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Dal Dhokli

Dal Dhokli is a delicious traditional Gujarati comfort food, made with many variations and known by different names in other states of India. In North India it is called Dal Pitthi. The Dhokli is made with wheat dough, then rolled into thin circles and cut into square or diamond shapes. The Dhokli is then mixed into the sweet-sour Gujarati dal and tadka with ghee and spices; and left to simmer until it gets cook properly. This recipe utilizes Jowar flour along with wheat flour to make it healthier. This one bowl meal can be prepared over the weekend, which gives a big change to our daily meal. You can use your leftover dal, and convert it into a healthy Dal Dhokli!

Dal Palak

Dal is a very important dish in the Indian cuisine, and every household had different variations of dals. Sometime we enjoy plain dal and sometimes tadka dal with some veggies in our every day meals.Today i would like to share a very simple, easy, and very healthy recipe, Dal Palak. Palak/spinach has a lot of health benefits and has a beautiful color. Many dishes can be prepared using palak like curries, parathas, koftas, cutlets, pakoras, kababs and so on. Some times we can use palak puree to give a natural green color to our recipes. This recipe utilizes two types of dal: toor dal and moong dal. You are free to add one or both of them. The boiled dal is cooked along with spinach, garlic and other spices, which gives it an aromatic smell, and taste. Dal palak is best served with plain rice or roti.

Paan Kaju Katli (Burfi)

Preparing sweets is an integral part in celebrating many Indian festivals. Diwali is around the corner and everyone will be looking for preparing a special sweet. Kaju Katli is one of the most popular sweets, and liked by everyone. This recipe is a slight twist to the original Kaju Katli recipe with a refreshing flavor of fresh paan leaves. The recipe is prepared using blended paan(betel) leaves, cashew powder, sugar and flavored with rose essence. Try this delicious sweet this Diwali and surprise your guests. 

 

Pumpkin Kheer

Pumpkin is a multipurpose vegetable which can be used to prepare curries as well as sweet dishes. Earlier in my blog, I have shared pumpkin cupcakes and pumpkin curry recipe. This recipe is a sweet dish popularly known as pumpkin kheer in North India and pumpkin payasam in Southern India. Freshly grated pumpkin is cooked into milk and flavoured with nutmeg powder, cardamom powder. Garnished with pista and saffron, the pumpkin kheer tastes awesome. It’s good to use fresh pumpkin however if it’s not available, you can use canned. This is very easy recipe and can be prepared on any occasion. 

Bottle Gourd( Lauki) Curd Rice

Bottle gourd (Lauki) is a vegetable which has lot’s of health benefit and everyone should add this as part of their regular diet. It can be used to prepare many recipes like savory, drink, raita, curries and sweets. Bottle gourd curd rice recipe is a variation of the South Indian dish curd rice. Curd rice is made with over cooked rice or left over rice, curd ( yogurt) and tempered with curry leaves, chilies, cashew nuts, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and garnish with coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds. It seem meal is incomplete without curd rice for many people. Curd rice is also distributed in temples as prasad. This recipe is prepared using brown rice instead of normal rice, bottle gourd, curd ( yogurt) and tempered with spices. This is very good for digestion and easy to make. Try this recipe with the twist of bottle gourd and enjoy.

Ghevar With Raspberry Rabri

Ghevar is a very popular Rajasthani dessert which is prepared during festivals like Teej, Rakshabandhan or any other special occasion. Traditionally, this awesome dessert goes really well with milk rabri. In this recipe, I have used rabri with raspberry and mango yogurt which gives it a sweet and sour taste and neutralizes its sweetness.  At first it is a little complicated recipe to prepare however once you get a hang of it, it comes out really well and the effort is worth it. Ghevar is made using all purpose flour batter and deep fried in oil or ghee. Ghevar has a light, lacy and crispy texture. The two very important aspects of making Ghever are batter consistency and oil/ghee temperature. The right batter brings out the lacy texture and oil/ghee temperature helps it to rise and give the right shape and texture. Once ready, it is soaked in sugar syrup before serving. The ghevar can be stored in air tight containers for up to 2 weeks, and just before serving, soak in warm sugar syrup and garnish with raspberry rabdi and mango yogurt. I am so excited to share this recipe as it is my first time making it, and took me couple attempts to get it right.

ghevar

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.paneer-mutter-masala_9

Sabudana (Sago) Kheer

Sabudana (Sago) is a pearl shaped vegetarian ingredients which is used to prepare many dishes specifically to be eaten during religious fasting in India. Sabudana is used to prepare recipes like Sabudana Khichdi, Vada, Papad and Mix veg kababs or so on. I am sharing this Sabudana Kheer recipe which I learnt from my Mom, specifically prepared to be eaten during fasting in Navartri festival. Sabudana Kheer is prepared with slightly roasted Sabudana in desi ghee and cooked in milk and brown sugar( sugar). When topped with caramelized cinnamon flavored apple gives an amazing taste to this dish. You can also use this recipe as dessert for your get together and parties. sabudana-sago-kheer_12