Starters

MASALA PAPAD

It is always a welcome change whenever we go out to eat and when that happens we do order masala papad.It is a good starter and goes well with the north indian cuisine.I also make this at least twice a week not only for lunch or dinner but at tea time too as a snack.It is very tasty and and easy to make as well.You can please your sudden hunger cravings or satisfy hubby or kids sudden demand for something in a hurry.I always like a mild flavoured chaat masala topping for my papad,but it is entirely upto your liking…

Read more
Pickles

NEER NELLIKAI

Neer nellikai is a pickle out of gooseberries in salt water and grounded spices.A delectable pickle that has a peculiar taste it is loaded with goodness.It has almost no oil so can be had heartily by any one.As we all know gooseberry has many health benefits and is a major source of vitamin C.Grandma used to sun dry gooseberries with a little salt smeared on top and then when they were totally dry used to eat as a digestive.Similarly you can soak them in sugar syrup too and sun dry them.Moving to pickle making,this one involves very less effort and…

Read more
Diwali Snacks, Indian Festival Recipes, Snacks

KARA BOONDI

It is always a tradition to serve something to guests sometimes sweet and sometimes savoury.I do make snacks once in a while and believe making them at home is far healthy and cheap than store bought ones.I made a small batch of boondi last week just to munch for the weekend. Kara boondi is the savoury version of boondi that can be used to make raitas,to mix in mixtures or eaten as it is.It is made out of chick pea or gram flour and the sweeter version is made my making them into ladoos. You need a ladle with holes…

Read more
Mango Recipes, Pickles

VADU MANGA PICKLE

Vadu manga or Mavadu is nothing but baby/tender mango in brine and spices.It’s a family favourite and is usually prepared in bulk so that it is consumed all round the year.When the mango season is over if you long for mangoes then you can make this in large quantities and store them. Both my MOM and MIL make this and the taste would be divine. Iam a lover of pickles and this is my favourite.This year i made mavadu pickle early,but couldn’t post immediately,so here comes the recipe.The water in which the mangoes are soaked is heavenly with curd rice.Make…

Read more
Easy, Snacks

MYSORE BONDA

A scrumptious and filling snack mysore bonda on a rainy day tastes simply heaven.It so happened that we had a small get together at our apartment and each one came up with a different food item .I made mysore bonda and everyone liked it to the core.Somehow i managed to grind the batter to perfection and that is the secret here.My mom is always particular about the batter and i have seen her preparing the batter with extra care every time she makes it.Mysore bonda is similar to methu vada or ulundu vada except for the fact that it has…

Read more
Dairy Free, Easy, Gluten Free, Kootu, Ovo Vegetarian, Vegan, Vegetarian

KEERAI MASIYAL

A simple yet healthy filling dish this keerai masiyal is nothing but mashed spinach .Keerai in tamil is spinach and masiyal is to mash..This is a typical tamil brahmin accompaniment with rice and any gravy or rasam. As we all know all greens are loaded with the goodness of irons and vitamins and this recipe has a very few steps and can be made in a matter of 10 minutes.I have used mulai keerai,a variety of spinach available here,but you can follow the same procedure with any variety of spinach you have.This variety of spinach has thick stem in it…

Read more
Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Medium, Ovo Vegetarian, Rice Accompaniments, Side Dish for Roti, Vegan, Vegetarian

RAJMA MASALA

My daughter is fond of North Indian food and Rajma happens to be her favourite.I always make various rajma varieties at home like sundal,rajma chawal,rajma curry and even rajma salad. Rajma is one pulse variety full of proteins and as a mother am happy to see her finish off the plate whenever i make this.It boosts energy and contains iron and is loved by all age groups.I also learnt from my doctor that it is good for diabetics as well as it decreases the metabolism rate of carbohydrates.So a healthy side dish and tasty too can be prepared using rajma…

Read more
Breakfast Recipes, Easy, Tiffin, Traditional Recipes

PULI AVAL

I am back again with yet another Poha/Beaten rice recipe.Poha in tamarind is always an easy dinner option as it is light on the tummy yet filling for the heart.Yes ,food for me should not only fill the stomach but also heart should be happy when you serve it to others. Of course when unexpected guests arrive this light dish out of rice flakes can be prepared in no time.The traditional puli aval recipe calls for poha in tamarind only, but i have added veggies to it to make it healthier and tastier.The vegetables is purely upto you, you can…

Read more
Dairy Free, Easy, Gluten Free, Ovo Vegetarian, Side Dish for Roti, Soya Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

SOYA CHUNKS MASALA/SOYA RECIPES

Whenever Dhivya eats anything new she’ll first share it with me.She takes food from home daily for college but once in a while likes to have it in her college canteen.The other day it so happened that she ate there and was all in praises for the soya chunks masala she had with roti at her college canteen.From the taste she told me i managed to prepare this and she said after eating this she said it tasted similar.Yippee!!!!The joy of trying out a new recipe and that too for your loved one is truly remarkable.I made rotis along with…

Read more
Easy, Potato Recipes

ALU BHINDI FRY

When it is monday,as they say i too experience MONDAY BLUES.Ofcourse on all days i do cook but on weekends it’s different.I can do everything slowly and cook a nice brunch at home.Last sunday i chanced to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner and i ordered this Alu Bhindi Fry.It was yum with limited spices and we had with hot phulkas.Not neccesary though,it would taste great with any other indian bread.So next morning when i had this monday blue thing again i thought,why not try alu bhindi homestyle?Ialso made pulao to go alongwith it.You can pair it with a…

Read more
Dairy Free, Easy, Gluten Free, Ovo Vegetarian, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

DRY KARA PORI

Pori or puffed rice is one thing i always have in stock in my home.Daugther loves Bhel puri and besides making that,i also make this Dry kara pori.It is so simple and healthy snack to munch on at time of the day.My hubby always like to have some snack after dinner.Moreover the IPL season is here so he wanted something as a midnight snack.It was raining here last week in Bangalore,thanks,they were sure welcome showers to beat the rising temperatures for the last 4 weeks.i made it last week.This is called murmure here too and a little different from the…

Read more