Masala Puri from Aayi's recipe:MBP Streetfood and some awards long due!

MBP Streetfood, now that's my kind of event! My arrival here just in the nick time is usual, notwithstanding my great love for streetfood. This sasta, rasta ka nashta ( inexpensive roadside snack) is often enough my lunch but can rarely make it to the blog as it is hard for me to pause to take pics of chaat, and it gets over way faster than I can make it!

However, finally I resolved that I will halt for a count of 10, click 5 quick pictures and then attack! The other thing was that I wanted to make something totally new but as a hard core chaat aficionado, it was hard to find a popular chaat that I had not tried earlier. My hunt paid off with this recipe at Shilpa's outstanding blog, heartwarmingly named Aayi's recipes.On my few visits to Bangalore, I have surprisingly missed this chaat as there are too many favourites out there to try, but one look at it and I knew we would click!

My only two modifications: replacing sweet imli chutney with dry garlic chutney as I am not a big fan of sweet chutney, and skipping carrots which I would have loved but did not have. Both of us were hooked after the first bite and I know now, why this recipe met Shilpa's exacting standards.

A big Thank You to Sia for hosting this event, started by Coffee which helps you discover fabulous gems from our friend's blogs, and choosing street food as it's theme. I still remember Nupur's beautiful & apt desrciption of a vada pav: "the heartbeat of a city in a portable, edible form". To me, nothing else encapsulates the taste of a city like its street food. Food which people across age groups, income level & religion enjoy together. Food which is more customized than what is possible in the finest restaurants. Food that costs next to nothing but feeds the soul.

My salaam to street food !!

I would also like to take this opportunity to pass on some awards that I have been hoarding for a while now. Once a bania, always a bania , I guess:)

Now that I have earned enough sood (interest) on it, let me pass it on to my more deserving blogger pals.

Starting with the adorable Good Chat Award, which I would like to pass on to these newly discovered ( for me!)blogs with honest writing and honest food, where I have learnt some wholesome, delicious , everyday recipes:

Bharti of Veggie Foodist

Sharmila of Kichukon

Mallika of Quick Indian cooking

Nice matters award

Asha of Foodie's hope:

The beloved Asha akka of Foodie's hope is not just fab cook, she is also a thoroughly nice person, who takes out time to visit blogs, including those of new comers like me and her lavish praise has encouraged many of us to cook more and better. Thank you Asha, for being so nice.

Nupur of One Hot Stove:

Nupur must be one of the nicest people around, even though I only know her through her writing, I almost feel like she's an old pal. Yay for Nupur!

Bee of Jugalbandi:

Sugar & Spice & everything nice is what comes to my mind when I think of Bee. We all know that her food, photographs & writing, all have a punch, but it is nothing compared to how wonderful a person she is. She has added a fabulous word : "possibilitarian" to my vocabulary and hopefully my attitude. Thank you Bee, for being a possibilitarian and showing me that I can 'bee' one too.

You make my day award

Swati of Chatkhor:

Swati & I hit it off almost instantly and what was only a way for me to chronicle recipes has found me a very close friend. Even though most of the time she is all games and masti, she is a very sensitive and warm person at heart . Chatting and talking with her rubs off her 'enthu' on me and makes even my dullest day. To use her lingo, I'm senti about her, and I hope that one day she fulfills all her dreams.

Sharmila of Kichukon:

Even though she has started blogging only recently, in a little over a month, Sharmila has posted 30 recipes! Her food, her writing and her comments are all so comforting and homely. I was deeply touched when on reading my comment on her awesome jolkhaberer torkari, she immediately updated her post with a recipe for the same. Her blog has some lovely nuggets like this really easy & healthy laddoo made out of leftover rotis and delicious ghugni from a stall near Orissa's Konark temple. Even though her blog has had few visitors and fewer commentors, she writes with much more enthusiasm and frequency than a lazy bum like me does. Keep writing girl, I am proud of you , and reading you truly makes my day.