Recipes From My Kitchen

Garam Masala is the evergreen everyday Indian spice mix added to Indian food. Homemade spice mixes or masalas are the best. Like me if you prepare masala at home, then you will agree with me here. You are in control of the ingredients that you add. They are also preservatives and additives free. You can also buy the best quality spices or organic spices. What Is Garam Masala? Garam Masala is an aromatic and complex flavored spice blend. “Garam” in Hindi translates to warm or warming or hot in English. The word “Masala” means a blend of spices. Hence the term garam masala means a warming spice blend – which is true since the whole spices added in making garam masala are warming and heaty . Thus adding this spice blend in your food does make the body warm. The spices also are good for the tummy as they have both medicinal and digestive properties. Garam Masala Variations There are regional variations of this ground spice mix in India. The proportions and types of spices us...

Curry leaves has many health benefits like they help in reducing hair loss n premature greying of hair, helps in digestion, reduces acidity and indigestion, control diabetes, lowers cholesterol etc. Curry leaves powder are also given to newly delivered lactating mothers in some parts of India, considering the health benefits it has. Hey did I say it helps in weight loss too? Yes, incorporating curry leaves powder in the daily diet will help in losing weight by taking out fat and many other toxins from the body. Making curry leaves powder is very easy. Make it once and relish it for next few months. They can be served along with steaming hot idlis, dosas, curd rice, plain steaming hot rice+ghee/oil etc. I sometimes add a tablespoon of this to any vegetable or curries too to enhance taste and flavor. These type of spice powders come very handy when you are lazy to cook or running out of time. Here's mom's version of it.. Ingredients: 4 cups curry leaves, ...

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...

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

As the leaves start to change color and cheery pumpkins show up on doorsteps, summer seems like a distant memory and we're smack-dab in the middle of fall. And while pumpkin spice-flavored treats make their appearance just about, well, everywhere, do you even know what it contains? Here's what it is and why you should make it at home. (Hint: It's as easy as it gets!) Guess What? There's No Pumpkin in Pumpkin Spice! For years, I thought pumpkin pie spice actually had pumpkin in it. Silly me. How on earth would you get pumpkin in there? Dehydrate and powder it? In any case, pumpkin pie spice is simply a blend of the traditional spices that go into a good ol' fashioned pumpkin pie. What's in Pumpkin Pie Spice? If you go the store-bought route, pumpkin pie spice blends can vary by manufacturer, but typically contain the more sweet-smelling spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. Allspice and mace are also common ingredients. Why Should ...