Recipe Collections

Mahashivratri, a festival where Lord Shiva is worshipped all over the India. The festival begins on the morning of Shivaratri day and ends only on the next day morning. In the morning, devotees perform Abhishek with milk and water and offer different items including Bilva leaves, Bilva fruit and Dhatura. To show their faith toward Lord shiva, the devotees does fasting the entire day which will in return give them the blessings of Shiva.

March has begun and all the kids are super busy in preparing for their final examinations. Due to exams one after another, kids have to study all day while sitting at one place. The entire day they just get to play with history, science and numbers, which surely requires a good concentration power. It is important at this time, we eat healthy and at frequent intervals to keep fit and relaxed with the pressure of exams. Concentration also comes with a full stomach. And by a full stomach, we mean eating healthy.

Strawberry is one of those fruits which is enjoyed by each and everyone in the family. Sweet, succulent and plump, not only they are delicious but they are also an excellent source of Vitamin C. These red beauties are versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. One can have it as a raw fruit or it can be used in making dishes like salsa, chutney, muffins, raita, cake and many such recipes. They taste amazing and is perfect to eat in breakfast or as a dessert.

Want to invest in a rice cooker? Confused about you should buy it or not? Is it useful? Well, to some people it might be a unitasker, which is not necessarily a bad thing if you consume a lot of rice. Many people face a dilemma before buying a rice cooker, because they think investing in a rice cooker is better or they can get some other useful product for their kitchen in the same price. Yes, using a rice cooker is the easiest way to make rice but it is useful in many more ways. From steaming vegetables to making idlis to preparing one pot dishes, a rice cooker can do many more things apart from just cooking the rice. Surely, the rice cooker sitting on your counter has some hidden talents, so make sure that you make best out of it.

Avocados have become a very popular fruit in the recent times. We have become conscious of their health benefits demand, also love avocados for their taste and soft texture. Avocados are normally considered as a healthy fruit, but they are often categorised as a vegetable since they taste so good in Indian recipes as well as International savory dishes. While most of the fruits contain primarily carbohydrates and fibre, avocados are high in what we call healthy fats.

It’s that day of the year when everyone wants to spend their precious time with a person whom they love and care about. Right from coffee shops to restaurants to shopping malls, you will find couples spending time with each other and others who are single always have their friends to hang around. The other dilemma people face is what to gift their partners on the special day? Google has answers for it all! It will give you the detailed information about what to gift and where to take your date for a special dinner in the city with special arrangements for the Valentine’s day.

Roaming around in the supermarket, buying the freshest vegetables, lush green Broccoli catches my eye every time. Many times I get tempted to put this little tree in my shopping basket without even thinking what dish I have in mind. In turn motivating me to use broccoli in different ways and surprise the family members. 

All the way from Italy, Broccoli was first perceived as a foreign exotic vegetable and has slowly become part of our regular kitchen grocery shopping list. Grilled, baked or roasted, it usually earns its significant position for your restaurant dishes as well. Broccoli is part of the cabbage family and its name comes from the Italian word "Broccolo", the flowering crest of cabbage plant. History reveals that broccoli was first cultivated about 2000 years ago in Europe and was brought to other countries by Italians.

Broccoli is a power packed vegetable that can also have a powerful taste to kids. Cooking this nutritious vegetable different ways, brings out different flavors and textures and kids enjoy eating it too.

Onion and garlic is almost a daily ingredient in Indian food as it brings out a different flavours and richness to a recipe. Having said that, there are many people who don’t prefer the above ingredients in their daily meals, due to different reasons. Some of them don’t eat it due to religious reasons or allergy issues and some of them might not like the taste.

Sandwiches are one of the most popular street foods in Mumbai and it’s one of those wholesome meals which you can feast on however short of time you are. Most of us crave for delicious, chatpata sandwiches for its taste and quickness of cooking and of course, we can make it healthy too. Wholesome sandwiches packed with vegetables, can be had for breakfast, packed into a lunch box, a picnic or even a quick weeknight dinner along with a hot bowl of soup.

When our mind is working hard at work among tight deadlines and unfinished projects, our stomach also starts giving us ‘me too’ signals. It is important we pay attention to this signal, by keeping some snacks handy at your desk. All this means is some amount of planning to stock our office desks with some healthy snacks that you can munch at the odd hours or in between the meals.

Beetroot is one of those vegetables which is used by very few people in their daily cooking. Some of them don’t like the taste, while others don’t know how to use them apart from juice and salads. In South India, Beetroot is used very commonly in their daily cooking. From rice to rasams, they use this vegetable in many of their dishes. We usually find beetroot in Lebanese food like Shawarma and salads too. If we like it in all those recipes, why not include it in our regular diet?

Bihari cuisine is predominantly inclined to values of vegetarianism and influenced by North and East Indian cuisines. Use of Dahi and other dairy products in their everyday meal can be predominantly observed. Biharis are used to panchforan to their tadka,essentially meaning usage of 5 seeds, namely saunf, sarson, methi, ajwain and Kalaunji (mangrail). One can observe mostly light frying and usage of smoked chillies to spice up their dishes and a smoked delicacy called chokha frames a famous part of Bihari menu. This time, we have come up with yummy and filling picks from the menu of Bihar.

Summers, it is that time of the year when eating healthy and staying hydrated both are equally important as the heat can cause many discomforting symptoms, if necessary fluids are not consumed. Drinking water is the most important thing, as it keeps you hydrated and fresh all the day. While water helps, we always look for something flavourful to include in our daily diet that satisfies our thirst and also provide necessary vitamins to beat this scorching heat.

Everyone wants to live a bachelor's life, as you are free to come home late, buy unnecessary things and plan trips without even seeking permissions. But there is one thing which we miss the most when it comes to a bachelor life and that is food. Food is the only thing which makes us homesick and remind us of home cooked delicious food. Food is the basic necessity every person needs and it is very important to stay healthy and fit to enjoy that bachelor life.

Roti/Chapatti is a staple in most Indian households. Many of us need rotis for atleast one meal in the day. Quite a few times you are left with a stack of leftover rotis and you want to cook something new and fresh for the next meal. We want to wipe the question mark in front of you and equip you with new ideas. Yes,rotis can be turned into something new, fresh vibrant and delicious.

We at Archana’s kitchen have a compilation of some sweet and spicy treats which can be prepared with the humble leftover rotis. With the addition of your favourite vegetables, eggs, nuts and other ingredients, you can make the leftover roti meal more interesting for your breakfast, lunch or dinner. So may be next time cook some more rotis or ask your cook to make extra rotis and try these delightful recipes.

We all have a lot of things that we need to get done in our day-to-day life and it becomes frustrating when there are many things to complete within a short span of time. Therefore, we start taking shortcuts or we can call it as Jugaad, so that our work completes on time without wasting extra energy on it. We all may love the concept of Jugaad but we often find that these solutions only lasts for a very less time and gives us a mediocre result. The decision to settle for mediocrity is a real killer.If you settle for just anything, you’ll never know what you’re truly worthy of.

With a long weekend at hand, it's the best time to plan a family picnic! Pack a snack and food basket with these goodies that are delicious, easy to make and very convenient to pack for travel. There's no better way to enjoy an extended weekend than a drive out with family and friends. The picnic menu covers refreshing drinks, wraps and sandwiches with an assortment of fillings, one dish meals that can be out together easily and enjoyed by large groups, and of course picnic-friendly dessert!

Kicking off the festivities for the new year is the auspicious occasion of Pongal, Sankranti or Makar-Sankranti. Essentially a harvest festival, it's celebrated in regions across the length and breadth of the country, as the day of the passing of winter and welcoming the spring season. It is celebrated with varying customs and traditions and known by different names across the country. Makara Sankranti in Karnataka, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bhogi in Maharashtra, Uttarayan in Gujarat and Lohri in many parts of the North, this festival celebrates providence, abundance and invokes prosperity for the coming year and season that lies ahead.

With vacations done and the festive spirit fading away faster than we'd have liked it to, you're probably still grappling with getting back to your routine. Juggling the many aspects of your life, providing healthy, balanced meals for your family, though a priority tends to be stressful and difficult to manage every single day. When you're pinched for time, it is tempting to reach for that packet of instant noodles or dial the closest restaurant for a take-out meal. This collection of delicious and wholesome meal ideas are excellent for such days because they combine the best of most of all requirements - essential nutrition, high on taste, and most of all they're complete meals by themselves. 

Here's a flavourful round up of some of the best Indian Vegetarian Recipes from the last year alone. Spanning all the requisite essentials -- appetisers, main course including curries, dals, vegetables, breads, rice, festive sweets and mithai, breakfast, street food and evening snacks - this list is a great place to bookmark your favourites, or catch up on the delicious updates you may have missed out on.

There's no better way to bid 2015 farewell than to revisit some of the most loved World Vegetarian Recipes from the last year. From snacky appetisers, wholesome main course options including pastas, pizzas and one dish meals from around the globe, sweet and savoury breakfasts to tea time and snack box treats - this list is a great place to revisit your favourites, or catch up on the delicious recipes you may have missed out on.

The most talked-about day for dinner parties is finally upon us, and whether you've made plans to entertain a house full of guests yourself, or go to a potluck dinner party - you're likely to have party people to feed! This Vegetarian New Years Eve Party Menu has some of the best selections from Archana's Kitchen - featuring a good variety of cuisines and flavours. A balance of fun, finger foods and appetisers to a more comforting Indian-themed main course selection. Give this menu a try and zest up your NYE dinner plans.

It's the season of gifting, celebration and getting together with friends and family. And the season is incomplete without an adequate touch of sugar and spice, and everything nice. Desserts add a very welcome dose of extra festivity to every gathering. They're great to distribute amongst guests, hand out as party favours, pack in children's snack boxes and store away for even after the holiday season is over. 

If you've already made your Boozy Christmas Party Cake, here are 12 more great ideas for Christmas treats to share with your guests. They're celebratory, festive, fun and eggless to boot!

If you're having an annual Christmas dinner party to celebrate the festival of cheer and togetherness, this menu might interest you. Whether you have a few vegetarians to cater to or want to challenge yourself and prepare a whole vegetarian feast, you'll find some inspiring ideas here. Right from starters and appetisers to hearty mains and dessert too - this vegetarian menu will delight you and your guests.