VIRUNDHOMBAL

Vazhaikkai thuvattal - classic dish from Nagercoil, which is simple yet tasty. Vazhaikkais are one of the vegetables that are widely used in South Indian foods. There are so many side dishes made with vazhaikkai which goes well with all kuzhambu or rice varieties. No one can say no to the side dishes prepared with vazhaikkai. The coconut masala grounded along with small onions and cumin add more flavor to this dish. Generally for vazhaikkai or any other roasts the vegetables must be roasted in a hard kadai on medium until crisp. Then only it tastes good. In this dish, the vazhaikkai cubes are precooked and then roasted in a kadai along with the ground masala. In most of Nagercoil dishes, the turmeric powder is added along with the vegetables while cooking. This helps to get uniform colour to the dish. You can also add turmeric powder while grinding the coconut also. This is similar to our Tirunelveli vazhaikkai poriyal dish with a few variations. I like this vazhaikkai thuvattal...

Plantain Paratha - super yummy parathas stuffed with the precooked plantain masalas. The first time I made this, it was a big hit in my family and my son told me it's a paratha filled with plantain podimas. Because he likes plantain podimas (puttu) very much and finish it completely as a salad. This paratha is good for breakfast and you can simply have it with a bowl of curd. Plantain paratha has few simple ingredients like plantain, wheat flour, chopped ginger, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves and grated coconut. The plantains are cooked and then grated finely. I use the carrot grater to grate it, you may use a potato masher to mash it. If you have nice soft plantains, it will be easy to cook and grate them, otherwise you will have small small chunks in the paratha. After preparing the plantain gratings simply saute them in a pan along with chopped ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves and curry leaves. Once you are done with the plantain mixture, prepare the stu...

Plantain and Yam Eriseri - delicious side dish for your lunch with plantain and yam. There are few different ways to cook this eriseri, but I like this method. I learned this version from my relative Sudha aunty from Nagercoil. She taught me many of her traditional Nagercoil dishes with important tips and tricks.

Vazhaikkai (Plantain) Poriyal can be prepared in many different methods. It is a vegetable that can be used for most of us during fasting. It is included in our diet after the fasting is over. It is helpful in boosting the immune system and regulate digestion. We prepare plantain puttu or plantain poriyal or aviyal during fasting and other important days like Pournami, Shasti and Ammavasa.

Plantain/Raw banana/Vazhaikai varuval/fry Plantain is ideal for fries and roasts because of its texture and it requires very little preparation work to make them delicious. This raw banana fry is easy to prepare and has bright bold flavours. I have applied the same small onions, garlic and jeera paste to countless dishes and for plantain also its pairing was perfect. This plantain fry has so much flavour and taste, plus it's filled with fiber and anti-inflammatory ingredients. Just follow the instructions below and prepare this plantain fry for your kids then you can see a smile on their faces. You can also pack them for  their lunch boxes for lemon rice, tamarind rice and curd rice. They won't say no for this plantain fry and of course it is healthy too.

Vazhaikkai(Plantain) puttu/podimas This is one of our all time favourite side dish for sambar, rasam and pulikuzhambu. The raw bananas(plantains) are pre cooked in water and further grated into small gratings. Then the  grated bananas are flavoured with finely chopped onions and some good amount of freshly grated coconuts. For spiciness you can either add  finely chopped green chillies or broken red chillies. The crunchiness of the onions combined with the soft banana(plantain) gratings and the sweetness from the coconuts make this dish wonderful. A few good ingredients make this dish so delicious. When making this puttu/podimas it is important to pick the correct raw bananas(plantains). The bananas should be fresh without any black spots or dull skin.  If you are not using the correct plantains, your podimas/puttu will turn mushy. So follow this simple instruction before preparing this tasty and easy puttu/podimas. We often prepare this vazhaikkai puttu for lunch. ...

This raw banana curry would make the perfect side dish for any rice varieties.