Hearty Food Talks
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST MINT AND RAW MANGO CHUTNEY | DIP
Mint and raw mango chutney is quite a refreshing, seasonal, delicious, and tangy chutney or dip. It is very versatile as it can be served with snacks, drizzle over chaat or street food, and served as a condiment with meals.
In fact, mint and raw mango are a blessed healing combination during hot summers. Mint helps to tackle tummy troubles that the heat brings in its wake and raw mango is a known antidote for heatstroke.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of Fresh Mint Leaves
- 1 small Raw Mango
- 1/2 inch piece of Ginger
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 medium Green Chili
- 1/4 tsp. Red Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Fresh Cumin Powder
- A good pinch of Asafetida (Hing)
- 1/4 tsp. Pink Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Black Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Organic Cane Sugar (optional)

Nicely wash, peel, cut, and place all the ingredients in one plate.

Transfer these into a smaller blender jar. Add all the dry spices to it.

Pulse grind the ingredients into a coarse paste.

May add a tsp. of lemon juice.

Transfer the Mint Chutney into a bowl.

Topped with fresh mint Leaves the Mint Chutney is ready to serve.
Notes:
Usually, I prepare the Mint Chutney in lunch with Dal and Rice. To beat the heat of chutney I always try to serve it with some cool cucumber salad.

I also prepare various other versions of Mint Chutney. Sometimes with tamarind, lemon juice, anardana (dried pomegranate arils), or yogurt.
Try to avoid adding water while grinding the chutney. Instead use some fresh lemon juice. Refrigerate the leftover chutney in a glass container or freeze it in a freezer safe container. Even the refrigerated chutney stays good for about 7 to 10 days.
To increase the shelf life of mint chutney, we can add vinegar or mustard oil (heated to fumes and then cooled down to room temperature) on top of the chutney and mix it well. This will also help in keeping the freshness intact.
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RESTAURANT STYLE KADAI PANEER WITH LESS OIL
The shell-shaped pasta comes in a variety of sizes. The larger pasta shells, called “conchiglie” in Italian, are used for stuffing with ingredients such as vegetables, cheese, and legumes. The smaller sizes, called “conchigliette” in Italian are used for soups, salads and casseroles.
The shell-like shape makes the pasta quite sturdy, to hold up sauces. Shell pasta traps more of the delicate sauces and distribute them evenly through a pasta dish.
It is usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties which use natural pigments, such as tomato extract, or spinach extract.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Dry Shell Pasta
- 3 to 4 cups Milk
- 1 tsp. Olive Oil
- 1 small cube of Unsalted Butter
- 2 cloves Garlic (finely minced)
- 2 tsps. Fine Flour
- 1 to 2 cups Fresh Spinach (finely chopped)
- Black Pepper Powder
- Red Chili Flakes
- Italian Herbs
- Pink Salt

Carefully, add dry pasta to the boiling water. Add 1/2 tsp. of salt.

Let it cook on high heat for 8 to 10 mins. and turn off the heat.

Transfer the pasta to a sieve to drain all the extra water. Run under regular water and keep it aside for the later use.

On a low-medium heat, add the olive oil and butter to a nonstick pan.

Start preparing the white sauce by sautéing minced garlic.

Once the garlic starts changing to light pink color, add fine flour to it.

On a very low heat let the fine flour cook for 2 to 3 secs.

Immediately, add 1/2 to 1 cup of warm milk to it with a constant stirring.

Gradually add the remaining milk. Again a constant stirring is required to prevent any lumps formation.

Make sure the heat is on low and the sauce is nicely cooking. The sauce will start getting thicker. The point where it starts settling on the spatula add the herbs, chili flakes, and a very little salt. Combine well.

Taste and adjust the seasoning as per your preference.

Time to add cheese and spinach.

Finally, add the boiled shell pasta.

Gently, fold the pasta into white sauce. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

The Shell Pasta in Garlic And Spinach White Sauce is ready to serve.

May top it with some extra cheese, spinach, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes:
The Shell Pasta comes in many different sizes. Here, in this recipe I have used the medium size shells as they make just the perfect bites.

I’ve used the medium size Shell Pasta.

Ziplock the unused/rest of the dry pasta, and put it in the original box.

Properly close the box and place it back to the kitchen pantry.
We may always refrigerate the leftover cooked pasta and reheat it in a pan or microwave adding an extra milk to it.
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RESTAURANT STYLE KADAI PANEER WITH LESS OIL
Kadai paneer is a very popular dish created with paneer (Indian cottage cheese), color bell peppers (capsicum, Shimla Mirch), and onions. The gravy consists of thick tomato sauce, aromatic spices and herbs. The recipe name Kadai comes from “wok” and Paneer is an Indian cottage cheese. Here, I have created the same delicious curry with a minimum amount of olive oil. I would say it’s a Must Try protein packed recipe for the kids and adults.
Ingredients
- Paneer
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 2 Onions
- 1 inch piece of Ginger
- 4 clove of Garlic
- 2 medium Green Chilies
- 12 Cashews
- A handful of Fresh Coriander
- 2 tbsps. Whole Coriander Seeds
- 4 medium Whole Red Peppers
- 1 tbsp. Kasturi Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
- 1 to 2 tbsps. Olive Oil
- 1 tsp. Cumins
- 4 Black Peppers
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Green Cardamoms
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- A good pinch of Asafetida
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp. Red Chili Powder
- 1 to 2 tsps. Salt
- 1/2 to 1 cup Warm Water/Milk
- 1 to 2 tsps. Ghee (optional)

Cut the paneer into desired size pieces and put them into warm water (may add a little salt to the water).

Chop the onions and bell peppers into square pieces and keep them aside for later use.

Now place the main gravy ingredients into one plate (roughly chopped onions, tomatoes, cashews, ginger, garlic, and green chilies).

Dry roast the peppers and whole coriander seeds to prepare a fresh powder of it.

Fresh dry coriander and pepper powder for the later use.

On a warm pan dry roast the Kasturi Methi for a second. Using your palms, crush it into a fine powder. Set aside for the later use.

To prepare the oil free gravy, on a medium hot pan, add a little oil, cumins, black peppers, cloves, cardamoms, and the cinnamon stick.

Add the gravy ingredients (except tomatoes) to the seasoning and stir for 2 mins.

Add tomatoes and combine them together.

Cover the pan and let these cook for 5 mins. on a low-medium heat.

Meanwhile, on a medium-high heat, stir fry the onions and bell peppers for about 2 mins.

Transfer the stir fried veggies on a separate plate.

Turn off the stove for gravy mixture and let it cool down to room temperature.

Discard the cinnamon stick and blend the cooked gravy mixture.

Finally, heat up one tbsp. of olive oil, add turmeric, red chili powder, and Asafetida.

Add the gravy mixture to this seasoning. Cover it and cook for 5 mins. on a low-medium heat.

Add the freshly prepared coriander-pepper powder. Combine well.

Add the Kasturi Methi. Combine it properly.

Adjust the consistency by adding warm water or milk. Adjust the salt, Bring it to a boil and then set the heat to the lowest.

Cover the pan and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until a little oil starts showing up on the surface.

Once the KADAI PANEER gravy is ready, we may add a tsp. of ghee and garam masala. It’s completely optional.

Drain the water and add paneer to the gravy. Gently, fold it into the gravy. Cover for 5 minutes and let it simmer on low-medium heat.

Add some fresh coriander and it’s ready to serve as such.

Add the stir fried veggies.

Some fresh coriander. Give a gentle stir.

Our delicious KADAI PANEER is ready to serve.

Mouthwatering KADAI PANEER.
Notes:
Kadai Paneer can be served with homemade roti, chapati, phulka, paratha, naan, or rice. It makes a perfect filling for Kathi Roll or Veggie Roll along with some salad veggies and green chutney.
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HOW TO MAKE PERFECT PANEER | INDIAN COTTAGE CHEESE
Paneer is also known as Indian cottage cheese, created by curdling cow or buffalo milk with vinegar or lemon juice. It is a non-aged, non-melting, soft cheese, and can be consumed immediately. Packed with protein, paneer is an important ingredient of many Indian vegetarian recipes. Though it’s easily available in all Indian grocery stores but there is no match to the quality of homemade paneer. I always prefer to make it in my own kitchen.
Ingredients
- 8 cups Whole Milk
- 1 n 1/2 tbsps. White Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Water

Add a tbsp. of water to a heavy bottom pan.

Pour in milk into the same pan and let it come to the room temperature. No heat is required upto this point.

Place the milk pan on a medium heat and let it come to a boil.

Once the milk comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and wait for 2 to 3 minutes before we add vinegar to it.

We may use white vinegar, or fresh lime juice to curdle the milk for paneer. Here I’ve used the white vinegar.

In a small bowl add 1/4 cup of regular water and 1 n 1/2 tbsps. of vinegar. Combine well.

Start adding vinegar-water solution to the boiled milk.

Please add spoon by spoon and gently stir the milk.

Add vinegar-water solution and wait for couple seconds until paneer and water separates clearly.

We will see the formation of thick paneer chunks.

Give a minute or two and then strain all paneer through a clean muslin or cotton cloth. Put a big bowl underneath to collect the separated water.

Rinse this paneer with regular drinking water. 2 to 3 times.

Tie the cloth to squeeze extra water from paneer and leave it in the colander for 2 to 3 hours. We may also hang it on a sturdy hook.

After a wait of 2 to 3 hours, open the cloth to get this beautiful loaf of homemade paneer.

Slice it using a sharp and wet knife. Soft paneer with a perfect texture is ready to refrigerate for later use.
Notes:
It is very easy to make paneer or Indian cottage cheese in your own kitchen. As I’ve already mentioned, there is no match to this homemade paneer. I do create a variety of sweet and savory delicacies using my homemade paneer. Great for salads as well. Following are the two world famous Indian/Bengali sweets -Rasgulla & Rasmalai.

Rasgulla

Rasmalai
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SAFFRON AND PISTACHIO MANGO LASSI
Mango lassi is quite a refreshing fruit drink for a hot summer day. This cool, and creamy drink is created with mango, yogurt, sugar, saffron, cardamom, pistachios, and ice cubes. It is one of the most popular and nutritious fruit drink among the kids.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium Perfectly Ripened Sweet Mango
- 1 cup Fresh Plain Yogurt
- 2 to 3 tsps. Organic Cane Sugar
- 4 to 6 Saffron Threads
- A good pinch of Cardamom Powder (optional)
- 1 tsp. Pistachios
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup Milk (optional)
- 2 to 4 Ice cubes

Place the yogurt in a thin sieve to let drain any sour water.

Nicely wash, peel off the mango, and blend it into a fine purée.

Add the hung/solid curd into the blender jar.

Blend and taste it. Add some organic cane sugar to adjust the sweetness.

Add a few saffron threads.

Finally, a few ice-cubes to adjust the consistency.

Pour the lassi into cups/glasses.

Topped with mango cubes, pistachio, and saffron.

Delightful Mango Lassi is ready to serve 😊
Notes:
To cut down the amount of extra sugar, please make sure that the yogurt is just perfect (not sour) and the fruit is also sweet by itself.
We may also use frozen mango, or canned mango pulp for this recipe.
We may use the milk, to reduce the amount of sour yogurt, and/or adjust the consistency.
Make sure to serve it immediately.
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HOW TO CUT A MINI WATERMELON
HOW TO CUT A MINI WATERMELON
Watermelon is a very delicious, refreshing, interesting, and highly cultivated fruit all over the world. It grows on a vine-like flowering plant, originally domesticated in West Africa.
The fruit has many health benefits:
- Keeps us hydrated due to high water content.
- Packed with the nutrients such as vitamins, and minerals.
- It has antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Contains very low calories.
- Prevents cancer and improves heart health.
- Great for eye health.
- Relieves muscle soreness.
- Good for skin and hair.

Nicely wash and wipe the watermelon. Place it horizontally, on a flat surface or chopping board.

Hold the watermelon on top. Using a sharp kitchen knife cut off the bottom part. This is to give a flat base to the fruit.

Place the fruit vertically on its flat base. Cut it vertically into two equal halves.

Fruit divided into two halves.

Refreshing watermelon pieces ready to cut into wedges and/or cubes 🍉

For the wedges, cut one of the halves further into two vertical halves.

Take one quarter piece at a time…

Cut into slices of your desired thickness.

Arrange it on a serving plate/dish.

Cut the rest of the fruit into bite size pieces.
Notes:
Its red color is due to the presence of a compound Lycopene.
Different ways to store the leftover watermelon.

Cover the box with a proper lid and refrigerate it for later use.

A *Silicon Stretch Lid* to cover the uncut fruit and refrigerate it for later use.

We may also freeze the watermelon in a freezer bag to create a smoothie, slush etc.
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GRILLED CHEESE AND VEGGIES SANDWICHES
A grilled cheese and veggies sandwich is a hot sandwich. Typically prepared by heating grated or sliced cheese and veggies between the slices of bread, on a frying pan, griddle, or sandwich toaster, until the bread turns brown and crispy and the cheese melts. It makes a great anytime snack or light meal. This one is one of my family favorite recipes.
Ingredients
- Wheat Bread Slices 🍞
- (Two slices per sandwich 🥪)
- Mozzarella Cheese 🧀
- Bell Pepper 🫑
- Tomato 🍅
- Onion 🧅
- Green Chili 🌶
- Tomato Ketchup
- Black Pepper Powder
- Pink Salt
- Olive Oil (optional to grease the bread slices)

Place all the ingredients at one place.

Cut the veggies into thin slices or chop them into small pieces.

Toast only one side of the two slices, on a low/medium heat. Here I am creating two sandwiches in one go…

Once the slices turn light brown. We will use one slice as a base and another to top it after layering our veggies-cheese.

Turn the heat to the lowest as it takes time to layer the veggies-cheese. Starting with onions & bell pepper slices.

Topped with grated cheese 🧀

Topped with sweet-n-sour tomato ketchup.

Then the tomato slices and a generous amount of black-pepper and some pink salt.

Again, may add a few onion slices.

Place the other bread slice on top of it (keeping the toasted side inside).

Now gently turn the whole sandwich 🥪 upside down.

Here, both the sandwiches have been turned upside down.

Lightly press the sandwiches as they get toasted (Idea is to bind the layers together with the melting cheese).

Once nice and crispy, bring it on to a chopping board and cut into two pieces (diagonal or vertical or horizontal).

Serve immediately with some extra ketchup.
Notes:
We may use any bread, veggies, cheeses or sauces of our choice. These sandwiches are very quick and easy to create on a pan or in a sandwich maker. Kids love to layer the sandwich as per their preferences.
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STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS
Sweet Peppers are also known as bell peppers or capsicum. Though they are fruits (botanically classified as berries), they are commonly used as a vegetable ingredient or as a side dish.
These are great for eye health by being rich in carotenoids. Again, due to the presence of antioxidants, sweet peppers or bell peppers or capsicum prevent from many cancers. VitaminC content of these peppers helps boosting the immunity of our body.
Peppers help balancing our mood, help in good night sleep, support weight loss, improve skin quality, possesses anti-inflammatory properties, and are heart healthy.
An important point, though all sweet peppers are very nutritious but these red sweet peppers contain 1.5 times more vitamin C, 8 times more vitamin A and 11 times more beta carotene than green bell peppers.
Yellow bell peppers have more vitamin C than green ones, but less vitamin A and beta carotene.
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 Mini Sweet Peppers 🫑
- 1 cup Homemade Paneer
- 1 tsp. Olive Oil
- A pinch of Asafetida (Hing)
- 1/6 tsp. Cumin Seeds or Roasted Cumin Powder
- 1/4 inch piece of Ginger (finely chopped)
- 1/4 small Red Onion (finely chopped)
- A pinch of Red Chili Powder
- A pinch of Garam Masala
- Light Salt (as per our preference)

Wash the sweet peppers properly, wipe off the water, cut from the top (save the tops), scoop out the core of the peppers…

Curdle the boiled milk w/ lemon juice or vinegar..

Sieve it through a cheese cloth, gently rinse it under tap water. Squeeze all the water, give it a tie, and hang it for 20 to 30 minutes..

Fresh homemade paneer. For the stuffing season it with the spices mentioned above, or simply add salt and black pepper.

Stuff the peppers with paneer and let cook on low medium heat on a heavy bottom pan..

Place the peppers on their tops and let cook. Keep changing the sides every 3 to 4 minutes..

Sides need to be changed..

After all four sides and the top is done, cover the lid of the pan for 5 to 6 minutes..

Peppers are almost done..

Transfer the peppers to a serving plate..

Cover them with their tops and our colored mini sweet peppers are ready to serve!
Note: Usually, I prepare these stuffed mini sweet peppers as a side dish. Leftovers make a perfect filling for the grilled sandwiches 🥪 We can always bake these in the oven as well.

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AVOCADO FLATBREADS
The fruit of avocado is basically a large berry containing a single large seed.
It is quite a unique fruit with powerful health benefits. While most fruit consists primarily of carbohydrate, avocado is high in healthy fats. It’s often referred to as a superfood.
Ingredients
- 1 Avocado 🥑
- 1 cup Multigrain Flour or Wheat Flour
- 1/4 to 1/2 inch piece Ginger
- 2 to 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1 small Onion
- 1 small Green Chili
- 1/4 cup Fresh Coriander
- 1 to 2 tsps. Lemon Juice
- 1 /2 to 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
- 1/4 tsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp. Red Chili Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Garam Masala
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- Oil to cook the Avocado Flatbread

Avocado, onions, ginger, garlic, green chili, coriander, and lemon to be added to the flour before kneading It into a dough..

Chopped veggies, ready to be used in the recipe..

In a wide bowl, take multigrain or wheat flour...add all spices to it...

Also, add the chopped veggies (garlic, ginger, onions, green chili, lemon juice, and fresh coriander) to it...

Knead the mixture into a firm dough (with NO WATER)...use a little oil for the final round of kneading..set aside for 20 minutes..

Divide the avocado dough into equal portions, and shape them into small patties...

Now, roll each portion into an even and round flatbread or tortilla...

Cook each avocado tortilla on a hot plate or pan from both sides using oil...Serve immediately!
Note: Surprisingly, the Avocado dough was pretty easy to handle. Of course, for rolling some dry flour was required just like for a regular roti or paratha. Cooked flatbreads turned pretty soft, and flavorful.
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