This dessert is a very popular sweet in the Northern regions of India, especially Punjab. They are generally grated carrots, cooked with sugar, milk, dry fruits, khoya and cardamom powder. Due to unavailability of khoya, I used store bought pedas. They were a perfect substitute and gave this dessert a good taste and flavour.
There are many ways of making this yummy dessert. But I used the quicker method by pressure cooking it first and cutting short the time. But the real taste lies in cooking it the traditional way by simmering on a low flame. It can also be cooked in a microwave. To make it more healthy, use brown sugar and less of ghee. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 3 med carrots, grated
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3-4 pedas (substitute of khoya), crumbled
- 2 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
- sugar to taste
- 1/2 cup dry fruits
- few strands of saffron to garnish
- 1 tbsp. rose water (opt)
Heat ghee in a cooker and sauté the carrots for 1-2 minutes on a low flame. Add milk and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
When cool, transfer it to a non -stick pan and add the dry fruits (leaving few to garnish). keep stirring on low flame till the moisture is reduced.
Add the crumbled pedas, cardamom powder and sugar to taste. Continue to stir till it slightly thickens. Add the saffron and rose water and serve, garnished with dry fruits.
Take 3 carrots.
Grate them.
I have taken 4 pedas instead of khoya.
Heat ghee in a cooker & sauté carrots for 1-2 minutes. Add milk & pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
When cool, transfer to a non -stick pan & add dry fruits (leaving few
to garnish). keep stirring on low flame till moisture is reduced.
Add crumbled pedas, cardamom powder and ......
sugar. Stir fry till slightly thick. Add saffron & rose water.
Serve, garnished with dry fruits & saffron.
As any form of greens are very beneficial and nutritious to our body, they need to be incorporated in our everyday diet. So here is a simple and an easy recipe of these Red Spinach cooked in a Bengali style.
Fried vadi / dried lentil dumplings are used as a garnish to give a crunch to the end product. For a non-veg version they can be substituted with some fried prawns. This preparation is generally relished with plain steamed rice and had at the beginning of any meal.
- 2 bunches Laal saag (red spinach), washed, rinsed & chopped fine
- 2 tbsp. mustard oil
- 8-10 bodis (dried lentil dumplings)
- 1 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
- 1-2 green chilies, slit
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and sauté the bodis till golden brown. Remove them and when cool, pulse them in the grinder (leaving few for garnishing). Keep aside.
Temper the same oil with the kalonji and slit green chilies. Saute for a few seconds. Then add the garlic and sauté till they change colour.
Add the onion and continue to fry till light brown. Now add the chopped laal shaag, salt and turmeric powder. Stir fry on a low flame till dry.
Just before serving, sprinkle the crushed bodis and serve along with steamed rice. They can also be had with chapattis.
These delicious and yummy chicken are grilled to perfection in a microwave. So they can, not only be made at home but are healthy too with the use of olive oil. As chicken happens to be a very popular snack with everyone, it can very easily be made in a microwave.
It can be served as an appetizer during any in-house parties. In that case let the chicken be made into bite size pieces. These grilled chicken if had with some soup or salad as an accompaniment, makes for a complete wholesome meal.
- 5 pieces of chicken
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. roasted coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- chopped coriander, onion rings, lemon wedges and fresh chilly to garnish
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the chicken and the garnishing ingredients. Smear this paste all over the chicken and marinate for 7-8 hours, preferably overnight in the fridge.
Grease a microwave rack and place the marinated chicken pieces over it. Place in the microwave with a drip tray below it to collect all the juices.
Grill for 30 minutes by flipping it over and basting with oil twice. Let it rest in the microwave for 5 more minutes. Serve with a garnish of chopped coriander leaves, onion rings, lemon wedges and fresh red/green chilly.
This is a very easy and a simple side dish of okra stir fried with some tempering and garnished with fresh grated coconut and coriander leaves. Poriyals are a very common everyday meal in many Tamilian household.
They are served as a side dish with either curd rice, sambar rice or rasam rice. They also tastes good with chapattis / parathas too. Poriyals can be made with carrots, cabbage, beans and beetroot too by following the same method. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe prepare it.
- 250 gms. Okra, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp. asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram lentil)
- 1 tsp. raw rice
- 2 fresh chilies, slit
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp. fresh coconut, grated
- 1-2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the asafoetida, urad dal, rice, green chilies, turmeric powder and curry leaves. Sauté till the ingredients turns light brown.
Add the chopped okra and salt. Sauté on low flame till they turn soft and are done. Add the coconut and coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
Give it a mix and serve as a side dish with either rice or chapatti.
Heat oil & temper with mustard seeds. Then add asafoetida, urad dal, rice,
turmeric powder, green chilies & curry leaves. Sauté till light brown.
Add okra & salt. Sauté on low flame till they turn soft & are done.
Add coconut & coriander leaves & switch off the flame. Toss well.
Serve as a side dish with either rice or chapatti.
This is a traditional Bengali delicacy where prawns are steam cooked in a mustard-coconut gravy. Mustard oil is used for an authentic taste and flavour. It is a simple and a delicious recipe which can be made in no time.
I opt for this simple recipe when I need something in a ziffy as prawns being my favourite. There is no cooking involved and no marination required. Hilsa fish, a very popular and yet another delicacy of all Bengalis is also cooked in the similar way too. It is best relished with plain steamed rice.
- 5-6 large prawns
- 1 tbsp. mustard seeds, soaked for 30 minutes
- 1-2 green chilies
- salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp. mustard oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh coconut, grated
- 1 tsp. yoghurt
- 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
Grind the mustard, chilies, turmeric powder and coconut to a smooth paste. In a bowl, mix the paste along with the prawns, mustard oil, salt, yoghurt and coriander leaves.
Transfer it to a steel container with a lid. Pour some water in the pressure cook and place the closed steel container over it.
Steam for 10-15 minutes (5 minutes on high flame and the remaining on low flame). Serve on a bed of hot steamed rice.
Mix ground mustard paste with prawns, mustard oil, salt, yoghurt & coriander leaves.
Steam for 10-15 minutes. Serve on a bed of hot steamed rice.
Stuffed parathas are very popular and an everyday meal in any Punjabi or in general any North Indian household. These are delicious and nutritious flat breads with some cabbage stuffing. They are wholesome, healthy and keeps your hunger satiated for a long time.
Serve them not only for breakfast but they can be had any time of the day. It is completely a different experience when had hot with butter, pickles or yoghurt. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- 1 tbsp. oil + 1 tbsp. oil for kneading
- 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1-2 fresh chilies, chopped
- 1 tsp. ginger, chopped
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp, roasted chickpea flour / besan
- 2-3 tbsp, coriander leaves, chopped
- oil to shallow fry
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in an pan and temper with cumin seeds, followed by the chopped chilies and ginger. Saute for a few seconds. Then add the cabbage, salt, turmeric powder and garam masala powder.
Stir fry till dry. Then add the chickpea flour and coriander leaves. Mix well and keep aside to cool. Knead a dough with the atta, salt to taste. 1 tbsp. oil and required quantity pf water. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
Divide the dough and the cabbage stuffing into 4 equal portions. Further divide the dough into eight portions. Roll out each portion into a small poori and keep aside.
Take one poori and spread 2-3 tbsp. of the stuffing. Cover with another poori and close all edges. Then gently roll it into a slightly bigger chapatti by dusting some flour. Make similar stuffed parathas with the rest of the dough and the stuffing.
Heat a tawa / griddle and shallow fry the parathas one at a time by drizzling a tbsp. of oil. Fry on both sides till light brown in colour. Serve them hot with plain yoghurt, raita, pickles or butter.
The prepared stuffing.
Take one poori & spread 2-3 tbsp. of the stuffing. Cover with another
poori & close all edges.
Gently roll into a slightly bigger chapatti by dusting some flour.
Heat a tawa & shallow fry parathas by drizzling a tbsp. of oil. Fry on
both sides till light brown in colour.
Serve them hot with plain yoghurt, raita, pickles or butter.
Kuzhi Paniyaram is a traditional South Indian breakfast, especially popular in Tamilnadu. In simple words they are fried idlis (lentil dumplings) made with idli/dosa batter in a mould called Chetti. They are served with coconut chutney and sambar.
Here I made a variation to this lovely dish by adding some spinach, beetroot and carrot paste to make them more nutritious and appealing. They also serve as an ideal lunch box meal too. So go ahead and give it a try to impress your family and friends. Kids will especially like it.
- 6 cups of idli batter
- 1 tbsp. spinach paste
- 2 tbsp. carrot paste
- 1 tbsp. beetroot paste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp. red chili powder + 1 tsp. tomato paste
- oil as required
- 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
- coconut chutney to serve
- sambar to serve
- kura karam podi / idli podi to sprinkle
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper with the mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the urad dal and saute till light brown, Add this to the batter and mix well.
Divide the batter into 6 bowls. Add the beetroot paste, spinach paste, carrot paste, turmeric powder and red chili powder+tomato paste to each bowls leaving the 6th one as it is for the white colour.
Add 1 tsp. oil to the paniyaram chatti and heat well. Drop spoonfuls of the coloured batter and cook, covered for a minute or two on low flame.
When one side is done, turn over and fry the other side too for a minute. Switch off the flame and transfer them to a serving dish.
Serve with coconut chutney, sambar and a sprinkle of kura karam podi / idli podi.
Add 1 tsp. oil to the paniyaram chatti & heat well. Drop spoonfuls of
coloured batter & cook, covered for a minute or two on low flame.
When one side is done, turn over & fry other side too, for a minute.
Serve with coconut chutney, sambar & a sprinkle of idli podi.
