Soya Chunks Briyani

 

 

Soya chunks/meal maker/Soya nuggets are high source of protein and also it lowers the cholesterol level and prevents heart diseases.Most of the people avoid taking it due to its odour and bland taste.The odour can be removed if u follow the methods I had mentioned in the procedure and also addition of more masala powders will give taste to the soya chunks.

 

U can make variety of dishes using the soya nuggets.To start with I had tried this one pot meal which is easy to pack for lunch..

 

Try this out and let me know how it turned out..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

Hot Cross Bun-Good Friday Special

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL...

"Hot cross buns Hot Cross Buns one a penny two a penny hot cross Buns"..This is what I knew earlier about hot cross buns.Last week Hindu-Young world carried a page on recipes for the easter which had hot cross buns ..I immediately googled for the recipe and found a one with more interesting stories on it.I love to share those with my blog readers..

 

Hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with raisins and marked cross on the top and traditionally eatedn on good friday

 

These buns are made on good friday the friday before easter.

 

As per wiki:In most of the christian countries ,these hot cross buns are eaten on good friday.The cross on the bun stands for the symbol of the crucification.There is also a belief that buns made on good friday will not get spoiled ot become mouldy the subsequent year.To ensure good friendship throughout the coming year people share hot cross buns with each other saying Half for u and half for me..Between us two shall goodwill be..Because of the cross on the bun it is said that they should be kissed before they are eaten!

 

These are some interesting superstitions regarding this hot cross buns baked on good friday..

If taken on a sea voyage hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck.

If hung in the kitchen they are said to protect against fires and also they ensure that all the buns baked throughout the year turns out well..

A piece of it given to onoe who is ill will help him to recover.

The bun that is hanged is replaced every year..

 

This bun is a combination of spices and sweet.

 

I had baked this for the first time and it came out too well..My younger kid Y who is in preschooling loved havving this and singing out loud the hot cross bun nursery rhyme...

 

Bake this bun,share with ur friends and enjoy the easter..

 

Tender Coconut Payasam

Tender coconut...nature's health drink..They are rich in nutrients and has more health benefits than the packed ones..The water is naturally sweet and ingratiating.

I always love to have this tender coconut drink..Just wanted to treat my guest who visited us on a sunny afternoon.I surprised them with this payasam and was a super hit..My elder daughter who is very choosy also loved to have this Kheer as it tasted sweet.

U can make this within few minutes...no much cooking involved...nature food..healthy too..what else u need to describe...

Make this ...cool it...Have it on a sunny day..U will definitely love it

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

Arisi Paruppu Sadham (Coimbatore special)

I prefer one pot meal than an elaborate lunch..In that series I have a special love for this lentils rice.Though this rice calls for very less number of ingredients the taste is unexplainable. It is less spicy and apt one for the kids..I had been at Coimbatore for more than 7 years..I happened to taste many kinds of this lentil rice at almost all of my friend’s house.I liked all the variations ..It tastes so good when it is hot and had with buttermilk/mango thokku.A very simple rice to make and also has all the healthy aspects.

Anyone who had tasted this rice will not deny the fact that it tastes exotic..

 

Simple to make yet yummy is the taste

Try this out at ur home ..

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

Panna Cotta (Vanilla-Eggless)

(P.S..Very tempting recipe..people who are in diet...please don't look at the shots!!)

 

I happened to taste this exotic and rich dessert at one of the hotels at Tuticorin.It was so appealing and also tasted too good after a spicy dinner..Next day morning I browsed for the recipe of the dish and was surprised to see the procedure.It was so simple and easy to make...Never ever thought I could make an Italian dish at home...That weekend for a small get together at home I served my friends with this delicious dish and got a great warm applause from all of them ..

 

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream,milk sugar mixing with gelatin,and letting it to cool till it gets set..I didn't serve it with any coulis and served it simply as such..with a few pomegranates on it.Usually they are served with some sort of coulis like strawberry,blueberry etc..

Panna cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian language..

 

A perfect dessert for any party..

 

This is a  very rich dessert and can have once in a while ...Kids will love to have this chilled dessert..And also u will not stop till u finish the bowl and will definetely crave for the next!!

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

Ladys Finger Stir fry/Stir fried Okra

 

 

Ladys Finger is an  inexpensive vegetable that is available round the year.My children are very fond of this vegetable and I make atleast once in a week.My mother used to relate this with the arithimetic power of the brain.More the consumption of this vegi more your arithimetic power..It tastes best with the curd rice..Recently when I got my leg fractured one of the good friend suggested me the ladysfinger medicine.She asked me to soak the cut ladys finger in water overnight.Then drain the vegi and drink the thick water(add little salt/sugar/curd)..This water will make the fractured joint to get set soon.As they don't have any side effects I drank the ladysfinger water for a month and it worked out for me...Thank U H for ur timely suggestion.

 

There are various methods of stir frying the ladysfinger.I always use the one that don't take lots of time for cooking.Simple addition of onions and garlic adds tastes to the dish..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

Mutter Paneer Masala

Mutter Paneer masala is a  north Indian curry made with mutter(Peas) and paneer(Indian Cottage cheese).It goes well with Jeera Pulao and Roti.When my kids wanted a different paneer sidedish I go with this recipe.Those were the days when I used to go to restaurants to taste paneer recipes.Now I cannot believe that I can make more yummier recipes than the one that they serve at restaurants..These dishes are so easy to make and u can vary the amount of ingredients according to our taste...When u make it at home u have control over the amount of butter and cream added to the gravy..

 

Try this yummy restaurant special recipe and have it with hot phulkas/Jeera Rice

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

 

Fish Fingers/Fish sticks

Name a non-vegetarian who hates to have crispy fish finger!!! Can never spot such a one!!Fish fingers dipped in tomato sauce or white sauce is an exotic combination to have..Kids will love to have this homemade version of fish fingers as they are crispy and tasty..This is an apt holiday dish for the kids...U can mix everything, freeze it overnight and can fry it the next day...They are made with simple ingredients but it tastes so heavenly as if it had  some exotic ingredients added to it!!

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

 

Instant Sambhar/Thanni Sambhar

Dosa- sambar is an exotic combination.I always love to have dosas soaked in sambar.Still I remember the days when we use to finish off the lunch boxes of the day scholar students.My love for the dosa-sambhar combination started during my college days where one of my friend used to bring dosa soaked in sambhar for her lunch.They taste heavenly even though they are not hot.They tasted to me like a sambhar creped cake when had with a spoon...

 

The recipe that I had mentioned doesn't call for any special sambhar masala...The consistency is little bit thin..It is easy to make and delicious to have..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

 

Dates and Walnut Cake (Eggless)

Usually I bake some cookies at the weekends for the forthcoming week.I wanted to give a try at some healthy cakes.I remembered one of my friend mentioning about the dates cake when I started this blog.I wanted to try that and to my surprise it was too gud.I added some walnuts along with the dates to add some healthy aspect to it.The colour with which it baked out was too appealing...

 

Dates are very rich source of Iron,vitamin and mineral.Walnuts are very rich in Omega 3 fatty acid,Vitamin E,antioxidants and makes us more healthier.

 

The cake tastes very yummier..Have a try and please drop in some comments too..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

ChickPeas Pulao/Channa Pulao

Chickpeas are compendium of nutrients like protein ,fiber,vitamin and minerals.My kids love them in any form either as sundal or as Chole..So Chickpeas are very common in most of my dishes i cook.

 

This dish serves as an excellent one pot meal.When I run out of time and wanted to do some healthy dish I end up with this pulao.They taste so good with the crunchy chickpeas in between.When I have left over sprouted chickpeas I use them for making pulao..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below

 

Paneer Jalfrezi

      Jalfrezi literally means hot fry cuisine.It is atype of Indian curry in which pieces of paneer and vegetables are sauted with spices to produce a dry,thick curry.It is one of the easiest dish to cook.It is done very quick when all the ingredients are kept ready.

      It tastes fabulous with Roti.The jalfrezi can be stuffed in rotis and served as paneer Jalfrezi wraps or as Kathi rolls..

      A day back I was rearranging all my books and came across Nita Mehta's cookbook.When I scanned through it I came across the Paneer jalfrezi dish which looked very appealing.The next day I tried this recipe and was a super hit with my kids.From the next day they wanted the same wraps as they are very handy to carry and also easy to finish..

    With a slight mdification of Nita Mehta's recipe I had tried the dish..

For the recipe Please press READ MORE below..

Raw Tomato Curry/Thakkali Kai Kootu

I had tasted this dish when I was young...I completely forgot this dish ..Last week one of my friend who loved my cooking blog!! gave me these fresh raw tomatoes from her garden and requested me to post some recipes on it.I was overwhelmed by her love and immediately called up my mom to know any authentic recipes..she suggested to make either kootu or thuvaiyal(chutney).I wanted a semi gravy type dish so that I can use it both as a gravy for steamed rice and also as a gravy for roti/Dosa.Hence ended up with making kootu.It went well with both the things..I am happy that my friend reminded me of this vegetable..

 

With no more waiting ,press READ MORE below to get into the recipe..

Palm Jaggery Paniyaram/Karupatti Paniyaram

 

 

Palm Jaggery is quite famous in southern Tamilnadu.I had never tasted till I shifted to Tuticorin.After knowing the health benefits of this Jaggery from then, I try to substitute palm Jaggery for white sugar.

 

Palm jaggery/Karupatti Vellam/Panai Vellam is almost like jaggery which is made from the sap extract of palm trees.It is rich in calcium,iron and other vitamins.It is used as a substitute for sugar for the diabetic patients.

 

Our neighbour got us the fresh karuppatti when they visited a village near Udangudi.Delicious,fresh,unadulterated Karupattis are sold in this place.Thank u uncle for the healthy Panai Vellam.

 

All of us liked this sweet paniyaram including my two kids.Especially the younger one Y just loved it and asked me to reserve some batter for the next day.She wanted me, to give it as her snacks, so that she could share it with her Pre KG friends.I packed it for her and she conveyed me  that most of her friends loved the snack!!Even her Mam started explaining the kids about the health benefits of the snack to all the upgrowing kids..

 

So don't wait..just prepare the batter and make yummy paniyarams to ur kids.Instead of giving them Noodles and Lays prepare this and make their life more healthier!!

 

Swathi from zesty south indian kitchen has a very nice space of recipes.I love the way she presents it and had bookmarked almost all her cake recipes..Please drop into her space whenever u find time.

 

After typing this whole recipe I happened to see my updates from few bloggers.Swathi along with 27coupons.com had announced for a contest on Indian sweets.The details of the contest are below

http://www.zestysouthindiankitchen.com/

I am linking this recipe to the contest

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

Basic Sponge Cake(Egg)

Belated Women's day wishes to all.For the past one week I had been bundled up with loads of work and had a small break from my blogging.

 

Last week it was my elder daughter Saindhavi's 8th birthday.I wanted to surprise her with an homebaked cake.

 

Added to it the same day was my very close friend P's wedding anniversary.Wishing her too a very happy and prosperous anniversary!!!This is a virtual treat to her too..

 

Daughters are always special to their mothers.I am very blessed to have two beautiful angels who are at my side whenever I fall down mentally and physically.I feel proud to have them as my daughters...

 

As our house had many female members compared to men...my hubby H made the women's day very special with a memorable gift and a card for all the three!!

 

Though this post is little late it is a special post dedicated to my daughter,my sweetest friend P and also to all the women in the world..

 

For recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

Potato-Jackfruit Seed Stir fry

Potatoes are yummy when they are cooked separate.Jackfruit seeds taste exotic when they are stir fried.I had already posted Jackfruit seed stir fry.This combination of potato and Jackfruit seed is an usual(at my home) and exotic combination to have with curd rice.It combines the taste of both the veggies and gives an unique taste and aroma to the stir fry..

 

 

When they are stir fried jackfruit gets the taste of potatoes and I bet it would be difficult to judge which is jackfruit and which is potato by looking it or by tasting it too..

 

So try making this easy and different combo and have it with Curd rice..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

 

GooseBerry Pickle

Last week we went to our friend's farm house near sawyerpuram,Tuticorin.We could breathe  clean air and left home with a big satisfaction of thinking that still there are people who love trees.We could find every rare plant inside his farm house..We enjoyed our nature walk.Peacocks were spotted like crows there.Rare species of birds were also spotted.Had a chance to taste fresh heavenly fruits like passion fruit,Mangosteen(Mangustan),Jackfruit,Papaya,Chikku,Guava,Orange etc..We collected some fresh gooseberries from there which were farm fresh.Out of some I prepared honey Amla and the rest made a gooseberry pickle.Thank U Anand Sir for the gooseberries...

 

 

If I utter the word gooseberry and think of its taste...my taste buds just gets activated...Big gooseberries are rich in Vitamin C.When had with honey, hair falling,grey hairs too can be controlled.They improve the memory power and also the eyesight.It purifies blood.We can keep on adding the benefits of gooseberry.

 

I remember my old school days where we use to crave for Jamun(Indian Blackberry)  gooseberries and kodukkaPuli..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

 

Murgh Makhani/Butter Chicken

This is one of the restaurant special dish.I never thought I could make this at home.After starting this blog I had almost stopped having food outside..I had modified the dish keeping the health aspect in mind.I had minimised the butter and cream quantity.But once in a while, u can relish your taste buds with this dish .

 

This dish is strictly a party dish.So it calls for more butter and cream.It is buttery,creamy and also yummy.It is a rich regal Dish.

 

The dish is said to be originated in a restaurant called Moti Mahal,Delhi.The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to a man named"Kundan Lal Gujral" who ran this moti mahal,Peshawar before the partition of India.With the partition the restaurant moved to New Delhi"-(Source:Wiki)

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE..