VIRUNDHOMBAL

Potato bonda - a tasty snack with potatoes which are readily available in most of the tea shops around 4pm. The batter prepared with besan flour is filled with our classic potato masala. I have already posted tapioca bonda which is a super hit snack in our family.  For tips click on the link to view the details.


Now we will see how to prepare the potato stuffing for the bondas.Usually for stuffing dishes I prefer potatoes with brown skins, which will be easy to mash and holds the shape perfectly. The potatoes with white skins, take more time to cook and it won't give perfect texture for the stuffing. Always choose potatoes by same size for consistent cooking. One of the best flavorings for the potato stuffing are the ginger and green chillies. Finally,  I have splashed chilly powder and garamasala powder which gives a subtle flavour in the bonda. Now we will see the recipe in detail with step by step instructions.

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Ridge gourd kootu - one of my favourite kootu dish for lunch. Naturally ridge gourd has a soft texture which is suitable for kootu dishes.


Mostly we don't add onions, tomatoes and garlic for kootu dishes. For this ridge gourd kootu I have added both chana dal and moong dal. As the ridge gourd has soft texture, it gets cooked easily in a vessel so need for pressure cooking. The dals must be cooked in pressure cooker for the smoother consistency which will be perfect for kootu dishes. My Grandma gave me this idea to include both chana dal and moong dal for this kootu because ridge gourd has high water content moong dal gives thickness to it. After cooking the ridge gourd, the kootu is followed by adding the dals and the coconut paste. The coconut based kootu dishes are popular in most Tirunelveli districts. We all like any  kootu with the combination of dals and coconut small onions cumin paste. In my opinion any kootu dishes must have a mild flavours with a medium thick consistenc…

A delicious rasam made with beetroots, tomatoes, garlic and other classic spices. This beetroot rasam makes an excellent meal for kids.


I made this rasam by two ways the one which made with the grated beetroots and the other one with pre cooked beetroots. Both of them were tasted exactly the same. But in the first method, the pink colour was less when compared to the other method. Today we are going to see the rasam with the cooked beets. The beetroots are pressure cooked and then grounded to a smooth paste. Then as we do for the regular rasam we have to saute the crushed garlic pepper and cumin and the grounded beetroot paste are added to it.  What makes this rasam an extra special is the pink colour with a sweet taste. So took some extra time to cook and grind the beets. If we grind them without cooking, there is a raw smell of the beetroots in the rasam. As I told in my previous rasam posts, do not boil the rasam for more than 4 minutes. Now let's see how to prepare this beetr…

Senaikizhangu chops - these roasted yams are the perfect side dish for any kuzhambu or rice varieties. They have both crispy and fluffy texture with flavors from spices. This is a great dish for family gathering and also for potluck lunch. This senaikizhangu chops are also a popular dish served on occasions and also in many restaurants for meals.



This senaikizhangu chops include very simple ingredients like onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and masala paste with coconut. The cooking method is little bit lengthier, so you have to plan it for your weekend lunch. This dish is actually easy to make, but you have to follow these three steps before starting it.First, we have to cut the yams evenly for uniform cooking and then cooked with little tamarind juice to prevent from itching. Second, the cooked yam cubes are deep fried in oil. Lastly, the deep fried yams are roasted in the masalas.  To cook the yams, you have to cook with plenty of water for 10 to 12 minutes and then the we hav…

These crispy onion pakodas are prepared with onions, besan flour, green chillies and for flavours we add ginger, fennel and curry leaves.


As we all have onions all the time in our kitchen, so with minimal effort you can prepare this quick evening snack for your family. In the current situation as we are lockdown, you can prepare this snack quickly and easily for your family. This pakodas pair well with curd rice too. The most important part of the dish is mixing the onions with correct amount of water. The flour should stick to the onions tightly so that it would be easy to fry. If you add more water, then it becomes like bajji batter and you will get soft pakodas. To make the pakodas soft, we have to add 2 tbsp of hot oil and then we have to mix it evenly. The pakodas must be fried on medium heat and after a few minutes, turn them frequently with a spoon as the onions will turn black quickly.


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Peerkangai chutney is prepared with ridge gourd, coconut, red chillies and tempered with mustard & small onions. This chutney is an easy dish for idli and dosa. Just saute the chopped ridge gourd, red chillies and asafoetida and then grind it with fresh coconut and tamarind. If you are using fresh tender ridge gourd, it gets roasted easily and easy to grind it. To make this chutney creamy you can add roasted chana dal, but it tastes good without it. Now let's see how to prepare this chutney with step by step instructions.


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Today we are going to see an interesting aviyal recipe with bitter gourds. Usually we prepare aviyal by cooking the vegetable with required water and then we add coconut paste and finished with either tamarind or curd.


In this bitter gourd aviyal, to reduce the bitterness we have to cook the bitter gourds in the tamarind extract until soft and then we have to add the coconut paste. Generally for bitter gourd recipes if we add sour, salt, spice and oil in a good amount it can balance the bitter taste. Plus cooking the bitter gourds  along with small onions with rich flavours like coconut oil also enhances the taste. This bitter gourd aviyal tastes good with sambar, pulikuzhambu and kara kuzhambu. In this aviyal recipe, I have added red chilly powder instead of green chillies but you can add fried red chilli to it. Now let's see how to prepare bitter gourd aviyal with step by step instructions.

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