Meethe Chawal | Saffron Rice | Kesar Pulao

Sweet and fragrant, simple saffron rice or meethe chawal
09/27/2024 12:50:07 PM vindhyadesai

A comeback to blogging after a long hiatus (really long) is difficult. As I sit here at my table and type I am trying to find inspiration from the innumerable food photos I have clicked and the efforts that went into it. Trying to find words and ideas to write a good introduction to this post after a long time makes me think about those initial days of blogging 2016. Now that little ‘S’ is at school full time I will be able to give time to food blogging. It’s been so long and here we are going to learn a very simple dish, sweet saffron rice or meethe chawal. ... “Meethe Chawal | Saffron Rice | Kesar Pulao”

Oven Roasted Dry Nuts | Roasted Dry Nuts

Crisp, super nutritious, homemade oven roasted dry nuts
06/24/2020 3:50:35 PM vindhyadesai

Quick, healthy and nutritious snacks are welcome in my house always. My family loves anything based on nuts and raisins(dry grapes). So here we are to learn how to make oven roasted dry nuts. It’s nice and easy to make, and all you need is a couple of minutes to gather the nuts and spread them on a sheet pan and season them. Then it’s turn to wait around 8 minutes to get crisp oven roasted dry nuts.
As always be careful with serving nuts owing to nut allergies and even more care is required when serving kids. This makes for a quick and easy snack to take with you for travel or picnics. It is so quick to make that your picnic or evening walk on the beach is set! Or on rainy evenings, so you see where this going, one can enjoy this on any kind of day or time. ... “Oven Roasted Dry Nuts | Roasted Dry Nuts”

Sweet Potato Halwa | Genasina Halwa | Sweet Recipes

Creamy and delicious, healthy and fibrous sweet potato halwa
04/26/2020 11:35:01 AM vindhyadesai

Sweet potato is such a versatile root vegetable. It is nutritious and healthy and it does not have an overpowering smell. Hence the dish, sweet potato halwa or shakarkandi ka halwa. Halwa originated in the Middle East and travelled to India. And we make all sorts of halwa, carrot halwa, lauki halwa, beetroot halwa, badam halwa etc.
Last year for Holi I was looking for a very simple sweet to make along with Thandai and rose milk. Sweet potato halwa came to the rescue. I had never made it and anyway I had to photoshoot it, so a delicious halwa was made! It was quite easy to make and we loved the soft creamy texture. ... “Sweet Potato Halwa | Genasina Halwa | Sweet Recipes”

Rava Bhaat | Rava Masala Bhath | Rave Bhath

Soft, spicy and hearty breakfast, Karnataka special flavourful rava bhaat
01/19/2020 7:44:56 PM vindhyadesai

Simple breakfasts can be made extra special by making them in a different way. Either by adding different masala or by adding different vegetables. So, on this note, how about making a simple breakfast like upma/uppittu into a new dish and it is called rava bhaat. It is a Karnataka special dish and very delicious. Oh and I forgot, I have used my bhaat powder/pudi recipe as well in this rava bhaat recipe! ... “Rava Bhaat | Rava Masala Bhath | Rave Bhath”

Ukkarisida Modaka | Ukadiche Modak | Modaka Recipes

Soft steamed bundles of fun, Ganesha’s favourite, ukkarisida modaka or ukadiche modak
08/30/2019 7:45:51 PM vindhyadesai

Ganesha Chaturthi is near and every food blogger puts in loads of efforts making and presenting different kinds of modak/modaka. I realised I do not have a single post of modaka in over 400+ recipes on FOI. Ganesha’s favourite modak/modaka has to be posted then, for this year’s festival falling on Monday, 2nd Sep of 2019. In my home, we always make everyone’s favourite, bele obbattu/holige. But today we will learn ukkarisida modaka or ukadiche modak.
Ukkarisida modaka or ukadiche modak are steamed modaka with a kayi-bella/coconut-jaggery hoorna/filling. The caramelized coconut-jaggery mixture along with the elaichi makes it very aromatic and flavourful. Now let’s talk about the outer layer, it is very important to get it right. It has a subtle taste and is made with rice flour made into a pliable dough. A pinch of salt is what adds the subtle flavour and seals the deal. ... “Ukkarisida Modaka | Ukadiche Modak | Modaka Recipes”

Mathura Peda | Pedha Recipes | Sweet Recipes

Melt in the mouth Mathura Peda, Sri Krishna Janmashtami special sweet
08/22/2019 3:36:15 PM vindhyadesai

The best things always come in small packages at least in this case, little bundles of joy and fun, Sri Krishna Janmashtami special Mathura Peda. This is one of the best sweets to be made for the festival, Mathura is believed to be the birthplace of our Lord! This is a simple and easy way to make Mathura peda and I am not aware whether this is an authentic recipe but it does taste really good. I love the small size of the pedas and children will absolutely adore them.
Mathura peda has only a few simple ingredients and you have a delicious sweet made in no time. I have used my homemade khoya/khova recipe to make khoya. Generally I make the khoya ahead of time in order to save some energy to actually make the pedas. If I make the khoya in the morning I make the pedas in the evening. This recipe is from my last year’s menu for the festival. ... “Mathura Peda | Pedha Recipes | Sweet Recipes”

Satyanarayana Prasada | Sapada Bhakshya | Baalehannina Sheera

A well balanced sweet, loaded with bananas, raisins & cashews, Satyanarayana Prasada
08/11/2019 6:16:24 PM vindhyadesai

We as children always used line up for different prasada/offering/prasadam during festivals or pooja or other rituals. Some of the favourites being Panchamrutha, Tirupati Ladoo and definitely Satyanarayana Prasada. Satyanarayana prasada or sapada bhakshya is a super special kind of sheera made during Satyanarayana Vratha Pooja. How can it not be delicious when it is made for a special occasion with the best of ingredients!
Many of them do feel intimidated by the thought of making Satyanarayana Prasada. Simply because the occasion can be overwhelming or the fact that you are making it as prasada to distribute to people. But do not fear, there is a simple and easy way to make Satyanarayana prasada. Use good quality ingredients and do not do other things in parallel. Just concentrate on this and the secret is, well are you ready? Ghee! Yes good fresh ghee is essential to make a delicious prasada. ... “Satyanarayana Prasada | Sapada Bhakshya | Baalehannina Sheera”

Panchamrutha | Panchamritha | Festival Recipes

Sweet nectar as naivedya, panchamrutha with bananas & a balance of ingredients
08/06/2019 5:44:27 PM vindhyadesai

Now that Shravana month/masa has started, there are festivals almost everyday. But we cannot make sweets everyday and it is not good to consume so many sweets too. Of course, we do need to offer naivedya during the pooja rituals and what better than a simple yet wholesome ‘Panchamrutha’. Before I write a whole lot I would like clarify that there are many ways in which people make Panchamrutha but this is one way we make at home.
It is about the balance of all ingredients, the 5 nectars , milk, curd, sugar, ghee and honey. Kids and adults alike like this and it is one of the things we used to look forward to during festivals and on visit to temples. It is just a beautiful thing to wait for as the flavours develop as it sits. Panchamrutha is just so satisfying and the sweetness makes your digestive juices to start working before the big meal! ... “Panchamrutha | Panchamritha | Festival Recipes”

Bahala Bhaat | Mosaru Shavige | Curd Vermicelli

Creamy and cooling, curd based shavige or Karnataka special bahala bhaat
08/03/2019 3:21:59 PM vindhyadesai

On some mornings when you are short on time and do not have idli or dosa batter on hand, simple breakfasts come in handy. But upma/uppittu or avalakki can be boring sometimes and their turn for the week is up then we need some more ideas up our sleeve. One such recipe is my favourite Karnataka special bahala bhaat or mosaru shavige.
Bahala bhaat or mosaru shavige is a cooling shavige/vermicelli dish. It is loaded with fun things like cashews and raisins and of course the main ingredient is cooling mosaru/yogurt/curd. In my experience most vermicelli varieties take about 3-4 minutes to cook or 5 minutes tops! This can be then quickly cooled and mixed with cool mosaru/yogurt/curd. ... “Bahala Bhaat | Mosaru Shavige | Curd Vermicelli”

Baalekayi Pepper Roast | Raw Plantain Roast | Snack Recipes

Crisp, peppery, a delicious snack or side dish with tomato saaru, baalekayi pepper roast
07/31/2019 9:29:02 PM vindhyadesai

Finding healthy ways to snack is a big area of your cooking life. It is easy to reach a sugary snack bar or a bag of those salty potato chips. But those calories will make you feel guilty, a normal scenario isn’t it! So how about we remove the guilt and also fix the snack. So let’s make raw banana pepper roast or baalekayi pepper roast.
It is such a fun snack with very minimal ingredients. The flavour obviously comes from black pepper which is freshly pounded and for that fragrant South Indian taste, curry leaves do the trick. A pot of your favourite masala chai and baalekayi pepper roast, what a combination! ... “Baalekayi Pepper Roast | Raw Plantain Roast | Snack Recipes”