Banarasi Chura Matar (Poha)

Banarasi Chura Matar, was one of the best things i ate in banaras..and loved it. I wanted to recreate the magic at home..so i got the recipe and i modified a bit for my taste... Its best to make in winters when we get fresh and sweet peas. Its such a flavorful recipe with the flavors of whole garam masala...Try these, i am sure you will be addicted by this morning/evening snack.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Poha
1 Cup Fresh Peas
1 tbsp Lime Juice/ Amchur
1 Stick Cinnamon Stick
2-3 Whole Black Pepper
1 Grounded Cardamom
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Grated Ginger
1 tbsp Sugar

½ tsp Red Chili Powder
½ tsp Minced Green Chili
½ Cup Water
1 tbsp Chopped Cilantro

1 tsp of Salt

2 tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter

Process:

1) Soak poha in water for atleast 2 hours. Then remove excess water from poha . Add in Salt, Red Chili Powder, Garam Masala, Amchur, mix well and set it aside.

2) Preheat Clarified butter. Add in Cumin seeds, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Grated Ginger Stir a bit. Add in minced Green chili, Peas, Sugar, Water and let it cook for 5 minutes with lid. 

3) Now add in Poha and mix well. Cover and cook for few minutes. Poha is now ready to serve with the garnish of Cilantro...

4) Serve with mint chutney. 

Enjoy!

Boondi Raita

Boondi Raita, This is a perfect yogurt recipe to complete any meal in this hot summers and that too with the goodness of boondi. Also best way to serve curd with the variety. This is my families favrt raita recipe. 

Here comes the Recipe

Ingredients:

Serving 2 Person

2 Cup Curd/Yogurt
½ Cup Boondi

½ tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Chaat Masala
½ tsp Sugar
½ tsp Green Chili Paste
Chopped Cilantro
Salt and Pepper as Taste

Process:

1) Sieve yogurt with the help of big strainer. Add in boondi, salt, pepper, cumin powder, sugar, chaat masala, green chili paste,cilantro and mix well till well combined.

2) Serve cold and Enjoy!!

Masala Black Chana

Masala Black Chana, is a healthy and flavorful recipe. My mother used to make this for navratri puja. I prefer to eat this with the combination of halwa that i am going to share soon. Can be enjoyed with Tortilla, Indian Chapati.

Ingredients:

Serving: 2 Person

1 Cup Black Channa

1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Dry Mango Powder
1 tbsp Gram Flour/ Besan

3 tbsp Oil

½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Cumin Seeds

Process:

1) Soak Channa overnight and cook in presure cooker for 15 minutes till channa fully cooked. Heat the Oil in large skillet on medium high heat. Add in Cumin seeds and Besan. Stir till besan turns golden brown. 

2) Add in Salt, Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder, Amchur. Stir well. Add in Channa and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes on simer heat with lid.

3) Serve hot..Enjoy!

Aalu Methi

Aalu Methi, is a healthy and delicious dry sabzi with beautiful flavors. My mother used to make this specially for me quite frequently. We make pranthas from this sabzi sometimes. Can be enjoyed with Tortilla, Indian Chapati.

Ingredients:

Serving: 2 Person

1 lb Methi Bunch (Fresh Fenugreek)
2 Medium Potato Chopped

1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Dry Mango Powder

3 tbsp Oil

½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Coriander Seeds

1 tbsp Chopped Green Chili

Process:

1) Heat the Oil in large skillet on medium high heat. Add in Coriander seeds, green chili and potatoes. Stir till potato cooked half way.

2) Clean Methi and remove leafs from stem. Then wash properly and chop finely. Add this to cooked potatoes..Then add in salt, red chili powder and coriander powder, mix well.

3) Cover with lid and cook for 5 - 10 minutes till potatoes fully cooked.

6) Serve hot..Enjoy!

Lime Cranberry Muffins (Egg less)

Lime Cranberry Muffins, are one of the most delicious muffins one would have and that too egg less. Today we celebrated Ashtami by doing 'Kanya Pujan' at my house. So i wanted to bake for kids but without eggs. I hope this one will be fun for those who doesn't eat eggs. Certainly i love to bake with fresh fruits with the deep flavor of cranberries. What else i can say about these muffins other than to suggest you guys to try for once.

Ingredients:

1½  cup of All Purpose Flour/ Maida

1 Cup Sugar

½ Cup Butter

1 tsp of Vanilla

1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Lime Zest

2 tbsp Curd/ Sour Cream

¼ tsp of Salt

½ Cup Fresh Lime Juice

½ Cup Cranberries

Process:

**Tools Used: Hand Mixer, Spatula, Whisk, Bowl, Muffin Pan.

1) Preheat your oven to 350F. Line muffin tin with liners and set aside.

2) In a bowl sieve the flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, then mix well and set aside.

3) In another bowl mix in melted Butter, Sugar, Lime Juice, Vanilla, Sour Cream, Lime zest.

4) Add flour mixture into wet batter slowly using spatula.

5) Fold in cranberries with batter.

6) Distribute the batter equally in muffin tin and bake for 25 mins..let them cool for 15 minutes...Enjoy!

Tips:

1) Don't over mix the batter.

2) Avoid Salt if using Salted Butter.

3) All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Sour Cream Sauce

Sour Cream Sauce, is a quick sauce goes great with any kinda snack. I just came up with this recipe and everybody loved it. There's no much effort goes into making this sauce and taste amazing. This is just my version..so as you can mix ingredients you have at home. Hope you will try this recipe and let me know how much you liked. This sauce goes well with Paranths, Samosa or any type of Snacks/Starters.

Here comes the Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Sour Cream
1 tbsp Cilantro Chutney
1 tbsp Chili Sauce
1 tsp Lime Juice

Pinch of Salt

Process:

1) Take a bowl and mix in sour cream, cilantro chutney, market bought chili sauce, salt and lime juice.

2) Transfer that in a serving bowl...Enjoy!

Masala Rice (Quick Fix)

Masala Rice, Here's the version of flavored rice and a best way to utilize left over rice. We are making these rice with alot many vegetables. So its a healthy and quick way to use leftover rice. Can be enjoyed as breakfast or tea time. Here we are using pav bhaji masala, as per taste and availability one can use chana masala etc.

Ingredients:

2 Cup Leftover Rice
1 tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Clarified Butter

1 Medium Onion Sliced

1 Medium Tomato Sliced

¼ Cup Sweet Corn

¼ Cup Chopped Carrot

¼ Cup Peas

¼ Cup Chopped Beans

½ tbsp Chopped Green Chili

1  tsp Grated Ginger
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
½ tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala

1 tsp Lime Juice

Salt as taste

Process:

1) Heat the Oil in large skillet on medium high heat.

2) Once Oil is hot, Add in Onion, Tomato, Beans, Green Chili, Grated Ginger, Peas, Carrot and saute till cooked.

3) Add in Salt, Red Chilli powder, Coriander Powder, Biryani Masala, then add in Rice and stir well and sprinkle lime juice.

4) Garnish with Cilantro as per you like...Enjoy with a cup of Tea!

Aalu Tikki Chaat

Aalu Tikki Chaat, I know many of you would love to have this just now...Have this chaat at any time of the day as there cannot be a fix time to have this yummy snack. 

Ingredients:

1 Tikki Premade
Pinch Salt
Pinch Cumin Powder

Pinch Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Ginger Julian
¼ Cup Curd
2 tbsp Tamarind Chutney

Process:

1) Take a serving plate. Place a tikki and cut into half. Pour curd then tamarind chutney over the tikki.

2) Now sprinkle salt, red chili powder and cumin powder. Sprinkle ginger Julian for garnish.

Enjoy!

Aalu Tikki (Potato Peas Cutlet)

Aalu Tikki, These cutlets we are eating since childhood from Indian street chaat food. This one used to be one of the biggest treat for evening snack. These cutlets are full of flavor with the crusty top with soft potatoes and the core is burst of flavors..I hope you all will love this and enjoy as a tea time snack.

Ingredients:

2 Cup Boiled Mashed Potatoes
1 tbsp Cornflour
1 tsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Cumin Powder

½ tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Cup Peas

1 tsp of Salt
¼ Cup Roasted Crushed Peanuts
¼ Cup Chopped Cilantro
¼ Cup Chopped Cashews

Oil to Shallow Fry

Process:

1) Take mashed potatoes in a big bowl and add in cornflour, salt, cilantro, lime juice and mix well.

2) Take a tsp of oil in a fry pan and once the oil is hot add in cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, Then add in salt, red chili powder, dry mango powder, coriander powder and peas. 

3) Cook on medium low flame and mash a bit with spatula. Add in chopped almonds and mix well.  Let the mixture cool down.

4) Now to make tikki's, take a big lemon size ball of potato and make a hole in the middle to fill with peas mixture and close the potato mixture. Now we have balls of potatoes with the peas mixture in the core. Press them to flatten them.

5) Take a flat nonstick skittle. Heat the oil in a pan, once oil is hot add in tikki's and fry from both sides till they turn golden brown from both sides. Now tikki's are ready, Serve with mint chutney. 

Enjoy!

Chili Fish

Chili Fish, Whooo..is such a simple and yummy fish recipe to have a great variation. Recently i have learnt this recipe and tried...its supper yummy one. Here's the quick fish side dish/Snacks. Can be enjoyed with Tortilla, Indian Chapati.

Ingredients:

Serving: 2 Person

1 lb Cubed Salmon

2 Medium Onion

1 Small Green Capsicum

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2tbsp Corn Flour

2 tbsp Oil

½ tsp Chili Sauce

1 tbsp Vinegar

1  tsp Soya Sauce

2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
Salt & Pepper as taste

Process:

1) Marinate Salmon pieces with salt, black pepper, ginger garlic paste and vinegar for at least for 2 hours.

2) After two hours coat marinated salmon well with a tbsp of corn flour. In left out water add in soya sauce, ketchup, corn flour and mix well.

3) Heat up a tbsp of oil in flat nonstick skillet and shallow fry the salmon pieces from all the sides till turns golden from all sides. Remove the salmon pieces from the skillet.

4) Heat up a tbsp of oil in the same skillet, once hot then add in onions and capsicum. Stir till turns glossy. Add in salmon pieces and left out salmon marination with sauces and corn flour.

5) Stir continuously for about 2 minutes and its ready to serve. Garnish with Spring onions if preferred.

6) Serve hot..Enjoy!

Masala Puri's

Masala Puri's, is my other favorite way to eat left over puri's. This is full of flavor and masala. I love to share this recipe with all of you, as this is really a burst of flavors. SO i request them to try this and don't miss it any further.

Ingredients:

8 Peice Puri's 
4 tbsp Mashed Potates
2 tbsp Sev
1 tbsp Lime Juice
Cilantro for Granish
2 tbsp Finely Chopped Onions
Salt,Chat Masala and Red Chili to Sprinkle

Process:

1) Make holes in puri's to fill them. Now put some mashed potatoes inside the puri's.

2) Now fill the puri's with onion. Tamrind chutney or Curd can be filled if preferred.

3) Now sprinkle salt, chat masala and red chili powder as per taste.

4) At last garnish with sev and cilantro...Squeeze lime juice and Enjoy....

Enjoy!

Raspberry Cake (Hey It's My Birthday...)

Raspberry Cake, this is such a basic and wonderful recipe with the freshness of raspberry. As its my birthday today..so cake is a must. This is very playful recipe ...can be mold to any of your ideas. This is just my version of making raspberry cake. I made this cake on my father's birthday...just to celebrate the occasion i am posting this today..I just hope to have your wishes today to make my day...

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup of All Purpose Flour/ Maida

1 Cup Sugar

½ Cup Butter

2 Eggs

1 tsp of Vanilla

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/3 Cup Sour Cream

¼ tsp of Salt

Frosting

1 Cup Whipped Cream

4 tbsp Raspberry Jam
1 lb Fresh Raspberries

Process:

**Tools Used: Hand Mixer, Spatula, Whisk, Bowl, CakePan.

1) Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease two round pan with butter and line the bottom with butter paper.

2) In a bowl sieve the flour, Baking Powder, Salt and set aside.

3) In another bowl cream together the Butter and sugar until the mixture gets fluffy ,then add eggs one at a time and beat till the mixture gets lite and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and Sour Cream and mix well.

4) Add flour mixture into wet batter slowly.

5) Divide the batter into both round tins. Bake for 25-30 mins.

6) After cake baked, let that cool for at least an hour.

7) Place one layer of cake and spread raspberry jam over the top evenly. Now cover with whipped cream. Add whipped cream and top that with fresh raspberries. Then place another layer of cake over the top.

8) Decorate with the sprinkle of powdered sugar and a fresh raspberry...Enjoy!

Tips:

1) Don't over mix the batter.

2) Avoid Salt if using Salted Butter.

3) Sour Cream can be replaced with Curd.

4) All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

5) Recipe for Raspberry jam and Whipped cream are there on my blog.

Vegetable Upma (Andhra Style)

Vegetable Upma, this is a andhra style upma recipe. I think you all must have got by now that how much i love upma. I am having upma since my childhood. When i was a kid my mother used to prepare upma for me as a comfort food. Here's the Mild and Savory snack. Can be enjoyed as breakfast or tea time.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Semolina (Rawa)

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Clarified Butter

1 Medium Onion Chopped

¼ Cup Peas

¼ Cup Chopped Carrot
2-3 Curry Leaves

2 Cup Water

½ tbsp Chopped Green Chili

2 tbsp Chopped Cilantro

1  tsp Grated Ginger

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Lime Juice

Salt as taste

Process:

1) Heat ½ tbsp Oil in large skillet on medium high heat. Roast semolina lightly. Remove semolina from skillet.

2) Heat up another ½ tbsp oil in the same skillet. Once Oil is hot, Add in Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop. Add in Curry Leaves, Onion, Green Chili, Grated Ginger, Peas, Carrot and saute till cooked.

3) Add in Water, Salt and let the water comes to boil.  Add in Semolina and stir continuously till water evaporates. Now switch off the gas and cover upma for 5 minutes.

4) Garnish with Cilantro...Enjoy with a cup of Tea!

Punjabi Style Chicken

Punjabi Style Chicken, as we are punjabi's and loves to have anything with punjabi version. I prefer to make this on weekends. I know this is a bit time consuming recipe but you have to believe me that its all worth. This dish is full of flavors and 

richness which goes well with Rice, Chapatis, Parathas or Naan.

Ingredients:

5 Pieces Chicken Drumsticks

½ Cup Curd

1 tbsp Minced Ginger

1 tbsp Minced Garlic

1 tsp Red Chili Powder

1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cumin Seeds

2 tsp Coriander Powder

2 tsp Cumin Powder

1 Big Onion grated
2 Tomatoes Pureed

3 tbsp Oil / Clarified Butter

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Kasuri Methi
2 tbsp Heavy Cream

Cilantro Leaves for garnish

Process:

1) In a bowl marinate chicken with Curd, Ginger, Garlic, Salt, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, squeezed Onion juice. Let the marinate rest for an hour/overnight.

2) In a pan, heat the 2 tbsp oil on medium flame and once hot add in only the Chicken drumsticks from the marinate. Stir well till turns golden brown and crisp. Once done then remove drumsticks from oil.

3) Now add in onions and saute them. Salt the Onion just a bit and cook till brown. Then add in tomato pure and cook until oil separates. Once done let it cool down then grind to make paste.

4) Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add in cumin seeds, once they turn brown then add in onion tomato gravy with Chicken marination. Mix and cook for 5 minutes on high flame.

5) Add in the Chicken drumsticks, red chili powder and garam masala, Mix well.

6)  Cover the pan with lid, put the flame on low. Let chicken cook for 10-15 minutes.

7) Once done, garnish with Kasuri methi, Heavy cream and Cilantro...Enjoy !

Shahi Bread

Shahi Bread, its raining now in Grand Rapids and a perfect to complete lunch in this weather to make this sweet and crunchy bread. Myself loves this sweet dish. This is quite a simple and quick dessert. Try these, i am sure you will be addicted by these cutlets.

Ingredients:

2 Bread Slices
1 Cup Sugar
½ Cup Water
Pinch of Cardamon Powder
Pistachios Slices for Garnish
Clarified Butter/Oil for Deep Fry

Process:

1) Cut Bread Slice in four square pieces. 

2) Heat up a pan, add in Sugar and Water. Stir continuously to make medium consistency syrup. Once done then let the syrup comes to room temperature.

3) Preheat oil till hot to fry. Once oil is hot enough to fry, then fry bread pieces till turns dark brown. 

4) Dip the fried bread pieces in syrup and garnish with Cardamon Powder and Pistachios. 

Enjoy!