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This is very similar to the typical Tomato Rice prepared in SouthIndia but just the spices/drypowders used here are slightly different. In general when I make vegetable pulao, i only…

If there is one thing that scares me when preparing Deepavali bakshanam(sweets) is Burfi aka Barbi 😉 Be it coconut burfi or almond I panic while making sugar syrup and the end result will not be perfect. However during last year Diwali I made this Badam burfi and it turned out amazing. I followed Anuradha Srinivasan’s recipe and finally after a year updating the recipe on my blog now 😉 😉 Better late than never right? I couldn’t take take step by step pictures last time hopefully when I prepare it again shall update the post with pictures. There are…

Beetroot halwa is one of the easiest Indian sweet recipes that can be prepared during this festive season. If you are a newbie in kitchen and scared to try Burfi, Mysorepak etc then make this rich, colorful halwa and trust me you can never go wrong with this recipe. All you need is beets, milk and sugar. It takes anywhere between 45-60 mminutes for preparation. The following measurement makes approximately two whole ramekins of halwa as shown in the picture below. It was sufficient for the two of us. Kindly increase quantity if you are preparing for a larger group…

Next on deepavali recipe collection is this quick Paneer Kalakand that can be prepared easily without any fuzz. Paneer & condensed milk are the two main ingredients required for this dish. Me and my husband love paneer a lot and instead of using it only in gravies and in savory recipes, I tried this Kalakand for a change and it came out really well. If you are using store bought paneer, kindly soak the slab of paneer in water for atleast 30 minutes. Remove water and use a kitchen towel, squeeze extra water from Paneer. This step ensures you have…

Deepavali is in a week’s time and I thought of sharing some festival recipes that can be prepared easily. First on the list is this awesome Gram Flour Laddoo (கடலை மாவு லட்டு). My mother’s recipe and made it for the first during Navarathri , turned out perfectly well. Do read the notes before starting to make the laddu. From the measurements given below you can make 12 medium sized laddoo. Kindly increase quantity according to your requirement 1. Sifting Gram Flour helps to remove lumps and yields smooth Laddoo 2. Don’t add more sugar than mentioned in the recipe. It…

This is an instant biryani version. With less spices & ingredients the biryani can be prepared within 25 minutes. Mushrooms need very less time to get cooked and hence this recipe comes handy on busy weekdays. I used button mushrooms. Also I added only onion,tomato along with mushrooms. Didn’t want to add too much of veggies. I truely wanted mushroom to be the hero of this dish. You can serve this biryani with raita or any other gravy of your choice. I prepared strawberry raita. It tasted delicious. The tangy,sour raita with spicy biryani made an awesome combo. Do try…

Rama Navami is a traditional Hindu Festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Shri Rama. Lord Rama is the sixth reincarnation of Lord Vishnu himself and in Tamil Nadu temples we celebrate “Shri Rama Navami Utsavam” for nine days. It is firmly believed that mere chanting of His name ‘Rama’ burns ignorance, passion and sin. With or without knowledge, correctly or incorrectly, when the word “Rama” is pronounced it showers a rain of good upon the devotees. My mom usually reads Samkshepa Ramayan and she performs a simple pooja by reciting Shri Rama Ashtothram and then finish the pooja with…

Coconut Oil is a must have ingredient in a South Indian kitchen. We use it widely in our day to day cooking. Also it acts a great moisturizer to your skin and has a lot of healing capabilities. Coconut Oil & Shredded Coconut has become a new fad in recent days and it is used from breakfast smoothies to breads and various other recipes. Glad people all over the world are realizing the nutritional values of this oil. When I saw the #SwearbyIt challenge by Vita Coco hosted at Foodies 100 website, the first thing that came to mind was…

Lassi is one of the most popular Punjabi drinks that can be prepared in two ways. Either salt or sweet. Papaya lassi is a sweet version and a great alternative to the usual Mango Lassi. This tropical fruit is loaded with antioxidants, rich in Vitamin C and fiber. It has various health benefits like lowering cholesterol, boosting immunity and is good for maintaining blood sugar levels too.

Happy Holi dear readers.

Dhoodh Peda (Milk Peda) is an Indian fudge sweet that is prepared during festivals and celebrations. During my first family trip to Shirdi, I tasted these dhoodh pedas for the first time and was totally mindblown. So flavorful, melt in mouth texture and I couldn’t stop myself from eating it. My aunt who has lived in Pune, told me that Peda/Pedha was so popular there and her neighbours used to distribute it on all important occasions and during joyous moments in their family. This is the reason why I love our Indian Food so much. Each and every recipe has a story behind it. Each and every region has unique food culture and it is always exciting to know more about them. I so wanted to try the traditional elaborate peda recipe sometime. Let see 🙂

On this occasion of Holi, sharing the instant version using Milk Powder (instead of Khoya) and condensed milk. The addition of dark cocoa powder gives a beautiful brown color, chocolate flavor to the pedas. The following measurement serves 25 small sized peda. Adjust the measurements according to your need. If you try this version do let me know your feedback.