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Multi-Grain Appam

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.  

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. 

Phool Surprise

Phool Surprise is a signature dessert from chef Kunal Kapur which was showcased on MasterChef TV program. I was awestruck when I saw this program as the Phool surprise was really so beautiful and awesome. I was so impressed that I wanted to try it out, though I knew it would a tough task. After couple of attempts I was able to prepare it although its not as perfect as the actual recipe. I have also uploaded the video of the petals opening from my recipe. This recipe has four components, first one berry cheesecake, second one crispy ghevar, third one white chocolate petals and finally french vanilla & turmeric flavored custard. I have shared the Ghevar recipe separately and remaining three recipes are part of this recipe. This dessert is as delicious as beautiful. Berry cheesecake gives a sweet and sour tingling taste to otherwise sweet chocolate and custard. It could look like a daunting task however if you have patience you can certainly make this recipe and surprise your friends and family with it. Some important aspects of the recipe are mentioned in the recipe notes so please read them before you start preparing this recipe. 


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

Lavang Lata ( Latika)

Lavang Lata, a sweet for which we were crazy in our childhood. Every time we went to market for some shopping, the desire to eat this sweet used to make us pester our parents until they actualy bought it.  It’s a Bengali sweet however pretty famous in Eastern UP and Bihar too. This sweet is made during festivals like Durga puja, Dipawali or Holi as well as readily available in sweet shops but homemade tastes always better. Lavang Lata is crispy on outer surface and little juicy inside. The outer layer is made using all purpose flour and it is filled with mix of milk mava and nuts. The outer layer is sealed using lavang (clove) which gives a exotic aroma to it. When served warm it tastes awesome. The richness of mava, nuts and ghee give a delicious taste. Indulge at your on risk or ensure you do some good exercise after enjoying it.
lavang-lata_22

Tricolor Cupcakes

Wish you all a very happy Independence day!! Cupcakes are favorite of all the kids so sharing this tricolor cupcake recipe to celebrate the Indian Independence day. The three different types of cupcakes are made with carrot, vanilla and green tea to get the color. Baking and decorating cakes are in itself is an art. To bake a perfect moist cake you need to have right ingredient and perfect baking time. I am an amateur in baking and has been practicing to bake a good cake. Decoration is very challenging job however there are aids available to get it done though needs practice. I used Russing piping kit specifically to decorate these cupcakes with rose flowers shape. I have also used homemade buttercream frosting for decoration. Enjoy your Independence day celebration with tricolor cupcakes and share with your friends too.Tricolor Cupcakes_32

Chicken Momo

Momo, is a famous dish in Nepal, Tibet and Eastern part of India however it’s slowly becoming a widespread fast food around the world. Momo, a dumpling which is steam cooked with variety of filling in it. Originally Momo was made with minced meat as filling however now there are varieties of filling which is used to make momo like mix veg, paneer, tofu or mixture of these ingredients. I have posted a veg momo recipe on my blog and this recipe is specifically for chicken based filling along with supplement ingredients. The momo dough is made using all purpose flour & fine semolina ( sooji) so generally it is white in color. I have also experimented a bit using spinach puree and it gave a beautiful green color and retaining the great taste of momo.

Matcha Green Tea Frozen Yogurt

Beat the heat this summer with cool, refreshing and flavorful Matcha green tea frozen yogurt. I had previously shared Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream which is a real big hit in my family. Matcha green tea comes in powder form available in Japanese stores. The green tea powder gives a great taste to ice cream, smoothie, cake or so on. This recipe is made using hung yogurt, Matcha green tea and flavored with ginger, lemon grass and cardamom powder. This combination give a unique flavor to the recipe. I have used homemade yogurt but you can also use Greek yogurt for this recipe. I have used ice cream maker to make frozen yogurt but this can be done without ice cream maker. Lemon grass is a Asian herb which is used in Ayurvedic medicine and it has many health benefits. Lemon grass can also be used in other recipes like tea, curry, soup or so on.Lemon Grass_2