Writing from my kitchen

I got a call from a dear friend and distant relative today. She wanted to know how I make the pea and spinach soup. I am sure I must have told her this before, but nevertheless I recited the entire recipe methodology, little tips and all to her over again. Secretly, I enjoy doing it.  Gives me a boost to run home and blog it out. The soup happened out of sheer desperation when my daughter went through a pea phase in her diet. Give her anything with peas and she would pick out the peas and eat them, the rest of the food on her plate would be fed to the dustbin. There was such harmony at the dining table. My son would diligently pick all the 'uggghh'!! peas out of his food and trade it for the 'yummier' egg or chicken in her plate.....I have never seen such love before or after!...so with love I dished out this soup for her and it sure was appreciated by a lot of people. Sadly my daughter has grown out of the pea phase and hence then the recipe and its production in m...

Pumpkin is not many a persons dream vegetable. Even a vegetarian tends to pass by this vegetable without as much as a glance. But what attracts me to this squash is the very ability to lend a twist of sweetness to any dish without changing its character much. True the squashy nature could be a put off especially when you have it coating practically every taste bud and blocking all other senses with its mushy texture and sweetly bland taste. But the colour is so beautiful that when made well, it stands apart in a dish like art work. That is precisely why I chose to make do of its rich yellow on a background of dark green spinach and top with the golden of roasted crushed peanuts. Now it suddenly has transformed itself from the ugly frog to the handsome prince. Cut the pumpkin into 2” size wedges, marinate with salt and ginger juice(…ginger juice is no mystery…just grate fresh ginger and squeeze out the juice between your thumb and fore finger) Pan fry the pumpkin wedges on...