Cucumber curd raitha / Vellarikkai thayir pachadi

Raitha is an wonderful accomplishment for biryani and pulao. It can be served with phulkas, chapathis and rotis too along with other side dish. Adding cucumber to curd makes a flavorful raitha. Unlike other raitha, this need to be tempered which gives an unique taste.

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Here is the step by step to make raitha:

1. In a mixer, add grated coconut, ginger and green chillies.

2. Grind to a smooth paste by adding little water. Wash and cut the ends of cucumber. Grate it in a big hole grater.

3. In a bowl, whisk curd until there is no lumps and are smooth. Add the ground paste.

4. Now add grated cucumber, salt and mix them well. Keep aside.

5. In a stove, heat a small saucepan. Add coconut oil. When it heats up add mustard seeds and wait until it crackles. Add hing and switch off the flame.

6. Now add the tempering to the curd mixture and serve.

A small video to make raitha:

Here comes the full recipe:

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 1
Curd - 2 cups
Salt - to taste

To grind:

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1"
Green chilli - 2

To temper:

Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Hing/Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

How to make:

1. In a mixer, add grated coconut, ginger and green chilli and grind to a smooth paste by adding little water.

2. In a bowl, whisk curd until there is no lumps and are smooth. 

3. Wash and cut the ends of cucumber. Grate it in a big hole grater.

4. Now add grated cucumber, salt and the ground coconut paste and mix them well. Keep aside.

5. In a stove, heat a small saucepan. Add oil. When it heats up add mustard seeds and wait until it crackles. Add hing and switch off the flame.

6. Now add the tempering to the curd mixture.

7. Serve with biryani, chapathis and phulkas.

Note:

1. Don't use sour curd. Use fresh curd to make this raitha.

2. Adjust green chillies according to your spice level.

Carrot kheer in Instant pot

Kheer or payasam is a type of pudding made by boiling milk and sugar with either one of rice, semiya/vermicelli, millets, broken wheat, poha, carrot, almonds, tapioca pearls and topped with cashews, almonds, pistachios, dessicated coconut, cardamom, raisins, saffron.

Today I am preparing with carrots.

How to make:
1. Soak almonds in water for about an hour to peel skin off.

2. Wash and peel carrots. Cut both the ends. 

3. Cube them into chunks. Peel off the skin from almonds just by holding it and twisting in between your fingers.

4. Turn ON an instant pot, press SAUTE.

5. Add 1/2 cup of water first so that milk doesn't stick on the bottom. Don't skip that. 

6. Now add milk, carrot chunks and almonds.

6. Close the lid. Press CANCEL. PRESSURE COOK for 2 min with vent in SEALING position. Leave it to natural pressure release(NPR). Open the lid. Using your hand blender, you can blend the hot ingredients to blend smoothly inside the instant pot. If you don't have blender, let it cool to room temperature and grind them to a smooth paste and transfer to the pot again.

7. Add sugar and cardamom powder. Press SAUTE, let them again simmer for 2 minutes.

9. If you want them thick, don't add water. If you want little bit runny add water and simmer for 2 mins.

A small video to make this kheer:

Here comes the full recipe:

Ingredients:

Carrots - 500g

Whole milk - 1l/4 cups

Cane sugar - 1/2 cup

Almonds - 1/4 cup

Cane sugar - 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

How to make:
1. Soak almonds in water for about an hour to peel skin off.

2. Wash and peel carrots. Cut ends and cube them into chunks.
3. Turn ON an instant pot, press SAUTE.

4. Add 1/2 cup of water first so that milk doesn't stick on the bottom. Don't skip that.

5. Peel off the skin from almonds just by holding it and twisting in between your fingers.

6.. Now add milk, carrot chunks and almonds.

6. Close the lid. Press CANCEL. PRESSURE COOK for 2 min with vent in SEALING position. Leave it to natural pressure release(NPR).

7. Open the lid. Using your hand blender, you can blend the hot ingredients to blend smoothly inside the instant pot. If you don't have blender, let it cool to room temperature and grind them to a smooth paste and transfer to the pot again.

8. Add sugar and cardamom powder. Press SAUTE, let them again simmer for 2 minutes.

9. If you want them thick, don't add water. If you want little bit runny add water and simmer for 2 mins.

Note:

1. Almonds are used as a thickening agent to this kheer. If you don't have almonds use cashews of the same quantity.

2. Adjust sugar according to your taste buds.

3. If you are allergic to nuts or you don't like them, just simply omit it and do the same process. But your kheer will little watery.

4. You can add nuts of your choice too. But I omitted it here.

Pineapple banana smoothie

Pineapple and banana combines very well to make a smoothie blend. It is a favorite drink at our home.

Do try it at and taste in your home too.

How to prepare:

1. Add pineapple slices, banana chunks into a blender. Add 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream.

2. Blend well. Add water if mixture is very thick. Serve it as soon as possible as banana tends to react and will change color.

3. Serve either chilled or warm.

A small video to make this smoothie:

Here is the full recipe:

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Pineapple slices - 6

Banana - 2 - long 

Vanilla ice cream - 2 scoops

Milk/Water - 1/4 cup

How to blend:

1. Add pineapple slices, banana chunks into a blender.

2. Add 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream.

3. Blend well. Add water if mixture is very thick.

4. Serve it as soon as possible as banana tends to react and will change color.

Whole Wheat brownies / No maida / No white sugar / One bowl brownie recipe

This brownie recipe is a bakers chocolate one bowl recipe. I have used unsweetened chocolate i.e., dark chocolate for this brownie. It can be prepared with cocoa powder too. This recipe uses eggs. 

Here is the step by step pictures to how I prepared it:

1. In a mixing bowl, place the cut chocolate pieces. Add butter to it. Microwave for 2 mins in 1 min intervals.

2. Remove from the microwave. Mix well. If there is still lumps, microwave again. Add Cane sugar to this hot mixture and wait till it dissolves into it.

3. Now add eggs and mix well.

4. Add in flour. Mix gently so that it is nicely incorporated into the mixture. Add in salt and vanilla extract and mix well ( not shown in pic).  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and garnish with pecans intervals. Bake for 30-35 mins.

5. If toothpick comes clean, remove and let it cool completely.

A small video recipe is here:

Here comes the full recipe:

Makes 1 13*9 sheet brownie or 1 8*8 square brownies

Ingredients:

Unsweetened chocolate - 4oz/113g

Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup

Cane sugar - 1 3/4 cups

Eggs - 3

Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup

Pinch of salt

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Pecans - few (to garnish on top)

How to bake:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F.

2. Line a sheet or square pan with parchment paper and then grease it with homemade baking spray.

3. In a mixing bowl, place the cut chocolate pieces. Add butter to it. Microwave for 2 mins in 1 min intervals.

4. Remove from the microwave. Mix well. If there is still lumps, microwave again.

5. Add Cane sugar to this hot mixture and wait till it dissolves into it.

6. Now add eggs and mix well.

7. Add in flour. Mix gently so that it is nicely incorporated into the mixture.

8. Add in salt and vanilla extract and mix well.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and garnish with pecans intervals. Bake for 30-35 mins.

10. If toothpick comes clean, remove and let it cool completely.

11. Slice and store it in airtight container.

Homemade pasta sauce from scratch in Instant pot

Pasta sauce can be easily prepared at home. It can be easily prepared at home with very simple ingredients. Here I have used Instant pot for making this sauce. This can be done in stove top too by following the same steps.

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How to prepare:

1. Turn ON instant pot. Press SAUTE. Wait until it is hot. Cut everything to cubes. We are going to blend it. So shape doesn't matters.
2. Add 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic, onions.

3. Add jalapenos, red capsicum and beetroot. 

4. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper powder. 

5. Add basil leaves, oregano. Mix it. Press CANCEL. Set PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL for 10 minutes.

6. Wait for natural pressure release(NPR). Open the instant pot and blend well using a hand blender such that there are no chunks. Press SAUTE again to simmer until thickened and it is not watery. It took 13 minutes for me to reduce and become thick

7. Cool and transfer to an airtight container. Keep it in fridge for further use.

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A small video presentation:

Ingredients:

Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 4 pods
Onion - 1 big
Jalepeno - 1
Beetroot - 1 medium
Tomatoes - 6 medium
Basil leaves - 2 tsp (optional)
Oregano - 2 tsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 2 tsp

How to prepare:

1. Turn ON instant pot. Press SAUTE. Wait until it is hot. Cut everything to cubes. We are going to blend it. So shape does't' matters.
2. Add 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic, onions.
3. Add jalapenos, beetroot and cubed tomatoes. Add basil leaves, oregano, pepper and salt.
4. Press CANCEL. Set PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL for 10 minutes
5. Wait for natural pressure release(NPR).
6. Open the instant pot and blend well using a hand blender such that there are no chunks.
7. Press SAUTE again to simmer until thickened and it is not watery. It took 13 minutes for me to reduce and become thick
8. Cool and transfer to an airtight container. Keep it refrigerated.

Note:
1. Add beetroot to get natural dark red color to the sauce.
2. Use ripened tomatoes to make this sauce.
3. If you don't have jalapeno, use green chili.
4. Don't omit oregano.

Rosemilk - milk flavored with rose syrup

Hot weather calls for a coolant rosemilk at home. Rosemilk is one of the traditional drink prepared in summer. It is prepared with rose syrup. Roses which are commonly fragrant are simmered with sugar syrup and strained thereafter leaving a fragrant smell in the syrup. It is very easy to prepare and it is always a favorite to kids.

How to prepare:

1. In a saucepan, add 1 liter milk(preferably whole milk) and bring it to a boil. Cool down to room temperature, takes about 2 hrs. Strain to remove malai that is formed on the top of milk.

2. As I use raw cane sugar, i powdered it in mixie so that it easily dissolves into milk. Add it to the milk and mix well until combined.

3. Add rose syrup ( I like roof afza ) and whisk until well combined.

4.  Add a little bit of rose essence(optional). Keep it in fridge for about 2 hrs or in freezer for an hour for a quick chill. Use a hand blender or coffee whisk to make it frothy. Serve chilled.

A small video presentation:

Here is the full recipe:

Serves-4

Ingredients:

Whole milk- 1 liter
Rose syrup - 2 tbsp
Cane sugar - 2 tbsp
Rose essence- 2 drops
Nuts- few(to garnish)

How to prepare:

1. In a saucepan, add 1 liter milk(preferably whole milk) and bring it to a boil.  Cool down to room temperature, takes about 2 hrs. Strain to remove any malai that will be formed on top.
2. Now add, sugar, rose syrup and whisk it well until it is combined well.
3. Keep it in fridge for about 2 hrs or in freezer for an hour for a quick chill.Add a little bit of rose essence(optional). Use a hand blender or coffee whisk to make it frothy.

4. Serve chilled and keep cooled yourselves.

Note:

1.Use full fat milk or whole milk to for better taste. If using low fat milk, simmer for a few minutes until it thickens little bit.

2. Adding rose essence leaves a pleasant smell in the rosemilk. And it is purely optional to add it.