Easy Alternatives To Make Khoya At Home

Making Khoya is a Hectic Process Yet Some enjoy making it at home and find the flavors much better than what we get in shops. Some are not so lucky to get khoya in shops easily so to here are some alternative tips towards making khoya

Tips Originally shared By Anisa Arif 

Few Alternatives Khoya or mawa. Easily available in Indian Markets, few tried and tested suggestion/alternatives for friends living abroad.

1. Mix 1 tin condensed milk with 2 tsp ghee and 2 tsp curd, mircrowave for 6 minutes, tastes good in Indian deserts. 

2. Ricotta cheese – Simmer on low heat in a pan till moisture content reduces. Tried and tested by many friends abroad

3. Make a soft dough 2 cups of fullcream milk powder and Milk, 2 tsp ghee. Steam this for 10 mins. 

4. Make a dough full cream milk powder and fresh cream microwave for 1-2 mins in spurts.

5. Mix 1 Cup Milk powder, 1/2 cup Condensed Milk, 1 Table spoon Ghee microwave for 10 mins in spurts. 

6. Nothing beats the taste and flavor of reducing milk over hours

Hope these tips are going to help many of us :)

Continue Reading

Vegetable Diet Achar - Grandmothers Recipe

Achar n Diet? Isnt it 2 different things?? But something is yet possible without oil and vinegar. Grandmothers recipes never fail!!!

This recipe comes from my very dear friend Wajiha Faisal again!! We two have a gr8 rapport and talking sometimes goes from kitchen to kids and to dont know what all in the world possible we can talk :) its fun!! its love!! its emotions!! and Im totally in love with my friend.

Previous weeks when I was so much acharic mood I made dates pickle and then it was when wajiha said she would make vegetable achar which is her nani's recipe.


Vegetables Needed
Turnips 4
Carrots 4 (cut round shape
Peas 1 cup
Boil all the veggies for 4 to 5 min drain the extra water and keep aside to cool

Ingredients
Salt 1 tsp
Sugar 2 tsp
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Crushed red chillies 2 tbsp
Garlic paste 2 tbsp
Yellow Mustard seeds crushed 3 tbsp
Water 3/4cups

Mix boiled veggies with the above ingredients and bottle it up for 3-4 days

Garlic paste will not allow it to spoil
After 4 days you can keep this into fridge and consume 
There is no veniger in this recipe so its completly safe to give these to kids
The sourness which comes to pickle is from yellow mustard seeds
When mustard seeds gives it sourness, sugar can be adjusted according to your taste, add more sugar if you want sweeter side of pickle.

This is how it looks after 4 days ready to eat 
Can be consumed as pickle kept for side dish with rice, Dip with flat breads
Also taken with haleem. This is a family recipe made around few families in pakistan
Before serving mix in all the content of bottle nicely to get all the spices and veggies into the serving bowl!!

Im going to try out my batch soon!! Once I collect all the ingredients. If you got all the ingredients do try out!!!!

Continue Reading

Buttered Sweet Corn

Buttered Sweet Corn Is Very Famous Street Munchers Available easily out there anywhere in market with a tag as Streamed American Sweet Corn, and again sub labels of butter n pepper, Indian chaat etc etc,  It is served in a cup which is not even 100gms.

I really used to think of getting it and taste what they are, but really dint feel like getting it ever. I used to think American sweet corns are something very expensive. Even the de-seeds American corns available in local markets were priced high few years back. Not a big thing to buy still I felt its expensive and another added point to it was I dint knew how to make use of it. Until mom bought few cobs of corn thinking its normal corn. But it was sweet!! I asked mom to get more and freezed it. You can trust my words You get cobs which is much cheaper in price, have frozen corn stock at your home and make anything you desire with these yummies,

You can follow the link and check how to make frozen sweet corn kernels at home
http://sweets-n-spices.blogspot.in/2013/10/frozen-sweetcorn-kernels-at-home.html

These days sweet corns are easily available in packet, in frozen state or just like that. Once I saw my aunt served me packed ones which she had seasoned, I dint find it tasty as well as it looked too dull, Allah knows how old it was and what method they used for preservation, all the kernals looked flat!!!
I dont know the story abroad, I am sure this would not be the case there, you can get fresh ones, canned ones, frozen ones, all soughts would be available easily!!

So with this season of sweet corn and cold weather existing in chennai this wonderful recipe serves as excellent snacks. This is personally my fav and im sure if you are a sweet corn lover you can make this at home and enjoy with your kids

Getting back to the recipe!!

Ingredients:
Sweet corn kernels - 1 cup ( Frozen/ Fresh / Boiled)
Salted Butter - 1tsp heaped + 1tsp extra
Pepper Powder - As needed
Salt - If desired

Method:
- In a pan add in 1 tsp heaped butter and toss in the sweet corn.
- Cook it for 3-4 mins in medium flame or till the corns feels tender and aromatic
- Switch of the flame. Add in another tsp of butter, pepper and mix.
- Serve it warm!!

Notes:
- You can double the recipe and adjust the ingredients according to your taste
- Extra 1tsp is added to give final buttery taste.
- Add pepper powder at the end, If added while cooking it may not spread evenly. It may form lumps and stick here n there to the kernels which might later give you a bitter effect while eating.
- If you are calorie conscious either reduce the amt of butter used or use oil for the cooking process and lastly temper with 1tsp of butter for the buttery effect and taste.
- Since I used home made frozen sweetcorn I had already added some salt to my sweetcorn kernels. So dint had the need to add more salt.
- Butter also carries salt content, If you are using fresh kernels you may like to add up a little of salt or even omit it!!
- You may also squeeze in some lemon juice while eating. It will take the whole content to next level. But since I had cold I avoided lemon and just stick to buttery taste.

This is it for today!! do make and enjoy ur own Buttered Sweetcorn at home with your family!!

Continue Reading

Boiled Peanut Salad & Various Chaat Ideas

I love peanuts in any form!! Boiled or Dry Roasted, Salty, Fried Etc Etc
My Love for peanuts dont seem to seize!!

Now call this a salad in westernized way!! Call it as simple chaat In Indianized way Or Call it as Sundal the south Indian way its all your wish!! I don't want to stress on what the naming should be. What all I know is how much healthy and filling snacks it makes!! Crunchy Munchy Sweet n Tang....
Yes you explore very bit of the flavors in every spoon you take :)


Ingredients
Boiled peanuts
Chopped onions (washed and drained)
Chopped Carrots
Coriander leaves
Green Chillies
Lemon Juice 
Salt To Taste

Method:
Mix in all the ingredients in a bowl and serve it!! 

Notes:
There is no need to be strict about the measurements of ingredients you gotta use
You can also add in Chopped Tomatoes and Cucumber for more crunch and tang!!
I dint add tomatoes as I'am not much of a raw tomato lover
And Adding Cucumber dint strike my mind at that time :D

Variations to this Salad

Street Vendor Idea

- Prepare the salad as mentioned above, add in some mixtures, and puffed rice with some chaat masala and chilli powder too, Your khara muri with boiled peanuts is ready 

Boiled Peanuts Bhel Puri
- Add in some sev, imli ki chutney, green chutney and puffed rice Mix and Your peanut chaat is ready

Boiled Peanuts Fruit Chat
- Add in boiled peanuts with mixed fruits, toss in some chilli powder, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, salt and little sugar, mix it and your boiled peanuts fruit chaat is ready (you can add green chillies to this instead)

Boiled Peanuts Sundal
Take a little oil, add in little mustard seeds, dry chillies and curry leaves, a pinch of hing too, next toss in boiled peanuts, salt and grated coconut!! serve it warm!!

Boiled Peanuts Dahi Chaat
Add in boiled peanuts, some sev, onion, carrots, cucumber, boiled potatoes and papad, Drizzle with generously fresh curd, imli ki chutney and green chutney, sprinkle coriander leaves from top


I am not giving any exact measurements to this post!! Feel free to add in ingredients as you like and please according to your taste :)

Hope you like my todays post!! If there is any more variations which can be done with peanuts pls write down at comment section :)

Thank you!!

Continue Reading