VIRUNDHOMBAL

This Carrot halwa is a classic dessert from North India made with Delhi red carrots, milk, sugar, nuts and ghee. This recipe will give you the perfect, rich and melt in your mouth carrot halwa. It is a healthy dessert when compared to other halwa dishes. As carrots are naturally sweet, we are adding very less sugar and ghee and no kova. The cooking methods are also easy. The only tough part is grating the carrots evenly without any solid pieces and stirring constantly for 1 to 1.5 hours. In this recipe, I have used Delhi carrots which are slightly pink in colour. You can also use orange Ooty carrots which are widely available in our markets. Try to use fresh, bright and juicy carrots.  I always prefer to use full cream milk for carrot halwa as it adds richness and creaminess to the halwa. For flavours I have added cardamom and you can also use a few saffron strands. For parties you can serve this halwa with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream and chopped pistachio nuts on the top. It tast...

Vermicelli vegetable kichadi or upma is a crowd-pleaser tiffin, perfect for small occasions and lunch boxes. We like upma dishes, especially the vermicelli upma.  This vegetable kichadi is a mild one, with minimal ingredients. I have made it simple with readily available vegetables and simple ingredients. I always prefer short vermicelli (anil brand) because it holds and stays well without becoming soggy for a long time. You can use thick vermicelli too. Make sure to cook the upma with the correct amount of water. If you add more water and if you cook for a long time, it might turn mushy. So always cook with correct water measurements. I always add 0.75 cups of water for 1 cup vermicelli which gives perfect non-sticky fluffy upma. Now let's see how to prepare this vegetable kichadi in detail. Here is the video link for Vegetable Semiya Upma Check out my other tiffin recipes here Idli Black urid dal Dosa Aapam - Aapam without yeast  Ragi flour Upma Arisi Upma Poori Bottlegourd ...

Yellow split peas adai (Pattani paruppu adai) - easy to make adai recipe with step-by-step pictures and full video. Yellow split peas look similar to chana dal, but it tastes different. This is a simple tiffin recipe made with yellow split peas, rice, urid dal, chillies, onions and curry leaves. The addition of the yellow split peas makes this adai so unique and gives the crispness. You might all now think, what is the difference between chana dal and yellow split peas dal? Both the dals are popular in Tirunelveli cuisine. Yellow split peas dal has a soft texture with mild flavour. Yellow split peas dal is widely used in masala vadai, kara vadai, adai and also the ground split peas flour is added in omapodi, karasev and bajji flour.  For this adai we have to add equal amounts of dal and rice. Soak them for three hours and then grind the batter with red chillies and green chilles. And add some onions, curry leaves and coriander leaves. When it comes to adai, everyone has their own u...

This Saravan bhavan tomato thokku recipe which is actually a different tomato chutney and easy to make. This thokku tastes good with idli, dosa, chapathi and curd rice.  The method and preparation of this tomato thokku doesn't require much time. To make this tomato thokku we have to cook the tomatoes along with tamarind and ginger. Then the cooked tomato mixture is flavoured with chilli powder and a pinch of sambar powder. Make sure to use fresh red ripe tomatoes which makes the best thokku.  Few tips for a tasty thokku Use less ginger or omit it completely.  Do not cook the thokku in an iron kadai. Do not add water while grinding the tomato mixture.  If you like a smooth thokku grind them to a smooth paste or if you like small bits of tomatoes here and there in the thokku grind it coarsely.  You can also increase the garlic cloves for an extra kick of flavour.  A perfect thokku does not have a runny consistency or a dry thick chutney consistency. While coo...

Paruppu podi is a healthy, protein rich dish with very simple ingredients. I personally enjoy this paruppu podi with (suda suda sadham) hot rice, appalam and ghee. I wanted to post this paruppu podi for a long time, and recently got the recipe from my mom with exact measurements. As it is the fasting season now, this paruppu podi will be perfect to mix with the pacharisi sadham. Also, this is a perfect podi to send to your children who study abroad.  There are many different ways to prepare paruppu podi. We usually follow this method, and it stays good for 2 months if stored in an airtight container. To make this paruppu podi, measure all the ingredients and keep them ready to roast. I would like to share some important tips to make perfect paruppu podi.  To get the best result, ensure the dals and spices are fresh and clean. For uniform roasting, I recommend roasting all the ingredients on a medium heat.  Red chillies and peppercorns are added for the spiciness. You can ...

Instant Milk Peda recipe with full video and step by step pictures. A simple way to prepare homemade milk peda is this instant milk peda recipe with just three ingredients within 15 minutes. Traditional milk peda is prepared by simmering the milk for 1.5 to 2 hours to prepare the khoya. Then the khoya is further combined with sugar to prepare pedas. For those deciding to prepare homemade milk peda for the first time, this method is the best. Once you become expert in preparing basic milk peda, you can start experimenting with different flavours. Various milk sweets in sweet shops quickly attract children with their colour and designs. Starting from my childhood days milk peda is one of my favourite sweets and I was very eager to search for milk peda recipe in cookbooks and tv shows to prepare homemade milk peda. Two years back, I saw this instant milk peda recipe in the living food cookery channel and prepared it for last year's Diwali without any tweaks. It turned out great a...

In most of the houses, ribbon pakoda with rice flour or ribbon pakoda with ground rice batter will be made for Diwali. A few months ago, bought this ragi flour ribbon pakoda from Sri Krishna's Lala shop in Tenkasi  and it tasted good with soft crispy texture. When I was planning to post Diwali recipes, my son Siva suggested to try ragi flour ribbon pakoda. To make this ragi flour pakoda you will need ragi flour, rice flour, fried gram flour, butter, asafoetida powder, white sesame seeds, asafoetida powder and oil. The butter gives the crispness and fried gram flour makes the pakoda slightly crumbly.  Tips for Ragi flour ribbon pakoda 1. Make sure to use fresh ragi flour because the old ragi flour has a nutty taste and not suitable for pakodas.  2. Roasted gram flour can be replaced with besan flour but, the texture will be slightly hard.  3. If you are not getting proper ribbon shape, then your dough is too moist, then add some rice flour and knead again.  4. If...