A Spoonful of Thought

Ingredients: 2 cups thick poha 2 tbsp peanuts 1 tsp mustard seeds handful of curry leaves 1 big onion  chopped  finely 2 medium potatoes chopped into small cubes(optional) 1 medium tomatoes  chopped  finely 1 green chillies chopped finely 1/2 tsp haldi 2 tbsp oil 1 lemon juice Salt as per taste Water Recipe: 1. Rub and wash the poha and keep it aside to drain out the excess water. 2. Take a kadai  add oil and heat it. Add peanuts and fry till they are little brown in color. Remove it in a plate and keep it aside. 3. Then Add mustard to the heated oil and let it splutter. Add curry leaves, green chillies. Saute the same. 4. Add onions and saute till soft and translucent. Do not over cook onions to turn brown. 5.  Now add tomatoes and saute till they turn soft and little mushy.  6. Add chopped potatoes(in case you are adding potato to poha). Cover and cook till potatoes turn soft. 7.  Add haldi and salt to the mixture. Mix well. 8. Now to this add the fried peanuts and washed poha. Mix a

Ingredients: 2 tbsp mustard oil ¼ tsp nigella/onion seeds 2 dried red chillies 500 g potatoes 50 g posto (poppy seeds) 4 green chillies 1 tbsp sugar salt to taste ‍ Recipe: 1. Soak poppy seeds in water for two hours. Strain and add to a grinder jar, along with 2 green chillies and little water. Grind to a coarse paste. Set aside. 2. Peel and cut the potatoes in 1-cm cubes and keep ot aside. 3. Heat mustard oil in a pan. Temper the oil with dried red chillies and onion seeds. Add the potatoes. Fry for about 5 minutes with stir occasionally. 4. Add the poppy-seed paste, along with salt and sugar. Cook on low heat until the raw smell of poppy paste goes away. This should take about 4 minutes. 5. Continue to cover and cook on low heat until the potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally to ensure the potatoes don't stick to the pan. 6. Finish with 2 slit green chillies and 1 tsp of mustard oil. Mix well and switch of the flame. 7. Aloo Posto is ready to be served with hot rice

Ingredients: For Taco dough: 1 cup wheat flour 1 cup maida 1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tbsp oil salt to taste water to knead dough Stuffing Masala: 2 big potatoes 1 tbsp yellow capsicum finely chopped 1 tbsp   green  capsicum finely chopped 1 tbsp tomato finely chopped 2 tsp black pepper powder 2 tsp italian seasoning 1-2 tsp lemon juice salt to taste 200 gms grated mozzarella cheese tomato sauce Serve with: tomato sauce Recipe: 1. Knead  using all the mentioned taco dough ingredients  to tight and smooth dough. Cover and keep it aside for 10-15 mins. 2. Boil the potatoes and peel and keep it aside for cooling. 3. Once cooled, grated all the potatoes and put it in the mixing bowl. 4. To this mixing bowl add chopped capsicums and tomatoes too. 5. Add salt, black pepper powder and italian seasoning. Add lemon juice. Mix well and keep it aside. 6. Now take the prepared dough and knead it again for 2-3 more mins. Then make 6 medium size ball and keep it aside. 7. Take one ball, rol

Ingredients: 3 cup rice 1 big onion finely chopped 3-4 garlic cloves crushed 5-6 big-medium tomatoes very finely chopped 2-3 green chillies chopped 3 tbsp sambar powder 1/2 tsp haldi few curry leaves 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp jeera seeds 1 tbsp ghee 1 tbsp oil Salt to taste Recipe: 1. Steam the rice in a cooker and keep it aside for cooling. 2. In a kadai add ghee and oil. Add mustard seeds to hot oil and let it splutter. 3. Then add jeera seeds, chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Saute for a min. 4. Add chopped onions and saute till they turn soft. 5. Add crushed garlic cloves and saute for a min more. 6. Then add very finely chopped tomatoes and cover and let it cook for 5 mins till they are soft and mushy. 7. Add haldi, sambar powder and salt. Mix well. Saute for 2-3 mins.  8. Now finally add the cooked rice to the mixture. Mix well. 9. Simple Delicious Tomato Rice is ready to serve with raita.

Ingredients: For Shallow Frying: 250 gms bhindi 1 tbsp besan 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder  2 tsp salt 2 tbsp oil For Masala: 3 tbsp mustard oil 1 tsp jeera 1 big onion finely chopped 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 3 medium tomatoes roughly chopped 2-3 green chillies 1/2 cup whisked curd 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp jeera powder 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp tikhalal red chilli powder 1/2 tsp haldi 2 tsp garam masala powder 1/2 cup of water salt to taste Recipe: 1. Wash and dry the bhindi completely using cloth. Then chop the bhindi and keep it in a bowl. 2. To the bowl add besan, kashmiri red chilli powder and salt. Mix well with the chopped bhindi. 3. Take a kadai and heat oil. To that add the besan coated bhindi and shallow fry. Cover and let the bhindi cook for 5 mins. Stir occasionally. Once done remove them in a plate. 4. Take a blender and add chopped tomatoes and green chillies and blend them to smooth paste. Keep it aside. 5. In the same kadai add mustard oil to heat.

  Ingredients: 2 cup or 400 ml fresh cream/whipping cream 1 cup condensed milk 5 ml vanilla essence Recipe: 1. Remove the chilled fresh cream/whipping cream in a steel bowl and keep it in a freezer for 10 mins. 2. Take fresh cream/whipping cream kept in fridge in a steel bowl.The cream should be chilled. In another bigger bowl add few ice cubes. Place the steel bowl over ice cubes.  3. Beat to smoothness. Beat it on low speed till it forms stiff whipped cream.  4. At this stage add the condensed milk and vanilla essence to the cream. Once again beat in low speed to mix all the ingredients. 5. Again keep this in a freezer for 10 mins for chilling. 6. Remove it from the freezer and beat on low to medium speed for more 10 mins till it forms a soft peak consistency. 7. Pour it in ice cream moulds or any airtight container and keep it away in the freezer to set for 8-12 hrs(overnight). ** Cover the container with aluminum foil/cling foil and later with the lid of the container.

Ingredients: For cheese cake: 400 gm cream cheese 1 cup or 200 ml whipping cream/ fresh cream 1 cup or 200 gms powdered sugar 5 ml vanilla essence 20 gm of gelatin 60 ml of cold milk red/pink, blue food color For cake base: 1 cup milk 2 pack of 130 gms of oreo biscuits Recipe: 1.  Remove the chilled fresh cream/ whipping  cream in a steel bowl and keep it in a freezer for 10 mins. 2. Separate the oreo biscuits and its cream in two different bowls and keep it aside.  3. Take fresh cream/whipping cream kept in fridge in a steel bowl.The cream should be chilled. In another bigger bowl add few ice cubes. Place the steel bowl over ice cubes.  4. Beat to smoothness and then add powdered/icing sugar to it and beat till it forms stiff whipped cream. Once it gets to required form keep it aside in fridge again. 5. In a small bowl add gelatin to cold milk. Mix it well for 5mins. Keep it aside. 6. Then take another bowl, add 400gm cream cheese. To this add the oreo cream(separated earlier from the

Ingredients: 1 tsp ghee half cup or 100 ml milk 3 tbsp kesar milk one and half cup milk powder (unsweetened) half cup or 100 gms powdered sugar 1 tsp cardamom powder few kesar strands and silver vark Recipe: 1. Heat non stick vessel add ghee and add milk and keep stirring it on low to medium flame. 2. Then add kesar milk and give a nice stir. Mix well. 3. Now add milk powder and mix well so that no lumps are formed. Keep stirring on low flame. 4. The milk will become silk smooth and then starts thickening by 10 mins. 5. The mixture will start leaving the pan after 13-15 mins. Slowly it will start holding the shape. 6. Home made Kesar Mawa is ready. Remove the same in a mixing bowl. 7. Beat the mawa mixture to cool down slightly. 8. To this add the powdered sugar and cardamom powder. 9. Start mixing the ingredients and knead them to form a soft non stick dough. 10. Grease the modak mould with melted ghee, and stuff a small ball size dough inside the mould. 11. Press the mould to close a

Mishti doi  is a Bengali dessert. The meaning of Mishti in mishti doi is meetha or sweet and doi means dahi or yogurt.  Learn how to make it with the simple recipe below: Ingredients: 2 cup + 1/2 cup full cream milk 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup smooth whisked thick curd **Earthen or Ceramic pots to set the Doi   Recipe: 1. Drain out all the water from the curd. Once done whisk to smooth texture and keep it aside. 2. Heat a non stick pan and add all of the sugar and let it melt slowly. Stir continuously to avoid burning of sugar.  3. The sugar will slowly melts and turn its color to brown. It is now caramelised. Add 1/2 cup of  warm milk and mix well. Keep stirring to avoid any lumps. 4. Keep stirring until caramelised sugar mixes with milk.  5. Add rest of the milk to the above mixture. Mix well. This will change with milk to nice soft brown color. Bring to boil. 6. Later let it simmer for 5 mins on low flame. 7. Cool down this mixture slightly stirring it for about 4-5 mins. **The milk s

Ingredients: 3 cups wheat flour 1 tbsp oil salt to taste water to knead dough oil ghee to rub on paratha Paratha Masala: 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp tikhalal red chilli powder 1 tsp chaat masala 1 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp haldi 1 tsp roasted jeera powder 1 tsp black pepper powder 1 tsp salt Serve with: butter cube pieces curd pickle Recipe: 1. Knead wheat flour to tight and smooth dough. Cover and Keep it aside for 10-15 mins. 2. In a mixing bowl, add all the masala ingredients and mix well. Paratha masala is ready. Keep it aside. 3. Now take the prepared dough and knead it again for 2-3 more mins. Then make 8-10 medium size ball and keep it aside. 4. Take one ball, roll out to one large chapati and apply oil on half side of the paratha. Sprinkle the paratha masala over the applied oil.  5. Fold the paratha to half. Now again apply the oil to half side of the folded paratha. Sprinkle the paratha masala over the applied oil.  6. Again fold the paratha to half. This will give

Ingredients: 2 tbsp butter 1 medium onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves chopped 1 inch ginger chopped 1 bay leaf / tej patta 1 small cinnamon sticks 4 cloves 5 peppercorns 2 black cardamoms 10 red ripe tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup carrot, chopped 1 tbsp beetroot cubes 6 whole cashews 2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp roasted jeera/cumin powder 1 tsp pepper freshly crushed 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 2 tbsp tomato sauce/ketchup 2-3 drops of lemon juice 2-3 tbsp fresh cream salt as per taste 1 litrewater Garnish with: bread croutons cream mint/coriander leaves Recipe: 1. In a kadai heat butter, add bay leaf, cinnamon sticks,black cardamoms, peppercorns and cloves. Saute for 2 sec. 2. Then add chopped onions, ginger and garlic cloves. Saute till onions turn soft. 3. Add chopped carrots, beetroots, red chilli powder, roasted jeera powder, 1 tsp sugar and salt as per taste.Saute till carrots and beetroots are soft for 2-3mins. 4. Add tomatoes and saute till tomatoes change colour. 5. Add cashews and

   Ingredients: 1 cup OR 200 gm maida 3/4 cup OR 150 ml sour curd 1/2 cup water 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp sugar (optional) 1 tsp finely chopped green chilies 1 tsp finely chopped curry leaves 1 tsp ginger finely crushed 1 tsp cooking soda oil for deep frying Serve with: white coconut chutney Recipe: 1. In a big mixing bowl add maida, sour curd and 1/4 cup of water. Mix well so that no lumps are formed. Then add 1/4 cup of water again and mix well to form loose but thick batter. if the batter is of running consistency then add little more maida. 2. Add salt, sugar, green chillies, curry leaves and grated ginger to the batter. Mix well. 3. Keep it aside for an hr.  4. Then after an hr later beat the batter for 5 mins using electric beater.  5. Heat oil in a kadai for frying.  6. Add soda to the batter and give a nice mix.  7. Using a spoon start taking take a small lemon size dough and drop in the hot oil. They will puff up. Fry till golden brown on low flame. Remove it on kitchen tissues. 8. Se

  Ingredients: 3/4 cup OR 150 ml ghee 3/4 cup jaggery roughly crushed 1 cup OR 200 gm wheat flour 1 tbsp milk powder 1 tbsp finely crushed cashews 1 tbsp finely crushed almonds 1 tsp cardamom powder 1 tsp nutmeg powder Garnish with: 1 tbsp dry roasted white sesame seeds 1 tbsp dry nuts crushed Recipe: 1. In a non stick kadai heat ghee, add wheat flour. Mix well and roast the wheat flour for 10-15 mins. Stir continuously. Wheat flour will start changing color to nice brown color. 2. After 10-15 mins, ghee will start oozing off and the flour mixture will become loose again. 3. That time add the milk powder and crushed nuts to the flour mix and combine all the ingredients together. Stir continuously for more 2 mins. 4. Now add cardamom and nutmeg powder to the mixture and give a nice mix. 5. Switch off the flame. Keep the mixture for cooling for 3-5 mins. Keep stirring to avoid the mixture from sticking at the bottom. 6. Now add the jaggery to the warm flour mixture and keep mixing the sa

Ingredients: 2 cups semaiya 2 tbsp ghee 1 tsp mustard seeds handful of curry leaves 1 big chopped onion 2 medium chopped tomatoes 2 green chillies cut lengthwise 2 tbsp oil Salt as per taste Water Recipe: 1. Take a kadai, heat ghee on low flame,  add semaiya and roast till it changes its color to brown. DO NOT BURN.  Remove and keep aside. 2. In the same kadai, add oil and heat it. 3. Add mustard to the heated oil and let it splutter. Add curry leaves, green chillies. Saute the same. 4. Add onions and saute till soft and translucent. Do not over cook onions to turn brown. 5.  Now add tomatoes and saute till they turn soft and little mushy. Add salt to the mixture. 6. Saute all for more 2 mins. Later add 2 full glass of water to the same. Adjust the salt as per the taste. 7. Cover and bring the water to boil. Add the roasted semaiya to the same. Keep stirring while adding the semaiya, else lumps will be created. Mix well. 8. Cover and let semaiya cook for more 5 mins. Stir occasionally.

Ingredients: 1 cup rava/suji/semolina 1 tbsp ghee 3 tsp oil 1 green chilli finely chopped 1 inch ginger finely chopped 1/4 cup grated coconut 1/4 cup grated carrot  2 and 1/2 cup water Salt as per taste For tempering: 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp mustard 1 tsp cumin / jeera 1/2 tsp urad dal 1/2 tsp chana dal few curry leaves 1 dried red chilli 1/2 tsp haldi 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder Salt as per taste 2 tsp lemon juice 2 tbsp grated coconut and carrot Recipe: 1.  In a large kadai, add 1 tbsp ghee. Raost the suji for 3-5 mins. Remove the suji in a plate and keep it aside. 2. In a same kadai heat oil and add chilli and ginger. 3. Add grated carrot and Saute for a min. 4. Pour in water. Add salt and coconut. mix well. 5. Get the water to a boil.Lower the flame. 6. Add roasted rava slowly, stirring continuously. 7. Cover and cook for 3 minutes or until the rava turns soft and fluffy. 8. Remove the suji dough in a mixing bowl. Knead the dough for 5 minutes and prepare small balls. 9. Heat water i

Ingredients: 3 cups idli rice 1 cup white split urad dal Salt to taste Water  Recipe: 1. Rub and clean the rice and urad dal. Keep it soaked for 5-6 hrs and keep it aside. 2. After 6 hrs, drain all the water from dal and rice. 3. Blend soaked urad dal first to smooth paste with 1/4 cup of water. Remove the same in steel vessel.  4. Then blend soaked rice in the same blender with minimum water to smooth paste. Add the same to the above dal mixture in the same steel vessel. 5. After removing the batter from blender, add 1/4 cup of water and blend the same in pulse mode. This will remove all the extra batter in and around the blender. Add the same to the above batter mixture. 6. Add salt as per taste and mix all the ingredients well. 7. Cover the vessel tight and keep it in some undisturbed and warm place to ferment for overnight. 8. Next day remove from the warm place and beat the fermented batter to smooth texture. 9.  Adjust salt as per the taste in the batter.  Brush oil on the idli p

Ingredients: 1 kg chicken curry cut 4 tbsp ghee 10-12 methi seeds Few curry leaves 2 big onions finely chopped 1 small onion roughly chopped 15-20 garlic cloves 1/2 tsp haldi 1 coconut grated 1 small lemon size tamarind Salt to taste For Grounded powder: 20 dry red chillies 4 tbsp coriander seeds 1 and 1/2 tbsp jeera seeds 1/4 tsp methi seeds 1/4 tsp ova 15 black peppercorns 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp salt Recipe: 1. Clean the chicken and keep it aside. 2. In a kadai, add ghee. Add methi seeds and curry leaves. Saute for a min. 3. Then add finely chopped onions. Saute till onions are soft.  4. Add cleaned chicken and 2 tsp salt. Mix well. 5. Cover and let it cook for 20 mins on medium flame. Keep the chicken on low flame. 6. In another kadai add coconut oil to heat. Add red chillies for roasting. Remove a keep it aside. 7. Then add coriander and jeera seeds for roasting. Then add methi and ova seeds. Roast them till aroma comes in. Then remove them and keep it aside. 8. Grind all the roa