Nankhatai is an Indian version of a shortbread cookie. Very tasty and delicious and a super hit among kids. It contains ghee and is high in calories neverthless one can treat oneself on special occasions. Today is such an ocassion. Kitchen tales is celebrating the birthday of a very special person Mrs Usha Bhat, an expert cook and an admin of a very successful food group that we are a part of. A wonderful person with amazing qualities like patience, always full of love, always smiling and a true leader.She gave us a platform to exhibhit our cullinary skills which otherwise would have never come up. This opportunity that she gave me polished my culinary skills, I ventured into food photography, i discovered my passion for cooking and made some wonderful friends for life. She has always encouraged me,criticised my flaws and motivated me throughout. She gave me the courage and brought out the blogger in me. Kitchen tales and me express our gratitude to Ushakka and wish her a "Very Happy Birthday And always the Best In Her Life" This one specially for you :)
Normally nankhatai is made with maida. But here I have given a healthy twist by adding wheat flour and unbleached all purpose flour.
Kids are always attracted to subzi/ vegetable rolls. These rolls are a complete meal and can be made with any vegetable and any kind of sauce. My elder daughter loves spicy food. So i tried out these rolls with some left over cabbage subzi and homemade mildly spiced lemon,ginger and green chilli pickle. She just loved them.I had packed these in her tiffin to school and her friends loved them too.
Diwali The Festival Of Lights, Fun And Frolic. This is also a season of sweets and savouries. Spicy Diamond Cuts are known as Ronti or Tukdi in Konkani and are commonly prepared in every household. They make a perfect evening snack with hot piping tea/coffee. Original recipe uses maida but i have used wheat flour just to make it a little healthy.
Festive Season Is Back!!! With that the season of sweets, namkeen and snacks is also back!! Rava ladoo,is one of the easiest mithai/sweets to make. I learnt this recipe from my Aunt Thara Bhat who has inherited this recipe from her Mother i.e my Grandmother Premila Bai :) Both are expert cooks and have magic in their hands...what ever they make may it be a glass of lime juice or a date cake tastes heavenly.
Sooji /Rava is said to be good for diabetics and for losing weight. It provides great energy. It provides a great supply of the vital vitamins and minerals.
"Diwali, The Festivals Of Lights" is here. With its arrival comes the time to get together and celebrate with sweets and savouries. Here I start my festive delicacies with a easy and healthy ladoo made with Wheat flour. It happens to be a Konkani delicacy too and is known as Churmundo. We love this one, it just melts in the mouth. I have tried and kept the quantity of ghee lesser than normal. As its festive season we can afford to forget the calories.
Wheat helps control obesity, serves as a complete meal for diabetic patients, reduces bile acid secretions, improves body metabolism, helps control childhood asthma etc..
Mushrooms have always been a favourite in our family.I had a packet of mushrooms in my refrigerator and decided to try and make a quick biriyani. The main highlight of this biriyani is that it is free from ghee / butter and is made with only 1 tbsp olive oil. The ingredients are very similar to a normal biriyani. Though the process may seem lengthy, but as you start making it I assure you that you will find it easy. The experiment turned out to be successful and my kids enjoyed it. Since it was a hit I decided to blog it. Do try it and give me your valuable feedback. Those who do not prefer mushrooms can replace them with paneer or gobi. Details given in the notes section.
Mushrooms are said to be rich in Vitamin D. They are low in calories and sodium. They are said to be gluten, fat and cholesterol free.
