Courses: Homemade

Sankranti Yellu Bella | Til Gul | How to make yellu bella?

Traditional homemade Sankranti yellu bella, trail mix to share
01/10/2017 9:29:26 PM vindhyadesai

Trail Mixes are always fun to eat. A traditional way of celebrating Sankranti/Pongal in Karnataka & Maharashtra is to make yellu-bella or til-gul. Sankranti yellu bella is a mixture of toasted sesame seeds and jaggery pieces. Apart from these ingredients which denote bitter-sweet flavours, roasted groundnuts, roasted gram and pieces of desiccated coconut are also added.
This is the perfect marriage of all flavours depicting the flavours of life. On this occasion of Sankranti make this mixture from scratch at home. With only few days away from Sankranti I thought of posting this recipe for Sankranti yellu bella.
It is more of proportions of all ingredients that need to be added in order to make this mixture well balanced. Most people tend to buy this from grocery stores these days to celebrate Sankranti. Would it not be more fun and authentic to put together a simple mixture at home this Sankranti? ... “Sankranti Yellu Bella | Til Gul | How to make yellu bella?”

Thai Green Curry Paste | How to make Thai green curry paste?

Mild, fragrant, homemade Thai green curry paste – base for tasty Thai curries
12/05/2016 9:57:05 PM vindhyadesai

Thai curries are aromatic and fragrant. The aroma is rendered by a unique blend of ingredients ground into a paste. Thai green curry paste is so called because of the green colour from the chillies, basil (Thai), lime leaves etc.
Ingredients are generally ground into a paste using mortar and pestle. Obviously this will bring out the flavours of the ingredients even more.
Along with green curry paste there is another variation which is the red curry paste. These pastes are used with coconut milk and other ingredients to make beautiful curries from the Oriental! ... “Thai Green Curry Paste | How to make Thai green curry paste?”

Whole Wheat Papdi | How to make baked papdi?

Homemade whole wheat baked papdis/crackers for chaat
11/08/2016 9:51:16 PM vindhyadesai

Dreaming of a having a plate or two of some chaat (Indian street food) on a rainy day? Then you decide to rustle up some chaat at home, only to discover that you do not have papdis at home.
Papdis or crackers are an essential ingredient to chaats like bhel, papdi chaat, dahi papdi chaat, masala puri etc.  I say you can easily make these at home, whole wheat papdi, baked instead of deep fried.
You would probably be excited that now you can make chaat with ease. Make a batch of these and store them. This recipe yields up to 50-55, 1″ in diameter papdis.
Also this recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. You could also make this a fun activity by involving your family especially kids to carve out the papdis. Just store these in an airtight container and they are available when required. They stay good for a few months. ... “Whole Wheat Papdi | How to make baked papdi?”

Gooseberry Jam | How to make gooseberry jam?

Sweet gooseberry jam with tangy notes
9/14/2016 10:40:28 PM vindhyadesai

Gooseberries are very rich in Vitamin C and dietary  fibre. They are tart and tangy and also pulpy making a good berry for making jam/marmalade. Moreover they are available throughout the year in most places especially in tropical places. There are so many variety available, big lemon sized ones, small ones, soft ones and even red ones etc. I have used green soft gooseberries almost seedless, which are not very sour to make jam as given in recipe below. Try other jam/marmalade recipes. Another version made in India is the Amla Murabba or Nellikayi Gulambu (as called in Kannada) will also be posted on FOI. ... “Gooseberry Jam | How to make gooseberry jam?”

Dosa Batter | How to make dosa batter? | Dose Hittu

Homemade dosa batter for hotel style dosas
08/28/2016 9:33:47 PM vindhyadesai

The secret to make crisp yet soft dosas without using a lot of oil is in the batter. Dosa batter should be fermented to the right consistency for good, tasty dosas. Different people make dosa batter in different ways, few add cooked rice, few add puffed rice and few add rice flakes (poha). I use poha which makes the dosas light and fenugreek (methi) seeds for fermentation and colour. There are few more secret ingredients revealed in below recipe. Look out for the notes mentioned in the recipe for important pointers. ... “Dosa Batter | How to make dosa batter? | Dose Hittu”

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough | How to make pizza dough

Homemade whole wheat pizza dough
07/27/2016 6:49:38 PM vindhyadesai

Fancy eating a pizza? Feel like ordering one? What if you can make it at home with your own homemade dough, hand stretched into a pizza. Here’s the recipe for an easy homemade whole wheat pizza dough. It can also be shaped into a rectangular crust by hand stretching the dough. Italians sell pizza slices that are rectangular in shape and they love their crust thin. Pizza joints all over the world make thick crust mostly but authentic Italian pizzas are actually quite thin much like our rotis. Pizza recipes for Fig and Goat’s Cheese pizza, Pizza Margherita, Veg Supreme pizza are all lined up to be posted. Watch out for pizza recipes in FOI. ... “Whole Wheat Pizza Dough | How to make pizza dough”

Hung Yogurt | Hung Curd | How to make hung curd at home | Dahi Ka Chakka

Homemade thick and creamy hung yogurt
07/20/2016 10:36:55 PM vindhyadesai

Thick hung curd/yogurt (dahi ka chakka in Marathi/Hindi) made from separating whey from curd or yogurt. It can be used to make desserts like shrikhand (try out my Aamrkhand recipe) or for dips or spreads ( try out the spread for ALT). It is an excellent low fat alternative to cream, sour cream and mayonnaise. It is rich in calcium and is very creamy. Do not throw away the whey, it is rich in nutrients. See notes below for useful tips on what to do with whey. ... “Hung Yogurt | Hung Curd | How to make hung curd at home | Dahi Ka Chakka”

Bisi Bele Bhaat Masala | Bisi Bele Bhaat Powder | How to make bisi bele bhaat masala

Aromatic and fresh bisi bele bhaat masala/powder
06/26/2016 9:43:20 PM vindhyadesai

Here is the recipe to make bisi bele bhaat powder/masala. Gather all ingredients, roast them dry and grind them into a powder or paste. It can be stored for a few months in an airtight container. But freshly made masala or powder is best for bisi bele bhaat. This masala makes bisi bele bhaat for 4-6 people. Double or triple the ingredients for more masala. Bisi bele bhaat recipe coming up after this. ... “Bisi Bele Bhaat Masala | Bisi Bele Bhaat Powder | How to make bisi bele bhaat masala”

How to roast a bell pepper | Roasted bell pepper or capsicum

Sweet roasted bell pepper
06/19/2016 7:22:17 PM vindhyadesai

It is often easy to buy sweet roasted bell peppers from a store. But homemade roasted bell pepper will be really fresh without any preservatives. Here’s how to roast a bell pepper at home. I have already mentioned how to roast a bell pepper for roasted bell pepper and avocado grilled cheese sandwich. Creating a separate DIY entry for it. ... “How to roast a bell pepper | Roasted bell pepper or capsicum”

How to make Desi Ghee

Golden nectar of melted butter
04/19/2016 9:16:24 PM vindhyadesai

Fresh homemade desi ghee/ shuddha tuppa, is very easy to make. You need butter (store bought organic butter is just fine) but unsalted and a little bit of patience. The result is a golden nectar of melted butter. Of all the dairy products I love ghee the most. Watch out for those calories though. It’s considered beneficial to eat a teaspoonful of ghee a day according to Ayurveda. (Note: Please consult your doctor if you have cholesterol or other medical issues) ... “How to make Desi Ghee”