VIRUNDHOMBAL

Tired of preparing kuzhambu every day? This quick and easy Paruppu Thuvaiyal is the perfect solution for busy days. Made with simple pantry ingredients like toor dal, chana dal, red chillies, garlic, and coconut, this flavorful chutney comes together in just 10 minutes. Roasting the dals until aromatic and grinding them to the right consistency gives this thuvaiyal its authentic taste. When mixed with hot rice and served with a crunchy appalam, it becomes a comforting and satisfying meal that proves simple food can be the most delicious. This Paruppu Thuvaiyal is also a perfect beginner-friendly recipe, especially for those who are new to cooking. With just a few basic ingredients and simple steps like roasting and grinding, anyone can prepare this dish without any difficulty. There are no complicated techniques involved, and even if you are short on time, you can still make a delicious and satisfying meal. It’s a great recipe to build confidence in the kitchen while enjoying a wholeso...

Today we are going to enjoy another refreshing and colourful salad recipe. This is one of my all-time favourite salads – a simple yet flavourful Boiled Peanut Salad. Growing up, the aroma of freshly boiled street-style peanuts wrapped in newspaper pottalam still brings back warm childhood memories. Though those days are gone, this bowl of goodness always takes me back. Boiled peanuts are not only tasty but also packed with nutrition. They are rich in protein, fibre and good fats, which help keep you energetic and full for a long time. Peanuts also support heart health, improve digestion and provide essential vitamins and antioxidants. Including boiled peanuts in your diet is one of the easiest ways to add plant-based protein to your meals. To get perfectly soft-boiled peanuts, the cooking process is very important. Raw peanuts take longer to cook, so make sure to soak them for at least 8 hours. After soaking, pressure cook the peanuts with enough water and salt until they turn soft and...

Tomato Puli Milagai is a unique and flavorful side dish recipe that holds a special memory for me. A few years ago, I prepared this dish for idli during my Grandpa’s visit, and he loved it so much that he gave it its name – Tomato Puli Milagai. Though it’s a simple one-pot recipe, I had postponed sharing it until now. Finally, I’ve recorded a step-by-step video to guide you through this delicious dish! This mildly spiced Tomato Puli Milagai is made with small onions, green chillies, juicy red tomatoes, mustard seeds, fenugreek, jaggery, asafoetida, and curry leaves. It's packed with authentic South Indian flavor and comes together in just 20 minutes, making it the perfect side dish for idli, dosa, or even curd rice. Is Tomato Puli Milagai Spicy? Not really! It's a mild to medium-spicy dish. The green chillies blend beautifully with the tomatoes, mellowing the overall heat. You can adjust the number of green chillies to suit your taste. What Makes This Dish So Delicious? Small o...

Drumstick Leaves Adai - packed with everything you need to start your day with healthy ingredients. This healthy tiffin will give you the energy for the full day. This adai is a balanced meal with a good portion of carbohydrate and protein. I would recommend trying this healthy adai for your weekend breakfast to enjoy it leisurely.  Drumstick Leaves Adai Recipe Details  Prep time : 15 minutes Soaking time : 2 hours Cooking time : 20 minutes Yields : 10 medium adai Category : tiffin Ingredients 1 cup idli rice 1/2 cup chana dal 1/4 cup urid dal 2 green chilly 10 red chilly 1 cup drumstick leaves 1/2 tsp asafoetida powder few curry leaves 1 onion, finely chopped coconut oil salt to taste Cooking Directions  Take a wide bowl or vessel and add the rice, chana dal and urid dal. Wash them well and pour 2 cups of water. Soak them well for 2 hours. After 2 hours drain the water completely. Add the soaked dals, dried red chillies, green chillies to a big mixer jar.  Grind the...

Try this easy and quick nenthram pazham halwa for your kids. When I think about easy yet delicious, sweet dishes, Nanjil recipes come to my kitchen. There are many delicacies in Nanjil cuisine which are healthy and easy. From payasam to halwa, we like traditional dishes. And this nenthram pazham halwa is one among them. Pagu vellam (dark brown jaggery) gives a nice lingering taste to the halwa. The best part is that it can be made within 20 minutes. Now let's see how to prepare this Nenthram pazham halwa.  Check out my other sweet recipes  Thiribagam (Three in one delight) Rava ladoo Kaju Katli   Rava Ladoo - Easy Rava Ladoo Recipe Kesar peda Easy Milk Sweet Chocolate Burfi Mango and Coconut Burfi Moong dal flour Ladoo Coconut Burfi Paal Kova with milk powder  Paal Kova with Naatu Sarkkarai Kesari Pineapple Kesari Milk Kesari Mango Kesari Badam Katli - Almond Fudge Carrot Burfi Dry Gulab Jamun Easy Milk Sweet Badam Coconut Burfi Badam Burfi  Badusha Potato Halwa...

When I want to prepare quick side dishes for our lunch, mostly it is plantain poriyal or roast with some spices. Anything made with plantains is easy to cook within 10 minutes. All you need is a handful of easily available ingredients in our kitchen.  The first step while making any plantain dishes (except plantain puttu) is to put the plantain pieces in water to avoid discoloration.  For most of the plantain dishes, the pieces should not be too thick or too thin. Don't overcook the plantains because the dishes will turn musshy.  In this recipe black pepper adds a nice flavour, so do not reduce the quantity. I have added two garlic cloves and if you are preparing this dish during the fasting period you can skip it. A handful of fresh coconut adds a mild sweetness to this curry. Stir fry the dish until the plantain is coated well with the coconut pepper mixture and small brown spots start appearing in the plantains.  Here is the link for Insta Reels for Raw Banan...

This is a simple home style kichadi or kothsu made with onions, tomatoes, potatoes and other basic ingredients. The recipe of this potato kichadi is an easy one pot dish and yet tastes so good. Nowadays, kichadis are excellent comfort food for the busy weekdays with different types of vegetables.  There are some most important tips to make the delicious kichadi to your taste. First of all, the kichadi needs to have the perfect texture. Usually for kichadi dishes we mash the cooked vegetables halfway leaving half of the vegetables in small chunks. This will give a perfect texture which is suitable for idli and dosa. But if you prefer a smooth consistency, you can blend it in a mixer jar or adding dals is an easy way to thicken the kichadi. In this recipe, we are using potato as it gives a creamy texture there is no need to add dals. For this kichadi a tablespoon of idli batter is added to make it thicker. Please do not add more than one tablespoon and also do not boil the kichadi lo...

A healthy diabetic friendly kichadi recipe made with wheat rava. You can start your breakfast with a cup of this healthy kichadi as it includes carrot, green peas and beans which blend together beautifully with wheat rava. A handful of fresh green peas gives a slightly sweet taste for the kichadi.  There are two main varieties of wheat rava - medium coarse and fine coarse. Fine coarse wheat rava is my favourite for kichadi and upma dishes. Medium coarse wheat rava is perfect for sweet pongal and payasam. Both types require more time to cook when compared to regular white rava. Fine coarse wheat rava doesn't need to be roasted for this kichadi. To cook 1 cup fine coarse wheat rava you will need 3 cups of water. After preparing the kichadi you should let it stand for 15 minutes, covered and undisturbed for a perfect fluffy texture. And once you find how to cook wheat rava perfectly, you will be making it regularly for your breakfast.  Check out my other tiffin recipes here Idli ...

Idli upma are quite popular in Tirunelveli and I like them very much, especially with a cup of filter coffee. As much as I like to experiment with new dishes, I also like to create a new dish with the leftovers. But this is our grandma's idli upma recipe with leftover idlies. This idli upma is straight forward. We first crumble the leftover idlies with little gingely  oil. During any occasions, if you have a lot of store bought leftover idlies or if your idlies are hard my grandma recommends dipping the idlies in water for a second and then we have to crumble the idlies to get the soft texture. We always Iike to add chopped small onions for idli upma and it's super delicious to taste the crispy curry leaf and the chunky onions in the upma. But if you can't get small onions, use regular onions. To spice up the upma we use both red chilli and green chilli.  Check out my other tiffin recipes here Idli Black urid dal Dosa Aapam - Aapam without yeast  Ragi flour Upma Arisi Upm...

Raw Papaya Kichadi - quick and healthy side dish for idli and dosa with raw papaya. We use raw papaya in kootu, poriyal or sometimes we add in sambar.  Last year when I visited my hometown Ilanji, I got many fresh raw papayas from our backyard. Few months ago, I have posted semi ripe papaya stir fry in virundhombal. I recently heard about this kichadi from my Kamatchi Athai. She frequently prepares many kichadi dishes with different vegetables for idli and dosa. Different versions of kichadi recipes are there with slight variations. Some people like to add dal while some people won't prefer dals for kichadi. I have added a tbsp of moong dal which gives a slight thickness to the kichadi.  The main ingredients in this kichadi are raw papaya, green chillies, small onions and tamarind. I haven't used coconut in this kichadi, but you can add ground coconut paste in the final stage. Ensure the papayas are cooked until soft, so that it will be easy mash or grind. This raw papaya kich...

Rava idlis are a popular tiffin item around South India, particularly in Karnataka cuisine. It takes just thirty minutes to prepare these instant idlies. Though there are many types of ready mix for rava idlies are available in supermarkets , these rava idlies are straightforward and can easily be made at home.  The batter for this rava idli recipe is loaded with flavours. I always recommend using coarse rava for rava idli to bring the correct texture. If using fine rava, be sure to adjust the curd for marination. And definitely go with the thick curd for marination. For making batter the ratio is 1:1. (1 cup rava and 1 cup thick curd). This is the perfect ratio for me when using coarse rava which has a higher absorbing capacity. If you are using fine rava, 1/2 cup curd is enough to achieve the same consistency. I usually mix the curd and the roasted rava along with the sauted ingredients and rest the batter for 15 minutes.  The resting process will help to release the gluten....

Coconut jaggery ladoo - easy ladoo recipe with coconut and jaggery. This is a very easy recipe and can be made in just 20 minutes. This is the best snack for kids. I have bought this many times in the supermarket but this is the first time I tried it at home. I just experimented with the measurements we use for mothagam pooranam. It turned out so well and the method is very quick too. In terms of the texture, it is a little hard on the outside, but when you eat you can feel the wonderful chewy texture. When choosing the coconut, pick a coconut which is heavy and full. Because it will have more white flesh, which will be perfect for ladoos and burfis, If you are using desiccated coconut, no need to fry them for a long time. Just dry roast it for a few minutes and add the powdered jaggery. I always prefer fresh coconuts as it has a natural flavour and sweetness which tastes good for ladoo. Now let's see how to make these ladoos with a video and step by step pictures.  Check out my sw...