Category: Recipe

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Is Homemade Butter really Worth the Effort?

We all know what butter is. It is a dairy product that is made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. In this world of modern dietary greed that teaches deprivation is the way to health and beauty, butter is the most feared food- often frowned upon. Butter remains amongst the most misunderstood food.

Butter is called Makkhan in Hindi, that has always been a quintessential part of the Indian culinary culture. As a Punjabi household, our childhood had been surrounded by makkhan (white butter) and ghee, whether on paranthas, rotis or in vegetables. We always had homemade butter in the fridge. It was prepared in a ‘matki’ or a large vessel/ pot in the olden days. The cream was collected over a few days and transferred to a matki specially meant for this purpose. It was then churned with a ‘madhani’ following a long process that consumed a lot of muscle power. But nowadays, matki is replaced by a regular kitchen bowl and madhani is replaced by a food processor or a hand blender or an electric beater. Although the process remains the same, much energy and time is saved using modern equipment. The end product collected after the churning is called white butter.

In Hindu tradition, white butter or makkhan is offered to Lord Krishna during Janmashtami. As a food for gods, I wonder how such ancient wisdom and food traditions are lost in this new fast pace world where everyone is chasing newly found super-foods and conveniently forgetting their roots- the very foundation of our health.

According to celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, “The churning of butter itself makes the makkhan special in terms of molecular gastronomy, not just in terms of its unique, ‘melt in an instant’ texture, but it also nutritionally equips it with many special properties.For starters, it retains the potency of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, K and E, therefore making it a powerful anti-oxidant. Then there is the Wulzen factor, a hormone-like substance only found in freshly churned butter that has the capacity to prevent joint stiffness and ensures that your bones store more calcium.”

Difference between White Butter and Yellow Butter

White butter is one of the original forms of butter, which was made in almost every Indian household earlier while yellow butter is commercially produced in a factory. White butter typically contains fewer milk solids which makes it a healthier option for individuals who have lactose intolerance or sensitivity. As white butter contains less lactose, it is may be easier to digest.

  1. Yellow Butter is processed and contains high amounts of saturated and trans-fat which makes it high in calories as well. White Butter, also known as Makkhan, is a natural, un-processed version of butter and contains healthy fats. Thanks to the presence of lecithin in white butter which aids in dismantling unhealthy fats and kick-starts a more agile metabolism.
  2. The molecular makeup of white butter allows it to effectively assimilate fats. This property extends a soothing touch to joints, offering respite to individuals grappling with joint discomfort. It’s a natural elixir for bolstering joint health and mobility.
  3. White butter houses arachidonic acid, a fatty acid pivotal in brain development. In addition, it also contains omega 3 and omega 6. It is exceptionally good for children as it supports their overall brain growth.
  4. Want that glowing skin? Include Makkhan in your diet. It is an amazing source of Vitamin E, that safeguards skin health, potentially leading to a reduction in skin-related issues.
  5. Yellow butter is yellow because of the high fat content, and it’s processed, therefore it’s heavy in calories. Salt and preservatives are added to make it last longer and have a prolonged shelf life. Yellow butter also contains colouring agents.

How to make White Butter at home?

  1. Take some of top creamy layer of milk or malai in a bowl.
  2. Churn it with a whisker or sturdy spoon for a minute or two. 
  3. Now add ice cubes and a little bit of cold water and churn again till butter has separated from water and comes together. 
  4. Separate the butter from the liquid. Gently squeeze the makkhan between your hands. 
  5. Rinse butter with fresh water to get rid of any milk residue. 
  6. Let the butter set in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and it is ready to be used.

Notes: 

  1. I normally make small quantity of butter so I prefer manual churning. However, if you plan to make a big batch you can totally use food processor or an electric beater. Just add some cold water to the blender and blend it on pulse mode.
  2. It is important to wash away all the milk remains from the butter. If a substantial amount of buttermilk remains, it will sour within a week, otherwise homemade butter can keep for upto 2 weeks in the fridge.
  3. You can also make Cultured Probiotic Butter at home which has added benefits of probiotics and is much easier to digest. You can check out the full procedure here- Ayurvedic Cultured Ghee. 

Takeway

In a nutshell, white butter is way better than yellow commercial butter. Is it worth the effort? Absolutely Yeah!! I always feed my child white butter and he barely eats yellow butter. It’s just so easy to whip in small batches. Literally takes you 5 minutes. Although, always remember to have it in moderation. Too much of everything is bad. Any excess of oil or fats will lead to heart or cholesterol problems. And never be scared or feel guilty about food. Do not indulge in fearful eating. Enjoy your luscious aloo ka paratha with a dollop of freshly made white butter, but moderately. Eat smart and exercise and aim at a healthy lifestyle. 

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Healthy Tangy Spicy Peanut Chutney- No Onion, No Garlic

Peanut Chutney also known as Groundnut Chutney is a flavourful, delicious Indian chutney.  It is an easy and a tasty chutney made with peanuts and is served popularly along with South Indian breakfast dishes. The texture of this chutney is thick and creamy with of course great blend of flavours. Among all the other Indian chutneys, this groundnut chutney is quite unique, given that there is no addition of coconut, onion or garlic. 

It is made with just few everyday ingredients and is flavour bomb. You can serve this chutney with idlis, dosas, Indian savoury pancakes, pakoras, flatbreads or wraps. It is excellent to brighten up your meal and add a lot flavour to your dish. 

This Indian peanut chutney is protein-packed and boost the nutrition profile of your everyday breakfast meal and it is naturally vegan too. I made this Iron Rich Pancake for breakfast. It is made with chickpea flour and sattu, both of which are great sources of protein as well. But I wanted to add more protein to my vegetarian meal, so I decided to make this Peanut Chutney. One bite of this and the flavours just blew my mind. You guys have to try this to believe it. You can also try pairing this chutney with this Semolina pancakes or this Karnataka style Coconut dosa.

I kept this recipe in some way traditional by using raw peanuts which are roasted and then ground with other ingredients. I have also kept the skin of the peanuts. Peanut skins have the highest antioxidant levels compared to other parts of the peanut, and roasted peanut with skins have a high antioxidant capacity. 

The traditional version is usually made with only 6 ingredients such as roasted peanuts, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds, salt and tamarind. All of these are ground with water to a smooth chutney & most often it is not tempered.

The traditional version is great too but I’ll share with you a way to add maximum punch with minimal ingredients that you will actually always make this peanut chutney without onion and garlic. This flavourful chutney can also be taken in any vrat. So save this recipe for your next Navratri fast.

How to make Peanut Chutney?

Ingredients 

  1. Raw Peanuts: 1/2 cup
  2. Roma Tomato: 1 medium size
  3. Dry Red Chillies: 3 (you can increase or decrease chilli as per your liking)
  4. Salt to taste
  5. Groundnut oil: 1 tbsp
  6. Lemon juice: 2 tbsps or to taste
  7. Water: 1/4th cup or as required

For Tempering 

  1. Groundnut oil: 1 tbsp
  2. Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
  3. Curry leaves: 5-6

Instructions

  • In a flat bottom pan, heat 1 tbsp oil to a medium heat. Add raw peanuts and roast till they change colour and become fragrant. 
  • Once peanuts are roasted, in the same pan add roughly chopped tomato, salt and dried chilli. Cook on a medium to low flame till tomato becomes mushy. If the need be, you can sprinkle some water to cook tomato.
  • Remove from heat and allow it to cool a little. Then add everything to a mixer grinder. Add lemon juice and 1/8th cup of water. 
  • Give it a blitz. Now add remaining water and blend till it becomes smooth and creamy. You can add more water if required but don’t add too much. Add little at a time. 
  • Empty the chutney into a bowl. For tempering, heat a tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida/hing. Let mustard seeds splutter. Turn off the flame. 
  • Now add curry leaves and swirl it around. Let curry leaves rest in oil for 15-20 seconds then add this tempering to the chutney and mix well.
  • Check for salt and lemon juice. Adjust as per your liking. Your chutney is ready to serve.

Notes: 

  1. You can adjust the consistency by adding less or more water, but do not make the consistency runny or thin.
  2. Store your peanut chutney in an air-tight container. Refrigerate and use within a week.
  3. To make groundnut chutney, always use fresh dry peanuts. Do not use peanuts that have gone rancid.
  4. In case raw peanuts are not available, you can make this chutney with roasted salted peanuts. In that case, please be mindful of additional salt. 
  5. You can replace lemon juice with tamarind. Rinse or soak the tamarind in some water before you blend it with the remaining ingredients.

I genuinely encourage you to try this recipe because it is absolutely delicious. Do let me know in the comments section if try this recipe. Happy eating! 🙂

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Nutritious and Delicious: Green Moong Dal Chilla with Veggie Stuffing

As the seasons change, so does our craving for nutritious and delicious meals. Today, I’m excited to share with you a recipe that’s perfect for breakfast or a light dinner – Stuffed Green Moong Dal Chilla. This recipe is packed with protein and veggies, making it a wholesome choice for everyone in the family.

Ingredients:

For the Chilla Batter:

1 cup soaked green moong dal
2-3 garlic cloves
2 green chillies
Salt to taste

For the Stuffing:

1 carrot, grated
1 capsicum, finely chopped
1 beetroot, grated
100g paneer, grated
Instructions:

Soak the green moong dal overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Drain the soaked moong dal and add it to a blender along with garlic cloves, green chillies, and salt. Blend until you get a smooth batter. You can add a little water if needed to reach the desired consistency.

Grate the carrot, beetroot, and paneer. Finely chop the capsicum. Mix all the grated and chopped vegetables together. Add a pinch of salt if desired.

Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease it with oil. Pour a ladleful of the chilla batter onto the pan and spread it in a circular motion to form a thin pancake.


Cook the chilla on one side until it starts to turn golden brown. Flip it over and cook the other side.

Once both sides of the chilla are cooked, place a generous amount of the vegetable and paneer stuffing on one half of the chilla.


Fold the chilla over the stuffing to make a semi-circle. Press down gently with a spatula to ensure the stuffing is secure and the chilla is cooked through.

Serve the stuffed green moong dal chilla hot with a side of your favorite chutney or yogurt.

Health Benefits of Green Moong Dal Chilla:
Protein-Rich: Green moong dal is an excellent source of plant-based protein, essential for muscle repair and growth.

Fiber-Filled: The vegetables and dal provide a good amount of dietary fiber, aiding in digestion and keeping you full for longer.

Nutrient-Dense: Packed with vitamins and minerals from the carrots, capsicum, beetroot, and paneer, this dish supports overall health and well-being.

Give this delicious and nutritious stuffed green moong dal chilla a try, and don’t forget to share your feedback! If you have your own variations, we’d love to hear them in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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Authentic Sambar Masala Recipe- Sambar Podi

People ask me if its worth grinding your own spices and the short and sweet answer is absolutely yes! Grinding spices is fast and an easy process. It is an aromatic experience that you will not forget and might even become obsessed with it. There is ZERO COMPARISON between fresh and pre-ground versions. When you are grinding your own spices, you have a complete quality control over the quality of the ingredients you are using and you are also saving yourself from consuming all the unnecessary preservatives that are added to some spice mixes to increase their shelf life.

I love Sambar! If you guys are sambar lovers like me, you would know the key to making good sambar lies in the masala. That’s what I am here to share with you guys. This recipe will help you to make fragrant and flavorful homemade sambar powder. It can also be added to other south Indian dishes like lemon rice, masala idlis or dosa. 

It has been almost a decade since I have stopped buying sambar powder. None of them come close to the one made freshly at home with quality ingredients. There is just something so satisfying about grinding your own masalas at home. My kitchen is filled with the aroma of spices, and sambar sings with the flavors of freshly toasted spices. That being said, I do admit, I don’t make all the masalas at home. That’s too much. I do buy some spice powders from the store but whenever I get an authentic fool-proof recipe like this, it’s hard for me to go back to store-bought masalas.

 So what makes a good sambar?

  • The right propotion to vegetables and lentils and a perfect balance of sourness, spiciness and sweetness.
  • The vegetables you add make a huge difference to the taste of your sambar.
  • Vegetables like small pearl onions, drumstick, yellow pumpkin have a distinct taste to them and elevate the taste of a sambar. Some like to add brinjal too.
  • Similarly the choice of dal used affects a sambar’s taste. Mostly sambars are made with toor dal or a combination of toor and moong dal.
  • Everyone has a different recipe for the spice mix. Some keep it simple with basic ingredients, some decide to add a lot more, some use pre ground spices, some grind it fresh. All these factors have a huge imapact on the taste of your sambar. And yes a good SAMBAR MASALA plays a huge part in the taste of your sambar.

Recipe: makes roughly 200 grams

Ingredients

  1. Coriander seeds: 1/2 cup
  2. Chana dal/Bengal gram: 1/4th cup
  3. White Split Urad dal: 2 tbsps
  4. Cumin seeds/Jeera: 2 tbsps
  5. Fenugreek seeds/Methi dana: 1 tbsp
  6. Mustard seeds: 1 tbsp
  7. Dry Red Chillies: 20 (I added 15; depends how hot you like it)
  8. Curry leaves: Handful
  9. Black peppercorns: 1.5 tbsp
  10. Asafoetida/Hing: 1/2 tsp
  11. Turmeric powder: 1 tbsp

Instructions 

  • Take a heavy bottom wide flat pan. Heat it on a very low heat.
  • Take a wide plate to collect all the roasted spices and lentils. 
  • Wash and towel dry both the lentils.
  • Firstly, roast channa dal on low flame till it becomes fragrant and turns couple of shades darker. Chana dal will take the most time to roast. Take it off heat and put it on a wide plate.
  • Now roast urad dal till it turns lightish brown. Urad dal will be done the quickest, because of the size of the lentils. Keep aside.
  • Next add cumin seeds and roast them till they become darker and give out a very nice aroma.
  • After cumin seeds, roast coriander seeds. Roast on low flame till the coriander seeds get well roasted. When well roasted – the coriander seeds will turn lightly reddish, and also leave a light aroma.
  • Now add in dry red chillies and roast them for few minutes till it starts becoming fragrant. Ensure to not burn the chillies. When well roasted – they will turn deeper in color.
  • Next add black pepper corns and roast for a minute or two on low flame. 
  • After black pepper, add mustard seeds. Roast till they start spluttering. Keep aside.
  • Now, roast curry leaves till leaves shrink and become crisp.
  • Finally, roast fenugreek seeds or methi dana for a minute on low flame till it becomes golden.
  • After switching off the flame, add asafoetida or hing in the pan while the pan is still hot. Roast for 10 to 15 seconds and mix it with other spices.
  • Once the spices have cooled a little, add everything in a dry mixer. Add turmeric powder and grind everything to a fine powder.
  • Sambar powder is ready to use or store. For storing – store it in a dry and air tight glass container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. Low flame is critical to get a good even roast on the ingredients, so do not try and speed up the process by increasing the flame.
  2. You can dry roast everything simultaneously on different burners if you can keep a hawk’s eye on all the spices. This will definitely save you time though.
  3. Sambar powder is best stored in a dry and air tight glass container at room temperature.
  4. This Sambar masala will last you 1 year. Spices in general last a long, long time. But yes! After a while they start to lose their potency.
  5. You can easily double or triple this recipe depending upon your requirement.
  6. People who have celiac disease, please be sure to read the label on asafoetida/hing. Many commercial brands process hing powder with wheat.

I hope you find this recipe useful. If you did then please let know in the comments below. 

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Quick and easy recipe for mango pudding that you can make in just 10 minutes

As we embrace the warm and sunny days of summer, there’s nothing quite like indulging in the luscious sweetness of mangoes. Mango pudding is a delightful dessert that captures the essence of this beloved fruit, offering a refreshing and creamy treat that is perfect for any occasion. This recipe is not only simple to make but also celebrates the vibrant flavors of mangoes, making it a must-try for mango lovers.

Ingredients:

3-4 slices of bread
Ripe mangoes, cut into small cubes
Coconut milk
Honey (or sweetener of your choice)
Nuts of your choice for garnishing

Instructions:

Cut the bread slices into round shapes using a small bowl or cookie cutter.


In a bowl, mix the honey with the coconut milk until well combined.


Start assembling the pudding in serving bowls or glasses. Place a round bread piece at the bottom of each bowl. Pour some of the honey-coconut milk mixture over the bread to soak it. Add a layer of cubed mangoes on top of the bread.
Repeat the layers by adding another round bread piece, pouring coconut milk, and adding mango cubes until you’ve used up all the ingredients, making about three layers in total. Finish by placing a few mango cubes on top for garnish.

Optionally, sprinkle some nuts of your choice over the mango layer for added crunch and flavor.


Serve immediately or refrigerate for a short while to chill before serving. Enjoy your delicious mango pudding in just 10 minutes!

We hope you will enjoy making and savoring this delicious mango pudding as much as I do. It’s a fantastic way to make the most of the mango season and impress your family and friends with a delightful dessert. Give this recipe a try and let us know how it turned out for you in the comments below. If you have any variations or tips for making it even better, we’d love to hear them! Enjoy your summer with this sweet and refreshing treat. Happy Cooking!