Anshu's Food Odyssey

"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

Summers are here and for us, that means the kulfi season is full on. So, presenting to you my first kulfi of the season, the most easiest, simplest and creamiest Mawa Malai Matka Kulfi that needs just a handful of basic pantry ingredients! If you don't have the matkis, don't worry...just freeze them in any kulfi mould or a container that you may have and you are good to go....let's begin with the ingredients and then the recipe. Easiest and Creamiest Mawa Malai Matka Kulfi Easiest and Creamiest Mawa Malai Matka Kulfi INGREDIENTS Full fat milk - 1 liter Mawa (dried milk solids) - 1/4 cup Fresh cream - 2 tbsp Condensed milk - 200 grams or as per your sweet preference Elaichi (cardamom) powder - 1 tsp Almond and pistachio flakes, optional - for garnishing NOTE: You can flavour this basic kulfi mixture with any fruit pulp of your choice such as mango, chiku, sitaphal etc. Just make sure, you add the fruit puree once the mixture has cooled down to room tempe

Summers are here and what we crave for most is for some creamy, chilled and mildly sweetened desserts that are super delicious yet very light on the palette. If you too are on the same boat as us then this shreekhand or shrikhand  recipe flavored with a hint of rose water and elaichi (cardamom) is surely gonna be a keeper for you guys. Do try it out! Rose Elaichi Shrikhand INGREDIENTS Curd/ Yogurt - 1 kg Powdered sugar - approx. 3/4 cup Edible Rose water - 1 tbsp Fresh cream - 2 to 3 tbsp Milk - 2 tbsp or as needed Elaichi (cardamom) powder - 1/2 tsp Rose Elaichi Shrikhand Rose Elaichi Shrikhand METHOD Take a bowl and place a nice big strainer over it. Cover the strainer with a muslin or cheese cloth. Pour all the yogurt over the muslin cloth. Gather the sides of the cloth and squeeze a little so that all the water drips out from the curd. Keep this hung yogurt (as is with the strainer and the bowl underneath) overnight in the fridge. In this process, a

Chicken Keema Matar Masala is a spicy and flavorful curry that goes perfectly well with various Indian breads like naan, paratha, roomali roti or even a simple plain chapati. Serve in your parties, get togethers, potlucks or enjoy as a hearty everyday meal; needless to say, this side dish is sure to come out as a winner every single time.  P.S. - Authentically, Keema Matar Masala is made with mutton mince, however, since we are not much into red meats, I usually cook it with chicken mince and it comes out as flavorful as the mutton one. If you wish, please feel free make this curry using mutton mince; the only thing you need to take care of is to cook the mince for a little longer time.     ALSO CHECK OUT CHICKEN RARA INGREDIENTS Chicken Keema (Mince) - 300 grams Finely chopped onions - 2, medium size Finely chopped ginger - 1 tsp Finely chopped garlic - 6 to 8 cloves Tomato puree - 1/2 cup Fresh

Khichdi is a wholesome and delicious one pot meal recipe that is made with rice, lentils and often few vegetables. Light on the palette, it is easy to digest and can be made just under 30 minutes. If you are looking for an easy meal preparation that is also loaded with all the nutrition, Khichdi, undoubtedly is a right fit. Having said that, while many-a-times, it is made using dhuli (split yellow) moong dal, I prefer mine to be made with the chhilka (split green) moong dal. Also, it can either be made plain or with an array of seasonal veggies, which further makes it tastier, nutritious and wholesome. Pair it with some yogurt, papad or pickle to make it even more comforting. The recipe is gluten-free and can also be made vegan by replacing ghee with oil. Without wasting any time further, let's scroll down for the recipe of khichdi below. CHHILKA MOONG DAL KHICHDI | INDIAN RICE & LENTIL PORRIDGE INGREDIENTS Rice - 1/2 cup Split green moong dal - 3

Well, Dosa is one of my most favorite South Indian dishes that I can hog on in all three meals of the day. With that said, the actual dosa recipe which calls for fermenting the urad dal and rice batter is such a tedious and laborious job that needs a lot of patience as well as planning. Plus, because it has the major portion of it comprising of rice, I do not prefer having it every other day. Now, because I love dosa and yet cant have the normal version frequently, I recently tried this instant sprouted moong dal dosa, which was so easy to make and required no fermentation. And yes, it didn't even require the use of rice. So what is that one thing which lends this healthy recipe that much needed crispiness?. Well, its none other than the barnyard millet also locally known as Sama, Samai and Samak ke Chawal. Trust me, adding a little of these tiny pearls give the dosa such a nice texture and crispiness, that too without any fermentation. Try it the next time you are planni

Palak Chicken or Chicken Saagwala is a popular North Indian recipe made with chicken smeared in a subtly flavored spinach gravy or sauce, which is semi-thick in texture. One of the popular dishes on the menu at many Indian restaurants, it is not only healthy (because of the greens) but, also quite delicious that goes well with plain chapati, naan or lachcha parantha on the side. Palak Chicken | Saag Murgh | Saag wala Murgh "Saag" in Punjabi refers to all leafy greens - be it spinach, sarson (mustard greens), bathua or methi. Since, this recipe is made using fresh spinach, it came to be called as saagwala chicken or palak chicken and is one of the authentic piques from the Punjabi cuisine. And since it is loaded with the goodness of these greens, let me tell you, its a great dish to feed those picky eaters...awesome! isn't it? INGREDIENTS Chicken on bone - 1/2 kg. Please don't go for boneless chicken for this recipe as it's also th

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

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