Pudina Thogayal (thuvaiyal) / Mint Thogayal (without coconut)

This is a very simple but tasty & flavorful thogayal recipe using mint as a main ingredient. Though I used to prepare mint chutney often, thogayal is new to me.  I learnt this recipe from my friend Latha Balaji.  It goes well as an accompaniment for rice and with idli, dosa as well!

Let's check the recipe now,

PREP TIME

10 min

COOK TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME 

20 mins

                                                                                                                                                   

Recipe for Pudina Thogayal / Mint Thogayal
Recipe type: Side dish

Cuisine: South India

Serves: 2 to 3 (approximately)

Ingredients:

Mint Leaves - 1 bunch / 1 cup tightly packed
Urad dhal - 2 tbsp
Red chillies - 3 to 4
Tamarind - a small piece
Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp(preferably sesame oil)

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

This is a rich and delicious chocolate cake with healthy addition of beetroot.  I just tried adding beetroot for the first time for a healthy bake and to my surprise, it came out very well. 

Beetroot merges very well in the cake that no one in my family recognized the presence of vegetable in this cake!

I have already tried Avacado brownies which gave the confidence to try this cake with beetroot. 

Don't give a second thought, its worth trying!

PREP TIME

20 min

COOK TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME 

50 mins

                                                                                                                                                  

Recipe for Beetroot Chocolate Cake
Recipe type: Baked Goodies

Cuisine: Western

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 1
Dark chocolate – 250 grams
Eggs – 3
Sugar – 1 cup (powdered)
Salt – ½ tsp
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Cocoa powder - ¼ cup
Baking powder - 1 ½ tsp

Baking soda - ½ tsp

Milk - ½ cup (Add if you feel the batter is too thick)

Samai Thayir Sadam / Little Millet Curd Rice

Curd rice / Thayir Sadam is a comforting and refreshing food during this hot summer; also it a favourite food for most of the south Indians! 

To make it healthy, I have used samai(in Tamil) / Little millet instead of rice.  No one in my family found that I have made curd rice with millet instead of rice; best way to incorporate millets in our diet.

Check my other millet recipes too.  Try to include in your diet for a healthy living. 

Samai / little millet is gluten free, easily digestible and nutritious grain which is high in fibre and iron. It is suitable for all ages. It has high anti oxidant property and also helpful in reducing cholesterol and blood Sugar. 

It is known by Same in Kannada, Samai in Tamil, Kutki in Hindi, Sama in Telugu, Chama in Malayalam and Little Millet in English.

PREP TIME

15 min

COOK TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME 

25 mins

                                                                                                                                                   

Recipe for Samai Thayir Sadam / Little Millet Curd Rice
Recipe type: Main Course

Cuisine: South India

Serves: 2 to 3 (approximately)

Ingredients:

Samai / Little millet - ½  cup 

Water to cook samai - 2 cups
Curd / Plain yogurt – 1 cup (here I have used low fat curd / yoghurt)
Milk - ½ cup (low fat milk)
Asafoetida powder – a pinch
Salt, as per taste
Coriander leaves – 1- 2 tsp (finely chopped)

Carrots - 1 to 2 tbsp(grated)

Pomegranate seeds - 1 to 2 tbsp
For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dhal - ½ tsp
Bengal gram dhal -½ tsp
Green chilly - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 small piece (finely chopped or grated)
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 to 2 tsp

Whole Masoor dhal / Masala Masoor Dal Recipe

This whole masoor dhal recipe is very nutritious and tasty thick curry, which suits well with rice as well as chapathi.  It is easy to prepare, mild spiced and  flavored with Indian spices. 

This whole masoor dhal is rich in protein, fibre and vitamins & minerals(potassium, iron and zinc).  You can also sprout it to increase the nutritive value.

Try this healthy recipe and let me know your feedback.

PREP TIME

15 min

COOK TIME

35 mins

TOTAL TIME 

45 mins

                                                                                                                                                   

Recipe for Whole Masoor dhal / Dal 
Recipe type: Main Course

Cuisine: North India

Serves: 3 to 4(approximately)

Ingredients:
Whole masoor dhal -  1 cup
Onion - 1 large (finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 large (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Red chilli powder - ¾ tsp
Garam masala powder - ½ tsp
Corrinader leaves - 1 tbsp(finely chopped)
Kasurimethi - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
To Grind:

Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
Green chillies - 2
For Seasoning:
Oil / ghee - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1 or 2
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp

Chicken Dum Biryani / Chicken Biryani

I want to give the whole credit for this irresistible, spicy and delicious biryani recipe to my friend Rekha Sridhar.  She is my neighbour cum friend whom I know for the past 5 yrs.  We used to chat, go for walk almost daily.   I love all her non veg recipes, especially biryani!

I requested her to prepare this biriyani in our house,which came out very well.  Thank you Rekha for teaching me this yummy biriyani.

I just handled the photography part, in this recipe; while she was preparing.  Hence I could give this detailed step by step procedure with photos to share with you all! 

Let's check the recipe now; It might appear lengthy in the instance, but worth trying.

Don't forget to check "Shark Puttu/சுறா புட்டு" one more delicacy which I learnt from her.

PREP TIME

15 min

COOK TIME

35 mins

TOTAL TIME 

45 mins

                                                                                                                                                   

Recipe for Chicken Dum Biryani
Recipe type: Main Course

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 to 4(approximately)

Ingredients:

To cook the rice:

Basmati rice - 2 cups 

Cinnamon -  1'' inch  piece
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Water to cook rice

For Biriyani:
Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp
Chicken - ½ kg
Cinnamon - 4 to 5 " inch piece
Cloves - 6
Cardamom - 5
Bay leaf - 3
Onion - 1 big(sliced lengthwise)
Tomato - 1(big) (sliced lengthwise)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Green chilli - 2(slit lengthwise)
Curd - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - ½ tsp
Fresh mint and coriander leaves - handful
lemon juice - from 2 lemon(small)
Salt to taste

While layering:
Red colour - a pinch (dissolved in water)
Yellow colour - a pinch (dissolved in water)
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Corriander leaves - handful(finely chopped)

Easy Kara Pidi Kozhukattai / Pidi Kozhukattai

Kara pidi kozhukattai is a traditional and popular food usually served for breakfast along with spicy chutney or as tea time snack in Tamilnadu.  It is an easy to prepare steamed dumpling (kozhukattai) using rice flour.

It is one of the special Nivedhyam / Prasadham served during Ganesha Chathurthi for Lord Ganesha.

Soon I will try to post sweet pidi kozhukattai recipe too. Try this and give your feedback.

       

PREP TIME

15 min

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME 

35 mins

                                                                                                                                                   

Recipe for Kara Pidi Kozhukattai / Pidi Kozhukattai
Recipe type: Breakfast / Tea time snack

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 to 4(approximately)

Ingredients:

Home made rice flour / Idiyappam flour -1 cup
Salt - to taste
Water - 1½ to 2 cups (amount of water will vary according to the quality of flour)

For the seasoning: 

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Urad dal -1 tsp
Channa dal -1 tbsp
Red Chillies - 2
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Grated coconut - 3 to 4 tbsp

                                             My Favourite Ganesha!

Kovakkai Fry / Kovakkai Masala Fry / Ivy Gourd (Tindora) Fry

This spicy kovakkai fry is full of flavours that goes well with rice and chapathi.  I learnt this recipe from a friend Pradeepa akka, who is my school senior.

Kovakkai has numeral health benefits; so try to include this vegetable in your diet.  Check my another version of Kovakkai fry / Tindora fry.

        

PREP TIME

15 min

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME 

35 mins

                                                                                                                                                         

Recipe for Kovakkai Fry / Kovakkai Masala Fry
Recipe type: veg accompaniment

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 3 to 4(approximately)

Ingredients:
Kovakkai / tindora - ½ kg
Salt - as required

To grind:
Grated coconut - 3 to 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1½ tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garlic - 5 to 6 cloves
Fennel seeds - ½ tsp
For seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig