Ginger Candy /Inji Murappa/Inji Marappa/Inji Mittai

My mom makes it very often at home and we take a small piece once in 2 days. The taste of ginger combined with the taste of the sugar will impart a special taste to the sweet. We used to have this when we have any digestion problem. Now a days people had forgot this after the advent of Digene syrups:)

Beware...You are not supposed to have too much of this candy too..

 

Make and store this. It is very handy for all your digestion problems...

Millets payasam /Thinai payasam

 

 

"Wishing you all a very happy pongal..."

Celebrate this pongal with millets.This is an authentic dish from Coimbatore region and it tastes very delicious.Try out this yummy and healthy payasam which tastes more delicious than the other rice/dhal payasam...The texture is somewhat similar to rava payasam and tastes little similar(more yummier) than the pasi paruppu(Moong dhal payasam).

 

 

 

 

Finger Millet Vada /Ragi Vadai....Kovai Special

Ragi/Finger millet is very rich in fiber and you won't feel hungry for long time if you have this millet.I have the habit of including this millet in my day to day menus to make it as a habit for my kids to have it regularly.

 

I had already posted few recipes made of this millet like Ragi Semiya Uppuma,Ragi Poori..

 

 

Though the colour is not appetizing don't underestimate the taste and flavour that ragi could give you...

 

Ragi/Finger Millet vadai is one of the most common snack of Coimbatore region.Yesterday surprisingly here in Tuty it was raining and schools were closed on this regard :) Kids wanted some snack for their evening and made these for them.With a ketchup they finished the plate and didn't disturb me for the next few hours..

 

It is easy to make snack as it requires no grinding of batter...
 

Make these healthy Vada and start using millets in your daily routine..

 

Vengaya Kosu .....(Chettinad Special)

 

 

It had been a long time since I posted anything.I had  been busy at fixing things after a long vacation.I always admire at the way nagarathars cook and also plan things..One of my friend had been asking me to post some information regarding the nagarathars..I happened to get in more information about them from a TV show .And I am happy too to share a few before getting into the recipe.

 

Nagarathars(which means city dwellers) are the people from the chettinad region(Sivagangai and Pudukottai districts) who are known for their Philanthropy,building styles,trading and of course exotic cooking style ..They are also referred as Nattukottai Chettiyars (which means people with palatial houses in the countryside).I always adore at the big palaces of Chettinad and their craftmanship at building houses.It is said that during king's period they had very close relationship with kings and that is the reason why their houses are as large and as beautiful as a palace.

 

They are the one who introduced banking system too.Indian Bank,IOB were all established by Nagarathars.They have close association with Burma and that is why most of the houses have doors made of Burma teak.It is said that long back a sector of people got settled in Burma and they were the backbone for the civil administration of the Burmese society.They became more powerful money lenders and prominent businessman.Over the years the native Burmese developed a hostile attirude towards them and Nagarathars were forced to leave Burma.So those nagarathars left Burma and settled around places which is now called Chettinad..They used thick teak (Which will not get destroyed in salt water ) as a mode to travel from Ceylon and Burma and  showed their craftsmanship in  teak at making attractive doors..

 

Chola king had encouraged them to travel a lot and they travelled Srilanka,Burma,Vietnam,Malaysia  and Indonesia to spread their business.So in most of the palatial houses you can find burma teak,chinese porcelain things,vietnam glass etc.

 

A nagarathar lady is addressed as Aachi and Nagarathar lord as Chettiar with respect.

Nagarathars belong to one of the 9 temples (Vairavan koil,Ilayathakudi,mathur,Iraniyur,Pillayarpatti,Soorakudi,Iluppaikudi,Nemam,

Velankudi)

People within the same temple are considered as siblings.The marriage of the Chettinad people is celebrated in a majestic way.They always prefer the marriage to happen only in their native town.Some of their marriage formalities include Pen Paarthal,Pesi mudithu kolludhal,Muhurtha kaal unrudhal,podhu padaippu,mapillai azhaipu,pen edukki kattuthal,Thirupootuthal,Vaevu Irakkuthal,mamiyar Sadangu,Poo manam Choridhal,Manjal Neeru Aduthal,Saman Parapudhal,kumbuttu kattikolluthal,Mana pen solli kolluthal,Kattu soaru unnuthal,Pen azhaipu,nathanar Sadangu..

 

Coming to the Chettinad cuisine..they are just mouth watering delicious food.As they had gained business contacts throughout the world they used different types of spices.The kavuniarisi dish is the one which they learnt from Burma..They basically use marati Mokku(Dried flower pods) ,Anasi poo (Star Aniseed)and Kalpasi in their dishes.

 

(Ref:nagaratharworld)

 

 

Coming to the dish Vengaya Kosu..It tastes like Kurma and it is a perfect sidedish for Idlies and Dosas.This is a gravy made with lots of onions,potato and coconut

 

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..

 

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

 

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...

 

 

 

 

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...

KamarKat....A sweet with Jaggery n Coconut

Last week on a casual talk my elder daughter was asking me about the snacks which I took during the school days.I was explaining her about the snacks which we had ..like Kadalai Burfi/Chikki,Kamarkat,ElanthamPazham,Then Mittai,KodikaPuli,Javvu Mittai,Panchi Mittai,Sonpapdi etc..

 

She was more excited by the name kamarkat and kept asking more details about the sweet.I vaguely remembered how it tasted too...As I couldnot give more details on it she called up her grandma and was asking the details...Only then I knew that my mom knew to make kamarkat :).Immediately I grabbed the mobile from her and got the recipe ..

 

Made it,relished it and gave my kids  a feel of this evertime favourite kamarkattu..

 

For the ones who are not aware of this sweet..It resembles much to a hard chocolate which is made of jaggery and coconut.It is a jaw breaker..Don't even take a chance to bite the sweet.Just put it into ur mouth and enjoy it getting dissolved slowly..

 

For the recipe click READ MORE below:

 

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:

 

Appala Kootu/Papad Ki Sabji

 I had been lazying around for the past one week.My Kids had a week off from their school and we had been to my hometown after an year.It is always  nice to get back to your hometown and meet some of your old friends...This makes u feel young n energetic...

 

It was quite hard to get back to my routine!!!I was very lazy to cook ...Suddenly remembered my athai's Appalam Kootu which she used to make whenever she runs out of vegetables.So with a simple Vatha Kuzhambu and a appalam kootu I started cooking my lunch.This appalam kootu goes well with the Kara Kuzhambu/Vathal Kuzhambu.

 

This Kootu can be made within minutes and it can be served as a side dish for the rice or as a main gravy...

 

For the recipe click READ MORE below:

 

Pepper Kuzhambu/Milagu Kuzhambu

Milagu Kuzhambu...This is the first dish that I learnt after my marriage..HH's grandma used to make it very often at home.They taste very good with a simple sutta appalam or a simple Vegetable Kootu.I make it in such a way that it lasts for a week.I use it whenever I find lazy to cook..So this serves me as a super saver pack...

 

Though it tastes little spicy...the pepper spicyness will give u a nice taste to the throat.As pepper is added it is definitely a medicinal Kuzhambu and tastes very good when u have cold and cough..

 

For the recipe pls click read more below..

 

Vellai Poori---My grandma's way..North Arcot Special..

The name and the colour of the dish has no relation,but I don't know why they named it so.May be because rice is the main ingredient they would have named it as Vellai Poori.This is one of the snack that is made in the evenings.It is quite heavy snack and one can take only 2.

Being brought up in the North Arcot District of TamilNadu I always have a deep love for the food items that are special there.To name some : Brinjal Serva,Maccan Beda,Arcot Biriyani,Vadaicurry,Vellai Poori etc..I had never heard people making this vellai poori either in places near Salem/Erode/Coimbatore/Tirunelveli/Madurai.So I thought posting this dish is a special one to my blog.

 

So I requested my mother to make this Poori.She makes it so tasty and yummy.She had learnt it from her grandma.This is the only snack which my father loves the utmost..Even now when we make it at home we miss our dad..and this is the only reason for which I hardly make this snack at home..For the sake of posting it in my blog I made few pooris..

 

For the recipe please press READ MORE below...

 

Ammini Kozhukattai(Spicy version)

Wishing the readers a very happy

Ganesh Chaturthi....

 

 

Kozhukattais are one which I loved to have at any time.As they are steam cooked they don't impart any harm to our diet system...This Ammini Kozhukattai is the regular one which we take as dinner/Breakfast/Snacks.We don't make it on Ganesh Chaturthi as it consumes more time...I make it for a evening snack/Dinner.

 

My daughter named it as koli(Marble) kozhukattai as it looked like marbles.It is also called as mini kozhukattai.My mom used to make these when the dough gets remained after making the stuffed modak.When pooran Modaks are there we hardly take these ammini kozhukattais..

 

I love the texture of the kozhukattais.These ammini kozhukattais look very appealing and attract the kids much..

 

With no wait just click READ MORE to get into the recipe..

 

Paal Kozhukattai-Chettinad Delicacy...The traditional way...

This is the post which I wanted to post it for long time.This dessert is my favourite one.Usually I don't take much of sweets and this dish is one exception.My mom makes it so good that u cannot stay without having it.This is one of the authentic dish that is prepared for any occasions.Though the process of making them is time consuming the taste it imparts cannot be described in few words..

 

So please try it and pass on the recipe to our future generations too.Let them be aware of some of the authentic dishes that our grandmas made for us!!

 

Thought ganesh Chaturthi is an apt occasion for me to post the Paal Kozhukattai recipe..Many of my readers had been asking for a long time to post the recipe..

 

Make this Ganesh Chaturthi more special by making this traditional Paal kozhukattai too...

 

Please press READ MORE below to get into the recipe..

 

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..

 

A health drink..Uluntham Paal/Urad dhal milk

Two days back my younger daughter came up with a note from the school asking for an authentic recipe which should be the kid's favourite dish too..I just gave a list to yazhini and asked her which was her best and she picked up this ulunthu paal..I thought I had posted the recipe in my blog so that I could download it from the blog and sent it to her school..but....After scanning the pages I found I had missed posting the dish which we make very often at home.With no wait I edited the pictures and started posting it...

 

Urad Dhal is a popular and healthier legume in India..It is being used in variety of dishes and the one I had posted is apt for a morning healthy drink.In this hurry burry life kids try to skip their morning breakfast which is a very bad practise..So during that time I make this Urad Dhal Paal/milk and give them which gives them the energy and strength to start the day well..

 

So make this easy,authentic,healthy drink and relish ur taste buds..

 

For the recipe pls press READ MORE below..

 

Thalicha Puli sadham--left overs special-My grandma's way

Bored of normal puliohara..then try this version.I remember my grandma doing this dish when rice gets remained at night..As our lifestyle had changed we hardly take rice at nights..

Last week for a change I made rice at night and lots of it got remained .I don't wanted to waste it ..This reminded  me of my grandma's pulisadham which she used to prepare.This tastes very yummy...

 

Just prepared this and had it with appalam...the taste was heavenly..

My grandma even though, not much educated knew that turmeric powder and tamarind are good preservatives and used it wisely to do this rice.She had learnt from her grandma...so u can add this to grandma's recipe..!!

 

Eat..Think..Save..is this year's World Environment Day's theme..So don't waste/throw food.Use it wisely

 

With no much wait please click 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..