Anju's Kitchen: Where Flavour Meets Wellness
Easy, Delicious, Nutritious and Authentic Recipes and Tips for Wellness.
Welcome to Anju's Holistic Wellness Kitchen
I am delighted to see you on this page. In my cooking classes and after my talk about healing spices, the most engaging part is the question-and-answer session. I love it when participants ask about what truly interests them. Spices and Indian food have unlimited nutrient value and it’s challenging to cover everything in a lecture. The Q&A sessions allow me to provide the information people are genuinely seeking.
Frankly speaking, the Indian food you find in New Zealand restaurants isn’t the same as what we eat in Indian households or even in restaurants in India. I am from the state of Maharashtra, where we believe in simple, uncomplicated, non-preservative foods that benefit digestion, mood, skin, brain, and heart.
You can also visit my YouTube channel, where I have created various shorts and videos explaining these aspects of food.
Like to know more about the recipes and the wholesome goodness of spices? Let’s talk.
Recipes & Notes
Kichadi Recipe
What You Need
- 3½ cups water or more.
- 1 cup dry/uncooked basmati rice
- ¾ cup dry/uncooked green moong lentils*
- Mustard seed: 1 Tbsp.
- Salt: 1 tsp (to taste)
- Turmeric: ¼ tsp
- Black masala: 1 ½ tsp (you can use 5 spices as well)
- Green Chilli: 2 to 3 ( or as per taste)
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- Raw peanuts: 1/3 cup
- Garlic cloves: 4 cloves
- Coriander: Handful of fresh coriander.
Note: Add desiccated coconut with garlic and green chilli for a nutty taste. You can also add vegetables. For a vegan recipe, use vegan yoghurt or top with hot garlic oil.
How To Cook
- Mix the rice, dal (green lentils), and peanuts in a bowl and wash and rinse them well, at least three times, as they often have a powder coating.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan (see the image for reference), add mustard seeds, and let them crackle.
- Add the coarsely crushed garlic and green chilli paste. Use a pestle and mortar if you can, or blend it quickly in a blender.
- Stir fry the paste for 5 seconds or until it looks cooked. Then add the turmeric and black masala and fry well. If you don’t have Bombay black masala, add garam masala or any other spice mix, or you can completely avoid adding the masala.
- After a few seconds, add the rice and lentil mix to avoid burning the dry masala.
- Add boiling water to the pan and let it boil together. Always use double the amount of water ratio to your rice and lentils. Add salt. Once it boils, reduce the heat and let it cook on low heat until the water has been absorbed, which may take 8 to 10 minutes.
- You can add more water if you like to make the khichdi mushy. In my opinion, more water is better as it really tastes good on winter nights.
- Add coriander (optional) and serve warm with yoghurt salad, plain yoghurt, buttermilk, or a cube of unsalted butter.
Just a little more…
Khichadi (pronounced kich-ah-ree) is an Indian comfort food that features rice and lentils. This recipe also calls for a variety of spices that will fill your kitchen with a wonderful aroma! This hearty dish is not short on ingredients, so please feel free to add or mix your blend.
Khichadi is a recipe cooked throughout India in various ways. I am giving you my home recipe and this could be different from my next-door neighbours in India.
You can add various lentils, vegetables or any other ingredients to your khichadi. Make your blend and enjoy khichadi on a winter night.
Quick Updates!
We promise you will learn a lot about spice, your health and pro tips for easy nutritious cooking.
Green lentils are a great source of protein and fibre. They are excellent for digestive health.
Spice Up Your Meals with our homemade spice blends are now available for purchase!
Raita (The Yoghurt Salad) Recipe
What You Need
- 1 tomato
- 1 green chilli (Optional)
- Handful Fresh coriander
- 1 red onion
- Fresh yoghurt (unsweetened)
- Salt to taste
- Toasted peanut powder (optional)
- ½ tsp cumin powder (optional)
- ½ black salt (optional)
See our pro tips below to enhance your raita.
How To Cook
- Chop Ingredients: Finely chop the tomato and onion. Chop the fresh coriander and green chilli, and keep them aside.
- Prepare Yoghurt: Take a medium-sized bowl and add the chilled yoghurt. Stir to make it creamy. If you prefer Greek yoghurt, there’s no need to stir it to make it creamy. Both types have distinct tastes, so decide after trying which works best for your household.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Stir the yoghurt with dry ingredients such as salt, black salt, and cumin powder.
- Add Vegetables: Add the chopped onion and tomato to the yoghurt mixture. You can add any other fresh vegetables you like to eat. Green salad leaves won’t work best, but anything crunchy will, such as cucumber, carrots, beetroot, cabbage, and more.
- Combine & Garnish: Mix everything well, then add the chopped coriander, green chillies and roasted peanut powder. Garnish with red chilli powder and coriander powder.
- Serve: Serve the raita with curry or Indian fried rice, such as biryani, khichdi, pulao, or masala coconut rice.
Just a little more…
- You can add cucumber, carrot, or any raw salad vegetables.
- Heat a bit of oil with cumin or mustard seeds and add it to the raita for an extra flavour kick.
- Add roasted peanut powder for a crunchy texture.
- Spread leftover raita on your sandwich for a flavorful filling.
Enjoy your delicious and refreshing raita!
Quick Updates!
Understanding Spices Poster
Purchase our “Understanding Spices” poster to learn about various spices and their unique properties. This beautifully designed poster will be a great addition to your kitchen.
What is Roasted Peanut Powder? Roasted peanut powder is a versatile ingredient that adds a nutty flavour and crunch. To make it, simply roast raw peanuts and then grind them.
Organise a session with Anju to learn about the healing properties of different spices. Contact us to schedule a talk and deepen your knowledge of these natural wonders.
Cabbage Stir Fry
Marathi Style - West India
What You Need
- 4 cups of finely chopped cabbage or shredded cabbage
- ⅓ cup Chickpea lentils (chana dal), or red lentils, or mung lentils
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- Pinch of asafoetida (optional)
- 10 curry leaves (optional)
- A few drops of fresh lemon juice (optional)
See our pro tips below to enhance your raita.
How To Cook
- About 20 minutes before cooking, soak the lentils (dal) in water. 20 minutes is the minimum time needed to soak.
- Chop the cabbage into small cubes or shred it, whichever way you prefer for this recipe.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick or iron pan. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle until fragrant.
- Add the green chillies and stir fry for a few seconds. If using curry leaves, add them now.
- Drain the soaked lentils and add them to the hot chilli oil. Cover the pan and lower the heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Once the water has evaporated and the lentils are cooked, add asafoetida and turmeric. Stir fry quickly.
- Add the chopped cabbage and mix well. Season with salt to taste.
- Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If you prefer crunchy cabbage, do not cover the pan and cook for a shorter time. For a juicier texture, especially if serving with roti or bread, cook on low heat in a covered pan.
- Add a drop of lemon juice, ensuring it doesn’t overpower the dish. Garnish with fresh coriander.
Enjoy your Marathi-style cabbage stir fry!
Just a little more…
The cabbage stir fry can be prepared in various ways. I have covered different recipes in my book. You can also add urad dal (a white lentil) to the hot oil directly. As this lentil is small in size it does not need to be soaked. This style topped with desiccated coconut and coriander works perfectly. You can also add chickpea flour to make different versions of this stir fry. perfect for wrap or with roti.
Nutritional Value (per 1 cup/89g of raw green cabbage):
- Calories: 22
- Protein: 1g
- Fiber: 2g
- Vitamin K: 56% DV
- Vitamin C: 36% DV
- Folate: 10% DV
- Manganese: 6% DV
- Vitamin B6: 6% DV
- Calcium: 3% DV
- Potassium: 3% DV
- Magnesium: 3% DV
Quick Updates!
Organise Anju’s speech and learn how to use turmeric the right way in your everyday life. This golden spice is a must-have in its all-natural form in your pantry.
Book a session with Anju for personalised wellness consultancy. Discover how to incorporate healing spices into your diet and lifestyle for better health. Book.
Did you know cumin is a cooling spice? It’s best to consume it more often in summer than in winter. Learn in our books about nurishing healing spices.
Wellness * Caching * Talks * Workshops * Cooking
Coaching - One on One
Courses - 6 to 10 weeks.
Wellness Workshops - One Day
Cooking Classes & Workshops
In addition to the topics above, I can also speak about Diwali, Hindu beliefs, arranged marriages, the history of India, Ayurveda, and simple living. Additionally, I cover subjects such as creating everyday rituals for a positive mind, manifestation, the importance of journaling, and gratitude practices.
Let’s talk – hello@anjudesai.co.nz
How I Can Help
Hi there!
It’s wonderful to connect with you here. As we become more aware of our mind-body-soul connection, we seek simple guidelines to understand holistic living. This involves mindful eating, daily mindfulness practices, and working on our manifestations. I was raised in an Ayurvedic holistic lifestyle and know how simplicity can create abundance for the soul and body. Let me help you change simple micro habits to create a soulful life.
With my passions for creativity, art, writing, coaching, and speaking, I’m excited to bring fresh and impressive ideas to your life. Let’s support our community together and bring the best out of them
Thank you for stopping by, and I look forward to catching up soon!
Anju Desai
What Our Clients Say - Anju's Kitchen
Dear Anju,
Thank you so much for the opportunity and privilege of attending the two evenings, and learning about Indian cooking. I learnt so much from you about all the different spices and their benefits to our health as well as how to cook absolutely delicious and healthy food.
I highly recommend your evening cooking classes to everyone and I strongly urge the community centres to continue organising these community classes.
Learning how to cook healthy, delicious food at home is essential for all people and is an important initiative for the Council to continue funding.
I feel my life has become more enriched by just attending these two classes. I have met some lovely people, including yourself Anju.
I had so much fun and look forward to attending more of your classes in the near future.
My very best regards,
Catherine Hong.
Hi Anju,
Thanks for the Reduce the Winter Blues cooking class. I found it interesting to learn how different spices and foodstuffs can help us keep healthy and well, both mentally and physically. I’m keen to learn more about this, as I prefer natural health options to prescription medicine, where possible.
The food you cooked was tasty, yet simple and, very importantly, inexpensive. I would love to attend any further cooking classes that you schedule, please.
It would be great to see your classes reaching as many people as possible, to help others learn that cooking tasty food doesn’t need to be expensive, particularly as many families are struggling financially at the moment.
I look forward to attending the next class you schedule. Thank you so much.
Regards, Sarah.
I have immensely enjoyed every class. Anju’s thorough knowledge of Indian culinary cuisine, her good humour, and her delightful personality have made each session special. I loved having a go at making the classic naan bread and tasting various delicious dishes and will surely try out all the recipes Anju has been dedicating her hours to assemble. I would highly recommend this class to anyone and everyone interested in Indian food, culture, and engagement.
With love, Julie.
I loved this class. Anju is so warm and bubbly, making the class very enjoyable and she taught us so much about Indian cuisine. So many practical and creative tips and recipes. If you get the chance to join one of her workshops please do. Thanks, Anju and all the class for sharing such a nice experience.
