Pidi Karunai Masiyal | Karunai Kizhangu Masiyal | Mashed Yam

Pidi Karunai Masiyal | Karunai Kizhangu Masiyal | Mashed Yam | Chettinad Pidi Karunai Masiyal is a tasty, healthy side dish and goes well with sambar, rasam & curd rice. Most of the Chennaities don’t know about pidi karunai and when told, they get it confused with ‘Senai Kizhangu (Elephant Yam)’. Moreover, I found that only very few shops have this pidi karunai kizhangu. All Pazhamudir Cholai outlets in Chennai have a stock of this kizhangu throughout the year. I want to pass on this information before going to the recipe since it will be helpful for those who want to buy this kizhangu &...

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Oats Porridge | Oats Porridge with Fruits & Nuts

Oats porridge…I know all of you will ask, what is so special about oats porridge other than the fact that it is easy to make, healthy & is a low calorie food. Even my son asked me “what is there to post for oats porridge” while arranging for the photo shoot.  But its simplicity is its biggest plus as it helps when we are bored of cooking,  have no time for cooking, or want to have something light, like to fast for few days J and so many. Also I thought I could share some information on oats porridge. All weight watchers think that including oats in the regular diet will help...

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Mutton Chukka | Mutton Dry Chukka

Mutton Chukka is yet another spicy fry made with boneless mutton | goat meat.  I have tasted  varieties of mutton chukka and the method of preparation varies from place to place but I always opt for Chettinad Mutton Chukka | Mutton Dry Chukka. This  is a dry fry item which can be  made with minimal ingredients as compared to any non-veg recipes and by following simple steps. I would suggest this recipe for a bachelor if anyone wants to try  a simple recipe with mutton which suits best  even for rasam and to make the meal exotic & something different. It goes...

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Paruppu Vadai | Masal Vada | Aama Vadai | Parippu Vada

Paruppu Vadai | Masal Vada | Aama Vadai | Parippu Vada is an interesting South Indian snack. It is not only an usual snack but it is made as a special dish on all festive occasions.   No vegetarian feast is complete without ‘Vada’ & ‘Payasam’ irrespective of the number of dishes made. I usually prefer to make Paruppu Vada for lunch | evening snack and Medhu Vada for morning breakfast. It can also be made  for Neivedyam for some poojas! If this vada is made for Pooja, it can be prepared with No onion & No garlic. Paruppu vada is best enjoyed with a sip of tea!  Here is...

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How to prepare Sarkarai Pongal in a traditional open pot ...| Sakkarai Pongal Recipe | Sweet Pongal Recipe

Thai Pongal otherwise known as Tamizhar Thirunaal in Tamilnadu is celebrated in Mid-January. The festival spans four days starting from  the last day of Markazhi and first three days of Thai. Basically this festival is celebrated as a mark of showing our gratitude to “Nature”.  The celebration starts with Bhogi or Mahar Sankranthi , on this day everyone prepares their house for celebrating Pongal by discarding the old, unused items from their house. The next day is Pongal.  On this day, Pongal is made out of the harvested rice. This Pongal along with farm fresh vegetables , ...

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Green Peas Masala | Matar Masala

Green peas…green peas everywhere in Chennai. During this season (Dec-Feb), green peas are available fresh and aplenty. These green pearls in fresh pea pods are a real gift for peas lovers and making it more enticing is the fact that it is available so cheaply during this time.  I always buy this in bulk during this time since my son likes many dishes made with green peas. Only when my back aches while removing these peas from the pods, I realize that I  have bought more than enough! These green peas always make a guest appearance in many dishes- by simply adding a handful, we can...

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Capsicum Chutney | Green Bell Pepper Chutney | Kudamilagai Chutney

Capsicum Chutney | Green Bell Pepper Chutney | Kudamilagai Chutney is an Easy Chutney Recipe and tastes yummy with hot, steaming idlies. It needs minimal ingredients and really a good recipe to try with capsicum  as a main ingredient. I know some are allergic ie don’t like the flavour of capsicum. In this chutney you can’t feel the capsicum’s unique flavour instead, you will get a nice blend of onion and green chillies along with capsicum. I can say it for sure since my son who falls into the above category, loves this chutney very much. My son only made me to find many ways to include...

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Beetroot Masala | Chettinad Style Beetroot Masala | Beetroot Masala Curry

Chettinad Style Beetroot Masala… another interesting recipe which can be made with beetroot instead of our regular stir fries.  It is very easy and simple to prepare with minimal ingredients. It tastes delicious with  rice and sambar /rasam/ curd and can even be had with rotis! Ingredients: Beetroot – ¼ Kg Onion (finely chopped) – 1 No. Garlic (crushed) -  2 pods Tomato (finely chopped) – 1 No. Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp Salt to taste To grind: Coconut gratings – 2 tbsp Khus khus – ½ tsp For seasoning: Oil – 1tbsp Fennel seeds – ½ tsp Curry...

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Egg Fried Rice (Indo-Chinese Version)

Egg Fried Rice is very easy to prepare and it can fit into any special lunch/dinner menu too.  I prepare this rice only on holidays or for dinner since in my family, we prefer to eat when it is hot hot!.  Today,  being Sunday, I prepared this for lunch with all the fresh veggies on hand. We discuss more about fried rice in my earlier post for Vegetable Fried Rice. So, I am straight away going for the recipe.  Ingredients: Basmati rice     - 1 cup Garlic (very finely chopped)  - 10 pods Egg – 2 Nos. Capsicum        ...

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Ragi Drumstick Leaves Adai |Kezhvaragu Murungai Keerai Roti | Finger Millet Drumstick Leaves Crepes

Ragi Drumstick Leaves Adai | Kezhvaragu Murungai Keerai Roti | Finger Millet Drumstick Leaves Crepes is a healthier version of making Adai Dosa using millet and greens. It is very easy to prepare and tasty to eat. It is strongly recommended for pregnant women, feeding mothers, growing children  and people ailing with diabetic and anemic. This should be included in our regular diet. Ingredients: Ragi Flour – 1 cup Shallots (finely chopped) – ¼ cup Drumstick leaves – ¼ cup Green chilly (finely chopped) – 1 No. Jeera (Cumin seed) – ½ tsp Salt to taste Oil as required Method: Clean and...

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