Pudina Chutney – Mint Chutney (version-2)
Mint chutney is an Indian condiment prepared using a blend of spices along with mint. It can be served with idli, dosa, white rice, pakora or samosa, papad, etc. It is simple and tasty. Try and let me know your comments. Here you go… Ingredients: Mint – 2 cup Cilantro – 1 cup Chopped onion – 1/4 cup Tomato – 1 (medium size) Chana dal (split chickpea) – 1 and 1/2 tbsp Dry red chilies – 7 Shredded coconut – 3 tbsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Curry leaves – 5 to 6 Asafoetida – a pinch Oil Salt to taste Method of Preparation: Wash and clean mint and cilantro and keep it in a strainer separately. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan over medium heat and...
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Deepavali Legiyum
HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL OUR READERS… Deepavali Legiyum is a home made herbal medicine for indigestion. During Diwali we eat a lot of sweets and snacks and other junk food or oily food which may lead to indigestion. Deepavali Legiyam or Deepavali Marundhu helps to promote digestion with its essential components. There are different versions of this legiyum and this one is my mom’s recipe and we all love it. All the ingredients used in this legiyum will be available in any local Ayurvedic medicine store (naatu marundhu kadai) in India. Here in the U.S. you may get most of these ingredients from Whole Food Market. You can skip one or two ingredients if it is not available. Make this at home and have a wonderful and safe Diwali. Preparation time: 30 minutes Makes 1/4 cup of Legiyum Spice...
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Paal Peda – Milk Fudge (version 2)
Paal Peda or Doodh Peda is a popular milk sweet in India. It is semi soft and rich in milk protein. Making paneer and resting period may take a little more time. But the procedure is really simple. Kids will love it. It will be perfect for the Diwali. Have a safe and wonderful Diwali… Preparation time: 60 minutes No. of servings: 25 to 28 pieces Ingredients: Fresh paneer (made from 4 cups of milk) Milk – 1 cup Evaporated milk – 3/4 cup Milk powder – 1/2 cup Butter – 2 tbsp Sugar – 3/4 cup Cardamom pods – 2 Pistachios, cashew nut and raisins for garnishing Method of Preparation: Prepare paneer from 4 cups of milk. Check How to make Paneer?. In a non stick pan or a heavy bottomed kadai melt butter over medium heat. Add milk,...
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Kaju Katli – Cashew nut Burfi
Kaju katli is a popular Indian sweet made of powdered cashew nut and sugar syrup, spiced with cardamom powder. It is Diwali time and I have been waiting to make this wonderful sweet dish. Getting the right consistency of sugar syrup is the key. Make this dish at home and enjoy the Diwali. Ingredients: Cashew powder – 3 cups Sugar – 1 and 1/2 cups Ghee or clarified butter – 2 tbsp Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp Saffron – a big pinch Method of Preparation: Preheat oven at 200° F (100° C). Spread cashew in a baking sheet or tray and oven roast it for 15 to 20 minutes. Check in between (after 10 mins). Or you can dry roast it in a pan over medium heat. Cashew should not change color. Let it cool and grind to a fine...
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Cham Cham – Fresh Cheese Dessert
Cham Cham is a popular Bengali dessert or sweet from India. It is a pure delight and melts in your mouth. It comes in different colors such as yellow, pink or white. It is prepared from fresh paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and cooked in sugar syrup. The procedure is very simple and you can make a cham cham for Diwali or any festival. Kids will love it. Enjoy the home made fresh Cham Cham and let me know your comments. Ingredients I: Paneer(made from 8 cups of milk) Yellow food color: a pinch Sugar: 2 cups Water : 5 cups Cardamom pods: 4 Saffron: a big pinch Rose essence : 1/2 tsp Ingrediens II (for malai): Evaporated milk : 1/4 cup 2% milk: 1/2 cup Sugar: 2 tsp Saffron : 4 strands Cardamom powder : a small pinch For...
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How to make Paneer?
Paneer is a fresh cheese which is popular in India. It is used to make dishes from curries to dessert. It can be made at home easily with just milk and some lime juice or vinegar and gives a rich and creamy taste when added to dishes. It is also called Chhena and is available in stores. Preparation time: 30 minutes Yield: 1.6 lb (725 gram) Ingredients: Whole milk – 1 gallon (3.78 liter) Fresh lime juice from one big lime (can substitute with 3 tbsp of vinegar) Warm water – 3 tbsp Method of Preparation: Heat milk in a pan.Dilute lime juice or vinegar in water.When milk starts boiling, add the lime juice to milk while constantly stirring. Milk starts curdling and separating. If not add some more lime juice. When it is fully curdled, remove from heat. Line...
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Ribbon Pakoda – Ola Pakoda
Ribbon Pakoda or Ola Pakoda is a popular savory snack in India. The main ingredients are rice flour and gram flour (besan). There may be different versions but the main ingredients remains the same. It is festive season in India, Diwali time. And in most of the houses, people would have started making Diwali sweets and snacks. I miss my family and friends there. But then I want to bring the atmosphere here in my house. And started preparing sweets and savories for the festival. And we would like to bring the festive mood in SpicyTasty as well and make you all happy. Today I am going to post the recipe for Ribbon Pakoda. This is my mom’s recipe. Follow the recipe and let me know how it turns out. Here you go… Preparation time: 45 minutes No. of...
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Diwali Sweet Jhangri
Jangiri or Jhangri is a dessert from India. It is famous in all parts of India and generally served after a meal. It is one of the popular desserts or sweets in wedding and special occasions such as Diwali. In our house, there is no store bought sweets or snacks. My mom is an awesome cook and she loves to prepare all the sweets and savories at home for us. Whenever she makes Jangiri, she feeds me right from the hot sugar syrup. OMG! I still remember the taste…mouthwatering and just melts in my mouth. Okay! Coming back to the present, I am going to share this easy and yummy Jangiri recipe with you today. Try it at home for this Diwali and enjoy. Here you go… Preparation time: 3 hours (including soaking time) No. of servings: 30 to...
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Diwali Sweets and Savories
This year Diwali falls on October 26. And we are looking forward to celebrate this Diwali with some wonderful sweets and savory dishes. In India, most of the sweet shops will be crowded at this time to buy different kinds of sweets and other delicacies. But it is always special when we prepare them at home with love and distribute it to our family and friends. Besides, there are other special dishes that we prepare on this auspicious day. And I am happy to share all these recipes with you and wishing you a safe and wonderful Diwali. Sweet Recipes: Adhirasam Badam Halwa Badam Puri/Almond Puri Basundhi – Creamy Milk Pudding Badam Kheer – Almond Milk Kheer Baklawa – The Sweetheart Middle Eastern Dessert Besan Laddu Besan Rava Ladoo Cashew Badam Burfi- Cashew nut and Almond Cake Cashew Besan Burfi...
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Mixed Dal Curry – Mixed Lentil Soup
This is a protein packed lentil soup with no oil. This is a quick and simple recipe. And this is suitable for the 28 Day Weight Loss and Detox Program. I have used four types of lentils (dals) in this recipe. Lentils are a good source of protein and fiber along with folate, vitamin B and minerals. Red (or pink) lentils contain a lower concentration of fiber than green lentils (11% rather than 31%). I have added whole masoor dal, green split pea, split pigeon peas and channa dal (bengal gram) along with spinach. This is a healthy and tasty dal or soup. You can serve it with brown rice or white rice or roti along with a salad. Here you go… Preparation time: 30 minutes No. of servings: 5 to 6 Spice level: 3 out of 5 Ingredients: Whole Masoor...
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Onion Pakora
Pakora is a deep fried snack(fritters). It is made of besan (gram flour) and rice flour along with green chilies, curry leaves and spices. Different type of vegetables such as onion, eggplant, plantain, cabbage, cauliflower, chilies can be used for making pakoras. The one that I have prepared today is called pakoda in Southern India. Today I have made pakoda with onions. They are quick and simple to make and makes an excellent snack for the evening with chai. Here you go… Preparation time: 30 minutes No. of serving: 5 to 6 Spice level: 3 out of 5 Ingredients: Besan or Gram flour – 1 and 1/2 cup Rice flour – 1/4 cup Red chili Long green chilies – 2 Curry leaves – 7 to 8 leaves Coriander leaves or cilantro – 1/2 cup Sliced onion – 1/2 cup...
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Pesarattu – Healthy Mung Bean Crepe
Pesarattu is a type of dosa or crepe from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It has moong dal (muzhu pasipayaru), green chilies, ginger and salt. It is a protein packed and fiber packed dish and is suitable for the 28 Day Weight Loss and Detox Program. You can serve these crepes or dosa with chutney or Idli podi (spicy lentil powder). Ingredients: Whole green moong dal or green gram – 2 cups Grated ginger – 2 tbsp Green chilies – 3 to 4 (adjust to spice level) Salt to taste Oil or cooking spray Method of Preparation: Wash and soak whole moong dal in water overnight. Next day, drain the excess water and reserve the drained water. Grind it along with ginger, green chilies and salt to a fine batter (like the consistency of dosa batter). You can grind it in...
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28 Day Weight Loss and Detox Program
This 28 Day Detox Diet is offered by Arbonne company. I am happy to share the details of this program with you briefly which had helped me start a healthy life. I have tweaked the diet according to my convenience and but have strictly followed the do’s and don’ts. The step-by-step system teach us how to eat whole food and help us learn which foods do and do not work well for us as individuals. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below the post. I will also be posting gluten free, dairy free and sugar free recipes. So stay tuned!!! I started this diet to detoxify by body. But why? Our environment and the food we eat have changed drastically over time: everything is much more toxic now. The food we eat has a lot of...
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Diet and Healthy Lifestyle
Welcome you all to start a healthier lifestyle. This article contains information about health and fitness which is completely my opinion and a few things I learned from other sources. I have also given a brief description below about my Detox Diet, which I will discuss in full in the coming days. Everyday I see a lot of advertisements, web pages and books that screams about how important diet and exercise are. But then are we there yet? It is time to wake up and start a new life. Dieting has become one of the most common ways to weight loss. While dieting is really important, at the same time it is important to watch if the required nutrition is obtained by your body. There are many diet plans in the market and it is our duty to choose...
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Strawberry Vanilla Cake
I have made a Strawberry Vanilla Cake with a vanilla flavored base cake, whipped cream and fresh strawberries. And I made this cake for our dear friend Sajana and Robin. It came out really good and everyone loved it. I have a couple of important tips for you to bake a perfect cake and decorate it. How to keep my cake from crumbling? Right oven temperature is important. Do not bake for too long. You can add an extra egg to make it firm. Adding gelatin works. How to avoid runny whipped cream? Add some gelatin or agar agar to your whipped cream to make it firm. Instructions are below. Keep it refrigerated all the time. Hope you enjoy this cake. Here you go… Preparation time: 2 and 1/2 hours (including cooling period of cake) No. of servings: 9″...
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Pita Veggie Sandwich
From Wikipedia: Pita is a round pocket bread widely consumed in many Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. It is prevalent from the Balkans through Greece, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. The “pocket” in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough. As the bread cools and flattens, a pocket is left in the middle. When it comes to sandwich, pita bread is one of my favorite bread. The sandwich looks scrumptious with their pockets filled with veggies and sauces. Along with vegetables, you can also add potato fries or falafel or veggie patties. Use your imagination and fill your sandwich. Just like the filling, you can use your favorite sauce. This can be quickly prepared and so is apt for dinner or when you want to have a lite meal. Here you go… Preparation...
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Palada Pradhaman – Rice Flakes Kheer
Palada Pradhaman is a popular dessert dish from Kerala, South India. It is prepared with rice flakes, milk and sugar. This pradhaman is made for festivals and special occasions such as Onam, Vishu and weddings. I have used the readymade rice flakes available in stores. A detailed procedure for making homemade ada is given here. There is another traditional version of this dish known as Ada Pradhaman which is also prepared using the same “ada” or rice flakes but with jaggery and coconut milk instead of milk and sugar. This recipe with rice and sugar is easy to follow and not time consuming. Try this delicious pradhaman for Onam festival or any special occasions and enjoy with your family. Ingredients: Palada or rice ada – 1/3 cup Whole milk – 4 cup Sugar – 1 cup (adjust to taste) Cardamom –...
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Cabbage Milagootal – Cabbage Lentil Curry
Palakkad is a city in Kerala. And molagootal is a popular dish among Palakkad Iyers. It is a simple and mild curry made with a wide variety of vegetables such as cabbage, okra, winter melon, chayote, spinach or any of the vegetables of your choice. Today I have made molagootal with cabbage. Try and let me know if you like it. Here you go… Ingredients: Chopped cabbage – 2 cups Toor dal – 3/4 cup a pinch of asafoetida and turmeric powder Shredded coconut (frozen or fresh) – 1/4 cup Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Dry red chilies – 3 Salt to taste For Seasoning: Oil – 1 tsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Curry leaves – 6 to 7 leaves Dry red chili – 1 A pinch of asafoetida Method of Preparation: Pressure...
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Inippu Appam – Fried Sweet Pancakes
Appam is a known dish in Tamilnadu. There are different versions of appam and this is very simple version which we make during festivals or special occasions. I recently made it for Krishna Jayanthi and it came out well. I have use all purpose flour or maida. You can also substitute it with wheat flour. Here you go… Preparation time (including batter preparation): 90 minutes No. of servings: 15 appams Ingredients: All purpose flour or Maida – 1 cup Jaggery – 1/2 cup Coconut bits – 2 tbsp (optional) Cardamom – 3 pods Oil for frying Water Method of Preparation: In a small thick bottomed pan or kadai over medium high heat, add powdered jaggery and a little water till jaggery is completely soaked. Once jaggery melts, remove from heat and filter it to get rid off any dirts. Again...
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Peerkangai thogayal – Ridge Gourd Chutney
Peerkangai thogayal or Ridge gourd chutney is a simple and delicious side which can be served along with plain white rice and papad or you can serve it as a side to rasam or sambar or curd rice. I have always thought it is tough to cut and cook this vegetable until recently when I tried it for the first time. When I made this dish I was surprised to see the less quantity of chutney. I used one big ridge gourd which can serve two. You can also use the skin of this vegetable and make a delicious chutney, Peerkangai thol thogayal (Ridge gourd peel chutney). Preparation time: 30 minutes No. of servings: 2 Spice level: 3 out of 5 Ingredients: Big ridge gourd – 1 Sesame oil – 2 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Dry red chilies...
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