Beetroot Saasme | Beetroot Raitha | Raitha Recipes

Bright, colourful and cool, beetroot saasme or beetroot raitha
01/07/2017 4:52:15 PM vindhyadesai

Saasme or raitha is one common dish I make with any South Indian meal like this beetroot raitha, carrot saasme, sorekayi (lauki) saasme etc. After a hearty lunch with hot and spicy sambar, huLi, saaru, kootu or rasam you will need something to cool things off. Plain yogurt does the trick most of the times.
A very good way of consuming more vegetables is to mix it with yogurt/curd to make a raitha. This beetroot raitha or saasme is a very good way of consuming this bright yet humble vegetable. ... “Beetroot Saasme | Beetroot Raitha | Raitha 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”

Banana Choco Chip Overnight Oatmeal | Overnight oatmeal recipes

Healthy, fibrous overnight oatmeal with bananas and some choco-chips for extra fun
12/03/2016 11:28:26 AM vindhyadesai

Overnight oatmeal is catching up as a favourite breakfast. And why not? It is healthy, it is loaded with fibre and most importantly it can be prepared previous evening. Just load up on this banana choco chip overnight oatmeal for breakfast. What are you waiting for 🙂
Overnight oatmeal is nothing but soaking oats in a liquid (usually some kind of milk like cow’s milk or almond milk). Add any toppings or flavours you like, make it your own. I love the idea of translating ice cream flavours (without the guilt) *grin* into overnight oatmeals. I saw this idea on Pinterest. ... “Banana Choco Chip Overnight Oatmeal | Overnight oatmeal recipes”

Aloo Posto | Bengali Aloo Poshto | How to make aloo posto?

Pungent and flavourful aloo posto – aloo sabzi with khus-khus paste
10/09/2016 10:42:16 PM vindhyadesai

Aloo sabzis are the go-to sabzis be it on a festival or on regular days. Aloo or potatoes just work with anything and everything. After I decided to prepare Bengali style khichuri and tamatar chatni for Durgashtami I was thinking of a sabzi to go along with the chatni and phulkas/rotis, finally I zeroed in on making aloo posto. The star of the show is not aloo though. It is a paste made from lightly roasted khus-khus/gasa gase/poppy seeds. They give a pungent flavour to the sabzi and add great texture. Aloo posto is generally made in mustard oil like most Bengali dishes. It is a simple sabzi and is ready in no time. Do try other khus-khus or poppy seeds related dishes and aloo dishes. ... “Aloo Posto | Bengali Aloo Poshto | How to make aloo posto?”

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?”

Aloo Baingan | How to make aloo baingan sabzi?

Easy aloo baingan sabzi, mustardy, mildly spicy and flavourful
9/07/2016 9:46:12 PM vindhyadesai

A simple dry sabzi for everyday. Even those who do not like baingan/brinjal will also like this sabzi because the flavours are simple and tasty. Pungent mustardy flavour is imparted by adding pounded mustard seeds to oil before adding any other masala powders giving it the Bengal touch. You can even use mustard oil in place of pounded mustard seeds but the mustard flecks in between makes the sabzi very appealing. I have used regular garam masala, you can also use Punjabi garam masala if you want. Modify sabzi as per your taste. Do not overcook baingan which makes it mushy, unpalatable and unsightly sometimes. This sabzi is fast, fresh and simple and is an excellent side dish for rotis/phulkas/plain parathas/chapathis. Potatoes just work with eveything, they are so versatile! ... “Aloo Baingan | How to make aloo baingan sabzi?”

Coconut Rice | Tengu Anna | How to make coconut bhaat?

Simple, easy, flavourful coconut flavoured rice/bhaat
9/06/2016 9:30:09 PM vindhyadesai

Another simple, easy to prepare coconut rice/bhaat. Most homes have this dish during a festival or to pack for lunch box. This simple dish can sometimes become boring if prepared very often. Add a spin to it, bring in some festivity, add more flavour of coconut by adding cashewnuts, making it with basmati rice and also using coconut oil to make the tadka. Add lots of freshly grated coconut for that unmistakable aroma! Prepare this rice/bhaat and serve with a cool raitha or hasi majjige huLi or saasme (yogurt based cool raitha) and savour the flavours of this humble dish! Other bhaat recipes to try from FOI. ... “Coconut Rice | Tengu Anna | How to make coconut bhaat?”

Turai | Ridge gourd gravy

Easy ridge gourd/turai/heerekayi side dish for rotis/phulkas
07/30/2016 4:47:50 PM vindhyadesai

A simple gravy made with turai/ridge gourd/heerekayi. There is something about turai, I love the earthy smell and taste of turai. Here’s a simple North Indian style gravy to highlight the simplicity and taste of turai. I had tried this recipe from ‘Everyday cooking from Nita Mehta’ years ago and I love this recipe everytime I make it. An easy lunch box idea with rotis/phulkas or chapathis. ... “Turai | Ridge gourd gravy”

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”