Tag: Spices

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”

Spiced Green Tea | Masala Green Tea | How to make masala green tea?

Aromatic with mild spices, piping hot spiced green tea
12/27/2016 12:01:16 PM vindhyadesai

Drinking green tea can seem to be a daunting task if you do not like the flavour. People add sugar to green tea which makes its health benefits moot. How about trying this spiced green tea a.k.a masala green tea.
Green tea spiked with aromatic mild spices. This gives a warming effect and your green tea will not be tasteless. Turn your boring old pot of green tea into something more exciting. ... “Spiced Green Tea | Masala Green Tea | How to make masala green tea?”

Apple Gojju | How to make apple gojju?

Rich aromatic flavourful, apple gojju/gotsu to awaken your taste buds
11/02/2016 8:39:53 PM vindhyadesai

Gojjus are side dishes to awaken your taste buds. They are spicy, tangy and sweet light gravies usually mixed with a small amount of hot rice or eaten as a side dish with chapathis/rotis. Gojjus can be made using different kinds of vegetables or even fruits. Bitter gourd, cucumber, pineapple, apple, capsicum, fenugreek seeds (methi), sesame seeds(til/yellu) various kinds can be used. Each of these render a special flavour to a gojju. Here’s the recipe for apple gojju.
Unique tasting ingredients are roasted into a masala and then ground up with the spices to make the thick gravy. I have already posted pineapple gojju recipe and here’s the apple gojju recipe. Apple gojju is quite rare but is definitely very tasty as apples have a very sweet unique taste with lot of body and texture.
Enjoy this flavourful apple gojju with some hot rice. I learnt this recipe years ago from a TV show and had it penned down in my book. Try other gojju recipes. More gravy and curry recipes to try! ... “Apple Gojju | How to make apple gojju?”

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”

Tamatar Chatni | Bengali Style Tomato Chutney

Tangy, Bengali style tamatar chatni – a great accompaniment
10/09/2016 10:27:50 PM vindhyadesai

Tomato chutney and gojju are made in many ways in the Indian cuisine. I tried the Bengali version of making tamatar chatni/chutney and I absolutely love the fresh flavours of the subtle spices added in the form of panch phoran. The special ingredient though has to be raisins/kismish which give an edge of sweetness and the way they pop in your mouth adds to the texture of the chatni. Enjoy this chatni with Bengali style khichuri – Bhog er Khichuri. ... “Tamatar Chatni | Bengali Style Tomato Chutney”

Bengali Khichuri | Bengali Style Khichdi | Bhog er Khichuri

Bengali style khichdi or khichuri, filling and satisfying – Bhog er Khichuri
10/09/2016 8:06:47 PM vindhyadesai

Today was Durgasthami and I made a big Bengali spread for the occasion. It included, aloo posto, Bengali style tamatar chatni, rosogullas and bhog er khichuri. This khichdi is one of the many versions of khichdis one can find in the Indian cuisine. From Pongal to huggi to plain khichdi to mixed veg khichdi there are so many varieties. Every state has at least one of its own versions. This khichdi has roasted mung dal in it with some vegetables. It has some aromatic spices like laung, elaichi, dalchini. They add nice flavour to the khichdi. This is a special dish from the Bengali cuisine and is specially made during festivals like Durgasthami and Saraswati Puja making it ‘Bhog er Khichuri’. It is made with a special type of rice called GobindoBhog chaawal. Any fragrant rice like jeera or basmati rice can be used or even our good old sona masuri rice can also be used to make this khichuri. I have adapted this recipe from a blog which has some nice recipes from the Bengali cuisine. Try other Bengali recipes. ... “Bengali Khichuri | Bengali Style Khichdi | Bhog er Khichuri”

Aloo Jeera | How to make aloo jeera?

Easy aloo jeera recipe with warming, toasted jeera
10/06/2016 7:38:51 PM vindhyadesai

One of the most common recipes I turn to when I need to prepare something with chapathi/phulkas/rotis is this easy aloo jeera sabzi. Aloo jeera or potatoes in warm toasted jeera/cumin seeds sounds comforting and delicious. This easy aloo jeera recipe can be made for vrata/vrat during Navratri or other vrat related festivals. Use sendha namak when making this for vrata/vrat. This dish gets ready in very less time the only waiting time is for the potatoes to get boiled and cooked which will be faster if you cook them in a cooker. Potatoes can be chopped in any way you like, any shape and any size but make sure they are bite sized. Here jeera is added 2 ways, toasted and pounded jeera and some in the tadka. Other potato dishes to try. ... “Aloo Jeera | How to make aloo jeera?”

Methi Thepla | How to make methi thepla?

Soft, filling, light methi theplas, a Gujarathi staple
09/23/2016 9:32:14 PM vindhyadesai

Theplas are Gujarathi masala/spicy rotis made with light spices, vegetables or greens like methi/fenugreek leaves. Theplas have simple spices like fennel/saunf and the dough is kneaded with a little yogurt which makes them soft. Adding methi leaves makes them extra tasty and flavourful. These are one of the most portable dishes, they are easy on the stomach, have very less oil yet soft and filling. They are kid-friendly and this will definitely make them like and eat their greens. Make this for picnics, travel, lunch box or even for a light dinner. More homemade parathas/bread/rotis on FOI. Theplas are best served with pickle and yogurt or a raitha. ... “Methi Thepla | How to make methi thepla?”

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?”

Saarina Pudi | Fresh homemade rasam powder | How to make saarina pudi?

Aromatic, spicy Udupi style homemade saarina pudi/rasam powder
08/27/2016 4:48:16 PM vindhyadesai

Do you buy rasam powder or any masala from a store, try making it at home. There will certainly be a difference in the way you cook at home and it tastes very fresh, aromatic and will be of course free of preservatives. A simple saaru/rasam can be very satisfying and what better if you have fresh masala to make piping hot saaru/rasam/charu at home. Here is the recipe to make fresh rasam/saaru powder at home. For the proportions mentioned here you can make saaru/rasam powder that will be sufficient to make saaru/rasam at least 12 times which serves 4 people, so it lasts for a long time. You can even double the quantities and make more powder. Rasam powder can be used for a variety of other dishes like huLi avalakki and many more. ... “Saarina Pudi | Fresh homemade rasam powder | How to make saarina pudi?”