JALEBI

Crunchy delicious little snacks that are easy to make and will definitely not stay too long. Its Good Friday today so why not make some delicious Jalebi snacks for the kids and you too. Dipped in orange sugar syrup they are that perfect dish to snack on during the day as you prepare the main dishes.

SPICY ALOO PULAO

A pulao is a dish consisting of rice and a mixture of either lentils or vegetables, mainly including peas, potatoes, french beans, carrots or meat, mainly chicken, fish, lamb, pork or prawn. It is usually served on special occasions like holidays, birthdays, Christmas and weddings among others. You can even eat it for a regular lunch or dinner meal with the family. It is considered very high in food energy and fat. A pulao is often complemented with either spiced yogurt or this delicious pineapple raita, onion raita or even cucumber mint raita. Some different types of pulao include Kashmiri pulao from Jammu and Kashmir, India, Bengali pulao from West Bengal, India, and Vegetarian pulao from Karnataka, India.

CHOCOLATE BURFI

Love chocolate? Love Indian sweets? Well look no further then than these delicious chocolate burfi. There are so many types of burfi/ barfi that include, Kesri pedha: saffron, flattened yellow round. Kaju barfi or kaju katli: cashew, light tan diamond. Pista barfi: pistachio, forest green diamond. Cham cham: pink and white, shaped like sushi rice balls. Doodh peda: kewra oil and pistachio, flattened dark tan round. Badam pak: rose water and almond, brown diamond. Walnut barfi. Barfi fon or barfifon: fig, pink and yellow colored. Gajar barfi: carrot, square and orange colored. Coconut barfi: coconut, sugar, and milk, square and yellow colored. Sing barfi: peanuts, square and brown colored. Besan barfi: gram flour light yellow diamond and Dodha burfi: peanut. So far I have made condensed milk coconut burfi that was too delicious!

CONDENSED MILK COCONUT BURFI

Burfi/Barfi is a dense milk based sweet from the Indian subcontinent. The name barfi was derived from the Persian word "barf" which means snow. The main ingredients are usually sugar and condensed milk which is cooked until the mixture solidifies. Burfi flavour is usually enhanced with fruits like coconut or mango; nuts like pistachios, peanuts or cashew nuts and spices like cardamom or rose water. The sweets are usually cut into round, diamond or square shapes and are mostly served in India all year round but mostly  consumed during religious festivals, wedding ceremonies or holiday season like Diwali. Barfis come in different varieties that include sing barfi made with peanuts, besan barfi made with gram flour, pista barfi made with pistachios and kaaju barfi made from cashews. I must confess I am a sweet tooth so I wanted to give Indian sweets a go. These yummy coconut bars are just the perfect treat for a midday snack or even for the kids back to school treat. Had such a fun time making these I will definitely be giving other barfi flavours a try!

ALOO BEANS KI SABZI

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY. As you celebrate mothers around the world, all mother figures, mothers already, mothers to be, grieving mothers, may we find it in our hearts to appriciate and thank them for the huge part they have always played in our lives. Celebrate her. I would have loved to bake a cake today but I was craving something Indian. And so was born today's mothers' day recipe. Aloo beans ki sabzi is a Punjab Styled Indian dish of stir fried french beans and potatoes (aloo). I love Indian food because of th aromatic, sweet and flavourful spices that are used throughout. This dish is no different. You get spicy earthy flavours from the spices and the health benefits of potatoes and french beans. 

HOMEMADE BUTTER NAAN

Nothing says warmth, comfort and satisfying like homemade Naan. Naan is just simply an Indian Flat bread that is usually a side dish for Butter Chicken, Chicken Curry or Chicken Marasala. It is so easy to make that I have no idea why I never made it before. I promise you once you make your first batch you will want to make Naan all the time! I made ChickenCurry before and now I regret why I did not think of making Naan to go with it. But no worries, I will soon make that beautiful combo soon. Naan is so delicious and if you have ever had it at a restaurant - unless it is an authentic Indian restaurant - you will never want to eat bought Naan again. Homemade Naan is way better than the store bought that you do not know how long it has stayed.Freshly made Naan will go so fast you will probably not have any left overs. Served warm with your favorite curry, you will have none left for the next day!