Is it 4 O clock and are you craving for something chatpata? Or Are you planning a Chaat Party for Holi this year? You have arrived at the destination to find the 15 Best recipes that you could ever need to prepare chaat items at home! People from all over India love chaat and given a choice will eat them at any time of the day. Holi is just another occasion that all of us need to whip up these easy chaat recipes and delight our family and friends. 

Summer is slowly approaching and Ice creams, being everyone's favourite, is usually prepared at home during this season to beat the scorching heat. There are many types of Ice-creams that you can make but we have one which is loved by almost everyone Kulfi, which is a traditional Indian ice cream. It is a popular frozen dairy dessert from India and is very similar to western ice cream. The only difference is that, it is not whipped therefore it results in a solid, dense, but rich, luscious creamy indian dessert. Slowly and steadily, it is also becoming popular in other countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma and Middle East.

Eating good food is like a good memory! When you eat scrumptious food, you remember it for long. And the best occasion to cook a variety of food is when there is a big festival in India. And when we talk about festival, one of the biggest Hindu spring festival Holi is just around the corner. It is a festival where friends and family get together to celebrate the festival. This festival of colours is celebrated all over India and as it is a popular festival, now-a-days, it is also celebrated in different parts of the world.

If you do not have an oven and you still want to make delectable desserts to eat after your meals, you've come to the right place. Making desserts needn't be all that difficult, all you need are the right ingredients and quantities and you are all set. The key to whipping up any dessert is to use the correct quantity of ingredients and follow the Recipe - you cannot go wrong. For any beginner, it is best to start off with these No Bake Dessert Recipes and you will be completely satisfied with the results. No bake desserts can include Tarts, Ice Creams, Truffles, Fudges, Cheesecakes, Trifles, Puddings and many more. You can prepare any one of these Recipes without the use of a Convection Oven or an OTG. They will be delicious and keep you wanting to eat more. 

Idli and Dosa are quintessential South Indian breakfast items that is eaten on a daily basis in most homes. Idlis and Dosas have even crossed over and has found a place in the breakfast menus of most Indians making it a universally (In India) accepted breakfast dish. The ease with which Idlis and Dosas can be made, the versatility of the dish that can include in itself various vegetable or ingredients in general makes it a roaring favourite.

पोरियल 'दक्षिण भारत' के तमिल नाडु की एक स्वादिष्ट रेसिपी है जिसमे सब्ज़िओ को नारियल और रोज के मसालो के साथ पकाया जाता है. यह एक सरल रेसिपी है जिसे रोज के भोजन के साथ बनाया जाता है. आप इसे अपने शाम के स्नैक्स में भी खा सकते है. अधिकतर पोरियल को त्यौहार के वक़्त पूरे भोजन के साथ बनाया जाता है जिसमे पोरियल के साथ सांबर, पचड़ी, पौड़ी, चावल और पापड़ भी परोसा जाता है. 

Rajma and Rice, is a usual comfort food amongst a lot of Indians and especially Punjabis. The soft and chewy texture of Rajma along with the tomato onion gravy flavoured with mild spices along with steamed rice keeps our tummies full and makes a wholesome meal any time of the day. But did you know that Rajma has its origins in South America and was imported by Indian traders from Peru a few hundred years ago and since then has been a favourite amongst Indians countrywide. 

With the starting of 2018, we thought we will share Archana's favourite recipes from the month. Every month we recieve many mouth watering recipes and also some of the recipes that are prepared in our Kitchen Studio. Every month we try to bring some traditional recipes and experiment with some to bring you new recipes which you can try in your kitchen and include it in your everyday meal. We here at Archana's Kitchen mainly focus on recipes which are useful to our viewers and which they find easy to make and also contains a nutritional value.

Weekend Brunch is fun, when you invite your friends or family over a delicious meal. But the most difficult thing is deciding the menu, as we are always confused between different cuisines. From Indian, Italain to Asian we have alot of options to make from. So how about making an Asian menu this time? Dumplings, gravies, Noodles and rice, there are a lot of options which you can select for your brunch. But there is one dish from the Asian cuisine which is liked by everyone, from kids to adults. It is Noodles! Tossed with different types of Asian sauce and vegetables, these noodles are surely a winner at the table. 

Chutneys are a perfect accompaniment to any breakfast dishes or appetisers in India and will be incomplete without a generous helping of it on the side. Chutneys can be prepared with any vegetable, dals, seeds or even fruits although fruit chutneys are popular mostly in the west. They are easy to prepare and can be stored in a fridge for up to 2 days, but fresh chutney always tastes better. If the main ingredient is a vegetable, it is cooked on a stovetop or pressure cooked, cooled and ground along with powders or whole spices, to add in that extra flavour and sometimes tempered with mustard seeds and urad dal. For a chutney made with greens, all ingredients are ground together without the need for it to be cooked. The name of a chutney goes by the main ingredient used in it. 

Breakfast being the most important meal of the day has to be special on a weekend, as on the weekday we don't get much time to prepare something which requires more time and effort. So as soon as our weekend starts, we plan something which is delicious and filling, so that we can go out and enjoy the remaining day without getting hungry. And when it comes to a North Indian breakfast, they make sure that it is super filling and every dish is just perfect. Well, who would want to miss such a mouth watering North Indian Breakfast?

Cookies or commonly known as biscuits in India, are baked goods that are usually eaten at tea time or as a snack. Cookies have been in existence since the time sugar was commonly available. Loved by one and all, the common ingredients in a Cookie are flour, sugar and some form of fat either oil or butter. Cookies can be crisp or chewy and they can be made in either texture by modifying the ingredients slightly. Cookies can be made crumbly or chewy or the perfect blend of both with the quantity of ingredients added. In this particular collections of cookies we are showcasing cookies that are baked without eggs. Addition of eggs to a cookie dough gives the cookie a density but the same density can be achieved without eggs as well. 

With the everyday busy schedule, we tend to miss our breakfast sometimes because we have to complete household work before we leave for office. In this hurry, we tend to eat breakfast which is not filling and lacks in the required nutrition. What if we tell you we have an option for Breakfast which is very easy to make and gets ready in no time. Cheela, is one of those recipes which you can make for your busy weekday breakfast. It is a North Indian recipes which is made of gram flour(besan) and it is made excatly like a Dosa. You can flavour it with different vegetables and masalas according to your taste and preference. If you have to make it for your breakfast, you can also chop the vegetables a night before and keep it. So, in the morning you just have to mix few ingredients in a bowl, driizle some oil on a pan, add the batter to the pan to make cheela and cook it perfectly from both the sides.

India, a country where every celebration starts with food. Whether it's a big festival or a small occasion like a house party, food is the centre of attraction. With the passing year, we try to make something new so that our family gets to eat something which they have never tried.

We usually make food from the region where we belong to and when we make something which has a flavour and aroma of a different region, we usually find it interesting that we can make a particular recipe in different style too. So, this new year lets try and experiment our daily recipes and make something new in our kitchen from the day to day ingredients. 

A new year should always start on a positive note and celebrations with our loved ones. While many of us go out to celebrate, most of us prefer house parties as we want to bid a goodbye to this year with our family and close friends. Interesting games, fun-filled company and mouth watering food, what else do we need for a perfect New Year celebration. While others things are important in a party, Food plays the most pivotal role. Celebrations means lip smacking food and if we are the host of the party we have to make sure that we make some delicious dishes which are liked by everyone.

Carrot - the earliest memory I have of a carrot is that of my mother's when she used to say "Eat Carrot, its good for your eyes". She used to give is as a salad almost every evening either sliced or grated with some seasoning on top. I remember arranging the sliced carrots in a geometrical pattern along with the onions and the cucumber slices to make it look decedent, sprinkle salt and pepper and finish it off with a dash of lemon. We used to wait for the winter time to go to the market and pick up Delhi carrots, so sweet that we ate it as a snack, only to find out later that my mother had bought them to make carrot halwa. I am sure all of us have a version of such memories

Orange, our favourite fruit this winter and most winters while they are in abundance find our way into our daily routine. Most of us eat oranges as a snack or if we miss breakfast, we grab an orange on the way to eat while commuting. A powerful antioxidant for the body is Vitamin C of which oranges are packed with, along with fiber, vitamin B, potassium and calcium among other nutrients. The peel of oranges are packed with nutrients too, but most of us throw them away. The peel can be used in cooking/baking thereby extracting the maximum benefits that oranges can provide.

Spinach, our favourite leafy green winter vegetable is versatile enough to make it a part of every meal during the day. It is a super food packed with tons of nutrients and practically few calories. Raw spinach is 91% water, 4% carbohydrates, 3% protein and negligible fat. Spinach can be eaten raw, cooked, baked and pretty much added to any dish to give it that extra punch in terms of nutritive value.  

South Indian Cuisine, this a wide cuisine with the food from different states of India like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. With the use of local masala and the different style of cooking makes the dishes from these states very different from each other. All over India, people only know about few South Indian recipes which are Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, Sambar and Coconut Chutney, but there is so much more to this cuisine which offers a variety of delectable food. From the mouth watering coconut based curries, delicious Poriyals and Thorans to inviting accompaniments, South Indian food is just fascinating and Incredible.

Breakfast, meaning ‘breaking the fast’ is considered worldwide as the most important meal of the day. After a long period of resting, the body’s blood sugar needs a jumpstart and by consuming a wholesome breakfast, we provide our bodies with right amount of energy and nutrients for pursuing the activities for the day. It is important that we try and avoid eating processed or ready to make foods that are available in the market. A good and healthy breakfast meal can make or break your day.

“Mom!! You made this!?” How sweet is their squeak when your kids say this excitingly? You like the shine in your kids’ eyes when you prepare a delicacy that they have seen only in ready to eat form in stores? Kids are so amused when they get to eat something really nice coming out of their mom’s kitchen. When can it be the best, than their birthday to surprise your kid?

Ever wondered about since how long are burgers eaten? Though like most other foods, the exact origin is a bit of controversy, earliest mentions for the hamburger runs to a book published in 1700’s. Back then, anything with ground beef and bread with sauces was referred to as hamburger. Now with time, they have evolved into what we know today, burgers. Burger is a sandwich of bread roll that makes a frail attempt to hide the delicious patty, cheese, pickles, veggies and sauces; the cheesiness blended with the crunch of the patty and the tang of pickled veggies and salad leaves in the burger is worth drooling for.

Indian cuisine is one of those cuisines in the world which is divided into many sub cuisines which belongs to different states of India. Every state has its own recipes which different taste and flavour from the local masalas used. Punjab is one of those states which is very popular for its food. From tasty Dal Tadka to scrumptious kadhi, from Stuffed Parathas with a dollop of butter to scrmptious stuffed Kulchas, this state has many delicious food items to offer and especially how can you forget the very popular Makki Ki Roti and Sarson Ka Saag.

We keep looking out for options when it comes to specific diets like low cholesterol, diabetic friendly, low calorie, gluten free and other niche categories. When the people with real challenges are posed with a task of finding recipes that suit their palate along with their specific diet condition, recipes fall short of fulfilling their wish to eating right, healthy and the foods that belong to various cuisines and taste unique.