Dhanteras, which is the first day of Diwali , was celebrated yesterday ,on the thirteenth lunar day of the darrk fortnight, according to the Hindu calendar.Dhanvantari is worshipped on the occasion of Dhanvantari Trayodashi. Dhanvantari is considered to be the teacher of all physicians and the originator of Ayurveda. Although people buy gold and utensils on this day , but it traditionally associated with the provider of good health rather than wealth. God of Ayurveda Today is Choti Diwali or Minor Diwali which is the 14th lunar Day . Traditional lamps are lit on the previous night to glorify the God of Death , Yama. According to a legend the 16th year old . son of King Hima was predicted to

Diwali or the festival of lights , always brings cheer, goodwill and happiness is everyone's lives.It is the homecoming of Lord Rama with Sita and Lakshman from exile after slaying the Demon king, Ravana . Goddess of wealth and prosperity , Lakshmi , is venerated during this festival. It is the festival of positivity, love and togetherness, victory of good over evil ,knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness. Diyas or traditional earthern lamps are lit in every household on Diwali night, the darkest night of the month of Kartik (mid October to Mid November) according to the Hindu Lunar Calendar . They symbolise the parts of the sun, the energy giver of Life. Goddess Laxmi with Pechaka

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day..shall travel anywhere for breakfast ....so when I was asked to review the breakfast platter at Ayaam Elezz, I was looking forward to it . I had'nt really ever had a traditional Lebanese breakfast before and was definitely in for a surprise. At the Entrance .... The View Located at The Mall, at Jumeirah Beach road, at Umm Sequiem, Dubai which overlooks the Burj Al Arab and Jumeira Beach hotel, it offers traditional and authentic Lebanese food recreating the Golden Age of Lebanon- the 60's and 70's ...as the name of this eatery suggests, giving you a taste of what your grandmother would cook and you would think its magic! Stepping in .... I felt as if

It is considered one of the most auspicious fasting cycles this year and has come after 16 years. The reason , the first day of navratri overlapped two days and so it gives us a chance to offer our prayers to the goddesses for one more day! As we prepare for Vijay Dashimi(or the victory of good over evil) , that is Dusshera , I conclude this fasting cycle with one of my favorite ingredients -Foxnuts , this time in a sweet dish , Kheer It delicious and very creamy owing its texture to the makhanas that are roasted and ground in it. To prepare Phool Makhana or Foxnut Kheer: Take 1 cup of Phool Makhanas or foxnuts . Heat 2 tsps of ghee and roast these with 10-12 cashews(I used cashews instead o

Siddhidatri the ninth form of Goddess Durga and is worshiped on the ninth day of Navaratri. Siddhidatri has supernatural healing powers,has four arms and is always in a blissful happy enchanting pose. 'Siddhi' means 'achievements' or 'perfection' and 'datri' means 'the one who gives'. So, when Maa Siddhidatri is revered by her devotees with full faith, then she blesses them with powers and positive energy. To celebrate the positive energy all around , I prepared Date and Fig Laddoos. To prepare : Take 1 cup of chopped dates. You can select pitted dates. I got Sagai dates and took out the seeds and chopped them . Take 8-9 dried figs and chop them . Keep aside. Roast around 2-3 tbsp of almond

Today is the day when the beautiful Goddess Mahagauri is worshiped . According to a legend Maa Mahagauri liberated the world from evil forces, much needed in a world of today. Maa Mahagauri purifies the souls of Her devotees and removes all their sins. She has a calming effect on the lives of Her devotees and she also helps them improve their knowledge. To celebrate this day, I prepared a simple crumbled potatoes in a light tomato gravy with water chest nut flour fried bread or Vrat ke aloo with Singhade ke atta ki poori. To prepare the Vrat Ke Aloo or Potaoes in light tomato gravy: Serves 2 1. Take 1 potato , boil and peel it and cut it into cubes. 2. Chop 1 tomato and keep aside . 3. Hea

Holiday mornings are easy going and it's great to prepare something that is light and doesn't take too much time so today ,on the 7th day , I tried a sago or Sabudana khichdi to start off the day . To prepare : 1. Take 1 cup of sabudana or sago and soak in a bowl for 2 hrs . 2. Heat oil in a pan , add 1 tsp cumin seeds. When it starts to crackle add 3/4 cup of boiled and chopped potatoes, 1/2 cup roasted coarsely powdered peanuts , the sago /Sabudana,1 finely chopped green chili, 5-6 curry leaves, 2 tsp lemon juice,1 tsp of sugar and rock salt to taste. 3. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes . Serve hot and enjoy ... have a great start to your day ! Or you can email me on info@

Sashti is the sixth day of fasting according to the Hindu Calendar and is dedicated to the goddess who is the benefactor and protector of children . I remember my nanny who would keeps fasts during this period and sashti was very special to her . She was my protector and nurturer during my childhood and I dedicate this day and recipe to her . Thank you , Bua, as we lovingly call her .. This recipe is special because it is made with Amaranth , an ancient grain which has been cultivated since 8000 years. It's packed with nutrition and has amazing benefits .Amaranth or rajgira means “immortal” or “everlasting” in Greek because it contains more than three times the average amount of calcium and

I was a bit surprised when I read about how delicious cucumber fritters are .. have always associated cucumbers in a salad .. never in fritters.. but I decided to try it out .. The flour used is the water chestnut flour-Singhare ka atta , found in a desi store like Al Adil . To prepare : Take 1/2 cup of singhare ka atta or water chestnut flour. Add 1/2 a chopped green chili,1/2 tsp red chili powder,1/2 rock salt and 1/4 tsp corriander powder. Peel and slice cucumbers and keep aside. Make a batter by pouring enough water in this mixture . It should be coating consistency. Heat oil in a kadai . Put the cucumbers in the batter , take out small dollops and fry till golden . Serve hot and enjoy !

All those who are fasting can also snack sometimes with the highly nutritious very simple recipe of Aloo Makhana or Potatoes with foxnuts. Fox nuts are lotus flower’s seed. It is grown in water and is largely found in India and know as ‘Makhana’ here. Also found in Korea, Japan and Russia and known as ‘Gorgon Nut’ there. It is also known as Euryale Ferox. This is an Asian water plant and is mainly cultivated for its edible seeds which look like popcorn. It is highly nutritious,contains tons of antioxidants, helps in digestion ,has calming properties,low on saturated fats,relieves pain in joints ... and the list goes on ! To prepare: Boil ,peel and chop 2 medium sized potatoes and keep asid

A perfect tribute to the Goddesses! Easy to make carrot burfi... I prepared this with orange carrots and can be done with red carrots too ... To prepare : Take 3 cups of grated carrots .Grease a pan with ghee ;clarified butter,and keep aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or clarified butter in a Kadai or wok . Add the carrot and mix it well . Cook on a low medium flame for around 10 minutes . Add 3/4 of a cup of milk powder and mix it well in the carrot. Sauté for 1 minute. Add a little less than 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of cardamom powder and mix it in. Cook for another 7-9 minutes. You will see the mixture loosen and then after some time as it thickens put the flame off and pour it into th

An invite to the launch of some new entrants to the menu of 800 DEGREES NEAPOLITAN PIZZERIA , at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai with a friend ,led me to savor some tasty Neapolitan delights.They have recently added pastas and salads to their menu to cater to market demands and they are open to all ideas and feedback , ready to listen to their customers. The chain originated in the US by Chef Anthony Carron as a build your own pizza concept . He opened the first restaurant in 2012 and was awarded the title of "true Neapolitan pizza" by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. The decor of the Dubai branch is simple, casual and full of light , something I love at restaurants. Long counter

Arbi Fry A simple recipe for those fasting during these very auspicious 9 days of the Hindu Calendar .. before the festival of Dusshera. For 250 gms of Arbi , pressure cook in 2 cups of water. Wait for 2-3 whistles and remove . It should be soft . Peel the Colocasia and slice into rounds . Heat oil in a pan and add 1/2 tsp of carrom seeds .When you start to get the fragrance , add the boiled and peeled Colocasia rounds and sauté for a few minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of red chili powder and 1/2 tsp of cumin powder . Sauté again for 3-4 minutes . Add 1/4 tsp of rock salt and 1/4 tsp of dry mango powder . Sauté again for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and garnish with chopped corriander leaves. Serv

Hope the Navratras are going well for all of you who are keeping fasts this week .For those who aren't , you can still enjoy these simple delights. Sago is rich in complex carbohydrates, digests slowly and thus cooked during fasts.It is widely popular in India. Day 2 recipe is a simple pan fried sago pearl and potato cutlets,wholesome and delicious . Take 1/2 cup of sago and soak it overnight or for 2-5 hrs depending upon the quality of the pearls . When they are ready ,just squeeze the sago pearls ,it should get mashed when pressed. Take 1 large potato, boil and mash it . Take a 2 tablespoons of peanuts, dry roast and crush them . Mix together the sago pearls ,potato,green chilies,1/2 tsp o