Blueberry Yogurt Parfait

For those moments when we crave for something sweet after a meal, here is a healthy and yummy dessert with plenty of antioxidant-rich blueberries and yogurt. Simple to assemble, easy on the palate, and good for you!

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

For the blueberry-yogurt sauce:

1. 1 cups blueberries +  2 tablespoons water
2. 1 cup yogurt

For the sweetened yogurt:

1. 1 cup yogurt
2. 3 tablespoons honey
3. 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the fruit-cracker layer:

1. 1 cup blueberries
2. 1/2 cup crumbled graham crackers

Preparation:

1. Combine 1 cup blueberries with 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan and heat on medium heat for about 15 minutes until the blueberries begin to bubble. Stir well and break down some of the blueberries and continue to cook the sauce on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce and let it cool completely. When it is cool, mix the sauce with 1 cup of yogurt.
2. Make the plain sweetened yogurt by whisking together the remaining 1 cup of yogurt with honey and vanilla extract.
3. Now assemble the parfait by layering everything
1. Start by pouring a few spoons of the blueberry-yogurt
2. Add a layer of blueberries on top of it
3. Spoon some of the sweetened yogurt 
4. Sprinkle some of the crumbled graham crackers and a little more blueberries on top

 You can build as many layers as you want and get creative with the toppings.

Broccoli Salad with Avocado Dressing

Salads can be incredibly filling and tasty. They are easy to put together and refreshingly healthy. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or afternoon snack.

This is a salad I made recently. I loved using avocados in the dressing. It generously coats the salad and keeps it moist and flavorful.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 2 heads of broccoli, broken into florets
2. 5 carrots, peeled and grated
3. 3 cups grapes, sliced
4. 1/4 cup walnuts
5. 2 ripe avocados
6. 1/4 cup lime juice
7. 2 teaspoons salt
8. 1 teaspoon black pepper
9. 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

1.  Blanch the broccoli florets in a pot of boiling water. Dunk the broccoli florets in the boiling water for 3 minutes, and immediately run them under cold water, or dunk them in a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking. When cool, put the broccoli florets in a large bowl.
2. Add the grated carrots and sliced grapes to the broccoli and toss everything together
3. De-seed the avocados and grind the pulp along with lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. 
4. Pour the avocado dressing on the salad and toss everything well until well combined. 
5. Add the walnuts and give a final mix.

Refrigerate the salad for 1 hour and let the flavors meld together before serving.

Caramel Rice Kheer

Rice Kheer / pudding is a classic Indian dessert. In my community, it is called milk paayasam (pudding), because it is primarily sweetened milk with a few pieces of cooked rice here and there.

Recently, I decided to experiment with the flavors a bit and tried adding some caramel sauce to get that sweet, caramelized taste that goes so well with a milk-based pudding. I recommend making the caramel sauce at home (refer to the recipe below), because you can control the amount of sugar. And it tastes infinitely good when it's home-made. It is also very easy to prepare with just some brown sugar, butter, and half & half (or cream). You can also use store-bought caramel sauce, but be sure to adjust the amount of sweetened condensed milk you add, because the store bought ones are generally too sweet. 

 

It is worth the effort to add the caramel sauce. It makes the pudding so much more flavorful and richer!

Ingredients (serves 6-7):

1. 1/4 cup plain, uncooked rice
2. 3 cups milk (I used just 2% milk)
3. 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
4. 1 cup caramel sauce (I use this recipe to make home-made caramel sauce)
5. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (freshly ground)
6. 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
7. 2 tablespoons raisins

Preparation:

1. Cook the rice with 3 cups of milk until the rice is completely cooked and mushy. If you are using a pressure cooker, place any metal (such as a stainless steel spoon or a small plate) in the cooker, otherwise the milk will boil over and you will have a mini milk-volcano spewing all over the kitchen. I cooked for 4 whistles on medium heat. 
2. When the rice is cooked, mix in the condensed milk and caramel sauce and let everything cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat until everything incorporates well. 
3. Finally, add the cardamom powder, raisins, and pistachios and mix well. 

Serve in a bowl or in a pretty tall glass. 

Kohlrabi & Salsa Dhal

Necessity is the mother of invention. It is always the case in my household. Especially on those days when the refrigerator looks embarrassingly empty, save for a few odd half-filled jars and boxes.

All I wanted to make on that dreary day was some hearty, comforting dhal and rotis for dinner. I had set my mind on adding tomatoes, but of course, there were no tomatoes to be found. What I did find, however, were two half-empty jars of salsa. And no chips. I paused. The rusty gears began turning in my head. 

Salsa has tomatoes. 

And onion. 

And garlic. 

And cilantro. 

And jalapeno.

A light bulb glowed in the dull recesses of my mind. I love these rare moments. Especially when they are related to eating.

I pulled out the jars and decided to add the contents to my dhal. Without the husband knowing. And it worked! He polished the plate without realizing anything. 

If ever you want to try something slightly different with dhal, do not hesitate to add salsa to it. It boosts the flavor in a subtle and wonderful way. Plus, it saves precious time and effort involved in dicing and putting together all the ingredients. If you are wondering about the vinegar, let me assure you, it just takes the place of a drizzle of lemon juice. 

So, here's how I "recreated" dhal that evening. I used three types of dhal, added lots of flavor, and one unique vegetable.

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

1. 1/3 cup uncooked thoor dhal / yellow lentils / thuvaram paruppu
2. 1/3 cup uncooked moong dhal / payatham paruppu
3. 1/3 cup uncooked black-eyed beans
4. 1 small-medium onion, finely chopped
5. 1 cup salsa (or, if you would rather save the salsa for chips, use 2 tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup coriander leaves/cilantro, and the juice of 1 lemon)
6. 2 inch block of ginger
7. 2 green chillies (if the salsa is mildly spiced)
8. 1 Kohlrabi / squash / pumpkin, peeled & diced (kohlrabi is a very interesting and flavorful vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. It goes very well in Indian dhals)
9. 5 cups water
10. 2 teaspoons dhania powder / coriander powder
11. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
12. 1.5 teaspoons salt (or as needed)
13. 1 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter (it's ok, this amount is harmless. It amps up the flavor like you would never believe)
14. 2 teaspoons cumin seeds / jeera
15. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida

Preparation:

1. Grind the salsa (or tomatoes, garlic, and coriander leaves) along with ginger and green chillies. Set aside. 
2. Wash and drain the three kinds of dhals (the thoor dhal, moong dhal and black-eyed beans). Add everything to a pressure cooker (it's so much faster) along with the onion, water, the ground puree (from above), turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt, and diced kohlrabi . Stir well. Close the pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 6-7 whistles. Turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to come down. If you are not using a pressure cooker, just cook everything on a stove top. You just need a lot of patience.
3. When the pressure cooker is safe to handle (when all the pressure is released and settled), open it carefully. If you want to add more water at this point, add more water and stir everything together. Check for seasonings.
4. Heat the ghee. When it is hot, add the cumin seeds and hing and stir it around for a few seconds. Add this aromatic seasoning to the dhal and mix well. If you didn't use salsa, this is the time to squeeze some lemon juice.

 Serve hot with rotis or rice. This is so easy to prepare (you literally dump everything in the pressure cooker and let it do its thing), and very flavorful.  I know the picture looks bland and boring, but you should attribute that to my poor photography skills alone and nothing else. Trust me.

Benagali Style Cabbage Stiry Fry

I came across a recipe for Bengali style cabbage and peas stir fry that came with a skillet I purchased. The booklet containing the operating instructions of the skillet had a few recipes, and one of those was this. It looked very interesting, so I decided to adapt it a little to suit my preferences and the stock in my pantry.

So here's my slightly adapted version! Thanks to the author of that slim booklet for including this recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 head of a medium sized cabbage, finely chopped
2. 2 teaspoons cumin seeds / jeera
3. 2 inch block of ginger
4. 4 green cardamoms, de-husked
5. 4 cloves
6. 1 cinnamon stick (2 inches long)
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 2 teaspoons coriander powder / dhania powder
9. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1.5 - 2 teaspoons salt
11. 2 tomatoes, chopped
12. 1.5 teaspoons sugar
13. 2 tablespoons milk
14. 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour / maida
15. 1 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter
16. 4 tablespoons vegetable oil / olive oil / canola oil

Preparation:

1.  Grind the ginger and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds into a coarse paste by sprinkling a little water. Keep aside.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon into a powder. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium flame. Add bay leaf, the cumin-ginger paste, and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and wait for everything to sizzle. Stir around the paste for a few seconds. Then, add the cabbage and stir on medium heat for 5 minutes. 
4. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, and salt and stir well. Reduce the heat to low, close the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Every 5 minutes, stir the cabbage making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. After 15 minutes, add sugar and stir well.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the milk and flour to make a fine paste. Add this to the cabbage, stir well and continue to cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked.
6. Finally, add the ground spice powder (cardamom-cloves-cinnamom), and a dollop of ghee, stir well. 

Serve hot with rice or roti. This is a uniquely spiced cabbage stir fry that smells divine!

 

Ambrosia

Ambrosia is the food of the Gods. What food on Earth comes even close to it? Well, there are several. One among them is this simple fruit salad that's folded in cream.

Ambrosia is a dessert that has sweet fruits and marshmallows suspended in thick cream. How can it not taste good. 

This is my inspired version of Ambrosia, sans marshmallows. It is a pink fluffy cloud of deliciousness. It is rich, no doubt, but it is a simple dessert for special occasions.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 1/2 cup cold whipping cream
2. 2 bananas, sliced
3. 2 oranges, peeled and separated
4. 2 cups sliced strawberries
5. 2 tablespoons sugar
6. 1/2 tablespoon water
7. 1/2 teaspoon powdered cardamom

Preparation:

1. Combine the water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and strawberries in a medium saucepan and heat on medium flame for about 10 minutes until the strawberries are bubbly and soft. Stir occasionally and gently break down the strawberries so that they form into a nice compote. Let this cool completely. 
2. Whip the cold cream on high speed (if you own a hand mixer or stand mixer) until the cream forms stiff peaks  (if you stick a spatula in the cream and lift it, the cream should stand on end as a firm spike)
3. Now gently fold the cooled down strawberry compote into the whipped cream until everything is evenly incorporated.
4. Add the sliced bananas, oranges, and powdered cardamom and gently fold everything. 
5. Store in the fridge and serve chilled.

 Just one word: Yum!

Strawberry and Yogurt-Cream Popsicle

It's summer time.

And that's means Popsicle time!
And all things sweet, tart, and cold.

So, here is a simple take on Strawberry Cheesecake on a stick. You get the sweet, soft, and creamy flavors of a strawberry cheesecake without the extra calories and effort.

Ingredients (makes 6 popsicles):

1. 1.5 cups sliced strawberries
2. 1/2 tablespoon of water
3. 1.5 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons sugar
4. 1/2 cup whipping cream (really cold, right out of the fridge)
5. 1/4 cup thick yogurt
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 1 teaspoon powdered ginger

Preparation:

1. Combine the water. 1.5 tablespoons sugar, and strawberries in a medium saucepan and heat on medium flame for about 10 minutes, until the strawberries are bubbly and soft. Stir occasionally and gently break down the strawberries so that they form into a nice compote. 
2. Set the strawberry compote aside and let it cool completely.
3. Whip the cold cream, vanilla extract and  2 tablespoons sugar on high speed (if you own a hand mixer or stand mixer) until the cream forms stiff peaks. 
1. Start whipping the cream and after a minute or so add the sugar and continue whipping.
2. When the cream forms soft peaks (if you stick a spatula in the cream and lift it, the cream should bend into a soft spike), add the vanilla extract and continue whipping until it forms stiff peaks (if you stick a spatula in the cream and lift it, the cream should stand on end as a firm spike)
4. Whisk the powdered ginger to the yogurt. Then, fold in the yogurt into the cream. Be gentle as you fold the yogurt in the whipped cream.
5. Ready to fill the popsicle molds! We are going to layer the mold with strawberry compote and yogurt cream.
1. Spoon in some strawberry compote into the popsicle mold.
2. Next goes the cream. To ensure that the cream is evenly layered on top of the strawberries without any gaps or air bubbles, transfer the whipped cream and yogurt into a plastic ziplock bag. Twist the bag to make a cone, cut the tip and evenly pipe the cream on top of the strawberry layer. 
3. If you would like, spoon in some more strawberry compote as a third layer. 
4. Build as many layers as you want.
6. When done, freeze the molds for at least 4 hours until everything is set. Gently remove the Popsicles from the mold by placing them in lukewarm water for a minute or two.

Enjoy the popsicles!

These popsicles aren't too sweet. So, adjust sugar and other flavoring according to taste.

Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak is the mother of all South-Indian sweets. It is prepared with chickpea flour cooked with lots of sugar and ghee... as a matter of fact, the chickpea flour is just a humble vehicle that binds together all the sugar and ghee :). It's consistency is like that of a soft, slightly crumbly, and slightly moist cookie. The amount of ghee determines how moist the Mysore Pak is. 

I have prepared an extremely easy microwavable version of Mysore Pak. As easy as it is to prepare the whole thing in a microwave, undeniably, it doesn't taste exactly like the full-blown version. This is my mother-in-law's recipe for preparing Mysore Pak - the authentic way. It is easy to prepare and not as rich as the store-bought ones. It is extremely tasty, nonetheless. 

Ingredients (comfortably serves 6):

1.  1 cup besan/chickpea flour
2. 2 cups sugar
3. 1/3 cup water
4. 3 tablespoons + 1/2 cup ghee / clarified butter

Preparation: 

1. Butter or grease a pan with ghee and set aside.
2. Sieve the besan and set aside.
3. In a wide heavy-bottomed pan, heat 3 tablespoons of ghee over medium heat. When the ghee is warm, reduce the heat to low and roast the besan for about 5 minutes until there is a pleasant aroma of besan wafting through your kitchen.
4. Immediately put the besan in a bowl and crumble and break up all the little lumps (if any) with your hand or a fork. It is important that the besan be smooth in texture, for a lumpy besan results in a Mysore Pak with a course/lumpy texture. Some tiny lumps are inevitable, so don't go crazy in annihilating every microscopic lump.
5. Dissolve the sugar and water in the same pan used to roast the besan. Set the heat on medium and stir for about 2 minutes until the sugar and water are well incorporated. 
6. Now slowly add the besan to the sugar-water, mixing constantly to avoid any lumps. 
7. Add a couple of tablespoons of ghee and keep stirring the besan on medium heat. Keep stirring constantly. When the besan looks dry or sticks to the pan, add a little more ghee and stir. Don't add all the ghee at once, for the besan will absorb it all in no time and demand for more. It's like ghee-blackhole. No matter how much you add, the besan absorbs it all. So, keep adding the ghee in small installments whenever the besan is dry or sticky and keep stirring.
8. Keep stirring until the besan leaves the sides of the pan and comes together as a glistening mass (see picture). It takes about 15 minutes to reach this consistency. 

   

   Consistency of cooked besan. Top: The besan in the hot pan. Bottom: The besan in the greased pan, ready to be smoothed and cut into Mysore Paks

9. When you reach this state, immediately take the pan off heat and transfer the cooked besan onto the greased pan. Do not leave the besan in the hot pan. A few seconds changes the consistency of the besan. 
10. Tap the pan to remove air bubbles and gently smooth the besan on top with a greased spatula. 
11. Let it rest for a couple of minutes. Before the besan cools to room temperature, cut the besan into squares or diamonds. Let it cool to room temperature. 
12. When it is cool, the cooked sweet would have slightly hardened. Gently remove the Mysore Paks from the pan (do not invert the pan, gently remove each square of sweet) and store in an air-tight container at room temperature, for about a month. 

Enjoy the Mysore Paks! 

If your Mysore Pak seems crumbly, it means you skimped on the ghee or let the besan cook a little longer. No worries, they still taste good. And if your Mysore Pak is too chewy and doesn't harden, it means the besan should cook a little while longer. You could put the whole thing back in the pan and heat it a little more, but you need to do this before the besan completely cools down. With a little practice, you can identify the right consistency. Make in small batches and practice away! :)