Seven Cup Cake | Seven Cup Barfi

Seven Cup Cake or Seven Cup Barfi is nothing more than a variation to the regular Basan Barfi. It is a deliciously rich melt in the mouth sweet that is perfect for any festive occasion. Seven Cup Cake was my choice of sweet last Diwali. I was craving Besan Barfi and Mysore Pak, but eventually settled upon this barfi. Apart from being incredibly easy to make, this sweet will keep very well if refrigerated for several weeks.

Badam Nariyal aur Rava ki Barfi | Melt in the Mouth Almond Coconut Fudge

Barfi is the one classic Indian Sweet that graces festivals, birthdays, and all joyous occasions. Its also a wonderful tea time treat and a dessert that can be enjoyed on any day. I had planned to originally prepare this Barfi for the Navratris, but ended up making Badam aur Nariyal ki Barfi | Almond and Coconut Fudge!! This morning, as I was sifting through various ingredients in my pantry, I found two packs of dry coconut - one dessicated and the other shredded. I tend to use the shredded coconut to make chutneys and the dessicated is saved for cakes and cookies.

Badam aur Nariyal ki Barfi | Almond and Coconut Fudge

I made Almond and Coconut Fudge | Badam aur Nariyal ki Barfi for Ganesh Chaturthi this year . This is a very simple and quick recipe to prepare. Needless to say it tastes really yummy too. This barfi tastes best when you let it sit overnight. Though it might be difficult to do that once you have tasted it!!

Gajar Adrak Chatni | Carrot and Ginger Chutney

Sunday breakfasts are always slow and lazy. I always like to make something slightly different and special. I believe that cereals and milk were just not made for the weekends, were they? Working with this theme, I made some Oats Pohe last Sunday. Filling, super tasty, and nutritious, they made for a wonderful weekend breakfast. As an accompaniment, I made some delicious Carrot and Ginger Chutney.

Maple Pecan Granola | Breakfast Foods

Its so cold here that I feel we are living in the Arctic!! Every week, we see a fresh batch of snow, followed by ice rain, and then temperature drops. The ice rain freezes everything and the temperature which can be as low as -20F with wind chills of -35F keep everything beautifully frozen. This has got to be the bitterest winter I have encountered here. The upside of all this cold is that the kitchen is warm and its easier to dish out yummy recipes. I have been baking a lot and we are eating a lot of pies, gratins, macaroni bakes, and cookies. All essential to keeping up the energy and temperament while essentially being stuck indoors!! A warm kitchen does make for a warm home:)

Hara Chana Sundal | Green Chickpea Salad

Back in the day when we lived in Mumbai, Sundals featured heavily on the Navratri menu. Delicious warm salads made with lentils or beans, seasoned with asafoetida, curry leaves, chilies, and freshly shredded coconut. After moving away from Mumbai, I pretty much forgot about these power packed protein rich salads. Then I came to know a great family that celebrated Navratri the traditional way complete with a new Sundal recipe each day!!

Crunchy Maple Cinnamon Coconut Granola | Breakfast Foods

I have always loved granola and Swiss style muesli - they are the go to breakfast or even snack for me. Until some years back I would always have a box both in my pantry. Then I started making oats for breakfast and I came to love porridge with warmed milk, honey, and fruit. Cooked oats are especially great on cold winter mornings - hearty, filling, and so tasty.

Green Chutney | Cilantro Chutney Sandwich Spread

I have received many queries in my mailbox about the bright green chutney photographed with the Theplas in the previous post. So here is the recipe. We usually carry Theplas on road trips or picnics. As a rule I prefer not to carry any condiment with them as it tends to get all messy in the car. However this time I decided to make my favourite thick chutney to go with them. We enjoyed the theplas and chutney at a beautiful wayside rest stop with strong sugary tea that I had carried from home in a flask!

Hara Matar Kootu | Green Peas Kootu

Here is a simple and healthy recipe for you and your family. A mix of yellow moong dal, green peas and a freshly prepared spice mix, this kootu is simply heartwarming. I love to make this recipe in the winter when its snowing outside and so cold you would not want to budge. The ultimate in comfort food, enjoy this kootu with hot rice and dollop of ghee on the top!!

Chole Panjim | Chickpeas in Coconut Gravy | Goan Style Curried Garbanzo Beans

Here is another of my favourite recipes. I love to make it in the winter when we feel like eating a heavier meal as well as something really spicy. I came to know of this recipe many years ago when holidaying in Goa I visited a family who laid out a real Goan style feast for us. Though I have always been partial to Chole, this version left me speechless. The flavour, the texture, and the heat level were all so different from the North Indian versions I had been accustomed to!! I just loved it. And when I made this recipe over the weekend I could not help but wonder why I had not shared this yummy recipe with you until now!!

Saboot Moong Dal Pulao | Whole Mung Bean Pilaf (with Coconut)

Right in the middle of all the festive cooking, the deep frying, the sweets, the savouries, isn't it just typical that one should crave simple home cooked food!!!! I have been making festive treats ever since the beginning of the Navratras and all I wanted to eat yesterday was some simple everyday khana (food) - chawal (rice), dal (lentils), dahi (yogurt) - sigh!!

Rava Laddoo | Rava Laddu | Suji Laddoo: Indian Festival Sweets

Oftentimes we are in a great hurry and find it difficult to spend time in the kitchen laboriously making sweets. This is all too true during the festival period when there are so many activities at home and events elsewhere that attract our attention. Yet the thought of store bought mithai is so depressing, especially to many of us who have homes on other continents! All sweets tend to taste the same - full of sugar and no flavour of their own, so much so that it becomes impossible to distinguish one from the other!!

Nariyal Barfi | Coconut Burfi (Soft) | Coconut Fudge

Come Autumn, its the beginning of festival season in India. Festivals of course mean family, friends, and food!! Lots and lots of delicious food made especially to celebrate. Festival food tends to be rich in every way - full of sugar, deep fried, packed with dried fruits and nuts, and topped off with lashings of ghee (clarified butter). Everyone has their favourites and can't imagine the festival season without them.

Aam aur Nariyal ki Barfi | Mango-Coconut Fudge

Barfi or Burfi, meaning ice-like, is a milk based sweet from the Northern parts of India. This Meetha (sweet) is now popular all across the Indian sub-continent. It is made at home on special occasions and is easily available ready made in Halwai or Mithai (Sweet Stores) that dot villages, towns, and cities across the country!!

Do Kaddu Erisseri | Two Pumpkin Erisseri

If you eat pumpkin, you will love this recipe!! On the other hand, I am tempted to say if you always ignored the this humble vegetable, this recipe may win your taste buds and possibly your heart. The spiciness of the curry paste and the sweetness of the pumpkin give this dish a delicious flavour. You can make this with any kind of pumpkin, but I like to prepare it with a combination of the acorn squash and butternut squash. The combination of these two different types of pumpkin helps balance the flavours in this dish beautifully.

Chukandar Pachadi | Beetroot Pachadi

I always try to buy local and fresh foods for my kitchen. Apart from our world class Farmer's Market, we have loads of other options for seasonal produce around here. We are surrounded by U-Pick operations that sell vegetables and fruits year round or deliver the goodies right to your home. In the summer, I prefer to go out and pick fresh vegetables and fruits. My last trip to the local farm got me a delicious harvest of carrots, beets, and new potatoes!!

Nariyal Wale Fras Beans | French Beans with Coconut

French Beans were always a great seasonal favourite in Delhi. Fresh and tender beans would flood the markets in early winter. Sweet and crisp and known as Fras Beans they'd dominate the menu in a multitude of ways. Here I get beans all year round, the fresh ones too, as they come from all across the globe. I also grow them in my vegetable garden in the summer, and the yield is pretty good.

Patta Gobhi aur Nariyal Tarkari | Sautéed Cabbage with Coconut

Fresh local cabbage will soon be in the market. Our Farmer's Market carries an amazing array of vegetables and cabbage is amongst the best I have tasted. It has the perfect crispness, just the right crunch on the bite and a delicately sweet taste. I wait every year for farm fresh cabbage to make this simple cabbage stir-fry. The trick to this recipe is to cook the vegetable uncovered on a medium heat.

Adzuki Beans with Swiss Chard

This is one of my very favourite recipes, and I love to make it on winter evenings. Once cooked, adzuki beans are very creamy and with the addition of a green almost resemble a thick hearty soup!! They absorb seasoning very well yet retain their own particular taste. This recipe will go well with Indian style flat breads, as well as any freshly baked wheat bread. We love it with Basmati rice.

Cucumber Salad with Peanuts

We've just got past the first few days of spring and already we are feeling the difference in the weather. Its a tad warmer, the snow has almost entirely disappeared and green shoots of grass pushing their tiny heads out of the barren ground!

Warmer weather definitely encourages a change in the menu and I am really enjoying making fresh and light salads now-a-days!! Here's one with cucumber and peanuts! The beauty of this salad recipe is that its very easy to put together, can be added as a side dish to a meal, and serves as a wonderful and tasty starter too :)

Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber, peeled & diced
2 green chilies, minced
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
2 tbsp fresh coconut, shredded
1/4 cup peanuts, roasted & crushed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Salt, to taste
Pinch of sugar

Method:

1. Mix the cucumber, chilies, ginger, coconut, and cilantro. all the ingredients together. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Blend salt and sugar into the yogurt. Add to the cucumber mix and coat the cucumber well.
3. Add the peanuts.
4. Mix and serve immediately with a meal.

This salad goes well with parathas, bhaji, or dal. But I often dish it up separately as a starter with roasted papads (poppadums) or as a dip with crunchy corn tortillas. This refreshing recipe goes to Neha @ Easy & Tasty recipes who is hosting AFAM Cucumber this month.

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