HuLi Avalakki | Gojjavalakki

Spicy, tangy avalakki/poha with crunchy groundnuts served with curd/yogurt
07/25/2016 10:04:22 PM vindhyadesai

HuLi (tangy/sour) avalakki is a tangy and spicy poha dish. It is made by adding powdered poha/avalakki into a masala made using saarina pudi/rasam powder, tamarind and jaggery. It is a specialty dish from Mysore-Bangalore region. This is one of my favourite breakfasts. In top 5 :)! I love the spicy, tangy notes in this dish. I make this for festivals especially for no feast festivals like Mahashivaratri, Ram Navami, Nagara Chauthi/Panchmi and other festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi. It is also served as prasada/prasad/offering in temples (the tastiest). Serve with curd/yogurt, a winner combination. I learnt to make this from one my aunts, full credit to her for teaching me this recipe. My MIL makes a slightly different version, she boils the masala mixture which gives a more gojju like taste (hence the name gojjavalakki), which is again super yum! ... “HuLi Avalakki | Gojjavalakki”

Mango Kulfi | Aam Kulfi

Dreamy creamy mango kulfi flavoured with pista, elaichi and kesar
07/24/2016 12:46:39 PM vindhyadesai

The most preferred dessert when you are looking for an authentic traditional recipe. Mangoes and thick milk flavoured with elaichi, kesar and pista-badam that is a dream combination of ingredients. It used to be made using thick milk rabri/rabdi and adding flavours to it. As the recipe has evolved over the years, it is made with condensed milk, evaporated milk etc. The thick mixture is then frozen in matkas (earthernware pot) to make matka kulfis. Now, one can buy kulfi moulds from shops or even use glasses to freeze kulfis.
One of the mango dishes I made this summer. Enjoy creamy mango kulfis! Try out other mango recipes ... “Mango Kulfi | Aam Kulfi”

Doodh Pedha | Milk Pedha | Doodh ke Pedhe | How to make soft milk pedhas | Doodh pedhas without condensed milk

A mouthful of milky fudgy goodness, soft doodh pedha
07/22/2016 8:05:28 PM vindhyadesai

A small thing of joy is to eat a doodh pedha. It is one of the most popular sweets sold in sweet shops. Imagine a big line of pedhas lined up on the other side of the counter. There are so many versions of this pedha, kesar-elaichi, elaichi, pista-kesar and so on. The ones that you get in Nandini (a milk brand in Karnataka) are pure milk pedhas. The marking on them makes the pedhas even more inviting. Try making these soft doodh pedhas at home, roll them up into small balls or pedhas/pedhe or even try and make the Nandini replicas. I used a fork to create a Nandini shop/bakery like pedha with a fork. It is actually a reverse of their shape (complementary shape). I love them nonetheless, they are milk  pedhas after all.
Here are I have used only milk and there is also a short-cut recipe with condensed milk which I will post soon. I have flavoured them with elaichi/cardamom, I wanted to make them plain this time. I sometimes add kesar/saffron or pista or both but elaichi/cardamom is something that I always add to the pedhas/pedhe. I have added a lot of pictures stepwise to show consistency in each step. ... “Doodh Pedha | Milk Pedha | Doodh ke Pedhe | How to make soft milk pedhas | Doodh pedhas without condensed milk”

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”

Whole Wheat Bread | Whole Wheat Atta Bread | Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

Wholesome fibrous homemade whole wheat bread
07/19/2016 8:07:16 PM vindhyadesai

Imagine eating your own hand-baked bread toasted with butter and smeared with jam. The feeling is out of the world because you get to eat the fruits of your labour or should I say bread 🙂 I have added milk powder to this recipe, after I started adding milk powder to my baked goods like baked nippattu, I feel they turn out tastier. Adding milk powder to bread is also recommended by other food bloggers like ‘Sharmis passions’. Yogurt, is another ingredient I add to cakes, muffins and breads. A well received recipe from Veg Recipes of India also recommends adding yogurt to bread. It is tried and tested by many people.
Try baking bread at home, two things are for sure, your house will smell like the aroma of a bakery, all warm and toasty and two, you will once get to eat bread and like it like never before. I also have a recipe to post for whole wheat bread made with active dry yeast. For this recipe, make sure to use ‘easy-bake’ yeast now readily available in supermarkets. Free from preservatives, no unnecessary additives and no unhealthy oils like palm oil. Enjoy baked bread with jam or make toasties or sandwiches. Choices with bread are endless! ... “Whole Wheat Bread | Whole Wheat Atta Bread | Homemade Whole Wheat Bread”

Neer Dosa

Thin, soft, light neer dosas with kaayi bella and chutney
07/17/2016 4:58:10 PM vindhyadesai

Neer Dosas are made from grinding rice and coconut, they are crepe like in texture and are fluffy. “Neer”  literally translates to “Water” in Tulu. But Neer Dosa means dosa made from  a batter which is thin in consistency. Neer Dosa is a very easy recipe and light on the stomach, eaten mainly for breakfast. It’s a popular dish of Dakshina Kannada. The stepwise pictures I have here are a little dull as there was little light when I shot the pictures and white does not picture well anyway 🙂 Enjoy these soft dosas! ... “Neer Dosa”

Mixed Vegetable Raitha

Cool and simple mixed vegetable raitha
07/15/2016 8:03:16 PM vindhyadesai

Cool and easy to make mixed vegetable raitha. When you make a dish like pudina pulao or bisi bele bhaat or any bhaat you need something to cool down and mellow down all the spices and hot food. Mixed vegetable raitha is the easiest accompaniment to make with those dishes. ... “Mixed Vegetable Raitha”

Seviyaan Kheer | Whole Wheat Seviyaan Kheer | Shavige Payasa | Vermicelli Kheer

Creamy and delicious seviyaan kheer with roasted dry nuts
07/14/2016 9:40:46 PM vindhyadesai

This is one of the most common sweets/desserts made in India for any festive occasion. For festivals, celebrations, weddings, functions, seviyaan kheer/shaavige kheer is a default option. It tastes good at room temperature or warm or even chilled. I have used whole wheat seviyaan (thin and long) and added less sugar. Add more sugar if you like and add more milk if you want the consistency to be thinner. Chopped dry nuts like almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins add a wonderful aromatic flavour and crunch. I have dolled up my vermicelli kheer, it is one of my favourite desserts and I love it slightly chilled. ... “Seviyaan Kheer | Whole Wheat Seviyaan Kheer | Shavige Payasa | Vermicelli Kheer”

Sorekayi Kootu | Sorekayi Masale Kootu | Lauki Masala Kootu

Hot, spicy kootu with sorekayi/lauki
07/12/2016 7:58:48 PM vindhyadesai

There is nothing like a wholesome meal of rice mixed with saaru/rasam or sambar/huLi/kootu. Imagine hot sambar/kootu on rice with some ghee on top, that is a great combination. Kootu is a Karnataka style masale huLi/sambar, it is made with freshly roasted spices and ground with freshly grated coconut. Kootu also has a special type of tadka/vaggarne/tempering generally with groundnuts added to it. Any kind of vegetable can be used, doodhi/white pumpkin or mixed vegetables like carrots and beans can also be used instead of lauki/sorekayi. ... “Sorekayi Kootu | Sorekayi Masale Kootu | Lauki Masala Kootu”

Onion Pakoda | Eerulli Bajji | Kanda Bhaji | Onion Pakora | Onion Fritters

Crisp pakodas to enjoy on a rainy evening
07/10/2016 8:03:31 PM vindhyadesai

On a rainy monsoon evening everyone feels like eating something crisp and spicy. Onion pakodas will be in the top 5 things to make on such an evening. It is easy to rustle up this snack and I love eating a couple of them once in a while. Add subtle spices like ajwain (om) or jeera, it will aid in digestion. Ensure not to fry them on very high heat, fry them on medium heat to cook them all the way till the middle. Enjoy these crisp, karara, onion pakoda/ kanda bhaji(Marathi)/ onion fritters/ eerulli bajji(Kannada) with your cuppa. These snacks are famous world over and they even sell these cold in supermarkets. But homemade fresh hot pakodas are the best! ... “Onion Pakoda | Eerulli Bajji | Kanda Bhaji | Onion Pakora | Onion Fritters”