We are back from our trip to India! When we got back to San Diego, we got a great welcome from our grandchildren. They wanted to make sure we will never leave them again!
This trip was definitely a trip one to remember! I don’t think I have ever taken such a long vacation. We visited relatives that we had not seen for many years. We also did a lot of sight-seeing, something we don’t usually do when we are in India. Various family members were able to sight-see with us so it was even more enjoyable!
We visited Varanasi (also known Banaras), an old Hindu historical religious town situated on river banks of Ganges. This is a town with many old temples and many old religious myths. Temples are all along on the banks of the holy river Ganga. After sun set the side of river banks are lid with oil lamps and you can hear melodies prayers sang by devotees. It is a beautiful site not to be missed. We also enjoyed the food from street vendors, Tomato chaat a new dish I never had before. One of my viewers has suggested to try “Malaiyo” this brought lot of my good childhood memories as we called this Daulat Ki Chaat.
Our next stop was Jaipur also known as Pink City. Citi has lot of royal charm. Jaipur has many old historical forts and still keeping up with old traditions. This town offers many things to do and see. The highlights were Hawa Mahal, Citi Palace, Jantar Mantar, Amber Fort and list goes on. Of course we ate on local restaurants and did shopping. We stop to Agra and saw Taj Mahal among other things.
We also visited Mumbai great town very different. In Mumbai I enjoyed the most visiting my family. Walking on the beach with my uncle and tried much local food. My niece made sure to take me to the different restaurants, she knew I will enjoy and these dishes were not as traditional but very interesting.
Most time we had spent in Delhi and around. My other niece wanted to show me other side of upcoming India. With her we visited different places and tried variation of food and did different kind of shopping, I will admit I had a blast with her.
Now that our vacation is over, I think it is time to get back to work and experiment with some new recipes, flavors and cooking techniques I learned during my travels to the various parts of India. Recipe and video to be posted soon!
Hi Manjulaji,
Heading to Mumbai for the first time in November. What street food did you enjoy the most and/or what would you recommend as a local favorite? Other than street food, do you typically cook at home with family or do you dine out, and if so, are you picky about your restaurants?
Looking forward to new recipes!
Chris
Hello Manjulaji..
I am very fond of cooking..always wants to try new recipes..recently I shifted to USA..initially i found difficult to cook here..as every thing was new..even every food item/vegetable tasted diff than India..As per my one friends suggestion I started referring your recipes and cooking style..I love to watch your cooking show..Whenever I want to make something new..I just take out my laptop and type http://www.manjulaskitchen.com & my dish is ready to serve 🙂
take care
Sneha
I really enjoy onion and garlic free recipes of yours. It is a nice variation from my recipes. I love it. I blog at http://www.tasteorwaist.blogspot.com
Namaste Manjula,
Haven’t seen you here for so long. Hope all is OK with you. Maybe you are traveling again.
I have a question. I have made a few of your recipes but find when I use all the spices that you use, the dish is a little too spicy/hot for my husband and me, who are not used to a lot of spice. I wonder if there are certain spices that are especially hot/strong that you could tell me about so I can, beforehand, either lessen or eliminate from the dishes. I have obtained almost all the spices on your suggested spice list with a couple of exceptions. So I am ready and willing, but just would like the dishes a tad cooler to the tastebuds!
Also, I wonder if, rather than cooking the spices first, if I add them dry to the dish after the other ingredients if that might make them a little less strong. Hope you understand what I am saying. I love the smells of the various spices – have never had so many beautiful aromas before in my kitchen!
Thanks.
Bex (Rebecca) Crowell
Bex,
You can cut down the ginger, any kind of chili, and garam masala that will help.
Hello,
I will call you Manjula aunty, as everybody here does. I have been following your videos for some time now. It started with finding the easiest of recipes as I did not have any experience in the kitchen until few years ago. Thank you for showing the way. I am writing today as I was taken back that you are in San Diego too. I also moved here recently. It would be interesting to bump into you at the temple or the Indian store!
I blog as well about parenting, cooking, family life and everyday issues at momslatte.blogspot.com. My mother would faint if you commented on my cooking. Just kidding. It would be an honor.
Thanks again.
Bhavana
Since I am just starting to get interested in Indian cooking, I have a million questions! I have watched quite a few of your videos, Manjula, and love every minute of them. Thank you so much. I’ve noticed that you never cook anything (except for some breads) in the oven. Is that pretty much how most Indian food is cooked – on the stovetop? Just wondering. It seems that since you have so many steps with the spices etc that cooking in the oven might not work for most dishes. I am trying to assemble some of the spices needed etc and will be making my first naan soon, but my baking stone that I ordered online arrived broken so I had to return it. I want to get one of those before I start.
I just have one question Manjula – I didn’t see a category for “BREAKFAST” foods on your site. What might some Indian breakfast menus be?
Bex,
Good idea, I will think about it.
Dear Manjula,
I am not Indian but am American. I have never cooked Indian food but I want to learn. I have just retired from working all my life and now have more time to spend on things I like. I am not a great cook but I have watched several of your videos and some of the foods seem like I might be able to do it.
My husband is a lobsterman and doesn’t want to retire so he continues to work. Do any of your recipes contain lobster?
I have a blog also and am going to do an entry right now introducing your site to my (small list of) readers. My first thing to make is going to be naan. I just ordered the oven stone from amazon that you recommended so when that comes I will begin with naan. I ordered two kinds of naan online and got them the other day – plain and onion. Have only tried the onion so far but love it! I know you said you don’t eat onion or garlic – that is interesting. I use onion in everything but I also have arthritis and I wonder if the onion contributes to that – I think I read that somewhere. I have always wanted to know how to cook without onion so now maybe I will follow you.
My husband eats meat so there is one problem. I would just as soon be vegetarian but he is hard to change at almost 67 years old.
Nice to meet you here and I hope this opens up a nice on-line friendship between us.
Yours very truly, Rebecca (“Bex”) Crowell, Salem, MA, USA
hello manjula ji
i cooked food my ways it tasted good, then one day i cooked your way the taste lasted long enough to feel till date.
thank u for being so simple and divine in cooking
good luck
usha
Have a safe and happy journey.Enjoy every second in your trip http://www.easycaresolutions.blogspot.in
Dear Manulaji,
I am so happy to recently find your website! I am also happy to see interest in Indian Cuisine growing. As a typical Midwestern-American young woman, when I married my Punjabi husband 20 years ago I knew not a thing about Indian cooking! He, as a typical Punjabi man, knew what his food should taste like, but had no idea how to prepare it, lol! Many, many nights I tried to guess the proceedures and ingredients only to fail. It was not until we were married 18 months that I went to Guldaspar with him and learned from Biji and my Gitanis. I wish I had had you with me in the early 1990’s! Yet I am just as happy to learn all I can from you now!
Thank you so much! I wish you continued success!
Namaste!
KS
Hello Auntie Manjula!
Glad to hear you’re back safe and sound, and that you had a lot of fun! I love your recipes so much, and it’s so cute when you talk about your, and your mother’s, hubby’s, kids’, and grandchildren’s favorite foods! 🙂 Your mother sounds like she was a wonderful person, and it’s so nice to keep her memory and spirit alive through her recipes and stories. Some of your holiday blog posts are very beautiful, too, regarding your religious (and life) philosophies. Thanks for your lovely site, and sharing your life with us!
Gad you had a wonderful trip but I am running out of recipes – I tried most of the ones you have on You Tube.
Glad you had a good trip…now we are eagerly waiting for your great
recipes. We missed you while you were away.
welcome home. waiting for ur new recipes.
Hello Manjula aunty ji,
That chat is called Tamatar with the Alooo tikki being meshed aloong with tomato(tomato is cut first and later potato is added).
It is common in eastern part of Uttar pradesh. Hope you have really enjoyed these days.
Himanshu
Thamk you,
Welcome home! I’m glad that you had a wonderful vaccation. I’m looking forward to new recipes.
Hi aunty,
Great to hear your enjoyable trip. Waiting for your new recipes. Really i tried lots of your recipes and they came out perfecctly well.
Do visit my blgo and post your valuable comments. That’ll help me to improve myself:)
Looking forward to your new recipes.