674316072008-02-10T00:23:00.000-05:002008-02-10T01:12:28.135-05:00

I had a few of the Sanjeev Kapoor Masala's lying around and I was wondering what to do with them that was different from what the pack recipe recommends. That's when I thought "why not experiment?"...well, when do I NOT say THAT? :) Let's go for Paneer Jalfrazie using the "Vegetable Jalfrazie Masala". Surprisingly, it turned out good. Hubby asked for second helping..yoo hoo, hit my absolute

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-10774163783282531212008-02-07T22:29:00.000-05:002008-02-08T20:41:52.485-05:00

My first ever attempt at making Besan Laddoo. It turned out ok, definitely edible and I will make it again. :) Reminded me of the ghee-oozing besan laddoos we had in Rajasthan. Food memories can sometimes be so strong. This is following the recipe posted by Tee of Bhatukli here. Thanks, Tee!Ingredient (makes 12 laddoos)Besan - 1 cupGhee - 4 tbspSugar 3/4 cupCardamom Powder - 1/4 tspMix the besan

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-75911365209404741002008-02-03T21:23:00.000-05:002008-02-03T21:54:43.189-05:00

Fish cutlets develop a different taste and texture than the fish it is made up of. A dish that can be filling by itself. Maa used to make them with Rohi fish. She pain-stakingly removes the bones of the fish. Naturally, I was delighted when I saw my SIL make a fish chop and she did not have to worry about the bones. Yes, she had used tilapia fish fillets. Since then, I have been using the tilapia

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-29061376406502034672008-02-02T17:08:00.000-05:002008-02-09T07:39:36.021-05:00

Hello Everyone,I have joined the "Great Cooks Blogroll". This blogroll is available on my right-hand-side side-bar. Check it out!It's very easy to join. Just fill-up the form available at Jill's Simple Daily recipes here. Once you receive the blogroll code, add it to your blog and you are ready to mingle with the great cooks out there!Thanks, Jill, for this blogroll!

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-29209234319678006722008-01-30T21:20:00.000-05:002008-01-30T21:43:16.951-05:00

My dad loves photography. I can attribute my love for photography to him. The other day, we were sitting and chatting in the kitchen and we had a mega-cook-off coming up since we were expecting guests. Me and Maa got Baba (that's how I call my dad) inspired to take some pics for us of veggies. Sharing them with everyone, enjoy!

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-90375523580086761582008-01-26T13:39:00.001-05:002008-03-30T10:29:36.816-04:00

A dessert that I used to have aplenty while growing up -- yeah, yeah so much so that I stopped liking it. These days, I like to have it once in a while, in very very small servings. Since hubby dear just loves it, I learned how to make it from Maa. Of course, to also make it when I miss home and want some food that can take me back to the growing-up days and provide the calming effect!. Here it

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-50329918081577864562008-01-13T23:47:00.001-05:002008-04-13T12:29:21.122-04:00

"A new form of cake" is all that can easily be said to summarize this cake. Indeed. I first had this cake when my dear friend Prajakta (I still got to make and post her finger-licking Malai Kofta!) made this and got some for me. I was wowed. It was a soft cake with an absolutely different taste. She had used the recipe from our Konkani fellow blogger Shilpa's Aayi's Recipes. The master recipe is

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-82621654253831814832008-01-11T20:29:00.000-05:002008-01-11T21:52:19.061-05:00

A light stuff to have with Belgian Endives or Garlic Parmesan Bread! I had first tried this recipe during Christmas 2006 following Rachael Ray's recipe. When I wanted to make it again for this year's Christmas, I just could not find the recipe. I think it was similar to the one mentioned below...whatever it was, it was pretty similar. How else to console oneself? Just kidding. :)Ingredients 1

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-61079345020889098952008-01-10T22:17:00.001-05:002008-01-10T22:48:20.682-05:00

A new ingredient in my pantry these days - Pumpkin Seeds!! Had picked them up at the New Jersey Edison Sabzi Mandi, but could not gather the courage to try making it. Finally did so with my mom's assistance. It's not difficult to make, just was not too sure how it would turn out. It did taste good. You can have it as a side-dish simply as a pakora. Or put it in a simple gravy made from

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-22577668321948533742008-01-09T20:38:00.000-05:002008-01-10T22:48:44.613-05:00

Rasagolla-Rasgulla-Rasogolla-however you write it, if it sounds like one of these then it means this white-colored cheese-sweet immersed in sugar syrup. This is supposed to one of the authentic Oriya sweet that has made its way into the Bengali household and has since been termed as an Oriya-Bengali sweet. Wikipedia has a nice short history about Rasagolla here.One of my earlier post about

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-4073018751327484192007-11-11T22:00:00.001-05:002007-11-11T23:08:20.759-05:00

Another recipe from my SIL's archive of delicious desserts to devour and feel guilty later! My Maa, SIL and MIL are like a treasure-trove of dessert recipes. Even if I made one dessert per week, this lifetime is not enough, I bet!My mom is here with me these days. So she makes the dishes that keep us alive and rocking (Second thoughts on rocking since I have gained so much weight now! Cherishing

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-82010478511884614012007-11-03T11:38:00.000-04:002007-11-11T21:59:00.177-05:00

Pav Bhaji - a fast food that goes equally well as a lunch or dinner item. Isn't that a live-saver! :)How many times it has come to my rescue when I felt too lazy to cook!I loved the analogy in Wikipedia entry for Pav Bhaji what states that "The connection of pav bhaji is to western India is similar to what pizza is to Italy or the hot-dog is to America. ". And whoever thought of calling these "

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-47690122749868661882007-10-28T14:49:00.000-04:002007-11-11T21:58:44.909-05:00

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)Toor Dal - 1 cupChana Dal - 1/2 cupSalt - 1 tbspTurmeric Powder - 1/2 tbspChilli Powder - 1/4 tspDry bay leaf - 4Dry red whole chilli - 1Tomato - 1 mediumTempering IngredientsCanola oil - 1/2 tspMustard seed - 1/2 tspJeera - 1/2 tspOnion - 1 mediumGinger paste - 1 tbspPressure cook the washed toor dal and chana dal with chopped tomato, salt, turmeric powder, chilli

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-4860288705537895472007-10-07T11:36:00.000-04:002007-10-07T18:52:12.894-04:00

Most of the Oriya household sweets are milk-based. This is one of the many such sweets. Kheer Sagar literally translates to "Ocean of Milk"...and that is exactly the feeling you get when enjoying the mild flavors of this sweet. Though it takes quite a long time to make, approximately 4-6 hours, it is not that much effort. So do try it, if you have a huge sweet-tooth. You can refrigerate it and

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-49308713430385743552007-09-30T18:16:00.000-04:002007-10-07T11:34:12.563-04:00

Dhokla has been favorite Gujrati food since childhood. Ever since I started cooking, I have made several attempts at it..need I say unsuccessful attempts!! :) Then I stumbled across Jai and Bee's Khaman Dhokla recipe on Jugalbandi. Thank you, Jai and Bee! Below is the same recipe with minor modifications.Note - The ingredients are spread across the post till the end. Please make sure to read the

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-69650115649477974722007-09-22T11:32:00.000-04:002007-09-22T12:26:18.424-04:00

My mom is here with me now. So I am learning a lot of our Oriya authentic dishes which are healthy as well as tasty for the appetite. Things which used to be made almost every other day in our house and I used to avoid eating them. But now when I am getting to eat the same thing after 2 years, it tastes heavenly. My mom tells me that the below combination of veggies is preferred, but you can mix

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-20521257058596757902007-09-19T20:13:00.001-04:002007-09-20T18:44:49.812-04:00

Labor Day Weekend - no big plans, what to do? Make something special to eat :) What do I make? Search my favourite bloggers recipes. Yahoo..found it! Let's make Shrimp Malaikari by dear Sandeepa. Thank you, Sandeepa for sharing this delicious recipe. It was so long since I made anything with coconut milk that I had almost forgotten it's taste. This dish turned out great. Do try it. As usual, I

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-28388577054367239862007-09-09T18:56:00.000-04:002008-08-27T21:41:22.056-04:00

Was looking for some new sweet dish recipes when I came across the "Sandesh" recipe posted by Sharmi of Neivedyam. In almost all the sweet-shops of Bhubaneswar, you will definitely find this sweet. It used to be such a regular sweet in our place that I stopped eating it. Another item that you disliked when mom served it to you as a kid, but now you crave for it! :)Ingredients (makes 20 pieces)

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-9955702802364169822007-09-09T12:04:00.000-04:002007-09-09T12:53:22.405-04:00

Since I started blogging to learn more about the different cuisines round the globe, there was no chance that I would not participate in Regional Cusines of India (RCI) event-Karnataka (one of the southern state of India) being hosted by our dear Asha of Foodie's Hope. The announcement for this event is here. RCI was originally started by LakshmiK of "Veggie Cuisine" blog and other foodie

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-12059205288081840912007-09-02T20:59:00.000-04:002007-09-02T21:34:21.535-04:00

I had seen certain posts in Asha's Foodie's Hope and Indira's Mahanandi about Pohi Leaves (called Poi in Oriya). Thought of sharing this pic for everyone. It is available in H-Mart Korean store and Subzi Mandi (New Jersey).My MIL introduced this green to me. I had never tasted it before. Since this tastes similar to fresh pumkin flower fry, I immediately loved it and have continued preparing it.

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-4142665700787897412007-09-02T19:42:00.000-04:002007-09-06T09:48:58.088-04:00

Spicy Chicken Pakoda is one of the most popular street-food item of Bhubaneswar, Orissa. Other mouth-watering delicious street-foods include:gup-chup (alias gol-gappa, hot pani-puri), chicken egg rolls (hot and spicy chicken in a wrap), kachodi chat, dahi wada-aloo dum, hot guguni (yellow peas curry)School lunch-time or end of the school day - The parents can be late to pick up the kids, but the

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-30625032785305917112007-09-02T16:35:00.000-04:002007-09-06T09:47:38.895-04:00

The first time I had Tomato Shorba, I thought that the restaurant had cheated me by giving me flavoured tomato water ;) I slowly and gradually developed a taste for it. And it has become one of my favourites now. I got so addicted at one time that whenever I had friends visiting me, I would literally kidnap them to this restaurant! Remember, Vrindu?Note - This was in a restaurant in Adyar,

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-23122166738054497632007-08-26T18:55:00.000-04:002007-09-02T15:34:26.736-04:00

Luchi goes great with any potato curry. Following is one such combination. Aloo Bhaja is stir-fried potato. Simei is vermicelli. It can be prepared as a sweet dish to serve as a good partner in taste to the spicy potato fry.Aloo Bhaja aka Potato fry (makes 4 servings)IngredientsMustard oil - 1 tbspCanola oil - 2 tbspMustard seeds - 1/4 tspCumin seeds - 1 tspDry red chilli - 4 wholeDry bay leaf -

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-11363486817743975002007-08-26T18:05:00.000-04:002008-02-09T07:43:36.581-05:00

It is customary to take sweets as a token of love when visiting friends/relatives back home. Chennapoda is one such common item. It is very popular back home. One of the most authentic Odiya milk-based sweet-dish.Anytime we travelled between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar on National Highway 5, we used to stop by Pahala village. On the side of the freeway is a set of eating places where they serve fresh

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-34599148787657339672007-08-26T15:07:00.001-04:002007-10-07T09:17:51.036-04:00

Sorisha Paneer Bhape (makes 4 servings)This recipe is inspired by Sorishe Chingri Bhape recipe posted last week. Since the base of this recipe is so tasty, I wanted to try out a vegeterian version of the same curry by substituting Shrimp with Paneer.Step 1Cube the paneer (about 4 ounces) and lightly fry it with a few drops of canola oil.Repeat Step 2-3 of the Shorshe Chingri Bhape recipe.Enjoy

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-76533824093652661852007-08-19T20:43:00.000-04:002007-10-07T09:15:02.224-04:00

A summer evening with Mango Lassi (yogurt-drink) and a good book to give company is perfect! You will have to get the book as per your taste. I can provide the recipe for Mango Lassi definitely! :)Ingredients (Makes 2 tall glasses or 5 small glasses)Fat-free yogurt - 1 cupMango Pulp - 1 cupFat-free milk - 1 cupWater - 1/2 cupSugar - 1/2Blend all the ingredients together. Serve cold. Enjoy the

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-54557098733608362242007-08-19T17:42:00.000-04:002007-09-02T15:30:36.418-04:00

I don't listen often to Oriya music. However, there are certain songs that I used to listen as a kid. My dad and grandpa used to own numerous records - remember those black round discs! :). Today when I hear them, get very nostalgic. This is one of them. This song was very popular and is one of the all-time hits. This is from the 70's when some of the best Oriya songs were composed. Warning - The

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-52365609146057552162007-08-19T13:04:00.001-04:002007-09-02T15:30:21.383-04:00

Since the day I prepared Shorshe Chingri Bhape from Sandeepa's Bong Mom's Cookbook, we have become major fan of it. Dahi Maccha (Fish in Yogurt gravy) with Rohi fish is one of our favourite fish curry. The present recipe is quite similar and tastes out-of-this-world. It is also very easy to make. Yummy food without too much effort - who does not like it? ;) Seriously, let me know if you are in

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-65192821729767436682007-08-19T13:02:00.000-04:002007-08-20T22:32:42.820-04:00

Indian-style Chilli Chicken (makes 3 servings)Ingredients Chicken cut into small pieces - 15 piecesOnion - 1 large slicedGreen chilli - 4, cut into halves length-wiseEgg - 1 beatenSoya sauce - 2 tbspWorchestire Sauce - 1 tbspTomato Sauce - 3 tbspCanola Oil - 1.5 tbspSalt - 1 tbsp, as per tasteAjinomoto - a pinch (optional)Step 1Mix all the ingredients together and let it marinade for 1 hr.Step

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-46848848561786052962007-08-19T11:07:00.000-04:002007-09-02T15:29:44.181-04:00

Rockin' Girl Blogger AwardMy first blogging award! :) Feels really great. Feel accepted into the blogging world. Thank you, Sandeepa for passing this on to me. You are such a sweet little angel!Going on with the tradition of forwarding this to other girl bloggers, I am forwarding this on to (in alphabetical order):Asha of Foodie's HopeJenn from The Leftover QueenMeena of Hooked on HeatSangeeta of

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-51235214783856149292007-08-12T13:09:00.000-04:002008-08-27T21:40:52.315-04:00

I am submitting this for the "Jihvā for Ingredients (JFI) event: Rice". It is being hosted by Sharmi of "Neivedyam" blog. The announcement for this event is here. JFI was originally started by Indira of "Mahanandi" blog. An Indian food ingredient is selected and other foodie bloggers take turns hosting this event. This is a monthly event.Update on 09/08/2007 - Round-up link is here.Fried Rice (

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-47027793581353969502007-08-12T11:49:00.000-04:002007-08-12T12:51:56.493-04:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Though we often feel inclined to skip it in our hurry to get a head-start to the day ahead, don't we? Well, the following breakfast items are not for those days. We usually have them on weekend when it is a lot more relaxed.Maida Chakuli (makes 5)Maida Chakuli used to be my favourite breakfast item as a child. You can have it all by itself or with

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-14512270583904864762007-08-05T19:49:00.002-04:002008-04-13T16:52:51.090-04:00

I am submitting this for the "Regional Cusines of India (RCI) event: Oriya Cuisine from the state of Orissa in India". It is being hosted by Swapna of "Swad of India" blog. The announcement for this event is here. RCI was originally started by LakshmiK of "Veggie Cuisine" blog and other foodie bloggers take turns hosting this event.Update on 09/08/2007 - Round-up link is here.Goat Curry aka

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-28048305627932078932007-08-05T19:26:00.000-04:002007-09-02T15:26:19.908-04:00

When I was thinking of a name for my cooking blog, I wanted something unique, relevant to cooking, very Oriya and yet also very Indian. Something that is used in international cuisine as well. Thought, thought and thought! Finally I narrowed down on the Oriya word "sorisha".Sorisha is used in almost every Indian cuisine..be it Gujrati, South Indian, Bengali! Most of Indian dishes are incomplete

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-54289961430211170602007-08-05T16:05:00.000-04:002007-09-09T13:48:05.275-04:00

Luchi with Aloo Curry has been mine and R's favourite breakfast item right from our childhood days. These days, we have it for Sunday brunch after R gets back from his cricket games.My luchi's are a combination of puri and luchi actually. Puri is made with wheat flour, also known as atta. Luchi's are made with refined flour aka maida. My luchi are made with 1:1 atta and maida. Since I and R

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-55683707228777557972007-07-29T09:43:00.000-04:002007-09-02T15:25:52.463-04:00

A few years back, a newly married lady landed in US. Prior to this part of her life, she had never had to manage a kitchen and feed hungry mouths. She had indulged in baking goodies and luxury cooking in the past. But they don't really help when you are actually hungry, does it? Equipped with a few recipes from her mom, a few innocuous utensils used by her husband as a bachelor and the phone to

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1056196334647494623.post-36071499256512771782007-07-29T09:17:00.000-04:002007-09-02T15:25:30.199-04:00

I am newbie in terms of blogging. A few days back, I was looking for some recipes and stumbled across the vast array of "desi and videshi" (translated Indian and international) cooking sites. I was really amazed at the level of detail and quality of the recipes. Till then, I only thought Rachel Ray inspires people to cook (Yep, I am a Rachel Ray fan). I was glad to be wrong!Here are some of the

Pragyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574009297857280982noreply@blogger.com5