Happy's Cook

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Sambaram Recipe | Kerala Spiced Buttermilk | Moru Vellam | Pacha Moru | Onam Sadya Special

This year I was planning to post the consolidated Onam Sadya recipes a week before the Onam. So that it helps everyone to plan the menu in advance. However, as always I am rushing at the end to post the recipes. I have few more sadya recipes in drafts which should come live as early as possible. At least for the next sadya it will be helpful :).

Today's post is about a simple and refreshing drink made using buttermilk. Mom used to make this for my dad on weekends. Jany too tasted it once and he liked it. From that day onwards whenever we visited hometown, this will be there for him along with lunch. The ginger and the shallots give a nice flavour to the buttermilk. Do give it a try for this Onam. Check out my collection of Onam Sadya Recipes here. Let us move on to the recipe:

Kaya(Raw Banana) Mezhukupuratti Recipe | Kerala Style Raw Banana Stir Fry | Onam Sadya Special

Mezhukupuratti is one of the dishes in Onam Sadya and the word literally, means 'coated with oil'. The vegetable is boiled with little water and then it is tossed in oil with few seasoning. The very famous mezhukupuratti's in Onam Sadya are made with Raw Banana, Beans and Elephant Yam. Today we will see the preparation of the simple and yummy Kaya (raw banana) Mezhukupuratti. Checkout my Tamilnadu based Raw Banana Podimas too. For more Onam Sadya recipes, visit this link.

Pineapple Pachadi Recipe | Coconut & Yogurt based Pineapple Raita | Onam Sadya Special

This is one of my favourite Sadya dishes and I was delaying to post it here since the pictures were not appealing. Maybe, when I make it next time I should update the picture. Last week, I made this and I shared it with my Malayali friend Neena. She told the pachadi is very tasty and it is similar to the one she used to have in Kerala. The sweet pineapple, tangy curd and the chilli coconut paste makes the pachadi very addictive and do give it a try for this Onam. Check out my Beetroot Pachadi, Cucumber Pachadi and other Onam Sadya recipes too.

Instant Lemon Pickle Recipe | Easy to make lemon pickle

We don't eat pickles regularly and we will never focus on pickles from the Shop. Once in a while, I crave for pickles and after having it for a week my pickle interest will go off. Hence, pickles from the shop and homemade pickles with lots of effort go directly to the bin after its shelf life. However, I always wanted to try some instant lemon pickle which we can make it in a jiffy. This recipe came to my rescue and it can be prepared even with one lemon in few minutes:). Also, please check out my already posted Instant Mango Pickle, Narthangai Pickle (Lime) and Long shelf life Lemon pickle. Let us see the preparation steps:

Mambazha Pulissery Recipe | Mambazha Moru Kootan | Mambazha Kalan | Ripe Mango in a Yogurt Curry | Onam Sadya Special

Yet another Onam Sadya special recipe and it is a traditional Kerala delicacy that is made using ripe mangoes. The mambazha pulissery is a sweet and sour curry where ripe mango is cooked along with coconut and yogurt based curry. The sweet and sour curry sounds little different for the people who have not tasted it before. However, trust me and try this super delicious curry. We all loved it to the core and it is worth giving it a try. Check out my moru curry, Parippu curry and other Onam Sadya Recipes here. If interested in Mango recipes, check out my Mango Icecream and Mango Panacotta too.

Carrot Beans Thoran Recipe | Carrot Beans Poriyal | Carrot Beans Stir fry | Onam Sadya Recipes

I was planning to post some Onam Sadya recipes from this Monday since I have clicked few interesting Sadya recipes recently. Being very busy throughout the week, I was struggling to finish this simple post for the past three days. Finally, I made my mind for finishing this post before I sleep today. So let us move on to the recipe without much ado. Check out my other thoran recipes like Cherupayar thorn(green gram thoran), Beetroot thoran , Kadachakk thoran and Cabbage thoran too , for planning your Sadya menu.

Fairy Bread Recipe | Classic Australian Kid's treat | Kid's Birthday Party Snacks

Today's recipe is about a well-known and much-loved snack for Children's birthday parties in Australia. This is a very simple treat that is made using three basic ingredients: the white bread is spread with a layer of butter or margarine and topped with generous amount of brightly colored sprinkles. In Australia, the sprinkles used is called 100s and 1000s (tiny ball-shaped sugar candies) and they are very specific about this for the fairy bread. They never substitute it with any other variety of bread or sprinkles to make this. I came across this in Happy's playschool party. Miss Michelle has prepared this for the kids and since it was very cute I asked her about that. She just gave the recipe in a fraction of seconds and here I am with the post :) I know it is very simple, but I wanted to record it here.

Boondi Raita Recipe | Boondhi Ka Raita | Easy Yogurt Dip using Boondi

Boondi Raita is one of our recent addiction at home and we are pairing almost everything with this delicious raita. I was tempted to buy a pack of boondi when I visited the nearby Indian shop. I got this recipe from the back side of the boondi pack. Since I had all the ingredients handy, I immediately made this to go with Aloo Paratha. It was super awesome and Jany started to eat the raita separately. So, I thought of posting the recipe here too and I finished the entire pack by making raita few times. Check out my recipe to prepare homemade boondi too. Let us see the preparation steps:

Poha Ghee Ladoo Recipe | Aval/Flattened Rice Ghee Ladoo | Easy Krishna Jeyanthi Special Recipe

Last two years I missed posting Krishna Jeyanthi special recipes because of my tight schedule between office and home. This year I thought of posting many recipes, but as usual, I am rushing at the last minute with few simple recipes. After dropping Happy at playschool, I bought a pack of Aval from a nearby Indian shop and reached home. Within 45 minutes, I am done with this poha ladoo and Aval Urundai which I have posted earlier. Both seems to be similar, but tastewise they are entirely different. I shared these to Happy and her friend Femiya whom we met in the play area. Happy likes this aval ladoo, whereas Femiya likes Aval Urundai. Later her mom told, Femiya was asking her to prepare it at home. I am super excited about this and here I am with the recipe:

Mini Sambar Idli Recipe | Ghee Idli Sambar | South Indian Breakfast Recipe | Sambar for Mini Idli

I make sambar idli once in a while for Saturdays morning breakfast. When Happy was 8 months old, mom always talks about giving Happy mini sambar idli once she starts to eat our regular food. During her last visit in 2013, when I was shifting home she bought me this mini idli mold and forced me to use it for Happy. These mini idli's give me nice memories about my mom whenever I use this mold since it was my mom's dream to make sambar idli for Happy. I have already posted Idli Batter which you can refer while making sambar Idli. I have explained an easy to make sambar recipe in this post. For variation, you can check out my tiffin sambar post too. Let us move on to the preparation:

Avocado and Egg Sandwich Recipe | Grilled Avocado and Egg Sandwich

As I mentioned earlier in my Cheese Corn Sandwich post, I am exploring a lot of sandwiches for Jany's breakfast on weekdays. I have heard about the health benefits of avocado, but Happy and I hate the taste of the avocado. In contrast, Jany likes avocado in any form. Once when I took Happy to a play area, I met an aunty from Serbia. She was talking to me very closely in our first meeting itself. She gave me the idea of an avocado sandwich and then I tried it. I loved it to the core and here I am with the recipe. Off to the simple and filling breakfast recipe:

Thatta Payir Kuzhambu Recipe | Karamani Kuzhambu | Black eyed beans - Cow Peas(Lobia) Kuzhambu

I always buy different kinds of beans/peas to make sundal for Happy. Though I try all kinds, her personal favorite is green gram and Channa. Once I bought a big pack of thatta payir (karamani) and she was not interested when I made sundal. I asked my colleagues about the recipes with karamani to finish off the pack. Nisha gave me the idea of Karamani Kara Kuzhambu and I tried it the very next weekend with few modifications from our normal puli/kara kuzhambu. It tasted very good and we all loved it. Though we are not fans of karamani, considering the health benefits, I started to make this kuzhambu once in a while. Let us move on to the recipe:

Red Coconut Chutney Recipe | Varamulagai thengai chutney | Roadside hotel style watery spicy Coconut Chutney

I am having more than 50 recipes in drafts which are already a year old. So planning to post the oldest recipes one after the other, hence you are seeing many chutney recipes in a row. Among all the chutneys posted in this space, this coconut chutney is my personal favourite. Back in my native, people make this chutney almost every day. I have tasted this chutney from a small hotel in my native. They serve it along with the spongy dosa. The watery chutney tastes awesome when we have it by pouring generously on top of the spongy dosa. While tempering the chutney, finely chopped shallots (small onions) are used and I would say that as the star ingredient for this tasty chutney. Mom makes it more often and I am following it now. It goes well with spongy dosa, Idly and Appam. Even Happy is generously pouring this chutney and relishing its taste following Jany and me. Check out my other Coconut Chutney too and for more chutney recipes proceed to recipe index. Let us go for the preparation of this simple and easy to make chutney:

Besan Chutney Recipe | Bombay Chutney | Kadalai mavu Chutney | Side dish for Idly/Dosa/Poori

If you are running out of time and you wanted to make an instant sambar kind of side dish for Idli/Dosa then this is the perfect recipe. We can make this chutney in a jiffy for our weekday's breakfast. It also goes well with Poori as well. Off to the preparation steps:

Vengaya Vadagam(Sun dried Seasoning balls) Chutney Recipe | Thalippu Vadagam Chutney | Vadagam Chutney | Side dish for Idli/Dosa

When I was working in Siruseri TCS office, I mostly go for lunch with my close friend Sugaya(my PG classmate). During our college days, I have tasted her mom's dishes and I love all her recipes. She is an amazing cook who cooks different dishes in a short span of time. Once Suganya brought keerai rice (spinach rice) for lunch to the office. I tasted it and it was super delicious. I wanted to try that rice at home for Happy and when I asked her the recipe, she was mentioning this Vengaya Vadagam sun-dried seasoning balls) for tempering. This vengaya vadagam is made using shallots and garlic.

I started to search it in the supermarket and I couldn't find it at that time. Then, Suganya's mom got me a packet of vadagam during her grocery shopping. From that day, I started to include this ingredient in my cooking and I am still loving it. Later, I came to know it is readily available in all the supermarkets. I had some leftover vengaya vadagam while we were in the process of vacating Chennai house and I saw this super easy chutney in sharmispassions and I tried it with onion and coconut. It was very tasty and the vadagam gave a unique flavor to the chutney. Let us see the preparation steps:

Mochakottai kuzhambu recipe | Mochai Kuzhambu | Field Beans Curry

I like to try different kinds of puzhikuzhambu and karakuzhambu since we were not used to this kind of recipes in my hometown. After coming to Chennai, I started to explore these curries when I was in the hostel. I learned many recipes from my neighbor Kalpana akka and this mochai kuzhambu is one among them. I have already posted her Non Veg version of this Mochai kuzhambu with dry fish and you can check it out here (Karuvadu Kuzhambu with Mochai). Let us go to the preparation steps.

Fish Molee Recipe | Kerala Fish Moilee | Meen Molly | Kerala Style Fish Stew(with coconut milk)

I am back to blogging after a short break and today's post is about my recent favorite seafood recipe Fish Molee. It is a famous dish from Kerala which is mainly accompanied with Appam and Idiyappam. I never had an idea about this fish stew until I tasted it in my friend's place. Initially, I was a bit hesitant to try this fish with appam since I personally don't prefer fish with appam or idiyappam. However, to my surprise, it tasted too good with appam and I tried it the next weekend at home. We all loved it and I am here with the recipe:

Vazhaithandu Kootu Recipe | Plantain Stem Kootu | Valaithandu Pasiparuppu Kootu | Vazhai Thandu Paruppu Kootu

I am a fuzzy Vegetable eater and I have never bothered myself to try the veggies mum makes at home. I eat very few selected kootu/poriyal like Aviyal and Cucumber Pachadi. Everything has changed after marriage and I started to eat few more. Back in India, I always have a helper at my home since managing full-time work, blog and the entire home was tough for me without any support. I have learned many things from those helpers since they come from a very different background. I learned this from Laxmi Akka who is an expert in making this kootu. Nowadays, this is also one among my favourite. I give this kootu to Happy, just by mixing it with steamed rice and ghee. It tastes awesome and she never complains about this kootu. Off to the recipe:

Banana Bread Recipe | Homemade Banana Bread | Moist Banana Bread (Butterless)

After a long break, I am posting a baked goodie. Though I bake simple cupcakes for Happy often, I have not clicked anything to post it here. The reason behind that is my laziness. Also, I struggle a lot to click appealing pictures of cakes/bread. Learning food photography is on my to-do list for years now and I am somehow managing the blog with some simple photos. Today I am here with a yummy and delicious banana bread. I couldn't resist myself from trying this recipe after I saw this video in Tastemade.

Last week I made this bread as Happy's after school snack and when I went to pick her, I packed few slices for Happy's teachers. They liked it very much and I got the positive energy to post it here after their feedback. Soon after tasting the bread, Happy told "It's very tasty" before I asked her :). I will be posting a healthy version with wheat flour soon. Check out my plain White Bread recipe and Walnut Banana Muffins too.

Pictures and Recipe updated on 30th Sep 2016

Narthangai Pickle Recipe | Citron(Lime) Pickle | Narthangai Oorugai | Naranga Achar

Jany and I don't focus too much on Pickles. So, I don't buy or try it at home frequently. We like the Instant Mango pickle and I make it once in a while. Just for the blogging purpose, I make pickles at home. Earlier I had posted the Lemon Pickle which I prepared with my mom's help during her last Chennai visit. And now after these many years, I am back with this Narthangai pickle. Before starting to Sydney, I made this and I packed it for my dad. It turned out very good and he likes it a lot. I have narthangai theeyal in my drafts and I will be posting it soon. Let us go for the today's recipe:

Mattar Paneer Recipe | Paneer Mattar Masala | Paneer Green Peas Masala

I am trying more paneer recipes these days and I tried this mattar paneer last week when I made Homemade Paneer to post it here. It turned out super good and we all loved it. This goes very well with Roti/Parathas/Naan, Jeera Rice and Fried rice too. Because of the Winter, I am not getting sufficient sunlight inside my house and I am struggling to take decent pictures :( I cooked and clicked this mattar paneer during daytime and I am happy about the outcome. Let us see the preparation steps:

Homemade Paneer Recipe | How to make Paneer Cheese

Eid Mubarak to all my friends and their families. Today's post is about homemade paneer and it was on my to-do list for such a long time now. Paneer is a type of fresh cheese which means, you can make it and eat it right away. It does not require aging or culturing. It is also one of the easiest cheeses to make at home. All you need is milk, lemon juice or vinegar or curd. When you mix the milk and lemon juice, the acidity in the lemon juice will cause the milk to separate into curds and whey. Remove the whey and press the curds, and you have a basic homemade paneer.

Being a non-veg lover, I never focus too much on Paneer or Mushroom recipes. However, now I am interested in these recipes mainly because of Happy and the blog. Happy doesn't show much interest in milk hence I am trying to include other sources of calcium in her diet. Also, I am getting requests for more paneer recipes from my regular readers. Please check out my Paneer Butter Masala and Chilli Paneer dry which I have posted earlier. Also, check out the very famous Bengali sweet Rasagulla made using Paneer.

Masala Peanuts Recipe | Masala Kadalai | Crispy Fried Masala Peanuts

Today's post is my all time favourite and addictive masala peanuts. It brings me so many nostalgic childhood memories. When I was a kid, I call these masala peanuts as "podhinja kadalai" in Tamil, which means wrapped kadalai. My maternal grandpa used to buy me this masala peanuts and Omapodi from the nearby Bakery (Sun Bakery) as my evening snacks. I enjoyed it to the core and even now I visit that bakery to relish on my favourites whenever we visit hometown.

Once my project lead was talking about the snacks she used to make frequently for her kids. And she told about this simple and easy recipe. She even gave me a shortcut with bhaji bonda mix. From that day I was craving for this and I finally made it few months back. Let us go to the preparation steps:

Rajma Masala Recipe | Rajma Chawal (Rajma curry with Rice) | Punjabi Rajma Chawal | Chef Venkatesh Bhatt Recipes - Recipe # 10

After a long break, I am posting another recipe of Chef Venkatesh Bhat from Vijay Tv's Samayal Samayal. Today's post is about rajma chawal. It is a famous Punjabi dish, where the gravy is made using rajma (Red Kidney Bean) and it is paired up with Rice (Chawal), hence the name.

Happy likes to visit supermarkets when we go for shopping and it will be a hard time for Jany to manage her. She just roams around all the sections and grabs things which she can reach easily. Once without our knowledge, she grabbed a packet of Rajma and put it in our basket. Jany billed it without knowing and we were back home with a big packet of Rajma. I was just making Sundal with that since I never know anything else using Rajma. Finally, I got this recipe from the show and I tried it the next weekend. We all loved it and I these days I am using Rajma more effectively in my cooking. Let us see the preparation steps:

Corn Cheese Sandwich Recipe | Corn Cheese Mayonise Sandwich | Grilled Corn Cheese Sandwich | Easy Breakfast Recipe

After coming to Sydney, our weekday's busy breakfast revolves around sandwiches. These days Jany is having his breakfast on the way to his office and he prefers sandwich when compared to south Indian tiffin since it is easy for him to carry. So, I am exploring different sandwiches with vegetables and eggs stuffing. Hopefully, I will be posting much more soon. This corn cheese sandwich is similar to the Chilli Cheese sandwich which I have already posted. Check out my Chicken Sandwich and Egg in a Toast too.

Final pictures with white bread is updated on 3 October 2021

Crab Meat Podimas Recipe | Crab Meat Burji | Nandu Podimas | Njandu Podimas

As mentioned in the Crab Masala post, cooking and eating crab is very new to me since mom doesn't cook crab. I am very afraid to handle crabs and prawns while cooking. When we were in Chennai, our weekend shopping usually ends up with a lunch in Anjappar:) And during each visit, I order something new just to explore the dishes I am not familiar with. Once I ordered this crab meat podimas and it tasted too good. I was asking about this recipe to a person who was working there, he gave me some tips for the preparation and ingredients involved. The next weekend, I ordered crab meat in Supreme Seafood since I am not good at cleaning. They delivered me the fresh crab meat and I prepared this on the same day. It came out very well and here is the recipe for you:

Mushroom Roast Recipe | Kalan/Koon Roast | Mushroom Ularthiyathu | Spicy Sauteed Mushrooms

Recently after coming to Sydney, I am exploring a lot of mushroom recipes. After tasting the Mushroom Biryani couple of times, we are attracted towards the mushrooms. I have few more recipes on hand which I will be trying it this week. I made this mushroom roast for lunch to pair up with steamed rice and rasam. However soon after I made it, we used it as a stuffing on wholemeal bread along with grated cheese for our morning breakfast. It tastes too good and I am happy about my new healthy sandwich recipe which I can prepare for busy weekdays :) This is a simple and easy to make recipe which goes well with Rice, Chapathi and Bread. Let us move on to the recipe:

Coriander Chutney Recipe | Coriander Flavored Coconut Chutney | Hotel Style Coriander Chutney | Chutney Recipes for Idli Dosa

Saravana Bhavan is one of my favourite restaurants in Chennai to explore south Indian tiffin varieties. When I was staying in the hostel, I skip hostel lunch just to relish the Saravana Bhavan delicacies in the office cafeteria. Mostly I order some variety of dosa, especially to taste the spread of chutneys served. Though I like all the chutneys served, green chutney tops the list and I usually go for extra serving :) Jany also loves that green chutney and hence thought of trying it at home. After so much googling, I finally came up with this recipe using the inputs from many other blogs. It might not be the exact recipe of Saravana Bhavan chutney, but it tastes equally good. Check out my Coriander-Mint Chutney too. Off to the recipe:

Oats Idli Recipe | Instant Oats Idli | Oats Rava Idli | Easy Breakfast Recipes | Indian Oats Recipes

Yet another Oats recipe and this was lying in my drafts for such a long time. Finally, it is making its way here and this is a south Indian style oats recipe :). I have already posted Apple Honey Oatmeal and Oats Raisins Walnut Cookies. This is one of my signature dishes which my mom and mom in law like the most. I was making this more often when I started cooking since everybody appreciated. This is one such recipe which I learned because of blogging since it was posted by many of the bloggers. Let us move on to the recipe:

Varutharacha mutton curry Recipe | Mutton curry with dry roasted coconut masala | Goat meat curry with roasted coconut | Mutton in roasted coconut Gravy

I love varutharacha mutton or chicken curry than the normal curry because of the nice aroma that comes from the dry roasted coconut masala. I have already posted mom's varutharacha chicken curry, and I wanted to post this mutton curry too. This recipe has been tweaked a little from the original mom's recipe and it also came out well. The preparation process might be lengthy, but it is worth giving a try. Nothing is coming to my mind at the moment since I am rushing to finish this post before I pick Happy from playschool. So, without much delay let us move on to the recipe:

Mushroom Biryani Recipe | Easy Pressure Cooker Mushroom Biryani | Kaalan Biryani | Lunch Box Ideas / Quick lunch Ideas

Many of my readers and friends were asking about Mushroom recipes for such a long time now and finally I am posting this recipe. This is the first ever mushroom recipe in this space and hopefully, I will be posting much more soon. Yesterday, Jany had the potluck in his office and he wanted to take both veg and non-veg dishes since many of his colleagues prefer vegetarian dishes. We kept the menu to be simple and I made this mushroom biryani, Chicken Cutlet, and Wheat Flour Unniyappam. I will post the wheat flour Unniyappam next week, you can check out my rice flour version of unniyappam until then.

Winter has already started in Sydney and I am not able to click any dish that I prepare in the early morning since I am not receiving enough natural light. I am not satisfied with these pictures too, I will update this when I take good Photographs.

Vazhaipoo Vadai Recipe | Plantain Flower Dal Fritters | Banana Flower Fritters

Vazhaipoo(Plantain Flower) and Vazhaithandu(Plantain Stem) are very healthy and it has many medicinal values. Recently I am very much interested in trying some recipes with this healthy veggies. I usually make a kootu with plantain stem which I will be posting it soon. With Vazhaippo, I have tried this vadai and yet to try poriyal. I have tasted this vadai only after coming to my mom in law's house. When we were residing in Saidapet, the cook who comes over there at that time makes this yummy fritters. I got the recipe from her and saved it in my handwritten notebook. A few months back when I was in Chennai, I tried this and it came out very well. Let us learn how to make this yummy vadai which is similar to the Masala Vadai/Paruppu Vadai.

Ellu Chutney Recipe | Sesame Seeds Chutney | Ellu Thuvaiyal / Ellu Thogayal | Til Chutney | Chutney Recipes | Side dish for Idly/Dosa

When I was posting my Ellu Sadam/Sesame rice recipe, I promised to post the chutney too. As mentioned earlier in that post, my friend Angavai suggested this recipe, since it is rich in calcium. It is very good for toddlers who hate milk products. This is a very simple chutney which involves just roasting and grinding all the listed ingredients. It goes very well with Idly/Dosa, Lemon rice and Coconut rice. Without much delay let us move on to the preparation steps:

Nethili Meen Varuval Recipe | Nethili/Netholi/Anchovies Fry | Anchovies fry coated with Onion Tomato Masala

Today I am going to share one of my personal favourite fish fry recipe which gives me some good memories about my mom. I tried this recipe during my initial cooking trails and it came out very well in my first attempt and mom liked it very much. She was praising me so much and she asked the recipe since it is new to her. After that, I have tried it two or three times and Jany also likes it. Check out my Achovies Mango Curry (Nethili Meen Manga Curry) too. Let's move on to the recipe:

Cabbage Chutney Recipe | Side dish for Idly/Dosa | Vegetable Chutney

Initially, after coming to Sydney I never tried to prepare Idli/Dosa batter thinking I will not get the perfect batter in a mixie since I don't own a grinder here. However, later I started making dosa and once when I was down with cold/fever, I was craving for Idli. So, I just gave a try to make a batch of Idli batter in a mixie. To my surprise, it was super soft. I will be posting the version of Idli/Dosa batter in Mixie soon. You can check out my Idli/Dosa batter which I posted earlier. Also, I wanted to create a collection of chutney recipes in this space for everyone to have a look. Until I do that, check out the other chutney recipes here. Today's post is a chutney recipe to add this list and it is a healthy vegetable chutney.

Wheat Rava Upma Recipe | Broken(Cracked) Wheat Rava Upma | Dalia /Godhumai Rava Upma

After I started to cook, Jany has tried all the dishes I made except the Upma variety. He never likes upma and after so much struggle, I made him try semiya upma and he is OK with that if I present it with mixed vegetables. However, he doesn't even want to try the Plain Rava Upma which I posted already and this wheat upma. On the other hand, Happy and I love upma to the core. When dad is at home we make wheat upma as dinner for him. We both join him and relish the upma. This is a very simple and easy to make upma with very few ingredients. Off to the detailed preparation steps:

Egg Curry with Coconut Recipe | Coconut based Egg Gravy | Side dish for tiffin | Side dish for Appam and Idiyappam

We are having a good quality family time this weekend since it is pouring continuously outside. We don't feel like going out in the rain and hence entertaining us with movies, games and lots of food. Happy wanted me to make cupcakes and this morning I made some chocolate cupcakes along with her. She was very much interested in mixing the batter and scooping it into the cupcake liners. As I type this post, she is busy eating the cupcakes watching her favourite cartoon Peppa Pig on TV. Let's move on to today's recipe, Egg curry with coconut. This is very simple and it goes very well with Appam, Idiyappam, Chapathi and Idli/dosa. If you don't prefer coconut then check out this recipe Egg thokku.(without coconut)

Pudalangai Paruppu Kootu Recipe | Snake Gourd Dal Kootu | Pudalangai Kootu

I have not posted much poriyal or kootu recipes on the blog, though I make sure to cook at least one vegetable a day. I usually make very simple and easy to make poriyal that mom had taught me. I have to explore much more with the veggies in the near future. Today's post is about snake gourd kootu and it is again one of my mom's recipe. I usually don't expect any gravy whenever mom cooks this kootu. I enjoy it by mixing the kootu directly with the steamed rice and drizzling few drops of ghee. It tastes yum when served hot and let's see the recipe:

Mutton Biryani - Thalapakatti Style Recipe | Dindigul Thalapakatti Style Mutton Biryani | My 250th Post

Hello everyone, what you are reading right now is my 250th blog post. This blog was started on June 18th, 2013 with my very first post Puppy Face Eggless Cookies. Over the past 3 years with my full time IT job(currently not working) and a toddler in the home , I somehow managed to reach this level with 250 posts. Though at times I take a long break, I never want to leave this space because it is creating a new Identity for me and giving so much inner peace. These 3 years has taught me so many new things in cooking and many things have changed in my personal life too. Some of you have been reading since beginning and I am grateful. I really thank all my followers who try the recipes I post and especially people who take extra effort in sharing with me the picture of the tried dishes. Your likes and comments in my social media really motivate me. Please continue the same support.

I thought that I would celebrate this milestone with a post about one of my favorite recipe. I am very much fond of Thalapakatti mutton Biryani and I have tasted it many times when I was in Chennai. I have read lot about this biryani in magazines and websites. I went quite a few times to taste the biryani just to identify the uniqueness of the biryani. These are my observations: It is made of Jeeraga Samba rice and not with our normal basmati rice. It doesn't have tomato in it and the spiciness mainly comes from the green chilli. Also, I think turmeric powder was not used. (Not sure). My mom has saved so many cooking related paper cuttings from magazines which I found it a year back. This recipe is from one of the magazine paper cuttings and it turned out super good when I tried it. I am not sure weather this is the real recipe but it is closely related to that. Here, we go to the preparation steps.

Homemade Butter Recipe - How to make butter at home | Homemade butter from Milk Malai(Paal Aadai)

As I have mentioned in my Homemade Ghee post, my mom collected and brought me the entire malai used for the preparation of this homemade butter. I have not captured the step-by-step pics properly, still I am sharing it as my mom's remembrance. The malai she brought was very thick since the milk used for collecting malai was not store bought. It was from our neighbor who is giving us milk from her own cow on a daily basis in my native. However, the store bought packet milk can also be used for making malai, but boil the milk for few more minutes by simmering to get thick malai.

Egg Biryani Recipe | Biryani Recipes

This post is lying in my drafts for such a long time now and finally, it is making the way here. This looks little different when compared to my other Biryani recipes: Chicken Biryani, Mutton Biryani, Prawn Biryani and Fish Biryani. The process is little lengthy and it is worth giving it a try. Let us go to the preparation steps:

Carrot Rice Recipe | Lunch Box Ideas /Quick Lunch Ideas

I prefer variety rice for our lunch boxes during busy working days since it is easy to make and pack. Jany also likes variety rice than kuzhambu rice for lunch box. So, I explore many kinds of one pot meal and this carrot rice is one among them. This is a very simple recipe which we can make it in a jiffy and it is healthy too. Let us see the preparation steps:

Ghee Rice Recipe | Nei Choru /Ney Soru | Lunch Box Ideas/ Quick Lunch Ideas

I am here with yet another interesting and delicious rice bowl. It is my all time favourite Ghee Rice. In my native Nagercoil for the wedding, if they prefer Non-Veg food then this Ghee Rice plays a major role that is served with chicken fry and mutton kurma. I love this combination very much being a hardcore wedding Saapadu fan. This rice goes well with a spicy curry of your choice. We usually accompany it with Non-Veg gravy or dry curry like Chicken Kuruma, Dry Chicken Masala, Spicy Mutton Masala, Chicken Fry, Mutton Chukka Varuval etc. If you are a vegetarian, then you can have it with Vegetable Kuruma or Panner Butter Masala etc.

Ellu Sadam Recipe | Sesame Seeds Rice | Til Rice | Lunch Box Ideas/ Quick Lunch Ideas

Once I was talking to my friend Angavai and I just asked her about the calcium rich food items since Happy is not very much fond of Milk. Immediately she told me about the Sesame seeds/Ellu which is a good source of calcium. So, I was googling about the recipes with it and this Ellu Sadam caught my attention which is very simple and easy to make for our usual working day lunch box. She gave me the recipe of ellu chutney too which I will be posting it soon. Already I have Sesame Seeds Ball (Ellu Urundai) and Sweet Sesame Seeds Dumplings (Ellu Poorna Kozhukattai) in this space, please check that too.

Semiya Kesari Recipe | Vermicelli Kesari | Kesari using Semiya(Vermicelli)

Happy is celebrating her 4th birthday in a week and I already started to design my menu for that day. After we moved to Sydney, I have not baked anything in my new kitchen even though two months have passed. So, I will have a hectic and busy week to shop new bakeware and few more items to set my kitchen to enter the baking mode. Apart from baking a cake, I am planning to prepare all her favourites on that day. Let us see how my planning gets executed.

Without much delay, we will move on to today's recipe. It is simple and easy to make recipe which everyone can attempt for any special occasion. I have not tasted this semiya kesari before until I try it on my own. This blogging world has given an opportunity for me to learn this recipe. We can make this dish in a jiffy and when compared to other kesari's this requires very less quantity of ghee. I have already posted Semiya Payasam and Rava Kesari. Do check those recipes too.

Egg Fry Recipe | Boiled Egg Fry | Masala Boiled Egg

One day I was just browsing through my recipe index and I found it has very few recipes based out of Egg. Though I try different recipes with egg more often, I have not posted all that I have tried. So when I was in Chennai, I clicked few common egg dishes which I make in my home. This week I will try to post all the egg dishes I have captured one by one. I have already posted the following recipes:

Oven Toasted Cashew Nuts Recipe | Spicy Roasted Cashew Nuts

Hope everyone is having a good and relaxing weekend. We had a great time today. My daughter, Happy was very busy throughout the day taking care of her new baby doll. She bathed the doll, changed a new dress and took it to the church. Also, on our way back home she made the doll play slide and swing along with her. It was fun seeing her imitating Jany and me when she talks to the doll. As I type this post, she is making her baby doll sleep by singing rhymes :)

Let's move on to today's post about the crunchy toasted cashews. (Don't worry about the fat, it is healthy to have few cashews a day). Before starting to Sydney, I was clearing all the leftover items from by fridge. I had some leftover cashew nuts which dad has brought to Chennai two months back. So thought of using it in a recipe. Finally, I tried this guilt free toasted cashews and cashew nut pakoda, which I will be posting it soon.

Kaima Idly Recipe | Recipe with Left Over Idly | Vegetable Kaima Idly | Fried Idly with Masala | Breakfast Recipe

Hope my regular readers might be thinking where "Happyscook" had gone over the past few months. Few well-wishers and blogging friends personally emailed me asking about my disappearance from this lovely space. And, this is a well deserving break according to me, Yes!! we have moved to Sydney in February. To set everything in our new home and sending Happy to a new playschool took almost two months. Though I had taken 70+ recipes in my draft from India, I was very lazy to compose a post again.

Finally, I am back with a new recipe. Let's go to today's recipe and it is a recipe for using leftover Idly. I had Kaima Idli 4 years back in Saravana Bhavan restaurant which was inside my office campus. I liked it very much and I was having it frequently until I was bored. Three months back after a long break I tried chilli Idly in a local restaurant which was very similar to the Saravana Bhavan Kaima idly. Jany liked it and Happy too was interested, but it was very spicy for her to handle. Hence, the next week I tried this Kaima idli in the home for her sake with the spice level according to her preference. We all loved it and here I am with the recipe:

Pongal Special Recipes

Khajoor Ka Halwa Recipe | Dates Halwa | Chef Venkatesh Bhat Recipes - Recipe #9

Hope everyone are in celebration mood and I wanted to post a dessert to celebrate the first day of the year. So here I am, with this rich and delicious Khajoor ka Halwa. I tried it during Diwali but somehow missed to post it here. Also, I missed posting my Venkatesh Bhat Recipe series for the past few months. Planning to concentrate in the future. I got this recipe from his show Samayal Samayal. This is a very rich dessert which is prepared with dates, channa dal, milk and ghee. I have already posted Ghajar ka Halwa/Carrot halwa which is similar to this. Without any delay, let's see the preparation steps: