Sneha's Recipe

Homemade Ricotta Cheese#Alphabet Challenge

In: Alphabet Challenge, Cheese, Homemade

Italian Ricotta Cheese, is easy and a flexible recipe which anyone can make at home. Ricotta is a fabulous component of many Italian dessert's, such as cheese cake, cannoli etc.. It is also used in pasta's, pizza's, lasagna, ravioli and so on. Well In India this is very expensive to buy and making it at home is so easy and delicious. I love to have this as a filling for pancakes.

Makes around 350 Grams
Ingredients
2 Liters Full Fat Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Full Fat Yogurt
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons White Vinegar - mixed in ¼ cup water

Method

In a large pan, heat the milk, heavy cream, till it comes the temperature comes to 90°C. Then add in the full fat yogurt, salt, vinegar mixed in water, gently stir on a low flame and let is heat for 3 -4 minutes, stirring lightly until milk curdles up. Meanwhile take a strainer and cover it with a muslin cloth and place it on top of a deep bowl.

Once milk curdles up and comes to boil, stir and put off the flame. Strain curdled milk with a strainer having muslin cloth. Do not throw away its water also known as whey (You can use this in soups or to knead dough for making bread), let it drain for 15-20 minutes. Gather muslin cloth and squeeze properly to remove excess water or whey out of it.

Once done keep cheese covered with the cloth and keep a heavy object on top to give it shape of your choice.
Refrigerate and use this within 3-4 days.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese is ready for which we would pay a hefty sum to buy it.
Labels: Cheese, Homemade, Ricotta, Italian, International Cuisine, Keto, Low Carb

Let's take a look at the recipes being shared today with Alphabet Challenge 2026 - Alphabet "R"

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Ginger Grilled Chicken and Radishes
Sneha’s Recipe: Homemade Ricotta Cheese
A Messy Kitchen: Migliaccio (Italian Ricotta and Semolina Cake)
Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Mild Curry Chicken Salad with Diced Red Apple
Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mysore Rasam
Magical Ingredients: Ricotta Basil Rolls
Food Lust People Love: Roasted Stuffed Chicken Parcels
Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Spicy Slaw with Red Cabbage and Mango
Blogghetti: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping

1 comment

Ragi Nankatai#SundayFunday

In: Cookies, Millets, Ragi

Ragi Nankhatai or Finger Millet Cookies are crispy yet soft, light and crumbly melt in mouth cookies with delightful cardamom nutmeg flavor.
Ingredients
130 Grams Ragi Flour
30 Grams All Purpose Flour
5 Grams Whole Wheat Flour
100 Gram Granulated Sugar - powdered
85 Grams Vegetable Shortening
15 Grams Salted Butter
¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Cardamom Powder
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg Powder
Method

Beat well the vegetable shortening, butter and sugar well till light and fluffy. Then add all the flours , baking powder, cardamom nut & meg powder, mix well lightly with a spatula to form a dough. Take this on to work surface and bring it together to form a soft dough. Form into small nankatai's place chopped nuts on top. Arrange them in baking tray. Bake in the preheat oven at 160°C with both the elements on for 18 to 20 minutes.

These cookies will stay good for 2 - 3 months in a airtight container in the pantry shelf.

Labels: Ragi, Millets, Cookies, Sunday Funday

Cookies!

Candied Orange Peel Chocolate Chip Cookies from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Cottage Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies from A Good Life
Eggless Wholewheat Custard Powder Coconut Cookies from Sizzling Tastebuds
Fig Newton Swirl Cookies from A Messy Kitchen
Frosted Cake Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Marbled Tahini Cookies from Culinary Cam
Peaches and Cream Rustic Thumbprint Cookies from Faith Hope Luck and Love Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Ragi Nankatai from Sneha’s Recipe
Strawberry Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Thandai Cookies from Mayuri’s Jikoni
Tropical Treat Gluten Free Cookies from Sid’s Sea Palm Cookies
Vintage Pecan Icebox Cookies from Food Lust People Love

7 comments

Lime Sponge Cake#SundayFunday

In: Cake, Egg, Lime

This Lime Sponge Cake is easy to make with a refreshing zesty lime flavour. Topped with a drizzle or lime flavoured glace icing. Made this simple cake for a friends birthday since he does not like icing decided to a simple lime glaze icing.

Makes 6" round cake
Ingredients
1 Teaspoon Lime zest
30 Ml Lime juice
30 Grams Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
3 Large Eggs - seperate - the whites & yolks whites
1 Teaspoon Lime juice
70 Grams Sugar
80 Grams Cake flour
For The Lime Sugar Glaze
Lime Juice - as required
1 Cup Icing sugar
Method

Zest the lime and then squeeze out the juice. Measure the lime juice in the bowl add the zest, vanilla essence and vegetable oil, mix well, keep aside.
In another large bowl add in the egg white add a teaspoon of lime juice and beat till light and fluffy, then add in the sugar a little at a time till it form soft stiff peaks. In add in the egg yolk one at time and lightly beat till all the yolks are incorporated. Now add in the sieved cake flour and fold it lightly with a spatula till no dry flour is seen. Then in the oil lime mixture 2 tablespoons of cake batter and mix well till incorporated. Now mix this into the cake batter folding lightly till incorporated. Pour this into a greased and lined 6" inch /15 cm round cake pan. Tap the pan on the work surface twice to remove any air bubbles.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 -35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely then removed it from the pan.
For The Lime Glaze

Mix the icing sugar with enough lime juice to make icing that is firm enough to be drizzled over the top of the cake without it pouring off. Use a blunt knife to drizzle the icing over the cake. Leave for an hour for the icing to set.The texture of this sponge cake is light and moist and soft.

You will love the zesty flavor of the lime in this cake. Enjoy!!
Labels: Cake, Egg, Lime, Sunday Funday

For Sunday Funday we are sharing "Sponge Cake Recipes"

Blueberry Swiss Roll from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Busy Woman's Sponge Cake from Our Good Life

Genoise Madeleines from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Lime Sponge Cake from Sneha's Recipe

Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes from Amy's Cooking Adventures

Mixed Berry Sponge Cake from Mayuri's Jikoni

4 comments

Qabuli Biryani#Alphabet Challenge

In: Alphabet Challenge, Andhra Pradesh, Biryani

Qabuli Biryani is a vegetarian layered rice dish from Andhra, this biryani has layers of basmati rice, chana dal in a yogurt gravy and saffron milk & kewra water! I made this for our friends get together and they all were amazed with the flavor and taste.
Serves 6
Ingredients
For The Chana Dal Gravy
150 grams Chana Dal / Bengal Gram Lentil - soaked
1½ Teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
½ Cup Oil
1 Cup Thick Yogurt - whisked
3 Green Chilies - slit
3 Tablespoons Chopped Coriander Leaves
1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Kitchen King Masala
½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
½ Cup + ½ Cup Brown Onion - crushed
1 Teaspoon Salt
A Juice of One Lemon juice
1 Large Potato - boiled and fried
Whole Spices
½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 Bay Leaf
2 Cloves
4 Whole Black Peppercorns
1" Stick Cinnamon
1 Brown Cardamom
2 Green Cardamoms
For The Rice
300 Grams Basmati Rice
2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
Whole Spices
½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1" Stick Cinnamon
3 Cardamoms
5 Cloves
8 Black Peppercorns
1 Brown Cardamom
Method
To Boil The Rice

Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes
Boil 6 -8 cups of water and salt. Add the whole spices. Drain the excess water from the soaked rice. When the water comes to roll boil,add the rice and boil for about 10 minutes on medium flame. Remove the rice when it is just cooked but the grains should be firm. Drain the water, let it cool completely.
For The Chana Dal Gravy
Wash and soak the chana dal for 2 hours.

Heat oil in a kadai / pot fry add all the whole spices and sauté for a minute then add ginger garlic paste, and sauté till the raw aroma vanishes. Switch off the flame, add then ½ cup room temperature water and then the whisked yogurt mix well. Place the pot back on to the flame and on high flame stirring continuously with a whisk, whisk this till it comes to a rolling boil, then reduce the flame ( the yogurt will not curdle if you try this method, this is a tried and tested method). Now add the dal mix well, ½ cup crushed brown onions and place this on the flame and cook covered on low flame till the dal is just done but still whole. Add green chilies and half the coriander leaves, give it a stir.

This gravy should be thick, do not dry this completely. Switch off the flame add lemon juice. Keep aside.

Assemble The Biryani

In a heavy bottom pan add ¼ cup water, & ¼ cup oil mix well and then half of the boiled rice with a sprinkle of pinch of salt and then add all of the cooked dal mixture.

A sprinkle coriander leaves, potatoes cubes and brown onions.

Then the remaining rice top it with yellow color, fried onions, coriander leaves, slices of tomatoes and few drops of kewra and a few dollops of butter all over. Cover it with a foil tightly and leave it on dum on high flame for 5 minutes then very low flame for 15 minutes. Switch off the flame.

Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Lightly mix the rice and serve hot. We enjoyed this with raita.
Labels: Alphabet Challenge,Chana Dal, Biryani, Rice, Indian, Andhra Pradesh,Main course, Vegetarian

Let's take a look at the recipes being shared today with Alphabet Challenge 2026 - Alphabet "Q"

Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers from Food Lust People Love
Cauliflower, Onion, and Pancetta Quiche from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Fresh Corn Quiche from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Fresh Summer Corn & Zucchini Sausage Quiche from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Jalapeño Popper Quesadillas from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Mughlai Paneer Qorma from Mayuri’s Jikoni
Qabuli Biryani from Sneha’s Recipe
Quatre Quarts from Culinary Cam
Queen Elizabeth Cake from A Messy Kitchen
Western Omelette Quiche from Blogghetti

6 comments

Appe Batata Vada#SundayFunday

In: Breakfast, Healthy snacks, Kids delight

Batata Vada and Vada Pav, often called Mumbai's burger, is a street food of India, its simple yet satisfying combination of spiced potato filling & has a crispy exterior. This is traditionally deep fried and is unhealthy. The appe pan, a cast iron or non-stick pan is perfect to make these healthy Appe Batata Vada.

Ingredients
4 Medium Potatoes -boiled, peeled and mashed
4 Cloves Garlic - minced
½" Piece Ginger - minced
2 Green Chilies
2 Tablespoon Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
For The Batter

1 Cup Besan
1 Tablespoon Rice flour
1 Tablespoon Semolina (Rawa)
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
½ Teaspoon Eno Fruit Salt
Water as required
Method

Mash the potatoes well. Grind the ginger, garlic, green chilies and coriander to a fine paste. Add it to the potatoes, salt to taste and mix well. Make small equal size balls and keep aside. See to it that they fit into the well of the appe pan.

Mix the ingredients of the batter and make a thick batter so that it can coat the vada's well. Add less salt in the batter, since the vada's already have salt, add 1 tsp oil into each well of the appe pan, let it heat up.

Dip the vadas into the batter and then drop it into the well of the pan.

Let it brown on the underside before you turn it. It should take about 5 minutes for the vada to be done perfectly. Keep turning, so that it cooks well on all sides. And when frying for the next batch, put some more oil in the wells, let it heat up and then add the rest of the vada's to cook.