Kalakai is a small kind of berry grows on shrubs. In Hindi it is called as Karonda, in Tamil we call it as Kalakai, in Telugu, wakay okachettu and the botanical name is Carissa Carandas. They are very sour in taste and hence they are commonly used in pickle. Simple and easy to make, here is the recipe...
I love cauliflower and peas combo. Have done gravy before, but have not done any stir fry with this combo. First time i tried this simple side dish and it was a great success. It was yummy and the addition of pepper powder to cauliflower gives you more taste. It was easy and quick. Here is the recipe.
Ragi is quite common in our house. I always try to incorporate ragi in our food menu regularly. I make lot of healthy dishes with this like dosa, vada, rotis, sevai......then comes ragi pakoda. Ragi pakoda is a healthy snack made of ragi flour with finely chopped onions. In addition i added chopped spinach leaves to it. Ragi pakoda wiil be much tastier when u add more onions to it. So when u make this don't forget to add more onions to it. Here comes the recipe.
While i was thinking what to prepare for today's lunch and also felt lazy ( but not lazy to take photos :)... ) to cut vegetables then i saw some left over readymade tomato puree in my fridge. I thought i will make Tomato rice. Then just chopped only onions for this recipe. It's a simple, easy and quick variety rice recipe. I used basmati rice for this. So i prepared this tomato rice in few minutes. I didn't use any masala ingredients to this. I made it very simple. It was tasty because of basmati rice or ready made tomato puree i dont know but trust me it was very yummy.
Adai - a simple and delicious south indian pancake made with rice and lentils. Its a very popular breakfast recipe in Tamilnadu. Eaten along with coconut chutney adai will taste yummy. Coconut chutney is perfect pairing to adai. My mom makes a very good adai dosa. Her adai dosa would be crispier, light and tasty. Here is the recipe which i learnt from my mom.
Vermicelli Kheer (Pudding) or Semiya Payasam -a popular and commonly prepared dessert in India. It is perhaps the first pudding that we all learn to prepare. This is one of the easiest and quickest dessert ever and in my family, everbody just love this. I like to have this with vadas, a yummy combo i must say. Today being Tamil New Year i decided to prepare this Semiya payasam. Here is the recipe and Wishing u all a very " Happy Tamil New Year "
A perfect day starts with morning coffee or tea. I either prefer cardamom tea or Ginger tea. This tea is full of flavour and i find this to be soothing, refreshing and makes my mind fresh and relaxed.
When i was thinking to prepare something sweet and also wanted to make quick and easy one, then i thought Carrot Halwa by Lubna of Yummy Food. I learnt this recipe from her and i started preparing often in microwave.
Sambar is a popular south indian recipe, made with yellow lentil called toor dal and vegetable. You can include vegetables like potato, brinjal, drumsticks, raddish, carrot, chow chow, turnips etc. This lentil gravy often finds its place in my table as side dish for pongal, idli, dosa, vada, plain rice. My choice is always drumstick for sambar that gives you more flavour and tastes more than the other vegetables and also i prefer shallots to prepare this, that gives an extra taste to sambar. And also I use home made sambar podi, my grandma always packs for me, the home made stuffs always tastes much better. In south india there are variations to sambar recipe, here is the method i prepare.
Kongunadu Arisi Paruppu Sadam, a signature recipe from the kongunadu region. It is a combination of rice and toor dal flavored with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and with some mild spices.
This is a quick lunch recipe often made in Coimbatore. It is a very simple recipe and moreover, it is a one-pot meal made in a pressure cooker. Parboiled rice is used for making this rice. If you don't have parboiled rice, you can use raw rice like one masuri also. Serve potato fry or chips with little curd as an accompaniment to this.
Watch the making here ↓
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 cup Rice
⅓ cup Split Pigeon peas ( Toor Dal )
1 tsp Mustard seeds
½ tsp Cumin seeds
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large Tomato, chopped
2 Dry Red chilies
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
Salt as required
1 tbsp Oil
To dry grind
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Dry Red chilies
4 Garlic cloves
few Curry leaves
Preparation
Wash the rice and dal thoroughly. Soak in 2½ cups of water for 15 mins and keep aside.
Dry grind the ingredients mentioned above and keep aside
Method
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, allow it to splutter.
Add dry red chilies and roast for few seconds.
Next, add onion and saute till it turns brown in color in medium flame.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it becomes soft in medium flame.
Add the ground coarse paste and saute for 2 more mins.
Next, add the rice and dal along with the water. Add salt, turmeric powder, and coriander leaves. Mix well.
Cover the cooker with lid. When the steam releases, place the weight and cook for 3 whistles in medium flame. Once done switch off the flame.
When the pressure goes down, remove the weight, and open the cooker.
Gently mix the rice and serve hot with a dollop of ghee.
💥 Step by step pic how to Arisi Paruppu Saadham at home
Wash the rice and dal thoroughly. Soak in 2½ cups of water for 15 mins and keep aside.
Dry grind the ingredients mentioned above and keep aside
other ingredients
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, allow it to splutter.
Add dry red chilies and roast for few seconds
Next, add onion, curry leaves and saute till it turns brown in color in medium flame.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it becomes soft in medium flame.
Add the ground coarse paste and saute for 2 more mins.
Next, add the rice and dal along with the water. Add salt, turmeric powder, and coriander leaves. Mix well.
Cover the cooker with lid. When the steam releases, place the weight and cook for 3 whistles in medium flame. Once done switch off the flame. When the pressure goes down, remove the weight, and open the cooker. Gently mix the rice and serve hot with a dollop of ghee.
Spicy Puffed Rice - a very simple evening snack. This is easy to prepare, crunchy to eat and prepared in few minutes. Addition of crushed garlic to it enhances the flavour and I always hunt for the fried garlic in it. This is a wonderful tea time snack. Whenever we go for a picnic, my mom will pack this, a perfect snack to munch. This can be prepared in large quantity and can be stored in air tight container.
Red Sorrel leave are the most popular greens in the Andra region. These leaves are very sour in taste and has the rich load of vitamin C. Sorrel leaves are used to prepare curries, dals , pickles etc.... I learnt this recipe from my neighbour auntie. This is easy to make and it is delicious. This goes perfectly with hot rice.
Whenever i think of soup in non vegetarian category, my choice is aatukkaal soup - a spicy soup of leg of lamb. During my school and college days whenever we suffer from cold my mom prepare this for me and my brother and compulsorily we have to drink it. My mom starts preparation of this soup before night. Before she goes to bed she pressure cook the bones and leave it overnight. Next day morning after our breakfast we have to drink this. This is the most common natural remedies for cold symptoms. My mom learnt this recipe from her mother and i learnt from my mom. This is very tasty and this is a natural remedies for cough, cold, strengthening bones...... but the fat content is high..... so who have high cholesterol level should avoid this.
When i think of winter, i always think of hot and spicy foods. In winter we need recipes that keep us warm and comfort. Coming to today's recipe, Avarai Kottai (Field Beans ) kulambu, is a spicy and tangy gravy served with hot idlis and rice. My favorite winter recipe and love this gravy with hot idlis, a perfect combo, i can say. And this fresh field beans is available during winter seasons in the market. Here's is the hot and delicious recipe for cold winter days.
