Chitra's Food Book

I had some over ripen bananas in my kitchen counter.When I saw them, Mangalore buns & Eggless banana cake came to my mind.I have already tried & shared eggless banana walnut muffins.So this time I made eggless banana cake in my loaf pan for the first time. I followed the recipe from HERE. As Its my first attempt, I didn’t take any chance in experimenting this recipe using whole wheat flour & brown sugar.It came out soft, moist with crumbly texture.We enjoyed it with hot tea ! This recipe has no butter, no condensed milk, no yogurt too. Its a vegan recipe which uses oil as the main ingredient.For variations, you can add chopped walnuts, Chocolate chips or even tutti frutti. Summer vacation has started for kids. They must be demanding some cakes & snacks from you. Try this yummy, soft and spongy cake for them. Addition of banana makes it slightly healthy too. Do try it and share your feedback. Lets see how to make eggless banana cake recipe without condensed milk, yogurt and.

Eggless Banana Cake Recipe

Eggless Banana cake recipe - Moist, spongy cake without butter, condensed milk

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Cake

Serves:10 pieces

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:40 Minutes

Total time:50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 200ml

All Purpose flour / Maida - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Over ripe banana - 2 nos ( I used Yelakki)
Sugar - 1/4 cup ( add 1/3 cup for more sweetness)
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp ( Use odourless oil)
Lemon juice/Vinegar - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

METHOD

In a wide bowl, take the ripe banana, mash well with a ladle or fork. You can mash it in a mixie too. Grease a baking pan/loaf pan with oil and sprinkle maida all over the pan.

Take a bowl and sieve maida, baking powder, baking soda.Mix well and set aside.
- To the mashed banana, add sugar, cooking oil, vanilla essence, lemon juice and mix well till sugar dissolves ( you can add powdered nutmeg or cinnamon for more flavor).

To this, add the sieved maida mixture.Mix well. You will get a thick batter. Spoon in the batter to the greased baking pan.You can also sprinkle choco chips, chopped walnuts to the batter.

Preheat oven in convection mode at 180c. Keep the loaf pan and bake the cake for 35-40 minutes. Keep an eye after 30 minutes.Top of the cake turns golden and if you insert a tooth pick,it should come clean. This is the indication for the doneness of cake.
Once the cake is baked, remove and set aside for 5 minutes. Invert in a plate and remove it. Cake will fall off easily.

Cut into slices and serve with hot tea/coffee !

Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sugar after tasting the dough.
Do not reduce baking powder & baking soda.
Keep an eye after 30 minutes of baking because over baking makes the cake hard n chewy.
Batter would be semi thick and spoonable but should not be hard and crumbly. If you feel the batter is too hard, add a tbsp of milk and bring it to semi solid consistency.
For variations, you can add chopped walnuts, Chocolate chips or even tutti frutti.

Enjoy this yummy cake for your tea time !! It tastes soft n smells good Happy

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This is an easy and quick South Indian breakfast recipe that I make at least once in a week. I have already triedKarnataka’s Avalakki chitranna, North Indian - Maharashtrian Kanda Poha recipes and blogged here. This poha upma recipe is very similar to both but its of Tamil nadu style.For this upma, I follow my Rava upma recipe and make it for our breakfast and sometimes for our dinner too. Its an easy to make recipe for bachelors and working women.Ideal for lunch box too. As Poha/Aval is a healthy alternative to rice, I try to include this in our diet by making varieties of poha recipes.To make it more healthy, you can use Kerala Red aval, add mixed vegetables and make the same. Lets see how to make this easy, diabetic friendly aval upma/Poha upma for breakfast & lunch box.
Check out myLemon poha/ Lemon aval recipe ,Milagu jeeraga aval/ pepper cumin poha too.

Aval upma recipe

Aval upma - Easy poha recipes for breakfast

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Breakfast

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:15 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:35 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Thick Poha/ Aval - 1 cup
Big onion - 1 no
Green chilli - 2-3 nos ( slitted)
Ginger – 1 inch piece ( chopped finely)
Salt & water - as needed

To temper

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Chana dal – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Asafetida/Hing - 2 pinches

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Grated coconut – 3 tbsp

METHOD

Wash the thick aval/Poha for 2-3 times. This helps to get white colored upma. Add water to cover the aval and soak it for 10 minutes. All the water would be absorbed by the poha in 10 minutes and it becomes soft.

In the mean time, chop onions, chillies and ginger. Heat oil and temper mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal. Add hing, curry leaves, onions, green chillies, ginger and salt. Saute until onion turns transparent.

Now add the soaked aval and mix well. Keep the flame low. Cover the kadai with a lid and let the aval cook for 5 minutes. After the poha turns soft and cooked, switch off the flame. Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil , grated coconut mix well and serve hot.

Enjoy with coffee/Tea or milk for your breakfast ! No side dish is needed for this upma. If needed, you can make coconut chutney .

Note

Washing the poha twice or thrice is necessary to get white colored upma.
Soaking helps to make soft and quickly cooked poha. So Soak it atleast for 10 minutes.
Add more green chillies or pinched red chillies for more spicy taste.
You can garnish with coriander leaves.
You can add peanuts, finely chopped carrot, potato while sauting onions.
If you wish, you can add a dash of lemon juice at the end.

Enjoy this yummy and easy aval upma for your breakfast Happy

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Whenever I buy corn ( Cholam in Tamil, Makai in Hindi) from the market, I make either corn cheese balls orcup corn for Raksha . This time, I tried Corn vada/corn fritters for a change. I browsed for the recipe and found Andhra style Corn vada ( Known as Mokkajonna Garelu/Vadalu in Telugu) & corn fritters recipe with mild variations in method & ingredients. I just combined both the recipes and made this South Indian sweet corn vada. It came out really well with crispy exterior and soft interior. Raksha and Sendhil loved it very much. Its a kids friendly tea time snack recipe.Ugadi festival is nearing. If you have plans to make any vada recipe, do try this one for a change.Your kids at home during this summer vacation would ask for more and more Winking

.But remember, to enjoy its best taste, you should serve and eat it hot.Ok,Lets see how to make this yummy, crispy sweet corn vada recipe !
Do check out my Masala Vada, Mixed Vegetable Vada, Cabbage Vada, Sabudana Vada and Urad dal vadarecipes.

Corn Vada Recipe

Corn vada recipe/ Sweet corn fritters recipe

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Snacks

Serves:8 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml
To grind

Boiled Sweet corn - 1 cup ( frozen corn can also be used)
Red chillies - 2 nos ( use 3-4 for more spice)
Hing/Asafetida OR Garlic – A pinch/ 2 cloves
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as needed

To mix in vada batter

Big onion – 1no ( chopped finely)
Coriander leaves – few ( –do-)
Corn flour or rice flour - 3-4 tbsp

Cooking oil - to deep fry

METHOD

Peel the sweet corn and pressure cook it adding enough water and salt. Remove the corn cob and take out the kernels.Use a knife and scrape it from one to another end. Kernels will get off easily. ( U can use frozen sweet corn too)

Reserve 1/4 cup of boiled corn.Take the remaining 3/4 th cup of cooked sweet corn in a mixie jar. Add pinched red chillies, garlic cloves or hing, fennel seeds and grind to a coarse paste without adding water.

For variations, you can grind raw,unboiled corn with spices and make vada.In that case, do not add whole corns. Just grind the entire 1 cup of corn kernels. As I had boiled corn in hand, I changed the original recipe.( Andhra style recipe calls for grinding raw corn)

Remove the ground vada batter in a bowl. Add the reserved 1/4 cup of sweet corn, finely chopped big onion, coriander leaves.Batter would be too sticky.So add corn flour and mix well. Make sure you don’t add more corn flour and make the batter dry.Add little salt, Mix well. Check for taste.

Take a small ball shaped vada batter. Pat it slightly and set aside.Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , drop 3-4 vada and deep fry in batches.

Stand a feet away because some whole corn may burst. Cook both the sides in medium flame till onion in the vada turns golden brown. Do not wait for all the bubbles to cease. ( Some whole sweet corn may tend to burst when it cooks inside the oil. So do not stand very near to the kadai while deep frying). Remove from the oil and drain in a tissue paper.Enjoy eating hot with tomato ketchup!

Note

For variations, you can grind raw,unboiled corn with spices and make vada.In that case, do not add whole corns. Just grind the entire 1 cup of corn kernels. As I had boiled corn in hand, I changed the original recipe.
Add more chillies if you like spicy vada.
You can replace corn flour with rice flour. You can also add 2 tsp of maida for binding.
Use finely chopped mint leaves for more flavorful vada.

Crispy, yummy ,kids friendly sweet corn vada is ready to enjoy with ketchup. Enjoy !!

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I have heard about Andhra’s atukula dosa (Atukula Attu in Telugu,Avalakki Dosa in Kannada, Poha Dosa in Hindi, Aval Dosa in Tamil, Flattened rice in English) but I haven’t tried at home. For the first time, I tried this soft and spongy poha dosa yesterday for my in-laws as both of them have tooth problem. It came out super soft and everyone loved it at home with tomato chutney as side dish. This dosa batter is made without urad dal and the best part is that the batter doesn’t need over night fermentation. It can be made instantly after grinding. This dosa is sure a welcome change from the aval upma. I followed the recipe from Sailu’s blog but I altered the quantity of ingredients and made it without adding cooking soda. This recipe works great for this summer season.Do try it for your breakfast or dinner. You will love it and make it very often. Lets see how to make Andhra special South Indian Aval dosa.
Check out my other variants of this dosa
Puffed rice dosa
Sponge Dosa
Set dosa
Also check out my 42 chutney recipes collection and choose any tomato chutney as a side dish for this dosa.

Poha dosa/Atukula dosa/Aval dosa recipe

Easy, spongy, no ferment Poha dosa batter recipe - Andhra style atukula dosa

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Breakfast

Serves:25nos

Prep time:3 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:13 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Idli Rice - 2 cups
Thick Poha/Aval - 1 cup
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Butter milk - 4.5 cups ( use 1 cup sour curd)
Salt - as needed
Cooking soda – 1/4 tsp ( optional, I din’t add)

METHOD

Wash the Poha and rice together for 3 times. Whisk 1 cup of sour curd adding 4 cups of water. Soak the rice+poha in buttermilk for 3-4 hours. Add 1/2 cup of more water if Poha absorbs all the buttermilk.( I soaked the rice & aval at 9am in the morning, ground the batter at 1pm in the afternoon and made dosa at 7 pm)

Grind the rice and poha using the soaked buttermilk. Add little water only if necessary during grinding. Add the required salt and make a smooth batter. Make sure you grind the batter thick because the batter will become watery when you make the dosa.

Cover the batter and keep it aside for 5-7 hours. If you wish, you can make the dosa immediately adding 1/4 tsp of cooking soda.Else make the dosa after few hours without adding soda. If you rest the batter, it will become sour and rise a bit. Check the image below.

Heat a dosa pan and pour a ladleful of batter. Make it thick like uthappam.Drizzle little oil around the dosa and cover the dosa pan with a lid.
Cook in medium flame till the top of dosa cooks well with small holes here and there. No need to flip the dosa. Remove the dosa in a plate and enjoy with tomato chutney. I feel It tastes the best with tomato chutney more than coconut chutney.Its your choice finally.
Enjoy this soft dosa for breakfast & dinner

NOTE : If you want to make this dosa for breakfast, soak the rice+aval in buttermilk overnight. The next morning, grind the batter. Add cooking soda,mix well and make dosa immediately.

Note

Batter will become sour quickly as it is Summer now.During winter season, its better to soak the rice+aval in sour buttermilk overnight and then grind the batter. It helps to get soft dosa with mild sour taste.
Adding cooking soda is optional. If the batter tastes and smells sour, you don’t have to add cooking soda.But holes will be less.But If you want to see more holes in the dosa, you can add soda.
This dosa batter can be stored in refrigerator and use it later.But softness will be slightly reduced.

Enjoy this soft, spongy dosa for your breakfast or dinner with tomato chutney. Tastes awesome !!

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A reader requested me to post Radish chutney recipe for Idli dosa. Until then I have never thought of making a chutney with Radish ( Mullangi in Tamil, Mooli in Hindi). I have tried Mullangi thogayal for rice but this is the first time I made a chutney for idli using radish. Actually I was worried whether the smell of Radish may spoil the chutney. But to my surprise, chutney came out truly flavorful. Even Sendhil couldn’t make out its a chutney made with Radish.Its a chutney without coconut and tomato too. I have used white radish, dal and onion. I must thank my reader for making me try this chutney. For this recipe, I adapted Andhra style mullangi pachadi and made slight changes as per my family’s taste buds.I guess it works well for red radish too. I am happy to include this chutney in my radish recipes and chutney collection list. Lets see how to do this easy mullangi chutney for idli dosa.

Check out my Chutney Recipes Collection, Mullangi sambar recipe, Mullangi thogayal.

Radish chutney / Mullangi Chutney recipe

White Radish Chutney for idli dosa

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Side dish for idli

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

White Radish - 1 no ( Medium sized)
Big onion - 1 no
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 3 nos
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Tamarind - a small piece
Salt & water - as needed
Cooking oil - 1.5 tbsp

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of radish.Grate it and set aside.No need to squeeze the water. Chop the big onion into chunks.Heat oil in a kadai. Saute Urad dal, chana dal, red chillies till dal turns light golden color. Next add the big onion and saute until onion turns transparent.Make sure you don’t burn the dals. Do in medium flame.

Add the grated radish, ginger and saute till it gets cooked and reduces in volume. It takes 3-4 minutes in medium flame. If needed you can cover and cook it. Radish should be well cooked and soft.

Let it cool. Grind it to a smooth paste adding little water. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.Add to the chutney. Mix well and serve with hot idli adding a tsp of gingely oil.

Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chillies as per your taste buds.
If you want bright red colored chutney, use byadgi chilli.
You can add few tbsp of grated coconut if you wish.

Try this easy,healthy mullangi chutney for idli,dosa. You will like it !

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Masala coke is a very popular Indian Cold drink in Juice shops of Bangalore and Mumbai.I have tasted masala coke in a small juice shop in Gandhi bazaar. You can find varieties like masala Pepsi, masala Sprite, masala Thumbs up, lemon soda,Lemon cola, lemon ginger soda, paneer soda etc in the menu. The recipe of masala coke is very simple & that is made with easily available ingredients.It can be quickly prepared in minutes by adding a lavish sprinkle of masala powders to Coke or Pepsi. When I saw the juice shop guy making it, I got tempted to try it at home. So I bought a can of diet coke & coco cola and tried it for myself and Sendhil. We enjoyed it thoroughly. It tastes more like jal jeera with the fizz of coke. If you are concerned about drinking Coke or Pepsi, you can make the same with soda water and enjoy it as masala soda.Make and Serve during parties and get together during this vacation.I am sure everyone will enjoy this drink. Lets see how to make masala coke at home.
Check out my other Summer Drinks Recipestoo !

Masala coke recipe

Masala coke/pepsi recipe at home - Masala soda drink for summer

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Drinks

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:2 Minutes

Cook time:2 Minutes

Total time:4 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Coke/Pepsi/Coco cola/Thumbs up - 300ml can

( Adjust all these powders based on taste)

Chat masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Black salt - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Ajwain powder – A small pinch, Optional
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice - few drops
Mint leaves - to garnish
Ice cubes - to add while serving

METHOD

In a serving glass, add all the spice powders, lemon juice given above.

Add the coke little by little till 1/3 rd of the glass and wait till the bubbles/froth subside. Mix with a spoon.Add another 1/3 rd of glass and mix well.

Repeat until the entire glass is full.Check for taste and add more chat masala, black salt & pepper powder, lemon juice as per your taste.Serve immediately adding some ice cubes.Garnish with mint leaves if you wish and enjoy !!

Note

Adjust the quantity of masala powders based on taste.
For variations, you can replace coke with diet coke, Pepsi, Thumbs up, Sprite or even Club Soda.
If you have jal jeera powder, you can add that instead of chat masala powder & cumin powder.

Enjoy this easy, yummy Masala coke/Pepsi at home during this summer vacation. You will love it !!

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Tamil New Year – Varusha Pirappu/Tamil Puthandu is the celebration of first day of the Tamil new year that comes in Mid April. Its a special day for Tamilians as it marks the beginning of all Tamil festivals. Following this, we celebrate Rama Navami, Chitra Pournami,Aadi Pandigai etc..This year, Tamil new year falls on April 14, 2016. Tamil people all over the world celebrate this day by Keeping new Panchangam and offering some special dishes like Mango Pachadi, Panakam, Neer mor etc. This festival falls in the month of Chithirai, the first month of the Tamil solar calendar. On the eve of Chithirai Puthandu, a tray arranged with three fruits (mango,banana and jack fruit), betel leaves and arecanut, gold/silver jewellery, coins/money, flowers and a mirror is placed. This is to be viewed upon waking in the morning.

In the temple city of Madurai, the Chithirai Thiruvizha is celebrated in the Meenakshi Temple. In Kerala, people celebrate this day as Vishu festival. The day is marked with a feast in Tamil homes and entrances to the houses are decorated elaborately with Maakolams (Visit my in-laws blog to check varieties of Kolams). In most parts of India, one can see neem trees blooming with their flowers and the first batch of mangoes hanging prominently. So this day is celebrated with neem flowers and raw mangoes to symbolize growth and prosperity ( Source:Wiki).

As I am posting the celebration procedures of all our Indian festivals, I guess my regular readers would be expecting this post from me Happy . Though the celebration method is very simple, the specialty of this festival lies in including Raw mango, fresh or dried neem flowers & making an elaborate full meals lunch menu for offering God along with fresh fruits.We should include all the five taste on this day. Full meals menu includes Rice, Mango Pachadi, Paruppu, Sambar, Poriyal, Kootu, Payasam, Vada. You should make Panakam and neer mor if you keep Panchangam for pooja else its optional. You can do it for Rama navami. Lets see the celebration procedure of Tamil new year with recipe links.

Kolam from my in-laws blog

Ingredients for Pooja & menu

On this day we avoid vegetables like Drumstick, Bottle gourd, brinjal, Keerai/greens, cabbage, Beetroot, Carrot, Beans, Potato, Onion and garlic in our cooking as we offer the lunch menu to God.

Lamp
Flowers
KumKum and turmeric powder
Betel leaves & nuts
Banana leaf
Coconut
Match box,incense stick, dhoop, and camphor
Banana, Mango & fruits like apple, jackfruit on ur wish ( Banana is essential)
Vegetables like Raw banana, cluster beans, Broad beans, Lady’s finger, Gooseberry etc
Raw Mango ( Must buy)
Dried or fresh neem flowers
Urad dal for making vada
Rice & dal, jaggery for making Payasam
Other essentials for cooking

Preparations for Tamil New Year

On the previous day, i.e 13th of April, Wash the lamps, clean the house. Keep dots, put threads in the lamps. Buy all the required fruits, vegetables, groceries, flowers and pooja items for the festival and keep them ready.Soak the urad dal for vada and grind the batter using mixie or grinder. Keep the batter in fridge without adding salt.

If you want, you can roast the rice & dal and keep it ready for making payasam the next day.Chop all the vegetables and store in a box if needed.These pre preparations can be done to make the lunch quickly.

You can do the pooja at any auspicious time. Make sure there is no Rahu Kalam and Yama kandam. Tomorrow – Thursday, we can do the pooja anytime after 7.30am before 1.30pm.

How to prepare the menu

On April 14th, early morning we take head bath and draw maa kolam in the entrance and before pooja room. Keep flowers and decorate the pooja room. Start preparing the lunch menu. Pressure cook roasted rice+dal mixture for making payasam. In another cooker, keep the rice. After cooking rice+dal for payasam, add the jaggery and let it boil. Add coconut milk and cardamom powder.Add the fragrant spices like Pachai karpooram, Jathikai powder. Roast cashews in ghee and add to payasam. Transfer the payasam to a bowl and wash the cooker. In the same cooker, pressure cook moong dal for making paruppu. Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing. Add to the cooked moong dal.Make Mango pachadi.Keep it ready. Make sambar, Poriyal or kootu. We make either poriyal or kootu for the menu. You should make Panakam and neer mor if you keep Panchangam for pooja else its optional.

Lastly you can make Urad dal vada and appalam. Make Mormilagai and pickle if you wish.

If you can’t get Raw mango and Neem flowers, no issues. Just make some thayir pachadi with vegetables like carrot or lady’s finger or even with vada and offer to God.

How to do the pooja

After you finish cooking, wash the banana leaf and spread it in front of pooja place. Arrange all the prepared dishes in the banana leaf.Light the lamps. Show the incense stick, do the neivedyam.Show the dhoop, deep and finish the pooja showing mangala Harathi.

Recipe Linksfor making Full meals

FULL MEALS MENU

Vendakkai sambar
Paruppu for rice
Mango pachadi
Carrot thayir pachadi ( recipe shared below)
Raw banana poriyal (recipe shared below)
Veppam poo rasam
Rice payasam
Pepper vada using mixie
Instant mango pickle
Panakam & Neer mor

OTHER OPTIONS FOR KUZHAMBU (Avoid onions)

Arachuvitta sambar – Brahmin’s style
Mango Sambar
Broad beans sambar
Pumpkin Sambar , cluster beans sambar, Bitter gourd sambar ( Not yet posted)
Morkuzhambu
Morkuzhambu with oats vada

KOOTU VARIETIES

Mixed vegetable kootu OR Avial

PORIYAL VARIETIES

Easy vendakkai poriyal/Okra stir fry

PACHADI VARIETIES

Gooseberry curd pachadi
Banana stem Pachadi

OTHER LUNCH MENU IDEAS

Tamil nadu lunch menu 1
Tamil nadu lunch menu 2
No Onion No Garlic Lunch Menu

PAYASAM VARIETIES

Check out my 18 Payasam Varieties for full collection.

OTHER SWEETS

Sweet pongal / sakkarai pongal in cooker

Obbattu/Puran poli

15 Easy Sweets collection

KESARI RECIPES

All the above recipe links are for variations. You can try any based on the availability of ingredients. Its not a hard and fast rule to make a full meals and offer GOD. Some people celebrate Tamil new year just by offering a payasam & vada. If you are a bachelor and wish to do the pooja, you can simply soak Poha/Aval in Milk adding sugar & cardamom and offer to God. GOD will accept everything and anything if done whole heartedly. The celebration procedure I have shared here is based on my family practice.It may vary as per your tradition and custom.So beginners, please consult the elders of your family and do the pooja Happy .

Wish you all a very happy & prosperous Tamil New Year !!

அனைவருக்கும் இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!!

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Very good recipes Tags: Tamil new year recipes, Tamil new year celebration, Tamil new year celebration method, Tamil new year celebration procedure, Tamil new year pooja, tamil new year procedure, Tamil new year 2016, Pooja procedure, How to celebrate tamil new year, Tamil new year lunch menu, Varsusha pirappu recipes, Varuda pirappu menu, Puthandu recipes, festivals

I have never thought I would make Vadam/Vathal in Bangalore. This year Bangalore’s weather is equally hot to Salem. So I told my MIL to make Vengaya Vadagam and killu vadam for me. Last year when I posted Arisi Koozh Vathal recipe, I had mentioned about my mom’s Killu vadam recipe using leftover rice. Before marriage, I have helped my aachi & mom to make this killu vadam. She makes in lots and store for months together. Its a very simple recipe that is made with pazhaya sadam. After marriage, I learnt another version of killu vadam from my MIL. In this version, boiled rice is soaked in water for two hours, ground smooth adding spices and cooked to make it thick like a koozh. Then it is pinched into small pieces and spread on a paper or cloth. This one tastes so crunchy with melt in mouth texture. But this is a time consuming job when compared with leftover rice killu vathal. Both the versions has its own advantages and disadvantages. So I have shared both the version of making killu vadam. Choose any as per your liking and try it. But however you make, it would be loved by all. The flavor of onion reminds you onion pakoda while eating. You can enjoy this vadam with Sambar sadam, Tamarind rice and lemon rice.Ideal for travel. Try it and share your feedback here. Lets see how to make Killu vadam at home.
Check out my other SUMMER RECIPES too.

Killu Vadam Recipe

How to make killu vadam recipe - 2 versions

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Vadam/Vathal

Serves:2 cups

Prep time:120 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:140 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Version - 1

Leftover Rice - 2 cups
Green chilli - 3 nos
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 2 tsp
Small onion - 15 nos
Lemon juice – 1/2 lemon (small size)
Salt - as needed
Water - very little

Version - 2

Steamed rice/ Boiled rice - 1 cup ( Lunch rice, saapadu arisi)
Green chilli - 3 nos
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 2 tsp
Small onion - 15 nos
Lemon juice – 1/2 no ( small size)
Salt - as needed'
Water - 5 cups ( as needed)

METHOD

METHOD –1

Add water to the leftover rice till it immerses and leave it overnight. The next day morning, take the rice and drain the excess water. Take the rice in a big mixie jar.Add green chillies,Hing and salt. Grind to a smooth paste adding very little water if necessary. Add water in a tbsp only if needed. It should come like a thick paste.So do not make it watery. Its the most important point to keep in mind.

After grinding the paste,transfer it to a vessel. Chop the onions into small cubes and add to the rice paste. Add cumin seeds.Sprinkle few drops of lemon juice. Mix well and check for salt. Take a cotton cloth or plastic sheet/Polythene sheet. Pinch the rice dough and arrange it in the cloth as shown below. Let it dry under the sun for 3-4 days till it shrinks and change in color. Keep it under the fan during night.

Heat oil to deep fry and fry the vadam till it becomes crispy. Deep fry one or two to check whether its dried up completely. If its not chewy and soft inside, vadam is dried. Else sun dry it for another day or two.Fry the vadam till onions turn slightly golden brown. Do not burn them.Remove and serve with rice varieties !!
Remove and serve as an accompaniment for rice.

METHOD –2

Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours. Grind it to a smooth paste adding green chillies, hing , salt & enough water. I added 2 cups of water to grind it.
( Actually this batter has to be fermented over night.But I skipped this step and made the batter instantly by adding lemon juice for sourness).

Add 3 cups of water in a kadai. Let it roll boil.Add the rice paste and mix well.

Add cumin seeds & required salt. Mix well and boil the mixture till it becomes a thick paste. After it becomes a thick paste and leave the sides of pan, add water around the paste and cover the kadai with a lid. Adding water in the sides help to prevent the burnt bottom. Keep the flame low and cover cook the mixture till it changes its color to pale white.

After the mixture is cooled down, add lemon juice and chopped onions.Check for taste.Pinch into small pieces by dipping your hands in water.Spread them on a white cloth or polythene sheet.

Let it dry for 3-4 days till it shrinks and changes in color. Keep it under the fan during night.

Heat oil and deep fry one or two to check whether its dried up completely. If its not chewy and soft inside, vadam is dried. Else sun dry it for another day or two.Remove after the vadam is fried well. Onions should turn slightly golden brown. Do not burn them.Remove and serve with rice varieties !!

Enjoy !

Note

As I told, method 1 is easy compared with method 2.Its ideal for beginners and leftover rice can be used effectively in this summer. Even my choice is for Method – 1.
In method 2, you can add more water while grinding & cooking the batter. If the batter is too thick, vadam may taste hard.So make the batter slightly thin.

I love to have Killu vadam with Sambar Sadam more than other rice varieties. What’s your choice ??

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Very good recipes Tags: killu vadam, how to make rice vathal at home, rice vathal recipe, how to make vadagam, onion vathal recipe, how to make rice vadam maavu, leftover rice vathal recipe, arisi koozh vathal recipe, Vathal recipes, Vadam recipes, Summer recipes, Rice crispers

I am a big big fan of Tamil nadu style thayir vadai. I love it more than sambar vadai & rasa vadai. My FIL used to buy thayir vadai/Curd vada ( Perugu vada in Telugu) from hotel Saravana bhavan and Guptha sweets whenever we visit Salem. On Tamil new year day, I made no onion urad dal Vada/Ulundhu vadai for Pooja.Then I prepared this Thairu vadai using the leftover vada. It came out very well. I served it by garnishing with grated carrot & kara boondhi just like the way served in restaurants. We loved it very much Love Struck

. Long back I have shared my daughter’s favorite North Indian Dahi vada recipe. And now I am happy to share my most favorite South Indian Thayir vadai recipe with you all. Try it during this Summer Vacation and enjoy with your family. Lets see how to make South Indian Thayir vadai/Curd Vada Recipe.

Thayir Vadai Recipe - Curd Vada

Thayir Vadai - South Indian Curd Vada Recipe

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Snacks

Serves:Serves 5

Prep time:30 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

For making vada

White round Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2nos
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Curry leaves - few
Asafetida/Hing - 2 pinches
Salt & water - as needed

For Curd Vada

Fresh thick curd - 1 cup
Water - 2 tbsp
Salt - as needed

To temper

Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Cashew nuts - few
Hing - a pinch

To garnish

Grated carrot - 2-3 tbsp
Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Kara boondhi - as needed

METHOD

Check out myMedhu vada recipe using MIXIE

Wash and soak the urad dal for an hour or two. Drain the excess water completely. In a big mixie jar, grind green chillies, ginger and hing without adding water. Add the drained urad dal and grind it without water. It would grind coarsely.Wipe the sides of mixie jar. Now add 2 tbsp of water.Grind again. Add water in only a tsp or tbsp at regular intervals and grind a smooth & soft batter. Batter should not be watery or too thick. It should be airy & weightless. So add less water and grind the batter patiently. You can use ice cold water too. Do not add salt while grinding the batter. Remove the batter and check its consistency. For this,drop a pinch of batter in a bowl of water. If it floats on top, batter is just right. Remove the creamy batter in a bowl. Beat it well using your hands or an egg beater to make the batter airy( Updated tip from Sujata).Add finely chopped curry leaves, Pepper powder if you wish and required salt if you are going to make vada immediately. Else keep the batter in the refrigerator till use without adding salt.
Heat oil to deep fry and check its temperature by dropping a pinch of batter. If it rises immediately, oil temperature is right. Simmer the flame and drop the vada into the oil.Fry in batches,3-4 at a time in medium flame. Remove in a tissue once it turns golden on both the sides. Make 5 vada and keep it ready.

Check out myMedhu vada recipe using MIXIE for more details !

Take 1 cup of thick curd in a wide bowl. Add 2 tbsp of water or little more and whisk it. Add salt and check for taste.Make sure curd is not too thick or too watery.

Now boil water in a wide bowl till it starts to bubble. Drop the vada in the water. Let it be inside hot water for just a minute. Then remove the vada and put it in the curd mixture.

Let the vada soak in curd mixture for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Make sure vada is well immersed in curd mixture.Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, hing, curry leaves, cashews and add to the curd. You can also add a finely chopped green chilli and add while tempering.
Just before serving, add finely chopped coriander leaves, grated carrot and Kara boondhi. Serve immediately and enjoy !!

Yummy Tamil nadu style thayir vadai is ready !! Enjoy !

Note

Grinding vada batter properly is more important. If the vada turns out hard, it won’t absorb the curd mixture properly.In that case, you can dip the vada in hot water for 30 minutes before putting in curd mixture.
For variations, you can grind green chillies+ginger to a paste and mix with curd instead of grinding with urad dal. But add less green chillies ( 1 or 2) because curd mixture will become too spicy.
Dipping in hot water helps the vada to become soft and absorb the curd mixture.
If the curd is too thick, vada won't absorb it.So add little water & whisk it & dilute before you drop the vada.
Don’t worry even if the vada is too cold or at room temperature. Dipping in hot water makes it warm and helps to absorb the curd.So you can make thayir vadai with leftover vadai easily as I did.
Do not forget to garnish with coriander leaves, grated carrot and kara boondhi.

Enjoy this yummy, creamy, spongy, juicy thayir vadai !! Tastes absolutely yum !!

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Very good recipes Tags: Thayir vadai, thayir vadai recipe tamil, Thayir Vada, South Indian curd vada, South Indian thayir vadai, curd vada recipe, Curd vada, thayir vadai recipe, perugu vada, thairu vada recipes

Long back I have shared a samosa recipe with potato stuffing.This version is purely a Bakery style Punjabi Samosa recipe. I learnt this recipe by watching an Youtube Video by chef Harpal singh and from this blog. Chef had explained the folding part very well. Even though the folding technique looked simple, it needs some practice to make it perfect.After 2 attempts I got it right but not so perfect Tongue

.I have given stepwise pictures for folding.Hope it is easily understandable.For variations, you can make the stuffing with mixed vegetables instead of potato.It stayed crispy for half an hour, but its better to eat it hot to enjoy its actual taste. Lets see how to make this most popular Punjabi Samosa recipe with step by step pictures to make at home Happy

Samosa Recipe - How to make Punjabi samosa

Samosa Recipes - How to make Punjabi samosa

How to make Bakery style Veg samosa at home

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Snacks

Serves:Serves 8nos

Prep time:30 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

For Samosa cover

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup heaped ( 1 cup=250ml)
Melted ghee or cooking oil - 1 tbsp ( at room temperature)
Salt & water - as needed
Ajwain/Omam - 1/2 tsp

For Stuffing

Potato - 3 nos ( big)
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chopped green chilli - 1 no
Fennel/Saunf powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Aamchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped mint leaves + coriander leaves - 1 tbsp ( optional)
Salt & water - as needed
Lemon juice - few drops

METHOD

Take maida in a bowl.Add salt, ajwain and melted ghee or oil at room temperature (Not hot). Mix well with your fingers. It will look crumbly. Now add water little by little and make a tight dough. You may need to use nearly 1/4 cup +/- 1 tbsp of water. So make the dough properly. It should not become soft or sticky. It should be tight but not dry. Cover the dough with a wet cloth. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

In the mean time, Cut the potato into two and pressure cook it.Add enough water and 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder. In a small box, put the green peas and keep it inside the cooker. No need to add water. Green peas would cook well with the help of steam inside the cooker. Pressure cook them in very low flame for 2 whistle. Remove after the steam is released. Drain the excess water and drop the potatoes in cold water so that you can peel the skin quickly.

Peel the potatoes and mash it roughly.Do not mash it completely. Make sure there are some pieces here and there. Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter jeera.Saute ginger pieces. Add the masala powders like fennel seeds powder, red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder and aamchur powder.Mix well without burning them.Keep the flame low. Now add the mashed potato and cooked peas. Add salt, mix well. Add chopped mint+coriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice. Mix well and switch off the flame. Stuffing is ready.

Now take the samosa dough.Divide into 4 equal sized big balls. Dust a ball in maida and roll it to a slightly oblong shape. Cut into two semi circles. Apply water on the straight side. Now join the edges and make a cone shape. Press it well. Hold the cone between your thumb finger and pointer finger. Stuff 2 tbsp of potato masala till its 3/4th filled. Cover the remaining dough balls with a wet cloth.

Make a single pleat by folding the middle part. It should come just opposite to the sealed part. Apply water all over the edges completely. Now pull the pleated part and seal the samosa. It make a flat base to the samosa and forms a back bone to the samosa. Now your samosa can stand beautifully ; )) Make all the samosa and arrange in a plate.

Heat oil and check its temperature by dropping a pinch of batter. It should rise but not so quickly. Oil should be medium hot. Now drop the samosa. 2 or 3 at a time based on the quantity of oil. Deep fry the samosa in low to medium for long time.It takes nearly 8-10 minutes for one batch. Cook both the sides till it becomes golden.

Cooking for long time helps to make the samosa become crispy and stay crispy longer. This is one of the most important point for crispy samosa. Remove in a tissue and serve hot with sweet chutney or ketchup.

Enjoy !

Note

Do not add too much oil or ghee than the mentioned quantity. Adding more gives soft samosa instead of crispy ones. Adding oil gives the bakery kind of samosa than adding ghee. I have tried with both. The smell & flavor of samosa was good with oil than ghee. So its your choice.
Add more spice powders based on your taste. Adding lemon juice is optional. I used it to balance the spiciness.
You can use mixed vegetables instead of potato.

Enjoy this crispy, yummy samosa with sweet chutney & green chutney in your teatime !

Technorati Tags: Samosa recipe,Veg samosa recipe,Punjabi samosa recipe,How to make samosa recipe,How to make samosa at home,snacks recipes,kids recipes,kids snacks

Very good recipes Tags: Samosa recipe, Veg samosa recipe, Punjabi samosa recipe, How to make samosa recipe, How to make samosa at home, snacks recipes, kids recipes, kids snacks

Hakka noodles, or Hakka mee, is a type of noodles - It is yellow in color, normally served in soup and with meat such as pork or chicken fillet, with vegetables and egg ( Source: Wiki).Usually I make Veg noodles with store bought plain noodles.For the first time, I bought Ching’s Hakka noodles and made Vegetable noodles for our breakfast combining Indian & Chinese style.I never thought its so easy and quick to make. I followed the instruction given in the pack on how to cook hakka noodles and cooked it perfectly. Noodles was firm yet soft. It came out well and tasty. Sendhil & Raksha loved it so much. Rice Vinegar & Soy sauce are the star ingredients for this recipe. But I used White vinegar and little tomato ketchup too. I am happy that I tried hakka noodles at home.For a no onion, no garlic version, just skip those ingredients from the list and follow the recipe. Soon I am planning to try Schezwan and more varieties with hakka noodles.Now lets see how to make this Kids friendly, quick and easy Veg Hakka noodles.

Veg Hakka Noodles Recipe

How to make Indo Chinese style Vegetable Hakka Noodles recipe

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Breakfast/Dinner

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To cook noodles

Hakka Noodles - 200 gm Packet ( I used Chings)
Water - 10 cups
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Salt - as needed

To saute

Cooking oil or olive oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 5 cloves ( finely chopped)
Spring onion - 2 tbsp (-do-)
Big onion - 1 no ( sliced)
Carrot - 1 no ( medium)
Capsicum - 1/4 no
Shredded cabbage - 1/4 cup
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Green chilli sauce or red chilli sauce – 1-2 tsp
Tomato sauce – 1.5 tsp
White Vinegar – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Black or white pepper powder – 1 tsp
Salt - as needed
Sugar - 1 tsp

METHOD

Boil 10 cups of water in a wide bowl.Add a tsp of cooking oil and some salt. When the water comes to roll boil, add the noodles. Break the noodles into two while adding in water. Let it cook in open bowl for 10 minutes. In the mean time, finely chop garlic & spring onions, shred cabbage, slice onions, capsicum and carrot thinly.

Toss the noodles once or twice in between.Make sure the noodles is not over cooked and mushy. So toss it every once and then.Check it after 10 minutes. Take a small string. Press it. It should break and soft.Then drain the excess water using a colander and wash the cooked noodles under tap water to stop its cooking process. This step helps to keep the noodles stay firm in shape. So do not skip this step. Let the noodles become warm.

Now heat oil in a kadai. Saute garlic and half of spring onions. Add sliced onion, carrot, shredded cabbage, capsicum and saute well. Sprinkle sugar and required salt. Keep tossing the vegetables in high flame till its 3/4 th cooked. Now add the tomato sauce, chilli sauce, soy sauce and vinegar.Keep the flame low and mix well.

Add the cooked noodles and mix well. Add the black pepper powder and mix well.Noodles should be coated well with the sauce. Check for taste. Add more sauce if needed.

Toss the noodles in high flame for few minutes. Remove and serve hot. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sauces as per your taste.
You can use white pepper powder instead of black pepper powder.
Noodles should be cooked properly. So stay nearby and remove it at the right time.
You can add sliced mushroom, Green peas and french beans if you like.

Enjoy yummy Hakka noodles at home along with manchurian as side.Tastes great !!

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Very good recipes Tags: veg hakka noodles recipe, vegetable hakka noodles chinese, vegetable hakka noodles indian recipe, Hakka noodles, Vegetable hakka noodles, Vegetable hakka noodles recipe, how to cook hakka noodles

I am a big fan of Vengaya Vadagam/ Small onion vadagam since my childhood. My dad used to buy a packet of thalippu vengaya vadagam from an Iyengar mess every year during summer. My mom adds it in Thuvaram paruppu sadam, Kootan choru and we love to have it as a side dish for curd rice too. After marriage, I was amazed to see my MIL making Kari vadagam/Vengaya vadam on her own. She says its a very simple recipe preparation and can be easily made at home. Our job is to just mix and make balls. Sun will do the remaining part, she says funnily Happy

.Since Sendhil is not fond of vadagam, she stopped making it for some years. This year, I requested her to make this yummy onion vadagam for me. Last week we prepared it in Bangalore. I felt the chopping part and sun drying part takes more time. But the end result will be worth the wait. It came out great with wonderful aroma while frying. Iam enjoying it by making vadagam chutney/thogayal and use it for tempering Vatha kuzhambu and Kootu varieties. Nowadays my lunch smells divine because of this vadagam Love Struck

. You too give a try and feel proud to make your own homemade vengaya vadagam recipe. Lets see how to make this easy and yummy Thalippu Vadagam/ Kari vadam at home.
Check out my Koozh Vadam, Killu vadam andJavvarisi vadam too.

Vengaya vadagam recipe

How to make thalippu vengaya vadagam recipe

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Homemade

Serves:15 balls

Prep time:30 Minutes

Cook time:10 days

Total time:10days30Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 200ml

Small onion/Shallots - 1.5 cups ( chopped)
Garlic cloves - 1/2 cup ( Chopped)
Chopped curry leaves - 2 tbsp
White urad dal - 1/4 cup ( soak in water for 30 minutes)
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Toor dal - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1.5 tbsp
Methi seeds -3/4 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as needed
Castor oil - 2 tsp

Cooking oil - to deep fry vadam after drying

METHOD

Wash and soak the white urad dal for 30 minutes.Wash and peel the small onion and curry leaves.Chop it finely. Peel and chop garlic cloves. Measure them in a cup. Take everything in a wide bowl. Mix well.

To this add, mustard seeds, methi seeds, toor dal, cumin seeds, salt, red chilli powder. Mix well using your hands. Drain the water from the soaked urad dal and grind it coarsely without adding water. Dal should be coarse.

Now mix the dal with onion mixture tightly and make balls of small lemon size. Let it dry under the Sun for a day.Coarse Urad dal paste acts as a binding agent here. So do not skip this step, If you wish, you can spread the mixture as it is without making balls and sun dry them. In that case, take the required amount of dried vadagam, keep in a separate bottle and use it. Reserve the remaining vadagam without touching often because there are chances of getting worms quickly.

On the same day night, take the partially dried balls. Break into crumbs and add castor oil to it. Mix well and make tight balls again. Let it dry over night under the fan. The next day, sun dry the balls.As the balls dry, it will loosen. So roll it tight everyday. Repeat the same process until the balls dry completely and becomes black in color.

It will take nearly one week to 10 days to for the balls to dry depending on the weather/heat. For me, it took nearly 10 days. My MIL says it takes a week in Salem. After the balls are dried well, store in an air tight box.

For adding this gravy, take one ball, break into small pieces and fry in oil until it emits a nice aroma. Add to vatha kuzhambu, Kootu and poricha kuzhambu recipes.

Enjoy !

Try these yummy, flavorful vadagam at home and enjoy your lunch !

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Whenever I buy Drumstick leaves/Murungai keerai (in Tamil), my first choice is to make sambar with it. I make Murungai keerai poriyal, adai and even kootu/Poricha kuzhambu with it. But drumstick leaves sambar is my family favorite. Its been long time since I shared sambar varieties in my blog. So I thought of sharing this healthy murungai keerai sambar recipe for rice. Lets see how to prepare this yummy drumstick leaves sambar at home.
Check out my Murungaikai sambar/Drumstick sambar& Drumstick masala recipes.

Drumstick Leaves Sambar

Drumstick Leaves Sambar / Murungai keerai sambar recipe for rice !

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Sambar Recipe

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:30 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To pressure cook

Drumstick leaves/ Murungai keerai - 1 bunch
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cooking oil - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2 cups

To temper & saute

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 3 nos
Curry leaves - few
Sambar onion/Small onion or big onion - 15 nos/1 no
Asafetida/Hing - 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder - 1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - Small lemon size
Water - as needed
Salt - as needed
Ghee – 1 tbsp

METHOD

Take the drumstick leaves from the stalk and wash it twice or thrice. In a pressure cooker base, take the toor dal, 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and cooking oil. In a small bowl, take the drumstick leaves and keep it inside the cooker.No need to add water to drumstick leaves. It will be cooked well with the help of steam. Do not cook the keerai and dal together. Dal will not cook mushy. So I cooked the dal and keerai in separate container inside the cooker. Soak tamarind in water.

Pressure cook the dal & keerai in low flame for two whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the dal well.

Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and hing. Add sambar onions and saute until transparent.

Add tamarind extract, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and boil well for few minutes.Add the cooked keerai and mashed dal.

Mix well and boil the sambar for few minutes. Add some ghee at the end.Switch off the stove.Transfer the sambar to a vessel. Enjoy by mixing with plain rice !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste.
You can replace drumstick leaves with Siru keerai, Thandu keerai and Arai keerai.

Enjoy this easy, healthy sambar for rice ! I served it with cabbage poriyal & Koozh vadam.

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Very good recipes Tags: murungai keerai sambar recipe, murungai keerai sambar in tamil, drumstick leaves sambar murungai keerai sambar, drumstick leaves sambar recipe, sambar recipe, Sambar varieties, sambar for rice

Mango season has started. Last year I shared few ripe mango recipes likeMango ice cream, Mango sago and Aamras. This year I wanted to start my mango recipes with this easy and yummy mango kesari as I love to make different varieties of kesari at home. Mango kesari is nothing but our usual rava kesari cooked with mango pulp. It is known as Aam ka sheera in Hindi, Ambyacha sheera in Marathi and Mambazha kesari in Tamil. Yesterday I tried it for the first time I followed the procedure of my rava kesari recipe and prepared this. It came out so well with the awesome flavor of ripe mango. Do try this kesari recipe for a change. You will love it for sure. Lets see how to make this easy, delicious mango kesari. Even beginners & bachelors can make a perfect kesari by following this recipe.
Check out my Semiya kesari, Karnataka Kesari bath,Milk kesari, Microwave Rava Kesari recipes too.

Mango kesari recipe

How to make rava kesari with mango pulp - Mango sheera / Mango kesari recipe

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Sweet

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup
Mango Pulp - 1/4 cup ( Use 1/2 of ripe mango or readymade mango pulp)
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cashews - few
Water - 2.5 cups
Lemon yellow food color – a pinch ( Optional)

METHOD

Take the ripe mango, peel the skin. Remove the pulp and grind it to a smooth paste without adding water. Measure 1/4 cup of it and set aside.I used readymade mango pulp here.
Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a kadai. Roast the cashews till golden and remove in a plate leaving the ghee in the kadai. Add the rava. It should sizzle in the sides as you see in the picture. Roast it in medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Remove in a plate.

In the same kadai add 2.5 cups of water and 1/4 cup of mango pulp ( you can add 1/2 cup of mango pulp if you want more mango flavor) I din’t want dominating mango flavor in my kesari, so I added the pulp half the quantity of rava.

When the water comes to roll boil,lower the flame completely and add the roasted rava. Mix it well using a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps in it. Rava splashes, be careful while mixing. After all the water is absorbed by the rava, close the kadai with a lid and keep the flame medium. Let the rava cook well for 2-3 minutes.

Open the kadai and add sugar. Mix well with a whisk without lumps. It will become watery. So mix well till the kesari becomes slightly thicker.

Add the remaining 2 tbsp of ghee and cardamom powder. Mix till the ghee is absorbed by the kesari. Don’t wait for the kesari to leave the sides of kadai. Remove it as soon as the ghee is absorbed by the kesari.

If you keep on stirring after this stage, kesari will become hard and chewy.So remove the kesari in a ghee greased bowl or plate. Don’t worry, Kesari will be very slightly watery, sticky and it falls like a ribbon as shown in the picture. It will thicken and tastes soft when it becomes warm. You can make them into pieces if you spread the kesari in a plate OR serve it as a scoop in bowls. Enjoy !

Note

Add 1 cup of sugar if you want more sweetness in your kesari. As we are adding mango pulp, the quantity of sugar I mentioned here is enough.
You can add more mango pulp if you like dominating mango flavor.
I have used readymade mango pulp here. You can take the pulp from the ripe mangoes, grind to a puree and use it.

Enjoy this easy, yummy mango flavored kesari at home with your loved ones Happy

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Usually I make sambarand kazhani kuzhambu with raw mango. My mom makes vatha kuzhambu using dry maa vathal. For the first time, I tried vatha kuzhambu adding raw mango following my MIL’s recipe.It came out really well. I loved the juicy, flavorful, tangy, pulpy cooked raw mango in spicy kuzhambu. Its a very simple vatha kuzhambu recipe. No grinding works at all. Ideal to prepare in busy mornings for working women and bachelors. As raw mango takes very less time to cook, this kuzhambu/gravy can be made in less than 15 minutes. Try this easy, quick mangai vatha kuzhambu recipe during this mango season and enjoy Happy

.Lets see how to make raw mango vatha kuzhambu.
Check out my other mango recipes HERE

Raw Mango Vatha Kuzhambu Recipe

Mangai vatha kuzhambu - Tangy, spicy gravy adding raw mango

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Kuzhambu Recipes

Serves:Serves 2-3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Raw mango - 5 pieces ( 1/2 no)
Tamarind - Big gooseberry size
Sambar powder - 1.5 tbsp ( Add 2 tbsp for more spicy kuzhambu)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Grated jaggery – 2 tsp
Salt & water - as needed

To temper

Cooking oil or Gingely oil - 1.5 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/ 2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp
Toor Dal - 1 tsp
Small onions - 10 nos
Garlic cloves - 15 nos
Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash and slice the raw mango into big pieces.Taste it and check its sourness. Based on its sourness, adjust the quantity of tamarind and sambar powder. Cook the mango pieces adding 2 cups of water. It will take 5 minutes to cook. So stay nearby and keep checking. Check it with a knife whether the mango pieces are cooked soft but firm in shape.

Remove the cooked mango pieces in a plate and soak the tamarind in the remaining mango cooked water. Chop the onions, garlic cloves and curry leaves.
Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, toor dal and cumin seeds. Saute onions, garlic cloves and curry leaves until onion turns transparent.

Take the extract from soaked tamarind and add it to the sauteed onion mixture. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, jaggery and salt. Boil for 5-10 minutes till the gravy thickens.

Lastly add the cooked mango pieces, give a boil and switch off the flame after it thickens. I garnished the gravy with some fried vengaya vadagam for additional flavor. You can add a tsp of gingely oil for garnishing. Transfer the gravy to a vessel and cover it till you serve.

Enjoy with plain rice, any kootu and sutta appalam !

Note

The quantity of sambar powder may vary as per the sourness of gravy. Check for taste when the gravy boils and add more sambar powder if its tastes too tangy.
Adding jaggery helps to balance all the taste.

Try this easy, yummy raw mango vatha kuzhambu and enjoy mixing with hot plain rice.

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This is my first post on popsicle recipes. So I wanted to share a very simple and quick popsicle recipe. What else it could be other than rose milk popsicle. Rose milk is loved by adults and kids as well. Its a best summer drink and a healthy choice for kids. Some kids don’t like to drink it as milk. Instead serving it as a popsicle will sure attract them. My daughter Raksha, who never drank Rose Milk tasted this popsicle and gave poses for my pics too Happy

. Do try this homemade easy popsicle recipe during this summer vacation for yourself & your kids and enjoy !! Lets see how to make rose milk popsicle at home.

Rose Milk Popsicle Recipe

Easy popsicle recipe with rose milk

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Popsicle recipes

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:60 Minutes

Total time:65 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 200ml

Boiled milk - 1 cup
Rose essence - few drops
Sugar - 1.5 tbsp
Popsicle mould - 3 nos
Popsicle sticks – 3nos

METHOD

Boil milk and take 1 cup of it. Add sugar and few drops of rose essence as per the color you need. Mix well and let the milk cool down. Check for sweetness.
- Actually rose milk tastes sweeter than the frozen popsicle. So you should add more sugar than the usual quantity.Keep this in mind.

Pour the milk into popsicle mould till 3/4 th. Cover it with a plastic sheet or zipwrap.Freeze it for 30 minutes.Open it once in the middle and insert the popsicle stick in the mould.Again freeze it for 30 minutes to 1 hour till its set completely.

Take out and show the mould under running water for less than a minute.Remove the popsicle carefully and consume it immediately.Enjoy !

Note

Add more or less sugar based on your taste. Actually rose milk popsicle tastes less sweeter than the rose milk. So you should add more sugar than the usual quantity.

Try this easy popsicle at home and attract your kids Happy

. See who is enjoying it ?? Winking

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Recently I tasted Mexican Veg Quesadillas at Taco bell. Its my long time wish to prepare Vegetarian quesadilla at home. So I bought tortilla sheets and tried it in my own combination after watching few you tube video recipes. I made it for our Sunday breakfast. I din’t have sour cream, cheese or other Mexican ingredients in hand. So I used tomato ketchup and mayonnaise along with mixed vegetables stuffing and made it in our Indian style.It came out very well. Sendhil & Raksha liked it a lot. Try this easy and simple Indian Veggie quesadilla at home and enjoy your breakfast. I am sure kids would love this recipe.Lets see how to make Vegetable quesadilla with simple stuffing Happy

.
Friends, I am enjoying a short vacation in Valparai and surrounding areas. So I drafted these recipes in advance and posting them here. I may not be able to respond to your mails and queries quickly. So please bear with me for another 5 days. Thanks.

Veg quesadilla recipe

Indian style Vegetable quesadilla recipe for breakfast/dinner

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Breakfast

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Tortilla sheets - 3 nos
Olive oil/Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Tomato sauce/Tomato ketchup - to spread
Mayonaise - to spread

For stuffing

Carrot - 1 no
Capsicum - 1/4 no
Big onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1 no
Cabbage - 1/2 cup
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Sauce or green chilli sauce - 1 - 2 tsp ( based on taste)
Herb seasoning/ Oregano mix - 1/4 tsp
Rosemary leaves - a pinch
Salt - as needed

METHOD

Chop the vegetables into thin strips. Heat oil in a kadai and saute the onions, chopped vegetables till its half cooked. Add the tomato strips and saute until mushy.Add salt & sugar while sauting.This helps for quick cooking and prevents color changing of vegetables.

After the vegetables are 3/4th cooked, add red chilli sauce, pepper powder, herb seasoning mix and rosemary leaves.Mix well. Check for taste and add more spices as you like.Stuffing is ready.

Take the tortilla sheets and microwave in high power for 1 minute. I kept in 800w power.Take a sheet and spread the tomato ketchup. Spread the stuffing in the center. Apply 2 tsp of mayonnaise all over the stuffing as shown in the picture.Fold it like a half moon.

Heat a dosa tawa & sprinkle a tsp of oil. Cook the folded quesadilla on both the sides till golden. Remove and cut into three triangular shaped pieces using a scissors. Serve hot with salsa or cheesy sauce.Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chilli sauce & pepper powder as per your taste.
You can replace red chilli sauce or green chilli sauce.
You can replace mayonnaise with sour cream.

Yummy Indian style vegetarian quesadilla is ready to enjoy !!

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I am trying varieties of Mango recipes in my kitchen in this mango season.Recently my friend Shalini gave me a big tin of mango pulp and few mangoes.I tried Ripe mango pickle, Mango Kesari, Mango lassi and mango kulfi with it. I am yet to post Mango kulfi and ripe mango pickle. Lassi is my family favorite recipe. We love to have lassi in different flavors. So I tried Mango lassi at home for Sendhil & Raksha. Its so easy to make and it came out creamy, thick with the yummy flavor of mango.Both loved it very much. For vegan version, you can replace curd & milk with almond milk. Lets see how to make easy, Indian style sweet mango lassi using mango pulp.

Mango Lassi Recipe

How to make creamy mango lassi at home

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Dessert

Serves:Serves 1-2

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Ripe mango - 1/2 no Or Mango pulp - 1/2 cup
Boiled & cooled milk - 1/4 cup
Thick,fresh curd - 1 cup
Sugar – 1-2 tbsp (Adjust based on the sweetness of mango)
Cardamom powder or vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp
Chopped nuts & mint leaves - to garnish

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of ripe mango. Chop into cubes and grind them in a mixie jar adding a tbsp of water. Measure 1/2 cup of pulp from it.

Take the measured mango pulp in a big mixie jar. To this, add sugar, milk, curd, vanilla essence or cardamom powder.Milk should be at room temperature. Grind everything to a thick,creamy paste. Add more milk or curd to adjust its consistency as you wish.

Transfer it to a tall glass and serve immediately with chopped nuts and fresh mint leaf on top. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sugar based on your taste.
You can use readymade store bought mango pulp too. But taste it before you use to check its sweetness. If the pulp is too sour, do not use it for making lassi.
Make sure you do not use hot milk. Lassi will look curdled.
You can use either cardamom powder or vanilla essence for flavor OR you can avoid both.

Enjoy this creamy, yummy mango lassi at home !! It tastes D-licious !!

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I learnt this recipe from my apartment neighbor aunty. She make this tomato kurma (She calls this as Thakkali sambar in Tamil) as a side dish for idli, dosa and Idiyappam very often. The awesome aroma of this gravy that wafts through my apartment made me ask the recipe from her and tried it immediately. It was a lovely combo for idli & dosa. I am sure it goes well with chapati/Roti and Appam if its made slightly thick but not with rice. In Tamil, we used to call as Kuruma Kulambu for mildly spiced gravies. This is one of its kind. It tastes like kurma but looks like Kuzhambu/Sambar/Gravy in consistency. If you are looking for tomato kuzhambu recipe without coconut for rice , please check it HERE. Now Lets see how to do Tomato kurma for idli dosa.

Tomato kurma for Idli,dosa and Idiyappam

How to make Tomato kurma for Idli, dosa, Appam and Idiyappam

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Side dish for idli dosa

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Big onion – 1no
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 3/4 - 1 tsp ( I used Kashmiri chilli pwd)
Salt & water - as needed

To grind

Grated coconut -1.5 tbsp
Fried gram dal/Pottukadalai – 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Cloves - 1 no
Cardamom - 1no ( small)
Dhania seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Garlic cloves - 3 nos
Khus-khus - 1/2 tsp ( optional)
Ripe tomato - 2 nos ( saute in oil and then grind with above ingredients)
Cooking oil - 2 tsp

Coriander leaves – to garnish

METHOD

Wash and chop the tomato into cubes.Heat oil in a kadai and saute the tomato pieces till mushy. Take the grated coconut, spices, ginger, garlic, dhania seeds, khus khus and grind it coarsely without adding water.Now add the sauteed tomato and again grind everything to a smooth paste adding enough water.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Saute the finely chopped onions till transparent. To this add, the ground masala paste along with a cup of water. Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.

Boil the gravy till the raw smell of masala paste goes off. If the gravy becomes too thick, add little water, boil and remove in a bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with Idli, dosa adding a tsp of gingely oil.

Enjoy !

Note

Add minimum quantity of whole spices else it will over power the taste of kurma.
Add more or less chilli powder based on the tanginess of tomato.
You can skip cardamom while grinding.

Enjoy this yummy kurma kuzhambu with Idli, dosa, Idiyappam and Appam !

I love to have Idli drenched in Kurma like you see in the picture. How about you ?? Winking

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I make Potato bondaand onion bajjivery often as both are Raksha’s favorite. But I have seen my mom making Potato bajji, Brinjal bajji and many more varieties of bajji before my marriage. So recently I too tried Potato bajji and Karpooravalli leaves bajji for the first time in my kitchen.Its preparation is very easy. If you make the basic bajji batter, you can prepare any number of bajji varieties with it. Both came out very well and we all loved it a lot. Raksha enjoyed potato bajji( Aloo pakora in Hindi, Urulaikizhangu bajji in Tamil) with tomato ketchup.Try this easy, yummy bajji recipe for your kids as evening snacks during this holidays. They will love it for sure. Lets see how to make this crispy, puffy Potato bajji at home.

Potato bajji recipe

Potato bajji/ Aloo pakora recipe - Kids evening snacks recipes

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Snacks

Serves:10 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 200ml For bajji batter

Besan flour/Kadalai maavu – 3/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp ( Use Kashmiri chilli powder to get red colored bajji)
Hing/Asafetida - 1/2 tsp
Ajwain/Omam OR Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Cooking soda - 2 big pinches ( approx 1/4 tsp)
Water - as needed ( I used around 3/4 to 1 cup)
Salt - as needed
Orange food color – a pinch ( Optional)
Potato - 2 nos ( Medium)
Cooking oil - to deep fry

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of potato.Cut the head & tail portions slightly & slice into 1/4 inch thick rings.Set aside.Do not slice too thick.It won’t cook properly.Use a sharp knife for slicing.

In a wide bowl, mix all the flours,spice powders ( Use Kashmiri chilli powder to avoid food color), Ajwain or cumin, salt, cooking soda and add water to make a slightly watery batter( like dosa batter). If u make it too watery, bajji will have tails.At the same time, thick batter yields hard bajjis.The batter should be thick & flow like a ribbon.It should coat the potato pieces well.Adjust water & flour accordingly.Dip the potato rings in the batter & coat it well.

Heat oil in a kadai and check with a drop of batter to find the correct heating point.i.e. If u put a drop of batter, the batter will rise immediately and floats on top. As soon as u get this heating point, simmer the flame and drop the potato slices coated well with batter.

Deep fry till the bajji color changes golden brown and the bubbles ceases.Flip it and again cook for a minute. Drain & remove in a tissue paper.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Note

Addition of food color gives a nice color to bajji as u see in stalls.But use Kashmiri red chilli powder if you want to avoid food color and get natural bright colored bajji.
My mom & mil adds cumin seeds but I used ajwain for an enhanced flavour. Use any as per ur wish.
Please don’t skip adding soda. It gives a puffy,soft bajji. Make sure u don’t add much because bajji will be very oily and it is unhealthy too.
Adjust the consistency of batter. Batter should not be too thin or too thick. If ur batter has become too thin , add besan & rice flour in 3:1 ratio and adjust the batter.If it is too thick add more water. Always add the extra water using a tbsp & check it.

Enjoy hot, crispy, puffy Potato bajji for your teatime !

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