Hello friends,

Kadhi is a very common dish in every Indian household. There are different variations of Kadhi that are more popular in certain parts of the country. I posted one such variety “Sindhi Kadhi” in past and received great feedback. Today, I am going to present “Kadhi-Pakoda” which is another variation of Kadhi and is more common in the northern  region and in the eastern region it is popular with the name of “Kadhi-Bari”. Adding pakora in the kadhi multiplies the fun. The core ingredients of making Kadhi are besan and curd/yogurt and the engrossing fact is that there is no besan in this kadhi instead of that I’ve used chana dal for making both kadhi and pakoras which enhances taste. Daal gives pakoras a very soft and melt in mouth texture and I used appe pan for making pakoras without deep-frying which reduces the calories. Let me know how it comes out in the comment section. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup- Soaked Bengal gram lentil (Chana daal)

Note: Soak daal for at-least 2 hours

• 4 to 5- Garlic cloves (Lehsun) (optional)
• 1 to 2- Green chilies (Hari mirch)
• 1 teaspoon- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 ½ teaspoon- Mustard seeds (Rai)
• ½ teaspoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
• 1 to 2- Whole red chili dry (Khadi laal mirch sukhi)
• ½ cup- Plain yogurt/curd (Dahi)
• Turmeric powder (Haldi powder)
• Red chili powder (Laal mirch powder)
• Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• Asafoetida (Hing)
• ¼ cup- length wise sliced onion (Lambi kati hui pyaaz) (optional)
• Salt (as required)
• Oil

Method:

• Take chana daal in grinder, garlic cloves, green chilies, salt and 1 or 2 table spoon water. Grind it into a fine paste.
• Divide the paste into two parts. Take one part of daal paste in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, a pinch of asafoetida and 1 teaspoon salt (or as required). Mix spices with paste, now heat an appe pan and brush it with some oil. Put the paste in appe mold to make pakora. Check after few minutes if the pakoras are cooked from one side then flip them and cook it from the other side. Now take them out in a plate and keep it aside.

Note: I’ve used appe pan to make pakoras to make it healthier/ less oily but you can also deep fry them as regular pakoras if you don’t have appe pan.

• Take another part in a big bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, asafoetida and yogurt/curd. Mix everything with a whisk and add 4 to 5 cups of water. (consistency should be watery as shown in picture)
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil a deep pan. Add whole red chili and splutter fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and mustard seeds in hot oil. Now add sliced onion sauté it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons red chili powder, 4 teaspoons coriander powder and 2 teaspoons salt (or as required) and now mix spices with onions. Slow down the flame and slowly add daal and yogurt mix in the pan and keep stirring to avoid forming lumps.
• Cook kadhi on medium flame for 5 minutes and now cover the pan with lid and let it cook on low flame for at least 20 minutes.
• Now add pakoras which we have made earlier to the kadhi, stir it and cook it covered for few more minutes.
• Heat a tablespoon of heat in a tadka pan, now add whole red chili dry, 1 teaspoon red chili powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder and turn off the flame. Put this tadka over kadhi.
• Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Hello friends,

Hope you are doing well and waiting to get through the ‘Covid-19’ pandemic. While most of us are locked in our homes due to social distancing guidelines and majority of shops/restaurants are closed, lot of people are trying get rid of boredom in various ways like creating videos, singing, dancing etc. Out of these the most common trend has been to cook something interesting and posting pictures of their dishes on social media. As the lock-down dates are being revised multiple times, it’s quite likely that you may need newer ideas to cook something different to avoid repetition. With the same thing in mind, I am presenting “Broccoli Paratha” an uncommon type of paratha which is both delicious and full of nutrition. While broccoli is full of goodness, paneer is great in taste. The combination of these two, added with the savory mix of spices makes it a complete food and can be enjoyed with just pickle, chutney or raita. The recipe is fairly easy but the outcome is highly satisfying. Try this Broccoli Paratha and your lock-down experience will be a bit less painful. Let me know your experience in the comments section.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup- Shredded or grated broccoli (Barik kati hui broccoli)
• ½ cup- Grated cottage cheese (Kisa hua paneer)
• 1½ cups- Multi grain Flour/ Wheat flour (Whichever preferred or available)
• ½ inch- Grated ginger (kisa hua adrak)
• 2 teaspoons- Red chili powder (Lal mirch powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Dry mango powder (Amchoor powder)
• ½ teaspoon- Asafoetida (Hing)
• Salt (as per taste)
• Olive oil/ Refined oil for roasting parathas

Method:

• Take flour, 1½ tablespoons oil and salt as required in a big bowl and mix. Now add water in portions and knead it into a soft dough. Cover the dough and keep it aside.
• For making the filling, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds, add grated ginger, turmeric powder, asafoetida and roast for a while. Now add shredded broccoli, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder and salt as per taste. Mix everything and roast for another 2 to 3 minutes on medium flame. Switch off the flame and add grated paneer, give it a mix and let it cool for some time.
• Make small-medium balls of the dough and take one ball, dust with dry flour, gradually press the rolling pin on all sides of the ball and make 3 to 4 inch circle, now put a spoon
  full of filling in the center of the circle. Seal the edges of the dough, softly press with fingers and roll it in a circle with help of rolling pin. Be very careful to apply
  pressure evenly.
• Heat a pan/ tawa on a medium high flame. Transfer your parantha on a hot pan and flip it when you see bubbles.
• Brush both the sides of parantha with little oil and roast on a medium-high flame until brown spots appear on both the sides.
• Serve hot with raita/chutney/ketchup/curd or pickle (as per your choice).

Hi Friends,

Hope you enjoyed my last blog post about Quinoa Khichdi in our series of healthy recipes. Today, I am going to share another healthy recipe – “Lehsuni Palak Dalia (Garlicky Spinach Porridge)”. Dalia is traditionally used as light yet nutritious meal or for people who are not feeling well and need easily digestible food. While it is healthy in many ways but the taste of traditional recipes don’t do a great job at making it a very desirable food option for many. Today’s recipe Lehsuni Palak Dalia, overcomes this limitation by combining rich fibers of Dalia with the “greeny-goodness” of spinach (Palak) in this delicious dish. The garlic flavor makes it even more interesting. This is a one-pot meal which is easy to make and requires very common ingredients. I used Instant-Pot for the simplicity but you can make it in a standard pressure cooker as well.

Lastly, whether you like Dalia or not you must give this one a try anyway. If you did not like Dalia before you will start liking it and if you liked the traditional recipe then you will start loving it much more.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Broken wheat/ porridge (Gehun ka Dalia)
• ½ Cup- Petite yellow split lentil (Dhuli Moong dal)
• 2- Half slit green chilies (Lambi kati hui hari mirchi)
• 2 cups- Chopped Spinach (Kati hui Palak)
• 10 to 12- Finely chopped garlic cloves (Barik kati hui lehsun)
• 1-½ tea spoons- Red chili powder ( Lal mirch powder) (Optional)
• 1 to 2 tea spoons- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 2 tea spoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1-½ tea spoon- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• Salt (as per taste)
• 1 tea spoon- Mustard seeds (Raai)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Heeng) (Optional)
• 2 table spoons- Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Method:

• Take instant pot and turn on sauté button, wait till it turns hot (heat pressure cooker) and add ghee. Now splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds in hot ghee.
• Add chopped garlic and green chilies, sauté for a while. Now add turmeric powder, afafoetida, coriander powder and red chili powder (Optional).
• Now add chopped spinach and mix it well.
• Now add washed moong daal and salt (as per taste), mix all the ingredients for a while. Add 2-½ or 3 cups (according to the consistency of porridge you like) of water and give it a mix.
• Turn off sauté button, close the lid and turn the venting knob to sealing position. Turn on rice mode on low i.e. 8 mins. (Close the lid of the pressure cooker and give 3-4 whistles). Wait till the pressure releases.
• Serve hot with ghee on top along with papad (cracker), achaar (pickle), dahi (plain yogurt/ curd) or raita.

Hello Foodies,

Welcome to year 2020!! Hope you had a great-start of the new year and set some meaningful goals for the year. One of the common new year resolution is to focus on improving health and start working-out. While exercising is essential for maintaining good health, it is equally important to eat healthy food to complement your efforts in the gym. To satisfy your hunger after a tiring workout, you need some delicious yet healthy dish to reward yourself. I keep trying to find more such healthy options to give my family a healthier diet. Some of the healthy recipes that I posted before on my blog are Avocado Paratha and Methi Dana Sabji. You must check these out if you haven’t already done so.

Today’s recipe “Quinoa Khichdi” is another addition to our list of healthy recipes. Quinoa is rich in fiber and protein and can be a great replacement for the grains with high-calories such as white rice. Making it in the form of Khichdi will make it taste better along with adding the goodness of veggies and lentils. People who do like Khichdi but trying to reduce carbs should definitely try this yummy variation. Let us know how you find it in the comments. Thanks.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Quinoa
• ½ Cup- Petite yellow lentil split (Dhuli Moong dal)
• 2- chopped Green chili (Kati hui hari Mirchi)
• 1 – Diced medium sized Potato (Chaukor Kata hua Aloo)
• 1 Cup- Chopped medium sized Onion (Barik kati hui Pyaaz)
• 1 Cup- Chopped vegetables- Beans, Potato, Corn kernels and Peas (Mix vegetables of your choice)
• 1-½ tea spoons- Red Chili powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 tea spoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 2 tea spoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1-½ tea spoon- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• Salt (as per taste)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing) (Optional)
• 2 table spoons- Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Method:

• Soak Quinoa for 15-20 mins, rinse with running water for 2-3 times before use.
• Take instant pot and turn on sauté button, wait till it turns hot (heat pressure cooker) and add ghee. Now Splutter cumin seeds in hot ghee and add turmeric powder.
• Add onions and green chilies, sauté for a minute. Now add chopped vegetables and mix. Add salt, red chili powder and coriander powder, mix everything.
• Now add soaked and washed quinoa and washed moong dal, mix all the ingredients for a while. Add 2-½ or3 cups (according to the consistency of khichdi you like) of water and give it a mix.
• Turn off sauté button, close the lid and turn the venting knob to sealing position. Turn on rice mode on medium i.e. 12 mins. (Close the lid of the pressure cooker and give 3-4 whistles). Wait till the pressure release.
• Serve hot with ghee on top, and along with Papad (cracker), Achaar (pickle) and Dahi (plain yogurt/ curd)

Hot summer is at its peak and you are looking for some cooling relief. You’ve enjoyed several seasonal favorites like Mango-Smoothie, Masala-Chhaas (Buttermilk), Aam-Panna etc. but now you are looking for something different to quench your thirst. So, here is a tasty and healthy drink for you to enjoy this summer: “Cranberry – Yogurt drink”. Cranberries have a unique “sweet-and-sour” taste along with several health benefits. Cranberries are often referred to as “superfood” due to their high nutrient and antioxidant contents. They are low in calories and are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K. I am sure, you would want to give this super easy and uber-cool drink a try to conquer the hot weather.

 

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Dried Cranberries
• ½ Cup- Curd/Yogurt (Dahi)
• 2 teaspoons- Sugar (preferably organic)
• 1 teaspoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Black salt (Kala Namak)
• Lemon (optional)

Method:

• Soak the dried cranberries in ⅓ cup of fresh water for 20-30 minutes.
• Take soaked cranberries with water (which was used for soaking) in a grinding jar and grind it into a paste.
• Now add curd/ yogurt, sugar, black salt, cumin powder and ¼ cup water into the jar. And grind for 2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves.
• Transfer into glasses and garnish with mint leaves and lemon. Optionally squeeze some lemon into the drink for tangy flavour.
• Serve chilled (add ice cubes if needed).

Note: In this recipe I’ve used dried cranberries but you can take fresh ones too and just skip the soaking step (as they are already soft and juicy).

Today’s life is busy and fast-moving. Our health is at a greater level of risk due to the rise of the unhealthy lifestyle and popularity of junk food. This is probably why I keep getting frequent requests for more and more healthy food ideas. A few days ago, I posted one such healthy recipe Avocado Paratha which has some interesting health benefits at the same time it’s quite delicious too. This recipe received a great response from the readers of my blog.

Today’s recipe “Methi-Dana Sabji” also follows the same “healthy-yet-tasty” approach. Methi Dana (Fenugreek Seeds) apart from being antioxidant and antidiabetic it is also a great source of fibre, proteins, magnesium, iron, manganese and vitamin B6. It reduces blood cholesterol, controls blood sugar levels, helps losing weight and improves digestion Ingredients. These are just a subset of its numerous health advantages, for a detailed list of its benefits click here. Despite its goodness, Methi dana is not very popular probably because of its bitter taste. Therefore, this recipe uses jaggery to lessen the bitter taste and make it a more “tastebud-friendly” dish and goes well with paratha, poori or chapati. This dish also lasts long (6-7 days) when refrigerated in airtight container. The process to make this curry is fairly easy and ingredients are commonly available in a typical Indian kitchen.

So wait no more…take this unsung hero out from the back of your kitchen-shelf and try your hands at another “healthy-yet-tasty” dish.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Fenugreek seeds (Methi-Dana)
• 1 Cup- Milk
• ½ Cup- Jaggery (Gur)
• 2 teaspoons- Red Chilli (Lal Mirch) powder
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric (Haldi) powder
• 2 teaspoons- Coriander (Dhaniya) powder
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin (Jeera) powder
• 1 teaspoon- Black salt (Kala Namak)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1½ tablespoons- Oil
• 1 tablespoon- Dry mango (Aamchur) powder
• 2 dry red chillis (Sukhi Mirch)
• 2 bay leaves (Tej Patta)
• 1 tablespoon- Raisins (Kismish)
• 1 tablespoon- Cashew nuts (Kaju)
• Salt (as per taste)

Method :

• Wash methi dana with drinking water and soak it for 6-8 hrs in a mix of milk and water in equal proportion (using milk to reduce bitterness).
• Strain the mix of milk and water. Keep it aside for later use.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add bay leaves and dry red chillis.
• Now add asafoetida, turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Roast spices for 2 minutes.
• Add soaked methi dana into the cooker and mix well with roasted spices, now add raisins and cashew nuts and mix again.
• Now add red chilli powder, jaggery, salt, black salt, dry mango powder and mix well.
• Add the leftover mix of milk and water and bring it to boil. The consistency of the gravy should be running if needed add additional water.
• Close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook until 5-6 whistles.
• Once the steam completely released from the cooker, transfer the curry to a serving bowl.
• Serve hot with Parathas, Puris or Chapatis. It can also be used as the sweet and sour chutney with Kachori or Samosa.

A great day starts with a great breakfast. Eating a healthy and filling breakfast is the key to an active and energetic start. However, healthy and tasty doesn’t always go well together. This recipe tries to bridge this gap.

While Paratha is a very common breakfast item in Indian households it doesn’t have any significant health benefits and use of oil or Ghee may lead to saturated fat.In this breakfast recipe, we try to leverage the ease of making along with the established fanbase of paratha while adding some healthy ingredients like Avocado and multigrain atta (made from whole grain) to it. Limiting the use of oil (preferably Olive oil) reduces the intake of bad cholesterol.

Avocado is renowned for its richness in vitamins like B-6, C, E and K. It is also a good source of riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. It also contains lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. Avocados are full of healthy, useful fats that keep you full and satiated. The delicious healthy monounsaturated fat in the avocado supports its claim of being a super healthy fruit.

So, are you ready to kick-start your day with an unconventional but healthy breakfast? Continue reading for the detailed recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups- Multigrain Flour (preferred) or Wheat Flour
• 2 or 3- Avocados
• 2 teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1 table spoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• Salt (as per taste)
• Olive oil/ Refined oil (for roasting parathas)

Method :

• Peel Avocados and remove seeds and grate (or mash if the Avocado is ripen) the pulp and keep aside.
• Mix flour, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt in a big bowl.
• Add grated/mashed avocado pulp into the flour mixture made in the previous step.
• Knead the mix into a slightly tight dough like we do for paratha (no water needed thanks to juicy Avocado pulp) and keep it aside.
• Divide dough into 8 equal balls.
• Heat a pan/tawaa on a medium-high flame for roasting parathas.
• Take a ball, dust with dry flour and roll into a paratha/chapati with the help of rolling pin. (No need to brush oil in between)
• Transfer your paratha on a hot pan and flip it when you see bubbles.
• Brush both sides of the paratha with little oil and roast on a medium-high flame until brown spots appear on both the sides.
• Serve hot with Chutney/ ketchup/ curd/ pickle (as per your choice).

Do you want a homemade snack for the hunger between the meals? Do you need something to munch on with your tea, coffee or drinks?  Do you prefer to pack a quick bite with your kids when they go to their dance or Karate classes so they don’t eat junk food? If you answered ‘Yes’ for any of the above questions then your search ends here. Presenting “Masala Kaju” which is an easy recipe for a great homemade snack that is tasteful and crunchy.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 cups- whole Cashew nuts (Kaju)
• 2 table spoons- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1 table spoon- Rice flour (Chawal ka Atta)
• 2-3 tea spoons- Red chilli powder (or as per taste)
• 1 tea spoon- turmeric powder
• 2 tea spoons- coriander powder
• 2 tea spoons- cumin powder
• 1 tea spoon- black salt
• 2-3 tea spoons dry mango powder
• Salt ( as per taste)
• 1 table spoon- water
• Oil for frying

Method :

• Take gram flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and black salt in a big bowl and mix all together.
• Add water in the mixture, make it like a paste.
• Now marinate whole cashew nuts with the paste. Keep them aside.
• Heat oil in a deep pan for frying.
• Deep fry the marinated cashews in batches.
• After frying keep the cashews on the paper napkin to remove excess oil.
• Homemade tea-time snack is ready to serve.
• Store in an air tight container.

My husband says, “Most healthy things are exhaustive, expensive or bitter in taste”…LOL!! Well, this is true at least in case of Bitter guard (Karela). Bitter guard has numerous health benefits and helps with Diabetes, Cancer, blood purification, detoxification, digestion, weight-loss etc. Despite its proven benefits, most people don’t fall in love with this great vegetable because of its bitter taste. Specially, moms find it hard to convince kids (and sometimes their dads too…wink) to eat this vegetable with medicinal characteristics. This very challenge was the motivation for creation of this recipe which tries to make this (usually) bitter tasting vegetable a mix of sweet and sour in flavor with crispy texture. Trust me, most people turn ‘Karela lovers’ after eating this. So here is the recipe for you to try it yourself:

• 5-6 medium sized Bitter Gourds (Karela)
• 4- table spoon cooking oil
• cup Groundnuts (coarsely grinded)
• Salt (as per taste)
• 1-1/2-table spoon Sugar
• 1-tea spoon Turmeric powder
• 2-tea spoon Red Chilli powder
• 4- tea spoon Coriander powder
• 1-1/2- table spoon Dry raw mango powder (Aamchur)

Method:

• Rinse and dry bittergourds.
• Peel the ragged skin of the bitter gourds and keep it aside.
• Cut the bittergourds in halves, remove the seeds and slice them in small pieces.
• Take oil in a pan and heat.
• Add the jagged part of the bittergourds in hot oil, shallow fry them (will help to reduce the bitterness).
• Add turmeric powder, salt and coarsely grinded groundnuts and stir the mixture till golden brown.
• Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and mix.
• Add the slices of bittergourds and mix well, cover the pan and keep on low heat for 10-15 mins.
• Add sugar and dry raw mango powder, mix and cover the pan for further 5 mins.
• Transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander (optional).
• Serve hot with chappati or paratha (any bread) as side dish.

Ingredients:

• 2cups- Walnuts
• 4cups- Milk
• 1cup- Sugar
• 1-1/2tea spoon- Elaichi (Cardamom) powder

Method:

• Coarsely grind walnut
• Heat a wide and heavy bottomed pan then add milk
• Keep stirring milk on low heat till it reduce to half
• Add sugar and stir till it looks like condensed milk
• Add Elaichi powder and grinded walnuts
• Stir the mixture well
• Grease a tray and spread the mixture, cut into desired shape and let the mixture cool
• Keep refrigerated in an air tight container
• Healthy and tasty Walnut Barfi is ready