Ragi Lemon Sevai | Kelvaragu Sevai | Finger Millet Sevai

Cooking with millets has become a part of our healthy diet and for the third day of Blogging Marathon, I chose this very easy recipe using Ragi Sevai. This is readily available in stores and we just need to cook for a very few minutes and prepare according to taste. I chose to prepare Lemon Sevai with it and it turned out well. Off to today's recipe!

Blogging Marathon - Wk4, Day3

Theme - All about Millets

Preparation time - 15mins
Serves - 4

Thinai Kichdi | How to make Foxtail Millet Kichdi

After trying the delicious Pongal made with Millet, we fell in love with the taste and also keeping in mind all the health benefits attached to Millets, I tried a variety of dishes using Millets. Of them, this Kichdi with Thinai / Foxtail millet was too yummy and we liked its texture too. This Kichdi is in no way lesser to the conventional one made with Rava. Do try this and see for yourself.

Soaking time - 20mins
Cooking time - Under 30mins
Serves -3

Blogging Marathon - Wk4, Day2

Theme - All about Millets

Kuthiraivali Pongal | Barnyard Millet Pongal | Healthy Tiffin Recipe

Millets have become the buzz in recent times. Millets are small-seeded hardy grasses that grow well in dry regions under marginal conditions of soil fertility and rains. Called as 'Siru Thaaniyangal' in Tamil, these little wonders were one of the oldest cereal grains known to humans and it formed an integral part of the diet in those days.These Superfood grains were forgotten for quite sometime until recently, we have started to realise their amazing health benefits and cooking with Millets are gaining popularity with each passing day. They are a host of vital nutrients, gluten-free, non-acidic and non-allergenic, easy to digest and suitable for health-specific diets like weight-loss or diabetes. Replacing rice with millets is sure to boost overall health in kids and adults alike.Though I knew the most commonly used millets like Ragi, Jowar, Bajra and Barley, I had not ventured into cooking with Millets earlier. I got inspired by my BM friends through discussions on Millets and their wonderful recipes featuring Millets. Hence, for this 4th week of Blogging Marathon, I chose this as my theme to get started with.

Blogging Marathon - Wk4, Day1

Theme - All about Millets

Preparation time - 5mins
Cooking time - 20mins
Serves - 4

Indian-Style Pasta | Masala Pasta Recipe | Quick Tiffin Recipe

Though Pasta originally belong to traditional Italian cuisine, it has become a staple throughout the world, especially in most parts of India. DH and kids love to have Pastas atleast once a week and I prefer buying Whole-wheat pasta for a healthier choice. Apart from the popular Pasta versions with white sauce and Basil Pesto, this simple Indian-style Pasta with humble Indian spices is a hit at home. Kids love to take this for Lunch box as it retains the taste even if it is not warm. I tend to add a lot of veggies to most Tiffin items and thankfully my kids are not fussy over it. This recipe too is loaded with veggies and Indian spices, sauces, Italian herbs and spring onion, all blend so well and makes up a great pasta. Off to the simplest yet delicious Indian Style Pasta recipe!

Blogging Marathon - Wk3, Day3

Theme - Quick Tiffin

Cooking time - Under 30mins
Serves - 4

Oats Dosa | Instant Oats Dosai | Quick Tiffin Recipe

I was planning for Pasta for my second day of BM, but after trying this super-simple, delicious Oats Dosa, I could'nt contain my excitement and thought to share this first. This awesome recipe was shared by my colleague cum best friend Vasanthi, which was originally her newly wed daughter-in-law, Aishwarya's recipe. Ever since the engagement, my friend had told a lot about this sweet and bubbly girl Aishwarya and it was no surprise that her recipe was damn so yummy. Even my elder girl who fusses over Atta / Rava dosas loved this and asked me to pack the same for her next day mid-day brunch too. Though I have seen innumerable versions of Oats Dosa on the Net, Iam impressed with this soft and spongy instant Oats Dosa which tasted like South-Indian Adai. I would definitely urge you to try this Dosa for a quick and healthy tiffin.

Blogging Marathon - Wk3, Day2

Theme - Quick Tiffin

Preparation time - 10mins
Cooking time - 3mins per Dosa
Yields - 12 Dosas

Maharashtrian Kande Pohe | Poha Recipe | Batata Poha

Maharashtrian Kande Pohe / Poha is a very popular breakfast or tea-time snack in Maharashtra. 'Kande' means onion and 'Batata' is potato in Marathi. Made with flattened rice or Poha, this recipe combines onion and potato into a great-tasting breakfast which can be whipped up anytime. Though I used to do Vegetable Aval Upma often at home which is more South-Indian, I learnt this authentic Maharashtrian style Pohe from my friend Apexa last year and this has become a staple at our home now.She also shared that this Poha has various garnishes in different parts of Maharashtra. She hails from Nagpur where Poha is topped with Sev and in Mumbai, grated coconut and finely chopped onion forms a lovely garnish. Other than the chat items, this healthy traditional Maharashtrian Kande Pohe is our family's favourite,which Iam happy to share today.

Blogging Marathon - Wk3, Day1

Theme - Quick Tiffin

Preparation time - 5mins
Cooking time - 10-12mins
Serves - 3

Coconut Khoya Burfi | Coconut Barfi with Milk | 1-2-3-4 Sweet Recipe

Festivals in North-India are not complete without Burfis/ Mithais. Burfi is a fudgy sweet prepared by making a sugar syrup mostly of one-string consistency and then adding a flour or a nut powder to make a variety of delicacies. Burfis can be cut into pieces and they store up well which makes them a convenient choice of sweet for festivals. Personally, due to the easiness of preparation and as I had never encountered trouble with the sugar syrup consistency and also that they can be made well ahead of time, Burfis are my go-to sweets during busy festival celebrations. Today's recipe is popular for its name as the name itself helps to remember the ingredients and measurements clearly. Yes, though this Burfi is famous in the North as 'Coconut Khoya Burfi', I grew up knowing it by the name 1-2-3-4 sweet and this name had fascinated me since childhood. Apart from the fancy name, it is one No-fail recipe with an amazing taste. As milk is one of the key ingredients, you will probably never go wrong with achieving super-soft Burfis. Usually, it is done by combing all the for ingredients and keep stirring until done.But, I have adopted the below method to reduce the strain of too much stirring and also the risk of burning the Burfis. 

Blogging Marathon - Wk2, Day3

Theme - Festival Recipes : Raksha Bandhan

Preparation time - 5mins
Cooking time - 25mins
Yields- 20 Burfis

Rasgulla | Bengali Sponge Rasgolla Recipe | Festival Recipes

Raksha Bandhan is one the most awaited festivals in India which celebrates the brother-sister bond. Raksha Bandhan literally means 'Bond of protection' where the sister ties Rakhi to her brother which symbolises that it is the duty of the brother to protect her.In Northern India, it is celebrated with full gusto as a wonderful occasion to cherish love, care and affection and togetherness as a family.  In the South, the same day is celebrated as 'Avani Avittam'. When we talk about festivals in India, it means scrumptious feasts and bonding over food. During Raksha Bandhan too, variety of sweet delicacies like Burfis, Mithais and Kheers are prepared lusciously together with a delectable meal.

For my second day of Raksha Bandhan recipes, I chose the very famous Bengali sweet, Rasgulla. Thinking of Rasgulla was a nightmare for me as it is the only recipe which let me down continuously during more than a couple of trials. Then, recently,I chanced upon this recipe at a popular Facebook food group where everyone were going ga-ga over this fine recipe by Garima and I gathered my guts for a last attempt. Lucky I tried this, it came out so soft and spongy. Only variation I did to suit our taste buds was the addition of saffron to enhance the flavour and hence you would notice a yellow shade in the Rasgullas. But,that was one absolutely heavenly treat. Do try this and let me know!

Blogging Marathon - Wk2, Day2

Theme - Festival Recipes : Raksha Bandhan

Preparation and cooking time - 1hr

Yields - 14 Rasgullas

Carrot Almond Kheer | Easy Dessert Recipe | How to make Kheer in Pressure Cooker

When Srivalli announced 'Festival Recipes' as one of the themes for July Blogging Marathon,I thought of preparing one dish each for Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chathurthi and Krishna Janmashtami. I was familiar with the Prasadam which is offered for Ganesh Chathurthi and Janmashtami, but I was'nt sure of the authentic delicacies prepared for Raksha Bandhan. While exploring on Raksha Bandhan recipes, I could find most authentic sweet varieties are the ones which I had done earlier successfully and recipes were requested by my friends too. So, I decided to go with all three recipes which are significant to this Raksha Bandhan festival. 

This Carrot Almond Kheer was suggested by my colleague Vasanthi who is a very good friend and guide of mine. Though I do Carrot Kheer using Pressure cooker quite often, this twist of combining carrot, almond and saffron was new to me. When she did this for a family get together, everybody had asked if this was Almond Kheer. None could find Carrot as the main ingredient. I urge you to definitely try this super-easy and healthy Kheer, especially if you have a fussy-eater at home who refuses to eat carrots. They will sure like this rich and decadent Kheer and ask for more.

Blogging Marathon - Wk2, Day1

Theme - Festival Recipes : Raksha Bandhan

Preparation Time - 5mins

Cooking time - 25mins

Serves - 6

Navratan Korma | Navratna Kurma Recipe | Side-dish for Indian Breads

Today's post is very special to me. After I got introduced to this lovely Blogging Marathon group, this is the first celebration Iam taking part in. We are celebrating one of our dear friend Sapana's virtual Baby Shower today and we BM friends have planned to cook from her blog and post it today to share the joy and this special moment with her. Sapana, Here's wishing you the very best with your pregnancy and delivery. Hope your world will now be filled with more smiles and happiness. May you be blessed with great health and a safe and smooth delivery. 

Presenting this popular Mughlai side-dish recipe which got its name (Navratan means 'nine gems) from nine rich veggies, fruit and nuts cooked in a delicious, creamy gravy. However, there is no strict rule to this number. As long as the base recipe for gravy is perfect, you can play around with veggies of your choice to create this exotic 'Navratan Korma'. There is cream, yoghurt, a yummy paste made with nuts and seeds and paneer, all of which makes this gravy extremely luscious and royal, suitable for parties or guests.

Preparation time - 10mins

Cooking time -30mins

Serves - 4

Adapted from - Sapana's blog 

Potato Podimas Recipe | Brahmin-Style Podimas | No-onion,No-garlic Recipe

This is a very easy side-dish prepared with mashed potato flavoured with a mild south-Indian seasoning. Despite its simplicity, it holds a special place in any traditional feast menu. Being a no-onion, no-garlic Satvik recipe, it is also suitable for everyday cooking, especially on auspicious vrat days. I always do Podimas with Plantain / Vazhaikkai as I had thought kids like potato in the form of spicy curry more than anything else. But, to my surprise, when I did this Podimas, they loved it equally. As it can be done in less than 5mins if we have boiled potato handy (which I usually pressure cook with rice), this is a fuss-free recipe for busy mornings as well.

Preparation time - 5mins

Cooking time - 25mins (including pressure cooking of Potato)

Blogging Marathon - Wk1, Day3

Theme - South Indian Meal Dishes

Beans Paruppu Usili | Authentic Brahmin-Style Usili Recipe

'Paruppu Usili' is another authentic South Indian side-dish which features in most festive or celebration meal platters. 'Usili' means scrambled and this is a wonderful combination of a veggie and crumbled lentils. Other than Beans, traditionally, Usili is made with Vaizhapoo (Banana blossom) and Kothavarangaa (Cluster beans). I had seen my mom sautéing the coarsely ground lentil mixture with more oil until it gets cooked and reaches the crumbled state. In this process, one has to keep sautéing continuously to avoid the mixture being burnt. Though it tastes extremely delicious, there is too much oil which makes it unhealthy. But, later my MIL taught me this easy method wherein the soaked lentils are steamed first before proceeding to saute thereby consuming very less oil. Hence this version is what I follow as it is easy on the calorie as well as the hand. 

Blogging Marathon - Wk1, Day2

Theme - South Indian Meal Dishes

Preparation time - 10mins

Soaking time - 1-2hr

Cooking time - 25mins

Serves - 4

Arachuvitta Sambar | Best Kalyana Sambar Recipe | Authentic Brahmin Style Sambar

Arachuvitta Sambar is a traditional and authentic Brahmin-style recipe, very common in many Tambrahm households as a part of everyday cooking. Made with freshly ground spices, it really tastes heavenly, not to mention about the Sambar prepared for festivals and celebrations, especially marriages. Though I remember amma doing this style Sambar for weekend lunches which we all love so much, unfortunately, I could'nt find the exact recipe in her diary. I tried many versions from cookbooks and the Net, but was not satisfied with the result. When I tasted this yummy Arachuvitta Sambar which my close friend Hema brought for a potluck, I was literally blown away and it was the best Sambar one could ever have. So tasty with the flavours complementing each other, at the same time not overpowering. Her unique recipe which includes of sautéing coconut, tomato,ginger and chilli apart from regular 'roast and grind ' items is the secret which makes this Sambar stand out. Thank you Hema for sharing this brilliant recipe. Here we go with the authentic brahmin-style, best-tasting 'Kalyana Sambar' recipe!  

Blogging Marathon 42 - Week 1, Day 1
Theme - South Indian Meal Dishes

Preparation and cooking time - 45mins
Serves - 6