Samosa

Do you need an introduction to samosa? This little deep fried pastry, filled with mashed potatoes, onion, peas, green chili and spices is famous world-wide. For most Indians like me, it is surprising to know that this originated in the Middle-East and was introduced to South Asia (India & Pakistan). Samosa has become one of the signature dishes of India.

This versatile snack is not as difficult to make at home as it sounds. It can be literally made using any stuffing which your heart desires. Let’s see the basic version which calls for potato and peas filling.

Pumpkin Kheer / Pudding

I have never worked with pumpkin earlier, nor did I taste this vegetable in any form. Of late, I’ve been wondering on how this could be used in my cooking. Only yesterday, in the farmers’ market, my eyes struck on a beautiful pumpkin which reminded me of a gorgeous cake. When I brought it home, the idea of making a cake changed to halwa, but it finally ended up turning out to kheer J. Whatever be the form, the outcome was way above my expectation.

The rich, vibrant, golden color of the dessert has stolen my heart and I am sure can compete with any other kheer you name. If you are calorie conscious and also have a sweet tooth, this is for you. The natural sweetness of pumpkin minimizes the use of extra sugar. I can say that pumpkin kheer is one of the easiest, quickest, aromatic desserts I have ever made.

Vegetable Pulao

A simple vegetable pulav is lightly fragrant and packed with all the flavors you would love to enjoy. This is an easy one pot meal for those lazy days when you are not in a mood of cooking. The wonderful color of the pulav is ‘coz of the red, juicy beets added. The aromatic mint leaves carry the taste of this dish to an entire new level. You may also add few cashew nuts, paneer, soya chucks to fit your taste buds.