In South India, You will find many ways of making tomato thokku, ranging from a simple basic chutney like condiment to a pickle like tasting dish. So there is no one right or wrong way to make a tomato thokku. In traditional Telugu speaking households, many kinds of Thokku are made with various ingredients like, using raw green mangoes, unripe tamarind, fresh red chilies and even with green unripe tomatoes and ripe tomatoes....
The important thing is that you make something that highlights the natural flavor of the fruit and enhances it with something complementary that does not hide its flavor. About Apple Jam Making Apple Jam starts in a similar way as making apple sauce. The difference here is that jam has a higher ratio of sugar. Beyond that, apple jam has a thicker consistency that can stand up on its own, allowing you to spread it without being runny....
About Bombay Potatoes Bombay Potatoes are spiced Indian potatoes. They are popular in the Indian restaurants outside India & more commonly seen on the British Indian restaurant menus. They are a common side dish & come in many forms. You will be surprised to see Bombay Potatoes in many avatars – Yellow, Red and Brown. In the recipe card notes, I share how to make them in 3 colors. However you will find that ingredients like curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric and red chilli powder are used in every variation....
Ingredients like ginger, jeera, green chilies and curry leaves flavor up the chekkalu. Channa dal is another key ingredients that is used. It can be replaced with moong dal. Even split peanuts can be added but the traditional recipe never had them. To make chekkalu I have used store bought flour. Traditionally these were made by washing the rice, drying and then milling rice in a flour mill. The recipe method shared in this post will give you thin, crunchy and tasty chekkalu....
About Cold Coffee Cold Coffee is a popular chilled beverage made with coffee, sugar and milk/water. It is made in so many different ways across the world with varying ingredients like whipping cream, ice cream, coffee syrup etc. Since this recipe uses milk, I have used a blender to create a thick and frothy cold coffee. However you can also use a mason jar or a milk frother or a shaker bottle to froth it....
A tsp of this powder eaten with rice in the beginning of a meal is said to increase the appetite, digestion and absorption of nutrients in the food. I will try to make a detailed post on the health benefits of curry leaves sometime soon. There may be different ways of making spiced curry leaves powder or curry leaves rice. I am sharing the method I make at home. I usually make this spicy curry leaves podi and stock up in a glass bottle....
If you are new to making homemade fresh grape juice then this post may be helpful. There are numerous benefits of consuming grape juice, especially when made fresh and consumed immediately. Grapes are a rich source of antioxidants, many vitamins and minerals. Though grapes provides us with abundant nutrients and benefits, it is good to consume a variety of fruits or juices and not limit to grapes alone. There are 2 ways of making grapes juice – One is to boil the grapes and then make a juice that can be preserved for long time....
About Mango Kulfi Mango kulfi is a frozen summer dessert made with milk, sugar & sweet ripe mangoes. It is popular in the Indian Sub-continent & is also served in Indian restaurants all-round the year. There are many different ways to make mango kulfi. The basic mango kulfi is made much the same way like the traditional kulfi to which the mango puree is added at the last stage and simmered....
I love simple recipes and easy cooking that calls fewer ingredients and fewer steps to follow. This restaurant style paneer butter masala recipe is always a winner for its simplicity & amazing taste. So what is it? About Paneer Butter Masala Paneer butter masala, also known as butter paneer is a rich & creamy curry made with paneer, spices, onions, tomatoes, cashews and butter. As the name denotes, the curry is cooked in butter which imparts it’s characteristic buttery flavor to the dish....
Paneer is a hit or a miss with a lot of people and many don’t like paneer either because it is bland or they don’t like how it tastes. So how about making a spicy and flavorsome paneer for them? About Paneer Fried Rice The first paneer fried rice recipe I have shown in this post is a fusion dish made in the Chinese style but with typical Indian spices....
What is Pomegranate Molasses Pomegranate molasses is a traditional thick syrup made by boiling and reducing pomegranate juice with sugar and lemon juice. It is an ingredient used in the Middle Eastern cuisine. Pomegranate molasses is rather intense in flavor so has a number of applications, both sweet and savory. Much like you might reach for vinegar, such as balsamic, in a vinaigrette dressing or marinade, pomegranate molasses adds acidity with a bit of sweetness....
Apart from that you can also use it as a spread in your wraps, sandwiches, kathi rolls and frankies. Make this pudina chutney the way you want in one of the 3 ways I show in this post. About Mint Chutney Mint Chutney also known as Pudina Chutney is a spicy, flavorsome and healthy Indian side dip made with fresh mint leaves and spices like chilies, garlic & cumin. Mint leaves are known as “pudina” in Hindi and many other Indian regional languages....
Ragi Dosa Ragi is a staple in our parts of India and I have grown up eating ragi in many different forms. My mom would make ragi mudde, ragi malt, ladoos, dosas, idli, rotti, chapatti, halwa and many more using ragi. For every dish she had numerous ways and recipes to make. Finger millet is considered a super grain due to its high nutritional profile, especially iron and calcium. It is believed that regular consumption of this whole grain is going to keep us healthy and strong....
About Ragi Mudde Ragi mudde are gluten-free traditional balls made with finger millet flour. Finger millet is known as ragi in South India, and mudde is a Kannada word for soft ball. Ragi mudde are nutritious, healthy and a wholesome every day food of a large rural population in Karnataka. Ragi was well known as the poor man’s grain from decades as they are easy to grow with minimal water resources and zero pesticides....
What is Ragi? Due to the ease of harvesting them with minimum water and no risk of pests, very soon it became one of the popular grain among the poor farmers having dry lands in Karnataka. According to various sources Ragi is one of the staple grains in Karnataka and 53% of the total production in India comes from this state. Ragi is the kannada name to red millet often referred as finger millet in English....
Rasgulla is a juicy milk based dessert loved by people all over India. These tiny juicy balls are addictive, delicious & are made during festive times. This rasgulla recipe will give you soft, spongy & juicy rasgulla that are quick to make. It can be tried even by beginners. This is a very old post that I shared on the blog in 2014. I have been making them time and again as it is a favorite with my kids....
What is Sabudana? Sabudana also known as sago, are starch balls that are obtained by processing the tuberous roots of cassava plants. Also known as Tapioca pearls, these are very commonly used in India and across several Asian countries. “Sabudana” is a Hindi word for tapioca pearls. These are also known as Javvarisi in Tamil, Sagibiyyam in Telugu and sabakki in Kannada. In India, mostly these are used to prepare festive and fasting foods like Sabudana khichdi, vada and Sabudana kheer....
fish tikka recipe, shared here can be used to make a tandoori tikka or a barbecue tikka and is fairly easy to make even if you have a crowd. You don’t need any fancy ingredients, just the basic ingredients that exist in most Asian kitchens will do. This is an updated recipe, the new ingredient I would suggest is chickpea flour/ gram flour/ besan. It gives an unique aroma to the fish tikka....
Amla has a high cooling effect, using it with honey is said to balance it. We all know that honey is a natural sweetener with body warming properties and is said to dispel phlegm and toxins from our body. Many kinds of honey are available in the market today, of which Manuka honey is well thought out to be the best one in terms of health benefits. The quality of this honey is decided based on the UM Factor (unique manuka factor)....
If you do not have a oven, you can refer to my pressure cooker cake post and bake it. This recipe makes a large 8 by 8” cake that serves 16. If you are a newbie, simply halve the recipe and bake in a 6 inch pan. Since smaller cakes won’t last even for 2 days in my home I always bake in an 8 inch pan. About Banana Cake The best thing about this banana cake recipe is you can make it with whole wheat flour or white wheat flour....
