Bana Banaya Khana

.           Today is Bail pola. Festival for our hardworking bull and oxen. On this auspicious day no farmers will do any work in farm specially related to bulls. The whole year farmers and bull works without break. And Bulls are crucial part of whole farming process. On the bail pola everyone thank bulls and oxen by petting them and offer them naivedya of puran poli (food offrings to god is naivedya). In the big cities farmers walk their bull and every house worship the bulls and offer them food as a Thanksgiving.             Puran Poli is a sweet stuffed flatbread. Made with chana dal and jaggary or sugar. Chana dal first soaked overnight then it is cooked in a open vessel with spices and choice of sweetener like sugar or jaggery. Nutmeg powder, dried ginger powder, fennel seeds powder and some other spices to enhance the flavor and aroma. Making puran poli is a very skillful job. It takes stren...

Amrakhand is sweet dish usually eaten with puri or eaten as it is as dessert. Puri is fried Indian flat bread. This combination is deadly. Amrakhand is another popular variety of Shrikhand. The basic version is shrikhand. This smooth creamy amrakhand is made out of fresh mango pulp (preferably Alphonse mango), hung curds, sugar, saffron and dried fruits like almond, cashews and pistachios. Hung curds is strained yoghurt. More tight than greek yogurt. There are lot of variety available now days, but basic Shrikahnd and Amrakhand is popular one. This sweet specially prepared in summer to cool down the body. Next time if you hit the Indian store then don't forget to get this heavenly smooth Indian virsion of frozen yoghurt Happy eating!

Kulfi is memory of my childhood. We use to buy 1 kulfi in 50 paisa (cents). And there were only two options available at that time sadhi (regular with only milk) or malai (with cream). Now days hundreds of variety are available all over the world. Kulfi is Indian ice cream on a stick. For the conviniance it's available in jar as well. Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert originating in the Indian subcontinent in the 16th century. I t is popular throughout India, sri lanka, nepal, pakistan and the middle Eastand widely available in restaurants serving cusine from the indian subcontinent around the world. Kulfi is similar to ice cream in appearance and taste but denser and creamier. It comes in various flavours. The more traditional ones are cream (malai), gulab (rose) mango,elaichi (cardamom) ( elaichi ), keshar (saffron) and pistachio. Unlike ice cream, kulfi is not whipped, resulting in a solid,...

Dal makhni or maa ki dal  is a dish originating from the Punjab, India. The primary ingredients are chilkewali Urad dal (whole black lentils with skin)  and Rajma (red kidney beans) Makkhan (unsalted fresh butter) and fresh cream. The dish gets its richness from the use of cream, but it can also be prepared with yogurt, milk or no dairy. Original process takes 24hours to complete the dish as the lentil and kidney beans need to be soak in advance and it take time to reach that creamy texture in open pot. But now days all thanks to pressure cooker it can be made with in couple of hours, off course the soaking time is additional till the date. Little history about the dal makhni, Kundan lal Gujral was a migrant and he is the father of this heavenly Dal makhni, who opened a Moti mehel restaurant at Delhi, India. Dal makhni also known as Maa ki dal because the lentils used is called mother of lentils. Maa means mother and makhni means smooth creamy texture. We can ...

            Puri bhaji or poori bhaji is a breakfast or a snack served all over the India. But this is a traditional breakfast in north India. Each region serves different type of potato bhaji (subzi /curry). Puri is fried indian bread made with wheat flour or white flour called maida in India. Bhaji is always made with potato though the making is different in every region.            South India will surprise you with little dry bhaji and for the lovely crunch they add little urad dal (black skinless lentils) and chana dal (chickpeas lentils). if you go to Delhi then it will be served with greavy and it will come with spiced curds (yoghurt) or pickel or even a papad and salad. West Bengal will add curds (yoghurt) as greavy. Puri bhaji is so versatile and inexpensive that is is served every where. Even on railways platform to enjoy as a snack or for passengers as a to go lunch. Many people choose poori bhaji over modern cerea...

Sol kadhi Solkadhi! this heavenly flavorful spicy and tangy drink was a treat for us whenever we used to visit my father's friend's house. his mother used to make this specially for me after a heavy treat of my favorite lunch or dinner. Solkadhi is a type of buttermilk usually eaten with rice or sometimes to drink after the meals. Popular in Goa and the Konkan region of India, it is made from coconut milk and kokum and other ingredintes . It's known for it digestive properties. The solkadhi is prepared from liquid extracted from fresh coconut known as coconut milk with kokum, garlic, green chillies, salt, coriander to garnish. Solkadhi is great to beat the heat. In summer Indian moms prepare solkadhi specially to cool the body down. Kokum is superfood English name is Garcinia indica. It is tart in taste and belongs to bay of konkan Maharashtra. Kokum is a natural antiacid high in vitamin 12 and vitamin D. Kokum is blessing for gut system. If you had spiced indian...

           Shahi Paneer is prepration of paneer with tomato based thick gravy and has little sweet side. It is eaten with roti, naan (Indian flat breads), bread or rice. Shahi is the term for royal (in reference to the Imperial court of the mughal empire).             This curry prepared with paneer cubes tomatos, onions, cashews paste, fresh cream, ghee (clarified butter) and fragrant as well as flavourful spices. why it is so special?Even it is red in colour it is not spicy because cashews balance the taste of spices and hotness of chillies is dominated by fresh cream and ghee. The texture is so smooth that everything just melts in your mouth. Shahi paneer is most likely restaurant dish, though now days it is available on dhaba as well.             If you think that Indian cuisine is always high on spicy side then try this Shahi paneer. Or if you like flavourful dish, or non...

I still remember the beautiful aroma from of Zafrani pulao from my neighbor family use to make during Eid. When I was a kid I couldn't wait to wish them Eid mubarak because once we wish them, Nazma Auntie use to share the pulao and sheer khurma. I still demand zafrani pulao from her whenever I visit my father's home and I must say I am so lucky that I receive such love from her in form of zafrani pulao. Being an Indian I am fortunate to celebrated diwali and Eid at the same time.             Z afrani pulao is simple rice delicacy from Kashmir and north side of India. This aromatic flavorful yet simple dish is served during the festive time. Zafrani pulao is also spreads it's aroma from Bangladesh, Pakistan and middle east.           Zafrani pulav is literally means Saffron rice. This rice made with Basmati rice or joha rice, along with aromatic and flavorful spices like saffron obviously, Bay leafs,...

Dal pakwan is gift from Sindhi cuisine. This beautiful dish was introduced to me by my friend when we were in high school. We bunked a lecture to just try this dish out. A small shop owner near my high school use to sell Dal pakwan in just 15 bucks. This dish is popular by its name but its rare to find it in restaurants. Very few stalls own this Sindhi gift.                            Dal pakwan is originally a breakfast dish. But it is so heavy that you can even enjoy it as a meal. Now days stall vendors make it in small sizes as well, but I have relished dal pakwan in big size only. The dish looks very simple but it is loaded with verity of taste and textures. It is crunchy, soft, tangy, spicy, at a same time.                Dal means lentils and pakwan is deep fried flat crunchy flat bread used as base. Chana dal (Bengal gram) is used as dal. Thi...