VIRUNDHOMBAL

There are endless varieties of masalas and gravies in our everyday cooking. These days, I consciously try to prepare most dishes using minimal oil and without adding rich ingredients like fresh cream or cashew paste. Personally, I feel that light gravies and simple masalas are easier to digest and also give a lot of satisfaction after a meal. Rich, cream-based gravies can always be enjoyed occasionally, maybe once a month — that’s my personal choice. Today, I got fresh cauliflower and tender green peas, and I decided to make a simple homestyle masala using very little oil and no cream. By lightly roasting the vegetables and cooking them in a well-balanced onion-tomato masala, the flavour turned out so comforting and delicious. This kind of curry feels light on the stomach, yet full of taste, making it perfect for everyday meals. This Cauliflower Peas Potato Masala pairs beautifully with chapati, roti or rice and is a great example of how simple ingredients, when cooked with care, can c...

This Mushroom Kurma is a simple, flavourful one-pot recipe that can be prepared within 20 minutes. It has a light, well-balanced gravy without heavy cream or cashew paste, making it perfect for everyday cooking. During our recent Christmas long weekend trip to Ilanji, we tasted this delicious mushroom kurma in a small hotel near Virudhunagar. Because of heavy traffic in Madurai, our lunch got delayed and it was already around 4 PM. Most hotels had no meals available, so we stopped at a small roadside restaurant. There was no crowd, but the food turned out to be surprisingly good. We ordered parotta and mushroom kurma, and the gravy was incredibly tasty. I enjoyed it so much that I asked the cook about the recipe. He kindly shared the base gravy ingredients, which inspired me to recreate this kurma at home. This mushroom kurma has the perfect consistency—not too thick and not too watery—making it ideal for parotta, dosa, chapathi, and idiyappam. If you prefer light, flavourful gravies o...

 A rich, flavorful and aromatic South Indian gravy made with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and freshly roasted spices. This gravy pairs perfectly with idli, dosa, idiyappam, parotta or steamed rice. This year during the summer holidays, we planned a ladies’ trip to Pondicherry. Early in the morning, we started from Chennai and reached Pondicherry just in time for lunch. Since it was a long weekend, the place was fully crowded. After lunch we relaxed at the resort, laughed, chatted, and enjoyed ourselves. By evening, we headed to the beach – but with heavy traffic on the beach roads, we could spend only a little time there. When dinner time came, we began searching for restaurants, but everywhere was crowded. Finally, we decided to go to Karaikudi Chettinad restaurant. Even though it was far from the beach, we went by walk through the buzzing streets. That walk itself turned into a fun memory – moving slowly through the festive crowd, chatting and laughing all the way. Once seated, we...

Looking for a delicious and guilt-free curry that doesn’t compromise on taste? Try this Oil-Free Vegetable Kurma – a wholesome, light and flavorful South Indian-style kurma made without a single drop of oil or dairy. This kurma is a perfect blend of fresh vegetables, onions, tomatoes, whole spices and a fragrant coconut paste. Everything is pressure cooked together to lock in the flavor and nutrition, resulting in a creamy, aromatic kurma that pairs beautifully with chapati, dosa, idiyappam, aapam and even plain rice.  Why You’ll Love This Oil-Free Kurma: No Oil Used – Completely free from refined oil or ghee, yet rich in taste Dairy-Free – No curd, cream, butter or milk – making it light and vegan-friendly Easy to Digest – Steamed vegetables and natural spices support better digestion Wholesome & Nutritious – Packed with vitamins, fiber and healthy fats from coconut Perfect for Healthy Eating – Ideal for weight-watchers, post-illness recovery, or clean eating diets Simple Ingr...

Lady's finger coconut milk curry - recently we got fresh lady's finger from our friend's garden. I usually prepare poriyal or pachadi with lady's finger. But this time, instead of trying routine recipes, I made a delicious curry with a combination of spices and coconut milk. It tastes awesome with dosa, chapathi and even with rice.  Lady's finger is the one vegetable which is best when consumed young and fresh. This vegetable has a very short shelf life, so it is best to use it as soon as possible. After refrigeration, the lady's finger turns fibrous, and it doesn't cook well. Fresh young ladys finger tastes delicious whether it is in the poriyal, sambar or pachadi. The curry base is made with a specific spice blend to produce a unique flavour. This time Madhav gave me the ideas for the curry base. Now let's see how to prepare Lady's finger coconut milk curry in detail.  Similar recipes Kadala Curry  White Vegetable Kurma Kumbakonam Kadappa Mochai an...

Vegetable Salna - another interesting gravy recipe with mixed vegetables. Salna can be made with any combination of vegetables. The common choices are carrots, beans, potatoes, cauliflower and green peas etc. You can also skip any one of the mentioned vegetables to make the salna. For kurma or salna I believe that using the right techniques and fresh ingredients can bring the ultimate taste. Enjoy this vegetable salna with parotta, chapathi, dosa and brinji. If you like a thin gravy with masalas, then you will surely enjoy this vegetable salna. It is definitely easy to make but you have to plan ahead for the chopping and grinding works. Now let us see how to prepare this vegetable salna.  Check out my other Gravy Recipes Green Peas and Paneer Gravy  Paneer Butter Masala   Paneer Methi Masala Shahi Gobi Masala Broccoli Masala Rajma Masala   Mushroom Butter Masala Easy Chana Masala  Easy Moth Dal Sabji   Green Peas Masala Quick Paneer Masala Malai M...