Indian flatbread stuffed with a mix of Bengal gram (chana dal) and jaggery (gur). Traditional, festive Maharashtrian delicacy: Puran Poli with Katachi Amti! Puran is the mix of chana dal and jaggery flavoured with fragrant sweet spices. Poli is Marathi for flatbread. From asking the house-help to make Puran Poli, to bartering Punjabi food for Puran Poli and Kothimbir Vadi with my Maharashtrian colleagues… making it all by myself was super motivating and rewarding at the same

This recipe was a first for me… as are many other recipes on the blog :) Chicken Terrine is a cheat’s / homemade version of salami (not cured or smoked though). Most of us have chicken salami stocked in the freezer for a lazy Sunday brunch, a quick weekday breakfast sandwich, a no-fuss chicken appetiser with cocktails, a delicious addition to an otherwise plain omelette… the ideas are endless, and Chicken Terrine is a great, quick and easy substitute. Chicken Terrine or homem

I’m sure many of us have grown up eating custard; warm or chilled, with or without jelly, served as dessert ever so often. Custard cookies make breakfast, mid-meal, snack time flavourful in a fun, nostalgic way. Crunchy, chewy yet soft to the bite, custard powder gives these cookies a melt-in-the-mouth feel. With the addition of tutti frutti and cashewnuts, these eggless custard cookies are very similar to (or the same as?) the famous Karachi Biscuits from Hyderabad. As much

or Besan ka chilla or savoury gramflour pancakes Besan ka chilla or besan ka puda is a rustic, simple-flavoured Indian breakfast or chai time snack recipe, popular in Northern and Western India. A healthy one too, as long as you limit the quantity of ghee or cooking oil used to pan-fry. Like Thalipeeth, these savoury gramflour pancakes make for a gluten-free, low-carb, protein-rich replacement to wheat chapati / roti. Serve besan ka puda with any of these Indian sides recipes

Black-eyed Bean Kebabs So! This was a recipe trial, which turned out well. We’ve all heard of the traditional mutton Shami Kebabs… and then the vegetarian versions of them; rajma ki shami, kale chane ke shami kebab, masoor ke shami kebab (this one’s coming up soon!) and so on. So why leave the humble Lobia or Black-eyed beans out? Yes, it’s not everyone’s favourite bean given the mild flavour, but besides its meaty texture and nutty taste, lobia or black-eyed beans add great

This recipe of Keema Aloo or Kheema Aloo uses mutton keema (mince), you could use minced meat of choice, or soy mince – whichever works. I always add potatoes to my recipe of Keema Curry, which make for a great addition, as the potatoes soak in the flavours of the masala and Keema. That's why I call this recipe Keema Aloo Curry and not just Keema Curry. When available, I like to add a handful of fresh green peas to the Keema Aloo. I also always add a boiled egg to Keema Aloo

Healthy hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner… Paneer Bhurji works at all times. For when you need a quick fix yet wholesome start to the day… an easy to make meal at the end of a busy day… or a spicy side to go with simple dal tadka… Paneer Bhurji is sure a saviour. Paneer bhurji, aloo bhurji and egg bhurji are popular North Indian breakfast recipes accompanied with plain salted parathas or bread. Paneer Bhurji can also be used as a sandwich stuffing for grilled or toasted sandw

One word… refreshing! If only we savoured traditional Indian beverages, which taste great besides being nutritious, more than aerated colas with empty calories *sigh* Most traditional Indian beverages are seasonal, bringing with them the health benefits of consuming seasonal produce. Summers: lassi or chaas, aam panna, shikanji, jaljeera, kokum sharbat, sattu ka ghol, thandai, solkadhi… Monsoon: chai ;) and other herbal teas to fight seasonal allergies, warm soups with season

Yes! Kanji has been put to good use in my kitchen *grinning* Another recipe using Kanji, is the spicy and popular North Indian street food Kanji Vada. The ingredients for Kanji Pulao are the same as any regular pulao, with the addition of Kanji. Here, Kanji is used as a replacement for half the quantity of water. So, for 1 cup of long grain basmati rice you will need 1 cup of Kanji and 1 cup of water, instead of 2 cups of water. I prefer to limit the use of spices in Kanji pu

Spicy moong dal vadas dipped in tangy Kanji… The Kanji recipe traditionally used for this combination i.e. Kanji Vada, is a simple beverage of mustard seeds, red chilli powder and salt. I, however, used the Punjabi Kanji recipe. Kanji vada is a popular street food around Rajasthan, parts of Punjab and Delhi (old Delhi specially). An innovative recipe using Kanji is Kanji Pulao. Connect with me on social media for (errrmmmm) not-so-regular updates! Yes, I’m not going to be on

Literally nothing spells winter in Punjab more than sarson ka saag with makki ki roti, gajar ka halwa, gobi gajar achaar... and Gajar ki Kanji; a fermented, mustard seeds based tangy beverage. Kanji is prepared usually during winters in Punjab, under the not-so-harsh winter sun, preferably with purple carrots (kali gajar). As purple carrots aren’t easily available, Gajar ki Kanji is also made using red carrots (the ones used for gajar ka halwa, not the cold storage orange one

Or corn cheese nuggets / bites. Makes for a quick make-ahead snack - you could prepare cheese corn balls and freeze in air tight bags for a couple of weeks – simply fry when serving. Why buy packed and frozen corn cheese balls when you can make your own? Pros: chemical preservative free! Connect with me on social media for (errrmmmm) not-so-regular updates! Yes, I’m not going to be on your screen all day every day! WhiskMixStir on Instagram WhiskMixStir on Facebook WhiskMixSt

When life gives you coriander… make kothimbir vadi! :) haha (sorry about that one) Not until you actually make something, do you realise how simple it is. I have always been under the impression that making the traditional Maharashtrian snack kothimbir vadi would be a complex process… the ratio of coriander to besan and besan to spices, the steaming process (knowing when its cooked just right)… this was surprisingly easy to make. Connect with me on social media for (errrmmmm)

Mint Chutney or Pudina Chutney: a versatile multi-use Indian condiment that goes with everything and perks up the flavour of literally every snack or meal. This recipe of mint chutney makes delicious chutney sandwiches, by itself or layered with tomato and cucumber slices. Serve this spicy mint chutney with samosa, kothimbir vadi, dhokla, urad dal kachori, bhajjis or pakoras, besan ka puda… or simply as chip dip! When you want to substitute the regular pickles in your Indian

Junglee maas (mutton) to junglee murgh! Absolutely love the simplicity of this recipe… few ingredients yet such complex flavours from the ghee, garlic and dried whole red chilies. Yes, these are the only ingredients! Besides mutton or chicken ofcourse. And salt. The original / authentic Rajasthani recipe ‘Junglee Maas’ calls for mutton and there’s no real reason to use chicken, except that it makes for a quick appetiser or small plates recipe, which is ready in literally no t

Packed with nutrition and antioxidants, whole moong or mung beans are a good source of plant based protein for those following a vegetarian / vegan diet. While most recipes of mung beans are similar to a dal recipe, I like to cook mung beans this way; sukha moong - a dry-ish curry. This recipe of sukha moong or dry whole green moong dal or dry mung beans could be served as a side with an Indian curry, Punjabi kadhi pakoda... For me, it makes for a great meal served on its own

A wholesome breakfast, a quick high protein mid meal or an accompaniment for curries and bhaaji, Thalipeeth is a traditional Maharashtrian multigrain, gluten-free roti / flatbread / savoury pancake. Traditionally, Thalipeeth is made using a mix of various millet and roasted dal (pulses / lentils) flour, which makes it naturally gluten-free. This millet and lentil flour mix is usually referred to as bhajanee. The dough for thalipeeth is ideally prepared fresh and is formed in

There's more to mushrooms than soups and curries. Here is a simple, quick and easy to cook small plates / appetiser recipe - batter-fried stuffed mushrooms. Button mushrooms work best for this recipe of batter-fried stuffed mushrooms. The whole button mushroom gets used in this recipe. I have used finely chopped button mushroom stalks and paneer for the stuffing, which can be easily substituted with ingredients of your choice - think cheese!, finely chopped veggies, another v

Connect with me on social media for (errrmmmm) not-so-regular updates! Yes, I’m not going to be on your screen all day every day! WhiskMixStir on Instagram WhiskMixStir on Facebook WhiskMixStir on Pinterest Makes: 12 chocolate chip / chunk muffins Time taken Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 15 - 18 minutes Ingredients to make Chocolate Chip / Chunk Muffins 2 eggs 1 cup castor sugar 1 cup milk ½ cup unsalted butter / olive oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour / maida 1 ½

With summer setting in, there’s no better Indian dessert than delicious, luscious, creamy homemade kulfi. Yes, it will take a couple of hours but it’s totally worth the effort! ALWAYS use full fat milk for this homemade kulfi recipe, coz there’s no such thing as low fat kulfi! Choose to flavour your homemade kulfi recipe as per your preference – with natural extracts (pista, almond…), add rose syrup at the end to make rose kulfi, mango pulp or reduced orange juice to make man