March 2021 – Mad About Cooking

Happy Holi 2021 | Colourful Sabudana Kheer | Tapioca Pearls Pudding

The Indian festival of “HOLI” is all about eating good food and playing with bright colors. Holi is a spring festival. It is also known as the festival of LOVE, festival of Happiness A Holi without sweet is incomplete When it comes to food coloring, I’ll happily take the natural route whenever possible. There are so many beautiful hues in food, so why not use them? Sources for natural colorings can be found all over the place, and many may already be in your pantry or fridge. This colourful plate is my way to celebrate Holi.

Creamy, delicious & thick pudding made with tapioca pearls, milk, sweetener & cardamoms. Sabudana is the hindi name for tapioca pearls & KHEER refers to an Indian pudding. Sabudana is often used in Indian cooking to make various dishes like porridge, kheer, khichdi & vada.

Yellow – Mango Custard
Red – Beetroot Roohafza
Purple – Blueberry
Green – Zucchini
White – With Cardamon

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Ingredients:

Kheer :
Sabudana – 2 cups
Milk – 2 litres

Yellow – Mango Custard (2 tbsp of vanilla custard powder, 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of milk, One big mango , 1/4 cup of sugar)

Rose Flavoured Sweet – Beetroot Roohafza (One small beetroot, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp of Roohafza)

Green Pista Zucchini Sweet ( 1/4 cup of grated zucchini, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios, 1/4 tsp of fennel powder)

Black Currant Blueberry ( 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup milk)

Vanilla Cardamom Kheer (1/4 cup milk, sugar as per taste, cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp)

Method :

For Sago Kheer :

Wash sabudana thrice and soak with 4 cups of water (overnight). Drain almost extra water, and keep covered for 1 hour or until sabudana is soft.
Add 1 & 1/2 litre milk in a large pan and let it boil.
Cook for 15 minutes on low flame.
Sunshine Sweet – Mango Custard :
1. Add 1/2 cup of milk in pan and let it boil. Mix custard powder and 2 tbsp of milk.
1. Add custard powder paste into boiling milk with 1/4 cup of sugar.
2. Cook for 3 minutes. Now add prepared 2 cups of cooked sago kheer.
3. Slice mango and make purée. Add in a custard kheer. Cook for 5 minutes and it’s done.
Rose Flavoured Sweet – Beetroot Roohafza
1. Peel, chop and grind beetroot in a mixer. Add grated beetroot in a pan with 1/4 cup of sugar. Cook it thicken then add 2 cups of prepared sago kheer with milk.
2. Cook for 5 minutes and then add roohafza. Mix well and it’s done.
Green Pista Zucchini Sweet
1. Mix grated zucchini, sugar and milk in an pan. Cook on low flame until thicken and then add 1 cup of prepared sago kheer.
2. Mix well and add fennel powder.
3. Garnish with chopped pistachios.
Black Currant Blueberry
1. Grind blueberry and add in a pan with sugar.
2. Cook till it thicken. Add 2 cups of prepared sago kheer with 1/4 cup of milk.
3. Cook for 5 minutes and it’s done.
Vanilla Cardamom Kheer
1. Just add little milk (1/4 cup ), sugar and cardamom powder in a remaining kheer. Cook for 5 minutes and it’s done.

DIY Homemade Holi Colors

Here are some easy and quick way to prepare chemical-free Holi colours with zero side effects, at the ease of your home. One easy way of creating Holi Colours is mixing cornstarch, few drops of essential oil, talcum with natural food colors. I used Turmeric ( Yellow Color), Spinach (Green Color), Beetroot (Pink Color) and Carrots (light peach color). This may look like a time-consuming process initially, but it is all you will need to make this Holi safe and special. Mix the cornstarch, few drop of essential oil, little talcum with squeeze veggies juice in a large bowl until it forms a thick paste (mix with hands). Pour liquid on a paper plate and let it dry overnight.

Use a coffee grinder or mixer to crumble the disc back into powder. Again spread powdered colors in a plate and let it dry overnight ( or under sunlight for 4 hours). Then sieve them and its ready 😊😊 Don’t worry I didn’t throw veggies after squeezing. I just add squeezed veggies with Rava batter and made Rava Chilla 😊😊😊. Warning : This recipe gets messy 😊😊 so prepare for cleaning 🧹

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Granny Smith Apple Coriander Chutney | Healthy Green Chutney | Fruit Based Hari Chutney

Green Chutney is a very popular condiment from India. You will always find this delicious sauce at most Indian homes and restaurants as side or dipping sauce. Chutney with Coriander or Cilantro Leaves – Kiwi Coriander Chutney, Kiwi Avocado Coriander Chutney, Green Raw Mango Coriander Chutney

We make a variety of Green Chutney from coriander or cilantro leaves. Green chutney is usually made with fresh coriander and green chilies. Ginger, garlic, green chilies, and something sour like mango or lemon is also added and then blended to form a dip.

In this chutney recipe, I used Granny Smith Apple. Delicious and salubrious relish packed with health benefits of green apples and coriander. Green apples impart a nice crunchy texture along with a tangy savor and coriander bestows a superb green color coupled with a refreshing flavor. The green apples in this recipe just give you the perfect amount of sweet combined with tartness.

An apple is sweet and found in many varieties, most people are confused with green apple and a red apple. Which one is a better green apple or red apple that should be included in our daily diet? Both apples are full of nutrition, vitamins, and calories. Green apples are mostly sour in taste and red apples are sweeter than green ones. Green apples also have less sugar than red apples, which makes sense considering their taste is sour and less sweet. I like green apple more because of its sour taste.

Green Apple Coriander Chutney | Healthy Green Chutney | Fruit Based Hari Chutney

Green apples are a little like tangy raw green mangoes. They worked perfectly well in a typical hari chutney. This Hari Chutney or Green Chutney is quick, easy to prepare, and enhances the flavor of any chaat recipe.

Ingredients :
Fresh coriander leaves – 1 small bunch
Granny Smith Apple – 1
Garlic – 2
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilly – 2
Black salt – 1/2 tsp
Juice of one lemon
Salt to taste

Fruit Based Hari Chutney

Method :

Wash coriander leaves, garlic, green chilies, and roughly chop them.
Put chopped coriander leaves, Granny Smith Apple (with skin), garlic, and green chilies with all other ingredients in a grinder. Grind all ingredients until smooth (Do not add water).
Transfer chutney into a clean and dry glass jar. Serve with your favorite snacks.

Saturday Spicy Snack | No Fried Bread Pakora | Tea Time Healthy Snack With Zucchini and Carrot | Pan- Fried Bread Pakora

Rain comes and all we can think of is piping hot tea, served with spicy pakoras, bhajias, and vadas. Pakoras are one of the most friendly rainy day snacks. From vegetables like spinach, onion, cauliflower, capsicum, chilies, potatoes, to paneer. Mix them with gram flour batter with spices, and deep fry. That’s a perfect match – Chai and Pakoras !!

Bread Pakoras are always a hit in my house. Earlier, I made no fry bread pakoras stuffed with paneer, and both my boys loved it. There is no harm to indulge in fried stuff once in a while especially when it rains. But, being a fitness freak husband’s wife it’s dicey because if I will make fried bread pakoras there is no chance Manu will eat. So, I made little bit changes to make bread pakora healthier.

Tea Time Healthy Snack With Zucchini and Carrot

I added oats flour, gram flour with little Rava, and grated vegetables. Yes, vegetables – Zucchini and Carrot. Then roasted bread pakora on tawa with little oil. Served with my favorite Kiwi Avocado Coriander Chutney. Surprisingly, Reyansh loved it and asked me to make it again for dinner.

Gram flour or Chickpea flour is popularly used in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and other cuisines. It is a great gluten-free substitute for wheat or all-purpose flour in many recipes, and can also be used to thicken sauces or curries. Oats flour is one of my favorite and one of the easiest to use ingredients. I never missed any chance to add oats in my cooking. It helps thicken gravies, work as healthy substitutes for refined flours and grains. Adding little Rava in the batter makes bread pakoda crispy and tasty.

Zucchini is quite a bland vegetable and its texture is soft but not mushy. Its skin is soft, thin, and perfectly edible, so don’t peel it off. It blends with other ingredients and you would never even know there is a vegetable in it. Recently, I baked a Chocolate Zucchini Cake and it turned out delicious.

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which, when consumed, converts to vitamin A in the liver. Vitamin A directly affects the retina and the rhodopsin, a purple pigment that is necessary for night vision. This is a great way to include carrot in your favorite bread pakoras.

No Fried Bread Pakora | Tea Time Healthy Snack With Zucchini and Carrot | Pan- Fried Bread Pakora

This no fried Bread Pakoda is a healthy, very delicious, and a perfect weekend treat or party snack. It is also the best option for the tiffin box. Made from brown bread slices, gram flour, oats flour, rava, and spices along with zucchini, carrot. Lots of good ingredients in one go. Have you ever tried adding sesame seeds in bread pakodas? Do try it – Sesame seeds give a wonderful nuttiness to this no fried pakoras.

Ingredients :

For Pakora Batter:
Gram flour or besan – 1/2 cup
Oat flour – 1/4 cup
Rava – 1/8 cup
Water – 1/2 cup
Grated zucchini – 1 cup
Grated carrot – 1 cup
Carom seeds – 1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

For Pakora:
Roasted sesame – 1/4 cup
Brown bread – 5
Oil for roasting

Method :

For Pakora Batter – Mix all ingredients mentioned under pakora batter and make a batter. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
Take on a slice of the bread. Cut it into half and dip prepared batter and coat from both the sides.
Heat a non-stick tawa with a little oil and place batter coated bread pakora carefully on it.
Sprinkle some sesame on it. Press lightly with the help of a spatula.
Shallow fry on medium to low heat until golden color.
Put little oil on bread pakora and flip pakora with a flat spatula.
When bread pakora is roasted from both sides. Pick bread pakora (vertically) with the help of tong and roasted from bottom and sides as well.
Take it out in a paper towel. Serve with your favorite chutney and hot chai.

Cornflakes Chivda Recipe | Savoury Tea Time Snack | Cornflakes Mixture

Namkeen is one snack that is loved by all, especially with tea. A quick, healthy, and light snack that requires minimal ingredients easily available in your kitchen pantries. This namkeen is a healthy alternative to store-bought namkeen.

Cornflakes mixture is an easy Indian sweet and savory snack made with cornflakes as the main ingredient. Along with peanuts, raisins, curry leaves, cashew nuts, lentil, dried apricot, sesame seeds, and tossed with some spices and brown sugar. It only takes 15 minutes of cooking and 5 minutes of mixing them. You can alter the spices as per your liking.

This delightful Indian munch on a snack is known by many names – Cornflakes Mixture, Cornflakes Chivda Mixture, Cornflakes Namkeen, Makai Chivda.

Cornflakes namkeen is perfect munch with evening tea time. It’s a great substitute for your regular namkeen. Cornflakes Namkeen is also a great edible present, that can be packed in mason jars and shared over Diwali or Christmas.

Cornflakes Chivda Recipe| Savoury Tea Time Snack | Cornflakes Mixture

This cornflakes chivda is very versatile as there is no rigid proportion or combination to be followed. It stays crispy for a month if stored in an airtight container. You can send it to school for a short break or serve it as an after school or between play hunger chaser.

Ingredients :

For Namkeen :
Cornflakes – 2 cups
Peanuts – 1/4 cup
Roasted chana daal – 1/4 cup
Cashews – 1/4 cup
Raisins – 1/4 cup
Sliced pistachios – 1/8 cup
Pecans – 1/4 cup
Coconut flakes – 1/4 cup
Dry apricots – 1/4 cup
Sesame seeds – 1/8 cup
Curry leaves – 10
Olive oil – 2 tbsp

Spices :
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Roasted cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Roasted fennel powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Dry corainder leaves powder – 1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder – 1/4 tsp
Brown sugar – 1 tsp
Black salt – 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Healthy Cornflakes Mixture With Dry Fruits

Method :

In a large pan take about 1 tbsp oil. Now roast peanuts and cashews for 2-3 minutes on slow heat while continuously stirring it.
Remove it from the pan once crisp and likewise roast pecans, coconut flakes, sesame seeds, raisins and keep them aside.
Now in the same pan add 1 tbsp oil and curry leaves. Fry curry leaves until crisp.
Then add all spice powders (except brown sugar) along with all roasted ingredients, sliced pistachios, and roasted channa daal. Roast them for a minute.
Now add cornflakes with brown sugar and mix them well for 2 minutes on medium flame.
Switch off the gas and add chopped dry apricots. Mix well.
Allow it to cool properly and then store it in an airtight container.

Avocado Toast With Fruits & Veggies | Open Avocado Spread Sandwiches | Perfect Brunch Recipe

Creamy avocado spread onto warm toasted bread is one of my favorite quick meals. It’s so delicious and very easy to make. These sandwiches can be assembled in under 5 minutes and they are perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.

To begin, simply toast bread until crisp. You can use any kind of toast or sliced bread you have but I like to use crusty bread or whole-grain toast. Then, mash an avocado in a bowl with a fork. Add lime juice, salt and pepper then spread the mixture on the toasted slice of bread. Top up with your favorite fruits, veggies, or nuts.

Avocado is one of my favorite fruit. Avocado has a very rich, creamy, and buttery texture. It also has an earthy and mildly sweet taste. It is also packed with lots of vitamins and minerals. For an open sandwich, look for avocados that yield a bit to a gentle squeeze, but avoid using avocados that are mushy on the inside. Cut avocados in half, remove the pit, scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash it up with a fork.

For these open sandwiches thick-sliced, whole grain bread is best. Golden, well-toasted bread gives a good base. Mashed avocado is more creamy and luxurious than sliced avocado.

These open-faced sandwiches are topped with tons of tasty ingredients: Cucumber, Snack tomatoes, Oranges, Kiwi (Green and Yellow), Pineapple, Carrots, and Garlic Mushroom Spinach.

Avocado toast has become my new favorite breakfast. It’s healthy, simple, and delicious and best of all, it’s super easy to make and ready in under 5 minutes. This recipe is for simple avocado toast but the possibilities are endless. Sometimes we like to zest up the avocado toast and top it with snack tomatoes, cucumber, oranges, or kiwi pretty much anything else.

Avocado Toast With Fruits & Veggies| Open Avocado Spread Sandwiches | Perfect Brunch Recipe

A great substitute for mayonnaise, creamy avocado offers a similar smoothness and mouthfeel while providing nutrients and healthy fats. A colorful, easy-to-make sandwich that makes for a quick brunch or lunchtime meal.

Ingredients :
Fresh bread, sliced into 8 to 10 half-inch slices (6 slices of bread)

Avocado Spread :
3 Ripe Avocados, pitted and peeled
Black salt – 1/2 tsp
Juice of one whole lime
Black pepper to taste, optional

Toppings :
Cucumber Noodles – 1 small cucumber
Fresh Spinach, rinsed and dried, Mushrooms, Garlic powder, little oil, salt to taste
Snack Tomatoes, sliced
Kiwi (peeled ) – 2
Pineapple (Small Cubes) – 1/2 cup
Apricots (thinly sliced) – 1/2 cup
Oranges wedges – 10
Grated carrot – 1/2 cup

Mix Seeds – Coconut flakes, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, melon seeds, pumpkin seeds. 2 tbsp each and mix them with a little salt, dried coriander powder, red chili flakes.

Method :

Lightly toast your sliced bread until golden brown in a toaster.
Chop, slice, and keep topping ready.
In a bowl, mash together 3 ripe avocados with the help of frock. Mix lime juice, black salt, and black pepper. Mix it well and Avocado spread is ready.
Add a generous layer of avocado spread over each piece of toast. Add your desired toppings, and enjoy quick, easy, and healthy breakfast.

I made six open sandwiches –

Seeds Sprinkle Open Sandwich – Add a layer of avocado spread over a piece of toast. Sprinkle mix seeds mixture.

Seeds Sprinkle Open Sandwich

Sunshine Open Sandwich – Add a layer of avocado spread over a piece of toast. Top with orange wedges, and sprinkle with grated carrot and little black salt.

Cucumber Noodle Tomato Open Sandwich – For making cucumber noodles I used a julienne peeler and squeezed extra water. Add a layer of avocado spread over a piece of toast. Top up with cucumber noodles and snack tomatoes sliced.

Tropical Open Sandwich – Add a layer of avocado spread over a piece of toast. In this open sandwich cubed pineapple and sliced apricot are used as a topping.

Veggies Open Sandwich – In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms (5 mushrooms) and saute until tender. Then add garlic powder (1/2 tsp) and cook 1 minute. Add chopped spinach (1 cup) and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle salt and keep aside. Let it cool down completely. Now add a layer of avocado spread over a piece of toast. Put 4 tbsp of garlic saute mushrooms and spinach.

Kiwi Open Sandwich – In this open sandwich green and yellow kiwi is used as a topping. Add a layer of avocado spread over a piece of toast. Top up with crushed kiwis.

Kiwi Open Sandwich

Thirsty Thursday | Strawberry Apple Milkshake | No Sugar Milkshake | Fruit Milkshake

Milkshakes are nutritious and easy to make. Versatile, you can use your favorite fruits. Many people have a milkshake each morning for breakfast and they also make a quick healthy snack. They are a great way to get kids to drink a cool drink packed with fruit, vegetables, vitamins, and calcium all depending on what you mix in them.

The great thing about milkshake is, you can be creative and can add your favorite fruit. One of my son’s favorite fruit is Strawberry. Strawberries have one of the lowest sugar contents of any fruit and are full of vitamin C and vitamin K. They also contain significant amounts of phytonutrients and flavonoids both of which are responsible for that beautiful bright red color.

I used frozen strawberries in this recipe because they add an ice cream element to the shake. As well as the milk, to add calcium, red apple for sweetness. When it comes to milkshakes, the fruit is typically what makes them sweet and delicious. However, when you combine several types of fruits into a single drink, the natural sugar content can start to add up quickly.

Strawberry Apple Milkshake | No Sugar Milkshake | Fruit Milkshake

This milkshake is sugar-free and quick and easy to make. Just toss the ingredients in a blender and it’s done.

Ingredients :

For Milkshake:

Frozen sliced strawberries – 2 cups

Red apple – 1 small

Milk – 1 & 1/2 cups

For Garnishing:

Sliced Strawberry – 2

Method :

Mix all the above milkshake ingredients with 1/2 cup of milk and blend until smooth.
Now add the remaining 1 cup of milk and blend everything.
Garnish with sliced strawberry.

Tuesday Tip | How to make Green Cardamom Powder? | Homemade Elaichi Powder

Popularly known as “Elaichi” in Hindi, “Aelakka” in Malayalam, “Elakkai” in Tamil, “Yelakulu” in Telugu, “Yalakki” in Kannada, “Ilaychi” in Gujarati, “Hrdaya roga” in Nepali and “Huba alhal” in Arabic – Cardamom is a spice made from the seeds of several plants belonging to the family Zingiberaceae.

Called the Queen of Spices, cardamom is the world’s third most expensive spice – surpassed only by saffron and vanilla. It is one of the most common wholes spices which is found in every Indian household especially in my favorite adrak elaichi chai.

Green cardamom is a spice with an intense, slightly sweet flavor and used in both sweet and savory recipes. The seeds are recognized by their small pods. They are spindle-shaped with an outer shell and inner seeds. The outer shell is thin and papery and the seeds are small and black.

It is very easy to make the green cardamom powder at home. Each green cardamom pod contains a row of small black seeds that are removed and ground to powder. You don’t need to discard the skin (pods) and even though they cannot be used as a spice because they are extremely fibrous, but you can use them while making powder.

If you talk about health benefits. Cardamom is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and potassium. Cardamom is in the same family as ginger and turmeric, which are all great at balancing digestion, combating nausea, and fighting motion sickness. Some people even chew on the pods like gum because of their minty flavor.

Beautiful hot stone crayons art recently done by me

How to make Green Cardamom Powder ?

Heat the pan nicely and add the cardamom, no need to roast for a long time. Toast 1/2 cup of cardamom pods in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 or 4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, if you really want to intensify the flavor.

Roasting

Then allow roasted cardamom to cool down completely then transfer to a dry grinder.

Store in an airtight container in a dry and cool place.

You can make it in bulk. A small amount of it can be stored in a bottle for daily use and the rest can be kept in a refrigerator. It is best used within three months.

Decorated with hot stone crayons art recently done by me

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