Anshu's Food Odyssey

Spiced Apple and Plum Ice Tea Ingredients Apples - 2 Plums (medium size) - 6 to 8 Water - 4 cups Tea leaves - 2 tsp Star Anise - 2 Honey - 3 to 4 tbsp Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp Spiced Apple and Plum Ice Tea Method First, chop the plums and apples into bite size pieces. Discard the pits. In a sauce pan, add these chunks along with 1 cup of water and 1 star anise. Cook on low flame for about 15 minutes or until apples are softened completely. Keep stirring and mashing the fruit chunks in between with the back of spatula. Strain the fruit mix through a fine mesh. Press hard so that you get the maximum juice and pulp of the mixture. Mix in the lemon juice. Chill this sauce for 3 to 4 hours. Again in a saucepan, bring 4 cups of water along with star anise to a rolling boil. Switch the flame off and add tea leaves. Let them seep in for 2 to 3 minutes after which strain the water. Chill this tea water separately. To make the iced t

Basundi is a sweet thickened milk flavored with cardamom, saffron and nuts. It's a popular Gujarati dessert that is primarily made on special occasions and festivities. People from Northern parts of India can relate this delicious sweet to the much famous Rabri, only difference being the latter one much thicker and creamier in consistency. I had been thinking of trying this recipe for quite long, and the eve of Karva Chauth came as a perfect occasion. Usually, I make kheer and feniya for SARGI (the pre-fasting meal savored before the sun-rise on the day of Karva Chauth), this time I skipped making kheer and made this easy-peasy yet so delightful and flavorful Basundi. Trust me, it came out as a wonderful sweet treat ever. Please scroll down below for the recipe. Basundi - Thickened Sweetened Milk with Nuts Ingredients Full fat milk - 1 litre Sugar - 4 to 5 tbsp Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Powdered assorted nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios) - 2 to 3 tbsp

Gobhi aur Hare Chane ka Pulav Ingredients Long grain basmati rice - 1 cup Melted ghee/oil - 3 tbsp Onions (medium, finely sliced) - 2 Ginger (juliennes) - 3 inch Garlic (finely sliced) - 6 to 8 cloves Tomatoes (medium, pureed) - 3 Chholiya/ Hara Chana/Green Gram - 1 cup Gobhi/cauliflower florets - 1 cup Laung (cloves) - 3 to 4 Jeera (cumin) - 2 tsp Tej patta (bay leaf) - 1 Javitri (mace) - 1/2 Dalchini (cinnamon) - 2 inch Moti elaichi (Black cardamom) - 1 Kali mirch (black pepper corns) - 1/2 tsp Salt - to taste Red chili powder - 2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Water - 2 cups  Gobhi aur Hare Chane ka Pulav Gobhi aur Hare Chane ka Pulav Method Thoroughly wash the rice and soak in water for half an hour. In a thick bottomed pan or kadai, heat the ghee/oil. Add in all the whole spices. Fry for a minute, then add sliced onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until onions turn a little golden brown in color. Add the cauliflowe

Strawberry Phirni Strawberry Phirni Ingredients For Phirni Full fat milk - 1 litre Rice (washed and soaked in water) - 4 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 cup For Strawberry Sauce Chopped strawberries - 1 cup Cornflour - 1/2 tbsp Sugar - 4 tbsp Water - 2 to 3 tbsp Strawberry Phirni Strawberry Phirni Method In a heavy bottomed pan, add strawberries along with water, sugar and cornflour. Simmer until sugar is dissolved and strawberries are softened. Mash the strawberries with the back of spatula. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until sauce is thickened. Set aside for later use. Drain the water and grind rice to a coarse mixture. It should resemble the texture of fine rava or sooji. In a thick bottomed saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Simmer the flame and let the milk reduce to 2/3rd of its quantity. Keep stirring the milk occasionally so that it doesn't stick to bottom and burn. Once the milk reduces, add the ground rice an

Aloo Kulcha is a popular bread recipe from the holy city of Amritsar in Punjab and hence, is prefixed with the word, "Amritsari". The flatbread stuffed with spicy filling of potatoes, is simply lip-smacking and is served with AMRITSARI CHOLLEY or DAL MAKHANI on the side. Traditionally, this leavened flatbread is made in earthen ovens (tandoor). However, since at homes tandoors are not available, I have cooked them on the stovetop. Also, instead of maida or the all-purpose flour, I have tried giving them a healthy twist by using whole wheat and all purpose flours in 1:1 ratio; plus there has been no use of yeast for leavening.  If you are looking for a special lunch on weekends, that too without going out to a restaurant, these Amritsari Kulchas make for a perfect choice. You can prepare the potato filling a day ahead to further reduce the time and effort. Not to mention, they are absolutely incomplete without a generous dose of butter smeared on them, so, do top the

Atte aur Gond ke Ladoo are one of the quintessential winter treats at our home. Made with whole wheat flour, edible gum and loads of nuts, they are incredibly healthy and provide for the much needed warmth and immunity during the winter months. Needless to say, they are an inseparable part of our daily diet every season and make for an instant energy booster that we take with a cup of warm milk every morning. Looking for the recipe?? scroll down below and get going.... You may also like... Besan ke Laddoo Gajar ka Halwa | Indian Carrot Pudding Khajoor aur Badaam ka Doodh | Dates and Almond Milk Khoya Paneer Gulab Jamun Atte aur Gond ke Ladoo | Whole Wheat & Edible Gum Truffles Ingredients Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups Semolina (sooji/rawa) - 1/2 cup Ghee (clarified butter) - 1 and 1/2 cups Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups Gond (edible gum) - 4 to 5 tbsp Chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, raisins) - 1/2 cup P.S. - I have added only a few nuts in these ladoos, yo

Come winters and farmers' markets are lined with a plenty of fresh greens like sarson (mustard greens), palak (spinach), methi (fenugreek) and bathua (amaranth). And there is one veggie that we Punjabis or more precisely the "Multani Punjabis" eagerly wait during the season, that is swanjana also known as "Sehjan ke Phool", "Moringa Flowers" or "Drumstick Flowers". Why I insisted on Multani Punjabis (Indian Punjabis ancestrally hailing from Multan, now in Pakistan) is because I have actually seen this vegetable made only in their homes; rarely have I come across people from other communities knowing about this utterly nutritious and healthy winter green. Pale white in color and quite bitter in taste, they are perfect for diabetics and those looking to shed few extra kilos. Plus, a regular consumption of these flowers help improve your immunity against cough and cold, which is quite common in winters. Coming to the recipe, it is made b