Basundi | Homemade Basundi | Sweet Recipes

Creamy Basundi with lightly crunchy dry nuts and delicate saffron
03/25/2019 3:45:55 PM vindhyadesai

This month, March’19 Food Of Interest completes 3 full years. I did post the 1st post on March 4th 2016 but I would like to think March and April 2016 were the founding months of FOI. It laid the foundations, setting up the website, finding a nice format for the posts, easy to read and make recipes, indeed it is a special month! With over 15K users per month I thank my readers for trying my recipes 🙂 So here it is and to make it even more statistically special, the 400th post on FOI, on a sweet note with “Basundi“.
Creamy milk sweets are too good to ignore. Imagine thickened sweetened creamy milk loaded with pistachios, almonds, cashews, with subtle fragrance of elaichi. Makes you go into a different world, a world filled with creaminess of milk and nuttiness of rich nuts! This rich introduction is for a traditional Maharashtra and Karnataka special sweet dish, “Basundi”. ... “Basundi | Homemade Basundi | Sweet Recipes”

Dry Nuts Ladoo | Dry Fruits Ladoo | Ladoo Recipes

Loaded with dry nuts & fruits, laced with fragrant spices, dry nuts ladoo
01/06/2019 1:14:40 PM vindhyadesai

Many of us would have made resolutions for the new year and most of them are connected to eating and fitness. A nutritious dry nuts ladoo could be the answer. This is rich both in taste and texture but equally nutritious if not more. You can pretty much add any kind of dry fruits or nuts you prefer like dried figs, apricots, dry cherries, candied fruits apart from the ones mentioned in this recipe.
Jaggery is rich in minerals and also provides calcium. But for me the favourite part of this ladoo dry nuts ladoo is neither nuts nor jaggery. Uh-huh! Anyone can imply that from the name, dry nuts and ladoo saying it has something sweet. ... “Dry Nuts Ladoo | Dry Fruits Ladoo | Ladoo Recipes”

Badam Kheer | Badami Payasa | Kheer Recipes

Blanched chopped nutty almonds in fragrant, smooth and thick milk, badam kheer
10/15/2018 10:44:47 PM vindhyadesai

Anything that involves dry nuts and milk is a sure-shot hit combination. Dry nuts like badam/almonds or cashews add richness and a lot of crunch to a dish. Especially if it is a sweet dish like this badam kheer. Badam kheer has a rich base of badam/almonds of course. Read-on what goes into this kheer and don’t forget to try it 🙂
So, as I was saying badam kheer has badam and along with that, it has kesar/saffron and elaichi. They make this badam kheer really flavourful and you do not need a lot of sugar at all. It’s best to use full cream milk and not skimmed milk. The fats in the milk are definitely required to make the badam kheer thick and flavourful. ... “Badam Kheer | Badami Payasa | Kheer Recipes”

Pineapple Kesari | Pineapple Sheera | Kesari Recipes

Bright yellow and fragrant, super special and a favourite sheera, pineapple kesari
10/08/2018 1:55:13 PM vindhyadesai

Kesari is a very commonly made sweet all across India. It is like a halwa but has a league of its own. Kesari or kesari bhaat or sheera is made with rava as the base. It can then be laced with different flavours like kesar, elaichi etc. The liquid added can be either milk or water, if making it with milk, check out my haal kesari recipe. Here I have made a pineapple kesari!
Kesari can be enriched with extra flavours by adding a fruit or fruits into the mix. Pineapple, apple, mango, banana can go into making kesari. Pineapple kesari is one of the most famous ones amongst the lot! It is rich as it is made with pure desi ghee and loaded with cashews and raisins. ... “Pineapple Kesari | Pineapple Sheera | Kesari Recipes”

Akki Kadale Bele Payasa | Chawal Chana Dal Kheer | Payasa Recipes

Melt in the mouth jaggery based payasa, Karnataka special akki kadale bele payasa
08/23/2018 10:44:45 PM vindhyadesai

A staple sweet in Karnataka is varieties of payasa. Akki kadale bele payasa is a wholesome sweet dish and kids love it. It is a self contained dish on its own and works well in big feasts well. Soft rice and chana dal are cooked with ground coconut and elaichi. It is then mixed with melted jaggery.
Akki kadale bele payasa is adorned with crunchy cashews and soft raisins fried in ghee. Oh my word, the combination is delectable and tastes absolutely delicious. We love this dish at home very much and make it regularly for festivals or feasts. ... “Akki Kadale Bele Payasa | Chawal Chana Dal Kheer | Payasa Recipes”

Coriander Rice | Coriander Bhaat | Bhaat Recipes

Quick and easy rice dish for your lunch box, delicious and tasty coriander rice
08/19/2018 7:07:02 PM vindhyadesai

Coriander leaves or dhania patta or kottambri soppu is the main ingredient for garnishing. How about we just make it the main ingredient! So here we are back with another simple lunch box recipe, coriander rice or coriander bhaat. All this needs is just few simple whole garam masala and some fresh coriander.
Some cashews adorn this flavourful coriander rice along with some pop-in-the-mouth green peas. Coriander rice gets ready in quick time and you do not even have to prepare the rice beforehand. Although sometimes that method is also quite fast. ... “Coriander Rice | Coriander Bhaat | Bhaat Recipes”

Besan Ladoo | Besan Unde | Ladoo Recipes | Sweet Recipes

Melt in the mouth, laden with ghee and crunchy nuts, special besan ladoo
08/07/2018 9:18:23 PM vindhyadesai

When summer holidays used to arrive we used to always have besan ladoo, avalakki chivda and kodubale at home. My mother always ensured she stocked up on these favourite North Karnataka snacks. Besan ladoo and avalakki chivda are infact the 2 most important snacks in a North Karnataka household. When you visit someone’s house you are sure to be offered these snacks. A cup of fresh chai and guests are served!
The trick to make fragrant and non-pasty/non-dry besan ladoo is patience. Yes you heard me right, you have to fry the mixture on low flame for quite sometime to get the right consistency, colour and taste! I mention it multiple times throughout this post, never ever be tempted to increase the heat on your pan, the mixture will turn into a clay like colour (ew!).

... “Besan Ladoo | Besan Unde | Ladoo Recipes | Sweet Recipes”

Gur Papdi | Gol Papdi | Sukhdi | Sweet Recipes

Flaky & delicate jaggery based sweet, Gujarat special gur papdi or sukhdi
07/10/2018 8:41:38 PM vindhyadesai

Gujarat is well known for its special sweets especially laden with ghee and milk. The drool-worthy sweets are simply to die-for! The variety of sweets prepared and consumed is mind-boggling. Simple everyday sweets are also a must, a piece or two with a meal, sounds very inviting. Gur papdi or gol papdi or sukhdi all names of the same sweet.
Gur papdi is nice and simple, it has whole wheat flour (atta), jaggery, desi ghee of course and some dry nuts if desired. It gets ready very quickly but it is a delicate sweet. It is flaky, so make it with love and care! Either way whether you are able to make the papdi or not, it will taste good. ... “Gur Papdi | Gol Papdi | Sukhdi | Sweet Recipes”

Carrot Pulao | Carrot Raisin Pulao | Pulao Recipes

A simple and easy pulao to prepare, carrot pulao with cashews & raisins
07/03/2018 9:56:47 PM vindhyadesai

Pulao is my go to one-pot dish for lunch or sometimes for dinner. Usually gets ready in a jiffy and some raitha on the side, you are set. Making an elaborate pulao will not be possible always. But making use of the same masalas and may be just 1 or 2 vegetables we can still make a delicious pulao. Carrot pulao is one of those simple pulaos you can make.
Carrot pulao is loaded with raisins and cashews making it extra special. You can obviously skip them but why not add a festive touch. The natural sweet taste of carrots makes this carrot pulao very tasty. It infact does not need a lot of masala or spices. Moreover carrot pulao gets ready in no time at all! ... “Carrot Pulao | Carrot Raisin Pulao | Pulao Recipes”

Mango Avocado Salad | Salad Recipes | Mango Recipes

A delicious salad for the summer, with yellow and green, mango avocado salad
06/12/2018 10:32:18 PM vindhyadesai

A refreshing salad which involves mangoes, sounds mouth-watering. Anything involving mangoes sounds mouth-watering. The ‘king of fruits’, a truly unique fruit loved by most. Mangoes can be incorporated into so many dishes from sweets, beverages, savoury dishes and many more. This mango avocado salad is a refreshing salad with all the summer flavours and colours.
A simple and quick dressing for this mango avocado salad takes it to the next level. It makes you crave more for this salad. I have also added some toasted pecans and dried cranberries to this salad. You can add walnuts, raisins or even dried cherries, whatever you have on hand. ... “Mango Avocado Salad | Salad Recipes | Mango Recipes”