This is so good on the palate in the hot summer! A power packed way to begin the day 
You need
A cupful fresh curd
2-3 idlis
1 tsp mustard seeds (Rai)
1/2 tsp oil
2-3 curry leaves
2 tsp chana daal
Make sure the curd is fresh and sweet, else strain and add some milk and a tsp of powdered sugar.
Dip the idlis in. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and chana daal, Spread on the curd soaked idlis and enjoy!
I was looking for ways to make sprouts more interesting, so coarse-ground a cupful of them and added to a cupful of dosa batter.
It translated into two beautifully textured and super yum dosas.
A sprinkle of molgapodi and breakfast sorted
So basically that’s all to this recipe.
One cup idli batter
One cup coarse ground mixed sprouts ( I used moong, moth and chana)
Hint of salt
Mix well. Spread on non-stick pan, Make dosas. Sprinkle gun powder/ molgapodi and enjoy!
These will be thicker than regular dosas but so beautifully textured and yum that you just won’t notice 😀
Today marks a new beginning in my food blogging journey. I was on a sort of hiatus, unintentional really. Work and life took over, what with my new venture Jaipuriya and kids growing up too fast, too soon etc etc.
For the past two years I have started to look at food differently. I enjoy it as much, but now I have started to incorporate things I had never thought of before. The last two years have been life altering for me.
Here is an account of that journey. From 92 kilos to 62 kilos. This is what I looked like in March 2015, and in fact most part of my life.
I’ve been overweight for as long as I can remember. Through my school and college years I was sometimes kindly referred to as ‘pleasantly plump and cute’ and at other times blatantly made fun of.
Just before I turned 30, I decided to shed and was able to lose 18 kilos in three months with 3 hours of exercise daily and very restrictive meals. But it all came back within a few months because both the exercise schedule and the diet plan weren’t doable.
In June 2015, my doctor told me to loose 20 kilos if I wanted to keep disease at bay.
This opened my eyes nice and wide and I started my brisk walk (2 kilometres to start with) and small meal schedule.
Today 22 months down the line, at 44, I am 30 kilos lighter. I walk at least 10000 steps daily, practice 30 mins of yoga every day and eat sensible clean meals ( 6 or 7 a day)
I eat everything but in moderation. No cheat days. Any day that I feel like a dessert, I have a small serve.
I eat every 3 to four hours. And make sure to eat nothing 2 hours before bed time. I make sure I drink 12 glasses of water daily and get 71/2 hours of sound sleep.
I am now at my ideal weight but need toning. Will go about it slowly.
For me, that’s been the key- going slow and steady 😀
As for dietary changes, I eat fresh and simple vegetarian food. I don’t drink and smoke and strictly avoid eating out more than once a week. My typical day looks like this
12 glasses of water spaced through the days, 2 as soon as I wake.
5.45 : a banana before the morning walk
8 AM : coconut water
10AM : breakfast (milk with muesli/ oats/poha/ sandwich/ idli/dosa/I even had a gond ka laddoo all winter )
12: one orange or Apple (any fruit)
2 PM : lunch (2 chapatis, daal or curry, curd and some salad) I make rajma, chole, paneer at least once a week
5 PM : sprouts/ handful peanuts/cashews/almonds or a small cheese sandwich
7PM: dinner (similar to lunch or soup and toast or idli sambar)
9PM: a cup of warm milk (and a whole wheat biscuit only if feeling hungry)
10PM-5.30 AM: 71/2 hours of sleep
This is what I look like now. Far from perfect but I am happy with how energetic I feel!
Recently got featured in Times of India for the weight loss, It was surreal 😀
I indulge in: Whatever I fancy, be it a slice of cake/a small scoop of ice cream or a freshly made pathishapta (a popular Bengali sweet), but strictly in moderation. Then I make sure I burn it off!
My workout: I walk 10000 steps a day, practice yoga after my walk, dance three days a week and strength train three days a week. Also, I make sure I remain active throughout the day. I leave my chair every 30 minutes in the middle of long working hours and take a little walk. Walking was all I did for the first 12 months and I lost gradually, only 2 kilos in the first six months. Then the pace picked up. After 18 months when I was around 72 kilos, I started yoga. When I got under 70, I started jogging (which I always thought was impossible for me!)
Low-calorie recipes I swear by: I cook all my food in 2 tbsp oil (for a family of four). Fried food is something I try and steer clear of. I eat everything but in moderation. There are days when I crave for dessert, I have a small serving.
I eat every three to four hours and try not to eat anything 2 hours before bed time. I make sure I drink 12 glasses of water daily and get 7 1/2 hours of sound sleep.
Fitness secrets I unveiled: Consistency is the key. There are no secrets, no shortcuts. One needs to keep at it. The more you make your body work, the fitter it gets. I started with a 2 Km walk which used to take me 30 minutes to complete. I slowly picked pace and worked it up to 10 Kms. Now, I happily jog, even sprint and participate in a high energy dance class. And enjoy all of it!
Lessons learnt from weight loss: Weight loss is not something one can take up and leave. ‘Going on a diet’ is the biggest misconception. Fitness is a lifestyle change one needs to make, for good. Clean eating and staying active is vital. I am now at my ideal weight but need toning. Will go about it slowly. For me, that’s been the key- going slow and steady.
The story of Jaipuriya began in Jaipur….
Somewhere in the pages of my growing up years, the hand-block prints of Jaipur got deeply imprinted on my psyche. I fell totally and helplessly in love. The love affair continues till date!
It found expression in the form of a new creative venture- Jaipuriya.com, my baby number two after CaféGarima!
Jaipuriya, in the colloquial, applies to someone or something that is quintessentially from Jaipur. I am a ‘pukka Jaipuriya’ and when I was thinking of what to name the new start-up the name popped in my mind and stayed. Nothing could make it go away. And then for the logo- the hue had to be blue. My favourite colour and the most loved hue in the block print story- Indigo! The tree of life, to me, signifies creation as a constant and became the basis of the logo.
So we launched in April with some basic simple silhouettes. We mostly had straight and A-line Kurtas in hand-block printed Indigoes, Kalamkaris and some soft pastel hues. We also had some goodies designed in sensuous rustling rayon. There were round necks and mandarin collars. We were totally overwhelmed by the response we got! These were instant sell-outs! Thanks to all the lovely people ❤
So the designing process at Jaipuriya begins with the selection of the designs we want to get printed. Yeah! We get our own fabric printed, fun, ain’t it! But then that’s the fun of belonging to Jaipur. One knows every nook and cranny (well almost!).
And then the sampling and designing happens. Pamposh Sarolia, our Creative Head (Ma, to me) has a deep aesthetic sense and an inherent sense of style, backed with ten solid years of running a leather and apparel studio of her own. I pulled her out of work hibernation and she designs all the traditional wear. The Indo-Westerns are mostly designed by yours truly.
What can be better than the fact that work is fun and takes you to beautiful hidden alleys to gorgeous treasures? I have to say I love my work!
A beautiful lady summed it up saying
कोई कह दे उनसे जाकर,
कि जयपुरिया के कुर्ते पहनकर
छत पे ना जाया करे..🌙
शहर में बेवजह,
ईद की तारीख बदल जाती है..!!
Best Compliment Ever! ❤
Check it all out at Jaipuriya.com!
CaféGarima is two!!
Happy birthday little one ❤ It has been a beautiful journey of learning, growth and many new friendships I’ll cherish lifelong . We have a brand new look and a swanky shiny new logo!
Huge thanks to Pri and Souvik of Giggling Creations for creating this beauty.. It defines CaféGarima. Thanks my dears! Love you both.
It is also an apt occasion to introduce you to my baby number two- Jaipuriya.com!
Somewhere in the pages of my growing up years, the hand-block prints of Jaipur got deeply imprinted on my psyche. I fell totally and helplessly in love. The love affair continues till date! It found expression in the form of a new creative venture, my very own ‘Jaipuriya’.
Jaipuriya, in the colloquial, applies to someone or something that is quintessentially from Jaipur. I am a ‘pukka Jaipuriya’ and when I was thinking of what to name the new start-up the name popped in my mind and stayed. Nothing could make it go away. And then for the logo- the hue had to be blue. My favourite colour and the most loved hue in the block print story- Indigo! The tree of life, to me, signifies creation as a constant and became the basis of the logo.
So we launched in April with some basic simple silhouettes. We mostly had straight and A-line Kurtas in hand-block printed Indigoes, Kalamkaris and some soft pastel hues. We also had some goodies designed in sensuous rustling rayon. There were round necks and mandarin collars. We were totally overwhelmed by the response we got! These were instant sell-outs! Thanks to all the lovely people ❤
So the designing process at Jaipuriya begins with the selection of the designs we want to get printed. Yeah! We get our own fabric printed, fun, ain’t it! But then that’s the fun of belonging to Jaipur. One knows every nook and cranny (well almost!).
And then the sampling and designing happens. Pamposh Sarolia, our Creative Head (Ma, to me) has a deep aesthetic sense and an inherent sense of style, backed with ten solid years of running a leather and apparel studio of her own. I pulled her out of work hibernation and she designs all the traditional wear. The Indo-Westerns are mostly designed by yours truly.
What can be better than the fact that work is fun and takes you to beautiful hidden alleys to gorgeous treasures? I have to say I love my work!
Celebrate Makar Sakranti with these Til ki Barfi, which are real easy to make and so well suited to the occasion. They just need khoya,sesame seeds (til) and sugar. That’s it! Some stirring together and done 😀 Could it get any easier!
You need
600 grams khoya ( I made mine at home. Find the recipe here)
200 grams white til/ sesame seeds
120 grams powdered sugar
A handful of roasted almonds to garnish, chopped coarse
Dry roast the til for 3-4 minutes till it begins to change colour. Do not over-roast or burn else it will become bitter. Cool and grind coarse in the mixer.
Happy Makar Sakranti!
Love
Garima
Make khoya/maawa at home in fifteen minutes with three simple ingredients. And it comes out so yum that I always fear half of it will vanish before making it to the Mithai 😛
This recipe yields about 600 grams of maawa
(Recipe adapted from here)
2 cups of milk powder
1 ¼ cup cream ( I used Malai)
3 Tbsp butter ( I used Amul)
In a heavy bottomed non-stick pan melt the butter and add the cream. Stir over low heat till the mixture beings to bubble gently. Add the milk powder in five lots stirring after each addition to avoid clumping. Cook stirring over medium heat till the maawa comes together. The whole process takes fifteen minutes. The maawa is ready to be used in barfi at this stage.
To make gulab jamuns cook the maawa further till it thickens a little more.
Maawa can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Winter and soups go hand in hand. My favourite is a bowl of thick tomato soup. And this recipe gives restaurant-style Cream of Tomato in three simple steps, with no butter or oil. It gets all its flavour from a little cream. I mostly scoop some fresh ‘malai’ off milk, whisk and use it.
This recipe makes four generous servings (I froze some of the leftover and it kept very well. I can now just heat and enjoy home-made soup any time!)
1 kilo/ 15 medium sized very red salad tomatoes (they should not be the sour variety)
250 grams/ 3 large onions
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
1 tsp sugar
3-4 cups of water as needed to cook the soup
¼ cup cream or fresh malai and some more to garnish
Some finely chopped fresh coriander or parsley to garnish
Chop the tomatoes and onions into large cubes in a large pressure cooker or lidded pan, add salt, pepper, sugar and 2 cups of water. Bring the cooker to a whistle and turn off. Let cool and open the lid. If using a pan, let cook covered for 12-15 minutes.
Strain and save the liquid in a heavy bottomed pan. Puree the tomato and onion mix leftover and strain again. You get a thick, creamy tomato soup.
Add a cup of water to it (or more as per the consistency desired), check the seasonings and adjust them. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of cream and finely chopped fresh coriander and mix well.
Love
Garima
Happy 2016 you’ll ❤
And in the New Year, I reiterate what I always say- Mommies are the best! Mine knows of my madness to recreate restaurant style dishes at home and got me this Gulab Jamun recipe straight from a halwai (professional Indian sweet maker). The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity and the fact that it never fails you! No hard stone like balls, no uncooked centres and no crumbly dough, this is simple perfection. Love you Ma for giving me the recipe for this copper-hued, melt in the mouth goodness!
Gulab Jamuns are sure to attend all Indian weddings and celebratory occassions and real easy to make at home.No gulab/rose in them, but called so because of their possible Persian origin where ‘gul-aab’ means rose water, which may have been used to flavour the sugar syrup. Jamun, they say, refers to its dark colour. It is a milk solid (khoya and paneer) based fried round dumpling, getting its dark red colour becasuse of the Khoya/mawa/milk fudge used to make it.
To get 20 medium Gulab Jamuns you need
500 grams of Khoya/Mawa ( I make my own khoya. Find my simple recipe here. Store bought khoya can be used instead)
125 grams maida/all purpose flour/plain flour
160 grams paneer/cottage cheese (the halwai’s instructions were to get paneer from 1 ½ kilos of whole milk. I got 162 grams of paneer. I always make paneer at home. Find the procedure here)
500 grams of desi ghee to fry the jamuns (yeah, Gulab Jamuns have to be fried in ghee, there is no other way. Any other way is blasphemy 😛 )
For the sugar syrup
Boil one litre of water with 750 grams of sugar till the sugar melts completely and the liquid reaches a rolling boil.
Add one teaspoon powdered ilaichi/cardamom and some crushed saffron strands if you like
For the Gulab Jamuns
Mix all the three ingredients very well till you have a smooth dough.
Roll out into balls. I use tablespoon measure to get equal sized balls. Fry on a medium flame till they reach a beautiful copper colour.
I use a heavy bottomed milk pan with a handle to fry the jamuns. This helps me stir them without having to touch them in the early part of frying. This way there is no risk of breaking them
Dip into sugar syrup for 30 minutes at least.
Serve hot or grab cold from the fridge, they are always yummy yum!
Make them this winter and impress 😀
Love
Garima
My first Christmas cake ever! And what a delight it is 😀
Thanks to my dear friends Aruna , who blogs at ãhãram and Freda, who blogs at Aromatic Essence, for inspiring me with their gorgeous bakes.
Here is my simple Christmas Fruit Cake with a fair amount of fruit and a hint of spice.
A simple step-by-step recipe!
250 grams/2 levelled cups of maida/ all purpose flour + 32 grams/ ¼ cup for coating the soaked and drained fruit
250 grams/ 1 cup softened salted butter (I used Amul)
200 grams brown sugar ( I weighed and powdered it)
4 large eggs ( they should weight around 250 grams)
1 ½ tsp Baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp ginger powder *
350 grams of mixed fruit soaked in 200 ml freshly squeezed orange juice**
½ tsp vanilla extract
Soaking the fruit
A day before the baking day soak mixed fruit in 200 ml orange juice. I used equal amounts of golden raisins, black currants, dried cranberry, glace cherry, candied orange peel and candied fruit ( or tutti frutti), Add 2 tsp of rum to add a boozy hint. Two hours before baking drain the fruit well, saving the drained liquid to be used for brushing the cake later.
Add ¼ cup of maida to the drained fruit and mix so that the flour coats the fruit. This will ensure that the fruit does not sink to the bottom while baking.
Baking the cake
Pre-heat the oven at 150C.
Sift together 250 grams of flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger powder.
In a large pan, whisk the butter. Add the powdered brown sugar and whisk till creamy. Add the eggs one by one and mix after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla.
Add the flour and mix with the spatula. It will be a thick batter.
Stir in the flour-coated fruit. Incorporate to mix evenly.
Transfer to pan and even out the batter with the spatula. Bake for 45- 60 minutes. About 35 minutes into the baking time cover the cake with aluminium foil to prevent over browning. Let cool completely in the pan and remove.
Brush with the leftover juice and serve.
To store, wrap in cling film and store in an airtight box.
* Spices may be skipped if you dislike the taste
** Can used un-soaked fruits if you forgot to soak. Toss them in flour and add. Do not use black currants if using un-soaked fruit. Use raisins, cranberry, glace cherry, candied fruit and tutti frutti
CafeGarima 