Recipes From My Kitchen

I love making jams, not only because it is healthy to make at home, but also because homemade jams taste really delicious than the store bought kinds. This mango jam recipe is by far the best one I have made. It taste like pure mangoes and makes your sandwich even more tasty. A good mango  jam captures the sunny, tropical flavour of fresh mangoes for year-round use. And it's the perfect way to preserve good quality mangoes. What Mangoes to pick to make Mango Jam? Pick Mangoes that are… undamaged ripe but not hard raw not overripe  with the least of string rather sweet and flavorful If you have a mango variety with strings, you can pass the pulp through a sieve and that will eliminate some of the strings. However, personally I dont like the strings coming into my mouth while enjoying a perfect sandwich. So I avoid it totally. Ingredients: 750 gms pulp of mango, I have used Alphonso, 250 gms sugar, add more if required, Juice of 1 big lime Note: If you ...

This podi (means powder in most South Indian languages) is versatile and an heirloom recipe. Each South Indian household will definitely have this podi by default. And every house will have their own ratio of mixing the ingredients. This is based on what's been passed on to them through generations. During my childhood days, at my grandparents place, grandma used to make hot steaming idlis on woodfire. She would hurl up all us kids and make us sit in a circle. She would sit in the middle and  keep the steaming idli pan, chutney, sambar, podi, and sesame oil next to her. She would go round one full circle dolling idlis out of the moulds directly into the plate. She would then drizzle a big spoon of sesame oil over them. As each kid had their preference, she would serve either chutney or sambar or podi to them. The podi was premixed in a big bowl with sesame oil. All that had to be done is whisk it a bit with a spoon and serve. This method of serving the podi is quite com...

This is the best version to make the regular plain lauki sabzi (bottle gourd) very tasty and very quick. Lauki chana dal sabzi is a healthy gravy recipe that can be enjoyed with hot roti, phulkas, puris, or even with hot steaming rice. Instead of chana dal, you can also go for moong dal. To make the process quick and easy the lentils that you take should be soaked in the water for at least an hour before cooking it. There are two ways of making the recipe, one by adding the lauki and chana dal on the tempering and cooking it in a kadhai or the other one which I have used is by first cooking the lauki and chana dal in a pressure cooker and then adding it on the tempering. This helps to cook the lauki and chana dal properly. Along with the spicy flavor of the chilli powder and chana masala/ garam masala I also add some tomato paste to give it a tangy flavor. You can skip adding tomato if you want. You can also give this sabzi to your toddler in their tiffin by adding less wa...

Andhra Pappu is a famous dish from the state of Andhra Pradesh which means a dal made in Andhra style. An Andhra meal is incomplete without dal cooked with some added veggies. This dal is commonly made by adding finely chopped tomatoes or palak. However, you can make tons of variations by adding your favorite vegetable. The recipe is super simple as the lentils and all the vegetables are cooked in a pressure cooker. The only thing that needs to be perfect is the tempering which adds flavor to it. I follow the same method, but I add half finely chopped onion in the dal while cooking it in a pressure cooker and remaining half in the tempering. As the onion in a pressure cooker gets cooked and mashed completely. I also add vadagam in the tempering to enhance the flavor. Vadagam is a masala which is used in South Indian cooking and moreover, it is a Mudaliar- Chettinad specialty:) This dal tastes amazing with plain rice, some mango pickle on the side, and loads...

The almond date balls, is another nutrition-packed recipe made with just a handful of ingredients to fulfill your hunger pangs. Whenever you crave for something sweet but healthy, these sweet balls are a delicious option as these are gluten-free. This is also a vegan recipe. If you’re finding yourself spending a lot of money on snacks and unpleased with the long list of ingredients they’re made with, it’s time to make your own healthy snacks. It’s cheaper and healthier! This is one of those recipes that you can totally experiment with to add ingredients. Taste and test to get a mixture you love. Almonds are full of nutritional value and add crunchiness. Whereas perks of adding dates is, it helps to boost energy and it’s natural sweetness. The basic ingredients are just almonds, dates, and coconut oil. I also add some cocoa powder to give it a twist of taste and peanut butter which gives it a buttery flavour. Coating the balls in the grated coconut gives it a finishing touch. ...

Parappu payasam is a rich and very luscious South Indian dessert made with moong dal, coconut milk, and dry fruits which is perfect for any festive occasion. It is predominantly prepared during the festival of Onam in the state of Kerala. Making the Parappu payasam is easy, but one thing that you need to keep attention to is the consistency of cooking the lentils. Once you get that right, the rest of the recipe is simple. I follow the recipe as my grandmother and my mother would make by taking the equal quantity of chana dal and moong dal to add texture to the payasam rather than having just a smooth paste. To enhance the sweetness and the golden colour to the dessert, I prefer adding jaggery instead of refined sugar. The coconut milk adds a creamy taste to the dish. A pinch of crushed cardamom and the small chunks of fried cashews and coconut in the ghee make it taste even more heavenly. Serves – 4 Ingredients:  1/2 cup moong dal 1/2 cup ch...

Methi Malai Matar is a rich and creamy curry made using fresh fenugreek leaves or methi and peas. Include methi in your everyday diet because of its nutritional benefits. Methi is bitter in taste, but looking at this green leafy vegetable’s health benefits it is very essential to include this in our daily diet. Methi helps in reducing cholesterol, lowers the risk of heart disease, helps in losing weight, and improves digestion, thus include methi in your everyday diet and eat it as often as possible. Since these leaves have a slightly bitter taste to them, that’s why they pair beautifully with sweet green peas and fresh cream in methi malai matar . This is a rich dish because it has a lot of cream, cashews so it’s perfect for special occasions or when you have some guests over for dinner. But if you are going crazy over all the cream in this recipe then you can definitely cut down on it, traditionally though it is supposed to be made like this – yes with lots of cream!...

The Indian spicy chaat is incomplete without the sweet and sour taste of Khajur Imli chutney. The taste of the chutney is also very much cherished with the Indian snacks like Samosa, Kachori, Dhokla, etc. The chutney is easy to make, as it is made with just 3 main ingredients, that is Khajur (Dates), Imli (Tamarind) and Jaggery. There are many methods to make this chutney. It can be made by cooking the khajur and imli in a pressure cooker or in a pan. The instant method is by directly soaking the ingredient in the hot water and grinding it all together. I make it in a slightly different way. I like jaggery to be melted completely in the water and then strained in the khajur tamarind pulp, so that no unwanted particles of the jaggery goes into the chutney. These small rock-like particles can ruin the smooth texture of the chutney. To give the chutney a little seasoned taste, I add a pinch of red chili, black salt, dry ginger, and cumin powder. The chutney can be prepared and stored in ...

A kadak masala chai can soothe you when you are unwell, rejuvenate you when you are tired, and revive your spirits when you are bored! A dash of spices always makes chai so much more interesting, especially on cold winter days or wet monsoons! The spices are therapeutic and works to build up your immunity levels as well. Ingredients: 3 tbsp cloves, 1/4th cup cardamom, 1 1/2 tbsp black pepper corn, 2 sticks cinnamon, 1/4 cup dry ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg Method: 1. Dry roast all ingredients separately one by one on a non stick pan. 2. Remove in a plate and allow it to cool down completely. 3. In a grinder, put all the ingredients together and grind into a coarse powder. 4. Store in an airtight container and use as required. Enjoy!  Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on  Instagram  with the hashtag #thefitdotme

Mattar Paneer is a classic and most popular Punjabi dish. It is majorly prepared during winters when the fresh green peas are in the season. However, it can be made with frozen green peas, whenever you crave it. The mild taste of cottages cheese (paneer) is enriched by the flavour of onions, crushed garlic, and all the spices. As the taste preference of every individual is different, there are various versions of making Mattar paneer. One can add more spices to make it spicy or to make the gravy thick and creamy cashew paste can be added but this is completely optional. It depends upon how the taste and the consistency of the gravy you prefer. I like the gravy to taste moderately spicy and the paneer in the curry a little crisp, so I shallow fry it in the oil until nicely golden brown. You can add the raw paneer, directly into the gravy. The gravy can be served with hot naan, roti, paratha, or even with the steaming jeera rice. Serves – 4 Ingredients:  1 medi...

A delicious, mouth-watering sweet dish, popular in South India is Rava Kesari, also known as Sheera or Suji halwa up North. Made from semolina or rava, a generous amount of ghee, cashews, cardamom, and sugar, this dish can be served as a dessert and is an ideal accompaniment for rava upma, especially in Karnataka where it is usually referred to as ‘chow chow bath'. Usually made during festivals, this dish is easy to learn and make even for a beginner. Especially when you don’t have time to make an elaborate dessert, rava kesari can be quickly made and its melt in your mouth taste is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more! Rava which is made from roughly ground whole wheat is a great source of carbohydrates thus acting as an energy booster. Containing a fairly high amount of magnesium and phosphorus, it also aids in the healthy working of our nervous system. The inclusion of ghee which is high in good fats such as omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins, ...