Methi Paneer

 Methi Paneer / Fenugreek leaves Cottage Cheese Gravy

                                                                               

I’m here with another North Indian dish. Yes its Methi paneer.  A must try combo of fenugreek leaves and Indian cottage cheese is indeed a treat to your taste buds 😋.  I like all paneer recipes and if it is cooked with fresh methi leaves its simply out of this world 😃….. Yeah here I have used fresh methi leaves straight from my patio garden 😄.

Jalebi

 Jalebi/ Imarati
                                                                                        

           

It’s my 50^th post 😃!! It’s an occasion to celebrate. Kickstarting the celebration I’m posting jelabi / imarti . A perfect delicacy for any occasion 👌.  It is a popular Indian sweet. Though it is known by different names in different parts. Towards the south we call it as Jelabi or jangari; in North India we call it as Imarti. We make this with urad dal (lentil). This is a juicy-soft sweet that melts in our mouth. It is a deep fried snack. Back in India it is a must in all bakeries. This is my favorite sweet 😍.  Since childhood this is my favorite among all sweets 😊. We hardly get to eat this here. So tried making it.  After couple of failed attempts finally got the shapes correct. Always it tasted good but the shape was a flop. But this time the shapes came out perfect 👌. The recipe is pretty simple 😊. First you have to prepare a batter, fry it and then immerse it in prepared sugar syrup.  Batter should be very thick. Water should be used in minimal quantity while grinding.   Do try it and share your feedback 👍. Okay then let’s get started.

Nannari Sarbath

  Nannari Sarbath

                                                                               

Summer is here 🌞!!! Roll up your picnic blankets; it’s time to party outside. A much awaited time of the year. The days are pretty longer, you get to spend a lot of time outside. It’s also time to make something cool and refreshing 🍹.  Quenching your thirst is the main task you do during summer 🌞. So something fresh and cool energizes you. Here I have something special for you. “Nannari sarbath “. Since childhood these colorful syrup always fascinated me. I’m sure you all love it. It is a perfect summer drink. Me and my sisters were very fond of this 😍. So is my hubby; last Jan when we went to Palakkad we didn’t forget to have this 😉.  Lucky me I got a full bottle of nannari syrup and I carried it to here. I was waiting for the mercury to rise a bit so that I can enjoy this after a tiring day outside in the hot sun. Last week I made this. Unlike other summer drinks, Nannari sarbath has medicinal value also . We use roots of Hemidesmus indicus ( Naruneendi /Nannari) to make this. The roots are washed, crushed and boiled along with water to get the syrup. Then this extract is used as refreshing syrup with sugar and lemon . Apart from that the extracts are also used for medicinal and other purposes like soap making. I got the syrup so I have directly used the syrup here 😃. Beat the heat with this healthy and stimulating drink 👍. Okay then let’s get started.

Popsicle

Popsicle

                                                           

Popsicle is a perfect treat during these summer days 🌞. Popsicle is also called ice pop, freezer pop or ice lolly . It is made by freezing flavored or fresh fruit juice. This brought back my childhood memories ...remember how we used to wait for the 'Icewala" for this Summer delicacy😊😊😊 All brightly colored pops were a treat to our sight 😍.  Grape, orange, pineapple and milk were the common flavors available 😋. Here I have tried making a healthy Popsicle 💪. A healthy orange Popsicle. Juice the oranges 🍊🍊 and then mix it with sugar.  Pour the juice on to the moulds. Freeze it. Healthy popsicles are ready in no time.  Cool down this summer with a simple, healthy and frozen snack. Summer vacations are around the corner; surprise your kids with delectable – fun filled snack 😉. A warm weather favorite of all. Okay then let’s get started.

Spinach Vada

Spinach Vada/ Cheera Vada/ Spinach- Lentil Fritters

                                                                                                                                                                  

Parippu vada (lentil fritters) is everybody’s favorite 😍.  Since childhood I love them a lot …so ll you 😋… it is a tasty snack, which is available in almost every place. Tea and parippu vada is a superb evening snack which can’t be missed 😋. It is made with chana dal/ kadala parippu (a type of lentil). Along with dal you add onion, ginger and chili.  Including spinach to  this combo adds  a healthy twist 💪 and you have spinach vada!!! This healthy snack is worth trying 👍. They are a guilt free snack.  Okay then let’s get started.

White Forest Cake

White Forest Cake                                                    

Baking for someone you love is always special 😊. Last week my little one celebrated her birthday and I baked a special white forest cake for her 😍. She was too excited while cutting the cake 😘, and of course I was thrilled too 😃. Seeing her all excited made me super excited. She told she doesn’t need a cake from outside, "Amma you bake me a cake". I was totally confused what to bake.  As she is fond of white chocolates I baked a white forest for her 😍. The cake turned out exceptionally well. Unlike black forest here we don’t use dark chocolates instead we use white chocolates. Whipped cream, white chocolate and sponge cake are the main ingredients for a white forest cake. Here first I have baked two sponge cakes (vanilla), and then this is layered one above the other. The layers are filled with melted chocolate and whipped cream. Finally it is frosted with whipped cream and decorated with white chocolate shavings and cherry. The cake literally melts in your mouth 😋. I have used sugar syrup to make the cake super soft. Pls don’t skip this step it makes the cake real moist .So get ready to surprise your loved ones with this super soft white forest cake 😍. Okay then let’s get started.

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka              

It’s been a while since we met and it’s been a while since I posted a non vegetarian recipe 😉. So here we go a perfect starter for any party; it’s chicken tikka 😋. Chicken tikka is a north Indian cuisine and is popular all over the world 😊. Small pieces of boneless chicken are marinated and baked using skewers.  Just the marination and baking is the only thing you have to do . For best results overnight marination is preferred.This helps the chicken to absorb the spices and makes the chicken juicy and tender. Cooking the chicken in oven is easier than on stove top 😉.  In oven you cook the chicken evenly 🍗.  Last 5 minutes you can opt for broil to give that charred effect. It is served with chopped onions, lemon wedges or green chutney 😋. Okay then let’s get started.

Ela Ada

Vishu Ada / Ela Ada/  Elayappam / Steamed Jaggery Rice Cake
                                                                                                                                                                         

Vishu ada or ella ada is prepared in the morning as breakfast for vishu. This can be served as an evening snack also. It is perfect combo for tea or coffee. It is prepared in banana leaf. It smells like heaven when it is getting cooked. The smell of jaggery and banana leaf makes us tempting to eat it. It is a steamed delicacy. I love eating this. We hardly prepare this here; the usage of banana leaf is a must. We hardly get banana leaves so it’s difficult to try this. Still I tried these with aluminum foil but that heavenly taste of banana leaves were missing. When I went to India this January my mom made this special delicacy for me. Without fail I clicked some pics. This was done by me and my mom. "Thank you amma ". Due to unpredictable weather change, Cassia fistula (kanikonna) was in full bloom, that golden shower was a real treat to my eyes and I clicked those. Okay then let’s get started.

Parippu Pradhaman

Parippu Pradhaman / Lentil Pudding

                                         

                                

Yes… it is Vishu. In Kerala when the sun enters in to Sidereal Aries it is called Vishu. Vishu symbolizes the beginning of spring. It is celebrated as a harvest festival and  is called by many different names like Ugadi, Bihu in different states.The harvest festival is known as Vishu in Kerala. The main specialty of Vishu day is that there will be equal number hours of day and night. The festival is dedicated to lord Krishna / Vishnu.

Aviyal

 Aviyal / Mixed Vegetables in Coconut - Yogurt Sauce
                                                                         

Aviyal is a thick mixture of vegetables, coconut and coconut oil 😋. It is considered as an essential side dish in Kerala sadya/ feast. It is a mainly a South Indian dish, originated from Kerala. It is pretty easy to prepare this 😃. As I said it is a delightful mix of all vegetables 😃. You can use almost all veggies to prepare this. The mainly used vegetables are carrot, beans, drumsticks, raw plantain, yam, white pumpkin, cucumber, broad beans and snake gourd. You cut these veggies and mix it with coconut paste and yogurt. Only the cutting part consumes time 😤, you can finish the recipe in a few minutes 👍. Apart from sadhya I usually prepare during this during the weekend when you have all veggies left in the refrigerator but it’s not that enough to prepare one single dish in bulk.  This is also very healthy as you have all possible vegetables 💪. A sadya/ feast can’t be served without this healthy- tasty side dish 👌. You can serve this a side dish for rice and chapatti / roti 😉. Okay then let’s get started.