Articles and Contests

In an Indian scenario today, everyone takes to fad diet and temporary cures for weight loss, with very little thought given to ‘prevention’ of weight gain or an ailment. Here comes an approach that talks about ‘prevention’ of any health condition and reversing ailments from a simple migraine to a cancer.  Macrobiotics in India started when Mona Schwartz an American by birth migrated to the North of India and started an organic society called ‘The Shakhambari Society’ in Dehradun – ‘The Shakhambari Society’ grew its own brown rice and organized small organic markets for the locals. She mentored Shonali Sabherwal (who had contacted Mona to help with her father’s prostate cancer) who decided to go through a structured program in the US qualifying to be a Macrobiotic Counsellor/Chef/Instructor from the Kushi Institute

Delighted to share that Archana's Kitchen Featured at 15 among the Top 100 blogs. 

Baking is one of those things that you can try your hands on at a very early age, if you have love and passion for cooking. Now a days, we see so many kids helping their mothers to bake their favourite Muffins, Cookies or Cakes or attending some baking classes to learn their favourite items. To motivate them or even carry your love for baking, there are some pans that you must invest in.

Well, everyone who has a passion for baking has the basic pans that are used for their everyday baking too. There are many things that you can make but each of them required different pans, therefore over the years of baking we have collected a lot of bakeware and thought it would be great to list them down and also share how you can use them.

All of them are linked to amazon, so it will easy for you to look at many products before you buy them. You can also click here to see the various other baking accessories and products at amazon.

Sattvic Diet also known as Yogic diet is something that I have been following ever since I was a child. I got married into a Jain family whole also believed in a diet that was Sattvic. In efforts to revive the Sattvic diet I am now working on recipes that I will share with you. This diet helps us develop a healthier lifestyle and also promotes calmess in the mind and body.

Dear Parent!

I hope this book, will help you in your endeavour to pack healthy lunch boxes with much ease for your child.

I would love to hear your feedback on the book, the adaptations you made to the ideas and how your child loved the lunch box.

Do email me at backtoschool@archanaskitchen.com with all your feedback.

I value all of it very deeply. I will personally respond to all of your queries, feedback and compliments. Thank you so much in advance and I will look forward to all your emails

Happy Cooking and Healthy Eating!

Archana Doshi

Blend your way to meet the charming MasterChef Vikas Khanna and stand a chance to win the new KitchenAid Pro Line 200-Watt 5-Speed Cordless Hand Blender by showcasing your creativity by participating in the KitchenAid India Contest.

Through my Social Media Pages where I share my recipes, I am constantly asked questions on what appliance one should buy and which is better, etc. So I decided to list all the Essential Kitchen Appliances that I have collected over the years. I wish I had this appliance checklist when I was setting up my first kitchen, life would have been so much simpler. But oh well, I learnt along the way and now I make sure I invest in the best.

Watch me (Archana Doshi) with Vikas Khanna on Saffola Fit Foodie Program on Food Food Channel. I was invited along to host a TV show along with Vikas Khanna and cooking up some of my favorite dishes from my website that are healthy and use Saffola Oats in one of them.

What I do with my KitchenAid Grain Mill? I make fresh whole grain cookies, breads and roti's. Well I must confess that I dont use it as much as I love to use it, but after a spring cleaning I have started using it more often. And now, plan to not store it back into the pantry and let it sit there, but keep it attached to my KitchenAid, so I can use it more frequently.

Went to the HAL Market in Bangalore for the very first time. After living in Bangalore for about 5 years now, I had not visited the cities famous markets known for their hustle bustle early in the mornings. Having stopped the school bus and dropping the kids to school now every morning has sure added a routine for me to visit the city's various markets.

Sucré is a patisserie owned and run by a good friend of mine, Suhasini Sood in Delhi. The story of Sucré is made out of memories of delicious homemade birthday cakes and a Parisian town full of magnificent patisseries and boulangeries. Sucré, meaning “sweetened” in French, was officially born in 2011 from the passion of Suhasini Sood, a woman who fell in love with baking, and after the requests of a cheering crowd of friends and family who fell in love with her desserts.

Calling all bloggers, home chefs, home makers and passionate cooks, to come and submit your best Diwali Recipes that are passed on to you through friends, family, mothers, grandmothers and more. And the lucky one who enters the contest will win the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series 5-Speed Cordless Hand Blender, the 2nd and 3rd winners will get the KitchenAid® 3.5 Cup Food Chopper by KitchenAid India. 

Calling all bloggers, home chefs, home makers and passionate cooks, to come and submit recipes that are passed on to you through friends, family, mothers, grandmothers and more. And the lucky one who enters the contest will win the Waffle Maker by Severin, Germany sponsored by Zansaar. Warm maple syrup and melted butter on some freshly baked waffles--what better way to kick-off the morning!

Are you someone who hates spending much time cooking in the kitchen, no matter what the meal or even the occasion? Do you think you can put together an amazing mix of healthy ingredients in just 30 minutes that will leave your family and friends hungering for more? If you are, then this is just the right chance to show your skills!

Hi 

Thank you for buying Illuminating Lives with Yoga. You will get a link to download the book on your email. 

I hope you enjoy the book and get to learn some of the wonderful tips my mom has shared with you on yogic asanas, pranayam and many more that will help us lead a more healthy stress free life.

If you had any difficulting in buying the book or had a good shopping experince or would like to share your feedback on the book you can write to me at using the Contact Me Form

Thank You

Archana Doshi (Daughter of the Author - Geeta Iyer)

Summer is here and it’s time to enjoy the picnics, trekking, bbq’s with a lot of outdoor fun. So this summer let us get together and whip up summer favourites that we can enjoy this summer fruity beverages, healthy salads and meals and of course the chilled summer time desserts. I have teamed up with Monica Deshpande of Oven Goodies and Varan Bhaat to bring you a Summer Special.

Event End Date: June 20th 2013, 9:00 AM IST

Healthy, fast food for dinner? Yes, it's possible (without a drive-through window)! Many of us are hard pressed for time in the evening to make a healthy, quick dinner for ourselves and the family. This event is an initiative where we come together to create wholesome dinner options that can be made in under an hour. We should be able to put together these dishes with ease. So lets all bring together this delicious wholesome Dinner Under An Hour event and share with the world, friends and family. Go ahead to submit your recipes. This event is for every one who loves to cook great food

In India and many countries like US there is a big rage on home cooks and bakers starting a catering business from their home. I did that as well way back in 2010. Below is a short blog post on how I thought and went about in doing the business.

Rava Dosa is a semolina crepe that is flavored with black pepper, ginger, green chillies and coriander. I like to call it a lace crepe because of the many holes the crepe forms while making it. Rava dosa is one of the popular instant dosa's that you can make at home. It is a favorite with my family especially for dinner.

Recently I tried the Soulfull's Rava Dosa mix, as it is, without the addition of salt and without the addition of any more flavors. It was very very fresh, tuned out crips and delicious. I served it for breakfast along with thakkali vengayam sambar and my family loved it! 

The variations you can add to this is by adding some finely chopped cabbage or finely chopped onions to get a rustic flavor to this traditional south indian tiffin dish.

I typically dont buy ready made products, but Soulfull's product was of high quality with full of freshness. The instructions in the back of the product was simple and easy to understand. This is something I would stock in my pantry for those emergency days when I dont want to cook, but yet want to have something nutritious. 

Adai is protein packed lentil crepe, similar to a dosa. It is typically had as a tiffin dish in the south indian homes. The tiffin dishes can be had for breakfast or for dinner. The Adai is typically heavier than a normal flour crepe or a dosa.

Breakfast in 30 Minutes was an initiative to help you to get inspired to cooking home cooked healthy foods to begin a healthy start to your day. Browse through the delicious collection of wholesome and healthy breakfast recipes that can be prepared in your own kitchen with just a little preparation. Giving time for breakfast each day is very important. It is impotant that we try and avoid eating processed or ready to makes foods that are available in the market.

Organic Food is becoming increasingly popular and so are its news stories across India and around the world.

What exactly is Organic Food?

Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve the use of synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers during the growth of edible plants. Organic foods are also not processed using chemical food additives.

What is Non Organic Food?

Food that is grown with the addition of pesticides to kill any harmful bacteria and insects and also helps in the healthy and larger production of food.

Among many studies one study found a 20% smaller yield from organic farms using 50% less fertilizer and 97% less pesticide. Some studies and supporters of organic farming claim that organically managed soil has higher quality and higher water retention. The supporters also claim that organic methods could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without increasing the agricultural land base. (source wiki)

So is one or the other better? What does research say? And where do we stand now?

From what I have been reading the current research has not shown a consistent and significant difference between organic and more conventionally grown food in terms of safety, nutritional value or taste. The biggest difference in all the research I notice is that the food that is not organic where chemicals and pesticides are used could be carcinogenic. The organic foods are less like to be carcinogenic because of their limited exposure to the pesticides and chemicals.

So in short in my opinion I would love to shift to all things organic and be pesticides and chemicals free. But there are times, when I can avoid them when we travel and not all the time do I get fresh vegetables and fruits that are organic in India.The dry produce like lentils, fruits, spices etc are now readility available in many Stores-Deals from Groupon India- across india

I do now see a growing trend in also organic milk by a few farms, but it is not yet fully available in the retail markets and stores in India. I am surely looking for the day; every locality has a weekly farmers organic market, where I can go shop. Until then, I am no rigid about this or that, if organic food comes along my way I will go ahead and consume it, if now I will just live with reality.

Pressure Cooker is absolute must in every kitchen. This equipment helps cut down the cooking time, preserves nutrition and save fuel. It makes excellent equipment for cooking, rice, lentils and legumes by reducing the time taken to cook them to half as compared to other methods.