Chocolate Sesame Fudge Delectable, chocolatey and soft, Chocolate Sesame Fudge is a vegan take on the famous chocolate barfi or fudge. I replaced the ghee with olive oil. Also I have used homemade sesame seed paste. Not too sweet, Chocolate Sesame Fudge is different kind of sweet to enjoy during the Makar Sankranti festival. Don’t worry, the ‘must have’ sesame seeds and jaggery are included in the fudge. Happy Uttarayan/ Makar Sankranti/ Pongal Come fly a kite And watch it sail Across the sky, Waving its tail. By Jean Warren What is Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti Once again it Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti. Uttarayan is the Gujarati name for the festival celebrated all over…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #276 KIDS TREATS RECIPE: CARROT BLISS BALLS Carrot Bliss Balls Carrot Bliss Balls with flavors from ginger and cinnamon. Nuts, seeds, coconut, turmeric powder, oats, dates, carrots are added. These balls are not only nutritious but are healthy, full of fiber and free from processed sugar. The natural sweetness comes from the dates. What are Bliss Balls? Also known as energy balls or protein balls, these balls are made with ingredients that provide energy. Most ingredients like dates, nuts, other dried fruits are used. Sometimes other ingredients like seeds, oats, healthy flour, protein powder, healthy powders like maca, spirulina, baobab, ashwagandha, etc are added. It all depends on what one requires from the energy balls. They make ideal snack option, perfect for…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : AN INGREDIENT BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER S RECIPE: CHIKOO KULFI/ SAPODILLA KULFI What is Chikoo Kulfi/ Sapodilla Kulfi? Chikoo Kulfi/ Sapodilla Kulfi is a delicious creamy fruity frozen dessert, easy to make and not too sweet. Perfect summer time treat. First, lets clear what is chikoo? Chikoo is the Hindi name for sapodilla (pronounced as sapo-diya) or sapota. It is a sweet fruit that is brown in colour and grows on an evergreen tree. This fruit is native to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. In India it grows abundantly in the state of Karnataka. Whenever I’m in Bangalore and its chikoo season, I have one every single day. I simply love chikoo. I know many don’t like…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #272 DIWALI RECIPE: SEV MUMRA What is Sev Mumra? Sev Mumra is basically an Indian Savory Snack that can be stored for at least a month. Generally, this snack is prepared in a large batch. Basically, there are two main parts to Sev Mumra – the Sev and Mumra. Both Sev and Mumra are mixed along with spices and add ons if one prefers to prepare a snack. Its usually enjoyed during tea time. I prefer making sev mumra compared to other fried snacks as only the sev is deep fried. The proportion of sev to mumra totally depends on your preference. We prefer more mumra to sev. What is Sev? Sev is fried noodle like savory prepared from chickpea flour(besan) and spices.…
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Continue ReadingTheme: Halloween Recipe: Witches’ Finger Breadsticks What are Witches’ Finger Breadsticks? Simply put Witches’ Finger Breadsticks are breadsticks that are shaped into witches’ fingers. These make a fun, spooky Halloween party treat, easy to make and healthy too. These breadsticks are not crispy and crunchy like the more famous Italian breadsticks or grissini. They are more like soft bread. Usually enjoyed with a dip. Halloween Theme You may be wondering why amid Navratri Festival I’m talking about witches’ fingers. Well, Swathi Iyer who blogs at Zesty South Indian Kitchen suggested that we make some Halloween treats as a group. I jumped at the idea as till now I don’t have a spooky Halloween treat post on my blog. This event has given me…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #266 EXOTIC SAFFRON RECIPE: SAFFRON TAPIOCA PUDDING What is Saffron Tapioca Pudding? Saffron Tapioca Pudding is a sweet dish prepared by cooking soaked tapioca pearls or sabudana in milk till it becomes thick. The pudding can be enjoyed hot or cold. Once the tapioca pearls are soaked well enough making this pudding is very easy. I generally soak them for 4 – 6 hours in plain water. Adding saffron is optional but I’m a huge fan of saffron so look for any opportunity to use it whenever I can. What is Tapioca Pearls? Known as tapioca pearls as they look like little tiny pearls or sabudana. Dana in Hindi means small round beads or grains. They also go by the name of…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #243 LITTLE CHEFS FoodieMonday/Bloghop Theme As many parents find themselves and their kids at home because of the worldwide spread of Corona Virus, parents are taking this opportunity to introduce their kids to other skills than those learnt in the classroom. Cooking and helping around the house are some of them. Bearing this in mind this week’s theme suggested by Priya is recipes that kids can put together either partly or entirely by themselves. For this theme I’ve chosen to make the ever so easy Pineapple Slush. Memories….. While I don’t have little kids in the house and didn’t want to ‘borrow’ neighbors kids because of the social distancing, I had to think about 25 year back! Why, well I had to…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #234 SUPER NUTS AND SEEDS FoodieMonday/Bloghop Group FoodieMonday is a group of 12 enthusiastic food blogger who prepare a dish for every Monday based on a chosen theme. Through this group, not only have I learnt a lot more about different regional cuisines from the members but we tend to hold productive discussions about ingredients, cooking methods, recipes and in this manner share cooking related knowledge with each other. Theme Suggestion Using seeds or nuts or both is this week’s theme. You may think, that’s a pretty easy theme. However, it was not as easy as one may presume. Did you know that almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts, pine nuts, walnuts are not true nuts but seeds? Pecans, chestnuts are true nuts. Swaty suggested…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #229 SANKRANTI SPECIALS Happy Makar Sankranti to all my friends, followers and family What is Makar Sankranti? Makar Sankranti, Uttarayan, Lohri, Maghi, Bihu, Thai Pongal, Suggi Habba, Makara Sankramana all fall more or less on the same day. These are all harvest festivals celebrated according to each one’s tradition and culture. Makar Sankranti, is dedicated to the Sun God Surya. It also marks the end of the winter solstice and beginning of longer daylight. While most communities will celebrate Makar Sankranti according to their tradition and culture, it is largely associated with kite flying and delicious food. Importance of Sesame Seeds and Jaggery during Makar Sankranti Most of Makar Sankranti treats will have sesame seeds and jaggery in them. Usually I make…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #226 GRANDMA’S REMEDIES RECIPE: KADHA/HERBAL SPICY TEA What is Kadha? Kadha is a mixture of herbs and spices boiled in water for about 7-10 minutes. Lemon juice and honey/jaggery are added, o make it palatable, This mixture of herbs and spices is a wonderful and beneficial remedy for colds, flus and coughs both dry and chesty. Its usually drunk when its hot or warm depending on who is having it. Usually children are given warm kadha. Kadha Ingredients Ingredients for kadha are usually found in the kitchen. If you don’t have the ingredients then they are easily available from and Indian store or online. In case fresh holy basil is not available then use dried one or add more mint. Water Fresh…
