Archana's Veg Food Chronicles

Pao de Queijo (pronounced as pown -deh- kay-zho) aka Brazilian Cheese Bread is a small baked cheese bun, a popular snack and breakfast food that originated in the state Minas Gerais of Brazil. These are bread/buns usually made with tapioca flour, milk, oil, cheese, salt, and egg/egg substitute. Since I don't use eggs in my baking I have used vinegar instead. These are soft, chewy and so addictive. I love to make healthy bakes from all around the world. Inspired by this YouTube video by Something Dave and I gave it a try as it was an eggless version.These came out so well. These are super simple and easy to make with just five ingredients. A must try because they are gluten-free, contain no yeast, no baking powder, yet so soft and cheesy😋 I had never tried baking with tapioca flour...and found it so interesting to bake with. The dough is too sticky and you will need some extra flour to be dusted to make balls out of it. I have used plant-based pa...

Khara Pongal or Huggi is a popular South Indian rice dish. The word 'Pongal' in Tamil means bubbling up. In Karnataka, we make 2 types of Pongal a sweet version and a savory version.Savory version is usually made with Rice, Moong Dal, and spices tempered in ghee.  It is a one-pot recipe that I usually make in my Instant Pot. A very easy and quick recipe that can be whipped up with just a few spices, ghee, no need of vegetables, totally comforting on a cold chilly day and can be had along with tomato gojju/ south Indian tomato curry. Cooking it in Instant Pot makes it super easy since you don't use many vessels and everything is made in just one pot right from tempering spices to cooking Rice and moong dal. It is very healthy as it consists of moong dal a primary source of protein and vitamins. Ghee being a superfood, and one of the essential parts of any Indian meal nourishes the body from within and believed to pacify all three doshas as...

Menthehittu or Methkoot is a traditional delicious protein-rich powder recipe that has been passed down from many generations especially in North Karnataka and Maharashtra. Usually made with Dals, Rice, and spices, all these are roasted well and ground into a fine powder. In other words, It is a kind of dry chutney powder that is usually added to hot steamed rice, mixed with ghee and a pinch of salt. One of the most comforting and satisfying rice variety which is usually eaten at the beginning of every meal in North Karnataka household. This powder contains nutritious dals like Chana dal, Urad dal, Moong dal along with Rice. Wheat berries are also added but it is optional. So all in all you get the nutrition from all these in one powder in a certain ratio that is beneficial and necessary for our good health which our ancestors knew well before. So first the rice is eaten is along with this powder and then with rasam, sambar and so on which gives the necessary nu...

Ghee Mysore Pak is one of the most famous sweets of Karnataka. It is one of the traditional sweets that is made in ghee. It originated in the state of Mysore, Karnataka. It is usually made with generous amounts of ghee, sugar, and Gram flour. Very famous for its melt in mouth texture and also known to be the pride of Karnataka. Here I will be sharing how to make Mysore Pak using jaggery instead of refined sugar. All traditional sweets were being made in jaggery before refined sugar was introduced in India which is much healthier and flavourful. Also, it retains iron content from the sugarcane and so very beneficial especially for kids. I like to come out of that refined sugar sweets concept in which we are trapped and accept nothing other than the one made with refined sugar. Definitely, this Mysore Pak doesn't taste like the normal one but still is super flavourful and addictive too!! This is best suited to make during festivals, for gatherings and parties....