Green peppercorns bottled in brine (i.e. salt solution) are exported from Tamil Nadu to other parts of the world. This delicacy of unripe peppers is available for only for a few weeks in a year i.e. before the monsoons and before the onset of the winters. You will find them at certain specialty vegetable vendors, so look out for them. Carefully wash the peppercorns so that you can retain them with their stalks on. A teaspoon of oil added to the recipe acts as a protective covering for the peppercorns and helps to keep them for a longer period.

Winters herald the coming of veggies in dessert-enveloped Rajasthan, and with it come delicacies such as the Mooli ki Sabzi, made of radishes along with their leaves. This delicious duo is perked up with simple but aromatic seeds and spice powders. A pinch of baking soda is essential while cooking the radish and its greens, in order to reduce the cooking time and to retain the bright colour of the greens.

ghughra recipe | Jamnagari ghughra | vatana na ghughra | green peas ghughra | matar gujiya / karanji | ghughra recipe is a variation to the sweet coconut stuffing in which green peas have been used. Learn how to make vatana na ghughra. Flaky, yet soft coating with a perfectly balanced green peas stuffing, rolled, shaped and fried till crisp is what describes matar gujiya / karanji. This is a common snack made during the festival of Diwali. Try it out and you would make over and over again without a festival or an occasion coming up too! To make ghughra, first make a soft dough by combining maida, melted ghee and salt using enough water. Knead again using the oil till smooth. Keep aside under a wet muslin cloth. Then for the stuffing, heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds crackle, add the green peas and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds. Sprinkle 1 tbsp water, mix well and cover and cook on a slow flame for 7 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, green chilli paste, ginger paste, coriander, coconut, sesame seeds, lemon juice and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute. Cool slightly and divide the stuffing into 20 equal portions. Keep aside. Then make the karanji. Divide into 20 portions and roll one portion into a 4” circle, place little stuffing and fold to make a semi-circle. Pinch the edges of the ghughra. Roll and shape all ghughras and deep-fry in hot oil till golden brown. Serve immediately with green chutney. While the vatana na ghughra are typically half-moon shaped, you can also make them in other shapes too, if you wish to! Pinching the gughras is an art which you can master over time. They look pretty if uniformly pinched. However, you can keep them plain edged too if you cannot get a uniform pinched edge at the circumference. These Jamnagari ghughra make tea-time significantly more interesting! Fry the ghughras just before serving as they tend to get cold and soggy after a while. Serve them with green chutney at snack time. You can also serve these green peas ghughra as farsan in a Gujarati thali set menu likePanchkutiyu Shaak, Rasawala Chana, Rotlis, Raiwala Marcha, cutney and Shrikhand. Tips for ghughra. 1. Ensure that the green peas are not boiled and coarsely crushed. You just need to blend them in a mixer for 5 seconds and they will be coarsely crushed. This texture is needed for a good mouthfeel. 2. Cool the mixture before shaping ghughras, else the dough might have cracks due to the steam generated. 3. Deep fry the ghughras on a slow flame so they cook uniformly. Enjoy ghughra recipe | Jamnagari ghughra | vatana na ghughra | green peas ghughra | matar gujiya / karanji.

Typically, when you think of stuffed bhindi, you might imagine a filling of besan and spices; but here is an innovative preparation of bhindi stuffed with a soft and luscious cottage cheese mixture. Amchur powder gives the paneer mixture a tanginess that complements the bhindi well; and traditional spices impart a delicious flavour and tempting aroma to the stuffed bhindi with paneer.

potato rotis |Indian potato roti | aloo roti | potato roti made with plain flour | with 17 amazing images Potato roti is made with potatoes, coriander, spices and ghee tossed into the dough. Use 2 tablespoons water and knead into a soft aloo roti dough. The potato roti made with plain flour is then cooked on a non stick tawa or griddle till golden brown in colour. potato rotis are the perfect Indian breakfast recipe. We have our potato rotis with some homemade curds and a glass of chaas. For lunch or dinner, Indian potato roti is a perfect replacement for roti. In fact, potato rotis can be one meal dinner had with curd and loads of sliced onions. Our potato roti recipe is not to be confused with punjabi aloo paratha where the aloo stuffing is put in the centre of the dough and cooked. In potato roti we have put the boiled potatoes into the dough and it's the same way Gujarati theplas are made. The addition of boiled and grated potatoes makes these rotis so soft that they literally melt in your mouth! Plus, potato rotis is also a smart way to clear your stock of potatoes, because this recipe turns out best with old potatoes. Enjoy potato rotis |Indian potato roti | aloo roti | potato roti made with plain flour with detailed step by step photos.

The pleasant sweetness of jaggery and the enticing charm of poppy seeds and cashewnuts tone down the bitterness of bitter gourd to an extremely enjoyable level, in this special dry subzi. Sweet, with a dash of spice, this unique subzi tastes really awesome, but what is even more special than the taste is the mix of textures. The karela having been deep-fried has a very exciting crispness, which together with the coarse mouth-feel of poppy seeds and the soft crunch of cashewnuts, take your taste buds on a thrilling roller-coaster ride. The sweetness of jaggery is more prominent than the bitterness of karela in this Crispy Karela, and so it is sure to be enjoyed even by kids. You can also try other special karela recipes like Karela Muthias and Masala Karela .

beetroot rice recipe | quick beetroot rice | beetroot pulao | beetroot fried rice | with 18 amazing images A nice, bright pink rice that is sure to attract your kids, the Beetroot Rice is an attractive preparation of rice and grated beetroot perked up with assorted spices. Onions add flavour and crunch to this sumptuous dish, which is quick and easy to prepare in the morning. Ensure that the Beetroot Rice is completely cool before you pack it in the box. Sipping Mint Chaas along with the Beetroot Rice is sure to satiate your kids taste buds and tummy! So do pack some in a thermos flask. Check out our collection of many more amazing tiffin box recipes like Rice and Moong Dal Idli, Pasta in Tomato Sauce, Stuffed Hot Dog Rolls, Broccoli Paratha and many more. See detailed step by step photos and video of beetroot rice recipe | quick beetroot rice | beetroot pulao | beetroot fried rice recipe below.

When you want to pamper yourself, serve yourself some sprouts in this exotic, sumptuous way! A class apart from everyday accompaniments, this rich Moong Sprouts Korma combines the goodness of sprouts with the spicy experience of a korma revved up with a rich and flavourful cashew paste, tangy tomato puree and luscious fresh cream. Serve it hot and fresh with rotis and kadhi for a satiating meal.

aloo methi sabzi | Punjab aloo methi | how to make aloo methi | potatoes with fenugreek leaves | with 16 amazing images aloo methi is an everyday Punjabi sabzi ... easy, tasty and awesome. Yet, every time you taste it, potatoes with fenugreek leaves feels exotic, with the softness of potatoes and the pleasing bitterness of methi. You will find that this aloo methi dry sabzi is made with everyday ingredients in Indian kitchens like potatoes, methi, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and red chillies. The rich aroma and flavour of aloo methi makes you eat an extra chapati or two. I would like to share some important tips to make the perfect Punjabi aloo methi. Take a deep bowl and put the chopped methi leaves into it. Sprinkle a little salt over the methi leaves and mix well. Keep this aside for 15 minutes. As fenugreek is a very bitter vegetable, adding salt over it removes the bitterness in the form of water. This makes the fenugreek much less bitter in the aloo methi sabzi. 2. Cooking the potatoes for long makes them a little crisp and gives them an appetising brownish colour. It also allows the potatoes to imbibe the flavours of the garlic, green chillies and ginger really well in aloo methi. We often make aloo methi sabzi with baby potatoes at home, however our recipe uses regular potatoes. Aside from aloo methi try other sabzi combos with methi like Methi Palak Paneer Subzi, Methi Papad and Methi Mutter Pasanda. Enjoy aloo methi sabzi | Punjab aloo methi | how to make aloo methi | potatoes with fenugreek leaves with detailed step by step photos and video below.

khichdi recipe | dal khichdi | toor dal khichdi | how to make dal khichdi | with 31 amazing images An elaborate yet easy khichdi that makes a wholesome and delicious meal, the toor dal khichdi is made of toor dal and rice combined with not just whole spices but also onions, garlic and tomatoes. This imparts a tangy twist to the dal khichdi making it holistic in terms of taste too. When you don’t have time to prepare a Kadhi, you can just serve toor dal khichdi with curds and papad like Fried papad, Roasted papad, Fried Khichiya Papad, Roasted Khichiya Papad, Instant Whole Wheat Masala Papad or Papad ki Churi and there you have a sumptuous dinner on the table! Some important points i would like to share with you on khichdi recipe. 1. Take a pressure cooker and add the dal to it. We have used toor dal, but many people use a combination of moong dal, green moong dal or masoor dal. 2. We have added tomatoes and onions to our khichdi recipe but you can add your own choice of vegetables like green peas, cauliflower and potatoes. 3. It’s best to make the khichdi slightly mushy by adding little extra water while pressure cooking. 4. When pressure cooking the khichdi, don’t cook on high flame as the khichdi will get stuck at the bottom of the pressure cooker and give a burnt taste. So cook on a medium flame. 5. You can replace rice with broken wheat (lapsi or dalia) in this recipe to make it healthier. Make sure you top your dal khichdi with generous amounts of melted ghee. Enjoy khichdi recipe | dal khichdi | toor dal khichdi | how to make dal khichdi with detailed step by step photos and video below.

A soft layer of potato and paneer topped with a mouth-watering spinach and corn layer, garnished with tangy tomato slices – if that does not sound tempting enough, the best part is yet to come – the whole arrangement is topped generously with cream and cheese and baked to perfection. Indeed, the baked spinach with corn is a gourmet preparation befitting a king’s menu, yet so simple you can make it in your own kitchen and present it proudly to your family and guests.

poha chivda | roasted poha chivda | thin poha chivda | maharashtrian poha chivda | with 14 images. Poha Chivda is made from an assortment of ingredients ranging from poha, roasted urad dal and peanuts to cashews and curry leaves. This gives poha chivda a range of textures, while a choice of spice powders gives it a nice savoury aroma and flavour. Pop a spoonful into your mouth and savour the crunchiness of this delectable thin poha chivda snack! I always prefer to make snacks at home. Store bought or street bought snacks are cooked in inferior quality oil which causes inflammation of the body. This roasted poha chivda is not deep fried and hence a lot healthier than deep fried snacks. While it is perfect to have on a cold, rainy day, with a cup of chai , this versatile poha chivda snack is also light enough to enjoy on a hot summer’s day with a glass of juice, or to take along to school or office in a snack box! You can prepare a batch of this thin poha chivda and store it in an airtight container for a 10 to 15 days to relish it as and when you wish to. Looking for Indian travel food dry snacks, then this maharashtrian poha chivda is a perfect choice. When making roasted poha chivda, you need to take care. Dry roast the thin beaten rice on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring continuously. If you stir too much, the thin poha might break so, make use of a pan with handles and toast by shaking the pan. Enjoy maharashtrian poha chivda with detailed step by step photos and video below.

soya matar sabzi recipe | soya matar ki sabji | soya mutter masala curry | soya chunks gravy | with 33 amazing images. soya matar sabzi recipe | soya matar ki sabji | soya mutter masala curry | soya chunks gravy is a protein rich accompaniment to whole wheat rotis and Parathas. Learn how to make soya mutter masala curry. To make soya matar sabzi, combine the soya chunks, salt and 1 cup of hot water in a bowl and keep aside to soak for 10 minutes. Discard the drained water and keep the squeezed soya chunks aside. Combine the curds, besan, milk and ¾ cup of water in a deep bowl, whisk well till no lumps remain and keep aside. Heat the oil in a non-stick kadhai and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, ginger-green chilli paste, garlic paste and onions and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander-cumin seeds powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Lower the flame, add the curd-beasn mixture and ½ cup water, mix well and cook on a slow flame for 1 minute, while stirring continuously. Add the soya chunks, green peas, sugar and salt, mix well and cook on a slow flame for 1 minute, while stirring once in between. Serve immediately. Chunky, mealy soya nuggets and juicy green peas simmered in a tangy curd-based gravy, the soya matar ki sabji is an exciting way to add soya to your meal. While the curds-besan mixture gives the soya mutter masala curry a kadhi like flavour, the addition of onions, tomatoes and spice powders makes this semi-dry subzi all the more exciting. Try it once, and you will be happy to see this flavourful soya chunks gravy preparation rise to the top of the popularity chart at home. This healthy soya matar sabzi is brimming with protein which nourishes each and every cell of our body. It is rich in fibre , which means that it will keep you full for long hours. Weight-watchers can include this sabzi in their diet once a week. The onions and tomatoes are also a source of antioxidant allicin and lycopene respectively, which will help to reduce inflammation in the body and safeguard our cells against harmful free radical damage. Tips for soya matar sabzi. 1. Once the soya chunks have been soaked, drained and squeezed thoroughly at step 1, use them immediately to make this sabzi, else the soya chunks might break if kept for too long. 2. Ensure that the besan has mixed very well with the curd. 3. After adding this curd-besan mixture to the sabzi at step 6, ensure to cook on a slow flame to avoid the curd from splitting. Enjoy soya matar sabzi recipe | soya matar ki sabji | soya mutter masala curry | soya chunks gravy | with step by step photos.

creamy cheesy macaroni recipe | creamy homemade macaroni | creamy macaroni and cheese | creamy macaroni pasta | with 18 amazing images. creamy cheesy macaroni recipe | creamy homemade macaroni | creamy macaroni and cheese | creamy macaroni pasta makes a tasty and satiating One Meal Dinner. Learn how to make creamy homemade macaroni. To make creamy cheesy macaroni, heat the butter in a broad non-stick pan, add the onions and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Add the capsicum and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Add the carrot, green peas, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato ketchup, chilli flakes, salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Finally add the macaroni, fresh cream and cheese, mix gently and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Serve immediately. Macaroni is a timeless, ageless treat that delights everybody! Here it comes to your table in a truly luscious form, loaded with cream, cheese and crunchy veggies. Chilli flakes and tomato ketchup add streaks of peppy flavour to this sensational creamy macaroni pasta. Dotted with herbs and chilli flakes, this creamy homemade macaroni is a true kids favourite. Serve it when your kids come home hungry or for playdate or birthday parties. You will be surprised to see a grin on every kid's face. The texture of perfectly boiled pasta with crunchy vegetables in cheesy sauce in creamy macaroni and cheese beautifully combines with different types of bread like Baguette and garlic bread. Tips for creamy cheesy macaroni. 1. Ensure to blanch the carrots and not cook them as little crunchiness is enjoyable in this macaroni. 2. If you do not blanch the tomatoes, then add finely chopped tomatoes and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes. 3. Ensure that you serve the Creamy and Cheesy Macaroni immediately on preparation to enjoy the best flavour and texture, before the cheese starts getting chewy. Enjoy creamy cheesy macaroni recipe | creamy homemade macaroni | creamy macaroni and cheese | creamy macaroni pasta | with step by step photos.