Cooking Learning 04

A FIVE ingredient recipe to make Mango Kulfi; an Indian style Mango Ice-cream from reduced milk and flavored with saffron!  The days are getting warmer and longer. I am totally LOVING this!! There is sunlight well past 6-7 pm and it seems so bright and lively. The best thing I like about the longer days is that I can click pictures for the blog all day. And it keeps me in a lively mood too.  Whenever I think back of Summers in India, the thing that I miss the most is MANGOES. The king of fruits makes an appearance for the summer months and it is enjoyed for every meal! Alphonso, an Indian specialty is my favorite. It has a great taste and texture, which is unmatched by any other mango breed!  Mangoes are used in everything like aam shrikhand, milkshake, mastani, ice cream and kulfi. Or it is enjoyed cut into cubes or as aamras. Those three months are meant only for mangoes, and all other fruits take a back seat in the house.  Here in the US we get different kinds of ...

Blogging Marathon #74 Week 4 Day 2 Theme: Are you Pudding me? Dish: Cheesy Polenta with Sautéed Asparagus An amazing combination of freshly made polenta with cheddar cheese; served with a side of sautéed Asparagus and Spring Greens! Polenta, a different form of cornmeal is very popular in Northern and Central Italy. This is a boiled version of corn that can be enjoyed as a porridge or it can be allowed to cool and then be baked, sauteed or fried in the form of discs, sticks or cubes. By definition, polenta falls into the category of pudding. It is one of the most popular savoury puddings, alongside Yorkshire Pudding and Cheese Pudding. A really simple recipe with minimum ingredients, this one is perfect for breakfast or as a meal. The corn meal used for this one is yellow in color and the result is a bright bowl that is really pretty. The polenta is generally bland and adding cheese and flavorful ingredients to it is a great idea. Also, serving it with a side of vegetables, eggs or...

Blogging Marathon #74 Week 4 Day 3 Theme: Are you Pudding me? Dish: Tropical Chia Pudding A delicious Chia and fruit based breakfast pudding that takes only a few minutes to make; is super delicious and Vegan too!  Weekend is here and I am posting a special recipe that is perfect for weekend brunch. This week I am posting Puddings in the Blogging Marathon. Yesterday it was an Indian style Kesar Kheer  that is perfect as a dessert. Today it is time for another pudding. I was planning to make Chia Pudding since a long time. It was perfect for the theme and so I made it for Saturday breakfast. I told my husband that breakfast is going to be a pudding; and he was pretty amused! Not very common to have pudding for breakfast, right? This one is made for breakfast! It has all the things that are good for you and free from ingredients you should not have early morning. Chia seeds are the seeds of  Salvia Hispanica a plant related to mint. Native to South America, these seeds were...

Blogging Marathon #74 Week 4 Day 1 Theme: Are you Pudding me? Dish: Kesar Kheer | Saffron Rice Pudding  An amazing blend of milk, rice and sugar. This delicious kheer (rice pudding) is flavored with saffron and full of nuts!  It is Friday and I am craving something sweet! While I type out this kheer recipe, I want another bowl of this warm milk based pudding today. It is almost the end of March yet we have a rainstorm today! It is cold, windy, dark and boring. I had a couple of recipes to shoot today and now they are pushed to tomorrow.  Ok enough about the weather and other things, wonder why I am adding an Indian sweet dish when there is no festival in sight? Well this week I am blogging puddings for the Blogging Marathon and what better than our very own kheer?  This rice pudding has different meanings for different families. Some make it to celebrate any festival, some for puja and some for a quick dessert. Last week I wanted something yummy and I made this delic...

A three step recipe to make a traditional Indian curry in a Slow Cooker. A perfect blend of greens, flavors and taste, this Sarson da Saag recipe is a keeper! Last year I got my slow cooker. Initially I was not confident about using it. Over the last couple of months I made a TON of food in it and now I am loving this completely! I first made Dal Tadka in this cooker and it turned out amazing. Then I tried out Sarson da Saag, an Indian curry made from Mustard Greens, Radish and Spinach leaves. The result was perfectly creamy curry that takes just three steps to make.  One of the most famous curries from Northern India, this Saag is best made in a claypot and cooked on slow flame for a long time. The slow cooker helps to make the curry on a very low temperature for several hours, without having to bother about stirring it or taking care it does not burn or stick to the base.  I made this curry over the last weekend and finally shot it too. Though I expected the color to fade co...