Honey Glazed Almonds, Salted & Spiced Nuts | Snack ideas

It had been a while since I made some things to nosh on. Summer in California means lots of outdoor activities and travels. That means lots of dry snacks to carry for road trips or flights.  So when couple of months back Alok told me we'd be going on a 3-day trip to Portland, I happily made some... masala mathri, namak paare (salted crackers), shakkar paara (sweet crackers), honey glazed almonds, and salted and spiced nuts.

Cabbage Muthia Recipe

Mutthi in Hindi language means 'fist'.  Muthia comes from that word because to make the log shaped steamed 'dumplings' you tightly press the grated vegetable and spice mixture into your fist.  Muthia can be made with various vegetables, such as bottle gourd (lauki), radish (mooli), cabbage (pattagobhi), and so on.

Kala Chana Masala Recipe

Kala Chana is known as black chickpeas or bengal gram in English.  It is different from the Kabuli Chana, the pale colored chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) used for making Chhole.  The two are shaped similar but are different in size, color, taste, and texture.  For making Chhole, you need to use Kabuli Chana.  But for making Chana Chaat, for example - you can use either legume.

In this post, I'm sharing a really simple Kala Chana Masala recipe that's on the dry side but can be eaten with phulka, with poori, or can be enjoyed as a snack. These are called Sookhe Kaale Chane.

Ras Malai Recipe | Indian Dessert

When my family was discussing the menu for my wedding reception four years back, all I said I wanted was Ras Malai for dessert.  That's how much I love Ras Malai.

Malai Barfi Recipe (Milk Cake) | Indian Sweets Recipes | Dessert Recipe

Some years ago, we were grocery shopping at an Indian store and saw a booth set up there selling Indian sweets.  Alok saw the box of Malai Barfi (Milk Cake) and wanted to buy it.  I was still pretty new in the USA and still getting used to the prices here.  So when I saw the small box of Malai Barfi for $7, I calculated the price in home currency and insisted that he not buy it.  Few days later, I made Malai Barfi and surprised him when he came home that evening.

And then last month  I celebrated birthday week for Alok and prepared one favorite dessert of his every day.  On one of the days, it was this simple Malai Barfi.