Posted in Beverages, tagged Arvinda's, beverage, drink, Garam Masala, green goodness, PostAWeek2011, summer, thirst quenching, water on July 18, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Garam Masala Green Goodness Water - it's a thirst quencher!
I’m loving the summer heat. In India, many cafes and restos are stocked with an array of thirst quenching beverages deliciously infused with lime, ginger, pineapple and mangoes. Some are sweetened and often you can get these drinks unsweetened too.
Posted in Beverages, Breakfast, Cooking Class, Indian-Inspired, Recipes, tagged apple, Arvinda's, beverage, chai masala, Cooking Class, healthy, Indian, Indo-Canadian Report, kids cooking, March Break Chef Camp, pressed, Radio Canada International, Rashi Khilnani, samosa, Victor Nerenberg, Whole Foods Market on March 21, 2010 | 1 Comment »
As March Break wraps up and the kids head back to school, many will be enthralled by their winter break cooking experiences and kitchen stories. A couple days ago I was at Whole Foods March Break Chef Camp for the Spices of India session, to teach the kiddies about spices. As I walked into the room, these clever little munchkins were cooking up Samosas and Tandoori Chicken with my friends Amanda and Rose. Impressive!
Even though I was enthused by their excitement and liking to the spices, I really shouldn’t be all that surprised. Over the years, we’ve run a number of Indian cooking classes for kids and have had a handful of aspiring teenage chefs join our adult classes—all wanting to learn authentic Indian cuisine!
A few weeks back, I spoke to Victor Nerenberg on the Indo-Canadian Report at Radio Canada International about how we’ve had excited young chefs in our classes, amongst other Indian cooking techniques. Listen to the radio clip.
Apple Ginger Chai Pressed Juice
Posted in Beverages, Entertaining, Food Network, Garam Masala, Indian-Inspired, Recipes, tagged Arvinda's, beverage, Bournville, Cadbury, chai, chai masala, Christmas, cocoa, Cocoa Camino, cocoa rouge, Food Network, Garam Masala, Guittard, hot chocolate, Indian, recipe, spice, Valentine's Day on February 27, 2010 | 9 Comments »
Preena
Since releasing Arvinda’s Artisanal Indian Spice Blends in 2005 I’ve always loved the dark chocolate and garam masala combo. There is something great about the pairing of sweet with savoury, similar to a caramel with sea salt. Since then I’m always sneaking a hit of Arvinda’s Garam Masala into my hot chocolate – I think I have this every day!
Being a sweet lover, a steamy cup of hot chocolate is as much comfort for me as a warm blanket. Therefore, my garam masala hot chocolate ritual gives me both a sweet fix and like I said, comfort from the warming Indian spices, especially needed for our snowy days like today.
After a few years, I’m still super-loving this recipe and haven’t found anything to displace my daily indulgence, so I’m excited to share this with you!
Here is a short video clip on Making Preena’s Signature Garam Masala Hot Chocolate with Arvinda’s and the recipe that goes along with it:
A few weeks ago, trend-spotter and food blogger Dana McCauley, asked her audience about culinary collections. Yes, that would be me, a collector of cocoas and hot chocolates amongst my other food collectibles. Here are some of my favourites…
A selection of my favourites
Although I have many different hot chocolates in my collection, I prefer making hot chocolate from scratch using pure cocoa, to avoid any additives or preservatives. My absolute favourite is Cadbury’s Bournville Cocoa (Fair Trade certified), and Guittard’s Cocoa Rouge is also delicious with its fudge-like bittersweet qualities. Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa is also a great choice, as is Canadian Cocoa Camino cooperative’s organic and Fair Trade cocoa.
My top pure cocoa pics
Each cocoa does indeed have a unique flavour and characteristic, lending differences in taste, texture and full-bodiness.
Hint: I switch up the recipe from time to time and swap out the garam masala for Arvinda’s Chai Masala to give that quintessential chai flavour. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
A teaspoon of: Snow Patrol. Listening to: Chocolate.
Posted in Authentic Indian, Beverages, Olympic Games, Recipes, tagged Arvinda's, beverage, Bollywood, Breakfast, cardamom, chai, chai masala, Davis and White, figure skating, gold medal, holiday, Joannie Rochette, Johnny Weir, Olympics, Patrick Chan, Plushenko, recipe, tea, Vancouver 2010, Virtue and Moir on February 19, 2010 | 3 Comments »
I’m glued to Men’s Figure Skating. This Olympics has been an epic collection of creativity and drama in the men’s figure skating world, especially when you throw in some Johnny Weir and all that sparkles with some Plushenko Russian rivalry.
I think I mentioned I don’t do the Bollywood circuit all that often. Here and there, yes, but quiz me on the latest and greatest and I’d come up spotty. Being known to be out of the Bollywood loop, I was forwarded this clip of US figure skating duo Davis & White’s Indian music skate number. Somebody had to do it! Look out for theirs and Virtue and Moir’s performance on Friday’s schedule.
Thursday night’s shining gold-medal performance by US’s Evan Lysacek was stunning, and of course we’re proud of Patrick Chan, our Canadian hero who did fantastic, placing fifth. See you in four years in all your glory, Patrick!
Before a skate or a day of winter fun, warm up with a cup of Arvinda’s authentic Masala Chai. Apparently somewhere in Johnny Weir’s breakfast is a cup of chai!
Anytime I feel a little bummed, a steamy cup of masala chai indefinitely warms me up and always seems to do the trick of lifting my spirits high. Here’s the recipe.
Arvinda's Masala Chai is sure to warm you up!
Sorry about Japanese skater Oda’s broken lace last night, which melted our hearts – hopefully he’ll get a new pair of skates (or laces) soon!
A teaspoon of: USS. Listening to: Laces Out.
Posted in Beverages, Entertaining, Food Network, Garam Masala, Holidays, Indian-Inspired, Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian, tagged antioxidant, appetizer, Arvinda's, beetroot, beverage, chai, cherries, cocktail, coffee liqueur, compote, dessert, Food Network, Garam Masala, ice cream, Indian-Inspired, recipe, salad, tea, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian on February 14, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Still looking for some inspiration for a special Valentine’s meal today? Look no further. Indian spices can add both warming qualities and lots of flavour to a beautifully pleasing Valentine’s menu.
Indian cuisine is known to be aphrodisical in nature, namely because of the vast array of spices we use, each having euphoric-inducing qualities. These spices include ginger, cardamom, cloves and chilies that awaken the senses and excite the mind, body and spirit.
Here are a few easy recipes posted on Food Network Canada’s website using Arvinda’s Chai Masala and Arvinda’s Garam Masala, both containing these powerful and sensuous spices.
Posted in Authentic Indian, Beverages, Breakfast, India Travel, Recipes, tagged almond, Arvinda's, beverage, chai, chai masala, dessert, doodh, India, Jaipur, kesar, milk, pista, recipe, saffron, Shiva, Shrivratri, spicy on February 12, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Arvinda's Saffron Scented Almond Chai Spiced Milk
On this moonless February 12, Hindus all over the world observe Maha Shivratri, an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar.
Shivratri is a sanskrit word meaning ‘night’ and this is the day it is said Lord Shiva performs his cosmic dance of creation, preservation and destruction. The day is observed with a fast and is celebrated with a diya (lamp) lit all day and night.
This day is most significant for women — married women pray for the health and well-being of their families and unmarried women pray they will find their ideal husband. Offerings to Lord Shiva include fruits, flowers and milk.
On my recent trip to India, we went to a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in southern Gujarat. In mid-January, preparations for today’s celebrations were already underway, where we were told thousands of people are expected on this night.
According to one source, “the night of Shiva worship, devotees, prepare a drink called ‘Thandai’ made from almonds and milk, sing songs in praise of the Lord and dance to the rhythm of the drums.” Click here for more information.
Here is my version of Kesar Badam Doodh ~ Arvinda’s Saffron Scented Almond Chai Spiced Milk. I tried it in Jaipur, Rajasthan, served in a clay vessel. I’ve been craving its sweetness and richness ever since! It’s a perfect sustenance beverage, that’s dessert-like at the same time.
My first taste of heaven - Kesar Badam Doodh in Jaipur, Rajasthan
Posted in Beverages, Entertaining, Holidays, tagged Arvinda's, beverage, cinnamon, cocktail, coffee liqueur, cream, Entertaining, Garam Masala, holiday, Indian, milk, New Year's, spicy on December 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Beverages, Entertaining, Holidays, tagged Arvinda's, beverage, cardamom, Christmas, cloves, Entertaining, Garam Masala, holiday, Indian, mulled wine, peppercorns, recipe, star anise on December 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Arvinda’s Garam Masala contains a lot of the spices you would find in a mulled wine, namely cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Mulled wine is the perfect warming festive drink to serve during the colder months, paired with appetizers or sweets. We’re still in ‘holiday-mode’ right?!
Arvinda's Garam Masala Mulled Wine
