Warm welcome to today’s post….You know why I said warm welcome….it’s because I can feel the cool breeze bringing in the hint of Winter through the side window…where I am sitting to make this lovely post….Ufff…Winter….my favorite of all the seasons….As I sit to write this post, I feel like I am drowning in the flood of flashing memories…..memories which are from past….memories which are still fresh like dew on flowers and memories which make my heart warm…..Years back, when I was new into food blogging, there were only few blogs, which I use to visit…and one of them was Experiments, Emotions & Experiences with Food by Curry Leaf a.k.a Sweatha. It all started with a comment on a tag in Lemon Sides post. That conversation over the tag grew and we started sending mails to each other….at that time Sweatha was in US and she told me that she is planning to come back in few months….and the sweetest thing was she stays very near to my place….That was the same time, I discovered Valarmathi and me staying in the same apartment building….After she came back from US, me and Valar went to meet her…I was flying high knowing another food blogger stays nearby…..Time flew and my bonding with Sweatha has become strong, even though we meet 3-4 times after that…we always talk to each other on phone and discuss a lot more on food….
Some days back when I went to Trader Vic’s for review, Sweatha was also there to do the review with her sweet daughter…..I too took my lil’ M with me….as Sweatha and me got so busy in the past year’s…we hardly found time to sit and chat….so I thought it will be good, if she meets my lil’ M. Sweatha who always mention kisses and hugs to my lil’ M in mails, chats and SMS’s….has bought an beautiful gift for lil’ M. I was so touched by the thought of her…..The unique thing which I felt by seeing the gift was the creative wrapping of the gift, upon asking, the shy and blushed cheek’s Sweatha, told me…it’s from the online gifting solutions by name Tie A Gift.com, where she is working for.
If you want to send gifts to your loved little ones or order them online to surprise your little ones…or searching for return gifts, then this site is the destination. The unique USB of the Tie A Gift.com is Unique Gift Wrapping. The tag line says Gifting made special….and I say really special and unique…..Right now they are providing the services in and around Whitefields, Marathalli and Outer Ring Road….So If you happen to be falling in that place then try out….you will be amazed to see the gift wrapping….You can even see some sample gift wrapping ideas at their site…Tie A Gift. The one you can see in the above picture…is the one which Sweatha bought for my lil’ M. Isn’t it unique and great…..? Three Cheers to you Sweatha, for me you are the face of new modern House Wife, who blogs about food, takes out time for yoga…apart from running around 5 year old, who loves to read in the every possible time she gets….and even works from home on an amazing portal like Gifting Solutions….I am proud to have you as my friend dear Sweatha. You Rock!
Now coming to the guest post by Sweatha, It’s one of the fine writings I have ever read….it’s like virtually seeing Bangalore….it’s like reading Malgudi Days….Hope you love this piece of work from very charming Sweatha a.k.a Curry Leaf, the face behind Experiments, Emotions & Experiences with Food. Scroll to see what she has got in store for us…..
This post was supposed to be done an year ago. Then I got cold feet and postponed it. And Lubna being a dear friend, did not mention it even once. Now that I got more confident, I thought let me check with her and she graciously accepted and waited.
I was supposed to write about Bangalore for her and that also added the confusion. how much do I know or feel about Bangalore or Bengaluru? I am not a native of Bangalore so how much do I feel for the city which had graciously accepted me? For me Bangalore was like looking towards a skyscraper with wide curious eyes of a child. I had in my mind a big picture of Lal Bagh and Vidhan Souda, the walkways, the cool and green calm sleepy city.
But once I came and settled here, the image slowly started crumbling. Gone was the clean fresh air and the conservative charm of the place. The roads were dirty,dusty with traffic blocks,the mall were on the increase and finally it took me almost 8 years to slowly start liking this ever growing ever accommodating city.
But the old charm! Its still there. You can see it in places like VV Puram, the bullock carts that throng the city,the cultural evening at Chowdiah Hall, the Iyengar Bakeries, and the food carts – chaat carts, the peanut sellers and bhuttawaallahs that throng the city.And here I must mention also the Food Gulley or Food Street near VV Puram -Chickpet.
It is a small street which is the hub of all sorts of food. A food street or paisa vasool option for a foodie who wants to try and taste in medium-small portions within a limited budget.How about getting Vada paav for just Rs.5/-? Congress/Masala Peanuts, Masala Pepsi, Bhutta Chaat Pav bhaji, Dabeli,Kodubale, Akki Roti,and wait Gulkhand specialists with Gulkhand icecream are also found there along with VB Iyengar Bakery with its specials.Variety chaats, variety bhajjis, variety rices variety dosas and almost every part of India can be seen there. Not to forget “Chainese” dishes.A visit is a must if you enjoy your pani puri standing next to a busy dusty road in the hot sun and from a sweaty chaatwaallah.
In food street the day ends slowly. Atleast thats what I have seen. I visited the place at about 7.30 at night and the place was bustling with people,cars and ofcourse strays. People were seen queuing in front of several stalls and I feel its one place where you can see several types/classes of people mingling together to enjoy tasty hot/cold food and beverages.
For me the starter and the hero was capsicum bhajji. Uh huh, do not think its just plain bhajji/pakora/fritters. I was surprised to see the seller nicely garnishing it using shredded carrots and onions and a final dusting of masala powders, then everything in a torn newspaper plate. And this is what I tried making at home and here it is.
Capsicum Bhajji Chaat
Ingredients:
Capsicum/Green Pepper: 2 atleast (small and whole)
Oil: for deep frying
Batter:
Chickpea Flour/Besan : 1/2 cup +/-
Turmeric: a pinch
Hing/ Asafetida: a small pinch (optional)
Salt: as per taste
Water: to make a semi thick batter
Garnish:
Carrots, Onions: fine grated
Chaat masala : store bought/homemade : as per taste
Preparation:
Mix together besan,turmeric,hing if using and salt along with water to make a semi thick -neither too thick nor too thin batter. The trick I use while making the batter is aerating the mix. I add water little by little and then sort of whip/aerate the mix so that you get a puffy semi solid batter which will cling easily to the whole capsicums.
Once batter the ready, dip whole capsicums into this batter and deep fry in enough hot oil till golden brown. Drain on paper towels for few minutes while you shred the carrots/onions for garnish.
For serving, you quarter the fritters and arrange them in the plate. You can optionally remove the seeds from the cooked capsicum as well. Just remember they might be hot.Else leave them as such. Top with carrot and onion gratings and sprinkle chaat masala on top and voila your chaat/snack is ready sir.
Wash it down with masala pepsi and have a scoop of gulkhand ice cream and keep smiling always. Visiting this street is a must if you are a foodie and especially new to Bangalore.
Thank you Sweatha for taking out time and doing this wonderful post for me….
sowmya(creative saga) says
the gift wrap is so attractive..nice post by sweatha..
Priti S says
the post makes me feel so warm …its just beatiful …tum log ko dosti aise bi jyada bade n salamat rahe
Curry Leaf says
Hearty Thanks for accepting the post and a great introduction. I too remember our Coffee Day meeting and still wish we three were staying close by. Thanks for writing about TieAGift. Too nice of you, dear. Even if we do not meet often, we are definitely there in each others thoughts and prayers.
Prathibha says
nice post by swetha,I just love that capsicum bonda/bajji..
Rumana Ambrin says
Its very beautiful..
divya says
looks great.. drooling here 🙂
Julie says
lovely!!Join my ongoing EP events-Rosemary OR Sesame @ Now Serving
Nandini says
It felt so much like I was reading an excerpt from a novel and I slightly forgot that it was a blog post. The gift wrap's cute and the bajji's are quite appealing!
Kaveri Venkatesh says
That gift wrap is really innovative and attractive…Lovely guest post…and delicious bajji
Jehanne says
gorgeous, Lubna. Join my weekly photography event, I would love to see more of your lovely pics.
Roha Khan says
Beautiful
Jay says
wow..lovely post..love d gift wrap..:)Tasty Appetite
Priya says
Thats a very attractive and damn cute gift wrap.. Btw capsicum bajjis looks irresistible.Sweatha rocks!
Priya Sreeram says
tht's a nice post swetha ! loved the presentation of the fritters. Thanks for sharing lubna
runnergirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com says
Lovely gift wrap:) innovative and no doubt a great post!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Delish guest post, bravo 🙂
Premalatha Aravindhan says
Beautiful post thanks for sharing,yummy recipe.
Sanjeeta kk says
That was a lovely walk through Bangaluru!
Katerina says
This is a lovely post! I love peppers!
Sonali says
A nice post and love the bhajis.
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Anamika | madcookingfusions says
beautiful post,capsicum bajjis looks irresistible Lubna.Thanks for introducing me to TieAGift :)!
Subhashini says
HiFirst time in your space. Lovely blog with yummy recipes.
Marine @ Mediterranean Food Chicago says
After having such boring posts, finally I have something good. Thumbs up to your post.
Pooja says
Wow the food looks Yummy. Just loved them. Thanks for sharing them Swetha.