Indrani’s recipes cooking and travel blog
A site containing recipes to prepare restaurant style food at home
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The FBAI one of the biggest online news channel for influencers and bloggers has taken an wonderful initiative to collaborate with California walnuts producing a month full of healthy indulgences by the expert chefs in 50 plus restaurants all over India, Bar stock exchange and some of the homechef’s kitchens . These restaurants will include California walnuts as …
The Indianised version of Chinese food also known as Indo-Chinese food dates back to the time when Chinese migrants settled in Kolkata erstwhile Calcutta.Their cuisines undergone significant changes since then to adapt to the local taste ,flavors and weather conditions. Along with the popular Chinese ingredients like Soy sauce and vinegar ,the Indian ingredients sometimes …
Bengali cuisine is light and flavorsome , and spicy from the green chilies ,the use of red chilies has started much later with the foreign influences. The ingredients used in the dishes were procured from the local cultivation and if you look at the history,researchers found that red chilies have not originated in India but …
This is a summer chicken curry prepared when you have mango abundance in the season.Sweet and tangy with subtle spiciness are the key flavors of this curry. Ingredients 400 to 500 gm Chicken 1 big tomato 1/2 cup onions 1 cup mango pulp 1 cup curd 6 to 7 medium garlic cloves 2 …
“Janma” meaning “birth” and “ashtami” signifies the 8th day of the month, “Bhadra” in the Hindu calendar. This day has special significance as it is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Krishna . The Lord krishna is the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu,one of the three prominent supreme Hindu deities, Brahma(creator) and Maheshwar (destructor) being …
These are nutritious and healthy indulgences, if you crave for desserts and want to have them guilt free. Due to the addition of spinach and whole wheat they are rich in dietary fibers and iron and also make you fill full. You can use them as breakfast muffins with any beverage or pack them as …
The “empanadas”, the name is derived from the Spanish word “empanar” meaning to coat in bread .This a baked or fried stuffed pastry popular in America ,Spain,Portugal and parts of South America. They are popular snacks all over the world and filled with a variety of fillings including seafood, beef, pork etc.In India these semi …
Palmyra fruit also called Toddy palm in the Konkan region and “Taal ” in Bengal and Ice apple in English is a versatile fruit. This tree is a native of India and almost all the parts of the plant are put to use. The sap of the tree is used to make toddy which is …
If you have tasted Dahi bhalle or Dahi vada before , you will be amazed to know that this is not the same item I am talking about. Few months earlier I used to think that I know everything about making dahi bhalle and can pull off cooking this popular dish with perfection during any …
Chiffon cake is a light spongy cake made fluffy with egg whites.It can be easily made gluten free using rice flour or any other gluten free flour.The emulsification process with lemon juice and vegetable oil packs bubbles into this cake and beaten egg whites make it super spongy,soft and moist.It is the first type of …
Bohri Khichda which is consumed during the holy month of Ramadan , is an amalgamation of flavors from the Hyderabad-i halem in which the broken wheat is cooked with meat and lentils and made a paste later and the traditional vegetarian khichdi cooked in every Gujarati household.Traditionally the process is quite long intensive ,but nowadays the cooking process is shortened by using tools like pressure cooker. The final dish was aromatic delicious and infused with intricate flavors of spices which will compel you to ask for more. It was Finger-licking good.
Baked yogurt or bhapa doi is a traditional Bengali dessert very easy to prepare with curd and condensed milk.In olden days this mixture used to be steamed due to the absence of oven .Now you can do the steaming process in the oven itself by filling the tray with water and baking the mixture …
I would not have known that such a delicious dish existed ,if I had missed Lisa Watson’s wonderful post on twitter about the Easter Recipes.She is a gem of a writer and a chef ,you can read about the history of this wonderful dish ,in her blog.Easter Sunday is celebrated throughout the world to commemorate …
I often need to make the mini cupcakes on popular demand from my child and her friends .With an intention to put health on topmost priority ,I prefer falling back on our traditional gluten free grains.”finger millet”,called Ragi or Nachni , in local language ,can be labelled as an wonder grain.It is high in dietary …
I have a sweet tooth and I love sweet dishes but sweet and sour chicken is really unique but you will love it.I first had this dish during my trip in Hongkong and it was prepared with pork.The pork pieces were tender ,sweet and delicious ,though I would have loved it a little more …
If you have some overripe bananas sitting idle in your refrigerator ,you can make some delicious use of them in this recipe.Adding caramel in this cookie takes the recipe to a new level of uniqueness.The combination is like a match made in heaven and you will continue to lick your fingers long after they disappear.These …
Kachori is one of the most favorite Indian snacks ,hundreds of varieties and versions of whom you can find in the local regional sweet shops.They are essentially deep fried flat breads with a spicy ,savory or sweet filling inside. Kachoris seems to be invented by Marwaris ,who are vegetarians,and hail from the land of Rajasthan …
These strawberry cupcakes are very close to my heart.prepared these during valentine’s day with strawberries mildly poached in white rum.The cakes were very soft and full of flavor from the strawberries.Then covered the cupcakes with a butter cream icing.I could not find my star nozzle for icing at the last moment and spooned the thick …
sui mai ,traditionally called shāomài is a flower shaped dumpling with an open top.I had these in Hongkong and the filling consisted of ground pork .The casing is thin and soft like wantons. They are popular in Chinese as well as in Japanese cuisine.I steamed these dumplings in a bamboo steamer purchased from Hongkong itself.Instead of …
The dal or the pulses control the pulse of Indian food.No meal is complete without this humble dal(pulse) boiled and flavored with a spicy tempering in clarified butter or Desi Ghee,called tadka. The house feels like home when the aroma of tadka fills the house .There are many varieties of pulses used in Indian cooking …
Through out the year the Bengali community who hail from East and West Bengal celebrate festivals like any other Indian community and we call it “Baro mashe tero parbon” ,which means that the community celebrates 13 festivals in 12 months of the year.The cooked meat of a male goat called “khashi” form the center …
This new year ,I had been with my mom and brother and spent some valuable time with them.For the dinner I made a whole chicken roast stuffed with rice,seafood and chicken mince infused with Indian spices.The accompaniment was stir fried broccoli,potatoes and peppers.The chicken was tender an juicy with flavors from black pepper and mild …
Christmas has always been very special to my heart .Every year ,when my papa was alive,he used to buy and bring home a fruit and nut rum cake from the shop on 25th December.My brother and I used to wait eagerly for him, in the morning, to go to the market and bring the cake …
Chettinad is a region in Tamil Nadu which is famous for it curries spiced up with “Chettinad masala”.The famous spice mix is a mixture of ample amount of aromatic ingredients.For some reason,I did not try the flavorsome curry in my kitchen until now when I decided to grind the spices at home and use them …
Christmas is coming ,time for making a pie.Why not go for a fusion of flavours combining the European and Indian seasonal favorites.These mini gajar halwa pies do justice to the season in the best possible way.The pie is soft ,yet crispy ,and a bite will give you the best seasonal flavors of India ,a gooey …
This will be delicious for the vegetarians and though the texture is dense and fudgy compared to a cake with refined flour and eggs, it was super tasty and you cannot stop at one bite sized serving for sure.This is an amazing idea for your child’s snack or for kitty parties as well.The texture is …
This can be a wholesome nutritious breakfast or dessert filled with goodness .I have tried this recipe from my google+ friend Gloria Ruvalcaba in one of her posts found it really intriguing .Apple is nutritious full of iron ,good for improving hemoglobin content of the blood and this can be an excellent recipe for your kids …
In rural India ,clay pots are the popular containers for cooking as they are cheap ,easy to wash and bio degradable ,can be used and thrown.According to ancient Ayurveda earthen utensils make more nutritious food.Due to their porous nature heat is distributed uniformly to the food cooking in them and gets cooked slowly and uniformly …
Bhetki or Vetki is a catadromous fish ,a fish or machh called in bengali which migrates from river to sea for breeding.When caught from the rivers in Bengal this fish is very popular in flavor for Bengali cuisines.When the same fish is caught from sea,it loses its flavors which are required to cook it the …
Diwali, the festival of lights ,is celebrated all over the world by the Hindus with pomp and glory.The traditional festivals have an important part to play in our lives as they give us moments to remember ,rejoice,forget sorrows, build new hopes and motivation to carry on. The Diwali word derives from the word deepawali as …
These honeycomb shaped cakes are mesmerizing and can easily entice the mind of a child as well as an adult.Waffles are often connected with Belgium where they are a popular breakfast.The batter is often leavened with yeast ,baking powder and eggs.The pockets are then filled with sweet syrup before serving to form a delicious wholesome …
Potol or pointed gourd is a vegetable which is found in abundance in any part of India.But the vegetable varieties found in West Bengal are amazing and are best for the Bengali recipes as they are prepared from the local yields.Most of them are seedless and have a soft texture which gets tender quickly and …
I am always in search of healthy recipes and love to bake with whole grains.This was another try for a healthy gluten free alternative of a delicious dessert.Rice flour is easy to digest and the gluten free lemon cake was moist.In the first attempt ,the cakes were a little gritty .It is needed to hydrate …
I think many people know about this epic dish “Alu Posto” which is an iconic dish from West Bengal .In this particular Vegetable recipe the potatoes are cooked in a paste of white poppy seeds and green chilies paste which gives a nutty creamy texture to the dish.The flowers of the poppy plant also produce …
If you are from Kolkata, the fish Kobiraji cutlet will definitely hold a special place in your heart. It is a recipe which is from the British era when Kolkata used to be a Winter capital of India and derived from the English coverage cutlet recipe. The boneless fish or chicken fillets are covered with …
Mochi is a sweet Japanese rice cake popular all over the world.It is made from the glutinous rice flour “Mochiko”.This rice cake can be found in various shapes flavored or stuffed.The texture will be soft and chewy ,with the stuffing filling your mouth with tempting flavors in each bite.The flavors can be from fruits like …
I was in love with this dal (Lentils) served with steamed rice since my childhood in Kolkata .This is a recipe cooked by the “Bangals” whose ancestors hail from East bengal ,from undivided Bengal era.The Bengali’s are divided into these two groups “Ghoti” and “Bangal” owing to the origin of their ancestors having variations in …
These are moist and droolicious chocolate cakes full of chocolate flavor and health.They are egg-less and dairy free and even sugar free.I have used honey instead.They look divine and I bet that you cannot stop eating at one.The lemon juice ,baking soda and olive oil are imulsified together to form a frothy mixture which helps …
These are eggless dairy free muffins which can be prepared quickly when you are in need of breakfast or tea time snacks.Always wanted to develop a recipe of delicious whole wheat muffins without dairy and eggs and after days of trial with the texture finally could get the exact ratio of the ingredients .The batter …
This may be one of the simplest fish curry recipe you have come across as well as an extra ordinary one.It is also highly customizable and you can add your favorite ingredients creating amazing range of varieties.I had learnt this dish after my marriage ,watching my mother in law cooking ,as it seemed to be …
I had a lot of fruits in my refrigerator unused and I decided to make this quick and delicious dessert from it.My advice to you will be, that do not make it when you are the only person at home otherwise you end up eating this whole thing as it is quite irresistible.You can make …
I was not so much aware about this substance aquafava until I decided to try a healthy eggless cake .I bake egg-less cakes with condensed milk and butter as an ingredient as they help to make the cake soft fluffy and moist. Aquafava is almost a magic ingredient which can cause miracles in your baking.It …
It is a famous dish from North India sure to make your mouth water with the rich flavor of mustard oil from the fields of Punjab ,Spiciness of red chilies and tangy of lemon.The aroma specially comes from cooking in clay tandoors inside the street side Dhabas .The Tandoor imparts a smoky flavor to the …
I am delighted if sometimes get a chance to visit Kolkata during the Winter season. Kolkata ,earlier known as Calcutta is the capital of Bengal which is a state in North Eastern part of India.Since my marriage I have the chance to visit the city of joy only once a year,and that may not be …
I felt the need to prepare ghee from scratch at home after the birth of my daughter .She was so delicate and I did not want to give her anything from outside.When she started her rice meals,I felt the need of adding a tsp of this traditional aromatic liquid to make her food special.But clarified …
Lemon grass has several medicinal benefits which ranges from controlling blood pressure ,aid in digestion ,detoxification due to the presence of antioxidants, healing congestion etc. It also has a mention in ancient Indian Ayurveda. Altogether a healthy alternative, exciting combination and intriguing drink ,you will love Ingredients …
Tiramisu is a popular rich Italian dessert which has spread its footprints in the renowned restaurant kitchens all over the world .It is elegant ,decadent and layered no bake dessert filled with mascarpone cheese,eggs,wine,cream,coffee and chocolate etc.The crust is made by soaking ladyfinger cookies in coffee.Coffee is the predominant flavour of tiramisu. Ladyfingers are dry …
I always want to have my desserts guilt free and I also want my friends and relalatives to consume them free from the scare of getting high cholesterol and sugar and gaining weight from the dessert. Ragi is a crop which is widely grown in Asian countries and Africa. Ragi flour is a gluten free …
Pretty,beautiful ,elegant and unique!! ,No I am not talking about any beautiful lady but this dish, which will mesmerize you with its charm and deliciousness.We call it “chutney” in Bengali which is homophonous to the other spicy chutneys which are popular in India but it is actually a dessert ,without which food in any grand …
Calcutta as a city never ceases to amaze me with its rich history and beautiful people .When I shifted to Mumbai ,I would miss its crowd ,club culture,helpful people on the street who are ready to spare time for the citizens besides their erratic schedule,where every hefty argument over coffee table must revolve around politics ,food …
