Varanasi

After all that Kerala trip now I am taking you all to UttarPradesh. Varanasi is one of the oldest city in and also well known as Kasi or Banaras. Varanasi is situated on the banks of the Ganga(Ganges), the city is a spiritual capital of India and it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. Varanasi the name originates from the two rivers Varuna and Assi this ancient city has few more names  like ancient Vedic Sanskrit referred the city as Kasi or Kasika means the shining one. In some Ancient scripts referred the city as Avimukta means never forsaken by Siva and the other name is Rudravana means where the lord Rudra(Siva) lives. According to ancient scripts and epics Varanasi was founded by God Siva.

                                                                       Dashashwamedh Ghat
 Varanasi is known worldwide for it Ghats There are 18 ghats on the banks of the Ganga river. Embankment made in steps of stone slabs along the river banks so that pilgrims perform there rituals. On the way to Dashashwamedh Ghat you can find Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

                                                                       

Manikarnika Ghat

Harischandra Ghat

Some glimpse of Ganga river early morning 6 A.M

                                                                                

Litti - chokka and Dal pudi

Pan Banaras wala

Making of pan

Creamy Banarasi lassi 

Ganga Arthi at 7:30 P.M at Dashshwamedh Ghat

This is My final post for this Mega Blogging Marathon. Will come back in the next month with regular Blogging Marathon recipes...

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Vembanad Lake and HouseBoat

For the second day my trip continues in Kerala to Houseboat in Vembanad Lake. Vembanad lake is one of the longest lake in India and largest lake in Kerala. The lake is bordered by three districts, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam. The lake is situated at sea level but separated sea by a island. Vembanad lake is connected by many canals to other lakes in the state. But the most popular location on the shores of the lake is Kumarakom a very  famous tourist destination in Kerala. the very beautiful Bird sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake, a must visit place but early in the morning

                                                                 Vembanad lake view from Hotel
                                                                              

One more view of Vembanad lake

Next day morning at 7:30 A.M.  after our breakfast with delicious Kerala Appams and estue( I couldn't take pictures of the breakfast because we are already lat to reach the houseboat:(... ) a,d we headed to house boat. We stayed in the house boat for one day and one night. That was a very wonderful experience and we ( me, my sister and kids ) were so exited. So let's see the houseboat.

This is the Houseboat where we stayed for one day and one night

Inside the Houseboat

Bed room That was a double bedroom Houseboat

Living room on top of the houseboat

Dining

 Lunch in lunch they served for us Kerala style sambar, Aviyal, payaru melaguperatti, pulichery with Kerala red rice with fried fish which is freshly caught from the lake and payasam in the dessert.

one more house boat 

A Trip To Kerala - Kumarakom Day one

For the final week in this mega BM we have three days to post and the theme is Bloggers choice. I choose travel as my topic for this week. This week I am not going to post any recipes but I will share my some of my holiday trips. Today I am going to take you all to Kumarakom a popular destination in Kottayam district in Kerala a southern state of India. Kumarakom is famous for it's backwater tourism it is in the backdrop of the vembanad lake, one of the largest freshwater lake in Kerala. Kumarakom is well known for it's houseboats and also the world famous boat race. And one more most popular attraction is the Bird sanctuary. We were there for three day in Kumarakom. For the first day we were in the hotel, there are many activities in the hotel like cycling, boating and a open air theater where they perform cultural  programs like Kathakali and mohiniattam. All above this all activities the nature is so beautiful and very pleasent. Let's go for a pictorial tour to Kumarakom... 

Hotel lobby 

Hotel lobby from the other side

Backwaters canal this canal will go thorough all over the property 

backwaters canal in side the hotel property

 Some glimpse of backwaters and property

There is a huge spread of salads in lunch

Salads

Desserts

Lunch

Curries in clay pots there are Podavalanga-manga curry, Kerala style Sambar, Kaya uppukary, Pavaka toran

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Mekitsa (Bulgarian Deep Fried Flat Bread)

For the final recipe in Breakfast theme my recipe is from Bulgaria. I really enjoyed this BM with different themes. This is the perfect chance to learn more recipes and cuisines and also we can gather more knowledge about cuisines. When I read about the themes in this BM, International combos and International breakfast thought that it is going to be little hard to me to choose vegetarian recipes. But when I started choosing the recipes it just took a few days to prepare my list. Each and every cuisine has a number of vegetarian recipes.
                                                                               Now coming to today recipe is a Bulgarian breakfast recipe. Which is a deep fried flat bread usually served with cinnamon sugar or jam and some times it is stuffed with white cheese (Bulgarian feta cheese).
Recipe adopted from here   
Let's check the recipe,
INGREDIENTS :----
All purpose flour  ---  3 cups
Yeast    ---  2 tea so
Baking soda  ---  1/2 tea sp
Warm water  ---  1/8 cup
Yogurt  ----   1 cup
Oil   ----  1 tab sp
Vinegar   ---  1 tab sp
Sugar   ----   1/2 tea sp
Salt   ---   1 tea sp
Oil for deep frying
METHOD:----
1. Add yeast, sugar to warm water mix well and leave a side for ten minutes.
2. Mix baking soda with yogurt mix well and set a side.
3. Take flour, salt, in a mixing bowl make a well in the center add yeast mixture, yogurt mixture, oil, vinegar and mix well to form like a dough (like puri dough).
4. Now knead the dough for ten minutes and place it in a big bowl cover and leave to rise for 60 minutes.
5. After rising divide the dough in to small golf ball size pieces and roll them in to five inch disk and deep fry them in to golden brown.
You can also stuff them with feta cheese ( I stuffed some of them by the time I took the picture only one left for me:(, in the picture that folded one is with cheese.)
6. For cheese filling crumble the feta cheese, Roll the dough piece in to circle place crumbled feta cheese in the middle and fold the circle in to half moon shape and press the edges to seal, deep fry in hot oil both sides till golden drown.
Serve warm because inside cheese will be very hot.
Serve plain Mekitsa with cinnamon sugar on top or simply with jam.

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Anjero (Sourdough Pancakes From Somali)

For the fifth day of Breakfast across the countries in Buffet on table my recipe is from Somali cuisine. Somali cuisine is a combination of African, Persian, Turkish, Indian and Italian cuisines. Breakfast is an important meal for Somalis. Somalis often start the day with tea or coffee with milk, for Breakfast the main dish is typically  a pancake. They make this pancakes with different flours like wheat flour, rice flour, sorgam flour. There are few versions in this pancakes recipes some recipes are used with sourdough and some or with a sweet touch of sugar. Now today my recipe is sourdough pancake, this pancakes are usually served with a meat gravy or stir fried  meat or simply with a drizzle of honey. But we enjoyed them with out any side dish or honey with a cup of coffee. This recipe includes white cornflour that is one cup white cornflour,for that I used 3/4 cup corn meal with 1/4 cup of cornflour what we use for thickening  the soups.So that we get the corn flavor in the pancakes...
Recipe adopted from here
Let's check the recipe...
INGREDIENTS:---
White corn flour (3/4 cup fine corn meal +1/4 cup cornflour)   ---  1 cup
Sorghum flour  ---  1/2 cup
Self raising flour  ---  4 cups
Salt 1/2 tea sp
Warm water  ---  4 and half cups
METHOD:----
1. Blend all the ingredients in a blender till you get a smooth batter.
2. Take out the batter in to a big bowl and set a side for fermentation it took one day for me. in a cold climate it took two days to ferment.
After the fermentation.
3. Heat a dosa pan pour a ladleful of the fermented batter and make a circle.
4. Cover the pan and cook till the bottom turns in to golden brown. 
Remove from the pan and serve hot with a cup of coffee...

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Kaya Toast

My today recipe is a most popular and considered as a breakfast staple in Singapore and Malaysia. Well known as Kaya Toast a coconut egg jam spread on a grilled plain toast. This recipe is created my locals of Singapore and Malaysia to replace the jams to give a local touch with coconut. This Kaya toast is served with local kapi (coffee) for breakfast and also as a snack. This kaya toast is a favorite as snack in street food.
 Kaya is a coconut jam with eggs and top with sugar, I tried to make it with out eggs but my husband says there is a big different with eggs and with out eggs. I didn't get the pandan leaves so I used cardamom powder to give good flavor to the jam, that also make a different flavor may be.. 
Any way he likes the jam on toast...
Recipe adopted from here
Let's check the recipe..
INGREDIENTS:---
Eggs  ---  4
Sugar  ---  200grms
Coconut gream  --- 1/2 cup
Coconut milk  --- 3/4 cup
Pandan leaves  -- 3 I used a tea sp cardamom powder
Corn starch --  1 and hald tab sp mixed with 2 tab sp of water
For caramel ...
50 grams sugar
METHOD:--- 
1. Break eggs in to a big bowl and add coconut cream, coconut milk, sugar and whisk well with a hand blender and filter with a strainer.
2. Transfer the egg mixture into a sauce pan add pandan leaves(I used cardamom powder), switch on the heat on medium low.
3. With the help of a wooden spatula keep stirring the mixture about 20 minutes or till  cooked.
4. Now add corn starch mixture stir well to combine every thing, take care in this stage lumps will form in the jam  so keep stirring.
5. In the meantime make caramel, heat sugar in apan and cook till it become in to golden brown and add the caramel to kaya stir well to combine every thing and switch off the heat.
                                                            

6. Discard the pandan leaves if using and let the kaya cool down.
7. Transfer the kaya again in to a blender and blend till smooth with out lumps.
Store kaya jam in a bottle in the fridge. This jam will stay fresh for a week in the fridge. 
Always use fresh coconut cream and milk for best results.
Kaya jam color depends on caramel so if you want a lighter color use less sugar.
Make it always like thick jam like consistency other wise your toast will become soggy...
FOR KAYA TOAST:---
Bread
Cold butter
Kaya
1. Toast your bread and remove the crust and cut the bread in to two pieces.
2. Now spread the kaya jam on the toast pieces.
3. Cut the butter ion to thin slices and place in between two kaya toast's
4. Again heat the kaya toast for a few seconds to melt the butter lightly.
Enjoy your Kaya Toast with a cup of black coffee or tea....

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Diya Bath or Palan Kanji

Today my recipe for breakfast of the recipes from on Buffer is from SriLanka. Most of the recipes from  SriLankan cuisine is very common in Indian cuisine. Specially breakfast dishes like idiyappang, porota, Appam and even many curries. When I was searching for breakfast recipes from SriLankan cuisine. I found this very traditional breakfast dish which is very close to Indian cuisine specially Kerala cuisine. Which is well known as Diya Bath or Palan Kanji in Srilankan cuisine. This is a old traditional breakfast dish, actually a very healthy breakfast and this keeps your body cool. Also we have a similar recipe in Tamilnadu and Andhra cuisine but in Andhra we use butter milk in the place of coconut milk. First I thought how that will taste with coconut milk, but the sweet taste of fresh coconut milk with this crunchy onions and green chillies and fresh curry leaves flavor make this Palan Kanji a wonderful breakfast. Yes always use fresh coconut milk for this recipe caned coconut milk don't give that flavor and taste. Simple recipe but very tasty and healthy breakfast, this keeps you full for long time.
Recipe adopted from here and here  
So let's check the recipe.....
INGREDIENTS:---
Cooked rice --  2 cups
Onion   ----  1 big chopped
Green chilli   ---  1 tab sp chopped
Curry leaves  ---  few chopped
Salt to taste
Thick coconut milk  ---  100 ml
Lemon juice  --   fro a half lemon
METHOD: ---
1. For this recipe we are going to use left over rice from last night.
2. Take 2 cups left over rice in a bowl and add two cups of water and leave side to ferment for over night.
3. Next morning take out the rice from water and squeeze all the water and take the rice in a other bowl and add all other ingredients and  mix well and serve for breakfast.
THE SECOND VERSION......
or you can saute onion, chillies and curry leaves with little oil add thick coconut milk and switch off the heat and add rice mix well and finely add lemon juice mix well and serve for breakfast. 
You can try both ways I tried both and like both ways

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Pancakes With Apple Topping

When we first decided this breakfast theme for this Mega Blogging Marathon first recipe I made is this pancakes. But when I started editing this recipe I checked from where this pancakes are originated from. There are many variations of this recipe from each country. In this confusion I kept this recipe a side didn't understand under which country this breakfast will come. But I first tasted this pancakes in America with different fruit tipping and even they mix berries in the batter and serve with maple syrup. Then I spoke with Valli and cleared my doubt and here is my second recipe for breakfast  in Buffet on Table from America..
                                                                           

 

Let's check the recipe.....
INGREDIENTS:--
Milk  ---  3/4 cup
Flour   ----  1 cup
Vinegar  ---  1 and half tab sp
Sugar  ---  3 tab sp
cinnamon powder  ---  1 tea sp
Baking powder  ---  1 tea sp
Baking soda  ---  1/2 tea sp
Salt 1/2 tea sp
Oil  ---  2 tab sp
FOR TOPPING :--
Butter  ---  2 tab sp
Apples  --  2 peeled, cored and chopped
Sugar  --  2 tab sp
Cinnamon  --- 1/2 tea sp
Honey  ---  1/2 cup
METHOD:---
1. Heat milk in a pan bring to a boil and add vinegar whisk together well and switch off the heat and set a side to curdle for 5 minutes.
2. Shift flour, baking soda, baking powder cinnamon in to a big bowl add sugar, salt mix well.
3. Now whisk milk mixture well and add oil to milk and whisk well.
4. Add flour mixture to milk mixture and mix well to combine every thing well and form in to a smooth batter.
5. Heat a dosa pan spray some cooking oil on it and pour a 1/4 cup batter using a measuring cup and cook till bubbles form about two minutes.
6. Now flip the pan cake other side and cook for two minute on the other side.
FOR TOPPING...
In a sauce pan take butter, apples, sugar, and cinnamon and cook in a medium heat. Stir till apples are tender then add honey switch off the heat.
Serve this apple topping on top of pancakes...

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Pesarattu Upma

We have started yet another week for Buffet on table under the theme of Breakfast from countries. My choice for the first day is from my home land. Pesarattu- upma is a traditional breakfast of Andhra Pradesh. This is a whole moong dosa which is stuffed with upma and served with allam pachadi. Usually dosas are served with coconut chutney right, but this particular dosa is served with allam pachadi. Because this dosa is a protein rich and heavy meal because it is stuffed with upma. Allam pachadi makes this heavy meal in to easy digest and delicious, so allam pachadi make a perfect combination with pesarattu- upma. Pesarattu and upma are two different dishes where upma can be eaten alone, but I never imagine pesarattu with out upma. But some times my husband enjoys pesarattu alone with coconut chutney any way.....
Let's check the recipe...  
Pesalu (whole green moong)   ---  1 cup
Raw rice ---   1 tab sp
Ginger   ----  1 inch pieces
Green chillies   ---  5
Salt to taste
Onion  ----  1 big fineliy chopped
Ginger   ----  1/2 inch piece finely chopped
Cumin seeds  ---  1 tab sp
Oil for frying dosas
METHOD:----
1. Soak whole green moong and one tab sp raw rice in enough water for over night.
2. Next morning grind soake moong and raw rice green chillies, ginger in to a smooth paste.
3. Add salt to taste and mix well.
4. By the time prepare Upma and keep it ready. (check upma recipe here)
5. Now heat a dosa pan and pour a laddle full of moong batter and spread it in to a thin circle.
6. Sprinkle with  few cumin seeds, chopped onion, chopped ginger and drizzle a teasp oil on edges of the pesarattu and cook till bottom turns in to golden.
7. Now flip the pesarattu and cook for two minutes and turn it again.
8. Spread a tab sp full upma on it and fold the pesarattu and take it out from the pan..
Serve hot with Allam pachadi...  

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