Quick and Simple Palak Paneer Curry Recipe | Quick and Simple Paneer Recipes

Learn how to make quick and simple Palak Paneer Curry ~ Indian cottage cheese in mildly spiced rich and creamy spinach gravy

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. A pearl of wisdom by my grandmother who not only lived a simple life, but also beautifully incorporated the art of simplicity in her cooking as well. With so many produce; fresh, exotic and vibrant, available with a click of a button, we sometimes forget how a simple food can really be uplifting and soul satisfying. After all, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, isn’t it?

Ingredients for Palak Paneer Curry

As I am recovering from a nasty flu, hubby took over the kitchen and cooked simple meals for days which nourished my aching body and comforted my troubled spirit. His cooking is very much like the person he is; simple, straight forward and down to earth with a touch of humour and little madness to make it anything but boring. It is during this time I realised how my cooking has evolved over the time and how complicated it has become by adding one too many ingredients. Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex but it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Simple ingredients prepared in a simple way is the best way to take your everyday cooking to a higher level.

Belgaum Kunda Recipe | How to Make Belgavi Kunda

Learn how to make Belgaum Kunda or Belgavi Kunda ~ Sweet caramalised milk fudge from Belgaum, North Karanata

The festival of colours and love, Holi is just around the corner marking the arrival of spring and new beginning. This Hindu festival also signifies not only the end of winter, but for many it’s a day to meet friends and families, play and laugh, drench one another in rainbow colours, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. Holi is also celebrated as a thanksgiving in most part of North India for a good harvest. For me no festival is complete without some sweet dishes to not only sweeten our mouth, but also our life. I have this wonderful sweet dish called Belgaum Kunda or Belgavi Kunda from North Karnataka today which is made by reducing and curdling the milk and cooking with caramalised sugar syrup.

Belgaum, located in the state of Karnataka is a cultural city known for its rich multi-cultural heritage, architectural splendour, remnants of a rich and colourful historical background and for its natural beauty. A swathe of mesmerising emerald green landscapes with breath taking waterfalls and misty hills, Belgaum is a home for many religious monuments and architectural wonders oozing old world charm that is sure to satiate your spiritual and aesthetic loving soul. Just an hour’s drive from Dharward, my home for 4 years of engineering studies, this city of Belgaum had left its mark on my life with a sense of pure bliss. Although my limited student budget didn’t stretch very far, it didn’t stop my wanderlust soul from making several trips to this beautiful city that enticed me with its historical charm, rich culture and cuisine.

Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino or Strawberry Frappe Recipe | How to Make Starbucks Styled Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino

Learn how to make Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino or Strawberry Frappe | Strarbucks styled Strawberries and Creme Frappucciono recipe

It’s 1:15 in the afternoon as I watch the little angelic face so close to my face as we share our pillow. His head is nestled safely in the crook of my arms while his legs are tucked close to my body. The only noise I hear is the whirring sound of pedestal fan that is over working to keep us cool in this hot summer day. The two windows in our bedroom are wide open bringing in warm breeze, making the light coloured curtains flutter and flow.

Mango Panna Cotta Recipe | How to Make Panna Cotta

How to make Mango Panna Cotta ~ Italian dessert of layered cream flavoured with vanilla and a Desi twist of mango flavoured with cardamoms 

She looked at pregnancy test kit in her hands again to make sure what she was seeing was true! There they were two pink lines as clear as they could be! 

She came running out of the bathroom screaming at top of her voice, “We really are pregnant! The nurse was right. We really are pregnant!” 

 “Of course she is right”, husband said with big smile on his face. 

“What are we going to do? We don’t know anything about babies!” wife said with worry lines etched on her face. 

“Well, we will figure out”, husband tried to reassure her. 

And figuring out is what we are still doing after 3 years!!! ;)

Kashaya or Kashayam Recipe | A Herbal or Ayurvedic Drink from South India

Learn how to make Kashaya or Kashayam ~ Sweet and spicy herbal drink made using selected aromatic spices based on the ancient Indian health science of Ayurveda

I grew up in a joint family for the first 6 years of my life. When I was born, my first cousin was in his mid twenties while the youngest one was in his late teens. So it was not difficult for a chubby baby girl with jet black hair and cheeks that resembled a generous sized Idli to make every other person in our family to dance just by shaking my little fingers. I was pampered and a spoilt brat who had many people falling on my chubby feet for the first 22 months of my life. And then my exclusive control on everyone’s attention and being centre of everyone’s universe came to sudden halt!

Carrot Kheer/Payasam Recipe | How to Make Carrot Kheer

Learn how to make Carrot Kheer/Carrot Payasam ~ Thick and creamy Indian sweet pudding of carrots cooked in milk, flavoured with cardamoms and topped with crunchy cashew nuts

Memories… Some memories are like a scripture carved in stones, etched in minds like crystal clear pictures. And then there are kind of memories, like dew drops on rose a petal which melts away as the morning sun kisses them, leaving behind blurry images… Some memories come rushing like waves after soaring high waves of mighty ocean, leaving you giddy headed! And there are other memories that come fluttering like a butterfly, lively and playful but transient at the same time, bringing little flashes from past!

Semiya Kheer or Semige Payasa Recipe | How to make simple Semiya Kheer/Vermicelli Pudding

Semige Payasa or Semiya Kheer 

I am fond of sleeping. Period. 

Long gone are the days when I could sleep when I wished, where I wished and for how ever long I wished! ~sigh~ A sleep which I took for granted has become such a luxury these days! But at last I had undisturbed (well, kind of) and very much deserved good night’s sleep. After series of serious bouts of coughing sessions from Lil Dumpling to HD, I was the latest victim of chesty cough that caught me in its wicked, painful grip! After 2 successive nights and days of coughing till my guts threatened to tore apart, my throat and chest felt like they have been rubbed with sand paper! It was  high doses of antibiotics that came to my rescue and I am happy to announce (for whoever cares or not cares!) that I am still alive and kicking! 

Palak Paneer Recipe | How to make Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer

Is it Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer? Which one it is? ‘What’s in the name?’ you may ask! Well, everything! How will you feel if you are addressed differently from your own name? Aha… yes! Now we are talking… so why this partiality when it comes to food? After all as long as the food on plate is edible, we shouldn’t be much bothered about how it is called, right?

Crêpes with Spiced Poached Pears - A Guest Post by Soma @ eCurry

Crêpes with Spiced Poached Pears

If you are looking for an inspiration in food blogging world, you don’t have to go very far! There are many sweet and generous food bloggers who open then heart, kitchen, share their family recipes and also invite you to take a peek into their beautiful world. Soma of stunning food blog eCurry (apt name for food blog, don’t you think?) is one such inspirational blogger who is one of the most sweet person I have come across! Mother to two gorgeous girls, Soma shares her day to day life with beautifully woven stories, soulful narration and stunning photography. Her blog is something to be treasured and it is difficult not to fall in love with her awe inspiring posts. It is my greatest pleasure to have Soma here on my virtual kitchen. Please follow her on Twitter and become her fan on Facebook if you don’t want to miss out her unique, beautiful and delicious recipes.

Buttery Vanilla Pressed Cookies - A Guest Post by Aparna @ My Diverse Kitchen

Licensed To Bake!

I have made many friends through food blogs and social networking sites. I chat, exchange notes and share my personal thoughts with them and yet I haven’t met any one of them in real world! If given a chance I would like to meet few of them face to face. Aparna of gorgeous food blog My Diverse Kitchen is one such person whom I would LOVE to meet! Her lens captures the vibrant life and makes the world and, of course, foods look so colourful, lively and beautiful! As the name suggests, Aparna’s blog captures the essence of diverse cooking with simple yet exotic recipes, beautiful narration and crisp food photography that always manages to bring the feeling of warmth! Please welcome Aparna on Monsoon Spice kitchen and follow her on Twitter, Flickr and Facebook. She has perfect recipe for this Chrismas, Buttery Vanilla Pressed Cookies.

Wishing all the readers of Monsoon Spice a Merry Christmas and a best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!


Warm regards
Sia

Farfalle in a Creamy Roasted Mushroom Sauce - A Guest Post by Deesha @ Vegetable Platter

Farfalle in a Creamy Roasted Mushroom Sauce

There are few food blogs which grabs your attention from very first visit. It could be the way it is designed (uncluttered and clean works for me), the narration, eye catching photography or the precise, clear instructions. Deesha’s Vegetable Platter is one such blog which has all these qualities and much more! Her authentic and traditional recipes married well with the modern and fusion style of cooking along with her crisp and beautiful food photography which is like a cherry on top of already delicious and beautiful cake! I am honoured to have her today as a guest blogger. Please welcome Deesha and don’t forget to follow her on Twitter.

Sabudana Kheer/Payasa: Sweet Pearly Delight

Sabudana Kheer/Payasa (Tapioca Pearls Pudding)

I am one of those unfortunate people born without sweet tooth! I run a mile away when I am presented with a platter of sweets whenever we visit friends and family. And to add to that my 'much' better half and now my lil moppet dives into anything sweet at a drop of a hat! So they both balance the lack of sugar in my life (pun intended ;)!

Palak/Spinach Soup: Have You Had Your Greens Today?

Palak/Spinach Soup

Who says we can’t slurp steaming hot bowl of soup in middle of summer? If you are living in a place where this shining, burning sun decides to take a hike (literally) and leaves behind grey clouds, cold breeze and never stopping rain then you have no choice but switch from cold salads, pastas, chilled drinks to hot soups, warm breads and spicy curries!

Creamy Mushroom-Matar Curry

Creamy Mushroom-Matar Curry

How many days or hours have you spent cooking in your mom’s kitchen before you left to pursue higher education or got married and moved to different city/state/country? I am talking about whole cooking process which includes peeling, trimming, chopping, grinding, cooking and also cleaning the whole mess you have made. Is it years, months, weeks, days, hours or just few minutes?

If I were to include everything, then the fingers in my hands will be enough to do all the calculations. Growing up in India, kitchen was my Amma’s territory. Sometime I would help my mother in peeling the potatoes or chopping the beans. Other times I helped her in roasting the spices and grinding them. And when I was too lazy to do anything I declared myself as a certified quality control officer by tasting and testing for salt and spices. And embarrassingly I was not even good at that as many a times I failed to figure what was missing in the dish; whether it needed a sprinkle of chilli powder or dash of lemon juice. ‘Little bit of this and little bit’ of that is what we call ‘andaJu or andaz in cooking’ and little did I know it all comes from experience!

After moving to UK and sampling few foods cooked by my dear husband I realised that I needed to improve my culinary skills if I were to eat different kinds of food which will also taste differently. Krish is a good cook but his culinary skill is limited to making a bowl of Rasam and Sambar using the same curry powder which was used in almost all the curries he made. I can’t blame him completely as his pantry was stocked with a bottle of all purpose curry powder, dried Italian herbs and a jar of dried coriander leaves. You can hardly cook any curry with them, let alone authentic ones. That was the time I decided to learn cooking seriously. To my surprise I was blessed with beginners luck when it came to cooking and luckily some how most of the things I cooked tasted good if not best. After countless late night overseas SOS calls, few burnt pans and some over cooked veggies with little extra dose of spice and salt, I was blessed by goddess Annapurna and rest all, as we say, is a history.

Today when I cook I can’t help but think of my the initial days of cooking adventures. I can see the improvement in the way I cook and the way the food tastes. Gone are the days of hesitating and confused girl who spent half the time refering particular recipe on cookbook or website. Today in her place I see a person who is confident enough to use and change the ingredients which she knows will enhance the flavour. There is a girl who is not afraid to try her own recipes, using whatever is available in her fridge-freezer and pantry and still be assured that it would be well accepted by her family and friends! So do you see that girl in your kitchen too? Do share your stories with me…

Today’s recipe of Creamy Mushroom-Matar Curry is a result of my successful cooking experiments which seems to be increasing these days. This is a rich, creamy dish of sweet green peas and delicious mushrooms cooked in wonderful gravy of onion, tomato and cream or milk. The ground onion paste along with ginger-garlic and red chillies gives a lovely creamy texture to the gravy and hence the cream used in it can easily be forgotten.

Creamy Mushroom-Matar Curry

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Creamy Mushroom-Matar Curry (Delicious Mushrooms and sweet Green Peas cooked in a creamy and spicy gravy of Onion, Tart Tomatoes and Cream or Milk)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 4-6

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Ingredients:

15-20 Button or Close cupped Mushrooms, cleaned, pat dried and quartered
¾ cup fresh/frozen Green Peas
2-3 tbsp fresh Cream or ½ - ¾ cup Milk
1 cup Onion, finely chopped
3 large Tomatoes, pureed
3-4 Garlic Flakes, thinly sliced
1 inch Ginger, finely chopped
3-5 Dry Red Chillies, halved (Adjust acc to taste. Preferably Byadagi or Kashmiri Chillies)
½ tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
¼ tsp Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder or ½ tbsp Lime Juice (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Sugar (Optional but recommended. To help in balancing the tart taste of tomato)
1+1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 + ½ tbsp Oil/Ghee
Salt to taste

Creamy Mushroom-Matar Curry

Method:

Heat ½ tbsp of oil in a pan and add a tsp of cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn reddish in colour, add finely chopped garlic and ginger to it. Sauté on medium flame till the garlic turns light golden on the edges.
Now add finely chopped onions and halved red chillies and sauté till onion turns light golden, about 2 minutes. Switch off the flame. Once the onion mixture has cooled a bit, grind it to a smooth paste without adding any water to it.
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add a tsp cumin seeds to it. Again when cumin starts to sizzle and change in colour, add ground onion paste to it and fry till the whole mixture becomes dry, about 4-5 minutes, on medium flame. Make sure that the ground onion mixture turns little brown in colour.
To this, add garam masala and kitchen king masala and fry for half a minute. Mix in quartered mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato puree, green peas, cream/milk, dry mango powder and salt to taste and mix well. (If using just cream, add ¼ cup of water to the pan.)
Simmer the flame and let it cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring in between. Add little more water or milk if needed to get the required consistency of gravy and adjust the seasonings. Then remove the lid and let it cook for another 5 minutes for all the flavours to blend well.
Serve it hot, garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves, with any Indian flat breads or flavoured Rice and enjoy.

Food from Heaven: Pongal

Pongal

Some foods are comforting. Some are nutritious. And some are simply divine. Pongal is one such dish which is comforting, nutritious and also divine. Just the thought of ‘Pongal’ conjures up sweet memories of my Doddappa and Doddamma performing the Puja daily in their estate temple. Growing up in a joint family for first 6 years of my tender life, I remember spending most of my time with my Doddappa (Dad’s elder brother) and Doddamma (Dad’s SIL). For me they were another set of loving grandparents as my Appa was just one year old when Doddamma stepped into our large joint family as a first daughter-in-law, taking huge responsibility on her very young shoulder. No wonder my Appa felt so close to his ANNa (brother) and Attige (SIL) and involved them in almost all the major decisions he took.

I was one of those spoiled little brats who was born in a large joint family when almost all other kids were in their early teens. Yes, I was the only baby in our big family and was never short of love, affection and undivided attention from everyone. I grew up being a centre of attention and attraction for two happy years of my life till my little sister decided to pop all of sudden and spoil it for me ;) Grudgingly I had to share spot light with my sister and soon with my cousin brother. I remember asking my Dodda’s whom they loved the most. And every time they would hold me close to their heart and whisper it was me and it will always be me.

It was no surprise I spent most of my time playing in my Doddappa’s clinic which was attached to the main house, than playing with my sister and other cousins. I was his little helper. It was while counting the tablets for his patients I got my first lessons of mathematics. It was while picking the herbs from his herb garden for medicines where I leant the basics of Ayurveda. It was while helping the people to cure their disease and relive them from pain where I learnt about empathy and the art of being a good listener. And above all these I learnt how to be kind, generous and a good human being from my Doddas.

After moving to different city for education, I and my sister would eagerly look forward to our Navarathri and summer holidays where we would spend one full week at our Doddas estate. Every morning I would wake up the waft of sandalwood, heady smell of Agarbatti and Dhupa and the fast rhythmic chanting of my Doddappa sitting on floor in lotus position in Devara Kone (God’s room). While Doddappa was busy performing the Puja, Doddamma was busy with her daughters-in-law preparing Neivedyam which was offered to God. One day it would be just plain steamed rice, other day it would be Rice Payasam. But it would always be Pongal for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and festivals. Rice and lentils cooked with few spices till they fall apart and become little mushy, a lovely medley offered to God. While green chilli and black pepper corns give it small dose of spiciness, tadka and ginger gives it a wonderful flavour. This Neivedyam was taken to the small temple in our estate where it was first offered to God and then given to us in a small bowl made using Jackfruit leaves as Prasad (blessed food). Oh!!! Fond memories of childhood and the people who made it so much special and wonderful….

My favourite way of making Pongal is with good spoonfuls of Thuppa or Ghee, just the way Doddamma made it. Whenever I make it here I can almost hear her saying

“Make sure you don’t insult Pongal by using just a spoonful of Thuppa. Be generous with Thuppa when you make Pongal because it is God’s food. If you can’t make Pongal with lots of love and Ghee then it is not fit for you, your family and your God.”

I try to remember my Doddamma’s pearls of wisdom like these while cooking. Some foods are just divine and they are meant to be cooked that way. This post is very dear to me and it is dedicated to two people who are very close to my heart. In two days it will be the first death anniversary of my Doddappa. It will be a grand celebration because he believed in celebrating life and death, which was just the beginning of new life. Doddappa and Doddamma, I miss you. I am sending thsi food from heaven to Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook, who is hosting My Legume Love Affair-Second Helping.

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Pongal (Rice & Lentils Medley)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-4
Recipe Source: My Doddamma

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Ingredients:
1½ cups Rice (preferably Sona Masuri or you can use Basmati as I have used here)
1 cup Yellow Moong Dal/Split Green Gram
½ cup Cashews
8 cups Milk+Water (I used 1 cup Milk+7 cups Water)
2-3 Green Chillies, slit (Optional)
1 inch Ginger
1 tsp Black Pepper Corns, lightly crushed or used as whole
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
3-4 tbsp Thuppa/Ghee/Clarified Butter
Salt to taste

Rice, Moong Dal & Cashews for Pongal

Method:

Heat a pan and add yellow moong dal. Roast it on medium flame, sautéing continuously, till it turns golden yellow, about 3-4 mins. Let it cool completely.
In a same pan add ½ tbsp of ghee and add cashews. Roast it on medium to low heat till they turn golden. Keep it aside.
Mix roasted moon dal and rice and wash it in cold water 3-4 times till the water turns clear. Drain all the water and keep it aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of Ghee in a thick bottomed pan or pressure cooker. Add jeera, pepper corns and curry leaves. When jeera starts to sizzle, add slit green chillies, ginger, rice and dal and mix well till every grain is coated with ghee, about 1-2 mins.
Now add milk, water and salt to taste and mix well. Cover the pressure cooker lid with weight and cook it on medium-high flame for 15-20 mins. Let it the pressure be released completely before opening the lid, about 5 mins.
If using thick bottomed pan, cover the lid and let it cook undisturbed for 10-12 mins on high flame. By this time water will start to bubble and pour from vessel. Remove the lid; mix the rice and lentils properly. Again cover the vessel with lid, leaving little gap to escape the steam. Let it cook this way for another 5-10 mins till the rice and dal is plumped and doubled in volume. Remove the vessal from gas.
Mix in roasted cashews with ghee, 1-2 tbsp of ghee. Cover and let it sit for another 10 mins for the flavours to blend. Serve this hot with any chutney, lightly spiced curry/Kurma or with my favourite, Raita or plain curds.

Pongal served with Mango & Yogurt : My Divine Food

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Note:

The consistency of Pongal can vary depending on your preference. Some people prefer it very mushy like porridge and add more water while making it. So please adjust the water and milk quantity according to your preference.

Related Posts:

• Cooking with Love: Huli-Menasina Kodhel
• Akki Shavige with Rasayana & Menthe Chutney
• Recipes from Ajji's Kitchen- Brahmi Tambli
  

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Reminder for JFI-Soya:

I invite you all to celebrate Jihva for Ingredients with this month’s theme JFI-Soya. Choice of Soya products, the recipe, ingredients, method etc is entirely left to you. I would greatly appreciate if you can send me any Vegan or Vegetarian recipes but I leave it to your choice. Soya foods include tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (chunks, mince etc), miso, soya sauces, soya oil and margarine, and soya dairy alternatives.

Deadline: 31st August, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and also in your e-mail while sending your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish, Type of Dish and Perm Link of the entry along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

Winter Warmers - Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Garlic Baguettes

BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth only of Beautiful Soup?
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
Beautiful, beauti--FUL SOUP!

-Lewis Carroll

Remember this poem from Lewis Carroll’s magnificent creativity Alice in Wonderland? The story has always intrigued me ever since I was a small kid. I loved the strange and absurd things that happens in the wonderland and the amazing creativity behind it that never failed to take me to my own wonderland, playing with Dinah and singing and dancing with bizarre characters from Wonderland. Oh yes!!! I grew up as a kid with wild imaginations, just like Alice. I laughed at absurdity and loved Alice’s curiosity and cheered her courage when faced with difficult phases. Carroll opened the new world, a wonderland, to me and made me see the beauty in the unknown.

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“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”

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At first, the story of Alice in Wonderland would sound quite mundane. However, if you read the story carefully you will realise its not just any ordinary child fiction. Alice in Wonderland is a story filled with underlying philosophy and many secrets. It’s these strangeness and nonsensical ideas which are quite compelling. Remember the annoyingly witty Cheshire Cat? That’s one character I loved to hate. He would put Alice in trouble and yet his wittiness and that stupid grin never failed me to grudgingly adore him. Some characters made me laugh and some scared me, some of them are funny and others are rude. However, all the characters are quite colourful and will always remain part of my childhood memories be it stupid Dodo or foul tempered Queen of Hearts and her diminutive husband the King of Hearts or eccentric White Rabbit and many more…

Coming back to present from my wonderland, I was singing “Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!“ while making Cream of Broccoli Soup and soon hubby dear joined me when slurping this warm and delicious bowl of soup. Simple soup with few ingredients and very little preparation needed is a joyous song to my soul ;) Little chunks of broccoli are simmered in hearty vegetable stock and milk and lightly flavoured with garlic and a peppercorn is sure to win everyone’s heart. When served with herbed garlic baguette it becomes one satisfying meal all together.

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Cream of Broccoli Soup
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 small Broccoli (approx 3 tightly packed cups)
½ medium Onion, very finely chopped
1-2 Garlic Flakes, very finely chopped
1-1½ tbsp Corn Flour
1 tbsp Butter/Oil
¼ cup Cream (optional, I used single cream)
1 cup Milk
4-5 cups Vegetable Stock (Broth)/2-3 Veg Stock Cubes
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Method:
Chop the broccoli head and stems to very fine pieces and keep them aside.
Heat butter/oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic flakes and sauté them till they turn light golden.
Now add very finely chopped onions and sauté them for 2-3 minutes over a medium flame till the raw smell disappears and they turn light golden.
To this add vegetable broth and finely chopped broccoli. Cover and cook for 10 minutes till the broccoli becomes tender.
At this stage you can cool the stock completely and blend it into smooth puree without any lumps. Or else if you like some body to the soup and don’t mind the broccoli pieces like me continue the following steps.
Add milk, salt and pepper to taste and simmer the flame. Keep stirring the soup for few more minutes so that the milk doesn’t curdle.
Dissolve cornflour in ¼ cup of cold water without forming any lumps and pour slowly to the soup. Keep stirring the soup so that no lumps are formed.
Add cream and simmer and cook for another 5-10 minutes till the soup thickens and bubbles are formed on the surface. Serve hot with garlic baguettes and enjoy.

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Garlic Baguettes

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Tips:
If you prefer thick soup then increase the amount of corn flour used.
Adding fresh cream gives extra smoothness and body to the soup. Addition of cream is optional if you don't prefer heavy soups.

Badam(Almond) Halwa

Badam Halwa is a traditional dish from the northern region of India delicacy that does full justice to the creamy texture and flavor of almonds.

Lip Smacking Badam Halwa

Ingredients:
1 cup Badam/Almonds
11/2 cups Sugar
30 gms Ghee
3-4 Cardamom
1/4 cup Milk
Few stings of Saffron

Badam Halwa

Method:
Soak the Badam for 1/2 hour in hot water and peel the skin off.
Grind them to smooth paste with milk and keep it aside.
Take sugar in a kadai, add some water to it and boil it until you get a thin string.
To this add ground paste and mix it well.
Then add the ghee little by little and stir it well. Keep the gas in medium flame.
After 8 minutes switch off the gas and remove the kadai from heat and keep on stirring.
As it starts getting cold it will become solid.
Then spread it in a plate and sprinkle almond flakes.

Badam Halwa

Tip:
While stirring, the halwa will become thick and it will come along with the spatula you are stirring with without sticking to the bottom, that is the sign for the halwa being done.
If stirred for a longer duration, you will be able to enjoy delicious almond barfi pieces.