Saraswati Pujo or Vasant Panchami

Jaya Jaya Devi
Chara Chara Share
Kucho Jogo Shobhito
Mukta Hare
Beena Ranjita
Pustaka Haste
Bhagwati Bharati
Devi Namastute

Saraswati Pujo, the worship of Goddess Saraswati -- the Goddess of Learning in Hindu Mythology, is a special occasion in Bengal. Every year on the day of Vasanta Panchami the Goddess is worshipped in numerous Bengali homes and also in schools, colleges and social communities. The festival is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the shukla paksha (waxing phase of the moon) of the Magha (around January/February) month of the Indian calendar, on the day called 'Vasant Panchami'
This day is so highly esteemed in Bengal that all centers of learning in Bengal are closed on this day. Students offer their books for worship and are not allowed to do any reading or writing on this day.The predominant colour of this day is yellow or basanti, as a sign of Spring which arrives soon after in India. You can learn more about this festival here.

Though this Puja is associated with a religion or mythology, this is more important because this is an humble way to pay our respect for knowledge and learning

We had a small Saraswati Puja today at home as in the above picture. Seeking blessings from the Learning Goddess for all of us, to give us wisdom, knowledge and a desire to learn and to share our learning.

For a complete Saraswati Pujo menu of Bhog er Khichuri, Labra and Chaatni go to this post and see the recipes.

Banana Pancake For Breakfast

Three of my dear blogger friends have started two very interesting and new events this year. Everyone is already aware of Monthly Blog Patrolling and I am sure Coffee is busy going through her entries right now.

Maheshwari of Beyond The Usual started AFAM aka A Fruit A Month. An event started to encourage eating more fruits and making tasty healthy dishes using the fruit of the month. A healthy event and by the end of it we will be more aware of fruits than we would have ever imagined.

TRS of The Spice Who Loved Me had a brilliant idea to involve kids in the kitchen and come up with kid friendly recipes where kids play a role other than eating. Kids curious creatues that they are, are more than ready to help in the kitchen, this burst of interest wanes as they grow and so let's make the best of the situation in hand. Her event Little Friends In The Kitchen will make the kids interested in food blogging too in no time I am sure

To have something for both of these events We made a simple, kid friendly breakfast Saturday morning which had Fruit of January Banana and where my Daughter was more than eager to pitch in. Simple delicious Banana Pancake

I am not going to put up the recipe here. I followed mostly Jaya's Banana Pancake Recipe. We used Bisquik Pancake Mix, omitted the eggs, added One mashed Banana, pinch of nutmeg, and the Pancake Batter was mixed by none other than my lil' daughter S.

Considering she is only three she is pretty helpful in the kitchen and otherwise. Weeekends she helps her Dad unload the dishwasher and is too happy to pound masala for me in the Mortar. Compared to all that, whisking the batter seemed to be a piece of cake for her :) And when all of us gave her credits for the Pancake you should have seen the glow of pride on her face. She says "Thanks Mashis for letting me be in the blog"

I loved seeing all of you guys putting up your kitchen pics. So I decided to share what I see From My Kitchen Window, the blue sky and lots of light on a Sunny Day.

Dil Mangta -- Pasta

I am not a big Pasta fan, at least not the Italian way, give me Desi Pasta (if there is anything like it) and I would happily lick my plate. Yeah wipe that surprise off your face, there are people like me out there. I have had Pasta at Olive Garden, their soup and salad is great but the pasta, naaaaah nothing that I could fall for, then onto Macaroni Grill, their option of “Make Your Own Pasta” sounds great and the creation that I finally make is something that will send the Italians rolling their eyes at me(thank god the waitresses are much more tolerant). Maybe because I have had Pasta at only these chain places and not at an authentic Italian Bistro, I refrain from saying “Mamma Mia” when I see Pasta

No one would believe this and there would be more rolling of eyes, but the best Pasta I have eaten to date is in a restaurant called “Casa Picola” in Bangalore, India, you should eat it to believe it.
The next best pasta happened at home when D discovered Barilla Restaurant Creations, two jars that you mix to get the resultant sauce. He tried sugo alla napoletana and the pasta was divine. But sadly the Shop Rites and Stop & Shops (local grocery stores) carry it no longer and I think it is available only in select stores or online. So that had to go to.
Even S my lil’ one loves Macaroni Cheese and Noodles but Pasta in Sauce, no way, she claims that’s Pasta gone dirty !!!

So I end up Cooking Pasta like I would do Noodles and we all love it, no please, I see that smirk on your face , but I tell you there are people like me out there.
And then I found this Pasta in Mahanadi’s blog. The great cook that she is, trust her to throw a nice Indian touch to this dish. Get the Original Recipe Here.
I liked the idea of cumin and tomato paste as the base for pasta sauce. But the similarity ends there, almost… I did not have red bell peppers and did not want to use peanuts so I omitted them and added some of my own stuff to make it a little more healthy. But I loved what happened, the bold flavor of the cumin and dry red chillis made it smell just right. I also loved the blended soy chunks I used, they added a thickness to the sauce, something that would have happened if I added sausage


Read more...

Pasta in Tomato Cumin Sauce

What You Need

Whole Wheat Pasta ~ 3 cup. I used Barilla Plus Rotini
Soy Chunks ~ ½ cup . I used Nutrela Soy Chunks
Tomato ~ 1 and ½ finely chopped alternatively use Cherry Tomatoes
Tomato Juice from canned Tomatoes ~ 2 tbsp
Garlic ~ 2 cloves
Dry Red Chilli ~ 4
Cumin Seeds ~ 1 tsp
Mixed Vegetables ~ ½ cup. Other veggies should also do.

How I Did It
Soak soy chunks in water and microwave for 1 minute or more till they are soft. Let them cool
Meanwhile chop tomatoes and garlic
In blender add soy granules, tomatoes, garlic, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, 2 tbsp tomato juice and make a fine paste
Cook pasta al dente according to instructions on the box.
Rinse cooked pasta with cold water and toss with 1 tsp of Olive Oil
Heat Olive Oil in a Frying pan
Add 2 tbsp of onion paste
When the onions turn pinkish brown add the prepared paste and sauté till the sauce is cooked
Add about ½ cup of mixed vegetables. I use frozen mixed veggies which I Cooked in the microwave. You can use steamed veggies if you want.
When the veggies are cooked add the pasta.
Mix till the sauce coats the pasta well
The Rotini pasta retain the spices in their crevices and I like that. Served it with a home made strawberry-banana smoothie to offset the red chillis. Though to be truthful this was not at all hot for my spice level
For my daughter, omitted the red chillies and made the sauce

The good thing about this was that a plateful makes a hearty meal and the way I did it it was a quick mid week dinner. Thanks to Indira but you should really follow her recipe as I am sure that would be much more tastier.
This also goes to my blogger friend Coffee's Monthly Blog Patrol, see you there.
Trivia:Pasta existed for thousands of years before anybody ever thought of putting tomatoe sauce on it. Cortez, a Spanish explorer, brought tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico in 1519. Even then, nearly 200 years passed before spaghetti served with tomatoe sauce made its way into Italian kitchens.