Top 10 Posts of 2013

 

"Wishing you all a very Happy and prosperous new year 2014"

 

 

1.Kara Chutney (Saravana Bhavan Style):

A perfect combo for Idlies and Dosa...



 

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/01/kara-chutneysaravana-bhavan-style.html#more

 

Madurai Meen Kuzhambu/Madurai Fish Gravy

 

 

 

Madurai is synonymous with non-vegetarian dishes.They make plenty of dishes with the single ingredient..My previous post on my Chala Meen Kuzhambu had been a great hit in my blog and it had hiked my page visits to a greater extent.

 

After a long time again I am posting a fish gravy that is prepared in a Madurai Style..This dish stays good even for 2 days and it tastes more yummier the next day of cooking..

 

Try this super yummy fish gravy and let me know too how it turned up :))

 

Gobi machurian..Restaurant style...

Restaurants broadcast that they taste similar to that of homemade and on the other hand at home we wanted to make dishes of restaurant style..That is what life is..We always feel other one is better than ours....Throw away all those thoughts and think positive and happy with what we have :))

 

All of us at home love to have this particular dish and I make it very often at home.I do bake the florets instead of deep frying it.

 

Gobi manchurian is an Indo-Chinese dish that is very popular food item in India.It can be made in dry version and had as a starter or it can be made in a gravy form and had as a side dish for the roti or fried rice.

 

It takes very little time to prepare and the dish tastes really yummy..

 

Merry Christmas...Christmas recipes

 

Wishing all the readers a Merry Christmas.....

 

Here comes a list of christmas recipes:

 

1.  Eggless No Alcohol Christmas Plum Cake:

 

 

For the recipe n Instructions:

 

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/12/eggless-plum-cakeeggless-no-alcohol.html#more

 

 

2. Kerala Plum Cake (No Alcohol)-With Egg

For the recipe n instructions:

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/12/alcohol-free-christmas-cake-kerala-plum.html#more

3.Snowball Cookies/Melting Moments:

For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/02/snowball-cookiesmelting-moments-eggless.html#more

4.Eggless Tutti Frutti Cookies

For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/12/eggless-tutti-frutti-cookies.html#more

5.Eggless Chocochip Cookies:

For the recipe n instructions:
http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/12/eggless-choco-chips-cookies.html#more

6.Danish Biscuits:

For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/09/happy-teachers-day-danish-butter.html#more

 

 

7.Eggless Jam Biscuits:

For the recipe n instructions:
http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/10/jam-biscuits-eggless.html#more

8.Tutti Frutti Cake

For the recipe n instructions:
http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/10/tutti-fruite-cake.html#more

9.Simple Butter Cookies:

For the recipe n instructions:
http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/10/simple-butter-cookies.html#more

10.Simple Chocolate Cake:

For the recipe n instructions:

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/08/simple-chocolate-cake_27.html#more

11.Simple Sponge Cake:

For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/03/basic-sponge-cakeegg.html#more

For more recipe browse the recipe list of my blog www.cookndine.blogspot.in

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/p/recipe-index.html
 

Eggless Choco Chips Cookies

I am on cookies mania...Cookies take  less time to prepare than the cakes and that is the fact that I love to work with them.As I could hear the christmas bell ringing I thought posting a choco cookies would be apt for the festive..

 

This recipe is an eggless one and it tastes similar to the one that is available in cookie shops..

 

Celebrate the christmas with lots of cookies ...

 

Eggless Tutti frutti Cookies

A special occasion is on the way..Yes my small bunny's birthday this weekend.She loves cookies and wanted to surprise her with different varieties of cookies...So just switched on my oven and started my baking..

 

These tutti frutties are very colourful and they attract the kids much.Just browsed a few recipes from the net and found the apt one at Harichandana's blog.

 

This cookie is just yummy and melts when we give a bite..

 

For more scroll down

 

Vivika....Sweet pathaneer Idlies...Tuty/Nellai Special...

One of my friend who is a native of Thoothukudi invited us for a special occasion at her home..There her grandma was explaining me about the few authentic dishes that they used to prepare during her days...When she was explaining about many dishes she uttered a word Vivika...I was like what Vivika...vaa..??It sounded me  more like a proper noun  than a dish's name..I could not find out the reason behing naming the dish...I guess the one who made it first must be a lady named Vivika ;)

 

I was much excited when I heard the name and was delighted when she voluntarily accepted to make the dish on the same day...She made ready all the items and within few hours she handed the vivika to me...It is nothing but a sweet idly :))(Luckily I had carried my camera with me to take the shots there)

 

I feel very happy to post such an authentic sweet that is very much special to the areas of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli...

 

Vivika is a sweet had as a breakfast in the regions of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.

 

For more scroll down..

 

MudakathanKeerai Dosai/Balloon Vine Leaves Dosa

 

 

 

 

When my mother  visited us she bought me a bunch of this green leaves.This creeper is commonly grown at  my mom's garden..She makes this dosa very often at home .Mudakanthan Keerai/Balloon Vine leaves are very good at curing the knee and joint pain.It is also called Buddakakara/Harivay Soppu/Indravalli.Its botanical name is Cardiospermum halicababum.

 

You can make variety of dishes like Keerai Rasam,Keerai Thuvaiyal etc..Out of it keerai Dosai is very commonly prepared.

 

For more scroll down..

 

Palak Paneer Bhurji

 

 

 

 

Want to finish off making the sidedish for  roti within few minutes..??Then this one is for you..which is a perfect combo for the Roti and also it takes very short time to prepare...They taste yummy too and a healthy balanced dish which a combo of greenies and protein...

 

 

Try this and have it with Roti...It will become a part of your dish at home..

 

Spicy Mushroom Pepper Stir Fry

 

 

 

Mushrooms are always my favourite...Cook it in any form....I love to take it ...For me it tastes too good than the  non-vegetarian items!!..I cook them very often at home that it had become a part of my weekend's menu.Last weekend I wanted to make my lunch very simple and healthy and so I ended up at making Drumstick leaves sambhar and a simple mushroom pepper stir fry...This stir fry tasted too good with the curd rice...

 

I had already posted few of the mushroom recipes like:

 

Mushroom Biriyani

Mushroom Macaroni fry

Mushroom gravy

 

Cook this simple stir fry and relish ..

 

Instant Khaman Dhokla....Gujarati Delicacy

This is the first time I am trying a gujarati dish....Being here in a colony full of North Indians I happen to hear the name Dhokla very often.I love the colour and the texture of these dhoklas.After attending a photography workshop I crave for some vibrant colours.I felt these dhoklas can be a food for my camera as well as for my stomach;)

So last week I gave a try to this dhokla and it turned out perfectly well..The softness and the taste is unexplainable..My daughters loved having them as an evening snack and very happy that they liked it..

 

Dhokla is a vegetarian food that is made using chickpea and rice.I made dhokla with the chickpeas flour and hence the name Khaman Dhokla.They usually grind rice and chickpea and then ferment it ..But the one that I had given is Instant Dhokla recipe.I will post the authentic dhokla recipe when I visit my SIL who is in Gujarat..

 

Capsicum Potato Stir Fry

Making Stir fries are quite an easy job and they taste yummy and  healthy   too.In that lane I tried a mixture of Capsicum and Potato stir fry.The aroma of Capsicum gets mixed with the potato and imparts a very special flavour and taste to the dish.

 

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

 

For more scroll below:

Potato Smiles / Potato Smileys

I had been held up with lots of happenings for the last week and I didn't check my blog.When I checked it yesterday I was happy to see 1,00,000 page visits for my blog and felt these potato smileys are the best one to portray my happiness and thankfulness..Thank you readers for all your encouragement that you give me when I fall low on posting..

This post is dedicated to all my wonderful readers..

I happened to taste this snack at one of my friend's house and my kids loved them much.But I restricted them to have only few.I felt bad about the preservatives that were used in the snack.I promised the kids to make them at home.To satisfy my kids I started searching the recipe and to my surprise I found them too here.

Just tried the recipe and it was a super hit at my home.Now this had been their favourite snack too.

I deep fried some and baked a few for us to munch..

 

Smiles are a famous snack item from McCain.They are fluffy mashed potato shaped into happy faces and lightly prepared with oil for a crunchy taste.

 

Scroll below to get into the recipe...

 

Snakegourd Besan Stir fry

Are you running out of Coconut?Are u bugged of adding dhal or coconut to the stir fries...??Then try out this Besan instead of coconut or Dhal..They taste very different and this stir fry goes very well with Sambhar and rasam sadham...

 

Try out this snakegourd stir fry..u will fall in love with it.

 

Porul Vilanga Urundai...Healthy laddu..My grandma's Way

Porul means "Meaning" (in Tamil) Vilanga means "dont know" Urundai means "ball"..When u taste this laddu you cannot make out the ingredients that it is made of and hence the name Porul Vilanga Urundai.Some people call it as Pori vilaka Urundai as this is made of Pori maavu (Rice flour).This is one of the main dish that we make at home during baby showers..When a girl is pregnant her mom makes this at home very often and sent it to her daughter..It is a nutritious pack of all the goodies..and dry ginger powder aids in digestion..Usually they make very large balls and send it to their daughter when she is pregnant.U need to break the balls and then have it in small pieces.But I made small balls to send it as snacks for my kids..

 

I am making it for the first time at home and usually my mom sends it when I visit her.I love this laddu the most..It tastes yummier than the normal groundnut chikkis..

 

This sweet is not available in normal sweet shops and it is worth making at home.Such a traditional sweet..

 

Please try this and let me know how it turned up too.If u have anything to add upon please drop me few in the comments section

 

Chicken Curry...Restaurant Style

One of my readers requested me to post some non vegetarian side dishes for Roti.Only then I realised that I had not posted any chicken gravies.My friend visited us last weekend and I made this gravy to have with Roti.This is a simple to make dish but the taste is similiar to the ones that u get at big restaurants..

 

Try it out and let me know how it tasted too..If any modifications or improvements please drop in the comments so that I too may incorporate the same!!

Karthigai Deepam recipes....

"Wishing all readers a very happy Karthigai Deepam"

 

Here are few dishes which are specially and specifically made during Karthigai Deepam:

 

1.Panai Olai Kozhukattai(Palm Leaf Kozhukattai)

 

 

 

For the recipe n instructions:

 

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/11/palm-leaf-kozhukattaipanai-olai.html#more

 

 

 

2.Pori Urundai

 

 

For the recipe n instructions:

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/11/karthigai-pori-urundai.html#more

3.Healthy Sweet Appam/Sweet Wheat paniyaram

 

For the recipe n instructions:

 

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/03/palm-jaggery-paniyaramkarupatti.html#more

 

4.Maa Vilaku /Rice Flour lamp:

 

 

 

 

 

For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/11/maa-vilakurice-flour-lampkarthigai.html#more

 

 

Enjoy the day and also know what is the reason behind lightly the lamps

 

 

Maa Vilaku...Rice Flour Lamp..Karthigai Deepam Special

I was held up with lots  of work for the past one week which made me offline from blogging..Tomorrow is Karthigai Deepam which is a special festival celebrated in Tamilnadu by lighting Agal Vilaku (lamps made of clay)..I had already posted last year the real reason behind the celebration of this festival in the post"Why do we celebrate karthigai Deepam" .

 

I had already posted few recipes like

 

Palm leaf Kozhukattai/Panai Olai Kozhukattai

Pori Urundai

 

Wishing all readers a very Happy Karthigai Deepam Wishes...

 

World Diabetic Day...Eat Millets Live healthy :)

Today is World Diabetics Day.Eat Healthy millets and stay healthy.Here are some special  healthy dishes ..



 

 



1.Varagu Arisi Sadham/Basic method of cooking millets

 

 

 

For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/07/varagu-arisi-sadhamkodo-millet-rice.html#more

 

 

2.VaraguArisi Dosai/Kodo Millet Dosa

 

 

 

 

For the recipe n instructions:
http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/07/millets-dosaikodo-millet-dosaivaragu.html#more



3.Ragi Semiya Upma 

 For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/02/ragi-semiya-upma-red-millet-vermicelli.html#more

 

 

 

4. Millets Pongal

 

 

 

 

For the recipe n instructions:
http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/08/millets-ven-pongalthinai-arisi-pongal.html#more


5.Millets Masala Kara paniyaram

 

For the recipe n instructions:

http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/10/millets-masala-paniyaramvaraguarisi.html#more

6.Oats Kuzhi Paniyaram:

For the recipe n instructions :

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/11/oats-kuzhi-paniyaram.html#more


7.Oats Idly

For the recipe n instructions:
http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/11/oats-idly.html#more


8. Wheat Dosa:

For the recipe n instructions:

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/07/wheat-dosa.html#more


9. Cracked Wheat Biriyani:

For the recipe n instructions:
http://cookndine.blogspot.in/2013/06/cracked-wheat-biriyanikodumai-ravai.html#more



 

Mutton Chukka Varuval...Madurai Muniyandi Vilas Special....

Few days back HH's friends visited our home..HH wanted me to make some non vegetarian dishes for them especially mutton.I hardly cook/eat mutton and this is the first time I am trying a sidedish out of mutton.Earlier I had posted mutton Kola Urundai which was my first attempt in making some starters out of lamb..

 

There are various methods in making this dry fry by changing the ingredients.I made this dish very simple by excluding the addition of grinded masala...

 

This is an easy dish to make and the taste is exotic with Rasam Rice/Sambhar rice..

 

Millets Sweet Pongal

I got addicted to millets and started replacing millets for white rice.Infact these millets taste too good and tastier than the normal polished white rice...I had already posted few recipes made of millets like Kodomillet rice,Millets pongal,Millets Dosa, Kodomillet masala paniyaram etc.

I had already posted the sankaraipongal,the rice version..

For the millets version of the sweet jaggery pongal please click READ MORE below:

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

 

Inippu Sev/Cheeni Sev/Sweet Sev...Kovilpatti Special...

 

 

CooknDine wishes a very Happy Diwali to all....

I wanted to post something very special for this Diwali.When I was looking for some options Inippu Sev/Cheeni Sev was the one which striked me all on a sudden..When I browsed through the recipes I found it very easy and thought I should give a try.It came out well and made my Diwali a very Special one....

 

Kovilpatti is famous for various types of Mittai especially the kadalai Mittai.In that lane falls the very special inippu Mittai too..Whenever HH returns from Madurai he used to get this inippu mittai from Srinivasa Mittai Kadai,KeelEral.I love the soft and sweet nature of this Sev..

 

Apart from the sweets ,I love Kovilpatti for the peacocks..If u happen to travel from Tuticorin to Kovilpatti in the early morning u can witness atleast 50 peacocks on the way..U will just fall in love with those beautiful natural dancers..

 

So say No to crackers and save the Earth from Pollution...

 

 

 

 

Carrot Burfi

Carrot is my kid's favourite veggie...My 2 little bunnies at home love to munch them in all forms..When Jeyashri posted the carrot burfi in her blog I was tempted to make this burfi at home.Made it and was a super hit with my friends too...

 

Rich Chocolate Cake...for a special Occasion

It had been a month or more since I baked some cakes and Cookies.I was held up with few work..Few days back HH had his birthday and I wanted to bake something special for his birthday.I had bookmarked this recipe few months back to bake but felt this was the apt time for us to celebrate the special occasion with this rich chocolate cake..

 

I was taken aback by the taste and the finish of this cake.It tasted so so yummy and happy that HH and kids loved eating it..And for the first time I tried chocolate ganache and it turned out so so well..

 

Anyone who is new to baking can try this cake.Just just follow the instructions clearly..U will bake a yummy chocolate cake...

 

Arcot Makkan Peda....Delicacy of Arcot Nawabs

Arcot is not only famous for history and Biryani..It is famous for Makkan Pedas too.Arcot is a small town which is near my hometown and  I just love eating these Makkan Peda whenever I visit my native place.Though they look similiar to that of the Gulab jamuns they taste much tastier and yummier than that..

Arcot Chettiyar Sweet stall is famous for the Makkan Pedas.They are the oldest of the town and it is about 188 years old :) which is run by an fifth generation owner..who is around 70 years!!The one who had  started this shop(Govindasamy Chettiar) was a family friend of Nawabs..He happened to taste these Jamuns with a dry fruit filling at Nawabs house  and being blown away by the sumptuousness of the Bedas he  started to introduce it in his shop.This was how Makkan peda was introduced in Arcot ....

Even E.V.R.Periyar was a great fan of this sweet..I remember my grandfather telling me that Periyar's followers buy this delicacy for Periyar when they visit him..and Periyar never fails to have this sweet when he visit North Arcot!!

If u happen to visit Arcot( few kms from Vellore)then don't forget to taste the Makkan pedas from Chettiyar Shop..If not just follow my recipe carefully,make it and relish the diwali with this traditional sweet...:))

For the ones who are not aware of what Makkan Peda is...

Makkan Peda is a sweet that is made with unsweetened Koya n Maida..stuffed with a variety of dry fruits ,made into a ball and then slightly flattened deep fried and then soaked in sugar syrup.The juicy texture and the nut content make the taste exotic...

Diwali Sweets n Savories

Say No to crackers....Celebrate this Diwali without polluting the atmosphere..

Make these easy sweets n relish n celebrate this Diwali..


1.Mysore pak (Krishna Sweets Style)

For the recipe n instructions:

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/11/mysore-pak.html#more

Thukkada...A famous snack of Tirunelveli

Thukkada..The best combination to have with Tea/coffee.In south Tamilnadu they call this as Thukkada but some refer this as spicy diamond cuts.It is raining here in Tuticorin and felt like having something spicy with a hot cup of filter coffee.One of my friend who is a native of Tirunelveli was telling me about this snack which she used to prepare for Diwali.Borrowed the recipe from her and made it..Thank u G for the recipe...This dish can be prepared within a short time and can be stored for a week.

 

Usually they prepare it with All purpose flour/maida.But considering the health aspects I replaced Maida with Wheat flour and followed the same process.I found the taste to be much better than the maida one..

 

So try making this Thukkada and enjoy this Diwali and so the rain...