Li'l Masterchefs in your Home !!

It's Holiday time with kids and their friends at home,  trying to be happily busy with various activities and constantly looking for something to munch. It's always a challenge  giving kids snacking choices that are healthy,  yet tasty and easy to put together.

Today,  kids really enjoy customising snacks to their individual taste. So here's how you can help them by keeping some basics ready in the fridge. 

1 Bowl of boiled Kabuli Chana/Green Moong

1 small bowl of boiled, peeled and chopped potatoes

1 small bowl of finely chopped onion and raw mango

1 bowl of finely chopped tomatoes

Mint and coriander chutney

Date and tamarind  chutney

1-2 packets of roasted Khakras

1 Packet Flat puris ( Sev Puri)

Fine Bhel Sev

Chopped Tomato

1 Bowl of Grated cheese 

1 Bowl blended Yogurt

Depending on the mood and how hungry the kids are, they can use the Khakras or puris as the base, put toppings of their choice, add chutneys to taste and garnish with Sev and grated cheese.

Tasty and light... Kuoarin Khichdi !!

All of us have days when we are not in a mood for a full meal or have a stomach disorder and are at a loss about what to have. Kuoarin Khichdi, is a traditional Sindhi recipe that is perfect for such occasions, especially in the summer months. It is a very simple and quick to make dish. Here’s how you can make it.

Ingredients

·         1 cup rice

·         2 tbsps spit green moong dal

·         1 tbsp  pure ghee

·         Salt to taste

Procedure

Clean and soak dal and rice in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add rice and dal, turn around. Add about 4 to 5 cups of water and salt to taste. Now close the lid of the cooker and cook on low flame for 10 minutes after the first whistle has blown. When cool open the cooker and blend the khichdi with a wooden hand blender till it is uniform and of mayonnaise or tomato ketchup consistency. If the khichdi is too thick, add hot water as required. Serve hot with with a bowl of yoghurt/dahi and or lime/mango pickle and roasted papad.

A light and yummy meal it is!   

It's Summer time , Holiday Time, IPL and FIFA time... Time to chill with family and friends late night. The excitement of the happenings on TV brings out hunger cravings making you want to constantly nibble at something yummy but easy to reach out to and not too filling.
For such days, dips are an ideal thing to have in the fridge, I am sharing below an easy to make dip.

Dil Dip
Ingredients
1 medium sized Bowl of yogurt
4-6 sprigs of Dil leaves/Parley leaves/Corriander
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
Put yogurt in a thin muslin cloth and hang for 45 mins to an hour so that all the water drains out.
Now transfer yogurt to a glass bowl, blend well with a spoon, add very finely chopped Dil leaves, salt and pepper and mix well. 
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour and it will be ready to serve with Nachos, chips, cucumber, radish, carrot sticks. Can be used as a topping on crackers and as well as a base for sandwiches.

You can also make an interesting dip adding finely chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste, capsicum, salt and pepper to a bowl of mayonnaise.

Rosilicious !!!

" Last night some friends and I had dinner at Swati restaurant in Tardeo, Mumbai, known for its delicious snacks and food. They regularly introduce new dishes on the menu, often with seasonal vegetables and fruits. While we enjoyed their regular menu for the meal, when it came to dessert, we decided to have the day's special dessert called "Rose-Coconut ice-cream". It was absolutely yummy... soft, light pink in color, tasting of tender coconut in a mild rose flavor. The ice-cream was not too sweet and one could also feel gentle coconut flakes. A really cool, light and superb dessert... perfect for a hot and humid day. "

Simple Summer Snacks !!!

The hot and humid weather in Mumbai in April and May, kills your appetite. All you want is something cold to drink and food/snacks that are light, nourishing, tasty and easy to digest. Three things I recommend having in one's fridge are Arbi-aloo chaat, spinach raita and coriander mint chutney. Arbi-aloo chat makes a great snack, starter or side dish; spinach raita goes well with simple parathas or pulao and you can make melt in the mouth sandwiches with the coriander mint chutney, or serve it with any snack... even chips or wafers. The step by step recipes for all three  can we seen on my channel " Simply Sindhi " on You tube.

Arbi-aloo chat 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z35RaCUGsHo&list=PLDn0RqHU2n_4-MR6NTMlypWmH0Dytna-R

Coriander mint chutney

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcGvnbeqi2M&list=PLDn0RqHU2n_4-MR6NTMlypWmH0Dytna-R

Spinach Raita

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqK8v4e22do

Stay Fresh This Summer !!!

"My cool Summer Tip. To beat the sweltering April heat, make sure that you have a glass each of fresh Watermelon juice, Lassi/chaas and Fresh Lime soda or water (sweet but with a pinch of salt) every day. They will keep you hydrated and help in digestion. You can also add sprig of mint leaves to all three drinks to make them even more refreshing !"

Khaike Pan Konkan Café wala !!

"A few days ago some  friends and I, had lunch at Konkan Café at the President Hotel, Mumbai. Being a vegetarian, I ordered the Veg stew with appams which was fairly good. However the desserts - tender coconut payasam and bibinca with ice-cream were both yum. To round off the meal they served us Pan shots in shot glasses... melted pan flavoured ice-cream with a few saffron like threads of supari, really superb and the perfect thing to end a Big lunch with.

So next time you are at Konkan Café, definitely ask for Pan shots."