Mint Chicken (Pudina Chicken) / Mint Chicken Masala - Indian Style

This is a simple and also a delicious semi dry chicken preparation flavored with mint; which I learned from my mom. Every body in my family loved this. Try this out and enjoy!

Serves - 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients:

Chicken - ½ kg
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Tomato - 1(finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Red chilli powder - ¾ - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - ½ - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

To Grind:

Mint leaves - 1 handful

Green chilies  - 2

For Seasoning:

Cinnamon - 1" piece
Cloves -  3
Bay leaf - 1

Directions:

Soya Potato Curry / Soya Masala Kulambu / Meal Maker Kulambu

This South Indian style Soya curry is very healthy and also easy to prepare dish. A perfect accompaniment with rice and rotis. You can also try this using soya keema and check also my other Soya recipes.

Serves - 4 to 5 persons

Ingredients:

Soya nuggets / Meal maker - 20 to 25 no.
Potato - 1 (peeled and cut into bite size pieces)
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 ½ tsp
Mint leaves - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

To Grind:
Ginger - 1 " ipiece
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Cashew nuts - 4 to 5 no
Coconut - ½ cup
Fennel seeds - ½ tsp

For Seasoning:
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1

Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 tbsp

Directions:

Basundi / How to make Basundi at Home

   Wishing You All A Happy Colorful Holi!

Wow...Poornima's Cook Book has reached 3,00,000 page hits today!!!!   Here I am sharing one my favorite and also a popular cum easy to prepare Dessert / Sweet  to celebrate this special occasion.

Basundi is an Indian dessert popular in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. It is a delicious sweet made by boiling milk on low heat until the milk is reduced by half, very similar to rabdi.

Serves - 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 litre
Sugar - 1/4 to 1/2  cup
Nuts - 8 to 10 pieces each (finely chopped)
(almonds, pista, etc)

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp tsp
Saffron  - few strands

Directions:

Paruppu Usili / Capsicum Usili / Capsicum Paruppu Usili- Healthy Version (Tamil Brahmin Style)

Paruppu usili is a very traditional and also a popular South Indian veg accompaniment prepared using dhal ( lentils) and vegetables commonly with beans, cluster beans and plantain flower. 

Today I want to share the paruppu usili recipe using capsicum which I learnt from my friend Latha balaji.  Though it sounds very new; the taste was very nice and healthy too.  Try this and give your feed back.

Serves - 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients:

Capsicum - 2 big
Salt - to taste

To soak and grind:
Toor dhal ( thuvaram paruppu) - ½ cup
Bengal gram dhal(kadala paruppu) -  ¼ cup
Dried Red Chilly – 2

Hing - a big pinch

For seasoning:

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Directions:

Spicy / Kara Kuzhipaniyaram

Bored of eating Idli or Dosa? why not trying this simple but tasty tiffin item using  idli dosa batter.

It is very easy to pack for Kids snack box and also quick snack  to treat your guest!

Ingredients:

Idli batter - 2 cups
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Urad dal - ½ tsp

Onion - 1(finely chopped)
Carrot - 1 small ( grated)
Green chilli -1 or 2 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste
Oil - to cook ( ½ tsp for each hole )

Palak Poori (Puri) / Spinach Poori

Palak poori  is healthy variation to our kid's favorite breakfast item and also a tricky way to make them eat spinach!

Ingredients:

Wheat flour -  2  cups + extra for dusting
Palak/Spinach - 1 cup( tightly packed

Green chili - 3 to 4
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep frying

Directions:

Remove stems and wash spinach thoroughly.

Goat Brain Fry (masala) / Moolai Varuval - South Indian Style

Brain fry / masala is a delicacy and favorite non-veg dish in South India; very easy to prepare as well!

Ingredients:

Goat Brain - 3
Chopped onion - 1½ (shallots or big onions; I used big onions)
Chopped tomato - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - ¼ spoon
Corriander powder - ¼ spoon
Turmeric powder -¼ spoon
Curry leaves - few
Salt - As per taste
Oil - 1 or 2 tbsp

To Grind:
Pepper - 1 tsp 

Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Fennel seeds / sombu - ¼ spoon

Molten Chocolate Cake / Chocolate Lava cake - My 200th Post

This recipe is very special to me as this is my 200th post.; heartfelt thanks to all my readers and friends who all are encouraged me to keep going!

Here is special recipe to celebrate this occasion; this delicious cake with a molten runny center is the ultimate chocolate treat especially for kids! and this recipe is adapted from Show me the curry. It is very yummy and easy to prepare also.

Serves -  3 to 4 persons ( if you are willing to share!)

Ingredients:

Semi sweet baking chocolate - 150 gms
Butter - 1/2  cup (113 gms)
Sugar -  1/3 cup ( 75 gms)

Eggs - 2
All purpose flour - 1/4 cup( 40 g)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 deg C and prepare your ramekins or oven proof vessel (grease with butter / oil and dust it with all purpose flour); keep aside. 

Spicy Bitter Gourd Poriyal (Pachadi) / Pavakkai Pachadi / Spicy Bitter Gourd Stir Fry

Though we know bitter gourd has many nutritional and medicinal properties; many of us hesitate  to consume because of the bitter taste.

Now a days i started to try different recipes to make this vegetable a tasty food and this is one among them.  Every body in my family loved this; try and give your feedback.

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd - 2
Onion - 1

Garlic - 5 to 6 cloves
Ginger - 1" piece
Red chilli powder - ½ to 1 tsp
Tamarind - one small gooseberry size
Red chillies - 2
Jaggery - one small piece
Salt - to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Red chilies - 2

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Directions:

Pre - preparations:

Wash and peel the skin (don't peel the skin completely; take out only the outer thick layer).

Slit it into two and remove the seeds; then chop into bite sized pieces and keep aside. 

Finely chop the onion, ginger and garlic; keep aside.

Soak the tamarind in ½ cup of water. Extract the juice and keep aside.

Preparation: 

Heat oil in a kadai; season it with mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves.