Winter Cravings

Today I decided to give you an insider's look into what eating-in in winter looks like. It mainly comprises of carbs..loads of them actually, and some hot chocolate and doses of caffeine in between and then more carbs again. Adding on to the winter-weight, blame the weather!

There's something about this weather that makes you super-hungry without stepping outside. And when you are in snowed-in for days, nothing warms up the heart like a big bowl of soupy deliciousness.

So here goes my winter-food diary!

 Nothing more comforting than digging in a bowl of Spicy and Garlicky Dal-Khichadi! Also, it's easy to make and with ingredients right at home. 

 Some left-over paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and potato mixture stuffed in-between two loaves of bread and toasted to perfection with generous amounts of ooey-gooey cheese..lip-smacking to say the least!

 Good ol' Idli, sambar and chutney..breakfast and lunch rolled into one big bowl! I used to think making idlis is a lot of work and preferred making dosas over them. But this time around, my views changed. Idlis are actually easier to make and both of us can sit down for the meal at the same time (and not when one of us is busy at the stove top making dosas) 

A bowl of hot and warming Potato chowder! Yes. More. Carbs. It's been a harsh winter, people! 

This soup was actually a last minute idea. It's a pot with some spices, potatoes, cream and all of it blended together. I do add brocolli or cauliflower if it's available. I serve it with toasted baguette or bread sticks. 

And to keep me going in the day, copious amounts of caffeine. I am drinking Hot Italian Mocha (my absolute fave) in an actual ceramic cup at Nordstrom Cafe. Starbucks is so over-rated, I tell you! 

So..what have you been gorging on? 

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Makar Sankranti Haldi-Kumkum

I hosted a Makar Sankranti Haldi-KumKum couple of weeks back. With the chilly weather upon us, we can hardly step out for socializing, and so Haldi-KumKum is a perfect occasion to call over the girls for snacks and tea/ coffee and some chit-chat. Traditionally, the ladies wear black dress, or sari for this occasion. Black is the color of this festival and usually it is not a color associated with any festive occasion in Hindus; but Makar Sankranti is one festival you are welcome to wear black. There is a more so of a rational reason to it which being, sankranti falls in winter and wearing black helps absorb the sunlight and warmth.

My mum hosted haldi-kumkums every sankranti and I remember as a little girl, I dressed up in a sari (my love for saris I tell you!) and helped my mum organizing the get-together. The tilgul ladoos made of sesame jaggery and groundnut were my fave. Sesame and groundnuts are yummy in taste and also perfect for winters since they help to generate body heat.

This is a haldi-kumkum thali consisting of - haldi-kumkum, tilgul ladoos, a cotton puff with perfume scent, The tradition is to apply haldi-kumkum on the forehead of the lady, apply perfume on the her hand, and then give tilgul and halwa (little sugary sweets) and finally gifting a small token of love.

I gifted these small packets to each one of my friends. The packet had a hand cream, two types of sesame sweets and some chocolates. I must admit it was fun preparing these little packets; reminded me of childhood days when we exchanged return gifts after a birthday party.

I made a couple of Indian snacks and tea and coffee to serve the girls. Snacks were Sabudana khichadi (yummy dish made from sago and groundnut powder), Moong-dal pakodas (fried fritters) served with green chutney and ketchup along with some store-bought savories. I served tea in these ornate cups and saucers I got from India. I love sipping tea from cup-and-saucer, reminds me so much of how it is done back home.

I followed my mum's recipe for Moong dal pakodas. Soak 2 cups of moong-dal with 1/2 cup of udad dal for 4-5 hours. Grind it coarsely with green chillies per taste, ginger and garlic, and some jeera (fennel seeds). Heat oil in deep pan and fry spoonfuls of dough for some crispy pakodas. I add few teaspoons of hot oil to the batter (dunno why, but my mum tells me to, so!) before starting to fry.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the food or us all ladies (except for this one). All of my friends did dress up in black and couple of them even managed time to change into Indian outfits (even though it was a weekday). I wore a black long skirt with a gold top and black and gold dupatta. Sari seemed tedious to wear with all the cooking and arrangements I had to make!

Well, it was a fun evening and only thing I regret now is not taking pictures :)

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Marwari Aaloo

While I was India, mum was on a spree of cooking my favorite food. Which was awesome. And Marwari Aaloo is one of them. Usually I have it with plain roti or sometimes just like that. The hot-n-spicy red chillies add a perfect heat to the mushy and starchy aaloos (potatoes). The hint of garlic, squeeze of lemon and fresh coriander are the perfect condiments to this dish. 

I shared a picture on Instagram a few months back and many of you asked for a recipe. I have been bugging my mum since then to write down the recipe for me and my readers. So finally here it is.

It's an easy recipe and the best thing is the readily available ingredients. Everyone has potatoes in the pantry, right? You can very well use big potatoes instead of the small round ones, just remember to cut the big potatoes into 4 small parts.

To make this dish, you will need: 
1. Small round white potatoes
2. 5/6 red chillies (I go with the spicy kind but you can go with the less spicy ones depending on your taste)
3. 2-3 garlic cloves
4. For the tadka/seasoning - jeera, oil
5. Coriander and lime juice for garnish

How to make this dish:
1. Boil the small potatoes till fork-tender ( I usually do this in a pressure cooker, but you can boil them in a cooking pan). After they have cooled, remove the skin. 
2. Soak the red chilies in water for an hour till they become soft and pulpy.
3. Grind the red chillies with the garlic cloves and a little bit of salt for taste.
3. Prepare tadka or seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a round-bottom vessel.
4. Add jeera and hing.
4. When the jeera starts to splutter, add the red chilli paste and fry it for a minute.
5. Add the boiled potatoes to the tadka and fry it properly.
6. Add some salt to taste.
7. In the end, add finely cut coriander and sprinkle lime juice for garnish.

Serve hot with chapatis or pooris.

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Blog birthday series - Seven 'zingy' foodie moments

I have been passionate about food long before I started this blog; passionate about eating different types of cuisines and trying them out in my kitchen. And the seven 'zingy' foodie moments are a combination of two and also a third type - travel food. For me travel is not just about visiting a new place, doing all the tourist-y things and shopping. A significant part of our travel plans are devoted to trying out the local flavors and learning new tastes. 

The seven 'zingy' moments include my experiments in the kitchen with Avocado soup and Thai green curry (I made this curry when my parents were here and they loved it! Best pat-on-the-back ever, I tell ya!), the best of my travel foodie memories via refreshing Kulhad koffee in Udaipur, gourmet Bhel-puri right here in DC and oh-so-delicious and fresh shrimp & crabs in Ocean city. Last but not the least the 'zingy' moments also include special delicacies (aka Tandoori Chicken) that hubby whipped up in the kitchen. He's a great cook but tad moody - when he is in 'the' mood, which is usually on the weekends and if Arsenal has won a match, he will get into the kitchen and make something so perfect and elegant! On other days, I can hardly persuade him to step into the kitchen on weekdays to make the regular daal-sabji :)

I loved penning down these tried-and-tested recipes. But the high point was when some of you tried these recipes, loved it and shared the pics of the wonderful dish! Heck, it feels good when your readers appreciate and love what you shared with them :)

So, presenting the seven posts which, according to me, are full of flavor and 'zing' :) Take your pick and share it in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter! (again, if one pic is not enough to decide, hop on over to the posts linked in the numbers below)

{1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7}

Chocolate and Coconut Lace Cookies

Chocolate and Coconut is simply a match made in heaven! And so here's a quick and easy cookie recipe that marries these two heavenly ingredients! I made these cookies for a Thanksgiving potluck at our place and served them for dessert with chocolate-chip ice cream. The cookies were a hit with my friends which wants me to share this recipe with you all :)

I adapted this recipe from one of my all-time favorite cooks on Food Network - Giada De Laurentiis. She is one smart, beautiful and savvy chefs on the network and watching her shows on the weekend is my much-loved activity (read addiction). So without much adieu, I present you the steps to create a yummy, crunchy and lip-smacking cookie *slurrrp*

Total Time: 39 min.
Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 9 min. 
Yield:18 cookies.
Ingredients: 
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 (4-ounce) bar bittersweet (62 percent cacao) chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (recommended: Nestle Chocolatier/ Ghirardelli)

Directions: 
1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, coconut, melted butter, flour, vanilla, and salt.
3. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop 6 balls of dough, 3 to 4 inches apart, on each baking sheet. Lightly flatten the tops of the dough. Cook until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the parchment paper, about 15 minutes.
4. Place the chocolate in a bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Using a fork, drizzle the tops of the cookies with the melted chocolate. 
5. Freeze the cookies until the chocolate has set, about 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the freezer and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cook's Note: If the cookies have baked into one another, use a knife or metal spatula to separate the cookies then allow to cool.

Unbelievable isn't it? Just five easy steps and the delicious cookies are ready to be savored :) Enjoy them with fruits, ice cream, cold coffee or just as is...I am sure you will not be done with one!

Picture via Food Network

Homemade Tandoori Chicken

This is hubs-special recipe for a perfect Tandoori Chicken at home! Hubs did a lot of research for this dish and then with meticulous perfection he made it during Thanksgiving holidays last year. The result was perfectly luscious and tasty chicken drumsticks - not something even I could have ever attempted to make! 

When he decides to try a dish, hubs does not have a prejudice about how daunting the recipe or preparation will be; this is something which I cannot overlook. I would have never attempted to make this dish, 'cause frankly I know that it's not quite possible/easy to recreate a restaurant-style dish (mainly 'cause of treating the chicken in an oven). Well, good that now we have two types of cooks in our house now - one to make the regular dishes and another who likes to recreate the fancy dishes. 

Thank you dear hubs for penning down this recipe and taking pictures for my blog! You are the best! 

Source: Adapted from ‘Indian Cooking’ a book written by Madhur Jaffrey

Preparation : 30 minutes + marinating time ; Cooking Time : 25 minutes @ 550 F (MOST IMPORTANT)

Ingredients:

• Chicken – 1.5 lb / 680 gm / 5 leg piece

Marinade:

• Low fat Yogurt / Curd – 1 cup
• Onion – 1 (small around 57 gm)
• Lime – 1/2
• Garlic – 1 clove
• Ginger – 1/2 inch (size of garlic), peel the skin off
• Green Chili – 2
• Garam Masala – 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp or as per taste
• Red food color + Orange Food Color (kesari powder) – few large drops

For Baking:

• Jelly roll pan or cookie tray.
• Aluminium/Aluminum Foil
• Pastry brush (optional)

Method:

• Wash the chicken legs. Let the water drain and place them on a large plate. Do not remove the skin part, it will actually protect the flesh when you bake. Create 2 slits on each side of the leg. The knife needs to touch the bone which means the slit is nice deep and big. This will help the marinade to penetrate into the chicken.
• Squeeze 1/2 lime into a bowl. To the lime juice, add 1/2 tsp salt. Mix it well so that the salt dissolves. Now take 1 leg piece at a time, take some lime juice and massage the chicken on both sides. Using a spoon or your hand add few drops of lime juice into the slits and massage it. Repeat with other chicken piece. By the time you massage the last piece you would have very less juice, but that’s ok. Place them back on a plate and refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a blender/mixie, add yogurt/curd, garam masala, ginger, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, green chili, sliced onion and grind it to a smooth paste. You might want to ensure that there are no small chunks of garlic or onion. Please feel free to adjust salt as per your taste. I have added extra salt to the paste.
• Now take the chicken from the refrigerator. Remember the bowl that you used to squeeze lime, add few drops of food color and few drops of water. Using your hand or brush, rub the food color on the chicken piece. Remember to rub in between the slits as well. Now your chicken will look all red. Don’t panic 
• Pour the marinade in a large bowl or a freezer bag. Add one chicken piece at a time and massage the paste into the slits and on both sides and leave it in the bowl/bag. Repeat. Now close the bowl or zip the freezer bag. Give a nice shake and keep them back in the refrigerator. Now you can forget about the chicken at least for 8 hrs or one whole day. I usually marinate it a day before and let it soak for one whole day. More you marinate better the taste.

• Next day: Clean up your oven (if you have any pots and pans in it) and preheat it to 550 F (that is the maximum I can set in my oven).  Take your cookie/jelly pan. Line it with aluminum foil generously. Take the marinated chicken out of your refrigerator, remove one leg piece and shake it up. Let the marinade drip completely. Place it on the cookie sheet/pan (ensure that the skin part covers the chicken). Repeat the same with other chicken pieces.
• Using your oven mitts, carefully place the tray into the center rack of the oven. Set the timer for 15 minutes. Let it cook. Then use your oven mitts again and pull the tray out. Baste it with marinade  using a brush or a spoon or something else but not your hand and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Let the juices run out. Don’t worry if the juices around the chicken starts burning. At this extreme temperature it has to.
• When the oven timer starts beeping, pull the tray out and let it cool slightly. Slowly take the chicken pieces. If it is stuck to the foil, no problem.  Remember I asked you to leave the skin part as is. So only the skin part might be sticking to it and the flesh part will still be safe  That's it, lip-smacking restaurant-style Tandoori Chicken is ready to serve.

Serving Suggestion: Wrap the bone part with small piece of aluminum foil to give a gourmet look. Serve it with sliced onion, green chili, lime/lemon wedges and a spicy green chutney.

Variations: You can use Chicken breast or thighs, but the cooking time will vary as the breast will cook faster than the drumsticks.

Note: You can use the remaining marinade to make curries like Tandoori chicken masala. Else you can freeze it and use it to make another batch of Tandoori Chicken.

It would be interesting to know what type of cook are you. Do you agree that a recipe can be daunting and deter you from not trying or recreating a new dish? Or are you the ones that just go with the flow? Do share your feedback in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!

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Birthday weekend

**WARNING: this is a photo-heavy post!**

It was my birthday last month (if you follow me on Instagram, you might have already known this) and I am kid when it comes to celebrating them! The day started off with hubs creating a birthday wonderland for the customary 12 o'clock cake-cutting (yummy black forest from a German bakery) followed by the gift-giving ritual. I have always wanted to party in the Big Apple on my birthday and so this year charming hubs took me off for a perfect weekend in New York City (NYC). 

He knew that the restaurant of my choice would be Junoon (Chef Vikas Khanna's baby) and he had promptly made the dinner reservations. But in between all the travel and reservations and birthday planning, hubs had planned an awesome surprise (and I didn't have the slightest hint of it!). Believe me; whenever something is up his sleeve, I have a slight idea of what's going on. 

It was a cold winter night on my birthday so here I was all decked up and wrapped in the woolen coat, scarf and gloves. Just as we stepped outside the hotel lobby and were heading towards the metro station, hubs held my hand and started walking towards the hotel parking lot. I was kinda confused by this gesture; I was about to tell him that the train station was on the other side of the hotel entrance. But as I walked a few steps I saw a LIMOUSINE! And right then hubs screamed in excitement ‘surprise for the birthday girl’ Yes! a LIMO ride to NYC! Absolutely loved this surprise and riding in a limo in Manhattan was definitely a ‘high’ for me! It was my first time ever in a limo and by the time we got down at our restaurant, I was dizzy with happiness :)

The culinary experience at Junoon was worthy of a Michelin-star restaurant and so was the ambiance; especially their lounge area with the full-size and beautifully carved wooden jhoolas aka Indian swings. It's an ideal place in NYC to celebrate a memorable occasion. Sadly, my hopes of seeing/meeting Executive Chef Vikas Khanna were not gonna come true that night; he was away in India shooting the MasterChef India series (and so, I had to settle down to watching him every day on TV). We ended the big day with a stroll at the amazing ‘Times Square’. All in all, couldn't have asked for a better day with the best person in the world! Thank you God!

On to my outfit, peplum trend has been around for a while. I have seen a good deal of bloggers (almost all of them) embracing this trend. I had heard and read that it was the perfect cut for pear-shaped people like me and had also tried a couple of peplum outfits in all the glory. But sadly, they didn’t work out great for me. While birthday shopping, I found this peplum LBD (little black dress) and decided to give it a spin. I was impressed that it fit me like a glove and so there, I was sold! I love the hint of lace on the back and dig the exposed-zipper look. Well, with a pretty peplum I matched a set of gold accessories – bold collar necklace, earrings and cuff. This was also my first time wearing stilettos  and thanks to the limo service I was saved from a lot of walking around that day. 

Well, time to stop my blabbering now and leave you to enjoy the pics!

Hubs: Banana Republic blazer | Express sweater and denims  | MK watch

Me: Express dress and jewelry | Tory Burch 'Amanda Logo' clutch | Payless pumps | H&M cuff

Beautiful memories from a whirl-wind day!

Delicacies at Junoon!

Ocean city & Crabs

 What I am wearing: Top - Alfani@Macys (similar); Tribal print shorts - Calvin Klein@Nordstorm Rack (as seen here) (similar); Cuff - Local farmer's market (similar); Cross body bag & summer sandals - DSW;

Earrings - Old Navy; Watch - SWATCH; Oversized sunnies - American Eagle

Yep, you read it right! This post is about our sunny trip to Ocean city, Maryland and not Jamaica. I wish I was in Jamaica though right now..its windy, chilly, cold, winter, and everything that makes you pine for summer. But before I go in a full-blown crib mode (winter makes me cranky!) lets get back to the summer travel post.

We visited Ocean city in September last year! (you might have previously read about Ocean city here). J and I had a total blast needless to say..chilled beers, fresh masala-wale crabs, sand beneath our feet and delish pina-coladas!

It was my very first experience at eating crabs - cracking them up and then scooping out the soft-n-fresh meat ..I tell yeah, it's an experience in itself! The server gave us a small wooden hammer and showed 'how to crack open a crab and get to the soft n fresh yumminess hidden inside'. And after that we were pretty much on our own with a dozen crabs waiting to be delved into. By my 3rd/4th crab, I was kinda tired and lazy but the fun of eating it that manner was way too much fun, so well, I kept going. On the other hand, hubby was at his best, cracking it perfectly, and enjoying every bit of the process. Nevertheless, I am sure we will be back to this beach city full of life, sunny weather, fresh crabs and a perfect relaxing atmosphere.

Our next stop was 'Seacrets'..the best restaurant-cum-pub haven in town! You gotta go here if you are in Ocean city. They have tables in water! Need I say more??

Anyhow, I am just waiting for summer, so that we can pack our bags, drive down to this fab spot, put up my feet and relax!

Crab-fest yumminess :)

Chilling by the sea and 'Seacrets'

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Healthy & Tasty Series - Cauliflower Leek soup

I almost always have cauliflower in my fridge and well I am plain bored eating it as sabzi or in pav-bhaji. So, when I saw this recipe first time on a Cooking Channel show called as 'Bitchin Kitchen' by Nadia G., I knew I had to try it out. Also, the fact that I have seen 'Leek' like a million times in the grocery store, and the curious cook that I was, I really never knew how to put it to a good use. So in that sense, this soup helped me to marry the two interesting ingredients for me.
The recipe itself is quick and easy, and the soup makes a perfect companion on a cold winter day with a book/movie/TV show.

This flavor-packed soup recipe has been adapted from here.

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, thinly sliced
6 cups organic chicken stock (you could use hot water too)
1 cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 potatoes, diced
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup aged cheddar cheese ( I skipped the cheese)
pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
fresh chives, minced (I used coriander)

Directions

• In a pot, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium. 
• In the oil, sauté the leeks for a few minutes until soft.
• Deglaze the pot with organic chicken stock. Add the cauliflower, potatoes, bay leaf to the stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes until veggies are fork-tender. Remove the pot from the heat. Fish out about one cup of cauliflower florets and potatoes and set them aside.
• Puree the soup using a hand blender, and then put the cauliflower and potatoes pieces back into the pot. Add the aged cheddar, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low and whisk until the cheese is melted.
• Serve topped with fresh chives/coriander.

The Best Things Ashy Ever Ate - 2

The sequel took a while, but as they say, better late than never! So here's my second installment of some of the best things I have ever had. Additionally, I have come to realize that, through this series I would like to narrate some of the memorable experiences from my travels, wanderings and restaurant-outings.

What: Galinha Com Camaraoes
Where: Atasca Portuguese Dining in Cambridge, MA
We went to Atasca on Valentine's Day this year. J & I love trying out new cuisines and so he picked this place which was complete surprise for me! It was our first time trying the Portuguese cuisine. I ordered this yummy chicken savory dish that came with a red-heart flaky pastry (special Valentine’s Day touch) and was not sweet at all. It reminded me of the 'Indian' khari-biscuit; it's a soft, flaky, pastry which we eat usually by doing a dip-dip in the tea :)
If you love trying different cuisines and are in the Boston area, then you I would highly recommend you to try this place. 
  
What: Churros
Where: Toro Salao, Puerto Rico
We had one of the unique dining experiences at ‘Toro Salao’ in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico – alfresco and beneath the stars! I remember we tried the Spanish chilled veggie soup – Gazpacho, Chicken Paella (aka biryani) and finished off the meal with Churros! Churros are soft balls of dough, deep fried and then sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar. You savor them as-is or dip in the warm chocolate sauce. In any case, the churros were ‘mucho delicioso’!

What: French Toast with Peaches & fresh berries
Where: Exchange Street Bistro, Malden, MA
What could be more fantastic Sunday than having a warm French toast with fresh berries and peaches for brunch? And if you happen to get this comforting breakfast at a walking distance from your home then, I would say it’s your lucky day! Well, it was my lucky day for sure, one beautiful 'Boston-summer' Sunday! Exchange Street bistro was a classy restaurant in our neighborhood (in Boston)and though we never dined there, I will always remember the sophisticated brunch we had!

What: Koffee in Kulhad
Where: At a tea/coffee shop by the Lake Fateh Sagar, Udaipur, India
On our trip to Udaipur in Jan 2012, the ‘Koffee in Kulhad’ was an experience in itself! The coffee was no doubt delicious, warm, sweet and milky – just the way coffees are made in India. But the best part was the 'kulhad' (earthern coffee cup) which enhanced the coffee flavor like 100 times. With the backdrop of scenic Lake Fateh Sagar, in Udaipur, I would say it makes as a perfect spot for memorable ‘coffee conversations’!

What: Gourmet Bhel-puri
Where: Indique Heights, Chevy Chase, MD
Bhel-puri is rice puff snack that you get on the streets of Mumbai or any other city in India. It’s usually made fresh in front of you by ‘Bhaiyya’ (street vendor) and wrapped in a cone of newspaper ready for you to devour in as you sit by the 'Marine drive' or choose to eat it as you travel in the crowded local train compartments. So you can guess my surprise when bhel-puri was served to me in such a glossy way! Well nonetheless, I loved the presentation and the spicy-tangy taste wasn’t compromised at all. This was our bar-snack while we sipped on Indian-flavor infused drinks at 'Indique Heights'. ‘Indique Heights’ has a unique ambience and serves great quality Indian food. If you are in the Washington DC area, it is highly recommended for an Indian-dinner outing.

P.S.: I  have been thinking of changing the blog's look for some time now and finally on the notable date of 12/12/12, the blog went through a make-over!
I was aiming for a more 'neat-n-clean' look here; I hope I have done justice to that. I would absolutely love to know any feedback or suggestions from a reader's perspective. Do drop a comment below!

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Crazy good date-night

This is what I wore on a date night, dinner and a movie! It was one of those rare days when everything goes as planned – house work, cleaning, relaxed afternoon, picture-perfect photo shoot and then a dinner n movie. check, check and check!

Date night started with a cozy dinner at - Karaikudi (in chantilly, VA) - a restaurant that serves authentic Chettinad cuisine. We started off with Rasam (perfect for a chilly night)and then moved to idli-wada sambar (my absolute favorite!) and finally finished off Chicken Chettinad with Chapatis/Rotis & Rice. 
The food itself was finger-licking good but super spicy & HOT! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spicy food; but this was beyond my expectations (and in a real bad way!). The Rasam itself was tasty but again too way peppery for me (I left it half way while husband finished it off). The idli-wada were delish; sambar was served in meager quantities :( I mean charge me more but at least serve a cupful of that delish sambar! The Chicken Chettinad was as authentic as it could get - had a very home-madey taste to it! Awesome! Rotis were a let down (should have just stuck to parathas).
Though most of the patrons are from India, I am pretty sure that not everyone is aware of the fiery Chettinad cuisine. I wish the servers would have mentioned to me the level of spiciness and heat in the food. Well, having said all that, I think I won't mind going back there for the 'original' south-indian taste every dish had and probably will stick to idli-wada sambar/dosa. 

Well, though the dinner experience was a little setback for me (husband loves super-spicy food, so he had no complaints :)), the movie turned out to be SUPERB! We watched Argo that night. If you haven’t watched Argo yet, then go WATCH IT NOW!! Ben Affleck – the director and lead actor – is freaking 'brilliante'! 
I was spellbound after the movie; Argo is definitely one of the best movies in recent times. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but I loved watching the 1970's setting and was pretty excited when they showed Washington-Dulles airport in one of the shots. (I live quite close to the airport, you see ;))

It was quite chilly that day (which is how the weather is usually here now) so I picked my quirky skirt and paired it with a black turtle neck. Turtle necks I am not a big fan of! They make me a little bit uncomfortable around the neck area. But the fact that they are so warm and cozy, I do wear them on chilly days. Boots and leggings and a Crazy good necklace completed the look. So you see, I 'winterized' my 'summer' look here. 
I got this necklace from Tanvi’s very own boutique– Crazy & Co. Thanks to my stars, I won a giveaway for a gift card to Crazy & Co. on Vidhya's blog here. I was in love with this tribal-inspired design since I had seen the House of Harlow necklace. The best part is that it's black, which makes it totally versatile.

So on date-nights, do you try new restaurants or prefer the tried-and-tested ones? Do tell. 

What I am wearing: Skirt - Anthropologie (seen here); Turtle-neck sweater - Ann Taylor Factory Outlet; Boots - Born @ The Tannery, Boston; Statement necklace - Crazy & Co.; Earrings - Local boutique in Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA; Ring - Aldo; Belt - NY & Company; Purse - Linking Road, Mumbai, India; Glasses - Burberry; Jacket - H&M

The delicious Chettinad cuisine!

Idli-wada sambar on left and Chicken Chettinad on right.

I wore the statement necklace again on Monday with formal wear and 
it paired great, don't you think? :)

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Avocado Corn Soup - Healthy & Tasty series

With the cooler season upon us, I thought of sharing some of my favorite soup recipes..the ones I have tried and tested last winter and are going to be repeated this season too!

We almost have a couple of avocados in the fridge every week 'cause well, we both are crazy guacamole (guac) fans! yes, we have guac n chips almost every weekend. A spicy creamy guac n chips is definitely our go-to snack for a movie night. The best part (of course, for me) is that hubs is more than happy and loves to make guac. This means I get a day off from the kitchen! Win-win scenario, won't ya say? :) So there you have it; it never crossed my mind to try another recipe with avocados.

But once upon a time, there sat a lone avocado in the veggie drawer of my fridge and it dawned up on me - hey now that a 2-person bowl of guac is not possible, why not google a nice recipe that I can try with this avocado? So, that's how I discovered this healthy soup, which goes perfectly with our 'salad-dinner' nights. The soup is a quickie - takes less than 30 mins to whip-up and no cutting-shutting required, so that qualifies as a keeper in my weeknight dinner books. The soup can be spicy (with green chilies) and tasty (garlic and fresh coriander gives it a nice aroma)  and the corn kernels provide an interesting and flavor and texture contrast to the velvety soup.

Avocados are rich in proteins, beneficial fats, Carotenoids (i.e. high quality source of Vitamin A) and has heart healthy and anti-inflammatory properties. No wonder its termed as a healthy super-food!
Another good thing, I realized, about avocados is that, they are bland by themselves - no home grown taste at all - which really works to a cooks advantage. Because now you can dress it the way you want, savory or sweet or spicy or garlicky. Its all yours to dress up the way you want, fashion-blogger style! :)

Like most of my recipes, I have adapted this one from here.

Ingredients:
Ripe avocados 2 medium
Corn kernels,boiled and crushed 1 cup (I used frozen corn)
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tablespoon
Garlic,crushed 2 cloves
White pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves,chopped 2 tablespoons

Method
1. Halve the avocados, remove the pit and peel.
2. Blend them by adding water (you can use vegetable stock for added flavor), lemon juice and salt in a blender until smooth.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add garlic and sauté for a minute and add the avocado mixture and mix.
4. Add corn and cook on medium heat until just steaming.
5. Season with salt and pepper powder.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves and tortilla chips and serve hot.