celebrating onam

.So here is Onam! We look forward to this festival of  gaiety,fun  and frolic.The atmosphere is  festive. After the scorching summer heat,a pleasant breeze ,with enchanting flavours of nature fill your nostrils.Onam is a basically a harvest festival  when nature is at its best.In Kerala there are   week long celebrations.This festival is celebrated with equal fervour by Hindus, Muslims and Christians.The famous boat races in  the back waters of Kerala  are also held at this time of the year.
There is a popular legend behind Onam celebrations. I am writing it for the benefit  of my   non-Keralite friends  and  relatives. The legend goes that Mahabali,a Demon king ruled Kerala.He was very kind and compassionate.His subjects loved him.  He had conquered all the three worlds.The skies, earth and under world.The Devas became jealous of the King's popularity and went to Bhagwan Vishnu and requested Him to curb the powers of the King lest he takes control of the Heavens.MahaVishnu took the form of Vaman (dwarf God)and went to the court of Mahabali.The  King welcomed him and enquired about the  purpose of His visit.Vishnu,who was in the guise of a poor Vamana,told him that he was s poor Brahmin and prayed for three steps of land, which would be sufficient for his needs.The King readily agreed to  give three steps of land to Vamana. The Vamana appeared in his real form as Lord Vishnu.He took two steps and took control of all the three worlds.He asked the King where should he keep the third  step. The King knew that it was Bhagwan Vishnu in the disguise of a poor Vamana.With folded hands he pleaded to the Lord to keep the third step on his head.As soon as the Lo4d kept the third step on the King's head, he was pushed to the the Pataal Lok(the underworld)The King's subjects  were dejected. They prayed to ten Lord to allow the King to visit his kingdom once a year.Their wish was granted. Every year  in the month of August/September King Mahabali visits his lost Kingdom.People welcome him  by decorating their houses and prepare sumptuous food as offering to their beloved King.This merriment goes on for ten days.
The feast(sadya) includes Sambar, Avial amid Irreseri
as essential dishes besides many more. I am writing a  recipe of one popular dish which is prepared in every house, Errisseri.
The ingredients required  are  1.Yam(jimikand) 2.Raw banana 3 Turmeric 4 Salt  5 Grated coconut  6 Jeera  7Green chillies  8 Curry leaves 10. mustard seeds.
First cut the yam and bananas into small cubes and boil them with salt and turmeric till done.
In a mixie grind about 3 tbsps coconut, jeera and green chillies and keep aside.
In a Karhai put a little oil. add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering add curry leaves.Mix in the boiled vegetables.Roast for a few minutes and add the ground coconut masala. Stir  for  some time. 
Take two more tsps of coconut, roast it and sprinkle in the vegetable Erresary is ready. I am sure every body will like it. HAPPY ONAM

chickenBP

You must be wondering what is this Chicken BP.No doubt,it is a mystery which will unfold in the next few sentences.My grand children are very fond non-vegetarian food.I have to device tasty.and mouth watering dishes for them.Last week,when Jyoti and family were expected for dinner,my  grand daughter Ramita suddenly came out with a desire to eat Chicken Biriyani.Preparing chicken biriyani is a gigantic job.It  entails shopping for a long list of spices,  and  grinding these spices,which takes lot of time.I can never disappoint my little angel, specially when her parents are abroad and she has high expectations from me . This request made me think "how to make biriyani, which will not take much time to cook,and make the servant run to the market." I Planned to cook something as tasty as biriyani and to use whatever was available at house.I decided to prepare  an amalgamation of  'biriyani and pulao.'(chickenBP)  A nice and captivating name!! So here is the recipe.
 Ingredients
1.Rice  2 cups
2.Chicken (preferably boneless) 1/2 kg
3.Garam masala(bay leaf,big cardamoms,black pepper, cinnamon, jeera, coriander seeds) whatever is available at home.Tie all these in a small piece of cloth
4.Oil 4 Tb spoons
5Ginger
6.Garlic
7.Onions
8.Tomatoes
9.Salt to taste,.pinch of turmeric and red chili powder
10.curd 3 spoons 
Method
  In a wok  pour 3 spoons  oil. Add two onions finely chopped, Stir till it is golden brown.Now add ginger and garlic.Keep stirring till a fine flavour emanates  from it.Add  two chopped tomatoes and  stir. Now add curd.Stir till it is roasted.Add salt turmeric and chili powder, After one  minute add the chicken pieces and roast it well. Cover it and lower the heat  till chicken is done.Take  another wok.Add one spoon oil  and one finely chopped onion and roast it  till it turns brown,add ginger and garlic and stir. Also add the tied cloth containing spices, add salt and rice and stir for a few minutes.Pour 4 cups of water and boil till the rice is half done. A mild fragrance will spread in the whole house.Remove the cloth containing spices and discard it. Now the last stage. In a heavy bottom pan add 1/3rd rice, a layer of chicken, another layer of rice  second layer of chicken and finally  a  layer of rice.Now close the pan tightly so that no steam can escape. Keep it on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Don't open the pan for another 15 minutes. When you open  the  pan an awesome and tempting flavour will invite you to taste it immediately. I was happy  that my grand children,Rajita, Ramita, Unni and Appan loved it.

Raksha bandhan

In India,all  festivals are calebrated with a spirit of vigour,and joy.People look forward to the festivals.Festivities and festivals are inseparable.People dance and sing and indulge in merry making. Good food is an integral  part of these celebrations.So far so good.The real spirit behind the festival is forgotten. In India  there are a large number of festivals .Most of these  have a religious   or social significance. Some festivals are of national importance, while others have a regional flavour.
Raksha Bandhan,falls on Purnima day of the month of  Sravana.. 
This year the festival will be celebrated on the 13th August 2011.Sisters tie a colorful thread on the wrist of their Brothers.Many people, especially youngsters,  are not aware of the background and significance of this practice. There are many legends associated with the festival. According to a popular  saying, it is believed that a Hindu queen, after being widowed, sent a thread to a Mughal Emperor, to protect her from the onslaugt of his soldiers, who were intoxicated with their victory.The king, on his part ,protected her modesty. This gave fillip to the  custom already  in vogue , since time immemorial!.It signifies a special bond between the siblings. The brothers and sisters pray for the well being , good health,and prosperityof each other.They exchange sweets and gifts mutually. Rakhi should be celebrated in the spirit in which it originated. It should not depict a vulgar show of wealth.
The Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is mainly celebrated in North India by Hindus and Muslims.In some areas, the village priest  ties a  red coloured thread on the wrist of the seniors of the village and pray for their well being and a prosperous life and get Guru Dakshina in return. Perhaps, the modern day Friendship Band is an extension of Raksha Bandhan in a different  form.
Happy Rakhi wishes  to every one! May all be blessed. Let us spread the message of love, good will and mutual trust  among ourselves and the society.!

a rat is a rat,is a rat is a rat

Who has not seen a rat? Right from Nursery/KG  days we are taught  the spelling of the word "rat".It has got a place of prestige with high profile K  for "king" and Q for"queen".A rat is a creature found universally.. Its tragedy is, that it arouses fear and hatred among  majority of the  people specially women.Perhaps its slimy skin, piercing gaze and unbeatable speed ,disconcerts  them. I have personally seen the reaction of some people,when confronted with a rat.My mother,once removed her sari in panic,when a small rat unwittingly  happened  to touch her sari.  Her shrieking had an instant reaction on the poor rat.It ran  with amazing speed for cover. We have all grown up  listening to the fable of  Pied Piper of Hamelin. Everyone tries to drive them away.
In India , a rat has its own worshippers.A rat is believed to be the vehicle of Lord Ganesha. In Lord Ganesha temples ,there is always an idol of a rat. Karni temple in Rajasthan is famous for rat worship. There, rats, in large numbers are found roaming about freely.
 In China ,according to the Zodiac calendar, the first month of the new year is  a symbol of a rat. There ,a person born in this month is believed to possess qualities   such as genorisity,creativity,quick temper, honesty,.and wastefulness associated with rats.
In many countries  rat meat is  eaten by some people as a delicacy.In some South Asian countries  it is treated as staple food.Some people ,even keep rats as pets. The fact ,however remains that it is hated by a  vast population. When a rat dies . there is no one to shed tears ,It departs from the world unsung, unwept  and unnoticed in a heap of  garbage ,even though it leads a luxurious life in cozy corners of our mansions.!!

doggie days

I think that a dog is the most amazing animal on  the earth. It gives its master  unconditional  love. Our dog, Elsa, is a golden furred Labrador. Elsa is a female dog , living with us for the past ten years.My grand daughters simply love Elsa.In return Elsa dotes on the girls. When the girls come home , Elsa gets wild!!  She wants to be hugged by them first.  When the children  pat each other, Elsa shows her jealousy ..In fact, no one in our house can enter the house,  without patting her first.
 I have read somewhere that dogs are like philosophers  who understand every thing ,but do not tell. How true!!Our  daughter ,Jyoti .is mortally afraid of dogs since childhood.She was very upset, when we got Elsa, as a gift ,from Deepak's {my son}  friend Rana Chinna,  When Elsa was small, she tried to woo Jyoti, but she did not get  any positive response.Elsa understood Jyoti's  reticence and did not make any further overtures!!
Elsa loves biscuits.  The very sound of the opening of a biscuit tin makes Elsa restless and she starts drooling. I tried  a simple recipe to make  cookies  for Elsa. It was a big hit. Why not share the recipe with dog lovers? They will come closer to their pets. All  the ingredients are  readily available.
Ingredients;
 Wheat flour        1 cup
 Grated vegetables like cabbage, carrot,  bell pepper,bottle gourd etc.  About 1/2 cup
 Knead the flour with all the vegetables.
 Keep the dough for some time.In the mean time pre heat the oven.Make 18 to 20 small balls from dough and put them on a greased tray for 20 -25 minutes, at 180 degrees farenheit  Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before you give a yummy treat to your doggie.

Healthy cake

Encouraged by the response received from friends for low cal sandwiches , I am venturing into writing  another low cal dish.Wondering what is it? It is something children love to have. It is a cake.!!My  grand children are simply crazy about the cake ,which I make.An interesting thing about the cake  is that it contains no eggs,no butter and almost no milk. Sounds impossible? Really?So here we go.
Ingredients

• All purpose flour    1 cup
• Curd                        1 cup
• Refined oil               1/2 cup
• Cocoa powder           1/4cup
• Chocolate sauce        2 tb sps
• Sugar                          1/2cup
• Baking powder           1 tb sp
• Vanila essence             Few drops 
• Cooking soda               1/4  t sp

 I add all the above ingredients together in a blender and  make a smooth paste.In case the paste is too thick, I pour a little milk and mix well. A non stick cake dish is then smeared with a drop of oil and  kept  in  a preheated oven at 200 degrees Farenheit for 25 minutes. It is taken out, when it cools down. A yummy cake is ready.

Dadi special low cal sandwiches

Sandwich and low cal?Is it  possible? How? So many questions seem to be flooding in from all sides. Why  not? Well I have  not only tasted them  but  even prepared them for my grand children. The main ingredient which adds to the calories ,butter, is omitted .Is it not strange?In place of butter, I tried  hung curd. Wow!! It  worked very well. I add green  vegetables  to make them nourishing for the children. To all this is added egg less  diet mayonnaise.,a favorite with children. I remember to add a little tomato sauce,few drops of olive oil, salt and pepper. I apply  the paste on a slice of bread and lo!! Children will finish it in a jiffy.
You may be thinking that this is sketchy sort of preparation as I have not mentioned any quantities. Here it is, to make six sandwiches we need -

•  Two tbsp hung curd

• Four spoons  grated cabbage, carrot, green bell pepper
• Two tbsp mayonnaise
• Two tsp  tomato sauce
• Half spoon olive oil
• Add  salt and pepper  to taste
• Mix all the ingredients to make a smooth paste.  Cut the sides of the bread slices  and apply a thin layer of the paste.and serve. 

.Being a Grand mother  I am sure that children will love  them and ask for more. Good luck!