where recipes are made …
Yes!!! I reached another milestone – Glad to inform you that this is my 50th post !!! While I wasn’t aware that I am reaching my 50th post, I quickly realized after looking at my post numbers. I wanted to celebrate this gesture with our family’s favorite and a vegetable of my little one’s choice. While …
Making side dishes for phulka / rotis/ rice is a challenge for me. I was cleaning up the pantry and found lots of potatoes hiding up there waiting for my attention. Though the routine aloo mutter is what I make when there are lots of potatoes and peas at home. However this time I also …
Rotis and Phulkas are a part of our weekly dinner routines. From Dals to Kurmas, I pair the phulkas to make a delicious dinner. Before this COVID thing happened, dinner is the only time where we all gather together at the table with everyone following a different routine. A delicious dinner plate with the discussions …
Diwali is around the corner and many of us are gearing up with Diwali preparations. The joy of Diwali is complete with preparing sweets and sharing them with family/friends. From childhood, we have the tradition of making sweets at home and Amma tries a new variety every year. The process of cleaning up rice, dal, …
Sweet Pongal or Sakkara Pongal (சக்கரை பொங்கல்)is a famous sweet in south India, especially Tamil Nadu. This is cooked with newly harvested rice from the field at the juncture of the Pongal/harvest festival, which is predominantly celebrated in all parts of the state with great pomp and show. Marking the commencement of the year to …
Modaks / Kozhukattai / Sweet dumplings are famous Indian sweet dishes that are made during Ganesh chaturthi celebrations. Different varieties of modak are prepared in various cultures. Modaks are made either by steaming or by frying. Commonly the outer covering of the kozhukattai/ Modak are made with rice flour and are steam cooked. Sometimes, the …
Pulissery is a very famous Kerala dish that is usually served on a sadhya meal. Pulissery is made with different kinds of vegetables/ fruits like Ashgourd, Pineapple and Mango. It is prepared with a freshly grounded coconut paste along with sour curd. Though it is a yogurt based dish and may look like the Morkuzhambu …
KALAN/ KATTI KALAN/ KURUKKU KALAN is a very famous Kerala recipe, that is part of every Sadhya meal served on a banana leaf. Every Sadhya meal has an array of dishes ranging from Parippu curry, Kerala Sambar, Olan, Eriserry, Avial, Thoran, Puli Inji and Kalan. Of this, Kalan is made with a combination of vegetables …
Guthi Vangaya Pulusu is a very famous pulusu made in Andhra. Pulusu is a very common tamarind based curry made in Andhra regions. Generally vegetables are slow cooked in tamarind broth with basic masalas and finally tempered. Brinjal is a very favorite vegetable commonly used in Andhra cuisine and brinjal in pulusu tastes great. Some …
Custard Powder is a mixture of milk proteins and cornflour along with a little amount of sugar in it. The custard flour is available in stores in different flavors like banana, strawberry, oranges, and Mango. Each of the flavors has a unique taste in them. Custard powder is used as a base to make fruit …
Proso millet is one of the millet variety commonly found in Europe, Indian and United States. In the United States, this millet is also used as bird feed. It is approved as human food too. Being non- glutenous and it is an appropriate food for people who are allergic to wheat. Proso millet has a …
Millets are a wonderful substitute for rice and wheat that is consumed widely. Though these wonderful grains are not new to us, they were definitely forgotten for a while. With the internet people are becoming more and more aware of these wonderful grains. While some of them had switched back to millet on a daily …
Focaccia is an Italian Flat bread that is close to the texture of pizza. Focaccia is served along side with pastas, soups or as a sandwich. Focaccia is originally made with all purpose flour which is combined with yeast to result in a porous center and crispy outer layer. There are a lot of regional …
Nei Appam is a very traditional Kerala recipe that is made with rice, jaggery, cardamom, coconut and cooked in ghee. It is called Kerala Unniappam and is a part of festivals from Onam, Chithra Vishu etc. “Unni” in Malayalam means small and “Appam” means made with rice. Though there are many dishes in various cuisines, …
Kanchipuram Idli / Kovil Idli / temple Idli is a very famous Idli variety that had its origin in a small town -Kanchipuram, TamilNadu. This is served as an offering in the famous Sri Varadharaja temple and meticulously made in bamboo cases lined with Mandharai leaves. Though it seem to be a regular Idli, this …
One Pot variety rice are like savior on a busy day. Each state in India has their own speciality one pot recipes. Though Pulav / Biryani are the favorite of many, their variants like this Masala Bhath/ Baath is equally loved. Masalae Baath is a Maharasthra regional speciality. It is usually served alone with some …
Say Tirunelveli, there are a lot of regional speciality from this district in South TamilNadu. For every one who knows the name of this city, the immediate one is the famous Iruttu kadai Halwa. Thesecond top on this list is Sodhi Kulambu that is unique to this region and cannot be found in any other …
Sooji/ Rava / Semolina is a very easily available ingredient in Indian households. The tradition of making some sweet on the last Friday of every Tamil month is followed in our households. For a Friday Pooja, I made this easy Sooji kheer with simple and easily available ingredients in the pantry. In under 20 mins, …
Panchamritham is a sweet offering served in Murugan temples. While many temples offer this neivedhyam, the divine PALANI/ PAZHANI MURUGAN temple in Tamilnadu is very known for this. Palani is a pilgrim town in the Dindugul district of Tamilnadu famously known for the Dhandayudhapani temple. The story of the shrine is that Lord Murugan wanted …
Azhagar Kovil is a very small village in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu. The name of the village is from the very famous Azhagar/ Kallazhagar Kovil. The main deity of this temple is Sundarabahu Perumal in standing pose ( Nindra kolam). Azhagar Kovil is one of the 108 divya desam as per the Vaishavite …
Hayagreeva Maddi is a very famous dessert made with bengal gram/ channa dal and jaggery. It is often confused with the Kamala paruppu payasam or with the Pooranam/ sweet stuffing used to make puli and Modakams. But these are definitely different from both of them. The consistency of this hayagreeva Maddi is more of a …
Aloo / Potatoes are universal favorites. Every cuisine has a different and delicious way to make potatoes. Of all the vegetables, Potato is used widely in all regions of Indian cuisine. Each of these dishes is made either with simple ingredients or many regional ingredients to make a delicious potato dish. Of all the potato …
Mangoes are everyone’s favorite. Be it a fruit or used as. a vegetable, Mangoes are loved by everyone. In Indian cooking, raw mango is widely used in many regions to make pickles, pachadi, sambar, curries, and rice too. I usually make mango sambar, which is our family favorite, and sometimes this rice too for the …
Sadhya Meal is a sumptuous one with at least a minimum of 20 tasty Kerala recipes. When it comes to the flavors, Kerala cuisine uses mild spices that are native to land. The use of coconut oil elevates the taste of any Kerala recipe. Thoran, Kalan, Olan, Puliserry, Eriserry, Pachadi, and Kichadi are a major …
Ada Pradhaman is a Kerala delicacy. It is made with flattened rice strips that are cooked with jaggery syrup and finished off with thick coconut milk. Ada Pradhaman is. apart of marriages or as a part of the Onam Sadhya meal. There are a lot of ways to make this Kerala Ada Pradhaman. Some people …
Seedai is a favorite snack for the kutty Krishnar. Seedai is many of our favorite snack too. However, to achieve a no-burst seedai, we need more practice and perfection. If you are a beginner who wants to try making Seedai first time this Krishna jayanthi, then this is for you. Maida Seedai is a crispy, …
Modak / Kozhukattai is a favorite prasadam made during the Vinayagar Chaturthi festival. Vinayagar Chaturthi is celebrated in many parts of India and modak/ kozhukattai is offered ,as it is the favorite one for Lord Ganesha. Kozhukattais are made in south India with an outer rice flour covering and an inner filling usually made with …
It’s that time of the year, where everyone’s home and life are lit up with joy and happiness. Diwali is a time where the family gathers up for the celebration. To add more joy to the celebrations, sweets and savories are prepared and shared. A quick and tasty sweet like this Kesar Rava Ladoo will …
Kozhukattai is a quick snack or a fulfilling dinner for us. While we make other sweet variety of kozhukttais for chaturthi, we always make savory kozhukattais for dinner or a quick evening snack. Of the many savory kozhukattai we make, I love this curry leaves/karuvepillai ammini kozhukattai very much. Growing up, curry leaves was not …
Kootanchoru is a very famous dish in the Tirunelveli region. Growing up as a kid, I remember this Kootanchoru made whenever we have family members gather for any family events, or during travel. Traditionally, Kootanchoru is made in a large open pot and cooked on the woodstove. Kootanchoru is often confused with Sambar Sadham which …
Dal is an integral part of food in many regions of India. being rich in protein and the comfort it gives, dals are cooked and served in different ways. One such is the Gujarati Dal. Gujarati Dal is made with toor dal/ split pigeon peas along with boiled peanuts. The dal itself has a sweet, …
Halwa is a traditional sweet that can be made with flour, vegetables, and even fruits. How about trying halwa with rusk? For most of us, teatime is not complete without those one or two pieces of rusk. While I got the rusks for this purpose, I had almost half a packet of them, left untouched. …
One-Pot Meals are always easy to make for a weekday meal or for lunchbox. If they have some incredibly healthy vegetables in them, then it is a bonus making the meal a complete, wholesome one. Cauliflower is one such vegetable that has low calorie, but high in fiber. Cauliflower is also anti-oxidant rich that protects …
Raitha is an integral part of any biryanis, pulao, or mixed rice. Raitha can be made from vegetables, fruits, nuts, or a combination of them. While onion, tomato, and cucumber raithas are very commonly made, raitha with greens is a very healthy option if you like to include vegetables in many forms. This Spinach Raitha …
Maha Shivarathri is an important Hindu festival celebrated in India. During Shivarathri, people fast the entire night and also consume no-onion, no-garlic food until they break the fast. Sabudhana is one grain that is commonly consumed during fasting. Sabudhana Vada is a crispy snack made with soaked sabudhana, boiled potatoes, and peanuts. It is very …
Kozhukattais are specialties from Tamilnadu and this Pidi Kozhukattai is a very traditional one made during Chaturthi in our household. we need the basic ingredients available in the pantry to make this Pidi kozhukattai. Unlike the modaks, they do not require poornam or filling to make them. It is more like a dump-and-go recipe, however, …
Brinjal is a very commonly used vegetable in Indian cuisine. It is so versatile that it is used in North and South Indian dishes from Sambar, to chutney and stuffed ones. There are hundereds of stuffed Brinjal recipes in Indian cuisine and this Bharli Vangi is a Maharashtrian version of stuffed brinjal that uses peanuts …
Payasam is an important party. South-Indian meal. Every festive meal in South India usually consists of poriyal, kootu, Avial, Pachadi with a three-course meal of Sambar, rasam, vathal kulambu and thayir . This is usually ended with a tasty payasam. Payasam is usually made with rice, millets, dals, sago, veermicelli, and fruits in a jaggery …
Every South-Indian meal comprises the main course as rice with any kulambu with a side of poriyal, kootu, varuval and thoran. Of all, I love the thorans. Thoran can be made with vegetables like cabbage, carrot, beans, broad beans, and most green vegetables. The Cabbage thoran that I made the other day is our family’s …
If you think of Kerala recipes, there are a lot of recipes that come to mind. Coming to sadhya meals, every meal will definitely have this Pradhaman to finish off an elaborate lunch. Pradhaman is a sweet dish made with fruits, dals, or rice ada. I love the Ada pradhaman. Also, I equally love this …
Evening Tea/Coffee time is very important for many families, as it is the time every one gets back from work and school. After the early lunch and the travel back from home, a hot cup of tea/coffee with a warm cake will do good until dinner time. We love mildly sweet cakes for tea time …
Watermelon is a favorite summer fruit. It is the best thirst quencher during the hot, sunny summer days. After enjoying the delicious fruits, dont throw away this flesh. Instead, make this delicious Watermelon rind halwa. It is so much delicious and kind of tastes like the Kasi Halwa- made with Ashgourd. Besan/Gram Flour acts as …
While Kulambu , poriyal and kootu are everyday affairs, the essence of the weekend is achieved only with Biryani. For many, Biryani is more than an emotion and a weekend or holiday, or celebration is made special only with Biryani. Biryani has its origin in Persia and slowly entered India. It is differently made in …
Vinayagar chaturthi is all about Kozhukattais. All Pillayar loves this simple and easy steamed food. There are many kozhukattais/ modakams made in sweet and savory versions. While making modakam is a bit lengthy process, beginners those who stay way from home can bring a festive feel with this simple savory/kara pidi kozhukattai. It is so …
Badam Kheer is a favorite drink for many of us. It is very rich , tasty and soothing . It can be served warm or chilled. Either ways, it is delicious to drink. During childhood days, we used to drink chilled Badham Kheer on hot summer days. The traditional way of making badham kheer involves …
It is that time of the year, where we don’t might on the calories. Diwali is an important festival celebrated all over India with great joy. While I try making different sweets and savory every year, there are some standard recipes, that are very special and brings nostalgic memories. One such is the karaboondhi that …
Deepavali is all about celebration. when theres celebration, theres definitely good food. How about a quick sweet recipe that does not take much time and can be made with easily available ingredients at home? Heard it right! Rava and Coconut are easily available . Add in sugar and a bit of ghee to bring in …
Kara Sev is a variation of murukku which is usually spiced with pepper or red chilli powder along with flavors from different combination of spices. While I love pepper kara sev, specially the thick ones, I also equally love this garlic /Poondu kara sev for it outstanding flavors. The combination of garlic/poondu with omam just …
Paneer is a favorite ingredient for many from kids to adults. We can make any number of dishes with Paneer from paratha to curries, sandwiches and incorporate them into rice. It is so versatile, that it can be used in any cuisine. Being rich in protein, Paneer is a very filling one. While Paneer is …
Gobi/ Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that can be used in various cuisines and in different forms from soups to curries to fry. Gobi Tikka is a very traditional dish made from fresh spices and cooked in a tandoor. I have used the air fryer to make this Gobi Tikka with only one tablespoon of …
A very simple, colorful and delicious Pomegranate Raitha. Pomegranate is rich in a variety of nutrients from Vit.C, Iron- an important one for women and children. While pomegrante can be eaten as such, you definitely have to try this Pomegranate Masala Raitha. It is easy to make, healthy, fresh and colorful. It is definitely a …
The Holiday season is all about baking. While we love getting cookies and cakes from stores, they are no where near to the ones made at home with the loved ones. Also, if you are vegetarian with no eggs in your diet, the joy of eating a pure vegetarian cake made with minimal ingredients at …
Masal Vadai is made with dal and spices. It is very crispy and crunchy outside and soft inside. The Masal vadai is so flavorful with a burst of spices in every single bite. Though it is a very simple recipe, a lot of techniques need to be followed. It is important to get the texture …
Gummidikaya Pulusu or Dappalam as it is locally called is made with yellow pumpkin on a tangy tamarind broth. This is similar to the kulambu variety made without dal. The pulusu is generally not very thick as sambar or pappu. This dappalam is made generally made with country vegetables like drumsticks, sweet potato, yellow pumpkin. …
Whether its fasting or festivals, sweets play an important role in them. However there are few restrictions in making sweets when preparing ladoo. How about a ladoo that can be prepared in a jiffy with very few ingredients in under 15 mins? I made this delicious ladoo with coconut and phool makhana/ fox nuts that …
Poosanikkai / White pumpkin / Ashgourd is a vegetable rich in water content. It is usually tasteless and very commonly used in sambar, mor kulambu , kootu. Ash gourd kootu is also made, but many do not like it. If you are one of that kind, then this puli kootu is a must try. …
Puttu is one of the very famous breakfast recipes. It is very famous among malayalis and made with a variety of grains. Puttu can be made with rice, red rice, ragi , and wheat flour. I tried making puttu with oats flour. It is very easy to prepare and stays soft for a longer time. …
Masala Peanuts are very addictive snacks. It is a very flavorful snack and this can be made very healthy by airfrying the masala peanuts instead of deep frying. The ingredients are very easily available and you need only a few teaspoons of oil to make this delicious and healthy snack. Peanuts are high in protein …
Paneer is a favorite for everyone including kids and adults. There are many recipes that can be made with paneer ranging from main course to sides, drinks and starters. Paneer Kali mirch is a very flavorful dish with fresh flavours from Pepper. This is definitely different from the buttery paneer butter masala that is commonly …
Breakfast and Dinner Recipes are very hard to think of. After a busy day, everyone wants a hot, and quick dinner recipe.. If you are looking for something like that, then this famous Tamil nadu style Rava Pongal is for you. Rava Pongal is very soft, delicious and quick to make. It is also very …