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For a special or festive meal, extend your menu to some halwa and raita. What is Malai Kofta? Malai Kofta is a curried vegetarian dish consisting of crisp fried potato paneer koftas (fried balls) served with a creamy, smooth and rich sauce/ curry. The word Malai means cream in Hindi and Kofta are fried balls. So Malai kofta literally translates to koftas dunked in a creamy sauce. Originally, Kofta belongs to a family of meatballs from the Central Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan Cuisines....

To make the soya chunks, soya bean is soaked, grinded, milk is extracted and used for other purpose and only the pulp is made into chunks and then dehydrated. Quite a lengthy process and hence they have a good amount of dust or impurities accumulated in them. To remove the impurities, soya chunks need to be soaked thoroughly, softened and left in the water for a while, for the debris to melt and get settled at the bottom....

Those seriously trying to lose weight can have these healthy multigrain rotis for breakfast with a healthy veg curry and a raw salad like beetroot kosambari . These roti are not only for weight watchers, but can be enjoyed by everyone including kids too with a potato or a mixed veg curry. Perfect for breakfast, lunch box or early dinner. To make multigrain roti, I have used 5 kinds of whole grain flours....

Mushroom Spaghetti This mushroom pasta is very versatile and you can transform it to your favorite dish. Though this is tomato sauce based you can easily tweak it to a creamy dish by stirring in some heavy cream/ thickened cream. Despite being made from simple ingredients, the flavors of these ingredients shine through the melange distinctively with a piquant and tangy aroma, especially the pureed tomatoes and the mushrooms. This exquisite veggie main has butter/ olive oil and garlic enriched mushrooms that lend meaty richness without meat and the dominating palate of Italian herbs....

So you’ve had a long day, right? Maybe a long week? You wake up, everything’s groggy and sore, and you just want to put a simple, hydrating, easy-to-make breakfast in your belly. One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to make a healthy, tasty breakfast in the morning. When getting up is hard, a sunny orange banana smoothie makes it just a little bit easier. It takes barely any time at all!...

When you want to eat and drink healthy, homemade fresh foods are the way to go. This homemade pear juice is so much better in taste and flavour than the store bought bottled juices. Plus it’s pure with no additives and fillers. About Pear Juice Did you know that pear juice is one of the best drink to beat sun stroke & dehydration? Though not all pears work the same way, most of them work great in hydrating the body....

Most people make this during festivals and celebrations as it a crowd pleaser and is super quick to make. If you are wondering what is it? About Semiya Payasam Semiya payasam is a South Indian pudding made with vermicelli, whole milk, sweetener and cardamoms. Semiya is a Telugu, Tamil & Malayalam word for ‘Vermicelli’ and Payasam is a South Indian milk pudding. There are various kinds of vermicelli available in the market made with different grains....

About Sheer Khurma Sheer khurma is a festive pudding made by simmering fine vermicelli with milk, dates, nuts and sugar. Sheer khurma is a Persian term, where ‘sheer’ means ‘milk’ and ‘khurma’ means ‘dates’. This delicious and rich dessert is made on the day of Ramadan. Most Muslim homes make this in large quantities as they share it with friends & relatives. Though the name Sheer khurma literally indicates the presence of dates in the pudding, a lot of households also make this without using dates....

If you are new to Indian foods, you may be wondering About Soya Chunks Soya chunks are textured vegetable protein made from defatted soya flour, after extracting soya bean oil. Also known as nutri-nuggets, meal maker, soya nuggets, soya vadi, these are a kind of mock meat that is immensely popular in India. They are considered healthy, protein rich and a good alternate to those who want to refrain from eating meat....

Noodle and vegetable or meat combos are popular across the world, so much. They have become comfort food for many. Serve a plate of steaming hot noodles straight from the wok, and you have big fat smiles all around the dinner table. About Vegetable Noodles Vegetable noodles is a healthy Chinese inspired dish where cooked noodles are stir fried with lots of vegetables. Further the dish is seasoned with a splash of sauces, vinegar and black pepper to up the taste and flavor....

Of course, eating watermelon is a great way to enjoy it, and we can’t dispute its great taste, texture and versatility. Turning the fruit into juice is really simple and offers an option for those who are looking for a terrific beverage. Benefits of Watermelon Watermelon is one of the best thirst quenchers and can be an instant remedy to treat sunstroke & heat during summer. It has a moisture content of up to 92% so it can instantly hydrate us....

There are basically 2 kinds of akki roti. The first one is made the simplest way by mixing the rice flour with other ingredients to form a dough. Portions of this dough is then spread with fingers to a flatbread. The second one is known as ubbu roti, ukkarisida rotti. It is made with a dough where the rice flour is steam cooked in hot boiling water for a brief period....

Kneading flour to a soft pliable dough with just enough water is crucial, to get softer rotis, paratha or chapathis. But a lot of us find difficulty kneading the dough. These aloo parathas are easier than making the regular roti or chapathi, since the dough does not require a long knead when compared to roti dough. The dough becomes pliable and soft very easily due to the addition of boiled potato....

About Chana Dal Chana dal also known as Bengal gram is the skinned & split version of whole brown chickpeas. Also known as kala chana, these brown/black chickpeas are the desi variety & are smaller in size than the white chickpeas, kabuli chana. In Indian cuisine, we use the whole brown chickpeas as well the split & skinned version of the same which is the chana dal. I have also shared the recipe of the kala chana curry here....

In this post I share the easiest way to make a perfect Chocolate Biscuit Cake. What is a Biscuit Cake? So what defines a chocolate biscuit cake? A Chocolate biscuit cake requires no baking and is a kind of tea cake, a sweet commonly served with tea in the U.K. It consists of crumbled up cookies, or biscuits, floating in a kind of chocolate syrup or pudding mix and smothered with melted chocolate on the outside....

These healthy coconut ladoo can be made to a soft set burfi too with the same recipe. If made correctly this recipe yields a burfi or a laddu that does not stick to the fingers once it is cooled completely. After our house warming ceremony I was left with lot of coconuts so I had to prepare these. You can make variations to these by adding nuts too.If you have too many broken coconuts during any festivals like ganesh chathurti, Navratri Devi pooja or Diwali, you can prepare these very easily....

Corn patties These corn patties are made with tender juicy sweet corn kernels, mashed boiled potatoes, spices and herbs. These are crisp from the outside and soft inside with a burst of delicious flavors. Corn patties are flavored with Indian ground spices like red chilli powder, garam masala and crushed ginger. In India, a patties is known as cutlet and is usually breaded and deep fried for the amazing great crisp texture....

Jaggery This post may be useful to those who like to make Jaggery syrup and stock it for using in kids’ or toddlers’ food or in payasam or any other Indian recipes. I have mentioned about this jaggery syrup in many toddler food posts earlier and hence had few queries from readers on how to make it. This can be stored for about 3 months at room temperature and for over 6 months in refrigerator....

Pumpkin sambar known as mukkala sambhar is prepared in most temples offering meals during festive occasions and it is also prepared in many households too in Andhra. Even in North India, navratri kaddu or kaddu ki sabzi, kaddu ki kheer and kaddu ka halwa are prepared to consume during vrat or fasting. Today I am sharing a simple kaddu ki kheer recipe & it tastes simply delicious. It can be prepared during any festive occasion....

I know making mango lassi is no rocket science but I kind of felt there is really a thing in getting it right and perfect. You need to strike a balance between the sour and sweet flavors of the mangoes and yogurt. In this post I share how to make the best Mango lassi & even better than what you get in restaurants. About Mango Lassi Mango lassi is a popular lassi variety made with Indian yogurt (dahi/ curd), ripe sweet mangoes and cardamoms....