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Showing posts from January, 2018

Celebrating World Nutella Day - Nutella and Almond Biscotti

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Every year, February 5th is celebrated as the World Nutella Day . On this day, Nutella fans across the globe share their recipes, pictures and messages over social media, expressing their love for this delectable and luscious chocolate-hazelnut spread that is manufactured by the world renowned Italian company Ferrero. As I had a bottle of Nutella lying in my pantry, so this year I also thought of being part of the celebrations by making these delicious biscotti which are fully loaded with the awesomeness of Nutella and truly make for an addictable accompaniment with a cup of hot coffee. Recipe is quite easy and simple with only a handful of ingredients required; do try and let me know how it turned out for you.      Other Similar Recipes You May Like from the Blog Crispy Nutella & Chocolate Chip Cookies Vanilla & Chocolate Chips Biscotti Nutella Almond Biscotti Ingredients Unsalted Butter (room temperature) - 1/4 cup Nutella - 1/4 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup Vanill

Kale Chane ki Kadhi | Black Bengal Gram - Yogurt Stew | [No Onion - No Garlic Recipe]

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It's kind of a custom at our home to make kale chane every Saturday. While most of the time I go for their dry version aka the sookhey kale chane that are also prepared on Ashtami, there are times when I try cooking them in different ways. One such experiment was this " Kale Chane Ki Kadhi " which authentically comes from the "Land of the Golden Sun" - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Boiled black chickpeas simmered in a yogurt & gramflour based curry, simply make for a delightful and lip-smacking side dish that goes really well with steamed rice and even plain chapati. Typically, curry leaves are not used in this dish but since I love the flavor of these aromatic leaves, I have used them in tempering. For those who wish to keep the authenticity of this recipe intact, may skip using them. Also, you would notice that the color of my kadhi has a blackish tinge; that is because I have added boiled chana water to adjust its consistency. You may simply add the plain wat

Sookhey Kale Chaney | Dry Indian Spiced Black Bengal Gram - Guest Post for Paarul'z Kitchen

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First of all I would like to thank Paarul for having invited me to her lovely space to share one of the recipes that I am passionate about; sookhey kale chane is one such delicacy that is close to my heart and comes from my Mum’s kitchen treasures. Hope you like it. Kale Chane or the dried black Bengal gram make for a rich source of protein, dietary fibre and folic acid, some essential nutrients that need to be part of your kids’ dietary routine. Having a low glycaemic index, they are also perfect for those suffering with diabetes as they help control and maintain the blood sugar level. Plus, for the ones who are looking to shed those few extra kilos, try making these legumes a part of your daily diet and you surely would see the results in just a few days. Coming to the recipes that you can make with dried black Bengal gram, I must say they are unlimited, especially in India because every region has its own way and style of cooking them. The recipe that I am going to share tod

Crispy Semolina Puri for Pani Puri | Sooji ke Gol Gappe (Batashe)

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My husband is madly fond of Golgappas / Pani Puri (Indian spiced water balls) and here in Singapore, we do not get them so easily. A few months back we got a phone number of one aunty who makes the puris for golgappas on order, so, we tried getting a batch from her. Though they were crisp, we were still sort of unsatisfied because of a weird smell that emanated out of the golgappas. It was after this event that I thought of making the puris myself; watched a lot of videos on Youtube and tried an endless number of recipes but never got a success. Luckily my mother-in-law was here with us the last month and knowing her excellent culinary capabilities, I was sure she would be able to help me out perfecting the recipe...and lo ! here I was with these amazingly crisp and crunchy puris that my husband enjoyed to his heart's content.    You would notice my puris have cut-out edges, that is because I could not find a round cookie cutter and therefore cut them using a cut-out edged cooki

South Indian Coconut & Curry Leaves Chutney

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South Indian cuisine is simply incomplete without the coconut chutney on the side. A creamy texture with a hint of natural sweetness and a little sharpness from green chilies, makes it an absolute delight that pairs up so well with dishes like idli, dosa, uttapam, vada or even upma . Personally I love having this chutney with SOUTH INDIAN LEMON RICE and APPE . Having said that, eating the same style chutney every time can make it a little boring and therefore, adding a small variation always helps getting away from that run-of-the-mill routine. I often give this simple chutney a little twist by occasionally adding chana dal or roasted peanuts (whichever of them is readily available at that point of time). Not only these minor additions lend the chutney with some great flavors but also improve its texture to a great extent. However, just in case, I have nothing available in my pantry to add to it, I simply pluck a few curry leaves in my garden and churn it with the coconut in the

Vegetable Vermicelli Upma | Vermicelli Pulav | Namkeen Seviyaan

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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 and health

Dates and Almond Milk | Khajoor aur Badaam ka Doodh

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In chilled weather, when you are down with fever, flu, and body ache, all you need is a drink that not only gives you warmth and comfort but also, that much needed energy and strength to recover at a faster pace. This dates and almond milk is one such magic potion that is sure to leave you completely revitalized in just a day or two. A tried and tested recipe that my Mum used to make for us every winters, it tastes simply delicious and needless to say, can be had even on normal days when you are absolutely fit and fine. Without wasting anytime, let's go through the detailed recipe below which is quite simple and can be made with only a handful of ingredients. Also, I have added only almonds in this milk, one can also go ahead and make it richer by adding other nuts of their choice. Dates and Almond Milk | Khajoor aur Badaam ka Doodh Ingredients (yields about 3 cups) Milk - 4.5 cups Dates (pitted and chopped) - 12 to 15 Almonds - 10 to 12 Dates and

Crispy Nutella & Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I love to have my coffee or tea with some home-baked cookies or biscuits; as soon as one lot is about to get finished, the next lot is up and ready to go in my cookie jar... for instance, its been only about a week that I baked the delicious Thumbprint Cookies filled with Chocolate Sauce , and now as only a couple of them are left, I am all set with these  Nutella & Chocolate Chip Cookies . Loaded with a rich flavor and texture, these cookies are absolutely decadent and certainly make for an addictive stuff; I promise, you wont be able stop your hands at just one. Also, the recipe is quite simple with only a few basic ingredients needed along with some Nutella offcourse... one thing more, I like to have my cookies crisp so I have baked them for around 13 minutes. For those who prefer their cookies to have a chewy core, can go ahead and bake them for just around 8 to 9 minutes. As these are quite on a sweeter side, you can also sprinkle them with some sea salt before baking, just t

Homemade Pizza & Pasta Sauce

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Me and my husband are a great fan of Italian food; be it pizza or pasta, we have to have one of these two at least twice a month...and since the time I have perfected myself in making the pizza dough at home, this frequency has increased even more. Besides the dough, what elevates my pizza and pasta a notch higher in taste is my homemade sauce that I make with red ripe tomatoes, adding to it, just a hint of freshly plucked basil and dried oregano that makes it all the more aromatic and flavorful. Not to exaggerate, I simply have no words to describe how amazing my kitchen smells whenever I am baking pizza or cooking pasta using this beautiful sauce. Here's the recipe of the same, you can make it in a big batch and refrigerate or freeze as per your convenience. When refrigerating, it would last for about a week whereas when freezing, it can be used up to a month.    Homemade Pizza & Pasta Sauce Ingredients Red ripe tomatoes (chopped, medium sized) - 4 to 5 Onion (medi

Rajasthani Besan Gatta Curry | Besan Gatte ki Sabzi | Gram Flour Dumplings in Spicy-Tangy Tomato & Yogurt based Sauce

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Besan ke Gatte is by far one of the most loved recipes at my home. A typical Rajasthani delicacy, this curry is much versatile and every household has its own way of making it; while the dumplings are essentially made using gram flour, the base of the curry can always differ - few people like just a yogurt based gravy while others tend to have a spicy yogurt and tomato based sauce. Today, I am here with the recipe of latter one, but would also share the recipe of Gatta Curry in just the Yogurt Based Gravy sometime very soon. I also posted the recipe of Stuffed Gatta Curry a month back; if you wish, you can also take a look at the same by clicking on the link.      Rajasthani Besan Gatta Curry Ingredients For Gatte Besan (Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour) - 1 cup Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp Curd/Yogurt - 2 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Crushed coriander seeds - 1 tsp Salt - as per taste Red chili powder - 1 tsp Ajwain (carom seeds) - 1/2 tsp Kasoori Methi powder - 1