Puri Bhaji

Puri Bhaji are famous snacks here in India. Puris are said to be fried wheat flour balls with potatoes or green peas matched to it. Not stuffed inside, but the veggies are given as a dip which you can eat along with your puri.



Puri Bhaji for snack



A matching Sweet and refreshing Falooda for my puri bhaji


It will be really oily to eat but for me I only eat puris once in a while when travelling because we do get to order it in or favorite restaurant in Goa. I don’t order it when we are in Mumbai because hubby is not into eating such, just don’t ask me why, but it was not his type I guess.

Sorry if the picture wasn’t that attractive enough and clear. It was just taken in a mobile camera because our digital cam got soaked inside our bag when heavy rains pour on us during our motor bike adventure vacation and it eventually gave up on us so we need to invest again with a new cam so that I can capture photos of what I cook or what I will showcase here in my blog.

What was interesting when you first glance at puris is that they are ballooned and puffy. I thought there was something inside of it. But when you split it open it was just air inside and you need to dip that fried wheat balls into the curry type masala of bhaji. Bhaji means vegetables. Since most Hindus are vegetarians, they do prefer to eat only foods which are purely vegetarian. Most of what puris match is potatoes and green peas with spices of course.

In this picture I have falooda as my refreshing drink for this puri. I really cannot miss falooda with ice cream because this is what I really do prefer to include when having this snack as well as it is really delicious and tempting. Well, I have gained another kilo with this short vacation trip but its worth it, I am still not that over weight to consider that my doctor asked me to gain weight before I give birth because I was under weight.

So for those who are mindful of their weights, you might as well skip this oily treat of puri. But it will not harm you if you have it in moderation, just for the sake of tasting it especially if you visit an authentic Indian restaurant; it is really worth a try.

Short Vacation

To all my avid readers, I will be off for 4-5 days so I won't be able to post you guys recipes and exciting food preparations. But I will be back to see you again and my kitchen will be running smoothly. Don't worry, I am not sick of cooking and I did not retire yet on preparing exciting foods. I might as well get back with a promise of featuring exciting new foods if I have encountered some on the way. Have a blessed day ahead! Astalavista baby!

Golden Avocado

I was not talking about the color of the avocado but the price. This one small piece costs Rs52 already which is very expensive if I may compare it to the prices of delicious avocados in the Philippines. I picked it up in the grocery because I terribly miss the taste of avocado and in that grocery, they sell all smaller sizes of unripe avocados so what I did was I kept it in the rice container to keep it well done.

I bought this in green color, now it turned violet!



Three days past and the avocado is ripe and I just put sweetened milk into it. I didn’t take a snap of the inside because it wasn’t good to look at, there was a part which was brownish and I did not include scraping it off. It wasn’t containing too much fiber so I boldly scrape off till the last portion. Put it back on the fridge to keep it cold and ate it. It wasn’t that tasting great since it wasn’t bought ripe in the first place. It has a bitter after taste and I don’t know if I can make my hubby eat it later since I reserved something for him.

This is what I prepared for just one piece of avocado


What benefits do we usually get from avocados? Well, one thing I know of is Vit. E which is said to be good for our skin. But when I tried to research more I found out that there are more health benefits we can get in eating avocados.

Avocados can cure cancer cells like for breast and prostate gland based on some studies done by scientists. It can also lower cholesterol which is good for our heart. It is also a good source of glutathione which is an antioxidant that can delay the process of aging.

The only thing about avocados is that they are seasonal fruits. I really do have a difficult time searching for them but what I know is that they grow more in months of May to June. But I don’t know here in India since I haven’t seen a single street vendor who sells avocados in the public. Imagine I was able to grab this small sized unripe avocado in the big grocery, probably imported but I still doubt it because it wasn’t export quality.

You can also try to put avocados in a blender and make a smoothie out of it. Some can also add whey protein and it is really rich and creamy even kids would like to have. I used to remember my auntie who makes ice candies out of avocados. It is really a refreshing treat during summer season and I always order avocado shake in our school canteen when I was in College.

Saag Paneer Recipe

I recently knew that saag also means spinach or mustard leaves. I thought the only word for spinach was palak. But anyway paneer means cottage cheese or tofu. There are different versions of cooking this recipe although I just simplified mine by not using the blender for the saag or spinach.

Easy to Cook Saag Paneer



It would be looking like palak paneer recipe if I blended it with the masala so what I did with this recipe is to cook the spinach without blanching it. Spinach is easy to cook and they shrink out too. What you first needed to do is to heat the pan with oil and put the cumin seeds or jeera. After this you can now sauté garlic and onions till it becomes light brown in color.

Once garlic and onions are done, then it is time to put turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, green chili, red chili powder and cumin powder. Keep the flame into medium heat and add your bunch of fresh spinach leaves.

Stir it well with the spices and then you can now add your cottage cheese or paneer which is cut into bigger cubes. You only need to cook the spinach and paneer for about 3-5 minutes in slow flame. You don’t need to add water into it since the spinach itself will give out the juice and this will be sufficient enough to tenderize the paneer. But if you think you have used a non-stick pan for cooking, then just add ¼ teacup of water and add salt to taste and stir well.

Some would like to fry their cottage cheese first before mixing it with the saag or spinach. Others would also put into blender the spices together with the spinach. But as I have said, this method is much more similar in cooking palak paneer so I didn’t intend to do such method.

I wanted to eat the spinach leaves and not looking like a spinach puree. This is my rendition of the saag paneer recipe. But you can do whatever style you would like to choose which best suits your tongue. This recipe would only take less than 8 minutes from preparation to cooking. It is good for moms on the go who don’t have much time cooking lunch or dinner because of a busy schedule.

Pomegranates and its Benefits

Yesterday was India’s Independence Day and we went out for a grocery. I didn’t expect the volume of people that flooded the store. Hubby and I just thought that it was because of the shops up to 70% discount sale and that is why people flock to get advantage of that great offer. Later did we find out that it was because most of these people are off because of a regular holiday, well silly of us because most of call center agents aren’t having such an off.

Pomegranates, Rich in Vitamins and also an Antioxidant fruit


So going back to my topic, I didn’t notice that hubby would be picking pomegranates this time since he prefers to buy them outside or in local markets where it was cheaper. But these 4 medium sized pomegranates cost only Rs99.00 which is also equivalent to $2.25, so we bought it. I really do like pomegranates because it is rich in Vitamins A, C, and E. It is also antioxidant and they say can cure serious illness like prostate cancer of men.

Pomegranates also called Granada in Tagalog, bombs away sickness and diseases!


Whether it is a saying or not, I do believe that God created this wonderful fruit with a purpose as to what other fruits and veggies are for. If you are a person who likes fresh fruits and vegetables included in his or her daily meal, I am sure that you would not want to also miss pomegranate. It is a very juicy fruit and reddish like no other but just be careful not to stain your white shirt or blouse whenever you eat this great fruit.

I personally like pomegranates in a sense that it looks like mini crystal rubies. Its velvet red color is so attractive and when you juice it up and it gives a crunchy sound whenever you bite and chew it. Peeling is not an option for this fruit, what you need is to slice it up or break it by cracking it although that method will be messy.

I like to segregate the seeds manually even if it takes time before we eat it. The covering skin inside of it is bitter in taste so you don’t include that whenever you eat it. Pomegranates are good for our immune system to fight any types of sickness. It is also good for refreshing the body because of its juice; a pregnant woman can take advantage of eating pomegranates because it will avoid her having premature babies.

For men, it is also advisable to eat pomegranates since this combats prostate gland problems. It is also good for our skin because it makes it look younger removing those problematic pores since it can tighten the skin. If you happen to notice pomegranates, they look like your heart which pumps blood in the body. Indeed pomegranates are really good for blood circulation which can be a positive way to get ourselves away from blood clots and heart problems. Isn’t it lovely how we can get health benefits by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables especially if we do add pomegranates in our diet?

Bean sprout with Snow Peas

I was happy to see snow peas yesterday in the grocery because that is not available in any local markets here in India. They do have green peas all year round but I wonder why snow peas was not part of Indian dishes and that is why even if the price was expensive, I grabbed the chance to buy it.

Crispy and delicious Mung Bean Sprout with Snow Peas and Mutton hotdog



When I opened the pack which costs Rs12.00 or equivalent to $0.27 cents, the small packet of snow peas was 8 in total pieces, wow what a golden price! I did include it in my recipe for mung bean sprout and it was just marvelous.

This is all I got for $.027 cents, small pieces of snow peas


The crispy snow peas went along well with mung bean sprouts. I just added one piece of mutton hotdog as I cut it into small sizes and sautéed it with garlic and onion with soy sauce. The scent was really captivating and for the finishing touches, I sprinkled some spring onions.

By the way I also added tomatoes into it since it will add more color to this dish. For taste, I just added salt and ground black pepper and no water needed since the veggies itself will give out water and that is enough to keep it tender and ready to eat. You just needed two to three minutes to cook the snow peas and the sprout.

These two veggies (bean sprout and snow peas) need not to be overcooked. It is more pleasant to eat them crunchy and as much as possible retaining their color. I am not talking about the color that the soy sauce has caused to blend with the veggies. But you surely know well if a veggie has turned mushy and messy then that my friend is overcooked.

I always remember back home, when snow peas are abundant and can be bought on a local talipapa or local market. That even it is expensive due to being transported from Baguio to Manila, I can still buy ¼ kilo which the pieces of snow peas I cannot count in my fingers unlike here.

I do like to include snow peas in chop suey recipes and other chicken dishes. That is why I did miss the taste of it and now I finally ate one, I am still wishing to buy some more and include it in my other exciting recipes. Do you like to eat snow peas too? How about mung bean sprouts? If you do, just let me know and I will even post more recipes for these types of veggies.

Fried Beef Potato with Cauliflower

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I never thought that these two veggies can be combined in a beef recipe but it sure tastes lovely. The fried beef savored the taste to both as you put enough water to make it a little less soupy. Anyway, I did this recipe as another concoction of a beef masala but lesser in spices since I just used cinnamon stick and mustard seed for this one.

A New Dish to like, Beef Potato with Cauliflower



The reddish color that you can see is the result of tomatoes and red chili powder. It’s up to you on how much you can add for the chili powder but a pinch of it will be enough if you don’t want this dish too hot and spicy. This time, no curry leaves allowed so that it will not taste like a beef curry but instead the scent of cinnamon with tanginess of tomato and beefy goodness of the meat will be the one to invigorate the veggies.

Still cooking that is why it was steamy hot


Here is the sample list of ingredients for this recipe:

Beef (cut into thin strips)
2 medium sized onions (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic
¼ teaspoon of mustard seeds
Cinnamon stick (½ inch)
Spring onions (chopped)
Turmeric powder (a pinch)
Coriander powder (1 teaspoon)
Chili powder (½ teaspoon)
1 green chili
Lemon (one piece, squeeze)
Salt to taste
Soy sauce (2tbsp)
Beef bouillon (1 cube)
Ground black pepper (a pinch)
Water
Vegetable oil
Cauliflower (cut)
Potato (1 medium sized, quartered)
Tomato (1 medium sized, chopped)

Preparation/ Method on cooking Fried Beef Potato with Cauliflower:

Step 1: Marinate the Beef: Combine the following ingredients for the beef (salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice and soy sauce). Keep aside for 30 minutes before frying.

Step 2: Once your marinated beef is done, heat the pan and put the beef in. Let the juice come out of the beef and let it dry before putting the oil and fry the beef.

Step 3: Set aside the beef in the pan and put the following: mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, garlic, onions, chopped spring onions and tomatoes. Sauté them well and put turmeric powder. Next step is the green chili, coriander powder and chili powder. Stir them all together with the beef so that it will get the flavor in. Put the flame into medium to slow heat as you stir the beef.

Step 4: After 2 minutes you can now add water into the beef and put the beef bouillon cube. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes before placing the potatoes in. Check the potatoes if they are tender enough before putting the last veggie which is the cauliflower.

Step 5: Put salt if the taste is not yet enough. Do not overcook your veggies meaning cauliflower will only take 3 minutes of cooking on a covered pan.

I do hope you enjoy preparing this dish. It’s all up to you to adjust the measures I gave since it is your tongue that will be the judge to your own home cooking. Most of all, enjoy cooking this for your family.

Homemade Melon Ice drop

We have left over slices of melons in the fridge and I have used the blender to make a smoothie drink out of it. Since it was shop sale last Wednesday, we bought an ice drop molder which is only Rs79 and I said this will be perfect for a home made ice cold delight.

Melon flavored ice drop, Firm the way I like it!


Kids will surely love to hold such and even I myself can’t deny that I do like to prepare such. It makes me feel younger like a kid whenever I taste and lick those ice candy or ice drops. I am sure I can make a lot of fruity flavors into it. Favorable for summer season especially when humidity is high. Everyone would like to sit down and enjoy ice drops or ice cream on sticks.

It is just simple and easy to prepare, all you need is a fruit of your choice, sugar, condensed or sweetened milk and water. Mix it on a blender and strain the bubbles and pour out the goodness to your ice drop molder. Put inside the freezer and wait for it to get icy cold and then once solid ice, you can now serve it to your family and have fun.

When pouring the liquid that you have blended, just don’t let it overflow on the holding stick so that when you dip it in, nothing will be spilled over. As you can see on my molder, I have 7 pieces of soon to be ice drops. Oh, I really wish I could stuff more into it like dried fruits. But anyway, you can’t go wrong with this molder. You don’t even need an ice cream maker to create such to make kids go crazy. They will surely appreciate this wonderful fruity ice drop.

Pour the blended melon into the ice drop molder



Standing straight and tall, I really like this molder


Attractive yellow star color for the holder



I used to remember when I was young; we do have this ice drop molder from Tupperware since my mother was a distributor. Although my mother is not using it as often as we kids want to. She is not also fond of making sweets, desserts and such. She doesn’t even bake breads but our father does. But my mom is a good cook in terms of veggies and non veggie dishes. But she has her way of style and my father has too.

Anyway, going back to the finish product of the ice drop that I made, well it was perfect to the hold, it did not get lose and I finish one ice drop for less than 6 minutes without spills or cracks of ice. It was really firm and I was really happy that I have grabbed this molder on a sale; it was such a steal if you may ask me.

I guess making ice drops now will be a regular thing for me. Probably twice or thrice a month will do because I don’t have to over do it and get cough or cold for eating too much of cold treats and sweets. I will keep you posted for more on my next adventure in the kitchen. Have a great weekend!

Who want some Bhel Puri?

There are different types of puris in India and I don’t happen to experience eating them all. I guess what I have just tried for now was bhel puri and pani puri. Puris are mostly street foods or snacks being offered by hawkers and some Indian restaurants. It is part of their meal and every time I saw a stall, it is always full of customers.

Bhel Puri a traditional snack in India


Bhel puri is made out of puff rice with fresh tomatoes, onions and chili, coriander leaves and sev which is a thin fried noodle included into it. It also has a salty and tangy taste because they do add some tamarind sauce. Hubby and I are not big fans of puri since you need to be careful also where you buy such because it can be prepared with dirty hands or utensils or the ingredient itself is unclean.

I remember Anthony Bourdain’s episode when he visited India and he was able to taste such snack. I was laughing on the way he tried to play cricket with the youths but anyway I salute him for being a good Chef who is really bold and brave to try out different dishes without showing any facial expression if he was disgusted with the taste of one dish or not.

Auntie and me posing for the cam, even the tandoori and kebab showing off on the table


Well “to each his own taste” and just for the experience of tasting it to show that hey, I have tasted that one too is enough for me. The photos I have included was taken long time back when an auntie of hubby visited us in Mumbai and her daughter was celebrating her birthday so we went out and bought food and tour some malls in the city.

Maybe you can even recognize that some foods there on the table was the chicken tandoori and mutton kebab I posted yesterday. Well those non veggie foods I have appreciated a lot. It was really cooked nicely and it was worth the money. We don’t happen to go out every month to dine out since most of the time I do prepare foods at home and it is saving us money. In times like these, we need to be smart also when it comes to budgeting.

Auntie showing the bhel puri while having chass drink


If you happen to visit India, you might as well try to taste bhel puris or pani puri since it is locally offered and it is just cheap. To be sure, you can order it on a restaurant and not just buy on hawkers or side street vendors. I am not saying that all street vendors’ preparations are really dirty and unsafe. What I am just saying is that when you are a foreigner and your tummy needs to adjust on certain foods, be careful of what you just eat and order so as much as possible, buy on restaurants rather than streets where it is open to germs and bacteria caused by the environment, dust and pollution being added to your food. Better be safe than to have a loose bowel movement.

Longan (Long Gone)

Out of curiosity we bought this fruit which the look resembles like lanzones( a local fruit in Philippines) but the size of a rattan fruit. But the taste of longan is somewhat the same to lychees and their flesh is the same with both lanzones and lychees which is translucent.

Longan or famous name Dragon's Eye


The color of this fruit is light yellow and brown and it is sweet but not that sour. Small round fruits that once you open to peel it sounds like a crunchy nut. You can squeeze it a bit so that the juice would not mess up.

Longan is also called as dragon’s eye. It is pretty obvious once you get to the core of it; the seed is smooth and silky to touch and it’s black in color. I haven’t tried to include longan in salad but yes you can as long as you remove its seed.

The seed of longan fruit is smooth and silky black


Although it is quite expensive here in India since 12 pieces of it already cost Rs56 or $1.27. It can be found to most Asian countries but this one was imported to a neighboring Asian country and that is why the cost was expensive. Longans are seasonal fruits so I don’t get to see them in the market. Actually it was my first time to taste it and I can say that it has a similarity to lychees.

Longan is rich in vitamins and some minerals. They say that it can also cure insomnia, stomach ache and it can invigorate our spleen and other body organs. It also nourishes the blood and has a good calming effect on our nervous system. Whether that is true, it sounds good to me since I also enjoy eating this fruit even if it is really limited. Hope they will have it manufactured in canned goods so that it can be available a year round.

The taste of longan is also good to combine with other berry fruits and I can add it to sweet cocktail drinks that hubby can also enjoy. Aside from fruit salad, I can also add it to ice cream and gelatins for desserts. Longan can also be included to baked bread just like carrot, banana and other fruit type breads available in the market.

Experience Paratha, Tandoori and Kebab

I haven’t tried to buy Parathas to any restaurants or food stalls in Mumbai but to Only Parathas. I think they are good when it comes to their parathas. By the way, parathas are Indian flat breads that are layered meaning, they can be stuffed inside with other foodies such as potatoes, green peas, cheese and more. But what I like the most is with cheese and nothing can go wrong with that.

Simply delicious Paratha


It is not that hot and spicy since it is still bread. Parathas are served with lentils and raitas. It can be shaped like square or round. But what we have was cut into triangle pieces. It was served hot and yummylicious. Parathas are made in wheat flour and can be served from breakfast to lunch or dinner. Well that depends if you don’t mind this delicious flat bread as part of your meal but is sure is heavy on the belly.

What I enjoy most when I go to Only Parathas is that they combine this wonderful parathas with dal and chickpea and raita. At least my plate is full for the price of Rs180 exclusive of drinks of course. There are many ways how you stuff and cook your parathas. But it is sure captivating whenever you consider ordering one. If you may be able to order such in an Indian restaurant, try their cheese and aloo paratha.

Aloo means potatoes and you can dip and combine this wonderful meal in the way the Indians do it. Another thing that I like to order out was chicken tandoori and mutton kebab. Tandoori means grilled or barbecued. It is quite different from western style of barbecue and grill. Most tandoori chickens are colored orange and it is filled with Indian spices which you need to try out also.

Another classic favorite of mine was mutton kebab. It is also grilled and infused with Indian spices and I like it too. Whenever you order it in some restaurants, they will always include flat bread along with it so that the taste will perfectly match your tandoori or kebabs.

Some folks would enjoy their meal with hot drinks like Chai (tea) or coffee. Others would favor cold drinks like sodas or lassie. I don’t mind what to pair with these delicious meals. You will enjoy it most if you use your fingers to finish the food. Next time, I will need to try out and showcase to you chole batura, bhel puris and other exciting Indian snacks. Some of these are street foods particularly bhel puris, vada pav, samosa and more.

Treat yourself once a while with chicken tandoori and mutton kebab


Other sweets such as Rasgola and Gulab jamun are those that are next in line. I always just forget to take snaps of them whenever we buy. Well, I just need to reserve such and discuss it here some other time.

Disclaimer: This article is not a review about the restaurant and it is not even paid. What I wrote was purely my opinion and has not been influenced by any advertising medium. I am also not endorsing the said establishment. It was part of my shared views as I am entitled to express my own opinion particularly here on my blog site.

Ice Cream on a stick anyone?

Feels like a kid again having popsicles and ice cream on sticks. Who said that these cold sweets are for kids? It is also for adults just like me who wanted to feel nice once again and be refreshed by these wonderful sweet treats.

Hubby holding the icecream on sticks for me to take a quick snap!


Got my internet connection disrupted for two days because of a dead phone and going to rent a computer is a long distance walk for a pregnant lady like me so I really burst into sweat whenever I reach back home. So I wanted to treat myself and my baby something cold, even if for a while and as I pass by a store that offers such, I grabbed the chance to buy. It was just costing around Rs12 rupees in different exciting flavors and brands to choose from.

I am not actually a buff for brands, I am just after the flavor of the ice cream on stick and I just selected raspberry, sweet mango and chocolate. But what I miss the most was ube- langka, cheese, buko, red munggo, nata de coco and other local ice drops we have back home in the Philippines.

It would be better if I have an ice cream maker at home but it is not yet included in my list to buy, maybe on my wish list, yes that is included. A home maker like me would also like to have a complete set of baking utensils and oven. Well, for now, I can just dream of it.

Going back to ice cream on sticks, I used to remember dirty ice cream or sorbetes being sold every afternoon and outside our public school. In a very hot and humid weather, this is the most perfect buy. I never wanted to miss out buying an ice cream in a cone, be it sweet cone or not. I haven’t found any kid yet rejecting an ice cream offer, well maybe from a stranger, lolz! But as much as I know these will make one crying kid stop when you say “look, ice cream!”

I wasn't able to include the raspberry here, its finito!


I just limit myself to eat cold treats since I catch cough easily. I know that my spleen does not like those cold treats, it does make saliva sticky producing it to phlegm. Pardon for those who are eating while reading my post. But anyway as I have said earlier, we all do find a child in us every time we do enjoy such cold and sweet treats.


Disclaimer: This article is not a review of a certain product. It is not even paid for and I don't advertise it also. The topic posted was based on my own personal opinion and is not influenced by any advertising medium.

Cauliflower Cabbage Curry

This is not what you typically think of curry like what you do for chicken. Since it’s a veggie recipe today, I did name it curry because I have included fresh curry leaves into it. Curry leaves have strong scent and it will influence the taste of a dish once you have added it. I haven’t seen or used curry leaves in my country because there was none available in the grocery or market. I just came to know about this wonderful herb when I came to live here in India.

Cauliflower cabbage curry recipe for vegetarians


If you’re vegetarian, you might as well like to try this recipe because it’s perfect and easy to prepare. Not unless you would like a non vegetarian meal, you can add fried fish into this lovely veggie curry and it will also be great. Since I am not familiar with most fishes here in India and I am really avoiding (honestly!) to eat fish because of its mercury content which will not be good for my pregnancy, I just opted to use fish broth cubes which I have taken with me here in India.

Anyway this meal consist of Indian spices but not chili or spicy to the tongue. You are the one to control the level of spice or chili content if you want more challenge to this dish. Here is the example list of ingredients needed for Cauliflower Cabbage Curry:

Cauliflower
Cabbage
Curry leaves (fresh, 5-6 pieces)
Onion (2 medium sized, chopped)
Green/Red chili- 2pcs.
Garlic- 2-3 cloves
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- a pinch only
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Chili powder- ½ teaspoon
Cumin powder- ½ teaspoon
Fish broth cube – 1
Salt-to taste
Ground black pepper- to taste
Vegetable oil
Water

Easy to prepare Cauliflower cabbage curry


Procedure on how to prepare/ cook Cauliflower cabbage curry:

Step 1: Heat the pan and put oil and once the oil is ready you can now put cumin powder and mustard seeds into it. Once the seed crackles, the next step would be sautéing your garlic.

Step 2: If the garlic is light brown in color you can now add the onions. Sauté it well until it becomes translucent and put turmeric powder and salt into it. After this, you may now add the green and red chili and your curry leaves.

Step 3: Next step is to put the coriander powder and stir well so it won’t stick at the bottom of the pan. After this you can now put the cauliflower. After 2 minutes, you can add 1 teacup of water and put the fish broth cubes. Wait for another minute before you put the cabbage strips and check the taste. If it needs more, then just sprinkle some salt and ground black pepper into it.

Step 4: Put the heat from medium to slow flame and do not overcook your veggies. If you have left over fried fish, you can include it in this dish and skip the fish broth cubes. I suggest that you use round scad (galunggong), fried milkfish or fried tilapia fish in this recipe. Hope to keep you posted for more recipes, Bon Appetit!

Beef Broccoli with Mushroom

It’s very rare to find broccoli in the market and I can only buy them in big groceries here in India. I don’t know why the supply here is limited although cauliflower is too much and I can see them being sold at local public market by side street vendors’ year round.

Beef Broccoli with buttered mushroom


A small portion of broccoli would be amounting to Rs 55+ which is very expensive too plus sometimes they don’t even look so fresh. I just had an opportunity to buy a small piece so that I can try beef broccoli recipe which I just added fresh button mushrooms into it.

Here’s a sample list of ingredients needed for Beef Broccoli with Mushroom:

Beef (500 grams)- cut into strips
Broccoli
Button mushrooms
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Sesame oil
Salt
Ground black pepper
Garlic paste
Beef stock
Butter
Cooking wine- (you can use cane vinegar if you don’t have cooking wine)
Cornstarch
Water
Vegetable oil

Easy steps on How to Prepare Beef Broccoli with Mushroom:

Marinating the beef:

Step 1: Combine the following ingredients to marinate the beef (corn starch, salt, ground black pepper, garlic paste, soy sauce, white wine).

Step 2: Keep the beef marinated for an hour or two and keep it aside since you needed to blanch the broccoli.

For your beef broccoli sauce, combine the following ingredients:

(2tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. oyster sauce, 2 tbsp. vinegar or white wine, ½ tea cup of beef broth, 1 tbsp. of garlic paste, 1 tbsp. sesame oil, sprinkle of ground black pepper and salt to taste). Keep it aside.


Blanching the Broccoli:

Step 1: Heat water and when it reaches its boiling point, that’s the time you need to put the broccoli. Be sure to wash and clean the broccoli first before blanching.

Step 2: Wait for 2-3 minutes and then drain the broccoli before placing it in cold water. In this way your broccoli would keep its fresh green color. Keep it aside.

Cooking the button mushroom:

Cooking the mushroom with butter


Step 1: Cut and slice the fresh button mushrooms and be sure that it’s washed clean. If you’re using canned mushroom, it’s okay too.

Step 2: Heat a pan and put 1 tbsp of butter combined with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. The next step is to put the mushrooms and let it simmer for quite some time to let the juice out of your mushroom. No need to add water into your mushroom since it will remove excess water and let it dry. Cook it using medium flame heat and keep it aside after 3-5 minutes of cooking.

Preparing to Cook your Beef Broccoli with Mushroom:

You need to dry off the water in your beef before putting cooking oil


Step 1: Once your beef is marinated, the next step is to heat up the pan and put the marinated beef in. Do not add any water or oil. The beef will automatically juice out the excess water and keep the flame into medium heat as you stir your beef.

Step 2: Once your beef is dry out, that is the time that you need to put ample amount of vegetable oil and fry your beef. Once it’s fried, you need to put the sauce that you prepared for your beef broccoli. Stir the beef well and let it sip the beef for 5-7 minutes.

Delicious Beef Broccoli with mushroom


Step 3: You can now add your blanched broccoli and buttered mushroom and stir well together with the beef. You don’t need to extend the time of cooking since the broccoli is done as well as the mushroom. You just need 1-2 minutes of cooking as you mix well the beef with the veggies. The final touch for this recipe is adding 2 tbsp. of water with cornstarch to make it creamy a bit and then you can now turn the stove off.

You can sprinkle spring onions if you like and it is optional also if you wanted to include sesame seeds but as for me, sesame oil was enough so I need not to put sesame seeds. Hope you did enjoy cooking this recipe as I did enjoy preparing it at home.

Totapuri Mangoes

Whenever we go for a grocery we always do buy fruits and veggies and I am not the one who usually pick for fruits but hubby. I never thought he would be picking big totapuri mangoes and so I also said that I can use this for salad.

Big Totapuri Mangoes


It was so big that three pieces weighs 2.15 kilos and amounted to Rs 69 or equivalent to $1.56, if you ask me it is still cheap compare to the price of other types of mangoes in India. This type of mango grows bigger than your palms and it’s not the type of mango that is juicy like the Alphonso mangoes.

When totapuri mangoes are ripe, they don’t go mushy and juicy to the bite. It is just sweet and at the same time with a twist of sourness but not too sour like regular unripe or green mangoes. You need to use a peeler when peeling this mango and not like the usual ripe mangoes that you slice with a knife because it can never be peeled because the skin will go along with the flesh and it would be smashed.

Totapuri mangoes are perfect to combine in your unusual sauces and dips for fried fish. You can include this mango in a special sauce that is composed of anchovy fish sauce (bagoong isda), vinegar,onion, and chili which are perfect for your fried fish dish like Tilapia or Milk Fish (Bangus).

You can also try what I did on totapuri when I included it in my fresh garden salad, here is the article: Fresh Garden Salad

You can also check out the article I wrote about Alphonso mangoes which is the most expensive mango here in India, here is the link: Alphonso Mangoes

Some companies make totapuri shakes or puree but these totapuri mangoes are really adult and fully matured in order to squeeze out the juice. I haven’t tried to buy one yet but I am sure I will like it since this type of mango is not that rich in fiber like other mangoes. But I wonder if it matures enough if it will be that pulpy, hmmm!

Totapuri mangoes have sexy shapes with both ends and tips kinda pointed. Once you see those curves, you will surely know that it was totapuri. It is golden yellow with kinda reddish bronze color combination but the smell and taste would never be like your apple mangoes.

Totapuri Mango, bigger than my palm


That’s all for now and I hope I just shared some information about this type of mango which I got fascinated also when I first tasted it here in India. There was no such mango like that in my own country, but I also favored Philippine mangoes, because there is nothing like it too.

Fresh Garden Salad

I was looking for croutons and romaine lettuce but I failed to find it in the grocery where we went to, but anyway what I just included was iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, white cucumber and totapuri mangoes.

Fresh Garden Salad, like the red,yellow and greens here


Totapuri mangoes are bigger sized mangoes which you use peelers to open it and the taste is sweet and not that sour. It’s like eating Indian mangoes in the Philippines although the size and color of it differs. I will showcase Totapuri mangoes on tomorrows’ article so that you can also see what they look like since here in India, they do have varieties of mangoes as I have showcase some of it like the Alphonso mangoes which is the most expensive mango of all.

You can add carrots, red cabbage and corn kernels to you garden salad as some also include red beets into it. If you’re not that vegetarian, you can add boiled eggs and put your favorite salad dressing. What I used for my salad dressing here is the ready made Thousand Island dressing.

Here are the other Salad Dressings for you to select on your delish salad:

1.Vinaigrette – A mixture of vinegar and olive oil with flavored herbs and spices which is served cold.

2.Caesar Dressing- Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt, wine vinegar, coddled egg yolks.

3.French dressing- red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, black pepper.

4.Ranch Dressing- Composed of buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, minced green onion, garlic powder and other seasonings. It is much better to buy it so that you won't sweat out.

5.Hummus- Is popularly known in the Middle East which is a spread or dip made from mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, salt, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. You can buy it in the grocery although it will be that costly especially if the country you are in imports it only just like here in India.

I did not mix the salad dressing here since we enjoy to dip it in the dressing


A salad a day is very healthy to consider especially you can encourage your kids to like veggies and salad is the right way to start. You can create more interesting salads to your family by being creative and I can say that I will also be searching ways to apply other types of salads on my menu and on this blog.

Fresh tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and white cucumber


Just be sure that your Fresh garden salad will be really that fresh. Buying organic products and veggies will be that expensive but this depends on your budget. If your budget does not suggest buying organics, then just buy fresh veggies and be sure to wash those vegetables and fruits carefully and neatly by using veggie wash. What we regularly use and I always have it in my kitchen was Tiens vegetable wash. Not promoting the product, just stating that this was the one I prefer to use for my family’s safety eating raw veggies. I need to be careful eating raw since I am pregnant so every time I prefer my food, I always wash them with this one. Hope I have encouraged you again to be positive in life, be healthy and serve your family a healthy meal!

Korean Beef Bulgogi

This is a delicious Korean recipe. I may not be 100% perfect to imitate it but just to try it is a wonderful thing to do. It was just easy to complete the ingredients. This dish needs to be marinated for an hour or so. The ingredients were as follows:

Delicious and tempting Beef Bulgogi


Ingredients for Korean Beef Bulgogi:

Beef (sirloin part)
Spring onion
Mince garlic
Brown sugar
Rice wine or cooking wine
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds

I just added salt into this one since I don’t like it to be so sweet, so that there will just be a balance in my tongue. After marinating the beef, you need to fry it in a pan but you don’t need to put any more oil. I don’t know what is best to pair with this recipe, but if you do, then just leave me a message here and I will be happy to know.

You may add veggies into this dish for toppings like mung beans sprouts and carrots. Bulgogi is said to be served or offered in barbecue restaurants in South Korea. Some also include beef bulgogi in their hamburger then laced it with cucumber, lettuce, tomato, onions and cheese.

Looks like Beef Teriyaki of Japan but its Korean dish called Beef Bulgogi



Yummy isn’t it? I am sure you would love some other Korean dishes but this is just my first time to post a recipe and I will do my best to also share with you other country’s favorite dishes. If you ask me what's the difference of Beef Teriyaki of Japan from Beef Bulgogi of Korea, well its in the flavor and in ingredients. Beef teriyaki uses teriyaki sauce, brocolli and baby corn and mushrooms while in Beef Bulgogi, you need to use sesame oil and you don't need any brocolli but the common denominator is sesame seeds and putting brown sugar to make the dish sweet.

I used to remember that there were Korean telenovelas that showcase Korean foods and they prepare it so neatly and very nutritious. I can say that Koreans do put art and style in their dishes and I like it! Hope you do like this recipe too!

Chocolate Mousse & Vanilla-Butterscotch Cake

Wish I could just bake these lovely delicious cakes but certainly not now since we don’t have an oven and I don’t have the tools yet for baking. Someday soon, I will have to get what I needed but for now we need to spend money for our upcoming bundle of joy!

Very delicious Chocolate cake



Going back to the topic, these delicious cakes which I showcased was purchased from Monginis, a popular bake shop in India which also caters eggless cakes good for vegetarians. But the ones I selected where not exempted from that since it was really sweet to the taste and it was a non-vegetarian option.

Very sweet Vanilla- Butterscotch cake


Before I proceed further, this article is not a review, and it is never paid by the company I have said earlier or any affiliate marketing online that pays reviews. I was just detailing the information to my readers so that they just know what I am talking about. I am just going to state my experience on the dessert and I won’t be saying anything against the company or the product itself.

It was just cheap to consider buying a piece for only Rs25.00 and it is inclusive with their blue colored box as the attendant will give you a small plastic spoon so that whenever you take the order out, you can readily eat the cake.

Top portion of the chocolate cake



I first tasted the vanilla butterscotch cake but it was too sweet for me and I was thankful that it was just a small piece for me to bite and I did not purchase the whole piece of cake or else I will be having Goosebumps. The butter cream was just right in consistency although it does not mix well with what I drink since it made my orange juice tasteless.

But I really complimented the chocolate mousse because it was yummy and every layer of it was filled with chocolate goodness and it was really rich and creamy in texture. The chocolate chiffon is also just the right softness, not too soft and not that hard. I can give it another go if ever I wanted to go back and buy that same flavor again or if I wanted to gift it as a birthday present; I will really recommend this chocolate wonder.

Just a reminder for those who have diabetes not to indulge on eating too much sweet, you really need to discipline yourselves and remember that you cannot undo ones you have this ailment. Sugar really blends in our blood; it does not burn away like fats in the body. It cannot be flushed out too by going to the toilet.

Take home the goodness in their blue box!



For sweet tooth monsters just like me, eating sweets like cakes will not harm you unless you know how to balance what you are eating. Meaning, you do treat yourself once a while and not abusing yourself by eating too much of sweets every day.

Chicken Macaroni with Cheese

This is not a baked recipe my friends, it was soup. The weather is cold and rainy and soup is what my mind tells me to prepare. It as just a patterned recipe although what I just added was cheese because there was no evaporated milk available here. I don’t like to use fresh milk and I don’t have the time to go out so in order for my soup to be cloudy a bit and to make it milky, I used a regular cheddar cheese.

I did not grate it; I just cut it into smaller cubes. It tastes great and it was still a delicious soup. Before, I was able to share here about chicken soup but I used penne pasta. Now I did use elbow macaroni and cabbage. If you have carrots, it would even be better to look at plus sprinkle it with fresh celery.




You can use butter for frying the chicken first. But I what I did use was a normal vegetable oil and I see to it that the chicken was light brown in color before you sauté it in garlic and onion and add some chicken bouillon cube before putting water for the soup.

It is up to you how much water would you like to put. This depends on the number of chicken that you have and for how many persons should you serve your soup. You can only put the cabbage once your macaroni is 75% done so you don’t over cook your veggie.

I also use fish sauce here as well as salt and pepper for seasoning. If you don’t have fish sauce, it’s okay. You can just use plain salt and ground black pepper to taste. It will only take 3 to 4 minutes to get your chicken done before you add your macaroni. About the macaroni, this will take about 5-8 minutes (this depends on the brand) of macaroni that you are using so just look at the instruction on the label.

You can also add other veggies to your soup like green beans but I still prefer to use only cabbage, carrot or you can add some corn kernels and mushrooms too. This recipe is just easy to make so I do hope you try it also.