Masala Khichdi | Vegetable Khichdi Recipe | Makar Sankranti Khichdi

What could be more wholesome and comforting than a big bowl of masala khichdi. A full meal on it's own and super easy to make! If you are looking for something hearty and warm, make this dish immediately.

Khichdi is a common delicacy to eat during Makar Sankranti. It’s a comfort food as it is quick to prepare and light on stomach. 

Sankranti also known as Pongal, is the ‘harvest festival’, falls on the 14th of January each year. This festival marks the beginning of spring season and is celebrated with lots of pomp and fervour. Making Khichdi is just a part of the celebration.

Khichdi is traditionally made with rice and lentils, tempered with Indian spices. It’s a nutritious meal for both kids and adults, and mostly considered as a sick food. 

Masala khichdi is a delicious take on the famous traditional Indian khichdi. It's a fulfilling meal where rice and lentils are cooked with vegetables and fragrant spices. Not only it’s healthy, it’s a soul satisfying meal with versions that are so different depending on the regional influences. 

Unlike other traditional simple khichdi recipe you’ve seen, this recipe is made with lots of veggies and flavourful spices. It’s a satisfying dish, perfect for lunch or dinner. 

Vegetable masala khichdi can be cooked in one pan but I like to cook the dish in two. I pressure cooked rice and lentils for 2-3 whistles, and cooked vegetables in a separate pan. This also retained the texture of rice and lentils and saved lot of my time. 

It’s an open end recipe and it’s variations are endless. I added moong lentils you can use any lentil of your choice. You can add veggies of your choice and add brightness to your dish. I added loads of seasonal vegetables like; potatoes, onions, fresh green peas, capsicum, cauliflower and carrots, and, tempered with fragrant whole spices - cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds and pinch of asafoetida, along with some ginger, garlic, green chilis.

Top it with ghee and accompany these delicious dish with yoghurt, pickle or papad. You can also make this dish without onion and garlic on the eve on Sankranti. And, if you want to make this dish vegan, than substitute clarified butter with your choice of vegan oil. 

Do try this recipe, I'd love to hear how it turns out for you?

Masala Khichdi

Yield: 4-6 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 30 minutes 

Author: The Food Root

Ingredients 

1/2 cup rice,

1/2 cup moong lentils

2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1/2 inch ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

2 green chillies, finely chopped 

1 onion, chopped 

1 tomato, chopped

1 tsp salt or as per required

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp red chilli powder 

3/4 tsp coriander powder

1/2 garam masala

1 carrot, chopped

1 potato, chopped

1 capsicum or bell pepper, desseeded, chopped

1/2 cauliflower florets, chopped

1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas

5 cups water

handful of coriander leaves

Directions 

1. Wash rice and moong lentils together. Allow them to soak for atleast 15 minutes.

2. Drain the excess water and transfer them into the pressure cooker. Add some salt, turmeric powder, bay leaf and 5 cups of water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles on medium flame. When done, keep it aside.

3. Meanwhile, chop all the veggies; potatoes, onions, tomatoes, capsicum, cauliflower, carrots and keep it aside.

4. Heat a pan over a medium flame, add cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves. When the seeds starts spluttering, add pinch of asafoetida.

5. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, onion and some salt. Sauté everything together and let them turn golden in colour on medium heat for at least 3 minutes.

6. Next add chopped tomatoes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, till the tomatoes starts to soften. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder and mix it well. Let the mixture cook till the oil separates.

7. Add all the chopped veggies; potato, fresh peas, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower in the pan and give it nice mix. Cover with a lid and lower the heat from medium to low and cook for 4 minutes.

8. Remove the lid and cook the mixture for next 5 minutes, on a medium flame. Stir it occasionally.

9. Add add cooked rice and lentils in the pan and toss it with the vegetables mixture and continue to mix together for 3-4 minutes on a medium flame. 

10. Now, add some garam masala at the end and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

and turn off the flame.

11. Now, transfer the Masala Khichdi to a serving bowl and and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.

12. Serve it with yogurt, pickle or papad and enjoy!

Notes

1. Soak rice and lentils for atleast 15 minutes .

2. You can use any type of lentils, but I prefer using moong lentils as it taste the best and it’s light on stomach.

3. To make this dish vegan, substitute clarified butter with your choice of vegan oil.

4. You can add your favorite veggies of your choice.

5. You can add more water later to adjust the consistency of the khichdi.

6. You can cook this dish in a instapot or a pressure cooker. 

7. Spices like cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf can be avoided. You can make it according to your taste and requirements.

Shahi Tukda Recipe | How To Make Shahi Tukda?

Shahi Tukda is a rich and creamy Indian dessert, where fried bread pieces are dipped in cardamom flavored milk syrup, layered and finished off with some crushed almonds, cashews and pistachios. Check out the step by step pictures for the full detailed recipe.

Diwali festivities has officially begun, and it's the nationwide excuse to indulge in the delicious treats of this season. Shahi Tukda is a perfect dessert to celebrate Diwali or any other occasion, cook it up as an after-meal dessert at home and enjoy. Be it adult or kid, no-one can resist this irresistibly rich yet light simple dessert.

Shahi Tukda is a traditional dessert from the royal city of Hyderabad. It's a perfect fall season dessert with rich flavors and takes less than 20 minutes to prepare! A favorite at holidays and a treat to serve your guests for any get together you are throwing or any special occasion for your family

Shahi Tukda is one is the easiest dessert which any beginner can try and enjoy. It has a beautiful aroma and is quite hard to resist. This dessert is made with 5 main ingredients milk, sugar, bread, nuts and cardamom. The flavor of this dessert comes from cardamom. You can also add pinch of saffron or a tablespoon of rose essence to the syrup.

Some people like their Shahi Tukda crisp but some people like it really soft. I usually like the soft version so i skip making the sugar syrup, but, if you are someone who like a nice crunch, then you can make a sugar syrup alternatively and dunk the toasted breads into it, for around 20-30 seconds.

I started with making flavored thickened milk syrup (rabri) by simmering the full cream milk on the stove and flavored it with cardamom and rose essence, and, the end result was far better than what i thought. Everyone in my family just loved it. You can also use condensed milk or milk powder but I prefer making the rabri with full cream milk.

Toast or deep-fry the bread pieces in a clarified butter, dip them into the prepared thickened milk syrup and arrange them on a serving plate. Sprinkle some nuts on top. Freeze for 30 minutes, then serve.

HOW TO MAKE SHAHI TUKDA (STEP BY STEP)

1. Boil 4 cups of milk in a saucepan. Once it's boiled, add sugar, cardamom and rose essence for flavor and mix it well. Add in the dry fruits, and stir continuously till the mixture started to reduce and thickened. Turn off the flame.

2. Cut 6 bread slices into diagonal shape. Heat one tablespoon of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the bread from both the sides till it becomes golden brown.

3. Dip the the bread toasts into the prepared thickened milk syrup and arrange them on a serving plate. Sprinkle some dry-fruits on top. Freeze for 30 minutes, then serve.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know what y'all think!
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SHAHI TUKDA RECIPE

Yield: 4 Servings
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

6 Freshly Baked White Bread Slices, Purchased or Homemade
4 cups Full cream Milk or Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Rose essence (optional)
5 tablespoon Butter, room temperature
5-6 Cardamom pods, crushed
5-6 Almonds, sliced
5-6 Pistachios, chopped
Chopped mixed nuts for garnishing

Method

1. Heat milk in a non-stick pan. Stir and bring it to boil till it reduces half of its quantity. Add sugar, cardamom pods and rose essence for flavor and mix it well. Add in the crushed pistachios and almonds, and, stir occasionally to avoid milk sticking to the pan. Once it's reduced and thickened, turn off the flame and let it cool down to the room temperature.

2. Remove the edges of the bread with the knife and cut them into diagonal shape. Heat one tablespoon of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium low heat. Place the bread and cook it from the both the sides till it becomes crisp and golden brown.

3. Dip each crispy bread piece into the prepared thickened milk syrup for about 20 seconds and arrange them into the serving plate.

4. Pour the remaining milk syrup over the pudding. Sprinkle some pistachios and cashews over it. Freeze for 30 minutes, then serve.

Notes

1. Add sugar as per your taste.
2. For more flavoring, you may add a pinch of saffron to the milk syrup.
3. Instead of soaking the balls in sugar syrup, they are soaked in thickened milk syrup.
4. You can serve it warm or refrigerate it for later.

Mint Coriander Chutney

Mint Coriander Chutney is a tangy and exciting combination of mint, coriander, raw mango along with a kick of green chilli. It's a very straightforward recipe. All you need is few simple, easily available ingredients and you are ready to go.

Since my garden is overflowing with fresh herbs, I decided to make mint coriander chutney. This chutney is full of garden fresh flavor and can be made in less than 10 minutes.

Everyone in my family loves eating chutneys so we make this at least once a week. They are perfect accompaniment to any meals. I always have it my refrigerator as it’s just so versatile. It pairs well with Indian appetisers like fritters, medu vada, dahi vada, salads, chips, chaats and taste great when spread on sandwich and wraps. My personal favorite is to eat chutney with paneer-tikka.

I love to add raw mango in my chutney with rest of the ingredients to get the tangy flavour as it compliments the chutney beautifully. When raw mangoes are not in season, lime juice or dried mango powder can be used as substitutes.

Add less water if you are making chutney in a large quantity and refrigerate in an airtight container. But it's also not advisable to store the dip for longer than few days as the mint and coriander will oxidise rapidly and turn dark, so it's always better to consume it fresh.

The chutney taste extremely delicious when prepared with few right spices and ingredients. The flavor of the chutney can be adjusted according to your preference but I would recommend you to try with the given quantities first.

Mint Coriander Chutney

Serves: 6-8 People

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

2 cup mint leaves
11/2 cup coriander leaves
1 raw mango, grated or 2 tablespoons lime juice
2-3 green chillies, seeds removed, chopped
1/4 cup water, add more if required
1/4 tablespoon cumin powder, roasted
1/2 tablespoon salt or as per taste
1/4 tablespoon pepper or as per taste

Method

1. Pluck the mint leaves and coriander leaves from stem and clean it under running water using a colander or strainer.

2. Drain off the water in a colander. Let the leaves sit until they are completely dry, for about 5-6 minutes.

3. Roughly chop the leaves and the tender stems as you have to blend everything eventually.

4. Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend them until the mixture has smooth consistency.

5. Pour the chutney into a serving bowl.

6. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

1. You can refrigerate and use the mint and coriander chutney for 3 days but it's always better to consume it fresh.

2. Choose leaves that are bright, without the signs of browning.

3. You can also use the tender stems of the leaves as they all taste the same.

4. If you want your chutney to be tangy, add grated raw mango and grind with rest of the ingredients.

5. When raw mangoes are not in season, lime juice or dried mango powder can be used as substitutes.

8 Mindful Eating Tips To Help You Eat Better

Mindless Eating

Mindless eating means eating food without paying attention to what and how much is eaten.

Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating means being aware of your own body and food cravings. It's about paying full attention to what you are eat and drink. Eating mindfully is the practice of being aware of all your senses in the present moment. It helps us to develop a positive and a truly healthy relationship with the food.

Make peace with your mind and try these 8 simple mindful eating tips and get real results.

1. Keep a food journal

Food journal is a smart way to track of what you eat each day. You can document everything of what you plan to eat before eating it. This will put back you on track towards the goals you hope to fulfil and hence help you to look at your eating habits and making healthy changes. A regular practice of journaling can evoke mindfulness, increase self-awareness and nurture self-growth.

2. Practice Intuitive eating

Intuitive eating is all about trusting your own body when making decisions about food without feeling guilty. It's a non-diet approach that addresses the importance of rejecting the dieting mentality, respecting your body and helps you in coping with emotional eating.

- Eat when you are hungry.
- Stop eating when you’re feeling tired, sad or stressed.
- Eat things that make you feel good.
- Do not eat when you are full.
- Pay attention to what you are eating.
- Know your body’s personal hunger signals.

3. Move your body

It's not about going to the gym or going to the run every single day but it's about bringing small changes in your life. A walk, jog, dance or doing the simple household chores also counts.

Meditation : Meditation is the most effective way to jumpstart mindfulness. Practice meditation for the sense of ease in your life. It improves mental health and general well-being. It reduces stress, anxiety and depression, improves focus and concentration and increase empathy and compassion.

4. Develop healthy eating habits

Eating a small, healthy snack in between meals can prevent you from overeating. Snacking on fruits, granola bars or handful of almonds is a good way to fulfill daily nutritional requirements of the body.

5. Compose smart cheat meals

It's good to eat a cheat meal that is well balanced and higher in both calories and carbs than your normal meal. Rethink them as your weekly rewards. Just make sure to keep the record of your cheat meal and not go overboard. Everything in moderation always works. If you're eating healthy and exercising every day, indulge in a sugary treat from time to time but avoid nutrient poor foods that can ruin a week's worth of progress.

For example try our Dry-fruit custard recipe - you're going to love it! 😋

Indulge in a sweet treat - dig in a bowl of vanilla dry fruit custard 

If you are always eating a low-carb diet and exercising most days of the week, you are likely to burn more calories than what your consuming, but after a point of time, your body will get used to this and you won't be able to burn as many calories. By incorporating a 'Cheat Day' to your diet, you can increase your calories-intake and burn more calories and reset your metabolism.

6. Change your eating habits

- Eat in a relaxed environment and focus on eating. Just eating.
- Eat very far away from your bedtime.
- Try eating clean through the day.
- Focus on the textures, flavors and savor every bite you take.
- Focus on how you feel - hungry, satisfied, relaxed
- Pay close attention to your food and and how it makes you feel.
- Chew : The way you eat has a large impact on how your digestive system works. Chew 20-25 times and break down your food properly into smaller digestible particles, that can easily pass through digestive tract. This will help to avoid bloating and other GI symptoms.
- Use small plates and serve yourself small portions : Reducing the amount of food you serve to yourself can make a significant difference to the amount of calories you consume. One easy way to reduce portion sizes is to use smaller plates. It’s a great way to delude yourself into eating less.
- Eliminate the distractions : Turn off the tv, turn off the computer, turn off the phone and eat your food peacefully in an electronic-free zone. Distraction while eating can lead to overeating and disrupt our digestion. Mindful eating is about savoring your food and eating slowly without distraction.
- Do not overeat : Do not overeat unless your hunger is genuine and strong enough. Limit how often you eat foods that are high in fat, salt, sugar or calories. When you eat mindfully, you will be able to recognize when you are starting to get full so you can stop before you overeat.

7. Do not starve the whole day

Don't go more than five hours during the day without eating. Eat at the regular intervals. Eat healthy, low fat snacks in between if you are going to go more than five hours of eating. Do not starve the whole day as this will only lead to binge. All you need to put is mindfulness, discipline, moderation and balance!

8. Express Gratitude

Acknowledge your food and appreciate everyone who gave their time and effort to prepare it. Think about where your food comes from and be thankful! This will help you control your hunger pangs!

I hope you find this information useful! Do let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you guys! Oh before I sign off, I want to thank you all to follow me on facebook, pinterest, twitter, google+ and instagram! 💓 Keep the love coming!

Happy weekend and stop by again as next few weeks are shaping up to be good with few posts in a pipeline!

Much love
x

Paneer Tikka | Grilled Paneer and Vegetable Skewers

Tender paneer cubes and vegetables marinated in yogurt and spices, skewered and grilled to perfection!

Paneer tikka is a perfect starter for the barbecue or theme parties. They are easy to prepare, look gorgeous and adds a great variety to the vegetarian menu.

I'm addicted to paneer tikka and I can't go more than a few weeks without it. It is that one starter that I mostly order without even having a look at the menu, but it's actually really easy to make them at home.

My Mom recently surprised us with this exotic starter. It tasted super good, exactly like the restaurant one. I just couldn't resist taking a picture of this for my blog and post it for you guys! Mostly in the restaurants they cook paneer tikka in a tandoor but at home you can make them at a grill pan or in an oven.

You can use any vegetable that goes well with paneer but I'd recommend you to go with onion, peppers and tomatoes as they adds a very vibrant color to the starter and also adds a mild sweetness too.

Marination for paneer tikka is prepared with oil, spices and yogurt but it's always good to add roasted gram flour, ginger-garlic paste and lime juice for an added flavor. This marinade will give a great flavor and keep your paneer juicy. You can also substitute these spices with tandoor masala - a spice blend which creates a smokey tandoori flavor.

Marinate the paneer and veggies in the spice paste blend, toss, and set aside, for atleast an hour in a refrigerator. Meanwhile, soak the wooden skewers in water so that they don't burn while cooking. If using metal skewers, no need to soak. Next, thread the paneer and veggies and roast them into a grill pan, tandoor or oven. And, your delicious starter is ready. It's so good, that the smoky-juicy-charred flavors will just you keep going back for another bite.

I hope you give this one a try - it is worth the effort and sure to impress.

PANEER TIKKA

Serve: 3-4 People
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marination time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

2 cups Paneer (cottage cheese) cubes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium size Onion, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium size Pepper or Capsicum, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large size Tomato, cut into 1 inch cubes

Marinade

1/2 cup thick Yogurt
3 tbsp Gram flour, roasted
1 tbsp Oil
1 inch Ginger, grated
4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tbsp Jeera powder
1/2 tbsp Mango powder
1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp Cumin powder
1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
1/4 tbsp Garam masala
1/2 tbsp Chaat masala
1/2 tbsp Salt or as per required
2 tbsp Lime juice
Fresh Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Garnishing

1/2 tbsp Chaat masala
Lime wedges
Coriander leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Start cutting with paneer, pepper, tomato and onion into 1 inch square cubes.

2. In a bowl, add yogurt, gram flour, oil, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder, jeera powder, mango powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chaat masala, lime juice and salt as per required and mix it well.

3. Add pepper, tomato, onion and paneer in the marinade, then toss with a spoon until they are coated with the yogurt and spices. Next, cover the bowl and set aside, for at least an hour in a refrigerator.

4. Thread the paneer cubes, alternating with onions, peppers and tomatoes on the pre-soaked wooden skewers.

5. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil or butter on a grill pan and place the paneer skewers and let them cook for 3-4 minutes until it turns crisp and golden brown. Next, brush them with cooking oil and flip them and let it cook for 2-3 minutes till its turn crisp and golden brown.

6. Alternately you can grill them in an oven instead of roasting them in a grill pan. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line baking tray with parchment paper or aluminium foil and coat it with cooking spray. Arrange the skewers, keeping enough space in between them and brush them with some oil.

7. Bake them for about 15-18 minutes or till you see the edges slightly browning. Rotate them halfway through the baking process. Keep a close watch after 10 minutes of grilling.

8. Remove these delicious paneer tikka on a plate and sprinkle some chaat masala. Serve them piping hot with mint chutney, lime wedges and enjoy!

Notes

1. Use homemade paneer or store bought paneer, both will work fine.

2. Add your favorite vegetables along with paneer and grill them.

3. Use 3 tbsp of flour in the marinade so that paneer doesn’t stick to the grill pan.

4. Roast the gram flour for 2-3 minutes before adding them into the marination.

5. Set aside to marinade for atleast 30 minutes or upto 8 hours in the refrigerator.

6. Soak the wooden skewers in water for atleast half an hour, else they’ll burn while cooking.

7. Customize and adjust spice levels to suit your taste.