Fasting

As some of you may have know, my country has been going through a struggle against corruption. I have joined in the relay fast for a few days to support Anna Hazare, the man behind this Indian Revolution. I support fasting for the country, it feels great to be a part of the change in my country. I will struggle for as long as I can.

What is fasting?
To abstain from eating and drinking for two consecutive meals or more.

In the meanwhile, there is an upside to fasting. I don't feel hungry during the protest since I am busy protesting. There are some other advantages to occasional fasting.

It helps cleanse you body of metabolic wastes and toxins.

It helps in natural healing for several health disorders by strengthening the immune system and natural defenses.

It helps self discipline and self control. 

Beverage Measures

1 Measure  30 ml


Part           A part simply refers to a fraction of the glass that the drink is being served in.

Drop         A drop is simply a drop. 

Pony        30 ml

Shot         30 ml 

Dash       1/6th of a teaspoon or 1/32 of an ounce.

Splash     1/8th of an ounce or 1 teaspoon.

Time for Disaster Management for the African Chicken Recipe..

DO NOT cook the chicken at 450 F or 232 degree Celsius for 1 hour. It WILL BURN. I suggest, cook a chicken joint for 30 minutes at 232 degree C and then you can grill it for five minutes to get that crisp, brown coating on top.

If you are using boneless chicken then cook it for 20 minutes at 232 degree C and then grill it for 5 minutes. You can also cook the chicken on a flat pan for 7 minutes on either side, on a low flame with a little oil.

If fresh pepper/ fresh red chilli is unavailable you can use half teaspoon of chilli paste.

If Plantain Banana (cooking Banana) is unavailable, then you can use regular raw banana in its place and repeat the same process as mentioned in the recipe.

Use Tomato puree to make the tomato soup, if the canned tomato sauce is unavailable.

For the Recipe of African Style chicken, go to Have you ever been in love? in the recipes section.

Dal Bati.. OverBaked!

The Dal I cooked turned out oh! so delicious, I have to admit, it was a little spicy for my taste. I did not use the gas tandoor nor did I fry the batis in desi ghee. I decided to bake them, and once they were done, the colour did not seem right. So, to get that lovely brown tinge, I grilled them for five minutes after the baking was done. I should not have acted over-smart and pulled that trick. My batis were over-baked making the crust was dry and harder than the ones I have eaten earlier but the core of the bati was well cooked and tasty. Oh well, this was just my first try, I will get there in due course of time, won’t I, Mr. Mumbai boy “originally” from Rajasthan? Even if I don’t, I know someone who can make them right.

You will find this recipe in the recipes section of this blog, under the heading; The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Thank You Jane!

I did not get Feta cheese anywhere, so I substituted Feta cheese with Cottage Cheese/ Paneer cut into 1 cm cubes.


The muffins turned out really well, probably not the same as Jane's Spinach and Feta muffins because the I used Cottage Cheese in the recipe. But even with that little change, the muffins were delicious.


You will find this recipe in the recipes section of this blog, under the heading;
 I Promise, this is the Last Time I am Eating So Much Butter

Dal Makhani.. Something was Missing!

I tasted the Dal Makhani but the smoky flavour was missing.

To add in the smoky flavour instantly, you can take a small piece of coal, heat it over the flame till it gets red hot.
Then keep this coal in a steel bowl and place it over the dal on top of an empty steel bowl inverted so that the dal does not enter the bowl with the coal. Now, add a dollop of butter or homemade ghee on the red hot piece of coal and cover the dal with a lid for five minutes before serving.


You will find this Recipes, it the Recipes Section of this Blog under the heading; Dhaba- Style Makhani Dal.. Now Anyone can make It..
Enjoy!

Dhokla... Success!!

Mrs. Desai's Dhokla recipe was a success. This recipe serves 8, so you can eat it and send it over to your neighbours as well. Pointers for when you try this recipe.

• Before steaming the Dhokla, when you fill up the dhokla mould or quarter plate with the mixture, don't fill it upto the rim, leave about 1 cm space on top so that the Dhokla turns out spongy, not dense.
• Before you de-mould the Dhokla, loosen the sides with a knife and then allow it to cool completely, so that the mixture does not stick to the Dhokla plate.
• If you are making Dhokla during the summer season, reduce the fermentation time by half hour to prevent the Dhokla from getting too sour.

To view this Recipe go to the Article title; Is your Clever Neighbour making You Fat? in the Recipes section.