Reliance Digital Experience

 Digital !!!!!

just digital!!! I never EXPERIENCED technology this way before! Technology is understood best when we explore it. Reliance gives us the opportunity to to do so. A customer is not always sure of what he needs and what he wants. U become sure of it here. When u use the technology yourself, u just get it! Other stores showed technology, and Reliance - it made me feel it!! 

        Mr Arul Jayaraman - one of the most diplomatic man i have ever seen!! The way he handles clients is fabulous! Reliance is lucky to have him.
This person was really happy to see me at his store. Never have received such a warm welcome. That made me feel home :D . I could see that Arul was so tired after attending so many customers and bloggers the whole day. still he made a point to guide me through the store. 

        'The difference between a boss and a leader... A boss say "Go" A leaders say "Let's go" '. I could sense the effect of a leader in them - they were all happy to work under Arul. All of them , respective of their work sections guided me through the different gadgets and appliances. 

        The whole store was divided in 4 sections - entertainment, home appliances, utilities and cameras.The smart TVs, the laptops, mobile phones, digi-cams, microwaves, refrigerator  n yes, the washing machines. My mom wanted one , n i am gonna make her to come here an buy one. After seeing the store me n karishma (my dear friend) were relaxing o the couch, watching Nat geo HD, mast it was... n medusa: her snake hair seemed to be more scary than before. 

        I enjoyed my saturday evening. Thanks Reliance and Indiblogger for everything :D .

'No one will marry u....'

'. . . . if your chapities are not round!!!' 

Well we girls who are still struggling to make their chapaties round can relate this very well. 

Making Perfect round chapities is a short term for many of us, n m delighted to announce that i have achieved it!!!! :D . the struggle and effort were worth, truly!!


Here's my journey...

   It was during the ganesh chaturthi 2 years ago when i first touched the dough. Mom was busy with the guests, so she asked me to make small puris with hands for modak. I agreed to do that coz I was going to get some filling to eat :) . It was easy though, as if u r molding clay. . .

   It was the summer vacations after when i was to learn to cook, (warna hamare khandan ki naak kat jati). Now my very own Aai - who never let me into the kitchen for so many years was determined to teach me roties and i was determined not to learn (coz if i learn to make proper roties it would be me who would be making garam-garam roties for dinner almost everyday). Jhelofying all my nakharas she managed to teach me how to make a proper dough.

   Now whenever i had time, i was to try to make a chapati. I remember when i rolled out my first one it some what resembled the map of Japan, only that it was rounded, a bit. Then slowly slowly, this rounded map of Japan was turning to a proper chapati of exactly 2 mm thickness.

 Well !! We must also cook them and that to properly, for them to be edible. So the time had cum when the round 2 mm roties were to be cooked the right way. The very first chapati i roasted was half-cooked and seemed as though it was having chickenpox , black in color. As time passed by, they were sometimes cooked fully or burnt sometimes. They were elastic, too, sometimes - even a naan would tear quicker!! 

   Time and again chapities were tried, burnt, not properly cooked. But continuous efforts did showed results. And , finally one day...that chapati just blew up like a balloon on fire and my happiness knew no bounds!! I was dancing all over the house n singing.. "Phulli Pulli, majhi chapati phulli!! Phulli Pulli ....".  :D 

A Perfect Phulka

   Finally!!! Those chapaties smiled on me!! They are very simple to make, now. The derived method - Put chapati on tawa on full flame, for about 10 sec. Then palti!! cook properly from the other side (boils will come up showing cooked enough), once its done put on flame. It will blow up! Do palti palti for some time to cook properly. Done.  Hope it helps in some way.

  The person who actually did the mehnat is my Aai. "Aga hoil ga, jamel ga, Prayanti parmeshwar...,prayatna karat raha... hoel...." Always there whenever i needed u. God gave me the gift for which i cant never thank him. 

'Aai, mhantat k aaiche upkar kadhich phitat nai... khare ahe... Mhanunahch he tujhya sathi :) <3 '

Raw Mango Sherbet

In this draining heat of Indian summers, a refreshing and energizing drink is a must! A drink that will not only quench our thirst but also return our lost energy. For this we have many options - sugarcane juice, lemon sherbet, aam panna etc, etc... 

We have an addition here - raw mango sherbet.

Ingredients 

1. 1 cup raw mango (peeled, grated)
2. 2 glass water(chilled)
3. 3-4 tbsp sugar (granular)
4. salt to taste.
5. a strainer

Method

1. Take the grated raw mango in a vessel, big enough.
2. Add the water to it and stir continuously for some time.
3. Then strain the water in another vessel. 
4. Add sugar and salt.
5. You may need to vary your sugar content according to the sourness of mango.
6. Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves.
7. Serve chilled.

Here!! Your own kairi in a new refreshing avatar. :) 

Sunsilk Perfect Straight

I have silky but thin hair. chemicals have a very bad effect on my hair.
I did use sunsilk conditioners before, but this Perfect straight combo is something that makes my hair perfect for my parties. they remain good for the day when i use it. But on the next day, they come together, their bouncy feel just goes off. conditioners aren't that good for my hair....
The shampoo is well and good on my hair but with conditioners tend to damage my hair..   

Rataryacha Purya

One of the many recipes that are made on the day of ekadashi fast. Yeah - fast and more dishes than normal...

Ingredients

1.  200 gm sweet-potato (cooked, pealed and smashed)
2. 50 gm jaggery (grated)
3. 1/2 coconut (dry, grated)
4. 1/4 tsp elaichi powder
5. 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
6. 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
7. oil (for deep frying)

Method

1. Take the sweet potatoes in a bowl (big enough).
2. Add coconut, jaggery  ghee and  elaichi. Mix well.
3. You may not need all the flour, add according to the moisture content in potatoes.
   Avoid adding extra flour, the taste changes.
4. Kneed the dough well. Do NOT add water.
5. Make balls of the dough of the same size as u make for your chapaties, roll out puries of about 1/2 cm thickness.
6. Heat oil for frying in a kadhai. Fry puries till golden brown.
7. Done!!

You can have them directly.

Try with mango pickle... i love it that way..:)

Chaha Masala

There is nothing like masala chai in cold winter mornings. So here is the masala to put in your chai.
It is very easy to make and can be kept for long.

Ingredients

1. 75 gm suntha(dried ginger)
2. 25 gm cardamom(vilayachi)
3. 10 gm cinnamon(dalchini)
4. 10-12 cloves (lavang)
5. 10-12 pepper(kali miri)

Method

1. Just hold and keep turning your suntha above gas flame. Don't actually roast.
2. Now break down the suntha, cinnamon and cloves into smaller pieces
3. Mix the ingredients together and put them into the grinder to make a powder.
4. Your chaha masala is ready. 
5. Store it in a dry air-tight container.
6. Add about 1/4 tsp of masala to a cup of tea. It will taste perfect. 

Enjoy your winter mornings now! :D

Murrawala

Amla and its benefits does not require any introduction. It is a very rich source of vitamin C, richer than a orange. This Indian gooseberry has infinite benefits and including it in our daily diet is must. 
At my home we have murrawala all the time and mom makes it sure that we have it. . .

Ingredients

1. 2 cup amla (grated)
2. 3 cup sugar

Method

1. Put the grated amla in a air-tight steel container and place it in a pressure cooker.Make sure the container is completely dry.
2. Let it have 3 whistles.
3. After that remove it out and transfer it to a kadhai when hot. Turn on the flame. Again the kadhai should be completely dry.
4. Immediately add the sugar to it. Sugar will melt.
5. Cook it well till the mixture doesn't come together as a lump. (Hint: It forms a 3-string syrup).When it does, put off the flame.
6. After it cools down fill it in an air-tight jar and keep it for about 8-10 days.
7. You can refrigerate it or keep it out at room temperature, but either of them - if you refrigerate once then keep it so always and If you keep it out then don't ever refrigerate.

This recipe is NOT for diabetic people (seeing the sugar amount). 
You can have it with your meals, or as chavanprash in the morning. :)

And I'll soon post amla pickel...

Onion Paratha

Onion paratha was my first experiment in the kitchen... 
Although that 1 1/2 hr experiment left my mom's kitchen in a mess, it was worth the effort...
It is made as any other stuff paratha.... with onion stuffing.

Ingredients

<Stuffing>

1. 2 onion (medium, finely chopped)
2. 2 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
3. 2-3 drops of lemon juice
4. 1/4 cup groundnut (powdered)
5. 2 tsp red chili powder
6. salt to taste

<Dough>

1. 1 cup wheat flour
2. 1 tbsp oil 
3. pinch of salt
4. water to kneed the dough

Method

<The Dough>

1. Add salt and water to the wheat flour and mix well.
2. Now add water in little proportions and keep mixing it at the same time, so that only needed amount of water is added.
3. Kneed the dough until soft but stiff. Keep it aside.

<The Stuffing>

1. Take onions in a bowl.
2. Add salt, chili powder, coriander and lemon juice to it.
3. Mix it well and let it rest for about five minutes.
4. Now add the groundnut powder to the mixture so that the moisture gets soaked in. 

<The Parathas>

1. These parathas are made the same way we made the Green Pea Parathas earlier.
2. You can have these parathas with ketchup, pickle or imli chatni.

Specially for onion lovers!! :)

Ukad

"Shumu, aaj nashtyala kye karte??"

"Aaj nagpurcha nashta ahe...."

"Ukad-pendhi??!!!!"
the very above sentence caught my attention... 

I asked aai how could dad guess what u were making. She said that ever since she came to Mumbai after marriage, nagpurcha nashta IS 'ukad'!!
n 'pendhi' because once she added double the amount of water to it and it formed a lump (pendh).... so 'pendhi' - 'ukad-pendhi'!!

Ingredients

 

1. 1 cup jowar flour
2. 1/3 cup green peas
3. 1 medium onions (finely chopped)
4. 2 medium tomatoes(finely chopped) 
5. 1 string of curry leaves
6. 4 green chilies (strong, cut in halves)
7. 1 tbsp lemon juice
8. 1/4 cup coriander(finely chopped)
9. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
10. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
11. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
12. 1/3 cup oil + 1 tbsp oil (vegetable oil)
13. 1/2 tbsp sugar
14. salt to taste

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a vessel, preferably a khadai.
2. Roast jowar flour in it for about 5 min then take it out on a plate.
3. Heat rest of the oil in the same khadai. When it is heated, add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them go tad-tad tad-tad...
4. When the tad-tad stops, add the curry leaves and green chilies.
5. After they both are done, add the onions and cook till pink.
6. Once they turn pink, add green peas.
7. The peas will make a 'puhsss' kinda sound. When it stops your peas are done.
8. Add tomatoes.When tomatoes become soft, put turmeric.
9. After a few seconds, add 1 cup water. Bring it to a boil.
10. As the water boils we add salt, sugar and lemon juice to it.
11. Put the roasted jowar flour in the boiling water.
12. Keep stirring continuously on a medium flame.
13. When the water dries up, let it cook with lid closed for about 5 min.
14. It doesn't form a lump, rather it  forms upma kind of texture.
15. Turn off the flame. Sprinkle the coriander and mix well.
16. Serve hot.

The 'nagpurcha nashta' is ready.

This recipe is a must try. It just tastes awesome!!

Enjoy your breakfast !! :D

Masale bhat

Masale bhat is what we make at home when we run out of ideas for dinner. We generally refer it to as rice with masala rather than any type pulav... or biryani for that matter.

Ingredients

1. 2 cup basmati rice
2. 3 onions (medium, diced)
3. 2 potatoes (medium, diced)
4. Any other vegetable of your choice [tondli, french beans, carrot, green peas, cauliflower] (any 1, diced)
5. 10-12 garlic cloves(finely chopped)
6. 1/4 cup coriander(finely chopped)
7. 3 tsp kala masala
8. 1 tsp garam masala
9. 1/3 cup oil
10. salt to taste

<cooking time : 20-25 minutes>

Method

1. Wash the rice thoroughly. Give about 4 to 5 washes. Drain excess of water and keep aside, moist.
2. Heat oil in a vessel big enough to accommodate the cooked rice. 
3. When the oil is heated, add chopped garlic. Let it be for a minute.
4. Then add onions. Cook in oil until pink.
5. Add the potatoes and the vegetable of your choice.The idea behind only one vegetable is that the rice gets a mild flavor of that vegetable which we usually don't get in other types of rice.
6. Saute them well.
7. Now we add the spices, garam masala and kala masala to the oil itself and the rice also at the same time. Stir it well, keep stirring.
8. Kala masala - the key ingredient in this recipe - comes from vidharbha situated in the east of maharashtra. It is added in almost every recipe there.
9. After about 5 minutes, put 4-5 cups of water in it.
10. Now add salt and coriander, stir and let it cook well with lid closed.
11. Check occasionally to see whether the rice is coked. Let the water dry completely.
12. When the rice is done turn off the flame. Let it rest as it is for about 10 minutes, with lid closed. It assures that the rice is cooked well.

Your done!!

Enjoy your masale bhat with salad, papad and lemon pickle, even mix pickle will do.

:)

Kutlelya Tilachye Ladu

Makar Sankrant reminds me of the different colors, shapes and sizes of kites flying up high in sky and the sweet aroma of til-gud which is.. just everywhere...
But not everyone enjoy those hard-to-crack laddus. So for them we have some really soft and awesome til-gud laddus here...

Ingredients 

1. 3 cup white sesame(til)
2. 1/2 cup groundnut
3. 1/2 cup dried coconut(grated)
4. 1 cup jaggery (softened)
5. 5-6 pods of cardamom (choti elayachi)

Method

1. Sesame now a days can be used directly but I love the way my granny does it.
2. First we wash the sesame thoroughly, drain out the water, dry it in afternoon sun for 2 hrs then roast until all the moisture is gone...(just taste it now!!). 
3. You even can roast the sesame as it is without washing.
4. Grind the sesame to make a coarse powder. It's ready!
5. Now we roast groundnuts. While they are roasting we remove the cardamom from the pods.When groundnuts turn brown, take off the flame and let them cool down.
6. Grind them along with cardamom. Keep it granular.
7. Roast the grated coconut a bit, till it turns golden brown. This improves its flavor...
8. Add the groundnut and coconut to the sesame powder. Mix it.
9. Now add jaggery to it and mix it well.
10. Make laddus of approx. 3 cm diameter.

Your mouth watering til-gud laddus are ready!!

"Til-gud ghya ana good good bola !!!" :)

Multi-grain-pulse flour

As the name suggest it is a flour made up of many types of grains and pulses...

It is difficult sometimes for us to include them in our diet. This flour is a healthy way to do so and also brings a different flavor to your dishes.

We use this flour specially for making thalipeth - the Maharashtrian style paratha....

Ingredients 

1. 11/2 kg rice (washed and dried)
2. 1/2 kg jowar
3. 1/2 kg bajra
4. 100 gm chickpeas (dal)
5. 100 gm dried yellow peas
6. 100 gm black urad (whole)
7. 100 gm moong (whole)
8. 100 gm masoor (whole)

Method

1. Rice is sprayed with pesticides, hence we need to wash it first and then dry it in the afternoon sun for almost 2-3 hrs.
2. We have to roast the grains and pulses  one by one...take a heavy bottom vessel for roasting.
3. Let's start with rice. Roast it on a medium flame until the rice starts getting golden brown in color.
4. When the rice is done take it out in a wide container and let it cool.
5. Similarly, roast the jowar, bajra and other pulses, each separately.
6. After roasting, add them to the container having rice.
7. When they cool down, mix them well and grind the mixture in a flour mill.
8. Your multi-grain-pulse flour is ready!!

You  see ... a lot of nutrients !!

This flour can be used in making parathas, puris and more...

And thalipeths are just coming!!
Enjoy :)