Posted in Gujarati, Roti Paratha Dosa & More

Doodhi Bajra na Thepla / Gujarati Lauki Thepla

Theplas are Indian flatbreads made with whole grain flour mixed with seasonal vegetables and some commonly used spices such as green chilies, cumin-coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste. All combined into a dough using yogurt. Since there is hardly any water used in making the dough, these theplas last for couple of days, making them a perfect healthy snack for picnics or long journeys. The dough also contains some jaggery or sugar, which is signature of any Gujarati dish, trust me it actually makes it yummy! Serve it hot with pickle or chundo and yogurt.

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Posted in Everyday Cooking, Maharashtrian, Subji / Curry, Superfoods

कारल्याची भाजी / Karlyachi Bhaji / Karela Sabji – Sweet & Sour Maharashtrian Style

5 different tastes in one bite! It’s a culinary master piece!

I have always told people who asked me about my favorite vegetables that I love Karlyachi Bhaji and especially the way my mom makes it. The surprise on their face made me feel proud for earning brownie points for being a good kid who eats all vegetables, including bitter gourd.

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Posted in Back to Basics

How to make Yogurt / Curd / at Home

Yogurt is a complete protein (it contains all essential amino acids) and is also a healthy source of calcium, magnesium, and other essential vitamins. More importantly its active bacterial cultures aid in digestion. No wonder it’s an important part of any Indian meal. Making yogurt at home is very simple and it will also save you some bucks. Like most other homemade things, you will love the yogurt you will make at home because It tastes much better Its healthier with no added preservative, sugar or any thing else you don’t recognize as food It’s as much Organic and Natural…

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Posted in Breakfast, Events, Gujarati, Snacks

હાંડવો / Handavo / Savory Lentil Cakes Recipe

Gujaratis are known for their variety of farsan – snacks – dhokla, khaman, shev-khamni, khandvi, gote, lochyo, kachori, mathiya, muthiya …. it’s a long list. I have previously posted two recipes for muthiya – dudhi na muthiya and palak-methi na muthiya. Handvo or Handawa is yet another healthy Gujarati snack which is not deep fried. It’s actually baked! Traditionally this savory lentil cake is baked in an aluminium pot filled with sand in the bottom, which when heated, provides dry heat just like our modern ovens. I found it quite interesting. It’s prepared with a mixture of different dal flours such as chana…

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Posted in Spring - Summer Special, Travelicious

Glimpses of Mt Shasta and Crater Lake

Blue clear sky, a canvas of lush green meadow with tiny bright yellow flowers, dancing with the wind, tall pine trees all around, snow topped mountains in the backdrop and the sweet chime of rushing water! The experience which will let you experience “bliss”! All my senses were awakened. Lying under the sun at noon turned into a joyful moment – at that moment I felt the connection with the nature. Pure happiness unfolded in my heart, that happiness was beauty, the beauty of the nature. The first unplanned trip we did which surprised us at every moment. The experience was worth sharing…

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Posted in Desserts, Spring - Summer Special

Qubani Ka Meetha / Apricot Dessert

Qubani is an Urdu word for Apricots. And this dessert – Qubani Ka Meetha which itself translates to stewed Apricot dessert is a specialty of Hyderabad. It was the challenge posed by Roha from Hyderabadi Cuisine as part of  SNC ( South Vs North Challenge), which as you might know is a brainchild of Divya from YouTooCanCook, you can read about it more here. When I first saw this in my inbox I was almost jumping with joy. Apricots are one of my favorite fruits. What I like about apricot is its distinct aromatic flavor. Currently farmer’s markets in the US are…

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Posted in Desserts, Festival Special, Maharashtrian, Smoothie, South Indian

Moogachi Kheer / Parippu Kanji – A Festive Lentil and Jaggery Porridge

A healthy festive drink! [dropcap]L[/dropcap]ast Monday we celebrated Akshay Trutiya, a religious occasion which calls for a sweet treat. “Akshay” means the never diminishing in Sanskrit and this day falls on the third Tithi (Lunar day) of Bright Half (Shukla Paksha) of the Indian month of Vaishakha and one of the 3 and 1/2 “the most auspicious days” or also known as “Sade-Teen Muhurt” considered by Hindus. It’s believed that Akshay Trutiya was the day when Lord Ganesha started writing epic Mahabharata to Ved Vyasa’s dictation. It’s considered auspicious to start a new venture or a new job, buy new property and jewelry too. Every year my aajji used to…

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Posted in Smoothie, Spring - Summer Special, Superfoods

Almond Energy Drink

A drink that makes every morning a good morning! We seem to be sacrificing more of our time and energy to our high-speed wireless culture and as a result exhaustion has become a familiar aspect of our lives. All too often we forget to take care of ourselves. How many times you consider yourself an important part of your life? Making room in your frantic schedule for some downtime is equally important as intentionally replenishing your energy with healthy and wholesome food. Here is my recipe for an energizing drink, a perfect start for your day! It contains just 4 simple ingredients,…

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Posted in Events

WTML April 2013 Roundup

I was happy to host Gayathri’s WTML event and was happier to see 159 entries! Assembling this post took lot of efforts, thanks to all the participants. The winner as selected by Gayathri is Nabanita Das from Esho-Bosho-Aahare and her winning entry is Kesari Badam Kulfi. Congratulations!! I have grouped the dishes roughly into appetizers / snacks, desserts and main entrees. Hope you find this helpful. There are more entries and I will add those to the list eventually. Meanwhile, join us at https://www.facebook.com/MyHomeMantra for more updates. [tabgroup] [tab title=Desserts][half] Tiramisu Sandesh | A Fusion Sweet by Esho-Bosho-Aahare Ragi Ladoo by Sahasra Recipes Nendrapazam…

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Posted in Breakfast, Events, Punjabi, Roti Paratha Dosa & More, Winter Special

मुळ्याचे पराठे / Muli Paratha and WTML April 2013 Event Announcement with a Giveaway!!

मुळा / Muli or White Radish and शेपू / Savaa or Dill, the two vegetables I hated from my core white I was little. I gave my mom hard time since she either had to convince me for eating it or make something else . Convincing me was a harder task than preparing something else. She tried many ways to hide these vegetables in other dishes. the characteristic smell the two vegetables have turned out to be my biggest advantage. It was quite rare to have my mom open the door for me as I return from school since her office timings never…

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