Seviyan Kheer ~ Vermicelli Pudding { with Almond Milk}

Seviyan or vermicelli kheer is a quick and easy to make, popular Indian dessert. Made with very few ingredients this recipe is thoroughly savoured during festivals or as an after-meal dessert. Each region in India has a unique style of preparing it, making it the go-to dish for any occasion.

Besan Coconut Burfi

Diwali is around the corner and this is the time when most of the Indian kitchens smell with all those traditional sweets, and so does my kitchen.

No Butter, No Sugar, No Egg – Banana Bread

‘No Butter, No Sugar, No Egg – Banana Bread’….sounds weird until you tried and tasted it to be yumptious? These days a lot of people want to cut-out on sugar and butter to lose weight. There are others who give-up on eggs as they are strictly vegetarians OR as a practice of vegan diet.

Whenever I had some over-ripe bananas on my counter, I made different loafs. This time around I sincerely wanted to make something really healthy yet tasty. After giving some thought, this recipe ‘No Butter, No Sugar, No Egg – Banana Bread’ had come out. I have made some delicate substitutions of butter with olive oil, sugar with honey, egg with flax meal and all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. My experiment of making something new, healthy, and tasty succeeded once again.

No-oil Coconut Flax seeds Chutney

The age old flax seeds are back in trend these days due to its exceptionally high nutritional value. These tiny seeds are one of the ancient super foods. Studies say that consuming them in the right way could help improve digestion, give clear skin, lower cholesterol, balance hormones, fight cancer and promote weight loss. These brown colored seeds are the richest sources of plant based omega-3 fatty acids. Moreover, flax seeds are gluten-free. Ensure that these seeds are chewed properly; else they can go undigested, and flushed out of the system. So, it is always better to use this in a ground form to get the maximum benefits.

Here is a simple and quick coconut chutney with flax seeds to go well with your ildly, dosa, and many more. Enjoy your breakfast with a healthy twist. Please note that this is a no-oil coconut flax seeds chutney.

Mango Phirni

Phirni is a thick, creamy rice pudding born in Northern India. This is slightly different from the regular kheer, which is made out of whole rice grains. Usually in phirni preparation the rice is soaked, ground, cooked in milk, and then set in individual earthen dishes. This setting gives the pudding a very different earthy flavor.

Now, as the season has given lot of mangoes, it is unfair not to include this king of fruits in any dish or every dish. So, here comes another summer treat in Mango Phirni.

Sabja (Basil seeds) and Mango Pudding

Dessert for breakfast or breakfast as dessert!

The best thing about summers in India is Mango. And yeah, to beat the heat of summer is Sabja.

These little seeds are black in color and look similar to their western cousin-chia seeds. Sabja seeds have exceptional health benefits and known to have high medicinal value. Moreover, this has cooling properties, so used in many beverages and desserts to sustain the heat during Indian summers.

Mixing mango and sabja turns out such a simple no-cook dessert which can be whipped up in no-time. This is just to try and make the best use of season and seasonal fruits.

Spiced Buttermilk~Chaas~Majjiga

Summer is at its peak. Already crossed 40 degrees here and it’s very essential to be hydrated. These days, I have been making a big batch of Buttermilk as a substitute to water, which aids in better digestion too. With addition of ginger, cumin and curry leaf, besides an enhanced taste, the goodness is known to be multiplied.

Matar Paneer Curry

I hope all of us agree to the well said quote “The way to a man's heart is through his stomach”.

“This is an exotic restaurant style matar-paneer”, exactly what the hubby says each time after having this. You may also win your loved one’s heart by following this post at the comfort of your own kitchen.

There are a few combinations like aloo-matar, aloo-gobi, palak-paneer and so on, which are obviously made in heaven. One among them is matar-paneer. Here is a simple and quick recipe, which tastes like the one in restaurant, but a low fat version.

Chocolate Bark

… Coz, love is in the air!

Chocolate is an awesome way to someone’s heart, and chocolate combined with nuts is like staying there forever. Here is an easy-peasy sweet treat for your valentine… the Chocolate Bark.

Korrala Payasam ~ Foxtail Millet Pudding with Coconut & Nuts

Foxtail millet is the second-most widely planted species of millet. In South India, it has been a staple diet among people since ancient times. Foxtail millets are ideal for reducing cholesterol, controlling blood sugar, and aiding metabolism rate. High in anti-oxidants, this wonder food helps in getting rid of toxins in the body. These are also high in dietary fiber, which aids in proper breakdown of food assisting in better digestion. These are free of gluten, unlike rice and wheat. In addition, it helps in keeping the glycemic index (the rate at which blood sugar level spikes up after eating) low. Therefore, these millets maintain a balance in the body.

Try out this simple dish to fulfill your sweet tooth, minimizing your guilt.

Paneer Rava Coconut Laddu

Festivals around the corner, this simple rava laddu has taken an exotic avatar. Yeah, paneer adds that special taste and texture to the laddu.

Hope you like this version of rava laddu.

Extreme Chocolate Cake

This cake is moist, rich, tasty and all the more decadent as it looks. Loaded with rich nutella frosting and immersed in dark chocolate shards, makes this sinfully yummicious. A hint of coffee carries the taste to an extreme level. With every bite of it, you feel a chocolaty volcano erupting in your mouth.

Poha Coconut Peanut Laddu ~ Atukula Kobbari Palli Laddu

“hare kṛiṣhṇa hare kṛiṣhṇa

kṛiṣhṇa kṛiṣhṇa hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma

rāma rāma hare hare”

This ultimate mantra has the potency to cleanse us from our sins.

A Happy Janmashtami / Gokulastami to all. This festival reminds me of breaking the dahi handi (earthen pot filled with buttermilk) in the streets of my home town. This involves young men forming human towers and reaching a high hanging pot of buttermilk to break it, resembling Krishna’s playful act of stealing butter and milk from the neighbors’ houses.

Perugu Vada ~ Dahi Vada

Dahi Vada, Dahi Bhalla, Thayir Vadai, Perugu Vada, Mosaru Vade, Dahi Bora….as called in different languages / regions in India….are soft, fluffy deep fried lentil dumplings soaked in a thick, creamy spiced yogurt, a favorite for almost all Indians. There are plenty of variations as you go by different regions. South Indians prefer their vadas soaked in spiced yogurt where as people from North like them with plain yogurt topped with green/tamarind chutney. Sweetened curd is used in some places like Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Mango Banana Milkshake

This is an incredibly smooth, creamy, delicious milkshake for the obvious reason of its soft ingredients. On a happier note it can be substituted for a late breakfast especially on those lazy weekends when you just want to avoid cooking your first meal.

Kodi Koora ~ Andhra Style Chicken Curry

This is an authentic chicken curry coming straight from my grandma’s kitchen. Andhra Kodi Koora is a spicy, hot country style chicken curry which goes amazingly well with rice, roti, dosa, idly, poori, vada and many other mains. Andhra Pradesh is known for its wide range of spicy cuisine, and non-vegetarians here love to include kodi koora as regularly as they can.

Slow roasted whole spices are ground to a fine powder which gives the dish rich aromatic gravy. Also poppy seeds add body to the gravy.

Mango Cake

My refrigerator is packed with loads of golden beauties, for the obvious reason, this being the mango season. I have been trying to make as many recipes possible with these ‘king of fruits’. You name it ­­–­ mango lassi, mango limeade, mango kulfi, mango shrikhand, mango milkshake… And now, this is a long pending dessert to be tried since the last season. Yeah, mango cake…

Iced Pineapple Green Tea

All of us are aware how fast green tea is catching up the modern day buzz. True to its virtue, millions are transitioning from their daily in-take of regular tea or coffee to the green tea. For those who are still finding ways to relish green tea, and those who already are, here is a more flavorful variant with what nature has offered, a pineapple. Yes, you can make iced pineapple green tea. This is a healthier extension to pineapple lemonade, and a fruity twist to green tea.This is a perfect nutritional beverage. All you need to do is extract fresh juice from pineapple or skip this step by just adding the store bought pineapple juice.

Andhra Style Tender Jackfruit Curry

Jackfruit is a seasonal produce. I have never attempted to buy a piece of this earlier as I was afraid of the chopping part. Jackfruit excretes lot of sticky latex when cut, which is almost similar to the wood glue. So, it is always recommended to grease hands and knife before chopping this. 

For the first time in my life, I bought a slice of jackfruit from the farmer’s market and wondered how this can be cooked. Fortunate enough, my MIL has a recipe for this and it turned out so good. In short I can say this is a vegetarian’s meat curry. Try this before the season ends, and I am sure you will wait for the next season.

Bendakaya-Vankaya Pulusu

Pulusu is a tangy stew usually made in Andhra homes. The medley of tamarind, jaggery, and chili powder combined with vegetables, onions or even eggs and fish, makes this lip smacking accompaniment with rice. Check my fish pulusu recipe here. Okra/ladies’ finger and brinjal go into today’s tamarind based preparation, which is very simple yet delicious.