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...

Merry Christmas to all

CooknDine wishes its readers Merry Christmas

Eggless Plum Cake(Eggless No alcohol Christmas Cake)

Christmas is nearing...And my sweet little naughty daughter Y's birthday was 2 days back.I wanted to post a recipe that could match both the requirements.My lil daughter Y always loved fruits n nuts and so the rich plum cake.There is a big story which I keep connecting when she loves to have the plum cake..

 

When Y was inside my womb ,at the nineth month,dearest friend of mine Menz (whose bday is on 25th December)came home with a plum cake to greet us on occasion of the christmas eve.When she wished Happy christmas to me specifically showing the cake to the baby inside,I suddenly experienced the delivery pain and was rushed to the nearby hospital.So I always mention my sweet darls Y as a christmas baby who came out when she got the smell of the rich plum cake...

 

So I made this rich plum cake on her birthday.We don't have non-veg items on any special days.So thought of making an eggless plum cake.An eggless cake....No alcohol...My darls delight...what else I need to make my lil angel's bday special...I jumped into the recipe,made it and was a hit with her...She finished the entire cake and just hugged me with love...What else a mother need?!!!!

 

Please press READ MORE to get into the recipes..

 

Baked Paneer frankies

Paneer is always my kids favourite. I usually make Paneer bajji,paneer bhurji or paneer butter masala.....My younger kid always loved a newer version of the dish.So I wanted to delight her with some new dish made of paneer.That too wanted her to get delighted when she opened her snack box...So I made this and gave this to her  school.She returned home with so much of happiness and she demanded me to make the same for all the kids of her class!!the next day...

I prepare this the previous night,keep it in the fridge and bake it in the morning when I cook the normal breakfast,then pack the snack box...

I never thought this will taste so good even after hours of baking!!!The crunchiness of the coated oats,the softness of the paneer will make a perfect snack for an evening!!

For the recipe pls press READ MORE...

Orange Biscuit cake

There can't be any cake more simpler than this.No creaming of butter,no mixing..no folding...was just browsing for recipes for a cookery competition to be held a day after in our township.Came across chitra's blog and it is amazing.just love all her recipes.I saw the recipe of the biscuit cake from her blog,And the moment I saw it I wanted to have a try I tried this evening for my kids and was a super hit ...My kids just loved it...The mixing time is less and so the baking time..Such a lovely quick recipe!!!

 

Don't want to extend my writing ...Will jump to the recipe

 

Please press READ MORE to get into the recipe..

 

Brinjal Kotsu

       The best combination for the  Ven pongal is this kotsu.Whenever my mom makes pongal she makes onlu kotsu and sometimes there will be additionally coconut chutney on the table.We always love to soak the pongal in this kotsu and gulp it....U could hardly find traces of brinjal in this kotsu even though it is the main ingredient!!!Hence it is one of the way to include brinjal for the ones who hate brinjal...

 

      The same kotsu can be had along with Idly and Dosa.It tastes best with any of the breakfast.I love to have it with Rava Upma!!

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below..

 

Alcohol free Christmas Cake (Kerala Plum Cake)

Just went to Tuticorin town yesterday and the whole town was in the christmas mood.Almost every shop sold only the christmas items..From a small item to a big one..It was  a colourful treat to the eyes.So much of christmas tree accessories and it is nice to browse through all those items.

 

This reminded me that I should start posting christmas dishes and cakes..It is long since I baked anything.So decided to start with an authentic christmas cake.I scanned the recipe of it but it called for wine and rum..I was quite hesitant to use those for my cakes.One of my friend from Kerala mailed me a recipe which she had taken from Omana Paul's baking class.Thank you so much dear for sharing the recipe...The recipe had no alcohol in it and no soaking business too..Delighted by the recipe I could not wait long to bake it.I baked it the same night and it turned out deliciously well like the one which used alcohol.

 

Enjoy making the alcohol free christmas cake...

 

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...

 

Paneer Pulao

It is one of the most easiest dish one to cook.The left over rice can also be used to make this dish. I make it quite often as my kids loved  it most and also it is very easy to pack for the lunch..

 

Paneer as everyone know is a rich source of calcium and protein.Some kids love to have the paneer just as they are...This dish is not very spicy and apt for the kids and sometimes for us also.There may be variations in the masalas one add.I had added the powders which are kids friendly and attract them to finish it off without leaving anything behind..

 

For the recipe Pls press READ MORE...

 

12/12/12 Special 12 Oothapams

 

 

 

Its 12-12-12 today... attractive date..The number 12.....It is like another number!!!Yet,it has interesting references and significances in mythology,astronomy,astrology etc..The number 12 ....A dozen,12 months an year,12 jyotilingas in Shaivism,12 days of christmas celebration,12 disciples of Jesus Christ,12 Olympians,12 Imams,12 zodiac signs,12 functional keys in a computer,12 standard keys in a normal telephone,12 basic hues in colour wheel,12 pairs of rib in human,12 notes an octave,12 face cards in a card deck,12 inches in a foot,12 old pennies in a shilling,12 apostles,12 spokes on a cart wheel, 12 hours of an analogue clock, 12 things a Duodecad,12 dozens a gross..and the list just extends...



 

 

Suddenly last night I thought of posting a dish related to 12/12 but don't want to spend more time at cooking.I had more to do with S's project work and assignments!!Then remembered the oothapams that they serve at Saravana Bhavan..And ended with making 12 types of Oothapams...It satisfied  all the categories of taste buds!! of my family... I satisfied all the members with the same batter but with a different toppings!!!

 

And added to all these specials..It was HH's and most of my friends's favourite star(Rajnikanth)'s birthday today..(Gaju are u happy!!!)....Cookndine too joins at wishing him much more years ......

 

For the complete post press READ MORE below..

Aviyal/Avial

I had not tasted aviyal till I got married .Of course had heard about it but didn't have a chance to taste it.HH likes this traditional brahmin style aviyal  a lot ,But I don't like aviyal at all!!!.I use to wonder how can it be a sidedish for an Adai..

Since HH liked it much I was intended to learn the process of making it.When compared to other sidedishes the method of preparation of this aviyal is very easy and doesn't take much of our time.As the dish calls for much of coconut grinded I don't make very often at home.

 

HH likes to have curd with all food...esp with Dosa,Idly,Uppuma,Roti etc..After my marriage it was very odd for me to take curd with dosa.I can have curd separately but not with dosa!!May be the people who love curd will love to have this aviyal.As we add curd to this dish,it cannot stay good for more hours.Moreover reheating the dish reduces the flavour of the dish and sometimes it may cause the curd to cuddle!!!

 

 

For the recipe pls press READ MORE Below...

7 Minute Tirattipal(Microwave)--Celebrating the 10000+pageviews

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food" --George Bernard Shaw

I had been reserving this sweet for a longer time in my drafts.I wanted to post it on some special occasion.But couldn't wait ......I had started this blog few months back to keep a record of all my recipes..I never thought my blog pageviews will hit 10000 hits...

THANK YOU SO MUCH ...please do keep encouraging me...

I was so happy to see 10000+ hits this evening.And I thought this is the apt time to post this dish.

It is dedicated to all my blog readers...Very easy to make and tastes like the original tirattipal made out of milk.This recipe doesn't need much of constant stirring..

 

Make it within 10 minutes and surprise your guests...It was a major hit among my friends and everyone enjoyed eating this..

 

Try it and let me know how it turned up too..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below

 

Poricha Kootu(Snake gourd)

This poricha Kootu was a new item to me when my MIL introduced it to me after my marriage.At my parent's house they add minimal amount of coconut in all cooking. But it was the other way round at my inlaws place.My MIL told she is going to make this poricha kootu and I literally took out the meaning...as a Kootu which is porichatu(deep fried)!!!This is an authentic Brahmin style of cooking ..I was struggling to cope up with the new environment and the food habit but got used to it after few months..Now I can make poricha kootu very easily(though I don't take much of it).

 

I make it only during the festival time ( we don't use onions,garlic on any festival day).Sometimes I make it in gravy consistency and pack it for lunch to the kids...As this dish doesn't call for onions/garlic it is very apt to make when we want our work to be done soon.

 

Make it,Have it...Enzoieee

 

For the recipe Please press READ MORE..

 

Ulundhu Vadai(Urad Dhal Vada)

Though diet version of the vada tastes good it cannot beat the taste of the normally deep fried vada.When I was preparing the thayir vada-diet version I reserved some batter for deep frying..This vada goes very well with the Semiya/Vermicelli PayasamUrad dhal is very rich in proteins.For the kids we can skip the diet version of the vada and make for  them this delicious Urad dhal Vada..Vada/Pongal,Vada/Idly are famous combinations that they serve at most of the south Indian restaurants

 

The same vada can be used to make thayir vada,sambhar vada,rasam vada,Chutney vada..I love to have them with Payasam.They taste fantastic when we have the payasam and the vada on a banana leaf

 

Enjoy making this vada...

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

 

Thayir Vadai (Diet Version)

I love thayir vada..But the only factor that I don't love is the deep fried vadas in oil..Last week I was making paniyarams and like Archimedes I shouted Eurekha as if I invented something!!!Just I got an idea to make my favourite thayir vada with very little oil....Just cook it in a paniyaram pan instead of the normal deep frying!!It is pretty good idea right!!!On the other hand I was worried whether it would taste good..Instead it tasted very well and I gulped in more vadais...

I use to wonder how the thayir vadas taste so heavenly and soft...All that goes to the act of soaking the hot vadas  in warm water...

 

This recipe is for the people who are more concerned about the health aspects and are mor diet conscious!!!Make this vada...and enjoy it as either Curd Vada/rasam Vada or as Sambar Vada

 

(Kaval Kottam is a beautiful book by Mr.Venkatesan which had won Sahitya Academy award.The book explains a lot about the history of Madurai.I loved reading it and atlast completed it..A part of this novel is shot as a tamil movie named Araavaan)

 

Rava Kichadi

This is an instant breakfast which can be served to the guests.I don't make it very often as my kids don't prefer this.Only HH loves it and I hardly make it at home!!!I made it as I wanted to post it in my blog..HH was very happy on this regard as he could taste more delicious dishes.HH and the kids are more straight forward at passing on the true comments about how the food tasted!!!

 

Making this kichadi again at home had brought back my old memories...When my inlaws came to visit us for the first time after our marriage this was the breakfast I cooked for them ...Infact my father-in-law asks me to make this whenever he visits us...!!! We miss him and it brings back his thought whenever we make it...

 

It is a modified version of the regular Rava upma with a little bit of touch here and there.Rava kichadi with a combination of thick coconut chutney is enough to satisfy the tastebuds of any person...

 

Please click READ MORE to get into the recipe..

 

Beetroot Poori/Pink Beauty

At my daughter Y's Preschool they had pink day yesterday.Apart from dressing herself in all pink she even demanded for a pink snack and a breakfast.It is very hard to compromise the kids...My elder daughter S likes Pink colour and my younger one Y likes Poori.So to satisfy both the kids and also considering the nutrient part I planned to make this Pink beetroot poori.Astonishingly I became an ardent fan of it(I hate the normal pooris!!!).It was so soft and the colour was very much appealing too.It needed no side dish too. But it is little bit sweet in taste .Depending on the beetroot quality, the colour and the taste changes...

 

The photo session didn't last for longer time.By the time I make a click either I find a poori missing or my younger one standing beside compelling me to finish off the clicks.So neither I  clicked much photos nor I took effort at concentrating on the props...