Anshu's Food Odyssey

I am a big pumpkin fan since my childhood days. Seriously, I love this vegetable in any form and the khatti meethi pethey ki sabzi is my absolute favorite. Coming to the halwa, my mum always used to make it during the Navratri fasting and its flavors, texture and aroma is something that I remember even till date. After I got married, pumpkin was a rare treat for me because none of the family members at my in-laws side liked this vegetable. Gradually, I too stopped making it. But, this time during Navratri, I thought making this divine halwa and remember my good old days. If you too are a pumpkin lover, this is a must for you to try as well. And don't worry, the recipe is very simple and easy and comes together in just few minutes. Kaddu ka Halwa INGREDIENTS Kaddu/Yellow Pumpkin/Butternut Squash (shredded) - 4 cups Sugar - 1/2 to 3/4 cup Milk - 1/4 cup Ghee/clarified butter - 4 to 6 tbsp Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp Nuts (melon seeds, chopped almonds, chopped pis

Sabudana Kheer always reminds me of my childhood days when during Navratris, my Mum would make it as part of the fasting meal. The beautiful, thick, creamy and gooey pudding was always a treat for our palettes and used to get finished in no time. Even today, though I do not fast, I still try to make it at-least once every Navratri season apart from other delicacies like Sabudana Khichdi, Sabudana Vada and Kuttu ki Kadhi.  Sabudana Kheer Recipe | Sago Pudding  Sabudana Kheer Recipe | Sago Pudding  INGREDIENTS Full fat milk - 4 cups Sabudana - 3/4 cup Finely chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios) - 2 to 3 tbsp Raisins, optional - a few Sugar - 6 to 8 tbsp or as per taste Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Saffron strands - a few Dried edible rose petals (optional) - for garnishing You may also try other Navratri Recipes from the blog: Mango Sabudana Kheer , Sabudana Vada , Sabudana Khichdi , Samak ka Pulav , Farali Dhokla , Dahi Masala A

Tamatar ki Chaat is a lipsmacking recipe originated in the holy city of Benaras or Varanasi. Loaded with tongue tickling flavours, this chaat is very unique as compared to other chaat recipes across other parts of India. The recipe is divided into two parts: first, a rich tomato curry which has all the goodness of khoya (dried milk solids), cashews and poppy seeds. The second, makes for the base of this chaat - tomato and potato mixture which is a unique blend of spicy and tangy flavors. One thing you would note about this chaat is that it is topped with nimki or the mini namakpaare instead of sev for garnishing. Also, being a holy city you would not find the use of onions and garlic in most of its preparations, and hence, it is not garnished with chopped onions. Just in case you are enticed with the flavours and want to know the recipe, scroll down below. Banarasi Tamatar ki Chaat Ingredients Tomato Curry Tomatoes (small, grated) - 2 Finely chopped gi

Bhakarwadi are crisp and fried pinwheel shaped savory snacks popular across Western India. A perfect blend of flavors, sweet, spicy and tangy, makes them quite addictive. If you have been following my blog, you would know, I am all geared up preparing some delectable Diwali snacks for this year. While last week, I posted the recipe of famous Maharashtrian sweet, CHIROTE , this week I have this beautiful and lipsmackingly delicious, BHAKARWADI on my blog . Very easy recipe, do try it and you would never get those store ones again. Bhakarwadi Recipe | How to Make Bhakarwadi Ingredients FOR DOUGH All purpose flour/maida - 1 cup Gram flour/besan - 2 tbsp Warm oil - 2 tbsp Carom seeds/ajwain - 1 tsp Dried fenugreek/kasoori methi - 1/2 tsp Salt - as per taste Water - 3 to 4 tbsp FOR FILLING Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp Cumin seeds/jeera - 1 tbsp Fennel seeds/saunf - 1 tbsp White sesame seeds/safed til - 1 tbsp Poppy seeds/khus khus - 1/2 tbsp F

With nation celebrating the beautiful festival of 'Ganesh Chaturthi' with all pomp and show, the much awaited season of festivities in India has formally come to a kick start. Lined up from now, are some of the most popular festivals of India - Dussehra, Diwali, Chhath Pooja, Bhai Dooj and Christmas. I have already begun with the preparations for all these celebrations; first on my list is this  beautiful, delicious, flaky and crusty, " Chirote " or " Chiroti ". A traditional Maharashtrian sweet delicacy, it is made using refined flour, deep fried and coated with powdered sugar. For those who love their snacks to be uprightly sweet, can also dip it in sugar syrup. Melt-in-mouth and highly addictive, I promise you will not be able to resist yourself from eating more than one in one go. Looking for the recipe? Here you go .... Chirote Recipe | Chiroti Recipe Ingredients Maida/all purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups Ghee - 2 tbsp + 3

Sheer Khurma or Sheer Korma is a delicious traditional Mughlai dessert made on the festival of Eid . A creamy, thick pudding made with milk and roasted sewai (vermicelli) topped with whole lots of nuts and dry fruits, it surely makes for a palatable treat for all those with a sweet tooth. So, on my blog today, is indeed a detailed recipe on how to make Sheer Khurma at home... Sheer Khurma | Vermicelli Pudding | Sheer Khurma Recipe | How to Make Sheer Khurma Well, the term, Sheer Khurma comes from Persian language wherein 'Sheer' refers to 'Milk' and 'Khurma' refers to 'Dates', and hence Sheer Khurma can be deciphered to 'Milk cooked with Dates'. According to legends, Sheer Khurma came to India with the Turk and Mughal rulers, and in the beginning, it was just the thickened milk with dates that was consumed first thing in the morning to celebrate the joyous festival of Eid . However, with years passing, vermicelli and nuts beca

Malai Peda is one of the most popular Indian sweets . These little discs of deliciousness are primarily made using fresh chhena (cheese curd), khoya (dried milk solids) and condensed milk. There are numerous variants of Malai Peda that are available in the sweets shops these days; while the plain peda and kesar peda are the most common, what I am fond of the most is the chocolate flavored one. Absolutely decadent and melt-in-mouth, these chocolate pedas make for an apt sweet for any festival or special occasion.  Well, I am making them for the upcoming Raksha Bandhan , if you too are looking for some homemade sweet recipes, do try them out. I promise, you won't be disappointed. Chocolate Milk Peda | Milk Peda Recipe Before I jump to the recipe, let me tell you that I have used fresh chhena. For that, bring about a liter of full fat milk to a boil. Let it cool for 5 minutes and then slowly start adding a little vinegar until the milk is nicely curdled.