A south Indian style potatoes curry. A dry curry, kind of a side one, served generously on a dosa or paired alongside puri or paratha. When we talk about south Indian cuisine, picture the use of lentils, tamarind, curry leaves, mustard seeds and coconut. Right from south Indian chutneys to daily curries to routine staple food such as sambhar, idli, dosa, vada, appam-they use above mentioned ingredients a lot.

Even though the use of potatoes aka aloo, is in abundance in other parts of India, potatoes are rarely used in Southern indian cooking even today, barring one or two dishes like Potato Fry and Masala Dosa Or Alu Massala.

To tell you about southern India, South India consists of the five southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar. So even though they eat similar kinds of food, the taste and the way of preparing the meal is widely different. That’s why same dosa in Chennai will be different to the one is Mysore or same idli in Kerala can be different to the one served in Hydrabad. The same goes for today's post too. Potato Massala can be kerala style, or Tamil Nadu style but since I am not from south India, I will keep it as a whole- South Indian Style Potato Masala.

Potato Massala or Aloo Massala or Aloo Bhaji is made with semi mashed potatoes. So if you ask, how to boil potatoes? You can pressure cook potatoes in the pressure cooker for 1-2 whistles. I generally use the microwave method. To do so, make a slit on the potatoes with a knife. Keep it in a glass bowl full of water and microwave for 12 minutes. You might need to reduce or increase the time depending on the size of the potatoes.

 So, once boiled potatoes are ready then you just need to sauté it with thinly sliced onions and green chilies. I would say that if you don’t have curry leaves, do not make this, because honestly curry leaves brings out such a good aroma to otherwise plain aalo masala.  It is a such a simple dish that gets ready quickly, and you can serve as a stuffing for dosa or pair along with fried poori such ajwain puri or palak poori.  You can also use this as stuffing for sandwiches, kathi rolls, wraps and frankies.

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes boiled (around 1.5 cups)

1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced

1 green chilli, finely chopped

2 dry red chillies

2 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon urad daal

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds/rai

10 curry leaves

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

salt to taste

Little water to sprinkle

Method:

Mash the potatoes. I used hands to do so. Do not over-mash the potatoes, it should have lumps.

Heat oil in pan. When oil gets hot, add in mustard seeds. When mustard seeds starts to crackle, reduce the heat to medium.

Then add urad daal and fry till golden.

Add in dry red chilies, green chilies and onion. Fry onion till its transparent.

Then add in potatoes, turmeric and salt. Mix well.

Sprinkle some water to make like massala consistency. Cover and cook again for 1 minute.

Serve.

Very proudly I can say that Marwadi recipes are the most popular ones in the blog. Why not, after all I am marwari and that too from Rajasthan and thus, I am good with authentic marwari cuisine. Today we are talking about very classic, simple and yet royal looking Gatte Ki Subji.

Gatte Ki Subji is another invention that happened because of necessity. The shortage of rains and water always made Rajasthanis think out of the box and thus they commenced using gram flour (besan) to make gatte and then use it the curry. Besan is also called as chickpea flour and is so widely used in Rajasthan that you can't even imagine.

If you go to a Marwadi house on a regular day then this sabzi is made in a very casual way without any garlic, onion or tomatoes. So yes, authentically this is a no veggie curry but if it is paired with Daal Baati or is made on a special day then, you will see slight rich variation where it is uplifted by garlic, onion and even tomatoes.

Originally from Rajasthan, this curry has also changed its taste as it traveled from one part of India to other. Now we see its dry variation (without gravy) , a sindhi variation wherein its very spicy and also a Gujarati  version which is sweet and sour. I will share the recipe that is made with garlic, onion, tomatoes and yogurt (dahi/curd). Also, I was once asked to share the recipes that is without curd. To be honest, yes you can make this curry without curd but what it will lack is that yellowish orange colour. To do so, just make a semi thick tomato gravy that you would do for any curry and then just dunk in the gatte.

How to make soft gatte for gatte ki sabji?

-Always add in a litter yogurt while kneading the dough for gatte.

-You will also need to add oil in the dough.

-Do not rest the dough. Keep the water for boil and then start making the dough so that you don't have to wait.

-The dough should be just right-not too soft and not too hard either.

-Spice up the dough too. The dough needs salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and fennel seeds (saunf). My mother will always say that fennel seeds is so important in gatte ki subzi.

-Lastly, boil the gatte till you see bubbles on its skin and it becomes light and start to float on the water.

Ingredients:

For gatte

1/2  cup chickpea flour/besan

4 tablespoons yogurt/dahi

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf crushed

red chili powder as per taste

salt to taste

1-2 teaspoon oil

For Curry:

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 bay leaf/tej patta

2-3 dry red chilli

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, grated

1 meduim tomato, finely chopped

3/4 cup whisked yogurt/dahi

1 tablespoon coriander powder/dhaniya powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Red chilli powder as per taste

1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed

1/4 teaspoon garam massala

water as needed

salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

Method:

For Gatte

Start by putting water for boil in a pan.

Mix all the ingredients listed in the gatte list and make a soft dough. Add water as needed. The dough will start becoming sticky and thus it’s a good idea to oil your hands.

Divide the dough into 4 parts and shape it into logs.

Put these logs into boiling water and boil. It will take around 15-20 minutes. The gatte will become light and start to float on the water. You will also see bubbles on its skin. Boil till a knife inserted comes clean.

Take the gatte out of the water and cut into pieces.

Heat around 1 teaspoon of oil and fry the gatte.

For Gravy

Heat oil in pan. When oil gets hot add in cumin seeds, bay leaf and dry red chilli.

Add in garlic and onion and sauté till it gets cooked.

Add in chopped tomato and cover and cook till tomato becomes mushy and soft.

Mix salt, turmeric, red chili powder, sugar and coriander powder in the yogurt and mix well.

Add the yogurt mixture in the tomato paste and keep mixing till it comes to a boil.

Add water and let it boil for some time, around 5 minutes. I used around 1 and 1/2 cups water.

Add in the gatte and garam massala and boil again for 10 minutes. You might need to add in more water because gatte will thicken the gravy. So I added 1/2 cup of water again.

Garnish with kasturi methi and serve.

More Marwari Recipes you might be interested in:

Papad Ki Subji

Lehsun Ki Chutney 

Mangodi Matar

Sev Tamatar

To be honest this is not the first time that I made bread at home. It’s just that in this lockdown phase I definitely went back to baking bread, probably because the whole internet world was going crazy about sourdough breads. Previously I have made garlic and mixed herbs focaccia, whole wheat olive focacciaand even red wine walnut bread at home.

The whole process of working with the yeast, punching and knocking the dough, seeing the bread rise is such a therapeutic and satisfying process that you should try it once, for sure. This whole wheat bread or loaf happened because i had yeast in the pantry and all purpose flour (maida) was nowhere to be found in the supermarkets.

I did some Google research to find a good recipe for Whole Wheat (Atta) Bread but wasn’t convinced with the recipes-some recipes called for milk powder (i had none); some recipes wanted me to use a particular kind of yeast (I had instant yeast only); some recipes were with eggs (I wanted to make eggless one) - so eventually i crafted my own recipe with little bit of this and little bit of that-Jugaad is the word I must say.

This recipe is for absolute beginners, you just can’t go wrong with it. All you need is basic roti/chaptai chakki atta (Ashirwad, Pillsbury, elephant, eastend-any brand will do), yeast, salt, butter or ghee, milk and water. This bread turned out to be crispy on the top and soft and crumbly on the inside.

Another thing about homemade bread is that, you know what’s inside. You know each and every ingredient and its quantity. You know that it’s not having preservatives, or is not loaded with sugar-and that is such a satisfying factor, I tell you! If you follow me on instagram you would know that every Friday these days, I am making bread and then using to make bruschetta, garlic bread, sandwiches and toasties. Some days I have paired it up with hummus, olives or just some cherry tomatoes.

Some of you might say that I don’t have a loaf pan to bake this bread-well worry not you can make it into round bread or even make buns –just make this bread. It’s easy, healthy, simple and so uplifting

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour/ chapatti flour

1 and ¼ cups water

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoon butter/ghee/oil + a little more for greasing the pan

3 tablespoons yogurt/dahi

Method:

In a mixing bowl add wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, yeast, salt and sugar. Mix well.

Add in yogurt and water and start kneading the dough. Punch and knock. You will feel that water is too much and dough is sticky, don’t worry-just keep kneading for 5 minutes and the dough will start coming together. Kneading helps to form gluten and that makes the bread soft.

Mix 2 tablespoons of butter and knead again for 2 minutes. Cover and let it rise and rest for 1 hour.

After 1 hour the dough must have risen double in size. Grease the pan with some oil and form the dough in the log shape and put in the greased pan. Cover and let it rise for 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 220 C for 8 minutes.

Bake the bread at 220 C for 25 minutes. The top part of the bread must turn crusty and golden brown. Check by inserting the knife in between, it should come out clean.

When the bread is still warm, spread the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, this will give that shine of the bread.

Let the warm bread cool down before you take it out the mould. Cut the bread and use.

Tips:

The time taken to bake varies from oven to oven. So if you see the top of the bread is getting dark but inside the bread is still raw then cover the pan with aluminium foil and then bake.

If you are not sure if the bread is done, then pat the bottom of the pan-it should sound very hollow.

Cool the bread completely before slicing.

Store the bread in container. It will stay good for around 10 days.

Hey everyone, are you following me on Instagram or not? Please do so, I promise it is fun and I am much more interactive over there. Also on Instagram I share the snippets of upcoming posts and some of my previous work. So please follow me.

Okay, without wasting much time, let me come to today’s recipe. Pineapple Cake. I baked it for Mr. Husband’s birthday and oh my my, what deliciousness it was. Pineapple cake is something that most household in India don’t prepare at home, they would buy from bakeries. I would have done the same, if I was in India. I mean why not, no one can beat cakes sold in Indian bakeries. Unlike cakes in the UK, majority of the Indian bakers use fresh cream and not those overly sweet butter cream icing that we get here in London.

This is not an upside pineapple cake. This is not crushed pineapple cake. This is pineapple sponge, layered with fresh cream (whipped cream) icing and chopped pineapple. This is easy to make at home, all you need is patience and love (cliche but true ;-)

Pineapple Cake has to be soft, airy and fresh-otherwise it is not pineapple cake-simple. So, if you ask, can you make this eggfree (eggless) I would say yes you can (ofcourse) but I doubt you will get that soft supple sponge. The next thing I recommend using is canned pineapple; fresh pineapple can be sour which will ruin the whole balance of your cake. Also the leftover juice from the canned pineapple is a great element that is used to soak the sponge layers. I have shared the making of this cake HERE.

Ingredients:

For Sponge

2 and ¼ cup plain flour /maida

1 and ¼ cup sugar (I used normal white sugar)

1 cup butter + 1 tablespoon for greasing the pan

3 eggs

2 and ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

¼ cup yogurt/dahi

For Icing

300 ml double cream/whipping cream

½ cup sugar

1 cup canned pineapple pieces

Around ¼ syrup drained from canned pineapple

Method:

For Cake

Preheat the oven to 170 C for 10 minutes. Grease the pan with butter really well.

In a mixing bowl, add butter and sugar. Mix till it becomes light and sugar has dissolved properly.

Now add eggs and beat again for 3 minutes.

Then add yogurt and vanilla essence. Beat again for 3 minutes. The whole mixture should turn smooth and creamy.

Sift plain flour, baking soda and baking powder into the above mixture. Mix well. Slowly start adding milk and form a smooth batter.

I used 8 inch round pan. Pour the batter in the greased pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Carefully transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

For Icing

Start by whipping sugar and cream. Beat till cream holds the shape of the peak.

For Assembling

Once the cake has cool down completely, divide the cake into 3 layers. I use thread to do so, and it gives me great result. You can check ithere.

Start assembling the cake now. So on whichever plate you want to serve, put in the first layer. Sprinkle around 2 tablespoons canned sugar syrup on it. Spread 5 tablespoons on the first layer and spread on it. Add pineapple pieces on it. Repeat the same step for second layer too.

On the final layer, sprinkle the syrup and then cover the whole cake with the whipped cream. I used the pineapple chunks on the top layer and also did some whipped cream swirls on the side.

I had some leftover glitter spray, that I used in the end for some dramatic touch.

Tips:

Make sure all the ingredients listed under the sponge list is on the room temperature.

Put the bowl, whisk attachment and cream in the fridge before you start whipping the cream.

If you can, then please use castor sugar for the sponge and icing sugar for whipped cream icing. I just used plain white one.

Today, we will discuss everything about Pav.

What is pav? Why is it called pav?

Pav is bread, just like dinner rolls or mini loaf. It was Portuguese who brought Pav to India and you used to get it in a set of four and then you break off each as you eat. The Pav means one-fourth in many Indian language. There is one crazier story that says that the bread is called pav because the dough was kneaded using feet to speed up the work. (I hope to believe the first one). Later on, when it started getting popular especially in Maharashtra, it was called as Ladi Pav.

Can you make pav at home? Does pav contain eggs?

Yes, you can make pav at home. In fact it is so easy and satisfying that you will never buy pav from the market. Majority of the places that sold pav in India contains no eggs. Almost all recipes that you will see on internet for ladi pav weather Sanjeev Kapoor, Nishamadhulika, CookingShooking –no one used eggs-so eggs are not needed to make pav.

How is pav made? Is pav made with feet? Is pav made of maida?

Pav is made with all purpose flour (maida), yeast, milk and few more basic kitchen ingredients. Pav is made in the oven but there are some recipes that use no yeast and are made in cooker or burner too. There was a rumour is earlier days that pav was made with feet to speed up the kneading process, but I don’t believe that it’s true now, thanks to all the machines. Also, with people getting health conscious, you can make pav without maida using whole wheat flour or chakki aata too but you wont get that amazing result.

Why the pav you made became hard? How to make soft pav?

When the pav comes of out the oven, it will be hard so you need to rub some butter on it, the butter gets absorbed and you are then left with soft bread. Honestly, making pav at home is simple, but you need to knead the dough well-no compromise in that. So, if you have hand beater with knead attachment or kitchen aid or stand beater then you are good to go; otherwise you need to have good hand muscles and strength to do so!!

What do with Pav? What to eat with it?

Just like, roti or chapatti or naan you can pair pav with almost anything. From making into burger to serving as it is for breakfast or evening snack. Or serve alongside any curry-pav is enough!!

Some popular pav related things are- Pav Bhaji, Sev Utsal, Missal Pav, Moong Utsal, Maska Pav or Maska Bun, Samosa Pav, Vada Pav,Anda Pav or Bhurji Pav, Dabeli, Bombay Massala Pav.

Let’s see how to make Pav.

Ingredients:

7 grams yeast (which equals to 1 sachet) I used instant yeast

2 teaspoon sugar

3 cups all purpose flour/plain flour/maida

½ teaspoon salt

1 and ¼ cup milk (warm)

4 tablespoons butter.

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, activate the yeast with 2 tsp sugar and 1 cup milk. Mix and leave it for 3 minutes.

Add 3 cups of flour and salt in it and start forming the dough. You will see that the dough is tight, so add in ¼ cup milk and form the dough. The dough should be sticky.

Start kneading the dough. Punch and knock. Do this for 5-8 minutes. The more you knead the dough, the stickiness will loosen and gluten will form.

Add 2 tablespoon butter and cover the dough with a cloth or a plate and set it aside for 2 hours in a warm place. (I always leave it inside the oven).

Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes. In the meantime, grease the tray with 1 tablespoon butter.

The dough would have risen well. Knock out the air and divide into 12 equal parts. Form clean balls out of each part and start lining them on the greased tray. Cover the dough again and leave it to rise for 20 minutes. The dough should reach to the brim of the tray.

Then, bake the pav, at 180 C for 20 minutes, or until the pav turns golden brown from top.

Once the pav is out of the oven, rub the remaining butter to get a shiny look.

Let it cool down completely on a cooling rack and then serve.

Tips:

You can brush some milk on the pav right before putting it in the oven.

Some recipes I saw on internet asked for milk powder, but honestly you don’t need-the result I got was perfect without it too.

Oven timings can depend on oven to oven, so wait till the top is golden and crusty.

Naan Bread and I are sure there are tons of recipes of it all over the internet and it must very confusing to decide which one to use. Well, to be honest it all depends on what your needs are. To elaborate the statement; do you want Naan to be without yeast or maida (all purpose flour). OR you want the naan to be cooked in oven or stovetop (gas/hob). OR you don’t have much time and you want an instant naan recipe. OR you want a healthy version let’s say whole wheat (chakki atta) naan.

So as mentioned, there are so many variations of naan recipes from the ingredients used to the method of cooking. I have made all kinds of naan at home but never shared the recipe, because there are so many kinds of recipes already on the internet. For me it all started when I shared this post of Dal Makhani and Garlic Naan on Instagram and people started asking for the recipe.

This naan is made from scratch and is yeast free (so no yeast) but I used yogurt (dahi/curd) instead and is made using half and half of all purpose flour (maida/plain flour) and whole wheat flour (our chapatti ata like Pillsbury or ashirwad). I wanted to keep the dinner as fuss free as possible so I made it on the pan/tawa and then roasted it on stovetop to give that tandoor or restaurant kind smokey taste and flavour.

Just by using this simple and basic naan dough recipe you can make so many variations of naan. Use chopped garlic to make garlic naan. Or green chillies to make chilli naan. Or both chilli and garlic to make Garlic Chilli Naan. You just need to brush some butter on the hot naan and there you have Butter Naan. Sometimes I also like to use mint and coriander leaves to get that restaurant style feel. Since naan is so widely popular all over the world now, I have seen Italian twist also given to naan by adding pesto, fresh or dried Italian herbs such as oregano, basil and chilli flakes.

What to eat with naan? I would say any paneer dishes goes really well with naan. But you can also pair it up with hummus and yogurt dips. Or like me, I love naan with Dal Makhni (I honestly don’t feel there is any better combo then this one.)

You can see the making of the naan in this video below.

Ingredients:

1 cup All Purpose Flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

¼ cup Yogurt

A little less then ¼ cup water

1 tablespoon Oil

2 tablespoons Garlic chopped

1 tablespoon green chilli chopped

1 teaspoon mix of sesame seeds and onion seeds (kalonji and til)

Method:

In a mixing bowl mix; yogurt, salt, sugar, soda, whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Mix all the dry ingredients well.

Add yogurt and start forming the dough. Start adding water little by little (you might not need to add all the water). The dough should be stretchy and soft. Cover and keep it aside for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a flat non-stick pan or skillet or tawa.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll it to ball shape of ball.

Start rolling the naan. Shape doesn’t matter; I rolled into oval cylindrical shape. Sprinkle onion seeds, sesame seeds, chopped garlic and green chilli on one side of the naan.

Place the naan with garlic side first on the tava. When you see the bubbles turn it over and cook the other side. Naan needs to be cooked on high heat. When the other side is also cooked properly; start roasting the naan on an open heat/flame on the stovetop. If you have gas burner then reduce the heat and cook the naan with the help of tong till you see brown spots. If you have induction or electric hob, then use a iron grill to roast the naan. (You must see the video above to understand what I mean).

Tips:

Rest the dough in the warm place. Do not put it in the fridge. The more you rest the better the naan will be.

For that authentic taste skip whole wheat flour and use only all purpose flour. 

I just happened to make this, because I wanted to use an open tub of fresh cream. Yes Paneer Butter Massala cannot be made without cream. If you want authentic real restaurant style gravy I will say please don’t skip cream.

How Paneer Butter Masala does taste like?

Very lightly spiced, tomato based gravy; thickened with cashews, cream and butter (ofcourse!). It is an indulgent dish, something in which you shouldn’t count calories or fat. For same reason it is also called as Paneer Makhani or Makhani Vale Paneer.

How to make restaurant style Paneer Butter Massala at home?

Yes, it is very easy to make restaurant style Paneer Butter Massala at home if you keep in mind the following tips.

-Do not overboard the gravy with spices and masalas. It has to be subtle. So if you use kitchen king masala power or any other spice powders, then stop it.

-Use nuts to thicken the gravy. Cashews are the best choice. You can use almonds too, but in that case soak the almonds and remove the skin. Again, do not go crazy with nuts too; you do not want super thick gravy.

-Put the paneer in the hot water and let it sit there for 20 minutes. This will soften the paneer and you will have that melt in mouth paneer cubes.

-Use butter and cream (full fat). There is no alternative for these too if you want good true paneer butter massala.

-To get that beautiful colour, use Kashmiri red chilli powder.

-Lastly use garlic, onion and tomatoes also in limited quantity. You do not want any of this to overpower the whole gravy.

How to make Dhabha style Paneer Butter Massala at home?

Okay, so those of you don’t know, dabha is a roadside restaurant in India. You will see so many dabhas on the highways, serving local cuisine. They are most commonly found next to petrol stations, and most are open 24 hours a day.

To make dabha style paneer butter masala you need to apply dhungar method or coal method. Here basically you heat up a piece of a coal till its red hot. Then place this charcoal in a steel bowl and place the bowl on the top of the paneer gravy. Add around ½ teaspoon of ghee on the coal and you will see smoke or fumes coming out it, immediately cover the pan with the lid and let it sit there for 2 minutes. Then remove the bowl and discard the coal. This method will give you that smokey paneer effect you get in the dhabha.

Is Paneer Butter Masala Healthy?

No absolutely not. Unlike other paneer dishes such as palak paneer or mutter paneer this paneer dish is loaded with calories and fat. It is not everyday kind of a paneer subji either –it is a royal treat that you can have once in a while.

What are variations to Paneer Butter Masala?

Over the years, trying paneer butter Massala at various places in india, UK and many European countries I have learnt some variations and I would like to share that with you all.

You can add makhane (fox nuts) in the gravy and it tastes good with paneer.

I have seen restaurants even adding peas (matar) with paneer gravy and it was a good twist too.

But my most favourite combination has been chunks of bell peppers in the paneer makhani gravy and in my recipe I have added it. (Feel free not to, but I promise there is something so magical about this variation).

Let us move to recipe now.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon oil

1 bay leaf/tej patta

2 green cardamom/elyachi

½ inch cinnamon stick/dalchini

5-6 cloves garlic/lehsun, roughly chopped

1 inch piece of ginger/adrak, roughly chopped

1 large onion/payaz, roughly chopped

3 large tomatoes/tamatar, roughly chopped

7-8 cashews/kaju

4 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder

½ teaspoon garam Massala

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

¼ cup cream

Water as needed

250 grams paneer chopped

1 capsicum chopped into cubes

2 teaspoons kasturi methi

1 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped.

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, green cardamom and cinnamon. Let it sit in oil for 20 seconds. Reduce the heat to slow.

Add in chopped garlic, ginger and onion. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and cover it with the lid. Cook till onions turn soft and there is no raw smell.

Add tomatoes, cashews and around ¼ cup of water. Cover and cook again till tomatoes release the oil and it becomes soft and mushy.

Let the tomato mixture cool down and then grind it into smooth paste.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Throw the tomato mix in the butter. Add in it kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, garam masala and salt to taste. Mix it all well. Add ¼ cup water. Cover and cook again for 5 minutes till you gravy bubbling up and leaving oil on the sides.

After 5 minutes, slowly add in the cream and sugar. Mix and let it cook covered for 7-8 minutes. You must see shiny creamy gravy. Have a quick salt test to see if you need anything.

In the meantime on a separate pan, heat ½ teaspoon butter and sauté paneer cubes till you see some light golden colour on its skin (do not over roast the paneer). In the same pan also roast bell pepper (capsicum) till you see some cooked or burnt spots on its skin. Set both aside.

Throw in paneer and capsicum in the gravy. Add ¼ cup water. Let it simmer covered on slow heat for 5 minutes.

Finally add in kasturi methi and coriander leaves.

Serve with dollop of remaining butter on the top. And swirl of some fresh cream.

Who doesn’t like a bit of sweet after dinner? We all need that little dessert after meals isn’t it? Most often we would sneak in the kitchen drawers looking for chocolate bars and cookies jars, m&ms, sweets or candies. Or we would open the fridge to look for ice-cream, a jar of nuttela or lollies. That’s why it’s so important to have ‘something sweet but something healthy’ to eat.

Indian desserts are loaded with milk, fats, ghee, sugar and a lot of frying goes in the process; so I decided to make cookies for that ‘something sweet but something healthy’ to eat. Whole Wheat Oats Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

What makes these cookies healthy?

• The choice of flour. These cookies are made with whole wheat flour (chakki atta or chapatti ata) and thus it’s much healthier compared to the ones made with all purpose flour (maida).
• I used oats as another main ingredient. Oatmeal cookies provide a small amount of protein that is not present in other cookies. Oatmeal cookies have a high fibre content compared to normal sugar cookies.
• Dark chocolate. I used 70% dark cocoa chocolate which is a very healthy alternative compared to milk chocolate or white chocolate chips.
• Less sugar. Because you added chocolate you wouldn’t have to add extra sugar to make your cookies sweet. The chunks of dark chocolate will make the cookies sweet and will also make it gooey.
• You can also add a whole lot of nuts like cashews, almonds, walnut or raisins to increase the health quotient of these cookies.

What is the healthiest cookie ever? How to make healthy cookies? Recipe for healthiest cookies?

• There is nothing called as healthiest cookie, but yes with some changes and healthy alternatives you can make cookies healthy. Use healthy flour such as whole wheat, rye, ragi or sorghum (jowar) flour. You can check Jowar Chocolate Cookies here.

• You must try and use healthy side ingredients too such as flaxseeds, sesame seeds, nuts or oats. All these ingredients help to bind the dough and give you those crunchy cookies without compromising health factor.

• Cut down on sugar; instead use honey, brown sugar, coconut sugar, applesauce or chocolate. I love to use 70-80% dark chocolate in the cookies-chocolate makes everything sweet and thus I have to add very little sugar in the whole process.

• Reduce the fat. Try to add less butter, oil or ghee in the recipe. I would say chocolate plays a good role here too; it adds both sweetness and buttery touch to cookies. I try to add in very less fat and add healthier alternative such as milk or yogurt to recipes; it not only binds the dough, the natural fat in milk and curd makes the cookies soft.

Ingredients:

¾ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup rolled oats

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup butter

½ cup dark chocolate chopped into chunks

4 tablespoons sugar (I used brown)

4-5 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoons yogurt

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, oats, baking soda, sugar, butter, chocolate chunks well. Try to form dough.

You will notice that dough is too hard so add yogurt and mix again.

Slowly add milk one tablespoon at a time and then keep forming dough. You should be left with hard and yet workable dough. This means that everything should be combined well and no crumbs must fall.

Keep the dough in the fridge for 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 170 C for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, line a baking tray with parchment paper/butter paper. Take a tablespoon from the dough and start making cookies. I made disc shaped cookies.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

Let it cool and serve.

Notes:

Milk, yogurt and chocolate chunk must be used right from the fridge. Rest all the ingredients must be at room temperature.

You can also use chocolate chips (milk chocolate on white chocolate) in this recipe instead of chunks.

Feel free to add chopped walnuts or almonds too.

This pandemic has made us all realise that all these things around which are lives revolved such as shopping, eating out, meeting friends, going for a movie is all temporary, its only our home and our family that is our safe place. With all the extra time at home people have been baking, reading, excising and catching up all the missed shows and movies on Netflix or Prime. And with all this one habit that has become our partner is ‘snacking’.

What is snacking? Snacking is eating a small portion of food or drink or a light meal, especially one eaten between regular meals. I am a big time snacker. A bowl of popcorn while watching a movie; or some chips when we have karaoke night; or nibbling on some homemade things in the evening-I need snacks. All these snacks we eat are not healthy but since it’s easily available we tend to choose them.

Lately, I tried these seeds and nuts pack from Boundless and it has become our most favourite one. Boundless Nuts & Seeds are activated which means that nuts and seeds are soaked which activates germination. A good soak also removes the bitter phytic acid and protecting enzymes which enables better digestion. Then these nuts and seeds are baked with flavours and a lighter crunch.

Boundless Seeds & Nuts are: - ✓ ACTIVATED    ✓ VEGAN APPROVED   ✓ GLUTEN FREE   ✓ GUT-HEALTH ✓ PORTION PACK   ✓ NON-GMO   ✓ NATURAL INGREDIENTS   ✓ HIGH IN PROTEIN   ✓ GAME-CHANGING FLAVOUR.

Ever since I tried this, I don’t think I am ever choosing unhealthy snacking options anymore. I am just hooked. They have four wonderful and interesting flavours to choose from- Orange, Ginger & Maple, Turmeric & Smoked Paprika, Tamari & Aleppo and Cayenne & Rosemary. Each one of them has different types of seeds and nuts combination and it comes in a sachet of 30 grams which makes it very handy and ideal for snacking.

Orange, Ginger & Maple: - Pecan Nuts, Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Maple Syrup, Ginger, Salt, Orange Peel Powder.

Turmeric & Smoked Paprika: - Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Maple Syrup, Turmeric, Salt, Smoked Paprika, Aleppo Flakes.

Tamari & Aleppo:- Almonds, Cashew Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Tamari, Cider Vinegar, Aleppo Flakes, Sesame Oil.

Cayenne & Rosemary: - Almonds, Cashew Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Maple Syrup, Salt, Rosemary, Cayenne Pepper.

I feel that each of it has such distinct taste and flavour that I did not wanted to create a recipe out of it. I wanted to enjoy the natural raw taste that Boundless has given them. I felt that I must pair it with something or top it off on something. May be a handful of it on this chickpeas hummus to add that extra crunch or throwing it on the plain old morning porridge. I will surely add it on my burnt garlic pasta or even on this peas and mint rice.

As the sun was gleaming in through my window, I had a sudden urge to whip up a quick drink. Soda, rose syrup, a splash of tequila and ice cubes-all mixed and crafted to make this sunny summery drink. Braced it up with Boundless Nuts & Seeds while we played Uno- an evening well spent.Rose Fizz, lets call it. orThe Rose Cocktail.

If you’re after a cocktail, with a gentle pink blush and subtle taste of rose then you can’t do better than this cocktail. Gets ready in jiffy, this a perfect evening refreshing drink to beat your Monday blues of kick start your Friday evening. You can easily skip the alcohol and turn it into a mocktail instead.

Rose syrup or Rooh Afza is widely used in India and that’s exactly what I have used in this recipe. I can vouch that it is a very light, tender and no fuss cocktail. You can use vodka, rum, brandy or even whiskey for this recipe-whatever fancies your taste buds. If you don’t want to use alcohol then simply add in some lemon juice and you are good to go.

Ingredients:

8-10 ice cubes

5 tablespoons rose syrup or roohafza (see notes)

Tequila as per your liking, I used around 1 and ½ ounce

Soda to fill the whole glass

Method:

Throw in ice cubes in the glass.

Pour in rose syrup.

Add in tequila and mix it gently.

Finally fill the glass with the soda and serve chilled.

Notes:

The recipe can be changed as per your preference. You can add in lemon juice, mint leaves and also use any other liqueur such as vodka, rum or brandy.

Rose syrup is easily available in Indian grocery stores. I used this one from HMD.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Boundless  for sending seeds and nuts packs for review.

It was 5 years ago when I went to Istanbul Turkey when I first tasted a yogurt enriched with kefir and it was a love at first sight for me. Beautifully fermented and so authentic that my body immediately realised that I ate something good. What is Kefir, if you ask? Kefir or kephir (ke-FEER), is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. If you want to know more about the health benefits of kefir I highly recommend you readthis.

Now, I am someone who takes probiotics supplements everyday because my gut health is not that good. So when I was recently asked if I would like to try products from the company called Biotiful Dairy, I instantly said yes and was so excited to give it all a try because their products are loaded and enhanced with kefir. Their portfolio of products is so interesting and attractive, from Original Kefir Drink to Kefir Cheeses. From Kefir+Protien deepened Drinks and Yogurt to Kefir Ice-cream and Kids Friendly Kefir range-they have it all covered.

Biotiful Cultured Dairy Milkis a great alternative to those sugar loaded drinks. On a dull afternoon while we played chess we gulped on Mango and Strawberry flavoured yogurt drink and were absolutely hooked. Nutritious Dairy drinks that are light and fruity- smooth, luscious bursting with fresh flavours.

I also tried my hands on Kefir Cheesesand I can bet they are amazing alternative to cottage cheese, feta cheese or those cheese spread you get in the market. There are so many ways you can use these cheeses in day to day recipes such as in sandwiches, omelettes, on your salad, over crackers with some tomatoes or just have them as a dip with crunchy cucumber and carrot sticks. I used two big spoons Herbs & Garlic Cheese into my tomato pasta and it made it so creamy and just so yum. The cheeses can beautifully flavoured and so light on tummy-you have to try them.

Biotiful also sent me Kefir + Proteinsnack tub which combines the gut-friendly benefit of Kefir with the high-protein creaminess of Quark. It has a pure, natural taste and a delightfully thick and creamy texture. This is a perfect after meal dessert idea or just to beat your hunger pangs during the middle of the day. You can add in some chopped fruits or berries or even top up it with handful nuts to make it even better and scrumptious. One day, when the temperature went up, I skipped my lunch and had mango and blackcurrant flavoured from this series and I was completely filled up and sufficed.

To tell you more about Biotiful Dairy; they produce cultured Kefir Dairy drinks and snacks using British milk and the ancient method of fermentation. The result? Cultured milk drinks and snacks that are naturally lower in sugar, full of gut-friendly cultures and high in protein. Almost all of their products are:-

• Billions of gut-friendly bacteria
• High in protein & calcium
• Source of Vitamins B12 & B2
• No sugar added
• Red Tractor approved farms
• Free of artificial colours, flavours and preservatives
• Gluten free
• Suitable for vegetarians
• Kefir made in the UK

When I was left with Strawberry flavoured Kefir + Protientub, I knew I wanted to create something with it. I understood that this ‘just rightly’ sweet snack will make a perfect dessert. Desserts in a glass are my all time favourite ones. Easy to make, easy to serve and looks beautiful too! So, with that thought I decided to make Yogurt Trifle. No bake, no mess, no cooking-easy peasy summery Yogurt Trifle.

This layered gorgeous looking dessert gets ready in a jiffy and there are tons of variations you can do here. I used Lotus Biscoff biscuits as my first layer but you can use any digestive biscuits, oreos, cream biscuits, cookies or even granola or crushed cornflakes. For the second layer I used Biotiful Dairy’s Kefir + Protien Starwberry tub but you can use any flavoured yogurt, fresh cream or just plain yogurt too. For the final layer I chose to use melted chocolate, but you can opt for caramel sauce, dark chocolate gauche, melted white chocolate or even fresh fruits or nuts. There are so many ways you can mould this recipe as per your choice and preference.

Ingredients:

½ cup of crushed biscuits. I used lotus

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup flavoured yogurt. I used Biotiful Strawberry

4 Tablespoons melted chocolate

Method:

Melt the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds. When done add in crushed biscuits and mix well. You should have crumbly biscuits.

Take a glass in which you want to serve the trifle and start layering.

Add in around ¼ cup of crushed biscuits to the bottom of the glass and press well.

Beat the yogurt well so that it becomes creamy. Top the yogurt on the biscuits layer. Around ½ a cup.

Add on biscuits layer on the yogurt now. Around ¼ cup of it.

And then top it off with the remaining biscuit mix.

Finally add the melted chocolate on the top. Keep it in the fridge and serve cold.

Notes: