Bitter Gourd Fry | How to make Pavakkai chips| Karela Chips | Under 30mins recipe

Bitter Gourd is my DH's favourite and after marriage, I too started liking my MIL's simple preparation of Pavakkai curry. We include it regularly in our daily cooking in the form of stir-fry. On a weekend, DH came looking for some snack to munch on. I had ran out of most vegetables and onion, the much needed ones for Bhajji / Pakoras and was left with Bitter gourds only.So,why not try 'Adyar Ananda Bhavan' style Pavakkai chips? Even the kids, who otherwise don't even come near Pavakkai loved these crispy chips. I followed my friend Jeyashri's recipe and it was perfect and I was happy that it did'nt take up more oil also.

Preparation time - 15mins

Cooking time - 10mins

Serves - 4

Kovakkai Curry | Ivy gourd fry | No-onion,No-garlic Recipe

Here comes another simple everyday recipe made using Kovakkai/Ivy gourd. It is a basic preparation of a stir-fry which applies to several other veggies too. No grinding of masalas and hence can be prepared easily with readily available items in your pantry. I came across this recipe at Pavani's space as a part of 'Ayurvedic Meal Thali', which was mostly similar to our preparation without onion or garlic. Off to the recipe! 

Blogging Marathon #41, Week4, Day3

Theme : BM Pair (Pavani) 

Preparation time - 10mins

Cooking time - 15mins

Serves - 4

Amritsari Aloo Kulcha | Stuffed Kulcha

Kulcha is a typical Punjabi dish and one of the many flatbreads which are popular in North India. Among those, Amritsar is famous for the best Kulchas. As Kulchas are made with maida, they are very soft in texture and can be made in a Tandoor or a Tawa. When I was going through Pavani's blog, I bumped into this Amritsari Aloo Kulcha recipe and as I had not made Kulchas earlier, wanted to give it a try. I was impressed that her recipe made use of atta and maida in equal proportion which made it more healthy. Stuffing and preparation is similar to Aloo Paratha, but Kulchas make use of Baking soda and curd as leavening agent. It came out very well and we relished with 'Paneer Butter Masala' which made it even more richer.

Blogging Marathon #41, Week4, Day2

Theme : BM Pair (Pavani) 

Preparation time - 45mins

Yields - 8 Kulchas

Ragda Pattice | Ragda Patties | Aloo Tikki Recipe

Ragda Pattice is a popular Indian Chaat  made with potato patties / pattice dunked in a spicy peas gravy. It forms a part of the famous street food of Mumbai. I chanced upon this recipe from Pavani's blog few months back and simply fell in love with her gorgeous pictures which seemed to be way more tempting. Honestly said, it was those pics that got me hooked on at the first sight and I was curious to read the recipe. Pavani had a perfect recipe and I decided to make it soon and bookmarked it then. It was a pleasant surprise that I was paired with this wonderful blogger friend for this week's theme 'BM Pair' where the pair has to cook three dishes for ths week from each other's blog. This was a great chance to surf through many of her posts to pick some of my favourite ones and I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent at her blog and hope not to miss any of her recipes from now on. One best thing I like about her is the initiative she takes to be health - conscious which reflects in almost every recipe of hers. So, lets move to today's recipe from Pavani's Cookshideout.   

Blogging Marathon #41, Week4 - Day1
Theme - BM Pair (Pavani)

Preparation time - 45mins
Serves - 6

Sprout Bhel Puri | Moong Sprouts Chaat Recipe

My first taste of a Chaat item was 'Bhel Puri' at a restaurant along Pondi Bazaar in Chennai which specialised in Chaat varieties. Those were the days when I avoided any gravy-kind with strong Masala flavours. But, Chaats with raw veggies and Murmura (Pori) without heavy Masalas, soon became my addiction. Whenever DH and me visited Pondi Bazaar, we loved to dine out at that 'Chaat Corner'. I consider Chaats (without deep-frying involved) as the easiest and healthier snack options for kids too. So, I make sure to stock up on Homemade Sweet Chutney and Green Chutney all the time. Whenever hunger pang strikes,I would whip up a quick chaat with whatever I had on hand and relish. For today's Iron-rich recipe for kids for my Blogging Marathon, I chose this easy and uber-healthy Sprout Bhel Puri. Sprouts are one among the most-nutritious food and also rich in iron. You just need to spend a few minutes to get this done and binge on it.

Preparation time - 15mins
Serves - 4

Bean and Vegetable Soup | Iron-rich Soup for Kids | Under 30mins Recipe

Soups form an important part of our everyday diet. DH, being a calorie-conscious person, love to have wholesome soups for dinner and it became indispensable for me to try different combinations of legumes, pulses and veggies with varied flavorings so as to keep our taste buds alive. This easy soup made with green moong bean, horsegram and beetroot among other veggies is our favourite. Kids too love the deep colour from the beets and say that it is very appetizing. With all the above ingredients, it is definitely an iron-rich recipes for kids as well as adults. So, I present this for my Day 2 of this week for the theme 'Iron-rich recipes for kids' going on at the Blogging Marathon event.

Preparation and cooking time - 25mins
Serves - 4

Eggless Date Walnut Cake | Low- Calorie Cake Recipe

This Date and Walnut cake is truly indulgent bursting with the flavours of sweet dates and crunchy walnuts. As an added treat, it has some semi-sweet choco chips too! For those who love those Bakery Style Plum Cake / Christmas Cake in India, this is surely gonna be its best Eggless alternative. Unlike regular airy cakes, this Date Walnut Cake is rich, moist and dense, nevertheless it tasted just too delicious. I chose this recipe for the first day of week 3 of Blogging marathon under the theme 'Iron-rich recipes for kids'. Kids definitley would love Cakes, but instead of regular butter-sugar laden ones, I always seek for healthier recipes so that they can enjoy it guilt-free. This cake is loaded with vitamins and Iron from generous amount of Dates and Walnuts. My kids enjoyed every bite of it and especially my dear brother who was always  skeptical about such healthier treats also got addicted to this cake. I think that was absolute success with this recipe!

Preparation time - 20mins

Baking time - 45-55mins

Yields - One 9*5 inch Cake

Adapted from - Vegrecipesofindia

Pani Puri Recipe | Chaat Recipe | Indian Street Food

Chaat Items are my absolute favorites. For years, I had tasted Bhel Puri only without even giving a try for others and hence it remained my love for years. Since few years, I started trying out other dishes at restaurants and each of the Street foods are unique and delicious. Recently, my best buddy Madhu invited us for lunch and served this as a snack. We don't even know how many Pani puris we ate that day. She had done those puris perfectly and with that stuffing and pani, it tasted out of the world. She sent me the recipe too, but my puris did'nt turn out as good as hers. When checking with her, I realised my mistake of dusting with flour while rolling out the puris and hence it had become hard. She was so sweet to pass me a container of yummy puris recently. So, I knew that would be my choice for our recent family outing to the beach. I just prepared the stuffing and the Pani and used these puris to relish this yummy street food, on a lovely evening at the beach. Thank you Madhu dear!

Puliyodarai | Temple-style Iyengar Puliyodarai Recipe | Rice Variety

During my growing-up years, picnic was like a magical word and since we plan for it very rarely, say, once or twice a year only, we kids used to eagerly await for such short outings. Mom had a picnic set comprising of a set of cups, plates and spoons, all enclosed in a cute, compact carrier. Iam reminiscing how happy I had felt when she used to take it out from the attic a day before we set on a picnic. I used to help wash it and keep it ready for the next day. We fill up 'Milton' Cooler with cold water and what a joy to have a family day-out with cousins! As most of my childhood was spent at Trichy, our favourite picnic spot was the famous 'Mukkombu' which is a dam constructed across the river Cauvery. It still stands as a beautiful picnic spot for people in and around Trichy. Needless to say, our menu for such picnics would be this Puliyodarai and curd rice with 'Vadaams' or papads. This recipe is from my mom's diary in which she had mentioned 'Temple-style recipe' specifically. Though I love my MIL's instant, no-grind Puli Saadam equally, I would share this famous 'Iyengar Puliyodarai' for my second day of Blogging Marathon under the theme Picnic Hampers. 

Preparation time - 5mins
Cooking time - 20mins
Yields - 1cup Pulikaichal paste

Mathri | Maharashtrian Mathri | Snack Recipe

Mathri is an authentic Maharashtrian snack which is similar to the South-Indian 'Thattai'. These crisp savory crackers are perfect anywhere, anytime snack. Traditionally, they are served aside pickles, also known as 'Achaar' in Maharashtrian households. I fell in love with these Ajwain-flavoured crackers which my colleague from Mumbai brought this for us and the taste was at its best. So, without looking around the net for the recipe, I asked for his mom's recipe and tried it. It came out with perfect crunch. As Iam doing the theme of 'Picnic Hampers' for the second week of Blogging Marathon, I chose this Mathri recipe which I took for a hiking with friends and it was relished by all of them. Even kids loved munching this tasty mild-flavoured snack. It can be prepared in large lots and stored in an air-tight container for upto a month. Thanks to my colleague's mom from Mumbai for sharing this perfect recipe for delicious Mathris.

Total preparation time : 1hr
Yields - 40-50 Mathris

Onion Vatha Kuzhambu | Everyday Cooking

Vatha Kuzhambu is a spicy tangy South-Indian speciality, ideally prepared used sun-dried veggies, also called as Vathals. Now, you know where its name came from. It is one comfort food, so simple to prepare, yet a favourite to many of us. Though I have already shared my mom's special 'Arachuvitta Vatha Kuzhambu', this is a very easy recipe which requires no roasting or grinding processes. Hence, it takes minimal time and effort to cook on busy mornings or a lazy weekend. We relish it with any Kootu variety, especially Keerai Kootu paired with Vatha Kuzhambu is heaven.Instead of Vathal, I have used Pearl Onion/ Shallot for this and it tasted too good too!

Preparation time - 10mins
Cooking time - 20mins
Serves - 4

Vazhaithandu Thayir Pachadi | Plantain Stem Raita | Quick Side-dish Recipe

Raitas are my all-time favourite. I love to consume most veggies raw, either in the form of Salads or raitas. Even a simple salad made with a hint of lemon juice can make my day. Curd-based Salads (raitas) are even more appealing to my taste buds. This Vazhaithandu Raita is no exception.If made with tender and fresh plantain stem, nothing can match this Raita's taste and it goes well with almost any tangy gravy (Kuzhambu). Not to forget its innumerable health benefits ranging from a good source of dietary fiber, natural cure for Kidney stones and ulcer to its role in aiding weight reduction. Do you need any more reason to try this cool and refreshing Salad with crunchy bits of Plantain stem?

Preparation time - 20mins

Serves - 4

Kathirikai masiyal | Chidambaram Kathirikai Gothsu | Easy side-dish recipe | No-onion, No-garlic recipe

This Kathirikai Masiyal / Gothsu is an easy side-dish recipe taught by my MIL which can be prepared in under 20mins time. It does'nt involve any complicated procedures, but nevertheless, it is an excellent accompaniment to Idli, Dosa and Pongal. I remember those days at our hometown Tuticorin where my MIL does this often with fresh, tender brinjals harvested from local farms and Iam a big fan of this simple side-dish, especially to go with Dosa. I believe this recipe is one of the many variations of Chidambaram Gothsu, which is prepared at Chidambaram temple as an offering to Lord Natarajar, using grilled brinjal. I love that mild smoky flavour which is not too overpowering with a simple blend of flavouring.

Preparation time - 15mins

Cooking time - 3-4mins

Serves - 4