These hand-stitched paper gift tags are a simple and fun way to dress up your gifts! They are unique and you can make up your own designs, and use different colors of thread to match your wrapping paper. Your handmade tag will definitely stand out on your gift!
Instead of spending money on buying gift tags, you can easily stitch up a few and have them on hand for your gift wrapping needs.
I got this idea from a book I borrowed from my local library. I absolutely loved this book, it has so many great ideas, simple enough for kids and teens to do too!
This is the book: Fabric Paper Thread by Kristen Sutcliffe.
What supplies do you need for these Hand-stitched paper gift tags?
(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)
How do you make these Hand-Stitched paper gift tags?
Cut rectangles ( 2 by 3 inches)out of your scrapbook paper.
Using a pencil draw your designs on the paper. Make them simple with straight lines. I also tried some flowers as you can see.
Place some heavy cardboard underneath your tag, using the pushpin, make holes at regular intervals on your design.
After punching the holes, erase the pencil lines.
Using the thread and needle, stitch the design onto the tag. (Cut some embroidery thread about 2′ long. Use 3 threads or all 6) I ended up using all 6. A simple running stitch ( —–), arrow stitch (vvvvv) and half running stitch ( /////// ) is all that is used.
You do not have to tie a knot at the end of your thread when you begin. Just make sure to leave a long tail if you plan to use that as the tie for your tag.
In the book, the author leaves a tail with which you can attach the tag to your gift. I did that for some but got the others, you can just add a thread on the top of your tag, it is really not a big deal.
Your tag is ready! Make a whole bunch and use them for your gift-wrapped presents. You do not have to be an expert in sewing, you just have to put the needle in and out of the holes., kids and teens can do this as a fun project!
If you like to cover the back of the tag so it looks neat., you can do so by gluing another piece of scrapbook paper on the back.
Cut rectangles and draw out your design with a pencil
Using a push-pin or thumbtack poke holes
Erase pencil lines
Start stitching!
NOTES:
Use a paper cutter to get even sides on your tags. You can make them a bigger size if you like.
You can use one color or two colors, it is totally customizable for what you want.
Use 3 threads or all 6. I tried with 3 and then ended up using all 6 as I felt it looked better.
The same idea can be used to make bookmarks.
If you like to DIY, you might also be interested in:
Thank you for visiting, if you do try these out, let me know, I love hearing from you! You can tag me on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog so I can see your photos!
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These crispy Zucchini Fritters are so crispy and delicious, you cannot stop at just one! Believe me, I tried, but I couldn’t help myself to another! 😁
They make a great appetizer or snack. Chickpea flour(besan) and rice flour make it crispy. So, this is gluten-free and vegan! You can add more green chilies to make it spicier. This is such a great way to use up zucchini.
Let’s get straight to the ingredients for these Crispy Zucchini Fritters:
Zucchini – grated, sprinkle salt, and keep it aside for 15 minutes
(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)
How do you make these Crispy Zucchini Fritters?
Grate zucchini, sprinkle salt over it, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This is to draw out the moisture from the zucchini.
Chop your onion, green chilies, and cilantro.
In a big bowl, add the besan, rice flour, and spice powders, mix them up.
Squeeze out all the water from the zucchini and put it into the bowl with the dry mixture.
Add the onions, chilies, and cilantro.
Add about 1/3 rd cup of water and mix gently using a wooden spoon or a spatula.
Your mixture should be neither too thick nor too thin, it should be a little thicker than pancake batter.
Heat oil in a pan, when it is hot, add your batter with a spoon. Flatten it a bit making fritters. I made 4 at a time. I kept the flame on medium. Fry till golden brown on both sides.
Drain on a paper towel. Fry them immediately before serving them, because they will not remain crispy. However, they can be warmed up in a toaster oven or an air fryer.
Serve hot with ketchup, Sriracha sauce, or even a nice yogurt dip!
Shredded zucchini mixed with chickpea flour, rice flour, and a few spices, pan-fried till crispy!
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Indian
Author Nandini
Ingredients
1Zucchini(shredded)
⅓cupChickpea flour(besan)
2tbsps Rice flour
¼Onion (chopped)
1green chili(chopped)
Spice powders
¾tspKashmiri Chili powder
Salt to taste
¼tsp turmeric powder
¼tspcumin powder
¼tspchaat masala powder
Instructions
Grate zucchini, sprinkle salt over it, and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
Chop up the onion, green chili, and cilantro.
In a bowl, add the chickpea flour, rice flour, and spice powders. Mix with a whisk.
Squeeze out all the water from the zucchini and put it into the bowl with the dry mixture.
Add onions, chili, and cilantro.
Now pour around ⅓ cup of water and mix gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Your mixture should not be too thin nor too thick. The consistency should be a little thicker than pancake batter. Add a little more water if required.
Heat oil in a pan, when hot, add a spoonful of the mixture. Flatten it to make fritters. I made four at a time keeping the flame on medium heat.
Fry till golden brown on both sides. Drain them on a paper towel.
Serve these fritters hot with ketchup, Sriracha, or a yogurt dip.
Notes:
You can add more green chilies or chili powder to make it spicier.
Fry the fritters just before serving as they do not remain crispy. However, you can heat them up in a toaster oven or an Air Fryer.
The consistency of the mixture is important, add water a little at a time.
You can add chopped garlic too if you like the flavor.
I added chopped red onion, but any onion is fine. You can even add scallions instead of onion.
Let me know if you try it out by leaving me a comment below, also don’t forget to rate this recipe.
You might also like to try my other snack/ appetizer recipes:
Organizing with Crochet Baskets is my new go-to for organizing things around my home!
These crochet baskets are great for organizing little stuff(or big stuff!)around your home too! They look good and can be made in any size and color you want. Crochet baskets are a great alternative to plastic bins and organizers that are cheap and not very pleasing to look at.
They are relatively easy to make as these patterns use mostly basic stitches like single crochet, double crochet, and half double crochet. So, these are easy projects even for beginners. If you would like to learn how to crochet, check out these posts – Learn How to Crochet and Learn the Basic Crochet Stitches.
This is Part 2 of my organizing post! If you missed my first one, check out my post DIY Paper boxes and felt baskets for organizing. I did mention in that post that I was working on my crochet baskets for organizing. Finally, here it is!
I would have loved to include many more baskets but I just did not have the time. So here are the ones that I did manage to make.
I will include the links to some great patterns that I will be trying in the future, so you can check them out if you are interested!
Supplies needed for making these simple crochet baskets:
Crochet hooks – The hooks used for these patterns are mostly 5mm and bigger.
Yarn – For these crochet baskets thick sturdy yarn is best.
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)
Crochet Baskets for organizing:
Stacking baskets:
These stacking baskets are very easy to make, I made the small and medium-size in less than 2 hours! You can find the pattern here at Mooglyblog.com.
The yarn I used needed to be thicker but I just used what I had. If you need your basket to be sturdier just use a thicker yarn that will hold up well.
Crochet mason jar cozy:
I know this is technically not a basket! But I just thought it was a great idea to use old mason jars and cans. This is such a great way to dress them up, and use them for organizing! The pattern can be found here at gratefulprayerthankfulheart.com.
I used cotton yarn for this one, I changed the yarn in between to give it a white stripe. My suggestion for this pattern is to use a stitch marker. I didn’t use one and kind of lost count of the rows, so lesson learned!
Crochet Basket Pattern:
This crochet basket pattern comes in 3 sizes. I tried the smallest one, it was easy to do but I did find the last row or two a bit challenging. My stripe on top was not very neat as you can see from the picture. But, I wanted to include it as they are really cute for organizing little things! The pattern is from desertblossomcrafts.com.
Brown Crochet basket:
This pattern is from letscrochet.org, and you can find the pattern here. I stopped in the middle and made a bowl. But you can follow the instructions and make that cute basket.
Flat Crochet basket:
This pattern is a collection of mini nesting baskets from lifeandyarn.com. I made them flat by just doing one row after the base is done, So after the row of single crochet in the back loop only(BLO), I did one more row of single crochets, slip stitched around, and finished off.
Which one did you like best? Will you be trying any of these patterns? Let me know in the comments down below. I love hearing from you!
A big thank you to all the designers of these patterns, for sharing them for free with all of us!
Here are some patterns that I will be trying out soon:
Crochet Nesting Baskets: These baskets are from Yarnspirations.You can find a great video tutorial here from bellacococrochet.com. I love her website and tutorials, I recommend watching her videos if you are new to crochet.
Thank you for visiting and hope to see you back soon! I post a few times every week, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @lovetostayhomeblog to see the latest!
This Easy Instant Pot Mutton Biriyani was this Sunday’s special at my house. It turned out really good and I thought I must share this recipe on my blog. The Instant Pot is my favorite kitchen appliance, I have many recipes using the Instant Pot, and I plan to post many more!
It was so easy to make and once you have all the prep work done, it goes really fast. The Instant pot does all the work for you!
The most important part of this Biriyani is adding the correct amount of water when cooking the rice. I will share how I did it and got perfectly cooked rice!
What are the Ingredients for this Easy Instant Pot Mutton Biriyani?
Mutton – I used goat meat with bones, using meat with bones always makes a dish more flavorful.
To marinate mutton – yogurt, ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, garam masala powder, a handful of cilantro chopped, green chili chopped.
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)
How do you make this Easy Instant Pot Mutton Biriyani?
Wash and soak 2 cups of rice in water.
Marinate mutton with all the ingredients mentioned above.
Slice onions and tomatoes.
Switch on the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add ghee, when hot, add the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
Add thinly sliced onions and fry till they turn light brown, then add tomatoes. When the tomatoes turn soft, add the marinated mutton. Mix it well. Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
Once the pressure goes down, open the Instant Pot. Check how much gravy is in the pot. This is an important step as you do not want your rice to be mushy!
Add drained rice on top, add salt and juice of 1/2 lime. Do not mix. Just spread the rice over the top.
Add water, I needed to add only 1 cup of water as there were already 2 cups of gravy.
For every cup of rice, you need 1 1/2 cups water or gravy.
(Use the same cup you use to measure your rice for your water as well. I use the cup that came with my rice cooker.)
Close the Instant Pot again and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Once it is done, set a timer for 10 minutes and do a quick release of pressure.
Open your instant pot and mix your biriyani gently. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fried onions and chopped cilantro.
Your delicious mutton biriyani is ready! Enjoy with some Raita!
Marinate mutton with the ingredients mentioned above. Keep it aside. (Or you can marinate the mutton and keep it overnight in the refrigerator. Take it out before starting cooking so it comes to room temperature.)
Wash and soak the Basmati rice.
Thinly slice onions and tomato.
Switch on the Instant Pot to saute mode. Add the ghee, when the ghee is hot, add the whole spices.
Add onions and fry them till light brown, add the tomato, when they turn soft, add the marinated mutton.
Mix it well. Close the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
Once it is done, open the Pot. Check how much gravy is in the Pot. Add drained rice on top along with salt and lime juice.
DO NOT MIX, just spread the rice on top.
Add water as required. I added only 1 cup of water as there were 2 cups of gravy in the pot. DO NOT MIX
Close the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Once your Instant Pot beeps after the 4 minutes, press cancel. Set a timer for 10 minutes, after the 10 minutes quick release the pressure and open the Instant Pot.
Mix the Biriyani gently and transfer to a serving dish immediately.
Garnish with fried onions and chopped cilantro.
Enjoy your Mutton Biriyani with Raita. (Yogurt with onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, green chili, and cilantro)
Notes:
Use mutton with bones for the most flavorful biriyani. Mutton is goat meat. A substitute you could use is lamb.
If you do get a chance to try extra long grain basmati rice, you must! I did not know such a thing existed until I tried it at a friend’s house!
Using ghee gives this biriyani the best flavor, but you can use oil instead.
For marination, I use whole milk yogurt but I am sure that low-fat yogurt will work as well, just do not use non-fat yogurt.
You can marinate the mutton and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
I have already mentioned a few times that adding the right amount of water is the key to getting perfectly cooked Biriyani, but I will say it again as it is the most important step. For every cup of rice, you need 1 1/2 cups water or gravy. (Use the same cup you use to measure your rice for your water as well. I use the cup that came with my rice cooker.) Once the mutton is cooked, estimate the amount of gravy in the Pot, count that towards the water you have to add. So if you used 2 cups of rice, you need 3 cups of water. So, if you have 2 cups of gravy, only add 1 cup of water.
It is important to open the Instant Pot after 10 minutes, take out the Biriyani and transfer it to a serving dish. If you leave it in the Pot it will continue to cook as the Pot will take a while to cool down.
Raita:
A simple Raita that I make is just cucumber, red onion, tomato, green chili, cilantro chopped up. Add yogurt to it, season with salt, pepper, cumin powder, and chaat masala powder. Mix well. That’s it!
Hope you will try out this easy Easy Mutton Biriyani recipe soon! Please rate the recipe and leave me a comment down below. I love hearing from you!
Here are some of my other Instant Pot recipes you might like to try:
This Paneer Masala is a creamy delicious curry that tastes best with Naan or paratha. It does not have any cream but gets its creaminess from the cashew nut paste. To make it vegan you can use tofu instead of paneer.
I love paneer and have it at least once every week. If you like paneer this recipe is a must-try! You might also like to try my palak paneer recipe and my mixed vegetable and paneer curry.
First, let’s talk about this life-changing Onion Masala!
I use Instant Pot onion masala in this recipe. I highly recommend making this over the weekend and you can have all your meals ready in no time for the week. This is a lifesaver and a must if you cook Indian food every day or even if you like eating Indian food. If you have this onion masala your life becomes so much easier! I follow this recipe from Ashley over at her blog myheartbeets.com. Her blog is full of recipes using onion masala and she has tons of Instant Pot recipes too. Do check out her website.
If you do not have onion masala, you can start the recipe by making your masala as follows:
Heat oil in a pan, add onions(1 chopped)fry till slightly brown. Add ginger garlic paste(1 Tsp), fry a little, add tomatoes(2 chopped)with turmeric 1/4 Tsp), chili powder ( 1 Tsp), coriander powder(1 tsp), and cumin powder (1/4 Tsp). Mix, cover your pan and let it cook. When the oil floats on top your masala is ready.
Wait for it to cool down and purée it in a blender. Or use an immersion blender.
Your onion masala is ready.
If you pre-make this onion masala and have it in your freezer, cooking Indian food becomes much simpler! The baby food freezer cubes from Amazon seen below are what I use to freeze my onion masala cubes.
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)
These are my Favorite Amazon Kitchen Picks!
Ingredients required for Paneer Masala:
Paneer- cut into cubes about 200 gms, soak the paneer in hot water till you use it, this makes it soft.
Onion Masala – 2 cubes ( or make the masala as stated above)
Red onion – 1/2 cut into cubes
Green bell pepper- 1/2 cut into cubes
Vinegar
Cashew nuts – soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
Kasuri Methi – Dried Fenugreek leaves are available in any Indian store, you must use this for the best taste.
Sugar – 1 Tsp
Spice powders- Turmeric, Kashmiri Chili powder, garam masala powder, and salt to taste.
How do you make this Paneer Masala?
Heat oil in a pan. Add the cubed onion and green bell pepper. Fry for a few minutes. It has to remain crisp and not become soft. Take them out and set them aside.
In the same pan, add the onion masala, all the spice powders, the vinegar, sugar, and a little water. Close the pan and let this come to a boil. Add the cashew paste. Mix and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Add water to thin it out if you like.
Next, add the paneer along with the Kasuri methi and a sprinkle of garam masala powder.
Mix and cover it, so that all the flavors meld. The masala will be thick because of the cashew paste. You can always add a little water to thin it out, but check for salt and add some if required.
After 5 minutes switch off the flame. Add the onions and bell peppers into the paneer masala.
A creamy paneer gravy made with onion tomato masala with added spices, green bell pepper, and red onions.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Ingredients
200gramsPaneer( around 25 cubes)
2cubesFrozen Onion Masala(around 1/2 cup)
½Red onioncut into cubes
½Green bell peppercut into cubes
1tspWhite vinegar
15-20Cashew nuts(soaked in warm water for 15 minutes)
2tbspKasuri Methi(Dried fenugreek leaves)
1tspsugar
1tspsalt
Spice powders
¼tspturmeric powder
1tspKashmiri chili powder
½tspGaram masala powder
Instructions
Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When hot add the cubed onion and bell pepper. Fry for a few minutes, it should remain crisp and not become soft. Take them out and set them aside.
In the same pan add 1 tbsp oil, then add the onion masala, the spice powders, vinegar, sugar, salt, and a little water. Mix it all up and cover the pan. Let it come to a boil. Stir in between so it does not burn.
Blend the cashew nuts into a paste adding some water. Add this cashew paste to the masala, cook for about 5 minutes, adding a little water to thin it out.
Add the paneer along with the Kasuri methi and a sprinkle of garam masala powder. Mix it and cover the pan. Cook it for another 5 minutes on low flame.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Add the previously fried onions and bell pepper to it, mix it and garnish with more Kasuri Methi or chopped cilantro.
Your paneer masala is ready! Enjoy with rice, Naan, or paratha.
Notes:
To make it vegan, use Extra firm tofu instead of paneer.
To make it even tastier you can fry the paneer before adding it to the masala. I left out that step as I did not want to add more oil to the dish.
After the curry is ready, you can serve it drizzled with heavy whipping cream on top or add a dollop of butter! That adds to the richness and taste.
Add more red chili powder to make it spicier.
You can leave out the onion and bell pepper if you do not have them.
Let me know if you try this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment.
Thank you for visiting! Hope you have a wonderful day!
Here are some other vegetarian recipes you might be interested in:
These DIY Faux Ceramic Vases are all over Pinterest. It had me wondering, does it work?? So, I decided to try it out as I had some ordinary dollar store glass vases sitting around my house.
I watched a lot of videos and decided to try it out with things I already had at home. After all, transforming something without spending any money is the best! Don’t you agree?!
You can do the same, using things you already have at home, no shopping required! If you don’t have these supplies, you will not have to spend much money as the supplies are relatively cheap.
What are the supplies you need to make these DIY Faux Ceramic Vases?
Vases – You can use any glass vases you have. They do not have to be clear glass, they could be colored too! The uglier the better as the transformation will be worth it!
If you do not have any vases to Upcycle, you can easily find some at your local thrift store for as little as 25 cents to 50 cents!
Paint – Acrylic Paint is what I had. It works well. If you do not have paint, you can get it at any craft store or on Amazon. I used mainly white, but you can mix colors to get the color you want.
Baking Soda – everyone has baking soda at home! It is useful in so many ways. Here is another use for it! It adds texture to the painted vases.
Paintbrush – I used a regular thick paintbrush and a foam brush.
Empty plastic boxes to hold the paint and newspaper to line your work surface.
That’s it!
How do you make these Faux Ceramic Vases?
Line your work surface with layers of newspaper. Maybe use a plastic sheet or bag if you can., from my experience the bottom of the vase stuck to the paper after painting it. So it would be better to have a plastic lining on top of your newspaper.
Wash and dry your vases thoroughly.
Decide what color you want to paint them. I went with a plain white for one. For the second one, I mixed a little brown paint with white to make it a light beige color.
In a plastic box add your paints, add a little baking soda at a time, and mix it up with the paintbrush. In the end, I added about 1/4 cup paint and around 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
Using a foam brush, start painting your vase with horizontal strokes. Cover the entire vase. I did paint the inside part of it but just toward the top.
Let it dry completely, before painting your 2nd coat. I didn’t let it dry completely, so a little bit of the paint started clumping up with the first layer. So please don’t make the same mistake I made!!I ended up putting 3 coats of paint on both vases.
After the 1st coat of paint
2 coats of paint
After 3 coats of paint
I liked how they turned out in the end. They are not perfect but that’s how they have to be rustic!
NOTES:
You can make them in any color to suit your home decor. Just mix and match paints to get the color you want. You can also use wall paint.
Use old bottles, candle jars, mason jars, etc for some variety.
Let the paint dry in between coats, otherwise, the paint clumps up.
You can add more or less baking soda, it just depends on the look that you prefer.
I used the foam brush to paint most of it, but I did use the paintbrush to do the edges and the top of the vases.
Remember to paint the strokes horizontally as the grain of the glass is that way.
If you like to watch a video on how to do this, you can watch this video by MaCenna on YouTube. She shows different methods and tries different paints too! I love watching her videos as she is so positive and just so joyful all the time! If you like DIY’s, Home Decor, and thrift shopping, her channel is a fun one to follow!
Will you be giving this a try? Did you like the way it turned out? Let me know in the comments below. As always thank you for visiting!
If you like DIY projects, do check out my other DIY posts:
These Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-fried are such a treat! You can serve these as an appetizer or snack. They can also be an accompaniment to any meal.
I like mushrooms but struggle to find different ways of cooking them. So I decided to cook them this way as let’s face it, who does not like fried food?! As I am a big fan of the Air Fryer, I decided to try them in an Air Fryer as well. So read on to find out how it is done, and how it turned out!
If you have any leftovers(if there are any!😁), give them a makeover and make Mushroom Manchurian(bonus recipe included)!
Whichever way you eat it, these mushrooms will be your new favorite!
What are the ingredients required for Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-fried?
Mushrooms- Button mushrooms, I’m sure you could make these with baby Bella mushrooms as well. If you do try them out let me know if it works.
I wash the mushrooms and dry them thoroughly. I know most people say don’t wash mushrooms but I do as that’s the only way to get rid of stuck-on dirt. Moreover, I have never had a problem with washing and then cooking them.
Oil – For deep frying use a high heat oil like Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, Peanut Oil, or Sunflower Oil.
For the masala coating:
Chickpea flour or Besan – you can find this flour in any Indian store. Bonus it is gluten-free!
Rice flour – This flour can be found in an Indian store as well.
Ginger garlic paste (optional)
Kashmiri Chili Powder
Turmeric powder
Cumin powder
Pepper powder
Chaat masala powder
Salt to taste
Water to mix
How do you make these Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-Fried?
Add all the dry ingredients for the batter together in a mixing bowl, and use a whisk to mix them.
Add water a little at a time to get a smooth batter. I used about 1/2 to 3/4th cup. The batter should not be thin, it should be on the thicker side.
Add the mushrooms to this mixture and coat them well.
Mixed batter
Mushrooms coated with the batter
How do you fry these mushrooms? I tried 2 ways. DEEP FRIED Vs AIR FRIED
DEEP-FRIED
Deep-fried Masala Mushrooms
In a cast-iron pot, heat oil, I used canola oil.
When the oil is hot, add mushrooms one by one, they should start sizzling as soon as you put them in. That’s a good indication that the oil is at the right temperature. Let the flame be on medium.
Turn them after a few minutes. Fry them till they are crispy about 8 to 10 minutes.
Take them out and put them on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.
Serve them hot! They will become soft as they sit. But you can always warm them up in a toaster oven or air fryer.
AIR-FRIED
Air-Fried Masala Mushrooms
If you have seen some of my previous recipes, you probably know that I love the Air Fryer! So I had to test this out in the Air Fryer to see for myself how they compared to the deep-fried Mushrooms.
First, line the air fryer basket with foil. Then brush a little bit of oil on the foil.
Drizzle some oil (1 tablespoon) on the coated mushrooms and mix.
Using tongs, place battered mushrooms on the foil in the Air Fryer.
Close the Air Fryer basket and switch it on to 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Turn the mushrooms once in between.
After 10 minutes your crispy air-fried mushrooms are ready!
Taste-wise I would say surprisingly both tasted equally good!
The only thing with using the Air Fryer was that you can only put it a little at a time. So it might take longer depending on the quantity you are making. And it does tend to stick to the foil a bit. Next time I would try parchment paper.
Enjoy your fried masala mushrooms with some tomato ketchup or Sriracha sauce!
Mushrooms in a spicy chickpea and rice flour batter, deep-fried or Air-fried to crispy deliciousness!
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Author Nandini
Ingredients
15-20Button Mushrooms
2cups Canola Oil(for deep frying)
For the batter
½cupChickpea flour (Besan)
¼cupRice flour
1tspKashmiri Chili powder
¼tsp Turmeric powder
¼tspCumin powder
¼tspPepper powder
½tspChaat masala powder
1tspGinger garlic paste(optional)
1tspSalt (or to taste)
½ to ¾cupWater
Instructions
Wash and dry the mushrooms. Cut them into 4 depending on the size of them If they are small you can cut them in half. Keep them aside.
To make the batter
Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl using a whisk or a fork.
Add water a little at a time, using a whisk, mix until you get a nice batter consistency. It should not be too thick nor too thin. The batter should be able to coat the mushrooms.
Add mushrooms to the batter and mix until all the mushrooms are coated evenly with the batter.
To deep-fry:
Heat oil in a cast-iron pan. When the oil is hot, drop the mushrooms into the hot oil. It should sizzle as soon as it goes in. Fry the mushrooms on both sides till crispy. This should take about 6 minutes or so.
Take them out and drain them on a paper towel. Fry them in batches without overcrowding the pan.
Serve hot with Sriracha or Tomato Ketchup.
To Air-Fry
Line air-fryer basket with foil or parchment paper.
Brush the foil or paper with oil. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil on the battered mushrooms. Mix well.
Using tongs, put the mushrooms into the Air-Fryer basket leaving space in between each one.
Close the basket and switch on your Air Fryer to 400° for 10 minutes.
Turn the mushrooms once in between.
After 10 minutes, take them out of the Air-Fryer and enjoy!
Notes:
To make it spicier, use more Chili powder or add chopped green chilies or jalapenos.
You can use the same batter for other vegetables as well. Good options are onions, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, etc
If you do not have an Air fryer and want to make this without deep frying it, I am sure you can use your oven at 400F, and bake the mushrooms for maybe 15 minutes. Let me know if you do try it out in your oven.
To re-heat these mushrooms, you can use a toaster oven or the Air-fryer. They do become soft after a while.
If you happen to have leftovers, I did because I made so much! I decided to experiment with making Mushroom Manchurian.
Bonus recipe using Fried Masala Mushrooms!
Mushroom Manchurian
Chop up a quarter of an onion (or use scallions), 5 cloves garlic, 1-inch ginger, and 2 green chilies.
Sauce – To make this easy sauce, add 1/4 cup soya sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar, 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup, 1 tablespoon chili sauce(I used Sriracha) to a bowl. Mix it up.
In a pan, heat some oil. When the oil is hot, add all the chopped ingredients. Fry well till slightly brown. Add your sauce and mix well.
Put in your fried mushrooms and mix well to coat them with the sauce. I did not add any salt and didn’t need to. But you can taste it and add if required.
I also added a squirt of tomato ketchup as I felt it was too spicy.
So you can adjust the spice accordingly. Garnish with lots of chopped cilantro or scallion greens. Enjoy your easy and tasty Mushroom Manchurian
It turned out delicious in the end!
If you like easy recipes like this, you might also be interested in:
Thank you for visiting! Hope you will try out this easy recipe, let me know if you do, by leaving a comment and rating the recipe. I would love to hear from you!
These Easy Crochet Hair Accessories are so cute and easy to make! They are quick projects and can be done in under an hour. You don’t need much yarn and they can be made in all colors to match any outfit! I love this kind of project as you can see the results of your hard work in no time! You can make a whole lot and give them as gifts! I know that handmade gifts are always so special.
There are so many ideas out there. I decided to try the easiest ones! I always love simple, beautiful, and quick. These projects are all easy even for beginners. All of them are free patterns so I will leave a link to all these amazing patterns! Thank you to the designers as always.
What do you need to make these Easy Crochet Hair Accessories?
If you are new to crochet and would like to learn, do check out my earlier posts, Learn How to Crochet, Learn the Basic Crochet Stitches, Easy Crochet Chain Earrings. You can definitely learn crochet even if you have no clue about it! I promise that you will love it! As I have said earlier it is a stress-buster and a great hobby to have.
If you already know how to crochet, I am sure you will have all the essentials to start these projects!
You do not require much, just crochet hooks, yarn, scissors, and a yarn needle. I will share my Amazon picks below. All these supplies are available in any craft store as well.
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support.)
There are so many types of yarn you get for different projects. For most of these patterns, you can use cotton yarn, acrylic yarn, Size 10 thread, or even embroidery thread.
Used for gluing the flowers, butterflies, beads, etc onto the clips.
Here is my list of tried and tested Easy Crochet Hair Accessories:
HAIR CLIPS
Mini Bow Hair Clips
These bows are so cute and easy to make. You only use a little yarn and it takes less than 15 minutes. After you make the bow, just hot glue it onto the hair clip. I found my hair clips at a Japanese shop called Daiso. You can find the pattern from Daisy Cottage Designs here.
Big Bow Hair Clips
The big bow pattern is from everythingetsy.com. Below are the clips I used, they are called alligator clips or duck bill clips.
Flower Hair Clips
Cute flowers are even simpler to make. You can make them big or small by simply changing the yarn or thread you are using. This pattern is so easy it is practically 1 round, and there is a diagram for the pattern, it can be found here.
For the mini bow clips and flower clips, You can get the clips at Dollar Tree, Daiso, or Walmart if you have one near you.
Butterfly Hairclips
These butterflies are adorable, and I am sure any little girl in your life would love these! The pattern is from Bella Coco and she has a great video tutorial that you can find here.
HEADBANDS
These headbands take a little longer to make but they are worth it! The only challenge I faced here, is deciding what the length should be. I made 3 types. The one With the elastic made it more stretchy, the one without elastic has to be made the right size as it does not stretch much. The 3rd one is good because It has to be tied at the bottom. It is the easiest pattern, 3 chains tied together. I feel the only thing with this one is it might be too loose if not tied properly. Here are all the 3 patterns:
I shared these scrunchies in a previous post of 5 Useful Crochet Projects. They are so easy and you can make a whole bunch in an hour! This is the pattern I used. I made them in velvet, acrylic yarn, and cotton. I used black hair ties that I bought in Walmart.
So here they are, all these beautiful crochet hair accessories that you can make for yourself or give as gifts! Hope you enjoyed this collection of simple and quick projects.
There are some other patterns that I thought are worth sharing. These are on my list of must-try patterns!
Collection of 10 cute crochet flowers I could not resist sharing this collection of beautiful crochet flowers! All of them would make gorgeous hair clips.
This Chickpea Masala or Chole Masala is so delicious and very easy to make. Most recipes I have seen use a readymade masala mix called ‘Chole masala powder’.
I have tried it with my own mix of spice powders, I am very happy with the way it turned out. My kids love chickpeas and I use chickpeas in my cooking at least once a week.
What are the ingredients for Chickpea Masala?
Chickpeas – canned chickpeas or you can soak dry chickpeas and pressure cook them, I soaked the dry chickpeas overnight, in the morning, I pressure cooked them in my Instant Pot for 8 minutes.
Chaat masala powder – this gives it a tangy taste! It can be found in any Indian grocery store. Or the link will take you to Amazon where it is available online.
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support.)
How do you make this Chickpea Masala?
Keep all your ingredients ready.
Heat a pan on medium heat. Add oil, when the oil is hot, put in onions and fry well till translucent.
Add ginger-garlic paste. Fry for about 5 minutes.
Add tomato purée and all the spice powders.
Mix well, cover, and cook.
After about 10 minutes you can see the oil floating on top.
Add chickpeas and about 1/2 cup water.
Mix and cook for about 5 minutes.
Switch off the stove, add lime juice and cilantro to garnish.
I served this Chickpea Masala with this Instant Pot Peas Rice and this 2 ingredients Naan. It tasted really delicious!
Chickpeas in an Onion Tomato gravy with a blend of Indian spices.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Author Nandini
Ingredients
2cupsCooked Chickpeas
1Onion(chopped)
2Tomatoes(pureed) ( I used Roma tomatoes)
½tspGinger garlic paste
½Lime(juiced)
Cilantro for garnish
2tbspOil
Salt to taste
Spice powders
½tspTurmeric powder
1tspKashmiri Chili powder
1tsp Coriander powder
½tspCumin powder
½tspChaat masala powder
½tspGaram masala powder
Instructions
Heat a pan on medium heat. Add oil, when the oil is hot, add onions. Fry till translucent.
Add ginger-garlic paste, fry for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not burn.
Add pureed tomatoes and all the spice powders along with salt.
Mix well, cover, and cook.
After 10 minutes, you can see the oil floating on top.
Add chickpeas and about half a cup of water.
Mix and cook for about 5 minutes.
Switch off your stove, add lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Your chickpea masala is ready!
Notes:
You can cook the chickpeas ahead and keep them in the fridge or freezer! It is a time saver and you save money too by cooking your own chickpeas.
This can be made in the Instant Pot as well. Press the saute function and follow the recipe, when adding the chickpeas, you can add the soaked chickpeas, so basically you are cooking the chickpeas along with the masala. This is a time saver for sure! Pressure cook for 10 to 12 minutes. If you are using canned chickpeas just pressure cook for 4 or 5 minutes. Once done, open the Instant Pot, add the lime juice and cilantro to garnish.
When you add water along with the chickpeas you can add more if you want extra gravy.
If you like it spicy increase the amount of chili powder.
Chaat masala powder gives it a tangy taste, I recommend using it. A substitute for it could be Amchur Powder which is Raw Mango Powder.
Hope you will try this recipe out. It is delicious, you can eat it with rice, bread, paratha, or naan.
Please rate this recipe and leave me a comment down below. I would love to hear from you!
You might also like to check out my other Vegetarian recipes:
These beetroot cutlets are a great snack or accompaniment to any main meal. They are full of vegetables mixed with mashed potatoes, rolled in breadcrumbs, and pan-fried till golden brown or in this case a beautiful purple from the beetroots! I actually started out making these as vegetable cutlets, but the beetroot kind of took over and so I decided to call them beetroot cutlets!
They can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated until you need to fry them. I have kept them for about 3 to 4 days refrigerated.
If you want you can even freeze them. Just put them on a baking tray, and leave them in the freezer till frozen. After they are frozen put them in an airtight freezer-safe container or a freezer bag and put it in your freezer.
Fry them straight from the freezer when you need a quick snack!
(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support.)
What are the ingredients for these Beetroot Cutlets?
Beetroot cooked
Mixed vegetables- carrots, cauliflower, peas
Half an onion
Tomato
Ginger
Garlic
Green chili
Cumin seeds
Spice powders- turmeric, chili, coriander, and garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Boiled potatoes
Breadcrumbs – I make my own breadcrumbs at home using toasted bread
Oil for frying the cutlets.
You might also be interested in this recipe which uses boiled potatoes Potato Masala
How do you make these Beetroot cutlets?
First cook your beetroot in an Instant pot or pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Keep aside to cool.
Boil potatoes in an instant pot or pressure cooker for 10 minutes.
Chop onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and green chili.
Prep all the vegetables, including the beetroot, and keep them aside.
Add cumin seeds, ginger-garlic, and chili to a blender, I used my Ninja small jar., just make it into a fine chop.
Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, and ground-up ginger, garlic, chili, and cumin seeds. Sauté till the onions are slightly brown. Add tomatoes, spice powders, and cook till tomatoes turn soft.
After that add the chopped vegetables and salt to taste. Mix well, cover, and cook till the vegetables are cooked.
When cooked add some chopped cilantro and mix.
Let it cool down.
In the meantime mash the boiled potatoes.
When the vegetables and potatoes are cool. Add the potatoes to the vegetables and mix well. (I added 3 boiled potatoes)
Taste and add salt if needed.
Make balls out of the mixture. Add breadcrumbs to a plate. Take one ball and flatten it into the breadcrumbs, turn and do the same for the other side. Make it a round shape. Roll the sides too in the breadcrumbs till the whole cutlet is coated with breadcrumbs.
Do the same with all of the balls. At this stage, if you want to freeze some go ahead and put them on a baking sheet and freeze them.
You can refrigerate them for some time before frying. But you can also fry them immediately.
To fry them, heat oil in a pan. Fry till golden brown on both sides.
Enjoy your beetroot cutlets as a snack, in a sandwich, or as a side to your main meal.
Beetroot and other vegetables cooked with Indian spices, mixed with mashed potatoes, made into patties, covered with breadcrumbs, and pan-fried to a crispy cutlet!
Oil for frying the cutlets and for frying the masala
To grind:
½inchGinger
4clovesGarlic
1Green chili
1tspCumin seeds
Spices
½tspTurmeric powder
1tspKashmiri Chili powder
1tspCoriander powder
½tspGaram Masala powder
Instructions
Pressure cook the beetroot, peel, chop, and keep aside.
Boil potatoes in Instant Pot or Pressure cooker. Peel them, mash them, and set them aside.
Prep all the vegetables. Chop the onion and tomatoes
Grind the ginger, garlic, green chili, and cumin seeds.
Heat oil in a pan, fry the onions till transparent, add the ground ginger, garlic, chili, and cumin seeds. Add tomatoes and spices.
Next, add all the vegetables including chopped beetroot. Add salt to taste.
Mix well, cover, and cook.
When the vegetables are cooked, switch off the stove.
After the vegetables have cooled down, add the mashed potatoes.
Mix and make balls out of the mixture. I got about 20.
Add breadcrumbs to a plate.
Take one ball and flatten it onto the breadcrumbs. Turn and make sure the cutlet is coated with the breadcrumbs.
Do this with all the cutlets. Keep them refrigerated.
When ready to fry, add oil to a pan. When the oil is hot, add the cutlets and fry them on both sides till golden brown.
Notes:
When cooking with beetroot everything gets that deep red color. I recommend using some sort of liner on your cutting board so it doesn’t get those deep red stains. I am still trying to take out the stains from my cutting board! And maybe wear gloves so your hands do not become red!
When adding the mashed potatoes, the number of potatoes depends on their size. I used 3 big Idaho potatoes. Use as many as needed to get the mixture to a consistency that it can be made into a ball without falling apart.
An option is to dip the cutlet in a beaten egg and then coat it with the breadcrumbs. This helps the breadcrumbs stick better. If you do not want to use an egg, you can dip the cutlet in a cornstarch and water mixture before rolling them in breadcrumbs.
You can always leave out the beetroot and use other vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, corn, or peas.
When frying the cutlet, since everything is already cooked, just fry them till the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
An exception is made when frying frozen cutlets, you will have to cover them so the inside of it thaws and warms up.
This might take a while to get together, but the end result is worth it, so do give it a try. From this recipe, you can get about 20 cutlets. So freeze some for later!
