Craving something hot, spicy and flavourful? Looking for a crispy snack that is not pakoras, samosas or fries? Want to try a different kind of bhel? Then opt for Chinese Bhel. This Desi Chinese treat is one of the easiest and yummiest ways to spice up your evenings. This dish is like a tangy yet fiery salad made with fried noodles – and we are not talking about a healthy salad. This dish is for those days when you’re craving the comfort that only crispiness and spiciness can bring. Read our recipe and cooking tips below.
Also Read: 5 Easy Indo-Chinese Recipes To Satiate Your Desi Chinese Food Cravings

What Is Chinese Bhel?

Chinese Bhel is a Desi Chinese delicacy made by combining fried noodles with soy sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar and different veggies including cabbage, carrots, onions, etc. Chinese Bhel is also a popular dish at street food stalls. It can also be enjoyed as an evening snack or dinner appetiser. This bhel can be served cold or hot – and the preparation of each differs slightly from the other. The recipe below is for hot Chinese Bhel, inspired by street-style flavours. Once you have the fried noodles, you can put this dish together in just 10 minutes.
Also Read: How To Make Restaurant-Style Kung Pao Paneer At Home (Easy Recipe Inside)

How To Make Hot Chinese Bhel | Quick And Easy Recipe For Street-Style Chinese Bhel

Boil hakka noodles (or any other type you prefer) and set them aside to cool. Later, deep fry them, drain off excess oil and keep the fried noodles ready. In a wok or kadhai, heat oil and add ginger and garlic. Saute them on high heat for a few seconds. Then add sliced carrots, cabbage, green capsicums and chopped spring onions. Stir-fry the veggies for under a minute.

Next add sauces like chilli, soy, schezwan and/or others you use for Indo-Chinese dishes. Feel free to customise this dish according to your liking. Mix in some vinegar as well. If you prefer your bhel less spicy, you can add tomato ketchup. Combine the veggies and the sauces. Next, crush the fried noodles and add them to the vessel. Also, add the chopped tomato. Combine all the ingredients well, for around 2 more minutes. Taste and add salt, if required. Garnish with the bhel with spring onion greens and serve immediately.

Click here for the detailed recipe for Chinese Bhel

3 Easy Tips To Make Perfect Chinese Bhel:

Here are three key pointers that can help this dish turn out extra yummy:

After boiling the noodles, cool them properly and mix them with a little cornstarch. This will help remove extra moisture and allow them to get better crispiness while frying.Always slice/ shred the veggies thinly. No one wants to bite into big chunks of capsicums or large pieces of carrot while eating Chinese Bhel. The point of this dish is indulgence and the noodles are the star ingredient.Serve the bhel hot. In the cold version, the veggies are not stir-fried. But the dish above needs to be consumed quickly after being prepared, or the noodles will turn soggy.

Make this hot Chinese Bhel for your next evening indulgence and let us know how you like it!
Also Read: This Healthy Chinese Bhel Makes For A Yummy, High-Protein Snack (Recipe Inside)

​ Street Style Chinese Bhel Recipe: This Hot Chinese Bhel is the definition of spicy indulgence. Satisfy your street food cravings with the help of the easy recipe below. 

The Income Tax Return (ITR) filing season is drawing to a close as the last date for filing taxes is finally here. On Monday, July 31, citizens were scrambling to gather their financial details and pay up their taxes. The term ‘ITR Filing’ and ‘ITRDueDate’ were also trending on Twitter in the same context. Meanwhile, food brands took this opportunity to engage with fans and share some witty memes and posts about the last date of filing income tax returns. The first one was by food delivery application Swiggy, which shared a collage about “Today’s essentials.” Take a look:

today’s essentials pic.twitter.com/lIa8MGf6Vx

— Swiggy (@Swiggy) July 31, 2023

In the four-way collage, we could see a picture of chai, pakora and umbrella which alluded to the onset of monsoon season all over India. Meanwhile, in the fourth box, the text read, “Filing ITR. (today is the last day)” The hilarious post garnered over 9k views along with plenty of comments, reactions and likes on Twitter. Next, food delivery application Zomato too had a witty spin on the ITR filing deadline. Take a look:

just an appreciation tweet for all the CAs who spent their weekend filing ITRs for friends and family – with 0 expectations of a treat ?

— zomato (@zomato) July 31, 2023

Also Read: Iconic Campa Cola Brand To Be Relaunched – All You Need To Know

“Just an appreciation tweet for all the CAs who spent their weekend filing ITRs for friends and family – with 0 expectations of a treat,” read the hilarious post by Zomato. The post has got over 12.5k views. Meanwhile, grocery delivery application BlinkIt also shared an engaging tweet about filing taxes and how it would need an extra dose of energy drinks. Take a look:

For all the CAs who are filing ITR for their friends right now ? pic.twitter.com/b42a9M9v83

— Blinkit (@letsblinkit) July 31, 2023

Previously, food brands in India had also joined the debate about which film to watch – ‘Barbie’ or ‘Oppenheimer’. A flurry of witty memes and posts had erupted on Twitter. Click here to read more about this story.

​ ITR Filing Deadline: On the ITR filing due date of July 31, a number of food brands shared reminders and posts for their foodie followers. 

Every Indian household is feeling the brunt of the tomato price hike. Most of us are reeling under the pressure of cooking without tomatoes. But what should we cook that doesn’t use tomatoes but still turns out good enough to make our family eat it? If you set out to explore, you’ll find plenty of such recipes. And if you want to stick to the typical Indian-style sabzi-roti routine, we have a dish that fits the bill perfectly. This no-onion, no-tomato besan gatte ki sabzi is so delicious that you will not miss tomatoes at all! This is not even the best part. You don’t even have to wash, peel or chop any veggies – this simple and quick besan curry recipe is all you need when the stomach is growling and there’s hardly any time to cook.

How to cook without tomatoes?

Tomatoes lend their tanginess and bright red colour to our meals, and that’s why we love them. But in their absence, you can achieve similar tanginess and hue with other ingredients like vinegar, mango powder and more. Click here to learn what foods can replace tomatoes in your recipes.
Coming back to besan gatte ki sabzi, this special dish tastes great even without tomatoes. It’s the curd and mango powder in the recipe that brings in the tanginess along with freshness. In fact, you don’t even need onions, so no chopping!

How To Make Besan Gatte Ki Sabzi Without Tomatoes I Besan Curry Recipe:

Take besan flour, add spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt to taste, asafoetida, turmeric powder and soda. Also, add some oil mix everything together and knead to make soft dough with water. Divide the dough into equal parts, wrap each piece around a clean pencil or a skewer and roll it. Take out the skewer and you’ll get cylindrical rolls. Boil each roll and let them all cool down. Then cut the rolls into smaller pieces and fry them till crispy. You can skip frying them if you don’t want to.
Now make a special masala by grinding together fennel seeds, green chillies and whole spices like cinnamon, cloves and more to make a coarse paste. Make the base for the gravy by roasting the masala with other spices. Add some curd, stir well, add some water and mango powder and kasuri methi. Cook for some time and then add the besan pieces (gatte). Cook for another few minutes and your gatte ki sabzi is ready.
Also Read: Tomato Price Hike: 7 Indian Gravy Recipes That Don’t Require Tomatoes At All
Watch the complete recipe video here and enjoy this delicious no-tomato besan curry.

​ In absence of tomatoes, you can achieve similar tanginess and hue with other ingredients like vinegar, mango powder and more. Read on for details. 

Pancakes are perfect for every occasion. These soft, fluffy, and delicious treats are the go-to breakfast for many. Load them with Nutella, put a dollop of whipped cream, toss in some berries or just drench them in maple syrup, pancakes will manage to please you every time. The moment you take a bite, they take you on a trip to food heaven and make you crave more. Actor Kunal Kemmu is surely a pancake lover. On her Instagram Stories, wife Soha Ali Khan shared a picture that will prove it and will also leave you drooling. It features Kunal Kemmu sitting with a friend and pancakes can be seen stacked on a plate topped up with berries and chocolate. Well, it wasn’t the only food item on the menu. We also see a plate of nachos with a variety of dips. “What an incredible meal,” Soha wrote.
Also Read: Exclusive: Soha Ali Khan Reveals Her Daily Diet, Skin Care Secrets, Favourite Snacks And More!

Now if Kunal Kemmu has triggered your cravings then just make some delectable pancakes at home and don’t worry about the recipe. Below are five pancake recipes for you.

Here’re 5 Pancake Recipes You Must Try:

1. Banana pancakes

Banana is one of those things that go great with pancakes. The natural sweetness of the fruit and the mild flavour of vanilla essence together makes these banana pancakes heavenly. Recipe here.

2. Eggless pancakes

If you don’t like eggs, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy pancakes. Here is the right way to make your pancakes tasty without using eggs. Click here for the recipe.

3. Cinnamon pancakes

The aroma and flavour of cinnamon can please anyone instantly. Here, the ingredient is used to make pancakes all the more delicious. Recipe inside.

4. Korean vegetable pancakes

If you are bored of the usual sweet pancakes then try this savoury one loaded with vegetables, which is tasty and healthy too. View the recipe here.

5. Carrot cake pancakes

With the goodness and distinct flavour of carrots, these pancakes definitely stand out. They are easy to make and can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime. Recipe here.

​ The photo features Kunal sitting with a friend and pancakes can be seen stacked on a plate topped up with berries and chocolate 

Not just cats and dogs, videos of monkeys doing funny antics have always gained traction on the internet. Majority of these clips come with a foodie spin. Be it the viral monkey who was spotted eating pani puri in Gujarat or the video of a primate teaching its child not to take food from strangers – there is absolutely no dearth of monkey content on social media. Now the latest clip to grab the attention on Twitter is a man sharing watermelon with an ape.
The video opens with a man cutting a watermelon into a half, while the impatient monkey hops around in excitement. After cutting down the watermelon into two halves, the man took a chunk and handed it to the monkey. As the monkey enjoyed the sweet treat, the man also cut out a piece for himself. Upon noticing the monkey standing while eating, he instructed the latter to sit down. And guess what, it followed the instruction. 
Also Read: Watch: Monkey Eats Pani Puri In Gujarat – Famous Street Food Finds Unlikely Fan
“Eating a watermelon together,” read the caption of the viral video on Twitter. Shared on July 30, the clip has already clocked over 8.3 million views. 
Watch the video here: 

Eating a watermelon together.. ???? pic.twitter.com/SLnotXCdZL

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) July 30, 2023

(Disclaimer: NDTV does not vouch for the claims in the post by the Twitter user.)
Twitter users have termed the video “beautiful.” One of the users wrote, “This is pretty much my same reaction to fresh watermelon.” 

This is pretty much my same reaction to fresh watermelon. ????????????

— Right2Liberty???????????? (@Right2Liberty) July 30, 2023

Another user tweeted: “I don’t blame him. Watermelon is good.”

I don’t blame him. Watermelon is good.

— Debbie Kalata (@DebbieKalata) July 30, 2023

A person called the video “oh-so-adorable.”

Oh so adorable. ????

— MaryMacElveen (@MaryMacElveen) July 31, 2023

People continue to shower love on the cute video. 

I love this.. ❤️

— Granny.. ???????? (@oOGrannyOo) July 30, 2023

Too cute

— FallBug???? (@FallBug70) July 30, 2023

A user even mentioned how the man (in the video) “literally gave him (the monkey) the best part of the watermelon.” 

He literally gave him the best part of the watermelon..

— Queen ???? (@Stephworley420) July 30, 2023

Before this, a viral video captured a monkey eating pani puri from a street food vendor in Gujarat. The video showcased a monkey seated on a thela (food stall) where a vendor was serving pani puri. The video was shot in Dayanand Chowk in Gujarat’s Tankara district. Needless to say, the internet was left surprised. Watch the full video here.

​ The video opens with a man cutting a watermelon into a half, while the impatient monkey hops around in excitement. Read on for details. 

The popularity of South Indian cuisine has broken barriers and gone beyond the region. Today, you can find people from across India (and abroad) enjoying dosas, idlis, vadas, curd rice, etc., as a part of their daily diet. South Indian meals are light, wholesome, and most importantly, they add a burst of flavour to your palate. So much so that you will find people making these delicacies at home or ordering from nearby joints every now and then. But do you know what fascinates us the most? Even after such massive exposure, there are still various South Indian recipes that are yet to be explored. In fact, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that knowing all about South Indian foods is quite an impossible task in one lifetime.
Recently, we came across one such chutney recipe that is popularly paired with various dishes in some parts of South India. It is flavorful, has a unique nutty texture, and can give coconut chutney a run for its money. Sounds interesting? We suggest going through the recipe and trying it for your next South Indian feast. It’s the spicy ginger chutney, or as it is traditionally called: Kara Chutney. For the unversed, “kara” in Tamil literally translates to ‘spicy’. Let’s try it out.
Also Read: How To Make South Indian-Style Cucumber Chutney

How To Make South Indian Spicy Ginger Chutney:

Chutney follows no specific rule or recipe; the flavours are usually modified as per your palate. Hence, you would find different variations of this particular dish across the internet. The one we are sharing with you is from Chef Guntas Sethi, shared on her Instagram handle. According to her, “You can add this to any recipe to enhance the flavour or enjoy it on the side, and you’ll love it in every way!”
To start with, dry roast chana and urad dal along with jeera and transfer them to a blender. Then, heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, Kashmiri red chillies/Bydagi chillies, with some salt. Once the mix softens, transfer it to the blender and blend along with dal and jeera. Finally, add a simple tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves, and you are good to go!
Also Read: Decoding ‘Tiffin’: The Ultimate Guide To The Popular Food Culture Of South India
Watch the recipe below:

Bonus Tips:

1. Always soak the chillies in water for some time to enjoy better flavour and colour. It also helps the chillies blend properly with the chutney.
2. You can blend onions and other ingredients before sauteing and then heat it in a pan to eliminate the raw aroma.
3. Always dry roast the dals and jeera to enhance the aroma and nutty texture.
4. You can follow any process you want to make the chutney but never forget to add the tadka at the end. This helps amp up the flavours by leaps and bounds.

​ We came across a chutney recipe that is popularly paired with various dishes in some parts of South India. Read on.