Subbus Kitchen

Paneer Pulao, an absolute delight for all the paneer and rice lovers. Aroma rich basmati rice is cooked with fried Paneer and stir-fried veggies along with whole garam masala and Indian Spices. This is a quick and easy to make Pulao variety and rich in taste. This is a No Onion No Garlic Paneer Pulao. We can also use onion and garlic but I like this way of making Paneer Pulao.

This Paneer Pulao is not only rich with the flavor of Paneer but also look so appetizing and appealing with lots of veggies like Carrot, Peas etc. The main spice for this pulao is Ginger and green chili. I love to grind the green chili and ginger to a paste and and add it to the tempering and sauté it to get rid off raw smell. This way, the pulao will be more spicy and flavorful. But if you are making it for kids, then we can just temper green chili and ginger. This Paneer Pulao tastes so good with Dal Makhni or Tadka Dal or even with simple Aloo Jeera. Serve this yummy dish with your favorite raita and enjoy the dish!

Other Pulao Varieties You can try:

1. Peas Pulao

2. Sweet Corn Methi Pulao

3. Coriander Mint Pulao

4. Kala Chana Pulao

5. Tomato Pulao

6. Beet Pulao

Paneer Pulao | No Onion No Garlic Paneer Pulav

Recipe Card

Paneer Pulao | No Onion No Garlic Paneer Pulav

Paneer Pulao, an absolute delight for all the paneer and rice lovers. Aroma rich basmati rice is cooked with fried Paneer and stir-fried veggies along with whole garam masala and Indian Spices. This is a quick and easy to make Pulao variety and rich in taste. This is a No Onion No Garlic Paneer Pulao. Serve this yummy dish with your favorite raita and enjoy the dish!

1 Cup Rice (We can use Basmati or Sona Kasoori or any Raw Rice)
250 gms Paneer (Cubed, immersed in hot water)
1/4 Cup Green Peas
1/4 Cup Carrot (Chopped)
10-12 Leaves Mint Leaves
Salt (As Needed)
2 Cups Water
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves (Chopped)

For Tempering

2 tbsp Ghee
1" Stick Cinnamon
2 Cardamom
3-4 Cloves
1 tsp Peppercorns
1 Bay Leaf
1 tbsp Cashew
2 Green Chili (Slit)
1 tbsp Ginger (Chopped)

Wash rice and soak it in water for 20mins
Heat ghee in a pan and add paneer cubes and fry in low flame till it is golden brown color on all sides. Take these Fried Paneer and soak in warm water to return its softness
In the same pan, add ghee and fry the whole garam masalas (bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns) for a minute
Then add slit green chili followed by ginger and saute for few seconds
Add cashews and fry till light brown color. Then add green peas and carrots and stir-fry veggies in medium to high flame without burning them for 4-5 minutes
Then, add the mint leaves along with drained rice along with fry for a minute. After a minute, add Fried Paneer Cubes along with water and salt and give a good mix
Bring the water to boil and cook the rice till all the water evaporates. Then close the pan with a lid and cook the rice in low flame for 12-15 mins
Once the rice is cooked and becomes soft, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot
Serve the delicious Paneer Pulao with your favorite Raita and enjoy this simple and yummy Rice with your family!

If you are a spice lover, then you can try grinding green chili, ginger and paste that will add more spice than tempering them
Always soak basmati rice or any rice for at least 20-30 mins. That will make the rice cook faster and the rice will be fluffy
Soak the Cubed Paneer in hot water till we add it to rice that will help the paneer to be soft

Method:

1. Wash rice and soak it in water for 20mins
2. Heat ghee in a pan and add paneer cubes and fry in low flame till it is golden brown color on all sides. Take these Fried Paneer and soak in warm water to return its softness
3. In the same pan, add ghee and fry the whole garam masalas (bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns) for a minute
4. Then add slit green chili followed by ginger and saute for few seconds
5. Add cashews and fry till light brown color. Then add green peas and carrots and stir-fry veggies in medium to high flame without burning them for 4-5 minutes
6. Then, add the mint leaves along with drained rice along with fry for a minute. After a minute, add Fried Paneer Cubes along with water and salt and give a good mix
7. Bring the water to boil and cook the rice till all the water evaporates. Then close the pan with a lid and cook the rice in low flame for 12-15 mins
8. Once the rice is cooked and becomes soft, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot
9. Serve the delicious Paneer Pulao with your favorite Raita and enjoy this simple and yummy Rice with your family!

Paneer Pulao | No Onion No Garlic Paneer Pulav

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Thengai varuthu Aracha kuzhambu is one of the common kuzhambu varitety many of us make especially from Southern part of Tamilnadu. The roasted coconut always give a unique flavour to the kuzhambu. We can add multiple veggies and enrich this kuzhambu. A very simple to make kuzhambu, and it tastes delicious. Relish this yummy kuzhambu with rice!

In Nagercoil, Thengai Araitha Kuzhambu is one of the common and popular Kuzhambu variety. Like Keralites, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari people also use lots of coconut in their day to day diet. In Thengai Araitha Kuzhambu, The veggies are cooked in tamarind based gravy which predominately flavored with Coconut, red chili and fenugreek. Here, in Thengai Varuthu Aracha Kuzhambu also, coconut is the main ingredient. We need to nicely fry the coconut till it is golden brown and grind it with other spices. Frying coconut, releases oil which then ground in mixer to add a nice flavor to the kuzhambu.

This Thengai Varuthu Aracha Kuzhambu, is served with hot steaming rice along with Stir-Fry veggie. I personally like Brinjal Stir Fry or Ladies Finger Stir Fry.

If you like this kuzhambu, you can also try:

1. Ulli Thengai Araitha Kuzhambu

2. Keerai Kuzhambu

3. Nellai Puliyita Poricha Kuzhambu

4. Iru Puli Kuzhambu

5. Ulli Theeyal

Recipe Card

Thengai Varuthuaraitha Kuzhambu

Thengai varutha araita kuzhambu is one of the common kuzhambu varitety many of us make especially from Southern part of Tamilnadu. The roasted coconut always give a unique flavour to the kuzhambu.

1 Cup Mixed Vegetables ((Ladysfinger, Drumstick, Potato, Brinjal))
1 Lemon Size Tamarind
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt (As Needed)

For Grinding

1 tbsp Split Bengal Gram (Channa Dal / Kadalaparuppu)
1.5 tbsp Coriander Seeds
6 Red Chili
1/4 Cup Grated Coconut
1 tsp Oil

For Tempering

1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
1 Red Chili

Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice
Pour oil in the pan and add the red chillies, channa dhal and coriander seeds and fry it until the dhal changes its color to brown. Add the cocunut and fry it till it becomes light red color.
Grind the above ingredients to a fine paste in a mixer and keep it aside.
Chop the vegetables into bigger pieces and cook these in a heavy bottomed pan by adding some water.
When the vegetables are half cooked add the tamarind extract and salt and the ground paste.
Let the kuzhambu boils till the vegetables are fully cooked and switch off the flame
In a separate pan, pour the oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begins to sputter add the curry leaves.
Add the above seasoned ingredients to the kuzhambu
Now the Thengai varutharaitha kuzhambu is ready to serve with plain rice

We can just use shallots (Baby Onions) and make this yummy kuzhambu instead of mixed veggies.
Adjust the spice levels according to your needs
Instead of channa dhal and coriander seeds, we can also use 3 teaspoon thur dhal and fry it and grind it along with fried cocunut and red chillies. This will give us another good taste of this kuzhambu.

Method with Step by Step Instructions:

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Raw Mango Pachadi (Mangai Pachadi), is one of the traditional and scrumptious pachadi. We used to prepare this yummy pachadi for Tamil New Year’s day. I love to make this anytime during the mango season. Generally a pachadi for Tamil New Year’s day should have all the 6 flavour of tastes like sweet(Inippu), salt(Uppu), spice(Urappu), bitter(Kasapu), sour(Pulippu) and astringent(thuvarpu). Significance of this is to make us understand that life is a combination of mixed emotions like good, bad, happy, sorrow, victory and defeat. We have to learn to face them equally. Here jaggery for sweet, salt for salty, red chilli for spice, neem flower for bitter, Raw Mango for sour and Turmeric for Astringent.

Like Ugadhi Pachadi, this Raw Mango Pachadi (Mangai Pachadi) is a traditional food we make on the auspicious day of Tamil New Year’s Day. Along with this yummy Pachadi, we have a tradition to make Paruppu Vadai, Vepampoo Rasam, Paruppu Payasam. Check out more about Tamil New Year’s Day Recipes.

Video Making of Raw Mango Pachadi | Mangai Pachadi

Raw Mango Pachadi | Mangai Pachadi

Notes:

Color of the Pachadi may change depends on the jaggery type.
If you don’t have jaggery we can use sugar. For festivals and offerings to God, its always preferred to use jaggery instead of sugar

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Kerala Puli Aviyal(Avial) is a traditional stew, which has the mixture of rich vegetables and coconut. This will be part of our lunch menu for all the festivals as well as when special guest visiting us. Sambar with Aviyal is a best combination. Avail tastes great with coconut rice.

Tamilnadu Style Aviyal is much similar to this. The main difference is the use of Tamarind instead of curd. In the Tamilnadu style of Aviyal, we first cook all the veggies, then grinding the coconut, green chili and cumin seeds to a dry paste and then add it to spice up the cooked veggies and finally add a ladle of curd and switch off the flame. Finally we add coconut oil and curry leaves as tempering.

But in the Kerala Puli Aviyal, since we are using tamarind, we can’t just add it at the end stage of cooking. The tamarind will have a raw smell and taste which has to be boiled well. So here, we are going to start with cooking the veggies. But when the veggies are half cooked, we need to add tamarind extract and allow it to boil along with the veggies. When the veggies are fully cooked, then we follow the same procedure of grinding the coconut, green chili and cumin seeds to a dry paste and then add it to spice up the cooked veggies and finally add a ladle of curd and switch off the flame. Finally we add coconut oil and curry leaves as tempering.

Aviyal with Tamarind sounds strange, but believe me, this version is also too good. As my MIL is from Nagercoil, she makes this Kerala Puli Aviyal and Aviyal Kuzhambu often.

You can also try:

1. Aviyal Kuzhambu

2. Keerai Aviyal Kuzhambu

3. Adai Aviyal

4. Nellai Puiliyita Poricha Kuzhambu

5. Poricha Kuzhambu

Kerala Puli Aviyal

Mixed veggies are cooked and concocted with tamarind and coconut+green chili based spice to gat this tasty and yummy Aviyal. This is Kerala Style Tamarind based Aviyal contrast to curd based aviyal which we make for Adai

1 Raw Banana
1 Brinjal
1 Carrot
1 Cucumber
1 Potato
1/2 Snake Gourd
Salt (As Needed)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 small Gooseberry Size Tamarind

For Grinding

1/2 Cup Grated Coconut
3 Green Chili
1 Red Chili
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

Tempering

3 tbsp Coconut Oil
Few Curry Leaves

Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice
Chop all the vegetables length wise and cook all the vegetables in a heavy bottomed pan by adding little water and turmeric and salt.
Grind the cocunut, green chillies, red chillies and cumin seeds in a mixer without adding water.
Add the tamarind extract and let the vegetables are fully cooked
Now add the ground mixture and mix well.
Finally add coconut oil and curry leaves and mix well.
Now the yummy Aviyal is ready to serve with Rice

Instead of tamarind, we can add little curd at the end of cooking
We can first cook the firm veggies and once the firm veggies are half-cooked, we can add cucumber, raw banana

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice
2. Chop all the vegetables length wise and cook all the vegetables in a heavy bottomed pan by adding little water and turmeric and salt.

1. Grind the cocunut, green chillies, red chillies and cumin seeds in a mixer without adding water.

1. Add the tamarind extract and let the vegetables are fully cooked

1. Now add the ground mixture and mix well.

1. Finally add coconut oil and curry leaves and mix well.

Now the yummy Aviyal is ready to serve with Rice
Tips: Instead of tamarind we can also add 2 spoon curd.

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Veppam poo Rasam(Neem flower Rasam) is a delicious, but bitter rasam which we mainly prepare for Tamil New Year. This is an exclusive Tamilian recipe. Neem is extensively used in Indian Ayurvedic/ unani medicine. If such a wonderful flower can be used to make a tastier rasam then what could be better ever? Neem flower is very good for curing intestinal worms. It is considered an antiseptic that can cleanse your system. We can get neem flower in ayurvedic shops (Naattu Marundhu Kadai).

The 2 main recipes I usually make with Veppam Poo is this Rasam and also I add it to Mango Pachadi. This Neem Rasam is quite simple and easy to make. Not only for the festival Tamil New Year’s Day, we can also make it any day whenever we have any stomach upset.

You can also check out other Tamil New Year’s Recipes here. Along with this healthy Neem Rasam, we have a tradition to make paruppu vadai, mango pachadi, Paruppu Payasam.

Making of Veppam Poo Rasam | Neem Flower Rasam

Veppam Poo Rasam | Neem Flower Rasam

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Tamil New Years day falls in the month of April on 13th or 14th every year. This year its 14th April. The day is the first day of the tamil calender month “Chithirai”. In Kerala state of India, they celebrate this day as “Vishu”. This year Vishu is being celebrated on 15th Apr.

The Spring Season starts in the month of Chitirai where all the mango and neem trees will be full of flowers and fruits. In this wonderful occassion, the hindus will cook 6 different tasty foods like sweet, bitter,sour,salty,spice and umamiIn Kerala state of India, People will celebrate “Vishu Kani Kannal” tradition. They will keep some gold, silver, jewels,mirror, bacillum,cocunut,flowers,cucumber,mangoes,rice, dhal, jaggery infront of the god and seek the blessings of God.

Elderly women will wake up early that morning and will see these items and light up the kuthuvilaku and she will wake up the others in the home. Everyone will wake up and see these items first and then they will celebrate the rest of the day. In our home we celebrate both Vishu and Tamil new year. This year, as per panjangam, the New Year is on 14-apr-2014 and hence we will do the rich lunch on 14th and we will do the kani kanradhu on 15th April.

Tamil New Year’s Recipes:

Raw Mango Pachadi | Mangai Pachadi — Mango Pachadi

Veppam Poo Rasam | Neem Flower Rasam — Veppam Poo Rasam

Pasi Paruppu Pradhaman | Moongdal Coconut Milk Payasam — Moong Dal Payasam

Arachuvitta Sambar — Arachuvita Sambar –

Puli Milagai | Green Chili in Tamarind Sauce | Green Chili Chutney — Puli Milagai

Vishu Recipes

Mambazha Morkuzhambu | Ripe Mango Mor Kuzhambu — Mango MorKuzhambu

Chena Erissery | Red Gram Yam Curry — Chena Erissery

The post Tamil New Year(Tamizh Puthandu) / Vishu Recipes appeared first on Subbus Kitchen.

I have already given my another post the health benefits of Foxtail Millet. Foxtail millet helps control Blood sugar levels when consumed on regular. The millet produced a “significant fall (70%) in blood glucose. We need to include these healthy millets regularly in our diet. We can make wide variety of recipes with Thinai and here we are going to see how to make Thinai Pongal.

Foxtail millet pongal is a very simple and yummy dish. When we think of pongal the first thing comes to our mind is the ghee that is added along with the rice. Generally most of the diet/fitness specific persons and also diabetic patients and elders try to avoid pongal. But with Thinai (Foxtail millet) we can very well consume pongal. Instead of rice we can include thinai,Thinai pongal (Foxtail Millet Pongal) is made using the same procedure as the conventional pongal. So very simple, yet very healthy pongal. Instead of conventional pongal, try to make thinai pongal in your kitchen often. We can also make pongal using barnyard millet, pearl millet etc.

You can also try:

1. Thinai Adai

2. Thinai Pradaman

3. Thinai Laddu

4. Kudo Millet Sweet Pongal

5. Vegetable Oats Pongal

Thinai Pongal Recipe | Finger Millet Pongal Recipe| ,Kangni Pongal Recipe

Thinai Pongal Recipe | Foxtail Millet Pongal Recipe| Kangni Pongal Recipe

Thinai pongal is a pongal made using Thinai (Foxtail Millet) instead of conventional rice. Millets comes with its own health benefits and hence its recommended to add millet as part of our regular diet. Thinai Pongal is very tasty and simple dish which gives the dual benefit of health and taste.

3/4 cup Foxtail millet (Thinai (1 cup – 250 ml))
1/4 cup Moong Dal
1 tsp Whole black pepper
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Salt (Adjust to your taste)
5 Cashew Nuts
1 fistful Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)
1 tsp Ginger (Grated)
2 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter)

Heat a pan, add moong dal and fry it till it becomes golden brown color. Take the roasted moong dal and thinai in a vessel.
Rinse the thinai and moongdal in water and add 3.5 cups of water to the vessel. Add grated ginger, salt to the vessel and pressure cook it allow it for 5-6 whistles. Allow the pressure to release on its own and then mash the cooked thinai and dal
Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds starts to sputter, add whole black pepper and fry for some time. Add hing, cashews and curry leaves and fry till the cashews turn into golden brown color.
Add the mashed thinai and dal to the seasoned ingredients and mix well
The yummy and healthy Thinai Pongal is now ready to serve!

Method:

Heat a pan, add moong dal and fry it till it becomes golden brown color. Take the roasted moong dal and thinai in a vessel. Rinse the thinai and moongdal in water and add 3.5 cups of water to the vessel. Add grated ginger, salt to the vessel and pressure cook it allow it for 5-6 whistles. Allow the pressure to release on its own and then mash the cooked thinai and dal

Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds starts to sputter, add whole black pepper and fry for some time. Add hing, cashews and curry leaves and fry till the cashews turn into golden brown color.

Add the mashed thinai and dal to the seasoned ingredients and mix well

The yummy and healthy Thinai Pongal is now ready to serve!

Thinai Pongal Recipe | Finger Millet Pongal Recipe| ,Kangni Pongal Recipe

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Capsicum Masala rice is very rich in flavour, colourful and very tasty rice variety. The flavour of Capsicum along with the crunchyness of peanuts makes this rice loveable by all the age groups. Capsicum, has many health benefits too. Capsicum is used to treat upset stomach, diarrhea, high cholesterol and preventing heart disease.

Because of its medicinal benefits, we should try to include this in our day to day cooking. Capsicum is a scrumptious veg with which we can do many dishes like capsicum masala curry, capsicum sambar etc. Capsicum Masala rice is one of the rich and yummy rice variety which can be served with any stir-fried vegetable or with any raitha or simply with a pappad.

We can also make this Capsicum Rice quite simple, just by tempering green and red chili for spice and add peanuts to the tempering. But, this method of freshly grinding masala really adds a nice flavor to the rice.

If you like this Capsicum Rice, you can also try:

Capsicum Masala Rice

Recipe Card

Capsicum Masala Rice

Capsicum Masala rice is very rich in flavour, colourful and very tasty rice variety. The flavour of Capsicum along with the crunchyness of peanuts makes this rice loveable by all the age groups.

2 Capsicum (Sliced)
2 Cups Cooked Rice
1 Onion (Sliced)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt (As Needed)

For Grinding

1 tsp Peanuts
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 Red Chili
1 tsp Peppercorns
2 Cloves
1" Piece Cinnamon

For Tempering

1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Red Chili
1 tsp Peanuts

Heat a pan and add all the grinding ingredients and dry roast it till the dal turns golden brown color. Add all the roasted ingredients to the mixer and allow them to cool off
Grind all the roasted ingredients to a smooth powder. Heat 1 teaspoon of ghee and add finely sliced onions along with a pinch of salt
Saute the onions till they turn transparent and become golden brown color. Take this in a separate plate as this is only for garnishing. Heat a teaspoon of ghee and add thinly sliced capsicum and in a medium flame saute the capsicum along with turmeric powder and little salt
The capsicum should be just cooked so that it is still crispy but cooked. It should not be over cooked and mushy. Take the cooked capsicum aside. Heat remaining ghee in the pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add broken red chilli and saute it for a second
Add peanuts to the pan and roast it till they turn golden brown color. Then add the cooked capsicum and toss them
Next, add the ground masala powder and toss them all so that the masala and the capsicum are mixed nicely
Add the cooked and cooled fluffy rice and gently mix them well. Adjust the salt and finally garnish with sauted onions
The yummy and tasty Capsicum Masala Rice is now ready to serve

Instead of complex masala grinding, we can simply just to temper green and red chili for the spice. But this grinding ingredients adds more flavor.
We can follow the same procedure and use Brinjal instead of Capsicum

Method:

Heat a pan and add all the grinding ingredients and dry roast it till the dal turns golden brown color. Add all the roasted ingredients to the mixer and allow them to cool off

Grind all the roasted ingredients to a smooth powder. Heat 1 teaspoon of ghee and add finely sliced onions along with a pinch of salt

Saute the onions till they turn transparent and become golden brown color. Take this in a separate plate as this is only for garnishing. Heat a teaspoon of ghee and add thinly sliced capsicum and in a medium flame saute the capsicum along with turmeric powder and little salt

The capsicum should be just cooked so that it is still crispy but cooked. It should not be over cooked and mushy. Take the cooked capsicum aside. Heat remaining ghee in the pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add broken red chilli and saute it for a second

Add peanuts to the pan and roast it till they turn golden brown color. Then add the cooked capsicum and toss them

Next, add the ground masala powder and toss them all so that the masala and the capsicum are mixed nicely

Add the cooked and cooled fluffy rice and gently mix them well. Adjust the salt and finally garnish with sauted onions

The yummy and tasty Capsicum Masala Rice is now ready to serve

Capsicum Masala Rice

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Every part of the banana is packed with nutrition and health benefits. Eating off the banana leaf has great digestive properties (not to mention, it is great for the environment!), the fruit is a source of potassium and vitamins, and the flower is good for diabetes and anti-ageing.

Banana stem has lot of medicinal properties too. Doctors recommend banana stem juice for kidney stone problems. It is rich in fiber and very good diet for diabetic patients too. This Vazhaithandu poriyal is a delicious and healthy dish. Generally many of us find it difficult or lazy to cook plantain stem because of its fibrous nature. To chop the Plantain stem, we need little more patience. We have to put more efforts to cook Plantain stem and Plantain flower, but once we are done with the chopping, then preparation of the dish is quite simple.

We can make many different recipes with Vazhaithandu (Plantain Stem). You can try Vazhaithandu Poricha Kuzhambu, Vazhaithandu Mor Kootu, Vazhaithandu Kootu, Vazhathandu Bajji.

You can also try:

Recipe Card:

Vazhathandu Poriyal | Plantain Stem Poriyal

Healthy and tasty Vazhathandu Poriyal is nutrition rich and also a great side dish for any South Indian Kuzhambu/Rasam Varieties

250 gms Vazhathandu / Plantain Stem
2 tbsp Moong Dal
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Salt (As Needed)
1 tbsp Curd (Plain Yogurt)

For Grinding

1/4 Cup Grated Coconut
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Red Chili

For Tempering

2 tsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Split Urad Dal
1 Red Chili
Few Curry Leaves

First Lets prepare the Vazhathandu (Plantain Stem).

Take a vessel add 2 cups of water and add 1 tablespoon of curd and stir well and set aside. We need to chop the vazhathandu and soak it in this buttermilk
The first thing we need to do is to slice the vazhathandu into circular discs. After making circular discs, finely chop each disc into fine pieces
Put the chopped vazhathandu inside the buttermilk which we prepared in the first time. This will prevent the decolorization of the chopped vegetable

Pressure Cooking Process

Now Squeeze out the soaked vazhathandu from the butter milk and take it in a vessel. Add moong dal, turmeric power
Sprinkle water and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. We don’t want the dal to be mushy

Grinding Process

Take Grated Coconut, Cumin Seeds and Red Chili in a mixer jar and grind it without adding water

Tempering Process

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Add split urad dal, red chili and curry leaves and sauté for few seconds
To the pan add cooked vazhathandu along with dal and give a mix. Then add salt and mix well
Finally add ground coconut+spice powder and mix well. Keep in flame for 2 mins and switch off the flame
The delicious Vazhathandu Poriyal is all Ready!!!

Instead of grinding coconut and red chili, we just temper red chili and add grated coconut at the end of cooking.
Tender Stem has less fiber and hence will cook quickly
Always soak chopped stem in diluted buttermilk to prevent discoloration

Method:

FIRST LETS PREPARE THE VAZHATHANDU (PLANTAIN STEM).

Take a vessel add 2 cups of water and add 1 tablespoon of curd and stir well and set aside. We need to chop the vazhathandu and soak it in this buttermilk
The first thing we need to do is to slice the vazhathandu into circular discs. After making circular discs, finely chop each disc into fine pieces
Put the chopped vazhathandu inside the buttermilk which we prepared in the first time. This will prevent the decolorization of the chopped vegetable

PRESSURE COOKING PROCESS

Now Squeeze out the soaked vazhathandu from the butter milk and take it in a vessel. Add moong dal, turmeric power
Sprinkle water and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. We don’t want the dal to be mushy

GRINDING PROCESS

Take Grated Coconut, Cumin Seeds and Red Chili in a mixer jar and grind it without adding water

TEMPERING PROCESS

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Add split urad dal, red chili and curry leaves and sauté for few seconds
To the pan add cooked vazhathandu along with dal and give a mix. Then add salt and mix well
Finally add ground coconut+spice powder and mix well. Keep in flame for 2 mins and switch off the flame
The delicious Vazhathandu Poriyal is all Ready!!!

The post Vazhai Thandu Poriyal (Plantain Stem Poriyal) appeared first on Subbus Kitchen.

Chakka Varrati (Jackfruit Halwa) is an authentic and most popular kerala delicacy made from ripened jackfruit. Chakka is a malayalam word for jackfruit and Chakkavarati is a perserved pulp made out of jackfruit, jaggery and ghee. Generally the chakkavariety is made during jackfruit season and perserved for making chakka pradaman. But we can also make Chakka Pradaman without Chakka Varatti.

My mom-in-law used to make this with a whole jackfruit and it takes quite longer time to finish the jam. There are a slight variations to do this same recipe. Some of them saute the jackfruit in ghee till they are soft and tender and then add the jaggery syrup without making pulp.

Few people, make a single string consistency of jaggery syrup and add the pulp. But all these tastes the same and the shelf life is same in any method. I learnt this recipe from my Mom-in-law and so, I am used to this method. Try this way of making Chakka Varatti and you will surely enjoy the dish. We can serve the chakka varati as other halwa. Just warm the chakka varati before serving. Authentic Chakka pradaman is made using this chakka varati only.

You can also try:

1. Ela Ada (Steamed Sweet Rice Parcel in Banana Leaf)

2. Sarkara Varatti

3. Chakka Pradaman with Chakka Varatti

Chakka Varatti Recipe | How to make Jackfruit Halwa

Recipe Card

Chakka Varatti Recipe | How to make Jackfruit Halwa

Chakka Varrati (Jackfruit Halwa) is an authentic and most popular kerala delicacy made from ripened jackfruit. Generally the chakka varatti is made during jackfruit season and perserved for making chakka pradaman.

10 10 big pieces / 3 cups of finely chopped jackfruit pieces
1 Cup Grated Jaggery (1 Cup – 250ml)
1/4 Cup Ghee (Clarified butter)
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
1/4 tsp Dry Ginger Powder (Sukku Powder)
10 Cashews

Deeseed the jackfruits and chop them finely and take it in a vessel
Add little water and pressure cook the chopped jackfruit till they are nicely cooked. Allow 3-4 whistles. We can also saute the chopped jackfruit pices in ghee in a heavy bottomed pan till they are cooked and mushy. But that process will take more time than pressure cooking method. So, I prefer to pressure cook.
Once the pressure is released from the cooker, we can strain any excess water and allow it to cool and then grind it to get a nice and smooth pulp. Measure the pulp. For 1 measure of pulp we need to add 1 measure of grated jaggery. I got a cup of pulp so, I took 1 cup of grated jaggery. Keep this pulp aside
Heat a sauce pan and add the grated jaggery and add 1/4 cup of water and stir well till the jaggery gets nicely dissolved in water. Strain this jaggery juice to get rid of sand or dust particles.
Heat a pan and add the strained jaggery juice and bring it to boil. Add the jackfruit pulp and mix well. Keep stirring till they are nicely incorporated and becomes thicker
When the mixture becomes thicker, add ghee at regular intervals and keep stirring in low flame till all the ghee are nicely incorporated with the jackfruit and jaggery mixture. When the mixture started to roll like a ball without sticking to the sides of the pan, add the cardamom powder and sukku powder and mix well
Finally add ghee roasted cashews and give a good mix. You can check the consistency of the chakka varatti by taking a small quantity of halwa in your wet hands and try to make a ball. If you are able to make a ball, then switch off the flame. Take the chakka varatti in a serving bowl
You can preserve the chakka varatti by keeping in air-tight container. This has a longer shelf life. We can serve or use it as an when we need.

This Chakka varatti can be served as other Halwa, we can warm and serve.
We can preserve this in air-tight container and use it to make Chakka Pradaman.
If stored in an air tight container, it can be preserved for more than a year.

Method:

Deeseed the jackfruits and chop them finely and take it in a vessel

Add little water and pressure cook the chopped jackfruit till they are nicely cooked. Allow 3-4 whistles. We can also saute the chopped jackfruit pices in ghee in a heavy bottomed pan till they are cooked and mushy. But that process will take more time than pressure cooking method. So, I prefer to pressure cook.

Once the pressure is released from the cooker, we can strain any excess water and allow it to cool and then grind it to get a nice and smooth pulp. Measure the pulp. For 1 measure of pulp we need to add 1 measure of grated jaggery. I got a cup of pulp so, I took 1 cup of grated jaggery. Keep this pulp aside

Heat a sauce pan and add the grated jaggery and add 1/4 cup of water and stir well till the jaggery gets nicely dissolved in water. Strain this jaggery juice to get rid of sand or dust particles.

Heat a pan and add the strained jaggery juice and bring it to boil. Add the jackfruit pulp and mix well. Keep stirring till they are nicely incorporated and becomes thicker

When the mixture becomes thicker, add ghee at regular intervals and keep stirring in low flame till all the ghee are nicely incorporated with the jackfruit and jaggery mixture. When the mixture started to roll like a ball without sticking to the sides of the pan, add the cardamom powder and sukku powder and mix well

Finally add ghee roasted cashews and give a good mix. You can check the consistency of the chakka varatti by taking a small quantity of halwa in your wet hands and try to make a ball. If you are able to make a ball, then switch off the flame. Take the chakka varatti in a serving bowl

You can preserve the chakka varatti by keeping in air-tight container. This has a longer shelf life. We can serve or use it as an when we need.

Chakka Varatti Recipe | How to make Jackfruit Halwa

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Ada Pradaman is a Traditional dessert made specially during Kerala festivals of Onam & Vishu. onam celebration feels oncomplete without ada pradaman. This delicious pradaman is made from rice, jaggery and coconut milk. I have used the store bought rice ada for quick preparation, however yoi can use homemade fresh ada to make it even more delicious. I got this rice ada from Nilgiris shop in chennai. Try this creamy pudding for this Vishu / Onam and share your comments!

Vishu is Kerala State’s New Year day like we have Tamil New Year’s Day. Onam festival is celebrated in memory of the mythical King Mahabali and his reign, during which perfect harmony and prosperity prevailed. Vishu represents symbolically the onset and Onam the finale of the major harvest season of the agriculture dependent Kerala society. Both the festivals are celebrated so nicely and the food is an important part in both the occasions. Few recipes are so unique and also a mandatory recipes in these festivals. One such tasty and yummy dish is “Ada Pradaman”.

Other Tasty Payasam / Pradaman you can try:

1. Paal Payasam

2. Chakka Pradaman with Chakka Varatti

3. Chakka Varatti

4. Moong dal Paradaman

Ada Pradaman Recipe | Palada Pradaman Recipe

Recipe Card:

Ada Pradaman Recipe | Palada Pradaman Recipe

1 Cup Palada / Rice Ada (1 Cup – 250ml)
1 Cup Grated Jaggery
2 Cups Coconut Milk (Thin Consistency)
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (Thick Consistency)
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
10 Cashews
1 tbsp Finely sliced Coconut
1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter)

I have taken grated coconut from 2 medium sized coconut and grind it in the mixer jar by adding 1/4 cup of warm water and squeeze out thick coconut milk. Take the residue of the coconut again in the mixer jar and add 2 cups of water water and squeeze out thin coconut milk and set these aside
Add 3 cups of water in a sauce pan. Bring it to boil and add the rice ada to the boiling water and close the pan with the lid and switch off the flame. Let this ada be in hot water for 15 minutes for it to get completely cooked.
Meanwhile, heat a pan, add a ghee and add the coconut bits and roast that in ghee till the coconut turns golden brown in color. Take thi saside
Heat again a teaspoon of ghee and roast the cashews till they are golden brown in color. Take these aside
Heat a sauce pan and add the jaggery and 1/2 cup of water and allow it to dissolve completely in water
After 15 minutes, drain the water and rinse the cooked ada in cold water so that the stickiness will be get ridden off. Keep this aside ready
Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add the thin coconut milk and add the rice ada to the pan and bring them to boil. Strain the jaggery juice to the pan and stir well.
Allow the coconut milk to boil in medium flame for 10 minutes. Then add the cardamom powder and stir well
Add the thick coconut milk and keep the flame really low till you stir well and everything is completely incorporated. Finally garnish with roasted coconut bits and cashews
Switch off the flame. The yummy and tasty Ada Pradaman is all ready to serve! Relish this dainty Palada Pradaman and enjoy your Onam!

I have used the store bought rice ada for quick preparation, however you can use homemade fresh ada to make it even more delicious.
We can get readymade Rice Ada from Nilgiris Shop
The color of payasam depends on the variety of jaggery.

Method:

1. I have taken grated coconut from 2 medium sized coconut and grind it in the mixer jar by adding 1/4 cup of warm water and squeeze out thick coconut milk. Take the residue of the coconut again in the mixer jar and add 2 cups of water water and squeeze out thin coconut milk and set these aside
2. Add 3 cups of water in a sauce pan. Bring it to boil and add the rice ada to the boiling water and close the pan with the lid and switch off the flame. Let this ada be in hot water for 15 minutes for it to get completely cooked.
3. Heat a pan, add a ghee then add the coconut bits and roast that in ghee till the coconut turns golden brown in color. Take this aside
4. Next, heat a teaspoon of ghee and roast the cashews till they are golden brown in color. Take these aside
5. Heat a sauce pan and add the jaggery and 1/2 cup of water and allow it to dissolve completely in water
6. After 15 minutes, drain the water. Rinse the cooked ada in cold water so that the stickiness will be get ridden off. Keep this aside ready
7. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add the thin coconut milk and add the rice ada to the pan and bring them to boil. Strain the jaggery juice to the pan and stir well.
8. Allow the coconut milk to boil in medium flame for 10 minutes. Then add the cardamom powder and stir well
9. Add the thick coconut milk and keep the flame really low till you stir well and everything is completely incorporated. Finally garnish with roasted coconut bits and cashews
10. Switch off the flame. The yummy and tasty Ada Pradaman is all ready to serve! Relish this dainty Palada Pradaman and enjoy your Onam!

Ada Pradaman Recipe | Palada Pradaman Recipe

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Ram Navami is a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama, son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, and 7th avtar of Lord Vishnu. The day is called Rama Navami as it falls on Navami. The birth of Rama on earth is to vanquish the roots of Adharma. Lord rama was born on earth to destroy the demon Ravana.

Story behind: Generally hindus will consider Ashtami and Navami day of each month as unaspicious and will not perform any good events on those days. So Ashtami and Navami went to Lord Vishnu and expressed their unhappiness. To make them happy and to make Dharma rule over Adharma Lord Vishu born as Rama on a Navami Day. The same way Lord vishnu born as Krishna on an Ashtami day which is what we celebrate as Krishashtami(Krishna Jayanthi).

Ram Navami in 2019 is on 13th Apri 2019. It is considered auspicious to perform elaborate pujas and chant the name of Rama. It is good for the devotees if they hear Ramayana story on that day and also if they chant Ramar Patabishegam episode of Ramayana on that day. Also devotees should prepare the following recipes as neivedhyam and get the blessings of Lord Rama.

Recipes:

Panagam

Neer Mor

Paruppu Payasam

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Shallots (Baby onions) are always rich in flavor. It gives a nice flavor and aroma to any dishes like sambar, theeyal, chutney etc. Garlic added to shallots and ground with spicy red chili is really a treat to all spice lovers. If you want to add less spice, then also this chutney tastes good. But really try adding more spice and you will surely love this accompaniment with any SouthIndian Breakfast dishes like Idli, Dosa, Adai etc. Try this Chinna Vengayam Poondu (Shallots Garlic Chutney) and share your experience.

For most of the chutney, we prepare the grinding ingredients, then grind it to paste and then prepare the tempering and pour it to the ground chutney and serve with Idli/Dosa/Adai etc. But, here in this Shallot Garlic chutney, after tempering, we need to pour the chutney in the pan and cook chutney till it boils and then serve piping hot.

You can also try:

1. Onion Chutney

2. Garlic Chutney

3. Restaurant Style Green Coconut Chutney

4. Restaurant Style Red Coconut Chutney

5. Red Capsicum Chutney

Shallot Garlic Chutney Recipe

Recipe Card:

Chinna Vengayam Poondu Chutney Recipe | Shallots Garlic Chutney Recipe

Shallot (Baby onion) Garlic Chutney is a spicy chutney that goes well with Idli, Dosa, uthappam and even for Roti.

1 Cup Shallots / Baby Onions
10 Garlic Cloves
6-7 Red Chili
1 tsp Salt (As Needed)
1 Gooseberry Size Tamarind
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

For Tempering

3 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry Leaves

Heat a teaspoon of oil and when the oil is hot, add red chillies and saute it for few seconds.
Add peeled baby onions and garlic cloves
Also add tamarind and saute everything together for 2 minutes and then switch off the flame
Take all the fried ingredients to the mixer jar. Add salt necessary for chutney
Grind everything to a nice paste
Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter
Add few curry leaves and saute for few seconds. Add ground chutney to the pan and stir well
Cover the pan with lid and allow the chutney to cook in medium flame for 5 minutes
Switch off the flame and transfer the chutney to the serving bowl
The spicy and yummy Chinna Vengayam Poondu Chutney ready! Serve with any breakfast dishes like Idli, Dosa etc

We can just pour the tempering to the chutney. But hot steaming chutney has its own flavor and more shelf life
Adjust red chili according to your spice level

Method:

Heat a teaspoon of oil and when the oil is hot, add red chillies and saute it for few seconds. Add peeled baby onions.

Add garlic cloves. Also add tamarind and saute everything together for 2 minutes and then switch off the flame

Take all the fried ingredients to the mixer jar. Add salt necessary for chutney. Grind everything to a nice paste

Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Now add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Then throw in few curry leaves and saute for few seconds.

Add ground chutney to the pan and stir well. Cover the pan with lid and allow the chutney to cook in medium flame for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame and transfer the chutney to the serving bowl

The spicy and yummy Chinna Vengayam Poondu Chutney ready! Serve with any breakfast dishes like Idli, Dosa etc

Shallot Garlic Chutney Recipe

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Mango Ginger ( Mam Inji), (Curcuma amada Roxb.) is a unique spice having resemblance with ginger but imparts a raw mango flavour. The main use of mango ginger is in the manufacture of pickles and culinary preparations. Ayurveda and Unani medicinal systems have given much importance to mango ginger as an appetizer, many other uses to cure itching, skin diseases, bronchitis, asthma, hiccough and inflammation due to injuries.

Such medicinal benefits mango ginger has. Now its Mango ginger season and hence I love to make mango ginger thokku and my family enjoys this pickle very much. This Mango Ginger Pickle (Maa Inji thokku) is very easy to make and very tasty too. We can eat more quantity of curd rice if served with Maa Inji Thokku. Try this yummy thokku and share your experience!

We can also make the thokku with Raw Mango, Gooseberry (Nellikai) Thokku, Tomato Thokku.

Mango Ginger Pickle Recipe | Maa Inji Thokku Recipe

Recipe Card

Mango Ginger Pickle Recipe | Maa Inji Thokku Recipe

Mango Ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) is a unique spice having resemblance with ginger but imparts a raw mango flavour. This Mango Ginger Pickle (Maa Inji thokku) is very easy to make and very tasty too.

250 gms Mango Ginger
1 Lemon Size Tamarind
2 tbsp Red Chili Powder
2 tbsp Salt (As Needed)
1/2 tsp Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)
2 tbsp Grated Jaggery
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds

Wash and pat dry the mango ginger. Peel the skin and grate the mango ginger
Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add grated mango ginger and mix well. In low flame, saute the grated mango ginger till they are tender and soft
When the mango ginger is cooked, add tamarind juice. Allow the mango ginger to boil in tamarind juice for 5 minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind juice goes off. Add red chilli powder, salt and hing and mix well.
Allow the pickle to cook in low flame for atleast 10 minutes. Then add grated jaggery and mix well and keep in flame for another 20 minutes.
The pickle will become like a thokku consistency. You can taste and adjust the salt and spice. Remove the thokku from flame. Allow the pickle to cool off and then transfer it to a air-tight container. Add 1 tablespoon of oil on top of the pickle and close it with a lid. You can keep it in cool place or store it in refrigerator. If we don’t put wet spoon it will stay for more days.
The spicy and tasty Mango Ginger Pickle is now ready to serve with curd rice

Always store the pickle in a clean and air-tight container
Use always dry spoon to scoop out the pickle.
Keep the pickle refrigerated for longer shelf-life

Method:

Wash and pat dry the mango ginger. Peel the skin and grate the mango ginger

Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add grated mango ginger and mix well. In low flame, saute the grated mango ginger till they are tender and soft

When the mango ginger is cooked, add tamarind juice. Allow the mango ginger to boil in tamarind juice for 5 minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind juice goes off. Add red chilli powder, salt and hing and mix well.

Allow the pickle to cook in low flame for atleast 10 minutes. Then add grated jaggery and mix well and keep in flame for another 20 minutes.

The pickle will become like a thokku consistency. You can taste and adjust the salt and spice. Remove the thokku from flame. Allow the pickle to cool off and then transfer it to a air-tight container. Add 1 tablespoon of oil on top of the pickle and close it with a lid. You can keep it in cool place or store it in refrigerator. If we don’t put wet spoon it will stay for more days.

The spicy and tasty Mango Ginger Pickle is now ready to serve with curd rice

Mango Ginger Pickle Recipe | Maa Inji Thokku Recipe

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I always wonder the taste of hotel Sambar, it is surely a bit different from our usual sambar which we prepare in home. I have tried many permutations and combinations and finally arrived at the below recipe for the Sambar which I believe being followed in the Chennai hotels. Many of my followers and fans tried this Hotel Sambar and complimented that this version is tasting exactly like Restaurant style.

Most of the hotel sambar uses Pumpkin as their main vegetable. The main reason about using pumpkin is when we pressure cook with dal we can get more quantity than any other veggies. We can also use shallots and make this Hotel Style Sambar. Whenever I plan to make Sambar vada, I always make this version of Hotel Sambar. Medhu vada soaked in this sambar garnished with onions and ghee is a wonderful treat to our taste buds.

The flavor, the color and consistency is very unique for Hotel Sambar and treat to the taste buds. With few secret ingridients and twists to our conventional sambar, we can make this very much in home and get the appreciation from family and friends

We can serve this sambar with hot steaming rice or we can serve as a side dish for out regular South Indian Breakfast like Idli / Dosa/ Upma / Pongal / vada etc

You can also try:

1. Tiffin Sambar (Sambar with moong dal)

2. Arachivitta Sambar

3. Udipi Sambar

4. Onion Sambar

Hotel Sambar

Recipe Card

Hotel Sambar

I always wonder the taste of Hotel Sambar (Restaurant style sambar), it is surely a bit different from our usual sambar which we prepare in home. Try the recipe here which is usually being followed in the Hotel (Restaurants)

1 Lemon Size Tamarind
1/2 cup Toor Dal (Pigeon pea) (1 cup = 250 ml)
1.5 tsp Salt (Adjust to your taste)
1 cup Pumpkin (Chopped into cubes)
2 tsp Jaggery (Grated)
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves (chopped)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

For Grinding

1 tbsp Split Bengal Gram (Channa Dal / Kadalaparuppu)
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
8 Red Chili
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds

For Seasoning

1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 fistful Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)
1 tsp Cooking Oil

Soak the tamarind in water for 10 minutes and extract the tamarind juice and keep it aside
Cook the thurdal with a pinch of Turmeric and finely chopped pumpkin in a pressure cooker. Pumpkin is a key ingredient here which will give a light sweet taste to sambar and also the thickness.
Heat a pan, add the grinding ingredients and dry fry them till the dals turn golden brown. Take all the fried ingredients in a mixer.
Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder and take this in a bowl. This is the Sambar Powder that we are going to add with the Sambar after few steps.
Heat a pan, add oil and when the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add chopped curry leaves and hing.
Add the tamarind extract and salt and allow the mixture to boil till the raw smell of the tamarind goes off. Now add little water with the Sambar Powder (which we prepared few steps before) and mix well. We can also add water while grinding and make it a paste. The main reason for adding water is that, when the sambar powder is added to tamarind extract it should not form lumps. So, if we make the sambar powder as a paste then it mixes well with the tamarind extract.
When the raw smell of the tamarind extract goes off, add the sambar powder paste and immediately stir with a ladle to mix well
Now take the cooked dal and pumpkin and smash it nicely with the help of back of a ladle. This should be like a paste. It is very important to make sure that the dal is cooked properly and it should get smashed when we press it with the ladle.
Add the smashed dal and pumpkin to the sambar and stir well. Keep the flame in medium low and wait for the sambar to start boiling. When the sambar starts to boil, add grated jaggery and remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves
Now the mouth-watering Hotel Sambar is ready with vada, idli, dosa or plain white rice with little ghee.

I have used only pumpkin. But we can also use mixed vegetables. Shallots tastes so good.
Adjust the spice according to your needs
For the unique taste of Hotel Sambar, we don’t add the coconut. But if you want to enhance the taste of sambar, you can add 1/4 cup of coconut along with the grinding ingridents and grind it and add to the sambar
Serve Hot with Ghee. Ghee further enhances the taste.

Method

Soak the tamarind in water for 10 minutes and extract the tamarind juice and keep it aside

Cook the thurdal along with a turmeric powder and chopped pumpkin in a pressure cooker. Pumpkin is a key ingredient here which will give a light sweet taste to sambar and also the thickness. Heat a pan, add the grinding ingredients and dry fry them till the dals turn golden brown. Take all the fried ingredients in a mixer.

Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder and take this in a bowl. This is the Sambar Powder that we are going to add with the Sambar after few steps. Heat a pan, add oil and when the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add chopped curry leaves and hing.

Add the tamarind extract and salt and allow the mixture to boil till the raw smell of the tamarind goes off. Now add little water with the Sambar Powder (which we prepared few steps before) and mix well. We can also add water while grinding and make it a paste. The main reason for adding water is that, when the sambar powder is added to tamarind extract it should not form lumps. So, if we make the sambar powder as a paste then it mixes well with the tamarind extract. When the raw smell of the tamarind extract goes off, add the sambar powder paste and immediately stir with a ladle to mix well

Now take the cooked dal and pumpkin and smash it nicely with the help of back of a ladle. This should be like a paste. It is very important to make sure that the dal is cooked properly and it should get smashed when we press it with the ladle. Add the smashed dal and pumpkin to the sambar and stir well. Keep the flame in medium low and wait for the sambar to start boiling. When the sambar starts to boil, add grated jaggery and remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves

Now the mouth-watering Hotel Sambar is ready with vada, idli, dosa or plain white rice with little ghee.

Hotel Sambar

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A twist from the normal Rice Upma. Very scrumptious and tasty upma with broken raw rice along with Indian spices. A very simple to make breakfast dish. Most of us make Rava Upma very often. Rava upma is made from Semolina (Sooji), this upma kozhukattai is made with broken rice. We can use broken rice (Rice Rava) and make Rice Upma. Rice upma tastes so good with lemon pickle and vendhaya kuzhambu also with coconut chutney.

In this upma kozhukatai, we first need to wash the rice and spread it in towel and then once its dry, we are going to grind the rice to a coarse powder like coarse sooji consistency. Then we need to temper the upma and cook rice in boiling water and then pressure cook for 3 whistles. Again take the cooked upma and make pidi kozhukattai and steam cook the pidi kozhukattai. A very healthy and tasty South Indian Breakfast that is simple and easy to make.

You can also try:

Recipe Card

Upma Kozhukattai | Kara Pidi Kozhukattai

A twist from the normal Rice Upma. Very scrumptious and tasty upma with broken raw rice along with Indian spices. A very simple to make breakfast dish. Serve Upma Kozhukattai with Coconut Chutney and enjoy the dish.

1 Cup Raw Rice (1 Cup – 250ml)
2.5 Cups Water
1 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Grated Coconut

For Tempering

1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Split Urad Dal
1 tsp Split Bengal Gram (Channa Dal / Kadalaparuppu)
2 Red Chili
a Pinch Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)
Few Curry Leaves

Wash the raw rice(preferably Pacharisi) in water. Spread the rice in the towel and let the rice dry completely. Grind the rice in the mixer and grind it like sooji (rawa) and keep it aside. Make sure that the rice is not grind completely like rice flour.
Heat the oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds starts to sputter add the urdhal, channa dhal, broken red chillis, curry leaves. Fry the above mixture till dhal turn into golden brown color. Finally add hing and switch off the flame .
Take the broken rice in a vessel. Add 2.5 cups of water along with salt. Add Seasoning to the water and stir well
Finally add grated coconut and stir well. Keep the vessel inside the pressure cooker and pressure cook allowing for 3 whistles
Allow the pressure to release fully and then open the cooker and stir the cooked upma well
Spread the cooked upma in plate and allow it to cool. Now make a small balls out of it and place it in a Idly plate and steam cook it for five minutes.
Serve Upma Kozhukattai with coconut chutney/Vendhya kuzhambu

We can use dry rice also to make upma kozhukattai. The main reason to wash and dry rice is that while grinding we will get evenly coarse rice
We can also add 1/4 cup of toor dal along with rice
We can also use 1 teaspoon of peppercorns while grinding the rice
We can make large quantity of coarsely ground rice powder and store it in air-tight container and use it whenever needed

Method:

Wash the raw rice(preferably Pacharisi) in water. Spread the rice in the towel and let the rice dry completely. Grind the rice in the mixer and grind it like sooji (rawa) and keep it aside. Make sure that the rice is not grind completely like rice flour.

Heat the oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds starts to sputter add the urdhal, channa dhal, broken red chillis, curry leaves. Fry the above mixture till dhal turn into golden brown color. Finally add hing and switch off the flame .

Take the broken rice in a vessel. Add 2.5 cups of water along with salt. Add Seasoning to the water and stir well

Finally add grated coconut and stir well. Keep the vessel inside the pressure cooker and pressure cook allowing for 3 whistles

Allow the pressure to release fully and then open the cooker and stir the cooked upma well

Spread the cooked upma in plate and allow it to cool. Now make a small balls out of it and place it in a Idly plate and steam cook it for five minutes.

Serve Upma Kozhukattai with coconut chutney/Vendhya kuzhambu

Upma Kozhukattai

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Pineapple Rasam is a special variety of rasam. The pineapple adds distinct flavour and taste. Pineapple rasam/kesari are my favourite as I love the wonderful smell of this fruit. When I was young, I used to think that pineapple rasam would be sweeter, hence, I had not tasted for a long time. Then once in my friends home in Thiruvananthapuram I tasted this wonderful dish and I was so excited about the delicous taste of this rasam. Henceforth I make pineapple rasam often and especially to treat my guests. You can serve this as a soup in a bowl or serve with white rice and pappad. I always prefer to have this rasam with Potato Fry.

You can also try:

1. Lemon Rasam

2. Raw Mango Rasam

3. Nellikai Rasam

4. Kollu Rasam

5. Orange Rasam

Pineapple Rasam

Recipe Card

Pineapple Rasam

Pineapple Rasam is a special variety of rasam. The pineapple adds distinct flavour and taste. You can serve this as a soup in a bowl or serve with white rice and pappad.

2 tbsp Toor Dal
6 Pineapple Rings
1 tsp Rasam Powder
3 Tomato
Few Curry Leaves
Coriander Leaves (For Garnishing)
1 tsp Salt (As Needed)

For Grinding

1 tsp Peppercorns
1 tsp Cumin Seeds

For Tempering

1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter)
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 Red Chili
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)

Pressure cook the thurdal and smash it nicely and keep it aside. Take the pepper and cumin seeds in a mixer
Grind the pepper and cumin seeds to a coarse powder
Take 3 pine apple rings separately. If you have the whole pineapple, peel the skin and cut the pineapple into circles
Chop the pineapple to bigger pieces and add it to the mixer
Grind the pineapple pieces to a nice paste
Take 1 tomato and nicely mash it. Or you can even give a pulse in the mixer to make a puree
To the tomato puree, add 1 cup of water, turmeric and 1/2 quantity of ground coarse pepper-cumin powder, ground pineapple paste and rasam powder and allow the tomato puree to cook well
Meanwhile, finely chop the rest of pineapple pieces and tomatoes and keep it ready
In a separate pan, add ghee and add mustard seeds when the ghee is hot, when the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add broken red chilli, hing, rest of the ground pepper-cumin powder and curry leaves and saute it for 20 seconds
Add the chopped pineapple and tomato pieces and saute it for 2 minutes in a medium flame
Add the seasoned ingredients along with sauted pineapple and tomato pieces to the boiling tomato puree
Add the mashed dal and mix well.
Add 2 cups of water and keep the flame in medium till we get a froth. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and remove from flame
The delicious and spicy pineapple rasam is ready to serve.

Pineapple we use for this should be tangy as we are not using tamarind
If you like, you can use 2-3 cloves of garlic
Adjust the spice as per your need

Method:

Pressure cook the thurdal and smash it nicely and keep it aside. Take the pepper and cumin seeds in a mixer

Grind the pepper and cumin seeds to a coarse powder

Take 3 pine apple rings separately. If you have the whole pineapple, peel the skin and cut the pineapple into circles

Chop the pineapple to bigger pieces and add it to the mixer

Grind the pineapple pieces to a nice paste

Take 1 tomato and nicely smash it. Or you can even give a pulse in the mixer to make a puree

To the tomato puree, add 1 cup of water, turmeric and 1/2 quantity of ground coarse pepper-cumin powder, ground pineapple paste and rasam powder and allow the tomato puree to cook well

Meanwhile, finely chop the rest of pineapple pieces and tomatoes and keep it ready

In a separate pan, add ghee and add mustard seeds when the ghee is hot, when the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add broken red chilli, hing, rest of the ground pepper-cumin powder and curry leaves and saute it for 20 seconds

Then add the chopped pineapple and tomato pieces and saute it for 2 minutes in a medium flame

Time to add the tempered ingredients along with sauted pineapple and tomato pieces to the boiling tomato puree

Finally pour the mashed dal and mix well.

Adjust the consistency by adding 2 cups of water and keep the flame in medium till we get a froth. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and remove from flame

The delicious and spicy pineapple rasam is ready to serve.

Pineapple Rasam

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Paneer gravies are always so rich, creamy and yummy and favorite for most of the kids and adults. We can make the Paneer gravy more healthier by adding cooked green moong. We can also use sprouted moong. Adding green moong to paneer gravy not only enhances the taste but also makes it more protein rich. This Moong Paneer (Green Gram Paneer Curry) is another jewel in Paneer’s Crown.

Benefits of Green Gram (Green Moong / Pachapayiru):

Mung beans are a type of pulse that has a good nutritional balance with plenty of vitamins and minerals. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100 grams (g) of boiled mung beans contain:

7.02 g of protein
19.15 g carbohydrate, including 2 g sugar
7.60 g dietary fiber

Mung beans are a filling food. The high fibre and protein levels, helps decrease food intake, thus lower weight and aid in fighting obesity.

Cooking Green Gram

Green Gram is easy to cook when soaked. Its always better to soak them for 2-3 hours before cooking that way it will speed up the process. We can easily sprout the green gram at home itself. Sprouted green gram has more nutrition than the dry ones. If we are using sprouted moong ,then we don’t need to soak, we can directly pressure cook. Since mung beans are healthy, delicious and versatile, consider incorporating them into your diet.

Moong Paneer | Green gram Paneer Curry

Recipe Card:

Moong Paneer | Green Moong Paneer Curry

250 gms Paneer (Cubed)
1/4 Cup Green Gram (Pachai Payiru)
1 tbsp Cashews
4 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter)
1 Onion (Finely chopped)
2 Tomato (Finely Chopped)
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1.5 tsp Salt
1 tsp Dry Kasoori Methi
Coriander Leaves (For Garnishing)
1 tbsp Curd (Plain Yogurt)

Soaking & Cooking Green Gram

Wash and soak Green moong in water for about 3 hours
After 3 hours, drain water, add salt and water to soak moong and pressure cook for 3 whistles

Preparing Cashew Paste

Take Cashew in mixer jar and grind it to paste and set it aside. This cashew paste has to be added at the end of the cooking process which will make the gravy thicker and richer

Frying Paneer

Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan. Add paneer cubes and fry the paneer till its golden brown
Soak the fried paneer in hot water to keep the paneer soft till we add it to gravy

Preparing Gravy

Heat remaining ghee / oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and allow it to crackle
Then add chopped onions and sauté the onions till translucent. Then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 2 mins
Then add chopped tomatoes. Along with tomatoes, we need to add salt, coriander powder, red chili powder and turmeric power and mix well
Then add 1 cup of water and cook the masala till the oil /ghee starts to ooze out.
Then add curd and give a good mix. Now, its time to add cooked moong and give a good mix. Then add cashew paste
Add fried paneer to the pan. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding water. Allow the gravy to boil for 3-4 min.
Add crushed Kasoori methi and give a final mix. Garnish the Moong Paneer with Coriander Leaves and serve with Roti/Naan / Paratha or even with Jeera Pulao

We can use sprouted moong instead of dry green moong. Sprouted moong doesn’t need to be soaked, we can directly pressure cook the sprouted moong
I used less masala, if you like dominant flavor of masala, you can add garam masala at the end and also temper the whole masalas like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom.

Method with Step by Step Pictures:

Wash and soak Green moong in water for about 3 hours. After 3 hours, drain water, add salt and water to soak moong and pressure cook for 3 whistles

Take Cashew in mixer jar and grind it to paste and set it aside. This cashew paste has to be added at the end of the cooking process which will make the gravy thicker and richer

Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan. Add paneer cubes and fry the paneer till its golden brown.

Soak the fried paneer in hot water to keep the paneer soft till we add it to gravy

Heat remaining ghee / oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and allow it to crackle. Then add chopped onions and sauté the onions till translucent.

Then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 2 mins

Then add chopped tomatoes. Along with tomatoes, we need to add salt, coriander powder, red chili powder and turmeric power and mix well

Then add 1 cup of water and cook the masala till the oil /ghee starts to ooze out. Then add curd and give a good mix.

Now, its time to add cooked moong and give a good mix. Then add cashew paste

Add fried paneer to the pan. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding water. Allow the gravy to boil for 3-4 min. Add crushed Kasoori methi and give a final mix.

Garnish the Moong Paneer with Coriander Leaves and serve with Roti/Naan / Paratha or even with Jeera Pulao

Moong Paneer | Green Moong Paneer Curry

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Wheat Flour dosa is a quick and easy dish which you can prepare in 20 minutes. Normally for dosa, we need to soak rice, urid dal for many hours and grind it and then ferment it. But Wheat flour dosa is very simple and can be made with ready made flours without much effort. It is a healthy dish too as we are using wheat flour. We can also make this for dinner.

Most or us have conventional Idli/Dosa batter all the time at home. Whenever I have left over batter that is not enough, I will end up doing this yummy, instant and healthy wheat dosa. We can mix the wheat flour directly to the left over idli batter and add tempering ingredients and make the batter thin and cook dosa or we can start from scratch by taking wheat flour, rice flour and add little curd to make the batter tastes little sour. We can also use Chopped onions to the batter and cook this wheat dosa.

Other Dosa varieties you can try:

1. Maida (All purpose flour Dosa)

2. Rava Dosa (Sooji Dosa)

3. Oats Dosa

4. Tomato Dosa

5. Neer Dosa

Wheat Flour Dosa | Godhumai Dosa | SouthIndian Breakfast

1 Cup Wheat Flour (1 Cup – 250ml)
1/2 Cup Rice Flour
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Green Chili (Finely Chopped)
Salt (As Needed)
1 tbsp Curd (Plain Yogurt)

For Tempering

1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
a Pinch Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)
Few Curry Leaves

Mix the flours, curd and salt. Add water and make it to a thin batter. The batter should be like Rava Dosa Batter (very watery)
To the batter, add cumin seeds, green chili and give a good stir
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Then add hing and curry leaves and pour this tempering to the batter. Now the Wheat Flour Dosa Batter Ready
Heat the tawa and pour little batter around the tawa. Since the batter is so thin, the batter will spread itself with lots of holes
Add oil and cook the dosa in low flame till the bottom side is fully cooked and the dosa is crisp
Take out the cooked dosa and serve hot with chutney of your choice or with Idli Podi

We can add Sooji to make the dosa crisp
Wheat flour tends to increase the body heat. So instead of oil, we can also use ghee.
We can also use finely chopped onions
If we have leftover normal dosa batter, we can add wheat flour to it and prepare a batter instead of using rice flour

Method:

Mix the flours, curd and salt. Add water and make it to a thin batter

To the batter, add cumin seeds, green chili and give a good stir. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Then add hing and curry leaves and pour this tempering to the batter. Now the Wheat Flour Dosa Batter Ready

Heat the tawa and pour little batter around the tawa. Since the batter is so thin, the batter will spread itself with lots of holes. Add oil and cook the dosa in low flame till the bottom side is fully cooked and the dosa is crisp

Serve the WheatFlour Dosa along with Gun powder, Tomato Chutney, Mint chutney or sambar

Wheat Flour Dosa | Godhumai Dosa | SouthIndian Breakfast

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Vegetable Subji is a perfect healthy accompaniment for any Indian bread. Asparagus is a nutritional rich veggie and it is rich in fiber and vitamins. Most of the recipes we concoct with beans, we can make them with Asparagus too. I have already published the recipe of Asparagus Paruppu Usili. This Asparagus Subzi is also a simple and yummy sidedish that is mild in masala and would be perfect for any Indian breads or even for Pulao or Fried Rice. Try this healthy accompaniment and share your experience!

Benefits of Asparagus:

Not only is asparagus low in fat and calories (one cup sets you back a mere 32 calories), but it also contains lots of soluble and insoluble fiber, making it a good choice if you’re trying to lose weight. Because your body digests fiber slowly, it keeps you feeling full in between meals. Asparagus is also a source of vitamin E, another important antioxidant. This vitamin helps strengthen your immune system.

Nutrition:

According to the United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database, one 134-gram (g) cup of raw asparagus contains approximately:

27 calories
0.16 g of fat
5.2 g of carbohydrate
1.88 g of sugar
2.8 g of fiber
2.95 g of protein

Besides, this subzi, we can make Asparagus Paruppu Usili.

You can also try:

Asparagus Subzi Recipe | Asparagus Masala Dry Curry Recipe

Recipe Card:

Asparagus Subzi Recipe | Asparagus Masala Dry Curry Recipe

350 gms Asparagus
1 nos Onion
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Grated Coconut
Salt (to taste)

For Grinding:

1 nos Green Chilli
4 nos Garlic Cloves
1/4 tsp Peppercorns

For Tempering:

1 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Curry Leaves (few as needed)

Wash and chop the asparagus hard stem and discard them.
Chop the rest of the part into fine pieces and keep them aside.
Take the green chili, garlic cloves and peppercorns in the mixer and grind them coarsely and set that aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add cumin seeds and also broken curry leaves and saute it for couple of seconds.
Then add finely chopped onions and saute them in oil. Add a pinch of turmeric and saute the onions till they are transparent.
When the onions are cooked, add the grounded coarse spice paste and saute them in oil for couple of minutes. Then add the chopped asparagus and saute in high flame for 2 minutes.
To the asparagus, add the coriander leaves and salt and mix well and saute everything together nicely.
After 2 minutes, sprinkle little water and close the pan with a lid and allow the asparagus to cook till they are soft and tender.
When the asparagus is cooked completely, add the garam masala and grated coconut and give a good mix and then switch off the flame,
The delectable Asparagus Sabzi is all ready. Serve with chapati / roti and enjoy the dish

Tender asparagus would be a good choice.
Do not over cook the asparagus.

Method:

1. Wash and chop the asparagus hard stem and discard them.
2. Chop the rest of the part into fine pieces and keep them aside
3. Take the green chilli, garlic cloves and peppercorns in the mixer and grind them coarsely and set that aside
4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add cumin seeds and also broken curry leaves and saute it for couple of seconds
5. Then add finely chopped onions and saute them in oil. Add a pinch of turmeric and saute the onions till they are transparent.
6. When the onions are cooked, add the grounded coarse spice paste and saute them in oil for couple of minutes. Then add the chopped asparagus and saute in high flame for 2 minutes.
7. To the asparagus, add the coriander leaves and salt and mix well and saute everything together nicely
8. After 2 minutes, sprinkle little water and close the pan with a lid and allow the asparagus to cook till they are soft and tender
9. When the asparagus is cooked completely, add the garam masala and grated coconut and give a good mix and then switch off the flame,
10. The delectable Asparagus Sabzi is all ready. Serve with chapati / roti and enjoy the dish

Asparagus Subzi Recipe | Asparagus Masala Dry Curry Recipe

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