For the love of food and travel

Plum cakes may be the classic Christmas treat, yet adding kulkuls can bring a delightful twist to your Christmas menu this year. In many Indian Christian households, particularly in Goa, Kerala and Mangalore a cherished tradition is the making of kulkuls. These yummy deep fried, bite-sized pastry are crunchy on the outside and kinda flaky on the inside. The history of kulkuls   are believed by many to have originated from the Portuguese style of sweet making. This was later adapted by Goan Christians into a festive essential during Christmas season. The technique of creating small, curled pastries was likely inspired by the Portuguese practices, but over a period of time, Indian households have made it uniquely their own, incorporating local ingredients and flavours. These little delicacies are fun to make with the family. It takes time to roll each one with a fork, so I got my two teens to join in along with me!! Making kulkuls is definitely a labor of love, but the results ar...

Every time I bake chocolate chip cookies, my kiddos get so excited—it’s like a mini party in my home! I try to complete all the baking just before they get back home from school…coz I love to see their faces light up the moment they smell the sweet, buttery aroma in our house. This time I tried a different kind of chocolate chip cookies. Instead of the vanilla cookie with dark chocolate chips, I baked a batch of chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips. It was an instant hit and my kids loved it.  The joy on their faces when they get to enjoy these homemade cookies makes every baking session worth it. So here’s the recipe:  Ingredients   ½ cup of unsalted butter ½ cup white sugar powdered  ¼ cup brown sugar powdered 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 1 cup flour ½ cup cocoa powder  ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup white chocolate chips Method: Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds to just barely melt it...

They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to your childhood. Growing up with my kid brother was one of the best adventures of my life. We’ve laughed over the silliest of things, fought for the tv remote almost everyday, we played as a team in home video games of Contra and Mario, watched the same movies over and over again and enjoyed the food during our every trip to the Gulf. He was my first “Foodie Buddy”. Years have passed by, and now when we are living in different continents, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we still connect over food in our conversations of what we used to eat in the past and what we relish today. Growing up, we didn’t have big celebrations during birthdays with cakes and parties…didn’t feel the need then…but today, we look forward to celebrate any occasion. So, whether we’re near or far, birthdays and anniversaries we celebrate for each other wherever geographically we are. While my kid brother ce...

Happiness is family get togethers. A while back I had a wonderful opportunity to be part of one such party to celebrate a milestone birthday of my dear aunt. The date was set, the time was set and the location was set. My family from different parts of the country gathered together at a lovely resort in the Kappad Beach. While the celebrations were joyous and all of us had a gala time at the resort; a spontaneous stroll at the Kappad beach was a wonderful experience for me. I look my best when I’m totally free, on a holiday and walking on the beach. The Kappad beach is one of Kerala's highly tourist-attracted destinations due to its topography, is located 16 km away from Kozhikode is nestled away from the hustle-bustle of the city, which makes it an ideal beach holiday destination for relaxation. A very thrilling feature about the Kappad beach is the fascinating formation of rocks that protrudes into the sea. The beach landscape includes several coconut groves and long stretch...

I love homemade blueberry sauce…..whether it is spooned over a slice of cheesecake or on top of fluffy pancakes or also eaten along with a smooth panna cotta…it’s just absolute heaven. The thing I love the most about blueberry sauce…is that it comes together on the stovetop in less than ten minutes with just a few ingredients. Blueberries were called “star fruits” by North American indigenous people because of the five-pointed star shape that is formed at the blossom end of the berry. The blueberry is one of the only foods that is truly naturally blue in colour. The pigment that gives blueberries their distinctive colour—called anthocyanin—is the same compound that provides the blueberry’s amazing health benefits. The silvery sheen (or “bloom”) found on the skin of blueberries is a naturally occurring compound that helps protect the fruit. This is why you should only wash blueberries right before you’re going to eat them.  Consumption of blueberries has been linked to health benefi...

I love watching the sitcom Friends. In the episode of 'The One With All The Cheesecakes', Chandler and Rachel can't resist eating their neighbour's delicious cheesecake – and that episode always makes me crave for cheesecake.  Cheesecakes are essentially rich cheese and egg custards baked over a biscuit crust. It’s not technically a ‘cake.’ New York styled baked cheesecake is known for its creamy and satiny texture. It is rich, dense and with a flat top; that’s exactly how I like my cheesecake.  Homemade cheesecakes are surprisingly easy to make and require very little active time. The hardest part of the process is waiting for it to bake, cool, and chill overnight. The classic way for baking cheesecake is by using a water bath. A water bath, is the baker’s secret to creamy cheesecake perfection. All you need for a water bath is a deep roasting pan and foil. The cheesecake batter is basically a rich custard, it needs to be treated delicately. Without the moist heat of a...