Category Archives: Recipes

Aamras Recipe / Mango Pulp Recipe Video

May 19, 2022 Mom and Ideas Leave a comment

Here’s my Aamras Recipe (Mango pulp/puree that can be used as a dessert or accompaniment) for all the Mango Lovers!
Perfect for kids too!

Aamras is a popular mango recipe in India during the mango season. If you can get Alphonso mangoes for the same, it will give the best results.

This is my version of the recipe and my kid loves it. I use malai/fresh cream from the boiled milk of the day but you can skip it if you are lactose intolerant or on your weight loss journey.

I skip using sugar / jaggery / honey or any other sweetener and blend it for a couple of minutes only.

The richness and super creamy nature of this recipe comes from the quality of mangoes used and the malai / fresh cream. As I mentioned earlier, you can skip it though.

Remember that the quantity reduces after blending and removing the seed. So if you think that 2 mangoes would be enough for you, just double the count 🙂 as it is too yummy and you will need more! I used 2 mangoes here and regretted the quantity as three of us were planning to eat, we all just got a few spoonfuls 😆

Aamras Recipe Ingredients (adjust the proportion of everything based on the quantity of mangoes used):
2 medium size Alphonso Mangoes / Haapus Aam
Pinch of cardamom seeds / powder
2 tbsp malai / fresh cream from boiled milk / a tbsp of milk

Aamras Recipe Steps:

Soak ripe mangoes in water & refrigerate for a few hours.
Peel, cut and add in a blender.
Add fresh cream / malai (ideally from boiled milk of the day).
Add green cardamom / cardamom (elaichi) powder.
Blend till you get a smooth and creamy consistency (watch the video below for reference).
The yummiest & smoothest Aamras / Mango Pulp is ready! 🥭🥭🥭 Enjoy with rotis, puris ot just relish a bowlful of this goodness!

Watch the video below for the best aamras recipe. Let me know in comments if you try it or share your version.

Best Aamras Recipe Video

If the mangoes you have bought aren’t sweet, only then add jaggery powder/sugar/honey as per your liking. Else, with ripe and sweet mangoes you won’t need these!

Recipes, Stories by Me

H for Heroes of The Voice and Halwa Recipe

Apr 8, 2022 Mom and Ideas 19 Comments

Hugging Grace goodbye, Beth thanked Rohit for agreeing to spend the long weekend with their daughter.

He always looked forward to take Grace to his farmhouse where his parents stayed as he barely got to spend time with her on weekdays; the father daughter duo loved playing catch, petting animals and gardening together.

“Hi, Daphne here, please check my mails and call me, please,” Beth received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number as soon as Rohit and Grace left, and immediately regretted reading it.

How could Daphne have her new number, Beth wondered and finally checked her mails that kept saying the same thing: The Voice needs you, we all need you, please get in touch, we have arrived in Mumbai!

Her life was just getting normal and she now felt that everything was going to change soon as suddenly, after six years, she felt that weird pain in her right arm again.

HELP! She screamed and cried as this time the pain was unbearable and for much longer than the previous episodes.

Her entire body felt like it was on fire and at the same time on an ice slab; she knew she had to meet Daphne even though she had disappeared when she needed her the most.

High Time Cafe, Andheri Link Road, 5 pm today, Beth replied, though until ten minutes ago she had absolutely no intention of meeting her.

Hoping that she would meet just Daphne and her daughter Evelyn at the cafe and get some answers, Beth was surprised to see three more youngsters along with them.

Heading towards them, Beth felt strange; she was all set to be rude with Daphne, but that wasn’t possible in the presence of these youngsters.

Half-an-hour later, Beth was overwhelmed with the overload of information and in complete disbelief as she learnt that she might, well, still have superpowers.

Holly, Dev, Tim and Evelyn, all in their early twenties, had experienced the same pain in the past, had heard The Voice and were instrumental in making that turbulent plane steady – something that until that moment Beth felt she had done singlehandedly.

“Heroes, we all are superheroes Beth, believe it or not! The Voice will speak to you soon but if The Command tries to make you do anything, just don’t do it… it is the dark power, very dark, very evil and it is coming for you,” Dev spoke with such conviction that Beth got goosebumps.

“Halwa recipe, quick please… Keith wants to eat it now and he is throwing tantrums,” Beth read the message from Rohit; she had completely forgotten that his six-year-old son from his previous girlfriend wanted to eat the halwa she always sent for him.

Heat half a cup of ghee, add a pinch of green cardamom powder, add one cup fine semolina and roast on low flame. When almost pinkish brown, add some raisins, 1.5 cups of water, half cup jagggery powder, keep stirring until it all comes together. Add a tablespoon of ghee, mix well and you’ll know when it’s done.

Having sent the halwa recipe, Beth looked at all those hopeful youngsters, complete strangers, who had travelled all the way to Mumbai from different parts of the world to help her with ‘something big that was about to happen’.

Hide, run, escape – her mind said to her but then she saw tears in Daphne’s eyes.

“Hell yes, I am in, tell me what to do!” Beth couldn’t let these youngsters fight alone.

The story continues tomorrow in the next post. Did you notice that I managed to start each sentence of this chapter of the story with H, the letter of the day (I have managed to do the same from B to G posts)! This is my sixth post for this year’s A to Z Challenge (#atozchallenge). Head to my previous posts to read the entire story.

I’ll be posting daily except Sundays all through the month. Stay tuned. Read all my posts for the challenge in the A to Z links below:

A ➡ B ➡ C ➡ D ➡ E ➡ F ➡ G ➡ H ➡ I ➡ J ➡ K ➡ L ➡ M ➡ N ➡ O ➡ P ➡ Q ➡ R ➡ S ➡ T ➡ U ➡ V ➡ W ➡ X ➡ Y ➡ Z

Recipes

Murmura Laddoo Recipe | Puffed Rice Sweet Balls with Jaggery

Oct 6, 2021 Mom and Ideas Leave a comment

So Mishika, like me, has a sweet tooth. In the beginning, it was a little difficult to try various healthy snacking options for a two-year-old. But we all learn in time. As my daughter approaches her third birthday in November 2021, I have become quite a pro in experimenting with snacks that take little time to prepare and are enjoyed by her. At the same time, I try to keep the recipes healthy and nutritious as much as I can. These murmure laddoos are crunchy, delicious, easy to make and can be stored for a few days in an airtight container without refrigeration. If making laddoos is tough for you, you can even set them as murmure burfi just like chikki / granola bars.

PUFFED RICE AND KIDS: When she had most of her teeth and was set on solids, Mishika did not quite prefer murmure (kurmure/puffed rice) unlike most kids her age. But thankfully, even before her birth, I knew that every kid is different and how food preferences change as kids grow. I also knew that if kid doesn’t like a particular food, we should try offering it after a few days, experiment with flavours, texture, presentations, etc. She now likes puffed rice but it should be crispy. Here’s what helped me and I am sharing with you. So if your kid is rejecting puffed rice brought from store, try roasting some of it and then cooling whenever you want to feed it to your child. Remember, always check if the food is appropriate for a kid at that age and if he/she has just started solids, you need to consider if they chew and swallow well.

Back to Murmure Laddoo / Kurmure Laddu / Puffed Rice Sweet Balls Recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
Murmura / Kurmure / Puffed rice – 3 cups
Jaggery – 1 1/4th to 1 1/2 cups based on how sweet you want the laddus to be
Desi ghee / clarified butter – 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
Fennel Seeds – 1/2 tbsp
Dry Ginger Powder – one pinch
Almond/Cashew nuts powder – 1 t 2 tbsp (you can use finely chopped nuts if this is not meant for kids below 5 years of age)
Desiccated / Grated dry coconut – 2 tbsp (increase jaggery by same amount if you add this)

PREPARATION:
Dry roast puffed rice in a heavy bottom kadhai / pan until they are a little crisp.
Remove from the pan and carefully dust off any crumbs in it. Or use another pan.
In the same pan, add ghee and fennel seeds, then lower the flame.
Add powdered / grated jaggery and stir till it melts and looks a little foamy/frothy.
At this point, add a drop of melted jaggery in a cup of water. If it instantly gives a soft ball consistency, it is cooked to perfection. Reduce the flame to lowest mark.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Switch off the flame.
Then add roasted murmura to the hot jaggery and mix well so that almost every grain is coated.
IMPORTANT if making laddoos: The laddoos need to be made while the mixture is still warm. Else they bind bind in desired shape. Apply a little water to your palms and make laddoos quickly. Alternatively, you can spread the entire mixture on a flat tray and let it set.
Remember, the murmure laddu mixture binds and hardens very quickly, so preferably, make smaller batches.

If the mixture hardens before you can shape it, don’t worry. You can break the cooled murmure into smaller assorted pieces. You will end up getting jaggery coated murmure that are equally delicious and fun to eat!

If you try this recipe or a variation, do share with us.

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Recipes

Beetroot Cutlets / Healthy Burger Patty Recipe for Kids

Jul 1, 2021 Mom and Ideas Leave a comment

I made these yummy beetroot cutlets / burger patties just now! I didn’t expect that I’ll be able to do it but I managed to completely eliminate the raw flavour of beetroot. Yay! Experimented with a unique combination of spices and achieved the best flavour ever.

Here’s the Beetroot Cutlet / Patty Recipe ❤️ Save for future reference! Do share if you like it.

Ingredients:
2 large grated and boiled beetroots
2 large boiled potatoes
2 bread slices broken into fine pieces / coarsely powdered based on the texture you like
Salt to taste
1 pinch turmeric powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (I forgot adding)
1/2 tsp chat masala
1/2 tsp oregano (that’s the twist, but you can skip)
1/2 tsp chilli powder / sliced green chillies (I don’t use as Mishika doesn’t eat spicy food

Method:
1. Remove excess water from boiled beetroots. Save it to add in anything else later or for food colouring / to colour any homemade play dough for kids.
2. Mix and mash beetroots and potatoes.
3. Mix well all the other ingredients.
4. Taste at this stage and adjust the flavours as per your liking.
5. Shape the cutlets / patties.
6. Coat them with semolina or bread crumbs.
7. Shallow fry on medium flame till the surface becomes a little brownish and crisp.
8. Remove on absorbent paper / kitchen roll to remove excess oil.
9. Alternatively, bake it!

PS Use any combination of spices available at your location but the bread and oregano does the trick!

Enjoy with ketchup / chutney / dips of your choice!

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Do comment below if you like or try this recipe!

Recipes

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe

Jun 28, 2021 Mom and Ideas Leave a comment

Looking for the best apple cinnamon muffins / cupcakes recipe using wholewheat flour? You have come to the right place!

I have experimented with many recipes but this one turned out to be the best as the aroma of the freshly baked cupcakes filled the entire house and they were really very delicious. The texture was just perfect, neither too moist not too dry. And my two-and-a-half-year-old absolutely relished it. So did I 🙂

Now, before I proceed, please let me tell you that my oven overheats and I bake at a lower temperature. So If your oven works just perfect, just use the temperature setting for a regular muffin recipe. I baked at 170° C instead of 190° C and it turned out to be perfect!

Apple Cinnamon Whole Wheat Muffins Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (minus two teaspoons) whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup grated apples
1/4 cup butter (I used regular salted Amul butter)
1/2 cup sugar / powdered jaggery (1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar give best results)
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (lesser if you have a stronger extract)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 190° C / 375° F.
2. Prepare muffin moulds / tins / cupcake liners by gently coating with butter or oil. Skip this step if you have non-stick / silicon moulds / tins.
3. Beat an egg. Add to it butter, sugar, milk, vanilla extract and grated apples. Mix well.
4. Preferably in a separate bowl, mix whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
5. Add the wet mix (point 3 above) to the dry mixture (point 4 above) and gently fold all the ingredients together. DO NOT OVERMIX at this stage at all. It is okay to have a few lumps.
6. Scoop the mixture into the muffin cups (filling about 2/3.)
7. Bake for 10 minutes and keep an eye for them to turn slightly golden brown. It might take a couple of minutes more depending on your oven. Remove from oven when a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean.
8. Carefully remove the muffin moulds from the oven and let them cool a bit.

Enjoy warm or cold.

COATING: You can coat them with a Butter and 1:1 Cinnamon + Sugar mixture but I couldn’t wait to eat 🙂

Let me know if you try and like this Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe.
Happy baking!

Recipes

Whole Wheat Churi / Leftover Roti Choori Recipe

Jun 23, 2021 Mom and Ideas Leave a comment

Have you tried making sweet Punjabi style churi from leftover rotis (i.e. basi roti) / chapatis? It is a sweet, a little healthy and yummy Indian dish enjoyed by kids and all! And you don’t want to waste the rotis you made with so much effort, right?

Here’s the Roti Churi recipe:

1. 4 leftover (baasi rotis) / freshly made rotis / chapatis / phulkas (keep refrigerated at night if leftover after dinner).
2. Break them in small pieces and then grind them to make smaller pieces as per your liking.
3. Heat 2/3 tablespoons of ghee / clarified butter (oil or butter, preferably unsalted, if you don’t have ghee).
4. Add a pinch of crushed cardamom.
5. Add the ground roti and roast for 3-5 mins on medium flame.
6. If making for toddlers, add dry fruits powder (cashews, almonds, walnuts). Add crushed or full roasted dry fruits if making for adults.
7. Throw in some raisins and pieces of soft dates if you like and if your kids can chew.
8. Reduce the flame and add 3 or more tbsp of jaggery / jaggery powder.
9. Mix in for a couple of minutes.

That’s it. Cool it and enjoy the yummy choori!!! This is the perfect idea if your kid refuses the rotis you make. It worked wonders for my picky 2-year-old toddler.

How to make Ladoos from leftover rotis: Grind the entire roti pieces mixture for a few pulses in a mixer grinder and everything will combine in fine / little coarse form. Make laddoos out of it ❤️ Mishika had 3 mini laddoos made from half the churi amount and I ate the entire thing 😀

NOTE:

1. You can skip any ingredient except the rotis, ghee and jaggery (use sugar or dates if you don’t have jaggery).
2. Add spices or your liking like cinnamon powder or nutmeg for different flavours.
3. Make a salted version instead for a savoury snack instead.

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Do drop in your comment if you find this recipe interesting or try it 🙂