Tawa Pulao

Here’s how ordinary white rice gets extraordinary flavor! Tawa Pulao is a boldly flavored dish prepared in one skillet (tawa).So get out your skillet and get ready for a meal that packs a punch and is sure to please the whole family.

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Here’s how ordinary rice gets extraordinary flavor.

Plain rice combined with an assortment of vegetables stir-fried in spicy tomato sauce seasoned with medley of masalas all prepared in one skillet(tawa). The right combination of convenient ingredients and cooked rice make this one-skillet meal absolutely delicious.

The rich color and deep flavor comes from the tomato sauce and masala seasoning, vegetables add a touch of heartiness to this flavorful dish.

This is a meal that packs all the punch into one convenient skillet. So get out your skillet and get ready for a boldly flavored dish that's sure to please the whole family.

Tawa Pulao

Makes - 2 Servings

Rice	- 4 cups cooked	Cinnamon		- 1 1/2” inch stick
Onion	- 1 medium chopped	Ginger Garlic Paste		- 1 tsp
Tomatoes	- 2 chopped	Cloves		- 3
Vegetables	- 1/2 cup chopped (carrots, peas, potatoes)	Fennel seeds		- 1/2 tsp (optional)
Garam Masala	- 1 tsp	Bay leaf		- 1 leaf
Chili Powder	- 1- 2 tsp	Cilantro		- 1 handful chopped
Corriander Powder	- 1 tbsp	Oil		- 4 -5 tbsps
Salt	- to taste

Heat oil in a skillet; add cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and bay leaf. Wait till they are aromatic and splutter a little

Add chopped onions and cook till soft and translucent

Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute

Then add the vegetables and continue to cook till they become soft and tender

Add tomatoes to the skillet, mix together, and cook for couple of minutes. Then close a lid on the skillet so the tomatoes can let out the juices and become soft

If it is getting thick too soon, you can sprinkle some water as the tomatoes cook

Open the lid, add all the powders, garam masala, cilantro, salt and mix together

Alternatively, you can use pav bhaji masala for garam masala

Let it cook till it forms a thick gravy consistency. Taste to check salt and spices

Now, add cooked rice and mix together to coat the rice evenly. Let it sit on heat for few more minutes so the rice can absorb the flavors

Turn off heat, garnish with cilantro, chopped onions,slice of lime and serve hot with cool raita

Rabri

A sweet condensed milk dessert known for its taste and texture.Rabri sits lightly on the tongue and fills you up in a few spoonfuls. This crave-worthy dessert will take your taste buds through a milky melody!

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I really don't know why I blog certain dishes versus the others. I guess, I do it if I feel like it! But there were couple of things about this dessert that nudged me into blogging it.

First time I made Rabri for a family gathering, everybody loved it. To every party and potluck I take this dessert, it always receives compliments and pleases even the pickiest of eaters. I realized this dessert had a lot of potential and decided to make this for the Holiday dessert bake–off at work. To my surprise, it was voted as the best dessert. Yay! With all these accolades, it would be unfair not to blog this star dessert and share it with everybody.

Rabri is a sweet condensed milk dessert. It is milk in its purest essence and is known for its taste and texture. Milk is thickened by evaporating on low flame and then sweetened and flavored. The delicious small pieces of solidified milk cream come along in every spoon with a nice aromatic flavor of saffron and cardamom. It is rich, creamy, and perfectly perfect!

Sweet, and rich, rabri sits lightly on the tongue and fills you up in a few spoonfuls. This crave-worthy dessert will take your taste buds through a milky melody!

Rabri

Makes - 4-6 Servings

Milk	– 1/4 gallon
Cream	– 1/4 gallon
Sweetened Condensed Milk	– 1 14oz can
Pistachios	– 1/2 cup chopped
Saffron	– few threads
Cardamom	– 2 - 3 pods(optional)

Heat milk and cream together in a heavy bottomed pan

Take 2 tbsps of warm milk in a small bowl and soak saffron threads. Keep it aside

Bring the milk in the pan to a boil stirring frequently to prevent milk from scorching the bottom

Then, simmer and let it cook for 15 – 20 minutes

Now, pour the can of condensed milk and continue boiling till the milk reduces to half the quantity

Adjust sweetness as per your taste.You can reduce the quantity of condensed milk if you want it less sweet.

As it cooks you will see layers of cream forming on the top and sticking to the sides and bottom of the pan. Keep stirring the milk, pushing the layers to the side and scrapping the sides and bottom of the pan. These little pieces of milk cream gives this dessert it's taste and texture.

When it has reduced to half, add saffron milk,cardamom and pistachios. Let it cook for few more minutes

Remove from heat and cool. Place in refrigerator to chill

Garnish with pistachios and serve chill

Minestrone Soup - Cold weather, Hot soup!

Perfect cold weather fare that warms up and satisfies the soul on a chilly day. Packed with vegetables, quick-to-fix and nutritious, this soup is a meal in itself!

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What cold weather fare comforts and warms the soul more than soup? It's the perfect belly-warmer for the chilly days, and just holding a hot bowl of soup thaws out chilled hands.

Brimming with a harvest of vegetables, minestrone soup is a quick-to-fix soup fresh-tasting and nutritious. The tomato-based broth is full of everything from carrots and celery to beans and elbow macaroni. It is a versatile recipe that you can alter to fit whatever's in your pantry. Make it hearty or light; keep it vegetarian or not -- it's up to you. Just sauté the veggies, add broth, tomatoes and season with your favorite herbs and spices and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

I always make a big pot of this easy minestrone soup because it’s simple to put together and the flavor is so wonderful.I could eat it for lunch and dinner all week long, and I usually do. Packed with vegetables, beans and pasta, this soup is a meal in itself.

A hot bowl of minestrone soup is both mouth-watering and soul satisfying.

Minestrone Soup

Makes - 4 servings

  

Carrots	- 1 cup chopped		Bay leaf	- 2
Green Beans	- 1/2 cup chopped		Garlic	- 2
Celery	- 1/2 cup chopped		Salt	- to taste
Onion	- 1/2 cup chopped		Pepper	- to taste
Cannellini Beans	- 1/2 cup		Parmesan cheese	- 1 cup (optional)
Elbow Pasta	- 1 cup cooked		Olive Oil	- 1 tbsp
Diced Tomato	- 1 cup
Tomato Paste	- 1/4 cup
Chicken/Vegetable Broth	- 4 cups

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.

Add garlic and onion and cook until translucent.

Add broth, tomato paste, celery, carrots, beans, bay leaf, and tomatoes and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

You can use vegetables of your choice and quantity. Sometimes, I like to add cabbage, zucchini, spinach and additional seasoning like parsley, oregano or basil to the soup.

Add cannellini beans, pasta and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Spread

Looking for a perfect spread for breakfast?Honey Walnut Cream Cheese spread is a natural partner for bagels, breads and muffins. It is creamy,crunchy and just sweet that it will melt in your mouth.

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I love to start my day with a crispy toasted bagel but sometimes the question arises what am I going to spread on it today?

Cream cheese and bagels are a classic breakfast choice and my favorite. You can always buy cream cheese at your grocery store, but what if you want something more gourmet, something more flavorful? You can make homemade cream cheese spread of course!

This luscious Honey Walnut Cream Cheese spread is a natural partner for bagels, breads, muffins and more. Softened cream cheese is whipped together with honey and dash of walnuts.The sweetness of the honey mixes perfectly with the cream cheese with the nuts adding a little crunch.The creaminess, hint of sweetness and the crunch together make a melt-in-your-mouth combination.

Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Spread

Makes - 8 Servings

Cream Cheese	- 8oz, softened
Honey	- 3 - 4 tbsps
Brown Sugar	- 2 - 3 tbsps
Walnuts	- 1/2 cup chopped

In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, honey, brown sugar, Whip together using an electric beater or hand blender until smooth and fluffy. Alternatively, you can blend in a food processor.

Add the chopped nuts and mix.

Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.