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Easy Quinoa Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing

August 10, 2021
Cauliflower Broccoli Salad with Peanuts

July 27, 2021
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with an Indian twist!

July 14, 2021
Marina Beach Salad with charred corn and mango!

July 13, 2021

Hello

I am Arch, the girl behind this blog. I am here to share how I cook. My recipes are usually quick, not too complicated and are full of flavour. Explore around and I hope you try a thing or two!

New here, start with popular recipes!

Banana Tahini Muffins | Vegan and Gluten Free
Overnight Oats with Saffron and Almonds
Six amazing sweets for Diwali you can make in an hour!
Vazhaipoo Vadai | Bananaflower Vadai
Capsicum Peanut Rice | Capsicum Saadham
Karachi Biscuits | Tutti Frutti Biscuits – Eggless One Bowl recipe!
Cauliflower Broccoli Salad with Peanuts
Rava Kesari – easy, fail-proof in a pressure cooker!
Millet Cookies – with Ragi, Jowar and Almond Meal
Caramel Pori Bars | Caramel Murmura Bars

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My BEST ever Banana Bread! This is my go to recipe

My BEST ever Banana Bread! This is my go to recipe when I feel like making something nice but don’t have enough mental space to try new stuff. It’s reliable, has been made countless times in my kitchen. It also freezes really well.

Best ever Banana Bread

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
⅓ cup Greek yogurt, or sour cream
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
3-4 very ripe bananas, (mashed 1½ cups)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and keep aside. In another bowl, beat brown sugar, yoghurt, oil, vanilla until combined (3-4 mins in an electric mixer), then add eggs one at a time scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the mashed bananas and flour mixture, just until combined. Add walnuts. Bake at 180C for 55-60 mins.

Notes:

I’ve not tried making this without eggs.

You can substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose flour.

Don’t skip or substitute the brown sugar. It makes it really moist and delicious.

Walnuts can be substituted for any other nuts or chocolate chips.

Greek yoghurt can be substituted with strained homemade yoghurt.

If you bake this, do let me know! Im sure it will become your favourite banana bread too.

#bananabread #easybakes #quickbread #baking #bakingrecipes #banana #homebaking

Stupidly easy Peanut Butter cookies . Definitely a

Stupidly easy Peanut Butter cookies . Definitely a repeat in my kitchen. I make this for my daughter too now. It’s a very straightforward recipe and makes a small batch.

Get the recipe on my blog or SAVE the post here and make it soon!

Peanut Butter Cookies - Vegan, Gluten Free cookies.

1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, but definitely unsweetened)
1/4 cup maple syrup (or agave, or date syrup)
1/3 cup + 1-2 tbsp almond meal
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda

Bake at 180C for 12-15 minutes. If you prefer them crunchy, then slightly longer.

Cocoa Maple Ganache

2 tbsp cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
a dash of vanilla

These measurements make only 7 cookies. Good for one, but if you’re generous share a couple? Recipe can be doubled or tripled easily.

#healthycookies #breakfastcookies #vegancookies #glutenfreecookies #peanutbutter #vegansnacks #glutenfreedairyfree #glutenfreerecipes #onebowlcookies #veganfood #veganrecipes

Vegetable Brinji with Gutti Vankaya - the soft luc

Vegetable Brinji with Gutti Vankaya - the soft lucius coconut milk flavoured mild rice with a tangy and nutty brinjal gravy! Yum, so underrated and overlooked combination. Move over Biriyani, anyday! Both recipes are on the blog, I urge you to try them preferably together.The combo works so well!

#brinji #coconutmilk #pulao

The Mother of all Makhani gravies. Learn to make t

The Mother of all Makhani gravies. Learn to make this single ‘sauce’ and you’ve got most of the creamy restaurant style gravies sorted. Fair warning - it has all the rich stuff, so definitely use your moderation and don’t have it too often. Out with the disclaimers, make this and enjoy!

In this recipe, we make a base gravy with whole spices, onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, nuts, chillies I pressure cook, purée and sieve this and then add, precooked/roasted/grilled veggies.

Although the name is a Makhani sauce, it has no cream and the creaminess comes from cashews and curd. I’ve got a vegan option for curd in the blog too.

This is a really flavourful curry and I’ve made it a few times with gobi, paneer and mixed vegetables, soya chunks and it’s always a hit! You can also store this sauce for upto a week in fridge for a quick curry.

Although I’ve used a regular pressure cooker here, I’ve also tried in an IP. The method to cook it in IP is on the blog.

The base recipe is inspired from the OPOS group and was shared as makhani sauce several years ago. I’m pretty sure the ingredients and method was different and it didn’t have curd or onions but I’ve modified it to how it works for us.The curd is optional and Ive skipped it on this reel but it does add a tang particularly if tomatoes are not tangy. I’ve no name for this except Makhani curry? Today, I’ve added microwaved cauliflower and capsicum. The cover pic is from
another day when I added peas.

The detailed recipe, method, ingredients, vegan options,cooking in an IP, tips to freeze and thaw and how to use are all on the blog!

#makhani #makhanisauce #makhanigravy #basegravy #restaurantcurry #easycurry #indiancurry #northindianfood #freezermeals #walkwithindia #indiancurry

This is my Amma’s recipe for crispy, light vazha

This is my Amma’s recipe for crispy, light vazhaipoo vadais. It uses a mix of dal, spiced with fennel and the slight ‘thuvarpu’ from vazhaipoo really enhances in this dish.

https://myflavourfactory.com/vazhaipoo-vadai-bananaflower-vadai/

The full recipe is on the blog. Check it out, or SAVE this post and make it soon! P.S: this is also amazing with cabbage, if you can’t clean/find vazhaipoo.

½ cup channa dal
½ cup toor dal
¼ cup broken green moong substitute with whole green gram and increase soaking time to 4 hours.
2 tsp moong dal
2 tsp masoor dal you can substitute with yellow moong dal too
2 tsp rice any shortgrain rice
8 red chillies
1 tsp fennel
½ tsp corainder seeds
1 tsp pepper
1 cup cleaned and chopped banana flower
curry leaves

Get the full method on the blog!

#snacks #vadai #glutenfree #indianfood #bananaflower #vada

💛 Solo Dinner Date with my one true ‘food ‘

💛 Solo Dinner Date with my one true ‘food ‘love - Noodles

Arun’s out of town. Like that wasn’t enough, Mythi packed a few bugs from daycare and fell sick. And I had to work - like literally all the time. Between loads of laundry, bouncing a sick child, trying to sort my head for a single work call and waking up half asleep, it’s been a while since I bothered making anything other than idlis and curd rice in the kitchen. So, today was the peak of me feeling sorry for myself and like a cue, the baby fell asleep earlier and I made this .
Ah *chef’s kiss* so good! Anyhoo, these were just winged in the kitchen but they were bloody delicious. Sharing a rough recipe below, if you’re keen.

Dinner for One - Peanut Noodles

Prep:
💛 Toast a handful of peanuts and sesame seeds, crush roughly and keep aside.
💛Cook noodles - I used rice noodles.
💛Thaw edamame, chop some ginger, garlic and spring onions (i didn’t have this so used coriander)
Cook:
💛In a pan, add oil followed by ginger and garlic minced, then some soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, chilli oil and peanut butter. A little noodles water to thin the sauce. All measurements to your heart desire, but keep it sensible. A tbsp or two of PB is enough here as it thickens the dish.
💛Mix in noodles, add salt and pepper, more chilli oil, spring onions. Top with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds, and coriander. Done.
Served with stir fried veggies here - a mix of carrots, zucchini, bell peppers pan fried in some oil with lots of ginger, soy sauce and oyster sauce. I just couldn’t resist the idea of adding some veggies over the noods but they are great as it is.

Tofu would have been fab, but edamame was quicker.

#noodleslover #15minutemeals #dinnerideas #peanutnoodles #dinnerforone #veggierecipesideas

as always, my beautiful canberra golu🌻 for the

as always, my beautiful canberra golu🌻

for the first time in forever, i spent this time fully at home with mythri. me and arun hosted a lot of folks, cooked a lot and made a lot of new friends! i invited folks who i’ve only interacted on social media home this year, in a very adult attempt to make friends. and it worked beautifully, we found connections, made our children play together, ate and laughed a lot. I didn’t bother with anything except making memories - so wore what I felt like and cooked what time would let us do. It’s a special one at our first home together with the bub.

trivia no one asked for: many moons ago @ptopines gifted me this kasavu saree and i kept it safe thinking i’ll wear it when someone invites me to a sadhya. arun found it, folded it painstakingly to make sure the borders show and the pallu is right at the end.

Vendhaya Rasam - a delightful rasam with no cooked

Vendhaya Rasam - a delightful rasam with no cooked dal or tomatoes or coriander!

You’ll be surprised at the flavour of fenugreek/vendhyam in this rasam and no, it won’t be bitter. Do try if you’re a fan of rasams and want something different.

Pardon the filter on this reel, I’ve terrible lighting on the videos I took.

Vendhaya Rasam/Fenugreek Rasam recipe

Dry roast and grind

1 tsp toor dal
1 tsp vendhyam
3-4 red chilies

after it roasts, turn off the flame and add 1 tsp coriander seeds. This will roast in the residual heat. Grind to a powder and keep aside.

Dilute about 2 tbsp tamarind in 2 cups of water. Add turmeric, hing, salt and let it boil. Once it boils for about 5 minutes, add the ground podi and dilute with more hot water for rasam consistency.

You can add some jaggery if you prefer. I usually add since it gives a mild sweetness to the rasam. Thalipu in ghee with mustard, cumin and curry leaves.

#rasam #southindianfood #tamilfood #soulfood #rasamforthesoul #indianfood #glutenfree #easyrecipe #rasamrecipe

Veggie Noodles and Chilli Paneer - my go to weekni

Veggie Noodles and Chilli Paneer - my go to weeknight dinners. Even better when leftovers are for work day lunches.

I’ve an easy 15 minute noodles recipe on the blog. This one was even simpler - just used soy sauce, vinegar and topped with lots of pepper and chilli oil.

#indochinese #noodles #chillipaneer #easymeals #veggies #noodleslover

We’ve been making this on repeat here - both the

We’ve been making this on repeat here - both the dal and the curry! I’ll share the dal recipe next time I make it but for now, enjoy this amazing vegetable!

Ingredients:

- 1 medium-sized potato, chopped into strips
- 1 medium-sized bitter gourd, sliced evenly
- 1 medium-sized onion, sliced thinly
- Few curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder (used as 1/2 tsp for soaking bittergourd and rest in the curry)
- 1 tsp sambar powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- 1 tsp jaggery
- 2 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Slice the bitter gourd thinly and soak it in a bowl with 2 cups of water. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Allow it to soak for 15 minutes.
2. In a pan, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, let it splutter, add curry leaves and sliced onions. Cook until the onions turn translucent; avoid browning.
3. Add the chopped potatoes, followed by hing and turmeric. Sauté for a minute, then reduce the flame and cover to allow the potatoes to parboil.
4. Now, incorporate the drained bitter gourd into the pan and mix well. Keep the lid closed on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, sambar powder, salt, and mix thoroughly to coat the vegetables.
6. Sauté well and cover the pan, allowing it to cook for 5 minutes until the bitter gourd softens.
7. Finally jaggery, check for salt/spice levels, and cook for an additional 2 minutes on low heat.

The jaggery helps to caramelise the curry, doesn’t really impart sweetness. I try to avoid adding any water and let the vegetables cook in its own juice.

#easyindian #vegetarian #southindian #curry #vegan #bittergourd #potatocurry

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