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About Aloo Paratha Aloo Paratha are popular Indian flatbreads stuffed with a delicious spiced potato mixture. In Hindi, Aloo means “Potatoes” and Paratha means “Layered Flatbreads”. So aloo parathas literally mean parathas that are stuffed with boiled, mashed and spiced potatoes in between the layers. Firstly a dough is made with whole wheat flour. Next boiled potatoes are mashed or grated and then spiced. This flavorful spiced potato mixture is then stuffed in a small disc of dough and sealed....

About Chilli Potato Chilli potato is an Indo-Chinese starter made with crisp fried potatoes, tossed in slightly spicy, sweet & sour chilli sauce. It is an Indian and Chinese fusion dish that is more commonly served in the Indian restaurants and street stalls. Chilli potato is derived from the immensely popular Chilli Chicken & here chicken is substituted with potatoes. Much like any other Indian Chinese Food, this one is prepared with Indian vegetables and spices but prepared following the Chinese high heat wok cooking with the usage of aromatic sauces....

To make this easy fish fry, fish needs double marination. First marination for the fish to absorb all the flavors and spice. Second marination to give a crust to the fish. This simple fish fry recipe can be used to grill or shallow fry or pan fry the fish. All methods yield crusty fish and is best served immediately. If you do not have besan or gram flour, you can substitute with corn flour....

If you are new to Indian foods, then you may be wondering what is it? About Gulab Jamun Gulab jamun are soft delicious berry sized balls made with milk solids, flour & a leavening agent. These are soaked in rose flavored sugar syrup & enjoyed. The word “Gulab” translates to rose in Hindi & “jamun” to berry. So gulab jamun are berry sized balls dunked in rose flavored sugar syrup....

Though lassi originated in Punjab, India, it is enjoyed all over the country & across the world as a refreshment. You will find lassi being made not only in the North Indian households but is also served in restaurants, dhabas, cafes, street stalls & pretty much everywhere in the Indian Subcontinent. What is Lassi? Lassi is a traditional yogurt drink that’s popular in North India. Made with yogurt, water or milk & various seasonings, it can be made to a either sweet or salty drink....

We love our basic Besan Chilla for the ease of making the batter, but these moong dal chilla are a better option since I prefer to minimize store bought flour & use lentils instead. Moong dal chilla are also easier to digest than the besan cheela making them the best even for toddlers. About Moong Dal Chilla Moong dal chilla are savory Indian Pancakes made with soaked and ground split mung lentil batter....

These oats idli are good only if paired with a real good chutney or a tiffin sambar. You know what I mean! No compromises with the sides, so you will love these as much as the hotel style Rava idlis. I have been making oats idli for few years now and have experimented a lot. The recipe shared here has been giving me good results consistently. If you are a newbie and wondering what these are?...

It can be a great wholesome breakfast to those who do not have enough time to cook and it will keep you going till the mid day. This is similar to the milk poha we usually make at home. The recipe shared here is a very simple one and can be experimented with different toppings to suit your taste. Overnight oats is usually made in air tight mason jars as it is convenient to carry to work as well....

This also goes beautifully well as a party appetizer. About Paneer 65 Paneer 65 is a vegetarian variation of the popular South Indian Chicken 65. Similar to the original version, paneer 65 is made by deep frying marinated and batter coated paneer until crisp. It is later tossed in a spicy tempering made with spices, garlic, curry leaves and sometimes yogurt or lemon juice. Now if you are wondering why is this fried paneer tagged as 65?...

To make this dish, I have used precooked rice that has been cooled. I have used garam masala and chili powder for the spice and flavor. However you can also use pav bhaji masala, bisi bele bath powder or vangi bath powder. Each of these will give a different flavor to the rice. I also make this one pot Tomato rice & this Tomato bath most often for a quick meal....

About Bagara Baingan The term “Baghare Baingan” loosely translates to “Eggplants cooked with a tempering”, where the term Baghar translates to Tempering & Baingan to Eggplants. As the name implies, Bagara Baingan is made by first tempering the whole spices like mustard & cumin. Bagara Baingan has a lot of similarities with the Andhra & Telangana’s Gutti Vankaya, Karnataka’s Ennegayi, Maharashtra’s Bharli Vangi & Bharwa Baingan. The ingredients like peanuts, sesame and coconut and even most of the spices used are the same....

My kids’ never liked beets until I introduced them to this rice. Mildly flavoured with mint leaves and whole spices, this dish also has some green peas & potatoes added to it for a sweeter flavor. However you can easily tweak it to your personal preferences by swapping mint leaves with coriander leaves and boiled/canned chickpeas for green peas. You may completely skip the potatoes in the recipe. Some crunchy papads, cucumber raita or plain yogurt or a vegetable salad will compliment your meal....

While a lot of people say a dish without meat is not a biryani and a lot more say a dish which is not layered and dum cooked is not a biryani. However the truth is that there is no one way it is made. But yes an authentic biryani is said to have meat and is always layered & dum cooked. About Biryani Rice Biryani Rice is a fake version of the authentic biryani as it has no meat, not layered and is not dum cooked....

Capsicum Curry This capsicum curry is a simple one pot dish where bell peppers are simmered in a flavorsome masala gravy made with onions, tomatoes, peanuts, sesame seeds, desiccated coconut and aromatic spices. With so many good and nutritious ingredients going into it, this capsicum curry tastes super delicious with a burst of spicy and tangy flavors. This recipe is roughly adapted from a North Karnataka capsicum peanut stir fry and Hyderabadi mirchi ka salan which is usually made as an accompaniment to Biryani....

Making this is super easy! Soak the red chilies in hot water to soften. Then blend them with garlic, cumin seeds, lemon juice, salt, sweetener & little water. This is the same chutney I use for my bhel puri and other chaats. The basic red chutney needs no cooking and keeps good for about 7 to 10 days in the refrigerator. Sometimes I also temper this with little oil for a longer shelf life (about 3 to 4 weeks)....

A lot of people make this during religious fastings like Navratri and Ekadashi. It also makes a great summer dessert & can be served chilled. During the winters, it is best served warm. I make this bottle gourd halwa sometimes when we are too bored eating the same dishes. ‘Lauki’ is the Hindi name for the vegetable ‘opo squash’ also known as ‘calabash squash’ or ‘bottle gourd’. Also known as ghiya or dudhi in India, it is one of those veggies that’s used often in Indian homes to make curry, sabji, stew, paratha & even halwa....

In this post I show you how to make the perfect onion raita that not only tastes delicious but also cools down the palate & helps in digestion. Well, a Raita is a simplest South Asian side dish made with yogurt, veggies, fruits, spices and herbs. But you will find numerous methods and recipes, varying by country, region and even home. Curd also known as Dahi forms the base of this dish and is the only ingredient common in all types of raitas....

When it comes to making a pappu for meal, I always prefer to make a smooth and creamy dal like sorakaya pappu, mamidikaya pappu or tomato pappu, where all the ingredients can be dumped to cook in the pressure cooker and later tempered. While making spinach or any leafy greens with dal like gongura pappu, I don’t prefer to overcook them which often happens by pressure cooking. So I just add them to the cooked dal to retain the nutrients and taste....

I usually make fresh paneer for any recipes that call for crumbled paneer, so this one too I used fresh homemade paneer that was made using 2 cups full fat milk & 1½ tsp lemon juice. But this recipe works good even with store bought frozen paneer. This tawa paneer sandwich recipe is a kids friendly recipe and can be served even to toddlers. There is no chopping of onions or tomatoes involved except using the raw slices, so that does the trick of saving some time....

Few versions of pineapple fried rice use stock to cook the rice or use curry powder, egg etc in the seasoning. This recipe is simple and suitable for vegetarians. Thai pineapple fried rice is quite popular in Singapore and vegetarian version too is served in the thai restaurants here. A vegetarian one is mostly made without a curry powder. It is just the way we make the veg fried rice but with a generous addition of cashews, raisins, pineapple and some added flavors including MSG....