Bored of the usual curries ?? Try this interesting recipe ~Dahi wale Baigan !!

You know how soon we get bored eating the usual Dal & Curries...so whenever I  come across a different recipe I don't miss giving it a try over weekends....Don't go by the name Dahi & Baigan does n't  sound very appealing but trust me it tasted delicious..its going to be a regular in our menu now.

Very few ingredients and yet the dish is so flavourful ..Do give it a try following the simple steps below :

Ingredients 

1 Brinjal(Bottle shaped )
1 tbsp grated/minced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp dhaniya powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 cup beaten curd
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

Slice brinjal in small discs and apply some salt and red chili. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.Take oil in a pan and fry these brinjal slices on both the sides till  its nicely browned and cooked.In another pan fry ginger garlic along with mustard seeds.Add all dry spices and 1/4 cup of water.Cook the masala for 10 minutes adding 1-2 tsp of water in batches so that the masala does n't get burnt.
Whisk curd with a pinch of salt.
Now its time for the final assembly..Take a shallow dish and apply some masala ,place fried brinjal slices ,pour in curd and masala,Repeat these steps and then finally prepare a tempering of red chili and mustard seeds.Pour it over and garnish with chopped coriander.
Enjoy it with rice or chapatis,,It is so creamy and delicious that you are going to love it for sure.

Dont forget to share your feedback
Till then happy cooking !!

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti for your weekend mornings !!

I just love how baking makes the home smell heaven.There has been a lot of research which talks about the power of baking..its indeed relaxing..and it does lift your spirit too !!
Biscotti was on my to do list for long and finally I did try and yes its worth all the effort..there is double baking involved which makes your home smell just amazing..Pair it with coffee or tea or just pack it in your box for munching !

Here is the recipe :

Ingredients

2.5 cup flour
1&1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
5 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
a pinch of salt

Method

Preheat oven at 180 degrees.Whisk flour,baking powder,salt and keep it aside.Whisk butter,sugar ,add eggs and vanilla.Add flour mix.Fold in the dry fruits and mix to form a dough.Knead till smooth.Bake it for 30 minutes.Cool down and then cut it in pieces.Bake it again at 150 degrees for 7-8 minutes on both sides.

Serve it with a coffee and trust me you will definitely forget the Starbucks one.

Simple & Delicious ~Strawberry,Banana & Oreo Shake !!

Last weekend we went to Mahableshwar and had a great time in the lap of nature...Apart from sightseeing one thing which really fascinated me was the delicious food I had throught out the trip…be it a simple dish as poha or the traditional thalipeeth or the sumptuous sandwiches and pizza at mapro graden .The place is known for strawberries.. every 100m you find a person selling strawberries on road.

Seriously I  have never eaten so many strawberries ..not even in London.

So you guessed it right I am sharing a strawberry recipe today..you don’t need mahabaleshwar berries for this recipe even the usual ones will do :P

Strawberry picking @ Mahabaleshwar 

Ingredients 

1 &1/2 glass of milk 

1 banana

2 oreo coookies/bourbon cookies

4-5 strawberries 

Method 

Just take your Mixie jar and put in  straberries, banana and  oreo cokies with a glass of milk.Blitz it well and your Morning doze of energy drink is ready.

Super simple and super delicious.

Kickstart your mornings with this healthy granola recipe !!

New year always comes with new resolutions and healthy eating always tops my list(sad that being a foodie there are more cheat days for me than healthy ones :(  

I always try to bring healthier alternatives in our daily diet and love making homemade stuff.The recipe which I am sharing today is one such thing which we usually buy from stores without realizing its loaded with added sugar and preservatives.Well this recipe has a story of its own.Last year we went to Bali for holiday and while visiting one of the super mart grabbed a pack of granola for snacking.The flavor was coconut and granola and we loved it so much that we bought another pack to enjoy it after coming back.I thought I will be able to find this flavour in India but tried and couldn't get anything even similar.

So then I thought of trying it on my own and yes it did work..tastes almost same and since then I have been making it in  batches and its get over in a couple of days ;P

You can have it with milk /yoghurt or just simple snacking it tastes amazing !!

Ingredients 

1 cup oats
1 banana mashed
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pumpkin/melon seeds
2 tsp honey
1 tsp oil

Method

Preheat oven to 150 degrees. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and spread it evenly on a baking tray.You can leave aside half of the coconut flakes because they brown pretty quick.
Bake it for 30 mins and keep turning it over every ten minutes so that it doesn't  get burn and cooks evenly.
Mix in the remaining coconut flakes and allow it to cool.You can play around with your choice of dry fruits.
Store in an airtight container and enjoy !!
Trust me it won't last more than 1-2 days...both my son and hubby fight over it !