Crochet Bag

This bag is made with nylon thread, though a bit difficult to make, as then it can hold a lot of stuff & sturdy too, especially when you travel, as it stretches a lot. This can be made with thread also.It can be rolled up & kept too.

Baked Vadai !

This is a very healthy & tasty vadai, made from red lentils/ masoor dal 2 cups, you can add 1 cup of channa dal or it can be made only with masoor dal also. The more variety of dal we use, we're likely to get more nutrition, that is why I prefer such combinations. 

Soak the dals together for 3 hours. Then grind with green chilies to taste( as green chilies are rich in Vit. C), 1" ginger, 4-5 garlic pearls. Grind it with minimum water & coarsely. Add salt to taste. Mix finely cut 1 big onion & 1 big green capsicum with the ground mixture. The mixture shouldn't be too thick or too watery. The top right picture shows the mixture & kept in microwavable plate. Grease a microwavable plate lightly, take about 1 tbsp of the mix, flatten it lightly as seen, micro high for 2 min., then turn the sides & again micro high for 2 min, this gets cooked by then. For those who prefer it crisp, you may add a drop of oil & grill it or keep it in hot oven for about 5 min., the top gets golden.

This is full of protein, with vitamins, with zero calories.
The last picture shows how it looks finally.
ps- even the garlic haters, can't make out garlic in it, after it is cooked. For some, you may need a minute longer to get cooked for each side in your microwave, depending on the power.

Pasarattu

This is a very healthy recipe especially for diabetic patients, as it has lots of protein, fiber & very less of carbohydrates. This is made with green whole moong dal, say for 1 cup of dal, you make soak 1 tbsp of rice, preferably boiled rice/ sela chawal, for about 2-3 hours. grind along with red & green chilies to taste, you may add 1" ginger piece & 3-4 pearls of garlic also, as ginger & garlic aid in digestion, helps to relieve gas problem. Grind it coarsely. Those who like it fermented, may keep it overnight & make thick /thin like uttapam/ dosa on a thick tava or non-stick tava, using about 1-2 mg of oil, turn & cook on both sides. for those who like onion, you may make it with finely cut onion. This goes well with any chutney or gun powder, which south Indians call ' malagai podi'. This is a very healthy snack.

Raw mango quick pickle

This recipe is my family's favorite. It is easy to make, lasts for about 2 weeks in the fridge, goes well with bread & butter, roti, curd rice. etc. You may take 3-4 raw mangoes, wash, dry & cut into small pieces as you see in the 2nd picture, with the skin. Add about 2
-3 tsp of salt, 2-3 tsp of chili pdr. , 1/4 tsp of haldi pdr/ turmeric pdr., 1 tsp of roasted & powdered methi  seeds, 1/4 tsp of hing. Mix well. In a pan/ kadai, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds, let it splutter well, add to the mango, mix well.. Store in clean dry bottle & refrigerate. Always use clean, dry spoon while using pickles & also your hand should be dry, if you want the pickle to last.

Crocheted Cap

This cap was made for my son, who finds these snug during the peak winters.

Crochet Bag

This bag was made for my daughter-in-law, rather who is more a daughter to me, who wanted pockets outside, so that she can keep her card & cell phone in those pockets as it will be easy to use. It is she who has taught me to upload pictures here !

Crochet Scarf

This scarf was made for my daughter-in-law, who liked this design very much. It was for the first time, I had crocheted such a design, in zig-zag pattern. Do let me know your views.

close-up of the afghan

Crochet Afghans

I love doing crochet as much as I love cooking, so thought of sharing my creations with you all. Creating my own designs gives me a lot of pleasure. I crochet afghans like this one, this was for my son & daughter-in-law. My son loves to snuggle inside one when it is cold. I use these afghans on the sofa back & another one to sit down here in Delhi during winter. Hope you too love the color combinations as much as I do. Feel free to comment & send your views.

White Lobia gravy

Wash & pressure cook white lobia as much as you want for 4 whistles. Cut 2 onion fine, 1" ginger piece also cut fine, 5 garlic pearls cut fine, 5-6 green chilles slit & cut fine. Heat 1 tbsp oil, fry 1 tsp jeera, add the cut veg., fry with wee bit salt, as it is getting fried, cut 2 tomatoes fine, add to the onion, let it fry together, if you want it spicy, add 1/2 tsp red chilli pdr, 1/2 tsp turmeric pdr., fry till oil starts coming out. If you wish, you may add 1/2 tsp garam masala pdr too. Then add the cooked lobia to the fried mixture, along with the water in which it was cooked, add salt to taste, let it boil well. If you feel it is too thick, you may add a little more water. last garnish with finely cut green corainder leaves. This goes well with rice & roti.