Paanpole(Neer Dose)

Well, I need not introduce this to most of the foodies. It is a common dosa that is non oily, healthy tasty and is widely liked by all who have tasted it. Serve it with simple coconut chutney, green chutney, red chutney, sambar, veg curry, North Indian curry, daal, chicken curry, pork curry or just make jaggery syrup(Godda Ravo) or fill it with choorna(Jaggery and grated coconut mixture flavoured with cardamom powder). Paanpole or neer dose has its own versatility!

There are two types of Paanpole. The thicker one which is eaten with any accompaniment and the thin wafer like one that looks like paper tissue and tastes good with coconut chutney. To achieve thin ones, the batter should contain less amount of grated coconut in it and the rice used should be superior. Here's the recipe for the thick paanpole.

Ingredients:
Dosa rice - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Salt - To taste
Water - QS
Oil - Very little

Method:
Wash and soak rice for 2-3 hours.
Grind to a fine paste with grated coconut. Add enough water to make thin batter.
Batter should be as thin as milk.
Add salt to taste.
Heat a nonstick tawa.
Drizzle little oil and sprinkle water. Wipe with a cloth.
Pour a ladleful of the batter and tilt the tawa in a circular motion so that the batter spreads all over to form a thin crust.
Allow to roast on medium flame.
When the upper side becomes dry, remove the dosa either by holding the edge with your thumb and index finger or by using a dosa ladle.
Allow to cool down on a plate, doublefold like a napkin and serve.

Upma(Uppumaavu/Uppittu)

There was a joke based on Krishna Chant by some Kannada pandit who was tired of eating uppittu which goes like this:
"Uppitto uppittu Govinda
Uppittu Garudadhwaja
Uppittu Kamalakantha
Trilokyam Mangalam kuru!"

Upma, Uppumaavu or uppittu is a breakfast snack that is world famous. You go to any South Indian Restaurant and you will find this on the menu. If properly prepared, this is one of the most addictive snack ever! At GSB wedding breakfast, this is mostly seen as one of the most preferred snacks.

I remember a Bank colleague who used to call this 'Rukma"! Poor chap strongly believed that it is indeed Rukma and not Upma as we call it! When we had occasional tea party in the Bank, he used to order from Taj Mahal. Whatever snack we may suggest, he never failed to order his favourite Rukma... oops Upma!

I got the authentic recipe from a restaurant in Bunder Mangalore. The kindhearted partner of that restaurant passed on the recipe to me. He told me orally, how to prepare it and I just memorised what he said. We tried making this at home, first in the year 1992 and succeeded in getting the exact taste as we got in Taj Mahal, Rama Bhavan and other major restaurants. Some restaurants add grated coconut, chopped onions and chopped ginger in uppumav but we like it plain.

Ingredients:
Bombay Rava - 2 Cups
Mustrad seeds - 1 Tsp
Urad Daal - 1 Tsp
Cashew bits - A handful(Optional)
Curry leaves - 1 Sprig
Green chillies - 2-3 chopped
Ghee or oil - 4 Tsp
Sugar - 1 Tsp
Salt - To taste
Coriander Leaves - A handful chopped(Optional)

Method:
Boil 6 cups of water and keep it simmering.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.
Add urad daal and and cashew bits fry till golden.
Add curry leaves and green chilies and fry till green chillies are slightly whitish and dry.
Now add the the rava and roast on medium fire till aromatic.
Add salt and sugar  and slowly add the boiling water while mixing the ingredients carefully.
Take care not to stand too close to the kadai, since the boiling water tends to spurt the hot mixture out of the kadai)
Allow to cook on medium flame till the rava is cooked and starts to expand.
Mix gently, remove from flame, garnish with optional chopped coriander leaves and keep aside for 5 mins.
Mix well and serve with coconut chutney or any namkeen of your choice.

Maa Ki Daal

Maa Ki Daal is authentic Punjabi Daal preparation. Daal Roti is staple food for many living in the North. Punjabi Dhabas have this item on their menu 24x7x365. Very simple but tasty curry full of proteins. Punjabis prepare this with love by slow cooking in traditional way and thus they call this Maa Ki Daal(Mother's own lentils)

Abundant use of butter in Maa ki daal makes it rich in taste and texture. In recent times, I tasted the best Maa ki daal at Angeethi Restaurant on Museum Road Bangalore. What we prepare at home is slightly different and we use more green chillies instead of Kashmiri red chillies.

Ingredients:
Urad/Whole black gram (washed) - 1 1/4 cups
Rajma/Kidney beans (soaked and drained) - 1/4 cup
Tomatoes (blanched and chopped) - 2 nos medium
Ginger(chopped) - 5 gms
Garlic (chopped) - 6 cloves
Green chilies (chopped) - 4
Red whole Kashmiri chilies - 2
Salt - To taste
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Onion (chopped) - 1 small
Ginger (chopped) - 5 gms
Red chili powder - 1/2 tbsp

Method:
Bring 6 1/2 cups of water and boil in a pressure cooker.
Add black gram and all ingredients except those for seasoning. Stir once.
Pressure cook till the lentils are cooked and tender.
(The cooking time may depend on the size and type of cooker)
Remove from heat and allow to cool down.
Once cooled, open the cooker and partially mash daal with the back of a ladle.
Place cooker with daal on low heat and simmer to obtain a creamy consistency for about 5 min, stirring occasionally.
Heat ghee in a pan and add onions. Fry till transparent.
Add ginger and continue frying till onion is golden brown remove pan from heat add chili powder and pour evenly over daal mix it well.
If desired, add some butter and coriander leaves for garnishing.
Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: khanakhazana.com

Bangude Tawa Fried

Bangude(Mackerel) is one fish that can be fried in many ways. Tawa fried(Shallow fried) Bangude is becoming widely popular among the calorie conscious people. Besides, the natural oil content within the fish is a rich source of Omega 3 Fatty acid which is good for health.

Here is a tasty recipe for Bangude tawa fried .

Ingredients:
Bangude fish - 4
Red chilli powder - 4 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
Tamarind - Marble sized ball soaked in 20Ml water
Asafotoeda - A pinch
Rice flour or Maida - 2 Tbsp
Clove - 1 pounded(Optional)
Coconut Oil - QS for shallow frying

Method:
Mix red chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafotoeda, powdered clove and tamarind extract.
Add rice flour or maida and sufficient water to get a thick masala.
Clean wash and pat try the Bangude.
Make gashes on the fish and apply the masala.
Keep the fish marinated for an hour.
Heat little oil in a shallow non-stick pan and place the marinated fish.
Shallow fry both sides on medium heat till crisp.
Serve with onion salad and lemon wedges.

Kothmir Murg(Coriander Chicken)

Recipe Courtesy: vahrevah.com

Andhra cuisine has many splendours. When we think about Andhra, we think of red hot chillies but that's not what Andhra is all about! Andhra also has exotic delicacies from Nizam's times to offer.

Kothmir Murg is one such delicacy. The flavour, taste and the nutritional content are all well balanced to give us full satisfaction of fine dining.
 
Here is the Kothmir Murg as seen on Vahchef video. I have reduced the amount of oil and ginger garlic paste to suit our taste.

Ingredients:
Chicken without skin  - 750Gms
Cashew bits - A handful(Or poppy seeds 1Tbsp with grated coconut 2 Tbsp)
Coriander leaves - 1 Bunch(About 50Gms)
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp pounded
Cumin seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Curd - 1/4 Cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
Green chillies - 4
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Salt - To taste
Turmeric powder - A pinch

 

Video Courtesy: Vahchef

   
Method:
Grind coriander leaves and green chillies to a fine paste.
Soak cashew bits/poppy seeds with coconut in hot water for 20 mins and then grind to a fine paste.
Heat oil, roast cumin seeds and pounded coriander seeds.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry.
Add the cashew/poppy coconut paste and fry well, then add turmeric powder .
Add the ground green paste and fry till oil separates.
Add chicken.
When chicken is well coated, add the curds aand mix well.
Allow to simmer for 15-20 mins.
Serve with rice or with roti of your choice.

Batata Phova

Typical Maharastrian tasty breakfast snacks, Kaanda Phova and Batata Phova are widely popular down South as well. We make them in two ways. One is the typical Maharastrian style with turmeric powder as the flavouring agent. Other type is using Sambar powder for that Southern touch. Here is the Maharastrian version with a slight twist!

Batata Phova

Ingredients:
Thick Phova(As shown in the pic below) - 2 Cups
Onions - 2 medium Chopped
Potatoes - 2 medium boiled, peeled and diced
Oil - 3 Tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Urad daal - 1 Tsp
Curry leaves - A sprig
Green Chillies - 4 cut into small bits
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - 1 Tsp(Optional)
Grated coconut - 1/2 Cup
Lemon - 1
Coriander leaves - A handful, chopped

Phova used

Version 2

Method:
Wash and soak phova in enough water for 30mins.
Dran, squeeze out extra water and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Add urad daal and fry till golden.
Add curry leaves and green chillies. Frt well till chillies turn whitish.
Now add the chopped onions and fry till golden.
Add turmeric powder and fry.
Now add the boiled potato pieces and fry.
Add the soaked phova, salt to taste and sugar.
Toss the contents well on high flame so that all the ingredients are well blended.
Add grated coconut, squeeze lemon and keep frying for 3-5 mins.
Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note: You may also add cumin seeds in the seasoning. Typical Maharastrian type of phova preparations contain cumin seeds as essential ingredient.

If you are adding sambar powder, you may add one teaspoonful per plate approximately or according to taste.

Veg Sweet Korma

Many years ago, when I was new to Veg Korma, I found most of the restaurants including Diana in Udupi and Komal's in Mangalore serving slightly sweetish korma and I liked that taste better than the typical South Indian Saagu or Koorma. However, the colour that kind of korma had was golden brown, as against the South Indian red one! I thought of experimenting with Sweet Korma North style with the colour of South style!

Here's Veg Sweet Korma. I am convinced that it tastes good to me. Why not to you and your family, especially kids!

With Pooris

Ingredients:
Beet Root - 1/2 cup, peeled and diced into small bits
Carrot - 1/2 cup, peeled and diced into small bits
French beans - 1/2 cup(Optional) cut into small bits
Potato - 1/2 cup peeled and diced into small bits
Fresh/soaked green peas - 1/2 cup
Chopped onion - 1
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Brown Onion paste - 2 Tsp
Tomato puree - 2 Tsp(Or 2 small chopped tomatoes)
Kashmiri Red Chilli powder - 2 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 Tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt - To taste
Sugar - 1 Tsp or little more
Refined oil - 2 Tsp
Coriander leaves - A handful chopped

Method:
Boil the veggies with little salt and just enough water to cover, till tender.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel.
Fry chopped onions till transparent.
Add brown onion paste, ginger garlic paste and fry.
Add Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric and cumin powder and fry.
Now add the tomato puree, salt to taste and sugar and fry till raw smell disappears.
Add the boiled veggies with the stock, adjust salt, bring to a boil and simmer.
When the gravy starts to thicken, add garam masala powder, mix well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with pooris, rotis or saada dosas.

With Saada Dosas

Aaloo Methi

The ever popular Punjabi dish Aaloo Methi was first tried in 1994 when we were experimenting with mostly North Indian cuisine. I had first relished this dish at Shakthi Veg Restaurant in Malleshwaram Bangalore in the early Eighties. Though our recipe is not authentic nor did we copy it from any recipe book or cookery show, it turned out to be a super hit at its very first edition. Hence, we have not changed the recipe since then.

The healing properties of Methi leaves and the energy giving potatoes blend well with the spices to give the joy of eating fortified with vitamins minerals and carbs. Slight hint of sweetness sublimates the bitterness within the methi leaves and makes this dish acceptable to even kids. The aroma of methi leaves is definitely the plus feature of this curry and one can smell it from a distance and feel like entering a Punjabi dhaba!

Oye hoye....balle balle....chak le chak le....here comes Aaloo Methi with phulkas!

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 100Gms
Fresh Methi leaves - A big bunch(100-150Gms)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Onions - 2 Chopped
Tomatoes - 3 Chopped
Coriander powder - 1/2 Tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 Tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt - To taste
Sugar - 1 Tsp
Oil/Ghee - 2 Tsp

Method:
Clean, Wash and chop methi leaves.
Boil potatoes, peel and cut into small cubes
Heat oil/ghee in a kadai.
Add chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and fry till raw small disappears.
Add chopped tomatoes and fry till tomatoes are tender.
Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Add little salt and sugar.
Now add the methi leaves and fry.
Add 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer till methi leaves are well cooked.
Add the boiled cubed potatos and adjust salt according to your taste.
Add garam masala powder and mix well.
Let it simmer for another 5 mins.
Serve with rotis and lemon wedges.

Kadgi Chakko(Raw Jack Fruit Dry Curry)

Kadgi Chakko(Raw Jack Fruit Dry Curry) is a delicious GSB curry that's prepared without the use of garlic and onion. This is prepared when kadgi is available. Kadgi is available almost 10 months a year locally and we also can preserve this by boiling the chunks in salt water and storing the pieces in zip lock bags in the freezer.

The masala has a nice smell and tastes too good. The use of coriander seeds help in digestion and the high fibre within raw jack fruit keeps the system clean. This curry goes well with white rice and daalithoi.

Ingredients:
Raw Jack Fruit - 500Gms
Grated Coconut - 1/2
Red Chillies - 10-12
Coriander Seeds - 1 Tbsp
Urad Daal - 1 Tsp
Jaggery - A small piece
Tamarind - Size of a marble
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Curry leaves - A sprig
Salt - To taste
Coconut Oil - 4 Tsp

Method:
Remove skin off the raw jack fruit and also remove the core(Stem). Cut into 1 inch pieces.
Cook the pieces with little salt in a pressure cooker without adding water.
Coarsely smash the cooked jack fruit pieces.
Roast red chillies, coriander seeds and urad daal separately using little oil.
Grind the roasted ingredients with grated coconut, jaggery and tamarind to a coarse paste.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
Add curry leaves and fry.
Now add the masala paste and fry well till raw smell disappears and the masala starts getting browned.
Add the smashed cooked raw jack fruit pieces and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer.
After 5 mins, open the cover and raise the heat.
When the curry gets dry, switch off the heat.
Serve with rice and daalithoi or with chapathis.

Chana Masala with Phulkas

Chole Batura is a common breakfast combo in most of the places in North India. We make Chana Masala which is similar to Chana Chole but slightly different in taste. We normally relish it with Chapathis, Pooris and Phulkas for lunch or dinner.

Phulka means 'Puffed'. These are puffed chapathis, half baked on the tawa and then baked on direct flame to get fluffy phulkas. Phulkas are non oily and are light on the stomach, rich in fibre and proteins good to eat.

My daily food intake contains chapathis or phulkas at least for one meal. I've been following this rule since last 10 years. Meena has been patiently rolling out those soft fluffy phulkas which she serves hot from the tawa to the plate. That's exactly how phulkas should be eaten!

Chana Masala

Ingredients:
Kabuli White Chana - 1 cup
Soda Bicarb - A pinch
Potato - 1 medium
Chopped Garlic - 1 Tsp
Onions - 2 small chopped
Tomatoes - 2 small Chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Green Chillies - 2-3 slit lengthwise
Salt - To taste
Refined Oil/Ghee - 2 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 Tsp
Coriander Leaves - A handful chopped

Method:
Wash and soak chana in 4 cups water overnight(8-10 hours)
Wash the potato thoroughly.
Discard the water and cook with a pinch of soda bicarb in a pressure cooker with 2 cups water along with whole potato.
Peel the potato and cut into small cubes.
Heat oil/ghee in a kadai/thick bottomed vessel.
Fry a handful of chopped onions along with chopped garlic till golden.
Add the remaining chopped onions and chopped tomatoes. Fry till onions are transparent.
Add little salt, chilli and turmeric powder and fry.
When  the raw smell disappears, add the cooked chana with the water and cubed potatoes.
Bring to a boil, add the  green chillies.
Cover and simmer for 5 mins.
Add garam masala powder, mix well, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Phulkas

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour - 2 Cups
Salt  - 1/4 Tsp or to taste
Water - QS

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add salt to wheat flour and water little by little while you knead it well to a soft dough.
Cover with a moist cloth and allow it to stand for an hour at room temperature.
Make lemon sized balls with the dough.
Roll out thin chapathis with the dough on a rolling board dusted with wheat flour.
Heat a chapathi tawa.
On medium flame, just heat the chapathi on both sides on the tawa till slightly discoloured.
Hold the half baked chapathi on direct flames with tongs and allow it to puff.
Flip and bake on direct flame till the phulka gets slightly browned and well cooked.
This should take little under one minute per phulka to get perfectly baked on the direct flame.
Serve immediately with a curry of your choice.

Magge Koddel

Konkani GSB style curry koddel is a slightly spicy tangy coconut based curry tempered with fried garlic flakes. We make koddel using  yellow cucumber(Magge), Chinese potatoes or kooka, potatoes, raw banana, bamboo shoot, jack fruit seed, yam, pumpkin vine stem, Malabar spinach and even plantain bark(Gaabbo). If any whole lentil is used with any of the mentioned veggies, we call it Bendhi.

Magge Koddel is the most popular koddel because magge is grown in many places and is a maintenance free crop. It is also fairly cheap and is available round the year. In villages, people tie the magge with plantain rope and hang them by the ceiling to keep them fresh through the rainy season.

The curry is very simple to make and is very tasty. Suggested combination for a wholesome meal is boiled red rice, magge koddel, happalam, sandige or cabbage ambade, curds or buttermilk and lemon pickle.

Magge Koddel

Traditional way of hanging Magge and other items by the ceiling.

Ingredients:
Magge(Yellow Cucumber) with skin - 2 cups cut into 1" cubes(de seeded)
Drumsticks, pumpkin vine stem or Jack fruit seeds - 1 cup cut into pieces
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Red chillies - 4 roasted with little oil
Tamarind - Size of its seed
Salt - To taste
Coconut Oil - 1 Tsp
Garlic flakes - 6-8 crushed

Method:
Cook magge and drumsticks together till tender.
Grind grated coconut, red chillies and tamarind to a fine paste adding little water as per need.
Add the masala paste to the cooked veggies, add salt to taste, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 mins.
Keep the gravy slightly thick.
Season with crushed garlic slightly browned in oil.

Brahmin's Coffee Bar by Sudarshan Bhat M

I was with a friend yesterday morning and I asked him "Where shall we have breakfast?"

He said "Let's go to Brahmin's. Nice Idli Vada and Chowchow Bhaat they have."

Old Board is still retained

I had heard the name before, being a foodie myself, and I didn't say no to his proposal. We went there in the chill of Bangalore winter at around 8.00a.m., and were greeted by a huge crowd at the Ranga Rao Road in Shankarapuram Basavangudi where Brahmin's Coffee Bar is situated!

"That's the usual scene here", told my friend. I was fascinated to see the crowd that sort of reminded me of Taj Mahal Cafe early in the morning, when it was in Car Street Mangalore. However, This crowd was definitely huge compared to the usual crowd we used to see at 5.30AM outside Taj Mahal Cafe.

We waited in Q to buy the coupons. I went for Chowchow Bhaat and my friend preferred Idli Vada. Ultimately I too went for a single Idli and vada while he helped himself with a serving of Khaara Bhaat. Rates are reasonable here as you can see the menu. Only four snacks are available the whole day. Yet, one can be contented with the super soft Idlis, soft and crispy Vadas, succulent Khaara Bhaat and tasty Kesri Bhaat followed by strong filter coffee to wash them down.

Copper Coffee Filters

What makes this joint unique is the consistency in quality and cleanliness, plus the the unlimited chutney that they serve! Some call this place 'Chutney Hotel". An elderly man mostly silent looking, sits in a corner and pours chutney into the plates of those who want extra chutney. He is the owner Radhakrishna Adiga, who also has a chain of Adiga's Fast Food restaurants in Bangalore. His father Nageshwar Adiga(Nagesh Rao) started a bakery with ready to eat snacks and milk in 1965, where eventually he started serving Idli Vada, Khaara Bhaat and Kesari Bhaat with token system and self service in 1965 in  a 10x20room, which has boomed into a brisk business today by the name Brahmin's Coffee bar. Radhakrishna Adiga has expanded the restaurant to accommodate more customers inside, otherwise people had to stand outside on the footpath and eat the snacks.

Old Set Up

We finished our breakfast and had the strong coffee to invigorate our senses. I didn't forget to have a glance around again to capture a few snaps for my archives and left the place with the determination of visiting there soon, again. After all, Brahmin's spells value for money!

_______________________________________________________________________About the Author: Sudarshan Bhat is a young IT Engineer from Mangalore working for Microsoft in Bangalore. A foodie to the core, he's also a good cook. His passion for cooking has brought him closer to Kudpiraj's Garam Tawa and I personally liked his quick decisions when it came to sharing his experiences on travel and food. He travels regularly and tries various restaurants wherever he visits and makes a point to pass on first hand review to his friends on facebook. Sudarshan's hobbies include cooking, music, travel and spiritualism. He has learned classical Hindustani Music under the guidance of Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar of Mewati Gharana. Sudarshan's sister Aparna Prabhu is a food blogger with her blogspot 'Apskitchen' which has show cased hundreds of dishes over the last four years.

Kudpiraj's garam Tawa Team wishes Sudarshan Bhat, a long way in his adventures in cooking and travel.

Tricolor Jell-O Flag and Rice Flag by Queenie Mendonca

As we are commemorating the 64th Indian Republic Day, I was wondering what I could use in honor of this great event. The first thing that came to mind was the colors of the flag, orange and green, which gave way to my next thought, Jell-O.

No matter how far we have moved away from our motherland and adapted a new lifestyle in the new one, we are patriotic to our country.

Things you need:
One packet each green and orange Jell-O, prepared according to the quick set directions on the box.
Russian Pudding (prepared according to the directions given at the end of this article)
One printed Wheel
A wooden stick or any stick to resemble the flag post.

Method:
Set the Jell-O's and Russian pudding in the same size containers and chill till set.  Freeze for faster settings or you can follow the directions on the box.
Once the Jell-O is ready, I cut the Orange Jell-O, followed by Russian pudding and Green Jell-O to the same size and width.  
I placed the wooden stick on the left side to resemble the flag post.  

Finally, I placed the printed wheel on the Center.   

And here you go… the National Indian Flag that looks truly colorful!

My next flag is very simple and easy to make by using basmati rice and cloves as a wheel.

Things you need:
1-cup Basmati rice
2-cups water
Green and Orange food coloring
24 cloves
1 wooden or any stick to resemble the flag post

Method:
I boiled the basmati rice with water in the microwave for 10-15 minutes based on your microwave brands, set aside and let it cool.  I divided the rice into three equal parts in separate bowls.  Then I used the orange food color to one bowl and green food color to another bowl.  First I placed white rice on the center, then the orange and green rice to same size in length and width.  Placed 24 cloves carefully with some patience on the center to form a wheel and finally the wooden stick on the left side to resemble the flag post.

If you wish, you may turn this rice into a delicious tricolor biryani.
 
Russian pudding

Though this is called Russian pudding, this is not a Jell-O or a Pudding.  You just have to taste it to describe it!

Things you need:
1 pkt clear gelatin
¾ cup cold water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1tsp pure vanilla extract
Frozen strawberries in sugar (thawed) or any fruit topping of your choice.

Method:
Stir the gelatin in the cold water and set aside.  
Warm whipping/heavy cream and sugar on low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  
Do not boil.  
To this mixture add water and the gelatin and stir until the gelatin and sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix well.  
Gradually add the heavy cream, sugar and gelatin to the sour cream and mix well.  
Set in individual desert cups or Jell-O molds or any plastic molds (to make a flag, I used rectangular plastic box).  
Chill till set. 
Serve with fresh fruits or thawed frozen strawberries in sugar syrup.

Wishing you all a Happy Republic Day!

Karachi Bakery Fruit Biscuits

Disclaimer: This is not a sales promotion. Just published in the interest of those who want review on easy cooking and Instant Food.

Four Indian Bakery products that are phenomenally famous, have fascinated me. Variar Bakery in Rajajinagar Bangalore, Cochin Bakery in Mangalore with its origin from Kerala, Shrewsbury in Pune and Karachi Bakery in Hyderabad. I have tasted the specialties of all these four bakeries and found them too good.

Karachi Bakery has its origin from undivided Sindh province of India and the official site says they established their business in the year 1953 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Following the riots in Sindh province of Pakistan after the divide in 1947, Khanchand Ramnani family migrated to Hyderabad and they established Karachi bakery near Mozamjahi market in Hyderabad. Now they have an outlet in Banjara Hills as well.

Over the last 4 years I have been reading about Karachi Bakery and their products through online friends. Last year, a friend came from Hyderabad and she introduced us to the Fruit Biscuit from Karachi Bakery for the first time. That day, we were so greedy to grab the goody, I forgot to take a picture!

Luckily today, another friend came from Hyderabad and when she came, I was not at home. When I came back and found the box of biscuits in the dining room I was so delighted, I whacked two biscuits, had them with a cup of hot coffee with closed eyes, feeling as if I'm in heaven!

These biscuits are very light, they crumble in your mouth without much effort to bite into them, start melting as you start discovering the different flavours and tastes bound within the cookie. First, the fruity aroma blended with vanilla, then the smell of butter, light sweetness with a hint of salt, then crispy toasted bits of cashew nuts, finally the chewy candied dry fruits. This kind of feeling can only be created by experts in baking, and I must proudly say, India has some of the best bakers with consistency in their products!

A 450gm box of Fruit Biscuits costs just Rs. 130/- and contains over 30 pieces. I browsed through the official website of Karachi Bakery and found many other biscuits, cakes, pastries and sweets to offer. They also undertake bulk supply to corporate parties and also have online booking facility.

You may learn more about Karachi Bakery following the link -  http://www.karachibakery.com