Lemons & Rinds

Firstly, all the good things about Barley http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/barley.htm The only bad news...it has Gluten. Barley is my best food discovery of the year though since it is another addition of rich protein and fiber to our semi-veggie diet. Kids love them because of their texture. I was reading 2011 Spring's issue of Baby & Toddler. That featured a recipe of Barley with cooked Zucchini and Yellow Squash. It is among the best whole grains to add to our diet, esp kids. Since, I am a novice cook where this grain is concerned, I definitely did some research on recipes. Finally, I went the safe way. I made a simple Khichdi (Pongal for some, Porridge for the rest) with Moong Dal, vegetables, cumin and butter. How wrong could you go? Also, I had to keep it a bit bland since my son was accompanying me on this lunch menu. Here's what I did: I actually soaked 1/2 cup of Barley in the night. For cooking, took 1/3 cup of washed Moong Dal in a P...

Nobody starts cooking curries right from day one. Today, when I see teenage girls/boys struggling to chop and cook or using readytocook masalas, I cannot help but go back in those days when at the age of 13-14, my mum/grandma would call me to help her with salads or peeling vegetables.  Though, I would honestly admit that, while growing up in Mumbai, India, I hardly helped my mum in the kitchen. Why? Studies, friends, cousins, shopping, cinema...plenty of reasons for being out of the kitchen. However, self-realization always takes its course. So, I started with the sides like chopping veggies for salads/"Koshimbir", grating coconut; again there were issues since our family used the traditional Indian tools and I had a hard time getting used to them, infact till date...now of course my knife skills have sharpened with different courses of life. So, anyways, the other day we picked some perfect looking corn on the husk at out favorite Farmer's Market. The...