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Roasted Garlic Asparagus Salad with Quinoa

in on 13th February 2020 4th March 2020

Fresh, healthy and crunchy garlicky asparagus salad paired with quinoa along with zingy lemony coriander, and mint dressing. This asparagus quinoa salad is an awesome side dish in any season. It does not spring yet but I found these fresh asparagus in the farmer’s market. Without having second thought I picked a whole bunch of asparagus. I thought I should make a curry but, salad is always the better option.

Well, it does not spring yet but, but days are a bit warmer than last year and salad is my all-time favourite. In India, we eat asparagus as in curry made in clarified butter with lots of garlic, but today I want to share a simple salad recipe with a special dressing that is a kind of fusion. This dressing is Indian dip or you can say green chutney; it is fresh and spicy tangy. Choose your favourite green mix and these roasted asparagus, peas, carrot julienne, and shaved zucchini.

As a base, I have chosen quinoa because it is a gluten-free grain that has protein, dietary fibres, and dietary minerals. You can also serve this roasted asparagus healthy green salad over rice or any other cooked gluten-free grain with this special green dressing.

It’s comforting and mouth-watering, mid-week side dish and easy way to eat your greens.

Jeera Masala Aloo (Cumin Spice Dry Potato Curry)

in on 9th February 2020 3rd March 2020

Hello foodies! How are you all? What’s your weekend brunch?

Well, I need to finish my book (The Wizards of Once) before the weekend, wants to start the second one. So, sometimes I just want quick curry with my parathas. Here in the Netherlands, it’s raining and I don’t want to go outside for buying veggies. Yeah! I am addicted to fantasy books, movies, and Netflix series so. But, I have pre-boiled potatoes in my fridge and my pantry is full of spices, that’s all I wanted for this recipe.

Let’s make one of my favourite spicy tangy aromatic cumin spice dry potato curry (Jeera masala aloo). This is homemade, delicious and quick to make dry aloo curry recipe, goes very well with steaming hot rice, parathas, poori. It’s a vegan, gluten-free, spicy and tangy dry curry that is made with special homemade jeera masala and there is absolutely no onion-garlic.
When there’s no green vegetable available at home then this flavourful and spicy dry aloo curry is the rescue. The aroma of the potatoes, sizzling in oil infused with cumin masala and freshly grated ginger fills the home with an aromatic flavour. I love the potatoes spicy, tangy and hot.

You can alter the seasoning and spices as per your taste. Even this dry curry also tastes best as a side dish with any meal or dal chawal. If you boil potatoes in advance than this recipe needs only 10- 15 min to prepare, but it’s the best restaurant style jeera aloo.

The spices required in this zingy spicy flavoured curry are fresh ginger, green chilies, coriander, asafoetida and of course cumin – the main ingredients after baby boiled potato. For the dry masala, the main key of the recipe is cumin seeds, coriander seeds, red dry chilly, anardana and fennel seeds.

Mix and tossed all the ingredients together in one pan in the proper way. So, this way aromatic magic begins…

Spicy moong dal pakoras (Spicy green split gram fritters)

in on 2nd February 2020 4th March 2020

What is your winter tea time snack that reminds you of home and full of flavourful memories? Well, mine is these pakoras/fritters. Spicy, crispy with lots of flavour in one bite. This deep-fried snack is steaming hot that generally made on winter eve typically served with green chutney or simply with ketchup and masala teas.

Well, my love for this insanely flavourful fritter is like so high even sometimes, I just skip my dinner for it. Socked moong dal with Lil bit of rice that twist gives more crispiness to these fritters. I have blended the batter with spices, asafoetida, ginger, garlic, green chillies along with coriander and spinach. You can add more vegetables to the variations, it will give it more texture and flavour. I like this classic version of this timeless snack.

There are many kinds of pakoras/fritters in Indian cuisine but most of all are deep-fried. It’s the gluten-free vegan recipe which is one of the most enjoyed and loved snacks in Indian cuisine.

Well, here is so chilli and foggy these days actually and it’s perfect weather for these fritters… so tempting and spicy hot fritters that are all you want in blurry, Sunday rainy-wintery evening enjoying along with some beautiful old songs. Kind of the best time of the week that you can spend at home with your family…

HAPPY Monday 😊 Fellow foodies…

Oats Chiwda

in on 30th January 2020 4th March 2020

Chiwda is a wholesome and healthy alternative to authentic fried snacks. This oats chiwda is completely irresistible and quick. It is the kind of snacks made during the festivals along with the sweet dessert.

This wholesome lip-smacking, sweet and tangy snack can be made within less than 10 min and I love to have with my masala chai. As an Indian, I like sweet and spicy both types of taste. So, I made various kinds of chiwda throughout the year; doesn’t need any festivity.

You can enjoy it any time of the day. It has a crispy texture from roasted oats along with the nuttiness from the dry fruits, sweetness, from sugar and sultanas, lots of spices, flavoured with asafoetida, curry leaf (used dried ones but fresh can also be used) and tangy-ness from anardana.

It’s always best to make homemade chiwda, tastes better than store-bought ones and also more healthy. I love to make my kind of snacks because my meal plate is not completed without namkeen or chiwda and papad, achar. In some way, I am a typical Marwari.

It’s just utterly delicious, I couldn’t stop myself from making this beauty again and again with lots of variations. Enjoy this quick and healthy snack when you have tea/coffee parties with your friends ( like I used to but not now). One of my best memories of home.

Happy Friday 🙂

Thandai infused White chocolate bark

in on 26th January 2020 4th March 2020

An unexpected piece of chocolate, hell yeah! chocolate with a spicy fusion of the most delicious and aromatic drink mix Thandai. Are you familiar with the taste of Thandai? Thandai is a spring welcoming drink made by dry fruits, saffron, poppy seed, rose petals, cardamom, fennel and of course black pepper, nutmeg and milk.

Thandai is closely associated with Bhang, which is supposed to be intoxicating. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆. Thandai is known for its super coolant power. A typical authentic aromatic Indian drink.

Thandai ingredients were freshly pounded on traditional grinding stones in old times to make, even you can find this spicy pre mix in easily any Indian store. Well, I am sharing my favourite fusion chocolate bark here.

I am not exaggerating but this might be the BEST version of chocolate fusion bark. I am a big fan of fusion dessert and after Indian dessert chocolate is my moody friend. This fine white chocolate is like so beautiful, luxurious and full of sweetness it’s kind of enchanted spell of a witch – never underestimate the power of good chocolate with fusion.

You remember the days when magic exists but for me, magic is still here when I look at these beautiful fusion chocolates. I am so enchanted that I can’t stop myself to take a bite of beautiful pieces of flavour.

Whenever you mix two different food you need to feel the luxury and sapidity. Trust me to try this one, deeply intense and exotic Thandai flavour with richness of creamy Belgium chocolate is lavishly sinful.

Happy Monday my foodie fellows!

Dahi Wale Aloo (Potato Curry with Yoghurt)

Dahi Wale Aloo (Potato Curry with Yogurt)

in on 24th January 2020 4th March 2020

Hello guys, how are you all? The weekend is just around the corner. But for me, two weeks sitting at home and doing nothing is more exhausted. Well, I really need one relaxed weekend. Sometimes, even I don’t want to cook when my back pain is triggered. At that time my comfort food is homemade curry with rice or paratha.

Today, I am sharing my mum’s easy-peasy, tangy, spicy, full of flavor recipe. This is a quick recipe that contains no ginger – garlic, some spices, sour yogurt, potato.

This spicy, tangy potato curry is full-on with flavor and easy to make with pantry staples. It’s so amazing to pair this curry with any Indian bread or rice. Whenever I have a shortage of fresh vegetables or too tired by doctor’s appointments or my daughter’s therapy session; this is my easy to make yummy curry.

I have learned my cooking skills from my mum who is a fantastic home cook. Still, when I visit her; she makes my favorite food. At my mum’s home, she serves hot food while I Sit in the kitchen and I do chit chat with her, she listens to all my bullshit and just smile.

Some people may do not know this, but I have started cooking at the age of ten. I have learned to cook from my mum, she is a fantastic cook and food made by her is always tastes special. I still crave home-cooked curries and sweets prepared by my mum. She ensures that even the vegetables that you hate, taste awesome.

Happy Friday to all!

Carrot Halwa (Indian Carrot Pudding)

in on 19th January 2020 3rd March 2020

Hello beautiful folks!

The Dutch tulip season officially gets underway in January every year with the National Tulip Day comes to town! Everyone is invited to pick their own tulip for free from a specially constructed ‘picking garden’ at Amsterdam’s Dam Square.

On the third Saturday of January, National Tulip Day is celebrated with a big tulip picking garden. This day marks the start of the (cut) tulip season by National Tulip Day.

Let’s celebrate this beautiful season with utterly delicious carrot halwa (Lil Dutch – Lil Indian) that’s all I want. Made of grated carrot red or orange, slow-cooked in whole full-fat milk and ghee. And of course, seasoned with dry fruits, sweetened with sugar. This traditional Indian dessert is very rich in flavor, creamy and flavourful too. It’s an Indian winter dessert that is full of flavor, no introduction is required.

Here I couldn’t find red carrot but that’s ok, with organic orange carrots also flavourful with different colors and the taste is outstanding. There is no January for me without carrot halwa and beautiful colorful tulips.

Will you join us for welcoming official Dutch tulip season with Indian most loved dessert? I really love this beautiful country (Netherlands), full of life and colors. I am looking forward to exploring, more about Dutch culture, food, and festivity; actually everything.

And this beautiful halwa is one of my country’s specialty, I miss sometimes India when the matter comes about food and family.

Carrot Halwa is absolutely perfect in every bite with a little warm tendency. I love to have my carrot halwa with poori and potato curry. When you make this halwa you can feel the aroma all over in your house. This is north Indian sweet delicacy of winter; no need for festivity.

Both beauties are full of elegance and richness; the red is my favorite. I am going to make everything beautiful and sweet around me with tulip and my classic Indian dessert.

Kaju Katli

in on 17th January 2020 4th March 2020

Today’s post is something special to me, my all-time favourite, well let’s talk about authentic Indian rich sweet that melts in the mouth. It is quite addictive; the more you eat, the more you want…

Kaju katli (cashew fudge). Kaju katli is a mixture of cashew, sugar, ghee, saffron. Generally, single thread sugar syrup used for this recipe. But this one is without sugar syrup, a bit different from the traditional recipe.

Perfect for a sweet gift for any occasion. The celebration is incomplete without this special sweet. Actually I am in love with this sweet so I want to share this with you guys. As you know “you are what you eat”, so I prefer something sweet in my meal.

Rajgira Halwa (Sira)

in on 9th January 2020 2nd March 2020

Rajgira halwa/sira or Amaranth pudding is a kind of traditional Marwari cuisine. It is fasting and festival dessert that you can be made in less than 15 mins. This halwa is completely gluten-free but it is loaded with dry fruits and rich in flavor. When you eat, the texture melts in the mouth.

It is an Indian festival dish that made on Navratri, Shivratri or Ekadashi. But for me, it’s kind of midnight sweet treat as I am midnight hungry bird.

You can try it on a regular day as well. This recipe can be varied according to your preferences. My mom used to make this halwa (sira) especially on Ekadashi and paired with Sabudana (tapioca pearls) khichdi.

This one of my all-time favorite desserts. The best thing about this recipe is, made with few ingredients just like ghee, sugar, Rajgira ka atta (Amaranth flour) and dry fruits. But, if you want more richness you can include khoya, which will give this recipe a sinful Rajwadi flavor and it is addictive.

It is prepared like this in my family but I like the simplest one. It tastes best when served hot or warm. This is one of my midnight sweet craving recipes.

In the new year try a rich, delicious sinful dessert that can be made quickly.

Turmeric Latte (Haldi wala doodh)

in on 31st December 2019 4th March 2020

The last hours of the year are full of melancholy memories and thoughts about the people who are not with me today.

Again a year has come to end and folks are doing celebrations by cutting the cake and having drinks with friends. I would like to wish you all a very 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 and thank you for support. May your life be full of happiness and good health, and yeah same wishes for your loved ones too.

Honestly this year, really was not so good for us. There were two unpleasant events in our family. First, my baba died and then my mother-in-law lost her battle against cancer. It’s really difficult to keep moving but sometimes you don’t have any other option.

I hope this Lil bit of time left, the clock will punch the twelve and I wish for a magical time to make a change in my life.

My baba was a great home cook and a great mentor too. He was the one who thought me cooking and this is the reason for my love for sweet and spices. In the Indian family used to say start your new year with good thinking and good food will bring good fortune for the whole year.

On this new year eve, I am just sitting next to my window and drinking my turmeric latte. We all are drinking this magical golden drink.

In India, this beautiful latte is known as “Haldi wala doodh” which is our special winter drink and made with fresh turmeric.

Actually, Indian food is incomplete without turmeric. We also make fresh turmeric curry in clarified butter. It’s a classical veggie to eat in especially winter.

It’s always important to do something special each day for yourself, even if you find yourself in the middle of a crazy time. So, do pampering yourself with good care of your body and mind.

Turmeric has antibacterial, antiviral, anti fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. In the Indian kitchen, turmeric is an essential spice to fight with cold and boost immunity. It also gives a calming and soothing effect.

I give a treat to myself a hot cup of golden beauty “Haldi wala doodh” when I am tired from the busy day.

Many of the people even don’t like the smell and I am also one of them. But I make my drink with nutmeg, ginger and Lil bit of dates as a sweetener and yes, of course, black pepper also. Heat up your winter with the warmth of this drink.

I propose a toast for the new year with a new beginning of life to family and most importantly for the person, I loved most who is absent but can’t be forgotten.

Wish you all a very happy new year… Stay tuned.