Sweet potato paratha is an easy and interesting alternate to our regular sweet potato sabzi / poriyal. In Tamil, we call it as Sakkaravalli kizhangu chapati. Basically we love to eat boiled sweet potato as a post meal snack. Apart from this, we South Indians make Sweet potato curry / Sakkaravalli kizhangu poriyal or add them in sambar, vatha kuzhambu.
For a change, I tried this North Indian style Sweet potato paratha for the first time. It came out so well. Its so easy to make as well. You don’t need to make a separate stuffing for this paratha. Just mix the boiled and mashed sweet potato and spice powders with wheat flour to make the paratha dough and roll it thin or thick as you wish. Cook in low to medium flame for soft paratha. Apply ghee and serve hot with masala raita or boondi raita. It tastes great. It tastes more like thepla.
Lets see how to make sweet potato paratha in an easy way with step by step pictures and video.
Wash and pressure cook sweet potato for 2 whistles in low flame.
Peel the skin and mash it well. Take wheat flour in a bowl.
Add the mashed sweet potato, spice powders, salt and mix well.
Sprinkle water and make a smooth dough. Roll it thin or thick as you like.
Heat dosa tawa. Spread little ghee and place the rolled paratha.
Cook both sides in low to medium flame till its well cooked. Smear ghee on both sides.
Remove and serve hot with onion raita, masala raita, boondi raita or simply with a pickle as side dish. Tastes great !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and pressure cook sweet potato for 2 whistles in low flame adding salt and water. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Peel the skin.
Mash it and set aside. Take wheat flour in a bowl. Add the mashed potato, red chilli powder,cumin seeds, ajwain, garam masala powder, crushed kasoori methi, finely chopped coriander leaves, salt and mix well.
Add water and make a smooth dough. Make balls and set aside. Take one ball, dust in wheat flour and roll it thin or thick as you like.
Heat a dosa tawa and cook the paratha both sides till brown spots appear. Apply ghee and remove it. Serve hot with raita/ pickle.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of spices as per your taste.
You can make it thin like thepla or thick like paratha as per your liking.
Try this easy, yummy sweet potato paratha and enjoy.
North Indian style pumpkin curry was in my try list for long time. When I was looking for some good recipes, I came across Kaddu ki sabzi recipes like Bengali style, Maharashtrian style and Gujarati style with some minor changes in each recipe. I made a fusion of all these recipes following an YouTube video. It came out finger licking delicious.
Usually I make our South Indian style Pumpkin curry directly in a pressure cooker but here I didn’t want to take risk as I am trying it for the first time. It came out so well with nice flavour and color. We loved it. Friends, if you are bored of making South Indian Pumpkin recipes, try this North Indian style Kaddu ki Sabji. You will love it and make it more often. Please CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.
Kaddu ki sabzi recipe
Kaddu ki sabzi recipe | Kaddu ki sabji for rice, roti.
Wash and peel the skin of pumpkin and chop into big cubes. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli and curry leaves.
Add the chopped pumpkin pieces and saute for a minute. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, , coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix well.
Lastly add water and cover cook till pumpkin is cooked well.
Add crushed kasoori methi, jaggery, coriander leaves and mix well. Switch off the flame, add few drops of lemon juice and serve hot with rice and roti.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and peel the skin of pumpkin and chop into big pieces. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli and curry leaves.
Add the chopped pumpkin pieces and saute for a minute. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix well.
Add water and cover cook till pumpkin is cooked well. Add crushed Kasoori methi, coriander leaves, powdered jaggery and switch off the flame.
Serve with rice and roti. Enjoy.
Note
Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per your taste.
Addition of jaggery and Kasoori methi gives a nice flavor. Don’t skip it.
Try this no onion, no garlic Kaddu Ki Sabzi and enjoy with rice and roti.
When it comes to street food in Mumbai, pav bhaji reigns supreme as the most popular and beloved snack. It has been a go-to choice for many, including my daughter, who can't resist its flavoursome charm. Traditionally, I would prepare pav bhaji by cooking the vegetables and masala separately, but recently, I stumbled upon a game-changing technique on YouTube: one pot, one shot pressure cooker pav bhaji. Intrigued by its vibrant colours and tempting texture, I couldn't help but bookmark a few videos to try it out.
During a recent visit to my parents' house, they surprised me with the Prestige Svachh FLIP-ON Pressure Cooker. As a cooking enthusiast, I've always appreciated the convenience and time-saving benefits of pressure cookers. With its gas and induction compatibility, it caters to all kitchen setups. The unique lid design with spillage control caught my attention, making it incredibly easy to handle and maintain. I was particularly impressed by the effortless locking and unlocking mechanism, which even beginners will appreciate.
Excited to put my new cooker to the test, I decided to try making pav bhaji masala using this innovative technique. The results were nothing short of extraordinary! The pressure cooker method allowed me to complete all the tempering, sauteing, and cooking in one go, eliminating the need for multiple pans and saving precious time. The end product was a tantalising plate of pav bhaji that retained its authentic flavours and delightful texture. It was an instant hit with my family, leaving us all craving more.
Friends, do try this pressure cooker pav bhaji recipe and enjoy with your family. Even bachelors can give this as try. You can make the same in instant pot as well.
Wash and chop onion, tomato and vegetables finely. Set aside.
Heat butter+cooking oil in Prestige pressure cooker.
Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute well.
Add tomato and saute till mushy. Add all the spice powders , salt and mix well.
Lastly add the chopped vegetables and mix well. Add required water and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Take a potato masher and mash it well to make a paste like consistency.
Add little water if its too thick. Boil for a minute and switch off the flame.
In a tadka pan, melt butter and add pav bhaji masala powder and Kasoori methi. Switch off the flame and add to pav bhaji masala.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Pav bhaji masala is ready.
For pav buns, take the bun and slit it. Heat butter in a dosa tawa and add the pav bhaji masala powder, a pinch of salt and coriander leaves. Mix well.
Dip the pav buns in this masala and cook both the sides till soft. Remove and serve it.
Serve the pav buns with pav bhaji masala, finely chopped onions and lemon wedges. Enjoy.
PRESSURE COOKER PAV BHAJI RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and chop onion, tomato, vegetables and set aside. Heat butter+cooking oil in a pressure cooker base.
Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion till transparent and add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off. Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pav bhaji masala powder and salt. Mix well and add the vegetables.
Add required water and pressure cook in low flame for one or two whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released and mash the cooked vegetables and masala using a potato masher.
After mashing, it looks creamy and thick. Add little more water and boil for a minute. Switch off the flame. Lets do the tadka. Heat butter in a kadai and reduce the flame to low. Add pav bhaji masala powder and crushed Kasoori methi. Add to pav bhaji and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and set aside.
To cook pav buns : Melt butter in a dosa tawa and add little pav bhaji masala powder and chopped coriander leaves. Slit the bun like an open book, place over it and spread well. Remove the bun and serve hot with bhaji, finely chopped onion and a lemon wedge.
Enjoy !
Note
For variations, you can skip other vegetables and use potato alone.
Use butter generously for best taste.
Try this easy, one pot one shot, pressure cooker pav bhaji and enjoy !
Making traditional rabdi/ rabri at home without condensed milk and khoya was in my long time pending list. Rabdi is basically a North Indian special dessert recipe prepared by boiling and reducing the milk till thick by collecting the malai(skin of milk). Its also known as lachha rabdi in Hindi.
Last year, when I prepared instant Malpua, I tried instant rabdi recipe with condensed milk in microwave. It was so quick and easy. After that, I prepared this traditional method of making rabdi for Krishna jayanthi to post under North Indian Krishna Janmashtami special recipes. Though this traditional rabdi is a time consuming process, the end result makes you forget the pain.
I have always thought rabdi and South Indian special dessert basundi are the same. But after preparing this rabri from scratch, I found there are some differences between rabdi and basundi in consistency, taste and method of preparation. Rabri is thicker than basundi. You can enjoy it warm or serve it chilled. You can enjoy eating as such or with malpua, jalebi, shahi tukda or even with gulab jamun. Tastes so good !
Ok friends, lets see how to make rabdi / rabri at home with step by step pictures and video.
Rabdi Recipe - How to make Rabri for malpua
Rabdi Recipe - How to make Rabri for malpua at home
Pour the thick, full fat milk in a wide based kadai. Boil well. When the milk starts to rise, lower the flame and let it boil. Keep a wooden ladle over the kadai diagonally. It helps to prevent spilling of milk when it boils in medium flame. While it boils, cream/skin forms on top of milk which is called as malai in Hindi / paalaadai in Tamil . Keep the flame low to medium.
Use a ladle or spoon and move the cream to the sides of kadai. Repeat the same and collect it in the sides of kadai. Do not stir the milk continuously because malai won’t form on top. So boil the milk patiently in low to medium flame such that malai keeps forming on top. But don’t forget to stir the milk occasionally till the bottom of kadai because there are chances of milk getting burnt in the bottom.
Collect the malai and deposit in the side of kadai. Milk boils and reduce in quantity. In the mean time, you can chop the nuts and set aside. Once it is reduced to 1/3rd of its quantity, add sugar, saffron threads, cardamom powder.
Mix well and boil till the sugar melts. Milk turns slightly yellow in color. When the milk is reduced to 1/4th of its quantity, switch off the flame. Scrape the malai from the sides of kadai and add to the milk. Mix well and serve. Rabri thickens as it cools down. So switch off at the right stage. Make sure its not thick.
Lastly add few drops of rose water and chopped nuts.(I din't blanch the badam. I used it with skin). Mix well and serve warm or chilled by refrigerating it for an hour. You can serve and consume as such or serve with rabri with malpua, gulab jamun, jalebi, Imarti or with shahi tukda. Enjoy !
Note
Do not stir the milk continuously or often because it prevents the formation of cream on top of milk.
Don’t forget to stir the milk occasionally otherwise milk gets burnt in the bottom of pan.
Adjust the quantity of sugar as per your taste buds.
Do not skip rose water or use kewra essence for a nice and unique flavor to rabdi.
Do not make it too thick because rabri thickens as it cools down. So switch off the flame when its slightly thin in consistency. Adding malai makes it thick.
I din't blanch / peel the skin of almonds/ badam. If you wish, you can do it by soaking in hot water for 30 minutes.
Try this traditional Rabdi recipe at home and enjoy !
Last week I bought a big bunch of iceberg lettuce leaves for my burger. After making burger, I had some lettuce leaves leftover in hand. When I was thinking about what can I make with lots of lettuce, I browsed for some Indian vegetarian lettuce recipes. I came across this lettuce dal recipe and lettuce stir fry /thoran in Kerala style. Though I was a bit hesitant about its raw smell, I din’t want to waste the leaves. So I made up my mind and tried this lettuce dal recipe for the first time. To my surprise, it came out very well. It was tasting more like cabbage dal, Infact better than that. I couldn’t find any raw smell at all. I was so happy with the result. Even Raksha and Sendhil liked it a lot. Friends, don’t worry if you have more lettuce leaves in hand. You can make this yummy and delicious, healthy Indian style Iceberg lettuce dal recipe. I am sure you will love it.
Lettuce Dal Recipe
Indian style dal recipe using Iceberg lettuce leaves.
In a pressure cooker base, take toor dal, lettuce leaves, onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste.
Add required water, drops of oil, salt, turmeric powder and hing.
Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Mash it well.
Temper cumin seeds in ghee. Lower the flame and add red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder and add to the dal.
Mix well and boil for few minutes till thick. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Enjoy with plain rice, papad and some curry !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the lettuce leaves. Chop it roughly. Wash and chop onion, tomato. Set aside.
In a pressure cooker base, take the toor dal, moong dal, chopped lettuce leaves, onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste along with 2 cups of water, few drops of oil, turmeric powder and hing.
Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash it well.
Heat ghee in a kadai. Lower the flame completely. Splutter the cumin seeds. Add red chilli powder, dhania powder and garam masala powder.
Add to dal. Mix well and roll boil for few minutes. Add little more water if needed and boil till it reaches desired consistency. Switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Mix with plain rice and enjoy !!
Note
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder, dhania powder and garam masala powder based on your taste.
You can skip garam masala powder for variations.
You can also add a tsp of crushed kasoori methi for more flavor.
Friends, do try this Indian style lettuce dal recipe and share your feedback with me !
Besan ka halwa in Hindi( Kadalai maavu halwa in Tamil) is a rich and delicious Indian dessert recipe. It is prepared with besan flour, sugar, ghee, milk, water flavored with cardamom powder and garnished with nuts. Though its a very simple recipe, it needs some patience and continuous attention to make it perfect. Roasting besan flour patiently is the key to make a flavorful halwa else halwa tastes and smells raw.
This halwa can be prepared adding water or milk. Color of halwa varies as per the use. I used water here. For variations, you can use jaggery instead of sugar. Do not reduce the quantity of ghee and sugar mentioned. It will affect the taste and texture of this besan halwa. For making this halwa, I used pure cow's ghee from Ghee store. It came so well !!
Recently I got a pack of pure desi cow ghee and wood pressed sesame oil and ground nut oil from Ghee store for my review. Ghee store is an online shop where they sell organic pure desi cow ghee, buffalo ghee, brown ghee, cold pressed and wood pressed oils and organic honey. All their products are traditionally prepared without machines. They use wood fire for preparation and is done 100% manually. So they give assurance to the flavor, taste and purity.
As they promised, I found the ghee, sesame oil and groundnut oils are so good, fresh and flavorful. We all just loved it. Price is also reasonable when compared to some other brands who sells A2 ghee at a very high price. I am sure I will buy their products regularly in future. I would recommend this brand for my friends and family too.
Friends, do check out their website gheestore.in and place your orders. You can try their sample pack at a minimal price and then go for bulk orders if you are satisfied. Here is their Instagram , Facebook andtwitter page links. Check it out friends. You can also click on the below image to view their website. You can also find some useful informations regarding the health benefits of pure cow ghee, buffalo ghee and cold pressed oils in their blog page.
Ok, lets see how to make besan ka halwa using pure cow ghee with step by step pictures.
Besan Ka Halwa / Besan Halwa Recipe
Besan Ka Halwa / Besan Halwa Recipe - Rich and delicious halwa recipe
Add besan flour and roast in low to medium flame till golden in color with a nice smell.
Add water and mix till besan turns thick. Add sugar and mix in low flame.
Halwa becomes thick, non sticky and leaves the pan.
When it becomes a whole mass, add the remaining ghee, chopped cashews and cardamom powder.
Mix well and switch off the flame. Remove in a plate. Serve warm and enjoy !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Add 1/3 cup of melted ghee in a heavy bottomed kadai. I used my thick non-stick kadai.
Heat ghee and add the besan flour. Keep the flame low to medium and roast the besan flour for 8 to 10 minutes till besan flour turns golden in color with a nice smell.
Lower the flame completely and add water at room temperature. You can also add boiled milk at room temperature instead of water. I used water. Mix quickly to break the lumps.
Keep mixing till all the water / milk is absorbed by the besan flour. When it becomes thick, add sugar.
Mix well till all the sugar is dissolved in halwa. Keep the flame medium and mix for few minutes. Halwa thickens and starts to leave the sides of pan.
Keep mixing till halwa leaves the pan completely and becomes a whole mass. Add cardamom powder, remaining ghee and chopped cashew nuts. Mix well. Switch off the flame. Transfer to a plate and serve warm or hot !
Enjoy.!
Note
You can add milk instead of water. Color of halwa differs if you add milk.
Add 1 cup of sugar for more sweetness.
Do not reduce the quantity of ghee.
You can use wheat flour instead of besan and make this halwa.
For variations, add 2 tbsp of suji / rava / semolina to 1 cup of besan flour while roasting. It gives a coarse texture to the halwa.
Do try this easy, yummy besan ka halwa and share your feedback !
During this lockdown period, I prefer to make one pot meals for my weekend lunch. Last Sunday I made this masala khichdi with vegetables, rice, moong dal and spices easily in a pressure cooker instead of veg biryani. We all loved it very much. It was a tummy filling, healthy and tasty North Indian style lunch. Usually I make plain moong dal khichdi for Sendhil whenever he suffers from stomach upset problems for easy digestion.
This is the first time I made khichdi with vegetables and masala. Roasted papad, pickle and raita with onion or cucumber serves as the best side dish for this khichdi. So this recipe would be ideal for bachelors and working women as there is no grinding job and can be made easily in a pressure cooker. For variations, you can make this masala khichdi without vegetables, use toor dal instead of moong dal and modify it based on the ingredients available in your kitchen.
Also you can adjust the consistency of this khichdi slightly watery or thick as you like. Usually people use rice and water in the ratio of 1:4. You can use the same or add more water to adjust the consistency. Its a healthy wholesome meal for lunch or dinner. Friends, do try this yummy, easy masala vegetable khichdi. You will love it too ! Ok, lets check out this vegetable dal khichdi recipe with step by step pictures.
Masala khichdi Recipe / Vegetable Dal Khichdi Recipe in Pressure Cooker
Vegetable masala khichdi with rice, moong dal, vegetables and biryani spices easily in a pressure cooker.
Wash the rice, moong dal and set aside. You can soak it for 15 minutes if you wish.
Wash and chop the vegetables into small cubes. Set aside.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, hing, pepper corns.
Saute red chilli, green chilli and onion till transparent.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off.
Now add tomato and saute till mushy.
Add turmeric, chilli powder and required salt. Mix well.
Lastly add the chopped vegetables, mix quickly.
Add garam masala powder. Mix quickly. Add rice and moong dal.
Mix well. Add 4 to 5 cups of water, chopped coriander leaves.
Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Open the lid after steam is released.
Mash well. Top it with ghee and serve hot with roasted papad, raita , pickle !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the rice and moong dal separately and soak for 15 minutes. In the mean time, chop the vegetables, onion and tomato.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute cinnamon, cloves. Add cumin seeds, hing, pepper corns and splutter.
Add a red chilli, green chilli, chopped onion and saute till onion becomes transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell leaves.
Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.
Lastly add the chopped vegetables, Mix well. Add garam masala powder and mix well. Add 4 to 5 cups of water, chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Check for taste, add more salt or spice powders if required. Close the cooker with lid. Keep the flame high till steam comes out. Put the weight valve and lower the flame completely. Pressure cook in very low flame for one or two whistles.
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the cooked rice, dal along with vegetables. Add 1/2 to 1 cup more hot water if the khichdi is too thick. Adjust salt accordingly. Top it with ghee and serve hot with roasted papad, raitha or pickle as side dish.
Enjoy !
Note
Rice + dal and water ratio is 1:4. But you can add 1:5 based on the consistency you like.
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder, dhania powder and chillies as per your taste.
You can skip garam masala powder. Its completely optional. But adding it gives a nice flavor.
Don’t forget to add ghee at the end before serving. It adds a nice flavor and taste to the khichdi.
Temper cumin seeds, hing in 1 tbsp ghee. Switch off the flame. Add 1/4 tsp of red chilli powder in hot ghee and pour over the khichdi. This step is optional.
Try this easy, yummy one pot masala khichdi and enjoy !
