Beetroot Soup Recipe

Even though I know beetroots are very good for the health, I rarely add in my menu. I don’t know why I hate this lovely vegetable after knowing all this. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you could see just few recipes with beets here. I make beetroot rice when TH not at home, cos he too hates it. This poor vegetable doesn't find any place in my pantry all these days. But here on, am trying to add up the beets to my menu, since I was advised to increase my RBCs. Nowadays I started to take beets by making this soup before my meal and I made it regular in my home. Generally it increases ur appetite and the pepper and cumin in the soup helps in ease digestion of the food taken. Trust me; it can relieve u from bad/sore throat immediately when taken with lots of pepper.

Need some sweets with these beets? Click here.

Need a juice/drink with these beets? Click here. 

Preparation time: less than 5mins

Cooking time: around 10mins

Serves 2

Bisibelabath | Sambar Sadam Recipe

I usually call this Bisibelabath or sambar sadam as somberi sapadu which means lazy people’s food. Cos, when we make rice separately we need to make sambar, rasam and poriyal to accompany it. And sometimes we need appalam to compliment all this. But making bisibelabath is such an easy task where rice and sambar are already mixed together with a bunch of vegetables. So it is like a one-pot meal which has carbo, protein along with all the vegetables. TH don’t need anything as a side dish for this rice and my work goes simple.

I still remember the taste of Bisibelabath which is served in Rathna Café, Chennai. That is the best according to me. Ghee, the major ingredient which enhances the flavor for this rice and in rathna café they make the rice completely with ghee. Don’t mind to taste there once if you get a chance and don’t mind for the extra calories you are gonna get after that.

This rice is made with freshly ground spices and here I used my sambar powder to make the work simple.  It would be good if the sambar powder are fresh and in good condition. Click on the highlighted link to get the sambar powder recipe.

This can be served alone with appalam or chips or vaadam. GarlicPotato fry and raw banana fry are the best combination for this rice.

Preparation time: 15-20mins (soaking time)

Cooking time: 20-30 mins

How to make Dosa | Dosa Batter Recipe | South-Indian Style Dosa Recipe (With Video)

I already have a post on How to make Soft Idli, a year back. I wanted to post some tips and tricks about making dosa for a long time. I wanted to make it simple by giving a video presentation, but being a lazy bugger, I don’t have the patience to take a video of my own. TH was there at home last weekend and I asked him for the help. He patiently took this video for me.

I don’t make separate batter for making dosa. The same batter which I use for idli, makes the work easier. To get the thin and crisp version of dosa, I used to add a cup of water to thinner the batter. Click here to see on How to make Batter for Idli and Dosa.

Stay tuned to get more variations of Dosa. 

Don’t forget to look into the video for more information.

Aloo~Bhindi Masala Gravy | Potato~Okra Gravy for Chapathi

I normally include chapathi in the menu twice a week and always there will be confusion on what to make for the side dish. Most of the time, I will make some gravy with paneer or mushroom. Some of the time capsicum takes the job to compliment. Here are some more other options for the side dish for chapathi. (Click here)

When I went through the net, I saw this recipe in a blog which sounds great. I saw this on few of the restaurants and I never dare to opt this, worrying about the taste. But when I tried it at home, I felt totally in love with the masala. If okra is ur favorite veggie, I would definitely recommend you to give this a try. 

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Naan | Tawa Naan Recipe (Without Yeast)

TH always insists me to make naan. But, I never attempted to make at home, rather I can eat nicely when bought outside. The one thing which prevented me from trying is “Yeast”. I don’t have a good opinion on that, donno why! And I don’t want to buy yeast just for making naan alone. We I went through the internet for naan without yeast, I got some idea on that and tried making naan at home Without Yeast.  

The texture was almost like the way we get in the restaurants. Since I have electric gas, I used my grill rack. If you have a wire mesh, that will also work well. Always use thick curd which is freshly made. Sour curd will spoil the taste of the naan. I used store bought plain yogurt. Give the resting period for the dough to increase its volume. I gave 3 hours; you can even keep the dough for about 5-6 hours in room temperature. If the dough is sticky after the resting time, add some maida on top to make it even.

Please see below for the variations u can make with this recipe. Paneer butter Masala would be a perfect combo for this naan. Give it a try and let me know the reviews.

Vegetable Dum Biryani | Veg Biryani Recipe

I have been making biryani for the past three consecutive Sundays. The love for biryani is blossoming day by day. I made Mughlai Chicken Biryani and also tired the same recipe with goat, the next Sunday. It was super awesome and it never ruins me in taste and flavor. Undoubtedly, the third Sunday I made this Vegetable Dum Biryani which is exactly the same as Chicken Biryani. We wanted to make it light for the third Sunday, hence chose vegetable biryani. But I accompanied the biryani with Chicken Hariyali Tikka, which TH made.

I just used the veggies which I had in hand. Carrots, beans and potatoes are the must-veggies for biryani. Yet green peas, soya chunks are all optional. Since TH doesn’t like Cauliflower, I dint add. Make sure u chop the veggies of same size to cook equally.

Instead of using whole garam masala, just crush the masala with a pestle to 2-3 pieces. This will enhance the flavor of the biryani. For some more tips and notes, please see below.

Now let’s start cooking the biryani!!!

Brinjal Chops Recipe | Kathirikkai Chops

This is one of my very own favorite recipes which amma makes rarely at home. This will be very spicy, because of the chilli powder and also the whole pepper corns which are ground to paste gives an extra ordinary tempting flavor to the dish. Some will like the taste of fennel seeds and few don’t. I personally like the fragrance of fennel in the recipe. Avoid if ur not willing to add fennel in the dish. This can be served with steamed rice as such or can also be served as side dish for sambar and rasam. I like this curry to serve with crispy dosas.  While buying brinjal always chose the smaller ones rather the medium or big sized ones. Smaller ones are easy to cook and they are much tastier than the others.  

Preparation time: 5-7 mins
Cooking time: 10-20 mins

Madurai Style Chicken Salna Recipe | Chicken Salna for Parotta

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 20-30 mins

Rasam Powder Recipe | Home-made Rasam Powder

After seeing so many responses for my Sambar Powder Recipe, I thought of making Rasam Powder. And also its high time for me to make, since my rasam powder which I got from amma is gonna end. As usual this recipe is from amma. She makes the prefect rasam to my knowledge. It’s been a pleasure for me to have her rasam after the meals. I sometimes insist her to make Idicha Pepper Rasam, when I have sore throat or running nose. It will give  immediate relief for the trouble.

In this recipe I used powder asafoetida, hence added while grinding. If ur using solid asafoetida, just sauté them while roasting red chillies and follow with the steps given below. This powder can be stored in an airtight container for 1-3 months, if stored properly. I don’t prefer storing it for long, since the intense flavor will be lost after some days. 

Check out few of my Rasam Recipes here and let me know about all ur reviews.

Quinoa Kichadi Recipe

Quinoa is something which am looking and hearing for the first time. It is an American grown grain which is high in protein and also a gluten free grain. I was very hesitant to cook this as am not aware of the taste. When I tried a salad with quinoa in Wood Ranch, I fell in love with it. It was just awesome. You will get the tummy full effect in just with a cup. It takes longer time to chew the grain and makes you feel full for a longer time.

I made this kichadi after watching it in a TV show. One cup of dry quinoa can serve 3 cups of cooked quinoa. So make as per ur need. The measurement which I had mentioned here can be served for 3-4 people. On the other hand, the grain is bit costly from the other multi grains. But this has the capacity to control ur blood glucose levels and maintains the cholesterol in control. This is the best alternative for the rice, I would say.

Hey wait!!! Check out these recipes too. Am sure you will like it.

Ragi Dosa, Oats Dosa, Aval Upma, Brown rice Pilaf

Paneer Butter Masala

I previously posted a recipe for Butter chicken and this one is for the vegetarians. This time it is Paneer Butter Masala, PBM. I made this as a side dish for Naan without yeast (recipe coming soon). I used the same recipe for PBM as like butter chicken, but substituted cashews with heavy cream, since I got some in the fridge. You can even try with high fat milk instead of heavy cream, but believe me heavy cream gives an extraordinary flavor and texture to the gravy. 

It was the perfect combo with the tandoor naan. It can also be served with simple vegetable pulao, jeera rice or pea’s pulao. 

Preparation time: 5-8 mins

Cooking time: 15-20 mins

Egg Tawa Fry | Hot &Spicy Egg Recipe

Egg tawa fry, am hearing this for the first time. Amma always used to make eggs with onion-tomato curry. And that curry can be used as a side dish for idli-dosa and even for rice. This tawa fry don’t need any onions or tomato or any other things. Just the masalas goes along with the hard boiled eggs. When ur really in a hurry to make a hot and spicy dish, definitely you can opt for this. I learned it from TH, his granny used to make this for him it seems and he suddenly remembered that and he badly wanted to taste it now. So, this is his recipe which I tried and tasted and certified to be good. He just loves this along-side with rasam and steamed rice. 

Check out how to make Egg podimas and also Egg Masala Podimas

How to make Schezwan Sauce | Schezwan Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe | Indo-Chinese Recipes

I’m a great fan of Siracha Chilli sauces and I use it in all my Indochinese recipes for sure and that highlights the dish very good. Now, I find their sauces very rarely in the markets because of their shut down issues. So I thought of making it at home and gave a try in making schezwan sauce. It was a big hit. I dint use any preservatives or vinegar for longer storage, so used it on the same day by making Gobi Manchurian. Serving Schezwan fried rice along with Gobi Manchurian was a great idea though.

Here I have the recipe for How to make Schezwan sauce and also how to make Schezwan Fried rice. I used the same recipe as like Chicken Fried rice and the only difference is using Home-made Schezwan Sauces.

Follow Egg fried rice recipe for how to cook rice for making Fried rice. I do have some Step wise pictures in the link to follow. Try this and let me know about the comments and suggestions. 

Creamy Veg Curry for Chapathi | Veg Curry Recipe

So here I come up with another recipe which goes with chapathi, most of the time and also a great combo for poori and naan. It just needs ur patience to slice the veggies thin and it can be done in a jiffy. If u have a chopper, then the work is so simple. Take all the veggies u have in hand. I used carrots, French beans, capsicum and also green peas. I used few Anaheim peppers which I love to use in my recipes. If u don’t find any in ur place, just skip that. This idea struck me when I had extra heavy cream in my refrigerator after using it for Crème Brulee. You can replace the cream with milk too. Even cashew paste works well in replacing it. Just soak the cashews in hot water and grind into a smooth paste. TH just loved this combo with chapathi and he says it tasted like Jalfrezi. Here is the recipe for creamy veg curry.

Kale Stir-Fry | Kale leaves Poriyal

I generally love to have greens (keerai) in my meal every day. When I was in India, I love to have all varieties of keerai especially siru keerai (tropical amaranthus) poriyal. But it became tough for me to get the fresh greens here. I never even attempted to buy frozen foods which are packed from India. So I wanted to give a try with the greens which are available here. I tried to make poriyal with kale and it turned out awesome. I served it with the spicy garlic kuzhambu and with some vadams topped with a spoon of ghee. It tasted heavenly. Please do try this at home and let me know the reviews.

Preparation time: less than 5 mins
Cooking time: 10-15mins

Sambar Powder Recipe | How to make Sambar Powder | Home-Made Sambar Powder Recipe

Hey there!!! Hope you all are doing well. I know summer has started early and it is time to post few recipes which can be done during this season. Mostly we make use of this hot climate to prepare sun-dried goods. One among them is vadams and fryums. This time I made Sambar powder by myself at home. Generally I used to get it from amma and now I wanted to make it myself. So I got the proportions for a family of two. Amma make the powder in kilo’s since the consumption is more there and she utilize the mill which is near to my home. She used to dry the chillies and coriander seeds in the sun and fry that for a minute. After that she will give it to the mill and it does the job perfectly.

I used my hand mixer to dry powder the mixture and it came out well. So here is the recipe for making sambar powder handy. This powder can be used for making sambar and also can be used in certain gravies to get thick form of gravy and also in making sundals.

Check out easy sambar recipes here.

Chana Pulao | Easy Chole Pulao Recipe | Simple One-pot Meal

Preparation time: 6 hours (includes soaking time)
Cooking time: 15 mins

Restaurant-Style Chinese Noodle Recipe | Indo-Chinese Noodle Recipe | Easy Veg Chinese Noodles

Chinese items are something which I always crave to eat outside. Who else will not like??!! They are extremely delicious and in the same way they also use MSG and vinegar which is not recommended for health. I started making it at home and finalized with the recipe. I hope you all remember the Chicken fried Rice Recipe which I shared long before. The recipe is applicable for this too.

I used the sauces which are store bought and even the noodle pack from a local Chinese shop. The trick is to follow the pack instruction correctly to get the long no-mess noodle. I had given the hyperlink for the sauce I had used in the recipe. To give a special touch, I use Anaheim peppers and I loved the taste of it along with the noodle. Never allow the veggies to be soggy. Make sure the flame is high and the veggies remain crunchy. Also add enough of oil to avoid burning of the veggies and chillies in the bottom. A wide open wok will help to do the job best. You need real patience to chop the veggies, else chop them nicely in a chopper. Don’t start with the recipe, unless you are ready with the veggies. Hey there! Don’t forget to check my other Indo-chinese Recipes here. 

Preparation time: 15-20mins

Cooking time: 5-7 mins

Broccoli Paratha Recipe

I must first apologize for my long absence and not being active in blogging. Had lots and lots of work scheduled for the whole month and badly gets time to relax. I had so much of recipe pending to be blogged and am sure I ll share those as soon as possible. Now coming to the recipe Broccoli Paratha is something new which am trying for the past few days. I generally don’t stuff vegetables inside chapathi. We (I and TH) don’t like the stuffed paratha. But nowadays felt bored to having the same usual chapathi and hitting head for the gravies to match up. Hence I tried Mixed Vegetable Paratha (recipe Coming Soon) and also this Broccoli Paratha.

This idea came up after making Broccoli rice. I, kind of minced the broccoli in my chopper and mixed it with rice. TH who doesn’t even like the taste of broccoli, surprisingly liked the dish.  This made me to think of stuffing the chapathi with broccoli, since they are healthier and importantly doesn’t need time to spend for making gravies. I rolled few chapathi as thick and finally tuned to roll it as thin as possible. The thin version is much tastier than the other. But you can try both as per ur wish. Now let’s move the recipe quick!!!

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 2-4 mins

Zucchini Chutney | Side dish for Idli, Dosa

Its spring time here in US and I just love the climate. The sun shines throughout the day and this is the best time for all outdoor activities. I find lots and lots of spring vegetables in the market. I had already tried few spring veggies in our tamil dishes. Check my Asparagus Chutney here. One veggie which attracted me this time is Zucchini. This a late spring and early summer veggie, but I found few in my market in cheaper rates now. So I grabbed one and tried to make chutney with that.   

Preparation and cooking time: 5-7 mins

Serves 3-4