“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” ~ Vonnegut

It has been over 5 years already and I still remember that moment when I decided to start a blog. My hands were unsteady, my heart pounding hard & loud….and I clicked that ‘enter’ button to begin my online journey through Lite Bite.

I had absolutely no idea or expectation as to where this journey will take me to. But what an amazing journey it has been!

Over the years, I am able to carve a beautiful path to reach to my dreams through Food blogging with the support of my loving family & friends.  Hmm…well, as they say “You can’t go wrong where there is love and inspiration”.

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ~ Edith Sitwell.

Winter season is a celebration of food. Lower temperature and abundance of fresh produce make winter the most favored season for food lovers.

Hmm….well, the temperature in the city where I currently reside, hardly dips below 20° c.  Do you think this could be a reason for me not to indulge in some of my favorite winter comfort foods? Not in the least.

Come winter season and I start craving for certain recipes which are cooked with love and passed from generation to generation. Yes, there is something special about winters that make you long for home cooked food.

‘Life is a rough biography. Memories smooth out the edges.’ Dante G.

Time can forget some memories, but there are some memories which can make us forget time and those memories make life sweeter.
Growing up in 1960s and 1970s meant that we remained uninfluenced by technology and many other complex electronic gadgets. In simple words, our life was practically devoid of many material things such as Barbie dolls, Lego sets, Television, computers and cell phones. Which indirectly helped us enjoy nature and human relationships to its fullest form.

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” ~William James.

There is nothing worse than having to wake up every morning and getting ready to go to work you don’t like.

I joined my first corporate job after finishing my second masters’ degree, back in 1990.

But soon found myself jumping from one job to another, before settling for the one I liked. May be, I was not ready to adapt myself to my new routine and  probably was intimidated by those high-pressured corporate jobs, during the initial phase of my work life.

Hmm…I should have learned to love what I did and continued…too late.

Last few days went prepping and celebrating one of our biggest festivals, Diwali. I had a wonderful time with family and friends, whipping desserts, cooking grand feast and chatting all day long.

Diwali preparations started a week before at my home, shopping for new clothes, buying crackers, cleaning the house and finally sitting down to making sweets and savories.

When I think of Diwali, my mind wanders back to happy festive days spent at my granny’s home. Her house would start getting filled with the heady aromas of ghee fried besan and ajwain namkeenpare, well in advance before actual Diwali day.

Adapting to new situations is absolutely essential to any kind of success or happiness in life. I was not born and raised in Chennai but have been living here for close to eighteen years.

New language, hot climate, different food habits and strict rituals at in-laws’ home in Chennai intimidated this simple girl from Rajasthan at first. Change is always unpleasant to some degree.

But over a period of time this city has grown on me.

I fell in love with my new city as I learned to speak the local language and started to follow the rituals at home.

There are many things in life that I wish I could keep with me forever. The memories and days spent at my hometown in Udiapur tops that list.

I had a chance to visit Udaipur last week, which incidentally was my shortest ever trip to my hometown. I started at the wee hours of morning, left my children behind for a week, changed two fights, killed never-ending transit time at airport, and then traveled by road again to finally reach Udaipur late in night.

Yes, I did it all in one day. But I am not complaining.

“We do not know the value of our moments until they have become a memory.”  ~Sam H. The saying reflects my school days, perfectly. I didn’t give much thought back then, but school days and school friends were the best.

Days pass and memories fade. We just didn’t realize how soon time flew past. Distance, family commitments and work pressure is keeping many of us away from each other. But our bond of friendship is still strong and the good memories are with us forever.

Any recognition feels good, as it is a reward and an affirmation of what one does…Hmm..agreed. But what one does when one is featured in two different magazines and is still trying to decipher what is written in there.

Google translation of both the articles makes it a comic read. Well, sometimes, somethings are best if left unsaid. Hoping good is written about me 🙂  here is how it all started…

The other day I received this mail from the editor of a popular Italian magazine;

A Subzi or vegetable stir-fry is an integral part of an Indian Thali (platter). If Subzi is one of the important components alongside a flat bread in a North Indian thali then it takes the form of an accompaniment to rice dishes in South India.

Subzi also refers to any vegetable in Hindi. I like these quick subzis made with fresh vegetables more than the slow-cooked curries wherein the vegetables are completely lost in the flavors of spices and gravies they are cooked in. Whether it is a rich Peas and paneer butter masala or a creamy malai kofta, to me they all taste same.