This Chocolate Besan Barfi Cake elevates the classic Indian mithai with a layer of decadent chocolate ganache and colorful garnish of edible flowers, chopped nuts, freeze-dried fruit, and golden varak! It’s rich, elegant and a truly picture-perfect way to celebrate the festive season!
Thai Paan Bites (Miang Kham) is a popular street food in Thailand. This sweet, salty, and spicy appetizer is an explosion of flavors wrapped in a betel leaf! With toasted coconut, lime, ginger, peanuts, Thai chili, shallots, crispy tofu, and a sweet sauce, there’s nothing quite as bright and colorful as this vegetarian Miang Kham! WATCH HOW TO MAKE THAI PAAN BITES – MIANG KHAM: To make the sauce, we’ll add water to a pan along with lemongrass and grated ginger. Then in goes our brown sugar along with peanuts for texture, toasted coconut for that subtle sweetness, shallots, spices, and tamarind pulp. Let this come to a boil and once it starts to reduce finish with lime zest for that bright flavor. Once thickened remove the lemon grass and the sauce is ready! To assemble our platter, add your paan leaves and all our toppings. There’s crispy tofu, crushed peanuts, Thai chilies, shallots, toasted coconut, cubed lemon, and ginger. Make sure everything is very finely chopped and this is ready to serve as a …
Awadhi Layered Biryani — with layers of flavorful mixed vegetables cooked in a rich yogurt gravy, rice, and aromatic saffron milk, this is a stunning centerpiece for any dinner spread! Inspired by Awadhi cuisine, this is a royal and decadent entree that is sure to be loved! WATCH HOW TO MAKE AWADHI LAYERED BIRYANI: Start by boiling your rice with whole spices, salt, and lemon. Then for our mixed vegetable layer we’ll blend aromatics, mint cilantro, cashews, and poppy seeds into a paste. Heat some oil in a pan and add in your whole spices and onions and sauté a little. In goes our cashew and poppy seeds paste. Let this cool down and then add in some beaten yogurt and spices. Let this simmer until you see the ghee on top. Add in your veggies, paneer, and potatoes, along with a splash of milk for some creaminess to finish this off. Now to assemble our biryani we’ll grease a cake tin and add a layer of our boiled rice. Make a saffron milk mixture …
Apple Crisp Baked Gur Sandesh — a fall-inspired twist on one of my favorite mithai’s from Kolkata, use in season apples for some tartness and brightness in this epic baked gur sandesh! With layers of a cinnamon-apple filling, an aromatic gur (jaggery) sandesh, and crispy gond (edible gum) to garnish, this is great for entertaining or just to warm up on a chilly day! WATCH HOW TO MAKE APPLE CRISP BAKED GUD SANDESH: For the filling, saute crisp apples with brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let some of the moisture come out and add in some cornstarch and lemon juice to soak some of that liquid up. We want these to be super crisp and tart still for the best texture and flavor in our sandesh. For the sandesh, in goes our chenna — I’m using homemade — and milk. Let this come to a simmer until it starts to thicken and you see it come together. Now, fold in the gur and mix gently until combined and you get an even light brown …
Personal Indian Cheeseboards — a desi riff on the classic party appetizer that is so effortless to put together and will leave your guests feeling so special! Use a mix of store bought and homemade elements to make them hassle-free yet still stunning! In my board, I had Cheesy Achari Paneer Tikka, Grape-Basil-Cheese Skewers, Chili Jam Nut Bread, Papad with Mango Chutney & Kachumber Salad, Herbed Boondi Crackers, Cheesy Yogurt Dip and Basil Mozzarella Strawberries. WATCH HOW TO MAKE PERSONAL INDIAN CHEESE BOARDS: Truly, there’s an endless amount of fusion bites you can make. Pair these with a festive Indian inspired cocktail and your picture perfect cheese board are all set to enjoy! If you like this, please try my other recipes: Baked Beans Layer Chaat Lasooni Chili Peanuts Elaichi Infused Walnut Kebabs with Pineapple Yogurt Dip Personal Indian Cheeseboards — a desi riff on the classic party appetizer that is so effortless to put together and will leave your guests feeling so special! Use a mix of store bought and homemade elements to make …
Smoked Kwati Daal — rich and creamy, this inviting stew made with a variety of lentils, beans, and sprouts is the ultimate comfort meal! Popular in Nepal and Sikkim, serve this with some sides like achaar, papad choori, garlic chutney, and and onion beet pomegranate relish for an elegant platter to entertain with! WATCH HOW TO MAKE SMOKED KWATI DAAL: Start by heating some ghee and add in your whole spices, jeera, onions, aromatics, and let this saute. Then, add in your tomato puree, tomato paste, and basic masalas. Add some kasoori methi and water and let this cook covered to really let the flavors infuse. Now, in goes our boiled daals and beans. I’ve used sprouted the moong and chana for added nutrition and taste. Mix this gently and you’ll start to see just how creamy this is! Add in salt, a squeeze of lemon, and finish with garam masala. For the that deep, smoky flavor we’ll use some charcoal with ghee and truly this makes it so flavorful and restaurant-style. To serve, I’ve …
Khajoor Chocolate Badam Cups — these two-toned mithai cups have a dates layer featuring chocolate and chopped nuts topped with an almond layer that is aromatic with cardamom and saffron! Not only are these such a delight to look at once garnished with freeze-dried fruits, nuts, and gold varak, but they’re the perfect way to indulge without the guilt! WATCH HOW TO MAKE KHAJOOR CHOCOLATE BADAM CUPS: For our dates (khajoor) layer, heat some ghee in a pan and add in dates that we’ve soaked in warm water and coarsely ground using a food processor. Let this heat up and you’ll see it loosen up and become easier to work with. Now, add in coarsely chopped roasted nuts and poppy seeds, followed by some cocoa powder. Fold this together until it becomes uniform and this is ready! For the almond (badam layer), start by heating some ghee in a pan and now goes in our almond flour. Let this roast until it takes on this slightly darker color and has a nutty aroma. Now, we’ll …
Baked Beans Layer Chaat — with layers of baked beans, fresh veggies, bread, a kasundi mustard yogurt, and cheese, this is a vibrant, colorful appetizer to entertain with! This fusion chaat is one of those dishes you just have to try to experience the unique blend of simple ingredients and modern Indian flair! I tried this once at a friend’s place in Kolkata and it was so unique so this is my recreation! WATCH HOW TO MAKE BAKED BEANS LAYER CHAAT: For our baked bean layer, we’ll sauté peppers, the beans, and some Italian spices. For our masala aloo layer, sauté ginger-chili paste with corn, potatoes, some simple Indian masalas, and cilantro. The base of our chaat will be a layer of bread so we’ll cut out circles using a cookie cutter. We’ll also whisk together this kasundi mustard yogurt for a little Bengali flair and a kachumber inspired salad with some veggies, spices, and basil to add that freshness. To assemble, add a layer of kasundi yogurt, the bread, some more yogurt, masala aloo, …
Pumpkin Rabri Mousse with Jalebi — with a creamy, slightly-spiced instant rabdi paired with crispy kesariya jalebi, this is an innovative fusion of classic fall flavors and Indian mithai! The pumpkin rabri mousse is so effortless with this quick version and when folded into some whipped heavy cream, you get the airiest, velviest mousse that’s spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and saffron to pair with crispy jalebis! WATCH HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN RABRI MOUSSE WITH JALEBI: Since Diwali and Halloween are so close together this year, I wanted this recipe to double as the perfect dessert for either. Dress this up with some spooky candy eyes for a Halloween treat or some gold varak and dried rose petals for a stunning festive mithai! To make our instant rabdi, we’ll mix milk with fresh breadcrumbs to help get that rich texture effortlessly. Once this comes to a rolling simmer, we’ll add in our pumpkin puree for a fun fall fusion that works so well because of the pumpkin’s natural sweetness! Now, we’ll add in sugar and give …
When we were in Greece this summer no day was complete without a classic spanakopita and these spinach paneer pinwheels are inspired by those traditional Greek bakeries where we had the flakiest spanakopitas!
