Happy's Cook

Monday, August 13, 2018

Chakka Kuru Aviyal Recipe | Jackfruit Seeds Aviyal

As mentioned earlier in my posts, I love Jackfruit and it is one of my favourite fruits. We have jackfruit tree at my home in native and hence I am exposed to all kinds of dishes that are made with jackfruit. It is not easy to get Jackfruit seeds in Sydney. However, once I was able to get a piece of Jackfruit from the Indian grocery store and I preserved the seeds to try some recipe. Today I am sharing an aviyal recipe made using jackfruit seeds. Do check out my Onam Sadya recipes. I have shared few jackfruit recipes earlier and check those recipes in the links below:

Capsicum Fried Rice Recipe | Capsicum Pulao | Lunch Box Ideas | Rice Bowl

Any mixed rice/one pot rice come in handy for our busy morning hours. We can pack an amazing lunch box if we make a simple side dish to go with this rice. Today I am sharing the recipe for the flavourful Capsicum rice/Pulao. I will be consolidating all the mixed rice recipes from the blog in a separate post for easy reference. Do check out my red capsicum chutney, which is a huge hit on the blog and at home. Off to the recipe:

Vazhakkai Roast Recipe | Raw Banana Roast

Initially, when I started blogging I use Vazhakkai only in Aviyal. Later, I started exploring more and tried Vazhakkai Podimas, Vazhakkai Stir-fry, Kootu Curry, Kalan etc. Any side dish for rice using Vazhakkai (raw banana) can be made in a jiffy and it is suitable for our hurry burry busy morning cooking. Today I am sharing an interesting varuval recipe and it goes very well with sambhar, kara kuzhambu and mor kuzhambu. Off to the recipe:

Strawberry Lassi Recipe

I am obsessed with strawberries until a few years back, now I am back to my roots and sticking to fruits such as orange, mango and jackfruit as my favourites. During last spring, I tried this strawberry lassi mainly for the sake of blog and we loved it. Check out the other Strawberry recipes that I posted earlier and I have Mango Lassi recipe as well in the blog. Let's see the simple lassi preparation:

Thakkali(Tomato) Kuzhambu Recipe

I always end up with similar kind of lunch menu each week with usual curries. However, I am trying to include different combinations at least once or twice a week. Today's recipe 'Thakkali kuzhambu' rarely appears in my kitchen though I love it a lot. This is made with very few ingredients and it goes well with rice. I am planning to make this yummy curry more often and let's move to the preparation steps:

Spinach Rice Recipe

When it comes to packed lunch, I always prefer to pack variety rice/one pot rice instead of rice with kuzhambu. Today I am sharing the recipe of simple & nutritious spinach rice or pulao. I made it using amaranth leaves and you can use any available spinach. I have posted Amarnath leaves stir fry and Amarnath leaves Cutlet earlier. Also, if you are interested in variety rice recipes for lunch box then check the recipe index under the category 'Rice Bowl'. Let's move to the recipe:

Mango Kesari Recipe

Though I am extremely late in sharing this mango recipe, I thought of posting it before the mango vanishes completely from the market. When I was in Chennai, I loved to try the breakfast combo served in Sangeetha restaurant mainly for the unique fruit flavoured kesari (Chikko, grapes, mixed fruits, etc.) and I always wanted to replicate it at home. During the last mango season in Sydney, I tried this mango kesari and it was super delicious. Let's move on to the preparation steps and please check out other mango recipes from the blog here. If you are looking for other kesari recipes, then please click the links below:

Health Mix Ladoo Recipe

A few months back, I bought a pack of Manna Health Mix powder when I visited the nearby Indian grocery store. I was planning to make porridge and feed Happy. However, she didn't show any interest and it was lying in the pantry. Finally, the recipe booklet in the pack helped me with this idea and I tried it last weekend. Jany and Happy liked it very much and it was a huge hit. I posted that picture on my Instagram handle and few people pinged me for the recipe. Hence, I am pushing myself to share the recipe today. Do check out the other ladoo recipes from the blog:

Mango Sago Recipe

Hope everyone is enjoying the mango season in India. Though I miss it in Sydney now, I have reserved some mango recipes in my drafts that I tried during the last mango season in Sydney (December). I never miss to relish on the seasonal fruits and my favourite fruits are mango, jackfruit and orange. I can have it all day during the season. Today I am sharing an interesting mango dessert which you can try this season. Do check out the other mango recipes from the blog in the links below:

Prawns Drumstick Kuzhambu Recipe

Finally, I am back to the blog with a new recipe after two months. I always love to eat Prawns and I like to experiment a variety of dishes with that. You can find other Prawn Recipes from the blog in this link. Today's recipe is very unusual to me since I have added tamarind pulp in this gravy for the first time. I learned this from Mullai's blog and we liked it very much. This kuzhambu goes well with steamed rice. I served it with Vazhaipoo Vadai and Snake Guard Kootu. So, let us move on to the recipe without much delay.

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies | Honey Peanut Butter | Cookies Recipe | My 450th Post

I love peanut butter a lot and I used to try different brands and varieties. When I was in Chennai, I tried this recipe once and it was a failure. The original recipe calls for unsweetened peanut butter and I used sweetened peanut butter by mistake. For Christmas 2016, I tried these cookies again and it was a huge success. However, I missed to post it here and it was lying in my drafts for more than a year now. Finally, a day has come for these cookies to go live and let us move to the recipe without any delay. Check out my similar Peanut Cookies recipe with ghee.

Cabbage Balls recipe | Cabbage Masoor Dal Fritters | Cabbage Fritters | Chef Venkatesh Bhatt Recipes - Recipe #19

Today I am sharing another recipe from Chef Venkatesh Bhatt's show Samayal Samayal. Like all his other recipes, these cabbage balls turn out super yum. I had made it twice now and everyone whom I shared likes it very much. Yesterday, I sent this Cabbage Balls for my husband's office potluck and I posted that picture on my Instagram. This morning when I woke up, I received many DM's asking for the recipe. Luckily I had taken the pictures while making it yesterday. So, keeping my laziness aside, I am here to share the recipe. This recipe is simple with very few ingredients and let's see the steps involved:

Sprouted Greengram & Paneer Kuruma Recipe | Paneer Mungbean Sprouts Kuruma

Once when I was cleaning my fridge before going for a vacation, I had a very little paneer and sprouts. So to finish off both, I tried this kuruma and it was very tasty. From that, I started making it once in a while and I thought of sharing this simple recipe here as well. It goes very well with Roti/Paratha. I have already posted the homemade paneer and how to sprout green gram at home. Let's move to the recipe.

Besan Flour Rice Murukku Recipe | Kadalai Maavu Rice Murukku | Murukku Recipes

One of my new year resolution this year is to keep the blog active without taking long breaks. However, I was able to follow this only for a month. My daughter has started her Kindergarten in January and my weekdays are super busy now. Planning her lunch box, snacks box and making her ready on time is a big job these days. Though I am posting our daily meals on Instagram, I couldn't concentrate on the blog. I have not clicked any new recipes recently and today I am sharing one of the recipes from my drafts. I made this besan murukku last Diwali and I missed to post it that time. I have already posted few murukku recipes and check out the collection here. Let's move to today's recipe:

Cabbage Peas Poriyal Recipe | Cabbage Green Peas Poriyal | Cabbage Poriyal

I have already posted Kerala style Cabbage Thoran and when I shared South Indian Fish Meals, this Cabbage Peas Poriyal was there on the plate. Few readers requested to post the recipe and hence I am posting it. This is one super quick recipe which we can make in a jiffy if we have chopped cabbage in hand. Let's move to the recipe:

Chopped Boiled Egg Masala Recipe | Egg Masala | Boiled Egg Masala | Egg Recipes

After a long time, I am sharing an egg recipe today. Whenever I wake up late and if I need to pack Jany's lunch box, I make this easy egg masala to go with Chapathi/Roti. If you are looking for a variation in the regular egg masala then this recipe will surely satisfy you. The yellow of the chopped egg when mixed with the onion tomato gravy gives a nice taste to the masala. This goes very well with Idli, Dosa, Appam, Idiyappam and Chapathi/Roti. Check out my other egg recipes here.

Mulai Keerai Cutlet Recipe | Spinach Cutlet | Amarnath leaves Cutlet | Keerai Cutlet | Chef Venkatesh Bhatt Recipes - Recipe #18

Hello everyone!! I always prefer to make cutlets for evening coffee/tea. I have already posted Chicken Cutlets and Mutton Cutlets in the blog. I am planning to post vegetable cutlet for a long time now and it is getting delayed without any specific reason. However, today I am sharing a similar cutlet which can be served as the after-school snack for kids. I have adapted this recipe from Chef Venkatesh Bhatt's show in Vijay TV. Like all other recipes of him, this cutlet really wins our heart. Let's move to the recipe:

Pavakkai Fry Recipe | Bitter Gourd Chips | How to make Bitter Gourd Fry | Crispy Bitter Gourd Fry

Jany and I don't eat most of the vegetables before marriage. One such veggie is bitter gourd and we never touch it. After I started blogging, I was introduced to this bitter gourd chips by fellow bloggers and I tried it once. We both liked it and I started preparing it once in a while. If Jany is at home when I fry this, he finishes his portion before it reaches the dining table 😆 Recently, Jany started eating raw vegetables and he has replaced one of his daily meal with the raw vegetable salad. This is motivating me to try much healthier recipes with bitter gourd too in the future. Let's move to the today's recipe:

Paneer Bhurji Recipe | How to make Paneer Bhurji | Dry Paneer Bhurji | Paneer Recipes

Being a non-vegetarian, I have not explored much paneer recipes. Also, I have not tried many paneer dishes even in the restaurant. However, blogging has motivated me to try paneer recipes and I have already posted few paneer recipes. Those paneer dishes drive a lot of traffic to my website and to satisfy my vegetarian reader's request, I recently tried some of the yummy paneer recipes. Before we proceed to today's recipe, check out the other paneer dishes by clicking the links below:

Kuthiraivali Pongal Recipe | Barnyard Millet Pongal | Kuthiraivali Khara Pongal | Kuthiraivali Ghee Pongal | Millet Recipes

Happy Pongal to all my readers!! Our weekends are always busy and today we went to a nearby Farmers market to get some fresh vegetables and fruits. I saw fresh Vazhai Poo(Banana Flower) for the first time in Sydney and I immediately grabbed it to make my favourite Vazhaipoo Vadai. After all the excitement, we rushed to Happy's swimming lessons and I am totally exhausted now. However, I wanted to post the recipe of this Khara Pongal today since I prepared it mainly for the collection of Pongal special recipes. Today before heading out, I made this super yummy Pongal and we relished it for our breakfast.

Samai Sweet Pongal Recipe | Little Millet Sweet Pongal | Samai Arisi Sakkarai Pongal | Millet Recipes

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and busy with the pongal preparations. I am late in posting the pongal special recipes this year too. I have compiled the existing Pongal recipes here and please have a look. Today I am sharing a millet based sweet pongal recipe since I started to explore millets considering its health benefits. When I was working in TCS Siruseri, I have tried this sweet millet pongal in office canteen and it tastes equally good like our normal sweet Pongal. From that day I am thinking about making it and now since I have all the millets ready at home, immediately I gave it a try. It turned out extremely well and here I am with the recipe. Tomorrow I will be sharing millet based Ven pongal and stay tuned for that.

Verum Curry Recipe | Nagercoil Special Verum Curry | Thengai Kuzhambu | Simple Coconut based Gravy

Today I am sharing a recipe from my hometown (Kanyakumari District) and this recipe is very close to my heart. People in and around Nagercoil include fish for lunch most of the days and this curry goes well with Avicha Meen (cooked fish). This recipe is from my handwritten recipe note, which I learned it from mum during my maternity leave. My mum makes this curry along with a spicy thick fish kuzhambu without coconut and it tastes so yum together.

We all at home love this verum curry and I make it once in a while on weekends to refresh the childhood memories. Recently, when I posted our lunch scene with this curry on Instagram, few people pinged me to get the recipe and that motivated me to share this recipe here. Initially, I didn't have plans to post the recipe here since I thought people outside Kanyakumari will not like this. However, most of my friends who tried this simple recipe liked it to the core. Aviyal and red spinach thoran go well with this curry and let's see the steps involved in making this easy and yummy curry:

Sprouted Greengram Egg Rice Recipe | Sprouted Greengram Rice | Greengram Recipes | Lunch box Ideas

Sydney weather is going crazy and the last two days were very hot. Today, as I am composing this post, we had a severe storm with a cooler spell. We are expecting a good climate for the next few days. Since Pongal is nearing, I am planning to make some millet based Pongal recipes this year. Hopefully, I will start posting the recipes in a day or two. Today's recipe is a protein-packed Egg rice with Sprouted Greengram. I have already posted about sprouting the greengrams at home, please have a look before you proceed with the recipe. Please check the similar recipes like Sprouted Greengram Sandwich and simple Egg Rice. Let's move to the recipe:

Tomato Soup Recipe | Creamy Tomato Soup | Tomato soup with Green Gram | Soup Recipes

I am not a big fan of Soups; however, I wanted to try a variety of soups at home since Jany likes it. I usually make Chicken Soup and have not tried anything else. When I was preparing some green gram recipes for an event last year, I made this. It came out super tasty and it was lying in my drafts for such a long time now. I am planning to try more soup recipes this year and without much delay, let's see this recipe today:

Corn Pulao Recipe | Sweet Corn Pulao | Easy Corn Pulao | Lunch Box Ideas

I have not yet started clicking new recipes this year and I am planning to clear all the recipes from my drafts. Today I am sharing a simple pulao recipe which I tried a few months back. Pulao recipes are handy if we don't want to cook an elaborate meal. Just a simple raita or a simple side dish, either veg or nonveg goes well with the pulao. If you are using frozen corn, then making this pulao is a breeze. I served it with Gobi Manchurian. Check out my other pulao recipes too:

Ashoka Halwa Recipe | Moong Dhal Halwa | Thiruvaiyaru Style Asoka Halwa | Easy Sweet Recipes

Happy New Year everyone, may this new year be a joyful ride for you and your family. To start the new year with a sweet note, today I am sharing the recipe of a divine Ashoka Halwa. I tried this during the Diwali and somehow I missed to post it here. This halwa is served in most of the weddings of Tanjavur district during breakfasts. It tastes so delicious and let's see the step-by-step preparations: