Microwave Besan Laddoo

For the recent Ganesh Chathurthi, I asked my kiddo which sweet he wanted to eat that day, so that I could make it for him. “Yellow laddoo,” he replied without a blink. It caught me by surprise, as I did not get the usual “nothing,” a characteristic reply, especially when I ask him about desserts. Unlike his mom, he is not a dessert person, and the only dessert he loves is something with chocolate in it, like the chocolate chip cookies. Occasionally he might eat some yellow laddos aka Besan Ladoo. I did not have the time to prepare traditional…

Sweet Poha/ Goda Pohvu

Flattened rice (also called beaten rice) is called Poha in Hindi, Avalakki in Kannada, Atukulu in Telugu and Aval in Tamil. In India, Poha/ Flattened rice is easily available and is usually associated with simplicity. Poha is considered a favorite of Lord Krishna and so this sweet dish is usually prepared on the occasion of Krishna Janamashathami.  Simple, divine and earthy are the trademarks of this Sweet Poha. Even though there are only four ingredients Poha, jaggery, coconut, cardamom, people prepare this in hundred different ways. Some heat the jaggery and coconut while others do not, some do not wet…

Coconut Burfi/ Nariyal Burfee

Wish you all a Happy New Year. Hope the Year brings you joy, health and of course good food. (But not the extra weight!)  Hope you are all having a great time with family and friends, celebrating in style. We have a simple family tradition that we follow every year on New Year’s Eve. We stock up on varieties of cakes earlier in the day from our favorite bakery. Then at the stroke of midnight we snack on them while watching some countdown TV program. Intentionally or not we like to keep it simple and have been following this for…

Konkani Patholi/ Arasina Yele Kadabu/ Sweet Dumpling Steamed in Turmeric Leaves Step by Step Recipe

Patholi (in Konkani) is a traditional dessert made during festivals or special occasions. Dumpling made of rice flour is stuffed with coconut jaggery mixture and steamed in turmeric eaves. The key component while making this are the special turmeric leaves. The flavor of the turmeric leaf is infused into the patholi while it is steaming, giving the dish a flavorful aroma.   As I understand it is referred to as Hoorulu kadabu or Arasina Yele kadabu in Kannada and Ilayada in Malayalam. This is not to be confused with the crumbled daal curry referred to as Patoli or Usli in…

Easy Ras Malai (using Ricotta cheese)

Ras Malai is a popular dessert in India. Ras malai consists of sugary, cream to yellow-colored balls (or flattened balls) of paneer soaked in malai (thick milk) flavored with cardamom. It was only after coming to US, I learnt to make this easy Ras Malai using ricotta cheese (as substitute for paneer) and that makes the recipe simpler. I am not sure if this is the authentic taste but I am sure it is close to the original. This is a very easy dessert to make, even though the steps may seem complicated. But if you try it once, you…

Light Berry Parfait

What is it about summer that you like the most? Is it the outdoor gardening, picnics, longer days, out door grilling, fresh bounty of fruits and vegetables? For me the first pick would be the longer days and close second would be the fresh bounty of fruits specifically the beautiful berries. The grocery is usually flooded with fruits and vegetables; not only are they fresh but they are cheaper as well. Did somebody say “what about the summer heat”? Well, let’s not go there shall we? If you live in some place like Texas, then the lesser talk about the…

Instant Sweet Appe/Paniyaram/Paddu

There is something fun and exciting about Road Trips isn’t it? Just the thought itself gives me a warm feeling, good enough to drive away those blues! We had been on a Road trip recently for few days and it was good change for us to get away from the grind.  Now what is road trip without good stuff to eat, right? Being a foodie it is not unusual for me to pack lots of stuff to munch and crunch along the way. So I packed the some junk stuff like store brought chips, cakes, chivdas, murukkus, chaklis etc. As…