Sunday, April 14, 2013

Kaanji- Guest Post by Shikha Bajaj



So, I have yet another guest post by my gracious SIL who has managed to document a recipe very close to my heart. Traditionally, most Indian people know of kanji as a winter drink. The very mention of the word conjures fond memories of my maternal grandmother, who was the only person I ever knew who would make yummy kanji. Winter vacations, were always associated with yummy gaajar achaar and kanji. She passed away a long time back, the tradition moved on to my mother and when I got married, I found kanji again being made, every winter by my mother-in-law. For the sake of posterity and to honour and continue the tradition, I’m glad that my SIl decide to document this one and that we will have the benefit to carry this custom forward. The best part is: the recipe was tested far away in the US, and the photographs were taken here; a complete cooperative effort.

Kanji is truly a family recipe. One of my earliest and fondest childhood memories is that of my great grandmother and her huge ceramic martabaans (jugs) of kanji.
In the winter afternoons, we would all settle down on the verandah of the ancestral home in Amritsar looking forward to an afternoon of the winter sun. These lazy afternoons were always accompanied by cool glasses of this mildly sour beverage, a bit of gossip and a lot of fun.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Speedy Shrimp - Guest Post by Shikha Bajaj

The blog has been silent for a while. No matter what I try, I am finding it hard to document all the cooking that has been happening. A great Mutton dish, the perfect greek salad recipe, a new way to eat healthy vegetable lasagna and many more recipes, are lying all in the various tummies and in my head. Mystically, To break the silence, and get the action rolling on the blog, my wonderful SIL, decided to send me this shrimp recipe with butter and lime, all the way across the seven seas. And what a wonderful way to start the day with this in your inbox :). Ironically, I never liked shrimp, until I had it on my visit to her place last year. I am a convert for sure, and after testing this recipe- I am sure you will be one too.
p.s Thanks for sharing this Didi. and a special thanks to the Sous Chef- I could see the little hands working hard! 


Nobody doesn't like shrimp.

This recipe to cook Shrimp (with butter and lime) is one of the quickest dishes one can make. It quite literally takes 15 minutes from start to finish.
Prepare your serving dish first. I like to use a bed of mixed greens. I happened to have some Radicchio, Frisee, Chard and Arugula (also known as rocket) mix in the fridge, so that is what I used. I am trying to eat better and recently went overboard in the produce section at whole foods.

Although the shrimp is the star of this show, my personal favorite part is at the end when I get to polish off the salad mixed in with the flavoured sauce.

Thanks Tanya for letting me do a guest post. I love your blog.