Anshu's Food Odyssey

Loaded with some tantalizing flavors, Tawa Pulao is a delicious and popular recipe from western parts of India, particularly Maharashtra. A wholesome and delectable meal, it finds its origin in the streets of Mumbai; it is said that a couple of decades back, a Pav Bhaji vendor curated this wonderful recipe to put his leftover Bhaji gravy to use. He just added some already cooked rice in the gravy and lo! this beautiful, aromatic and spicy pulao recipe was created, which today, counts amongst the most popular Mumbai Street Food delicacies. And since it is cooked on the same tawa or griddle where Bhaji is cooked, it got its name as the "Tawa Pulao" .  So, ideally this tawa pulao has an already prepared gravy to put to use, however, if we want to relish its tongue-tickling flavors, we can easily prepare it from scratch at our homes. All we need is few basic pantry ingredients along with the most essential, PAV BHAJI MASALA and we are good to go. So, what are waiting

Hey guys, sorry for my long absence from the blog.... was down with severe ankle pain for about 2 weeks but, didn't have the courage to see a specialist due to the ongoing pandemic situation. I was obviously suffering from a constant pain, however, what took a toll on me the most was the helplessness of not being able to work, try new recipes and most importantly not being able to shoot the food pics. After a long period of frustration, I pushed myself today and worked on this easy and classic herbed focaccia bread. Trust me, the bread came out really well, however, due to my aching ankle I couldn't do justice to the pics. Kindly excuse and try the recipe....hope you like it!! Classic Herbed Focaccia Bread Recipe INGREDIENTS Maida/APF - 2 and 1/2 cups Milk powder - 3 tbsp Dry instant active yeast - 1 and 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt - to taste Garlic powder - 1 tsp Mixed Italian herbs - 1 to 2 tsp Vegetable/Olive oil - 3 tbsp Luke warm water - 1/2

Well, summers are at their peak, which gives me an apt reason to enjoy my favorite summer fruit, "MANGO" in a super refreshing and hydrating summer drink. To this "Mango Agua Fresca", I have also mixed in some orange juice to boost the immunity factor. Also, the fresh homemade pomegranate syrup adds a touch of oomph to this so very vibrant and delightful homemade mocktail. Another special thing about this drink is that it's my first ever entry to a photography contest being run by the popular and exclusive store for photography backdrops from Bangalore, the Varai Prop Store! So, wish me luck guys and enjoy this beautiful drink to cool yourselves down in this sweltering heat. Mango and Orange Agua Fresca with Pomegranate Syrup INGREDIENTS For Pomegranate Syrup Fresh pomegranate juice - 2 cups (I blended the pomegranate arils from about 5 pomegranates in a blender and then strained the mixture with a cup of water to get the fresh ju

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

Bhatura is a leavened, puffed deep fried bread made from Maida or All Purpose Flour. A popular recipe from the Punjabi cuisine, it is mainly served with spiced chickpea curry such as Pindi Chholey and Amritsari Chholey . Traditionally, bhatura is made using fermented dough, which is rested for minimum of 6 hours and has a peculiar tang to it. However, when you are short of time and crave for this delicious Chole Bhatura combo, these instant bhaturas come to your rescue. Quick and easy to prepare, they use Eno Fruit Salt as the leavening agent and trust me, that lends the bhaturas with that perfect crispness on outside and perfect fluffiness on the inside. If you can't lay your hands on eno, alternatively, you also have the option to use baking powder and baking soda. Without wasting any time further, let's start with the recipe. Perfect Instant Bhatura Recipe | How to Make Bhatura INGREDIENTS Maida/All Purpose Flour - 2 cups Sooji/Semolina - 2 tbsp

Kulfi is one of the most popular Indian desserts loved by people of all age groups. Its rich, creamy and decadent texture comes from the use of full fat milk, milk solids and cream - that is the reason, kulfi is also often called the Indian version of Ice Creams. An ultimate treat for the sweet lovers, it is available in lots of flavors; while Mango Kulfi , Rose & Almond Kulfi and Kesar Pista Khoya Malai Kulfi have been an all time favorite with my family and I make them for sure every summers, however, this time I thought of deviating from the traditional route and give the kulfi a more cosmopolitan touch by flavoring it with chocolate. Trust me, it came out so decadent and tasty that it got finished in no time. And the texture of the kulfi oozing with all that creaminess was to die for! Sitting in the lockdown, if you too are looking forward to elevate your morale and get out of that gloominess, this chocolate kulfi is surely going to be a breather. Very simple to mak

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