Pineapple Cheese Cherry

Pineapple Cheese Cherry is a complimentary dish, which involves no cooking. The cheese adds the freshness, the cherry adds sweetness while the pineapple adds the sweet and sour taste. The mixture of all these flavors in each mouthful, makes it so different and delicious. These are made mini versions (with small cubes) to serve with pre-dinner drinks. 

Cashew Curry

Cashew Curry is a light brown-color gravy  close to the color of cashews. It is  rich-creamy gravy enough to soak up any kind of Indian bread like parathas, naans and kulchas. The base of the curry is cooked with onion and tomato paste with a light flavor of ginger and garlic and then a rich cashew paste is added to give the curry its ultimate name. Finally the fresh cream is finally added to the cashew curry for the satin-creamy texture and divine taste of this delicious dish.

Ukkara Pindi

Ukkara Pindi is a century-old dish made of flour. It is also called as just 'Ukkara'. Here is a 'Telugu' name given to the dish, as it was a signature dish of my great grandmom, which she inherited from her ancestors. The dish evolves over the years, influenced by different cultures and ethnic groups merging together, but never loses its character and identity. As the dish passes from region to region from generations to generations, it gets edited and take different names and different taste, as families put their own twist to this classic recipe called 'Ukkara Pindi'. Again taste is the expression of a culture. It is the result of different elements, combined in a particular way that is the interpretation of a tradition. 

Stir Fry Vegetable Rice Noodles

Stir Fry Vegetable Rice Noodles is a super-easy dish, which is guaranteed to please. It’s slightly sweet and slightly vinegary at the same time, but undeniably delicious. The noodles are simply outstanding and a refreshing antidote to the summertime blues. A fun and tasty treat for young & old! 

Homemade Rice Flour

Rice Flour is used for so many dishes, be it spicy dish, starter/appetizer and even sweet dishes. There are several processes, which goes into the making of the rice flour. Anyone can make it at the comfort of their home provided you have a good mixer or a blender. But earlier days, when we did not have these mixers, the raw rice was crushed to fine powder with a wooden pestle, a rice pounder, which had iron ferrules at the ends and is called 'Rokali' in Telugu language. These wooden pestle with iron ferrules was so heavy that one hit in a deep holed stone, where rice was placed and the rice gets a heavy hit and crushed to some extent. Slowly as it goes on, the rice is powdered and then sieved in the sieve for more fine flour and the remaining was again put to get crushed.

Dal Fry

 

Dal Fry is a dish where the split red gram is boiled and fried along with spices in the oil or clarified butter. Dal Fry is a simple dish, mastering the taste, without which the North-Indian meals does not get completed. This follows the rule, simplicity at its best. This is a protein-rich dish, so nutritious for the kids too. 

Methi Poori

Methi Poori is a mild spicy dish with a blend of flour and fenugreek leaves. The leaves when added in correct quantity gives a nice earthy flavor. Especially, while frying these pooris, the flavors of the leaves were brought out further. This makes a perfect meal for the family along with any side dish/dip. 

Coconut Chutney

Coconut Chutney is a simple and a versatile dish. Each and everyone has a unique way of making the chutney, still everyone wants to know or make something new as it is a common dip for many of the South Indian breakfast dishes. Whatever recipe it follows, still it tastes so divine.

Phirni

Phirni is a sweet dessert made with ground rice, sugar and milk, flavored with cardamom, and garnished with nuts. The Phirni is also topped with condensed milk to add creaminess and flavor to the dessert. It not only improves the moistness but also provides sweet richness to the Phirni. This dessert is usually prepared after or during the Ramadan/Ramzan festival, which is known for fasting. This dish is so easy that it can be prepared at the comfort of your home.

Naan - Indian Bread

Naan usually refers to a specific kind of thick flatbread. It is cooked in a tandoor, from which tandoori cooking takes its name. It is also distinguished from roti, as naan is made with plain flour, whereas roti is made from whole-wheat flour and also differs from roti, which is usually cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a tava. Milk or Yogurt is used to impart distinct tastes to the naan. Here, the milk is used instead of water, as it does for ordinary bread, yield a softer dough. 

Vegetable Kurma

Vegetable Kurma or Korma is a blend of all spices cooked along with vegetables. This is a quintessential curry in any South Indian homes but again variations differs. This is the curry my mom usually makes, and this accompanies all kinds of dishes from rotis to rice and from dosas to idlies. Coconut milk is very much essential in the preparation of the curry, which imparts a creamy gravy. Here the ingredients, ginger, garlic, spices, green chilles and coriander leaves are blended to a fine paste, which yields a herby flavour and rich texture . 

Cheese Potato Veg Balls

Cheese Potato Veg Balls is a extra tasty and cheesy alternative to the regular mashed potatoes and just the fried potato fingers. This is an exquisite dish, composed of mashed potatoes and mashed cottage cheese (paneer) flavoured with a touch of coriander leaves and chopped green chilies. For better nutrition and taste, grated carrots and some nuts are added. These carrots gives a good colour and is very appealing too for kids.

Chivda Mixture

Chivda Mixture is a snack prepared with flattened rice, which is also called beaten rice. This flattened dry flakes is prepared with a variety of nuts and spices, and tossed with salt and sugar. Here an ingredient called copra (dried coconut) has been added, which contains a lot of fiber contents, where its usually ignored in our food. So adding all these ingredients makes a very nutritional snack. This is a also a very tasty guilt-free evening snack, which is best relished along with your tea or coffee, especially during monsoon times. This is also an easily digestible form of raw rice and can be carried outdoors too since when stored in air tight container would last for some days.

Tomato Cheese Pasta

Tomato Cheese Pasta is an Italian dish cooked in an Indianized way. Since Pasta is a simple dish and comes in large varieties, every region adopts different style of preparing it. I have modified the Tomato Cheese Pasta, according to my family, as my kid especially loves its taste. To this, any kind of vegetables or meat can be added and cooked, which creates a different variety altogether. While making pasta, just make sure that the pasta be coated with the sauce and should not be separated  from the dish. The dish can be served as a starter to a meal or can be served as a side to a main dish or as main dish itself at times. 

Potato Curry

Quick Potato Curry is a simple, as well as a delicious curry. Here the potato skin is not peeled and directly cooked, where the potatoes taste wonderfully tender in this spicy curry. There are endless variations to the potato curry, and this dish has basic ingredients like chilly powder, coriander powder, and flavour ingredients, like the mustard seeds and curry leaves. The onions and tomatoes added into this dish, thickens the gravy to provide a not-too-rich, warm and spicy flavor. Basically the oil used to prepare this potato curry is the groundnut oil, which is a twist in this dish, which adds the subtly sweet flavour too.

Chow Chow Bhath - Upma and Halwa

Chow Chow Bhath is a name given to a dish, which is of Karnataka cuisine. Chow Chow Bhath is a two in one dish, sweet and spicy, namely, Kesari Bath (Halwa) and Khara Bhath (Upma), where the main ingredient preparing these two dishes is semolina. The word 'Kesari' refers to the spice saffron, which is used, resulting in its saffron-orange-yellow-colored tinge. The word 'Khara' refers to the spicy savory. The two dishes when combined are absolutely irresistible in terms of its unique flavor and the delectable combination. 

Khasta Moong Dal Kachori

Khasta Kachori is a delicious India snack, which adds to the chats category of recipes. Kachori is something similar to the Samosas but the shape and filling differs, though sometimes the same filling also can be used. Kachoris and samosas are like cousins in the chat family. Unlike Samosas, I have blogged earlier, the Kachori chat is also relished with a sweet tamarind and dates chutney, and the green chutney. You get a dose of nostalgia free with Kachori chat served in a leaf plate.