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Showing posts from December, 2017

Semiya Javarisi Payasam - Vermicelli Sago Payasam

This semiya (vermicelli) javarisi (sago) payasam(kheer) made with just four ingredients. This payasam is the ultimate dessert for special occasions, festivals and also for family get together. Like the kesari and halwa we add a good quantity of sugar for this payasam. My favourite sagos for this payasam are the very tiny sagos which can be easily cooked with vermicelli. You can use any variety as you wish. For best results, I suggest to pressure cook the roasted vermicellis and the sagos just for 1 whistle. In the payasam, the sagos must look like individual balls and vermicellis must not stick to each other . Now let's see how to prepare this payasam with step by step photos.

Mor Kuzhambu - Mor Kuzhambu with Paruppu Vada

Mor Kuzhambu/Buttermilk curry with paruppu vada This mor kuzhambu is an easy traditional kuzhambu from South India made with butter milk. We prepare, the mor kuzhambu with any vegetables very often, and this mor kuzhambu with paruppu vada is our family favourite.  This mor kuzhambu is such a simple dish that you can prepare within 15 minutes. I used homemade paruppu vada for this kuzhambu so it takes around 25 minutes. Always try to use a well beaten curd. For a smoother curd, you can blend the curd in a mixer jar or you can whisk it with the butter churner. Fresh homemade curds works good for this kuzhambu. This kuzhambu can be easily doubled for bigger batches. 

Kesar Peda

Kesar pedas prepared with milk, sugar and saffrons. These kesar pedas prepared with fresh milk have a smoother texture and perfect shapes. Surprise your kids with these home made kesar pedas. You can make the kova the day before or prepare it right away. It tastes good with the homemade kova. Kesar peda, milk peda are a favourite dessert for us. After so many experiments and practices I found this recipe. There is also another method for Kesar pedas with condensed milk and milk powder, but those pedas are not fully satisfied for me. You need a little patience to do these pedas, but the result is perfect like store bought kesar pedas. For any milk sweets I usually buy aavin(magic) green sachet or aavin premium milk. The kova prepared with these milks is much tastier compared to other milk. If you don't have this brand in your place, you can buy any full fat cream milk. The full fat milk are best preferred for pedas. When preparing the pedas always use heavy and wide bottomed n

Dal fry

Dal fry is a healthy side dish for roti. This dal fry can be quickly prepared and almost everyone in your family, including kids love this creamy dal. For this dal fry I have used both moong dal and toor dal. This dal fry is a perfect side dish for roti during winter season. In this winter, you can enjoy this warm dal fry and roti or rice with your family and friends .  This dal fry includes few classic spices with simple cooking techniques. Anything that made with moong dal must have the touch of lemon juice. The final touch of lemon juice and the coriander leaves add a lot of flavours to this dal. The best part about this dal fry is it will impress everyone without much work. Plus, this dal is full of healthy ingredients. I hope you all try this dal fry for your next dinner. 

Vegetable Fried Rice - Vegetable Fried Rice without sauces

Vegetable fried rice is a favourite dish for all of us. Usually vegetable fried rice are prepared with finely chopped vegetables and seasoned with white pepper powder, vinegar, chilly sauce and MSG (ajinomotto) is added to enhance the taste.  Last year for summer vacation we went for a family trip to Nelliampathi(Kerala) . There we stayed in a resort and they served us a wonderful meal for lunch. For dinner they served us a tasty vegetable fried rice with chilli paneer. The vegetable fried rice and chilli paneer were a special on that day and they were made with fresh vegetables, celeries, spring onions and a few whole black peppercorns. There is no mono sodium glutamate. The one of the best fried rice I ate in my life. There the food was fresh, flavorful and delicious. The chef was friendly and more happy to serve us a variety of their specials. He taught me how to prepare this Vegetable fried rice. For perfect fried rice follow these simple steps. Do not pressure cook the ric

Beetroot stir fry/puttu

Beetroot puttu is a quick side dish for your lunch. In my blog, I have already posted plantain puttu and potato puttu which can be prepared easily without much work. This beetroot puttu is also similar and there is no need for precooking as done for plantain and potatoes. Anyone can prepare this easy dish for your family. For this dish also I suggest to use fresh beetroots which can be easily grated and gets cooked within few minutes. If you use 4 days old refrigerated beetroots it is difficult for grating and the taste is also not good. This beetroot puttu is a perfect side dish for sambar , rasam and pulikuzhambu . The leftover puttu can be used to prepare beetroot utthapam. Now let's see how to prepare this beetroot puttu.

Tirunelveli Sodhi - Sodhi Kuzhambu

Sodhi is one of Tirunelveli's traditional and popular kuzhambu.This kuzhambu is a special menu on the next day of marriage. A Tirunelveli wedding meal would not be complete without this Sodhi, potato poriyal and ginger chutney.  It is prepared with coconut milk, moong dal, drumsticks, carrots, potatoes and plenty of aromatics like ginger, garlic, green chillies, small onions and lemon juice. The freshly extracted coconut milk gives you the perfect taste for this kuzhambu. We prepare this kuzhambu often during weekends, family get togethers and special occasions. My Mom, Grandma and Athai are experts in preparing this Sodhi. Let us see the important tips to follow before preparing this kuzhambu. 1. Main Ingredients The main ingredients for this kuzhambu are good quality coconuts, drumsticks, lemon juice, ginger and garlic. For this kuzhambu always use fresh coconuts. When you choose the coconuts, shake it and if you  hear lots of water sound then the coconut is fresher.

Rasam

In South Indian cuisine, there is nothing simpler than a rasam. Rasam is prepared with lots of spices and flavours and just takes a few minutes to prepare with simple process. If you prepare a perfect rasam your tongue will ask you to eat for one more time.  The perfect rasam will have a balance of flavours that comes from the garlic, pepper, cumins and coriander leaves. The garlic, pepper and cumins gives the powerful flavour to the rasam. There are a few tricks for cooking a good rasam. The spices   Do not load it with too much of spices for the ground paste. Use all the flavours in minimal amount, so that you can have a nice flavourful rasam. Do not peel the garlic cloves fully. Just cut the top and then grind it. This is my mother's tip. You will feel the aroma of the garlics, when you taste it. Tomatoes The tomatoes, add taste and colour to the rasam. It's beautiful to see the chopped tomatoes floating on the top of the rasam. Try to chop the tomatoes fine

Brinjal(Eggplant)/Kathirikkai kichadi

Brinjal(Eggplant)/Kathirikkai kichadi is a popular side dish in Tirunelveli served for idly or dosa. The white or green brinjals (thinner varieties) are more ideal for this kichadi. The small finger sized purple brinjals also taste good for this kichadi.  We prepare this kichadi in two different ways such as kichadi with dal and without dal. Now we are going to see Brinjal kichadi with moong dal. It is prepared by cooking the brinjals along with moong dal, tomatoes, green chillies, tamarind and onions. For flavours add a tsp of sambar powder and asafoetida powder. These type of kichadi or sambar are free from cholesterol, high in fibre and keeps you energized throughout the day. If you are eating a mix of vegetables, dals with carbohydrates for breakfast help in increasing energy level because they are digested slowly. So follow the simple instructions and prepare this healthy and easy Brinjal kichadi for your next breakfast. If you do not have brinjals, you can replace it wit

Tomato chutney - Thakkali Chutney - Kaara Chutney

Tomato chutney is commonly called as Kara chutney in hotels due to the red colour of the dish. This chutney is not much spicy and it has a combination of flavours like sweet, hot and sour. The sweet taste of the onions, heat from the red chillies and sour from the red tomatoes make the chutney so delicious.  Not only this chutney looks good, but also tastes nice. You can use this chutney as a side dish for idly, dosa, poori, panniyaram, bajis and bondas and also you can use this as a spread for bread slices. My son is a big fan for this kara chutney and he asks me to spread inside the dosas.  A simple and tasty tomato chutney with just four ingredients. I have used small onions for this chutney you can also use big onions too.  Here is my other recipes with tomatoes Tomato onion thokku , Tomato sabji , Tomato chutney with green chillies , Tomato dal , Tomato rasam and Tomato pasta .  Here is a short video for Tomato Chutney

Aloo gobi (Potato Cauliflower sabji)

Aloo gobi (Potato Cauliflower) is a healthy and filling sabji with minimal flavours and ingredients. A great side dish for roti, pulav and nann which can be easily prepared within 15 minutes. My uncle ( mother's brother) taught me this aloo gobi recipe. During my school days he taught me to prepare perfect rotis. Even now in our family, he is the master in preparing rotis. Not only in cooking he is having so many talents like painting, drawing, writing poems and stories. He started his career in Delhi so he was familiar with different varieties of sabjis, pulavs and rotis. One day he invited us for a dinner. For dinner, He prepared this Aloo gobi, roti and veg pulav within 30 minutes. He made this aloo gobi within 10 minutes and he served it with soft rotis, veg pulav and a bowl of veg salad. He had actually used simple, everyday, basic ingredients  to prepare this tasty aloo gobi.  

Thukkada (Diamond chips)

This diamond chips are a famous snack from Tirunelveli, they can also be known as thukkada. They are pretty easy to make. We use both maida and wheat flour for this thukkadas. Red chilly powder or green chilly paste are used to flavour the thukkada. These thukkadas can be shaped in several shapes like square, diamond or small circle. For crispy thukkadas, knead the dough tightly, so that it will be easy to roll the chapathi for cutting the diamonds.  When you make thukkadas, you want to make sharp cuts on the chapathi  so that you get the perfect diamonds. Melted butter or ghee or hot oil is added while kneading the dough will give you a crispy thukkadas. Depending on the consistency of your dough you can dust your dough with a little wheat flour and then roll the chapathi. Thukkadas can be easily cooked in oil, so be careful while deep frying. These thukkadas can be enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee and also for the curd rice. Now we will how to prepare this thukkadas

Ladies finger(Okra) poriyal/stir fry

Ladies finger/okra is a high fibre vegetable and are easy to cook. When it comes to preparing a side dish for rice with ladies finger there are many interesting dishes that tastes good.  This ladies finger poriyal is prepared with lots of chopped onions and coconuts. You can eat this poriyal simply as a salad. Be it a poriyal or sabzi, always use fresh ladies finger. Please avoid refrigeration for ladies finger because it loses its beautiful colour and texture. If you are using refrigeration use within 1 or 2 days. And one more point store them in a cotton cloth bag. After washing the ladies finger spread them in a towel for 30 minutes and then chop them. I always suggest to cook with less oil for any dishes made with ladies finger.  If you follow these simple instructions you can get perfect results. Now let's see how to prepare this poriyal.

Vegetable clear soup

Today I'm going to share a healthy and easy soup. One day my husband bought  cabbage, carrots and beans from the market. All the veggies are so beautiful and fresh. He always prefers to buy different varieties of vegetables, greens and fruits  from the wholesale markets. As soon as I saw the fresh, beautiful vegetables I decided to prepare a homemade veg clear soup.  The soup was so tasty and refreshing. I like the crunchy vegetables in the soup and the fresh aromas from the finely chopped garlics and ginger was awesome. There is no need for any other additional flavours. Finally garnishing the soup with fresh coriander leaves is a great flavour for this soup. Hope you give it a try.