Biryani: A Sumptuous Treat

If there is one rice based delicacy that comes on top of the preferential list for foodies in the South Asian communities across the world then it is without doubt the Biryani. The popularity of the ubiquitous Biryani makes it serving almost mandatory in feasts & on special occasions.

So powerful is the impact of this delicacy that there is little else that catches the attention of the gourmet reveller once he gets a whiff of the emanating Biryani aroma. This magnificent delicacy first graced the kitchens of the Muslim Royalty & gradually became a part of the bourgeois life, where it has come to stay.

The Biryani, is a rice preparation with spices that uses Meat, Fish, Egg & also Vegetables as main ingredients. It has a slew of local variables. A Biryani preparation made in one way can be completely different from any other, made anywhere. This adaptability is what has seen the Biryani spread through many regions & countries with each having its own delightful version.

The state of Hyderabad is readily mentioned in most Menu Cards of restaurants & eating house across the world thanks to the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. Both the Kacchi & the Pakki Biryani from the state are devoured without much delay.

The Biryani preparation is a process that is unlike any other. The rice & the thick sauce consisting of the vegetables or the fish are prepared separately & then brought together. The unflavoured rice & the deeply flavoured sauce make for a succulent treat.

The Biryani can be had with Dahi Chutney,Mirchi Salan or the lip-smacking salad made from onion, carrot, cucumber & a dash of lemon.

Mother’s Recipe offers Ready to cook mixes of Chicken Biryani & Vegetable Biryani that are just as good as any you will have. The Chicken Biryani comes in packages of 100gms & serves four guests.

The Vegetable Biryani from Mother’s Recipe comes in packages of 75 gms& serves four guests.

Needless to say, that the preparations are made under the best of hygienic standards, are highly enjoyable & have that quintessential mothers touch.

Why not call your friends for a Biryani Party today? They will love it as much as you do… & that’s a promise.

The Great Indian Curry

The word Curry, has its roots in the Tamil word Kari (meaning Sauce) which literally means a vegetable or a meat preparation without gravy.

There was a wide spread belief that Indian food is all curry & little else. Well, if you fell for that dictum then you will have to broaden your geography today, because seeping from the Indian kitchens the curry has infiltrated the world & is a much-in-demand delicacy all over. Not only the subcontinent but the likes of Europe, Asia, & Africa have accepted the curry whole-heartedly & cannot seem to have enough of it.

So much so is the curry an integral part of world cuisine that today each country or culture has a curry delight that they relish at all times. In fact, there is a curry culture across the globe with restaurants serving a plethora of curries to satisfy different palates.

Britain is extremely proud of its Curries which it claims to have formulated over the years. The impact of the curry culture in Britain is palpable. The Brits treat the “Chicken Tikka Masala” as their own true national dish. Readily available in public restaurants, even the intercity trains of Britain have Chicken Tikka masala as topping for Pizza & other food items.

In India, every region has a different curry unique & distinctive in taste & flavour. The taste of curries varies from spicy to mild- spicy & can be consumed with Chapati or Rice. This facility of combining with both Chapatti & Rice gives the curry a ubiquitous presence in all the regions of India.

Interestingly though, so exotic is the basic curry concept that even within the same state one curry preparation is radically different from the other for eg, an Andhra Curry is nothing like a Telangana curry though both are from Andhra Pradesh.

Vegetable curries are as many as the mind can conjure. A change of spice makes the curry unlike any other. Indeed the curry is a versatile preparation that goes well with vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian food.

Mother’s Recipe offers some of the finest ready to cook curry delights that you will love to have. Our curry mixes include the Lamb Curry, Fish Curry, Mutton Curry, Chicken Curry & Sprouted Curry Gravy Mix. Each preparation is made with the finest ingredients maintaining the highest standards of quality, hygiene & the mother’s caring touch.

For a preparation that had its humble origins in the Indian kitchens the curry has indeed come a long way. How about becoming a member of the international curry fan club? …We all are, anyways. Aren’t we?

Mother’s Recipe offers some of the finest ready to cook curry delights that you will love to have. Our curry mixes include the Lamb Curry, Fish Curry, Mutton Curry, Chicken Curry & Sprouted Curry Gravy Mix. Each preparation is made with the finest ingredients maintaining the highest standards of quality, hygiene & the mother’s caring touch.

Pav Bhaji: Anytime ..Anywhere

The sound of the huge metal spoon drumming into the flat round tava laden with the delicious Pav Bhaji is a part of everyday life in Mumbai. Almost every other Mumbai gully has its Pav Bhaji vendor trying to woo your palate.

The kiosks & roadside vendors serving this calorie-rich concoction are busy conjuring up what they claim is the best Pav Bhaji in town – they better blow their own trumpet lest they end up without doing any business, such is the mass appeal of this mouth-watering delicacy .

Jostling for space one has to shuffle ones way into restaurants serving this popular food. Pav Bhaji is food that has gradually become a part of the main menu of most Vegetarian restaurants & has also found its way across the elite bistros & 5 star cafes all other eateries is a fair .

The Pav Bhaji had its humble origins in the mill culture prevalent in the Mumbai of the 70’s & the early eighties .The mill workers preferred a quick fix lunch to a regular one to save time & the many innovative food entrepreneurs of the era discovered what today is your favourite dish.

A general recipe for the Pav Bhaji is mashed potatoes, tomato, onio n, capsicum, peas, cauliflower & an assortment of other vegetables with a topping of coriander, lemon adding to the succulence of the Pav Bhaji. You could dig into a Pav Bhaji as a snack or a proper lunch or a last minute resort to slake the growling stomach. Rest assured even countries like UK, US, & a huge chunk of South East Asia have fallen to the charms of the Pav Bhaji

Mother’s Recipes Pav Bhaji Mix adheres to the tried & tested principles of tasty & healthy food with the freshest ingredients, aromatic spices & a mother’s magical stroke. Just Add fresh vegetables and water, cook for 5 minutes and its ready. Available in 100 gm packs the Mother’s Recipe Pav Bhaji Mix is as good as it gets.

Butter Chicken: Punjab on a Platter

It’s like the invitation for a no holds barred sumptuous treat, ‘Butter Chicken’. The name spells taste & needs no introduction; it is easily one of the most loved Indian preparations everywhere. Hop in to any Indian restaurant & it is almost a given that Butter chicken will be the first preference of families eating out.

Usually, the credit for creating a preparation is lost in the maze of time & taste, but here, in the case of Butter Chicken there is one man who got his due credit for his famous creation, the hotelier Kundan Lal Gujral. Mr Gujral ran Moti Mahal Deluxe, in Delhi where the first butter chicken was dished out- to set off a frenzied signal to all chicken lovers who couldn’t have enough of this delightful recipe.The global approval of the Butter Chicken, a Punjabi preparation, can be gauged from the fact that celebrities like film-star Brad Pitt swear by it.

Butter Chicken can be eaten with a variety of breads like the Naan, Roti, Parathas or even steamed rice to make it a delight multiple times over.

As is the norm, Mother’s Recipe, offers some of the best Ready To Cook Mixes available & our Butter Chicken Mix is right there. Mother’s Recipe’s Butter Chicken Mix is made from the freshest ingredients, fragrant spices & the unmistakable mothers feel. The highest standards of hygiene are maintained in the preparation & no added sugars are used in the making to make it both a foodies & a health freaks pleasure.

The mix is available in 80 gm packets & is as easy to cook as it is to devour- No holds barred!

Indian Food Myths & Reality

With the world getting more & more conscious about food safety & health food many anxiety prone cultures tend to look down upon the eating habits of other cultures. The Indian food is no exception to this malaise. These myths gather wind by word of mouth, but can be easily debunked with facts that prove otherwise.

Some of these myths include sweeping statements like, “All Indian food is vegetarian”. Nothing can be further from the truth as Indian cuisine is one of the few that has a wide array of vegetable & non-vegetable preparations.

There are those who say that,”Indian food is fat & unhealthy”. In fact, you could do away with all the cream & replace it with yoghurt if you really want to cut the flab. You could also steam, grill the ingredients used in Indian cooking. Spices like Ginger, Garlic, Turmeric & Chillies used in Indian cooking are fresh & have medicinal qualities.

Some ignoramuses also aver, “Cooking Indian dishes takes forever”. This is another fairy story associated with Indian food. The truth is that it is as easy or as complex to make Indian food as any other type of food.

“Curry powder lurks in every Indian preparation”-yet another parable. Simply put this is a misunderstanding. Curry powder in India means, Garam Masala, a mix of various homemade spices & not curries as believed.

How can such a vast country have little variety in their food?- as is perceived wide of the mark. Look around, every region of India has its own cuisine that is unique & wholesome.

Mothers Recipe leads the pack with some of the most enjoyable & popular Indian preparations offered in various packages. The products include Pickles, Pastes, Papad, Appalam, & some appetizing RTC mixes that are made with the affection that pervades every Mothers Recipe preparation.

It is time to wake up & smell the coffee folks. There is a lot more to Indian food than mere curry.

The Papad Effect

Even the plainest of meals can be made interesting with that crisp bite of the Papad, the wafer thin delicacy in your plate. The Papad, is one of the most loved Indian preparations, that is part of every meal in homes all over.

Known by various monikers in Indian kitchens like Papad in Northern India, Pappadam in South India where it is almost unthinkable to have a meal without the simple Papadum.

Spicy or Plain, the Papad, can be made to taste & preference using ingredients like Chickpea, lentils, black gram & rice flour, each with a distinctive taste.

Try the open flame method & you will be out with your crusty Papad bite in about 10 seconds. The only precaution needed is to use tongs to prevent hands burn & flipping the Papad sides to prevent burning

The deep fried Papad is the hot favourite in parties & get-togethers where the Masala Papad – a Papad delicacy with toppings of tomato & onions has brushed aside all competition & vanishes from the table before the plate is put down. All you need is to slip the thin wafer into heated oil till it pops up ready to eat.

With the advent of the microwave area the Papad is all the more readily available, even to the health conscious. The microwave retains the calories in effect helping retain the health quotient of the Papad.

We at Mother’s Recipe, appreciate the ever-in-style Papad & have come out with a diverse range of Papad selections, all made with the customary ingredient of love & a mothers mind. Available in various packet sizes some of the Papad varieties we offer include the Punjabi Masala Papad,Red Chilly Papad, Moong Papad, Udad Papad, Potato Papad besides others.

Dig into that delight to get that crunchy, crispy, crusty feel. You will love it.

Ginger: Your Friend in Everyday Life

India, recently replaced China as the highest producer of ginger in the world. A whopping 30% of the world’s ginger comes from India. What is it about Ginger that makes it so popular is easy to fathom. Ginger, is the Rhizome of the plant Zingiber Officinale & can be used in a variety of ways, as a delicacy, medicine or a spice making it almost indispensable in everyday life.

Ginger belongs to the same plant family as Turmeric, Cardamom & Galangal. Essentially there are 2 types of Ginger, Young & Adult, each used in different ways. The mild tasting young Ginger can be pickled (ask the south Indians, they just can’t seem to have enough of these delicious pickles). Ginger is also used in the preparation of ginger tea, to which a mild dose of honey makes a great beverage. It can also be used to tone down over- sweetened preparations.

Adult Ginger is fibrous & almost parched. It’s roots make for a strong juice & it is readily used as a spice in many types of cuisines, especially, East Indian, Chinese, South Asian & Japanese. It can also be used as a preservative making it a truly wonderful ingredient to grace your cooking areas.

You can see the presence of Ginger in every second lentil or pulse curry in Indian households. Easy to store in airtight packages Ginger has a long life. Southern India has a great liking for Ginger pickles

Along with its use in food preparations, the use of Ginger in the treatment of nausea, diahorrea is well documented. Anti-bacterial, Analgesic, Sedative & Antipyretic Ginger is a multipurpose performer. It is also used in paste form to gain relief from headaches.

In these times, with the clock dictating lives of working couples, going through the tough office grind, & when there is very little time to cook, the Ginger paste comes as a much needed boon. Ginger paste can be used to marinade meat, fish, and poultry. Ginger Paste is also added to sauces & chutneys & can stay fresh, refrigerated for 5 days.

Mother’s Recipe offers Ginger Paste, as delicious as your grandmother made. It is free of any class II preservatives & is readily available in three pack sizes

• 100 gm Pillow Pouch

• 220 gm Glass Bottle

• 200 gm Standee Pouch

The Andhra Ginger Pickle from the House of Mother’s Recipe is another well-loved offering. The pickle made in Sesame oil contains Chilly-Powder, Salt & Jaggery & no added sugar, adhering to the best health & taste standards.

The Andhra Ginger Pickle is available in 2 pack sizes

• 200 gm Standee Pouch

• 300 gm Glass Bottle.

Go Ahead…Spice up your delicious preparations with Mother’s Recipe Ginger Paste & Andhra Ginger Pickles

Paneer: A Vegetarian’s Delight

Whether you are a home food lover or someone who prefers the restaurant buzz, the much loved Paneer is always around. Paneer preparations form an important part of the sub-continental cuisine, especially in North India, Pakistan & Bangladesh. Paneer has its roots in India, where milk has always been an important part of the cuisine. The Indian community loves its Paneer preparations.

The North Indian’s are passionate about Paneer & they churn out an array of dishes, each of which is a wholesome treat. Paneer is the main ingredient in many preparations. Some of the dishes include the Mattar Paneer, Paneer Tikka,Shahi Paneer,Kadai Paneer, Chilli Paneer, Achari Paneer etc. Indeed the Paneer is much loved, & an uppermost preference of many vegetarians.

(So very convenient are Paneer preparations that you could actually concoct your own speciality).

The best part about making Paneer is that as simple as can be. One way to make Paneer is to curdle some heated milk with lemon juice & another way is by adding lemon juice, curd & salt to heated milk.    

Paneer is used in a variety of gravies & can be used in making curries, desserts, snacks making it an any-hour meal, its presence all the more alluring. Besides the tasty treats it offers Paneer, is also a rich source of protein to vegetarians.

Out of the many Paneer dishes Paneer Tikka is the vegetarian counterpart of the well-liked Chicken Tikka. The Paneer Tikka, is a number one munch with party goers who dig vegetarian. So the next time you have your barbeque session dish out the Paneer Tikka. The spongy, juicy paneer chunks marinated in Tandoori masala grilled with other vegetables is bound to win you tasty accolades.

Each region of the country has its special methods of conjuring paneer delicacies. While the Northern regions prefer the spicier version the regions of Assam, Bengal & Orissa take to sweets made with Paneer,for eg the Rasmalai & the Rasgulla, desserts savoured the world over come from these parts of India.

 Paneer dishes are a vegetarian’s delight. Paneer Pakodas served with mint chutney or coriander chutney vanishes from plates much before they sit in them.

A measure of the popularity of the Paneer delicacies can be made from the face that many fast food restaurants offer Paneer based preparations to attract customers.

Mother’s Recipe offers Ready to Cook Paneer preparations are the flavour of the season. The Paneer Butter Masala Mix, a dish brought to India by the Mughal Royalty, is the foodies’ joy. The mix has the best aromatic spices, the freshest of ingredients & the tender Mother’s touch, so much a part of the Mother’s Recipe Culture. Paneer Kadhai Mix, the other fabulous offering from the Mother’s Recipe Stable is another preparation food lovers will relish.

Panner Butter Masala and Panner kadhai are available in packages of 75 gram and 80 gram respectively. Its a perfect spice mix that contains all needed ingredients like oil, salt, onion, tomato puree, ginger garlic paste & spices. Just add water and panner to the spice mix, cook it for 10 minutes & make yourself a healthy, tasty & fulfilling food you will want to remember.

Instant Poha & Upma – A Healthy Tea Time Choice

You may say “health & taste are opposite ends of the spectrum, they can hardly ever go together”. Thinking of taste conjures up images of the oil-soaked Samosa or the calorie rich Wada Pav or Maida-laden biscuits. Honestly, if this is your idea of health & taste together ponder awhile because you wouldn’t be more wrong. Yes, the above options are all full of flavour, but healthy? No way. These are all pretty much unwanted calories & unhealthy options.

Is there something healthier, tastier? If it is healthier it surely is going to munch through time isn’t it? Who has the time you may say. Agreed, time is indeed a scarce commodity, but there are those who value your time & health while at the same time satiate your taste buds.

We the people at, Mother’s Recipe,have been at it over & over again & here we are flushed with 2 tasty healthy tea time options viz The Instant Poha mix & the Instant Upma mix. These amazing offers from the Mother’s Recipe kitchen are readily available widely across major towns in India & abroad.

As usual, we bring to you taste closest to your home kitchens in the most healthy packages, the Instant Poha & Instant Upma are no exceptions. It is almost ready by the time you have made your cuppa tea. In 10 minutes flat you will whip up a mean nutritious snack, the much loved Poha. By merely adding hot water to the mix you are done. This delicacy made from rice flakes gives you the boost to take off from wherever at any time of the day. Moderately priced the Poha Instant Mix is great value for money as one packet can serve 3 at a time.

The other new offering from our stables is the Instant Upma Mix. The name Upma comes as a combination from the Tamil words Uppu(salt) & Maavu (ma). It originates from the South of the Vindhyas & is known as Uppindi in Telugu speaking Andhra Pradesh while in Karnataka they label it the Uppittu.

The Mother’s Recipe UPMA INSTANT MIX uses the cleanest & freshest Suji there is while seasoning it with the choicest of spices. Moreover, you are ready with your Upma in the time span of a wink & like with the Instant Poha Mix all it takes is adding the mix to water.

With choc-a-bloc schedules dictating lives here is your chance to turn the busy hours into happy hours with these delightful offerings from Mother’s Recipe .The mixes keep up to the strictest of health standards as they contain No Preservatives, NO MSG, No Added flavors, No artificial colors, indeed these latest offerings from Mother’s Recipe are 100% natural, healthy & time saving too. Now isn’t that what the doctor & the boss both ordered?

Its Pickle Time

Is it wrong to say that a meal is incomplete without that tangy feel of pickle on your palate? Think again if your answer is a no because most homes in India have to have that quintessential presence in the meal. Be it the north, the west, or the east or the south the pickle will make you lick your fingers even after you have finished your meal & are headed for the wash basin.

Indian summers, though remembered for their sultriness see terraces packed with pickle left to sun-dry. Families, neighbours, friends all have their favourite aunt or grandmother who makes the yummiest pickles which they love to share.

Though readily available commercially, there is that madness associated with home-made pickle that is palpable. A pickle preparation is almost a community event. Housewives exchanging recipes over long distance calls with their in-laws or cousins is a common refrain across homes during the summer months.

The best thing about pickles is that they can be made from anything literally Vegetables, Fruits, Mutton & even from Sea food like in Goa.( That covers the taste-buds of the whole of India if not mankind). Spicy, sweet, salty you name them & there they are, itching for your appreciation. The most devoured pickles are the mango, lemon, chilly pickles while the cauliflower, carrot & the mixed vegetable variety are not too far behind.

The longevity of the pickle is yet another factor that keeps it in the race for favourite foods. Known to last for at least a year, pickles are also easy to store as they can be snugly fitted in glass, porcelain, or other readily available home containers.

Pickle preparation is a meticulous process. It begins with slicing the vegetables or fruits into small pieces. These are then left to dry to remove traces of any moisture in them & are later seasoned. There are a variety of oils available for seasoning, but Olive oil & mustard oil are the most preferred.

Pickles make a great side dish & can be spread across bread loaves for the most delicious sandwiches. The taste of homemade pickles is oh so inviting & the desire to gorge on these homemade pickles is …overwhelming.

At Mother’s Recipe we have unleashed a plethora of the yummiest pickles you could think of. (More than 2 dozen at last count). A mango pickle from magnificent Maharashtra is hardly anything like the Mango pickle from the rustic Punjab the Kerala Vadu pickle from the backwaters, the Rajasthan Sweet Lime pickle & what have you.

Each pickle bottled at Mother’s Recipe will remind you of what you most seek..the familiar presence of your mothers recipe. Try them & you will know what it is to be greedy. We promise.