2016

Ravi Chandran – A Software Engineer by Profession, loves Nature Photography, started cooking since the early teens, a doting father to two beautiful daughters and the author of “Nalabaagam”. Very apt name for the blog 🙂 🙂 (Nala is a Hindu Mythology character that appears in the Epic Mahabarat. His culinary repertoire was well known that the word Nalapaka became a synonym for excellence in culinary arts) Randomly I started following Ravi Anna on Instagram two years ago. His feed was full of interesting still photography, sunsets, handmade jewelry & quilling works done by his daughters and on top of…

On a Friday night I was wondering what to make for dinner. Then this idea popped up. Prepared a quick tikki with Potatoes and paneer,served with a simple home made green chutney, store bought Imli(tamarind) Chutney and a salad. It was a satisfying meal and a perfect start for the weekend. Instead of Paneer you could add Tofu too. Since these tikkis are shallow fried they didn’t consume too much oil too. The following measurement yields upto 12-15 medium sized tikkis


Quinoa pronounced as ‘keen-wah’ is one of the most popular Health foods in recent days. Gluten free, rich in protein and incredibly nutritious are the reasons which makes this cereal grain the most wanted. White, Red and Black are the three main types of Quinoa and I have tried various recipes using this. However the Indo-Chinese version of Quinoa is our personal favorite. I was initially confused as what to name this dish 😉 Veg quinoa somehow sounded incomplete. Hence going by this name “Veg Quinoa Fried Rice” for the dish. The classic Chinese dish gets a makeover with quinoa….

I started following Shanti Aunty in Instagram over a year ago and am truly impressed by her instagram feed since then. A Banker by profession,loves gardening, takes great care of her family,passionate about food and in spite of her busy schedule she manages to share her day to day preparations in various social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram without fail. She doesn’t stop at just uploading the pictures but painstakingly write down the recipes then and there along with the pictures. In an era where even if someone asks a recipe for a simple coconut chutney people will redirect…

Sambar Rice is like the ‘kichdi’ of SouthIndia. Perfect comfort food to have during elaborate weekend lunch or sometimes during dinner too. This recipe is based on Tamil Nadu style of cooking. It is prepared generally from Rice and Toor Dal. In recent days due to various health reasons people are trying to switch from White Rice to millets for day to day cooking. This sambar sadham recipe is made using Barnyard Millet(Kuthiraivali in Tamil) & Masoor Dal. Also this is the best way to sneak in the vegetables and even fuzzy eaters will love this dish.The millet version tastes…

Natasha – Born and brought up in Mumbai and currently living in Pune. I came to know her only few months ago through Instagram. She has been documenting her day to day food preparations,tips & tricks,recipes on that platform for over a year.Without any fancy plating or styling her food is simple, delicious and it definitely connects with your soul. A warm person who never fails to appreciate other’s creations which is a rare quality nowadays. Even with all the organs perfectly functioning, I sometimes cant give up this habit of binge eating. But she lost her stomach to a…

I always have Dosai batter in stock and it comes handy while trying to make quick breakfast or dinner. But at times I do forget the bowl of batter lying in fridge and it does become a bit sour after two days. Instead of wasting the sour batter you can try making this ragi rava roast[Finger Millet flour + Semolina crepes] and am sure your family will enjoy this breakfast.I served coconut chutney and tomato chutney as side dishes. However you could serve it sambar or molagapodi [GunPowder] too The following measurement approximately yields 12 medium sized dosas. Unlike dosa batter, this ragi rava batter has to be watery like our regular rava roast. Also you need to pour batter on a hot Dosa Tawa. If the temperature is not correct then it will difficult for you to remove dosa from the pan

Rama Navami is a traditional Hindu Festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Shri Rama. Lord Rama is the sixth reincarnation of Lord Vishnu himself and in Tamil Nadu temples we celebrate “Shri Rama Navami Utsavam” for nine days. It is firmly believed that mere chanting of His name ‘Rama’ burns ignorance, passion and sin. With or without knowledge, correctly or incorrectly, when the word “Rama” is pronounced it showers a rain of good upon the devotees. My mom usually reads Samkshepa Ramayan and she performs a simple pooja by reciting Shri Rama Ashtothram and then finish the pooja with…

These eggless peanut butter cookies are perfect little treats for your kids’ school snackbox. Or you can also serve them in evenings, along with a plain glass of milk. You can make this vegan-friendly, by substituting plain milk with dairy free nut milk, soy milk or coconut milk. The texture of these cookies are a bit crunchy yet melt in mouth. However if you prefer a chewy texture then reduce the baking time by 3 or 4 minutes lesser than the time mentioned below in recipe.

As any other social media platform, Instagram is addictive too. When I started using it in 2012, I was so naive and don’t even know how to add hashtags or how to follow the right people. Since 2013 I have been uploading my food photos regularly and started getting a hang of it. Unlike other SM platforms there is not much of negativity here. Right from food photography,styling,recipe ideas you can learn so many things from this community. The best part is you can follow like minded, passionate foodies all around the world. There are no boundaries. “Insta-spirations” is my…