Cake House

Potato is the most common vegetable in the world and is one of the most versatile one too. It is also the most liked vegetable in my house and when I am confused on what to make for the meals, potato becomes the saving grace and each time a new recipe is created and relished. Til Vale Sookhe Aloo is a childhood favorite of mine and I can still smell the aroma of it coming from my mom's kitchen while we eagerly waited on the dining table for our occasional lunch of Poori and this Til vale aloo. The Sesame seeds are slightly roasted and then either pounded or ground to make a coarse powder. The potatoes are then mixed with this sesame seed powder and other spices and is cooked till done. This recipe is very mildly spiced and requires minimum ingredients. Here is how to make these delicious TIl Vale Sookhe Aloo. Serves - 2-3 All you need is Potato - 3-4 ( medium sized ) White sesame seeds  3 tbsp Oil - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1\2 tsp Heeng \ Asafoetida - 1\4 tsp Dry red chili - 2-3 Gree...

I remember my mom and dad sitting on the floor with a large sheets of newspaper spread in front of them picking leaves from the bunches of mint which would eventually be dried and ground to make powder. This  powder was then stored in a small glass jar and when the mint went off the market during summers, the powder compensated for it disappearance. When I got married, the bunches of mint that were brought home doubled and my share was kept safe till I visited my parents or they came over.  This is the first time when I am drying my own mint to make dry mint powder as my parents are not in India for a long time and my kitchen must have a jar of this powder at all times. A kilo gram of mint will give you not more than 1\4 cup of powder, but it is added in very less amount, so is good to last for almost an year. If your usage is more, you can dry more leaves. Here is how to do it.  All you need is Fresh mint - 1 kg How to do it Clean the mint by picking the leaves and disca...

While cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves for sun drying, I was again taken back to the wonderful days when we were young. One of the many beautiful memories which keep on giving a sneak peek brought a smile on my face only to create another one for future. We had a huge open space in front of the house. With a beautiful manicured lawn in the center and flower beds all around, there was enough space left to grow all sort of veggies and it was very well utilized to grow different varieties of gourds, brinjal, lady's fingers, various greens and tomatoes. During the season when tomatoes were harvested in bulk, my mom used to make the most of them by making bottles of ketchup, tomato relish and the remaining were cut into thin slices and dried in the strong summer sun to be used through out the year. These came in really handy when during the peak summers, tomatoes disappeared from the markets and the curries that were made on an everyday basis could not be compromised. These dried...

Indian food has so many possibilities. I never like to make the same recipe for my meals and try not to repeat it for as long as possible and I am able to do it with so many options to go along. Arbi or colocasia is a vegetable similar to potato but with more starch content. It can be made in various ways. Today, I am sharing a recipe of my mom, were she dips the arbi in a yogurt batter and shallow fry it till crispy and crunchy from outside. It's a very easy recipe and has always been a family favorite. It goes very well with dal and phulke and even with dal and rice. Here is the recipe. All you need Arbi \ Colocasia \ Taro - 500 g Yogurt - 1\2 cup Salt to taste Red chili powder - 1\2 tsp Coriander powder - 2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1\2 tsp Fennel powder - 1\2 tsp Amchoor \ Dry mango powder - 1\2 tsp Ajwain \ Carm seeds - 1 tsp Oil - 5 tbsp Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Fresh coriander for garnishing Method of preparation Wash the arbi and cook it in a pressure ...

Mathri is a snack which is mostly found in all Indian homes and is enjoyed with morning or evening tea. There are many variations to make mathris and each house has it's own recipe passed on through generations. In the earlier times when there were so little ready made options available, home made snacks were relished with great pleasure. I remember having a small cabinet in my dining room specially used to store all the home made snacks and pickles. Ladoos, mathris and home made namkeens were always there along with a range of pickles. When the festivals approached, this cabinet used to be packed with variety of stuff which was made specially during that particular festival. Now that holi is around the corner, I thought to make all the special treats that we enjoyed as a kid during this time. The list is long and I will try to make maximum number of things, but to start with here is the easy recipe of crispy and crunchy Methi mathris which can be stored for a few days in an airtig...

Parwal is a vegetable from gourd family. It can be prepared in many ways. Today I have made a parwal do pyaza where it is cooked with lots of onions and spices. Here is the recipe. All you need is Parwal \ Pointed gourd - 8-10 Oil - 4 tbsp Dry red chilies - 3-4 Black peppercorns - 5-6 Cloves - 3-4 Black cardamom - 1-2 Green cardamom - 2-3 Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Onion - 2 cups ( Thinly sliced ) Ginger - 1 inch piece ( crushed ) Garlic - 5-6 cloves ( crushed ) Tomato puree - 2 tbsp Thick yogurt - 2 tbsp Coriander powder - 3 tsp Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder - 2 tsp Roasted cumin powder - 1\2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1\2 tsp Salt to taste lemon juice - 2 tsp Fresh coriander to garnish Method of preparation Wash the parwal and peel into alternate stripes. Cut it into 2 pieces and remove any hard seeds if there. Add parwal in  apan and add 1\4 water. Cover and cook till parwal are little soft. Add oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil is hot, add dry red chilie...

Aloo bhujia is dry snack made with chickpea flour and potatoes. It can be enjoyed as evening snack with a hot cup of tea. Here is an easy recipe to make aloo bhujia at home. Do give it a try. All you need is Potato - 1\2 cup ( Boiled, peeled and grated ) Besan - 1 cup Oil - 1 tbsp and for frying Salt - 1 tsp Chaat masala - 1\2 tsp and 1\2 tsp for sprinkling on top. Red chili powder - 1\2 tsp Heeng - 1\4 tsp Baking soda - a pinch Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Dry pudina powder - 1\2 tsp Method of preparation Mix besan, grated potato and oil in a pan. Mix together nicely. Add salt, 1\2 tsp chaat masala, red chili powder, heeng, baking soda and lemon juice. Mix nicely. Add very little water and knead to make a tight dough. Cover and keep the dough for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan. Divide the dough in 4 parts. Fill one part in the sev press fitted with fine net. Press the sev press over the hot oil. Simmer the heat. Fry till golden brown from both the sides. Remove from oil on a kitchen tissue lin...