Appam is a delicacy from the state of Kerala in India. Everyone likes this recipe as it has mild sweet tastes and goes very well with vegetable stew, vegetable tomato stew, chicken stew and egg curry. Traditionally, Appam is prepared using ingredients like rice, coconut milk and yeast. Appam is very easy to make as it uses very limited number of ingredients and proves to be very delicious. This recipe is slightly different from traditional methods as I have used a variety of ingredients. I have used multi-grains (like wild rice, red rice, brown rice, quinoa), oats and whole jowar, then grinded it with yeast and coconut milk. Whole jowar can be found in any Indian grocery store and the mix of the remaining grains is mostly available at HEB or Sprouts. The texture of this Appam is soft like pancakes, very healthy and delicious. Do try this Appam and I am sure everyone in your family will love it, even the kids. 
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Gatte ki sabji( Sabzi)
Rajasthan, a state in India, has its own specialties when it comes to delicacies. Gatte ki sabji is one of that delicacy prepared using simple ingredients however has amazing taste. Though it is specialty of Rajasthan,its famous all over India. Other parts of India have their own variation of besan curry similar to to gatte ki sabji and I have shared couple of recipes of the same. It seem Rajasthani marriage celebrations are incomplete without this dish. The main ingredient of the recipe is besan (gram flour) which is used to prepare Gatte. The curry is based out of tomato, curd and mix of spices. In this recipe, I have also added fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves which make Gatte’s more delicious. Making dough for Gatte is little tricky and it should be of wheat flour chapati’s consistency. The delicious curry goes very well with Roti, Rice, Naan and Paratha.
Paneer Mutter Masala
Paneer mutter masala is one of most popular dish in North India. Paneer is one of the most liked ingredient to adults as well as kids. There are varieties of paneer recipes like paneer butter masala, methi paneer mutter masala, paneer tikka masala, palak paneer, chili paneer masala and so on. This recipe is a considered as a delicacy and prepared only on special occasions. It is also one of the most sought out dish in restaurants. The recipe looks very appealing in its orange red color gravy which is generally due to food coloring. However I have used beetroot to get the same color to the recipe. The main ingredient in the recipe is paneer and mutter which is added to a rich tomato based gravy with spices, cashew nut and cream. The wonderful aroma due to spices and awesome taste of curry is extremely appetizing. The curry goes very well with Naan, Poori, Parathas and plain or jeera rice. If you are not a fan of paneer, you can use Tofu instead. Prepare this dish to celebrate your special days with family and friend, however indulge at your own risk.
Chicken Masala
There are varieties of recipes which one can make using Chicken. Different states in India have different chicken masala flavor. This recipe preparation is specifically based on the one which is used in Northern part of India. For this recipe chicken is roasted and cooked in a pan and then mixed with beetroot & tomato based gravy. Using whole spices in the preparation gives awesome garam masala flavor. Chicken masala goes well with plain rice, jeera rice, paratha, naan or phulka. We all loved this recipe, even kids too as I did not make it very spicy. If you a chicken lover, I am sure you and your family would like this too.
Soya Methi Thepla
Thepla is a famous Gujarati flat bread dish prepared using wheat and gram flour. Since it’s a dry dish and remains good for long period, you could prepare it and carry it on your vacation travel. It also goes well for lunch boxes or a snack with a cup of tea. This recipe is prepared using methi(fenugreek), soya(dill) leaves along with basic ingredients and spices. These green vegetables gives nice aroma and great taste to Thepla. Thepla goes well with Jam and any Pickle and you don’t need a side dish with it. 
Rolled Besan Curry
In India there are variety of food which are very local to certain areas. Rolled besan curry is one of them and mainly prepared in northern part of UP and Bihar. My mother used to make this recipe often when she used to run out of vegetables and I loved it every time. You can make this recipe without much preparation when you don’t feel like making vegetable curry. The recipe is prepared by rolling besan batter on tava and simmer into a spicy tomato based gravy. I have earlier shared a different variation of besan curry named as Besan ki Sabji. If you don’t want to make roll based, you can prepare Besan ki sabji instead. The rolled besan curry goes very well with Partha, phulka and rice.
Makki Ki Roti & Sarson Ka Saag
Makki (corn flour) ki roti and Sarson (mustard) ka saag is one of the very famous Punjabi dish which is also very much liked by people in Northern part of India. Makki flour has very less amount of gluten hence it’s little difficult to make the roti (bread) out of it. Adding little bit of wheat flour makes it easier to make the roti. Kneading the flour is one of the important step while making this roti. Traditionally, the roti is made using palm of both hands by thumping both side to expand however that requires some practice, so I have used butter paper to make this roti and spread it using fingers. Generally this roti is much thicker than actual wheat flour roti and cooked in clay oven however I have cooked it on Tava top. Sarson leaves are generally available during winter season hence the dish is mainly prepared during winter. Sarson ka saag is made using mustard leave, spinach and bathua leaves. You can also add chana leaves as it gives a great taste to it. I have added little sweet corn to the saag as it reduces the bitterness of the mustard leave and gives creamy taste. Adding roasted gram flour gives thickness to the saag. The saag can be also served with normal roti or paratha. When I was kid, my Mom used to make it using roasted corn flour at home and serve with saag and ghee. I really miss those days very much. 
Daal Baati
Daal Baati Churam is a very popular traditional Rajasthani dish. The celebrations like marriage, festival, parties and so on in Rajasthan are incomplete without this traditional dish. Daal Baati Churma is basically three items put together as a meal. I have already shared the recipe of Churma in my earlier blog and in this blog I am sharing the recipe for Daal and Baati. Baati is made from wheat flour balls with lots of deshi ghee. Traditionally, the Baati balls are backed in clay or coal based tandoor which gives a very specific smoky flavor to the recipe. However, I have made the Baati in electric oven and it really came out well. The crispy Baati with desi ghee aroma makes the dish tastes amazing. The Daal for this recipe is mixture of five kinds of daal (pulses) also known as panchmel daal. The daal is cooked with salt, water and turmeric powder however the seasoning with ghee, ginger-garlic and some gram masala brings in the real flavorful taste in Daal. Serve this recipe to your guests and I am sure they would love it.
