Thursday, September 3, 2026

Kanha Ki Katori

  

 

Vermicelli Cups with Shrikhand

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15–20 minutes

Soaking time: 30–60 minutes

Serves: 4–5

For the Vermicelli Cups

Vermicelli – 180 g

Butter – 55 g

For the Cardamom Sugar Syrup

Sugar – ¼ cup

Water – ⅓ cup

Whole cardamom – 2

For the Shrikhand

Hung curd – 200 g

Powdered sugar – 2–3 tbsp

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Saffron – a few strands

Warm milk – 1 tsp

Pistachios – for garnish

Almonds – for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Melt the butter and add the vermicelli. Mix until evenly coated.

Press the buttered vermicelli firmly into cupcake moulds, creating a compact base and sides.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup by combining sugar, water and whole cardamom in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 5–10 minutes.

Remove the vermicelli cups from the oven and lightly spoon or brush the warm cardamom syrup over them. Avoid oversoaking if you want to retain some crunch.

Allow the cups to cool and absorb the syrup.

For the Shrikhand, whisk the well-drained hung curd until smooth and creamy.

Add powdered sugar, cardamom powder and saffron soaked in warm milk. Mix well.

Once cooled, carefully remove the vermicelli cups from the moulds.

Fill each cup generously with chilled Cardamom Shrikhand.

Garnish with pistachios, almonds and saffron strands.

Serve chilled.

Tip: Ensure the hung curd is thick and well-drained so that the Shrikhand remains creamy and does not make the vermicelli cups soggy.

 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

 

Ukadiche Modak/ Traditional Modakam

  

Ingredients

For the filling

2 tbsp water

1 cup grated jaggery (gud)

2 cups fresh grated coconut

1 tsp cardamom powder

2 tbsp ghee

2 tbsp chopped cashews

For the dough

1 cup water

1 tsp ghee

A pinch of salt

1 cup rice flour


Instructions

Start with the filling. Heat a pan over medium flame and add the water and grated jaggery. Let the jaggery melt completely.

Add the grated coconut and cook for around 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously. Add cardamom powder, ghee and chopped cashews and cook for a few more minutes. The mixture should remain slightly moist rather than becoming completely dry. Take it off the heat and set aside.

Now prepare the dough. Heat one cup of water in a pan and add a pinch of salt and the ghee. Once the water comes to a boil, add the rice flour and quickly mix it in one direction using a spoon.

The mixture will look lumpy at this stage. Cover it and let it steam for about a minute, then switch off the flame.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and knead it while it is still hot. This is important for getting a smooth, lump-free dough, so don’t wait for it to cool completely before kneading.

Divide the dough into 8-10 equal portions and roll each portion into a smooth ball. Take one ball and roll it out like a small puri.

Place some of the coconut-jaggery filling in the centre. Now comes the fun part — shaping the modak. Pinch the edges with your fingers to create little pleats or petals, then bring them together and seal the top into a pointed end.

Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

For steaming, place a banana leaf on the steamer plate and arrange the modaks on top. Steam them for around 10-15 minutes.

Serve the modaks hot after bhog.

 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

Homemade Tahini Recipe

INGREDIENTS

 1 cup hulled sesame seeds

tbsp or more extra virgin olive oil,see Note

 

PREPARATIONS Heat a clean, dry cast iron or heavy duty skillet over medium high heat and add the sesame seeds. Stir frequently until they begin to turn golden brown and then stir constantly. Be careful, sesame seeds burn very easily. Once they're toasted, let them cool a few minutes then add them to a food processor. Start by adding 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Process the mixture into a paste, scraping down the sides. Add more olive oil until you reach the desired consistency (*see Note) Store the tahini in an airtight jar in the fridge and it will last for several months.  Stir it thoroughly before you put it in the fridge because once it's chilled it's difficult to stir.   This makes a little less than 3/4 cup tahini paste, depending on how much olive oil you use. NOTES
 
The texture may be slightly gritty, which isn’t a problem, you won’t notice it when you use it to make hummus for example. But if you want it a little smoother you can a high-powered food blender.


https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

 

Baba Ganoush

 

baba ganoush recipe traditional ghanoush ghanouj Arabian Levantine Middle Eastern eggplant dip olive oil lemon juice tahini 

INGREDIENTS

medium eggplants(about 2 pounds)

cloves garlic, *skins on

1/4 cup tahini

Homemade Tahini Recipe see my next post

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin pdr

tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

pinch of smoked paprika

warmed pita wedges, cucumber slices, bell pepper strips, carrot sticks, snap peas, broccoli and cauliflower florets, etc. , for serving 

 

Preparations

Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking. 

Poke the eggplants all over with the tines of a fork, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, lightly brush the eggplant halves with olive oil, and place each half on the parchment paper with the cut side down.  Place the garlic (with skin on) next to the eggplants.  The garlic will be done before the eggplant; remove as soon as the skins are browned, 15-20 minutes, and remove/discard their skins.  Continue to roast the eggplants until they are extremely tender, another 20-30 minutes (depending on size of eggplant).

Remove the eggplant from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.  Then turn the halves over and use a spoon to scrape all of the flesh out (discard the skins).  Place the flesh in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl for about 20 minutes so that the excess water in the eggplant can drain.  This step is critical for avoiding a sopping wet dip.  You can also press down a bit on the flesh to remove as much liquid as possible.  Discard the liquid.

Place the eggplant, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and salt in a food processor and process until fairly smooth but not completely pureed, scraping the mixture down from the sides of the bowl as needed.  Taste and add more lemon juice and/or salt as desired.  Continue to process until the mixture is smooth or just the slightest bit chunky, however you prefer (traditionally baba ganoush is not completely smooth, it has a bit of texture).  Stir in the chopped parsley.

*A note about salt:  Eggplant is naturally bitter and adding a generous amount of salt not only improves the flavor of the dip but helps curb the bitterness of the eggplant.  Transfer the baba ganoush into a serving bowl.  With the back of a spoon, make a swirl in the top of the baba ganoush, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika and parsley.  Serve immediately with toasted pita wedges, flatbread, or your favorite crunchy vegetables

 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

Horse Gram Soup

 horse-gram-soup-creatively-carved-life-blogspot-com

Ingredients

Horse gram: 1/2 cup

Tamarind paste: 2-3 tsp

Peppercorn: 1 Tbsp

Cumin seeds: 1 Tbsp

Mustard seed: 1/2 Tbsp

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Coriander leaves: 1 or 2 sprigs

Salt to taste

Oil: 2 tsp

Preparation

Soak the horse gram seeds overnight and pressure cook till soft.

Drain the water and keep it aside for later use. (The water's color will be chocolatey)

Dry roast the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorn  and grind to a fine powder.

Mash half of the cooked horse gram.

Heat the oil in a pan and shallow fry the curry leaves.

Add the tamarind paste, strained horse gram water, roasted powder, smashed horse gram and salt.

Add sufficient water and make sure the gravy is not too thick.

Add the remaining horse gram and mix.

Remove from flame.

Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves over the gravy.

Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

 

For health benefits of horse gram, kindly view of cancer blog, thanks. 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

 

Horse Gram Kheer

A simple healthy kheer, protein rich, good  for hair, skin, above all filling. I had soaked some horse gram over night, as it cooks in 4-5 whistles in the pressure cooker. I cooled it, made paste, reserve some for soup and some for kheer to make my meal yesterday.

Ingredients and Preparations

horse gram washed and soaked as needed

jaggery to taste

water as needed to cook

milk as needed

cardamom pdr 1/4 tsp

Once the horse gram had cooled down, in a mixer jar I made a fine paste using some cooked water. I added the paste with some water and jaggery in a pot, mixed it well, let it remain for the jaggery to melt.

Then I cooked it on low flame stirring continuously, as this gram thickens fast, so one needs to keep a watch and stir well. 

Once the jaggery had melted and the gram was well cooked and boiling, I added the cardamom pdr , once slightly cooled, I added the milk. OR once cooled, you can mix milk as per taste along with the cooked gram in a micro safe mug and heat it.

As I wanted for a diet, I didn't add nuts and raisins. In case you want to serve others, then you can roast some nuts and raisins and sprinkle on top and serve.

It is simple, tasty and filling. 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

 

CCT Horse Gram ( Kollu) Soup !

Horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) is a nutrient-dense legume packed with plant-based protein, dietary fiber, iron, and antioxidants.

 Horse Gram in a wooden spoon

Key Health Benefits
  • Aids Weight Management: High fiber and protein contents promote fullness and reduce overall calorie intake.
  • Manages Blood Sugar: A low glycemic index and slow-digesting starches help prevent post-meal blood sugar spikes.
  • Supports Digestion: Dietary fiber feeds healthy gut bacteria and prevents constipation.
  • Protects Heart Health: Antioxidants and soluble fiber assist in lowering cholesterol and supporting cardiovascular function.
  • Strengthens Bones: Rich mineral profiles including calcium and phosphorus support bone density and dental health.
Nutrition Per 100g (Approximate)
  • Protein: 22–24 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 37–57 grams (high in resistant starch)
  • Fat: ~1.1 grams
  • Fiber & Minerals: Iron, calcium, and phosphorus 
Potential Side Effects
  • Gas and Bloating: Overconsumption can cause flatulence due to complex carbohydrates.
  • Antinutrients: Raw seeds contain phytic acid, which can block mineral absorption. You can minimize this by soaking, sprouting, or cooking the pulse thoroughly.
  • High Purines: Excess intake may raise uric acid levels, which is a concern for people with gout.

Horse Gram health benefits  

 For health benefits of horse gram, please see my cancer blog, thanks.    

You all must be wondering what is CCT- carrot, cucumber, tomato with horse gram, healthy soup, no flour.

Ingredients

horse gram  wash and soak overnight, so it will pressure cook faster, a handful of horse gram dry should be enough to make soup for 1, well it also depends on if you're going to have just soup as a starter and only soup to make your complete meal.

carrot 1 small, clean, washed and chopped into small pieces

cucumber 1 small chopped into small pieces

tomato 1 chopped into small pieces

ghee 1 tsp

salt and pepper pdr to taste

water as needed to cook and to thin the soup as desired.

After pressure cooking and cooled, I ground the horse gram to a smooth paste adding just little water. You can reserve the water you cooked the horse gram.

in the same mixer jar, I added the chopped vegetables and puree it well.

In a pan, I heated 1 tsp ghee, added the veg. puree, added little water to clean out from the jar, kept stirring the veges for 3-4 minutes on low flame till it was well cooked and kept boiling. 

I added the horse gram paste, water that was left after cooking it, salt and pepper to taste, kept cooking on low flame, stirring it. I let it boil well for 3-4 minutes.

It was my lunch yesterday with bread toast. I had roughly 2 mugs with 2 small slices of bread toast. It was very filling. 

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs