Renus Kitchen

  Ingredients  Peanuts - 1.5 cups Water - 3/4 cup Salt - 3/4 tsp Seasoning / Tadka Urad daal - 1tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp  Hing (asafetida) - few dashes Curry leaves - 3-4  Red chili, dry, whole - 2-3  Ginger - 1 inch , chopped Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp  Coconut, shredded - 3 tbsp  Method Soak peanuts for 1 hour and pressure cook with salt 2-3 whistles Release water and drain water Prepare tadka/ seasoning by heating oil and adding mustard seeds followed by urad dal, hing, ginger, red chili and curry leaves. Add boiled peanuts and coconut.  Mix well.  Add more salt to adjust the taste. Enjoy it as a snack.

This is Kathiyawadi Gujarati dish which goes very well with Bjari ka Rotlla (millet flat bread). However I do not have bajri ka rotla ready all the time so I enjoy with regular wheat flour roti.  Ingredients  Yogurt - Thick - 2 cups  Garlic cloves - 2 Onion, half - sliced (optional) Water - 2 tbsp to make spice paste Vegetable oil  Cumin seeds - 1 tsp  Hing (asafetida) - few dashes Salt to taste  Spice mix Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Roasted cumin seed powder - 1/2 tsp  Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp  Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp Method First step is to strain the yogurt to get thick yogurt  Mix all the dry spices with water to make a paste  Add hing followed by chopped garlic and sliced onions Next add spice paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add thick yogurt.  Mix gently and now add salt to taste.  Pair this side dish with bajri rotla (bajra ki roti) or just with anything. 

  This is my utmost favorite dish which I love to eat on the ninth day of Navratri with puri and halwa.  Ingredients  Kaala Chana - 3/4 cup  Corridor powder - 1 tsp  Dry mango powder  - 1 tsp  Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp  Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp  Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Hing (asafetida) - 1/4 tsp  Cumin seeds - 1tsp  Ginger, sliced  - 1 tbsp  Cilantro - for garnishing (optional) Salt - to taste Method Soak in water over night and pressure cook chana with few tsp of ghee and salt for 5-6 whistles.   Once pressure cooked, release the pressure and strain chana and keep it aside. Next make paste of dry spices with 1 tbsp water. making paste with water ensures that the the spices will not burn on cooking. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, heeng and sliced ginger and cook. Now add water soaked spices and cook till oil is released.  Once oil is released,  mix boiled chana , add more salt to adjust the taste an...

This recipe was set out to make Til Patti or Til Chikki, somehow the mixture clumped so much that it failed to form flat sheet, hence quickly before the mix cooled off I make tiny balls and it turned out as good as Chikki.  The recipe below outlines steps to make Chikki and Laddu Ingredients Sesame seeds (white)- 1 cup Jaggery - 1 cup Ghee - 1 tbsp Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Method Dry roast sesame seeds on very low heat till the seeds splutter. To cut this step I used pre-roasted sesame seed. In a thick bottom kadai/wok or pan melt ghee and jaggery on low heat. Keep stirring till jaggery melts and syrup starts to thicken and glossy. Check the consistency of jaggery syrup by dropping few drops of jaggery in water. If the drop rolls into a soft ball then continue cooking.  Keep checking the consistency by dropping  the syrup in water until the syrup form hard ball and breaks with a brittle snap. Turn off heat at this point and mix roasted sesame seeds and powdered cardamom po...

Ingredients Left over rice - 1 cup Besan (Gram flour)- 2-3 tbsp  Yogurt, thick - 1/4 cup Salt - to taste  Ajwain (Carom seeds) - 1/2 tsp Turmeric - 1/2 tsp Onions, diced -  1/2 cup Green chillies - to taste Sweet peppers, diced - 1/2 cup Water as needed to prepare the batter Cilantro chopped  Sugar - optional - I always add 1 tsp or more to balance sourness of yogurt Method Mix everything. Mash rice while mixing with hand  Make sure the consistency is not watery.  Cook it on low flame like pancake till both sides are crispy. It has nice tangy flavor because of yogurt.

1 cup whole almonds  2 tbsp - sooji (Semolina) 1.5 cups water 1/2 cup sugar  2 tbsp Ghee  Grind almonds into fine powder. Roast almond flour and sooji in ghee  Add sugar followed by water. Cook on medium heat until halwa starts coming together. You can add more ghee.  Garnish with nuts and cardamom powder

Ingredients  Topping (Streusel) 1 cup - almond flour 2 tbsp  - brown sugar 1/2 cup - oatmeal flour (optional) 1 tsp - cinnamon flour 1/4 cup - melted butter Filling: 3 - apples, peeled, cored and diced 2 tbsp - brown sugar 1 tsp - cinnamon 1 tbsp - lemon juice (0ptional) Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter baking tray with butter. For topping, mix all ingredients and set aside. For filling, combine all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread filling in a baking tray. Top with 1/2 inch of streusel topping, packing down firmly.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until streusel topping is lightly browned. Serve warm.

Ingredients  Drained Greek yogurt - 1 cup  Mango pulp - 1 cup  Sweetened condensed milk - 1/3 cup  Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp  Pistachios - for garnishing  Method  Combine all the ingredients and wisk lightly  Transfer the mix in individual remains or a big dish  Sprinkle pistachio.  Cover the dish with foil and steam for 15 minutes  Refrigerate to chill  Enjoy 

Ingredients  All purpose flour - 1/4 cup Sugar - 1/4 cup  Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 tbsp  Baking soda 1/8 tsp  Salt - 1/8 tsp  Milk - 3 tbsp  Water - 1 tbsp  Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp  Method  Mix all the ingredients in a cup and microwave it did 1.5 minutes.  Cool and enjoy.  Top it with vanilla icecream or chocolate sauce  Note : my cake was on the drier side as I used 1 tbsp oil. Try with 2 tbsp and it will come moister. 

I always look for ways to improve the nutrient quality of my Chapatti/Roti/Paratha/Puri- aka Indian flat bread. This time I decided to color it pink ! and what can be a better ingredient other than BEET ROOT ! Can you believe beets belong to spinach family ?  Beets are rich in c alcium, iron, folic acid and essential amino acid, called glutamine . Beets are also known for its ergogenic property. Ergogenic foods are those which enhance the physical performance and stamina. Its a ideal food to consume before any sporting activity. Take a shot of beet juice and be sure to touch the finish line in no time :)  A work of caution - OXALATES. Yes, it is also high in oxalate. Not good for your kidneys. So as any other food, consume in moderation. Coming to the recipe: Beets - Boil/steam/ or just keep it raw - 3 medium Whole wheat flour - 2 cups Water - as required  Puree beets and combine with flour and make a soft dough by adding water as required.  Voila ! enjoy bread...

Ingredients Paneer - crumbled Sweet peppers or bell peppers - fine chopped  Onion - fine chopped  Green chilies - to taste  Salt - to taste  Chaat masala - to taste Cilantro leaves Ginger - grated  Mecican cheese blend or any other cheese in your pantry Bread  Butter  Method Make paneer by boiling milk and curdling with vinegar or follow the recipe here  Mix the above ingredients and spread on a buttered toast and grill on both sides with butter . Enjoy crispy sandwich with ketchup and some potato chips ! 

Call it Depression Cake or War Cake or Wacky Cake Depression cakes originated during the time of Great Depression when ingredients were in shortage. Our recent pandemic has created similar situation. Hence this recipe comes handy when you don’t have enough ingredients in your pantry. I was quite skeptical of the outcome as the recipe excluded oil and sugar.....and to my surprise the cake came out soft and perfectly moist. You will not believe it’s 0 oil cake!   On the sweetness side, I thought it wouldn't hurt to add some sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth !!  Ingredients All purpose flour - 1.5 cup Whole wheat flour - 0.5 cup Baking powder- 1 tsp Baking soda - 1 tsp Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder -1/4 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Date paste - 1/2 cup Brown sugar - 1/2 cup ( optional, but I recommend it as my bread didn’t turn as sweet as I would have liked) Milk - 1/2 cup Apple sauce - 1 cup Vinegar - 1 tsp Vanilla - 1/4 tsp Raisins - handful Method Da...

Ingredients Muthiya - see the recipe here Tomato - 2.5 Ginger - 1.5 inch Green chillies 1-2 Coriander powder - 2 tbsp Turmeric - 1 tsp Salt - to taste Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp Cumin - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp Water -3-4 cups Method  Purée tomatoes, chilies and ginger Heat oil and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Pour the tomato purée along with turmeric , coriander powder and salt Cook the tomato paste till it reduces to paste Add water and boil. Next add all the muthiyas and simmer on low heat Muthiyas will absorb some water Serve hot with rice

Ingredients  Besan (chickpea flour) - 1-25 cups Wheat flour - 1/2 cup Spinach - 2 cups , chopped Yogurt (optional) - 2 tbsp Ginger - 1.5 inches, crushed Salt - to taste Turmeric - 1 tsp Cumin seed - 1.5 tsp Sesame seeds (optional) - 1/4 cup Green chillies - 2 Water - enough to make pancake like batter Vegetable oil for shallow frying Method  Mix everything and pour the batter in a greased pan. Steam for 10 minutes in instant pot or 20 minutes in stove top steamer. You can also microwave it. Once steamed , let it completely cool and slice Shallow fry the slices Enjoy the muthiyas with chutney or make curry Note : make these muthiyas in bulk and freeze. Thaw it when you want to eat next. 

Ingredients  Corn meal - 1 3/4 cups All purpose flour - 1/4 cup Sugar - 3/4 cup Oil - 1/2 cup Baking powder - 3/4 tbsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Milk - 1 cup Egg - 1 Orange zest (optional) - 1 tsp Method  First grind the cornmeal to get finer flour and then proceed to next steps Pour rest of  the ingredients in a blending jar and pulse to mix all the ingredients. Remember, the batter will be very runny and it’s OK Pour the batter in a grease loaf pan and bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean Cool and slice with a spread of warm butter Loved the citrus burst to this bread. Notes  Original recipe called for 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar and 1 table spoon of baking powder. I reduced the amounts and the bread came out soft and perfect sweetness. Make it gluten free by replacing 1/4 cup of all purpose flour with corn meal

Ingredients Sprouted moth beans - 2 cup Rice - 1/2 cup Rolled oats - 1/2 cup Ginger - 1 inch Onion - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Green chilies - 2 Salt to taste Method Soak moth beans for 8 hours and then leave to sprout for another 8 hours. Soak rice for 2 hours the day you wantt to make the dosa Grind all the ingredients and make a smooth bather with pancake consistency  Cook dosa as usual and serve with peanut chutney 

Ingredients  Ragi flour - 1 cup Semolina - 1 cup Rice flour - 2-3 tbsp Yogurt - 2 tbsp Water - according to consistency Salt - 1/2 tsp to taste Cumin seed - 1 tsp Onion - chopped, fine , 1/2 cup Green chilie - 2 fine chipped Ginger - 1 inch, finely chopped Salt - 1 tsp Water - 3 cups Cilantro - 1/2 cup Vegetable oil to toast dosa Method  Mix all the ingredients , except oil The batter will be very runny  Leave the batter to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature  Heat a non stick girdle or a well seasoned cast iron griddle  Pour the runny batter on hot griddle. you don't have to spread the batter like we normally do to make dosa. Just keep pouring on hot griddle. You may require to pour another ladle full of batter  Sprinkle oil on the top Once the dosa turns golden, flip the other side to cook Serve with sambar and tomato chutney 

Ingredients   Whole wheat flour - 1 cup Besan/chickpea flour - 1/4 cup 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp chaat masala 1/4 cup dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) 2 tsp vegetable oil Milk/water - 1/4 cup Salt - 1/2 tsp Method Combine all the dry ingredients and make semi-soft dough by adding milk/water little by little  Leave the dough to set for 15 minutes  Pinch approximately 8-9 balls. Roll each ball into thin dics Thinner the discs, crispier the khakharas  Heat the griddle and cook khakhara on both sides by pressing the discs with a clean kitchen towel  Cook till you see brown spots on both sides  Cool to firm up the khakharas and enjoy with tea 

Coconut Chutney Ingredients Coconut Chutney  Coconut shredded - 1 cup Roasted chana daal - 1/2 cup Curry leaves - 1 sprig Ginger - 1/2 inch Green chillies - 1-2 Yogurt - 2 tbsp Cumin - 1 tsp Cilantro - 1/2 cup Tadka Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad daal - 1/2 tsp Heeng/ asafoetida - few dashes Curry leaves - 3-4 Whole red chilies - 1-2 Method Grind everything except tadka  heat oil and prepare tadka and pour it over chutney

Fried Tawa Idli  Ingredients  Cooked idli - 10, cut into fours Tomato - 1 medium, diced  Onion - 1 medium, diced  Ghee/ butter/ oil - 2 -3 tbsp Podi powder - 2-3 tbsp  Fresh cilantro - 1/2 cup Method  Heat ghee/butter and saute onions and tomatoes  Add idli pieces and fry Add podi powder and mix gently Lower the heat and cook covered so that the spices and juices of tomato gets absorbed by the idli Serve with coconut chutney  See the recipe of chutney, idli and podi below  Idli  Ingredients of Idli  Cream of rice or any kind of rice - 3 cups Poha- flattened rice - 1/2 cup 1 cup urad daal Salt to taste Method soak rice, daal and fenugreek seeds for 8 h and then grind to make pouring consistency batter. Add salt and ferment for 12-14 h next steam in idli cooker or instant pot in steam mode for 10 minutes Open the steamer immediately and cool before de-moulding the idli stand ...

Ingredients  1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup almond flour 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 egg and 2 tbsp milk 1/4 tsp vanillas essence. Method Mix everything and pinch balls. Place the balls on cookie sheet. Flatten the balls and garnish almonds and bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes until golden. The cookies have slightly soft texture. 

Ingredients  4 cups cooked white rice 1.5 cups chopped red bell pepper 1.5 cups green bell pepper 1.5 cups chopped onions 1.5 cup Mexican cheese blend 1 cup chopped cilantro 2 cups corn kernels 2 medium sized tomatoes puréed 2 tbsp lime juice 2 garlic cloves minced 2 tsp cumin powder 2 tbsp olive oil 1 jalapenos , slices 1 large avocado 1 can (14 oz) black beans ( you can also boil soaked black bean ) 1 tsp salt Method  Prepare rice in instant pot or rice cooker. I use 1 cup rice to 1.5 cup water ratio to make rice. I do not pre-soak basmati rice for very long before cooking. Just rinse the rice and cook. In a skillet, heat oil and saute all the vegetables along with spices. Add tomatoes in the end Now add canned or boiled beans.  Adjust the spices Now add cooked rice and fold in the veggie mix gently  Add lemon juice  Transfer the dish in your platter and garnish with cheese and chopped avocados ! 

Ingredients Red onion - 1 Water - 1/2 cup White vinegar - 1/4 cup Apple cider Vinegar or additional white vinegar - 1/4 cup Honey - 1.5 tbsp Salt - 1.5 tsp Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp or to taste Method Slice red onions and place it in heat safe bowl Next combine rest of the ingredients and simmer for for few minutes on medium heat and pour it hot over the sliced onions Cover the lid and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes Cool and refrigerate It goes well with tacos or burritos

Ingredients Whole wheat flour - 1.5 cups Rolled quick cooking oats - 1/2 cup Sugar - 3/4 cup Diced pineapple - 1 cup Oil - 1/4 cup Yogurt - 1 cup Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Badking soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Cardamom seeds, powdered - 1/4 tsp Method Mix all the ingredients except pineapple in a blender or a bowl Next fold in pineapple Grease the baking dish and pour the batter  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until the cake looks golden  Note The cake is not fluffy like a regular cake. It’s dense but soft and yummy ! 

4-5 green chilies, 5 garlic pods, tbsp roasted peanuts. Make coarse paste of these three. Heat oil. Add cumin. Next add the above paste and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Add salt to taste.

1/4 cup apple,  ¼ cup butter, 1 cup pumpkin, ¼ cup whole milk , ¾ cup granulated sugar 1¾ cup all-purpose flour,  2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,  1 teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt,  ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Purée apple , pumpkin , sugar , milk , butter. Mix all dry ingredients separately. Mix purée and dry blend and add chocolate chip. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Ingredients  Almonds - 1 cup Walnuts - 1/2 cup Medjool Dates - 5-6. Seeds removed Chia seeds - 1 tbsp Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp Sunflower seeds - 1/4 cup Pepitas - 1/4 cups Cardamon, ground - 2 pods. Method  Powder nuts and keep it aside. Chop dates and grind to coarse paste. Next mix all the ingredients and make balls.

Wet Ingredients  Avocado - 1 ripe Banana - 2 ripe Sugar - 3/4 cup Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp Whole Milk - 1/4 cup Dry Ingredients  All purpose Flour 1-3/4 cup Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp Baking Soda - 1.5 tbsp Instant Coffee - 1 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Optional  Walnut and chocolate chip Method Blend wet and dry ingredients separately. Fold in dry mix with the wet blend. Add optional ingredient sand bake at 350F for 25-50 minutes. Note  The recipe does not include additional fat or oil. I am using avocado to replace the fat. The muffins are slightly on drier side, yet yummy ! Feel free to add optional 1/4 cup of fat of your choice.    

Picture doesn’t do the justice but it tastes awesome and kids can’t stop eating  Ingredients  Quick cooking oats - 1 cup  Whole wheat flour - 1 cup  Milk or yogurt - 1/2 cup or as needed  Sugar 1/2 cup  Banana, ripe  - 2 Oil - 1/4 cup  Chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup Sesame seeds, toasted - 1/4 cup  Chia seeds - 1 tbsp  Baking powder - 1 tsp  Baking soda - 1/2 tsp  Chocolate chip - 1/2 cup  Salt - a pinch  Method  Blend oil, milk/yogurt, sugar and banana  Next add flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt  Next food in nuts, sesame seeds, chocolate chips, chia seeds.  Grease the baking dish and pour the batter  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until the cake looks golden  Note The cake is not fluffy like a regular cake. It’s dense but soft and yummy ! 

    Ingredients     Peanuts – 1 cup    Dry Coconut – 1 cups    Sesame seeds – 1/2 cup    Ghee/clarified butter – 6 tbsp    Jaggery – 1 cup grated    Dry ginger powder – 1 tbsp    Water - 2-3 tbsp or as needed        Method    Roast peanuts and sesame seeds.     Grind peanuts and keep it aside.    Coarsely grind sesame seeds.     Dissolve jaggery in water and cook till jaggery dissolves.    Add all the ingredients to the mix and form small balls.

Ingredients   Whole milk 3 cups Powder milk 1 cup Sugar 1/2 cup Water 1/4 cup Hung Yogurt 1/2 cup Method  Dissolve sugar in water and caramelize. Next add milk and boil. Once the milk is boiled , add milk powder and boil for another 5 minutes. Cool the milk until its lukewarm. Add the starer and pour the milk in individual cups. Garnish with pistachios and incubate for 8 hours. Refrigerate and enjoy !! Keep the yogurt in the refrigerator to serve it chilled.