A recipe for passion is always simmering !
Chilli Chicken – when i say that I mean it yes its “Green Chilli” Chicken.. not your typical all veggies sauteed in chicken but its all about adding deep fried Green chillies, minced ginger and garlic and curry leaves. Something very spicy, something different somewhere in between CHICKEN 65 & CHILLI CHICKEN framed #indochinese fusion restaurant style dish. Try our CHICKEN…
Ellu Milagai Podi – so what is ellu podi? Ellu (Sesame seeds) are extremely beneficial for health but are often overlooked, it may be tiny but has huge health benefits, its loaded with iron , zinc, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium and much more. This Podi (powder) is a south indian staple be it breakfast of lunch…used as a side dish…
Chilli Paneer – an Indo Chinese starter … favorite pick for many vegetarians at the restaurants. We at home love indo chinese food of any type.. but unfortunately restaurants here don’t have good indo chinese food..had to make it myself and enjoy. I have tried a many versions playing with sauces of different kind trying to avoid msg… and this…
Moong Dal Khichdi – a one pot dish…termed “comfort food” perfect for a monday eve dinner 😀 Technically its Maharashtrian dish but resembles our south indian pongal with added onion, tomatoes & garam masala…As such does not need any special side dish.. a simple applam / pickle will do for this, i always liked with fish fry or simple potato…
The term "Palya" in Kannada refers to dry bhaji / Subji / Stir-fry / Poriyal /Thoran / Vepudu. Here is an unusual combination of vegetables stir-fried and uplifted with fennel dalia powder making it palette friendly. Will this combination (Broccoli + Baby Soy beans + Green Peas +Carrot) work for you?
Mixed Vegetable Poriyal / Porial / Palya / Vepudu / Stir-fry / Thoran / Vepudu / Subji / Subzi
Poondu Kuzhambu – a very healthy tamarind based gravy which is a must in our home every week. My mom makes the best poondu kuzhambu and no looking here and there, I just blindly follow her recipe… for any kara kuzhambu or puli kuzhambu… all purpose kuzhambu thool is a must! You may use homemade or store bought but make…
Tawa Chicken – I am a big fan of rottu kadai (highway eateries) foods be it veg or non-veg crave them and make it a point to try a few different ones during my trip to India. This recipe is one such trials… a simple tawa or kadai chicken fry made with tandoori masala, a quick chicken stir fry with…
Corn Butter Masala – Creamy, Buttery Gravy made with Sweet corn… a rich chunky gravy that works best as a side for chapathi, Garlic lacha paratha, naan or kulcha. Some super soft chapathi… shapeless though 😀 where paired with this corn curry for our dinner with leftovers packed for lunch! There are a quite a lot of variations to making…
Karuveppilai Podi – definitely a must in every south indian kitchen, a versatile kara podi which goes as a side dish for idli dosa.. good when mixed with rice to make Karuveppilai sadam or makes a quick curry leaves kuzhambu.. the list goes on, sometimes just with fresh coconut, it makes a thogayal too. Now, don’t you think you need…
Egg Biryani – namma veetla we call it mutta 😉 biryani. There is already a version of egg biryani which i posted earlier and this one is a little closer to me, because its easy plus a quick one and rice cooker does the job perfectly. This dum style biryani is made with a timed rice cooker Zojirushi which yields the best…
Raw Papaya Poriyal – Have you ever tried raw papaya stir fry?? then you should! Its packed with nutrients… tastes almost like knol khol stir fry… I am fan of ripe papaya fruit but this one not much… just make it point to include in our diet once a month as its a natural colon cleanser! Lets move on to…
Crispy Chicken 65 – have you wondered how those restaurant chicken 65 stays so crisp even after 30 minutes?… all you regular home made 65 will be crisp the moment you get them out of that oil and slowly goes soft. 😳 This one here is exclusive from our page will keep them crisp and crunchy for little longer. Secret??…
Vallarai Keerai Dosai – Vallarai (brahmi leaves) also known…Indian Pennywort is a very healthy and nutritious greens… my happiness knew no bounds when i spotted this in a Chinese market…. many recipes were boggling in my head. Made simple vallarai keerai poriyal one day and this quick dosai was another attagasam! You can find Vallarai (in tamil) in stores near you but…
Walnut Chutney – a quick healthy chutney.. great side for idli dosa. As they enter the house the first question 🙄 what’s for dinner? & with thiruttu😶 muzhi I go.. dosai with coconut chutney. Most weekday dinner shifts🏥 some chutney will be “on call” duty.. and yesterday it was walnut chutney from @malathy.ajay feed. 🌰Walnuts are really good for you.. few…
Baby Corn Manchurian, an indo-chinese starter which needs no special introduction. Kids love it.. adults too and i make these once in while from canned baby corns as we don’t get fresh babycorn here in our place. Some friday dinner specials could have once of these with fried rice and in no time you will see it disappear! Lets hop on…
Varutha Kozhi Kari – our home style spicy chicken varuval, normally a usual on sundays but do show up during weekdays as a side for simple rasam sadam. This is a semi thick… not so gravy type dish at the same time not so dry either, lets call it somewhere between the two. Guess no one cares as long as…
Coconut Cashew Burfi, just an upgraded version of coconut burfi…making it slightly rich. No short cuts here… a solid 45 minutes to an hour is what is need to make this scrumptious burfi which stays good for a week. Lets get into this recipe… Check out a healthy version of Milk Coconut Burfi another version of plain coconut burfi Ingredients Fresh…
Kurkuri Bhindi – ada 😆 namma vendakka pakoda pa ithu… googlekaga bhindi kurkure title… 😀 Do you crave for crispy ladysfinger chips ? then you are in the right place… normally they don’t stay crisp for long that’s the complaint i get a lot and this one will prove that wrong! This recipe will keep them good for a long…
Easy Gulab Jamun with Instant Mix – why not open a pack of ready mix to whip up some tasty gulab jamun was the mood 🙂 … so grabbed a pack of Gits Jamun Mix which though sounds easy with pack instructions is still a tricky episode. Why would they give everything in grams.. ml.. as if we are always…
Paneer Kathi Roll, a famous street food where a paratha is stuffed with saucy paneer & fresh veggies… its all yours today, who doesn’t like Indo chinese afterall:-P Be prepared 🙂 they may ask for a second roll, so make more of the stuffing… wrap as many as you want to go! Some interesting sandwiches, wraps and rolls to try…
Aloo Tikki Burger 🙂 Potato Cutlet Burger is what it means 😀 Oh my its vegetarian 😛 too! Lets get into the recipe with no further boring stuff… all you need is few potatoes, etc etc veggies, burger buns, mayo cheese and love! Ingredients to make the patty Boiled potatoes – 2 Green peas – 1/4 cup Carrots – 1/8…
Karuveppilai Chicken – a south indian spicy chicken gravy prepared with load of curry leaves and black pepper. Too much introduction just kills the temptation… lets get into the recipe… this is a very spicy version of curry leaves chicken, feel free to reduce the heat level.. also needs a load of curry leaves and i could only wish i…
Keerai Thandu Kootu – technically made with thandu keerai…. how on earth am i going to find that in USA 🙄 you know what? matured amaranth greens are thandu keerai (tandalja bhaji) and you know many Indian stores have these thick stemmed amaranth at times and we normally discard thinking its way too thick… not anymore. They take a little…
Vazhaikai Varuval is an easy pan fry version of raw banana which goes well as a side dish with sambar, rasam or thayir sadam. This is one of the easiest way to use them… just massage them with masala and shallow fry over a tawa. Ingredients Raw Banana / Vazhaikkai – 1 (about 15 circular pieces) Turmeric powder – 1/4…
Mutton Vellai Kurma is a coconut based gravy… is a usual in our home on sundays. We make this for our breakfast… as a side for idli dosa. Non veg days calls mutton, chicken.. & on saturday’s its veggie style! This is more like weekend ritual back home.. where we make some kind of kurma kuzhambu with varautha kari or chicken…
Shankarpalli aka shakarpare, are sweet maida biscuits also called as sweet diamond biscuits are a popular Indian snack item prepared during Diwali & Holi….Well, not just during festivals but also as a tea time snack, kids love them and are quite addictive. I made a batch for Sid… who loves to eat these #nomnom after school. Here’s how we make it…
Kulcha– a north indian style flat bread which is often baked in tandoor oven and most sought after main ordered at restaurants. Instead of making the usual chapathi for dinner tried this for a change… nothing complicated just a few ingredients, used a regular tawa and cooked over stove top and over direct flame. There you go 🙂 restaurant style…
Vegetable Gotsu is an easy accompaniment for Idli dosa or Pongal. Normally gotsu is made with dal and veggie combination with no ginger garlic in it but this idea adapted from one of those Arusuvai Idhu thani suvai TV program by Mrs. Revathy Shanmugam where she shares making a gotsu using ginger garlic paste which gives kind of a masala…
Keerai Masiyal is a healthy accompaniment for south indian meals. Have it as a side or top it over rice with a dollop of ghee…is just heaven! You can make masiyal using any keerai… today i have used spinach (pasalai keerai) for this recipe is slightly different from the Spinach Masiyal which i shared before. In this recipe we saute and grind…
Chilli Prawns, an Indo Chinese starter just like chilli chicken… is one mouthwatering dish that usually gets ordered in restaurants…it comes in dry form or saucy gravy style….Today I am sharing the dry version which is usually an appetizer / starter or whatever when “hungry” 🙂 Is there anyone who doesn’t like Indo Chinese Starters??? Ingredients for the prawn mix…
Cabbage Paratha – this is the easiest of all parathas… just mix all of it the dough, knead, roll out and cook. Kids will love this for their lunch boxes… adults too 😛 Ingredients Wheat Flour – 1 cup Cabbage – 1 cup Green Chilli – 1 (finely minced) Ginger – 1/2 inch (finely minced) Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup…
Vallarai Keerai Poriyal – Indian Pennywort / Brahmi leaves is very healthy and nutritious… my happiness knew no bounds when i spotted this in a Chinese market…. & it was cooked as a side dish for rice–made a simple poriyal! You can find Vallarai (in tamil) in stores near you but with a different name in different language… here are…
Prawn Biryani – this is totally our style of making seafood kind of biryani….include coconut milk in cooking the rice. Yes, it does bring out the flavor so much rather than cooking in regular water. You can make this biryai in regular rice cooker…. works like a charm or go with pressure cooker which is yummier or even just a…
Pulikaichal is a must for any “busy family” always running… trying to be on schedule but end up a few minutes behind every time 🙂 🙂 :-)Being a mom is an adventure in itself and you never know what you learn everyday… all these years I have learned the lessons that mom and her mom learned and this is one…
Vegetable Stew for Appam is one lip smacking combo… normally thengai paal / sweetened coconut milk is served , for those who want a spicy side can go with this stew which is light, creamy, coconut-ty rich! Ingredients for Stew Mixed Vegetables – 2 cups (carrot, potato, green peas) Onions – 1/2 cup (thinly sliced) Green Chilli – 3 (slit…
Tomato Onion Chutney – there is tomato, there is onion 🙂 plus few extras to make this chutney rock your dining table during breakfast or dinner. Weekdays are always hectic so dinner preset “idli” / “dosa”with some chutney and this was one of those attagasams… Ingredients Kadhala Paruppu / chana dal / Bengal gram – 2 tablespoons Dry Red Chilli –…
Mint Mirch Masala is a rich gravy made with spicy chillies (mirch) something like butter masala but with minty flavor. Again there are million ways to make it using a variety of chillies… I have shared my version which uses spicy chillies in the masala but made colorful with sweet peppers, also added Paneer for some extra attractive which is…
Masala Dal Tadka… obviously a north indian dal fry recipe made with garam masala, onion, ginger garlic and with a touch of my style…. 😆 a little coconut garnish! There are variety of ways you can make this dish… today we are going to see a simple home style dal made with Toor( pigeon pea)+ Chana dal (bengal gram)some coconut…
Vegetable Saagu is a coconut based gravy from Karnataka… more like our Vegetable kurma but with much more color and flavor, a great side dish for idli dosa poori or chapathi. This scrumptious recipe is adapted from Smithakalluraya ‘s blog was on my list for a long time and had a chance to try this last week for our lunch…
Cabbage Fried Rice – 🙂 one easy rice to whip up in few minutes… leftover rice works like a charm for this, all you need is few veggies, salt and pepper. Try not to laugh while looking at the steps involved in making this fried rice 😀 Ingredients Cabbage – 1 cup (sliced) Cooked Cold Rice – 2 cups Green…
Mint Rasam / Pudina Rasam is probably one of the most flavorful rasams ever tried…there are many variations to this recipe but at home we enjoy this simple method which don’t even need any special rasam powder. Mint has got many health benefits.. especially very good for digestion, allergy relief and much more…. once in a week dose of this…
Potato Masiyal aka Potato puttu is what we call at home… is an outstanding side for kara kuzhambu, meen kuzhambu or what ever puli kuzhambu. Just one simple side that needs no additional foody friends to decorate the plate. Whenever our saturday veg menu calls for kara kuzhambu this humble dish shows up on the side… you got to try…
Paneer dosai is one of my fav picks when eating at Hotel Saravana Bhavan.. spicy, juicy, pepper tossed paneer stuffed in ghee roast dosai is ultimate! You don’t even need a side but is generously served with mild sambar and white coconut chutney! I so damn miss #saravanabhavan chain in Detroit… its either Toronto or Chicago or New York destination…
Muttai Varuval has no limitations… infinite possibilities with just simple boiled eggs. These are quick spicy stir fry with colored peppers, boiled eggs and black pepper a lunch box favorite of mine that goes well with sambar, rasam or curd rice. You can even skip the capsicum and make it plain but little vibrant veggies it gets a colorful appeal…
Kesar burfi recipe – I have always awed at those north indian style burfis and hawas every time i enter a sweet shop, especially Bombay Halwa house and Shree Mithai in chennai. The first thought i would have is as to which one to pick, but always on the back of my head, there will be this question… how on…
EASY CHUTNEY RECIPES – SIDE DISH FOR IDLI DOSA Collection of Chutneys, Thokku & Pachadi recipes– an array of chutney, Thokkus, thuvaiyals recipes, great as a side for breakfast items like Idli, dosai, adai, pongal, pesarattu, upma, khichadi etc… I have compiled a list of all chutney recipes from my site, click on the picture to direct to the respective…
Oats has great health benefits – its rich in fiber and eating oats regularly helps to regulate cholestrol & pressure. It is very heart friendly and helps in weight loss and good for digestion too. I was little skeptical using oats in Indian style dishes as it has this weird texture and bland taste and mostly take it in the…
Pudina thokku – I often make some kind of thokku/ thogayal during weekends for our usual idli dosa routine. My little veggie garden is flourishing well and mint is one of the first guest to show up in the garden and grows like weeds. I know the pain as how hard it is to get fresh mint during winter season, I…
Mushroom Biryani Recipe / Kalaan Biryani / Kalan Biryani/ How to make Mushroom biryani? / Step by step pictures to make Mushroom biryani / South Indian Style Mushroom Biryani / காளான் பிரியாணி / Kalan Biryani Recipe / Mushroom Briyani Anything biryani is always a big yes at home any time of the day and today its Mushroom’s turn to brighten the table….
If you want your kids to eat spinach, you must try this Palak Biryani recipe. It not only tastes amazing but also helps providing all the nutritional benefits. Palak / Spinach biryani is not really a traditional recipe, but for sure is one best innovated rice dish. This is my favorite spinach preparation, come on! who doesn’t like biryani??? 😉…
Pan-fried brinjal slices with spicy curry powder makes this Brinjal Roast. Club it with tempered yogurt rice or sambar sadham. Vankaya Vepudu / Eggplant Roast / Eggplant Fry / Kathirikai fry / Kathrikai roast / Kathiri Varuval / Pan-fried Eggplant / Brinjal Ingredients 2 (big) Purple Brinjal 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder (kashmir chilli powder) …
You may wonder if one such dish exist, paneer has no connection with south Indian classics.. but why not ?? Try this crazy combination…. plain paneer tossed in my authentic chettinad blend, another simple but exquisite preparation under my roof. Panner Masala / Chettinad Paneer Curry / Chettinad Curry / South Indian Paneer Curry / Masala Ingredients-1 20 cubes Paneer cubes…
Simple , quick, easy, crispy and definitely tasty !! Oh boy ! it disappears in minutes…, use it as an accompaniment for rice or as a starter or just as a simple snacking item.
Microwave Bhindi / Microwave Vendakkai / Okra / Microwave cooking / Bachelors recipes
Uppu Urundai ?
Brinjal rice is a popular rice item in Karnataka termed " Vanghi Bhath", prepared with brinjals stuffed with special spice blend and cooked along with rice. We at home take this dish to new heights by cooking the whole thing in coconut milk. Here is our family style Kathrikkai (brinjal) Sadam (Rice).
Vangi Bhath / Brinjal Rice / Eggplant Rice / Kathirikkai Sadam / Brinjal Biryani / Eggplant Biryani / Kathrikkai Biryani
Chettinad cuisine, enjoys a special place among food lovers, let it be a normal veggie dish or sizzling non-veg , they always include a radically distinctive blend of spices covering up the key ingredient, which wakes up your taste buds. Here is one such recipe… mixed vegetables tossed with freshly ground spice blend
Tamil to English ~~~ Kaikari – Vegetables, Pirattal – Tossed/Stir-fry
KaiKari Perattal / Mixed Vegetable Pirattal / Chettinad Vegetable Curry / Pirrattal / Kaikari Piratal
Crispy deep fried lentil fritters, a popular street side savoury snack in Tamil Nadu. Colloquial term used for this type is Gharam Pakoda. (Onion Pakora / Onion Pakodi / Onion Pakoda / Ulli Pakodi / Pakora / Pattanam Pakoda / Sweet Stall Pakoda)
Proportion really matters a lot for this recipe, even an extra drop of water could turn them soft. I've tried my best to explain with right measures and pictures to make it easy for all. Enjoy!!!
Restaurant style fish tikka, a punjabi dhaba dish.
Home style spicy garlic chutney. Great dip or side for Idli, dosai or adai.
Very simple mutton dish from my home town.
This is a quick breakfast or tiffin item made with semolina and sauteed veggies.
Authentic Tamilnadu delicacy. Banana flowers combined with Bengal gram and deep fried to make this mouth watering starter.
Shallow fried potatoes in spicy curry powder, easy to make in minutes.
