Xpressions

Subz Dum Biryani - I agree it's just a fancier name to a relatively simple recipe .. :) Cut vegetables like cauliflower, beans, carrots. Boil the cut vegetables along with peas and corn until they are soft and tender Separately, cook the Basmati Rice Make 2 portions of the cooked rice - for one portion use some food color to make it a little colorful Saute some onions, green chilies, coriander, Pudina leaves, ginger-garlic along with some 'biryani masala'. You could also add some tomatoes to this. If 'Biryani masala' is not available use spices like - pepper, clove, Tej patta and cardamom Grind the above sauteed mixture in a grinder to make a fine paste Add the boiled vegetables to this masala paste. Now layer the masala paste and the colorful rice successively in a large kadai. Close it with a firm lid. Place some heavy object on top of the lid - this is our home made 'Dum' .. :) Alternatively, some people also seal the lid to the k

Dudhi halwa - one of my favorite since it's easy to make and healthier as well.  Below is my simple recipe: Grate the dudhi by peeling it with slicer and making small manageable pieces. Heat some home made ghee in a 'kadhai' and add the grated dudhi into it Saute the Dudhi till it changes the color slightly Add some 'malai' and a little bit of milk and sugar as per taste Let it cook for about 10mins on low flame Finally add some shavings of almonds/cashews/pistachios as per requirement And for some fun ... :) Take a little amount of 'kesar' and mix it well in the milk. Add this to a small amount of 'halwa' to give it an orange hue Alternatively, you could also use orange food color to give it a better color. Arrange the 'Halwa' in 2 layers to represent the Indian flag - Orange and Green In the center sprinkle some coconut to give it a white color look. Using food color, these colors and decoration can be changed as per the 

This is a snap of the river Godavari in Nasik. This snap was taken just a few days after the monsoons started this year. The waters look so calm and serene. Sitting on the banks and eating 'peru' and 'bhutta' is a wonderful experience.