Amchur recipe - Sun dried raw mango slices - How to make amchur at home

Amchur recipe - Amchur is dried raw mango slices. Every year during mango season, I make amchur and store them to use throughout the year. It is used for bringing sour taste in the dish like dal, amtis, chutneys, fish curries and some other sabzis.

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Alsande palya recipe - Black eyed beans sabzi - Cowpea sabzi

Alsande palya recipe - Alsande palya is a traditional sabzi  of South Karnataka. Chapathi is our staple food. So I prepare different sabzis almost everyday. I made this black eyed beans palya for chapathi. It can also be served as a side dish along with rice and curry. 

The masala in this sabzi is mildly flavored with spices. Black eyed beans or alsande is low  fat and low calorie legume and very good sources of proteins, iron, potassium and fiber. Therefore sabzi made with black eyed beans are recommended  for vegetarians who require more proteins. 

Because of the high fiber in this dish it digests slowly and we feel full for a longer period. Being rich in fiber it controls the absorption of cholesterol in blood. Thus fiber helps to reduce the risk of heart disease. 

Iron is needed for a highly complex processes such as  oxygen  transportation all over the  body. Boiled alsande is used to prepare soup and salad. Friends, try out this palya  to have the authentic taste of Karnataka cuisine.

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Kande pohe recipe - How to make kande pohe

Kande pohe recipe - Sometimes, say it once in a week eating poha is fine with us. It is a regular weekly evening snack as it is very easy to prepare. Kande pohe if not prepare properly tastes bland. Therefore the taste needs to be balanced by adding proper amount of lemon juice, salt and sugar. I like to eat it with hot cup of coffee or tea. I always keep raw poha in stock. Raw poha is really handy, when suddenly some guests or friends arrive in the evening. In such a situation without any second thought, I make kande pohe with tea, coffee, milk shakes or juices. In this era of processed food poha has taken a back seat. It is really a delicious, healthy snack. A perfect evening snack for adults and kids.

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Mango pachadi recipe - Mavinakayi pachadi - Ambe pachadi

Mango pachadi recipe - Raw mango pachadi, chutney and panna are prepared in all the house holds during mango season. The combination of raw mango, chilly powder and salt makes the pickle very tangy and mouthwatering. The shelf life of this pickle is less. It can be used for a week by keeping it in the refrigerator.

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Lauki ka halwa recipe - Gardudde halwa - Dudhi halwa

Lauki ka halwa recipe - Lauki ka halwa is a very popular  Indian sweet dish prepared with bottle gourd, ghee, sugar and flavored with cardamoms.  Bottle gourd is not liked by many, but I am sure this dish will be liked by everyone. 

Lauki is also known as  white gourd, bottle gourd, dudhi, ghiya, sorekayi and gardudde. It is a light vegetable with mild flavour. Fresh bottle gourds are easily available in  Indian markets throughout the year. 

I make this halwa often. Its a hassle-free sweet dish which can be made in a jiffy with few ingredients. Though this is a sweet dish its healthy one and to make it more healthier and to keep the nutrition intact, I cooked the grated bottle gourd in pressure cooker and then sauted with ghee.

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Fresh rajma masala recipe - How to make fresh rajma masala

Fresh rajma masala recipe  - When I saw fresh rajma beans in the local vegetable market, I could not stop myself from buying it. It is my elder son's favorite vegetable. With it I made rajma masala. It was delicious. Rajma is good source of incomplete protein. Vegetable proteins found in rajma and other legumes are considered as incomplete proteins because they do not have some essential amino acids. 

Animal proteins found in food such as chicken, mutton, fish, milk, cheese, eggs are considered as good sources of complete proteins. They are complete proteins because they contain good amount of all essential amino acids. Our body cannot produce 9 essential amino acids. That should be obtained  from food. 

Grains such as wheat, brown rice etc. are rich in complex carbohydrate and fibre and can be an excellent source of protein. Grains and legumes are good sources of complementary proteins. Complementary proteins are when two incomplete proteins food are combined together to get a complete protein. Thus rice with  beans, oatmeal with milk, macaroni with cheese, peanut butter with whole wheat bread etc.make a meal with complete protein.

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Mango panna recipe - Aam ka panna

Mango panna recipe - Mango panna is a delicious drink of Maharashtra prepared with raw mangoes and sugar. Small amount of cardamom powder makes it flavorful. Peeper powder adds an extra flavor and it is totally optional. It is a healthy drink if compared to the bottled drink. Mango panna is my family favorite. Like every year this year also I made it several times. Now I am sharing the recipe with you all. This sweet and tangy mango panna was delicious.

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Cucumber raita recipe - How to make cucumber raita

Cucumber raita recipe - Keep your system as cool as cucumber by eating refreshing chilled cucumber raita. I often make raita and salad with cucumber and other vegetables since summer has started.  The goodness of yogurt with the cucumber makes this raita refreshing and healthy. It also cools our system. Cucumber is low in calories, therefore persons who wish to reduce weight, eat raw cucumber. Note that to keep the nutrition intact,  peel and chop the washed cucumber just before the use.

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Rava chana dal kheer recipe - Semolina gram dal kheer

Rava chana dal kheer recipe - Today is Akshay Tritiya. Happy and prosperous Akshay Tritiya to you all.  Akshay Tritiya is an auspicious day, which is celebrated in India. Akshay means something that never reduces. I have taken inspiration from this word to name my blog Akshaypatre.  Patre means vessel. On this day many people purchase gold. I prepared this  kheer to celebrate the holy occasion of  Akshay Tritiya. The speciality of this kheer is after eating it you do not feel like to eat anything else. The kheer itself is a complete meal. Both rava and chana dal are enough to fill the stomach.

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Surmai or king fish fry recipe - Iswan fry - Fish fry with red masala paste

Surmai fish fry recipe - This shallow fried fish with tangy and hot combination of the masala  is simply wonderful and above all it is simple and easy to make. This is one of my most favorite fish fry recipes. The reason I like fish fry so much  because it  not only tastes great but healthy  too. Fish is rich in Proteins.  It is commonly known fact that protein rich food are body building  food. We need protein throughout the life to repair and mantain the tissues. Protein is the major component in the growth of muscles, skin, enzymes, hair, eyes and other organs. In general, protein found in fish is considered as good source of complete protein. Therefore eating fish in various form is beneficial to our good health. Try and enjoy this healthy fish fry.

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Mandakki susla recipe - Puffed rice susla - Churmuri susla

Mandakki susla recipe -  Susla is nothing but upma prepared with soaked puffed rice and I made it as evening  teatime snack. It is very simple to make and easy on stomach. Though it is simple, it is full of carbohydrates, which we need for our energy. Kids are more active than adults and they need energy packed food. They may find it energy booster as it is rich in carbohydrate. It is more beneficial  when eaten along with a glass of hot milk or lassi.

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Drakshi sharbat recipe - How to make grapes sharbat

Drakshi sharbat recipe - Green grape sharbat, another thirst quencher, refresher and energy booster in the hot summer. It is made of green grapes, sugar, salt and lemon juice along with chilled drinking water. Grapes contain vitamin-C, vitamin A, iron, phosphorus and some amount of  vitamin B-Complex etc. This sharbat is healthier as it does not have any preservatives compared to other aerated drinks. Lemon juice is added to get the desired tanginess. 

Thus we get the required amount of vitamin c, as lemon is good source of vitamin c. After a stressful work, when the sharbat  is sipped slowly, it cools throat and stomach. It has thanda thanda, cool cool effect. 

A great refreshing drink to small kids, after their play. Now the question is, do we really get all the nutrients of grapes in this sharbat?  No, not at all. The reason is some of the vitamins and minerals are slowly lost when exposed to water, air and heat. Being soluble in water, some amount of  vitamin C and vitamin B are lost in the process, while making such sharbats. But squeezing lemon juice in the sharbat just before serving and drinking it immediately is proved beneficial. It is more beneficial  when the fruit is eaten in its natural form.

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