Mamta's Kitchen - A Family Cookbook





News

This is an archive of all the news posts that have appeared on this site over the years. Please bear in mind that some of this information is almost certainly now out of date!

September 23rd, 2005

I have cleared up the backlog of email queries from my .kitchen. mail box, I am sorry if the delay in replying in recent days has inconvenienced some of you.

I have a question for you all: Is edible Silver Leaf/Chandi Varak suitable for vegetarians?

The issue of Leaf/Chandi Varak being vegetarian or not, is quite interesting and relevant to most vegetarians, specially Hindus. We Indians have a sweet tooth, as have our Gods! Sweets are used extensively in prayers, offered in temples and eaten as desserts and snacks in all Indian homes. Most shop bought sweets are covered with a thin layer of silver leaf, not only to enhance their look, but also because silver is supposed to have medicinal properties.

It is said that silver leaves are traditionally made by beating small blocks of silver between 2 layers of the cattle intestines, until each block becomes paper thin. The reason intestines are used is because they are elastic and do not tear during intense beating.

The question is whether they are still made this way, using the intestines of cattle? Are the vegetarians eating silver leaves without realising that it is not .pure. vegetarian? Does anyone know for sure what the truth is? Who has a definitive answer? If you have any information on the subject, other than what is available on the internet already, do join in the discussion on the Forum.

Mamta

September 16th, 2005

Thanks for your support for the fundraising for Katrina victims.

A family member is currently unwell, your good thoughts would be appreciated.

Please note that we may be slower to respond to emails and forum posts than usual.

Thank you for your patience.

Kavita

Supporting Victims of Katrina

September 8th, 2005

Hi Folks

Some members of a photography hobby website (where Kavita is active) have decided to donate all profits from prints sold in the next couple of weeks to supporting victims of Katrina. The owners of the site have kindly stepped in and made it a) official, so that all sales by donating members are automatically included in the fundraiser and b) included their percentage of the profits also. That means ALL profits from prints go to charity. Only costs of prints and postage do not.

If you are interested in viewing the prints, click here (LINK CORRECTED).

There are well over 6000 prints to choose from, many are by some incredibly talented photographers that create world-class work.

Of course, direct donations to aid charities are always the best idea for you main charitable giving. The idea behind this is to capture funds that would not normally be earmarked for charity - money to be spent on birthday and Xmas presents, on decorating office and home walls...

This offer is available only till September 15th.

Thanks for your interest.

Kind Regards

Kavita

Summer Thoughts...

August 19th, 2005

I hope that you are all enjoying the summer while you can! Barbecues are in full swing. Hardly a day goes by when there is't an aroma wafting from someone.s BBQ, tempting us to do one of our own. Cool drinks and chilled desserts taste their best on a hot summer day. Fresh produce from the garden is in full swing here in England. This is the time to make preserves and jams, freeze surplus bounty from your gardens.

Birds love to eat sunflower seeds from the spent flower heads. So when you de-head the dead flowers, don.t forget to hang these out for them. It is fun to watch them having a bath in shallow water tray I leave out for them.

Do remember to send your best recipes, with picture where possible, specially recipes from different parts of India. If I can reproduce it, your recipe could be added to the site under your name. More recipe pictures are coming soon! Kavita and Pete are working hard in the background, to make the site even more user friendly. They will announce the changes as they happen.

Take care and love to all.

Mamta

Terrorist Attacks in London

July 7th, 2005

Based in London as I am, I just want to say a couple of things about the terrorist attacks in my city this morning.

Firstly, the sympathies of everyone here at Mamta's Kitchen are with the families of those who were killed by these attacks and also with all those who suffered injuries or were involved in any way with the awful incidents this morning. Mum (Mamta) sends her love and best wishes also.

Secondly, I'd like to thank all those friends, family and strangers around the world who are expressing support for Londoners and Brits at this time. Your sympathies and support are much appreciated.

Sadly, Londoners are all too used to living with terrorism, as we experienced threats and terrorist acts all too often during the worst years of IRA activity. Although we've had a short period of relative calm, what saddens me deeply is how familiar this feels.

Please know that whilst Londoners are keeping their chins up in public that we are very sad inside. It's important to us to give out the message that terrorists will not make us change our lifestyles, our daily routines or our outlook on life.

Peace,

Kavita (site adminstrator)

New Discussion Forum

June 6th, 2005

Historically, our discussion forums have been hosted by ezboard and not on this main site. Unfortunately, ezboard experienced some severe problems recently and the majority of our wonderful and rich archive of threads has been permanently lost.

We have taken this opportunity to move the discussion area over to the main site and you can reach it by clicking on the forum button at the top of every page. At the moment the forum features are very basic indeed but we hope to add functionality over time. Please let us know if you have any problems accessing or posting to the new discussion forum.

Thanks for the positive feedback on the introduction of recipe photos. It will take some time for us to add photos for all our recipes. If you have taken any suitable digital photographs that we may be able to use, please email us to discuss. Recipes with pictures are listed in the search results page with a small camera icon by the recipe name. We have also added a check box to the Search function so that you can find recipes with pictures more easily.

We're also pleased to hear that our readers are not finding the subtle advertising panels too intrusive. The revenue earned goes towards paying for the site.

A request for help from Mamta: If you encounter any problems with any of the recipes, please let me know. Although I edit and update recipes regularly, it's easy to miss errors. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Forum

February 28th, 2005

Our Discussion Forum is not fully available at present though it is possible to post new questions and comments. It is currently hosted by a provider called ezboard which has been attacked by a hacker. Sadly, it seems less and less likely that our wonderful and rich archive of threads will be restored. We are working hard on moving over to a new discussion forum which we will look after ourselves. Watch this space!

Thanks for the positive feedback on the introduction of recipe photos. It will take some time for us to add photos for all our recipes. If you have taken any suitable digital photographs that we may be able to use, please email us to discuss. Recipes with pictures are listed in the search results page with a small camera icon by the recipe name. We have also added a check box to the Search function so that you can find recipes with pictures more easily.

We're also pleased to hear that our readers are not finding the subtle advertising panels too intrusive. The revenue earned goes towards paying for the site.

A request for help from Mamta: If you encounter any problems with any of the recipes, please let me know. Although I edit and update recipes regularly, it's easy to miss errors. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

News update!

January 23rd, 2005

We're really pleased to announce the addition of recipe photographs to the site. Adding photographs will be a gradual process. If you have any good quality digital images of recipes from our website please feel free to email them to us. Recipes with pictures are listed in the search results page with a small camera icon by the recipe name. We have also added a check box to the Search function so that you can find recipes with pictures more easily.

Regulars will also notice that we have taken the decision to display advertising on Mamta's Kitchen. The money raised will go towards the cost of hosting and maintenance of the site. We hope you won't find the banners too intrusive. Please feel free to let us know what you think in our discussion forums.

This is the last month to contribute to wildlife conservation by buying one of Kavita's DSWF photographic prints, all profits going to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. Till end February only.

News update!

January 1st, 2005

We're really pleased to announce the addition of recipe photographs to the site. Adding photographs will be a gradual process. If you have any good quality digital images of recipes from our website please feel free to email them to us. Recipes with pictures are listed in the search results page with a small camera icon by the recipe name.

Regulars will also notice that we have taken the decision to display advertising on Mamta's Kitchen. Any money raised will go towards the cost of hosting and maintenance of the site. We hope you won't find the banners too intrusive. Please feel free to let us know what you think in our discussion forums.

When you're looking for presents for birthdays, and other celebrations or just looking for a gift for yourself, please don't forget to consider buying one of Kavita's DSWF photographic prints, being sold to raise funds for wildlife conservation.

Season's greetings!

December 24th, 2004

Happy New Year to all of you! May 2005 bring peace and joy to all corners of the world.

When you're looking for presents for birthdays, and other celebrations or just looking for a gift for yourself, please don't forget to consider buying one of Kavita's DSWF photographic prints, being sold to raise funds for wildlife conservation.

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