Food Of Interest

Beetroot and Potato Peel Crisps

Crispy, salty, beetroot and potato peels roasted chips
9/13/2016 10:56:18 PM vindhyadesai

Any part of a vegetable that is edible should be consumed in its organic form. Discarding good quality ingredients like stalks, peels, clean shoots or roots is probably a sin against Mother Nature and farmers. Consuming vegetables, fruits and greens in their purest organic form is the best way of eating them. Try to convert simple ingredients into nice, tasty and fancy eatables like the one here with beetroot and potato peels. Use organic ones and rinse them beforehand. These crisps will disappear in a jiffy and they are ready in a few minutes. Try other potato and beetroot recipes so you get to make these crisps by saving the peels! These are also a healthy alternative to deep fried, oversalted chips. ... “Beetroot and Potato Peel Crisps”

Oats Upma | Oats Uppittu | How to make oats upma?

Light, simple, oats upma with mixed vegetables
9/11/2016 12:51:03 PM vindhyadesai

If you have tried making oats upma and it has turned out soggy, porridge like or like a paste then this recipe will help you fix that. Nowadays many people are advised to incorporate oats as part of their diet. Oats is a cereal grain rich in dietary and soluble fibre and is known to lower bad cholesterol. Generally, people turn towards making oats porridge which will be very tasty especially if you add some nice things to it like the one in oats with dry nuts and raisins. ... “Oats Upma | Oats Uppittu | How to make oats upma?”

Ice Cream Cake | Raspberry Swiss Roll Ice-cream Cake

Fun-filled, ice cream filled, decadent, indulgent ice cream cake
9/09/2016 7:22:33 PM vindhyadesai

Is it a cake, is it ice cream? As the name says, it is ice cream cake. Ice cream filled into a cake base and frozen back to solid. This is recipe number 100, a big milestone for Food Of Interest. Thank you to all those who have liked Food Of Interest and for trying out my recipes. It is my humble effort to try out and document Vegetarian/Vegan recipes from India and all over the world. This decadent, indulgent ice cream cake is adapted from Chef Lorraine Pascale‘s ‘Indulgent Ice Cream Cake’. It has a Swiss roll cake base (plain cake with layers of jam or marmalade all rolled into a tight roll) and vanilla ice cream filling. Use Swiss roll cake if you get it or try homemade one (recipe will be posted on FOI), or use regular Pound cake for the base. Layering a bowl with cling wrap is very essential for the cake to be inverted from the bowl and that resembles a half-spherical cake. More details in the recipe below. Please do share recipes from FOI, try them out and leave feedback on the website in ‘Comments’ section and don’t forget to ‘Rate’ the recipes on the website! 🙂 ... “Ice Cream Cake | Raspberry Swiss Roll Ice-cream Cake”

Mixed Veg Enchiladas | How to make Mexican Enchiladas?

Hearty, filling, mixed vegetable Mexican Enchiladas
9/08/2016 7:48:02 PM vindhyadesai

Enchiladas is a Mexican tortilla based dish. Tortillas covered with sauce, finished off with cheese and baked in the oven till cheese melts. This is very hearty and filling, spicy and cheese’y and how can that not taste good! I have used leftover Mexican mixed bean veg chilli which I have posted earlier. Any kind of tortillas can be used, corn, whole wheat, plain tortillas, anything you like. I have also used hung yogurt to make the filling for the tortillas instead of sour cream to cut the calories. I have also used sliced avocado for the filling but you can use boiled corn, olives, onions, tomatoes, anything you like. This is one of those dishes you can make it your own. Add anything you like, make variations and enjoy! Other Mexican dishes to try. ... “Mixed Veg Enchiladas | How to make Mexican Enchiladas?”

Aloo Baingan | How to make aloo baingan sabzi?

Easy aloo baingan sabzi, mustardy, mildly spicy and flavourful
9/07/2016 9:46:12 PM vindhyadesai

A simple dry sabzi for everyday. Even those who do not like baingan/brinjal will also like this sabzi because the flavours are simple and tasty. Pungent mustardy flavour is imparted by adding pounded mustard seeds to oil before adding any other masala powders giving it the Bengal touch. You can even use mustard oil in place of pounded mustard seeds but the mustard flecks in between makes the sabzi very appealing. I have used regular garam masala, you can also use Punjabi garam masala if you want. Modify sabzi as per your taste. Do not overcook baingan which makes it mushy, unpalatable and unsightly sometimes. This sabzi is fast, fresh and simple and is an excellent side dish for rotis/phulkas/plain parathas/chapathis. Potatoes just work with eveything, they are so versatile! ... “Aloo Baingan | How to make aloo baingan sabzi?”

Coconut Rice | Tengu Anna | How to make coconut bhaat?

Simple, easy, flavourful coconut flavoured rice/bhaat
9/06/2016 9:30:09 PM vindhyadesai

Another simple, easy to prepare coconut rice/bhaat. Most homes have this dish during a festival or to pack for lunch box. This simple dish can sometimes become boring if prepared very often. Add a spin to it, bring in some festivity, add more flavour of coconut by adding cashewnuts, making it with basmati rice and also using coconut oil to make the tadka. Add lots of freshly grated coconut for that unmistakable aroma! Prepare this rice/bhaat and serve with a cool raitha or hasi majjige huLi or saasme (yogurt based cool raitha) and savour the flavours of this humble dish! Other bhaat recipes to try from FOI. ... “Coconut Rice | Tengu Anna | How to make coconut bhaat?”

Haalbai | Akki Haalbai | How to make haalbai?

Soft, fudgy rice and coconut milk barfis
9/05/2016 4:27:39 PM vindhyadesai

Ganesha Chaturthi is a 3 or 5 or 10 day long festival for some people. If you celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi for more than one day, it is mandatory to make at least one sweet dish as offering/naivedya to Lord Ganesha. After making sweets like holige (poli), kadubu or other traditional ones from sweets list one will need a recipe that is simple, easy and light on the stomach. Haalbai is one such recipe, soaked rice ground into a thick batter with coconut milk lightly flavoured with elaichi it is a super easy sweet to make. It does not need resting time after preparing. Just plan to soak rice a few hours before making this sweet. Only water can also be used in place of coconut milk but coconut milk adds a subtle taste and makes haalbai pliable because of the oils in it. If you want to keep this vegan use vegetable oil in place of desi ghee. ... “Haalbai | Akki Haalbai | How to make haalbai?”

Pineapple Gojju | Ananas Gojju | Pineapple Gotsu | How to make pineapple gojju?

Fruity, spicy, festive pineapple gojju
9/03/2016 4:21:01 PM vindhyadesai

In traditional South Indian cuisine it is customary to have a balance of all flavours when eating a meal, especially a big meal on a festival or in big spreads like in weddings. A pickle and a palate cleansing gojju are the most important dishes to get a balance of all the flavours. Gojju is like a curry but thicker and is served in small quantities as a little side dish to eat with hot rice. When we make gojju at home, it is often served as a side dish with chapathi or akki rotis(rice flour rotis). Pineapple gojju has a very festive taste to it with all the different spices, fruity, sweet and sour flavour of pineapple. Gojju/gotsu need not have a lot of oil added to it to make it tasty but it has to be mildly spiced and made into the right consistency. Try making this special pineapple gojju at home, here’s the recipe. Other gojju recipes on FOI. ... “Pineapple Gojju | Ananas Gojju | Pineapple Gotsu | How to make pineapple gojju?”

Bele Obbattu | Bele Holige | Puranpoli | How to make holige?

Filling and delicious sweet dal stuffed poli/holige for festivals
09/01/2016 06:27:09 PM vindhyadesai

Bele Holige or obbattu is one of the most filling and delicious sweets. It is a sweet dal stuffed poli/holige. During a festival or a function we all look for one dish that can feed a big crowd which is also filling. Sweets generally are accessories in a big spread. Yes, preparing bele holige or obbattu is effort but when you have mastered the process of making the dal filling then preparing bele holige or obbattu will be easy especially if you have a few people to assist/work with you.
I have used whole wheat flour/atta for the outer covering dough whereas generally all purpose flour (maida) and chiroti rava (fine rava) are used to prepare the dough along with a pinch of turmeric. I prefer whole wheat flour(learnt it from my mother), holige turn out to be soft and do not become stretchy and chewy when they are kept for a while.
*Updated with new pictures for Ugadi 2019. Try more holige recipes:
Kayi Holige/Coconut Holige
Dry Nuts Holige
... “Bele Obbattu | Bele Holige | Puranpoli | How to make holige?”