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Posted in Breakfast, Maharashtrian, South Indian

उपमा / उप्पीट / Upma

Upma doesn’t really need any introduction. It’s as famous in Maharashtra as in South India. We also have a slight modified version of Upma + Turmeric powder which we call “सांजा / Sanja”. Very simple, yet wholesome healthy dish great for breakfast. Upma with a bowl of soup has become our favorite choice for dinner. It’s actually quite versatile recipe and can be made with semolina which is made of wheat, idly rava (made with rice), vermicilli and even oats or couscous. Also you can add veggies if you like. I am giving our traditional home recipe.

Posted in Desserts, Festival Special, Maharashtrian

रव्याचे लाडू / रवा नारळाचे लाडू / Rava Coconut Laddoo

Nothing makes me miss home more than not being there for Diwali… Waking up early in the morning, getting an oil massage from mom, then a bath with ‘santoor-sandle’ soap bought specially for Diwali, helping her to make rangoli, wearing new clothes, then unlimited firecrackers followed by scrumptious faral with family… Happy Days! Here’s wishing all my readers a very happy diwali. May the auspicious festival of lights illuminate your life in the year ahead with Happiness, Health and Prosperity ! To cherish those happy moments from my childhood, I decided to make grandma’s speciality – rava laddoo. These laddoos are…

Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Snacks

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two years and two months, I had successfully put off the urge of making chocolate chip cookies at home. Finally I gave in and decided to make S happy by making his two favorite dishes – Sabudana Khichadi and Chocolate Chip Cookies. The debate still continues whether firm and thin or soft and chewy is the perfect texture but we both agree that fresh, warm, just-out-of-oven cookies with a glass of cold milk is a pure bliss! It would have been a lot easier if there were one master recipe for each classic dish. After going through numerous websites I…

Posted in Jams & Pickels, Spring - Summer Special

Fresh Strawberry Jam

It was one o’ clock and I had almost finished my shopping at the farmer’s market. I stopped at a stall which had only two big boxes of fresh organic strawberries and the seller was happily offering them at half the price. I instantly grabbed one box and started thinking of how to preserve these summer treats. There wouldn’t be a better way than fresh homemade strawberry jam! I returned home with the big box in my hands and a big smile 🙂 [purerecipe]

Posted in Festival Special, Maharashtrian, Quick n Healthy

गोपाळ काला / Gopal Kala for Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी, the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated all over India. In Maharashtra its popularly known as Gokulashtmi and it’s celebrated along with “Dahi Handi” with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. People make a human pyramid by standing on each other and the top most person tries to reach the “handi”, a clay pot filled with curd and aims to break it with his hand. This depicts Lord Krishna’s childhood and his love towards butter. We worship bal gopal (बाल गोपाळ ) and we prepare his favorite dishes which include sweets and savory dishes. Then on the midnight of…

Posted in Breakfast, Continental, Desserts, Snacks

Banana Walnut Bread

Even though I think about calories, fat, saturated fat and of course, the price I end up buying banana walnut bread at Starbucks. The cakey delight is so hard to resist. Today I decided to try it myself at home using whole wheat flour instead of maida (all purpose flour) to make it a little healthier. My husband could not tell the difference 🙂 [purerecipe] Food For Thought Walnuts are often referred to as “brain food”, not only because of brain-like appearance of their lobes but because of their high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids. They also promote bone health…

Posted in Continental, Desserts, Entertaining

Chocolate Brownies

Rich, Cakey, Chocolatey Goodness !! I bet you are smiling already. 🙂 This is one thing I have found hard to resist. Even though they are easy to make at home, next time I would rather but them by the piece just to keep my weight loss goal on track. I found couple of recipes with slight variations in amount of chocolate, cocoa powder and eggs used. The one I used came from my colleague’s mom. She has been baking these brownies for last 50 years, how wonderful is that! I think i did a good justice to her recipe and made…

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining, Maharashtrian, Spring - Summer Special

आम्रखंड / Amrakhand / Mango Mousse

Alphonso mango with thick creamy yogurt – divine delight! Admittedly, my whole family has a sweet tooth – I just have the biggest! Whenever my mom asked my preference for dessert I answered with only one word – Amrakhand. Alphonso mango pulp mixed with very think yet very smooth yogurt and sugar with some cardomom and saffron, who wouldn’t like it? For me it’s simply a divine pleasure! It’s very famous in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. Gudhi padwa (Hindu New Year) was the perfect occasion to prepare this special dessert at home. Making this at home does have…

Posted in Maharashtrian, Smoothie, Upvasache Padarth

ताक / Chaas / Buttermilk

A pure, simple summer refresher Buttermilk has always been an integral part of traditional Maharashtrian meal. Imagine coming home from scorching heat and sipping on a glass of cold, lightly spiced homemade buttermilk. There is no better thirst quencher! It’s very simple, just takes 5 minutes to mix everything together. [purerecipe] Surprisingly not everyone knows about buttermilk. One of my colleagues thought it was made by adding milk to butter. It actually referes to the liquid left over after extracting the butter from churned yogurt. The churning process causes some of the lactose – milk sugar, to be converted into lactic…

Posted in Breakfast, Maharashtrian, Snacks, Upvasache Padarth

साबूदाण्याची खिचडी / Sabudana Khichadi

Scrumptious Maharashtrian Delicacy It was the very first time, since our marriage, when my husband was visiting me in Pittsburgh; I wanted to make something he loves. He asked for “साबूदाण्याची खिचडी” (Sabudana Khichadi). I somehow managed to serve him what he wanted but I was not at all happy with my attempt. I knew I had to learn the trick from my mom to make him happy. And now I have excelled it 🙂 I made it again after almost a year and I am really proud of myself 🙂 [purerecipe] The most important part is amount of water used…