VIRUNDHOMBAL

Make a fragrant rice with green mint paste, whole garamasala, vegetables and coconut milk. Kids like the chunky soya chunks in the rice so I have included it. You can add or remove any other vegetables as per your choice. This is a one pot meal and the cooking process is slow, so that the spices will release the flavours perfectly. For this method cook in a heavy bottomed kadai with tight-fitting lid. Water volume always varies from rice to rice and the age of rice. For regular basmati rice, the water is about 1.5 cups for 1 cup of rice and for old rice we must add 2 cups of water. This rice tastes best for lunch boxes too, and the combination of veggies makes it filling and healthy. If you are in a hurry, skip the coconut milk and cook them in a pressure cooker with 1.5 cups of water on low flame for 12 minutes. If you have time, use freshly made coconut milk. If you are using can coconut milk mix it  with little water and add it. Let's see how to prepare this rice with step by ...

In South Indian cuisines the curry leaves add a depth of flavor to countless dishes. This kuzhambu is all about curry leaves as the star ingredient; it is best possible to use fresh curry leaves rather than the dried one. I have tried a few different variations of kuzhambu with curry leaves, but this is my favourite. It's so simple with few  ingredients in it. The perfect consistency for karakuzhambu is, it should not be too thick or too thin. Follow these simple instructions and prepare the healthy and tasty curry leaves karakuzhambu.  The best side dish for this kuzhambu are potato fry, yam roast, snake gourd poriyal and appalam. You can serve this with a swirl of gingely oil or ghee over the rice. Let's see how to prepare this Curry leaves karakuzhambu with step by step photos. 

Starting from my childhood days aval is one of my favourite food. Aval tastes great on its own, but tastes even better when mixed with jaggery or sugar. Now a days there are many varieties you can buy at the supermarket. Some are thick aval that they taste better after cooling and some are thin aval that must be served quickly or you can use it as raw.Usually the thicker varieties are used for sweet dishes like aval ladoo, aval payasam, aval puttu and the thin varieties are used for aval upma, aval mixture and aval chat.  The thick aval has a firm texture and it needs some water or milk to absorb and later it  becomes soft. I always like to use thick aval for this dish because it absorbs the jaggery syrup and tastes better after resting. The other main ingredient in this recipe is fresh grated coconuts. Coconut has long been an important ingredient in enhancing the taste of South Indian cuisines, used in variety of sweets, curries, rice varieties and also for ste...

A delicious side dish for roti or rice with perfect combinations and zero oil. If you already have sprouted green gram then you can prepare this dal in a matter of minutes. This dal is perfect for diabetes, elderly people and also for kids. the sprouts contain a significant amount of fiber,protein as well as vitamin k and riboflavin. Since sprouts are also high in dietary fiber and low in calorie they can contribute positively to any weight loss diet plan. Using sprouts we can prepare so many interesting dishes like sprouts salad with raw vegetables, sprouts paratha, sprouts soup and sprouts dosa. I always like to experiment healthy and light side dishes for roti. When I made this dal all of my friends and family enjoyed a lot with this dal. To add extra protein to this dal you can also add a few pieces of chopped mushrooms to it. You can substitute with any other sprouts as you wish. Let's see how to prepare this dal with step by step photos.

Kodo millet also known as varagu rice, is a gluten free and a vegan cereal. Kodo millet helps to keep diabetes under check, controls obesity and helps heal wounds and has a tranquilizing effect. The fibre content of the whole grain is very high. We used to prepare many traditional recipes like kodo millet pongal, kodo millet adai, kodo millet dosa, kodo millet payasam and many with kodo millet. A simple and healthy mixed vegetables bhath with millets, dals and mixed vegetables. Extra vegetables can be added if you wish. This is a satisfying meal that is low on calories and also healthy.  Now we will see how to prepare kodo millet vegetable bhath with step by step photos. 

A very simple and tasty recipe with a great taste and flavour is this cabbage carrot beans thuvaram. This is a very good side dish for all types of South Indian dishes. This is the first side dish served on the plantain leaf during special occasions or festivals. This thuvaram is quite colourful as it includes a combination of cabbage, carrots, beans, green peas and finished with fresh grated coconuts.  I make this thuvaram quite often for our lunch as it is easy to prepare and contains lots of nutrients in it. It is also good for lunch boxes too. When cooking the vegetables always keep the vegetables on the lowest setting of heat possible. For this thuvaram you can also add a tbsp of soaked moong dal while boiling the vegetables. Cutting the vegetables uniformly helps to cook the vegetables evenly. Now we will see how to prepare this cabbage carrot beans thuvaram with step by step photos.

A protein rich dish with a creamy coconut gravy, this kurma is a perfect accompaniment for dosa, chapathi or pooris. The flavours of soybeans and mushrooms complement each other perfectly. For this recipe, I used fresh soya beans, but you can use the dried soy beans also. If you are using dried soya beans soak it overnight and pressure cook for 5 whistles. This method of mushroom kurma with red soya beans is very easy to make with little preparation work. I always prefer medium consistency kurma which is easy to pour over chapathi, dosa, pulav and poori. This kurma has very few spices in it and gets thick with fried grams. Addition of fried grams and milk skin is optional. You can replace it with cashew nuts and  thick cold milk. Make sure to use fresh mushrooms and fresh coconuts for the kurma. Now let's see how to prepare this Red Soya beans and Mushroom Kurma with step by step photos.

Puli Milagai is a spicy and tangy side dish served with idly, dosa and curd rice. This is an interesting and tasty side dish or condiment from Tirunelveli. For this recipe use medium hot chillies so that after cooking in tamarind extract the heat reduces a bit. My mother recommends to prepare by sauteing the green chillies with little oil and grind it without any water and then add this green paste to the tamarind mixture. This method is also nice, and you will get the consistency like thokku.   The tangy flavour of the tamarind is blended well with the spicy green chillies and a little sweetness from the jaggery. Enjoy this tangy and spicy puli milagi with your everyday meal. Now let's see how to prepare this Puli milagai with step by step photos.

Easy Mushroom masala

This green chilly sambar is light, flavourful and packed with combination of dals and veggies. When you want to eat something light yet delicious food, then try making this green chilly sambar. The main ingredients are drumsticks, green chillies and fresh coconut paste. This sambar is a delicious variation of regular sambar that we usually make at home.  For this sambar do not skip any of the vegetables and do not reduce the green chillies . The com binations of the vegetables gives you a tasty and flavourful sambar. My mother suggests me to add 1/4 cup o f coconut milk in the final stage for a rich and creamy sambar. Th is green chilly sambar goes well with plain rice, chapathi, dosa and idiyappam. Now let's see how to make th is green chilly sambar with step by step photos. Check out my other Sambar recipes for lunch Tirunelveli Sambar Idi Sambar Keerai Sambar Radish Sambar White Pumpkin Sambar Green Chilly Sambar Here is the video link for Killi Potta Sambar My ar...