Why restrict Shankarpali to Diwali and special occasions? You can make any day special by frying or air frying up a quick batch or two. This mildly sweet snack is perfect for tea time, as a snack box addition and for guilt-free snacking if you air fry or bake them. What is Shankarpali? Shankarpali are crispy Indian semi-sweet snack bites made with all-purpose flour, ghee, sugar and cardamoms. It is a popular snack from the Western Indian state of Maharashtra and Southern Indian state Karnataka....

This post mainly focuses to help women living outside India and want to perform the Vratham in a simplistic way without having to hunt for a lot of things for the Vratham, like idols, jewellery, cooking ingredients or a priest. Once you read this, you will know how to prepare ahead, what to buy, what to cook, whom to invite (yes/no) & how to perform the Vratham? If you are a newly married bride or someone who has never performed this Vratham earlier and wanting to perform for the first time, this post is going to help you....

Aloo bonda are served in almost all tiffin centers and restaurants in Karnataka for the evening Tea time snack. These originated in the Udupi hotels and eventually became one of the most common on all restaurant menus since they are loved by many. Goli baje, Vegetable bonda, Crispy mysore bonda , Andhra punugulu and egg bonda are similar other bonda recipes on the blog. To make aloo bonda, first boiled potatoes are seasoned and spiced....

When you’re not munching on a crunchy piece during festive occasions, you can enjoy this as an anytime snack with a hot cup of masala chai. Sold in many Indian sweet and farsan shops, chakli and Murukku are used synonymously to describe these spiral rice-based goodies deep fried in oil. Chakli goes by many names from Chakri in Gujarat, Chakli in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Chakralu in Andhra and Murukku in Tamil Nadu and Kerala....

Chicken chettinad is one of the most flavorful chicken dishes from the South Indian cuisine. It is said to be the most ordered in the Indian restaurants. The recipe shared here is the one I felt close to the restaurant style chettinad chicken gravy. After several trials I arrived at this and can say this is one of the best flavorful and delicious chicken gravy. This recipe is roughly adapted from a cook book....

My recipe will teach you how to make great tasting chicken lollipops that are crispy on the outside and juicy & tender inside. I also cover the steps to make that finger-licking good hot and sweet Schezwan sauce into which the lollipops are drenched. Chicken Lollipop Chicken lollipop is a popular Indo-Chinese appetizer where a frenched chicken drumette is marinated and then batter fried or baked until crisp. These are then either seasoned and tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce or simply served with a favorite sauce or dip....

Egg Curry Egg curry is a comforting Indian dish of curried eggs. It is basically made with hard boiled eggs, onions, tomatoes, whole & ground spices and herbs. Indian cuisine is very diverse and an egg curry is made in several ways, with recipes varying by state and even by family. You can make an egg curry in countless ways and I have shared more than 10 ways on this blog to make curried eggs....

It is a perfect way to start your day with a cup of coffee, and equally enjoyable for a sweet treat in the afternoon. Any way you serve it, this vegan version is as wholesome as it is delicious. The star of this bread is always the bananas and the best are the ones that have become undesirable to eat out of hand. By the time the skins have darkened considerably and they are covered with spots they are perfect for this recipe....

Fried Onions (Birista) Biryani without crisp fried onions is incomplete and it sure lacks the flavor. You may have noticed that a lot of time goes into making fried onions every time you make a biryani or korma. Making these ahead is a one-time task but they will last very long in your freezer without getting rancid or the flavors being diminished. Having a pack of these birista ready in your freezer makes you want to make biryani and kormas more often....

This guacamole sandwich needs just 15 minutes, a quick breakfast recipe for a busy week day. It can also be had as a evening snack. I am sharing the basic guacamole recipe which goes great as a dip, or with a veg burger or simple sandwich. To make guacamole, we need ripe avocados. To ripen them i wrap them in a paper and set aside for 2 to 3 days....

3 different methods of cooking basmati rice To cook it in pot or cooker using draining method. (in the recipe card)2. Cooking using absorption method. (in the recipe card)3. How to cook basmati rice for dum biryani. I have shared in detail how to cook basmati rice for different kinds of biryani and the stages. How to cook basmati rice in pot Always choose premium quality basmati rice that is aged and has been stored in good condition....

I have been trying to reduce the usage of ready or store bought flours as we don’t know the quality of flour. Instead I use the whole grains where ever possible, so I have not tried this recipe with bajra flour. These kambu dosai or bajra dosa turns out crispy but soft dosas can also be made with the same recipe by adding more water to the batter. This recipe uses urad dal, rice and kambu /bajra in equal quantities....

In India we make halwa with a lot of things like vegetables, fruits, flour and even with nuts. Carrot halwa, atta halwa, suji halwa, moong dal halwa and badam halwa are some of the most popular varieties. Papaya halwa is not so common but you will get to see this made in many South Indian homes, especially those growing papaya in their backyard. My mom would make this on occasions with both ripe and raw papaya....

Kids’ have a school break for 10 days. So I plan to make few desserts. Praline was the first thing I choose to make as it would be useful for the dessert toppings. I am sharing the recipe of crunchy praline that is made by grinding sugar coated nuts. The recipe needs just 3 ingredients – refined sugar, almonds and butter. You can replace almonds with any of your favorite nuts....

The cookie dough can be made ahead and refrigerated. They can be baked whenever you wish to have some warm cookies. Isn’t it amazing? During the Christmas vacations, I had baked many kinds of cookies, Chocolate cake and Nankhatai. One of the easiest ones were these ragi cookies, which took not much of time and yet they tasted great. My kids enjoyed munching on these with their milk. The recipe yields 24 cookies, if you do not have a large oven, you can divide it to 2 batches and bake them....

What is Rasmalai Rasmalai is a Classic Indian dessert consisting of juicy cheese discs served with thickened milk. The term Rasmalai consists of 2 words – Ras & Malai. In Hindi Ras means “Juice” and Malai translates to “Cream”. So it is something that’s juicy and creamy. This popular festive delicacy is popular all over the South Asian Countries & you will commonly find them in the Sweet shops/ Halwai shops....

My family loves beetroot so I use it often to make salads, stir fry, pulao, raita, curry, kootu, sambar, halwa, juice and smoothies. Mostly I use it raw or lightly sauteed to retain the nutrients in the beets. This beetroot chutney is made in Andhra style just like any other vegetable chutney made in Andhra cuisine. Most times I pack it in the lunch box for the kids along with paratha or phulka....

Bottle gourd is known by many different names – calabash, opo squash, long melon etc. It also grows in many different shapes across the world. Also known as Lauki in Hindi, it is a vegetable used widely in Indian Cuisine. In the regional Indian languages it is known as sorakaya, ghiya, dudhi etc. Bottle gourd is often used to make curries, sambar, dal, stew, soups, Dudhi halwa and Sorakaya Chutney....

Making burgers at home is easier than you think. All you need is soft burger buns, chicken bread crumbs, flour, spices. sauce, veggies and some lettuce. To prepare and fry the patty, i have followed the same method shared in the popcorn chicken and fried chicken recipes. You may also like these recipesVeg burgerChicken shawarmaFalafel How to Make Chicken burger (Stepwise Photos) Brine the Chicken Add ¼ cup of curd / plain yogurt to a large utensil....

The traditional process of making chicken nuggets involves dipping seasoned chicken in flour and then in the beaten egg. Lastly breaded with seasoned bread crumbs which are deep fried. Egg is the main ingredient here as it locks the juices in the chicken and keeps them soft even after frying. However if you want to make super addictive, extremely juicy and tender chicken nuggets then you have to try out with the extra step of brining the chicken....