Sankranti Yellu Bella | Til Gul | How to make yellu bella?

Traditional homemade Sankranti yellu bella, trail mix to share
01/10/2017 9:29:26 PM vindhyadesai

Trail Mixes are always fun to eat. A traditional way of celebrating Sankranti/Pongal in Karnataka & Maharashtra is to make yellu-bella or til-gul. Sankranti yellu bella is a mixture of toasted sesame seeds and jaggery pieces. Apart from these ingredients which denote bitter-sweet flavours, roasted groundnuts, roasted gram and pieces of desiccated coconut are also added.
This is the perfect marriage of all flavours depicting the flavours of life. On this occasion of Sankranti make this mixture from scratch at home. With only few days away from Sankranti I thought of posting this recipe for Sankranti yellu bella.
It is more of proportions of all ingredients that need to be added in order to make this mixture well balanced. Most people tend to buy this from grocery stores these days to celebrate Sankranti. Would it not be more fun and authentic to put together a simple mixture at home this Sankranti? ... “Sankranti Yellu Bella | Til Gul | How to make yellu bella?”

Masala Groundnuts | Khara Kadalebeeja | Snack Recipes

Crisp, karara, bakery style masala groundnuts or khara kadalebeeja
01/09/2017 6:04:01 PM vindhyadesai

Groundnuts they say are the poor man’s cashews but I say they are even better than cashews. Or both are awesome! Let’s settle on that 🙂 Admit it, we all are nuts for both those nuts! These crisp karara masala groundnuts are one the best snacks in the world.
Come tea-time, these humble snacks are a tasty choice. Light and masaledaar, masala groundnuts very famous in condiment stores in Karnataka . A special mention has to go to ‘Subbamma Stores’ a condiment store in Bengaluru. The variety of snacks we get there are simply mouth-watering. ... “Masala Groundnuts | Khara Kadalebeeja | Snack Recipes”

Ven Pongal | Pongal Recipes | Sankranti Recipes

Adorned with whole black peppercorns, soft and delicious ven pongal
01/02/2017 12:40:47 PM vindhyadesai

A wholesome rice with the simplest of spices has to be pongal. Main ingredients being rice and mung/moong dal along with black pepper they make a super delicious combo. Ven pongal is a variation of khichdi from Tamil Nadu and South India. This is similar to hotel style pongal served with white coconut chutney and tiffin sambar.
Khichdi is the most common dish all over India. It is made in different ways for instance the one, I have already posted from Bengal, khichuri. These dishes are very comforting and most importantly they are one-pot meals. ... “Ven Pongal | Pongal Recipes | Sankranti Recipes”

Shenga Barfis | Kadalebeeja Barfi | How to make groundnut barfi? | Sankranti Recipes

Mini cut groundnut or shenga barfis – something for the sweet tooth
01/01/2017 12:08:59 PM vindhyadesai

New Year is here! Let’s us start this new year on a sweet note. A fun to make recipe, shenga barfis. Made with roasted groundnuts mixed into melted jaggery and ghee. Now, what can go bad with that 🙂
Sankranti/Pongal planning has to start soon. This year the harvest festival is on the 14th of January. Make simple sweets like shenga unde, shenga chikki along with these shenga barfis. They will make your Sankranti/Pongal celebration special.
These shenga barfis can be cut into any shape, I have cut them into small squares. Small squares are ideal to distribute amongst friends and colleagues. Everyone can just grab a little barfi and help themselves with more. ... “Shenga Barfis | Kadalebeeja Barfi | How to make groundnut barfi? | Sankranti Recipes”

Southekayi Hasi Gojju

Tasty and delicious side dish, southekayi hasi gojju
12/30/2016 4:24:09 PM vindhyadesai

Simple side dishes are always a welcome change to rich and laborious gravies. This cucumber dish called as southekayi hasi gojju (no cooking required) has ingredients that are added to a bisi gojju (cooked and warmed)
Gojjus/Gotsus are typically tangy side dishes which have loads of flavour in them. Take for instance, pineapple gojju, apple gojju or this yellu gojju, they are very tasty. But they require the masala to be prepared and ground. That is the reason why these dishes are limited to certain special occasions like festivals and weddings. ... “Southekayi Hasi Gojju”

Gorikayi Bhaat | Cluster Beans Bhaat | Chavlikayi Bhaat

Tasty and flavourful with crunchy groundnuts, gorikayi/chavlikayi bhaat
10/31/2016 9:52:05 PM vindhyadesai

After a month long celebration of festivals if you are craving to eat something simple and light, try one of the bhaat/rice recipes. Here’s the recipe for a simple gorikayi bhaat made using cluster beans/gorikayi or chavlikayi. These beans are hardly used but when eaten tender they can be very sweet. These beans have a unique taste and are very fibrous. I have also added peas which pop in the mouth and give extra texture along with the crunchy groundnuts/peanuts.
Here’s a simple cluster bean chutney as well to try. Flavours from jaggery and tamarind add the essential sweet and sour notes to this along with rasam powder giving it a hint of spice and fresh taste. I served this with capsicum raitha/saasme. Gorikayi bhaat is a simple one pot recipe, perfect for your lunch box or for festivals or even for that picnic you are planning.
... “Gorikayi Bhaat | Cluster Beans Bhaat | Chavlikayi Bhaat”

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”

Carrot Halwa | How to make carrot halwa?

Juicy moist sweet carrot halwa with cashews and raisins
10/21/2016 6:45:02 PM vindhyadesai

Carrot halwa is a famous Indian sweet made from grated sweet carrots, sugar, milk, ghee all sauteed till it turns into a sweet, soft halwa. This light orange coloured sweet is loved by children and is a good way of getting children to eat some carrots. The halwa is flavoured with elaichi and along with added cashews and raisins this halwa is fit to be laid out for a feast.
This is one of those sweets where you do not have to check whether it is set or worry about making a threaded sugar syrup. The only thing to get this halwa to a soft and moist consistency is to stop sauteing it at the right time so that it is moist enough and does not dry out. The pictures below illustrate at what stage the halwa needs to stop cooking.
This will surely be a hit with everyone and is a good sweet to prepare in large quantities. It is easily portable and is a crowd pleaser. It can be served both as a sweet or dessert. Fancy it up a bit by serving with vanilla ice cream right on top. Do try more halwa and other sweet recipes from FOI.
... “Carrot Halwa | How to make carrot halwa?”

Kaju Katli | How to make kaju katli? | Cashew Barfi

Nutty, fudgy, everyone’s favourite with the goodness of cashews, kaju katli
10/18/2016 10:21:39 PM vindhyadesai

Deepavali/Diwali is just round the corner. I started preparing for it over the weekend and with only a few days to go I have recipes lined for Deepavali to be posted on FOI. Kaju Katli or cashew barfi is the most loved sweet both by kids and adults. This is the safest bet when distributing sweets as most people love it! I am no exception to that and I can eat many of these in one day, just chew them all up (I try not to though :)). It seems like a very complicated recipe to make but with only a few ingredients it can be one of the most easiest sweets to make if you get the consistency right. Follow stepwise to ensure you get the right consistency right from making the cashew powder to making sugar syrup to the dough consistency. More Deepavali recipes and festival recipes for you try! Happy preparation for the festival of lights! Let’s begin on a sweet note. ... “Kaju Katli | How to make kaju katli? | Cashew Barfi”

Kayi Holige | Kayi Obbattu | Nariyal PoLi | Coconut Holige | How to make kayi obbattu?

Soft and crunchy sweet coconut/kayi holige, a special dish for the festivals
10/10/2016 10:28:16 PM vindhyadesai

Wish you all a very happy Vijayadashami/Dasara! Coconut holige/kayi obbattu/nariyal poLi is one of my favourite sweets. It is soft yet crunchy on the outside and it has the unmistakable flavour of coconut. Unlike many other dishes where coconut gets lost in between other ingredients, here it is the main ingredient and it gets due importance. Most functions in Karnataka have holige/obbattu/poLi as the main sweet. Usually beLe holige or this kayi holige steal the show and are made in the order of hundreds. They are made with maida/all purpose flour which can make the edges quite hard and the filling inside might not be sufficient to make them soft yet crunchy. I always try and make recipes with whole wheat flour, for the fibre, taste and it makes the holige so much more softer and they hold together beautifully. Make these and a few can be made quite quickly and is not all that difficult. ... “Kayi Holige | Kayi Obbattu | Nariyal PoLi | Coconut Holige | How to make kayi obbattu?”