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

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

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

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

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

Vegetable Rice | Variety Rice recipe | Kids Lunch Box Recipe

When choosing lunch box dishes for kids, it is important to select those which stay tasty even when not hot and are also wholesome. Adding plenty of veggies and cooking a one-pot meal does help with a nutrional boost during the busy hours of our little ones. As the kids study in a multi-racial environment, I tend to avoid packing dishes with strong Masala flavours.This mixed vegetable rice is mildly flavoured and definitely a kids-friendly healthy meal. My kids love the crunchiness of veggies blended with ginger-coriander flavour and mild tanginess from lemon juice. 

Preparation time - 10mins

Cooking time - 10mins

Serves - 4

Thengai Paal Kootu | Coconut milk Vegetable Gravy | Easy Side dish recipe | Under 30min recipe

'Thengai paal kootu' is another unique,traditional preparation of our family. Our native home had a lovely garden filled with coconut trees and many seasonal veggie plants.Our grandpa is an expert in gardening and took care of those trees like his own kids. He spent most of his time in the garden, watering and de-weeding. Those are golden days wherein we relished home-grown fresh veggies without the invasion of harmful pesticides and chemicals.The trees bore the best coconuts round the year and there was a separate room allocated for storing them in rows. No wonder coconut was a staple in the family, without which not even a single day's cooking went by. I came from a family where coconut is sparingly used in cooking. Other than the jaggery-flavoured coconut milk which is used on Appam, I have'nt tasted any other dishes prepared with coconut milk. So, my MIL's Thengai Paal Kuzhambu was a surprise to me and it just blew me off. Next is this simple, easy and no-fail Coconut milk vegetable gravy,which is an excellent side for anything from Idli, Dosa to Roti to Rice delicacies. It involves minimum effort to whip this up on busy mornings or a tired weeknight. I have used our traditional combination of veggies here, but any veggie of your choice can be swapped in the recipe for a variation.

Preparation time - 10mins

Cooking time - 15-20mins

Serves - 4

Keerai kootu | Everyday Greens | Easy, healthy side-dish recipe | Under 30mins recipe

This Keerai kootu is a very simple everyday recipe which is an excellent side dish for Vatha Kuzhambu or any other spicy tangy mix. As part of healthy eating,many of us have the habit of including a 'Keerai'/Greens in our daily menu together with the daily dose of vegetables.Traditionally, locally grown fresh Greens are cooked in earthenware which renders a wonderful natural flavour to the already tasty greens.Though there are really exciting ways to include greens in our / kids' diet which I would be sharing in the coming 'Everyday Greens' series,lets get started with our everyday vitamin / iron fix with this simple South-Indian Keerai koottu recipe.


Preparation time : 10mins
Cooking time : 15mins
Serves : 4

VATHA KUZHAMBU | ARACHUVITTA VATHA KUZHAMBU

Vatha Kuzhambu is an easy yet delicious classic south-indian dish prepared with the simplest of ingredients. My amma and grandma used to prepare this 'Arachuvitta' version which has a perfect balance of spices and tanginess and a thicker consistency due to the addition of grounded spices. It can be mixed with rice and had with a mild veggie accompaniment and also makes up for a yummy side-dish for curd rice. Today, we had an elaborate lunch menu which included this 'Manathakkali vatha kuzhambu', Keerai kootu, Potato fry and Vazhaithandu raita, which was relished by all. Traditionally, adding Manathakkaali vathal or Sundaikkaai vathal to vatha kuzhambu is not only for their unique taste, but also for the health benefits they render. Over to the recipe now!

THENGAI PAAL KUZHAMBU | COCONUT MILK KUZHAMBU | TIRUNELVELI SPECIAL GRAVY

Thengai Paal Kuzhambu is a typical Tirunelveli special Coconut milk-based gravy which has a lot of variations. Sodhi is one among them. But this is a very unique and authenticTirunelveli Brahmin recipe which is a speciality dish in my in-laws' place. My mom-in-law and her MIL are experts in cooking this flavorful recipe to perfection and it is a 'Must-do' item in the menu when we have guests. Back then, when we were in their hometown Tuticorin, we used to do it with home-grown sweet coconut, which makes it even more delicious.

PREPARATION TIME - 30  MINUTES
COOKING TIME  -   30 MINUTES
SERVES - 8