VIRUNDHOMBAL

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 consi

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

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 th