Category: Recipe

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Best Homemade Fresh Strawberry Popsicle Recipe

Temperatures are literally skyrocketing this year in India. In this unbearable heat, you just can’t ignore the craving for something cold and refreshing. What better way to kick that summer heat off than with Homemade Popsicle made with fresh fruits. They can be your perfect go-to-treat all summer long!

There is nothing better than lounging on a hot summer day with a popsicle in hand. Even though I love all those fancy pants popsicles but sometimes you just want to make something classic and fuss free. These strawberry popsicles are exactly that! They are pretty simple and straight forward: fresh strawberries, lemon juice, salt and sweetener of your choice.

It’s a perfect healthy treat for adults and kids. They are dairy free, gluten free and eggless. They are literally on repeat every summer at my house. 

Let’s dig in!

Recipe: makes 8 popsicles

Ingredients

  • Strawberries: 500 grams
  • Unprocessed Cane Sugar: 4 tbsps
  • Chia seeds: 2 tbsps (optional)
  • Salt: a pinch
  • Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
  • Strawberry Jam: 2 tbsps (optional, but highly recommended)

Instructions

  • Wash and quarter the strawberries.
  • In a large bowl, add all the ingredients mentioned above except chia seeds.
  • Mix well and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. When sugar comes in contact with strawberry, lemon juice and salt, it will melt and release its natural juice making strawberries juicer, sweeter and more intense.
  • Now add everything in the bowl to a blender and  blend everything to a smooth purée. 
  • After blending, add chia seeds and mix well. 
  • Pour in popsicle molds and freeze overnight or for 6-8 hours. Leave a little space on top of the popsicle molds because when freezing they will expand slightly. 
  • For unmolding, run tap water over the popsicle mold for few seconds. Unmold carefully.

Variation

If you’re not in the mood for strawberries but still want a sweet summertime treat, this recipe also works great with other fruits as well. You can go for summer fruits like watermelon, mango, pineapple, peaches or most other fruits make for a great popsicle filling.

Sweetener

If you don’t want to add sugar or unprocessed sugar, you can use other sweeteners like, maple syrup, honey, jaggery powder or syrup. I have tried this recipe with maple syrup and it was a huge hit too.
If you are not adding strawberry jam then you might have to increase the amount of sugar. However, you can try this easy to make Strawberry Apple Preserve if you don’t want to add any store bought jam.

Happy Summers! 🙂

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Easy Homemade Oats Milk with just One Ingredient- Non Slimy, at last

Oat milk is a creamy, plant-based alternative to dairy milk, rich in fiber and essential nutrients like vitamin D and calcium. It’s a great option for vegans, as it’s free from animal products and is environmentally friendly due to its low water and carbon footprint. Additionally, oat milk is easy to digest and can help lower cholesterol levels, making it a nutritious choice for everyone.

Oatmeal Milk Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
4 cups iced chilled water


Instructions:
Place the oats into a blender. Add 4 cups of iced chilled water to the blender. Blend on high for about 30-40 seconds until the mixture is smooth and creamy.


Pour the blended mixture through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag into a bowl or pitcher to remove the oat pulp. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Transfer the oatmeal milk to a clean bottle or jar and refrigerate. Shake well before using.

Oat milk is an excellent choice for individuals with lactose intolerance or those who are allergic to nuts, soy, or gluten. Environmentally, oat milk production has a lower environmental impact compared to dairy and other plant-based. This makes it a sustainable choice for eco-conscious consumers.

How to Make Oat Milk Less Slimy
Here are some tips to help you make smooth, non-slimy oat milk:

  1. Use Cold Water
    Blend the oats with cold water instead of warm or hot water. Warm water can cause the oats to release more starch, leading to a slimy texture.
  2. Avoid Over-Blending
    Blend the oats and water for a shorter duration, typically around 30 seconds. Over-blending can break down the oats too much, resulting in a slimier texture.
  3. Strain Thoroughly
    After blending, strain the oat milk through a fine-mesh sieve, cheesecloth, or a nut milk bag. This helps to remove excess oat particles that can contribute to a slimy consistency.
  4. Use Rolled Oats
    Opt for rolled oats instead of instant oats or steel-cut oats. Rolled oats tend to produce less slime because they have a more consistent texture.
  5. Chill Before Serving
    Chill the oat milk in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. This can help the milk settle and improve the texture.

By following these tips, you can enjoy smooth, non-slimy oat milk that’s perfect for drinking, adding to coffee, or using in recipes.

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Summer’s Sweetest Treat: Authentic Mango Sticky Rice Recipe

Mango Sticky Rice, known as “Khao Niew Mamuang” in Thai, is a beloved dessert that brings together the best of Thailand’s vibrant flavors and textures. This exquisite dish is a perfect blend of sweet, juicy mangoes, and rich, creamy coconut-infused sticky rice, creating a harmony of flavors that is both refreshing and indulgent.

The Perfect Mangoes
The key to a perfect Mango Sticky Rice lies in the mangoes. Ideally, you should use ripe, golden mangoes that are sweet and fragrant. These mangoes add a natural sweetness and a slight tartness that beautifully complements the rich, creamy rice. Look for mangoes that are soft to the touch but not mushy, ensuring they are at their peak ripeness.

The Creamy Coconut Sticky Rice
Sticky rice, also known as glutinous rice, is the foundation of this dessert. When cooked, it becomes tender yet retains a delightful chewiness that contrasts wonderfully with the smooth mango slices. The rice is soaked in a mixture of coconut milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt, giving it a luscious, creamy texture and a mildly sweet flavor. The coconut milk not only adds richness but also imparts a subtle, tropical aroma that elevates the dish.

Simple Yet Elegant Preparation
Despite its luxurious taste, Mango Sticky Rice is surprisingly simple to prepare. The sticky rice is cooked and then soaked in sweetened coconut milk until it absorbs all the creamy goodness. The mangoes are peeled, sliced, and arranged beautifully alongside the sticky rice. A drizzle of additional sweetened coconut milk over the top and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds or mung beans add the finishing touch.

A Visual and Culinary Feast
Mango Sticky Rice is not only a treat for the taste buds but also a feast for the eyes. The vibrant yellow of the mangoes paired with the pristine white sticky rice creates a visually stunning dish. This dessert is often served slightly warm, with the contrast between the cool mango and the warm, creamy rice providing a delightful eating experience.

Healthful Indulgence
While it’s undeniably a sweet treat, Mango Sticky Rice also offers some nutritional benefits. Mangoes are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as dietary fiber, while the coconut milk provides healthy fats. Sticky rice is a good source of energy, making this dessert both satisfying and nourishing.

Perfect for Any Occasion
Mango Sticky Rice is a versatile dessert that can be enjoyed on any occasion, from casual family meals to festive gatherings. Its unique combination of flavors and textures makes it a crowd-pleaser that will impress your guests and leave them craving more.

Mango Sticky Rice Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup sticky rice (soaked overnight)
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe mangoes
1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
Water (for steaming the rice)
Roasted sesame seeds (for garnish)

Instructions:

Soak the sticky rice overnight in water. Drain the soaked rice and place it in a steamer lined with muslin cloth.
Steam the rice for about 20-25 minutes, or until it is tender and fully cooked.

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of coconut milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the sugar is dissolved (about 3-4 minutes). Do not let it boil. Remove the coconut milk mixture from the heat. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture to make the coconut sauce.

Once the sticky rice is cooked, transfer it to a mixing bowl. Pour the remaining coconut milk mixture over the sticky rice while it’s still hot. Stir well to ensure the rice absorbs the coconut milk evenly. Cover and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

In a small saucepan, mix the reserved 1/4 cup of coconut milk with 1 teaspoon of cornflour (cornstarch). Stir until the cornflour is fully dissolved. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place a portion of the sticky rice on a serving plate. Drizzle the thickened coconut sauce over the rice. Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds. Cut the ripe mangoes into slices and arrange them next to the sticky rice.

Serve the mango sticky rice warm or at room temperature. Enjoy your delicious Mango Sticky Rice!

Give this Mango Sticky Rice recipe a try and transport yourself to a tropical paradise with every bite. It’s a simple, yet indulgent dessert that captures the essence of Thai cuisine and the tropical allure of fresh mangoes.

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Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes with Stewed Cinnamon Apples

I take breakfast very seriously. This is my favorite meal and I need a good start to the day. If you ask my family, what I specialize in, it would definitely be breakfast.

When it comes to pancakes, nothing beats Buttermilk Pancakes. Though classic American pancakes are made with milk but the secret ingredient to best, fluffy, moist & tender pancakes is buttermilk. Buttermilk when combined with baking soda and powder gives pancakes a nice lift making them fluffy and thick. Also, I love the slight tang it adds to the pancakes balancing the sweetness so well. 

These pancakes are good enough on their own but nothing compared to how wonderful they are when piled on gooey caramely stewed apples. This is what I call breakfast any time of the year! Mmmmm… time to dig in!

Recipe: makes approx 12 pancakes

Ingredients for pancakes: 

  • Flour: 2 cups (you can use All Purpose Flour, Wholewheat flour or a mix of both)
  • Buttermilk: 2 cups 
  • Eggs: 2 large, separated 
  • Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
  • Baking soda: 1 tsp
  • Baking powder: 1 tsp  
  • Oil for cooking
  • Salt: 1/4th tsp
  • Castor sugar: 2 tbsps
  • Unsalted Butter: 2 tbsps (melted and cooled)

For Apple Stew:

  • 2 large Apples (any apples will do)
  • 2 tbsps Unsalted Butter
  • 1/4th cup Brown Sugar or Jaggery powder
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
  • 3 tbsps Maple Syrup
  • A pinch of Nutmeg
  • 1 cup Water

Instructions for Pancakes: 

  • In a large bowl sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  • In a separate large bowl, add egg yolks & half the sugar. Whisk till sugar combines. Now add butter, buttermilk & vanilla extract. Mix till everything incorporates well.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches gently mixing each time. The batter at this stage will be thick & lumpy. Set aside
  • Now add the remaining sugar to egg whites and whip them till you get soft peaks. Do not go for stiff peaks. Soft peak is what we are looking at.
  • Very gently combine egg whites to the rest of the batter in 2 batches. Cut and fold gently. Do not over mix the batter or the pancakes will be flat. Use a light hand while mixing. Few flour streaks in the batter are absolutely fine.
  • Heat a non-stick skillet or a cast iron pan on a medium to low heat. Brush it with any non-fragrant oil. Allow the skillet to preheat for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the batter.
  • Scoop 1/3rd cup of the pancake batter into the pan. Allow it to cook till edges begin to appear cooked and top sets with bubbles forming on top. Using a spatula, flip the pancake and continue to cook the other side for 2 more minutes or until pancake is golden brown.
  • Repeat until all the batter is used. Keeping brushing the pan between each batch of pancakes.

For Apple stew:

  • Finely chop apples. Heat a pan to a medium heat.
  • Add butter and allow it to melt. Tip in apples, brown sugar or jaggery powder (I used jaggery powder), maple syrup, cinnamon powder, nutmeg & water. Give it a good mix. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil.
  • Once boiled, lower the heat, cover and cook apples for 10 minutes or till they become tender & mushy. If you want a thicker stew, mix 1/2 tsp of cornflour in 2 tbsps of cold water & add when the apples are perfectly cooked. Cook for 1 more minute after adding the cornflour.
  • When your pancakes are ready, serve it with warm apple stew topping and enjoy that perfect cozy breakfast.

Notes:

  1. Make sure you don’t over mix the batter. We don’t want to lose that whole fluffiness factor.
  2. Measuring your pancakes out into the pan is the best way to ensure you get uniform size of pancakes and they will take the same time to cook.
  3. You can store the topping for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. The leftover topping can be used for oatmeal, served with Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream, can be used to make apple muffins.
  4. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, then you can substitute buttermilk with 2 cups of milk mixed with a tsp of apple cider vinegar and kept aside for 5 minutes or till milk starts showing signs of curdling.
  5. If you are using wholewheat flour for this recipe, you might have to increase the amount of buttermilk. I would suggest you to slowly add more buttermilk till you get a thick but runny batter consistency.
  6. If the apples you are using have soft or mealy texture, it may take less time to cook. In that case reduce the water to 1/2 a cup at first. In case you need to add more water, gradually add a little.
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Homemade Traditional Coconut Ladoos- Make the juiciest ladoos with this recipe

In Indian tradition, Coconut ladoos or Nariyal ladoos are offered to God or deities during Hindu festivals. Eating homemade sweets that are traditionally prepared, especially during festivals, is a way to bring families together. Sweets prepared at home in the traditional way are wholesome and nourishing that are not going to affect your health or weight.

Unlike commercial sweets, homemade sweets give you a complete control over what you are going to add. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar is of the belief that, if you go completely off sugar, then it can increase cravings and make you switch to artificial sweeteners-which come with their share of side effects and health risks.

Thus you can have homemade sweets prepared with natural and quality ingredients, used in right quantity. Portion control and moderation is the key to everything.

Coconut ladoos are traditional sweet balls made primarily with coconut and a sweetener like sugar and jaggery. They are flavoured with cardamom. Some prefer adding nuts like cashews and almonds to it as well. These are traditionally made with milk, ghee and fresh coconut. However, there are other variations that use condensed milk or milk powder to reduce the cooking time and fresh coconut is replaced with store-bought desiccated coconut.  

In this recipe, we will be making traditional coconut ladoos with fresh coconut, unprocessed sugar, milk and ghee.

They come out absolutely delicious, juicy and soft and they are so easy to make. These ladoos taste best with freshly prepared desiccated coconut at home instead of store-bought desiccated coconut. Preparing desiccated coconut at home is super easy and will hardly take you 10 minutes to prepare it.

Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes 
Serving: 10 ladoos

Ingredients: cup measurements 250 ml

  1. Homemade Desiccated Coconut: 2 cups + 2 tbsps (refer below)
  2. Full cream milk: 1 1/4th cup
  3. Sugar: 1/2 cup
  4. Cardamom powder: 1/4th tsp
  5. Nuts (optional, I didn’t add any)
  6. Kesar strands for garnishing
  7. Ghee: 2 tbsps

Method

  • Heat a heavy bottom wok. Put ghee and coconut in it and roast for a minute. Keep stirring continuously on lowest flame. 
  • Now add milk and sugar. Mix well. The mixture at this point will be watery. Keep stirring and cook on lowest flame till milk completely evaporates. It’ll take roughly 25 minutes. 
  • Once the mixture thickens and gets a crumbly texture, add cardamom powder and chopped nuts if using. Mix well. 
  • Allow it to cool for couple of minutes. Now shape them into small balls. 
  • Put remaining desiccated coconut on a plate. Roll the laddoo over it till it coats well. 
  • Garnish it with kesar strands. 
  • Refrigerate it for atleast an hour or overnight to set.

How to make desiccated coconut at home with fresh coconut

  1. Peel the brown husk from the coconut. Either grate or finely chop it and shred it in a blender. Heat a heavy bottom wok. Put the grated/shredded coconut in it and roast on lowest flame, stirring continuously till moisture from coconut evaporates. It’ll take you anywhere between 7 to 10 minutes. 
  2. It’s done when you will feel that it has really gone light while stirring and separates easily from each other.

Notes:

  1. Sweetener: You can use a sweetener of your choice. If you can’t find raw unprocessed sugar, you can make this with jaggery as well.
  2. Flavour: Traditionally cardamom powder is used to flavour coconut ladoos. However, if you don’t want to add it, you can skip it as well. In winter, you can flavour it be adding dry ginger powder or nutmeg.
  3. Choosing Coconut: Though this recipe tastes best with fresh desiccated coconut but if you can’t find fresh coconut, you can use store-bought desiccated coconut. Make sure the desiccated coconut is raw and not steamed or frozen.
  4. Vegan Version: For vegan version skip, ghee and milk and instead add coconut oil and coconut milk to this recipe.