Courses: Starter/Appetizer

Baalehannu Rasayana | Banana Rasayana

Traditional and easy, a quick way to satisfy your sweet taste buds-baalehannu rasayana
05/17/2017 10:00:42 PM vindhyadesai

Fruit salads are always fun to eat. The choices are endless. Fancy fruit salads are too pretentious though, I think. Cutting fruits in different ways is an art of course. Bit of a faff to eat it all up later. Our good old traditional ways of eating fruits are the best. This baalehannu rasayana or simple banana fruit salad is one such salad.
This baalehannu rasayana of course has bananas, along with freshly grated coconut, grated jaggery, pounded elaichi, honey, edible camphor and gasa gase (poppy seeds). All of these amalgamate so well together, baalehannu rasayana becomes a magic salad to eat. ... “Baalehannu Rasayana | Banana Rasayana”

Roasted Gobhi Manchurian Dry | How to make gobhi manchurian?

A great starter, Indo-Chinese style roasted gobhi manchurian dry
02/22/2017 9:42:31 PM vindhyadesai

Who does not like Gobhi Manchurian? This Indo-Chinese dish is the default starter dish most people order. Especially when visiting hotels/restaurants in groups, a few plates of gobhi manchurian dry is ordered for the entire table. A great starter/appetizer to share. I have made it healthier by making it roasted gobhi manchurian dry.
I have seared the cauliflower florets in pan with very little oil and finished roasting it in the oven till crisp. These cauliflower florets are then tossed with tasty onion-capscium masala. Yum! Roasted gobhi manchurian dry is great for sharing and is a sure crowd pleaser. ... “Roasted Gobhi Manchurian Dry | How to make gobhi manchurian?”

Vegetable Hot And Sour Soup | Soup Recipes

Piping hot, loaded with vegetables, Indo-Chinese style vegetable hot and sour soup
02/19/2017 6:03:27 PM vindhyadesai

Winter is drawing to a close and spring will start soon. So make the most of cold winter nights. Sip on some gorgeous vegetable hot and sour soup. Soups are food for the soul and I totally agree with it!
Vegetable hot and sour soup is really a nice assortment of vegetables cooked in a mildly spicy broth with simple flavours. Flavours from Indo-Chinese cuisine makes this soup very special and delicious.
You will crave more and more of this soup simply because of its soothing effect on the body. It is a well balanced soup and it can be adjusted to your taste most importantly. ... “Vegetable Hot And Sour Soup | Soup Recipes”

Pudina Dal Shorba | Soup Recipes

Piping hot, appetizing, refreshing drink, pudina dal shorba
12/13/2016 8:43:51 PM vindhyadesai

Shorbas’ are a great way to start a meal. Pudina dal shorba definitely has a place at the beginning of a grand feast. Shorbas’ have their roots in Persia and the Middle East.
These are piping hot soups served as an appetizer. As we know with soups, there can be many varieties. Shorbas’ are specialty soups from Asian cuisine. It is even served just on its own with some kind of bread to soak up the goodness. ... “Pudina Dal Shorba | Soup Recipes”

Spinach Soup | How to make spinach soup?

Creamy dreamy spinach soup for a cold winter night
11/04/2016 8:25:51 PM vindhyadesai

A bowl of soup is food for the soul. Soups are very comforting and satisfying. Spinach soup is one of those soups which can be simply gulped down with some garlic bread on the side or just like that. It is creamy, thick and very delicious.
Imagine the warm soup going down your throat after a long day at work on a cold winter night. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and make this creamy spinach soup 🙂
Not only do you get the warmth from the soup but also the essential nutrients from the goodness of these beautiful green leaves. Using fresh spinach to make this soup makes the soup retain the emerald green colour of the leaves.
It does not require a whole lot of flavouring at all, some simple black pepper and salt seasoning will do the trick. With my spinach dishes I usually love to add a pinch or two of nutmeg/jaiphal as it goes really well with the flavour of spinach.
You can even add a dash of cream to make it extra rich and creamier but milk also will do the trick. Milk mellows the flavour of spinach and gives it a rich smoothness. Enjoy this creamy spinach soup and here are more soups from FOI! Also do try other spinach recipes. ... “Spinach Soup | How to make spinach soup?”

Palak Pakoda | How to make palak pakoda? | Spicy Spinach Fritters

Crisp spinach fritters, a great starter/appetizer
10/30/2016 1:20:41 PM vindhyadesai

Palak ke pakode/palak pakoda are crisp spinach fritters made with besan batter mixed with subtle spices. These are crisp and very delicious and they make for perfect tea time snack. On a rainy day, these pakodas are simply the best!
These pakodas can be made for a festival like Deepavali. They are easy and simple to make and are ready in a jiffy. Try onion pakoda recipe to enjoy on a cold winter evening. Enjoy these delicious palak ke pakode 🙂 ... “Palak Pakoda | How to make palak pakoda? | Spicy Spinach Fritters”

Sabudana Tikki | How to make sabudana tikki? | Navratri Recipes

Soft and crisp sabudane ke tikki with khatta-meetha chutney
10/02/2016 12:57:41 PM vindhyadesai

Sabudana or tapioca pearls are the most common ingredient used during vrata/vrat. It is extracted from cassava root and root vegetables are considered to be healthy to be eaten during fasting festivals. Phaalar or falaari dishes are easy on the stomach and generally simple to make. One would definitely like recipes that are easy to prepare during vrats. Sabudane ki tikki are made from sabudana (obviously), potatoes. To bind everything together I have used arrowroot powder (easily available in grocery shops) which is similar to tapioca flour and is a starch obtained by a root. Arrowroot powder is a permitted ingredient for vrats. You can use lightly roasted besan or even cornstarch or cornflour if you are preparing this on non-vrat days. The main flavouring is from peanuts/groundnuts and other spices. Here I have served with khatta-meetha chutney, serve with falaari chutney on vrat days. ... “Sabudana Tikki | How to make sabudana tikki? | Navratri Recipes”

Mediterranean Platter 1

Mix and match Mediterranean nibbles and snacks platter with dips
09/30/2016 9:52:55 PM vindhyadesai

Mediterranean cuisine is a very vast cuisine. It covers various regions with a wide variety of dishes. Over the last few days I have posted recipes which are simple dips from the Mediterranean cuisine. These dips can be easily converted into a big party platter, forms a great starter with simple nibbles to munch on. The dips included Hummus, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Tzatziki. This platter is great for parties or potlucks. Very easy to prepare, easy to put it all together and is very portable. Nibbles and snacks can include very simple things like sliced avocado, pita chips and even tortilla chips (ok may be not Mediterranean but tastes awesome!). Other common things from the Mediterranean region like olives, some Greek Feta cheese (available in most supermarkets) all make up for great snacks on this platter. Include other things if you want to like slices of toasted pita bread, roasted aubergines etc. Restaurant quality dishes at home ready in few minutes. Easy on the stomach and on your pockets! A colourful photo fest below 🙂 ... “Mediterranean Platter 1”

Hara Bhara Kababs | Hara Bhara Tikki | How to make hara bhara kababs?

Loaded with greens, delicious hara bhara kabab with refreshing mint chutney
09/25/2016 5:43:33 PM vindhyadesai

Starters and appetizers always set the tone of a meal. Delicious starters served in the right portions define the quality of the rest of the courses. Kebabs/Kababs are one of the most preferred kind of starters. Kababs are originally from Middle East. These need not be non-vegetarian as is the common notion. Perfectly delicious vegetarian kebabs/kababs can be made and they make great starters to a meal. Boiled potatoes generally form the base of vegetarian kebabs/kababs. Hara bhara kabab is one of the most common type of starters, loaded with goodness of green spinach and peas mixed into a base of boiled and mashed potatoes. Grated paneer adds great texture and structure to these kababs, light masalas like amchur powder add the perfect taste to wake up those taste buds. Serve these with a simple refreshing mint/pudina chutney or with plain old ketchup. ... “Hara Bhara Kababs | Hara Bhara Tikki | How to make hara bhara kababs?”

Brinjal Coins

Crispy but soft, pan fried brinjal/aubergine coins for tea-time
9/16/2016 10:42:06 PM vindhyadesai

Something to munch on during tea-time especially on a rainy lazy Sunday evening surely sounds like fun. Snacks with tea/coffee need not always be deep fried or dunked in a lot of oil and then fried. Snacks can be subtly made and they taste really good without the guilt of a lot of calories. Eggplant or big brinjal/aubergine is not an appreciated vegetable but if it is converted to a tasty, crispy, savoury snack it can be very delightful. I call these Brinjal Coins because they look like big gold coins with the beautiful golden yellow colour rendered by the addition of turmeric/haldi. This is one of the many simple snacks I have learnt from my mother. Enjoy these with your hot beverage or serve as a starter! Try other snacks/starters. ... “Brinjal Coins”