Recipes
Recipes- Sub Categories
Appetizer is finger food or starter served before the main course to stimulate the appetite for more! They are also served as snack at tea time with a cup of tea or in cocktail parties. Appetizers are also called Hors d'œuvre in French, Anti pasto in Italian, Botanas in Mexico, Mezze in Mediterranean and middle eastern countries, Zensai in Japanese.
A snack is any kind of food eaten between the main meals of the day, like tea time or just snacking for the pleasure of eating something savory because you felt like it!
Dessert is a sweet dish typically served at the end of a meal. Indian desserts are called meetha or mithai. Mithai are typically sweet finger food, as against meetha which are desserts elaborately made with sugar, ghee ( clarified butter ) and milk or fruits or vegetables or different kinds of flours, grains or legumes and dry fruits.
Drinks and Beverages are hot or cold drinks consumed with breakfast, lunch or dinner or anytime of the day.
Main Dish or Entrée is the main course of your lunch or dinner. It can be made of mutton, chicken, seafood, vegetables or rice.
Breakfast is considered an important meal of the day for good health. Hence Hearty breakfast and brunch menus of different regions are in plenty in Indian cuisine.
Side dishes are food served as an accompaniment along with the main dish or entrée. This side dish typically accentuates the main dish and gives a complete food experience.
Bheja Fry - Lamb Brain Curry
Eating Lamb/Goat brain like other organ food may be considered weird and an acquired taste. But incidentally in Hyderabadi Cuisine its quite a delicacy. Bheja or Brain fry which looks like scrambled eggs curry is eaten with fresh roti or paratha for breakfast or dinner.
Kadu Ka Halwa- Opo Squash/Bottle Gourd Dessert
If you think how can one make a dessert from a vegetable, think of all the exotic desserts like Gajar/ Carrot Halwa, Pumpkin Pie, etc …. Well Kadu ka Halwa is another interesting dessert which can be made in summer when the vegetable grows in plenty and known to have cooling properties, perfect for hot weather.
Kadu Kheer or Dil-E-Firdous is another popular dessert made from this same vegetable. The Kadu Halwa can be eaten alone as dessert or eaten with fresh parathas/rotis.
Quinoa Vegetable Casserole – Quinoa Upma
For a high protein and nutritious entrée for any meal of the day, this is a perfect recipe. Using the popular health fad- Quinoa grains, and an Indian recipe of Upma a new recipe is created!
Tomatillo Green Dal
Tomatillo or the Husk tomato is often used in Mexican cuisine for making salsa verde. I have used these tomatillos with lentils, spinach and green chillies to make an Indian green dal! The spicy tangy dal can be eaten with rice or naan/roti.
Ingredients
Gobi Manchurian - Cauliflower spicy fritters
Cauliflower florets marinated with Indian and Chinese fusion ingredients, and deep fried make this an interesting fusion appetizer!
Pineapple Orange Salsa
Salsa is mix or medley of fresh ingredients, either fruit or vegetables in raw form making a refreshing and delicious fusion. This Pineapple Orange Salsa personifies 'Sunshine', a perfect mix of hot and sweet with the hues of sun. The tropical pineapple, oranges, bell peppers, jalapenos, habaneros and chili peppers are the Sweet and the Heat!
Note: An award winning salsa ;)
Chanch - Salted Lassi – Buttermilk
Chanch or salted Lassi or buttermilk is a perfect coolant for summer afternoon. It also is healthy, digestive, and a carminative drink!
Nimbu Pani- Lime Juice
A refreshing lime juice similar to lemonade perfect for hot summer weather. A great coolant, thirst quencher and digestive too.
Sevian Upma - Vermecilli Upma
Upma is a south Indian breakfast recipe. The basic’ Upma’ is the made with sooji or semolina or cream of wheat. Derived from this basic recipe, other variations are the vermicelli upma, the cracked wheat upma, bread upma, poha (flattened rice) upma, oats upma and more. Vermicelli Upma is popular in Ramadan Breakfast menu to go with the vermicelli sevian dessert made especially in Ramadan. Vermicelli Kheema Upma a non vegetarian version of this recipe with mince meat is another breakfast option.
Kheer – Rice Pudding
Kheer is a deliciously easy to make dessert with sweet outcome. Also known as phirni, it has many variations, but the most common kheer is the one made with rice, milk and sugar. A dessert which is practically fat –free with no butter or ghee involved with simple ingredients is a popular Indian dessert!