Anshu's Food Odyssey

Samosa is a delectable, deep fried tea time snack , not only popular in India but, in a lot of other South East Asian, African and Mediterranean countries. And though the stuffing and the shape of Samosa may vary from country to country, what remains common is the outer crust that comprises of a crisp, flaky pastry made out of plain flour and a delicious stuffing inside, be it of any veggie or meat. In India, Samosas come in a triangular shape and are most often stuffed with a spicy and a bit tangy boiled potato filling. Nevertheless, the samosas with minced chicken/lamb/beef filling are also quite famous and make for a finger-licking party appetizer . Having said that, the potato or aloo samosa though, is a regular item and counts among the most popular street foods of India . Punjabi Aloo Samosa Owing to so much popularity that Samosa enjoys in the Indian sub-continent (literally you would get it at every nook-side sweet shop in the c

Bharwan Arbi Aloo ki Sabzi is a delicious dry masaledar sabzi, all packed with tantalizing flavors that go so well with rotis, chapatis and paranthas on the side. One of my most favorite side dishes, it is made by stuffing arbi (or colocacia/taro root) and potatoes with a flavorful and piquant spice powder. The stuffed vegetables are then sauteed to a crisp outer texture and a soft interior. Often I include stuffed brinjals/eggplants too in this sabzi, but, since I was out of stock of them, I skipped the brinjals and just made it with potatoes and arbi. Trust me, if you are looking for a unique and different style of stuffed veggies to go with your meals, try this combination and I promise, it will get regular at your homes. Bharwan Arbi Aloo ki Sabzi  INGREDIENTS Arbi/Taro Root - 250 grams Medium size potatoes - 3 to 4 Salt - to taste Red chili powder - 2 tsp Amchoor powder - 2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Zeera powder - 1 tsp Haldi powder - 1/4 tsp S

Loaded with some tantalizing flavors, Tawa Pulao is a delicious and popular recipe from western parts of India, particularly Maharashtra. A wholesome and delectable meal, it finds its origin in the streets of Mumbai; it is said that a couple of decades back, a Pav Bhaji vendor curated this wonderful recipe to put his leftover Bhaji gravy to use. He just added some already cooked rice in the gravy and lo! this beautiful, aromatic and spicy pulao recipe was created, which today, counts amongst the most popular Mumbai Street Food delicacies. And since it is cooked on the same tawa or griddle where Bhaji is cooked, it got its name as the "Tawa Pulao" .  So, ideally this tawa pulao has an already prepared gravy to put to use, however, if we want to relish its tongue-tickling flavors, we can easily prepare it from scratch at our homes. All we need is few basic pantry ingredients along with the most essential, PAV BHAJI MASALA and we are good to go. So, what are waiting

Poha in Marathi language means flattened or beaten rice, Kanda means onions and batata refers to potatoes, hence its the flattened rice made along with potatoes and onions. Not to mention, it is one of the most famous and delicious breakfast recipes from the Maharashtrian cuisine. Often, it is also made as a quick snack recipe good to enjoy with tea in the evening. Frankly telling, I have grown up having poha in the breakfast apart from other delectable delicacies like SPROUTED MOONG DAL DOSA , IDLI, MEDU VADA, OATS & VEGGIE APPE and sometimes the yummilicious AMRITSARI ALOO KULCHAS or crisp pooris along with spicy  MATHURA KE DUBKI WALE ALOO . I have made this poha recipe with both onions and potatoes, however, if you wish, you can omit the potatoes and just add onions, which would make it to be called as Kanda Poha. Maharashtrian Kanda Batata Poha Recipe FEW TIPS FOR MAKING POHA For the best poha, ensure you are using the thicker variety of pohe. The

Well, Dosa is one of my most favorite South Indian dishes that I can hog on in all three meals of the day. With that said, the actual dosa recipe which calls for fermenting the urad dal and rice batter is such a tedious and laborious job that needs a lot of patience as well as planning. Plus, because it has the major portion of it comprising of rice, I do not prefer having it every other day. Now, because I love dosa and yet cant have the normal version frequently, I recently tried this instant sprouted moong dal dosa, which was so easy to make and required no fermentation. And yes, it didn't even require the use of rice. So what is that one thing which lends this healthy recipe that much needed crispiness?. Well, its none other than the barnyard millet also locally known as Sama, Samai and Samak ke Chawal. Trust me, adding a little of these tiny pearls give the dosa such a nice texture and crispiness, that too without any fermentation. Try it the next time you are planni

Have you ever walked down the streets of Old Delhi in peak winters and noticed the thela walas (small mobile stalls) selling the steaming hot chaat of shakarkandi? The cubed sweet potatoes charred on coal and loaded with a perfect blend of tang and spice with all that rustic charred flavors to add on the taste, are a true delight for every chaat lover in India. As winters are approaching and markets are flooded with sweet potatoes, there could be no better time to get few home and indulge in this lap-smacking chaat right in the comfort of home. Not to mention, I added my own twist to this chaat and served it on skewers. Also, charred it over direct flame for that added smokiness and rustic flavors to make it taste similar to the one sold on the Old Delhi streets. If by chance, you too are giving it a try and don't want to go in all the hassle of skewering it up, just go ahead the normal way and serve it in bowls or the traditional donas, and you are sure to have a tongue-t

Arbi ke Patrode as called in Hindi, Patra in Gujarati and Alu Vadi in Marathi, whatever you name them, these colocasia fritters make for an uber delicious snack to be munched anytime of the day. The vegan, gluten free and  savory fritters are made using leaves of colocasia or taro root, which are smeared with a thick gramflour batter, stacked on top of each other, rolled, steamed and finally tempered with aromatic spices like mustard seeds, curry leaves and white sesame seeds. Arbi ke Patrode Recipe | Patra Recipe | Alu Vadi Recipe | Colocasia Leaves Fritters Please note that colocasia leaves or arbi ke patte are mostly available during the monsoon season . And don't you think that perfectly adds to the monsoon fun leaving you with yet another beautiful variant of fritters to enjoy with that hop cup of evening tea, while simultaneously soaking your soul in the lovely weather and pitter patter of the rain drops pouring in the balcony?  I am sure by now, you