Mysore Bonda / Ulundu Bonda

Bondas are flavorful, deep fried fritters. Mysore bondas are popular for their distinct flavor and inviting rotund shape. Many prepare bondas with all-purpose flour (maida) and a little rice flour mixed with yogurt or buttermilk to make a fluffy batter that rises and puffs when fried. The addition of baking soda makes the bondas all the more round and puffy!

In contrast, this is another version that is prepared with black gram (ulundu). It is very similar to making medhu vadai, except this bonda is tempered with several seasonings.

When my husband heard that his mom recently made these bondas, he couldn't get them out of his mind :). So, here they are!

Pasta With Tofu & Tempeh

All of us need a change in our cooking routine. After a few days of quinoa, we move to roti, then to good old rice dishes, dals and more dals, and then to some soups & sandwiches (out of guilt), then some idlis and dosas, and finally round up and land on easy and comforting pasta. But to assuage the guilt of resorting to pasta, I throw in lots of protein and nutrient rich tempeh (basically soy cakes) and tofu. And some vegetable for good measure. In my head, it's a balanced meal! 

To make things better, I discovered (a delayed discovery, I should add) that our wonderful grocery store sells something called Super Pasta! Not just whole wheat/multi grain, but with the addition of other wonderful nutrients. So, really, my cooking has been planned for the next several weeks!

Theratti Paal / Paal Khova / Khoya

Theratti Paal or Khova is a simple Indian sweet made from reduced milk. It is one of the most commonly prepared milk-based sweets that is insanely decadent. It is kind of the Indian version of dulce de leche, just not as caramelized because the sugar is added at the very end. 

My grandmother used to prepare this delicacy quite often, and especially for me, because this is one of the very few sweets that I really like. Bless her, she used to make a tub of it every time she came to visit. Although khova is quite straightforward and simple to prepare, it is time and labor intensive if one wants to prepare it from scratch using just milk. Milk takes a while to reduce (at least one hour or more depending on the volume) and you need to keep stirring to avoid it from burning. Other than that piece, it is quite impossible to mess this sweet!

Last weekend, my husband began craving for Khova. And when he craves for a certain food, he has to have it. So, he asked me what ingredients were needed, and I said - milk and sugar. That was enough to bring out the inner child in him, and he wanted it made immediately. I then warned him that it takes time and I had work to do. So he assured me that he would do it, if I gave him directions. It was a win-win for me, so I conceded :). I asked him to bring "some" milk to a boil and continued with my work. I then peeped in after 10 minutes and realized that he'd emptied almost a gallon of milk and was religiously stirring it with a book in one hand! A gallon of milk would take forever to reduce, and did we really need so much khova?! Well, to be fair, the final volume of khova is significantly less compared to the initial volume of milk, but still, I felt sorry for him, and was a bit trepidatious that he would lose patience midway and I would have to do the rest of the stirring. But who knew that he was capable of exercising so much patience when it comes to something he really wants! I was quite impressed that he spent close to 3 hours in the kitchen (unheard of) patiently waiting for the milk to reduce!

So, thanks to him, we had delicious Paal Khova! Since it's Rama Navami today, I'm considering this an offering.

Also wrapped and served in butter/wax paper, similar to store bought ones

Cilantro Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable based flavored rice dishes are some of the most common and often-resorted-to meals in a busy household with not enough time to make two or three separate dishes. We are constantly looking for ways to combine all the dishes to make one filling dish. So, if there is a way to combine vegetables and rice to make a flavorful meal, why not?

So, in this dish left over rice / or fresh rice (or quinoa) is tossed together in fried/sauteed vegetables, similar to Asian fried rice and vegetables. Since herbs such as cilantro/coriander leaves and mint add so much flavorful to dishes, they are commonly used in Indian cooking. We make cilantro rice and pudina (mint) rice, both of which are really delicious. Borrowing from that, I make cilantro based pulao and mint & cilantro pulao. Even spicy Biryanis have mint in them. They easily enhance the taste of the dish with so little effort. 

Along those lines, this dish is not ground-breakingly different. The only difference is that this fried rice has milder spices and lets the flavors of the herbs shine through. Despite adding a little mint, this dish mainly highlights the flavor of cilantro. It's a homey, hearty dish and faster to prepare, especially if you have some left over rice lying around and you want to quickly make something with it. 

Poached Pears

Poached Pears is one of the easiest and most delicious fruit-based desserts one can make. It is reasonably healthy (if you choose to ignore the extra sugar ;)), simple and elegant. 

It is as easy as cooking pears in a sweetened syrup/wine/orange juice/cider with a slew of interesting whole spices. The cooked, juicy pears are served with a drizzle of the syrup and some ice-cream for added indulgence. But I prefer just the pears with a little syrup. So comforting and good. Plus, poaching pears in spices makes the house smell wonderful and Christmasy, even if it is April and there is still snow on the ground. 

There really is no necessity for a recipe, because this is as versatile and creative as it can get. The poaching liquid can be as complex or as simple in flavor. You can customize it with ease and infuse your own creative flair. I also don't think the type of pears makes such a big difference. I have poached Bartlett pears, Bosc pears, and cute Seckel pears. To my palate, everything tastes good and they all retain their shape! I even poach apples. So, I would recommend using any fruit similar to pears and apples for a delicious poached dessert!

Here's how I poach pears.

Strawberry & Cherry Yogurt Cake

We were babysitting one of our friend's daughter who, like most young girls, is obsessed with pinks! Anything she wears or owns has to have pink on it :). She is like the pink-riding-hood of our group. Starting with her adorable boots to her hair accessories, everything is pink! She also wishes to have Rapunzel-like pink hair.

Since she also loves cakes and desserts, I thought of baking a strawberry cake. I have realized that baking home-made strawberry cake with just fresh strawberries and no artificial color or flavoring doesn't turn out as pink as you would like. Natural strawberries do not impart that beautiful pink color to baked goods. But I still tried! I just went along and made up this recipe. I wanted to grind strawberries with yogurt for a moist, pink cake. And the cake was indeed really moist, even if it was not as pink as I wanted. Next time, I should try cooking down the strawberries with a little sugar to make a compote. According to experts, the cooked strawberries impart a brighter color and flavor. So, an experiment for the future.

Anyway, here's what I did this time.