VIRUNDHOMBAL

This stir fry is prepared with shredded semi ripe papaya. This stir fry is easy to make within 10 minutes. This stir fry is similar to carrot puttu and beetroot puttu.    Semi ripe papaya is light orange in colour with a crisp texture and it has a very mild flavour. The shredded papaya is flavoured with green chillies, onions and finally garnished with fresh coconut. The semi raw papayas are peeled and the innermost white layers are removed along with their tiny seeds. Then they are cut into halves or quarters and  grate it using a slightly thick grater. After grating, we have to saute with mustard, chillies, onions and curry leaves. For this puttu dishes, like carrot puttu and beetroot puttu, the grated vegetables will need to be sauted first for an extra few minutes and then close and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. No water is required for this stir fry. Simply close and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. A handful of freshly grated coconut adds a beautiful colour and taste to t...

Sweet Potato Sabji - easy and quick side dish within 15 minutes. Anything with sweet potatoes is delicious with the natural sweetness and this sabji is an excellent side dish for both chapathi and rice. Sweet potatoes are such a nutrient rich vegetable. Try to include this vegetable in your diet for monthly, twice or thrice.  Big sweet potatoes can be tough to cut, so make sure to use a sharp knife. Usually my husband helps me for all the cutting and chopping work. In this sabji also, he chopped the sweet potatoes uniformly in cubes. Cubed sweet potatoes work well for this sabji to mix evenly with the masala. The sweet potatoes can be boiled ahead of time and you can prepare this sabji within 10 minutes. Cooking sweet potatoes in a vessel full of boiling water is the perfect method for sabji and poriyal dishes. For sabji, the process is very simple. We have to saute onions and green chillies and then ground garlic cumin mixture is added. Then toss the boiled sweet potatoes with the...

Seppankizhangu Poriyal  - this poriyal is prepared with taro root, chilly powder, small onions cumin garlic paste and perfectly roasted in an iron kadai. The best cooking method for this taro root poriyal is to cook the taro roots in an open vessel for 10 minutes on medium heat with a good amount of water. No one likes a mushy taro root, so just keep an eye on it and check them for doneness by inserting a knife. If you cook taro roots in a pressure cooker, it will be too soft and turns mushy. For these types of roast dishes, low heat and long cooking times are important for its texture. The small onions cumin garlic paste, adds flavour to the taro roots. Roasting the taro roots in an iron kadai creates an excellent flavour and texture.   Similar recipes Vazhaikkai Thuvattal -  Raw Banana (Plantain) Stir Fry   Mithi Paavakai Poriyal - Baby Bitter Gourd Stir Fry  Vazhaikkai Poriyal - Raw Banana (Plantain) Poriyal  Brinjal (Egg Plant) Stir Fry -...

Papaya pachadi is prepared with three main ingredients - ripe papaya, coconut and thick curd. To prepare pachadi, papaya pieces are cooked along with a small piece jaggery and then simmered with ground coconut paste. The coconut paste is a blend of small onions, cumin, turmeric powder, chilly powder and mustard. This pachadi has a mix of sour and sweet taste, which is a unique taste for pachadi dishes. When the papayas are cooked well, we have to mash it gently and then simmered with the ground coconut paste. Let the pachadi cool down until it's warm and then slowly add in the curd. For this pachadi, make sure to use thick curd. The thickness of the curd depends upon the milk you use. If you are using thick full cream milk, you will get a thick creamy curd which will be perfect for pachadi dishes. Finally, temper the pachadi with mustard, red chilly and curry leaves in coconut oil which gives a nice flavour to pachadi.  You might also like  Drumstick Raw Mango Aviyal   Ve...

Bajji milagai is the long variety green chilly commonly used for bajji, sambar and gravy.  As I was asking for recipe ideas with this bajji milagai, my husband suggested me the idea to try a  kootu dish with bajji milagai. The first thing I told him that it will be very hot and it won't taste good for kootu dishes. Then he told me to include carrot, potato in this kootu, so it will reduce the spiciness level. I had no plans to take the video, but my husband asked me to publish the recipe along with the video on the blog.   The kootu was so delicious and it is a best side dish for rice, chapathi and poori. The beautiful orange colour from the carrots, a hint of red colour from tomato in the kootu looks awesome. When you take a first bite, it tastes like regular vegetable kootu . After a few minutes, you feel a little hotness in your tongue. I have removed the pith and seeds in the chilly. For this kootu, I started off by cooking the carrots and potatoes first and then...