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Cooking & clicking food is a hobby that has filled a large part of my life and has kept me busy for a long time, till it became a real-life job.

And now, working around food as a food blogger and a professional food stylist, completes & compliments my purpose of living. Not to forget the enormous personal growth and fulfillment I get from doing the same.

While most of the projects I take are challenging and fun to execute, there are times when I have to work long hours under stressful conditions. That is when a break is needed to clear my mind and rejuvenate before burnout sets in.

Well, I do get lucky at times and get projects where I can do both, relax & rejuvenate while I work.

And these various food shoots for television commercials and advertising shoots for Indian brands are documented in this post.

The post Food Styling appeared first on Lite Bite.

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well“. Susan Polis

Cooking & clicking food is a hobby that has filled a large part of my life and has kept me busy for a long time, till it became a real-life job.

And now, working around food as a food blogger and a professional food stylist, completes & compliments my purpose of living. Not to forget the enormous personal growth and fulfillment I get from doing the same.

While most of the projects I take are challenging and fun to execute, there are times when I have to work long hours under stressful conditions. That is when a break is needed to clear my mind and rejuvenate before burnout sets in.

Well, I do get lucky at times and get projects where I can do both, relax & rejuvenate while I work.

And these various food shoots for television commercials and advertising shoots for Indian brands are documented in this post.

• The one in above is a television commercial for a Andhra brand Sunsolite oil.

Television commercial for Amazon with Black Box production house in Chennai.

Still shoot for Melam spices (Medimix group).

Television commercial for Vaya Tyffin.

Television commercial for Aachi masala (ready-to-eat products).

Television commercial for Sree Gold (Gold winner Daal).

Still shoot for Hapima masala.

Television commercial for I-FLO masala.

Still shoot for Aachi products.

The post Food Styling – Television commercials and Ads appeared first on Lite Bite.

“Give everything to your work and it can give everything back to you”. 

I couldn’t have asked for more from my food blog – Lite Bite.

From being a simple food blogger to a commercial food stylist to the one who is now ready to take yet another journey.

The blog has given a small town girl like me, much needed confidence and a strong platform to come out and follow her dreams. 

For the last 15 years, my life is revolving around everything that goes to make this beautiful ‘world of food’ tick. Recipe creation, blog writing, food photography, food styling, workshops, editing, social media platforms…and there still is a lot more on the horizon to learn.

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning”. Meister Eckhart

But for now, it’s time to step out, start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings.

For more details move over to  www.ogmofoods.com 

How it began..

Every business starts with an idea. And ours was breakfast. Our story began with the desire to create an alternative to the morning kitchen rituals that felt like work.

Early morning is my favorite time of the day. Brewing up a comforting cup of tea and sitting down to enjoy in the calm surrounding can set the tone for the entire day.

My morning routine took a turn for the worse for the last couple of years, due to my hectic work schedule. Making a cup of tea became a far cry let alone cooking a decent breakfast for my family. 

Some things in life are worth changing

It was then that I came across a cook-free breakfast recipe called Overnight porridge popularized by many of my fellow food bloggers on the net.

This no-cook breakfast option came as a great relief for my stressful morning routine. All it needs is to add wholegrain flakes in a mason jar, fill with milk and a dash of curd and refrigerate overnight and a power breakfast will be ready the next morning. 

From then, my kitchen used to be filled with jars of seeds, various flakes, nuts, dried fruits and spices which go to make various blends of overnight breakfast mixes each day.

And morning time became beautiful again. 

The new beginning..

I wanted to make the process even simpler by opting for ready to make breakfast mixes and reduce ingredient hunting time, measuring and preparing for my breakfast.

 But I couldn’t find any option in Indian market to suit my needs. I realized I would have to make my own mixes or go without.

And that is when OGMO was born.  

OGMO is more than just a business project. It is the desire to share our passion for healthy eating by creating convenient foods that is perfect for people with busy lifestyles.

OGMO

OGMO

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We all love to win, it makes us feel good.

Well, I can only remember winning a couple of small events during school days and receiving colourful plastic pencil boxes or laminated certificates from the principal…Those were small wins, but were wins nonetheless.

Though a little disappointment for not getting a ‘real trophy‘ still remain

I was in for a surprise when I received a call from Aval Kitchen magazine informing me about my nomination for ‘Best Food Stylist’ award.

Pic courtesy Aval Vikatan

Aval Vikatan is a very popular regional magazine from South India and they conduct many such award functions at regular intervals to felicitate various artistes in music, cinema and other creative fields.

The award function was conducted at Crown Plaza to felicitate creative persons around Tamil Nadu for their contribution in the food industry.

I remember sitting in the front row with my family which was reserved for the privileged guests of the event. The banquet hall was filled with eminent personalities from the food world. I could recognize Chef Damu, Mallika Badrinath and many other television personalities sitting next to us.

The event was yet to begin, and while most of the crowd was busy checking their mobiles, my mind started to wander into the food world.

It went back to that moment when I hesitantly answered a phone call to accept the first food styling assignment. A series of food images and memorable interactions from every photo shoot started rolling by, as I gazed at the big screen in front.

I stepped out of my dreamworld the moment I saw myself on the big screen. It was the AV (audio-visual) about my life and food journey.

I could clearly visualize the gradual transformation of that reluctant back-stage food stylist into one who is more confident & authoritative in her field now.

“They called your name mom” my daughter shook my hand, she literally had to push me off the chair when my name was announced for the award.

To my surprise the stage was already full…they invited all the eminent chefs from Aval vikatan magazine and their art director to felicitate me with the award.

I was overwhelmed & emotional at such an honour. To whoever said that “receiving an award is not just for show, it is a symbol of respect and acceptance of a greater responsibility”.

And finally, here I hold a ‘real award‘ on stage, in front of the crowd. It was a surreal moment for me.

And the moment of astonishment has not quite ended yet…

Thank you Aval Kitchen for the recognition and for awarding me this beautiful trophy, which I will cherish forever.

Check the You tube video of award function here.

Beaten rice Poha or Kanda poha 

A quick and simple recipe of Beaten rice onion poha or Kanda poha which is quite popular India and is a staple breakfast food in many households.

Ingredients;

(serve 2)

• 1 medium potato
• 1 tbsp roasted groundnuts
• Salt to taste

Tempering;

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 green chilly
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
• Few curry leaves and coriander leaves

Method; rinse beaten rice in a strainer and keep it aside for 5-10 minutes.

Peel and chop onion, green chilly and potato into very fine slices.

Heat oil and  splutter mustard and fennel seeds.

Add chopped green chilly, onion, potato, curry leaves, salt, sugar, turmeric powder and combine well.

Cover the kadai with a lid and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add soaked beaten rice, lemon juice, combine well and put off the flame.

Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve with a sprinkle of spicy mixture.

Notes;

1. Do not over wash the beaten rice as it may turn soggy and lumpy.
2. Use medium size beaten rice (not the thin variety) to make this recipe.
3. You can spruce up your poha with grated carrots or fresh peas. .

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“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” ~ Andy Rooney.

It has been over a decade of my ‘food centric’ life and I am absolutely enjoying every moment of it. My food journey has been truly incredible. Though many forced long breaks from social media quite upset me at times.

I am grateful that my profession as a food stylist keeps me in constant touch with ‘food’ and gives me the privilege to work with many eminent personalities from media.

Life is moving at its own pace for me..I could finally manage to sit down and document a few food shoots that I did recently to keep a track of my work life.

Philips food processor

Table set for 2 days television commercial shoot for Philips food processor. TVC shoot is a lot of work, and most of the times quantity matters over quality of food to be presented. All the dishes prepared and presented by me single handedly on the set.

SKM egg white cubes

This television commercial was done for SKM egg white cubes. The product look almost similar to paneer and all I had to do was to dig out a few paneer recipes and cook on the set for the commercial. Here is the TVC link.

SKM TV commercial with the artists on the set with Marlia Ads. TVC link

My working table for still photo shoot of Hapima mixes done in set fire studio.

Television commercial for Kwality breakfast cereal with cinematographer Prabu Tamilan.

Another day and one another working set up for television commercial of Preethi Cosmo mixer grinder. TVC link

Television commercial for GK Dairy Tamil paneer and ghee.

3 days photo-shoot for Coal Barbecue restaurant.

Television commercial for Tenali Double horse urad dal. TVC link

Still shoot for Vaya storage lunch boxes.

Television commercial for Udhaya Krishna Ghee. Check the TVC link here.

And now, some food for the blog…

Okra in coconut milk

Ingredients;

(serve 3)

• 200 gm okra (ladyfinger)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp. ginger- green chilly paste
• 1/2 tsp. Chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp. cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Tempering;

• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• Few Curry leaves

Method; Wash and wipe the okra and remove the top and tail part from each okra.

Slice the okra into one inch pieces. Chop onion into thin slices.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds in a kadai and let it splutter. Add sliced onion, turmeric powder, chilly powder, curry leaves, green chilly-ginger paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Add okra in the kadai and let it cook for about 6-7 minutes till it becomes soft.

Pour coconut milk in the kadai, bring it to a quick boil and put off the flame.

Let the okra gravy sit in coconut gravy for 20 minutes or more before serving it with your choice of Indian flat bread or plain rice.

Notes;

• I used packaged coconut milk in this recipe.
• You could also saute the okra first before adding them to the coconut milk gravy.

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“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well“. Susan Polis

Cooking & clicking food is a hobby that has filled a large part of my life and has kept me busy for a long time, till it became a real-life job.

And now, working around food as a food blogger and a professional food stylist, completes & compliments my purpose of living. Not to forget the enormous personal growth and fulfillment I get from doing the same.

While most of the projects I take are challenging and fun to execute, there are times when I have to work long hours under stressful conditions. That is when a break is needed to clear my mind and rejuvenate before burnout sets in.

Well, I do get lucky at times and get projects where I can do both, relax & rejuvenate while I work.

And this recent shoot for a television commercial at Hyderabad was one such project where I had a wonderful time working and relaxing at the beautiful location in Ramoji film city while working with wonderful teammates who pampered me completely.

I normally avoid outdoor shoots due to hassles of carrying props and other stuffs but this was an exception as it was referred by a good friend who wanted me to be a part of it.

And all I had to do was to board the flight to Hyderabad with just a small bag-pack by my side.

My room with a view in Ramoji film city..

My cab driver was there with a placard of my name. I reached my room, freshened up and went to the set location where shooting was already in full swing.

Food shots are always kept at the last leg of TVC shoots and I had the liberty to come back to my room and plan for the shots at my leisure with a cup of tea and roasted Makhane

I had no work in morning and all I did was to roam around the beautiful Ramoji city and clicked a few snippets from the tvc shoot with actress Suhasini in picture.

Production department could manage to get a make shift cooking cylinder and a few vessels on the set, just in case I need to cook something for the shots.

The TVC was shot for Sri Lalitha rice, a very popular brand in Andhra.

And here I am documenting a few more still shoots and tvc’s I did in recent time for my reference….

Savera hotel team shot with their staff and photographer Arun Natarajan.

Props arranged for one another still shoot for Cothas Coffee with photographer Vinoth.

Working shot for Cothas coffee, another popular coffee brand from Karnataka.

And we worked together for one more time…video shoot for Hatsun curd with Lata Menon and Rubecon team.

Green Dhebra with Rajasthani Aloo Tamatar Subzi

Cooking scenes at home is simple and easy to make Indian recipes. These easy Indian flat breads with aloo tamatar subzi is my go-to lunch when time is short yet feeding a healthy meal to my family is on my top list.

But then there are many hick-ups..there should be no green leaf peeping out from the theplas in my daughter’s plate and I have to make sure there is no tomato skin floating in the subzi in son’s bowl. Making a puree of greens for theplas and adding tomato puree in subzi is my best bet to avoid any clashes on dinning table.

Ingredients;

(severe 4)

• 1 cup – Barnyard millet
• 1/4 cup – Whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup puree of greens
• 1/2 cup – Curd
• 1 tbsp  – sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. red chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. carom seeds
• Salt to taste
• Oil (optional)

Method; I have used a mix of fenugreek (methi) leaves and fresh radish leaves to make the green puree.

Take a large bowl and add millet flour, wheat flour and rest of the ingredients into it.

Bring all the ingredients together to bind into semi hard dough. You may not require water to knead this dough as curd and the water from greens is  good enough to bind it.

Pinch a small ball of dough, dust it with dry wheat flour and roll into a circle.

Heat a tawa and place the Thepla on it, let it cook for a minute and then flip to other side.

Green Thepla is cooked if light brown marks appear on both the sides. Brush the cooked Theplas with ghee if you wish and serve it with the quick Aloo subzi.

Rajasthani Aloo Tamatar Subzi

Ingredients;

(serve 4)

• 3 boiled potatoes
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 onion (optional)
• 1 green chilly
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• Water as required

Tempering;

• 1 tsp. ghee
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dry red chilly
• Pinch of asafoetida powder

Method; Roughly chop the boiled potatoes into small pieces. Finely chop the onion and tomatoes (I puree the tomatoes and add in the recipe).

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard and cumin seeds in it.

Break the dry red chilly into two and add it in the kadai along with asafetida powder, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin seed powder, chopped green chilly and salt.

Let it cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.

Add chopped boiled potatoes, onion and tomatoes and cover the kadai with a lid, cook for 3-4 minutes.

Pour about a glass or more of water in the kadai and let the subzi simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with any Indian flat bread.

Notes;

1. You can add any millet (finger millet, pearl millet, kodo millet) to make these theplas.
2. Onion is not added in making this subzi, but I have added it as I like the taste of it. You can avoid it and the subzi will taste as good.

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The post Recipe & Food Styling | Green Theplas with Rajasthani Aloo Tamatar Subzi – When work completes and compliments your purpose of living.. appeared first on Lite Bite.

“Food is not about impressing people. It’s about making them feel comfortable.” Ina Garten

I don’t remember my lunch time in preschool or nursery days but I do have a vivid memory of it during my elementary school.

Mom was a working woman and as usual morning time used to be very hectic at home. She would cook breakfast & lunch for me and my brother and pack our dabbas before leaving for office at 8am.

Though she made sure that every day she packed the best home cooked food for us, the menu used to revolve around the same fare. We would expect a dry subzis (potato or okra) with roti or Aloo parathas or aloo poha, without fail.

But then, we never bothered about what was packed inside. All we wanted was something which we could gulp quickly and run out of class to play.

But wait, there was a catch..and that one was our worst nightmare attached, with carrying lunchbox inside school bag. That of leaking  oil and liquid and facing the embarrassing moment of taking out the stained books in front of friends. And no amount of plastic wraps and seal helped stop steeping the oil and liquid from the box

Well, that was part and parcel of school life for us. However, bad it was, we were a bunch of happy children with huge smiles on our faces…always

Lunch boxes have come a long way from being the boring multi coloured smelly plastic boxes to those heavy duty metal dabbas of yesteryear. Times have changed, but the morning rush to pack a healthy lunch box remains same.

Choosing a right lunchbox is a challenge when you have to cater to the need of three different personalities at home.  And choosing a right lunchbox for your meal can make a world of difference to both, the one who is cooking and also to the one who is eating it.

I enjoy the leisure of cooking at my pace and personally handing over the lunchbox to my children without bothering about the spillage and cold lunch.

But I do cook lunch and pack it for hubby every day. I have tried many lunch boxes which could avoid leakage and also keep the food warm, but nothing worked with great success.

As luck would have it, I received a call from Hamsa for a food styling assignment for Vaya Tyffyn recently.

I was relaxing after a few back-to-back food photo-shoots and was hesitation to take up the project immediately. But she convinced me that I will be getting their full support and help during the shoot. I had to cook and style a few dishes that could be packed for children. I cooked pasta, mini podi Idlis, rotis, sambhar, banana muffins and few other dishes for it.

Well, am glad that I accepted the assignment. I was in for a surprise on the set after they opened the boxes of product. I fell in love with the product at first sight.

It was a compact, well designed and stylish copper-finished stainless steel lunch box from Vaya Tyffyn. It looked delicious both, inside and outside. 

The shoot went on well and I styled many recipes using some of those pretty boxes. I completely forgot about the lunchbox after the shoot was over, when suddenly one day I received a call from Hamsa asking my address to deliver something at my home.

And lo and behold, it was a beautifully packed black coloured premium range of Vaya  Tyffyn!

The manual says, “The Tyffyn comes with a spoon holder and a water resistant bagmat which can be unzipped to convert into a place mat. The leak-proof containers with high-vacuum insulation retain the heat from the packed food for at least 3-4 hours.”

The lunchbox comes with well written instructions about the use and maintenance of the same.

This is what I packed in his Tyffyn today..black eyed bean curry, carrot chayote subzi, rotis with pickle and curd separately. Recipe will follow in next post..

Here is what was in his Vaya Tyffyn yesterday..Beet-millet rotis, panchkuti dal, fresh vegetable pickle, few almonds, prunes and plum.

Sharing some recipes of what is inside the lunchbox here..

Panchkuti or Panchmel Dal aka Five lentil curry

Ingredients;

• 1 cup mixed Lentil
• Tomatoes
• Onion
• Ginger
• Red chilly
• Oil or ghee
• Salt to taste

Tempering:

• Turmeric powder
• Chili powder
• Cumin seeds
• Asafetida powder

Method; Chop tomato and onion and grate ginger.

Wash and soak all lentils for few hours or overnight. I have used a mix of the following lentils;

• Bengal gram (chana dal)
• Green gram (moong dal)
• Pigeon peas (tuar dal)
• Red gram (masoor dal)
• Black gram (dhuli urad)

Pressure cook all lentils with turmeric, chopped tomato, ginger, and 1 cup of water for 2-3 whistles and mash it slightly.

Heat a kadai and splutter cumin seeds.

Add asafetida powder, salt, dry red chilly, chilli powder, onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. Pour this tempering over cooked dal and combine well.

Add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Indian flat breads.

Notes;

1. Add garam masala or whole spices in the making of dal for extra flavor and taste.
2. This dal recipe is served slightly thick, add a little warm water if you wish to make it runny.
3. Add a few garlic pearls in tempering for extra flavor.

Beetroot millet rotis or Flatbreads

Ingredients;

• 1 beetroot
• 1 cup pearl millet flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp. Coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp. curd
• 1/2 tsp. chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Method;  Peel and grate beetroot with a fine grater.

Take both the flours in a large bowl and add sesame seeds, grated beet, salt, chilly powder, cumin powder, curd and combine.

Add little water if needed to bring the dough together ( I added just about 3-4 tsp. of water).

Apply a little oil over the dough and let it rest for an hour.

Divide the dough into small balls and roll into round rotis using dry flour to avoid the rotis stick to the board.

Heat a griddle and cook the rotis on both the sides for a few minutes till it changes colour and is cooked.

Smear a little ghee if you wish and serve it with pickle or any Indian curry of your choice.

My verdict;

• Eco friendly, no plastic, stainless steel containers coated with copper from outside. It does give me a feel of packing lunch the traditional way (in steel dabbas of yesteryear). And I like the fact that stainless steel doesn’t stain, take on odour or wear out quickly.
• I can pour a piping hot dal or curry straight from my cooking pan into the container which I never attempted in my so called heat resistant branded plastic lunchboxes.
• Food does remain warm and fresh after say 4-5 hours of packing.
• The separator or divider provided is of no use if you are trying to pack two liquid side by side. The liquid leaks from one side to other. I use the separator only for packing dry ingredients like nuts, dried fruits, cookies etc.
• The bagmat is worth buying for the ease of carrying the lunchbox and for using it as place-mat while eating.
• Do not overfill the containers and you are good to go with a leak-proof lunchbox.
• The containers also make a good standalone snack box for packing fruits, nuts or cooking separately.
• Though the price is hard to swallow, factors such as durability, freshness of food, leak proof, sturdiness, and the classic look makes it worth the price tag.

Disclaimer; I wanted to make it clear that this is not a sponsored post and I have not received any cash remuneration to write about the product on my blog. I am writing the post because I personally like the product and wanted to share my views with you all.

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The post Recipe | Beetroot Millet Rotis & Panchkuti Dal – Of food, lunchboxes and childhood memories.. appeared first on Lite Bite.

Priceless childhood memories, some great friends, good food and endless time spent on Fatehsagar… these are the memories which make life sweeter.

Come winter and makki and bajre ki roti become staple food for us. Mom will make a huge batch of fresh vegetable pickle using mustard oil. We used to run out of house the day she would heat oil to makes this pickle. The strong pungent smell of mustard oil was hard on our nose.

Well, if you haven’t grown up eating this pickle, you might find it very strong on your taste buds. And with crushed mustard seeds as the base it makes it more an acquired taste for many to relish.

Lucky for me, my husband loved the very first time I made it some 20 years back just after our marriage.

Coming back to one another styling assignment for the brand Abhirami. I have done styling project for their rice and millet varieties, and this time it was for their ‘sevai‘ or thin vermicelli varieties with the photographer Nithin Bharat.

I completed most of the prep before the shoot and was ready for the day with my props and food.

Reached early and arranged the vegetables and other stuff in the studio..

The varieties of Abhirami sevai..millet, brown rice, multigrain, multi millet, brown rice..and so on ready for the shot..

In action..

One of the shots from the shoot..

Mixed Vegetable Pickle

So here is my instant fresh vegetable pickle that I made today..

I cannot imagine winter days meal in Udaipur without a good amount of this pickle on my plate. My daughter ran out of kitchen after I started heating the oil for pickle. Do not try this pickle with mustard oil if you can’t handle the pungency and strong flavors of it.

Dry roasted spices for the pickle..

Ingredients;

• 1 cup Cauliflower florets
• 2 Turnips or radish
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Cucumber
• 1 small Ginger
• 1 cup Oil
• 2 tbsp. Vinegar
• 1 tsp. Jaggery
• 1/2 tsp. Asafetida powder
• 2 tsp. salt

Spice mix;

• 3 tsp. Chilli powder
• 2 tsp. Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp. Fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder

Method; Wash all the vegetables and wipe them with a kitchen towel to remove excess water.

Scrape carrots, turnips and separate cauliflower into small florets.

Chop carrots, cucumber, turnip and ginger into small pieces.

Spread all the chopped vegetables in a small plate and steam it for 2 minutes. Make sure that water do not touch the vegetables. I used my Dhokla plates to do the same.

Spread all the vegetables on a kitchen towel and let them dry under fan.

Dry roast mustard, fenugreek and fennel in a small pan for 4-5 minutes and grind into coarse powder.

Fill all the vegetables in a glass jar and add dry roasted powder, vinegar, jiggery, salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and asefoetida powder in it and combine well.

Heat oil in a small pan till smoking pint and take off the heat.

Pour this hot oil over the jar filled with vegetables and cover the jar with a clean cloth.

You can use the pickle from the next day.

Notes;

1. Make small batches of this pickle as it may not stay good for more than a month. The vegetables tend to loose crispiness and become soft.
2. Replace mustard oil with any other vegetable oil if you are not used to the smell and strong taste of mustard oil.
3. Refrigerate the pickle if you are using less oil.
4. Avoid touching vegetables with hands, use spoon or fork to mix and fill the jar.
5. Use fresh pearl millet for best results as rotis made with old flour is tough to roll and start cracking while you roll them.

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The post Recipe & Food Styling | Mixed Vegetable Pickle appeared first on Lite Bite.

I always loved waking up in the morning to a cup of warm turmeric & pepper milk, a morning ritual that helps me feel good all day long. This ritual takes a slight turn during summer season when I replace the same with my infused water, first thing in the morning.

Infused water..Hmm..nothing fancy, it’s just our good old H2O combined with a few slices of fruits, vegetables or herbs.

I first saw pretty pictures it and read about the benefits of it on Pinterest a few years back and since then, am hooked to this infused water. And now, come summer and I love to see these colourful glass jars on my kitchen counter first thing in the morning.

This is my elixir which keeps me hydrated during long week days and hot summer. A jar of plain water, some fruits or vegetables and a few herbs to pep up the drink and there you go.

I love the fruity undertones of my infused water. Cucumber and lemon, apple slices with a tiny stick of cinnamon, lemon slices and mint, oranges & mint, ginger & lemon..there are endless combinations that I try out each day. Just add whatever fancy you, in plain water, refrigerate and drink it the next day. These drinks are so easy to make and even more easier to drink.

Call it by any name…my colorful infused water absolutely rocks!

Until quite recently, when my cousin introduced and gifted me a bottle of unpasteurized Apple cider vinegar. I have been adding a little apple cider vinegar also in my infused water, since then.

“Never drink it direct, always dilute it with water to reduce the acidic after taste of acv. 1 tsp. in a glass of water is good enough. This fermented drink is good for your gut health, controls blood sugar has several antioxidants and boosts immunity” she listed out the benefits of the same.

“And yes, do make sure you get the organic, raw and unpasteurized acv with “the mother” on the label for better health” she cautioned me.

I have been using filtered acv for many years in my baking and as salad dressings and love the tartness it gives to my salads and never thought of trying it in my drink.

I recently got a bottle of unpasteurized ACV with “the mother” from Borges and have been trying out various combinations to figure out which one suits my palate best. It sure is an acquired taste.

More about some recipes of ACV after documenting the styling assignment I did last week..

The assignment was for a restaurant Kebabisthan, it was a fun filled 2 days shoot with the photographer Swathy sekaran and Chilli production house.

Water washed and packed a large batch of my boards and other props..

Could manage to click a few shots of the food with my mobile..

Working shot at the studio…

I had a wonderful time styling for the products as I could use many of my hand made boards which is not required for many white background based commercial shoots.

This brings me back to some of the recipes I tried from online food blogs using Apple cider vinegar.

Turmeric -ACV Tea

I often make turmeric-ginger-lemon tea at home and sip it all day long. I don’t follow any recipe as such to make this concoction but I keep increasing or decreasing ingredients according to taste. I have started adding a dash of acv to it for better health.

Ingredients;

• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp. organic, unfiltered AVC
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• Spice mix
• Mint leaves (optional)

Method; peel and finely chop ginger.

My spice-mix has the following ingredients in it;

• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Bring water to boil, add the above spice mix and boil it for another 9-10 minutes.

Remove it from heat, cover and let the spices seep for 10 minutes. Sieve and add honey, lemon juice and acv in it and stir well to combine all ingredients. drink it warm.

You can also make ahead the above concoction with more quantity without adding acv and lemon juice and store this turmeric tea in refrigerator for up to 20 days or more.

Use the desired amount of concoction, warm it a little and add acv and lemon juice in it. Add fresh mint leaves for more flavors.

Green tea ACV drink

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 green tea bag
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. acv
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 small ginger piece
• Crushed mint leaves

Method; Place a green tea bag in a glass and pour hot water over it.

Add honey, lemon juice, sliced ginger, acv, crushed mint leaves and enjoy it warm.

You can also add crushed ice and enjoy ice cold acv green tea.

Note;

1. I have reduced the recommended quantity of ACV in my drinks, as I still need to develop the taste for it.
2. Try not to heat ACV and honey directly as it can reduce the healing properties of the same.
3. Add more honey or water to adjust the drink to your taste.
4. Turmeric acv tea is good for cough and sore throat, these concoctions work for me.
5. Use fresh turmeric to make tea for better health.
6. Acv has a strong flavor, work around it to find which recipe works for you the best and reap the benefits.
7. Both the drinks could be relished warm and ice cold.

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