Odisha Mo Odisha

Some may call its Shrimp biryani but I call it Shrimp Pulao. Why? Because my friend, Biryani is not made with Shrimps (ever). Neither is it made with Vegetables or Paneer or Fish by the way. Biryani is something that my definition is made with meat. So let's just call this recipe Shrimp Pulao.  Anyways, this shrimp recipe is easy & flavorful and with  the correct amount of spices, it is a one pot kid-friendly wholesome meal.  The flavors are very close to what I usually use for Biryani but you can easily make changes to suit your taste buds (or your family's).  What I used My dependable Instant Pot 6 Qt. Duo 1.5 Lbs of medium frozen shrimp - Shelled & De-veined (Defrosted & marinated with salt + turmeric) 2 cups Basmati Rice - Washed nicely & soaked in water for about 15 - 20mins.  2 cups Water 2 tbsp Ghee Whole Garam Masala - 2 green cardamoms + 1 black cardamom + 1 bay leaf + 8-10 pepper corns + 1 star anise + 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tbsp Ground Ma...

 It's a weeknight. The instant pot is looking at you with sad eyes because you have not used it in a while.  "Why have you not not opened me in a while?" it asks... I looked at the instant pot & said, "Because I don't want to eat Pulao or Biryani anymore" and I don't know what else to make in you which will have veggies & will be liked by the kids". The instant pot smiled back at me. It said "Do you have any bread at home? any kind?" I said " Yes we have some eggless dinner rolls. Why do you ask?" "Viola....... Let's make Bhaaji in the instant pot & surprise the family with it".. said the Instant Pot Making Bhaaji in the instant pot was so easy & so less time consuming that I could not believe I pulled off a proper pav-bhaaji dinner on a weeknight. YAY !! What I used My IP 6Qt Duo (of course) 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 cup each of cubed carrots + green peas + red potatoes (skinless) + cubed cauliflower + gr...

 It's going VIRAL.... everywhere you see, you will find people making these... the catch phrase is that, it is a NO-KNEAD paratha.. meaning, you don't have to knead the dough (which is tough if you are a beginner or don't have a kitchen-aid stand mixer) and you don't have to roll the dough into the perfect paratha shape too. I stumbled across this recipe on one of the youtube channels that I regularly watch & follow and she made it look like it was easy to make. I am telling you YouTube influencers do not show the real hardship that goes into their channels & they make everything look so easy & inspire us all to try out new things. It's truly commendable.  Anyways, I saw the recipe & it seemed pretty straight forward so I set out to give it a go.  Half way through making the parathas my legs started to hurt & then my hands & then my back. This recipe TAKES TIME.  So spoiler alert... If you want to make this recipe, just make for yourself. Do ...

 I will go back to my favorite saying... "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going".  This is my mantra for my evening dinners these days. During the day, work (office, house & kids) keep me super busy & I totally forget to plan for dinners. So when the clock strikes 5pm, my mind always goes into the fridge & tries to figure out what to cook which will be easy & healthy and will be liked (and swallowed) by kids).  This twist on my all time favorite spinach Moong daal dosa, incorporates a variety of vegetables & makes a yummy uttapam for week night dinners.  What I used.. 2 cups skinless moong daal Small piece of ginger + 1 green chili 7 or 8 curry leaves - finely chopped 1 cup finely grated carrots (Use the good old chopper & the task will be SO easy) 1 cup finely grated cabbage 1 bunch green onions - very very finely chopped Salt & pepper to taste Garam masala (or skip if your family does not like it) Red chilli flakes (skip if you...

 After the success and multiple bakes of the simple vanilla cake 🍰 🎂, this mango cake was a just calling out to be baked & devoured... Yes Devoured... :)  This mango cake is a twist on the Simple Cake recipe on this blog which is one of our go-to recipes during the pandemic. What I used... 1.5 cups Pancake Mix 2 Eggs (brown) 1/4 cup vegetable oil + wee bit more to grease the cake pan 1/2 cup mango puree 1/4 cup sugar (white preferable) Process Set the oven to 350 F Grease a small cake pan with wee bit oil Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until a smooth batter is obtained Pour the batter into the cake pan Bake for 15 - 17 mins & do a toothpick test.

 Here's my take on the Gluten Free mango Cake.... There's not a story behind it other than the fact that I am trying to reduce sugar & gluten in my diet due to the health reasons & this cake gave me everything that I need for those late evening sweet cravings without feeling guilty or sad or having to plan extra time on the treadmill the next day.  This cake is made from almond flour so it's on the denser side & not entirely fluffy BUT it is soft & makes for an awesome tea time accompaniment.  Here's what I used... Wet ingredients 1 cup mango puree 3 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or butter) Dry ingredients 2.5 cups of Almond flour 2 tsp baking powder Process First mix all the wet ingredients in a clean bowl using a wire whisk Then add in the baking powder & almond flour Mix nicely using a spatula - DO NOT USE Wire whisk  Transfer the contents to a greased 10 inch round cake tin Bake until tooth-pick comes out clean on 325 F for...

 When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. You must have heard this saying many times during your life. Sometimes it would make sense too. To me, this mostly applies at work & in the kitchen. When we (I & my family) feel like having "something different" we depend on Mexican or Italian food. We are not huge fans of burger but Tacos & Enchiladas are favorite items.  This enchiladas recipe is easy in the sense of putting it all together. It does take a while to bake but not much. The trick is to make ahead the stuffing & buy store bought enchilada sauce. If these two things are available at hand, putting this dinner together is very very quick. These enchiladas have 3 main parts The stuffing The sauce The cheese mix What I used for Stuffing 3 cups of baby spinach 2 cups of peppers (I used sweet peppers) 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs Taco seasoning Salt + Pepper To make the stuffing just have to stir fry the chicken, spinach & peppers together ...

 Winters always call for hot soup & lately my family & I have been relishing home made Instant Pot soups  with garlic bread (made out of $1 Walmart Bakery's French Bread). Using the Instant Pot is so so easy & the best part of the clean up or the lack thereof. Soups are best cooked in an Instant Pot where the steam cooks the vegetables & also you don't have to watch the boiling pot (literally). I have not made any soup yet in the IP using anything other than vegetables & the results have been amazing.  Making anything in the IP is less time consuming & less cleaning up & less waiting & less hassles. Literally, this soup can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes.  What I used 1/4 cup chopped red onions 2 medium heads of broccoli  chopped into small pieces 1 cup shredded carrots came prepped in a packet from walmart 2 tbsp butter 2 cups chicken broth (Can also use Vegetable broth or just plain water or a mix of either) Salt + Pepper...

 Like always, I bought a lot of puff pastry to try my hands at some sweet & savory puff pastry recipes over the last holiday season. And like always, I landed up using lesser than expected.  So here I am with extra store bought puff pastry & in need of a good breakfast idea and staring inside the pantry when it hit me that I have never baked anything with the extra chocolate-hazelnut spread that I bough which no one likes in the house anymore since it is very very sweet. So here's a two-ingredient (literally) made with chocolate-hazelnut spread & store bough puff pastry that immediately became a family favorite for breakfast. It is the perfect combination of sweet & buttery pastry and gives a good start to the day when you don't have to think about breakfast. What I used Store bought frozen puff pastry sheets Chocolate Hazelnut spread (Nutella or any other brand) Process Defrost the puff pastry until they are softer & pliable  Cut each sheet into 3 len...