Food Fashion Party

VEGETARIAN

Black Rice Salad with Spicy Honey Balsamic Dressing

By

 
“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” rashaski · Zen Proverb
 
During the years when China was ruled by an emperor, black rice was dubbed as the “Forbidden Rice”. It was cultivated in very small amounts because it was only for the emperor’s consumption. 
Black Rice Salad 1 by ash_shiv

Sporadic visits to the gym and binge eating regularly does make one want to postpone summer for a bit longer.  A rude but healthy gesture came along when I got handed a huge bag of black rice.  I know, I know I like my rice but I’m not ready to combine my daal with black rice.  Would you?
…

Read More

Focaccia with Grapes and carrots.

By

                 “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” – Robert Browning

Focaccia with Grapes and carrots. Easiest recipe for focaccia. |foodfashionparty|



Fresh baked bread at home in India is not some we saw a lot of.  Flatbreads like Chapathi, rotis, paratha and many were common but yeasted bread was something we got in bakeries.  Bakery breads were simply amazing.  Moving to California where there is so much diversity in food and it’s cuisine that my love for food just quadrupled(and more). San Francisco is known for their Sourdough, some of the best I’ve had.

…

Read More

SORBET – MIXED BERRY SORBET with Coconut syrup- and NO icecream maker

By

Summer Vacation is here, and aren’t I glad I am a stay at home mum. Waking up after everyone(when I’m lucky, that is) and coming down to a noisy kitchen with dishes all over, refrigerator left open and all for what, to toast up some waffles.  But, I am not about to complain about the petty little things which would have bothered me a while ago. I know my priorities now.. 🙂  Today, I feel good to see the boys manage their breakfast without their mom.

…

Read More

Obbat/ Puran poli – Happy Father’s Day!!

By

                                                       Distance means so little when someone means so much.

                                                                                                   ~Anonymous

Obbat/ Puran poli – Happy Father’s Day!!
If you could describe your dad in three words, what would it be??
My DAD,as he would like to be called as ‘a man of simple needs’.  The oldest of all, he grew up with a huge family and lots of responsibilities.  Man of principles, with very strong opinions and seasoned habits.

Holding his hands, going for a walk every Sunday evening was our ritual which I enjoyed.  His over protective and possessive nature played  a huge part in my life.  His strong opinion on not allowing me in the kitchen to cook was annoying, but coming back home from work with a bagful of goodies always made me happy.  He would sit for hours over my bedside when I had a fever, pampered me like crazy which I miss the most as I’m surrounded with three boys who need pampering all the time. Among a lot of his attributes, one of the things I admire most is his love for food. To him, all food was either “marvelous” or not worth mentioning.  He taught me that food is an experience, how you make it and how you serve it, the pleasure it brings leaves an impression. 

Vegetable Quinoa Spicy Patties with Mango Salsa – Light dinner and lunch box for the next day

By

A healthy outside starts from the inside. –Robert Urich 

Vegetable Quinoa Spicy Patties with Mango Salsa

There are so many grains that some of us have no clue about, but if  I can speak for all, Quinoa is not one of them.  Popular among the gluten free population, it’s a grain which looks simple and humble to being cute once cooked.  Packed with antioxidants and filled with fiber, these tiny grains gives a new meaning for power punch. If you want to learn about some new grains check out this LIST, it’s interesting.

…

Read More

3 Homemade food gifts – PERFECT Hostess gifts

By

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.  ~Pierre Corneille, Le Mentuer

With busy schedules around school year, entertaining can get  a bit stressful. In summer, there’s a lot of free time and it’s time to socialize.  We all need a reason to get together for a cup of coffee or just for a chat.   🙂

The blog keeps me busy, and I finally feel I can give back something and feel rewarded in a way. After all the endless hours browsing and admiring talented people all around, I’ve learnt and created so much along the way. Journey is fun and never ends.

 Gifts from the kitchen are gifts from the heart. I like to make take-home gifts, and although it might be the simplest of things, I have seen my friends liking it a lot.  These are few of the simple gift ideas, and you can customize each one.  You could print a small recipe and attach it so that your friends can try it at home too.

Indian Chinese – Hakka Noodles street food style

By

                                                            India- Land of Street Food




Indian Chinese is quite popular and combines the two cuisines to form one which has a tantalizing tone to it.  This fusion has been there for a while now and we Indians just love it.    With all the street food available, everyone has a favorite. I would hands down chose this, which brings back fond memories from my days back home.

One thing my cousin and I share is the love for food.  The days before I got married, was something I will never be able to forget, who will right??  Mine was filled with laughter, food, company, tears and a lot of emotions.  I stayed at my aunt’s place for sometime, which was a lot of fun and cannot be duplicated ever.  My cousin and I  would hold hands, talk for hours, walk on the foot path engrossed in our conversation not once being bothered by all pedestrians or the buzzing traffic around us.  The best  part we looked forward for was the food we were going to eat  after our walk.  A street vendor famous for his Indian Chinese was right up our ally so there we went, to order a plate of hot, steamy HAKKA noodles with hot and sweet tomato sauce drenched all over it.  That ten rupee(25 cents) plate of goodness was every bit enjoyed.

…

Read More

INDIAN VEGETARIAN- Pineapple Curry- tangy and spicy

By

“Appearance are often deceiving”- Aesop’s quotes.

INDIAN VEGETARIAN- Pineapple Curry- tangy and spicy

Some kind of curry with tamarind is a staple in a South Indian home. South Indians have a large repertoire for their vegetarian curries and this is just one variation of a tamarind curry. A spicy and tangy sauce atop some steamy plain white rice is comfort food for many.  It’s almost all the time accompanied by a mild dish.  You will never be able to find authentic dishes like this in any restaurant.  Some of the curry recipes are passed on from generations and if followed religiously, the taste is pretty spectacular.  In Karnataka, where I’m from and many of their dishes are  generally spiked with a touch of sugar or jaggery(brown sugar).  Their sambhar, tamarind rice, rasam,  tamarind kozhumbu( curry), their dishes are spicy yet a bit sweet and I love it.

…

Read More

SALAD- Light Pasta Salad- light and healthy lunch

By

SALAD- Light Pasta Salad- light and healthy lunch

Every once in a while there comes a new variety of fruit or vegetable becomes a wonder. It’s the case with the hybrid variety called a grape tomato. Originally introduced as an exotic item in upscale grocery stores, this vegetable has become extremely popular and can be found in many stores now.  They are packed with nutrients.  

Grape Tomatoes are filled with valuable fibre.
Grape tomatoes are full  of vitamin C. 
Red and orange fruits and vegetables, such as grape tomatoes, are rich sources of a vitamin-A compound called lycopene.
…

Read More

BEET Soup/Rasam

By

“The beet is the most intense of vegetables.  Beets are deadly serious.”- Tom Robbins.

Beets have a inherently woodsy taste to them.  I’ve had them in desserts as well as really spicy dishes, it can be very adaptive.  I happen to love this vegetable.  A simple soup can warm you up when you are just not feeling too good.  My earliest memories of this vegetable was good, in fact great..so I’ve built on it’s repertoire.

This is also similar to rasam (Indian style thin tamarind and lentil soup), but has a very distinct flavor which comes from this root vegetable.  I just drank it up as soup, but you could accompany this with rice or plain old bread on the side.

…

Read More