Lavender Love: May It Grow

You know who your friends are when you are in trouble. Especially the kind of trouble where you totally put your foot into your mouth. They stand by you and send you recipes for ingredients that you have only heard of till now and brushed aside with "probably tastes like soap. Or potpourri."

The lovely and enterprising Suganya of Tasty Palettes is one such - and only - friend. All the others threw their heads back to guffaw in delight, put their feet up, and settled down to watch the spectacle. The recipe Suganya sent me was for a Lavender Coffee Cake but as luck would have it, my oven has been on the blink for what seems like forever. There's nothing wrong with the oven but the circuit trips after 8-10 minutes of use. The resident electrician has had no time until late yesterday to take a look at it. He thinks he has nailed it and I hope he has. If he has, this post may grow. If he hasn't, it won't. So the long and short of it is that I haven't been able to use the recipe she sent me. But this is what a good friend is all about. She doesn't wait to be asked; she goes ahead and does.

Thank you, Suganya!



The Joy of Cooking doesn't have too many recipes with lavender since cooking with these flowers is a relatively new phenomenon, aside from using it to make herbes de Provence. I could have used lavender mint tea but it's already been done by Andrea for the GYO event. Then I found what I was looking for - a no-bake no-cook recipe - in Beautiful Breads & Fabulous Fillings by Margeaux Sky. Perfect to reciprocate the love: to Suganya! And, to Bee, without whom I would never have done anything with lavender flowers.

Lavender Mint Love Sauce


  • 2 cups of plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup softened cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1.5 tbsp dried lavender flowers
  • 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
  • 1/8 tsp red chilli powder
  • salt to taste


  1. Combine the yogurt, cream cheese and honey in a large bowl and mix well.
  2. In a smaller bowl, combine the lavender, mint, chilli powder and salt.
  3. Add the herb mixture to the yogurt mixture ad mix well.
  4. Serve at room temperature with sandwiches or as a topping on toasted bagels.


Notes:
  • This is adapted from the recipe in Beautiful Breads & Fabulous Fillings. That recipe has more ingredients like green tea, sage, basil and even curry powder. I preferred to stay with simple flavors and went with lavender flowers and mint but added a dash of red chilli powder for some zing.
  • The next time I will use much less honey or skip it entirely. I prefer the subtle sweetness that these lavender flowers bring to the sauce instead.


This is my entry to Grow Your Own, made with some mint from my backyard, some lavender flowers from Bee's backyard and a lot of love from Suganya.


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21 comments:

bee said...

tsk tsk...if only we knew your creativi... oven was on the blink, we'd have sent you many recipes ....

but yeah, suganya is a darling.

bee and jai

Anita said...

Suganya sent you a recipe for Lavender Coffee Cake to bake for GYO? What was she thinking?! I mean, with your oven on the blink and all... :D Yeah, Suganya is a darling.

You did find the recipe - and a good one it is. No use for me since I don't have the said flowers (I don't think lantana will work - same colour though...). I have mint...but no one sent me flowers in the mail.

Indian Food Rocks said...

Bee, woulda coulda shoulda.

Anita, Suganya did not know. She doesn't read the notes on your photos. You don't have lavender flowers? Plant them, I say! Instead of all that schefflera, you could grow lavender!

Reeta Skeeter said...

lovely :)

Anita said...

It's not native...but who knows, maybe the nursery chap will have some seeds for me...

Pelicano said...

That Suganya is a true darling! And I have no words to describe Bee- what a beautiful gesture to send something all the way to your dry little yard! They're both so thoughtful, dependable, and true- like a jowar roti! It's nice to hear that you have such good friends and a nice book; who could ask for more?! [grins really widely with both eyebrows raised up high and tilts his head simultaneously]

On the other hand the sauce looks good.

Indian Food Rocks said...

Reeta, thanks!

Anita, not native to India? Or Delhi? Because a cursory search results in sites saying "native to southeast India" but naturalized ealmost everywhere. Flowers of India has a couple of lavender plants listed.

Pel, you forgot to put your feet up. Sauce looks good, has interesting floral overtones.

And I will remember you when I am sixty-four.

Pelicano said...

Oh...your birthday coming up so soon! ;-)

I just thought of something: someone sent you seeds for *this* *very* *event* LAST YEAR! Yes, the prophetic element makes one almost speechless..., but was this fact ever mentioned up there? Nope. Mmmm [high tone] mmmm [low tone].

[shouts] Yoo-hoo! Suganya! I need a friend too! I'll give you a years' supply of pickles if you say yes! (?)......(?)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Aww schucks Manisha - how do I look now? You crumbled!

Mandira said...

wow Manisha, the tea and the love sauce look stunning... am looking forward to the cake too!

Rachna said...

Im hurt :( you bombard IFR with Lavendar Lavendar posts and no entry to JFI flower power....im hurt, sniff :(

Indian Food Rocks said...

Pel, let it be known that I planted basil last year and every sapling that emerged - hundreds of them - all died. I even prepared a bed for bitter melon and amaranth but I was too grief-stricken and could not bear any more loss...

Is pickle the new currency of Wisconsin?


Meeta, you look swell as usual! Just wipe that smile off your face!

Mandira, we may have had an overdose of lavender. But I think the coffee cake must be made soon!

Rachna, I am very bad at events. I was forced to participate in GYO under extreme duress. I haven't slept for so many nights...one lavender post coming your way right now!

Pelicano said...

How tragic! That certainly is enough funeral activity for a season or two; I'm so sorry! My thoughts are with you and your loved ones...

See how sympathetic I am! I haven't been laughing....that's just the way it sounds when I weep and sob... Anita's the bad one!

Yes, I'd love a cup of tea, thank you.

Sauerkraut is the state currency.

Dee said...

Lovely recipe Manisha , I especially want to try the pairing of Lavender with chili powder! And yes , friends are the best things that can happen to us!

Laavanya said...

That looks so delicate, creamy and wonderful - lovely recipe Mandira. I also wanted to let you know that I made your no-oil lime pickle and loved it. Thanks!

A_and_N said...

:D nice post. Looks creamy and sooooo tasty!

laila said...

Lavender also goes well with lamb. Next time tou roast some lamb plave the joint on a few twigs of lavender.

Sia said...

he he he he...
ha ha ha ha...
ho ho ho ho...

~sorry, i don't have anything else to say. u can picture me as an angel with horns to keep that halo straight ~ ;)

and sug is a darling.

Suganya said...

I think I will escape silently without leaving a trail :D

zlamushka said...

Your own mint-sauce? yum.... love lavender, just experimented with some cookies a few weeks ago. Home-grown thingies ROCK!
I am happy to discover your blog. I came here through Jugalbandi, as I am featuring their blog in this month´s Tried And Tasted, I hope you are participating.

Andrea Meyers said...

I like the combination in the sauce. Lavender and mint go so well together, and it was nice for Bee & Jai to share. :-)

Thanks for sharing with Grow Your Own!