Happy's Cook

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Ragi Karupatti Kozhukattai Recipe | Finger Millet Palm Jaggery Kozhukattai | Steamed Finger Millet Dumplings | Millet Recipes

I was planning to post Ragi recipes for a long time now. In my home, mom used to make Ragi Puttu for dad and I too like it. After Happy was born, mom used to prepare the ragi flour in bulk and give it to me. Happy likes to have ragi porridge prepared with palm jaggery. After two years, she lost interest in this and I wanted to try some other recipe with Ragi. Recently, I came to know about Ragi Kozhukattai, and I tried it the last weekend. It was too good and Happy likes it. Let's see the preparation of this yummy and healthy snack:

Ellu Kozhukattai Recipe | Ellu Poorna sweet Kozhukattai | Sesame seeds(Til) Dumplings| Ganesh Chathurthi Recipes

After my venture into the blogging world, we celebrate all the festivals through the dishes I try at home. This year for posting as Ganesh Chathurthi Special recipe, I prepared this Ellu Kozhukattai and Ragi Kozhukattai (Will be posting tomorrow) over the last weekend. Ellu is very healthy and it is rich in many nutrients including calcium. I have already posted Ellu Urundai and I am planning to try Ellu Chutney in the near future. Off to the recipe:

Chala Meen Fry Recipe | Mathi Meen Varuval | Indian style Sardines Fish Fry

Chala Meen/Sardines fish are commonly available in our hometown. It is very cheap, yet tasty and packed with loads of nutrients. They are rich in Omega 3 fatty acid, Vitamin B12, Calcium and Protein. When we get chala, mom makes curry with half the quantity and she will fry the remaining. In Chennai, I usually do not go for Chala since Happy don't prefer it much. But this is Jany's all time favorite fish fry, which he starts eating as and when it is fried. So, I get it once in a while for him. When we go to Nagercoil, I will ask Vanitha akka to fry it for him. During our last Christmas vacation, I clicked this there. Only the cleaning part takes time and we can fry it in a jiffy. Here, we go for the preparation steps:

Rava Ladoo Recipe | Rava Laddu | Rava Urundai | Sweet Sooji Balls

Rava Ladoo is quick and easy to make recipe. This is a no fail recipe, even beginners can prepare it perfectly well. It was in my drafts for such a long time, Yes! I tried it for last Diwali :) For last Diwali, from Jany's office we received assorted nut box. I preserved and used it for this post :) My blogging mind always thinks about properties that can be used for clicking. I hunted and purchased so many props from Paris as well, which you can see in this space soon. Let's go to the preparation steps:

Spicy Squid Masala Recipe | Kanava Masala | Koonthal Masala | Calamari Masala

We almost settled now after coming from Paris. As always weekdays are busy, sending Happy to school and then rushing to office. Today I managed to click few recipes for the blog. I also clicked a kozhukattai recipe, which I will be posting in the coming days for Vinayagar Chathurthi. Today's post is about a semi dry squid masala. Squid is one of our recent favourite seafood. I started exploring different recipes using squid. Already I have posted Kerala squid roast. Both the recipes turned out very well and increased our love towards squid. Let's go for the detailed preparation steps:

Crab Masala with Coconut | Nandu Masala | Thenga Aracha Njandu Curry

I had crab only once in my childhood during one of the visits to my chithi's home. Since mom have not tried it in home I don't show much interest towards it. Also, I don't even remember how crab tastes because I was very young when I tried it. After we shifted to our new house in Chennai, I have seen fish lady's roaming near my home selling crabs that is very fresh and straight from the nearby seashore.

I told my neighbor akka that I wanted to try it once. Her name is Kalpana, Happy fondly call her as 'Kappaka'. :) She is from Pondicherry and a very good cook. Already I have posted her Chicken Fried Rice recipe in this space. She is kind enough to help me, the next weekend we bought it and she cleaned the crab and gave the recipe as well. It turned out very well , after which I have tried it twice or thrice. Now I am confident enough to handle crabs in my kitchen :) This recipe will be a treat for seafood lovers. Onto the recipe:

Coriander Mint Chutney Recipe | Kothamalli Pudhina Thogayal | Chutney Recipes for Idli Dosa

We are busy packing and doing last round of shopping this week. Yes, we will be back to India this weekend. Happy and I enjoyed the trip very well since we both bunked school and office respectively :P Again our busy schedule will start from next week. So before starting from here, I don't want to waste any day without posting recipes here. Today's post is about coriander mint chutney, I got this recipe from my mom in-laws cook in Saidapet. She is a great and super fast cook. To give variation from our regular side dish for Idli Dosa, we can try this chutney. To check other chutney recipes in this space, visit here.

Peanut Chutney Recipe | Groundnut Chutney | Verkadalai Chutney

My preference for food is changing over time. During my schooling, I never like chutneys as side dish for Idli, Dosa and I always go for Sambar. But after college I started loving chutneys and wish to try new chutney whenever I can. Already I have posted few other Chutneys like Coconut Chutney, Peerkangai Chutney, Tomato Chutney, Onion tomato Chutney and Kara Chutney in this space. Today I am adding one more chutney to my list, which is my recent favourite. Yes, I am presenting the delicious creamy peanut chutney with detailed steps here:

Nethili Meen Manga Curry Recipe | Anchovies Mango Fish Curry | Nethili Meen Kuzhambu

Nethili manga curry is an authentic south indian recipe that is loved by majority of seafood lovers. Whenever I get nethili, I usually fry it since Jany prefers it that way. But whenever I have mango in hand, I don't miss to prepare this curry. The mango is the main souring agent and it gives a divine flavour to the curry. The fish is high in calcium because we eat the bones too. Nethili fish can create gastric problem, so mom prefers to add ginger in the recipe for easy digestion.

Mom makes this curry very well, but I missed to get the recipe from her. But luckily mom had taught Vanitha akka to prepare this curry. Vanitha akka helps us with all our household works in native. Mom had moulded her as a decent cook for a period of 6 to 7 years. So whenever I have any doubt about how mom does a particular dish, I will immediately ring her. She helps me and explains whatever mom had told her about that. During our last visit, I asked dad to buy nethili fish and I tried it with the help of akka. It was super tasty and I didn't miss to click it. So here we go for mom's yummy nethili manga curry:

Coconut Fish Crisps Recipe | Kids friendly recipe

This post was lying in my draft for more than a year now. This is an unusual recipe in my kitchen, but it was a huge hit when I tried it. Once Jany and his friends got huge amount of fresh Vanjiram fish from a nearby beach. Apart from our usual fish curry and fish fry, he was asking me to try something new. I had no clue about his expectation and I asked him to give the recipe. He was googling and eventually came up with this recipe. It was from Laura Vitale's space, where she tried it with Shrimp. This super easy recipe turned out very well. Both Jany and Happy were fond of this coconut fish, which got vanished by no time. If your kid is a fuzzy fish eater, then you can try this and for sure they will love it. Already I have posted fish finger which is one of the kids favourite fish recipe. Onto the recipe:

Masala Dosa Recipe | Masala Dosa with potato filling | Breakfast Recipes

Masala dosa is one of my childhood breakfast recipe whenever I visit restaurants. Though I am not crazy about masala dosa these days, I try it once in a while. In home whenever I have some left over Poori masala, I make use of it to prepare masala dosa the next day. The masala dosa gives rich flavour, when you drizzle some ghee on top of the dosa along with some ghee fried broken cashews in the potato masala. If you are strictly on diet and feel guilty about its richness, don't go for more than one. :P Here we go for the step-by-step pictures:

Aappam Recipe | Appam Recipe | Appam without Yeast | Breakfast Recipes

Appam is a type of pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut. It is a common food in Kerala. Since I am from a place, which is very near Kerala, it is quite common in our home too. During Christmas and Easter, mom usually make appam with mutton or chicken curry for breakfast.

The appam recipe which we follow is not the traditional Kerala appam. But it is similar to that and it tastes equally good. My mom in-law makes perfect spongy appam and this is her recipe. I have also mentioned few tips which I got it from her to make this appam. Every weekend I grind both Idli Dosa batter and Appam batter. I will preserve it for a week in fridge. Here, we go for the detailed recipe:

Idiyappam Recipe | Nool Puttu | Sevai | String Hoppers | Breakfast Recipes

Idiyappam is one of our regular breakfast recipe. Jany likes Idiyappam, only if it is paired with vegetable coconut stew (Sodhi) or any non-veg gravy. He hates having it with sugar and coconut. So I mostly make it on weekends and sometimes I make it for dinner. This is one of the healthy traditional breakfast recipe prepared by steaming the rice flour. The dough which we make use for preparing this idiyappam is similar to our Kozhukattai dough which I have posted here.

After I start cooking, mom taught me the preparation of Idiyappam. I still remember the day when she gave a chance for me to try pressing the idiyappam. After marriage whenever we go to native, mom makes this idiyappam along with mutton curry for the breakfast. Jany and I love to have her preparation, but Happy had not got a chance to relish in her dishes :(. Again, the plate I used for preparing this idiyappam was the one which mom owns. This idiyappam can be made in our normal idli mould. But she prefers making big sized idiyappam like in restaurants. Without much delay let us go to the preparation steps:

Homemade Idli Dosa batter Recipe | Failproof Idli Dosa Batter| Idli Recipe | Plain Dosa Recipe | South Indian Soft Idlis | Breakfast Recipes

Idli/Dosa is a traditional breakfast in south India. It is one of the healthiest and popular breakfasts. In my school and college days, I love only dosa and don't prefer Idlis at all. However, I started missing my mum's softest Idli during my PG hostel days. She makes fabulously soft idli and serves it with runny coconut chutney tempered with small onions(shallots). She says the softness of the Idli mainly depends on the quality of the urad dal used. Also, she never soaks the urad dal for more than 30 minutes and she skips the fenugreek seeds to get pure white Idlis. I follow her measurements(4 cups idli rice: 1 cup urad dal) religiously when I was in Chennai and it gives amazing results.

After we move to Sydney, the quality of the urad dal we get here is different and I didn't get soft idlis with this measurement. After so much trial and errors, finally, I have settled with (2 cups idli rice:1 cup urad dal) and a handful of Poha(Aval). This failproof Idli & Dosa batter is giving me the perfect sponge idlis.

I will explain both the measurements in this post and you can choose anyone based on the type of urad dal. The good quality urad dal will give the fluffy batter.

Onion Samosa Recipe | Crispy Onion Samosa | South Indian Onion Samosa | Samsa | Mini Samosa

Today's post is about my all time favorite street snack samosa. It is very famous in south India. I have tried this samosa without pastry sheet once in my in-laws home soon after my marriage. It was a huge hit, without knowing anything in cooking I just tried it using a recipe from internet. That unexpected success might be one of the reason for my cooking interest.

When I was in hostel during my PG days in Chennai, I often snack one rupee mini samosa on my way to hostel :). I am not sure about how hygiene it was. But I love those crunchy and yummy street samosa a lot when compared to samosas from restaurants. I have introduced that to Jany once, as my favorite snack. He too loved it. Nowadays the same samosa is getting sold in Nilgris (You can find it near the billing counter).

Since preparing this samosa from the scratch is time-consuming I usually don't go for it, even though it is everyone's favorite at home. Once I saw this pastry sheet in Adyar Nilgris and I immediately grabbed it. I tried it on a weekend when Danie and Jeffy where in home. Kids enjoyed it to the core and here I am with that easy recipe today. Posting samosa recipe from scratch is in my to-do list and you can see it soon.

Filter Coffee Recipe| South Indian Filter Coffee | Kitchen Basics | Filter Kaapi / Degree Coffee

Again, the lazy Me came out and I didn't post anything here for the past two weeks :(. We are busy exploring Paris on a daily basis. Though our weekend trips are tiring, we had many lovely experience and memorable moments. I will write about few of our trips in the coming days and I will share few recipes which I learned from my new French friend soon.

I was deeply saddened to hear about the demise of one of the most inspirational leader, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. May his soul rest in peace, he has left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of Indians. I was lucky enough to listen one of his lectures when I was doing my PG in College of Engineering, Guindy. It was a memorable experience to cherish throughout my life.

Coming to today's post, it is about making filter coffee. Though making a coffee sounds simple, I wanted to post it here with few tips to make perfect filter coffee. One needs practice to make perfect filter coffee. Though I am not an addict to coffee or tea, I like to have it once in a while. I was introduced to filter coffee by mom, she likes it very much and in weekends she makes it. I still remember the way she explains about the taste of filter coffee. I am using the filter which mom was preserving for a long time. Let's go to the detailed preparation steps:

Mutton Chukka Varuval Recipe | Mutton Ularthiyathu | Mutton Dry Curry | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #8

In my schooldays, I eat only chicken and fish. But mom and dad likes mutton and they force me to eat. Though I am not very interested, I try it for their sake. After marriage, I started exploring more mutton recipes since Jany is very much fond of mutton. Though I make mutton dishes less frequent, I try different recipe each time. When I saw this mutton chukka recipe in Samayal Samayal, it was in my to-do list for a long time. Finally, I tried it a few weeks before coming to Paris. And it was a keeper recipe which turned out too good. I have already posted some mutton recipes and you can explore the other recipes in the links below.

1. Mutton Liver pepper fry

2. Spicy Mutton Masala with coconut Milk

3. Mutton Biryani

4. Gongura Mutton

5. Mutton Dalcha

Masala Milk Recipe | Masala Paal(Spiced Milk with Nuts) | Healthy drink with Palm Sugar(Panang Karkandu)

I have no idea about Masala milk before coming to Chennai. For cough and cold, in hometown we normally make chukku coffee with Karupatti. (I will try to post it soon). Masala milk is very famous in Chennai and it is fondly called as 'Madras Masala Paal'. This milk is prepared with aromatic spices and enriched with nuts. I have tasted this in Saravana Bhavan and I always wanted to try it in home for Happy and Jany. When I prepared it for the first time in home, I never expected that they will like it. But to my surprise, they really loved it. It is also very healthy with palm sugar, so do try it and share with your loved ones.

Peas Pulao Recipe | Peas Pulao with coconut milk | Matar Pulao Recipe

I usually don't go for any pulao recipes. I just make biryani or fried rice. On one weekend, I was running short of many ingredients in my pantry. I just had some fresh peas, so this idea of making pulao, which my friend shared long back came to mind. This pulao can be made in a jiffy and it turned out too good. I served it with the left over chicken masala which I made for breakfast. You can serve it with any spicy veg or non veg gravy. We enjoyed it to the core and I clicked the unusual recipe in my kitchen to share it here.

Chilli Paneer Dry Recipe | Paneer Recipes

In this space, I have very limited paneer and north indian dishes. Though I make paneer dishes often, I missed to click and post it here. I will focus more on this in the near future. I have already posted paneer butter masala here, which is one of the popular posts in Happy's cook. Whenever I need any dry paneer recipe to accompany fried rice, I go for this chilli paneer. It's a lovely combination and today I am sharing you this recipe.

Raw Mango Pachadi Recipe | Maanga Pachadi | Sweet & Tangy Pachadi

When it comes to pickles, both Jany and I prefer Mango Pickle. I have already posted our favourite instant mango pickle here. When I was searching for another instant mango pickle, I got this recipe from my colleague. Initially, I hesitated to try this recipe since one of the star ingredients is jaggery. I was wondering how does the sweetened pickle tastes like. Based on her words, I tried it. To my surprise, the sourness of the mango and the sweetened jaggery combination gave divine taste. I made this when Jany's cousins were at home, they enjoyed it. Especially Danie loved it and was asking for it the next day. So trust me about the taste and try it. Let's go for the detailed preparation steps:

Paruppu Kuzhambu Recipe | Paruppu Curry with Tuvar Dhal

Hope everyone had a great weekend!! I am today with my all time favorite, mom's paruppu curry recipe. I am a very picky eater in my school days, never touches veggies. So to make me eat, mom has few staple recipes which often she makes. I still remember the days when she packs lunch to school with Paruppu curry and fish fry. It is an awesome finger licking combo. I have already posted Kerala parippu curry here. I have missed few step wise pictures in a hurry since I was clicking three recipes side by side. Please bear with me. Let's go to the preparation steps:

Gongura Mamsam Gravy | Gongura Mutton Gravy | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #7

Eid Mubarak to all my friends and their families. Hope everyone is enjoying the lip smacking delicious Ramzan Feast. To celebrate this great day, I am sharing you yummy Mutton Recipe. In Chennai I have Gongura leaves in my backyard. I always wanted to try some recipe with that and when I saw this Gongura Mamsam in Samayal Samayal, I planned it for the next weekend lunch. It turned out so well and we had it with Rasam and steamed rice. Though the menu was simple, it was very delicious. Let's go to the recipe:

Peerkangai Chutney Recipe | Ridge Gourd Chutney | Peerkangai Thogayal for Idli Dosa

After coming to Paris, I thought of posting all my recipes in drafts being at home without office work. I assumed that I will get enough time for blogging. But all in vain, managing a toddler in home for a full day is a real challenge. I am recollecting all my childhood games and playing with Happy :). Though it is tiring at times, I enjoy it. Before returning to Chennai, I would like to try some recipes from French Cuisine. I will post it as soon as I try. And, coming to today's recipe, it's a healthy chutney recipe.

Chettinad Kozhi Rasam | Nattu Kozhi Soup | Chicken Rasam | South Indian Chicken Soup

This is one of the recent hits in my home. I got this recipe from my neighbor and it turned out awesome even from my very first attempt. This is a very simple recipe which a beginner can adapt very quickly. Whenever I get chicken, I reserve some chicken for this rasam preparation. The rasam with hot steamed rice is a comforting food. Already I have posted tomato rasam recipe here. This hot and spicy rasam is perfect for the winter season. Though this turns out very good with nattu kozhi chicken, we can try with broiler chicken as well. I tried it with nattu kozhi chicken while clicking and let's see the recipe.

Puttu Kadala Curry | Kerala Kadala Curry for Puttu | Black Chickpea Curry for Steamed Rice Cake

Puttu is my all time favorite weekend breakfast. Mom usually makes it on Saturdays and even I am following the same. Though Jany doesn't show much interest on Puttu, I made him adapt to it by giving variations. Already I have posted Jany's favorite Chicken Puttu here. I have tasted this Kadala Curry in few Kerala restaurants when I was a kid. After that mom makes it occasionally, dad and I like it. When dad was in Chennai the last time, I tried this and he told that it tastes similar to moms recipe. Here, we go for the recipe:

Curry leaves Prawn Fry Recipe | Pan Fried Prawns | Curry leaves flavored Pan Fried Prawns

Hello All! I am back after a long time. To be honest, I did not feel like writing even though this is one of the things I love the most. Just thinking about the tasks that I need to get accomplished both at work and at home, made me feel exhausted.

Last week, we travelled to Paris from India for Jany's official trip. And, this is the reason for my comeback. I took a break from work for these two months and I am spending time with my adorable daughter. After lunch, I made Happy sleep and here I am with this post from my drafts. I got this recipe from Supreme Seafood page and we all loved this flavorful prawn fry.

Kadamba Vadai Recipe | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #6

I was completely occupied for the past two weeks, hence couldn't post anything here. Kadamba vadai is very new to me when I saw this in Samayal samayal. It is a very simple and easy to make recipe which doesn't involve any cutting. We need two hours soaking time before we make this vadai. So plan accordingly.

Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe | Basic Sponge Cake | Christmas Special Recipes

I already have the recipe of an eggless moist chocolate cake in the blog. It is one of our favourites and I make it very often at home. But I was planning to bake a black forest cake and was hunting for a perfect sponge cake recipe. Then, I got an opportunity to attend the baking class with Chef Joe at Gateway International Hotel in Sholinganallur. He taught us some interesting cakes, cookies and this is one among them. I tried it at home the next weekend and it came out really well. This tastes very similar to the sponge cakes we get in the bakery.

Chettinad Prawn Masala | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #5

I make prawns quite often and I already have two prawn recipes in this space. I have posted my version of prawn masala here and Prawn Biryani here. Today I am presenting you Chettinad prawn masala recipe from the Chef Venkatesh Bhat's samayal samayal show. After my venture into cooking, I love to try chettinad non veg recipes. When I saw this recipe in the show, I am very much tempted to try immediately. Adding curd is new to me and it tastes awesome. This recipe calls for very limited spices and the taste is out of the world. Here, we go for the recipe:

Fish Fry Recipe | Meen Varuval

Most of our Saturday lunch menu is rice along with Fish Curry and Fish Fry. Jany likes this combo and he doesn't prefer any vegetable along with this. Though we fry fish often, I missed to post this simple recipe here. So few weeks back, I clicked it and here I am with this delicious fish fry. You can find many recipes for this fish fry and this is from my kitchen prepared based on my mom's recipe.

Valentine's Jello Hearts Recipe | Valentine's Day Special Recipe

Kids and Jelly always go together. I wanted to try a jelly recipe for a long time. And Valentine's Day made me try this eye appealing Jelly. Both Jany and Happy are very much excited after seeing these cuties. I used store brought strawberry jelly. But you can try it with any fruit juice and gelatin as well. Here, we go for the recipe:

Egg in a Basket Recipe| Egg in Toast| Toad in a hole | Valentine's day Breakfast Recipe

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers!! This is just a simple and fun recipe, which you can make as soon as you jump out of the bed for your loved one, as an early morning Valentine treat. I paired chocolate coffee along with this egg toast. Though it is very simple, Jany loves the idea and he is impressed. Here, we go for the recipe:

Banana Dosa | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #4

Yet again with another Venkatesh Bhat recipe from Samayal Samayal. We can make this in a jiffy, if the ingredients are readily available in our pantry. I never know about this recipe, until I saw this in the show. But mom makes Unniyappam, which is very similar to this, both in the preparation and taste. I have posted that recipe here. Let's go to the steps:

Neer Dosa Recipe | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #3

I usually grind idli dosa batter only on weekends. So when we reach Friday, I will be short of Idli dosa batter. I usually try Saturday morning breakfast something new every week. When I saw this recipe in samayal samayl, I was really attracted and tried it the next week. I didn't expect much about this recipe since I guessed the taste might be similar to aapam. But when Jany had it, he was super excited and requested this dosa once in a while. It is very simple and easy to make. Here we go for the recipe:

Egg Thokku Recipe

I adapted this Egg thokku from Venkatesh Bhat's Onion tomato Chutney recipe. I prepared this as a side dish for Neer dosa which I posted here. It came out really well. I usually make Egg curry with coconut, but this spicy Egg thokku was equally good with the crunchy garlic flavour.

Pazham Pori Recipe | Ethakka Appam | Banana Fritters | Pazha Bajji | Nendrapazha Appam

Ufff....finally managed five days in office. This was a hard and boring week for me both in office & home, since I was down with fever. Planning to relax this weekend without trying any new recipe. This post was lying in my draft for more than six months, so finally thought of posting it today. This is a very commonly made tea time snack in my hometown. It is very simple and easy to make snack with very few ingredients.

Chicken Fried Rice Recipe - Indianized Recipe | Indian Style Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken fried rice is a one pot meal which includes egg, veggies and chicken. You can alter the recipe according to your preference. I usually make Chinese chicken fried rice by adding Soya sauce and other sauces. Once my neighbour gave us chicken fried rice which tastes equally good as mine. But it highlights the unique Indian taste of pepper, fennel and cumin. I got the recipe from her and I tried it yesterday. It was a big hit and she was excited since I made justice to her recipe. Here, we go for the Indian Style Chicken Fried rice:

Coconut Murukku Recipe | Thengai Mullu Murukku Recipe

Mom is fond of mullu murukku and she makes it in bulk and stores it always. I have already posted her murukku recipe here. I brought amma's murukku press to Chennai when I went home the last time. I wanted to use it efficiently as amma does. I saw this recipe in one of the paper cutting Mom preserved. I gave it a try and it was a super hit. Jany tasted it while I was preparing and he told it is very crispy and flavourful than the normal murukku. The coconut masala added to this murukku gives a lovely aroma to the murukku. Here, we go for the recipe:

Amritsari Fish Fry | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #2

Every Friday, I am planning to post the recipes of Chef Venkatesh Bhat which he presents in the Vijay TV's 'Samayal Samayal' Program. So today I am here with a non veg recipe 'Fish Amritsari' from the show. It is a popular Punjabi Street-food made with a lot of spices and fried to golden brown. Happy was delighted with the taste of this fry and she was having it like a snack. Let's see the preparation steps:

Instant Mango Pickle | Mom's Special Recipe | Homemade Instant Mango Pickle

Making pickles at home is time-consuming and needs a lot of effort. Being a full -time working mother, it is very difficult for me to try the traditional pickle recipes in home. Neither Jany nor me is fond of store brought pickles. Dad usually bring us raw mango from our farm during his visit. So the last time I tried my mom's Instant Mango pickle. I had this recipe in my handwritten notebook. It was a huge hit and both of us loved it. Nowadays, this mango pickle is accompanying curd rice for our lunch box. This instant pickle can be prepared in a jiffy with no effort and keeps well for weeks in the fridge. Off to the recipe:

Pongal Gotsu Recipe | Side dish for Ven Pongal/Ghee Pongal | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #1

I almost quit watching TV in the past few years. The only program that I watch in my leisure time is Chef Venkatesh Bhat's Samayal Samayal program that is getting telecasted in Vijay TV. I have tried few of his recipes and it turned out excellent. So thought of posting it here for your reference. Yesterday I tried his pongal Gotsu that is very new to me. I served it with Ven Pongal/Ghee Pongal and Medhu Vada. We enjoyed it to the core, here we go for the preparation steps. Check out my collection of Pongal Recipes too.

Akkaravadisal Recipe | Akkara Adisil | Pongal Recipes

Happy Pongal to all my readers!! In Happy's playschool, the last week theme was Pongal Celebration. She went to school in a traditional pattu pavadai to celebrate Pongal yesterday. Also, she came to know about sugarcane and Rangoli. To bring her the same celebration mood in home, I draw a Pongal Rangoli (Pot, Sun, Sugarcane) in our house. Both Jany and Happy were surprised to see that. Though I tried it after a long time, it came out pretty well. I was very busy in the morning with the preparation of Ven Pongal, Gotsu(Coming Soon), Medhu Vada and Akkaravadisal. Akkaravadisal is very new to me and I came to know about this recipe after my venture into this blogging world. The recipe is very similar to Sweet Pongal, but it is completely cooked in milk. Without much delay, let's go for the preparation steps:

Kara Chutney | Vara Milagai Onion Chutney | Side dish for Idli Dosa

I usually make sambhar, Coconut Chutney, Tomato Chutney and Vada curry as the side dish for Idli/Dosa. I don't have many options other than this. So thought of exploring it more and I also wanted to post many chutney recipes in this space. This kara chutney can be prepared in a jiffy. Let's see the recipe:

Coconut Chutney | Thengai Chutney | Side dish for idli dosa

Most of you might be thinking, why do I post such a simple recipe? When I am new to cooking, I even don't know to make this chutney. I got the recipe from my mom and tried it. So for beginners, I wanted to post this and also to maintain this recipe in my repository. Though the recipe is very simple, we can tweak it a little to get a different flavour. Please check the points to remember section for different flavours of coconut chutney.

Kalkandu Pongal | Sweet Pongal using Sugar Candy | Pongal Recipes

I have already posted 2 versions of sakkarai pongal. You can check it here and here. When I was thinking about sweet pongal recipe for this Pongal, this recipe comes to mind. I saw this pongal in some of the other blogs and I wanted to give it a try. It turned out so yummy and Happy loved it. This is very simple and easy to make recipe, which you can try for this pongal. Let's see the step-by-step preparation:

Tiffin Sambhar | Hotel style tiffin sambhar | Idli Sambhar | Side dish for Idli Dosa

I have already posted my version of sambhar here and varutharacha sambhar here. I am a great fan of sangeetha and saravana bhavan style sambhar. It has unique flavour, so I always wanted to try it in home. When I was searching for tiffin sambhar, I got the recipe from raks kitchen and I tried it. The sambhar turns out so yummy and the aroma of the sambhar fills the home after preparing it. I am making it more often these days. Here, we go for the step by step preparation:

Final Photos updated on 21/Jan/2021

Tuticorin Macaroon | Thoothukudi Macaroon | Christmas Special Recipes | My 150th Post

You are reading my 150th post!! It's been a wonderful ride and this blog gives me so much energy in my day-to-day activities. When I started this blog, I often wonder if my interest in the blog would wane after the initial enthusiasm. Here, I am with 100+ posts in this lovely space of mine. I'm still not posting as often I would like, but it's definitely better. I take this opportunity to thank all my friends and family who encourages me with their support.

Today's post is about my childhood favourite Tuticorin Macaroon. This special type of macaroon is available in Tuticorin, a place in southern Tamil Nadu. Macaroons in general are made from ground almonds. Tuticorin macaroons are different since they have cashew nuts as their major ingredient. One kg of Tuticorin Macaroon costs around Rs 600. My chithi is from tuticorin and whenever she visits us, she brings macaroon. The last time she even couriered us this to chennai on request of my mom for Happy. I tried this for Christmas and it came out really well. I packed few for my team mates and I got good feedback from them. With the measurement given below, I got 250 grams of Macaroon.

Happy and Jany enjoys it to the core. When I was editing the pictures, Happy was asking "Maco venum"(Need Macroon) :) So Planning for a next batch in the coming weekend for her.

Prawn Dum Biryani Recipe | Prawn Biryani

I wanted to post many Biryani and Pulao recipes in this space. I have already posted Chicken Biryani here and Mutton Biryani here. I have few other biryani recipes in my drafts, which I will be posting it soon. Today's post is especially for seafood lovers like me. I baked the half cooked rice and prawn masala by layering it alternatively in this recipe. You can dum cook it as well in stove top and I have explained it at the end of the recipe.

Vattayappam Recipe | Vattayeppam | Sweetened Steamed Rice Cake

Happy New Year 2015 to all my friends and their families. Hope everyone is having a wonderful time!!! To begin this year, I am presenting the traditional Kerala tea time snack, Vattayappam recipe. Vattayappam is a steamed round cake leavened with yeast, flavoured with cardamom, sweetened with sugar or jaggery and garnished with ghee fried cashews and raisins. Here, we go for the step-by-step preparation.