Archives

Sweet & Sour Mango Chutney

Mango is a versatile fruit, as many delicious recipes can be prepared with raw mango as well as ripe mango; such as mango pickle, drinks, mango roll up, sweet or spice chutney, shrikhand, ice cream, lassi, mango kulfi and so on. Sweet & sour mango chutney is one of my childhood favorite, and my mom used to make this dish during mango season in the summer. She would make it in large quantities and store it in a jar. We loved eating it in our lunch boxes with parathas. This mango chutney also known galka or khattmithi in Northern part of India, but every state has its own variation of making this sweet & sour chutney with different ingredients and has many different names. This recipe made with raw mangoes, jaggery and some spices in Eastern UP & Bihar style.  

Dates & Nuts Gujiya

Gujiya is a one of very popular festive season sweet snacks in Northern part of India. It’s generally made during festivals like Diwali or Holi, however it is readily available in sweet shops but homemade always better. There are many kinds of Gujiyas based on the filling in it, like milk mava, rava, coconut with nuts and so on. This Gujiya recipe is made from filling of dates and nuts and flavored with cardamom powder. The outer layer is crispy and flaky. In sweet shops you can also find  Gujiya which are dipped in sugar syrup. Enjoy this very tasty Gujiya though keep in mind the calories. 

Veggie Quinoa Uttapam

Uttapam is a well know South Indian breakfast dish which belongs to the dosa family. Generally most of the dosa’s are thin and crispy however; uttapam is thick and soft similar to pancakes. The batter for preparing any kind of dosa is the same however; the cooking process is different for different kinds of dosas. Uttapam is generally topped with vegetables like onions, tomatos and carrots and served with coconut chutney and sambhar. The batter for regular uttapam is prepared using 1 cup of urad daal and 3 cups of idli rice, however; in this recipe I have used red rice, quinoa, yellow moog daal and red poha to prepare the batter. This is slightly different than traditional uttapam and gives a different taste and texture to it. You can add your favorite veggies and the healthy uttapam is a perfect breakfast and after school snacks for kids.

Mini Pizza Tart

Pizza is a popular American food which is readily available in many restaurants. Kids always get very excited just hearing the word Pizza, but we all know it contains a lot of cheese and is not very healthy if consumed regularly. Therefore, when you prepare it at home you can control your own ingredients and make it more healthier. You could reduce the amount of cheese as well as add more veggies or meat. To make mini pizza tart, you will need mini tart pans which are available in stores. For a more appealing look, add handles to your pizza tart as shown in this recipe. I am sure your guest and kids would be impressed with this mini pizza tart. 

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.

Chili Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

Valentine day is pretty close by and if you are thinking to make something for your valentine or dinner party, Chili Chocolate Lava Cake is one of your best option. The cake is a delicious delight to chocolate lovers. Though the name sounds little weird rest assured it is not spicy rather chili and cinnamon powder gives a tingly and warm taste to sweetness of chocolate. The cake is crispy outside and gooey fudge inside as molten lava. Preparing this cake is very easy as a matter of fact that you can prepare the cake batter in advance and need to just bake before serving. The batter can also be stored for multiple use. The cake goes very well with vanilla or berry ice cream.   

Rosemary Salmon

Fish is one of best nutrition food for a non-vegetarian. It contains lot of proteins and omega-3 which is very good for cholesterol. You can prepare varieties for recipes using fish like fish curry, fish kebabs or grilled fish. This is another version of grilled fish recipe which includes some amazing herbs like rosemary, basil leaves and spices. These ingredients gives an awesome flavor and tastes to fish. The fish served with arugula salad make it a very healthy combination. It goes very well with mint yogurt sauce


Spicy Popcorn

Popcorn as we all know is a very popular movie-time snack which is liked by everyone. I remember during my childhood, my grandmother used to make popcorn using heated sand. She used to also make popped poha, rice, and amaranth. It used to be such a tedious process however the taste was awesome. Nowadays, there are many ways and many kinds of corn kernel available to make popcorn. In this recipe I have used oil instead of butter however you can use butter if you like. Although you can get ready made popcorn, it’s always a great fun making your own and enjoying while watching a movie at home.Though you can eat it without any specific flavor, I have added chili, garlic, cumin and amchoor powder to make it little sour and spicy. This is a big hit with my kids.