Anshu's Food Odyssey

Bharwa Shimla Mirch or Stuffed Capsicum is a delicious Indian side dish made by stuffing green bellpeppers with a spicy potato filling, which are then cooked further until completely done. A Punjabi style recipe, it makes for a comforting dish to complete your meals.  Though traditionally, this recipe is made using green peppers, if you want to add some color to your plate, you can definitely go and use the colored bellpeppers as well. Also, the slitting style of the peppers varies across different homes in India, I have grown up watching the capsicums to be halved lengthwise at my home, so I do it the same way. If you wish, you can just chop off the head of the capsicum and stuff the entire pepper; whatever way you like. Bharwa Shimla Mirch | Stuffed Capsicum Recipe INGREDIENTS Green capsicums - 3 to 4 Boiled and mashed potatoes, medium sized - 4 to 5 Finely chopped green chilies - 2 tsp Finely chopped ginger - 2 tsp Crushed dhaniya seeds - 1 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Fennel...

Litchi Rose Agua Fresca  is a refreshing and cooling summer drink infused with beautiful flavors of litchi fruit and rose.  If you have been reading through my blog, you must be well aware that litchi is my favorite summer fruit. As it gets available for only a short duration of time, I try to make most of it majorly by experimenting with it in different drinks and coolers. Some of the refreshing drinks that I have made using litchi in past include LITCHI LEMONADE , LITCHI AND CHERRY LEMONADE and LITCHI & COCONUT LEMONADE . This Litchi & Rose Agua Fresca is yet another of my experiments and it came out absolutely amazing. If you too are a litchi lover like me, then this recipe is a keeper. Do try!  Litchi Rose Agua Fresca INGREDIENTS (Serves 2 to 3) Litchi - 18 to 20 Sugar - 1/4 cup Water - 1/2 cup Rose syrup - 4 to 5 tbsp Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Quantities of sugar and rose syrup can be adjusted according to your sweet preference. Litchi Rose A...

Sondesh is one of the most popular Bengali sweets/ desserts made using fresh chhena (soft cottage cheese). It can be flavored with plain simple cardamom, saffron or even rose. Since its the summer season going on and mangoes are in abundance, I thought of flavoring it with these delicious stone fruits. Trust me these Mango Sondesh turned out absolutely heavenly and amazing. Do try the recipe once.  Mango Sondesh Recipe | Mango Sandesh Recipe INGREDIENTS Full fat milk - 1 liter White vinegar or lemon juice - 2 tbsp, diluted in 1/4 cup water Mango puree - 1 cup Fresh cream (I used Amul) - 1/4 cup Ghee - 1 tsp Sugar - 6 tbsp Mango Sondesh Recipe | Mango Sandesh Recipe Mango Sondesh Recipe | Mango Sandesh Recipe METHOD Line a strainer/ mesh with a cheese/ muslin cloth. Place a big bowl underneath the strainer. Bring the milk to a boil. Switch off the heat and let it cool down for 5 minutes. Start adding the diluted vinegar or lemon juice, whatever you are u...

Chicken Yakhni or Murgh Yakhni is a flavorful chicken dish from the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India. The recipe is quite simple and calls for chicken pieces to be cooked in a yogurt sauce spiced with just a handful of Kashmiri aromatic spices like fennel and dried ginger. An easy peasy dish that requires just a few basic pantry ingredients, it can be enjoyed with a bowl of steamed rice or any bread of your choice. I served it with my Homemade Restaurant Style Butter Garlic Naan along with some salad on the side. Kashmiri Style Chicken Yakhni | Yakhni Chicken Recipe INGREDIENTS Chicken with bone (curry cut pieces) - 750 grams Curd (at room temperature) - 200 to 250 grams Birista (golden fried onions) - 1/2 cup Mustard oil - 1/2 cup Garlic paste - 2 tsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Black cardamom - 2 Green cardamom - 3 Black pepper corns - 4 to 5 Cloves - 4 to 5 Dried ginger powder - 1 tbsp Fennel powder - 1 tbsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Dried mint powder - 1 tbsp Kashmir...

Loaded with the sweetness of ripe mangoes and a refreshing tartness from lemons, Mango Lemonade is a perfect drink to instantly rejuvenate you on a hot summer day. I have added to it, some mild spices like chaat masala and rock salt too to elevate its taste, if you wish, you can skip adding these and just make the plain mango lemonade; that will taste equally good. If you are looking for some refreshing summer drinks , do check out my HOMEMADE MANGO FROOTI , RAW MANGO & JAGGERY PANNA , LITCHI LEMONADE , LYCHEE COCONUT LEMONADE and MANGO ICED TEA recipes too. Easy Homemade Mango Lemonade Easy Homemade Mango Lemonade INGREDIENTS (Serves 2 to 3) Chopped ripe mangoes - 1 cup Lemon juice - 1/4 cup Sugar - 1/4 cup or according to your sweet preference Water - approx. 3 cups Chaat Masala, optional - 1 tsp Black salt/ rock salt, optional - 1/2 tsp Black pepper powder, optional - a pinch Few mint or basil leaves - for garnishing Easy Homemade Mango Lemonade ...

Chana Madra is one of the most popular and delicious recipes from the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. A very simple recipe that is made using white chickpeas or Kabuli Chana that are cooked in a mildly spiced yogurt sauce, it is an inseparable part of the Himachali Dham or the quintessential Himachali Thali.  Now talking about Dham , it is essentially a satvik vegetarian thali/ meal that comprises of about 8 to 10 dishes cooked without onion and garlic. This thali is an integral part of every Himachali festivity and celebration, be it a wedding, a birthday function, or just a small religious gathering; the locals gather at a place, sit down and enjoy this dham served in pattals or plates made using dried leaves.  It is said that the history of Himachali Dham can be traced to the reign of King Jaistambh of Chamba, who was so fascinated by the Kashmiri Wazwan cuisine that he ordered his botis (the brahmin cooks) to cook and serve a similar spread but, pure vegetarian a...

"Aam ka Panna" or "Kairi ka Panna" is a popular Indian summer drink made using raw mangoes, which is flavored with fresh mint and a subtle hint of spices. This drink is quite healthy, not only known for its cooling properties but also for its digestive health benefits. Coming to the recipe, aam panna is made in several different ways with every household having its own recipe. While some families make this traditional thirst quencher by roasting the raw mangoes while many households follow the age-old way of boiling the raw mangoes and then blending the pulp with handful of mint leaves, sugar and spices. What I am sharing with you today, is my family's heirloom recipe with some little modifications for all the ease and convenience; just for example, along with raw mangoes, I have also used one ripe mango which gives it a beautiful flavor. Also, rather than boiling whole mangoes, I have peeled and cubed the mangoes before boiling which makes the entire proce...