Arugula is a small spicy green leaf with a peppery flavor and is normally combined with milder tasting greens in mixed greens salad. Some think it is too bitter, I think it is an acquired taste, I really love that peppery taste and regularly use this in salads. Arugula and almonds processed to a smooth paste makes a [...]
I am so jealous of people staying at the Madison Valley, they have too many nice restaurants in the neighborhood! I still haven’t made my mind up as to which one I like better, Harvest Vine or Crush, we have been to both places many times, in fact we normally think of going to Harvest [...]
Panna Cotta means Cooked Cream in Italian. This is one of the easiest desserts to make; simmer some cream and sugar, add gelatin and cool to form the most deliciously simple creamy dessert. This is also a very versatile dessert; add spices like vanilla bean, cardamom, cinnamon or ginger to the cream to make it more exotic. [...]
Eating out is always associated with a little bit of guilt; that the money we waste on food could feed a small village in some countries. But here is a way to make a slight difference – dine out on Thursday, April 26th at a participating restaurant, a portion of your bill will go to [...]
I know easy is a relative term. Making Biryani is never that easy, it is normally a multi step process – prepare the meat and the gravy, fry the rice, cook the rice, mix the rice with the gravy and bake for a while… give or take and mix and match some steps here and there, it [...]
The weekend is almost gone, time to share another cocktail recipe. Siv is the de facto bartender in our house, he just throws in some mixes and drinks here and there and it turns out into a pretty good drink at the end. He is a scotch and beer guy himself, but loves to mix [...]
Typhoon is one of the best Thai restaurants in town. ( I am just talking about the Redmond Typhoon, I’ve been to the one in Seattle, and even though the menu is the same, taste was totally off!) Typhoon’s dishes are different from the traditional Thai restaurant fare like the red, green and yellow curries and [...]
Homemade salsa has a recurring role in all my dinner party productions. It is easy to make, looks pretty and goes well with a variety of dishes from chips to lamb chops to grilled fish. I keep experimenting with ingredients, and since I was running out of ideas for the event A Fruit A Month, I [...]
This is a sinful pork preparation to be made with pork belly with fat on. This cut is available in the Asian stores, lean cut pork will not work for this recipe. The good news is, you don’t need to add any additional oil, if that is any consolation. This is one of our little indulgences [...]
I am a modest person in real life, but my virtual persona doesn’t really mind tooting her own horn once in a while… Wait, I don’t really have a virtual person per se… Oh well… Anyway, here goes… <Toot> Urbanspoon had a contest in March to eat at and review the most number of restaurants from [...]
Mango is a tropical fruit consumed mainly in its sweet ripe form in the US, but in some parts of India the unripe version is a bigger hit. The taste of green sour mangoes with salt and hot chili powder is part of a lot of Indian childhood memories… This is a traditional Kerala dish, a thick chutney [...]
Today is Vishu, the astronomical New Year of Kerala, marking the start of the harvest season. There are a lot of customs associated with Vishu, which have been covered in detail on different sites, so I’m not going to repeat any of those. Read all about Vishu here and here. Growing up in an atheist household, my Hindu festivals [...]
Spring is in the air! Suddenly there is a whole new variety of fruits and vegetables in the grocery stores. One fruit I look forward to in spring is Blood Orange – a variety of orange with dark red flesh. The juice is sweeter than regular oranges since the fruit is less acidic and it [...]
Ever since Vessel opened to much fanfare end of last year, we’ve been meaning to check it out. So yesterday when our dear friends called up to say that they have a babysitter for the night and wants to come over downtown to hang out and would like to have dinner at Benihana, which is [...]
Laddu or Ladoo is a beloved Indian sweet which is an integral part of most Hindu festivals and celebrations. According to WikiPedia, Laddu is often made to celebrate festivals or household events such as weddings. It is made of flour and other ingredients formed into balls that are dipped in sugar syrup. Chubby kids in [...]
Some shots taken over the past three days from our living room, looking into the beautiful Puget Sound and the snow covered Olympic mountains . Seattle weather keeps changing everyday, but isn’t Seattle beautiful?
I am supposed to be on vacation this week. For the first time in my life I am taking a week off to stay home and relax. Usually time off from work is for travel, but once we get back from a trip, I feel so drained that I don’t feel rejuvenated like I am supposed [...]
I’ve been contemplating for a couple of days whether to post a review about our Easter Sunday brunch at Etta’s Seafood or not. I’ve been writing reviews only if the food or the experience is really good or really bad. Etta’s is somewhere in the middle, not much to complain about, but nothing to write home about [...]
One of my favorite fish preparations from back home is Karimeen Pollichathu- Karimeen (Pearl Spot, a type of fish found in the back waters of Kerala) along with spices wrapped in Banana leaves and baked to perfection. The best authentic form of Karimeen Pollichathu is available at the Toddy Shops in central Kerala. Yes, my parents used to [...]
Chettinad cuisine is originated in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu state comprising of Madurai, Tirunelveli and Karaikudi regions. This cuisine is well known for its hot and spicy, aromatic non vegetarian dishes like Chicken Chettinad, Pepper Chicken, Fish Varuval etc. Chettinad cuisine is so different from the traditional healthy vegetarian cuisine of the Tamil Brahmins, but [...]
If anyone asked me to name my favorite restaurant in Seattle, my first response would be Harvest Vine. Once I say it out, I might start blabbering and throw some more names out and start categorizing by cuisine, prize, ambiance etc. because that’s just my nature, can’t really commit to anything, except to Siv of course… [...]
Win $100 or a copy of the cookbook Flavours of the Spice Coast by Mrs.K.M. Mathew.
Ends Sept 12th 2010.
