Tag: Crowd Favourite

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”

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?”

Masala Dosa | Masale Dose | How to make masala dosa?

Most loved breakfast ever, soft yet crisp masala dosas
08/30/2016 9:38:23 PM vindhyadesai

Dosa/Dose is a very popular dish from South India eaten for breakfast. But these days, dosa has become an universal dish. It is famous all over the world and not just in India. They are thin and crepe like, made from rice and urad dal(black gram dal) batter.  See my dosa batter recipe to make dosas. This is a crowd puller dish and is one of the most prepared dishes in weddings and other parties along with bisi bele bhaat. You will definitely see a crowd around a dosa counter wherever it is, in parties, in dosa camps, in hotels, in street dosa vans which sell “99”, “100” and many more varieties of dosas. With the same batter you can make different variety of dosas. Masala dosa has potato (aloo) masala palya filling with red chutney (kempu chutney) smeared just before adding the masala. Red chutney is substituted with green mint/pudina chutney sometimes. Serve dosa with coconut chutney or any other chutneys or side dishes you like. ... “Masala Dosa | Masale Dose | How to make masala dosa?”

Avalakki Chivda | Poha Chivda | How to make chivda?

Crisp spicy tea-time snack, avalakki/poha chivda
08/26/2016 9:30:34 PM vindhyadesai

Want to have something at home to munch on without worrying about calories, then chivda is your snack. Yes, it is not completely guilt-free but it is better than deep fried or sweet snacks on a daily basis. Come tea-time we all feel like eating something with our favourite beverage, chivda sounds definitely mouth-watering. This is a very famous snack from North Karnataka and Maharashtra. Nowadays, it is famous all over. Different things can be added to chivda like mixture, sev, ghatte, broken onion pakoda, roasted dry nuts etc. But the base for making avalakki/poha chivda is the same. Use medium poha/rice flakes for making chivda it gives a nice crispiness and crunch. Enjoy with your favourite cup of tea/coffee or serve with yogurt/curd (super combo!) or madike usli/matki usal (again a super combo!). It is also a preferred snack during fasting or when guests pop-over, all in all it is a versatile snack. ... “Avalakki Chivda | Poha Chivda | How to make chivda?”

Aloo Paratha | Aloo ke Parathe | How to make aloo paratha?

Filling and favourite aloo ke parathe
08/13/2016 6:25:11 PM vindhyadesai

This week on Food Of Interest [FOI] I will be adding vegetarian recipes from cuisines from various parts of the world. The list is of course to start with, Indian, followed by Italian, Spanish, Mexican, South African, Austrian, American and last but not least Chinese. The dishes themselves will be revealed over the next week. It is all about fresh vegetarian cooking. Fresh produce all over the world is treated with immense respect in their local cuisines. Tasty food, a few famous dishes and a few unheard of dishes but all about vegetables and fruits and fresh produce that is eaten and celebrated world over. To begin, a very famous Indian recipe which celebrates potato and wheat, aloo paratha. This paratha is everybody’s favourite and is very filling. So here is Dish 1 part of World Cuisine Series – Aloo paratha! A super Sunday morning breakfast/brunch. ... “Aloo Paratha | Aloo ke Parathe | How to make aloo paratha?”

Vanilla Ice cream | Eggless Vanilla Ice cream | No cook vanilla ice cream | Homemade vanilla ice cream

Super creamy homemade favourite eggless vanilla ice cream
08/09/2016 8:29:13 PM vindhyadesai

I have not met a single soul who does not like ice cream especially vanilla ice cream. It has to be one of the most eaten, desired and versatile desserts in the world. Make ice cream at home without worries of added preservatives, artificial flavours and colours. This recipe does not involve any cooking at all. There is no need of making a custard for this recipe. The most important thing is to keep all ingredients and your ice cream container chilled and cold at all times to prevent crystal formation and solidfication during churning/blending.
I have used my ice cream machine to churn the ice cream mixture. But it can be very easily churned with a simple everyday use electric hand blender which I will describe below. It is a little extra effort when using an electric blender but worth it nonetheless. I do not have to mention the uses of vanilla ice cream, it is super tasty just plain, or with chocolate brownies or simply whipped up into a milkshake like musk melon vanilla milkshake or this decadent peach and blueberry crumble. Oh boy! Super creamy vanilla ice cream! Enjoy! ... “Vanilla Ice cream | Eggless Vanilla Ice cream | No cook vanilla ice cream | Homemade vanilla ice cream”

Puliyogare | Puliyogare Gojju | Pulihora | Puliyodarai | How to make puliyogare?

Traditional Iyengar puliyogare with homemade gojju
08/02/2016 5:46:18 PM vindhyadesai

Tangy, sweet, spicy and even slightly bitter, all tastes in one dish. Puliyogare has to be one of those dishes. Traditional Iyengar Puliyogare made at home is an excellent dish for festivals. You can make the gojju ahead of time and store it and make puliyogare quite easily for your lunch box or even for a quick picnic. It is just mixing in gojju evenly with cooked and cooled rice. Cooked rice should not be sticky and you can eat the most wonderful puliyogare at home. The prasada/offering they give at temples has a unique taste. I would say this one will come quite close and it’s homemade, so no complaints. There are a few steps to make the gojju. I have segregated them to make it easy and each stage can be done separately. ... “Puliyogare | Puliyogare Gojju | Pulihora | Puliyodarai | How to make puliyogare?”

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”

Bisi Bele Bhaat | Bisi Bele Bhath | How to make bisi bele bhaat

Favourite and festive bisi bele bhaat
06/27/2016 9:27:47 PM vindhyadesai

Bisi Bele Bhaat (BBB) is the default dish for a big function like weddings in South Karnataka. It is a crowd favourite dish and made for most festivals and grand celebrations. It is a thick rice and lentils dish with loads of vegetables, fragrant spices and topped with cashews and groundnuts. Very filling and super tasty, generally served with masala corn flakes, potato chips and mixed raitha. Use freshly made masala and your BBB will be a hit. BBB is probably one of those dishes which people like it best when homemade rather than hotel style. Not many restaurants serve good bisi bele bhaat. So, why not try making it at home.
There are quite a few steps, keeping everything organized makes it easy without making you feel overwhelmed. Make dry BBB masala previous day or first thing before starting bisi bele bhaat. I have learnt this recipe from many people each with their own proportions for masala but credit has to go to my friend’s mother who gave me her handwritten recipe which I tried with some variations. Enjoy! ... “Bisi Bele Bhaat | Bisi Bele Bhath | How to make bisi bele bhaat”

Dahi Papdi Chaat

Chatpata and crisp dahi papdi chaat with cooling yogurt
06/25/2016 3:56:44 PM vindhyadesai

Imagine a rainy evening with a plate of your favourite chaat. Dahi papdi chaat is one of my favourite chaats because of the cool yogurt. Crisp papdis arranged on a plate and adorned with chopped onions, tomatoes, sweet and green chutneys, little spoonfuls of sweet yogurt and some thin sev to finish on top. Sounds mouth-watering? Here’s the recipe, adjust according to taste. I have used homemade whole wheat baked papdis. ... “Dahi Papdi Chaat”