Masala Chai | Masala Tea | Beverage Recipes

Ever-favourite piping hot beverage, masala chai or masala tea
10/23/2018 9:24:30 AM vindhyadesai

What do I say about tea! Where do we start! It is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. And by far one of the most popular beverages in the world! In India, tea is absolutely popular, no prizes for guessing! Masala chai or masala tea is infact an emotion. So many conversations start with this magical potion and some people cannot function without this.
Masala chai or masala tea is not just about the tea leaves, it is about the celebration of tea itself. The best tea leaves/powder are boiled and mixed with fragrant spices mixed with hot milk. It simply takes tea to another level. It is a beautiful thing! ... “Masala Chai | Masala Tea | Beverage 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”

Banana Appam | Banana Paddu | Baalehannina Gundupongala

Sweet and delicious banana appam or banana paddu, a super easy dish for festivals
09/11/2018 1:49:18 PM vindhyadesai

Banana is my favourite fruit to cook with. You can make so many dishes with it. Every part of the banana plant is edible and in fact we cook with most parts of banana/plantain plant. Ripe banana is such a boon, kids and adults alike like this fruit and the dishes made that are made with it. Banana appam or banana paddu is a traditional favourite at home and we make this for breakfast and for festivals.
The best part of banana appam is it can be made instantly. No waiting long hours for fermentation or no need of kneading any dough. All you need is a paddu/appam pan and when it heating, making the batter. Banana appam or banana paddu is made with whole wheat flour which is mixed with jaggery, ripe bananas and cardamom for flavouring. ... “Banana Appam | Banana Paddu | Baalehannina Gundupongala”

Vangi Bhaat Masala | Bhaat Pudi | Homemade Bhaat Powder

Aromatic homemade vangi bhaat masala, a spice powder to make rice bhaat
08/26/2018 6:37:10 PM vindhyadesai

Homemade masalas are the best, they are fresh and aromatic. Such masalas are free from preservatives and artificial additives. That’s a good start to any dish especially rice based dishes. Different kinds of bhaat are made in South India which are based on some vegetable. Freshly powdered masala should be a part of such flavourful dishes. Vangi bhaat masala is very essential in Karnataka.
Vangi means brinjal or aubergine and a tasty rice dish is prepared with it called vangi bhaat. A special spice powder or masala that goes into it is vangi bhaat masala. It has a variety of spices mostly commonly available at home. These spices are lightly toasted till aromatic and ground into a powder.

... “Vangi Bhaat Masala | Bhaat Pudi | Homemade Bhaat Powder”

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”

Yellu Chigli | Til Ke Ladoo | Sesame Seeds Ladoo | Sweet Recipes

Deep coloured, sweet and bitter, yellu chigli or til ke ladoo
08/12/2018 9:34:01 PM vindhyadesai

Come August we start celebrating different festivals. One of the first ones is to worship the serpent god, nagara chauthi and naga panchmi. It is widely celebrated throughout India. Amidst all the celebrations we generally like to make simple and easy sweets. That is where our age old traditional sweets come to our rescue. In Karnataka we make a simple ladoo with sesame seeds called yellu chigli or til ke ladoo.
Yellu chigli is made with black sesame seeds and jaggery. It is quite easy to make and is one of the most important sweets along with tambittu (roasted chana ladoo). Sesame seeds are fried till they release aroma then mixed with jaggery powder and fresh ghee. Yellu chigli are smaller in size as they should be consumed in small quantities. ... “Yellu Chigli | Til Ke Ladoo | Sesame Seeds Ladoo | Sweet 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”

Shavige Pulao | Seviyaan Pulao | Breakfast Recipes

Delicious, loaded with vegetables, a great breakfast dish shavige pulao
06/29/2018 7:12:08 AM vindhyadesai

Some simple everyday ingredients like shavige/seviyaan can be used to make some delicious dishes. The dishes convert the simple ingredients into something exotic and delicious. This shavige pulao or seviyaan pulao is loaded with aromatic spices and delicious roasted vegetables.
The key thing in making non-sticky shavige pulao is to roast the shavige very well. Shavige is then coated with all the vegetables which are sauteed in some aromatic spices. All in all it makes a super combination and comes together quite well. ... “Shavige Pulao | Seviyaan Pulao | Breakfast Recipes”