Drumstick Leaves Sambhar

 

 

 

 

This is the dish which my mom used to make when she runs out of vegetables..I always like the simple taste of this sambhar.The added drumstick leaves impart an additional smell and taste to this dish..

 

So try this simple sambhar and you will appreciate the taste drumstick leaves imparts to  sambhar

 

KootanChooru...A Tirunelveli Special One pot meal...

This is the dish which I had been waiting for to make.My Husband HH keeps recalling  the taste of this dish which he had tasted at his neighbour's house in Tirunelveli.Since my marriage I had been searching for an authentic Kootanchooru recipe.The one I had posted is the traditional recipe of Tirunelveli.I should say the taste is just unexplainable...

 

I got the recipe from one of my friend who is also a food blogger Asiya Omar

I just gave a try and the dish tasted too good.Thank u Asiya for sharing the recipe..

 

After relocating to Tuticorin one of my friend who is a native of Kovilpatti introduced this tasty authentic dish to me.One  of her aunt makes yummy Kootanchooru..It tastes very good even when it is not hot...but unfortunately I could not get the recipe from her :)

 

This dish is a perfect and healthy combination of lentils,greens,vegetables and rice.

 

A quick brief about how this dish got its name...

 

In earlier days kids used to play Seppu at the backyards..Kids play a realistic drama by bringing in real ingredients and cook a meal...Like one kid brings rice,other lentils,some other vegetables,some greens etc..They mix them in a pot add water make it to cook and make a meal.Then they share them with all the friends..This builds the teambuilding,cooperation,sharing concepts with the kids..But now with the advent of computers and video games and changing family structure to nuclear family this type of playing is not found in Big cities..Still it prevails in small villages ...

 

This is a step that makes the kids to learn cooking too!!

 

Make this healthy one pot meal and share this authentic,traditional dish of Tirunelveli with your kids...

 

For the recipe click read more below:

 

Sambhar Sadham(Saravana Bhavan Style)

One pot meals always make my cooking job more  easier.I prefer it when compared to elaborate meals for  lunch.Almost all weekdays I end up at cooking some one pot meal.But I see to it that the meal that I cook makes a complete meal with all nutritions in it.In this lane Sambhar Sadham/Rice is my family's most favourite one pot meal.

 

Cook this one pot meal which tastes similar to Hotel Saravana Bhavan ...

 

For the recipe click READ MORE below..

 

Tirunelveli Sambhar/Nellai Sambhar

HH's favourite is sambhar and especially the Tirunelveli sambhar.This sambhar goes very well with Dosa and also with steamed rice..I usually cook sambhar in my own method..Last week HH's tirunelveli friends visited us for the pot meal on saturday.As the road between Tirunelveli and Tuticorin is too good for a drive it hardly takes 1/2 an hour to commute between these two towns!!One of HH's friend's wife made an exotic nellai sambhar..though it looked very simple it tasted fantastic with hot steamed idlies..She patiently explained me the whole process of making the Nellai sambhar..I tried it after few days and got addicted to the taste..Then on I make only nellai sambhar and not the normal sambhar at home!!

 

This sambar goes well with all the millets rice too!!

 

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..

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...

 

Thaval Vadai/Thavalai Vadai/Thavil vada (Chettinad Delicacy)

Thaval Vada aka Thavalai vadai is a yummy dhal rice vadai.I was tasting it for the first time and got addicted to it.One of my friend Saradha's mom who is a native of Kovilpatti makes yummy delicious authentic dishes.She came to visit her daughter..Whenever she comes here to tuty ,she passes on yummy dishes to our house too.On her last visit I had been asking her to pass me some yummy and healthy authentic dishes.She remembered it and called me one day to teach me some of the dishes.So nice of her..I adore her love for cooking and a special love for her patience.Even now she keeps trying new recipes!!She had passed many recipes and tips to me which u can find here and there at my blog.Thank U so so much aunty....Just love ur passion!!

 

This Vadai tastes very different from the other vadais.Those who love adai will definitely love this vadai.This snack is of Chettinad delicacy.It is crispy at the top and soft inside.It is rich in protein and it is a perfect  evening snack for the kids.They are easy to make as the shape is not important for this type of Vadai.Whatever shape u make it will taste yummy.Have it super hot...then u will super like the snack

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

Dal-Baati (Rajasthani Special)

Dhal-Baati-Churma is a famous trio of the rajasthani Cuisine.I was teaching S a chapter in her GK which described the famous dishes of all the states in India.I was virtually explaining her about the dishes.Luckily at our township there are people from all states..So I thought about posting the authentic dishes from other states of India too..

I approached Shobha of our block to do a guest post for my blog.With no hesitance she accepted my request.I was so thrilled and much delighted when she said Yes.With all Josh I attacked her home the next day evening with one of my another friend.she gave a very much detailed explanation of how to make and eat dhaal baati....she made very delicious baatis.Thank u so much dear ..

Dal baati is a famous Rajasthani dish that is rich and nutritious.It is usually served during special occasions.They can be stored for more than two days.Baati is actually dipped in ghee!!!!before eating!!Baati is a wheat ball which has a hard outer crust but inside it is very softer.They are cooked in gas oven(traditionally cooked in firewood or kandas),dipped/stuffed with more of ghee,crushed ,mixed with dal and eaten...baatis can also be stuffed with some other fillings too!!When I served to my kids the elder was relating it to the tennis ball!!one could eat only 1 baati at a time.It is a very rich dish and a single baati with rich lentils will make ur tummy full!!!

Please press READ MORE for the recipe..

Bombay Chutney- Thoor Dhal Version

My mother used to make this as a side dish for Idly and Dosa.Some have it with poori too.When she is running short of dhal or time she makes this very quickly.It tastes very yummy.It can also be called instant sambhar.Though it is named as chutney the consistency will be similar to sambar.I don't know why it is named as bombay Chutney.Whatever the reason may be it tastes very yummy with thin dosais..There is another type where they add besan flour and make the same sambhar.Bombay Chutney-Besan flour version will be posted soon

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

Dhal Palak

Greens are always delicious to eat.After having heavy food for the past few days I wanted to have something very light but nutritious one.Added to it vegetable market was opened last week inside our township.It was so tempting to see fresh green leaves..And my first purchase there was the palak green leaves.They were so fresh and green that if it could be eaten raw I would have!!!

Hot and soft Rotis with dal Palak makes a lovely combination.Dal Palak can also be had with hot steamed rice with a spicy potato curry.

This dish is very easy and quick to make..

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

Adai (Rice n lentil Pancake) n Aviyal

Adai is one of the most famous south Indian breakfast.It is the traditional breakfast made in the tamil brahmin family.It is rich in protein from the lentils.It is very easy to make as the soaking time is not more than  hour.

 

Adai with aviyal,Jaggery or freshly made butter makes an excellent combination.I love to have the adais with freshly prepared coconut chutney.

 

Usual Adai is very crispy,but we prefer to have a soft adai with little crispiness.I had also modified the ingredients according to the taste of my family members.I had reduced the amount of bengal gram used.

 

For the recipe pls press READ MORE below...

 

Arachivitta Sambhar

After getting married  into an authentic Brahmin family the first thing I learnt was the Arachivitta sambhar.At my mom's house we make  simple sambhar with the sambhar powder...It was after marriage I learnt cooking and my first trial was the sambhar...My best critic is HH who always gives me the true comments !!(Though I had tested all my newly tried dishes on him!!)..Here at my MIL's house sambhar means its only arachivitta sambhar.During my earlier days after marriage the job of making sambhar was cumbersome!!Somehow after several trials I learnt the complete process of adjusting the tamarind and the chilli...

 

Though I am comfortable with the process I hardly make sambhar.It is only once a week we make this.As my kids  don't like packing sambhar sadham for their lunch...I hardly make  sambhar..

 

But it is apt when we feel like having an elaborate lunch.A simple sambhar with appalam/potato curry is an awesome combination...

 

For the recipe pls press READ MORE below..