This incredibly tasty savory snack is light, healthy and hit the spot. It is just as good at lunchtime if you can add a salad on side or for breakfast, alongside a cup of tea and fruit. It is a steamed savory cake, called Besan Dhokla in Hindi. When I was a kid, this was one of the frequented item in our house at any given event. Soft, & delicious, mildly tangy and sweet accompanied by the light crunch of mustard and sesame, garnished with the herby cilantro! It’s been etched in my mind.
Minty Fruit Salad
Now, that spring is in full swing I welcome the warm weather with this beautiful fruit salad. It is so simple to prepare that I didn’t even intend for this to become a blog recipe, but it’s so delicious that I knew I had to share it with you guys! This is no ordinary fruit salad. It goes from simple to sublime when tossed with mint, lemon and fresh grape dressing. When you put a spoonful into your mouth, you can taste a combination of different flavors. This makes the salad feel fancy enough to serve to guests for a potluck, picnic, or party. I actually took this fruit salad to a picnic last week and people loved it.
Desi Ghee-Making your own Liquid Gold at Home
Pure Ghee is an integral part of South Asian Household. Being from a Punjabi family, every dish my mother cooked was tempered or garnished with ghee. Be it a tadka on dal or a spoonful on hot simmering khichdi or a dash of it on chapattis. It was delicious – on, or in, anything, any time! My mother never bought store bought desi ghee and have always prepared fresh at home, with the butter she churned out of milk cream or yogurt. I’ve adopted the same approach in my kitchen and make fresh desi ghee. Even though, I don’t use ghee liberally as my mother used in her cooking, I do prefer the home-made kind over any store bought brand.
Coconut Pandan Black Sticky Rice with Mangoes
My daughter came over yesterday and said, “Mom you haven’t made anything with mangoes this season”.
“We’ll change that tomorrow”, I said.
There’s no end to the goodness in my kitchen when I bring home mangoes. I am seriously addicted. I eat one mango everyday (that’s what makes me gain weight in summer). I love manila mangoes very much. Even their smell is superb! The flesh is super sweet and has almost zero fiber. To me this readily available fruit is as close as I can get to mango heaven. I knew exactly how I was going to use these in a recipe. We went to a Thai restaurant for my daughter’s birthday and since then the black sticky rice pudding was on my mind. Often served with mango, this is a totally exotic dessert that is so easy to make. I love the creaminess of the pudding, and the color contrast between the black sticky rice with the white coconut cream and golden yellow of the mango.
Pithaud with Chaunke Matar / Gram flour Cakes with Masala Peas
I have more than a dozen gluten-free flours stored in my fridge and pantry, but the bag of besan (gram flour) is the one that needs to be restocked most often. There are many, many ways you can use gram flour in your cooking. Its characteristic nutty flavor gives besan the ability to create tasty, simple dishes that stand on their own with few ingredients. Take this Pithaud recipe for example. It looks simple, right? Well, it is! The delicate golden brown crust and silky smooth interior of pithaud really shines through in this easy dish and is well complemented by simple tomato curry and seasoned sweet green peas. I made this for my friends on Yoga retreat day and they couldn’t stop talking about how good it was.
Simple Millet Crepes
Food evokes memories and many a times they give birth to recipes that have resemblance to their origins but modified to dietary restrictions. I got the inspiration for these crepes from my mother’s “sour dough cheelas”. I can hardly contain my excitement to share that this recipe is not only gluten-free, but also dairy-free, egg free, soy free, and nut-free. Just like its name suggests, these crepes are super easy and can be prepared ahead of time. Serve either as an accompaniment to a main dish or for breakfast with chutney or treat them like soft tacos and fill with whatever you like.
Tropical Fruit Chutney
I adore different types of chutneys and sauces with my food to add some zesty flavor. Made with tropical fruits this chutney has the right balance of sweetness and spiciness! Its preparation is simple too; just chop fruits, add sugar, vinegar, spices, and cook slowly until the mixture thickens. I make it in small batches so that I don’t have to refrigerate or preserve by canning. It will keep for two weeks or more on the counter, if it lasts that long.
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