Virundhombal

Brinjal rice - prepared with roasted brinjals and flavoured with an aromatic spice powder. Rice varieties such as lemon rice, tamarind rice or mango rice have been popular for lunch box dishes because of their less time preparation and long time shelf life. This brinjal rice is also one among them. The rice is precooked in a pressure cooker and it’s mixed with the roasted brinjals and spice powders. In my opinion, the taste of this brinjal rice is very similar to the tamarind rice, but the ingredients may vary a little bit. If you feel it’s difficult to prepare the spice powder, plan it a day before and it will take less than 15 minutes to mix the rice. Many people do not have time to prepare and therefore prefer ready mix powders for these kind of rice varieties but it is not healthy. In ready mix spice powders they are adding attractive colours and preservatives which are allergic to us. All the ingredients are easily available in our pantry and you can prepare it if you plan ahead…

Kara Vadai - simple evening snack for your weekend and party appetizer too. This Kara Vadai is very easy to make using very few ingredients. It is made with pattani paruppu (yellow split peas), urid dal and rice flour. The vadais are flavoured with green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves and onions. Kara Vadais with crispy outer layer and tender texture make this as a special one. I learnt this recipe from our relatives at Nanguneri. They are experts in cooking a variety of meals, tiffin varieties, evening snacks and cater for small family functions too.


Now let's see some important tips for perfect Kara Vadai.
We have to use both pattani paruppu and urid dal for this vadai. The ratio for this vada is for 5 measures of pattani paruppu we have to add 1measure of urid dal. We have to soak the dals for 3 to 5 hours. I strongly recommend to grind the batter in a wet grinder. Grinding the batter in the wet grinder makes the vada fluffy and soft. Just sprinkle a tbsp of water whil…

Cabbage Potato kootu is one of my favourite side dishes for Pulikuzhambu. Along with cabbage, potatoes, moong dal and coconut paste are also added in this kootu. People generally eat stir fry with cabbage and many people don't know this yummy and healthy kootu with cabbage. I felt that there is no raw smell of the cabbage in kootu when compared with stir fry. This kootu goes well with sambar, rasam, pulikuzhambu, karakuzhambu and tomato rice. In addition to potatoes and moong dal, you can also include cooked chickpeas or green peas. Prolonged cooking the cabbage on high temperature will result in losing the beautiful colour. Hence it is important to cook the cabbage on medium heat with correct time. If you are planning to cook in a pressure cooker or pan, cook for 1 whistle on medium heat and slowly release the pressure to maintain the colour and texture of the cabbage. Now let's see how to prepare this Cabbage Potato kootu with step by step instructions.


Check out my other k…

Badam halwa is prepared with just four ingredients such as badam, sugar, ghee and saffrons. They are so flavorful and super pretty too. This badam halwa is perfect for special occasions, family get together and potlucks.


You must use ground badam paste for this halwa. Soaking the badam and removing the skins take a bit of time, but I enjoy the process very much. The saffrons add a nice flavour and colour for this halwa. For this badam halwa there is no need to check the sugar string consistency. After sauteing the badam paste in the ghee for a few minutes, you can add the sugar and you have to stir it continuously. Stirring is very important for this halwa. Some halwas such as potato halwa, carrot halwa, ashoka halwa require more time to get the correct consistency. But for badam halwa when it starts to leave the sides of kadai you have to turn off the heat and quickly transfer it to the bowl. And also for badam halwa just 1 tbsp of ghee is enough. You can add either milk or water f…

Tomato Dosa is a simple and tasty tiffin for breakfast or dinner. Rice, urid dal and tomatoes are the main ingredients for this dosa. Onions, curry leaves and other extra flavours can be added as you wish. There is no need for fermentation process for this dosa. You can prepare right after you grind the batter.


If you use tomatoes that are ripe and dark red in colour, the dosa tastes good. For these type of dosas, I recommend to add a handful of raw rice as it gives you a nice crisp dosa. If you do not prefer, you can omit it. The consistency of this batter is, it should be medium thick. The additional toppings for this dosa are chopped onions and curry leaves. You can also prepare this dosa without onions also. For spiciness red chilly powder is added. Now let's see how to prepare Tomato Dosa with step by ste instructions.


Check out my other Dosa recipes here
Pepper DosaBlack urid dal DosaHorse Gram DosaMillets and Toor dal DosaRava Dosa

Sweet corn and Paneer Pulav- simple and easy pulav with mild flavours. This Pulav is best for kids lunch box as they like both the sweet corn kernels and paneer cubes. The freshly ground ginger, garlic and green chilly paste adds a beautiful colour and a wonderful flavour for the Pulav. So please do not skip the ground paste or do not use ready made paste. In this Pulav, I have not used either tomatoes or lemon juice instead I have added thick curd while sauteing the onions. After cooking the Pulav, the paneer cubes are sauted in ghee or oil and then added to the rice.


In this Pulav also, I have used the most common basmati rice, but you can use jeera samba rice or ponni raw rice. When it comes to biryani or pulav the cooking method is easy and requires some attention while adding the water. If you soak the rice for 20 to 30 minutes, then 1.5 cups of water is perfect for 1 cup of rice. Now let's see how to prepare this easy and tasty pulav with step by step photos.