❌

Normal view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.
Before yesterdayMain stream

Baked root vegetables

18 September 2025 at 00:08
baked root vegetables
Why would you skip a platterful of colourful vegetables, that are a perfect side, salad or morning hash? Enjoy the starchy bites of roasted goodness.
It is a small respite from the numerous Indian festivals and the chill in the air is still hanging around. Therefore a perfect time to get that platter or baked root vegetables out. I like baked root vegetables a bit more than pan roasted ones for the following reasons
  • They are one pot so much less effort.
  • The starchier sweetness improves your baking adding a ton more cozy feeling.
  • When I bake my kitchen is warm at the same time.
  • It is a recipe that you can do as a big batch with minimal prep and have all week long in the fridge.
  • It pairs well with pasta, rice or any grains,can be rolled as wraps or made into a salad.

Ingredients for baked root vegetables.

The vegetables: the baked vegetable tray is one recipe that allows you so much flexibility in terms of what you can have. You can make it as colourful as you like or as monochrome as you prefer. Here is a list of vegetables I like to throw into the tray.

  • Sweet potatoes
  • Carrot
  • Turnip
  • Potato
  • Radish
  • Swedes
  • Beetroot

For roasting: Olive oil, salt and herbs are the ones that work. The herbs I have chosen is rosemary and oregano. You can use thyme or basil as well.Β 

Lets make baked root vegetables

The baked vegetables is the best use of a roasting tray.

Prep the vegetables: choose starchy tough vegetables to start with. Wash thoroughly. Cut them into big chunks or dices as you prefer. Keep the beets separately. The carrots, potato sweet potato, radish, parsnip, swedes, turnip can all go together.

Coat them in flavours. Since the vegetables are going to be soft and bland, it is best to coat them with flavours. Sprinkle salt, pepper abd drizzle oil and toss them well. For flavours I prefer to add fresh study herbs that just dont burn away. Rosemary, oregano and thyme are my first choice. Go with what feels natural to you. You can replace the pepper with chilli flakes if you like the heat. Lets the vegetable mix sit while you preheat the oven
Ensure that the beets are coated and kept separate.

Bake: preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Place the vegetables on a roasting tray. Spread them out evenly. Poke in pieces of beets into the gaps so they cook along. Roast the vegetables for 35 to 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius on heat both from up and down. Half way through the time, flip the vegetables over to ensure even roasting. After about 35 minutes the vegetables will be ready and fork tender. Remove from heat and direct to the table. Or cool and proceed for storage.

baked vegetables

Meal prep and storage

The baked root vegetables are wonderful to add bulk to any meal or in the lunch box.

Is this a vegan recipe?

Baked root vegetable is an excellent vegan platter. It is filling, a mix of good healthy fibre and carbs and perfect for any vegan meal.

How to make baked root vegetables into a salad?

Once you have the baked veggies in meal prep you can have a hearty salad with it. For the dressing I prepare a generous mix of lemon and lime juice with some pepper and salt. Then you need some freshness. Chop up some tomatoes, a cucumber and handful of oregano, mint and parsley. Add all this into the mixing bowl with double the quantity of baked vegetables. Pour the dressing over it. Toss well and serve immediately. They are great sides to meals and double up as salads. You can add a bunch to your breakfasts to as hash.

How do you ensure the beets don’t leech the colour all over?

There are a couple of ways you can achieve this. If you peel chop and place the beets separately, then place them on the tray to bake it will have zero leaching.
Another method is to ensure you add the beets right at the end, a quick toss in the oil and salt and straight into the oven.

Print

Baked root vegetables

Course Main Dish
Cuisine Baking, gluten free, Vegan
Keyword pot luck recipes, vegetarian barbecue, Winter warmers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

Equipment

  • baking trays
  • Cutting board
  • Knife

Ingredients

  • 3 medium sized carrots
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 turnip
  • 1 swedes
  • 1 large beetroot
  • 1 medium sized potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 5-7 leaves oregano

Instructions

  • Wash, peel and cut the vegetables into big chunks.
  • Add them to the baking tray.
  • Tuck in rosemary and oregano.
  • Spinkle salt and drizzle oilve oil and massage it in.
  • Preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
  • Place the tray in the oven to bake.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • About 15 minutes in turn the vegetables for even baking.
  • After 30 minutes, check if the vegetables are fork tender.
  • The vegetables are then ready to be served.

Other baked recipes from us that make a good mealprep

Baked whole cauliflower

Dried peas nuggets

Baked veggie sheek kebabs

Paneer puffs

Stay connected

Hope you enjoy making this batch of low effort baked root vegetables. When you make your batch using this recipe, do share your thoughts and improvements in the comments below.
Pin this for later.
Stay subscribed see you in the next post.Β 

baked root vegetables

Sadhya olan | gourds and cowpea stew

15 September 2025 at 06:37
Kerala sadhya recipe

The banana leaf sadhya made for Onam, Vishu or any of the Kerala festivals has an array of side dishes that are served on the top half of the leaf. Some of these we have posted earlier
Aviyal
Thoran
Pachadi
Kichadi
Erisherry
Mango pickle
However, the mildest, creamy yet simple olan is missed if it is not on the leaf. Have you made it?

What is olan?

Olan is a slow cooked stew made with gourds cooked in coconut milk. It is a mild creamy curry that predominantly uses ashgourd and pumpkins. Depending on regional variations you will find yard long green beans (payar) or cooked cowpeas added to it. It is flavoured gently with salt,curry leaves and slit greenΒ  chillies. Unlike a lot of Kerala dishes it doesn’t have a mustard tempering, rather a good tablespoon of pure coconut oil stirred in as soon as it is removed from the heat for that roundeness and fragrance you experience.

How is sadhya olan different from regular olan?

If you are familiar with Kerala recipes, you will know that olan is one that is probably the least made in most houses. This is because the regular olan is a runny curry with less complex flavours. HoweverΒ  the sadhya olan with the creaminess from the coconut milk and the cooked cowpeas is a thicker version which never runs. Though mild it has a well flavoured along with the semi mashed vegetables. The key to making the sadhya style olan is managing the liquid content.

sadhya olan

Ingredients to make olan

Vegetables: since this is a mild stew with gourds and pumpkins, so they make the bulk of this recipe. the withte fleshed wintermelon ( elavan) is preferred over the giant ash gourds. The pumpkin adds a it of colour and sweetness. if you cant get the wintermelon, bottle gourd, watermelon peel or chayote work well too.
Bean: the creamy composition works because of the earthy flavours from the cooked cowpeas. Cowpeas have an earthy flavour and are perfect for this mild recipe.
Coconut milk: coconut milk is the cooking liquid here. At first the this cococnut milk is used to cook the gourds in. At the final stages, string the thick coconut milk or coconut cream. this ensures that the final result is thick olan and it is creamy.
Seasoning: Salt is the only seasoning here.
Spices: this is a mild stew and uses no spices. The single green chilli added is for fragrance, not heat. This is opional.
Oil: the final roundedness of the recipe comes from half tsp of coconut oil stirred in at the end. This is an optional step, but brings the flavour exactly like the one in the sadhya.

Mealprep this mild gourd stew

The gourd stew or olan is a great recipe to mealplan. It stays good for a few days under refrigeration. They do freeze good, but not great. The gourds do go a bit limp upon thawing the frozen one. So add it to your mealprep not much to your freezer list.

What pairs well with sadhya olan?

Sadhya olan is a great accompaniment to the banana leaf meal or a South Indian thali. It pairs well with idiyappam (string hoppers), steamed breads or chappathi. In a great rush week, Olan is perfect with some toasts or just as such warmed in a bowl resembling a chunky soup.

Lets make Sadhya Olan

Print

Sadhya Olan

Course Side Dish
Cuisine diabetic friendly, Kerala, South indian
Keyword curry recipes, Indian vegetarian dinner, Kerala recipes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
to prep and cook cowpeas 6 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 7 hours
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 Kadai Thick bottomed wok
  • 1 Pressure cooker

Ingredients

for cooking cowpeas

  • 3 tbsp cowpeas
  • 2 cups drinking water

for cooking the curry

  • 250 gram wintermelon Ash gourd
  • 100 gram pumpkin
  • salt to taste
  • 1 medium green chilli
  • 5 curry leaves
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk thinned out, see notes above.

To finish the olan

  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp coconut cream

Instructions

To cook the cowpeas

  • Wash and soak the cowpeas for 6 hours or overnight.
  • Drain and add fresh water.
  • Pressure cook the cowpeas for 10 minutes in high pressure. Release the pressure naturally.
  • Drain the cooked cowpeas and save the cooking liquid.

to make the olan

  • Wash and peel the ashgourd ( winter melon) and pumpkin.
  • Slice into 1inch slices.
  • Add to the khadai, with a slit green chilli, salt and curry leaves.
  • Mix the coconut milk with a bit of water to thin it out. Don't add a lot of water as the winter melon and pumpkin will leech a lot of water when cooking.
  • Add this to the khadai. mix well.
  • Set his to cook on a low heat. cover and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Open the lid, mix well and add the drained cow peas.
  • Slow cook it till the liquid is absorbed well, You can mash the cowpeas a bit as they cook
  • Stir in the coconut cream and coconut oil.
  • Remove off the heat. Cover and keep for 10 minutes
  • The olan is ready to be served.

Stay connected

Hope you had a great Onasadhya. If you are looking for the best organizational tips to make sadhya, do check out our post
Guide to Sadhya.
When you make this olan recipe, do share your thoughts in the discussion below. We would love to hear from you.Β  If you like to share or save this recipe, here is the pin link.

Sadhya olan pin for later.

See you in the next post.

Kerala sadhya olan

Apple almond kheer

20 August 2025 at 19:16
apple almond kheer

Apple almond kheer is a delightful no sugar added Indian style dessert fit for any festival. Flavoured and thickened with almond flour it is a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for beginners.

I amΒ  not good when it comes to viral recipe trials. By the time I decide buy the ingredients and try it, the trend is over!
Clearly,it needs much more devotion and promptness. So that is an area we shall leave it to the enthusiastic experts. However there is one recipe I have been wanting to try and was waiting for the apple season to come. Enjoy my version of the apple kheer with no added sugar.Β 

What is apple kheer?

Made with full fat milk that’s slow cooks rice grits,Β  kheer is a must tryΒ  dessert. This is traditionally served in festivalsΒ  and grand IndianΒ  weddings. We have added a whole collection of kheer in our post- Payasam pathaman and kheer
Apple kheer a fusion dessertΒ  that embodies the idea of a kheer but has apples and almond flour to flavour and thicken. It is not a super sweet version , rather one to share at dinners or home gatherings.

Is this diabetic friendly apple kheer?

I make this with no added sugar or sweetener, just the sweetness from the apples making it a bit more on the diabetic friendly Indian dessert side. Please be aware that the apples are sweet enough, so moderate the portion size.

Ingredients to make almond apple kheer

Apple: crunchy sweet apples are the base flavour for this kheer. Personally, I like pink lady or red apples to make this kheer. I would avoid tart green apples as they can be too sour and may split the milk.

Butter or ghee:To kick off the caramelization and the colour on the apples, unsalted bautter or a small amount of ghee is helpful.You can use coconut oil if you are making it vegan.Β 

Almond flour: the almond flour gives a rabdi like feeling to the kheer. I use the blanched almond flour. If you don’t have these you can grind a few almonds or soak them and grind with the milk. Instead of almonds you can used any nuts of your preference like cashews, pistachios. Melon seeds or puffed makhana(lily seeds) powder also taste good and thicken the kheer easily.

Milk: full cream milk is best suited for this recipe. It has the right consistency and doesn’t easily split the milk when adding the sauteed apples. I would avoid almond milk to make this kheer among the plant based ones as it easily splits. You could use coconut or soy as well.

Sweetener: I have actually not added any in this recipe as the apples were super sweet and we like a mild sweetness for our kheer. You can add sugar as the milk boils. If adding jaggery syrup or maple syrup add it after you remove from heat. Alternatively date paste will be lovely in this kheer.

Spices: the common sweet spices used in Indian desserts are saffron and cardamom. I have used a few strands of saffron and powdered cardamom to finish the recipe.

almond apple kheer

Let’s make almond apple kheer

It does take a few steps to make this kheer, however, it is not a hard recipe to follow some absolutely recommend beginners to try it.

To prep the Apple: the Apple can be chopped like I have done or grated to have a smoother kheer. It is optional to peel the apple as this will be all about mouth feel. I leave the peels in as it gives a good bite.Β Once prepped add the apples to a pan with a touch of unsalted butter. On a low heat let this mix cook down and caramelize. Ensure that this is a low heat process. You can cover the apples for a minute if you feel they are dry. This captures the water from the juices allowing the apples to steam.

Boil the milk: in a separate sauce pan,Β  boil the milk. As it bubbles and boils, stir in the almond flour.
Thicken the milk the almond flour is the thickening agent. When the milk has started boiling and rising a bit, lower the heat to a simmer. Sprinkle the almond flour on the boiling milk. Stir well ensuring it is lump free. Let this cook down for about 5 to 6 minutes with stirring in between.

Add the apples: add the cooked apples into the mix and mix well. You can take off the heat at this point.

Flavouring the kheer: sprinkle cardamom powder and a few kesar strands and mix well.Β  At this stage my kheer is done. If you prefer to add sugar or jaggery syrup do so at this stage and mix well.

Print

Apple almond kheer

Apple almond kheer is a delightful no sugar added Indian style dessert fit for any festival. Flavoured and thickened with almond flour it is a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for beginners.
Course Desserts
Cuisine Indian
Keyword almond flour recipes, easy Indian sweets, festival offerings, Ganesh chaturthi recipes, Indian desserts
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • saucepan
  • frying pan

Ingredients

to caramelize the apples

  • 2 medium apples sweet variety
  • 1 tsp ghee

to make the kheer

  • 3 cups milk
  • 2 tbsp almond flour.
  • 1 small green cardamom
  • 2-3 strands saffron

Instructions

  • Wash and chop the apples into small bits ( or grate them).
  • Add these into a frying pan along with a tsp of ghee.
  • Set this on a low heat and let this slowly cook and caramelize.
  • Saute this a few minutes once so it does not catch the bottom.
  • Into the saucepan add the milk and boil on a low heat.
  • Once it bubble up and boils stir in the almond flour with now lump and let this cook down on a simmer.
  • Add the cardamom and saffron at this stage.
  • When the almond flour swells and reaches a rabdi consistency, add the caramelized apples and remove from heat.
  • Mix well and let the kheer sit for 10 minutes.
  • You can serve the warm kheer at this point or cool and chill for later.

Is this a vegan kheer?

If you are using plant based milks the recipe can easily be turned vegan. Coconut milk or soy tastes good. For sauteeing and caramelizing the butter, coconut oil is best.Β 

Can we make this with other fruits?

Of courseΒ  you can change the fruits to make a variety of kheer. Mango ,jackfruit or plantain banana will be my first choice.
You can try dates and dried figs too. When using sweet dry fruits adjust the sugar accordingly.

Other quick try kheers

Sabudhana kheer
Sweet potato kheer
Mothichoor ladoo kheer
Rajgira kheer
Manipuri black rice kheer

Stay connected

When you try out this almond apple kheer, let us know in comments how much you liked it. Share it with family and friends.
Pin this link from here
See you in the next post

apple kheer

Bharwan baingan | Peanut stuffed eggplant

9 August 2025 at 17:56
Stuffed eggplants

The moment you place a plate of stuffed vegetables feel so much more special that just stir frying.
This is the magic of bharwan. It is not vegetable specific and can be seen in most dominant cuisine styles.
In Indian recipes as well you will come across a large number of vegetables served as roasted or curries with stuffed produce. Okra, capsicum, bottlegourd, eggplants, chillies, bittermelon, lemons,Β  mushrooms, you name it, there will be a lipsmacking stuffed version of it.
Thats when we got these baby brinjals!!Β That too farmfresh baby brinjal (eggplant) spotted in the market deserves a wholesome approach. Here is my version of the tastiest stuffed baby eggplant.

What is a brinjal?

Brinjal, eggplants and aubergine are all the same.

The fruits of Solanum melongena is a sturdy shrub that grows easily. The fruits come in various shapes and colours. Some are deep purple and large and used for roasting. Some green or varigated, some elongated like a zucchini and some round like a little ball. The flavor profile is nearly the same. All can be roasted, boiled or grilled and rarely eaten raw.

Here are some recipes we have previously tried with eggplants.
Kashmir doudh wagun
Kerala vazhuthananga mezhukkuperatti
Srilankan wambat moju
Chettinad kathrikka podi varuval

Ingredients to make this peanut masala stuffed brinjals

Unlike the popular dry masala stuffed baingan recipe, this is one that uses fresh ground pastes and roasted peanuts. This makes the eggplants succulent ans keepsΒ theΒ moisture as it roasts.

Brinjal: since eggplants come in various sizes for this recipe what you need is small baby oval or rounded eggplants. The colour or variety is up to you it can be purple, variegated or the white variety. While coosing the eggplants for this recipe, ensure that they are all even sized so you can get them cooked evenly.

Peanut: roasted peanuts form the bulk of the filling.this not only gives the nutty creaminess but also makes this recipe much more nutritious. You can use peeled peanuts of keep in the skin on. Peanut butter is not suitable becoz of the oil content.Β 

Onion: the red onion provides the base masala flavour.Usually I prefer this and a smooth paste so it is easier to stuff the eggplant. You can choose shallots or white onions to make the same. Shallots will be a bit sweeter.

Fresh masala base: the true flavour of the recipe comes from the fresh pastes that are made. This is a combination of fresh ginger root, garlic and green chillies. When made a paste together, they create fresh and robust flavour paste. This combined with the peanuts make the stuffing so tasty.

Lemon juice: the final splash of Lemon juice once the recipe is done provides a summery freshness to the recipe. You can have lime, lemon or tart orange juice to make this shine.

eggplants with stuffing
Lets make bharwan baingan

The recipe is a bit of work between prepping the brinjals and making the masala paste. However, once that part is completed, it is fairly a easy process. Check the notes below so you can actually make it in larger quantities for meal prep.Β 

Print

Peanut masala stuffed eggplants

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Keyword Indian vegetarian dinner, Lunch recipes, stuffed recipes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 0

Equipment

  • frying pan
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • Knife

Ingredients

  • 20 small eggplant

for the onion paste

  • 2 medium red onion

for the fresh masala paste

  • 1 inch fresh ginger root
  • 3 medium green chilli serrano
  • 5-6 cloves garlic peeled
  • salt to taste you can adjust later after mixing the peanuts.

for the peanut base

  • 1 cup peanuts roasted and crushed

For roasting

  • 4-6 tbsp cooking oil use as necessary.

Instructions

  • Crush the roasted peanuts to a coarse blend and set it aside.
  • Make a fresh paste of green chillies, garlic and ginger and set this aside.
  • Mince or coarse grind the onions and set this aside.
  • Wash and remove the stalk of the baby eggplants.
  • Slit them lengthwise in two perpendicular strokes, still keeping them intact at the base.
  • Mix together the peanuts, the fresh masala paste and the onion paste to make the stuffing.
  • Check and adjust the salt. Add a pinch higher as this flavours the eggplants too.
  • Stuff this mix into the eggplants.
  • Heat the frying pan on medium and brush oil on the pan.
  • Place the stuffed eggplants in the pan as it heats up.
  • Turn and roast till all sides are seared.
  • Lower the heat and cover the pan to allow the eggplants to cook.
  • After 5- minutes open the pan and spray some oil on the eggplants.
  • Slow roast the eggplants, constantly turning them.
  • once the eggplants are ready the are a bit squishy, still hold shape.
  • Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy.

Mealprep the stuffed brinjal

Stuffed brinjal stays good in the refrigertor for up to a week, so we highly recommend this recipe to add to your meal prep. Though it takes a bit of time, if you have a large quantity of eggplants, do not hesitate to make a big batch and freeze for later. Complete the roasting process and cool before freezing. In this way, eggplants wont leach and the result when you thaw it back up is as good as the fresh ones. Freeze as a single layer first and then store them in a container. This ensures they do not stick to each other.Β 

Collaboration

As bloggers we always draw inspiration and ideas from each other and support in the growth and enthusiasm. This time in the Shh cooking secretly group we are exploring stuffed vegetables recipes which have such a huge variety to offer.Check just one more, stuffed capsicum from The mad scientist kitchen.

Stay connected

Stuffed brinjal recipes are a favorite for us in our house. When you try this version of peanut filled, stuffed eggplants do let us know how you liked this recipe in the comments below. The recipe my sound similar to Bharali vangi, however is far different in flavour.Β 

We would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Pin this for later.

See you in the next post.

Masala stuffed eggplants

Okoy | Filipino mixed vegetable fritters and sweet vinegar dipping sauce

13 July 2025 at 17:00
Mixed veg fritter
Turn your ordinary fritters into something amazing the way the Filipinos make it. Try this okoy recipe loaded with veggies and the sweet vinegar dipping sauce ( pink vinegar sauce) to go with it.
When we were living in the Philippines, my son went to a kindy and learnt a children’s song.
The β€œβ€ Bahay kobo song” that every kid knows in Tagalog. It is a song about a village house surrounded by vegetables and fruits.Β  The song was more beneficial for me than to him as I could navigate the veggie open market, on my own, with this song and knowing a few numbers to calculate the prices. I felt less alien and more like I belong. Little did people near me know that i was humming this song on repeat so I knew what to ask for.
Following learning this song, i learnt to make the street food okoy from the kindy mums.Β  Filled with a lot of vegetables the fritter is crisp flat and always hits the right notes.Β  The song always felt right with the okoy always and is a lovely memory of the kids growing up.

What is okoy?

The veggie loaded Filipino style fritters is called okoy or ukoy. Classic okoy is made with shrimps, however the pumpkin or vegetable version is equally popular. Made with rice flour the street style snack is gluten free, vegan and nut free.Β  It can hide a lot of finely shredded vegetables and hence is a perfect recipe for hidden veggies fritter. It is usually served with a sweet pink vinegar based dipping sauce that balances out the deep fried effect.Β 

Ingredients to make Filipino fritters

The filipinoΒ  fritter doesn’t look like it hides a lot, but the flavour is partly from this deception. the Main flavour come from the vegetable mix you choose.
Vegetable mix:this is where you literally get to play god. As long as you have some starchy veggies to hold everything together, you can literally add any vegetable to this mix. I like cabbage, pumpkin,carrot, shallots in this recipe. You can add sweet potato, capsicum, potato, beans, corn, kohlrabi and any Asian greens you like.Β  So feel free to vary based on what you have. Here is what I will avoid in this mix cucumbers, tomato,Β  bottle gourd and winter melons are not suitable as they make the batter too runny.
Glutinous rice flour: also known as sticky rice flour or sweet rice flour, is a high starch content flour used in Asian cooking.Β  i use the flour to vegetable mix ratio as 1: 1. For every cup of grated vegetable use 1 cup of glutinous rice flour. You can use all-purpose flour instead of rice flour. A table spoon of cornflourΒ  with the all purpose flour makes the fritters crisp. Otherwise the fritter goes limp pretty fast.
Seasoning:not much of spices are added to this recipe. It is usually just salt and pepper that is added.
Oil: peanut oil or vegetable oil id used for frying the fritters this is just based on your preferences. For the authentic flavors peanut oil is the best.

Ingredients the make pink vinegar dipping sauce

Vinegar: the dipping sauce with plain cooking vinegar cuts through the deep fried fritter and make the dipping sauce an excellent combo. You can make it with cooking white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Onion: the red onion when soaked in the vinegar provides a pink hue to the dipping sauce. This is why the red one is preferred. If you don’t haveΒ  itΒ  yellow brown onion will do just fine.
Sugar: the dipping sauce is made sweeter than usual by stirring in some sugar. Though it feels odd the combination tastes good with the fried fritter.
Salt: salt balances the sauce flavours. General table salt will provide the necessary flavour.
okoy fritter
Lets make sweet dipping vinegar
  • The pink colour takes a few minutes to seep in so I prefer making the dipping sauce first.
  • The pink dipping sauce is so easy to make.
  • Finely chop the red onion and add it to a bowl, add the vinegar, salt and sugar.
  • Stir well and set it aside for 10 minutes.
Now, let’s make the okoy fritters
  • I have used cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, a small capsicum that grew in the garden to make this recipe.
  • Grate these so that they make aΒ  easy mix and cook evenly.
  • Add these into the mixing bowl. Use 1:1 ratio of glutinous flour to vegetable grated.
  • Add the flour, salt and crushed black pepper.
  • Mix this well and set aside for 10 minutes. do not add any water as the vegetables will provide enough moisture.
  • Heat oil in a pan . Once oil is hot, lower the heat to medium.
  • Scoop and shape the batter in to flatΒ  and as far as round you can. Then gently place in the oil. Let this cook on on side and gently flip to the other side.
  • Once both sides are golden and crispy, remove and drain from oil.
  • The okoy is ready to have.

Meal prep the okoy

Okoy is a favorite in the lunch boxes and as after school snacks. So,Β  yes we meal prep them. Once you make them cool them well and store in tight lidded boxes. This will ensure they don’t go soggy. Store them in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheatΒ  them I prefer a flat pan or the toaster. This keeps them crisp and not go soft.
Print

Okoy

Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Filipino
Keyword fritters, Lunch recipes, pot luck recipes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • frying pan
  • grater
  • mixing bowls and spoons.

Ingredients

for the batter

  • 4 cups mixed vegetable grated ( I have used carrot, cabbage, pumpkin and sweet potato)
  • 1 cup glutinous rice flour
  • 2 tbsp scallions chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper

for frying

  • 1 cup cooking oil

for the sweet vinegar dipping sauce

  • 1/2 cup vinegar distilled
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 medium green chilli
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • salt to taste use a little at a time

Instructions

For the sweet vinegar dipping sauce

  • Peel, wash an finely chop the onion and chillies.
  • Add this into a mixing bowl, with vinegar, salt, sugar and the chillies.
  • Set this aside for the pink colour of the onions to infuse.
  • If keeping for longer, store in the fridge in a tight jar.

For the filipino fritter dough

  • Peel and grate carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato.
  • Grate the cabbages and add to the mixing bowl.
  • Chop the scallions and add to the mix.
  • Add the rice flour, salt and pepper to this mix.
  • Mix well and set it aside.

For frying the okoy

  • Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
  • Scoop a bit of the batter and place in the warm oil.
  • Gently flatten the surface.
  • Once the sizzling slows down, flip over and cook the other side as well.
  • Once it crisps up, remove from oil.
  • Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Other recipes from the Filipino cuisine

We have not written about a lot of recipes from the Philippines. Here is a couple we have posted.
Pancit bihon
Ampalaya salad

Stay connected

Hope you enjoy making this comforting but unique street style Filipino recipe. Initially it is hard to understand how the vinegar is the best combo till you actually try it. The veggie loaded bite is perfectly balanced by the acidic sweetness of the dipping sauce.Β 
We enjoy having these a lot and take some in a lunch boxes.Β 
Share with us in the comments if you enjoyed making okoy in the comments below.
Pin this for later
Stay subscribed and see you in the next post.

Pumpkin and soft tofu broth

15 May 2025 at 19:54
tofu pumpkin soup

Enjoy sipping this warm broth with pumpkin and soft tofu through winter months or as you recover.

Ever since her braces the tooth sensitivities are high and my daughter looks for something fillingΒ  yet soothing. That’s when we devised this soft tofu and pumpkin broth soup that has been a winner.
Served warm, the soup has a lot of liquid and soft cooked pumpkin pieces. The soft tofu can be added chunky or broken down to form more of an egg drop soup consistency. This is a bowl of pure comfort and nourishment at the same time. It is a beginner recipe that is needs a chopping board, knife and a cooking pot only. It is,

  • low calorie
  • gluten free
  • devoid of nuts
  • dairy free.

Ingredients for the pumpkin soft tofu soup

Pumpkin: the chunks of pumpkin give the body to this soup. Any variety is fine as long as they soften when cooked. I like the Japanese variety somehow as it has a smoother mouth feel. It is perfectly OK to swap this to butternut squash as well .

Soft tofu : this is the softness and the uniqueness of this soup. When cooked,the soft tofu assumes a soft jelly like texture. It cannot be swapped for firm tofu as it feels clunky. So no swaps please on the soft tofu.

Seasonings: Salt and pepper is plenty to right make this soup good. Yet I have a secret ingredient you should try.

Dried mushroom powder: This brings forth a soothing umami flavours to the dish. I choose the powder as at the moment my daughter finds it difficult to chew. If not you can add a few chopped pieces of shitake or brown Swiss. I would totally avoid enoki as it will make the soup a bit slimy and with the soft tofu it us not a great mouthfeel.

Broth : to be clear,Β  I cook the soup in water. However you will get a much more depth of flavour if you use a vegetable broth. If using the broth be mindful not to add salt till you have tested the salt levels.

Herbs: you can finish off this soup with herbs if you like. You can add chopped coriander leaves, chives or scallions.

pumpkin tofu broth

Let’s make pumpkin soft tofu soup

This will be one of the easiest ways you will make a soup.

Prep the pumpkin: this is probably the most time consuming process in this whole recipe. Peel and chop the pumpkin into chunks. You can dice smaller if you like. Frozen pumpkin cubes work well too.

Cook the pumpkin in broth: into a cooking pot add the broth (or water) and the pumpkin cubes. Cover and cook till the pumpkin is soft and mashable.

Add the soft tofu: remove the block of tofu from the packaging. Cut them into cubes. once the pumpkin is cooked add the tofu into the soup. Simmer and cook for 5 minutes till the tofu steams well. Instead of cubes you can crush the tofu and add. This soup will resemble the egg drop soup.

Season and serve: adjust the salt and sprinkle some pepper into the soup and remove from heat. The soup is ready to be served. Serve warm.

Variations to the soup.

At times we like to spice it up a bit with this soup, so a teaspoon of sambal chilli paste or Thai curry paste into the broth adds a ton of flavour and a variation from the regular.

Likewise, along with the pumpkin, you can add any vegetable you choose. This adds a bit more variety to this broth. You could try zucchini, broccoli, cabbage or winter melon will be good in the recipe.

Meal prep and lunch boxes

The soup broth definitely tastes the best when warm. However, it can be prepared ahead. It stays good for up to 3 days. I wont recommend freezing the soup as it is nit worth that effort.

Print

pumpkin tofu broth

Course Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword easy soup recipes, Lunch recipes, Tofu recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 people

Equipment

  • deep pot

Ingredients

  • 3 cups broth vegetable
  • 1 cup pumpkin diced
  • 1 block tofu soft or silken tofu
  • 1 tsp dry mushroom powder
  • 2-3 slice fresh ginger root
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Add the broth to the pot, add pumpkin, ginger slices and place on medium heat.
  • When the mushroom is fork tender, sprinkle the mushroom powder.
  • Dice and add the soft tofu. Mix gently.
  • Let the soup simmer.
  • Taste test and adjust salt.
  • The soup is ready to be served.

Other soup recipes that are handy when having braces.

Broccoli and peas soup
Cherry tomato soup
Avocado cold soup
Carrot and celery soup

Stay connected

The pumpkin and soft tofu broth is a simple recipe. It is a perfect winter comfort or a bowl when you are just under the weather. Let me know if you like this version of a simple soup in the discussion below.
Pin this recipe for later.
Stay subscribed and see you in the next post.Β 

tofu pumpkin broth

Peerkangai thol thogayal | ridgegourd chutney

11 May 2025 at 04:16
Peerkangai thol thoyayal

Enjoy a lipsmacking thogayal made with dals and peels of the ridge gourd in traditional south Indian flavour. Pair it with meals of your choice to wow, your family.

What I see as a difference between home cooks and chefs is not just in the size of meals that we make. Chefs have to keep up with so many of our taste factors, cost control and visual appeal. Home cooks, do know the people they cook for, so fairly easier for them to play around with the ingredients to suit the home needs. Moreover, home cooks can focus on ensuring the best of nutrition from best of produce.What do you think

Here is an age old recipe that a lot of South Indian home cooks rely on, peerkangai thol thogayal.

What is peerkangai thol thogayal?

Peerkangai thol is the peel of ridgegrord. This along with roasted lentils, spices, coconut and tamarind is ground into a coarse paste. This is peerkangai thogayal or ridgegourd chutney. It is a popular recipe among all South Indian states and has a few different names, peechinga chutney in Kerala, beerakaya pachadi in Telugu,Β  heerakai chutney in Kannada.Β  Often paired with steamed rice, a dollop of ghee and some stirfried vegetables on the side, the recipe is a classic homestyle one.
The recipe as such is

  • Vegan
  • Gluten free
  • Onion and garlic free
  • No nightshade added
  • And dairy free

Β 

peerkangai thogayal

Ingredients from ridge gourd chutney

Β Angled loofah or ridge gourd belongs to the cucumber family. The tough outer skin has predominant ridges. The gourd as such has soft flesh that is cooked into curries or stirfries. The peel is the one we have used to make this recipe

Dals: the dals add volume and depth of flavour to this recipe. I use a mix of skinned black gram dal (urad dal) and chick pea dal(channa dal). When roasted thr dals and ground the dals add the necessary volume to the dish.
Spices:there is very minimal spices in the recipe. Red dried chillies are a huge part if the flavour. The second main flavour comes from curry leaves. Along with the salt, the small pinch of asafoetida added offsets any need for garlic or onion.
Coconut: grated coconut added a softness. The milky flavour of the coconut works well with the ridgegourd. Tamarind: there is a slight hint of sourness that you experience while having this recipe. This comes frontiers dried tamarind that is added andΒ  ground along with the ingredients. It adds a zesty flavour to the dish when having with grains or breads.

Let’s make peerkangai thogayal

The recipe is a medium intensity one where the roasting of dals is the one that can go wrong as it burns easily.

Prep the peerkangai: the peel of the ridge gourd is the one used to make this recipe. However, the ridges have a tough fiber running through them that needs to be removed.

  • Wash and pat dry the riodge gourd.
  • Using a knife or peeler approach of the pointed ridges. This js where the fibres are.
  • Press down the peeler and remove the green skin completely. Save this part of this chutney. Save the spongy part to make kootu or stirfry.

Roast the dals and spices: in a heavy bottomed pan, add the urad dal and channa dal and a tsp of coconut oil. Dry roast this on low heat. Add the curry leaves and red chillies as the dals start turning golden and roast all together till the chillies are crisp and the dals deep golden. Remove this from heat on to a plate and set it aside.

Roast the peerkangai thol: Add the skin. Stir fry this till the peels look deep green and vibrant. Remove and add to the same plate. Let this cool down as well.

Grind the thogayal: once cooler to handle add the roasted dals, chilli,curry leaves, sauteed ridgegourd peel, tamarind, salt and coconut to the food processor and blend into a coarse mix.
Remove the coarse ground mix to a bowl and the thogayal is ready to be served.

peerkangai thogayal

Best pairings with peerkangai thol thogayal

Here are a few ideas for you to try with this thogayal
Peerkangai thogayal with steamed rice, a small spoon of ghee and poriyal on the side is one great Sunday meal.
At home, we like this as a side to rasam rice and often with some kootu.
Alternatively, you can use this as a dip for idlies, dosa etc too.
We use this as a spread for wraps and sandwiches. Pretty much the thogayal and cheese sandwich is a great try. Use someΒ  grana padano orΒ  aged cheddar instead of saltier ones like feta.

Meal prep and lunch boxes

Thogayal stays well in the fridge for up to a week without any issues. It also freezes so well, that we often rely on a frozen block for quick lunches. We love thogayal cheese sandwiches for our lunch box. You could also use it to stirfry the rice with, like we made ghee podi rice.

Print

Peerkangai thogayal

Enjoy a lipsmacking thogayal made with dals and peels of the ridge gourd in traditional south Indian flavour. Pair it with meals of your choice to wow, your family.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine South indian
Keyword beans and legumes, chutneys and podi, Indian vegetarian dinner, leftover recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 people

Equipment

  • Kadai
  • mixing bowls and spoons.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium ridge gourd
  • 4 tbsp urad dal
  • 4 tbsp channa dal
  • 6 dry red chillies
  • 8 tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 small lime sized ball tamarind
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Wash and remove the fibers of ridge gourd.
  • Remove the peels and set them aside.
  • In a pan roast the dals, curry leaves and red chillies.
  • Once they are golden brown, remove on to a plate.
  • Roast the peel of ridge gourd.
  • Let all this cool.
  • Add the coconut, lemon and salt.
  • Grind this mix to a coarse mix.
  • Remove into a bowl and serve.

Other chutneys and thogayals

Thogayals, chammandi and chutneys are a big part of South Indian meals. Here are a couple of ideas
Thenga chammandi
Curry leaves thogayal
Doddapathra chutney
Mango chammandhi
Watermelon rind thogayal

Stay connected

The comfort of hot rasam on a plate with steamed rice and a ball of this thogayal is Sunday for us. We enjoy it as a meal together that screams simplicity yet home.Hope you enjoy making this chutney as much as we love bring it to you. If you make it slightly different tell us your version, we always love to try different ones .
Pin this for later
See you in the next post.Β 

ridge gourd thogayal

Elaichi doodh | Cardamom milk

24 April 2025 at 17:00
cardamom milk recipe

Milk is not one of my favorite drinks. I always disliked a cup of milk whether you add sweetness to it or not. So, when I was little my mum devised a few clever ways to make me have some. The one that I did not put up much of a fight with was for the warm cup of cardamom milk during the cooler months. As the slow autumn chill is coming through here currently, I had a sudden urge to try this elaichi doodh back again.

What is cardamom milk?

Cardamom milk is an excellent winter warm drink where steamed or boiled milk is infused with the aroma and flavour of cardamom. This elevates it from just being a drink to a copy dessert like feeling. It is also the same recipe called as cardamom moon milk.

Cardamom pods

Ingredients to make elaichi doodh

Milk: classic elaichi doodh used full cream milk. However, it is up to you to use skim, lactose free or half and half milk or plant milk like soy or oat. Ensure you have a thick bottomed pan to boil it in.

Cardamom: green cardamom pods are the ones used in the recipe. When you buy them,ensure they look deep sage green or slate green and are so fragrant as soon as you open the pack. The skin is discarded (use in curries or to make tea) andΒ  the seeds are ground to add to the milk.

Sweetener: this can be entirely your choice. Honey, cane sugar, stevia, monk fruit or add none if you prefer it that way.

Let’s make cardamom milk

Making cardamom milk is as simple as slow boiling the milk and stirring in the cardamom powder and sweetener .

  • Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods.
  • Crush them well.
  • Slow boil the milk till it is bubbly and frothy.
  • Stir in the cardamom and remove from heat.
  • Stir in the sweetener. If using honey, wait till the milk cools down a bit.
  • Pour into cups and serve warm.

Will cardamom milk induce sleep?

Cardamom as a spiceΒ  is a soothing relaxant. Along with milk that is well known for inducing sleep the Cardamom milk combination makes it and excellent combination. It certainly is not a remedy for sleeplessness.Β 

Can elaichi milk be vegan?

If you are following this recipe with soy milk, oat milk etc,Β  the recipe naturally becomes vegan, however you don’t want honey in the recipe.

Can we serve this chillied?

Absolutely, pop them into small bottles and leave them in thr refrigerator. If using UHT milk, it will stay for almost a week with no issues.

Print

Cardamom milk

Enjoy the soothing warmth of cardamom milk as the winter chill slowly starts to show up.
Course Desserts, Drinks, Sweets and savories
Cuisine Indian, South indian
Keyword Indian drink recipes, Winter warmers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 cups

Equipment

  • saucepan thick bottomed

Ingredients

  • 2 cups full cream milk
  • 2 green cardamom
  • 2 tbsp honey

Instructions

  • Peel the cardamom pod and extract the seeds.
  • Crush the seeds into a fine powder.
  • Bring the milk to slow boil,
  • Add the cardamom powder.
  • Once warm and bubbling, remove from heat and stir in the sweetener ( honey)
  • Pour into cups and serve.

Milk recipes from this blog

Kesar doodh – aromatic saffron milk

Mexican Atole | Hot corn drink

Ulundhu paal | blackgram drink

Jeera milagu Kashayam paal | spiced milk

Stay connected

Hope you are a better milk lover than I am and enjoy this recipe more often. Let us know if you have some soothing warm drink recipes like this that you absolutely love in the comments below.

Pin this for later

Stay subscribed and see you in the next post.Β 

Elaichi doodh

Hidden veggies sandwich

22 March 2025 at 16:11
cream cheese veggie sandwich
Past couple of weeks has been so busy that I now look back and think how did we pull it off. Those frozen meals that we keep a stach of was super helpful and depleted pretty fast. Hence emerged easy ideas like this hidden veggies sandwich. Fairly easy to make this sandwich came together in under 15 minutes (use the mincer) and did not fall apart by lunch time. Here is the recipe for you to try

Ingredients to make hidden veggies sandwich.

Cream cheese: the soft cheese that is made with milk and cream is cream cheese. It is spreadable and mixes well with the vegetables to form a good spread. Most cream cheeses have added salt in them. You can us any rand available or home made ones.
Vegetables: my go to mix for this filling isΒ  basically firm salad veggies. carrots, bell pepper (capsicum) and zucchini form a good combination. You can add scallions and radishes too, if you like. The veggies I avoid are tomatoes, cucumber as they leach a lot of water making the filling soggy.
Herbs and black pepper: A good mix of fresh herbs like basil, thyme, oregano are lovely in this combination. You can use fresh or dried versions. Crushed black pepper adds a heat kick to the recipe. You can add pickled ginger or pickled peppercorns too. Red chilli flakes are optional.
Bread: choose one that you like to have. It can be sourdough, panini, foccacia or basic sandwich bread. We have used a multi grain sliced bread to make this batch. You can use wraps or soulaki too.
vegetable and cheese sandwich

Let’s make this cream cheese sandwich

Keep the cheese our of the fridge: the cheese when in fridge firms up a bit. If we bring it to room temperature it is easy to mix the vegetables and to spread the mix. You don’t have to leave it out for long, just enough toll it feels soft.
Prep the vegetables: the veggies that go in the mix have to be finely chopped so they mix well with the cheese. This makes them overall spreadable. I use a manual mincer or hand chop them to make them small.
Prepare the cheese filling into the mixing bowl add the chopped vegetables, herbs and cheese.sprinkle black pepper powder and give it a good mix till they arr evenly mixed.
Make the sandwiches: lay out the bread and top it with the cheese filling. Spread it evenly.the thickness of the filling is up to you.Β  Slice it into halves or triangles and the sandwich is ready.
ingredients for hidden veggie sandwich cheese spread for sandwich filling on bread

Can we make wraps with this filling?

The filling is the most flavorfulΒ part of this recipe. So it is entirely up to you if you want to make it a wrap, a sandwich or a pin wheel sandwich. Depending on what you want to make choose an appropriate bread.

Can the sandwich be made vegan?

Creamcheese will be the part that needs a change to make it vegan. Dairy free cream cheese or cashew cheese will help you achieve this. I have not personally tried it out yet. When you do, let us know how it matched you taste test.

Meal prep the cream sandwich

Ideally, I will not keep the sandwich for more than a day in the refrigerator. However,the filling stays good for almost a week. So week the filling ready to slather on the bread as we need.

Lunchbox idea with sandwich

On a busy at work day these sandwichΒ  ideas are welcome lunch boxes. I do top up our boxes with some fresh fruit or a handful of nuts etc. While making this sandwich, I added a handful of steamed edamame and some crackers to the lunchbox.
Print

Hidden veggie sandwich

Sandwich with cream cheese and veggie filling for an easy ;lunchbox idea.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine International, Summer
Keyword camp recipes, Cheese recipes, Lunch recipes, no cook recipes,
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 people

Equipment

  • mixing bowls and spoons.

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 1/4 cup zucchini minced or grated
  • 1/4 cup carrot minced or grated
  • 1/4 cup capsicumΒ  any colour, minced.
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs chopped fine

Instructions

  • Thaw the cream cheese.
  • Mince or grate the vegetables and set it aside.
  • Into the mixing bowl add the cream cheese, prepared vegetables, herbs and black pepper.
  • Mix well till they are uniformly combined.
  • Place two slices of bread on a clean surface.
  • Spread a thick layer of the filling on one side of the bread.
  • Close the sandwich and cut into halves or triangles.
  • The sandwich is now ready to have.

Other useful sandwich ideas for lunch boxes

Guacamole sandwich

Loaded vegemite sandwich

Paneer pesto sandwich

Kale sandwich

Stay connected

This cream cheese sandwich has kept us going for a couple of times this week. It is quite filling and since the vegetables are added in make a light lunch option. The recipe is a good one to take to picnics, brunch or high tea. Hope you like this recipe and will let us know how yours turned out.
See you in the next post.
Hidden veggie sandwich
❌
❌