Welcome to Facebook

Welcome to Facebook......

My rendezvous with Facebook team....

" .....Would you like to host a team from Facebook who are touring India at your home for a few hours in connection with their research work? It would be an interactive session of about five hours and you would be rewarded a few hundred dollars for your time." This was how the mail I received on 9th January last year read.

I always fill the plate of my life with every possible ingredient. I am a seeker of knowledge. There is a constant hunger to learn and to experiment.

So I generally am very active online, exploring and participating in many activities, surveys, Q&As - reading, writing and learning. Not only does it open a window to the world and to the people across the globe, I get to pocket a few hundred bucks along the way. Albeit it's not very sought after but having some money coming your way never hurts, does it?

So I was pleasantly surprised when I received the mail and I thought why not. I instantly intimated them about my willingness. Then I was informed that there were many across the country who are eager to participate in this activity and that there would be a screening of telephonic interview.

Ok. Fine.

I was given an international number from which I was expected to receive the call. And that was the time for the butterflies to start dancing in my stomach. No. I was not worried about the questions. I was worried about the accent!!!

I would deviate a little here. I have graduated in English literature, it was my favorite subject in school after maths. I loved reading English books in my teens, used to write in English and when TV came along, it was the English serials to which I was hooked. Infact I would sit with my children enjoying all the English cartoon shows and they caught up the language quite early and thank me for enhancing their vocabulary through those shows. In fact I have no hesitation in admitting that whenever I am upset and sad, in my mind I start talking and arguing and pleading only in English!!!

But the problem was entirely different. Having studied in ಪಕ್ಕಾ ಹಳ್ಳಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಲಿ in North Karnataka, I had difficulty in quickly catching on the foreigners' accent. Watching on TV is different from having to follow them and answer to them over phone.

Fortunately for me when the call came, it was from an NRI and other than one or two " would you repeat please " ( psss... That had been taught to me by my daughter...) I sailed smoothly through the interview. 

Soon I received confirmation that I have been selected and this time they wanted me to send a few photos of inside of my home. The set up, where I would be seating and hosting my guests, the light and the space in the house. Well.... I stay in a small but beautiful house and with a trepidation I sent the photos. 

And finally I received the mail intimating the time and the names of my guests. All this while, my family thought that I was just having my routine time pass and nobody actually believed that I would be actually hosting a Facebook team from California. They were indulgent about both my enthusiasm and apprehensions and kept reassuring me not to worry because some local representatives would be visiting me. Even when I told that my guest list included the names of three foreign nationals and one Indian, they just smiled at me and thought that they would let that pass. 

And then the D Day arrived. I am a stickler of timings. And I expected my guests also to be the same. What with the famous Bangalore traffic, I think they were over cautious and in fact arrived a good eight minutes ahead of the schedule.

I had decided to be me, wearing a saree and welcomed them with a Namaste. To my pleasant surprise they had done their homework too and wished me the same way.

I hesitantly started conversing with them and soon we were chatting like long lost friends. Yes, though one Indian accompanied them, the interaction was only with the other three. They were extremely friendly and jovial. They were as fascinated by our home, our culture, our systems and our family as I was marvelled at having them at my home. In fact it turned out to be such an easy and friendly interaction that I confided to them about my apprehension about their accent and luckily for me it turned out to be not an issue at all!!

What followed was a marathon five hours interactive session, the details of which, unfortunately I can't share with anyone. And a little secret here. Conord, who did most of the interaction with me confided that he also felt as nervous about the whole experience as I was, having got up twice in the night, looking at the clock!!!

With all the cameras being set up and lights, camera, action started, my daughter, son-in-law and daughter-in-law who were in their offices were thrilled as the exchange of photos, videos and messages started flowing thick and fast.

It was a great experience indeed, having the team from Facebook around my home, enquiring about everything, appreciating my terrace garden, soaking in all the experiences, and listening, recording and shooting every word I uttered with great attention. 

My son had offered to stay back at home along with my husband to give me moral support and taking photos and videos and mostly reassuring me that I was doing fine.

Finally after five hours of pleasant interaction and having some snacks and juice, they bid us adieu with a promise to share with me the photos they had taken.

Before they left, I asked them curiously as to what led to my fortunate selection in this activity. I would proudly share with you that across the entire country twenty people had been selected based on their own criteria of identifying users who are passionate about their activities and from whom they felt would get good inputs.

The best compliment I received was when my son was all praises about my entire experience, about the way I handled the interview and took me out for a big treat in the evening ❤️

Sajje hittina dosa - roti recipe in Kannada | Bajre ki uttapam | How to make Bajre Na Chamchamiya - gujarati dish

Ingredients :-

• Sajje hittu - Pearl Millet Flour (Bajra Flour) 1 big cup
• Jeera 1 tablespoon
• Finely chopped methi - Fenugreek Leaves 1/2 c isup
• Finely chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves (Hara Dhaniya) 1/2 cup
• Sesame Seeds 2 tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Ginger Paste 1/2 tablespoon
• Chilli paste 1/2 tablespoon
• Medium Sour Buttermilk 1/2 cup
• Eno or Cooking Soda 1/8 teaspoon
• Luke Warm Water 1/2 cup Refined Oil for cooking
• Salt to taste

Recipe video : 

Procedure :

• Add all the dry ingredients except oil and only 1 tablespoon til in a bowl.
• Add buttermilk to it and mix.
• Now add the warm water and adjust the batter to uttapam batter consistency.
• Heat the set dosa tawa. If you don't have set dosa tawa, you can use the normal tawa also.
• Apply oil in the moulds.
• Sprinkle few sesame seeds.
• Now pour the batter and spread lightly.
• Sprinkle some more oil and a few more sesame seeds.
• Cook the dosa on medium low heat so that the dosas are cooked from the inside.
• Once the edges turn golden in colour, flip them and sprinkle a little more oil. 
• Cook again over low heat till the other side also becomes crisp and brown.
• Once the dosas become crisp and light, remove from the heat and serve hot with butter and pickle or any other side dish of your choice.

Handmade seviyan kheer recipe | Vermicelli milk pudding | ಉತ್ತರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಗೌಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಪಾಯಸ | homemade vermicelli recipe in Kannada

 

This is the traditional homemade vermicelli that tastes absolutely great with its creamy and nutty deliciousness.

Though this involves somewhat time consuming manual work, the result is worth all the efforts. The result of the efforts is literally in this semiyan pudding!

You can prepare the dough with just three ingredients and can easily roll out the gouli during the day as you sit in front of the TV watching your favourite serials! It's our duty to preserve these rich Indian cooking traditions.

And once you eat these gouli payasam, the machine made shemiya will feel like plastic - I am sorry but that is the truth.

Come and watch this fascinating gouli making process in this video:

Recipe video:

Ingredients :

For making gouli :

• Wheat flour - atta     1 cup
• Melted ghee              1 tablespoon
• Milk to mix the dough

For making payasam :

• Ghee                                   1 tablespoon
• Mixed dry fruits pieces    1 tablespoon
• Home made gouli semia 1 cup
• Milk                                      3 cups
• Jaggery a little less than one cup
• Elaichi powder                   1 teaspoon

Procedure :

• Heat ghee in a thick bottomed kadai.
• Add cut dry fruits and fry to golden brown.
• Add the semiyan and fry till aromatic.
• Add one cup of milk and mix well.
• Cover the lid and cook over low heat till the semiyan turn soft. You may add some milk here if it's getting very thick.
• Once the gouli turns soft, add jaggery and mix well.
• Next add another two cups of milk and let it boil.
• As the payasam get thick and creamy, add the elaichi powder.
• Simmer over low heat just a little more and adjust the consistency of the payasam to your liking by adjusting the milk.
• Switch off the heat.
• Enjoy the creamy, nutty and delicious payasam with a spoon of ghee.

Millet set dosa recipe | Healthy multi millet set dosa | Diabetic friendly millet dosa recipe in Kannada | Sponge dosa recipe

 

Ingredients :

• Brown top millet ( korale ) 3 cups
• ( You can also use other millets like arka or Navane )
• Urad dal 3/4 cup
• Poha ( Gatti avalakki ) 1/4 cup 
• Or a little more
• Methi seeds 2 tablespoon
• Oil for cooking
• Salt to taste

Recipe video :

Procedure : 

• Wash and soak 3 cups of millet, 3/4 cup urad dal with 2 tablespoon methi seeds separately for 6-8 hours. 
• Just half an hour before grinding wash and soak 1/2 cup gatti avalakki or poha.
• Grind everything together to a fine batter.
• Set it aside to ferment overnight.
• In the morning add the required quantity of salt and water.
• The batter should be of a little thick consistency.
• Heat iron tava.
• Pour the batter on the tawa. Don't press it. ( Please watch the video to know how you should put it )
• It should be a little thick to give that unique taste and texture of spongy and pillowy set dosa.
• Lower the gas heat and cook on medium flame.
• Sprinkle cooking oil over it and at the edges.
• Once the little holes appear on the dosa and when it changes colour, flip it. 
• Put a few drops of oil again.
• Once the other turn starts turning light golden brown, remove from the tawa.
• Serve hot with vegetable sagu and coconut chutney.

Ragi & sabudana idli recipe | finger millet and sabakki idli | ragi sago idli | javvarisi idli with finger millet

Preparation Time  : 10 minutes

Cooking Time        : 10 minutes

Makes 24 idlis.

Ingredients :

• Nylon sabbakki (small )/ Nylon Sabudana 1 cup
• Idli rava / rice rava 1 cup
• Ragi flour / finger millet flour 1 cup
• Sour curds / Huli mosaru 3 cups
• 1/2 cup water - can adjust for the consistency
• Baking soda 1/4 teaspoon
• Cooking Oil 1 tablespoon
• Cashewnuts a few
• Salt to taste

Recipe video :

Procedure : 

• In a bowl take nylon sabudana and wash them well.
• Separately in another bowl wash the idli rava.
• Take three cups thick curd  in a big bowl.
• Add one cup ragi flour and mix well.
• To this add the washed sabudana and idli rava.
• Mix everything well.
• Set aside overnight to ferment.
• In the morning add water to adjust the consistency of idli batter.
• Add salt and soda.
• Grease the idli moulds with cooking oil.
• Keep a cashew in the center and pour in the batter.
• Don't put the batter fully. Leave some space for the idlis to expand.
• Steam the idlis for 8 to10 minutes.
• Allow it to rest for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Unmould and serve hot with ghee and coconut chutney.

methi matar malai recipe | quick and easy recipe to make resturant style methi mutter malai | methi malai matar

Serves 4

Ingredients : 

• Finely chopped methi leaves 1 bowl
• Boiled green peas 2 cups
• Chopped onions 4
• Slit green chillies 5-6
• Chopped tomato 1
• Fresh cream 1 cup
• Cooking oil 2 tablespoon
• Garlic ginger paste
• Cashewnuts 1/2 cup
• Jeera 1/2 tablespoon
• Garam masala 1 tablespoon
• Kasuri methi powder 1 tablespoon
• Sugar 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Recipe video :

Procedure :

• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a kadai.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida.
• Put in the greenpeas and saute for a minute.
• Add water and boil till the greenpeas turn soft. 
• Strain and set aside.
• 
  
• In a thick bottomed kadai heat 1 tablespoon oil.
• Add the chopped onions and saute till they become soft.
• Now add green chillies, garlic ginger paste and chopped tomatoes.
• Saute till everything becomes soft.
• Turn off the heat and let it cool.
• Once it's cool, add half cup of cashewnuts to it and grind to a fine paste.
• In the thick bottomed kadai heat a tablespoon of oil.

• Add the chopped methi leaves and cook till they become soft.
• Now add the ground paste and cook, stirring continuously till everything is mixed and cooked well.
• Now add a cup of water, a cup of fresh cream.
• When it's boiling, add garam masala, kasuri methi, salt and sugar.
• Let it boil for 7 to 8 minutes till the gravy turns thick and creamy.
• Garnish with some more fresh cream and serve with hot chapatis and rotis.

Millet bisibele bath Recipe | How to make Brown top millet bisibele bath | Siri dhanya bisi bele bath recipe

Prep Time              10 Minutes

Cooking Time       30 Minutes

Serves                    4

Ingredients :

• Brown top millet ( korale )   1   cup
• ( You can also use other millets like korale or Navane )
• Green gram or moong dal   a little less than 1 cup
• Tamarind                                1 Lemon sized
• Jaggery                                   1 Tablespoon – depending on the sweetness you wish
• Bisibele bhath powder / Sambar/Garam masala powder                         2 Tablespoon
• Red Chilli Powder                    1 Tablespoon
• Ghee                                           2 tablespoons
• Salt to taste

Recipe Video :

Vegetables :

The following vegetables cut in 1” length

• Capsicum
• Onion 
• Tomato

• Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves
• Fresh peas or  Hyacinth Bean - Avarekalu 1 cup ( If you have neither, then you can use peanuts. But Avarekalu tastes best. In the season if you get Jackfruit seeds, you use them. After Avarekalu, they are the next best :-) )
• PS : Here I would like to mention that the choice of vegetables is entirely yours. If there is a plus or minus, it is absolutely no problem.

  

For Tadka :

• Oil                                 1   tablespoon
• Mustard seeds            1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder        ½ teaspoon
• Hing  ( asafoetida )     1/4 teaspoon

Preparation :

• Soak tamarind in water.
• Wash millet and dal separately.
• In a cooker cook daal along with vegetables in one container.
• And cook millet in separate container adding two and half cups of water.
• To cook millet I generally add water at 1:2 proportion. But here I have put a little more water so that the millet is cooked soft.
• Once it cools down, in a thick bottomed kadai, heat oil and add mustard seed. 
• Once they splutter, add turmeric powder and hing. 
• Squeeze the tamarind pulp in it and add 2 glasses of water and let it come to a boil.
• While it is boiling, add jaggery, red chilli powder, bisibele bhath powder, salt and curry leaves and let it boil for another 5-6 minutes till it gives some fine aroma.
• Then add the dal cooked with veggies, add water if required and boil for five more minutes.
• Add the cooked millet, mix well and taste to check if you need some more salt, chilli powder Sambar powder or jaggery. 
• Cook on low fire.
• The bisi bele bhath at this point should be quite liquid. If you make it solid at this point, later on it will turn still hard. The best option would be to get a right liquid consistency at this point and still add half a glass of water and cook for just a few seconds and turn off the gas. So even if you eat it after hours, it will remain liquid and light.
• Add ghee and garnish with finely chopped coriander and cover for five minutes.
• Serve hot with Raita, Boondi kaalu or chips.

Millet pulav recipe | ಸಿರಿಧಾನ್ಯ ಪುಲಾವ್ ರೆಸಿಪಿ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ | Kodo - Foxtail - browntop - Kutki Jhangora millet pulao - biryani recipe

 

Ingredients :

• Millet - Siridhanya 1 cup
• ( You can take any millet you want like Foxtail millet - Navane, Kutki - same, Kodo millet - Harka, Jhangora - Oodalu, Brown top millet - Korale )

• I have used Brown top millet - Korale.

• Boiled water 1 1/2 cups
• ( Use only this much water for both grinding and cooking together )
• Ghee or Refined oil       2 tbsp
• Cauliflower florets        1/2 cup
• Carrot pieces                 1/2 cup
• Beans pieces                  1/2 cup
• Potato pieces                 1/2 cup
• Fresh Peas                      1 cup ( You can soak dry peas and use )
• Chopped onion              1cup
• Sugar                              ½ tsp
• Salt to taste

For Masala paste :

• Pudina ( Mint ) a few leaves
• Coriander a few leaves
• Green chillies 4
• Ginger a small piece
• Garlic   1-2 pods
• Cinnamon a tiny piece
• Elaichi 2-3
• Cloves   4                                  
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Poppy seeds 1/2 teaspoon

Recipe video : 

Procedure :

• Wash and drain the millets and keep aside for twenty minutes.
• Heat water.
• Using all the ingredients mentioned above, grind the masala paste using very little water.
• Heat the cooking pan.
• Heat two tablespoons of ghee.
• Add the chopped onions and fry to golden brown.
• Next mix all the cut vegetables.
• Now add the ground masala paste and fry till aromatic.
• And add the washed millets.
• Pour one and a half cup of hot water, salt and half teaspoon of sugar.
• Mix everything well.
• Cover the lid and cook to three whistles.
• Serve hot with raita.

Lemon green chilli pickle recipe | nimbu mirch ka achar | ನಿಂಬೆ ಹಸಿಮೆಣಸಿನ ಕಾಯಿ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ | Easy lemon pickle - grandma's recipe

 

Ingredients :

• 20 ripe lemons
• A little more than 1/2 paavu sugar 
• A little more than 1/2 paavu salt
• Around 200 grams green chillies - alter the quantity according to your taste and preference.
• 2  tablespoon fried methi powder
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Hing or asafoetida

Recipe video : 

Procedure :

• First and foremost, wash and completely dry all the utensils, knife and glass jars you are using to make and keep the pickles.
• Wash and completely clean dry - even a day in advance - all your lemons and chillies 
• Heat a kadai.
• Dry roast a small cup of methi seeds.
• Grind to a nice powder and keep it aside.
• Slit the green chillies into two and set aside.
• Cut ten out of twenty lemons into halves and squeeze the juice with lemon juicer. Don't squeeze completely. Let some juice remain in the lemons.
• Keep the juice aside.

• Now cut the squeezed ten lemons and the other ten lemons into small pieces and put in a big vessel.
• To this add salt, sugar, slit green chillies, roasted methi powder, turmeric powder and hing.
• Mix everything well.
• Add the lemon juice and mix again.
• Keep it covered for about twenty four hours.
• Next day the pickle would have juiced and spices mixed nicely.
• Mix it once again and keep it in a clean and totally dry glass jar with the lid covered tightly.
• After a week or so, once again mix the pickle with a dry spatula or spoon and keep it again covered in an airtight jar for about 20-25 days.
• Afterwards the pickles would mature and turn nice and soft absorbing all the spices and the juice.
• Enjoy the sweet, tangy and spicy pickle with your favourite dish.
• This pickle can be stored without refrigeration upto a year or two.

Lemon pickle recipe | nimbu ka achar recipe | ನಿಂಬೆ ಹಣ್ಣಿನ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ ರೆಸಿಪಿ in ಕನ್ನಡ | Easy lemon pickle - grandma's recipe

Ingredients :

• 20 ripe lemons
• A little more than 1/2 paavu sugar
• A little more than 1/2 paavu salt
• A little more than 1/2 paavu kashmiri red chilli powder or byadagi chilli powder
• 2  tablespoon fried methi powder
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Hing or asafoetida

Recipe video :

Procedure :

• First and foremost, wash and completely dry all the utensils, knife and glass jars you are using to make and keep the pickles.
• Heat a kadai.
• Dry roast a cup of methi seeds.
• Grind to a nice powder and keep it aside.
• Cut ten out of twenty lemons into halves and squeeze the juice with lemon juicer. Don't squeeze completely. Let some juice remain in the lemons.
• Keep the juice aside.
• Now cut the squeezed ten lemons and the other ten lemons into small pieces and put in a big vessel.
• To this add salt, sugar, byadagi chilli powder, roasted methi powder, turmeric powder and hing.
• Mix everything well.
• Add the lemon juice and mix again.
• Keep it covered for about twenty four hours.
• Next day the pickle would have juiced and spices mixed nicely.

• Mix it once again and keep it in a clean and totally dry glass jar with the lid covered tightly.
• After a week or so, once again mix the pickle with a dry spatula or spoon and keep it again covered for about 20-25 days.
• Afterwards the pickles would mature and turn nice and soft absorbing all the spices and the juice.
• Enjoy the sweet, tangy and spicy pickle with your favourite dish.
• This pickle can be stored without refrigeration upto a year or two.