Our first stop was San Francisco; we stayed with our son’s in-laws and had a great time. They took us around the city. I wanted to take the Bart which is a local train to downtown and then we went on the cable cars. We walked around downtown San Francisco. Then we went to Fisherman’s Wharf, browsing gift shops and trying out a local restaurant. These activities made us feel that we were young again. Next day we went to the University of Berkley. We enjoyed walking through the university, watching students, and remembering our own college time, that was very refreshing.

Next day was the visit to Temple which wasn’t planned but this came out to be great experience. At the temple, they were celebrating Lord Ganesh Chaturthi, which is a Hindu festival.

Next stop was Golden Gate Bridge, which is world known tourist place and we had a great time. We were care-free tourist, its different feeling as it has been long time since both of us together have taken a vacation together.

Guess what! I met some of my viewers. It was rewarding to know they are enjoying the web site and cooking. . It was very flattering, more importantly it inspires me to do even more.

We also visited our very old friend and their boys; he is the very first friend I met when I came to the States 42 years back, for hours we talked and remember old times and enjoyed.

I wanted to make a video using something San Francisco is known for. We are enjoying beautiful summer day in San Francisco. Walking down pier 39, I was inspired by a local favorite, Sourdough Bread Bowls. So I decided to give it an Indian twist and created a creamy spicy potato soup to go in sourdough bread bowl. I did not get a chance to do the recipe but one of these days I will like to do it. This will be one dish meal and it will be easy to make.

Now we are in Seattle, Washington staying with my aunt, they live 2 hours north of Seattle and this is beautiful place in countryside.

I did one video in her kitchen (already posted) and will be doing some more.

I will be posting as my trip develop.

Paryushan and Das Lakshan Parva is a most auspicious and sacred day for Jains. This is a festival of spiritual awareness. Generally this falls in the month of September. One sect of Jains celeberate as Paryushan 10 days celeberation and just after another sect of Jains celebrate as Das Lakshan, concentrating on the ten universal virtues like forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, contentment, truth, charity, and non-possessiveness.

In Jainism fasting is considered a spiritual activity that provides self-control and strength. Fasting is not just done by not eating; it is also having control on personal behaviors, and shows personal strength, for example leaving for a day or more the activity you enjoy most, like watching television, shopping, talking to friends. The significance of this holiday is self-purification and uplifting of oneself.

Another very important aspect of this holiday is asking for forgiveness from friends and relatives for both intentional and unintentional wrongs. Today last day of celebration I will like to ask all my viewers for forgiveness if I have hurt anyone or said something hurtful.

I am so incredibly excited…. Alex and I are taking a much-needed trip. We are planning to visit family and friends across the United States and even India. This trip will begin in September until the end of the year. My husband, Alex, came up with this idea and has taken the task to plan this exciting trip. I was hesitant to go on this trip as I know I will miss my family here in San Diego (especially my four grandchildren). It is an indescribable strange feeling when I think about staying away from family. But now I have embraced this idea and I am actually looking forward to this cross-country trip.

We will stay in touch as I will be blogging along the way and share my experiences. Of course, new recipe videos will continue coming. You will see me in different kitchens of my friends and family. That should be lot of fun! As I travel, I hope I will adopt and learn to incorporate some new flavors and techniques.

 We will start the trip on 7th of September. Our trip will be starting from the San Francisco Bay Area and we will be visiting the following cities: Seattle Washington, Ann Arbor Michigan, Cleveland Ohio, Washington DC, and New Jersey. We will then head to India and then back home to San Diego.

I look forward to updating you all about my adventures across the U.S. and India.

Raksha Bandhan is a festival that signifies the beautiful and loving relationship between brothers and sisters. My family celebrates Raksha Bandhan with great enthusiasm.

For those who don’t know about this holiday, “Raksha” means protection, and “Bandhan” means binding. Sisters tie a thread called Rakhi (like a friendship band) on their brother’s wrist and pray for their well-being. And in return brothers promise their sisters that they will always take care of them. Traditionally, brothers will give a gift to their sisters and sisters will treat their brothers with sweets. Afterwards there is a feast like other holiday.

I have two sons and no daughters. They celebrate Raksha Bandhan with their cousins. Now each of my sons has a daughter and a son. My sons, their cousins and my grandkids celebrate this holiday together.

My nieces and granddaughter like to make their own Rakhies. They take great pride in making them by hand. Some of their Rakhies are simply weaving different colored threads together and others are fancier with decoration like beads.

Raksha Bandhan is on August 13th and we will have a family brunch at my son’s home. I have been requested not to cook. They want me to relax and enjoy the grandkids. This sounds good to me but I can’t stop myself from wanting to make something special. I am not sure what I will make. But I am going to surprise them with a treat.

Teej is around the corner. As a child, I enjoyed Teej festival very much and have lots of fond memories of it. The Indian calendar is filled with many wonderful holidays that celebrate the Gods, the family or the welcoming of a new season. My mom loved celebrating festivals, as it was more of a joyous social occasion for her, rather than religious. I really liked how she chose to celebrate these special occasions.

Teej is a unique festival for women, which includes fasts and followed with delicious feasts. Typically this is a day for women and young girls to dress up and decorate their palms with mehndi (henna). I can remember the house courtyard being decorated and had installed rope swings for this occasion. The women would be swinging and singing Teej folk songs that were unique to the festival.

Once I moved to the U.S. in late sixties, most of the festivals were left behind. While my two sons were growing up, I would dream of the day I could celebrate Teej with my daughter-in-laws. Both of my sons got married. After my eldest son was married, we purchased a swing set for our backyard. I was overjoyed to use the swing set for Teej celebrations! Then as my younger son married, my dream of celebrating Teej with my two daughter-in-laws was finally fulfilled. This year Teej will be on August 2nd and I hope you will enjoy this holiday as I do.

Cold Coffee (Iced Coffee) brings back many fond memories of my youth. In the summer months, I would often walk with friends to the nearby gas station that had a coffee shop kiosk. They would make the best cold coffee and freshly baked cookies. When I got married and moved to the US, I did not get to experience this cold coffee.

One day when my younger son was a senior in high school, he came home with a Starbucks iced coffee and wanted me to try this amazing treat. While I thought the Starbucks drink was good, I just knew I could make a better version. I decided to give him a surprise. A few days later when he was playing table tennis with his friends, I made cold coffee for them. He and his friends thought it was a Starbucks drink and were surprised that I knew how to make this drink.

Recently my son (who is now a father of two!) asked me to make this cold coffee again. He loved the cold coffee and suggested that I prepare a cold coffee video for the website. Based on his request, I am preparing a cold coffee recipe.

Recently my husband Alex mentioned that while he enjoys my usual tofu dishes, he would like me to prepare a new tofu dish. He wanted something with Asian-inspired flavors. I was ready to take on this challenge, as I am not too familiar with Asian cooking. He wanted to try a tofu dish that had more flavor and pizzazz!

So what did I do? Of course, I googled it! I searched under “tofu recipes” and liked the recipe for Sweet and Sour Tofu. However, I wanted my dish to be made with Indian flavors. I then tried out a tofu recipe with bell peppers, cabbage, mixed with tamarind and a blend of spices. To my surprise, it tasted great! Alex and I really enjoyed it. He thought it was good enough to be posted on this website.

Coming up with the perfect recipe is a matter of trial and error. Adding and taking out ingredients to come up with just the right taste is indeed a challenge. In fact, it took me about four tries before I was satisfied with my version of Sweet and Sour tofu! More importantly, Alex seemed to be satisfied with the taste. I will be posting the video soon. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

While reading the viewer’s entries for Mother’s day, I felt that I also wanted to share a little about my mother. It has been 15 years since she passed away, yet I constantly feel her presence around me, guiding me and mostly, putting a smile on my face.

I am a mom of two and a grandmother of four. But while my mom was alive, I felt very much like a kid around her. She would every now and then, remind me to “grow up” and I miss that very much. Some would say that as you age, your mom becomes more of a friend. But for me, I wanted her to be my mother, always! No matter how much I aged, I cherished and loved the feeling of being a child in her company.

She was an amazing mother; very loving, caring and giving. She had an air of magic in her as she spoke. Her greatest talent was that she would make you feel really good about your own self. One touch or look from her, and you felt something very special inside. I try very hard to be like my mom, but it’s a tough act to follow.

I love you mom.

What are authentic recipes? An authentic recipe varies from province to province, family to family and even person to person. In my thinking an authentic recipe is whatever I had eaten the first time and enjoyed it as a new dish, it becomes my reference point. I have tried to replicate some dishes to that same taste from 50 years back, but have not always been successful. I would like to think that I cook many of the traditional foods, which are modified according on the availability of ingredients, and tailored to my family’s taste. I enjoy cooking because I am in charge, so these recipes are what my family and I enjoy.

Having said that, I value your comments and feel very flattered. My feelings are not hurt in any way by your comments and suggestions. I am learning lot from your comments and also by creating these videos.

One of my favorites sweet is called Milk Cake. This is an exotic and traditional dessert. Milk Cake is made with a few ingredients: milk, sugar and lightly flavored with cardamom. With so few ingredients it sounds like an easy recipe. There are many short cuts that I have tried for this recipe but none of them work to my satisfaction. One good thing about Milk Cake is that the ingredients should be easily available where ever you are.

I was quite happy with my original recipe, as it tastes great but it doesn’t have the right color. Milk Cake has three color sections: the top third is a creamy color, the bottom third is a light brown color, and the center is darker than the bottom. In the market the cake is about 3 to 4 inch thick so it can be sliced as cake. Normally, I will only make the cake an inch thick since I am not preparing it in large quantities. Alex for first time is saying that I should forget about the color and let’s shoot the video. In mean time, I found a recipe on Google which looked really good because it has solution to the color problem. I tried the recipe but it didn’t work. I want to give it one more try as I hope it will work.

Paneer is a fresh cheese, which is un-aged and non-melting. Paneer is also known as chena. In Indian cooking, paneer is used in a variety of ways! It is used to prepare appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, desserts and whatever else you can think of. Any way you use paneer, it tastes great. It doesn’t have much of its own taste so it blends well and takes on the flavor of the dish.

In my Paneer recipe, I use lemon juice to curdle the milk because that’s what I prefer but you could also use vinegar, or citric acid. After curdling the milk, it is important to wash the paneer under running water to remove the acidic taste.

I use whole milk if I am making paneer to cook as cheese . After you have washed the paneer you will need to remove the excess water by hanging, squeezing or pressing it under a heavy weight. I get the best results by pressing and kneading it slightly and then pressing it hard in a flat container. Cover the container and refrigerate it for at least for few hours. Once the paneer is hardened, take it out and cut it to your desired size. Homemade paneer tends to break up easily, so fry it first before using it in your recipe.  Store bought paneer are usually firmer and do not require frying.

For making Burfi or Sandesh I prefer whole milk. For Rasgulla or any variation of it like Chum Chum, Rasmalai etc I prefer to use 2% milk. For making any sweet dish you need to use homemade paneer.

Making Rasgullas can be difficult. Lots of problem can occur such as not being round, being flat, not puffing up enough or not cooking from the inside. I don’t worry about its shape as long as they taste good that gives a more homemade look anyways. All these issues depend on taking out the right amount of water and kneading the paneer enough so it is smooth.

Even today I sometimes  mess up my Rasgulla’s because I make them so infrequently. But this is one sweet dish I am not afraid to spoil because…

1. If it comes out flat I will make Rasmalai
2. If they are hard, I can cut them into small cubes and make it like Kheer.
3. If they break apart, I can use them for making Burfi or mix them with vanilla ice cream, adding thinly sliced almonds or pistachios.

Many of you ask if Rasgullas can be made in a pot. I wasn’t sure so I tried and it comes out great. I suggest checking the Chum Chum recipe for directions and add an extra 1/4-cup of water and cook for 20 minutes instead of 25 minutes.

I am hoping you will find these tips helpful.

I have been out of town for the last couple of weeks.  So I thought this would be a good time to write about some basic tips in cooking and how to create your own recipes. I know many of you have been already doing that.

Regarding the making of gravies:  Most gravies are tomato-based. Sometime I like to add yogurt, cream and/or cashews as it gives a different texture to the gravy.Good Examples of how altering gravies can make a new dish are Shahi Paneer, Kadhai Paneer, Butter Paneer Masala or Malai Kofta.  

Sometimes I add cornstarch to thicken the gravy. You can use these gravies with your choice of vegetables and paneer can be substituted with fried or stir-fried firm tofu (tofu comes in different texture soft, silky, firm and extra firm make sure you are using firm).

You can also give the gravy a new texture by adding or reducing water to change its thickness.

Sometime I will add a little bit of besan (gram flour) to the gravy. This is mostly the case when I am making potato or chole (chick peas) dish with gravy. Besan adds thickness to the gravy and it adds a nice aroma, texture and flavor to the dish.

I hope that you will find these tips helpful.  Happy Cooking!

Thank you all for your comments regarding this contest. I am very pleased to see the interest that my viewers have over the entries and the winners. The website is my way of sharing my joy of cooking, just as the contest is my viewer’s way of sharing their own creative ideas. I take great pride in reading all the entries and it is always a difficult challenge to select the winners.

The recipes on my website are strictly eggless and vegetarian. There was an oversight on my part on the contest rules. The December contest rules did not specify that the recipes needed to be “eggless”. Therefore, all the entries that met the specified rules were included in my decision making process for the winner. In future I will be looking for eggless recipes.

I hope that my website is a source of inspiration for all, and that you will use it as a stepping stone to experimenting and creating your own recipes. The contest is then a great way to share your creations with the rest of us. So I really look forward to seeing more unique entries. Thank you for always supporting my passion for healthy, vegetarian cooking.

Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year! It doesn’t feel like it has been four years since I began posting on YOUTUBE and three years for my website. I am having a great time making these video recipes.

I would like to thank all of you who have become such an important part of my life. My viewers provide so much inspiration for me through their comments and regular emails. I enjoy that interaction very much, as my husband Alex says, “That puts a smile on your face”.

A special thanks to Sateesh, my web developer. He has done an amazing job creating and maintaining the website. My husband Alex, has been the most important part of my video making. He is the stage manager, videographer, director and editor, all-in-one. He is also my biggest critic but to his credit he does taste-test all my creations, good or bad!

We’ve had a wonderful journey so far and I am really looking forward to the New Year and all its possibilities. The viewer contest will be expanded to include some topics that you have requested. These include ways to help busy families in their meal planning, such as lunch box suggestions, kid-friendly recipes, picnic menus and quick meals.

So there’s plenty to look forward to in 2011 and I hope that I can continue to bring you joy and excitement in your cooking experience.

Diwali is often referred to as the “Festival of Lights” and this year it will be celebrated on Friday November 5th, 2010. It is a Hindu holiday that is celebrated with great enthusiasm, throughout the world. Diwali signifies the victory of good over evil. Most people believe Diwali to be a celebration of the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom, Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and after defeating the demon king, Ravan. Jains celebrate Diwali as the time of attainment of moksha by Lord Mahavir.

My best childhood memories of Diwali are lighting the oil lamps (diyas) and putting string lights around the house. We lighted fireworks with our neighbors and the grownups played cards into the night. I remember helping my mother in the kitchen, cooking delicious food for several days. Shopping for new clothes and buying something new for the kitchen was a definite tradition.

Diwali celebration is actually a 3-day event beginning with the worship of Goddess Lakshmi called “Dhanteras”. The following day is considered pre-Diwali and the final day is the actual celebration of Diwali. My family will be getting together to have dinner and play cards each of the 3 nights, as part of the festivities.

I would like to share with you the menu I have made for this Diwali for my family and maybe this can give you some ideas too.

Menu for Wednesday November 3rd, 2010.

Appetizers: Cheese fondue with Broccoli, Cauliflower, stir fry Potatoes and some bread cubes. I prefer Tuscan or French bread.

Main Course: Matter Paneer, Aloo Gobhi, Chole (chana masala), Spinach Raita, Cumin Rice, and an Indian bread, which I have not decided yet.

Dessert: Boondi ladoo. I will serve just the Sweet Boondis in decorative cupcake liners and drizzle the top with chocolate syrup. My grandkids love it.

Menu for Thursday November 4th

Appetizers: Papdi served with Chole Chat and Salad.

Main Meal: Cabbage Kofta, Sukha Aloo, Vegetable Korma, Yogurt, Rice and Naan.

Dessert: Apple crumb Pie.

Menu for Diwali Day, Friday November 5th

We will have an early dinner and serve appetizers and dessert while playing cards, hopefully late into the night. We are fortunate that this year Diwali falls on a Friday and we can spend time freely with our family.

Main Course: Spicy Squash, Potato Curry with Yogurt Gravy, Butter Paneer Masala, Dahi Vada, Dal Puri (I have not posted this recipe yet, but these are whole wheat puris with urad dal filling). This is very typical, traditional holiday bread in north India.

Appetizers: Besan Paare, Crispy Spinach Pakoras, Masala Peanuts, and Muthia.

Dessert: Gajar Ka Halwa, Baklava Rolls, and Kalakand.