My Cooking Wonders

Kobbari Podi is one awfully good smelling side dish that can be served with idli or dosa or steamed rice. It tastes even better when it is accompanied by little ghee. This podi is very simple to make and can be stored for up to 3 months and comes in very handy when you are in no mood to cook.Give it a try!!

Compote is a French word for Mixture. It is a dessert originated in France, which is made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Compote can also be served as a topping for other desserts as well. Here is a simple recipe to make strawberry compote. Enjoy!!

Making Ricotta Cheese/Paneer is really easy. Homemade cheese makes a wonderful base for lot of Indian paneer curries, Indian desserts, cheese cakes, lasagna and the list goes on.. Below is the process to make fresh cheese/Paneer in your kitchen. Ingredients 4 1/2 cups Milk(1 quart or around 1 litre) 1/4 cup lemon juice or 3 tbsp vinegar 1/2 cup Heavy cream Method Line the colander with cheesecloth or muslin cloth, Set the colander over a big deep bowl and set aside. In a thick bottomed sauce pan combine milk and heavy cream and bring it to a boil. Bringing the milk to a boil is the key step. So have little patience. Once milk comes to a boil add the lemon juice slowly little by little and simultaneously stir the milk gently. Boil for one to two minutes, until the milk is curdled. Pour the milk mixture into the cheese cloth lined colander. Immediately take the colander and run it under cold water. Running under cold water will let the cheese cool down making it easy t...

Simple mint sauce recipe to go with any tandoori item or Indian savory snacks like samosas, puffs etc.. Ingredients 1/2 cup packed mint leaves 1/4 cup packed coriander leaves 1 shallot chopped 1 green chilli chopped 1/2 tsp cumin powder 3 tbsp fresh lime juice 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 2 tbsp water 1 tsp Sugar Salt per taste Method Strip the mint and coriander leaves from the stems and add to a blender along with all the other ingredients. Blend to a smooth paste and take into a serving bowl.

Ingredients 1 large onion chopped thinly length wise 2 cups thick butter milk 1 1/2 cup maida / All purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper Oil for frying Method In a bowl soak the onions slices in butter milk. Keep aside for an hour. Heat the oil. Mix the flour, salt and black pepper in a bowl. Take a handful of soaked onion slices and throw in the flour mix. Coat the onions with the flour mix. Shake off the extra flour and drop them in the oil. Fry till the onions are golden brown in color. Drain on paper towels, Repeat the process till all the onions are fried. Store in air tight container to retain the crunchiness. Can be stored for a month. Fried onions can be served as a snack on its own or these make lovely garnishes for lot of savory dishes. Variations Add in red chilli powder for a little kick.

Here is a dish without which Biryani is not at all a complete dish as per me.. Writing this will make my mouth water for sure.. Here is a tasty recipe for Yogurt Raitha!! Ingredients 2 cups thick Yogurt 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup cucumber chopped fine 3 green chillies chopped real fine 1 small carrot grated (about 3 tbsp) 1 small tomato chopped(Optional) 2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves salt per taste Method In a bowl take the yogurt and beat it with a spoon or fork for couple of minutes. Add the salt, onions, cucumber, chillies, grated carrot, tomato and gently mix it real well. Check for salt and garnish with cilantro leaves. Variations A tsp of chat masala can be added to make the raitha tangy and give it a different taste. For me I like my raitha to be thick. If you want it a little thinner add 2 tbsp of water. Instead of chopping, Green chillies can be made into coarse paste. Adding 4 or 5 leaves of mint chopped real fine will give a very refreshing taste...