Anshu's Food Odyssey

Dubki wale aloo is a lip-smacking potato curry that comes from the city of Mathura in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. A popular street food delicacy as well as a homely sabzi, it is mostly enjoyed with some khasta kachoris or pooris, specifically the Bedmi Pooris on the side. Mathura ke Dubki Wale Aloo | Spiced Potato Curry for Poori Mathura, the city famous as Lord Krishna's birthplace, is also well-known for its mouth-watering street food and scrumptious sweets & milk products such as peda, jalebi, lassi and malpua. Among the savory varieties, the spicy aloo ki sabzi along with khasta pooris is something that needs a special mention. One would find an aloo-poori stall on every nook and corner. The combination comprises of a semi-thick potato curry which is lip-smackingly delicious. The flavour of hing, fennel and methi gives it a unique flavor that lingers on your taste buds for very long. While this sabzi goes very well with pooris, for t

Vegetable Pulao is one of the most basic rice dishes made in the Indian households. Most of the times, it uses the fragrant long grain basmati rice that are cooked along with a mix of vegetables and flavored with aromatic spices like green cardamom, cinnamon and star anise. Frankly telling, this one pot wholesome meal is something I make often, especially when I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen cooking the elaborate spread comprising of dal, sabzi and roti. Having said that, there are various varieties of this veg pulao and every home has its own recipe of making it. What I am sharing today is the one that I have been eating since childhood. Very easy and fragrant! Do try it with a bowl of plain chilled curd/yogurt. I am sure you'll be left asking for more.... Vegetable Pulao Vegetable Pulao INGREDIENTS Basmati Rice - 1 cup Finely chopped ginger - 1 inch piece Finely chopped garlic - 5 to 6 cloves Cauliflower florets - 1 c

Muthiya or Muthia is a popular snack/appetizer delicacy that comes from the state of Gujarat in India. The most famous version of these delicious steamed dumplings are often made with grated bottle gourd, some ginger, green chilies and a subtle hint of every day spices, all of which are further kneaded with gram flour into a dough. The dough is then rolled into a log, steamed till perfection and then sliced and tempered with an aromatic mix of mustard seeds, curry leaves and a handful of sesame seeds to lend it that beautiful flavor. Frankly speaking, muthiya makes for the most delicious and healthiest snacks to enjoy anytime with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Having said that, there are many variants of Muthiya. The one that I am sharing today is a diabetic friendly version which uses karela or the bitter gourd scrapings that are kneaded into a ragi and jowar dough for more health and nutrition benefits. Ragi and jowar are also good for those looking to shed some weight; if y

Gujiya is a traditional Indian sweet dumpling or an empanada filled with a delicious stuffing made of roasted nuts, semolina and mawa (milk solids) that is subtly flavored with some cardamom powder for that beautiful hint of sweet fragrance. It is known with different names across different regions in India: Karanji in Maharashtra, Ghughra in Gujarat, Purukiya in Bihar and Nevri in Goa. Though a perfect-make for any Indian festival , Gujiya finds a special place during the Holi celebrations, when it is made in tonnes and you would find it being sold at any and every sweet shop with another festive favorite, the very delicious and irresistible, Thandai (chilled milk flavored with nuts and cardamom powder). Dry Gujiya with White Chocolate, Nuts and Mawa Stuffing | Indian Sweet Fried Empanadas Coming to the variety of Gujiyas, it generally comes in two versions: dry one and another, which is soaked in sugar syrup. Personally, I like the dry version more as its not o

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

Gajak or Chikki is a recipe famous in different parts of India and is best enjoyed during winters as it has all the ingredients like gud (jaggery) and til (sesame seeds) which provide the much needed warmth to the body. Traditionally this healthy and wholesome recipe is cooked on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sakranti, which is also celebrated as Lohri in Northern parts of India such as Haryana and Punjab. Best part is, the crunchy brittle can be stored for months and can be enjoyed as and when need be. So, lets start with the ingredients and the recipe. Til Gud ki Chikki | Sesame Brittle INGREDIENTS While til/sesame seeds - 3/4 cup Crumbled gud/jaggery - 3/4 cup Chopped cashews and pistachios(optional) - 2 tbsp Water - 1 to 2 tsp Ghee - 2 tsp Til Gud ki Chikki | Sesame Brittle Til Gud ki Chikki | Sesame Brittle Til Gud ki Chikki | Sesame Brittle METHOD Start by dry roasting til along with chopped