Chitra's Food Book

During weekends, I am making varieties of poori for our breakfast and I have been sharing the same in my blog. Last Sunday I prepared this paneer( Indian cottage cheese in English) poori for our breakfast with the leftover paneer cubes. When I was searching for different types of puri recipes, I saw this one in Ramki’s one page cookbook. I liked the idea of paneer stuffed poori and tried this recipe in my own way. It came out really well, puffy and soft. Even though it tastes like masala poori, Paneer gives an additional softness to it and make it healthy too. Semolina/ Rava helps to keep the poori puffy and hold its shape for long time. So kids would love it for sure. Do try this different type of poori during this vacation for your kids and family.Enjoy the breakfast ! I made masala raita and onion masala as side dish for this poori. It was a good combination.You can make tomato bhaji, potato masala or even chana masala as a side dish. Ok, Lets see how to make yummy, soft paneer poori with step by step photos and a video !

Paneer Poori Recipe - Poori varieties

How to make masala poori with paneer - Paneer puri recipe

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Paneer Recipes

Serves:12 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:2 Minutes

Total time:12 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Grated paneer - 3/4 cup
Atta/Whole wheat flour - 1.5 cups
Besan flour - 1 tbsp
Rava/Semolina - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Ajwain or cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp( finely chopped, optional)
Salt & water - as needed
Cooking oil - to deep fry

METHOD

Grate the paneer using a grater and measure 3/4 cup from it.Keep aside.
In a wide bowl or plate, take the wheat flour, besan flour, rava, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, ajwain/Omam OR cumin seeds and grated paneer. Mix everything well without adding water. Mixture looks crumbly.
Now add water gradually and make a smooth dough.Dough should not be too hard or too sticky. Knead it for 5 minutes. Make poori immediately. Keep the remaining dough covered while rolling the poori. Take a portion of dough and make uniform sized balls.
Dust the ball in wheat flour and roll into small thick poori. Remember thin poori won’t puff up.So roll it thick. Refer picture below for thickness.
Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry. Check its temperature by dropping a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is just right. If the heat of oil is less, poori won’t puff up. So check it before deep frying. Reduce the flame to medium and take one rolled poori. Pat it between your palm to remove the excess flour. Drop the poori in oil. When it starts to come up, press the poori with a ladle gently. It puffs up well. Now flip the poori and cook for a minute till bubbles cease. Remove & drain in a tissue paper. Serve hot with masala raita and some bhaji/Poori masala.
TIPS: Increase the flame to high till you drop the next poori. Reduce the flame to medium as soon as u drop it. You can follow this to maintain the heat throughout deep frying. If oil becomes smoky hot, switch off the flame for few minutes. After the oil comes to desired temperature, fry the poori.

Enjoy !

Note

Do not make the dough too sticky or soft. No need to rest the dough. Make poori immediately to prevent oil absorption.
Thickness of poori is very important to puff up.So roll it small and thick.
Heat of oil is also an important factor for puffy poori. Check its temperature.
Oil should not be smoky hot.

Try this yummy paneer poori at home for your weekend breakfast and enjoy !

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This is my second recipe using spaghetti. I started trying out spaghetti based recipes recently and my first recipe was easy garlic spaghetti. We loved that a lot. So Raksha & Sendhil asked me to try some varieties of spaghetti recipes for breakfast. Last Sunday I made this easy, Indian style tomato spaghetti recipe with very simple ingredients. I browsed many vegetarian spaghetti recipes and tried it finally with my own twist. It came out really well and we all loved it. Raksha took 2 servings which made me very happy Happy

. For Raksha, I used red chilli flakes, pepper powder in little quantity for less spicy taste and added more cheese whereas for myself & Sendhil, I added more spices, used Italian seasoning and made it without cheese. It was tasting great and packed with full flavor. Friends, do try this easy, yummy tomato spaghetti recipe for your kids and family.Adjust the spice level based on their taste buds. I am sure they will love it. Lets see how to make this easy, Indian vegetarian tomato spaghetti recipe with step by step photos and video !

Tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian spaghetti recipe

Easy tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian style recipe for breakfast & dinner !

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Spaghetti recipes

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:20 Minutes

Cook time:15 Minutes

Total time:35 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Spaghetti - 150 gms
Water - 8 cups
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

To Saute

Cooking oil or olive oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 7 nos ( Finely chopped)
Big onion – 2 nos ( Finely chopped)
Grated Cheese – 2 tbsp ( I used Mozzarella)
Capsicum - 2 tbsp ( Finely chopped)
Ripe Tomato - 5 nos ( small)
Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Salt & water - as needed
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp ( optional)
Sugar - 1/2 tsp

METHOD

Boil 8 cups of water in a wide bowl.Add 1 tsp of cooking oil or olive oil, add 1 tsp salt. Put the spaghetti and let it cook till half done. Now add the whole tomato in spaghetti water and let it cook. Remove the tomato to a plate after its skin gets cracked ( blanched) .

But keep cooking the spaghetti in medium flame for 20 minutes till it turns soft yet firm. i.e Cook Al dente. If you cover & cook, water may spill. So cook it in medium flame till 3/4 th of the water is absorbed.Then cover & cook for 5 minutes to become soft. Take one spaghetti and check it. Break it with your fingers. Taste one. If its soft and slightly chewy, spaghetti is done. Please checkTHIS LINK for cooking spaghetti in detail !
Tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian

Tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian

Peel the skin of tomato and grind it to a puree. Set aside.Transfer the cooked spaghetti to a colander and drain the excess water. Wash the spaghetti in the running tap water so that it remains firm. Keep aside.
Tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian

Heat oil in a kadai and saute the finely chopped garlic cloves. When it starts to turn golden, add the finely chopped onion and capsicum. Saute till onion turns transparent.
Tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian

Now add the tomato puree, salt, red chilli flakes, pepper powder , sugar and Italian seasoning ( If using). Mix for a minute and then add the cooked spaghetti. Toss well till the spaghetti is evenly coated with the sauce.Switch off the flame and add the grated cheese. Mix well, remove and serve hot !
Tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian

Enjoy !

Note

Spaghetti takes more time to cook. It took nearly 25 minutes in medium to high flame. I covered & cooked it for the last 5 minutes.
Washing the cooked spaghetti in running water helps to keep the spaghetti stay firm.
You can cook the spaghetti and keep in advance if making for guests or parties.
You can add canned tomato puree too.
Adding Italian seasoning is purely optional. But it gives a nice flavor to the dish.
If you have fresh or dried basil, you can add that too.

Try this yummy, tomato spaghetti recipe at home for breakfast/dinner !

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Pazham pori @ Ethakka appam– Kerala special Nendram pazham bajji ( Ripe banana fritters in English) was in my try list for years. Crispy and hot Pazham pori with tea/Chai is one of the most popular and classic combo in Kerala. People love to have this pazham pori with hot tea as an evening snack. I have tasted this bajji only once in Bangalore - Ernakulum intercity express train pantry car. I loved it very much and I decided to blog this recipe at that instance. But I couldn’t find nendram pazham/etha pazham in my area. Recently I got few ripen nendram pazham from my neighbor. My neighbors from Kerala used to buy this nendram pazham regularly and feed their toddlers for breakfast as it has lots of health benefits. As soon as I got the ripen banana, this pazham pori recipe flashed in my mind. I browsed for few recipes and videos to make a crispy pazham pori just like the ones I tasted in train. I came across many pazham pori recipes with eggs, besan flour and even with wheat flour. But I wanted to try the traditional, authentic ones. Finally I got this recipe from my neighbor and tried it for our evening snacks.This sweet bajji is of my kind. I loved it a lot more than Raksha & Sendhil Love Struck

. We are planning to visit Kerala during this summer vacation. I have a big list of dishes to taste in Kerala hotels. This pazham pori is also one among them. I will try to update this post and share a picture in my Instagram feed from Kerala tea shop Cool

. Now lets see how to make Kerala special Pazham pori recipe with step by step pictures. I will upload the video recipe tomorrow !

Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam

Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam - Kerala Nendram Pazham Bajji Recipe

Cuisine:Kerala

Category:Snacks

Serves:12 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Nendram banana / Kerala ripen banana - 3 to 4 nos
Maida / All purpose flour – 1 cup
Rice flour – 3 tbsp
Sugar – 1 to 2 tbsp ( based on the sweetness of banana)
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Cooking Soda – a pinch (optional)
Jeera / Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Crushed Cardamom seeds – 1 no ( optional)
Water – 1 cup ( approx)
Cooking oil or coconut oil - to deep fry

METHOD

Take the ripen banana and peel the skin. Cut into long, thin or thick strips as you wish. Set aside. Taste a small piece of banana to know the sweetness. Mine looked over ripen and black as u see in the picture. But It was mildly sweet. So I had to add more sugar in the batter. The quantity of sugar in the batter depends on the sweetness of banana.
In a wide bowl,take the maida, rice flour, sugar, turmeric powder, cumin, cardamom powder and a small pinch of cooking soda. Adding soda is optional. Mix well.
Add water little by little and make a smooth, lump free batter. Batter should not be too thin or too thick. Its consistency should be like bajji batter.It should fall like a thin ribbon. Batter should coat the banana well. So make it accordingly. Please watch the video for reference. I used approx 1 to 1.25 cups of water.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated ,drop a pinch of batter to check oil temperature. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is just right.
Now take one banana strip and coat well on both the sides in the batter. Drop in hot oil. Deep fry 2-3 pazham pori for one batch. Flip & Cook in medium flame on fry both the sides till golden. Remove in a tissue paper. Serve hot to enjoy its best taste.Tea with pazham pori is a classic combo in Kerala. You too give a try and enjoy !

Note

Rice flour is not used in many recipes. But I added it to make crispy pazham pori.
Cardamom powder is also optional. If you want the flavor of banana to be dominant, skip it.
Adjust the quantity of sugar based on the sweetness of banana.
Adding cooking soda is optional. If you don’t add pazham pori looks flat and thin. But mine looked slightly bulgy because of soda. Its your choice of how you want it.

Try this Kerala special snack – Pazham pori at home for your tea time and enjoy !!

Kerala Nendram pazham bajji - ethakka appam

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For every South Indian, Rasam and Potato curry must be the most comfortable & simple lunch menu. Whenever Sendhil have his lunch at office, I make rasam and potato poriyal for myself & Raksha as we both are big fan of this combo. Usually I make my South Indian style rasam recipe adding tamarind, tomato and dal water. But today, I prepared a simple tomato rasam recipe without tamarind and toor dal water for the first time following this recipe. I tweaked the recipe to ease the process. It came out well. Myself & Raksha loved it a lot. It tasted great with potato poriyal. If you are looking for some simple, instant tomato rasam recipe without dal and tamarind, you should give this a try. It can be prepared quickly under 10 minutes. Lets check how to make Instant tomato rasam at home with step by step pictures.
Do check out my Kerala style tomato rasam recipe !

Easy tomato rasam recipe without dal - Simple Thakkali rasam

Instant, easy tomato rasam recipe - South Indian style thakkali rasam

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Rasam varieties

Serves:Serves 2-3

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Ripe tomato - 3 nos ( medium sized)
Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Water - 2 cups ( approx)
Green chilli - 1 no ( slit)
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Crushed garlic - 3 nos
Curry leaves - Few
Sugar - A pinch
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp ( finely chopped) to garnish

To temper

Ghee - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli - 1 no

METHOD

In a mixie jar, take the washed and chopped tomato, pepper corns, cumin seeds. Grind to a smooth paste adding 1/2 cup water.
In a kadai, add the ground tomato paste, slit green chilli, chopped curry leaves, crushed garlic, turmeric powder, salt and a pinch of sugar. Add 1.5 cups of water to it and check for taste. Add more salt if needed. Let the mixture boil well for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell of tomato goes off.
In a small tadka pan, heat ghee and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, pinched red chilli. Add this seasoning to the boiling rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves. Add 1/4 cup water and boil till frothy. Remove in a bowl.
Cover with a lid and give a standing time of 30 minutes before serving. Serve hot with rice, potato curry and appalam/papad !

Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spices based on your taste.
Tomato should be fully ripen. If not, add berry sized tamarind while grinding.
Tempering in ghee is a must. It adds nice flavor to the rasam.
Garnishing with coriander leaves enhances the taste & flavor of this rasam.

This is my way of eating rasam rice Tongue

with potato curry & papad !

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Musk melon (Also known as Cantaloupe in English, Mulam pazham in Tamil, Kharbooja in Hindi, Thaikumbazham in Malayalam) is one of the best summer coolant fruits available across India during summer season. Muskmelon has lots of health benefits. It aids in weight loss, good for eye sight, treats kidney stones, boost immunity and many more. Many people love to eat this musk melon in fruit salad or eat it as such. But we love to have it as juice, milkshake or smoothie.Last year I had shared musk melon juice recipe. So this year, I thought of sharing this easy musk melon milkshake with you all. I used to make it adding sugar but now we have switched to honey as a healthy alternative. But today I have made this post with sugar. You can use either sugar,honey or cane sugar based on your taste. Similarly milkshake is usually prepared with ice cream. But I have just used milk to make it a low calorie drink.Add ice cream if you are making for kids. It adds richness & creaminess to the milkshake.Ok, now lets see how to make summer special musk melon milkshake recipe with step by step pictures and a video !

Musk Melon Milkshake recipe

How to make musk melon milkshake recipe without ice cream

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Milkshake recipes

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Musk Melon - 1 no
Boiled milk - 1/2 cup ( Chilled)
Sugar – 3 - 4 tbsp ( Or add honey as per taste)
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Sprinklers - To decorate

METHOD

Take the musk melon and cut into two halves.Scoop out the seeds in the middle. Drain it in a filter. You can either discard the seeds or sun dry it to make dried melon seeds that can be used for making kheer and garnishing halwa/burfi.
Now scoop the pulpy part of the fruit and transfer it to a mixie jar. Grind it adding milk, sugar and vanilla essence.Add 2 scoops of ice cream if you like. It makes the milkshake much creamier. Grind it to become smooth, creamy and frothy. Transfer to a serving glass. Garnish with sprinklers or few small pieces of musk melon and serve immediately.
Enjoy !

Note

You can replace vanilla essence with cardamom powder if you like that flavor.
If you are making for kids, you can add 2 scoops of ice cream while grinding. It makes the milkshake more tasty.
You should not add ice cubes. Instead you can freeze the milk, crush and add it while grinding.

Try this easy, healthy, yummy, creamy musk melon milkshake at home and enjoy !

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mango pachadi recipe - Tamil New Year Recipes

Mango Pachadi and Arisi paruppu Payasam/Rice moong dal payasam is a must & should neivedyam(Prashad) recipe for Tamil new year(Puthandu) in Tamil nadu. But people make it with their own variations. Some people make this sweet mango pachadi adding sugar. Some make it with ripe mango too. But we make it with raw mango adding jaggery, coconut paste and neem flower ( Veppam poo). This pachadi has to be prepared with 6 different taste ( sweet, sour, spicy, tangy, bitter, salt) to denote that all the emotions of a person has to be treated equally. Tamil Brahmins make it almost the same way but without coconut. Basically I am a big fan of rawmango recipes. This mangai pachadi is even more special as I make it only once in a year and that too on Tamil new year day. I love this combination of sweet and spicy taste more than Sendhil & Raksha Happy

. Today I have shared our style of making raw mango pachadi with step by step pictures and a video. I have also mentioned the points for variations. Do try it for this Tamil new year celebration and offer God ! Check out my Tamil new year lunch menupost for more neivedyam recipes we prepare on this day.

Mango Pachadi Recipe For Tamil New Year

South Indian Raw Mango sweet pachadi for Tamil new year

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Sweet

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Raw Mango - 1 no
Grated jaggery - 1/3 to 1/2 cup ( Based on sourness of mango)
Green chilli - 1 no ( finely chopped)
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - As needed ( I used 2 cups)
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup ( Grind to paste)
Neem flower - 1 tsp ( use only for Tamil new year)

To Temper

Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 1 no
Curry leaves - Few
Hing/Asafetida - a pinch (optional)

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of raw mango.Slice it roughly into big pieces. Set aside. In a mixie jar, take the grated coconut and add required water. Grind to smooth paste. Keep aside.
In a kadai or deep bowl, add 2 cups of water and let it roll boil. Add the mango slices, finely chopped green chillies, salt and cover cook till it turns soft and cooked. ( If the mango is too sour, you may need to add more jaggery for this pachadi. To avoid this, drain the cooked water to remove sourness and then proceed if you wish) My mango was not too sour.So I din’t drain the water.
After the mango is cooked well and soft, mash it roughly with a ladle. Add the grated jaggery ( If the jaggery has impurities, melt it by adding 1/4 cup water and filter it.Add jaggery syrup to the cooked mango).Add little water to melt the jaggery if needed. Mix well and boil till jaggery melts and raw smell goes off. Now add the coconut paste, mix well till it becomes semi solid in consistency. Switch off the flame and remove the kadai.
Heat a small kadai and dry roast the neem flower till it turns golden brown and crispy. Remove in a plate and crush it well. Heat oil in the same kadai and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, red chill, hing and curry leaves. Add the seasoning and crushed neem flower to the mango pachadi. Mix well. Offer God and get his blessings !

Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of jaggery based on the sourness of raw mango.
If the jaggery has impurities, melt it by adding 1/4 cup water and filter it.Add jaggery syrup to the cooked mango.
You may have to add more jaggery if the mango is too sour. To avoid this, drain the excess cooked water and then add jaggery.
We add Neem flower only for Tamil new year otherwise it is not needed.
If you don’t get fresh Neem flower, you can use dried ones.
You can use yellow pumpkin or banana stem to make the same pachadi

Try this sweet mango pachadi for this new year and have a great celebration !

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Yesterday I prepared this South Indian style arisi payasam for Tamil new year celebration. We make this payasam mainly for Tamil new year( Tamil Varusha pirappu/Tamil Puthandu) and Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Sometimes we prepare this sweet dish for Friday Mahalakhsmi pooja neivedyam too. Arisi Paruppu payasam is our family favorite payasam variety.To prepare this Indian style rice kheer raw rice, moong dal, water, jaggery and milk are the major ingredients.Sometimes I use coconut milk instead of boiled milk if making for guest or special occasions. Adding coconut milk makes it more rich and flavorful. Whenever Sendhil gets stomach upset or stomach inflammation problem, I make this for his breakfast with less rice,more dal and coconut milk as both have healing property. I will make a separate post on it later. Today I have shown the basic arisi payasam recipe/Rice kheer with jaggery and milk using a pressure cooker. You can use coconut milk in place of regular milk by all means.Sometimes I prepare the same payasam adding condensed milk (milkmaid) or sugar instead of jaggery just like paal payasam.This kheer can be done easily.Try this yummy, healthy payasam for Tamil new year and enjoy ! You can also make arisi thengai payasam on Tamil new year.Now lets see how to make arisi paruppu payasam/Rice payasam with jaggery with step by step pictures and a video.

Arisi paruppu payasam recipe

Arisi paruppu payasam recipe - Rice moong dal payasam recipe

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Sweet

Serves:Serves 4-5

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Raw rice - 1/4 cup
Moong dal - 1 tbsp
Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Crushed cardamom - 2 nos
Cloves - 2 nos
Mace / Jathikai - a small piece
Cashew nuts - Few
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup ( Vegans use coconut milk instead)
Water – 2.5 cups

METHOD

In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tsp of ghee.Roast the moong dal till dal becomes aromatic and golden brown.Remove in a plate. Add 1 tsp ghee and roast the rice. Roast till it turns puffy and white.Its optional to roast the rice.But roasted rice gives more flavor to the kheer.So the choice is yours.
After roasting the rice add 2.5 cups of water. Add the roasted dal and pressure cook in very low flame for 3 whistles till they cook mushy. Remove after the steam is released. Mash it really well.
Add grated jaggery and 1/2 cup water. Mix well in low flame until jaggery melts completely. ( If jaggery has impurities, you should boil separately and melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water, filter it and then add the syrup to the cooked rice). After the jaggery is completely mixed with the rice, let it boil for sometime till raw smell of jaggery goes off. If needed, add 1/2 cup water while boiling. Add cardamom powder & mix well.
After the payasam becomes slightly thick, switch off the flame and add 1/2 cup boiled milk or thick coconut milk. Mix well and check for consistency. Add more milk if needed. Heat ghee in a small pan. Roast cashews, cloves and crushed mace till cashews become golden. Mix well and add to the payasam. Serve hot.
This rice kheer becomes very thick when it cools down.So you should add more milk, water or coconut milk to adjust the consistency, check for taste. Add more sugar or jaggery syrup if needed. Give a boil and serve hot.

Enjoy !

Note

Roasting rice is optional.But it gives a nice flavor to the payasam.
If you feel jaggery has impurities, you should mix it with 1/2 cup water. Boil and melt in medium flame. Once its melted completely, strain it through a metal filter. Then add this syrup to the cooked rice+dal mixture.
The quantity of milk depends on the desired consistency of payasam.
You can use 1/2 cup coconut milk instead of milk.
Add equal quantity of milk and coconut milk if you wish.
Adding cloves and small piece of mace gives a awesome flavor to the kheer. So do not skip it.

Try this yummy arisi paruppu payasam at your home for festivals and enjoy !

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Elai Vadam – Rice papad made in banana leaf ( Vazhai ilai) was in my try list for the past few years. Whenever my fellow bloggers post this elai vadam recipe, I get tempted to try but I never got the confidence to try on my own. Recently my MIL prepared this ilai vadam using idli rice after watching Revathy Shanmugam mam’s cookery show in Jaya TV. Last week when she came to Bangalore, she brought some vadam to taste. She said its a time consuming process but the end result is worthy.Its taste reminded Delhi appalam we get in exhibition.We had this rice papad sprinkled with red chilli powder and we loved it very much Winking

. My MIL told me the tradition behind this appalam making process.On those days, people in Tamilnadu villages used to make this rice vadam using Vadham ilai or Poovarasan ilai. This vadam is usually given for ladies after delivery ( Postpartum diet) as urad dal papad creates gas problem.This vadam is roasted in direct fire ( Sutta appalam) instead of deep frying in oil as deep frying makes it difficult to digest.The best thing about this vadam is it dries up quickly even under the shade. It takes one to two days to get ready based on the weather in your place.Overnight drying under the fan would be enough. I felt this vadam is ideal for places where there is lack of sunlight. With the help of my MIL, I prepared this easy arisi appalam in Bangalore using raw rice. This vadam can be prepared with raw rice, idli rice or both in equal quantity. If you make it with raw rice, vadam comes out super light, airy and crispy whereas vadam made with idli rice comes out crunchy and very flavorful like store bought arisi appalam but slightly dense in texture.In that case, you can add little sago( javvarisi) to bring the light texture. As I have thatte idli stand, this vadam process was completed within one hour. If you don’t have this plate it may take more time. You can buy thatte idli stand or elai vadam stand in the market if you are really interested to try this one. Now lets see how to make elai vadam recipe with step by step pictures !

Check out my javvarisi vadam, killu vadam,vengaya vadagam& Koozh vadam recipes too.

Elai vadam recipe- Ilai vadam - Easy rice appalam in banana leaf

How to make elai vadam - Easy rice appalam n banana leaf - Summer special recipes

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Snacks

Serves:24 nos

Prep time:120 Minutes

Cook time:60 Minutes

Total time:180 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Raw rice - 1 cup ( I used Maavu arisi/dosa rice, Good quality raw rice is also fine)
Salt - as needed
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Water - As needed (I used 1/2 cup for grinding, 3/4 cup for mixing)

METHOD

Wash and soak the raw rice in enough water for 2 hours. Drain the excess soaked water completely and grind the rice coarsely without adding water. Then wipe the sides and add 1/2 cup water, required salt. Grind to smooth paste like maida. Please note there should not be any grits in the batter. It should be completely smooth. So grind patiently for long time. I used my Indian mixie for grinding the batter and it took 5 minutes. Grind in two batches.
Remove the batter in a bowl.Add cumin seeds. The consistency of batter should be slightly thinner than dosa batter.
Now take a banana leaf and spread the leaf inside the plate according to its shape.Add 1/2 ladle of batter and swirl the plate. Batter spreads all over the plate. If you don’t have banana leaf, just spread the batter directly in the plate & swirl/rotate it.It also works but its difficult to peel once its cooked. If you have 3 plate or 6 plate ilai vadam stand, follow the same and spread the batter in all the plates.
Heat water in an idli pot. When the water comes to roll boil, place the idli plate.Let it steam for 5 minutes. The color of batter changes to pale white & transparent after cooking. Remove the leaf from the plate and let it become warm. Peel the cooked vadam and spread in a cotton cloth( Dhoti) or in a polythene sheet. Do not put in newspaper. It will stick with it.
Let it dry in balcony or under the sun for one day. If you don’t have this option, dry it under the fan wind. When it dries up, it shrinks in size & changes in color slightly.
After one day drying, it would have dried up to 75%. During night, keep it under the fan. If its crispy all over, its ready. If its soft in the middle, it needs more time to dry. So the next day, keep it under the sun & repeat the same till its completely moisture free. Store it in a box & use it for months. Stays good even for an year if prepared properly.
Heat required oil in a kadai to deep fry. Break the vadam into half & deep fry in oil. Flip & cook both the sides. Remove & drain in a tissue. Sprinkle red chilli powder on top & serve as an evening snack or with any variety rice !

Enjoy !

Note

The consistency of batter is very important. Do not make it too watery or thick.
You can make this vadam with idli rice instead of raw rice.
Steaming takes maximum 5 minutes.
Try to peel the vadam after its cooled down.

Enjoy this crispy, yummy arisi appalam with rice or as an evening snack !

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I learnt this recipe from my MIL. Last time when I went to Salem,she kept this podi as side dish for for idli, dosa. Basically Sendhil loves pepper flavored recipes a lot. So my MIL had prepared this pepper podi specially for her son Winking

. We loved it very much and I noted down the recipe immediately. As we all know pepper has amazing health benefits. South Indians include pepper in their food by making rasam, milagu kuzhambu & ven pongal. Apart from these recipes, I feel this pepperidli podi is a great way to include pepper in our regular diet. The quantity of pepper consumption is more in this podi. It should be served by mixing with ghee or sesame oil. It tastes the best with hot idli & dosa. Do try this pepper idli podi for a change and reap the health benefits of pepper.Lets see how to make spicy pepper powder for idli and dosa with step by step pictures !
Check out my ellu podi/ Sesame seeds powder for idli, dosa. Its also an interesting & unique recipe Happy

Pepper idli podi - Milagu podi for idli,dosa

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Side dish for idli dosa

Serves:1/2 cup

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Black pepper - 1 tbsp
White urad dal - 1 tbsp
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Red chilli - 1 no
Hing/ Asafetida - 2 pinches or garlic cloves - 2 nos
Salt - as needed
Cooking oil or sesame oil – 2 tsp

METHOD

Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai and roast urad dal till golden. Remove in a plate. In the same oil, roast chana dal till golden. Add to the plate.
Add 1 tsp of oil to the kadai and add pepper corns & red chilli. Saute till pepper starts to crackle. Keep the flame medium and saute till most of the pepper corns crackle.Lastly add the hing, mix well and switch off the flame. Crackling helps to reduce the spiciness of pepper. But do it patiently without burning.
Add this to the dal plate.Let everything cool down.Add the required salt and grind to a fine powder. If adding garlic, chop it finely and add it while grinding.
Transfer the powder to an air tight box. Stays good for 2 weeks. After that the flavor of pepper gets reduced.
Enjoy !

Note

I have shared the recipe for small quantity. Try this one if you are making for first time. If you like the taste, increase the quantity proportionately.
Do not add more red chilli. The flavor of pepper should be dominant in this recipe.
This podi tastes great when mixed with ghee. But we have it with sesame oil to reduce the calories.
This podi is suitable for idli, dosa, wheat flour dosa and ragi dosa. It doesn’t taste good with rice.

Enjoy this yummy idli podi with idli & dosa adding ghee or sesame oil !

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Instant raw mango pickle - Andhra, Kerala, Tamilnadu

In this post, I have shared how to make instant raw mango pickle recipe in 3 different ways from 3 different states. Yes, Its Andhra style mamidikaya menthi pachadi, Kerala style Nadan mango achar and Tamil nadu style mangai oorugai Happy

. Instant raw Mango pickle is a must to do recipe during mango season.It is our family favorite. I have already posted 2 recipes for instant mango pickle which is my mom’s version. This time just for a change,I wanted to try 3 different styles of making South Indian mango pickle from various cuisines. I followed my mil’s method for Tamil nadu style, referred Sailu’s food for Andhra style & Mia kitchen for Kerala style recipe. All the 3 came out very well & finger licking good. Yesterday I relished a plateful of curd rice with these 3 pickles Winking

.Preparation time, cooking time & Ingredients of this pickle are almost the same. But the method of making has slight variations.Each recipe has its own touch and style. Tamil nadu style raw mango pickle needs less ingredients when compared with Andhra & Kerala. It can be consumed immediately too. Of course I tasted Andhra & Kerala mango pickles immediately after making. Even though they tasted good, I felt they need a setting time of at least one day to know its best taste & flavor. If you have one big raw mango in hand, you can prepare all these 3 pickle varieties in the next 10 minutes.Its that easy ! Soon I must try Karnataka & North Indian( Punjabi) style pickles too.Ok, lets see how to make Andhra, Kerala & Tamilnadu style Instant mango pickle/ raw mango pickle with step by step photos and a video !

Instant mango pickle recipe - Tamil nadu

Instant mango pickle recipe - Andhra style

Instant mango pickle - Andhra, Kerala, Tamilnadu style recipes

How to make instant raw mango pickle in 3 different ways - Andhra, Kerala, Tamilnadu style pickle recipes

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Pickles

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Andhra style mango pickle - Mamidikaya Menthi Pachadi

Chopped Raw Mango - 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 2 tsp ( Add more based on sourness of mango)
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Crushed Garlic - 3 nos
Roasted methi powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds powder - 1 tsp
Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt - as needed

Kerala style manga achar

Raw mango - 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Red chilli powder – 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Garlic cloves - 2 nos ( finely chopped)
Ginger - 1/4 tsp ( Finely chopped)
Roasted methi powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds powder - 1 tsp
Asafetida/Hing - 1/8 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Sesame oil / Gingely oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed

Tamil nadu style mangai oorugai

Raw mango - 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Asafetida/ hing - 1/8 tsp
Roasted methi seeds powder - 1/8 tsp
Salt - as needed
Sesame oil/ Gingely oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

METHOD

PRE-PREPARATION : Wash and chop raw mango into small pieces. Pat dry in a towel. Make sure there is no moisture in mango pieces. Dry roast 1 tbsp methi seeds till golden brown & aromatic. Let it cool. Grind to a fine powder.Transfer to a bowl. Grind 1 tbsp mustard seeds to fine powder. Keep in a bowl. Wash and chop the raw mango finely.
ANDHRA MANGO PICKLE : In a wide bowl, take 1/2 cup chopped raw mango pieces.In Andhra style pickle, I saw few recipes in which the mango pieces were cut into bite sized pieces. But I chopped it finely. So cut the mango pieces as you wish.
Mix red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, mustard seeds powder, methi seeds powder and mix well and keep aside. Heat sesame oil in a kadai and add hing. Mix well and switch off the flame. Let the oil cool down. Then add the oil to the spiced mango pieces. Mix well, cover it . You can enjoy with curd rice or mix with plain rice and eat immediately OR mix well and set aside for a day. The next day oil would float on top. Mix well and use it. Refrigerate the leftover pickle in an air tight box. Use clean spoon to handle. It stays good for a week.
KERALA MANGO PICKLE : Take the chopped mango pieces and add salt. Mix well and keep aside for 1 hour. This step is optional. I din’t do it. Heat sesame oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds. Saute finely chopped ginger, garlic for a minute. Add curry leaves. Simmer the flame completely. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder,mustard powder, methi powder and mix well without burning the spices. Switch off the flame immediately.Add the chopped mango pieces and vinegar. Mix well in the residual heat and check for taste. Add more salt & chilli powder if needed. Let it cool down completely. Remove in a bowl and enjoy with rice.Store in an airtight box, refrigerate it. Use clean spoon to handle. Stays good for a week.
TAMIL NADU STYLE MANGO PICKLE : Take the chopped raw mango pieces in a bowl.Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, methi seeds powder and salt. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes.Check for taste and add more spice powders if needed. Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds. Add this oil to the mango pickle. Mix well and serve immediately. Stays good for a week.
All these pickles stays good for one week if stored & handled properly.Refrigerate it till use. Use clean spoon to handle. Tastes the best with curd rice & Dal rice !Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spice powders according to the sourness of raw mango.
In Andhra style pickle, I saw few recipes in which the mango pieces were cut big in size. But I chopped it finely. So cut the mango pieces as you wish.
These pickles can be prepared well in advance if making for parties or guests. The more setting time, the tastier it would be.
Color of the pickle looks bright red in color only if you use Kashmiri chilli powder.

Instant mango pickle recipe - Kerala style manga achar

Try this easy, yummy instant mango pickles at home and enjoy with curd rice !

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Dum Aloo or Aloo dum is a potato based gravy which is very popular in Kashmir.I browed few recipes and found deep fried small potato/Baby potato is used in this dish.Authentic Kashmiri dum aloo is prepared without onion and tomato. Curd & Kashmiri red chilli are the most important ingredients for the base of gravy apart from spice powders. Recently I tasted Dum aloo for the first time in my friend Megha’s house birthday party. I loved its taste and got the recipe from her. Based on her recipe, I browsed and found this Punjabi style dum aloo in Spice up the curry. After going through rave reviews from the readers comments, I tried this recipe confidently. Yes, it came out finger licking good with a nice flavor. It tastes similar to restaurant style gravies. In this method, baby potato is sautéed in less oil instead of deep frying to reduce the calories. Still it tasted great. Sendhil liked it very much. Raksha has gone to Salem( to my in-laws house) for vacation. I must prepare this for her as soon as she comes to Bangalore.I am sure she will love it. Try this for your kids birthday parties. They will like it for sure. Lets see how to make Dum aloo at home with step by step pictures and a video !

Dum aloo recipe - Restaurant style dum aloo recipe

How to make restaurant style Punjabi dum aloo recipe at home

Cuisine:North Indian

Category:Side dish for roti

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Baby potato - 12 nos
Salt and water - as needed
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( Kashmiri chilli powder)
Dhania powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Crushed Kasoori methi - 1.5 tsp
Fresh curd – 1 tbsp
Fresh cream - 1 tbsp ( I used Amul fresh cream)

To grind

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 2 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos ( small)
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Green chilli - 1 no
Big onion - 1 no
Tomato - 2 nos
Cashew nuts – 6 to 10 nos
Ginger&Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish ( I din’t use it)

METHOD

Wash and pressure cook baby potato in a cooker adding 2 cups of water.Cook for 2-3 whistles in low flame. It takes 15 minutes. In the mean time, lets prepare the masala for gravy.
Heat 1tbsp cooking oil in a kadai.Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel seeds and green chilli for a minute. Add chopped onions and saute till transparent. Add ginger,garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Add chopped tomato, salt and saute till tomato turns pulpy. Add cashews, mix once and switch off the flame. Let the mixture cool down. Grind to a smooth paste adding enough water. Set aside.
Take the pressure cooked potato. Drain the excess water and peel the potato skin.Keep in a plate.Prick all over the potato with a fork. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a kadai.Saute the potato till it turns golden in color and looks roasted. Remove in a plate.
In the remaining oil, splutter cumin seeds. Add ground tomato paste and saute for a minute. Add red chilli powder, dhania powder, sugar, garam masala powder and curd. Saute for a minute. Gravy will become thick and leaves the sides of pan.Add 1/2 to 1 cup water, mix well and check for taste. Add salt if needed.
Cover cook and boil till oil floats on top. Open the lid, mix the gravy and add 1/2 cup more water if needed. Now add the baby potato and mix well. Add fresh cream, crushed kasoori methi and mix well.Boil for a minute.Add water to adjust consistency.Garnish with coriander leaves. This gravy thickens when it cools down.So add more water whenever needed. Boil and serve hot with roti !

Enjoy !

Note

Add more red chilli powder if you want spicy gravy.
Originally baby potato should be deep fried in oil.But I shallow fried it to reduce the calorie.
You can use butter instead of cooking oil.
Adding fresh cream is optional.Skip if you don’t have it.But adding cream makes the gravy rich.
This gravy tastes the best if you give a standing time of 1 to 2 hours after preparation.So if you are making for birthday parties, make it in advance and reheat it adding some water.

Dum aloo recipe - Restaurant style alu dum curry

Try this yummy, creamy dum aloo recipe at home & enjoy with chapathi/Naan/Kulcha !

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I try to include vazhaithandu recipes in my cooking at least once in a month as it has lots of health benefits. Whenever I go to Salem, my FIL buys me banana stem and banana flower because finding these vegetables in my place is very rare. Mostly I make Vazhaithandu juice ( Salt version) Or valaithandu thayir pachadi and sometimes poriyal or thogayal. I haven’t tried any gravies/ kulambu or kootu with it. So this time, I wanted to try some kuzhambu with banana stem. I got the recipe from HERE. I made some changes and tried it. It tasted good when mixed with plain rice adding ghee. Banana stem is a bland vegetable. It doesn’t absorb any flavor or taste within it. So in this gravy, the masala gives the taste more than the vegetable. Original recipe called for using black chana along with banana stem. But I had used only vazhaithandu as I wanted to consume more quantity of this vegetable.If you are looking for some different vazhaithandu recipe, try this one. You may like it Happy

. Lets see how to make banana stem gravy for rice with step by step pictures !

Banana stem gravy / Vazhaithandu Kuzhambu

How to make vazhaithandu kuzhambu/ Banana stem gravy for rice

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Side dish for rice

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Banana stem - 1 no
Salt & water - as needed
Sambar powder - 1 tsp

To grind

Methi seeds/ fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Grated coconut - 1/3 cup
Red chilli - 3 nos
Water - as needed to grind
Tamarind - Gooseberry size ( soak in water)

To Temper

Cooking oil or coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Hing/asafetida - a pinch

METHOD

Soak tamarind in little water. Grind all the ingredients given under “To grind” adding tamarind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Wash and chop raw banana stem into small pieces. Keep them immersed in water or buttermilk till use to avoid discoloration. In a pressure cooker base, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves.
Add the ground paste, 1/4 cup water and saute for a minute. Add 1 tsp sambar powder. Mix well. Squeeze the banana stem and add it to the cooker. Add 1 cup of water, required salt and mix well.
Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mix well and check for taste. Add more salt if needed and more water if the gravy is too thick. Mix well and serve with plain rice adding ghee. Tastes the best when mixed with rice & ghee. Ghee helps to enhance the flavor of this gravy.Do add it !
Enjoy !

Note

Sambar powder is not mentioned in the original recipe.But I used it.
Adjust the consistency of the gravy as you like. I made it semi thick.
This gravy thickens as it cools down. So add more water whenever needed.

Try this healthy vazhaithandu gravy for a change. You may love it !

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After a long time, I am sharing an Idli recipe in my blog. Being a South Indian, Idlidosa batteris a must in my home. So I grind the idli batter at least once in a week and use it for 3 to 4 days.And I used to explore varieties of idli recipes as a result of which you could find 15+ idli varieties in my blog. Myself & Sendhil can manage food without idli dosa for one to two weeks. But Raksha can’t. As she is in Salem, I did not make idli,dosa batter for the past two weeks and managing our breakfast & dinner with upma, instant dosa varieties, paratha recipes etc. Yesterday all of a sudden I got the craving to have idli for our dinner. As I had bookmarked this Instant, no fermentation poha idli recipe from Smitha’s blogyears ago, I thought of trying it. It came out really well and my cravings for idli got satisfied with this easy, instant idli recipe. I relished it truly with tomato thokku. Yes I made an easy tomato thokku recipe in pressure cooker. It was tasting great.I will post that recipe soon.
Even though this aval idli came out very soft, I won’t say it tastes equally well to our usual fermented, soft and spongy idli made with rice & urad dal.As this is an instant version, the natural sour taste & flavor from fermented idli batter would be missing in this idli. So I feel only a tangy side dish like tomato thokku ortomato chutney would be the best side dish for this idli. But this is sure a keeper recipe for people who wants to make quick yet healthy steamed food using poha(Flattened rice/Pressed rice in English, Aval in tamil, Avalakki in Kannada). Its ideal for bachelors and working women. Its good for our tummy as well because curd, poha and idli rava are the major ingredients for this idli recipe. Cooking soda is not essential for this recipe still I used meagre quantity. If you like this idli recipe, you can make many variations like adding grated vegetables, season it like rava idli. Do try this easy, quick instant idli recipe if you run short of our usual idli batter. You will like it for sure. I have shared all the possible tips for making this idli perfect. So lets check out how to make super soft, instant poha idli with step by step pictures and a video !

Poha Idli - Instant Poha Idli Recipe - Easy Aval Idli

How to make instant idli recipe using poha & idli rava

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Breakfast

Serves:15 to 20nos

Prep time:20 Minutes

Cook time:15 Minutes

Total time:35 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Thin Poha/ Paper Aval - 1 cup (Thin Pressed rice/ Flattened rice)
Idli Rava / Idli Sooji - 1.5 cups
Sour Curd - 1 cup ( Semi solid)
Water - 1.5 to 2 cups in total
Salt - as needed
Cooking soda - 1/8 tsp (Optional)

METHOD

Wash the poha once or twice in water. Drain it. It will be soft. Now add 1 cup of curd to it.Mix well and soak for 10 minutes.
Mash the poha after soaking. Add 1.5 cups of idli rava and mix well. Idli rava absorbs all the water content.So add 1 cup water, mix well and let the mixture soak for 10 minutes.
After soaking, mix well and add 1/2 to 3/4 cup water.Mix well to bring thick idli batter consistency. Add water carefully, make thick batter. Thin batter makes flat,sticky idli. Add salt & baking soda, mix well. Make idli immediately.
Grease idli plates with oil. Pour the batter. Roll boil water in an idli pot. Keep the idli plates only after the water starts to roll boil. Close & steam it for 12 to 15 minutes. You will get nice cooked smell of idli. It looks slightly flat after steaming.Don’t worry.
Remove the idli plate and rest it for 5 minutes. Unmold it with a small flat ladle or spoon.This idli may be sticky, very soft & breaks when removed hot. So remove it after the idli becomes warm to get the perfect shape.It stays soft for few hours.
Enjoy with some tangy side dishes. I personally liked with tangy tomato thokkku & tomato chutney more than coconut chutney or sambar. Choice is yours !
Note : If you make the batter in the morning, you can use the leftover batter for making idli in dinner. You can either refrigerate the leftover batter or keep it outside which helps for fermentation.

Note

Most important point to note is idli batter consistency.It should not be thin. No problem even if its too thick. You can add little more water anytime, mix and make idli.So add water carefully while mixing.
Cooking soda is not essential if you leave the batter for 30 minutes to 1 hour resting time.
Unmold the idli only after 5 minutes of steaming. Idli may break when you unmold it immediately. Give a resting time of 5 minutes.
Do not replace idli rava with normal upma rava/Sooji. Results may vary.
If you are using thick poha, grind to a coarse powder in a mixie. Then wash and soak it. I hope it works.
ENO can be used in place of soda but use only 1/8 tsp.

Enjoy this instant poha idli with tangy side dish like tomato thokku or tomato chutney ! You will love it for sure !

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Recently I got a pack of bull driven cold pressed (Chekku ennai) sesame oil, groundnut oil and coconut oil from Gramiyum – An online store. Product & packaging was too good and its professional too. If you are looking for original cold pressed oils, you can buy them online from Gramiyum. They also have organic honey, natural nuts at a reasonable price.My MIL usually says snacks fried in groundnut oil is more flavorful. So I thought of making some murukku by frying in cold pressed groundnut oil ( Kadalai ennai).This instant chakli recipe which I had bookmarked years ago from Savi ruchi blog came to my mind. Its an easy, instant chakli recipe made with easily available ingredients. It came out very well with the awesome flavor of groundnut oil. I have tasted this Chakkuli/Chakri ( My friends tell this way) in my friends place. All my friends here make it during Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali and Gokulashtami festivals. Basically I love this Karnataka style chakli a lot and got the recipe for homemade chakli powder from my friend Priya. I will share that recipe later.This one is made with rice flour and besan flour. Its prepared without butter or ghee. Hot oil is used to bring crunchiness. So it doesn’t have a melt in mouth texture just like butter chakli but tastes crispy and crunchy. It tastes the best with full flavor by the next day. We enjoy this chakli with our evening tea/ chai. As its summer vacation in India, Kids must be nagging you for some evening snacks. Do try this easy chakli recipe at home for your kids!They will like it. Please excuse me for the non uniform shapes. I am not so good or patient enough in pressing murukku. Whenever I say this to my MIL, she funnily says” Don’t worry, are we going to eat in the same shape or is it going to come out the next day in the same shape Winking

, shapes are just for attraction.So try whatever you can, it sure comes by practice".How sweet she is :). This year, I am planning to try more murukku recipes. I hope I can make perfect swirls in future.
Lets see how to make Karnataka style Instant chakli recipe with step by step pictures and VIDEO Happy

.
Check out my Butter murukku/chakli, Potato murukku, idli rice murukku, Lemon murukku, Garlic murukkutoo.

Chakli Recipe - Instant Chakli Recipe - Karnataka Chakli Recipe

How to make Karnataka style Chakli/ Murukku at home

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Snacks

Serves:15 nos

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Rice flour - 1 cup
Besan flour - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( I used Kashmiri chilli powder)
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp (I used black. You can use white too)
Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Hot cooking oil - 3 tbsp
Water - As needed
Salt - As required
Cooking oil or Groundnut oil - To deep fry

METHOD

In a wide bowl, sieve the rice flour + besan flour.To the sieved flour, add salt, red chilli powder, sesame seeds and hing.
Heat cooking oil and add it to the flour. Mix with a spoon till oil spreads well in the flour.
Add water gradually and make a smooth dough.Make the dough slightly sticky.If the dough is too hard, chakli will break while pressing.Cover the dough with a wet cloth till use. Besan flour in the dough absorbs more water and dough becomes thick over time. So if the chakli breaks while pressing, sprinkle little water to the dough and try again. You will get it right. Sprinkle water whenever needed.
Take the chakli maker with star mould, fill with the dough. Press it on a butter paper or cotton cloth.Make shapes. Cover it till use else dough will become dry and murukku breaks while frying.
Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry the chakli. When the oil is heated, drop a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is right.
Drop 2-3 chakli for one batch.Keep the flame medium. Do not touch the chakli for one minute. Let it cook in the hot oil. Then flip it and cook the other side. Keep the flame medium. Cook the chakli till 90% of bubbles cease and becomes golden. Remove in a tissue paper. Repeat the same & fry all the chakli. Store in an air tight box after it cools down completely. Tastes best the next day !

Enjoy !

Note

Besan absorbs all water in the dough.So you may need to add sprinkle more water whenever needed while pressing.
Do not reduce the quantity of hot oil else chakli may turn hard.
Make sure oil temperature is right else murukku absorbs more oil.

Try this easy, instant chakli for your kids and family’'. They will love it !

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Easy tomato onion thokku recipe using pressure cooker - Recipe with step by step pictures and Video.

Last week I prepared this easy tomato onion thokku recipe (Thakkali Vengayam thokku in Tamil) as a side dish for Instant poha idli.As the poha idli tasted bland without sourness, this thokku was ideal for it. Some of you would have noticed this thokku in that plate I think. Usually I prepare my mom’s style tomato thokku in a kadai. But recently I tried making it directly in our Indian pressure cooker.I feel this easy and quick one pot method is time saving when compared to the thokku cooked in a kadai. Yes, by the time you steam the idli, this would be ready. So this method will help bachelors, working women and housewives to make a quick side dish for idli, dosa and chapati/roti during busy morning hours. Nowadays Raksha likes to have it with idli. So I pack idli and thokku for her lunch box at least twice in a week. I hope your kids will love it too. Do try this easy tomato onion thokku in pressure cooker for a change and tell me how it helped you Happy

. Lets see how to make tomato onion thokku with step by step pictures and video !
Check out my another version of tomato onion thokku recipe – Chef Venkatesh Bhat’s recipe if you like! Also check out my no onion no garlic tomato thokkutoo.

Easy tomato onion thokku recipe using pressure cooker

How to make tomato onion thokku easily in a pressure cooker

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Side dish for idli dosa roti

Serves:Serves 2-3

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Ripe Tomato – 4 nos
Big onion – 2 nos
Red chilli pwd – 1 tsp
Turmeric powd – 1/4 tsp
Hing / Asafetiida – 1 pinch ( optional)
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - To garnish
Salt & water - as needed

To Temper

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

METHOD

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal.Add curry leaves and chopped onion. Saute till onion turns transparent.
Add the chopped tomato and saute for a minute.Add turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Saute till tomato turns mushy.
Now add the red chill powder and saute till its raw smell goes off. Mix for a minute. Add 1/4 cup of water at the end. Do not add more water, moisture in the tomato & little water is sufficient to make thick thokku. Mix well and cover the cooker with a lid.
Pressure cook for 2 whistles in high flame. Remove the lid after the steam is released.Mix well and check if there is excess water and thokku is watery . If so, boil for a minute in high flame.
Remove the thokku in a bowl.Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with idli,dosa drizzling a tsp of sesame oil. Tastes yum !
Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chilli powder as per taste.Use 1/2 tsp for less spicy taste.
Garnishing with coriander leaves make it more flavorful.
If you like thokku to be watery and thin, add more water.
Use fully ripen tomato for best taste.
You can make the same thokku in kadai as well. But you should cook the onion in water before adding tomato and spice powders so that onion tastes soft.

Try this easy tomato thokku in a pressure cooker and have a quick side dish for idli,dosa !

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Very good recipes Tags: Tomato thokku recipe, tomato onion thokku recipe, easy tomato thokku recipe, easy tomato thokku, tomato recipes, Side dish for idli dosa, thokku varieties, side dish for idli, tomato thokku, tomato thokku in a pressure cooker, onion tomato chutney recipe, Onion tomato thokku, side dish for chapati

Chitra pournami pooja celebration at home

Hello Friends, In this post, I have shared the importance of Chitra Pournami– (A festival with my name Winking

) celebration, how to celebrate it at home with its pooja procedures as per my family’s practice. I have also shared the links for Chitra pournami recipes for neivedyam. Hope this post would be helpful for beginners. I must thank my Mother-in-law for giving me detailed guidance about this celebration. Please visit my in-laws blog “ LEARN KOLAM” for Rangoli/ Kolam ideas for this festival.
Chitra Pournami is a ceremony observed on the Poornima day (Full moon day) in the Tamil month of Chithirai that falls any day between April 15^th– May 15^th. This year 2017, it falls on 10th May-2017 ( i.e on Wednesday). Chitra pournami is one of the important festivals celebrated in Tamil nadu.
This auspicious day is celebrated as Chitragupta’s Birthday. Chitra Pournami /Chithirai pournami (in Tamil) ritual commemorates Chitra gupta who is known as the assistant of Lord Yama, the God of Death. Chitra means collection of Pictures and Gupta means Hidden. Chitra Poornima is the day dedicated to Chitra Gupta, the Keeper of Deeds. Lord Brahma created Chitra Gupta through the Sun God and he is considered as the younger brother of Lord Yama. It is believed that Chitra Gupta examines the good and bad performances of each individual. When a person dies, his soul first goes to Lord Yama, where Chitragupta tallies the deeds and report it to Yama. He reads out the good and bad deeds of the person.He is the Devata for planet Kedhu. Worshipping Chitra Gupta on this day would ward of kedhu dhosha in one's horoscope.Worshipping Vinayaka also ward of this dosha. There is only one temple in South India for Chitragupta at Kanchipuram. Chitra Pournami is a very auspicious day here. The day is also dedicated to Indra, the head of Devas. It is on this day that the star Chitra and Pournami (full moon) come together.
On this day, special poojas are conducted at temples and people take bath in holy rivers and temple ponds to wash away the sins committed and to bag the virtue for the life beyond. Chitra Pournami is the time where your sins can all be cleansed. Many people would observe fasting ( Viratham in Tamil) and make the sacred walk on Chitra pournami day in Tiruvannamalai. Offering food to the poor and needy people during this night would receive the blessing from the Almighty directly, along with this you can vanish the bad karma which is on you. To know more about this festival, please check my FIL's post in Learn Kolam.
Source : http://www.astrologypredict.com/masimagam.php
In our home, every year we used to celebrate Chitra pournami in a grand manner by drawing maakolam all over the house and by offering Navadhaniyam ( 9 varieties of grains) in a Muram , Vellai pongal ( without salt, உப்பு சேர்க்காத பொங்கல்)), Sweet pidi kozhukattai, Raw mango pachadi, Panagam and neer mor for neivedyam. So based on ours I have shared the details of Chitra Pournami celebration procedure below with pictures. Hope you will find it helpful. Tamil brahmins have their own way of celebration which may differ from this. So please consult the elders of your family if you have any doubts regarding your tradition.

This kolam is from my in-laws blog Learn kolam. We usually draw this thear kolam for Chitra Pournami.Click the above picture to see the video

Our Celebration Procedure

Ingredients needed for pooja & neivedyam

For Pooja

Winnowing basket / Muram in Tamil
New mud pot for making pongal, keeping panagam and neer mor ( This is optional)
9 grains ( Navadhaniyam – Any 9 from this list : Chana/chickpeas( brown & white), Green moong dal, Masoor dal, Toor dal,Urad dal ( Black or white), Peas, Rajma, Black eyed peas ( karamani), Ragi, Wheat, Arisi nel ( unhusked rice), Yellow moong dal, chana dal )
Raw rice ( maavu arisi ) Or Rice flour to draw maakolam ( Visit THIS LINK to check maakolam)
Raw Mango – 1 no for keeping near muram.
Indian Hand Fan / Kai visiri in Tamil (விசிறி)
One full coconut ( It would be better if its with mattai/shell)
One paper written with “Chithiranar Puthiranar Sivanadiyar Perungkanakar”)
One Pen
Lamp, wick, Oil/ghee, matchbox, incense stick, dhoop, camphor
Betel leaf & nut ( Vetrilai paaku), banana ( 2 nos) and one coconut

For Neivedyam

Raw rice(Maavu arisi) if making homemade rice flour for sweet pidi kozhukattai OR Store bought modak flour (kozhukattai maavu)
Raw mango, Jaggery, Green chilli for making Mango pachadi
Curd, water, ginger, green chilli, seasoning ingredients for neer mor
Raw rice ( Good quality sona masoori) for making white pongal without salt
Water,edible camphor, jaggery, cardamom, cloves for making panagam

Neivedyam Recipes

Our Celebration

Pre – Preparation

On the previous night of Chitra Pournami, we wash the lamps, keep turmeric, kumkum dots, put thread and keep it ready for the next day. Sweep the house and keep it clean. Usually we make sweet pidi kozhukattai using homemade rice flour. So we prepare the homemade rice flour in advance and keep it ready for next day’s use. We draw maakolam in the entrance and in front of pooja room. Usually we drawthear kolam in the entrance and pooja room. Foot of Chitra gupta along with an umbrella, hand fan, stick,foot of bull, foot of horse and flag should also be drawn. Refer picture below. You should draw it from entrance till pooja room just the way you put Lord Krishna feet for Gokulashtami/Krishna jayanthi. It is believed that Chitra Gupta is entering our house on this day. Refer the picture below.

Wash the muram and divide into 9 parts by drawing segments using maakolam. Keep 9 types of grains/ Navadhaniyam in them as shown in the picture. Keep a fresh bunch of neem flower if you have. I have kept some dried flowers.You should also keep a coconut, raw mango and palm hand fan nearby the muram. I have kept sandalwood hand fan as I don’t have palm hand fan ( Please refer the first picture of this post). In a white paper, write “Chithiranaar Puthiranaar Sivanadiyaar Perungkanakkar” ( "சித்திர புத்திரனார் சிவனடியார் பெருங்கணக்கர் ") and keep a Pen nearby. Place a raw mango & coconut in the muram. My MIL says "Kothoda manga kulaioda thengai" is placed in olden days. Please refer the picture given below.Keep this muram ready the previous night itself.

On Festival Day
The next day early morning ( around 6 am), we take head bath and start to make dishes for neivedyam. We make sweet Pidi kozhukattai by mixing the 1 cup of homemade rice flour in jaggery syrup ( 1 cup grated jaggery & 1.25 cups of water) adding 1/4 tsp of cardamom powder & 2 tbsp of grated coconut. Make shapes using fingers and steam it in an idli pot. In the mean time, wash and pressure cook 1/2 cup of raw rice adding 2.5 cups of water.Cook for 2 whistle in very low flame. Remove and mash the rice.Transfer to a bowl. Make a dent in the center. Keep a small piece of banana, jaggery and add a tsp of ghee. If you wish you can make a no onion no garlic sambar as well. Then make Panagam by mixing water, jaggery, a pinch of edible camphor, crushed cloves, cardamom. Make neer mor and temper it. Keep all the neivedyam dishes in mud pots and plates if you have. Every year my MIL used to buy a new mud pot for making pongal and serving panakam, neer mor. She buy 3 pots ever year.But that practice has become obsolete now.
In an auspicious time of the day, light the lamp and keep the neivedyam in front of God. Avoid Rahu Kalam and Yama kandam.Place the muram ( winnowing basket) with 9 grains, hand written paper & pen. In a plate, keep betel leaves, nuts, banana and a coconut. Keep the panakam, neer mor in bowls.Sweet pidi kozhukattai and white pongal in a plate. Show the deep, dhoop and mangala harathi.Finish the pooja. If you wish, you can read the story of Chitra Gupta and chant some slokhas as well.
This is how we celebrate Chitra Pournami festival in our house. There may be slight variations in the celebration procedures based on your tradition. Consult the elders in your home and do the changes accordingly. Some people also make Vada, Payasam for lunch.
If you wish, you can offer food to the poor & needy on this night to get the blessings of Almighty and remove the bad karma on you. I hope this post would help you to get some idea of Chitra Pournami celebration. Share your celebration procedure too Happy

.
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Very good recipes Tags: Chitra Pournami, Chitra Pournami celebration, How to celebrate Chitra Pournami, Chitra Pournami festival, Chithirai pournami, Chitra Poornima, How to celebrate, Festival recipes

Potato curry ( Urulai Kizhangu poriyal in Tamil) is known to be one of the best side dish recipes for sambar rice, rasam rice, Dal rice or even curd rice for many South Indians. Sometimes I love to have it rolled in chapathi as its a dry curry.Indian style potato roast or potato fry ( Aloo curry in Hindi) can be done in ‘N’ number of ways. People prepare it with their own variations and style. Most of us have adopted our mom’s recipe when we were beginners in cooking. Yes, I too learnt this way of making boiled potato curry from my mom. She makes it for rasam rice. Every Thursday Dal/Paruppu,Tamarind pachadi/ Puli pachadi, Rasam, Potato curry and Papad would be our lunch menu before my marriage Winking

. But amma makes spicy potato curry whereas I prepare a less spicy version. So adjust the quantity of chilli powder according to your taste. In most of our houses, potato curry makes it appearance once in a week at least for our kids sake as this would be the favorite side dish for many. In my house too, I make this potato poriyal mainly for Raksha’s lunch box as she loves to take it without any complaints and brings back empty lunch box in the evening Happy

.So I pack Dal rice( Paruppu sadham) and Potato curry (Urulai kizhangu poriyal in Tamil) at least once in a week for her lunch box.Its also an easy side dish to prepare during busy morning hours.When you have boiled potato ready in hand, this poriyal can be done under 10 minutes.I am sure bachelors and working women find this recipe useful. Do try this easy and simple boiled potato fry and let me know your feedback Happy

. I love it with Sambar & Rasam sadam. Lets see how to prepare South Indian style Potato poriyal with step by step pictures and a video !
Check out myMIL’s Potato poriyal version which I make it specially for my guests Winking

.Also check out my no onion no garlic Brahmin style potato curry !

Easy Potato Poriyal/ Boiled potato curry for rice

How to make simple and easy boiled potato poriyal for rice - Urulaikizhangu poriyal for rice

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Curries/Poriyal Recipes

Serves:Serves 2-3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To Pressure Cook

Potato - 2 Big
Water - As needed ( to pressure cook)

To Temper

Cooking oil - 2 - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Big onion - 1 no ( finely chopped)
Ginger&Garlic paste - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp( Add 1 tsp for spicy poriyal)
Salt - As needed
Lemon juice - Few drops
Coriander leaves - To garnish

METHOD

Wash and pressure cook potato in required water for 2-4 whistles in medium flame. In the mean time, wash and chop the big onion into small pieces.Set aside.
Take the pressure cooked potato, peel the skin.Chop into cubes.In this recipe, I used the potato which were boiled and refrigerated the previous day. So I was able to cube into neat pieces. U can follow this way too. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add onions and saute till transparent.
Add the ginger,garlic paste and saute till raw smell vanishes. Keep the flame medium. Then add the cubed potato pieces, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.Add red chilli powder and mix till the red chilli powder is coated all over the potato.
Saute for another few minutes till raw smell of red chilli powder goes off. Switch off the flame and add lemon juice, garnish with coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot with Rasam or Sambar !
Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chilli powder as per your taste.
Lemon juice helps to balance the spicy taste of poriyal.
Adding ginger garlic paste is optional. But I recommend to add it.
Garnish with coriander leaves gives a nice flavor. But I used curry leaves as I don’t have the stock.

Try this easy, yummy Potato curry recipe for rice. Enjoy ! I love to have it like you see in the picture below Love Struck

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Frooti is my most favorite mango drink since childhood. I guess most of you are like me Winking

.On those days, for any small functions at home like birthday party or guest visits, Frooti bottle makes its presence without fail Happy

. My mom used to serve it as a welcome drink. Even though there are many soft drinks available in the market, the craze for this store bought mango drinks like Frooti, Maaza or Slice never goes away. But once my family had a bad experience after drinking Frooti in a tetra pack. It must be an old stock I guess Worried

. So we stopped buying it and started running miles away whenever I see it in functions or parties. I restrict Raksha & Sendhil too. Last week I bought few alphonso mangoes and a raw mango to try some interesting recipes with it. When I was browsing for it, I saw few homemade Frooti recipe. I never imagined Frooti making process at home would be so easy with very less ingredients and that too without any preservatives Batting Eyelashes

. What else I need to try this ! Happy

I became very happy and tried it immediately with an over ripen mango which I wanted to finish off.This juice came out yummilicious in taste Love Struck

. It tasted very close to Frooti, Maaza or any store bought mango drink. Sendhil & Raksha loved it and gave a big thumbs up Party

.You can make this as concentrate, refrigerate & store it, add ice cold water to dilute it and drink chilled anytime.The best part is we didn’t get any stomach pain, loose stools, cold/throat infection or fever Peace Sign

. As everyone says, Homemade is always the best !! Now I don’t have to buy the highly priced mango drink from shops anymore. I have tried this drink thrice so far with different mangoes and observed few points. To make a perfect homemade Frooti recipe, you must follow this.
1. Use only Alphonso mangoes.It works the best ! Taste differs for Badami, malgova or Banganapalli mangoes.
2. Mango should be over ripen.Make sure it doesn’t have sour taste. You can clear off the over ripen ( about to decay) mangoes by making this drink.
3. The ratio of ripe mango & Raw mango should be 2:1 based on the size of raw mango.
4. Quantity of sugar differs as per the sweetness of mango.
5. Color of the juice also varies based on the color of mango.
Now I can confidently prepare this mango juice for my guests. You too try this recipe in this summer vacation for your kids and family. I am sure your kids will sing “ Mango Frooti Fresh and Juicy” Laughing

. Ok, Lets see how to make Homemade mango Frooti recipe with step by step pictures and a video !

Homemade Mango Frooti Recipe - How to make Frooti drink at home

Mango Frooti Recipe - How to make mango frooti drink at home without any preservatives and very less ingredients !

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Drinks

Serves:4 glasses

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Over ripen Alphonso mango - 1 no (1 cup chopped)
Raw mango - 1/2 no (If small sized mango or 1/4 part of big mango) (1/2 cup chopped)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (Adjust)
Water - 3 to 4 cups
Ice cubes – while serving

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of raw mango & ripe mango.Chop into pieces.
In a pressure cooker, take the chopped mango pieces, add sugar and 2 cups of water.Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles or till mango cooks soft.
Open the cooker after the steam is released.Strain it and filter the cooked water. Keep it aside till use.
Grind the cooked mango to a pulp without adding water.Mix this pulp with the cooked mango water. Mix well and strain it again to remove the fiber part of mango. Discard the fiber part.
Mix the mango juice well and check for taste and thickness.If you want to store as concentrate,pour in a glass bottle and refrigerate it. If serving immediately, add 1/2 to 1 cup water. If sugar is less, add little more sugar and mix well. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours till chilled.
Put some ice cubes in a glass and pour the drink. Serve immediately ! This drink stays good for 3 days if refrigerated !

Enjoy !

Note

Use over ripen alphonso mango for best taste.
Adjust the quantity of sugar and water as per taste and desired consistency.
Some recipes suggested equal quantity of ripe mango and raw mango. But I feel 2:1 ratio would be fine.

Enjoy yummy, juicy homemade Mango Frooti !

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Vegetable Mayonnaise sandwich was in my try list for long time. I make sandwich recipes only during weekends if I have less time to prepare breakfast Winking

. Most of the time I make vegetable sandwich inthis way. Recent days I started looking for varieties of Indian vegetarian sandwich ideas. One such recipe is this Veg Mayo sandwich. In fact my friend Shalini told this recipe long back but couldn’t try it. Last week I bought a box of Fun Foods Veg Mayonnaise ( eggless mayonnaise) to slather in Veg burger for my daughter. Suddenly I reminded about this sandwich and tried it with few leftover bread slices at home. As the sandwich filling/spread is a no cook recipe,I felt it very easy to make.The only time consuming part is to grate or chop the vegetables finely Tongue

. When you make it for just two people, its not that difficult too. I have toasted the bread with butter before filling with the mayonnaise spread. But toasting the bread is completely optional. If you want to prepare a quick and simple sandwich, you can just smear butter in the fresh, plain bread slice and enjoy it. If your kids like this sandwich, you can pack this for their snack box. Overall, this sandwich is a good choice for Indian vegetarians to make a quick breakfast or dinner. Ideal for bachelors and working women. Lets see how to make Vegetable mayo sandwich recipe with step by step pictures. I will upload the video soon.

Check out my Grilled Cheese sandwich and paneer sandwich recipes too !

Vegetable Mayonnaise Sandwich Recipe - How to make Indian Veg Mayo Sandwich

Easy, quick Vegetable mayonnaise sandwich recipe for breakfast or dinner !

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Sandwich recipes

Serves:Serves 2

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Bread slcies – 6 nos ( I used white bread, U can use whole wheat bread too)
Eggless Mayonnaise – 1/2 cup ( I used Fun Foods brand)
Grated carrot – 1/4 cup
Capsicum – 2 tbsp ( Chopped finely)
Big onion – 1/4 cup ( chopped finely)
Boiled Sweet corn – 1/4 cup
Black Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Red Chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp
Salt – as needed
Grated Cheese – 2 tbsp (Optional)

METHOD

Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients except bread slices. Make the filling and keep it ready.
Heat a dosa pan and melt a tsp of butter. Toast a bread slice till golden brown on both the sides. Toast all the slices similarly.
Take a toasted slice and spread the mayonnaise stuffing.Cover it with another slice of bread. Cut it diagonally and serve immediately.
For variations, you can skip the toasting part and make it in raw bread to make your job simple. If you use fresh bread, this sandwich would be very tasty. For this, apply butter on one side of bread, spread the filling and cover with the another buttered bread slice. You can also grill this sandwich if you wish.Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of pepper powder as per your taste.
You can add grated cheese in the filling if making for kids.
You can make this sandwich using fresh, raw bread slices without toasting them.
For variations, you can keep slices of onion, tomato, cucumber instead of making filling with mayonnaise.

Try this easy, yummy veg mayo sandwich for your kids. They will love it.
Veg mayonnaise sandwich

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I am happy to share a millet recipe after a long time in my space. As you all know, I have been trying varieties of Poori recipes during weekends and sharing the same in my web page. Soon I will make a collection of them in my page for quick reference. Last weekend I tried ragi poori for our Sunday breakfast. Ragi (Finger millet in English, Kezhvaragu in Tamil, Mandua in Hindi, Ragi in Kannada, Koovaragu in Malayalam, Ragulu in Telugu) is a very healthy millet that is rich in calcium & iron.Usually I make recipes with ragi flour at least once in a week to include it in our regular diet. Most of the time I prepare ragi dosa as its a quick, easy and instant dosa recipe. Sometimes Ragi porridge/Ragi kanji and ragi idli. Recently I came across this finger millet puri in some websites. I quickly browsed for the recipe, made some changes and tried it. It came out really well and soft.Though it looks hard & dry in the picture, the actual texture and taste was really nice. We are adding equal quantity of wheat flour to the ragi flour to give a binding to the poori dough. Rava is used to maintain the puffiness of poori for long time. Ghee is to give softness.Do try this poori for a change with a healthy addition of Ragi.You will like it I think :). Lets move on to the recipe of how to make Ragi poori with step by step pictures ! Please watch my basic Poori video for reference as the ingredients and the method of making this ragi poori is almost the same.

Ragi Poori - Finger Millet Poori Recipe

How to make Ragi Poori/Finger millet poori recipe for breakfast - Basic poori recipe with a healthy addition !

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Breakfast Recipes

Serves:9 nos

Prep time:20 Minutes

Cook time:2 Minutes

Total time:22 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Ragi flour / Finger millet flour - 1/2 cup
Wheat flour / Atta - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/2 tsp
Rava/Sooji - 1 tsp ( I used upma rava,coarse ones)
Salt & water - as needed
Cooking oil - to deep fry poori

METHOD

In a wide bowl, take the ragi flour, wheat flour, required salt, rava, ghee and mix well. Now add water gradually and make a thick dough.No problem if the dough is slightly sticky and have cracks.
Now grease your hands with oil lightly.Knead the dough very well for 5 minutes.Dough will become smooth and non-sticky. Do not rest the dough. Make poori immediately else it may drink oil.
Make small balls from the dough and set aside.Keep it covered with a plate. Take one ball, dust in wheat flour and roll into small, thick poori. Poori won’t puff up if rolled thin.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , drop a pinch of dough.If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is right.Oil should not be smoky hot.Drop one poori and when it starts to float on top, press it with a ladle gently. Poori puff up well. Flip the poori and lower the flame to medium.
Cook the other side and remove in a tissue paper. Again increase the flame and drop another poori. Repeat this and make all the puri. Serve hot with kurma! I made Karnataka style vegetable sagu as side dish.
Enjoy !

Note

Do not add more ghee. Poori won’t puff up.
Poori should be rolled thick to puff up well.
Adding Rava is also optional.
Do not rest the dough for long time. Poori may absorb more oil.
Poori won’t puff up if oil temperature is less. So maintain proper heat.

Ragi Poori with mixed vegetable kurma is an yummy combination. Do try it !

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