Pasta Florentine

Colourful warm pasta on a bed of spinach
06/03/2016 10:03:33 PM vindhyadesai

Pasta can be be made for an early evening supper. It can be made in various ways with various types of ingredients and of course with different shapes and sizes of pasta. Pasta with loads of vegetables is my favourite way to eat it. Carbohydrates balanced with enough fibre. Cooking pasta is tricky business but very easy if you follow the instructions on the pack you have got. The most important thing to remember about cooking a pasta dish is to cook the pasta with the sauce you are making which makes the pasta non-sticky and all the flavours of the sauce enter into the pasta making your dish very tasty, just like how the Italians do it.
Pasta Florentine is a dish from the Florence region of Italy and it also means something served on a bed of spinach. ... “Pasta Florentine”

Baked Nippattu

Crisp savoury bakery style crackers to enjoy with a hot cup of tea/coffee
05/31/2016 10:26:34 PM vindhyadesai

Crispy and spicy nippattu from a local Iyengar bakery with hot South Indian filter coffee(kaapi) is one of the best snacks ever. Baked nippattu turn out to be really crisp and infact that is how they make them in bakeries. Nippattu can be made plain or finely chopped onions can be added which give an extra crunch. I have made them both here and both taste very good. The most important step is to add correct amount of ghee and butter, making the dough with warm water. I have added milk powder which adds rounded flavours to this recipe as suggested from another food blogger smithakalluraya. Simple ingredients turn into a tasty snack. These can be stored for quite a few days in an air tight container if they last that long from hungry mouths and prying eyes:) ... “Baked Nippattu”

Aam Shrikhand | Aamrkhand | Mango Shrikhand

Light, creamy mango and yogurt based dessert
05/29/2016 2:11:50 PM vindhyadesai

Aamrkhand or mango shrikhand or aam shrikhand is a mango and yogurt based no-cook dessert. It’s the mango season! Mango the king of all fruits makes this dessert very special. It is light and creamy and the mango flavours ooze through from the dessert. If the mangoes are sweet only a little sugar will be enough to cut through all the flavours. Saffron is added for enhanced flavour and gives a deep colour to shrikhand. Hung curd or yogurt separated from all the whey is used to make aamrkhand. I also love making kesar elaichi shrikhand. Aamrkhand is generally eaten with puris or just as dessert. ... “Aam Shrikhand | Aamrkhand | Mango Shrikhand”

Orange Marmalade

Orange marmalade made at home, enjoy it smeared on toast
22:40:13 05/26/2016 vindhyadesai

Orange marmalade is a fruit preserve made with oranges(obviously) and lemon, boiled with sugar till it is set. The speciality of a marmalade is peels or shreds of skin are added to get all the flavour of the fruit. Use organic fruits where possible especially when consuming the skins or peels. Preserving sugar or regular granulated sugar can be used. Lemon juice cuts through the sweetness of the oranges and gives a nice zing between orange flavours. Taste the oranges before making the marmalade, if the juice is bitter try avoiding those oranges. I learnt to make this from a recipe published by a supermarket. They make it in bulk, I have adapted the recipe to yield about 400-450 gm of marmalade. Orange marmalade on buttered toast is the best way to eat this. I also make other jams like, strawberries, cranberries, mixed fruits, mango morabba(gulambu), grapes, will post them all soon. ... “Orange Marmalade”

Gujarati Kadhi

Tangy, creamy yogurt based gravy with sweet notes
05/24/2016 8:51:36 PM vindhyadesai

Kadhi is a yogurt/curd based dish made using besan(chickpea flour) to thicken it into a gravy like consistency. Besan also prevents yogurt from splitting when it is heated. Yogurt can be sour or sweet, it depends on the type of Kadhi you are making. Yes, there are various types of Kadhi that are made in India. Almost every state has its own type of Kadhi, from the Punjabi version which has pakodis to Rajasthani Kadhi which is not as sweet as Gujarati Kadhi. Then there are more variations from South India like majjige huLi from Mysore/Bangalore, majjige paladya made in North Karnataka, Mor Kulambu from Tamil Nadu. There are so many variations and every version is very comforting.
Gujarati Kadhi is sweet because of the sugar or jaggery. You can make this in a jiffy after a long day and feel comforted on a cold winter night or a hot summer evening. Kadhi has cooling properties, it is known that it prevents formation of phlegm and can be eaten for dinner as the yogurt is cooked.I generally serve this with ‘rotlis’ (rotis with ‘L’ are Gujarati rotis or phulkas smeared with desi ghee) or plain steamed rice. ... “Gujarati Kadhi”

Aloo Masala

Potato gravy or aloo masala for rava idli
05/22/2016 11:50:35 AM vindhyadesai

Aloo masala is a light gravy to accompany rava idli or chapathis or rotis. Boiled and mashed potatoes are mixed in tangy tomato gravy. Simple ingredients and easy to make. MTR hotel serves rava idlis with aloo masala along with ghee and chutney, a unique combination not found in a lot of eateries. I have already posted Rava Idli recipe and here is the aloo masala recipe to go along with it. Enjoy it for a sumptuous weekend breakfast! ... “Aloo Masala”

Mixed Bean Veg Chilli | Chilli non Carne

A spicy and tangy stew made with different kinds of chillies and peppers
05/11/2016 9:39:33 PM vindhyadesai

Vegetarian chilli or chilli non carne is a dish from the American and Mexican region. It is a spicy and tangy stew made with different kinds of chillies and peppers with tomatoes and beans as the base. It is thick like a gravy with different vegetables adding a lot of texture along with the beans.  This dish is high in protein and has various layers of flavours with each type of chilli adding its own flavour.
It can be served with various types of accompaniments like plain salted tortilla chips, pita chips, plain tortillas or tacos, cooked and fluffed up couscous. It can be served as starters with a big pot of chilli in the centre or even just on its own. I use this as a base for other dishes like enchiladas, burritos, filled tacos, all mouth watering Mexcian dishes. Make a big batch and use it for different recipes. I do this for atleast 2 meals.
Only one type of bean can be used or a mix like black eyed beans, red kidney beans, butter beans, lima beans, mung beans etc. If you do not have the types of chillies mentioned in this recipe substitute them with any type of Mexican chillies or bell peppers. Most supermarkets do stock these kinds of chillies in jars as pastes or powders, they stay good refrigerated for a few months. ... “Mixed Bean Veg Chilli | Chilli non Carne”

How to peel and slice avocados

Perfect moon slices of avocado
05/10/2016 8:24:05 PM vindhyadesai

Avocados are in vogue and why not. They are very tasty and their health benefits are immense. They are rich in fibre, healthy fats and potassium. Avocados are mainly grown in the Mediterranean region. They are an important part of the Mexican cuisine in the form of guacamole, a staple. In India, they are used in milkshakes and generally referred to as ‘butter fruits’. Avocados have complex flavours – sweetish and soft in texture. They are actually fruits resembling a pear and are generally eaten raw. They are so buttery that oil is extracted from them and used for salad dressings. I love to use them in sandwiches, veg chilli.
Peeling avocados can be tricky business. I illustrate a few easy methods here on how to peel and slice avocados. ... “How to peel and slice avocados”

Pudina Vegetable Pulao

Minty green mixed vegetable pulao served with a cool raitha
05/07/2016 4:13:19 PM vindhyadesai

One of my favourite dishes to cook when I started to experiment in the kitchen as a school girl, was a big pot of vegetable pulao. I used to cook vegetable pulao adorned with cashews, raisins and toasted bread croutons. On Sunday afternoons, no one was allowed inside the kitchen at home, chopping up vegetables, making rice, grinding the masala, I used to like to make everything myself. This is one of my favourite rice dishes to make on a weekend. Fresh mint/pudina leaves along with a few spices are the base flavours to this super flavourful rice. I generally serve it with a simple mixed vegetable raitha. Any other raitha or just plain yogurt will also go well with this pulao. ... “Pudina Vegetable Pulao”

Kalakand

Soft moist milk sweet, a sure crowd pleaser
05/05/2016 7:18:09 PM vindhyadesai

Sweets made with milk which are soft, moist and rich are liked by most. The kind of colourful and tasty sweets lined up in a sweet shop always attracts everyone. But they can be quite expensive to buy and are mostly reserved for special occasions. But what if these kinds of sweets can be made at home with simple ingredients. One such sweet is ‘kalakand’, it is one of my favourite sweets and I absolutely love making it. They turn out to be so moist and are very fresh when made at home. They have to be made ahead of time because it needs some time to set and tastes better that way. ... “Kalakand”