Announcing Back To Basics

There was a time when my kitchen was lined with bottles and jars containing fresh and homemade podis and masalas and pickles and yes, ghee.


But that was many years ago when we lived in Bombay and made monthly trips to Pune; with every trip, we'd return with the choicest of home-made goodies that my mother and MIL would gladly prepare for us.


Then, we moved overseas. And while I armed myself with all the recipes, I never used any of them. I have been purchasing most of my basic masalas and podis and the like for many years now.


I was, however, nudged to look up all those recipes when last month Jaya came up with an event called Back to Basics. One look at the round up and I realised that this was an event that could equip everyone (well, yes, I do have my own very selfish interest here) with many tips and tricks to make cooking and eating simpler, easier and healthier.


I was glad when Jaya decided to continue with the event and I am delighted to be hosting it this month.


Here's what this event encompasses (and this is from the original event announcement):

1. How to and tips on how you make your life easier in the kitchen, by grinding pastes or freezing seasonal fruits and vegetables.


2. Recipes for rubs, marinades and masalas: garam masala, goda masala, dhana jeera powder (corrainder cumin), etc.


3. Posts like Srivalli's 'cooking toor dal for the week and storing in the fridge'.


4. Recipes for concentrates like this lemon concentrate used to make lemonade.


5. A food recipe that goes with the above is totally optional but welcome.


6. All recipes need to be original; if yours is inspired by any other in the blogosphere, do provide a link for the same.


7. Link your post to Jaya's post and my event announcement and send me the URL of your post either by sending me a mail on aquadaze{at}rediffmail{dot}com or by leaving a comment at the end of this post.


8. Archived entries are welcome, please do update them with the links mentioned in point 7 above.


9. Don't have a blog but have lots of tips and tricks up your sleeve? Do mail them to me on the e-mail address mentioned above.


Last date for sending in your entries: Sept. 8.


Looking forward to your entries......