Anshu's Food Odyssey

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase through them, helping me retain and maintain this blog. Punjabi Kala Chana Masala is a popular recipe from North India . Healthy, delicious and vegan, it is made with black chickpeas that are soaked overnight, boiled the next morning and thereafter simmered in a delectable onion-tomato gravy. Served with plain steamed rice, it makes for a hearty and comforting meal.     Growing up, making this delicious  curry recipe  was   a kind of every Saturday affair at our home because of its black color (as per Hindu mythological legends, black is the color of Shani Dev and since Saturday is the day of Shani Dev, making something black in food is considered auspicious.... and besides our home, if you go to any Punjabi household on a Saturday, there are 90% chances that you would get this Kala Chana Masala

Kadhi is a popular delicacy from the Indian cuisine that is made using gram flour and yogurt as a base. Having said that, the recipe of this luscious and beautiful curry differs from region to region and from every household to household. Coming from the Punjabi family, for us, Kadhi Pakoda has always meant a sour and spicy kadhi, which essentially has the soft onion or palak/spinach fritters dunked into the luscious gramflour-yogurt gravy. And I guess, most of the Punjabi households make the kadhi in a similar manner...  However, if you have ever had kadhi at a dhaba or a street-side restaurant, you would have noticed that the pakodas added in the kadhi doesn't make use of onions, spinach or any other vegetable.  The pakodas are more like phulkis (plain and soft gramflour dumplings), which are spiced with just a handful of spices and some ginger for the rustic flavor. Despite of that the kadhi is simply delectable and the spicy tadka with whole lots of crushed dhaniya seeds ma

Paneer Makhani or Paneer Makhanwala is a famous Mughlai inspired preparation wherein soft cottage cheese cubes are dunked in a creamy, luscious and delicious tomato based gravy that is subtly spiced with red chili powder and garam masala. Many a times, paneer makhani is equated with shahi paneer and paneer butter masala , however, there are few considerable differences between these three preparations. As far as Paneer Makhani is concerned, the gravy of this soulful recipe is made using just tomatoes and few whole spices. Shahi Paneer, as the name suggests, is more of a royal preparation and involves use of cashews and almonds along with tomatoes while making its gravy. Lastly, Paneer Butter Masala also uses onions along with nuts and tomato in the gravy. So, I am sure, now you have a high level idea of difference between all these paneer family cousins. I have made this Paneer Makhani with my utterly favorite and delicious Makhani Gravy Base that I normally keep stored in my

Chholey Palak , Chane Palak , Saag Chholey or the Spinach and Chickpea Curry is a delectable North Indian Recipe that is seasoned with some freshly ground fragrant spices, making it oh so flavorful and yummilicious. This beautiful curry makes for a perfect treat to be served on special occasions and dinner parties along with aromatic zeera rice, garlic naan or lachcha parantha on the side. It pairs really well with some crisp pooris too. Not to mention, chholey palak is packed with whole lots of nutrition and goodness of spinach, making it an ideal meal to be served to kids as well. You may notice that this recipe is bit lengthy so, to ease my job, I often keep a batch of blanched and frozen spinach puree stored in my refrigerator. Trust me, the frozen puree provides me with all the convenience and flexibility of using it anytime in any recipe that I wish to, be it PALAK PANEER , ARBI PALAK MASALA or PALAK CHICKEN. You may also go ahead and store the puree frozen; and I

Being hardcore Punjabis, Chholey is something we have grown up eating. I remember, my mom would prepare them at least twice a month and just in case, there was a party or get-together planned, menu was absolutely incomplete without these delicious finger licking curried chickpeas that were either served with pooris or the Punjabi quintessential “bhaturas”.  Chholey is one delicacy that is made in different ways across the Indian households. Amongst all the varieties available, " Amritsari Chholey " are undoubtedly the best and obviously the most popular. A bit spicy and tangy oozing with lip smacking flavours, they make for an irresistible treat, especially on a comforting weekend afternoon. Pair them with a glass of buttermilk and you are certainly gone in the state of coma (well not literally 😂😂 ) for couple of hours...frankly speaking a good relaxing sleep is actually what I need after lunch on holidays to reenergise myself...so Chholey Bhaturey and Lassi is for su

One of the most popular dishes from Northern India , Palak Paneer counts no less than an exotic curry, truly making for a healthy yet delicious accompaniment to any Indian style flat bread like Naan, Parantha or even plain rice. Every household follows its own recipe to make this delectable curry, the one I am going to share today is a pure homestyle one with no addition of cream or cashew paste (although you are free to add the same to make it more creamier and richer). One thing more, I like to have my spinach sauce a bit tangy, so, I have used a good amount of tomatoes for its tempering. For those who like the gravy plain and simple, can just reduce the quantity of tomatoes to half. Now moving on to the ingredients and recipe.....    Palak Paneer | Cottage Cheese in Spiced Spinach Sauce Ingredients Washed and roughly chopped spinach - 6 cups Paneer cubes (preferably homemade) - 1 cup Garlic cloves (chopped) - 4 to 5 Ginger (chopped) - 1/2 inch Onions (finely

Kerala , besides being one of the most scenically blessed places in India, is also considered the land of culinary heritage . The never-ending coastline of this exotic state is bestowed with nature's culinary treasures that include but, are not limited to tall groves of coconut, palm and jackfruit....and that is one of the primary reasons coconut oil, coconut cream and coconut milk make for an indispensable part of the Malayali cuisine. Besides, an extensive network of this serene coastal region also produces fish and other seafood in abundance, which needless to say, contributes to the staple gastronomic scene of Kerala. When talking about Kerala, how can I forget mentioning about the state's opulence in spices and herbs: cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, cloves and turmeric, have been some of the extensively grown spices here since ancient times. Therefore, the heat in food of Kerala is kind of self-explanatory. Having said that, I would also like to mention her

Rajasthani Gatte ki Sabzi has always been one of my favorites since childhood; but, truly speaking I was never aware of the stuffed gatta curry until I started food blogging and in my quest to come up with new dishes every other day, I came across this delectable curry recipe which has now kind of become one of the most demanded dishes in my home, especially on weekends and holidays. Not to exaggerate, the soft and melt-in-mouth cheese & nuts stuffed gram-flour dumplings immersed in a curry bursting with tongue-tickling flavors, absolutely makes for a divine meal on a balmy winter afternoon....and if it is accompanied with other winter delights like ' Gajar Shalgam ka Achaar ' and ' Kali Gajar ki Kanji ', then your day is completely sorted. So, without wasting any time further, lets quickly get started with the recipe . Govind Gatta Curry Ingredients For Gatte Besan (Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour) - 1 cup Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp + for frying Curd/Yog