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Recipes that use herbs and spices as a key ingredient.

Fresh Fruit Rabri (No Refined Sugar)

20 Apr

A fresh fruit preparation that you can serve as a snack or an after-meal dessert.

Traditional rabri can be pretty heavy with its high content of sugar and condensed milk. Its usual pairing with malpua and jalebi (while delicious!) doesn’t help either if you’re watching your weight. Enter my recipe of fresh fruit rabri – the best sort of dessert to satiate your sweet tooth even on a healthy diet. No refined sugar, no tinned condensed milk – this rabri is sweetened only with natural nutrient-rich dates and apricots. No canned fruit either – only fresh seasonal stuff. 

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Melon Orange Juice

13 Apr

The musky flavor of cantaloupe (musk melon or honey dew melon), sweet citrus of orange and hint of ginger come together in this beautiful melon orange juice.

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Apple Cucumber Mint Juice

28 Mar

Apple Cucumber Mint Juice

To call fresh juice "refreshing" is a well-worn cliché, but some clichés are worth repeating. Apple cucumber mint juice at the end of a work-packed weekday is an excellent pick-me-up. When you’ve had a luxurious dinner, try apple mint cucumber juice first thing the next morning – it’s a wonderful way to balance out the indulgence of the previous meal.

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Kaddu ka Bharta: Red Pumpkin Bharta

24 Mar

Red Pumpkin Bharta

Red pumpkin bharta is a dry preparation of pumpkin, a simpler version of red pumpkin curry with stronger notes of mustard oil.

Unlike traditional bharta (mashed vegetables) like baingan bharta, this one does not use boiled/roasted vegetables as its base. Pumpkin cooks quickly and mashes easily without pre-treatment. This is also a chunky bharta instead of a typically smooth one, which works well with pumpkin.

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Cabbage Paratha: Wholesome Pan-Fried Flatbread

17 Mar

Patta Gobhi Paratha: Cabbage Paratha

Here’s a way to sneak in some cabbage goodness into your meals, without cooking up a full-blown cabbage curry: make patta gobhi paratha / cabbage paratha. With a generous spiking of cabbage (patta gobhi in Hindi) and spices, this wholesome pan-fried flatbread is a satisfying meal on its own. With chutney or pickle on the side, cabbage paratha is just the thing for a weekend brunch or a lunchbox treat.

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Banana Blossoms with Mustard Ginger Seasoning

12 Mar

Banana blossoms aren’t something I use often in my cooking – the effort of peeling and cutting is a major deterrent. This time I found a pack of pre-peeled banana blossoms at the grocery store and decided to give it a go. I am really pleased with how this recipe finally turned out!

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Gobhi Musallam: A ‘Whole’ Cauliflower Delicacy

5 Mar

Gobhi Musallam

Gobhi musallam is a gourmet’s delight, a recipe that can star on any party menu. Make this for your festive spread and have the crowd entranced.

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