Archives Lunch

Stir Fry Garlic Parval

Stir Fry Garlic Parval

in on

The best and quick parval recipe, you will absolutely love. Preparation of garlicky parval is effortless with very few spices. It makes a perfect side dish to serve with roti and rice or parathas for breakfast and lunch. Parval is also known as pointed gourd and one of my mum’s favourite veggies.

Personally, I love to cook and eat parval in many variations but this specific one is my favourite. I usually eat this dry curry with roti and papad. This parval sabji is dry curry but so much flavoursome. A very healthy and homely dish that can be made on an everyday basis.

Can You Make this garlicky Parval Curry in the Air Fryer?
Absolutely yesss. I love to make this parval curry in the air fryer. Using an air fryer for this recipe is easy and uses very little oil. There is a misconception that you cannot make Indian curries in an air fryer. Since this recipe is dry, making it in an air fryer is quite convenient. Just slice pointed gourd or parval into two slices, mix them with the spice mix and air fry them at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

Read More

Baked Herbed Halloumi With Broccoli

Baked Herbed Halloumi With Broccoli

in on

A hearty, nutritious, traybake that can satisfy a healthy appetite and be assembled very quickly. Tender steamed yellow lentils, squeaky-golden, halloumi baked with broccoli floret, red onion and lemon slice. Well-baked or grilled halloumi is a delicacy. Golden brownish, crispy salty exterior with soft cheese inside that gives you perfect umami texture and flavour.

What is halloumi cheese?
It’s a semi-hard, unripened brined cheese from Cyprus. It’s made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk. It tastes like a combination of fresh Mozzarella and feta. What’s unique about this cheese is that it has a high melting point, which makes it an ideal candidate for grilling or frying. The beauty of halloumi is its ability to retain its shape under any form of cooking; grilled, baked or fried. It doesn’t melt and retains its shape, given its high melting point.

Can you eat halloumi without cooking it?
Yes, You can, but it won’t be very good. Without cooking it has a rubbery texture and it’s also VERY salty. Cooking improves its texture and mellows its saltiness. This low-calorie weeknight meal is easy to prepare and the delicious combination of broccoli, halloumi slices and caramelised onions with Italian herb makes this a winning dish for any occasion. This is our attempt to create that baked cheesy halloumi magic with one and only broccoli and onions.

Perfect for vegetarians and cheese-lovers like me, halloumi is an impressively versatile ingredient to cook with. Unlike soft, melting cheese, halloumi holds its shape well, is mild enough to take on other flavours, and develops a crisp, golden crust when cooked, so is ideal if you’re looking for a cheese with substance. Try as a meat-free burger, stuffed into pastry or even cut into chips or put it in your fruit salad. There are many ways to eat this magical cheese. Whatever the weather is, always a good time to have halloumi in your meal.

Read More

Methi Bajra Dhebra

Bajra Methi Dhebra

in on

Savoury, herbalicious, perfectly spiced and soft methi bajra dhebras are so delicious that you can enjoy them as snacks or breakfast. I like to enjoy these dhebras at any time of the day with a hot cup of tea and pickle. Methi bajra dhebra is a staple food of Gujarati kitchen – an unleavened flatbread made of wheat and millet flour, fine chopped aromatic fenugreek leaf, yoghurt-ginger-garlic paste, some spices and little sweetness of jaggery. Typically it is served in breakfast or lunch with yogurt or sweet pickle. Dhebra comes in very handy for the lunch boxes as well. Methi bajra dhebra is best when enjoyed either right after making them or later the same day. Even good for long travel as well.

Simply knead the dough with water and yogurt. Store cooled dhebras in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature. You can also prepare them in various varieties as per your choice. If you want to freeze them, make sure first to let them cool down totally. Then place them into the freezer-proof container with placing butter paper in-between each dhebras.

Re-heat dhebras in a hot pan before consuming them. You may freeze the dough in the freezer and thaw properly before making the dhebra.

Read More

Tikhat Misal Pav

Tikhat Misal Pav

in on

One of the most famous Maharashtrian recipes, Misal is a scrumptious cocktail of savouries and sprouts! Wholesome and tasty sprouts are cooked with tangy tomatoes and red onions, not to forget the goda masala and the special coconut-coriander-green chilli based misal masala!

One of my Marathi neighbours taught me to make this special green masala that gives a special kick to misal. Misal Pav is a vibrant and delicious and spicy sprouted bean curry topped with crunchy sev farsan, onions, fresh coriander, and lemon. It is served with buttered velvety soft pav or dinner rolls.

What is Misal Pav? 

“Misal” is a spicy vegan sprouted bean curry also known as “matkichi usal” with special masala and “Pav” are buns or dinner rolls. The misal curry is garnished with fresh onions, coriander and farsan and served with warm buttery rolls. Farsan is a crispy and flavourful fried snack that is also used as a garnish in chat and Indian breakfast dishes. The beans are used in this recipe is called Moth.

I love Indian street food and this is one of my favourite Puneri spicy food. It’s mouth-watering street food for me. Misal Pav is relished as a breakfast as well as a snack throughout Maharashtra. It is one of the popular street food in Maharashtra along with other special food.

Give a try to my version of this easy to make spicy Maharashtrian delight at home and feel the local flavour on your plate.

Read More

Instant Pot Jeera Rice

Instant Pot Jeera Rice

in on

Aromatic yet simple instant pot jeera rice is a very easy and delicious Indian rice dish. It is flavoured with cumin seeds and some very basic spices. A speedy side dish for Indian plater, that can be made in 15 min. If you like Indian restaurant-style food or Dhaba style food than you gonna love this quick jeera rice recipe.

What is jeera rice?

Jeera rice is also known as Cumin Rice, that is one of the most popular side dishes served at Indian restaurants & Dhabas and commonly prepared in Indian homes for a quick meal.

Flavourful basmati rice is toasted and cooked with whole spices like cumin, cloves, peppercorn and bay leaves. You can pair it perfectly with curries or kormas or dal fry.

Ingredients:

One of the main ingredients to make the most flavourful Jeera rice or cumin rice is a good quality Basmati rice. And in the Instant pot, Basmati rice always cooks perfectly.

Nowadays instant pot is life saving for working persons and also when you have kids around and you need to cook quickly. I use regular cumin seeds or jeera that is easily available in all the grocery stores but you can also use shah jeera (caraway seeds). It is darker and tastes much sweeter than the normal jeera.

Jeera Rice tastes the best when cooked in ghee. However, you can use (dairy or non-dairy) butter or vegetable oil as well. Whole spices give the rice an earthy and aromatic flavour. It adds a wonderful aroma to this simple side dish.

Whole spices are base of Indian pantry like bay leaf, cardamom pod, cloves so no need to rush in the supermarket. It’s easily available in every Indian kitchen and also available in the Asian grocery store.

Each grain of Jeera rice should be nicely separated and well cooked. It does not look good when it is mushy. That’s why the ratio of water and cooking time should be balanced. Adding ghee enhances the flavour and texture that gives a nice flavour as well.

This Instant Pot Jeera Rice:

✓ super easy to make in the instant pot
✓ infused with flavours of cumin and other whole spices
✓ great alternative of plain rice
✓ you can make this recipe vegan also
✓ naturally gluten-free
✓ pairs well with korma or curry even with dal as well
✓ is the perfect restaurant-style jeera rice, where each grain of rice is well separated

Benefits of cumin seeds or jeera

It does not just give a nice flavour to the dish, but it also has lots of health properties:
• Cooling property
• Promotes digestion
• Boosts immunity 
• Has an anti-inflammatory effect
• Most important it gives next level flavour to any curry or dish
• Good for cholesterol and diabetic problems

Read More

Paneer Butter Masala

Instant Pot Paneer Butter Masala

in on

Making paneer butter masala in my new instant pot is really easy, much effortless. A super easy and quick recipe requires little effort in the instant pot or its kind of one-pot paneer recipe. This super creamy paneer butter masala is so delicious and saves time as well. It is great as a mid-week meal as it is so quick to make.

The masala and paneer are all cooked in the Instant Pot and you just need a hand blender or jar blender and strainer for much creaminess in masala after puree. I prefer to do straining.

Super creamy, melt in the mouth, Dhaba style paneer butter masala, is super easy to make at home. It’s definitely one of my all-time favourite paneer curries. This creamy and addictive curry is made with onion- tomato, cashew, cream plus yes butter based gravy with wholesome aromatic spices.

I always love simple and homemade curry recipes that take less time and fewer ingredients, and this super simple masala curry is perfect for paneer lover. But you can simply skip paneer to tofu butter to oil for making this curry vegan. The taste may be different but not so bad… So, if you want vegan version go for it. Isn’t it sound delicious? For me and my family hell yeah…

Instant pot and Indian cooking:

Indian cooking and making curry need a heavy bottom pan or kadhai so using instant pot is a bit scary for me. I am slowly getting used to it and trying many recipes in the instant pot in mostly sautéing mode and less temperature. I read somewhere adding little water helps masala to cooked well and it prevents burning. And it’s working for me.

Sometimes it’s hard because of the inner pot is very thin but keep the temperature low that is helpful. It’s easy but electronic cooking is a tricky. But this method is easy and handy for busy & working mums. However, if you have not much time then it is a life-saving.

What is paneer butter masala or paneer makhani curry?

This finger-licking masala curry is a classical Indian curry that is made of tomato-onion, cashew-based creamy sauce with whole spices in it. Also known as paneer makhani curry (makhani as buttery and creamy) and beautiful cubes of paneer dunked in it. This curry is easy to make, pantry friendly and with richness of butter & cream.

Creamy curry is perfect for weeknight special dinner or weekend brunch or any other occasion. It’s a kind of crowd-pleaser style main dish.

What is paneer?

Paneer is Indian style fresh cheese also known as Indian cottage cheese. Making paneer is very simple and we can easily make it at home. We make it by heating the whole milk and then curdle it using lemon juice or vinegar. You can add spices and herb as well while making paneer for extra flavour.

Can I freeze the gravy?

Yes, you can. Prepare in advance and freeze. just do not add cream while freezing. Then when needed, defrost, give a boil and add cream, add tender cubes of paneer. And why the only paneer, you can add green peas or any other vegetable in this gravy.

I am also sharing the stovetop recipe as well. So it’s easy for the people who prefer cooking in stovetop as well as like me. Actually, the instant pot is an easy way for me making food. While my kid is at home, working with her is a bit difficult task. So, I prefer an easy way but feel free to use the traditional way of cooking.

This is a Dhaba style butter masala paneer cooked in an authentic cream and butter-based gravy flavoured with the most aromatic Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and creamy cashew.

It is:

✔️ A delicious vegetarian paneer curry
✔️ Gluten-free
✔️ Easily made vegan
✔️ Crowd-pleaser
✔️ Tastes just like the restaurant and Dhaba

Read More

Spinach Flatbread

Spinach Flatbread

in on

Flatbread or roti or phulka, chapati is an essential part of the Indian kitchen. It’s basically a whole wheat flatbread that is made by almost every Indian moms. Sometimes it’s hard to feed green leafy vegetables to your family and little ones. This very bright green flatbread packed with nutritious spinach and very few spices that makes a healthy and simple way to eat your green.

Spinach flatbread is quite easy to make and having full of nutritious. Green roti or flatbread is super soft, puffy and beautifully round shaped Indian flatbread that is very common in Indian kitchen. These buttery soft rotis are a flavourful yet healthy; a bunch of spinach adds the essential nutritious and ginger, spices add flavour to it. This is a great way to add green to your daily meal. Once you and your little ones get used to eating these beautiful green round rotis, you’ll never go back to your simple roti.

Actually, it is a great variation of our regular rotis, that we make every day at home for our loved ones. Simply additions of purred spinach not just add colour and softness to regular roti but it also adds healthy nutrition in our daily meal. I like to add spices to my rotis while making dough that gives extra flavour. The dough needs to rest 20-30 min before cooking the chapatis that help to hydrate the dough and absorb all the flavours and also give softness to rotis or chapatis.

These super soft and flavoured spinach rotis are really packed with nutrition, iron, fibre and beautiful bright green colour. And they go very well with any curry or curd or just with pickles. I usually make these rotis with multigrain flour that give extra nutrition to these beautiful rotis. Well getting enough green leafy vegetables in our daily meal is a bit difficult.

But one way or another need to add more colours and fibres in our diet, so why do not mix in our daily diet? This is my munchkin’s favourite way to eat spinach and mine too. This is a better way to add colourful benefits of spinach into your loved one’s meal.

How to make gluten-free or low carb?:
These rotis can be made gluten-free and low carb by using gluten-free flour like gram flour, sorghum flour simply rice flour. Or even you can make low carb also simply using low carb flour.

It is vegan and yeast- free Indian flatbread. You should try this healthy version of plain rotis, it’s simply easy to make and perfect for lunch, lunch box and dinner as well.

Stay healthy, stay humble!

Read More

Aloo Gobhi Masala

Aloo Gobhi Masala

in on

Aloo gobhi means the start of winter. I am not a very big fan of cauliflower but this very special curry I usually like it very much. It is spicy cauliflower and potato curry. This is a very popular north Indian dish especially during winter and weddings because it is actually a fascinating winter vegetable with warm spices. In this popular curry potatoes and cauliflower florets are cooked in very special masala, spices and herbs.

This curry can be made in several ways depending on person to person. Today I am sharing my favourite version in ginger-onion-tomatoes based masala with spices. This very special aloo gobhi masala is one the most like vegan dry Indian curry often enjoyed with naan or paratha or chapati.

Indian cuisine is a kind of treasure for food and curry lovers. It is easy to make curry which is always s party winner and an everyday meal with simple ingredients as well.

This gluten-free and vegan recipe is must try dry curry during winters when you easily buy fresh cauliflower for your everyday meal.

This Aloo Gobhi is:
• Vegan
• Gluten-Free
• Quick & Easy 
• Delicious
• Perfect to pack in Lunch Box, pa

So go back to your authenticity and enjoy winter specialty… my version aloo Gobhi masala. Stay healthy, stay humble!

Read More

Aloo Paratha (Spiced Potato Stuffed Flatbread)

Aloo Paratha (Spiced Potato Stuffed Flatbread)

in on

Aloo paratha is not a paratha; it’s a feeling of cold grey days of fall and winter season. Actually, aloo paratha is an Indian stuffed bread with spicy potato filling. We Indians always adore paratha. Basically, our morning starts with heavy breakfast that includes different variety of paratha and a hot cup of masala chai with homemade pickle.

The best part of parathas is that you can serve in breakfast as well as pack in the lunch box for your kids. I have learned these delicious aloo parathas firstly from my Punjabi landlady we call her “Bi Ji”. She actually makes parathas super delicious with lots of love and most of the times parathas are cooked with lots of ghee and served with dollops of butter.

Charred, flaky “aloo ka paratha” is the most favourite breakfast in Punjabi families and mine too. You will simply love aloo paratha, it is packed with lots of flavours that melt in the mouth texture.

To make aloo parathas, you need two main ingredients:
• Whole wheat and chickpea flour dough: a basic dough made with whole wheat flour and chickpea flour, a little bit of salt, oil and water.
• Potato stuffing: boiled or steamed mashed potatoes with few spices, herbs and salt.

You can make these paratha vegans too by just simply skip the ghee/butter and use oil instead. These are so delicious anyways, just add some love and voila.

A bowl of homemade curd, white butter, and pickle along with this aloo paratha is all you need to make your weekend more delightful.

So ENJOY! Stay healthy, stay humble!

Read More

Vegan Rajwadi Mix Vegetable Curry

Vegan Rajwadi Mix Vegetable Curry

in on

Rajwadi curry is a gem among other sabzis and curry; a very special yet simple curry with mix vegetables. It can be part of Friday night special dinner even fits in a big dinner party or lunch with family get together. It’s simply delicious and vegan as well. Curry is a special part of Indian cuisine and families. A very famous rajwadi style curry simmers in rich cashew and onion-garlic gravy with whole spices that served with hot pooris or parathas.

You always choose your favourite vegetable in this type of curry – the base is gravy and voila. Even you can prep this gravy in advanced so when you need to add vegetable and spices just heat it up and serve. Authentic food has its own flavour and charm that is impossible to resist. For me, food is like my family’s legacy and it doesn’t matter where do I live. Every single dish I have learnt from my baba, it has its own unique taste and flavour. Subtle flavours and aroma that’s exactly you feel when you take a bite of authentic recipes and dishes.

This is a really simple and flavourful curry that need only pantry staple ingredients and seasonal vegetables of your choice. It is a delicious curry, every part of India people has their own version, yet you fell for every single version of it; even though no onion-garlic also. Another favourite curry in my family is rajwadi mix vegetable curry. The spicy and subtle flavour of spices, rich, creamy, so sumptuous. If you want more richness so, add a spoon full of ghee while is hot.

Read More