Indian desserts
Puran poli / पुरणपोळी / Maharashtrian sweet lentil flatbreads
Whether it’s the Hindu festival of colours (called Holi), or a farming festival of oxen (called Bail Pola), a Maharashtrian puran poli is not to be missed. It’s traditional to make this Marathi delicacy for festivals like Holi, Diwali, Bail Pola, Ganesh Chaturthi and Gudi Padwa. I feel obliged to roll some of these sweet […]
Tilgulachi Vadi / Sesame Peanut Flapjacks
We Indians, never pass up the opportunity to make jaggery-based sweet treats in the cooler months. And the festival of Makar Sankranti gives all the more reason to make these ‘til-gulachi vadi’, as we call them in Marathi or ‘sesame-peanut flapjack’ as my English husband once described them as he popped one in his mouth […]
Besan Ladoo / Besancha ladu / Besan laddoo / Sweet Gram Flour Balls
If there’s ever been a dessert that springs to mind when I hear someone say ‘melt-in-mouth’, then it’s besan laddoo. For me it’s rather evocative. The thought of it stirs emotions of holding the besan (gram flour) dough and moulding it, using the heat of your palms, until a neat round ball of ‘laddoo’ or […]
Chocolate Modak With Coconut Filling
Modaks are traditionally made during Ganesh Chaturthi to celebrate Lord Ganesha’s birthday and it’s customary to spoil him with his favourite sweet, that’s modaks. While ‘ukadiche modaks’ are my personal favourite (as well as Ganesha’s), my daughter can’t appreciate the Ganpati festivities until she gets to eat this dainty dark chocolate and coconut variety. So, […]
Fresh Coconut Burfi With Reduced Milk / Naralachi Burfi
Burfi – India’s answer to western fudge. It’s sweet, it’s soft; melts in your mouth, and leaves you craving for more. Indian burfi is usually made with milk and sugar, laced with flavours of saffron, cardamom, fruits, and nuts. It’s basically a celebration of all things joyful. Now I usually make my coconut burfi with […]
Maharashtrian Aamras (Express Version)
I have already posted the traditional recipe for Maharashtrian aamras here. I often make aamras in the modern way using a blender instead of hand squeezing the pulp as my mother does. It’s the quick and easy way to make aamras. What is the express way of making aamras? The modern way uses a good […]
Maharashtrian Aamras
Summer in India is incomplete without mangoes. The season is very short so when mangoes are flooding the market people love to eat them straight from the box. But they also prepare a rich variety of mango-based delicacies to make the most of this annual bounty. Aamras is one such traditional sweet delicacy popular in […]
Vermicelli Kheer / Homemade Shevayanchi Kheer
Festivals or not, vermicelli kheer is a must-have dessert in most Indian households. It is popular and has many names – sevai kheer or semiya kheer or in Maharashtra, the state of India I grew up in, it is often called shevayanchi kheer (शेवायांची’ खीर’). If you have an Indian store nearby, you may buy […]
About me
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Hi, I’m Rieethaa, a food photographer and recipe developer but most of all I just love cooking simple flavourful food that wakes up the sleepiest tastebuds, and I want to share some with you here. So come in and help me chop some onions, will you?
Fresh turmeric, an elusive root in the UK - when spotted at my local Indian grocer’s alongside some tender raw mangoes, the preserve maker in me (or Aunty Pickle as my cheeky husband calls me) dreamt up this fruity fresh pickle.
Brightly coloured juliennes of fresh turmeric, raw mangoes and mild jalapeños are steeped in salty lime juice, with a surprise herby kick of dill. It’s a crunchy, tart and salty combination that will jazz up any savoury plate. By the way I don’t throw away the raw mango seeds but that’s a recipe for another day. Meanwhile, enjoy this instant pickle recipe.
Full recipe is on my blog: https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/instant-turmeric-mango-pickle/
#zanzaneet #lonche #instantpickle #turmericpickle #glutenfreevegan #turmericroot #pickle #heirloomrecipes #recipeshare #vegansuk #instantrecipe #halad #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipes #haladi #achaar #maharashtrianfood #veganofig #marathifood #britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram #foodbloggeruk #rawmango #memarathi #beingmarathi #britishindian #ukindians @maharashtratourismofficial @marathiduniyaa @being_marathi_official @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @ndtv_food @veganvultures @goodoldvegan @plantbased.green @hollandandbarrett
2 days ago
Dal is perhaps Indian cuisine’s greatest gift to the world. This family favourite is made with whole masoor dal (or red lentils) blended with a little chana dal. The whole lentils make it especially nutritious and rich in fibre. Onions, garlic and tomatoes together with a few whole spices make this rich creamy dal lip-smackingly savoury. Just what my growing girl needs after a long day at school. I’ll be adding the full recipe to my blog soon. Meanwhile here’s a quick recipe:
Recipe:
Ingredients:
* 175g (¾ cup) whole masoor dal or whole red lentils with brown skin (washed)
* 25g (¼ cup) chana dal (washed)
* 600ml (3 cups) hot water
* 50ml (¼ cup) sunflower oil
* 1 large onion (finely chopped)
* 4 medium sized tomatoes (chopped)
* 8-10 cloves of garlic
* 1 tsp tomato purée
* 1 tsp mustard seeds
* ½ tsp cumin seeds
* 7-10 curry leaves
* ½ tsp turmeric powder
* 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or to taste)
* ½ tsp kala masala (optional)
* ½ tsp garam masala
* ½ tsp coriander powder
* salt to taste
* 25g fresh coriander (chopped) to garnish
1. In an instant pot, temper the mustard and cumin seeds in the oil in sauté mode until they splutter.
2. Add the garlic, followed by curry leaves, followed by the onions and sauté until light brown.
3. Stir in the tomatoes along with the tomato purée.
4. Add the turmeric, then coriander powder and chilli powder. Stir well.
5. Tip in the soaked lentils followed by the hot water. Season with salt. Then change the IP mode to pressure cook for 15 mins on high.
6. Drizzle with ghee and serve hot garnished with chopped coriander
Notes:
1. This recipe can be cooked just as well in a trusty pressure cooker. Just allow 6 whistles to cook the lentils.
#zanzaneet #dal #masoordal #dalrecipe #glutenfreevegan #chanadal #marathimeal #heirloomrecipes #recipeshare #vegansuk #danyachichutney #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipes #maharashtrianfood #veganofig #marathifood
#britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram #foodbloggeruk #memarathi #beingmarathi #britishindian #ukindians @maharashtratourismofficial @marathiduniyaa @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @ndtv_food
6 days ago
Indian masala chai is generally sweet, milky and mildly spicy but has many variations. Chai is a very personal thing and this one is customised (over the years) to my own taste. You could say it’s my cup of tea! It’s spiced with fresh ginger, cardamom and tulsi. It’s sweet and creamy. It also happens to be vegan.
First I crush a few green cardamom pods then grate a good thumb sized piece of ginger, and add it to half a mug of boiling water in my trusty chai pan along with a couple of teaspoons of sugar and a decent quality organic tea bag. I reduce it by about two-thirds to a dark syrupy brew.
Finally sharing this much requested recipe on my blog - https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/frothy-vegan-chai/
#zanzaneet #masalachai #chai #chailovers #adrakwalichai #chaitime #morningcuppa #chairecipe #dairyfreechai #dairyfreerecipes #veganchai #frothychai #indianchai #indiantea #vegansuk #dairyfreelife #veganuary #veganuary2023 #britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukfoodies #marathifood #vegansofinstagram #veganrecipes #chaiaddict
#maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #veganonabudget #britishindian @marathiduniyaa @maharashtratourismofficial @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @foodtalkindia @foodandwine @ndtv_food
1 week ago
Missing this ‘harbara’ aka tender green chickpeas that we picked, on the spur of the moment, from a farmer during our recent visit to India. We were so excited to have such a fresh bunch that we polished it all off in the car. And it goes without saying there was a fair bit of mess to tidy up later.
Chickpeas don’t grow in cans. What you get in supermarkets is so far removed from these fresh fuzzy pods. When ripe and yellow, these green chickpeas are shelled, then dried and cooked before being canned. But when eaten fresh, they’re called हरभरा / हरा चना / fresh chickpeas / green garbanzo beans. If you try them you’ll never want to go back to the tinned chickpeas, for they’re so much creamier and tastefully sweeter than dried, processed ones. Sadly, their season during the Indian winter is short when they’re grown as part of the dry crop in rabi season in areas with moderate to low rainfall. So if you find them where you are, grab them while you can. They’re the most addictive guilt-free plant-based snack around right now.
Happy Makarsankranti everyone!
#zanzaneet #sankrantispecial #makarsankranti #makarsankranti2023 #garbanzobeans #garbanzos #chickpeas #farmersmarkets #harbara #chole #chana #greengarbanzo #greenchickpeas #vegansuk #glutenfreefood #veganuary #veganuary2023 #britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukfoodies #marathifood #vegansofinstagram #glutenfreeveganfood
#maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #memarathi #beingmarathi #britishindian #jaimaharashtra @marathiduniyaa @maharashtratourismofficial @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @marathifc @foodtalkindia @foodnetwork @foodandwine @ndtv_food @thekitchn
2 weeks ago
Certain kinds of food have become so interwoven with the traditions of Indian festivals that they become an essential part of the celebrations. So when Makar Sankranti comes around it just wouldn’t be the same without these til gulachi vadi. Or as my husband calls them sesame flapjacks, for want of a better description. Packed with coconut, peanuts and sweet jaggery as well as sesame they are synonymous with the festive saying ‘tilgul ghya ni goad goad bola’ तीळ गूळ घ्या नी गोड-गोड बोला the gist of which is that after sharing these vadi with your friends and neighbours you should pledge to speak sweetly to them and show kindness in the year ahead.
Full recipe for these sesame peanut jaggery bites we call ‘til gulachi vadi’ is on my blog -
https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/tilgulachi-vadi-sesame-peanut-flapjacks/
Happy Makarsankranti everyone!
#zanzaneet #tilgul #sankrantispecial #tilgulvadirecipe #makarsankranti #makarsankranti2023 #marathisanskruti #tilgulachivadi #recipeshare #vegetariansnack #vegetarianrecipes #canbevegan #veganrecipes #vegetarianuk #marathifood #sesame #minibites #britishvegetarian #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukbloggers #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram #glutenfreevegetarian #maharashtrianfood
#maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #memarathi #beingmarathi #britishindian #ukindians @maharashtratourismofficial @marathiduniyaa @being_marathi_official @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @ndtv_food @punetimesonline @timesofindia
@maharashtra_ig
2 weeks ago
If there was ever a festival that celebrates the seasonality of produce, it’s Makarsankranti मकरसंक्रांति - a harvest festival marking the end of the winter growing season. And this bhogichi bhaji is an eagerly anticipated celebration of that winter harvest on a plate.
Sharing this customary mixed vegetable curry of ‘bhogichi bhaji’ भोगीची भाजी to celebrate the seasonal winter produce of India. In Maharashtra (India) this dish is prepared a day before the festival of Makarsankranti मकरसंक्रांति
Full recipe is on my blog - https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/bhogichi-bhaji-maharashtrian-mixed-vegetable-curry/
#zanzaneet #bhogichibhaji #sankrantispecial #makarsankranti #makarsankranti2023 #marathisanskruti #curriesofindia #heirloomrecipes #recipeshare #vegansuk #veganmeals #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipes #maharashtrianfood #veganofig #marathifood
#britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukbloggers #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram #glutenfreeveganfood #maharashtrianfood
#maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #memarathi #beingmarathi #britishindian #ukindians @maharashtratourismofficial @marathiduniyaa @being_marathi_official @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @ndtv_food @punetimesonline @timesofindia
@maharashtra_ig
2 weeks ago
Around about now it’s time to harvest the hurda or sorghum crop in my home region. My family grow this crop and harvest time is a big celebration that I miss badly living in the UK.
Being in India last week, I was thrilled to see a ‘hurda party’ advertised in the countryside not far from where we were staying so I booked a trip there in great anticipation. It turned out to be a big disappointment, very commercialised and the hurda ‘party’ itself was a rather sad affair with some pre-cooked sorghum - a pale imitation of the real thing.
It turns out I was a couple of weeks too early for the main harvest when I could have enjoyed watching my relatives extracting the seeds and cooking them fresh in a fire-pit.
Hurda is fresh tender Sorghum (Jowar) that has been roasted, typically over a fire pit. The process is simple but labour intensive.
1. First the tender sorghum seed heads are roasted in the embers of a cow-dung (called ‘Gavrya’/ शेणाच्या गवऱ्या) fire pit.
2. The hot roasted sorghum heads are rubbed either with a stone or by hand to extract the cooked grain called Hurda. It’s best eaten hot with fresh curd, dry peanut & chilli chutney or jaggery.
3. Farmers don’t like waste so the discarded fibrous part of the sorghum heads are beaten with sticks to extract the more stubborn Hurda. This is another laborious task. Four men hold corners of a large sack to beat the sorghum heads ensuring the Hurda’ doesn’t fly out.
4. The cold Hurda is sun-dried to provide a yearly supply of flour for ‘Thalipeeth’, or ‘Hurda bhaji’
5. The remaining fibrous stems are used to make manure or to fuel traditional indoor cooking stoves called ‘chul’ or चूल.
So next time you eat Hurda, think of those rough hands made sore separating it whilst still hot. Indian farmers live a humble life and rely heavily on the increasingly unpredictable monsoon. They’re usually below the poverty line; in 2019, 10,281 died by suicide. If environmental justice has anything to do with climate change then it’s also linked with social and intergenerational justice for farmers #letsgogreencontest #hurda #hurdaparty
2 weeks ago
My Mum makes it look so easy to make perfectly soft bhakri. Nothing is ever as easy as it looks of course. I guess it’s a skill that takes practice & experience just like any other.
But don’t be afraid to try your hand at these nutritious millet flatbreads. Help is at hand! Here are my top tips gleaned from quizzing my Mum and my own attempts to emulate her effortless style.
1. Make sure you get the freshest possible bhakri flour. Its shelf life isn’t as long as some wheat flours & tends to acquire a bitter taste as it ages.
2. Knead the dough thoroughly until it gets properly soft. There is no gluten in millet so it won’t acquire the elastic quality of a chapati dough but that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a soft & reasonably pliable consistency.
3. Bhakri are traditionally flattened by hand. Make sure your hands are dry & well dusted with flour.
4. You need a pre-heated tawa but don’t get it too hot. Otherwise you’ll end up with one side over-cooked and bubbles forming on the top.
5. After placing on the tawa, floury side up moisten the top surface thoroughly with cold water before flipping.
6. Don’t skip the last step which involves roasting one side over a naked flame, it’s essential for achieving the thin flakey ‘papudra’ layer a good bhakri should have.
7. Don’t expect it to come out right the very first time. Practice makes perfect!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
* 1 cup pearl millet flour
* ½ cup water (room temperature or lukewarm, if the flour isn’t fresh) for the dough
* salt to taste
* ¼ cup water to moisten the bhakri whilst cooking
Recipe steps are explained in the video.
#zanzaneet #bhakri #bhakrirecipe #bajrichibhakri #glutenfreevegan #flatbreads #marathimeal #heirloomrecipes #recipeshare #vegansuk #millet #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipes #maharashtrianfood #veganofig #marathifood
#britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #milletrecipes #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram
3 weeks ago
The reason I travelled halfway around the world this Xmas was to see the wonderful woman who cooked this food, my Mum (and my Dad of course). I am not the first to say that there is nothing quite like Mum’s home-cooking but as irrefutable culinary facts go this is the truest of them all. So I am not sorry for repeating it here.
After hugs and warm embraces, my Mum showered us with various home-cooked snacks, kothimbir vadi, sev and chewda. Then she started preparing this most homely of plates with bhakri and methichi bhaji. The distance travelled makes these moments shared all the more precious and the food taste all the sweeter.
And I was not the only one to appreciate the home-cooking. Mum prepared masala omelette and a special non-spicy dal and rice for Aarya. She and my husband polished off their plates within minutes.
Search for kothimbir vadi कोथिंबीर वडी and methichi bhaji मेथीची भाजी recipes on the blog.
https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/kothimbir-vadi/
#zanzaneet #kothimbirvadi #methichibhaji #bajrichibhakri #thali #bhakri #marathimeal #heirloomrecipes #recipeshare #vegansuk #veganmeals #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipes #maharashtrianfood #veganofig #marathifood
#britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukbloggers #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram #glutenfreeveganfood #maharashtrianfood
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@maharashtra_ig @maharashtra_desha @incredible_maharashtrian @sakaltimes
4 weeks ago
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