Varada's Kitchen and Garden

All of the rice preparations, this is one of my favorites. It brings back childhood memories that I have never been able to place. But it always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. The tangy flavors of tamarind with the spices makes this rice delicious. When I saw this post by Valli who blogs at Cooking 4 all seasons, I had to try it. I stayed true to the recipe except I toned down the heat. It was delicious and everyone loved it. I have made this version several times and it will be my go to version in the future. You will need For the spice powder 1/2 tsp oil 1 tbsp. urad dal 2 tbsp. channa dal 1 dry red chili pepper 1 tsp. black pepper, whole 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds For the tamarind paste 2 tsp. oil 1 tsp. urad dal 1 tsp. mustard seeds 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds 1 red chili pepper 1 tsp. channa dal 1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp. asafoetida 3-4 curry leaves handful of cashews 2 tsp. peanuts 1 tbsp. tamarind extract 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I was going to try it. It was one of those that use a special spice powder and all the ingredients in the powder screamed - delicious. So here is my version of a spicy green bell pepper side. I found this recipe on Pavani's blog . I stayed fairly true to the recipe except I cut down on the number of dried red chili peppers.  You will need For the spice powder 1 tbsp. channa dal 1/2 tbsp. urad dal 1 tbsp. coriander seeds 1 dry red chili pepper 1 tsp. tamarind paste salt to taste 2 medium preferably, thin skinned green bell peppers All of the spice powder above 2 tbsp yogurt, sour 1 tbsp oil, I used olive oil 1 tsp. mustard seeds 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1/4 tsp asafoetida 3-4 curry leaves (I did not use any) salt to taste Roast the first four ingredients for the spice powder until they start to turn color. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Add the remaining ingredients and grind to a powder. Keep aside until needed. Rinse a

Green beans is a regularly featured vegetable on my menu and I am always thinking of different ways to cook them. I have a few different preparations on this space already. But the urge to try something different is always there. While I was trying to come up with something, I remembered bookmarking this recipe from Sandhya's blog. She blogs at My Cooking Journey and has a lot of traditional recipes. I bookmarked this recipe as it showcases a very different method of cooking beans from the one I normally use. I then forgot all about the bookmark until today. I followed the original recipe and the end result was great. The beans were tender and flavorful. You will need 1 cup beans, diced finely 3 tbsp. mung dal 1 tsp. olive oil 1 tsp. mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal / split black gram 1 dried red chili pepper 1/4 tsp. asafoetida 3-4 curry leaves 1 tsp. sugar 4 tbsp. shredded coconut salt to taste Place the beans and mung dal in a pan. Fill the pan with water until

Today I present pull apart rolls. This is another shape I saw on Pinterest and had to try. It is really easy once you figure out what to fill the bread with. I had made a paneer pesto filling for the pull apart bread I posted two days ago. I used the same filling here. I used only whole wheat flour and no butter or eggs so the bread lacks the shine or the brown color. But it is very flavorful with the addition of sourdough starter. You will need For the Dough 200 gm white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur) 130 gm water 100 gm fed sourdough starter 6 gm salt For the filling 3 1/2 oz paneer 1/4 cup pesto sauce 1 tsp. olive oil 1 tsp. butter, melted at room temperature 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. oregano salt and pepper to taste Mix all the ingredients for the dough and keep aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover, stretch and fold the dough over itself. Turn and repeat until you have gone all around the bowl. Cover and keep aside for another 15 minutes. Repeat the stre

I made this bread a couple weeks after my daughter returned from college for summer. She wanted something sweet. I wanted to try this shape ever since I saw this shape on Pinterest. I really liked the layering and filling in between. I have a few bread shaped with layers but I loved this sunburst shape. I made three layers for this bread and used a cinnamon sugar filling. My daughter did it justice and finished it as dessert over a couple of days. You will need For the Dough 200 gm white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur) 130 gm water 100 gm fed sourdough starter 6 gm salt For the filling 3 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon In a bowl mix the ingredients for the dough to form a ball. Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes. Uncover, stretch and fold the dough over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat. Keep stretching and folding over turning the bowl slightly every time. Repeat until you have turned the bowl around itself once. Cover and keep aside for 15 and then repeat. Do i

I wanted to use my sourdough starter and I had paneer that I needed to use up. This bread is what I came up with. I have made stuffed buns before but this time I decided to to something different. I have a version of monkey bread here  but it is not stuffed. You will need (12 small buns) For the Dough 200 gm white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur) 130 gm water 100 gm fed sourdough starter 6 gm salt For the filling 3 1/2 oz paneer 1/4 cup pesto sauce 1 tsp. olive oil 1 tsp. butter, melted at room temperature 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. oregano salt and pepper to taste Mix the ingredients for the dough and keep aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover, stretch and fold the dough over itself. Turn and repeat until you have gone all around the bowl. Cover and keep aside for another 15 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold method another 2-3 times. Then let the dough rise for 2-5 hours depending upon the season. In very warm weather you might want to keep the dough in th

A few days ago I released we had gotten carried away with the abundant summer fruit available in the grocery stores. We love fruit but I had so many different types in the house. We had watermelon, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, bananas and apples. This recipe is a great way to do justice to the fruit. All you need is some lemonade and ice. If you have sparkling water, even better. The list of ingredients in the proportions I used them is given below. You can change the proportion to suit your taste. You will need (single serving) 1 cup of cubed/balled watermelon 2-3 strawberries 1/2 cup lemonade Up to 1 cup sparkling water or soda ice as needed Combine the watermelon and strawberries and run them through the blender. Place ice in the serving glass. Pout the fruit juice, lemonade and sparkling water or soda over the top. Enjoy!

This recipe was very popular about a decade ago. I had not made it for a very long time. I remember the last time I made it. It was my daughter's birthday and she had invited a few friends over. They were the age were they still ran around and played in the yard but were independent enough to do things on their own. I remember I made a big batch of this punch and put it on the table. I turned my back for about 20 minutes. I came back to find the girls on a sugar high, the punch almost all gone. They were standing around the table talking excitedly, drinking and refilling their glasses. I remember shooing them out of the house and away from the punch bowl. Yes, it is that good! I made it again last week and it tasted just as good. There is no recipe. You can eye ball the proportions. You will need (for 8 servings) 2 liter bottle Sprite 1 tub Lime Sorbet Just before serving, place half the tub of sorbet in a punch bowl. Add the sprite and let the sorbet melt. Taste. Add mo

With Memorial day came the unofficial start of summer and on cue the temperature soared. Then we had rain, a lot of rain, but as soon as it stopped raining the temperature rose again. Typical summer weather - where humidity plays with your hair and the heat makes the afternoon nearly unbearable. One way to beat the heat is to snack on cold summer fruit. This salad helps you do just that. There is really no recipe. Put together a medley of summer fruit. Dice the bigger ones to bite size pieces and squeeze a little lime juice. I like to add apples to bring it all together. Cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. That is it! You will need (4 servings) 3-4 Strawberries a handful of blueberries a handful grapes 1 apple (I used Fiji) 1 tbsp. lime juice Put the berries and grapes in a colander, rinse and allow the water to drain. Core the apple and cut into bit size pieces. Mix in the lime juice and keep aside. The lime juice will keep the apple from turning brown a

Fasting foods is a whole different category of foods. They are mostly starchy foods designed to keep you from starving while you focused on all things spiritual. Those who fast follow strict rules of what foods are permitted and what foods are not. Give a foodie a list of ingredients and she will come up with recipes. The fasting food choices have exploded over the centuries and there are cookbooks devoted entirely to fasting food recipes. The days of a simple quick preparation paired with some fruit are long gone. This recipe is one such preparation. Pardon the quality of the pictures. I made these for a summer weekend snack and had to click pictures while everyone waited patiently. I had to tweak this recipe a couple times before I got the taste just right. You could make this recipe when fasting or like me (someone who does not fast) make it anytime. It makes a lovely afternoon snack. You will need (10 vada) 3 large potatoes 1 tsp. roasted cumin coriander powder a bunch c

Rain is welcome as the temperatures soar. However, we have been getting way too much rain over the last few weeks. Rainy lazy summer evenings call for crunchy snacks with a warm beverage. These crackers fit the bill perfectly. I already have sourdough crackers on this space. This recipe uses the same base recipe but different flavoring ingredients. I used onion and carom seeds in these crackers. These seeds make the crackers a perfect companion for a cup of tea. You will need (70 crackers) 1/2 cup whole white wheat flour 1/2 cup unfed sourdough starter 1/4 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. butter 1 tsp. onion seeds (kalonji) 1 tsp. carrom seeds (ova or ajwain) 1/2 tsp. olive oil The recipe is the same as that for the sourdough crackers. Mix all the ingredients except the oil. Cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place a parchment paper on your rolling surface. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out on the parchment paper to