Happy's Cook

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe | Biryani Recipes

Hope everyone is getting ready with the menu for Christmas. And, Biryani might be one among them. I too have few Biryani recipes in this space. Though I have a Chicken Biryani recipe already in this space with coconut milk, I wanted to post this recipe with little variation since it is my keeper recipe these days. I will post my Biryani Compilation soon for your easy reference. Let's go for the preparation steps:

Karimeen Pollichathu Recipe | Pearl Spot Fish Fry in Banana Leaves

I was dreaming to prepare this for a long time. Finally, when I saw this fish available in Supreme Seafood, I was super excited and immediately gave it a try. It turned out very well and here it is for you. Hope everyone are busy with Christmas preparations and I have not yet started with anything after being busy both in Office and home. Hopefully planning to do something for this weekend. Let's go for the preparation steps:

Prawn Fritters Recipe | Chemmeen Vada | Eraal Vadai

I had a great weekend and I tried many interesting recipes this week. Today I tried Fish Biryani(I will be posting it soon) and Prawn Vada. Both came out very well and we had a great lunch today. The Prawn Fritters can be served as a starter and it is a kid friendly snack. Already I have posted a similar recipe with chicken which you can check it here. While I compose this post, Jany and Happy enjoys few left over vadai. Let's see the detailed preparation steps:

Vegetable Biryani Recipe | Veg Brinji Rice Recipe | Easy Pressure Cooker Veg Biryani | Easy One Pot Meal

This is one of the long awaited post in happyscook. Yes!! Many of my regular readers were requesting to post this Veg Biryani for a long time now. Finally, it is making its way here. This is a very simple and easy to make recipe which we can make it in a jiffy. Every Friday I make it for our lunch box since Jany and Happy likes it. Let's go for the preparation steps:

Fish Kuzhambu with Coconut Milk Recipe | Thengai paal meen kuzhambu

I am back with my recipes after a week. Chennai flood has stopped all our routine activities over the last week. Though we are not affected, I was very much worried about the people who lost there lives in this flood. Let God give them strength and courage to fight back with life.

Let us see today's recipe. Are you bored with your usual fish kuzhambu either with coconut or without coconut? Then try this coconut milk based fish curry for a change. It gives a unique taste for the fish lovers. Do give it a try and share me the feedback. Let's see the preparation steps:

Egg Noodles Recipe

Monthly once I make egg noodles or chicken noodles or veg noodles in my home for dinner along with a spicy non veg side dish. But I missed to post it here, so I will be posting it one by one. This is a simple and easy to make recipe. This is a kid friendly recipe and they will love it. Though it is not healthy, occasionally it is fine to serve them. Here, we go for the recipe:

Vendakkai Poriyal Recipe | Ladies Finger Stir Fry | Okra or Bhindi Stir Fry

Almost a year back I clicked this recipe when I visited my hometown. Vanitha Akka is an expert in making poriyal and though her recipes are simple the net result will be too good. She was about to prepare this poriyal and since I have very few poriyal recipes in this space, I attempted her recipe and clicked it. I usually make it differently and I will try to post my version soon. Off to the recipe:

Manathakkali Paruppu Keerai Recipe | Black Night Shade Spinch Dal | Paruppu Keerai Masiyal with Manathakkali Keerai

Manathakkali Keerai or Black Night Shade is a short-lived perennial shrub that grows almost everywhere. Its fruit is called as Sunberry or Wonder Cherry. Both the fruit and leaves are important ingredients in Indian medicine. It cures the stomach problems, mouth ulcers and reduces body heat.

Though I am not familiar with this, my neighbor akka introduces it to me. She showed it to us that was grown in our backyard itself. Happy loves to have the berries, whenever we water the plants she plucks the berries and enjoys it :). Since it was abundantly available in my home, I make use of it more often these days. I make this paruppu keerai and mix it with ghee, rice for Happy's Lunch. Here we go for the simple and healthy recipe:

Prawn Potato Masala Recipe | Prawn curry with Potato

Yet another Prawn recipe in this space. Until I try this recipe, I am not sure about the combo Potato and Prawn. When Jany's cousins were in home last time, the quantity of Prawn that we had was very less. So to serve few more, I added finely chopped potato along with the prawn. Also, I added cashew paste for richness. To my surprise it turned out very well and Danie loved it to the core. Since everyone liked it, I wanted to share it with you all. Let's see the preparation steps.

Check out my other prawn recipes in the below links:

Sodhi Recipe | Coconut Milk Vegetable Stew | Vegetable Stew for Appam & Idiyappam | Tirunelveli Sodhi

Back-to-back I was busy with my cousin's wedding and was travelling so much for the past two months. Though feeling little exhausted, I was happy after meeting the loved ones in the family. Today's post is about famous Tirunelveli Sodhi aka Coconut Milk Vegetable Stew. This is again Aachi's recipe which I got it from my mom. Mom makes it monthly once or twice along with Idiyappam for dinner. I too make it for dinner, both Happy and Jany likes it. Here, we go for the step by step preparation.

South Indian Mixture Recipe | Spicy Mixture | Diwali Snacks Recipes

Happy Diwali to all my readers and friends. I am really excited to share this Mixture recipe for this special occasion. It was in my to-do list for a long time now. Though this is time-consuming, it is worth giving it a try. This gives so much volume that you can share with your loved ones for this festive season. Plan well in advance and start preparing it. I prefer my mixture this way and I have given other combination in notes section. Everyone at my home loved it. I took some to my office and they too really loved it. Let's see the preparation:

Vegetable Puffs Recipe | Veg Puffs | My first guest post to Mahaslovelyhome

Hope everyone is busy making the Diwali snacks this weekend. I will be posting few more recipes soon. Check out the entire Diwali collection here. And today's post is about vegetable puff recipe which I have presented in Mahaslovelyhome.

This is my first guest post after I started this blog. When Usha contacted me to do a guest post in her blog Mahaslovelyhome, I was really excited. Though I am not very much active in blogging she considered me and I am really happy about that. This will be a motivation for a budding blogger like me. She is having a remarkable 970+ recipe and she is about to reach her 1000th post soon. She is a lovely person to connect with. Do visit her website and follow her FB page.

Check out the recipe of this Vegetable Puffs here in her blog.

Kara Boondhi Recipe | Spicy Boondhi | Easy Diwali Snack Recipe

I really love South Indian mixture and to make that Kara Boondhi is an essential ingredient. So thought of posting it before I post the mixture recipe. I made this snack two weeks back when my in-laws visited us. They really liked it and Jany asked me from which shop I got this :). Obviously this recipe is a hit in my home and do try it for this Diwali. Off to the recipe:

Besan Ladoo Recipe | Kadala Maavu Ladoo | Diwali Sweet Recipes

I saw this Besan Ladoo in Sangeetha last week, it was new to me and I tasted it immediately. When I asked my friend about the recipe, she said it is very simple and easy to make. I got the recipe from her and I decided to try it over the weekend. To my surprise the ladoos tasted awesome and I liked it very much. For the first time my ladoos where far better than the one I tasted in Sangeetha. Jany doesn't prefer sweets much, but he too liked it. Let's see the detailed preparation steps:

Pottukadalai Murukku Recipe | Instant Murukku | Diwali Snacks Recipes

Mom is very much fond of all kinds of murukku and she doesn't need any special occasion to make murukku. I still remember the days, when she used to make murukku in large quantity and store it for us. We can munch homemade murukku at any time.

Being a beginner in making snacks, I just try with only one cup of flour, which will vanish soon after I make. Jany & Happy asks for murukku the next day too, so I am planning to try it in bulk at-least during Christmas. I am waiting for the day my dream comes true. Today I am presenting the simple and easy to make pottukadalai murukku. I have already posted the following murukkus:

Aval Kesari Recipe | Poha Sheera | Poha Kesari | Diwali Sweet Recipes

Today's post is about Aval Kesari. Apart from rava kesari, I have never heard about any other type of kesari until I started this blog. Blogging world has taught me so many yummy dishes and this is one among them. I have already posted Aval Payasam, which is one my popular posts. This Aval Kesari is an easy to make recipe that we can make it in a jiffy. Let's see the steps involved:

Mysore Bonda Recipe | Ulundu Bonda | Diwali Snacks Recipes

I have never heard about Mysore Bonda until I tasted it in Sangeetha. Every Friday, I get something from Saravana Bhavan or Sangeetha that is inside my office premises. Once I brought this Mysore Bonda with three different chutneys home for Jany & Happy. They both liked it very much and I thought of trying it in home. Though it is very similar to Medhu Vada, it has its own unique taste. I ground the batter in grinder the previous day and the next morning I made it for breakfast. It really turned out very soft and fluffy. Here, we go for the recipe:

Aloo Bhajji Recipe | Potato Bajji | Uruzhai Kizhangu Bajji | Diwali Snacks Recipes

I am ready with few Diwali snacks and sweets recipes for this year too. I will be posting it in the coming days. Please have a look at this link for the Diwali recipes which I have already posted in this space. For the past few weekends we are relishing on the homemade snacks and Happy is taking those snacks for her Snack's time in school. I was really proud when I send her homemade murukku and ladoo in her snack's box. All this happened because of this blogging journey. To begin with, I am sharing the simple and easy to make snack which we can prepare it for our evening coffee. Let's go to the preparation steps:

Homemade Killu Vadam Recipe | Fryums made using left over Rice | Killu Vathal(Vadagam)

I was very lazy and I didn't post anything for the past 2 weeks. I was very busy preparing diwali snacks during my weekends. I will be posting it in the coming days. Today's post is about my dream project:) Yes!! making vadams at my home was my dream come true. I was very much excited when I fried my homemade vadams. Many thanks to dad, for drying it in sun after I go to office. This is a very simple recipe with left over rice, we pinch (Killu in tamil) small portion of the rice dough to make this vadagam, hence the name. I will be trying out few other vadagam's soon. Let's go to the recipe:

Orange Juice Recipe(with lemon) | Summer Drinks Special

My favorite among all the fruits is oranges. I still remember the days during my pregnancy when Jany buy loads of oranges because of my craving towards it. May be because of that, Happy's favorite fruit is orange though she prefers all kinds of fruits :). Dad usually buys and extract orange or Mozambi juice for us during the peak season. I clicked it to share it here as well. Though the recipe is very simple, I want to record it under summer special drinks.

Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste Recipe | Kitchen Basics

Ginger garlic paste is very essential in day to day cooking and it is almost impossible to cook non veg dishes without having ginger garlic paste. I always stock a bottle of homemade ginger garlic paste in my fridge. I usually prepare this paste with 1:1 ratio of ginger and garlic until I saw an episode of Venkatesh Bhat's Samayal Samayal. He suggested 1:2 ratio of ginger and garlic because of the over powering smell of the ginger. Last time when mom was in Chennai with me, she peeled a huge amount of ginger and garlic to save my time. I tried my level best to stop her from peeling, but she didn't listen to me. I can't get those days back in my life, but she is guiding me in all my situations. Emotions apart, let's go to the recipe:

Pesarattu Dosa Recipe | Andhra Pesarattu | Whole Green Gram(Moong Dal) Dosa | Pachai Payaru Dosai

Pesarattu is an authentic Andhra special recipe that is mainly made with green gram. This is very nutritious and tasty too. In Andhra, they serve this with Upma and this combination is called as MLA Pesarattu. My friend suggested this recipe for dad since it is made with diabetic friendly green gram. So, I made this pesarattu on a weekend for dad and he liked it very much. We all liked it too and it is in our breakfast menu these days. Let's see the preparation of the yummy & nutritious dosa:

Mutton Liver Kheema Masala Recipe | Eeral kheema masala

Though I don't taste any kind of liver dish, I make it for Happy & Jany. Liver is rich in iron and I try to give it to Happy whenever it is possible. Already I have posted mutton liver pepper fry here. Though Happy likes liver, sometimes she never touches it. So to make her eat without any force, I tried this recipe. After that she had it without any hesitation. I just mixed this kheema masala with steamed rice and fed her. I was able to feed her little more than her usual quantity, when I mixed rice with this. If you are a non vegetarian, don't miss to give your kids this liver masala at least twice in a month. This will be a main source for iron and you can also serve liver in the form of soup, which I will be posting it soon. Let's see the preparation steps:

Carrot Juice Recipe | Carrot Juice with Ginger & Lemon flavor

Yayy, long weekend!!! I was waiting for this break to try many new diwali recipes. Already I have planned many items and dad purchased almost all the ingredients required for those snacks. Everything should go well as planned :). Today's recipe is a simple and healthy refreshing carrot juice. Whenever I make sandwich for breakfast, I pair it with any fruit juice. So few months back, I tried this carrot juice and to my surprise Jany and Happy liked it. Firstly, I used sugar and nowadays I am preparing it using honey. Here, we go for the recipe:

Sivapu thandu Keerai thoran(Poriyal) Recipe | Red Amarnath Leaves Stir Fry | Red Spinach Poriyal | Keerai Poriyal

Next to drumstick leaves thoran, sivapu thandu keerai thoran is very famous in my native Nagercoil. Nearby market, only has these varieties and we don't get any other kind of kerrai there. After coming to Chennai, I used to get many kinds and among all those red amarnath keerai is my favourite. Mom makes this quite often and I still remember the days when I mix this thoran with curd rice to get pink color curd rice :). I wanted to have this in my repository since it is mom's special recipe. Off to the recipe:

Baby Potato Roast Recipe | Baby Potato Fry (Small Potato Fry)

I usually buy Baby Potato whenever I see it in Kovai Pazhamudiyir Nilayam since I wanted to post many recipes with it. But I never click anything that I try. Finally, few months back I tried this simple and easy to make roast recipe. Even though it tasted good, everyone had the feeling that the masala didn't enter inside. So next time I pricked the baby potato with fork roughly and followed the same process. This time we liked it very much and here I am with that recipe:

Vada Curry Recipe - Steamed Version | Side dish for Idli Dosa

Apart from chutney and Sambar, Vada curry pairs very well with Idli Dosa. I have tasted this yummy vada curry in Sangeetha and Saravana Bhavan few times. After that, I always wanted to try at home. I got this recipe from my colleague and tried it few months back. We liked it to the core, I have also tried the deep fried vada version (I will be posting it soon). Let's go to the preparation steps in detail:

Mango Popsicle Recipe | Mango Kuchi Ice | Summer Special

Popsicles are always a great treat for kids. Even now I love to have fruit flavored popsicles when compared to icecreams. Whenever I get a chance, I don't skip tasting this yummy popsicles. So this summer when we had a large amount of mangoes at home, I tried it. Jany doesn't prefer popsicles much and it was a real weekend treat for Happy and me. This is a very simple and easy to make recipe which we can prepare it with less effort. Already I have posted Rose Milk Popsicle. Also, I have posted few other mango recipes like Mango Panna cotta and Mango Icecream.

Karuvadu(Dry Fish) Kuzhambu Recipe | Karuvadu Kuzhambu with mochai Brinjal Drumstick

I usually prefer fresh fish, when compared to Karuvadu (Dry fish). But I like to have karuvadu kuzhambu with steamed rice just by ignoring the Karuvadu. Sounds weird right? Yes, I love to have the kuzhambu alone. Once in a while I make this kuzhambu just for me. I got this recipe from my neighbor kalpana akka. I will also post mom's version of kuzhambu soon. This recipe can be used by vegetarians as well and they can ignore adding karuvadu to get the yummy mochai kathirikai kara kuzhambu. Here we go for the preparation steps:

Murungai keerai Thoran Recipe | Muringayila Thoran | Drumstick leaves cooked with coconut

Mom makes aviyal and murungaikeerai thoran more often when I am at home. She follows my maternal grandmother's recipe when it comes to thoran. My Granny is also a great cook and she follows Kerala cuisine. When we were kids, my cousins and I help our granny to pluck these leaves while listening to her stories. I cherish those memories by sharing it with Jany these days. Let's see the recipe of this thoran that is very close to my heart.

Badam Halwa Recipe | Almond Halwa | 200th Post celebration Recipe | My 200th Post

Ganesh Chaturthi wishes to all my readers and friends! As we celebrate this auspicious day, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your continuous support. If you're looking for delightful Kozhukattai recipes, you can find a curated collection here. Today marks the 200th post on my blog, and the excitement is palpable. Reflecting on the journey that began in 2013, I am humbled by the unexpected growth. It wouldn't have been possible without the constant encouragement from my family, friends, and dedicated readers.

This milestone feels like a profound blessing, and I owe much of it to the inspiration drawn from my dear mom, who has been the driving force behind this blog. To commemorate this special occasion, I am thrilled to present a recipe that embodies richness and divinity – the delectable Badam Halwa. Made with pureed almonds, saffron, sugar, and ghee, this dessert promises to elevate your celebration. Join me as we delve into the detailed preparation steps:

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.