Happy's Cook

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Vella Sevai Recipe | Jaggery Idiyappam | Sweet Idiyappam | Idiyappam with Jaggery & Coconut | Idiyappam Varieties

Good Bye 2017!! Thanks everyone for the support you have given me throughout the year. Though I am not posting regularly this year, I received enough encouragements from many readers on my Facebook and Instagram Pages. I will be sharing more interesting recipes in the coming year. To wind up 2017, today I am sharing a simple and easy idiyappam variety, the Vella Sevai. This can be served as an after-school snack for kids and they will enjoy it. Check out the already posted Puli Sevai and Paruppu Sevai. Let's move to the preparation steps:

Vettu Cake Recipe | Tea Kadai Muttakos | Tea Stall Fried Cake | Fried Tea Cake | Vedi Cake

I am super excited to share today's recipe and I have many memories around this fried cake. In Tirunelveli district, the fried cake is made as a big round shaped ball with few cracks and people call it as Muttakos (cabbage) since the shape of this resembles the cabbage. The same cake is called as Vettu Cake in Kanyakumari District and Kerala. They make it a bit small and have a cross in the centre. Most of the roadside tea shop will sell this along with Medhu Vada, Parippu Vada, Samosa and Pazham Pori.

My mum was working at a School in Tisayanvillai and I did my schooling there until grade 10. We had a neighbour who makes this Muttakos(Vettu Cake) and Mini Samosas. He supplies it to all the nearby tea shops and some days we buy it from him for our evening snacks. It tastes so yummy and at times mum will make it at home. The original recipe calls for maida and my mum makes it with wheat flour. Today I am sharing the original recipe with maida and you can always replace it with wheat flour for the healthier option. Let's see the preparation steps:

Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe | Non Alcoholic Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Plum Cake | Christmas Fruit Cake | Christmas Special Recipes

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and waiting for the Christmas. When I posted the Traditional Christmas Fruit Cake last year, many of you mailed me asking for the eggless and non-alcoholic version. As promised, I am sharing the easy peasy eggless fruit cake soaked in orange juice. If you forget to soak the dry fruits, then no worries, this recipe requires only one-day soaking. I followed the recipe from here and it came out super awesome. I packed the cake to Jany's office and his teammates really loved it. I am planning to make my next batch tomorrow if everything goes well. Let's see the preparation steps and do check out my other Christmas special recipes too.

Mango Loaf Cake Recipe | Mango Loaf | Mango Recipes

When most of the World has the cold weather, in Australia, we are in the summer season. We are enjoying loads of mangoes now and I have tried few mango recipes to make use of the season. Recently, I tried this mango loaf cake and it came out so delicious. I used fresh mango pulp for this loaf and in your part of the world, if it is not the mango season, then you can use tinned mango pulp. I followed the recipe from here and it turns super awesome. Each one of us at home tasted a slice and I packed the remaining to Jany's office. They all liked it and without much delay, let us move on to the recipe. Check out my other Cakes & Christmas special recipes too.

Popcorn Chicken Recipe | Chicken Bites | KFC Style Popcorn Chicken | Chicken Recipes

I am planning to post few Christmas special recipes on the blog and today I am sharing a yummy starter for the Christmas party. I love KFC Popcorn chicken a lot and though it is unhealthy, I indulge in it once in a while. I always wanted to recreate it at home. After I tried Chicken Chippies, I was confident enough to try this one. It tastes so yummy and Jany told, it tastes similar to KFC popcorn chicken. This can be served as an appetizer for the kids' party as well and kids will love it. Without any delay let's see the recipe. You can also check the other Chicken recipes/Non-Veg recipes from the blog here.

Christmas Special Recipes

Chapathi Recipe | Soft Chapati | How to make soft Chapathi | Soft Roti

Making soft chapathi is everyone's dream and so am I. Though I have not mastered making the perfect round chapathis, I have managed to make soft chapathi. When I was living in Saidapet with my in-laws, a cook who comes there makes perfect chapathis. Once I saw her making the dough and she asked me to insert my finger into the dough to check the consistency. It was so smooth and my finger went inside without much effort. From that day, I was dreaming to make such dough. Also, when I was working with TCS Chennai, I had a helper Kalpana who makes similar chapathi. Happy loves her chapathi and asks for more whenever she makes it. I learned tricks from both of them and now I am able to make reasonably good chapathi. Though this is a simple recipe, I wanted to record it here with the tips I learned from them. Let's see the recipe:

Puli Sevai Recipe | Tamarind flavored Idiyappam | Puli idiyappam | Idiyappam Varieties

If we have readymade sevai or homemade Idiyappam in hand, then we can easily make a variety of quick breakfasts for our busy weekdays. I make homemade Idiyappam only on Saturday or Sunday and I always pair it up with Sodhi or some non-veg gravy. For weekdays, I go for the store brought instant sevai and make any of the variety sevai. I have posted Paruppu Sevai already in the blog. Today I am sharing another interesting sevai recipe, the puli sevai. Let's move to the recipe:

Egg Rice Recipe | Simple Egg Rice for Lunch Box | Lunch Box Recipes

Egg rice has so many nostalgic memories of my childhood. I was a very fuzzy and picky eater during my school days. Mom struggled to pack lunch for me since I bring back home almost everything untouched. I don't prefer rice mixed with any Kuzhambu and also hate almost all the vegetables. Egg rice was my mom's saviour since I finish this if it is in my lunch box. Initially, I will not allow her to add mustard seeds, onion and it should be a plain rice with egg and salt. As years passed, I changed a bit and started eating this yummy egg rice. Really, I was such a silly girl during those days and I have completely changed after I moved to the hostel in Chennai while doing my PG. This recipe is very simple and it is a go-to recipe for lunch boxes during the busy weekdays. Let's see the preparation steps:

Idli Milagai Podi Recipe - Version 2 | Homemade Idli Podi | Idli Podi | Chutney Podi for Idli & Dosa

I have posted a recipe of Idli Podi already in this space. That is my mom's recipe and it is made only with Urad dal. I am a great fan of Idli podi and now Happy and Jany joined me. When I feel really tired and lazy to cook, this handy podi helps me. Having Podi Idli with strong filter coffee for breakfast is a pure bliss. Today, I am sharing another interesting and healthy podi which includes sesame seeds and channa dal along with the urad dal. Adding sesame seeds give a nice flavour to the podi. Off to the recipe:

Methi Chicken Recipe | Fenugreek Chicken | Chicken Methi | Chicken Recipes | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #17

Hello everyone, I am here with a new recipe almost after a month. Though I plan to be active on the blog quite often, it is not happening. I am super busy these days and blogging is taking the back seat on my priority list. Today, I pushed myself to post a recipe since it is the first day of my favourite month. My dad is also with us in Sydney and we are having a good time now. In the meantime, I started exploring more Millets since my dad is diabetic. Hopefully, I will be posting more Millets recipes here. I have posted few lunch ideas with Millets on my Instagram account. Let us move on to today's recipe for Chicken Methi and it is another recipe from Chef Venkatesh Bhat's show Samayal Samayal. Check out other Chicken Recipes here.

Spinach Thukkudi Recipe | Spinach Diamond Cuts | Savoury Diamond Cuts with Spinach Flavour | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #16

After a long time, I am back with another interesting recipe from the show Samayal Samayal. When I was in Chennai, I always try to watch the show on weekends. After moving to Sydney, I was not getting enough time to watch the show. Recently, I watched an episode and noted down all three recipes. Today's recipe is one among them and it turned out super yummy. I have already posted Sweet Diamond Cuts/Sweet Thukkudi and this is a savoury version with spinach flavour. Let us move on to the recipe:

Spanish Omelette Recipe | Potato Onion Omelette | Tortilla De Patatas

Jany loves IHOP garden Omelette and this Spanish Omelette. He asks me to make it at home and the lazy me always ignores it stating some reason. Recently, when we went to Flemington Market, we got eggs directly from the farmers in bulk. I wanted to use the eggs as quickly as possible and hence I made this Spanish Omelette for today's breakfast. The quantity mentioned in this recipe is really filling for three of us. (2 adults and a half ticket 😁). Let us move on to the recipe:

Kaju Katli Recipe | Kaju Barfi | Cashew Sweet | Diwali Special Sweets

Finally, I am sharing a much-awaited recipe in Happy's cook. I was continuously receiving requests from few readers for this recipe during the festive season and personally, two of my friends were asking this. However, I failed twice last year when I tried this. I was very upset about the outcome and I didn't want to try it anymore. When I saw the posts of other blogger friends, I literally wanted to try this year as well. Though the procedure is very simple, my failures made me think so much and I read the recipe from many websites. I had written down all the observations and tricks before starting the preparation. I took extra care in each and every step. My efforts didn't go in vain and I got the perfect katli this time. Happy and Jany liked it very much. Let us move on to the recipe:

Cashew Murukku Recipe | Mundhiri Murukku | Diwali Murukku Recipes | Diwali Special Snacks

Hope everyone is busy with the Diwali preparations, I am very much excited to try new Diwali snacks. The blogger in me has brought so many changes in my life and even in my wild dreams, I never thought that I will make snacks at home. I usually don't make snacks apart from regular cooking and Diwali is the time for us to relish some snacks. Both Jany and Happy doesn't prefer sweets and hence I have not tried many sweets this year. If it is murukku or any other savoury snacks, then no complaints and everything will vanish in no time. I tried this recipe from Rak's Kitchen and it came out very well. Check out my Diwali recipe collection here. Also, please check out my other murukku recipes mentioned below too:

Pepper Karasev Recipe | Diwali Special Recipes

Karasev is a simple and easy to make snack for Diwali. I have posted spicy garlic karasev earlier and the recipe calls for red chilli powder. Today I am sharing pepper karasev that is one of my favourites. This snack is very addictive and since we are using besan flour it may cause digestion problem. So, I advise you to add either garlic or asafoetida without fail. Even beginners can try this recipe and it will not lead you into trouble. Make sure to fry in medium flame and you will get crispy karasev. Check out my other Diwali special recipes too. Off to the recipe:

Bread Bajji Recipe | Bread Pakora | Easy Snacks Recipes

I was very busy over the last few weeks and I couldn't post anything here. You can follow me on Instagram for the daily breakfast, lunchbox and dinner inspirations. Also, you can sneak peek to my kitchen to know, what is happening right now at Happy's Cook. I am planning to post few special recipes for Diwali which I tried this year in the coming days. Until then please visit my already existing Diwali Special Snacks & Sweets Collection. To start with the special recipes for Diwali, today I am sharing this yummy bread bajji. When I was working in TCS Siruseri, I had this bread bajji for the first time in Ratna Cafe and from then, I am a great of this snack. Let us move on to the preparation of this yummy snack. Check out my Potato Bajji and Breadfruit Bajji as well.

Karamani Vella Sundal Recipe| Lobia Sweet Sundal | Black eyed beans sundal | Navaratri Sundal Recipes

Yet another sundal recipe for this Navaratri season. Karamani is one of my favourite sundal and whenever I ran out of veggies, I make savoury sundal to go with rice for lunch. In my entire sundal recipe collection, I have only one sweet sundal which I posted using green gram. Hence, I tried this Karamani sweet sundal and it came out very well. I made this Karamani sundal with mild sweetness and tempered with dry red chilli. Off to the preparation steps:

Thenga Manga Pattani Sundal Recipe | Beach Sundal | White Peas Sundal with Mango & Coconut | Navaratri Sundal Recipes

Happy Navaratri dear readers!! Festivals make me very happy and I am proud to be a blogger for trying different recipes during each occasion. Though I celebrate only Christmas and Easter at home, the blogging world has introduced too many festivals. I have already posted many Navaratri Special recipes and today I am sharing yet another sundal recipe. This recipe is very close to my heart and it reminds me of my Chennai hostel life. Bajji, Sudal, Fish Fry and Kwality Walls ice-cream carts from Marina beach brings so many nostalgic memories. Let us move on to the recipe:

Broccoli Pulao Recipe | Easy Broccoli Pulao | Lunch Box Ideas | Variety Rice | Indian Broccoli Recipes

I am including a lot of broccoli in our diet considering its health benefits. I have already posted few broccoli recipes such as Broccoli Rice, Broccoli Paratha, Broccoli Stir Fry and Broccoli Potato Roast. This pulao goes well with any spicy Paneer gravy or Chicken/Mutton Gravy. Let us see the preparation steps. Check out my other pulao recipes too:

Cauliflower Rice Recipe | Cauliflower Pulao | Gobi Pulao | Lunch Box Recipes | Variety Rice

Sipping a cup of coffee and composing a recipe, early in the morning before everyone at home wakes up is a pure bliss. As I type this, I am enjoying my relaxed Sunday morning at home. I wish everyone a great Sunday and let us move on to the today's recipe. Apart from the normal variety rice like Tamarind rice, Lemon Rice, Sesame Rice and Curd Rice, I always include a Vegetable rice/Pulao in my weekly lunch menu. Already I have posted Carrot Rice, Broccoli Rice, Raw Mango Rice etc. To add on this list, I am sharing this easy and nutritious cauliflower rice today. Off to the recipe. Check out my other Cauliflower recipes too:

Narthangai Sadam Recipe | Citron Rice | Wild Lime Rice | Lunch Box Recipes

Whenever I have Narthangai in hand, I always end up making Narthangai Theeyal and it is one of my favourites until now. Recently, my neighbour gave me few Narthangais and after making theeyal and Narthangai Pickle, I had one remaining narthangai. To make use of it, I tried this rice similar to the lemon rice recipe. It was super delicious and the flavour was really amazing. This rice can be packed for lunch box or during travelling. Let us move on to the preparation steps:

Pepper Chicken Kuzhambu Recipe | Pepper Chicken Gravy | Pepper Chicken Masala

I received requests from readers for the recipe of pepper chicken. Also, one of my friends personally pinged and asked this recipe. Though I make dry pepper chicken often at home, I somehow missed posting the recipe here. Recently, in Instagram when Mullai posted a picture of pepper chicken with rice, I was very much tempted to try. I bookmarked the recipe from her blog and gave it a try this weekend. It came out super awesome and I am here with the recipe. I will be posting the dry pepper chicken soon. Check out my other Chicken recipes too. Let us move on to the recipe:

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe | Eggless Strawberry Ice Cream(without ice cream maker) | Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream | Summer Special Recipes

Finally, we are entering the spring season in Sydney. Supermarkets are loaded with lots of strawberries and to make use of the season, I tried this super creamy strawberry ice cream. It turned out so delicious and we are relishing it even after a week. Strawberry is one of my favourite flavours in almost everything. Though there were many flavours of ice creams in the market, I always end up ordering strawberry ice cream. Making it at home is a dream come true. The preparation is very simple with just 3 ingredients and now, we will see the steps involved in the making. I have already posted Mango Ice cream and Mint Oreo Icecream. Also, check out my other Strawberry recipes that I posted last year:

Jackfruit Appam Recipe | Chakka Unniyappam | Jackfruit Fritters | Jackfruit Sweet Paniyaram

Unniyappam brings me so many childhood memories and it is very close to my heart. I make it quite often at home since we all love it. It is a no fail recipe and I am confident to try it for any potluck or get-togethers. I have already posted the regular unniyappam(with rice flour, banana) and wheat flour Banana appam. Recently, when I tried Ela Ada with jackfruit, I reserved some jackfruit pieces for making this appam and it came out so well. Without any delay let us see the preparation steps:

Inji Thayir Recipe | Kerala Style Ginger in Yogurt | Onam Sadya Recipes

Today I am sharing one of the simplest dishes found in the Onam Sadya, Inji Thayir. Ginger has many medicinal values and it helps in the easy digestion after heavy meals. Though the recipe can be given in one line, I wanted to record it under my Onam Sadya Menu. Without further delay, let us move on to the recipe: