Recipes From My Kitchen

One of the much-awaited festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi, is finally here. While every year Lord Ganesha’s arrival is celebrated with fervor, this year it is expected to be a low-key affair owing to the pandemic. Nevertheless, for those who plan to bring Ganesha home, we have something special for you today. Since Ganesha’s arrival is celebrated with various savories and sweets, modaks are believed to be his most favorite Modaks are a traditional preparation of rice flour dumplings filled with sweet coconut and jaggery filling. Makes - 21 medium sized modaks Ingredients: For The Outer Shell 1 cup rice, washed, and soaked for 4-6 hours, 2 cups water, 1 tbsp sesame oil/ghee, A pinch of salt For The Filling: 2 cups freshly grated coconut, ¾-1 cup grated jaggery, 1 tsp ghee, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder Method: To Make The Rice Dough: Grind the rice into a super-fine paste by adding just half cup water. Reserve the remain half. Ensure that the ground rice batter ...

Sparkly, crisp and vibrant, are the buzzwords that instantly pop in my head when I behold a glass of freshly extracted deep-red pomegranate juice. One of the most refreshing drinks, this sweet and tart juice is superbly satisfying and is a treasure trove of health benefits. Pomegranate is one of the healthiest fruits on earth. Pomegranate has many incredible health benefits for your body. It is called a divine fruit because it is the most mentioned fruit in theological books. Pomegranate has anti-oxidant, anti-viral, and anti-tumour properties and is said to be a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as folic acid. This amazing fruit consists of three times as many antioxidants as both wine or green tea.  Health Benefits Of Pomegranates: Protects us from free radicals - Pomegranate is rich in anti-oxidants and thus protects our body from free radicals, which are responsible for premature ageing. Free radicals are form...

Onion Sambar / Vengaya Sambar is one of the most popular sambar variety in South India. As it’s name suggests, the key ingredient of this sambar is Shallots/Madras Onions (small onion). It’s made using the freshly ground sambar masala ( arachuvitta masala).  The addition of shallots gives an excellent flavour and taste. It goes very well as a main course with hot rice and roasted potatoes, but it’s also a great accompaniment for Idli and Dosa as well.  In restaurants it’s served as an accompaniment with idli / dosa, especially for the sambar idli, the idli’s are dunked in piping hot flavourful vengaya sambar! Sambar is a staple in South India. It’s a tamarind based gravy with spices and cooked with tuar dal. Based on the preparation of spices, vegetable used, we can make many different varieties of sambar. This Vengaya sambar is different from other sambar varieties as it has a distinct flavor coming from the pearl onions and no other veggies are added to this sambar....

Also known as Anda Bhurji, Egg Bhurji is a spicy and flavourful Indian style scrambled eggs recipe that is quite famous in the streets of Northern and Western India. It is easy to make, healthy, and tastes delicious. Egg Bhurji is a satisfying combination of scrambled eggs and spicy onion which you can have during any time of the day. This is loved for breakfast in India, as it is not only because of its heavenly taste but also because it is super easy to make. Not only breakfast, but you can also have it for any meal of the day. It is very similar to Akuri, a Paris breakfast dish but Akuri is runnier as compared to Bhurji. This dish is especially loved by the ones who are going out for work on a regular basis or the ones who want to make something quick, healthy, and delicious for their breakfast or for their kid’s lunch box. Watch the recipe video!  Homemade Egg Bhurji Versus Street Style Egg Bhurji The difference between the Street Style and the Homemade Versi...

Sweet Pongal is also known as Sakkarai Pongal in Tamil language and is a sweet dish made during festive occasions in South India. It is an important neivediyam for Lord Balaji. Our family diety being Lord Balaji, it's crucial that we start all puja's with a neivediyam of Pongal and Vadai to God. I have made this in the pressure cooker, but can be made in the traditional way by boiling rice and dal and adding jaggery to it. This is time consuming but tastes way too delicious than the pressure cooked one. Important Points While Preparing Sweet Pongal: Sweet pongal is always prepared from jaggery which also makes it more flavourful. But as an alternative, you can also use white crystal sugar or brown sugar as a replacement. I normally use sona masuri rice in this recipe and I recommend the same. Make sure it is cooked well before the jaggery syrup is added to it otherwise it will not mix well. The temple style sakkarai pongal recipe typically contains campho...

Kala chana pulao is a pulao of black chickpeas and rice seasoned with aromatics and spices. This high-protein, high-fibre, low-fat one-pot meal is a quick and convenient option when you are in a hurry or just too tired to cook an elaborate meal, but still want to eat delicious food. This easy kala chana pulao recipe for a healthy, nutritious, wholesome meal, which is also delicious, flavourful, and satisfying. Added bonus: it’s vegetarian and vegan friendly. Kala Channa Pulao makes a complete meal by itself. The carbohydrate from the rice and the protein from the channa together add great nutritional values to the meal. And the combination of spices add flavor and taste, making it delectable as well. This kala chana pulao recipe is a wonderful dish for weekend lunches, dinner parties, and potlucks. It’s also a great lunch box option for both children and adults. Ingredients: 1.5 cups kala chana, washed, soaked, boiled, drained, 2 cups India Gate Basmati rice , washed ...

Chivda or Poha Chivda is a quick and easy tea time snack made with poha (flattened rice), dry fruits, peanuts, and spices. There are many variations of making this popular snacks also called as farsan or namkeen. This is a Maharashtrian style quick and tasty dry snack made from thin poha (flattened rice), dry fruits, peanuts, and spices. A healthy vegan snack that tastes too good as an evening snack. This version of poha chivda is made mostly during Diwali festival as a savory dry snack. This chivda is mildly spiced. It has the crisp texture from the roasted poha along with the nuttiness from the peanuts and cashews. Preparing chivda during Diwali is one easy task as the recipe is simple and a quick one. Just gather all the ingredients. Then roast the poha, fry the dry fruits, temper the masala and assemble. The chivda is ready in less than 20 to 25 minutes. This chivda is made from thin poha and not thick poha. Some important points to bear in mind while roasting thin ...