Anshu's Food Odyssey

One of the most popular dishes from Northern India , Palak Paneer counts no less than an exotic curry, truly making for a healthy yet delicious accompaniment to any Indian style flat bread like Naan, Parantha or even plain rice. Every household follows its own recipe to make this delectable curry, the one I am going to share today is a pure homestyle one with no addition of cream or cashew paste (although you are free to add the same to make it more creamier and richer). One thing more, I like to have my spinach sauce a bit tangy, so, I have used a good amount of tomatoes for its tempering. For those who like the gravy plain and simple, can just reduce the quantity of tomatoes to half. Now moving on to the ingredients and recipe.....    Palak Paneer | Cottage Cheese in Spiced Spinach Sauce Ingredients Washed and roughly chopped spinach - 6 cups Paneer cubes (preferably homemade) - 1 cup Garlic cloves (chopped) - 4 to 5 Ginger (chopped) - 1/2 inch Onion...

Easy to cook, yummilicious in taste, low in calories and loaded with the goodness of veggies, vermicelli upma or  vermicelli pulav   is by far one of the most popular breakfast dishes all across India, although the style and way of making it varies from person to person. For example, I first boil the vermicelli separately and later toss it in cooked veggies, whereas there are people who cook veggies and vermicelli together. The only problem I face with the latter style of making this upma is that it often comes out mushy and that is the reason I avoid going that way. If you also come across the same issue, this recipe is surely gonna give you perfect results. One more thing, I use the roasted vermicelli (thanks to Bombino which has made our job much easier); in case you can't lay your hands on roasted vermicelli, dry roast it first until it attains a golden color and after that follow the steps listed below. Hope you have a wonderful time cooking this easy-peasy ...

Achaari Arbi Fry has always been one of my favorite arbi recipes since childhood. Coated in a spicy-tangy masala comprising of crushed fenugreek, fennel and onion seeds, it certainly makes for a tongue -tickling side dish that goes fantastically well with tadke wali moong ki daal or even plain simple raita. This is one dish that I try to make at-least once a week as it's also loved by my husband. Besides, when it comes to arbi dishes, there are few more recipes that you may want to give a try; " Chatpate Achaari Arbi Tuk " and my " No Onion-Garlic Punjabi Style Tamatar wali Arbi " are few of them. Without wasting any time further, let's get started with the recipe of " Achaari Arbi Fry ". Punjabi Style Achaari Arbi Fry Ingredients 1. Arbi/Taro Root (peeled and sliced thinly) - 2 cups 2. Salt - as per taste 3. Ajwain (carom seeds) - 1 tsp 4. Jeera (cumin) - 1 tsp 5. Haldi (turmeric powder) - 1 tsp 6. Red chili powder -...

Punjabi's all-time favorite, Dal Makhani , is a delicacy that has carved its niche on the menu cards of restaurants not only in India but world-wide. Luscious, silky, creamy and buttery, its absolutely a treat for any and every food lover. Whenever we are dining out, its a must on our tables apart from one of our other few favorite dishes like Kadhai Paneer , Punjabi Chholey and Kashmiri Dum Aloo . And in case, we are opting for some non-veg, it has to definitely one of  Chicken Curry or Butter Chicken . Coming back to Dal Makhani, I tried various versions of the same a couple of times, but was never able to get the texture and flavors as that of a restaurant. This time when we were holidaying in Phuket, at one of the North Indian restaurants, we happened to savor this flavorful Dal Makhani. Requesting the chef, telling him how awesome the dal tasted, he was kind enough to share his secrets for this delicacy. When I got back home and tried making the dal using his recipe, I w...

Any party or gathering is absolutely incomplete without snacks and appetizers. So, this time when I had few guests at my place over dinner, I made a lot of variety including Chicken Shami Kebabs, Chicken Malai Tikka and Cheesy Potato Boats ; out of the entire lot, I must admit the much appreciated were the Jackfruit Cutlets  loaded with the filling of mozzarella cheese and dried cranberries. Not only they were quite new for the guests as far as innovation is concerned, they even tasted divine with a perfect amalgamation of spicy, sour and sweet flavors. If you too are amongst the ones looking for some innovative appetizers that are bit different from the usual potato or cheese snacks, then these jackfruit cutlets are just for you and are surely going to leave your guests asking for more. Do read the recipe below. Jackfruit Cutlets Ingredients (yields 12 to 15 cutlets) Raw jackfruit (peeled and cubed) - 500 gms Boiled & grated potato - 1 Finely chopped onions - 1/4...

Khubani or Apricots (as known in English) are few of the super-power fruits known for their endless nutritional and health benefits. A regular intake of these gorgeous beauties not only aid in improving digestion, boosting metabolism and regulating the overall cardiovascular health but, also the anti-oxidants present in them prevent premature ageing and cancer, two of the most widely known diseases these days that are getting quite common due to a stressful lifestyle. Being aware of all the benefits of apricots, when I recently found their dried version lying in my dry-fruit box, it took me no time in deciding to put them to use in a special way... well!! not in a sweet dish or a dessert but, in a savory delicacy. I had watched the recipe of this Apricot Chicken Curry on a TV channel only a few days back and therefore, I was already fresh with the idea of how it is made. Also, when I searched more about it on the internet, I came to learn that this recipe has its roots in the Pa...

Fish has always been my favorite when it comes to non-vegetarian food. Loaded with vital nutrients such as proteins, vitamin D and vitamin B12 plus the omega-3 fatty acids, no wonder it is counted amongst the most healthiest foods on earth. While this delicate specie can be cooked in hundreds of ways, the dhaba style fish curry is something which me and my husband relish the most. Very simple and easy to make with no fancy ingredients required, it gets cooked in a whiff of time and tastes simply awesome with just the plain steamed rice; serve this combo to my husband for the Sunday dinner and he would be the most happiest person on the planet 😛. If like us, you too are a true fan of fish, then this simple, rustic yet exotic recipe is just for you. Ingredients Surmai Fish (spotted seer fish/king mackerel) steaks - 500 gms Medium sized onion (finely grated) - 1 Ginger/Garlic paste - 3 tsp Medium sized tomatoes (pureed) - 3 Green chili (finely chopped) - 1 Lemon juice - 1 ...

A " must have " for the Thai Green Curry , this paste is quite easy to make at home and takes no less than 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready. Let's take a look at the recipe below. Ingredients Green Chili Peppers (preferably Thai Green Chili) - 10 to 12 Shallots (small onions) - 3 to 4 Cloves - 5 to 6 Coriander leaves and roots of a small bunch of coriander Basil leaves - 8 to 10 Coriander seeds - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Lemongrass stalks (bottom part, finely chopped) - 5 to 6 Galangal (finely chopped) - 2 inch Kafir lime leaves (finely chopped) - 4 to 5 Lemon juice - 2 tsp Salt - 2 tsp Method 1. Blend all ingredients together with few drops of water to a fine paste and your green curry paste is ready in no time. Refrigerate and it will last for week to 10 days.

Whenever we go to a Thai restaurant, one dish which is a ' MUST-HAVE ' on our tables is the Thai Green Curry ! Exotically flavorful and aromatic with perfect balance of spiciness, tanginess and sweetness, it makes for an appetizing treat to our Thai food-Craving taste-buds. If you too are a fan of Thai food, I am sure, you would love this curry which I made at home with an assortment of vegetables. Needless to say, it is not an authentic recipe and has been customized to suit the Indian palettes. Ingredients Store bought or homemade Thai Green Curry Paste - 3 tbsp Coconut milk - 2 cups Water - 1 cup Cauliflower/Broccoli - 8 to 10 florets Carrots (thinly sliced) - 1/2 cup Baby corns (thinly sliced) - 1/2 cup Zucchini (thinly sliced, if easily available) - 1/4 cup Red and Yellow bellpeppers (cubed) - 1/4 cup Mushrooms (big cubes) - 1/4 cup Pea Brinjals (Thai eggplants, optional) - 8 to 10 Tofu or Paneer - 8 to 10 medium sized cubes. Fish Sauce or Salt - 3 tsp...