God.....Life is going on very fast

Well it's me once again these days trying to peep into my blog frequently atleast once in a month. Is it funny to say....I hope all of you readers had a very pleasant Ugadi festival. Oh I really had a great fun. With lot of home made sweets, snacks, hots....wow had a wonderful time. Hey incase you are thinking that I have made all this, then you are mistaken. My MIL is also there to help me. Ofcourse most of the items were made by her only.

Again am moving back to US after a while of almost one and half years. Lot of work to do....lot of packing....lot of shopping....Added to all this, Nani(my 9 month old kid) will get into every work that I do saying that he is there to help me. Ofcourse when he sleeps I don't feel like doing any work. Since the work which normally takes one hr when he is awake will otherwise take only 10 min when he is sleeping. And I got so used to saying "Nani No....Nani No" for most of the things he does in between when I do some work that without using these words I can't work. :-)

Hey ...you know...today is the first day that Nani said "Amma". God...aren't the days running so fast. A small little baby sleeping all the while couple of days back hardly sleeps these days and make others also busy. I know Nani is going to be very talktive.....probably might exceed his Pinni(my sis). I hope atleast then my sis understands the pain which we undergo....Hey....dp....if you are reading this blog don't take it hard. I am just kidding. But trying to say that Nani is replacing you.

Well I really hope that I can find some time for myself once I am in US. I doubt it but still I am hoping for it. Let me see how things will be working out..... Once again Wish you all a Happy Ugadi.

Am I that busy...............?

Well I am surprised to see that my last blog was back in Aug 22, 2007. Am I really that busy these days or am I that lazy to even spend some time for my self. I agree that I am completely occupied with my 9 month old son(Cute little Satvik - rather Nani by which I call him) who always keeps me busy. Always draws my attention towards him where I am and what ever I am doing. I know that every little baby has the right to do all sorts of naughty things and every mother is forced to bear all that. Ofcourse it is so nice when Nani tries to eat his food, trying to run behind the electronic goods, keeping all the things out of the shelves as if it was not the proper way to keep the things....what not there are tonnes of things to say abt him which makes me feel happy and proud. Sometimes I wonder, is it because that I am not able to manage my work and priorities that I feel I am busy or is it that every woman as a mother feels the same way?

On top of that I am back to my regular office which has added more work to my regular duties. God.....should I really work? This is the question some times I ask my self.....but pch there is no second answer. "Yes my dear you have to work....." this is my self conscious always answers back. Well atleast I will try to go lightly regarding my work and career until Nani is old enough to understand his maa...With all this, I think I can justify myself that "I AM BUSY..... HA HA HA" Don't you agree with me? Ofcourse you do....I know. :-)

Hey BTW....here is my Cute baby having his snacks.......

Vankaya Bajji Pachchadi

Well it's long long time that I ever blogged. Ofcourse I am a regular visitor of some of the food blogs but was very lazy to blog on my own. I am on a long vacation for quite some time. Sitting at home, trying to make myself busy....busy....busy. At the same time, I feel like trying new recepies which I watch them either on TV or in the blogging world. Couple of days back I was watching one program "Maa Voori Vantalu" on one of the Telugu channel and saw the preparation of "Vanakaya Bajji Pacchchadi". Name itself sounded little different and the preparation procedure was also little different. This made me think that I should try the recepie once. And here goes the recepie for "Vankaya Bajji Pachchadi".

Ingredients -

* 3 Tender Black Brinjals(Medium Sized - Neither too small nor too big and make sure brinjals are having the stem)
* Jaggry(Bellam - around one inch piece)
* 4 Roasted Dry Chillies(Endumirapakayalu)
* Soaked Tamarind (about half a size of lemon)
* 1 tsp Jeera(Jeelakarra)
* Salt to taste
* 5 - 6 garlic cloves
* One small onion chopped to fine pieces(optional)

For Popu -

* Channa dal
* Urad dal
* Mustard seeds
* Cumin seeds
* Curry leaves
* 2 - 3 garlic cloves

Procedure: -

* Take each brinjal, coat thin layer of oil to the brinjal and directly heat it on the gas so that the brinjal gets roasted on all sides. If the brinjal is having a stem, then it is easy to hold it for turning. Each brinjal takes around 5 - 10 min for roasting. When you try to prick the brinjal with a spoon / fork, then it should find its way smoothly into the brinjal since the brinjal becomes soft on roasting. Once done allow it to cool.

(Don't worry even if the brinjal looks over heated(black outside) on roasting....inside it will be soft and tender)

* Roast the red chiillies until it turns the color slightly.

* Peel of the outer layer of the roasted brinjals and remove the stem as well. Smash the brinjals to a paste.

* Grind raosted red chillies, jeera, jaggry, tamarind and 5 - 6 garlic cloves. Once they are made into a think paste, add smashed brinjals and salt(to taste) and grind the mixture for one minute.

* Finally do the popu and add it to the grinded mixture. Here it goes Vankaya Bajji Pachchadi

* If you prefer, you can even add chopped onion pieces also to the finished pachchadi.

Well the recepie should go well with rice and ghee / rotis / chapathi.

What happened to "My Blog"

Well can't imagine that I didn't even look into my blog and update it for more than 4 months. Where has all the time gone. Ofcourse I know that I started this blog with so........Much enthu in food blogging....Then..........?

Well this food blog with which I started of in the blogging world had lead me to an entirely new world of blogging - one of my favorite hobbies..."Cross stitching". Wow....I came across some bloggers passion and excellency in cross stitching that these days I spend atleast 3 - 4 hours just going thru these blogs. One such blogs to which I am a regular visitor is www.beckysc.blogspot.com This obviously took over my interest in food blogging. I really started admiring the talents in each and every blogger be it a cross stitch blogger....or food blogger. Lame excuse but to frankly say, most of the time I sit infront of my machine, frequent sites visited with be either food blog or Cross stitch blow. Now where will I find time in looking at my blog site.....after all this?

Well, Hope this will be a reentry into my blog world. I will try to update my blog once in a fortnight if not daily.

Sambar - My favourite

Wow....This is one of the perfect dishes for a Weekend. In fact this is one of my Husband's fav dishes(ofcourse among those that I make). I still remember my childhood days, when my grandmother almost used to make this every night for dinner. All summer holidays were spent at my ammamma's place. There used to be power cut from 6 to 7.30 in the evenings...(oh that was horrible to have power cut during that time) and that was the time when I used to have my dinner. Hot steaming rice + mouth watering Sambar with Pappad / vadiyam.....Ooooooo......excellent combination.....

Here goes the recepie.....

Ingredients: -

1 cup Toor Dal
1 - 2 Juicy tomatoes - cut in big pieces
1 carrot cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium size brinjal cut length wise
2 big drumstick - cut into 3 inches length
medium chuncks of bottle gourd pieces
two medium size onions cut into big chunks
1 lime size tamarind soaked in hot water
4 - 6 green chillies slit length wise
ginger + garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Sambar powder 1 tbsp
Popu ingredients(chanadal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli pieces and curry leaves)

Procedure: -

1. Wash Toor Dal in water and pressure cook for 4 - 5 whistles. This makes Dal very soft. Let the Dal be cooled

2. Soak one lime size tamaraind in hot water about 1 cup. Leave it for 10 min so that tamarind pulp can be extracted easily.

3. Select the vegetables as per the taste and cut them into desired sizes. Usually I prefer the pieces to be cut into big chuncks. I used tomato, brinjal, carrot, drumsticks and bottle gourd pieces. I see to that atleast tomato, brinjal, carrot vegetables are there when I am making Sambar. Infact onion and chilles also should be by default.

4. I also pressure cook drumsticks for only one whistle. This makes them soft enough for the Sambhar so that inside of it is properly boiled.

5. Make ginger garlic paste. Take 1/2 inch ginger and two cloves and grind the combo to a smooth paste using a mortar. I prefer home made ginger garlic paste than the packeted one since the aroma of home made is so different from the other.

6. One take a big pan, heat oil and add the (chanadal , urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli pieces and curry leaves. Now add onion pieces, green chillies and ginger garlic paste. Saute it for two min. Add carrot / brinjal / bottle gourd piece / drum sticks and saute for 5 - 10 min on low flame until the veggies are half cooked. Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, salt per desired taste.

7. While the veggies are getting cooked, extract the tamarind puld by squeezing of the soaked tamarind. And put the extracted tamarind water into the half boiled veggies. Also add tomatoes at this point and it boil for 10 - 15 min on medium flame.

8. I mash the dal that was already cooked in a mixie putting 1/ cup of water. Some prefer to smash the dal using hand......

9. Once the veggies along witht the tamarind water is boiled properly, put the dal water also and let it boil for 10 more min on medium flame. Add one 1tbsp of Sambhar powder. This will bring the real aroma of the Sambhar......Also add chillie powder if needed....Just before putting off the heat, add the coriander leaves.......Excellent with rice / idlies / vada...

How is my Sambhar looking ;-) Ofcourse I cannot ask for the taste of it......Probably you should try it out and tell me how it goes....

Happy Ugadi

For all the bloggers who are visiting this page -

Happy Ugadi........

‘Gramodyog Shilpi’ - Astonishing award - for my mamayyaa

"Imp Note:- I thought I have published this post. But unfortunately it is still lying in my blog world in draft mode. So I thought it is never late than before to congratuate my mama." - 3/17/2008

Hey, today I have a really good news to share with you all. Today was the day when my mama bagged the award of ‘Gramodyog Shilpi’, from Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) one amoung the seven awardees at the state level(Andhra Pradesh), from the hands of Governor - Rameshwar Takur. Award ceremony was held at RajBhavana began @ 6.00PM. (Wish I would have been there in India for the award ceremony.....Pch....sitting in my home US browsing the web to gather more news on the event)

When I went thru the process of selecting the people for the award, I personally feel that achieving this award is not very easy until there is real interest and hard work behind it. Here are more details on the selection process "http://www.kvic.org.in/v4/village_industries.asp"

I really appreciate Government's efforts in promoting the rural artesians who are worth receiving the recognition. This is the first time that KVIC has started state level recognition.

Seven awards were given under seven different categories 2 from Khadi and 5 from Village Industries.....

Beekeeper - Kavuri Sambasiva Rao of Tenali & B Ashok Vardhan of Kothapally
Can & Bamboo - J Punitha Seelam of Mantralayam
Pottery - Mididodla Naganjaneyulu of Vijayawada
Fibre - B Siva Varaprasad of Vijayawada
Khadi Spinning - Podishetty Bondamma of Vavilal in Karimnagar
Khadi Weaving - Kamineni Kanakaiah of Pratishthan of Karimnagar

Congrats to the awardees.....and am really proud of my mama.