Anshu's Food Odyssey

Come summers and I eagerly wait for two of the most incredibly delicious fruits of the season: cherries and litchis. So colorful, juicy and flavorful, they have been my favorites since childhood. Though I love to eat them as is, being a foodie and off-course a food blogger , I also try to put them to use in different food preparations as well. For those who have been following my blog would know how much I love to play with different ingredients especially when it comes to drinks and beverages ; for instance my recipe of " Peach Pomegranate & Rose Agua Fresca " was the outcome of one such experiment. Not to exaggerate, it was truly loved by my family and friends; and believe me, it remained in great demand at our place for days..... But as you would agree, after a while, it tends to get a little boring, tasting the same old flavors every now and then. So, finally it was time for me to again come up with some new and interesting recipe that would help beat this sco

In this scorching summer heat, there's only one thing which keeps me going through the day and that is fresh homemade chilled drinks such as juices, mocktails and lassis (buttermilk). Well I agree that there's a considerable effort that goes in making everything fresh at home but then its worth all the hard work because at the end of the day you are not taking in something which is full of sugar, artificial colors and harmful preservatives. And yes! my family loves my fruity concoctions so I am even more motivated to treat them with something new and refreshing every other day. Last few days, I had mangoes pouring in my refrigerator. Like literally, whenever my husband or father-in-law went to the fruit market, they returned home with kilos of mangoes. If you have been following my blog you would remember how I put them to use - by making lassis, kulfis and popsicles. In a quest to experiment with a fruit other than mangoes, this time I requested them to also get about a

Mango season is at its peak and all I can think of is, making use of this king of fruits in almost any and every drink or dessert. Yesterday only I served these refreshing Mango Popsicles after dinner; so much loved by my family, they just vanished off the table in the blink of an eye. Next demand came for the fresh mango cake. Decided to make it today but at the last moment, our oven went for a toss...Phew!! Nevertheless, I had seen my mother bake the cakes in cooker in our childhood days, so came up with the idea of baking it without oven. Not a tough task, you just need to have heavy bottom aluminium pressure cooker handy. Next fill it up with some salt (about an inch level height), cover and heat for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium flame. Offcourse remove the gasket and weight before heating. Once the temperature inside the cooker is fairly hot, place the cake tray on top of a ring or a stand inside the cooker, again cover and let the cake bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Wha

As the mercury is soaring high, all one can want is some chilled juices, coolants and lemonades to keep hydrated through the day. Though lots of drinks, squashes and ice creams are available in the market these days, they are not only high in sugar levels but also contain excess of preservatives, artificial colors and flavors which are absolutely harmful for our health. Now the question is, how to get away from such unhealthy stuff. Well the simple answer is make them at home. I know it is quite an effort but at the end of the day its all worth the hard work put in because you certainly would be treating yourself and your family with a healthy, fresh, flavorful and preservative free food. For those who have been following my blog would know how much I love mangoes....since these sunshine beauties are available in abundance in summers, I like to make most of the opportunity. In the past, I have used them in quite a number of desserts and drinks including those of  Mango Lassi , Man

Today evening my taste buds were craving for some Italian flavors but, I did not want to go a lengthy route spending hours kneading the dough, waiting for the yeast to ferment the same and then bake a pizza, garlic bread or a focaccia to enjoy with my tea. It was only few days back that I saw the recipe of these instant savory pizza muffins on a cookery show on TV. The recipe somehow got etched in the back of my mind; without wasting any time, I was ready with my baking stuff...and luckily I had everything in my pantry that I would have loved to have in my muffins: bellpeppers, corns, fresh coriander, Italian seasoning and off-course some Mozzarella Cheese. Believe me, it took me just under 30 minutes to have these hot muffins out of the oven....and lo! my family was elated to relish a lovely tea time treat. Waiting for the recipe? scroll down below !!!  Instant Veg Pizza Muffins Ingredients All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups Melted butter - 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp But

Indian food culture is absolutely incomplete without the dry snack mixtures; be it South India or North India, people here need something to munch on either to curb their hunger pangs during the day or as an accompaniment to their evening tea or coffee. I remember during our childhood days, a huge wooden cabinet in the kitchen was used as a storage for a variety of such homemade snacks; methi nimki , namak paarey , besan ke laddoo , homemade jeera biscuits and nan khatai were some of the regular stuff that was stocked out in small portions whenever we felt hungry or when some guests visited our home. This healthy and absolutely lip smacking shahi namkeen mixture was also one of such snacks and was made quite frequently. Comprised of assorted nuts blended with spicy, tangy and sweet flavors, it truly used to be an addictive stuff that we loved to have with our tea in the evenings. Plus, come Diwali, and my Mom would make this mixture in big batches, seal them up in beautifu

Phirni is the classical dessert that finds its origin in the Indian state of Punjab. Thick, luscious and creamy dish made by thickening the milk along with coarsely ground rice, phirni is traditionally served in little earthen pots and you would mostly find it being served during festivals and weddings.  While phirni itself is quite a simple recipe, I have given it an interesting twist by adding mini gulab jamuns to the same. This delectable fusion dessert is sure to add to your list of traditional party recipes; serve it during your Diwali get-together , Holi lunch or any pooja ceremony at home. I guarantee it would be loved by your guests. Scroll down for the complete recipe. Click here if you want to know how to make homemade Angoori Gulab Jamuns . Gulab Jamun Phirni  Ingredients Full fat milk - 1 litre Rice (soaked in water) - 4 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 cup Green cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Rose water (optional) - 1 to 2 tsp Saffron strands - a few Mini gulab j