Anshu's Food Odyssey

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...

Idli is one the most popular breakfast options across India. While traditionally, it is made with fermented rice and lentil batter, now-a-days many instant idli variations made with healthy grains are getting popular too. Some of them include the instant oats idli, rava idli and ragi idli. You can find the oats and rava idli on my blog and I make them quite often, however, this time I thought of making the idli with daliya or the broken wheat and to my utter happiness, it came out absolutely perfect and spongy. If you too are looking for instant and healthy breakfast options to try, then I must say, this is the recipe you must go for. Instant Daliya Idli | How to Make Daliya Idli | Healthy Daliya Idli INGREDIENTS (makes 10 to 12 idlis) Daliya/ Broken Wheat - 1 cup Thick yogurt - 1/2 cup Water - about 1 cup Finely chopped green chilies - 1 tsp Finely chopped coriander - 1/4 cup Broken cashews - 8 to 10 Chana dal - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp + grease idli mou...

Mango Mastani happens to be one of the most popular street foods of Pune, Maharashtra . Come mango season and you will find this soul-soothing beverage at every ice-cream parlor and cold-drink joint across the city. Basically, a thick milkshake, made with fresh mango pulp, chilled milk and huge scoops of vanilla ice-cream topped with all those dried nuts, candied fruits and glazed cherries, it is definitely a treat to your taste buds and off-course, a huge respite from the blazing sun in hot Indian summers. It is said that Mastani, the beautiful warrior princess of Bundelkhand and the love interest of legendary Peshwa ruler, Bajirao, was an ardent lover of mangoes; and this drink was invented as a tribute to her culinary taste buds. If you happen to visit Pune, do not forget to try this wonderful drink at two of the city's most famous Mastani joints: Sujata Mastani and Gujjar Cold Drinks. BTW, in these pandemic times, till the time you ...

Chettinad Baby Potato Roast is a spicy and flavorful side dish that is quite popular across the region of Chettinad in the Tamil Nadu state of India. As the name suggests, the dish is made using baby potatoes which are smeared in a freshly ground spice mix imparting it a very flavorful, aromatic and rustic taste. If you are looking to add a new and delicious dry potato sabzi to your menu, then I must say, this is a recipe must try. For the best combo, pair it with some rice appam, dosa or a Malabar parotta. It goes amazingly well with a plain Punjabi parantha too. Spicy Chettinad Baby Potato Roast INGREDIENTS Baby potatoes - 250 grams Finely chopped onion - 1, small size Very finely chopped ginger - 1 inch Very finely chopped garlic - 4 to 5 cloves Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Split urad dal - 1/2 tsp Chana dal - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - 8 to 10 Salt - to taste Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp Refined vegetable...

Idli is one of the healthiest Indian breakfast options by far. These soft, pillowy and melt-in-mouth lentil cakes are traditionally made by fermenting rice and urad dal batter overnight; however, the entire process could be quite cumbersome and involves a little amount of planning ahead. Therefore, instant versions of idlis come very handy when you want to have something quick and yet wholesome and healthy in the breakfast . And especially when it comes to me, I am a big fan of instant recipes, be it instant sprouted moong dal dosa , instant rava & oats idli or instant dhokla , you would find me making these items very frequently as they are not only very quick to make and save you a hell lot of time in the kitchen but, at the same time are quite tasty as well as wholesome. Moong Dal Idli Recipe | How to Make Moong Dal Idli Talking about the instant moong dal idli , as I said it is a very quick and easy recipe and doesn't require an...

Creamy, tasty and amazingly flavorful, Andhra Style Peanut Chutney is a perfect side for South Indian breakfast like idli, dosa, vada, upma or even sambar rice. As the name suggests, it is primarily made with peanuts, however, a few basic pantry ingredients like garlic, onions and tomatoes also go in it, which make this chutney quite unique and different from the regular chutneys you normally see being served in many regions of South India. Andhra Style Peanut Chutney | Palli Chutney If you have been following my blog, you would have noticed how much I love chutneys, especially with the South Indian meals . Not to mention, the Coconut Chana Dal Chutney has always been my favorite, but there are times, when we don't get fresh coconut so easily. And this has now kind of become a new normal these days ever since the lockdown started; truly speaking, availability of such exotic items has now become really scarce especially in the North. And therefore, I have shifted ...