Saffron Sandesh Recipe | Saffron Sweet Cheese Fudge Recipe | How to make Bengali Saffron Sondesh

Spring is here and so are all the New Years that’s celebrated in all different regions of India. This recipe is the quick method to make these popular sweet fudgy cheese treats or ‘Shondesh’. ‘Sandesh’ or ‘Shondesh’ is a popular sweet treat from eastern India (Bengal) and comes in a variety of flavors. The main ingredient is milk. That’s made into fresh cheese which is then cooked with flavors to make different types of ‘shondesh’. My recipes for making these sweet treats is here:
Recipe for cheese for ‘shondesh’ is here. 
Recipe for Rose Sandesh is here.

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Organic ‘Chhena’ or Fresh Indian Cheese Recipe (Homemade Paneer Recipe)

This is freshly made paneer or ‘chhena’  ( a.k.a. ‘chhana’) or fresh Indian cheese. The texture of this cheese is slightly firmer than ricotta cheese, the latter being very creamy.  However, if you knead it well, this ‘chhena’ becomes very smooth and creamy, too. Also, the process of making ricotta cheese and ‘chhena’ are the same. Even though an internet-search shows paneer is ‘cottage cheese’, the texture of the two are very different. Cottage cheese is loose with curds while paneer or ‘chhena’ is not loose.  

‘Chhena’  can be easily made at home and stored in an airtight container, mixed with sugar and other flavors to prepare sweets or desserts during the Indian festive season!  

Homemade Ghee or Clarified Butter Recipe (from butter) + Health Benefits of Ghee

One cannot say enough about the greatness and health benefits of ghee, especially if it’s organic and homemade. This is an easy 3-step recipe to make ghee or clarified butter easily at home. I promise, you’ll never go back to the store for it again. 

Sambhar Recipe | How to make the best South Indian Sambar | Healthy Indian Lentil Soup

Sambar with Rice ~ a comfort food which is a simple, nutritious meal of proteins and carbohydrates

South Indian food like Dosa, Idli and Uttapam was a big hit with my family. I grew up in the eastern state of Bengal where there were (and still are) some excellent south indian food restaurants which we would frequent. My staple order was paper plain dosa, a long, crispy thin Indian crepe with an assortment of condiments like coconut chutney, tomato chutney and, of course, Sambar!  

Indian Paneer with Bell Peppers

An easy, tangy and spicy dish with Indian Cottage Cheese and Bell Peppers

I would like to call this dish ‘Paneer As You Like It’. Amused and confused? Has Shakespeare got anything to do with this? I wish!!
Well, I named this dish so because it is a super versatile and easy dish with ample scope for you to play around with some of the main ingredients. Read how 🙂 

Chicken Biryani Recipe | How to make Chicken Biryani in the oven

Delicious, flavorful and aromatic Chicken Biryani, the hassle-free way!

Eid Al-Fitr is a few days away. And all I can think of is Biryani! I am not going into the history of Biryani and how many types of Biryani we find in India (because honestly, I have not tasted all kinds and am not an authority on it). 

Herb Couscous with Stir Fried Vegetables

Perfect as a quick and healthy lunch option or in a weekday menu

I am back after a rather long recipe-posting hiatus and also after a rather refreshing long weekend vacation at North Tahoe and Reno. Therefore, after the 4th of July vacationing, partying and gorging, it is time to dedicate a post to a rather healthy dish, full of colorful vegetables that will brighten up your day and get you out of, what I call, ‘Post Vacation Syndrome’ or ‘PVS’. And, to top it all, it’s So healthy that you might feel you’ve lost weight right after eating it.  

Indian Goat (mutton) Curry with Spicy Yogurt Sauce + Sweet Rice Pulao Recipe

Happy Father’s Day and it’s Sunday!

It is Sunday! And It’s Father’s’ Day. How perfect. What better recipe to share on Father’s Day than of Goat Curry (for the non-vegetarian dads, of course) Want to treat Dad with a meal worth remembering? Try this rich, spicy and finger-licking-good goat curry and pulao dish which complements the meat perfectly. 

Dal Palak ~ Indian Spinach Lentil Soup

 Dal Palak ~ Indian Spinach Lentil Soup

Health is Wealth, my love. So, let’s have something nutritious now, shall we?
Now, majority of my family is in India. As far as the temperatures are concerned at the moment, in summer, it is Not agreeing with anyone! And the mercury is rising here as well. To deal with the heat (and usually as a part of our regular diet) I made this particular Dal, which turned out to be not only great but quite different than other ‘dals’ that I make (if that makes sense?) This was a good, simple dinner.

Chicken Curry Recipe (Canteen Style)

This takes me back to my days in University!

Canteen is a restaurant or eating place provided by an organization like an educational institution (school, college, university), military camp etc. In India we refer to them as ‘canteen’, probably taking after the British who ruled the country for almost a century. In America, ‘canteens’ are better known as ‘cafeterias’. So what has it got to do with this recipe?