Check out this link for some more details :) -
http://oooligans.blogspot.com/
http://oooligans.blogspot.com/
This blog is all about ...
- Aparna
- Any idea/thought travelling through my mind, strong enough to make me sit and write all about it... Also food, my cooking, and any new foodie joints that is worth writing about.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Foodie weekend!!
Well! This is turning out to be a real foodie blog, but I just can't seem to help it! :) Here's something that I tried over the last long weekend. Since it was August 15th, and we didn't want to venture out, so the only interesting thing left for me to do was try out some new recipes. Also, there was this huge basket of aloos which I (health)consciously avoided for the past two weeks. I needed to use them up before they sprouted in front of my eyes :P. Since now it was decided it was going to be Aloo, there would be no compromise on the amount of oil either!!! Aloo roast it was going to be. Yumm! Here's a simple recipe which I first heard from my sister in law. But remember, you need to be patient while the aloos get the right amount of roast.
Boil potatoes. Heat oil in a kadhai (put in 2 teaspoons to start with), let some mustard splutter. Add some chana dal and turmeric powder. After chana dal gets a slightly brownis
h tinge, add the boiled and cubed potatoes into the Kadhai and spread them in the kadhai. Mix one teaspoon each of besan, red chilli powder and rice flour (and also salt as per your taste), separately in a cup. Spread this mixture evenly over the aloos in the kadhai. Pour oil over the aloos, so that they absorb the above mixture. Cover the kadhai and let the aloos roast. After sometime, flip over the aloos and let the other side cook. Here's how they look finally!
Boil potatoes. Heat oil in a kadhai (put in 2 teaspoons to start with), let some mustard splutter. Add some chana dal and turmeric powder. After chana dal gets a slightly brownis
h tinge, add the boiled and cubed potatoes into the Kadhai and spread them in the kadhai. Mix one teaspoon each of besan, red chilli powder and rice flour (and also salt as per your taste), separately in a cup. Spread this mixture evenly over the aloos in the kadhai. Pour oil over the aloos, so that they absorb the above mixture. Cover the kadhai and let the aloos roast. After sometime, flip over the aloos and let the other side cook. Here's how they look finally!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Malleswaram station and Raghavendra Stores!
The above place in Bangalore was revealed to me when a relative was admitted in the Manipal Northside hospital two weeks back. And boy! what a revelation! :)
Just opposite to the hospital is this heavenly eat out called Raghavendra Stores. A modest little place, where these guys prefer only handling the orders for a very limited tiffin menu, ofcourse apart from the piping hot tea and coffee. (After all, what's tiffin without some traditional cutting to go along?). Though options maybe limited, this does not deter the huge crowds that come trooping along to dig into the dishes here.
THE item TO GO FOR here is the Bangalore special, solpa khaara, solpa sweet - CHOWCHOW baath. The combination of khaarabaath and kesari is just awesome. Gulp it down with the traditional tumbler of coffee, what more can you ask for! If sweet is not something of your preference, have the khaarabath with a crispy vadai, mmmmmm! I'll leave the imagination to you. The idly vada, chutney sambar combination gets quite a few takers too.
A sight to see here is the number of people flocking into this little eatout, in their Innovas and Corollas, getting huge casseroles and plastic covers, filling them up with khaarabaath and vadais and what ever else they fancy. We also have relatives from the hospital smuggling some of the delicacies and taking it to their loved ones. :D. What is the use of being admitted in Northside, when you don't experience Raghavendra stores!
Just opposite to the hospital is this heavenly eat out called Raghavendra Stores. A modest little place, where these guys prefer only handling the orders for a very limited tiffin menu, ofcourse apart from the piping hot tea and coffee. (After all, what's tiffin without some traditional cutting to go along?). Though options maybe limited, this does not deter the huge crowds that come trooping along to dig into the dishes here.
THE item TO GO FOR here is the Bangalore special, solpa khaara, solpa sweet - CHOWCHOW baath. The combination of khaarabaath and kesari is just awesome. Gulp it down with the traditional tumbler of coffee, what more can you ask for! If sweet is not something of your preference, have the khaarabath with a crispy vadai, mmmmmm! I'll leave the imagination to you. The idly vada, chutney sambar combination gets quite a few takers too.
A sight to see here is the number of people flocking into this little eatout, in their Innovas and Corollas, getting huge casseroles and plastic covers, filling them up with khaarabaath and vadais and what ever else they fancy. We also have relatives from the hospital smuggling some of the delicacies and taking it to their loved ones. :D. What is the use of being admitted in Northside, when you don't experience Raghavendra stores!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
FOOD!
MMMMMMM!!!! :) It's that time of the year when I am only thinking of food, cooking new dishes and something to keep munching on! (If you are wondering why, I myself am at a loss for reason. Probably the rains?) When it happens though, I am on an all time high. So there ... let's enjoy it while it lasts.
Mad Tea Party absolutely makes you mad with the mouth watering recipes and even more delicious pictures of them. Don't believe me? Go take a look then!
Khandvi and Cabbage pakoras are what I tried out from there. I took a few pictures of my own dishes from my own kitchen, when they were ready to be gulped down, and here's how they looked.
A few more trials and I think I should be able to perfect on these. The curd I used for the khandvi had turned a little sour. I would have liked it better if it hadn't. The pakoras were good. Again, Iwas a little impatient here and made huge ones, instead of the dainty ones shown on Mad Tea Party :). Size didn't matter to me :D, hunger did!! :D.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Thiruvannamalai – June 14th - 15th 2008
TVM – Thiruvannamalai!
A2B – Adyar Ananda Bhavan!
This weekend was a sudden trip to Thiruvannamalai. Hubby dearest having read a lot about this place, had to visit this place and was looking for the right time to do that. So after getting some quick details from cousins and friends about the routes, hotels, et al, on Friday night, we decided to leave the next morning, stay one night and return by Sunday evening. The stay part was just so that it wasn’t too much of a strain. But finally it did prove to be a good decision, as we covered more places than we would have in one day.
Saturday – 8:15 am – We left Bangalore and reached Hosur, from where we proceeded towards Krishnagiri. Taking the Tirupattur – Thiruvannamalai route, as, though this route is about 10 km more than the Krishnagiri – TVM route, the road however, is better than the heavily potholed Krishnagiri-TVM route. So, after a stop at the way side A2B restaurant and filling petrol, and another refreshing stop at a tender coconut stall, where we ended up picking some mangoes and guavas as well, we reached the Ashram of Ramana Maharshi at around 1:15 pm. On checking if we could stay there, we got a negative response, since pre-booking was necessary to stay.
We then proceeded to Hotel Trishul (Found this on the internet and it was rated highest). Pretty decent I must say. Having dumped our bags here, and after some lunch and a much needed siesta, we left to visit the famous ashrams. The first stop was “Sheshadri ashram” (Ramana maharishi was his disciple). It was a pretty little place in a perfect rustic setting. It had a small meditation room and lots of peace and quiet! Then the next stop was Ramana maharishi ashram. Compared to the previous one, this was bigger, with more people, a temple, and lots of peacocks flying and screeching their throats out! There were also tons of our ancestors monkeying around J. The specialty here was that there was a pathway leading to the Virupaksha caves in the middle of the TVM, and also to the Skandashram nearby. While proceeding towards the caves, we can see quaint little rocks covered by clothes hung on wooden lines, which provide as a shelter for the aspiring sanyasis.
A2B – Adyar Ananda Bhavan!
This weekend was a sudden trip to Thiruvannamalai. Hubby dearest having read a lot about this place, had to visit this place and was looking for the right time to do that. So after getting some quick details from cousins and friends about the routes, hotels, et al, on Friday night, we decided to leave the next morning, stay one night and return by Sunday evening. The stay part was just so that it wasn’t too much of a strain. But finally it did prove to be a good decision, as we covered more places than we would have in one day.
Saturday – 8:15 am – We left Bangalore and reached Hosur, from where we proceeded towards Krishnagiri. Taking the Tirupattur – Thiruvannamalai route, as, though this route is about 10 km more than the Krishnagiri – TVM route, the road however, is better than the heavily potholed Krishnagiri-TVM route. So, after a stop at the way side A2B restaurant and filling petrol, and another refreshing stop at a tender coconut stall, where we ended up picking some mangoes and guavas as well, we reached the Ashram of Ramana Maharshi at around 1:15 pm. On checking if we could stay there, we got a negative response, since pre-booking was necessary to stay.
We then proceeded to Hotel Trishul (Found this on the internet and it was rated highest). Pretty decent I must say. Having dumped our bags here, and after some lunch and a much needed siesta, we left to visit the famous ashrams. The first stop was “Sheshadri ashram” (Ramana maharishi was his disciple). It was a pretty little place in a perfect rustic setting. It had a small meditation room and lots of peace and quiet! Then the next stop was Ramana maharishi ashram. Compared to the previous one, this was bigger, with more people, a temple, and lots of peacocks flying and screeching their throats out! There were also tons of our ancestors monkeying around J. The specialty here was that there was a pathway leading to the Virupaksha caves in the middle of the TVM, and also to the Skandashram nearby. While proceeding towards the caves, we can see quaint little rocks covered by clothes hung on wooden lines, which provide as a shelter for the aspiring sanyasis.
It was 6:30 pm by the time we left the ashram and proceeded towards the Arunachaleswarar temple. This temple is at the base of the TVM. It is a huge temple with at least 9 gopurams. The main deity here is Lord Shiva and his consort Amman (Abithakuchamba). There was a place from where all the 9 gopurams could be sighted, and there was also a model of the temple made which showed us the locations of every point within the temple. After visiting the two deities, we had our dinner at Hotel Ramakrishna, and then scooted back to the Trishul and slept early (the India Pakistan finals was on, and India was on the way to a defeat, so there was no point staying awake for that match!).
Sunday – 7:00 am –
After some coffee and a refreshing bath, we walked back to the Arunachaleswarar temple. This time we entered through the main entrance (there are four entrances). Lord Murugan’s deity was installed immediately at the entrance. That was where Lord Murugan appeared before Arunagirinathar Swamigal – who composed Thiruppugazh in praise of Lord Murugan. After paying due respects to the lord, we again proceeded to the Shivan deity, which was at the other end of the premises. On the way, there were a lot of other smaller deities and also a huge water body, not to forget the Elephant which blessed us when we gave it some small gift. We visited the Pathalalingam – which is the lingam placed lower than the ground level. We need to climb down a few steps to see this deity.
After the visits to the 4 deities, we had some good breakfast and awesome coffee at hotel Arunachala, just behind the temple. Though the temple was beautiful and well maintained, I can also not forget to mention the sad state of affairs around the temple. The dirt, slums and beggars was really heart rending to watch, and makes one wonder if there really was more that could be done to maintain the place.
We then checked out of Trishul at around 10:30 am, and asked our way around to find the Girivalam. Girivalam is a 15km pathway around the TVM hill. It has 108 lingams en route. We can either walk around, or even drive around. Due to lack of time, we drove around the pathway. The views of the hill were breathtaking from here. Sanyasis also were aplenty along the route. On completion of the Girivalam trip, we proceeded towards Bangalore.
I almost missed mentioning the fresh vegetables and flowers (at pretty cheap rates) that we bought at the market place of thiruvannamalai before leaving. One must surely not miss out on buying these!
On the way back – we took another sudden 18 km diversion towards Saathanur Dam. With pretty little villages and excited farmers posing for pictures on the way, we reached the dam and spent an hour looking around the lush green garden and checking out the dam engineering! So it was 12 pm by the time we left the dam and proceeded towards Bangalore. Another half an hour stop at the Hosur market for some Rice, and it was 4:30 pm by the time we reached home sweet home in Bangalore! Not bad at all!
After some coffee and a refreshing bath, we walked back to the Arunachaleswarar temple. This time we entered through the main entrance (there are four entrances). Lord Murugan’s deity was installed immediately at the entrance. That was where Lord Murugan appeared before Arunagirinathar Swamigal – who composed Thiruppugazh in praise of Lord Murugan. After paying due respects to the lord, we again proceeded to the Shivan deity, which was at the other end of the premises. On the way, there were a lot of other smaller deities and also a huge water body, not to forget the Elephant which blessed us when we gave it some small gift. We visited the Pathalalingam – which is the lingam placed lower than the ground level. We need to climb down a few steps to see this deity.
After the visits to the 4 deities, we had some good breakfast and awesome coffee at hotel Arunachala, just behind the temple. Though the temple was beautiful and well maintained, I can also not forget to mention the sad state of affairs around the temple. The dirt, slums and beggars was really heart rending to watch, and makes one wonder if there really was more that could be done to maintain the place.
We then checked out of Trishul at around 10:30 am, and asked our way around to find the Girivalam. Girivalam is a 15km pathway around the TVM hill. It has 108 lingams en route. We can either walk around, or even drive around. Due to lack of time, we drove around the pathway. The views of the hill were breathtaking from here. Sanyasis also were aplenty along the route. On completion of the Girivalam trip, we proceeded towards Bangalore.
I almost missed mentioning the fresh vegetables and flowers (at pretty cheap rates) that we bought at the market place of thiruvannamalai before leaving. One must surely not miss out on buying these!
On the way back – we took another sudden 18 km diversion towards Saathanur Dam. With pretty little villages and excited farmers posing for pictures on the way, we reached the dam and spent an hour looking around the lush green garden and checking out the dam engineering! So it was 12 pm by the time we left the dam and proceeded towards Bangalore. Another half an hour stop at the Hosur market for some Rice, and it was 4:30 pm by the time we reached home sweet home in Bangalore! Not bad at all!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Home sweet home!
Back at home and having a good time :) .. doing what though? Nothing but idling away my time!! :) Doing all the things that I used to consciously avoid all these days. Little things, but of great importance, I am sure you would agree - :)
Getting up, but not before 8 am!, reading a book as soon as I get up from the bed, not bothering to clean up the table - knowing well it needs some good amount of re-arranging and dusting ... aaaah.. heaven!!! How good it feels to just laze around, and not having to worry about it!!
:) Enjoy it while it lasts, is what I tell myself... Though it does feel nice to be doing (or, not doing?) such things, with the sudden burst of energy I get after lazing around, I can't seem to stand all the mess which I knowingly tolerated all this while!!! :D. So lazing once in a while is a good thing after all I suppose...
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