Onion Uttappam

As a kid, I never order South Indian when we go out as we get it more tastier at home… Now if I have to order one, then my choice has always been (even now) onion uttappam.. And I always tell – extra onions!!! Yeah me crazy with onions and this uttappam is super yummy!!! This is served as a breakfast in many homes in Southern India.. You can add more delicious things like coriander leaves, curry leaves, green chili, carrot etc… Oh yeah that will also be yummm…

Eggless Cornmeal Bread / Buttermilk Cornbread / Eggless Cornbread

Cornbread is a very popular breakfast in the US.. It is made on the skillet or baked in the oven and served as breakfast. It is quite simple to do and very delicious.. I baked this in a 8 inch square dish and the height of the bread was about 1 1/4 inches.. You will get a taller one if you choose a smaller pan. You can also bake these in muffin tins. I got this recipe from allrecipes.com and made a few changes..

Tahini

Tahini is a very delicious paste made from sesame seeds. It makes a delicious and important addition to Mediterranean cuisine.. It is an important part of the hummus.. It is advised to store the tahini is the fridge to avoid spoiling. Also addition of oil is not compulsory, but it gives a creamier texture.

Herbed Oil / Flavored Oil

Flavored oils are so much handy to have on hand and it is the best way to induce flavor and aroma into a dish. I made this flavored oil long ago (when I made my Focaccia Caprese). It is quite simple to do and can be stored for at least 15 - 20 days.

Grapes Jam–without Pectin

Today we are seeing a dish that is popular in all parts of the world.. The very humble – Jam!! I have started making jam in the last few years and every time I see loads of fruit, the first dish that comes to my mind is Jam!!! I have made many varieties of Jam but most of them uses Pectin to make the jam. Now this recipe is a Jam recipe that does not use Pectin, but gets the help from the pectin that is naturally in the grapes.. So this jam uses only 2 ingredients and gives you a beautiful jam with no pectin, no food color, no artificial preservatives and no essence also.. Trust me you get the bursting flavor of grapes and the beautiful color naturally… Although Jam is popular in many parts of the world, it is mainly used in English Breakfast – Bread and Jam.

Mysore pak - Indian Sweets

Here comes a very authentic and traditional sweet that is prepared in our houses almost in all festive occassions.. It is said to have originated in Mysore (Karnataka), it is a very popular sweet and is made in many functions.. We make mysore pak also for parupu thengai. Parupu thengai is a cone shaped presentation of sweets prepared during marriages and authentic occassions. From wiki – “Mysore pak was first prepared in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace by a palace cook named Kakaasura Madappa”. Make sure you have everything ready before you start the process as you will have very little luxury time. Also keep a close watch when the color changes as you skip the time, then your mysore pak will not come correctly.. Next time I make this sweet I will try to take step wise clicks..

Grape Juice–Summer Recipes

One of the easiest and quickest way to get fruits into us is in the form of juice. But when we use the store bought ones, it has the obvious issues of not being fresh, contains preservatives etc.. I always prefer grapes with seed but the issue is the process is longer than the seedless ones.. It is very important to use the skin of the grapes here to get the maximum benefit. I have used honey here, but you can use all sugar also.. This stays good as a concentrate for about a week.. Did not try for longer period as it got over by then…

Carrot Almond Laddu–Diwali Sweets

Laddu - this word makes a lot of people drool... For my daughter it relates to strength and power.. All thanks to the Chhota Bheem cartoon she loves where laddu is a symbol for strength.. And traditionally laddu is made by frying gram flour and dipping them in sugar syrup.. Today we are going to see a laddu, a recipe I got from Priya’s space which requires no frying..

Palmiers - Little Hearts Biscuits

Today's recipe is another delicious biscuit which is quite popular among kids in India.. It is also a traditional French pastry which is flaky, rich and buttery.. I got this recipe from here and absolutely love it.. The addition of nuts is optional, but so tasty.

Masala Peanuts–Microwave Version

I have made the Masala Peanuts in oven and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Today's recipe is from Nalini's blog which is made in the Microwave oven. We loved this version of the Masala Peanuts also.. Try this and you will know what I am talking about... You could add the spice powders according to taste and preference

Maska Chaska / Masala Biscuits / Savory Biscuits

Love the maska chaska biscuits from Krack Jack. When I was making cookies and biscuits at home, I wanted to try and do one similar to maska chaska. When I saw this recipe, it looked very similar and tempting.. I was so happy with the taste and it was so similar.. Try this one if you like masala biscuits or maska chaska

Ginger Almond Biscuits–Eggless Biscuits

Today we are going to look at a very flavorful and aromatic biscuit. I got this recipe from Gayathri's blog and it was so delicious.. The entire house was filled with the aroma of ginger..

Masala Peanuts (Protein Packed Power)

Looking for yet another healthy snack to keep munching??? Here comes a protein packed power food. We get similar ones in shops but those are fried and this one is baked. I got the recipe from here and loved it. Try this guilt free snack. It is very easy and tastes amazing..

Iyengar Bakery Khara Biscuit / Savory Shortbread Cookies

Do you like sweet or savory? I love savory goodies over the sweet ones.. When I was in US and we visit coffee shops, you hardly get anything savory.. All the items in the menu will be sweet or over sweet.. Quick breads, muffins or donuts.. Not my choice.. I always love the puffs, samosas, sandwiches we get here.. And who can forget the delicious savory bakery biscuit we get here.. So tasty and delicious.. When I saw this recipe, I tried it and was very happy with the results..

White Bread–Sandwich Bread

Why bake bread when it is available on the shelf of a grocery store? Homemade bread tastes a lot better and many customizations are possible and also the aroma of fresh bread is so heavenly. Once we smell the beautiful aroma of bread while baking, we would always prefer to make (bake) it at home. It’s simple and fun, baking bread. There are many types of bread and this one is plain white bread. Always slice the bread just before use as unsliced bread lasts longer.

Cranberry Corn Muffin–Eggless and Butterless

Today's recipe is a muffin which is not too sweet and has an interesting taste from the corn meal and also a tang from the cranberries. Do you like fresh cranberries??? I am not a big fan of it.. But I love them dried.. But I love fresh cherries and prefer it over the macerated ones.. I always have a pack or two of various dry fruits in my pantry. The original recipe here calls for fresh ones but I have used the dried ones. I have also substituted the egg in the original recipe with flax seed meal. Go ahead and use the fresh ones if you like them and also can find them else can use the dried ones like me...

Moong Dal Fry–Microwave Method–Guilt free Snacks

Want a healthy snack that you can munch guilt free??? So in perfect for holidays or for watching TV.. Moong dal / Paasi Parupu is a healthy dal which is easy to digest but loaded with proteins.. Ask a person with fever or stomach flu or people who have just delivered, paasi parupu (moong dal) will be part of their diet as it is easy to digest, loaded with proteins and so healthy. I have heard that it also helps in healing the wounds.. There are so many items that we make with this dal. Some are -. This is a different one with it being a snack which is so similar to the fried one. I have the Moong Dal Fry recipe here which is a very famous snack. I got the idea from here to make the similar moong dal fry without actually frying it.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies–Eggless Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are one of the most favorite and also popular variety of cookie. What is the difference between a biscuit and a cookie? You ask this question and you get different answers from different people. To me, cookie is more softer and chewier but a biscuit (that we get in India) is more harder and crispier. My daughter loves to read Dora stories and one of the stories have Dora's  mom making her Chocolate Chip Cookies and sending it with Dora when she goes to meet a friend. Now my daughter wanted me to make the chocolate chip cookie. So that was when I made my first try on these delicious, mouth melting and soft chewy cookies. I picked up this recipe and did make a few changes. My daughter was very happy with the cookies, so I have made this a few times now and it goes off in minutes before I could take as many pictures as I want!!!

Onion Pakoda

Pakoda is a famous snack in South India. It tastes best when served hot. This is a regular in our house as it is one of the most favorite snack / tiffin, but never get a chance to click as it is mostly done while I am cooking itself.. By the time I am done with final round of frying, the earlier rounds of pakoda are over. Even today, I took the clicks in a hurry and hopefully I will be able to do the justice on photo for this delicious pakoda. Adjust salt and chili powder to taste. You can make many varieties like cashew pakoda, mint pakoda, masala pakoda etc.. Today my choice is the very famous onion pakoda.

Potato Chips

If there is one type of food which is enjoyed in many parts of the world, then it has to be chips.. Ranking top on junk food, these are irresistible and a lot of times you cannot stop with one.. There are many branded chips available, but make them at home and make it even more irresistible. I have tried the baked version here, but this one is the sinfully delicious fried one. You can add any seasoning powders of choice, but I kept it simple this with just salt and chili powder.