Creamy Soya Kurma

This is a unique kurma which has made up of creamy cashew paste. It’s a mild and tasty kurma.

Soya has rich in protein. I am sure this should be one of the mouthwatering kurma.

This goes very well with chapattis/roti/idli/dosa…

Ingredients

Soaked Soya Chunks – 2 cup

Sliced Onions – 2 (big)

Chopped Cauliflower – 1 cup (soaked in hot water)

Chopped Tomatoes – 1 cup

Sliced Green Chilli – 2

Chopped Beans – ½ cup

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Chilli Powder – ½ tsp

To Paste

Grated Coconut – ½ cup

Cashew Nuts – 1 cup

To Temper

Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp

Curry Leaves – few

Chopped Coriander Leaves – few

Sesame Oil – 3 tsp

Method

In a pan, heat oil. Add the tempering ingredients one by one and saute it for few seconds.

Then add sliced onions and saute it till it gets brown in color.

Add ginger garlic paste, sliced green chilli, and chopped tomatoes and saute well.

Add soaked soya chunks with required salt and mix well.

Now add chopped cauliflower and beans and mix well.

Then add enough water, chilli powder and close the lid to cook well the vegetables completely.

In a blender, add grated coconut and cashew nut with little water. Then make it as fine paste.

Add this into kurma. Let it be for 2 to 3 min. Then switch off the flame. 

Then serve with hot chapatti/Poori.

Mustard Chutney

This is hot and spicy chutney in my amma’s kaivannam. If you want to keep chutney for long days, you can go with this. Only thing you need to do keep it in air tight container. It won’t be spoil immediately.

This goes very well with idli and dosa…

Ingredients

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 10

Hing (Small Pieces) – ¼ tsp

Salt to Taste

Tamarind – small sized ball

Jaggery Powder – ½ tsp

Oil – 2 tsp

To Temper

Curry Leaves – few

Chopped Coriander Leaves – few

Sesame Oil – 5 to 6

Method

In a pan, heat oil. Add hing and dry red chilli. Let it be for few seconds. Now take it out, and then keep it aside.

In that same pan, add another tsp of oil and heat it. Then add mustard seeds and sauté it for few min. Switch off the flame.

Add the tamarind ball in to this pan. Let it cool down completely. 

In a blender add sautéed hing, red chilli, mustard seeds, salt, tamarind, jaggery and grind it as fine paste.

In a pan, heat sesame oil. Then add curry leaves, coriander leaves let it be for few sec. Then add the ground paste of mustard and cook it for 2 to 3 min. 

Then switch off the flame. Serve with hot idli/dosa.

Neer Urundai

I am a big fan of Naatu Palakaram. In my nativity this is one of the famous foods… when I was in childhood my mom used to make for me… Luckily my mom came USA to stay with us.… and making some special dishes for us. I would like to share all of my mom recipes in my blog. Hopefully it will helpful to others… Me and shanu loves a lot... 

It is a healthy and tasty snack. This goes very well with coconut/onion chutney…

Ingredients

Idli Rice – 2 Cups

Grated Coconut – 1 cup

Oil – 2 tsp

Salt as required

Chopped Coriander Leaves - few

To Temper

Mustard Seeds – 2 tsp

Urad Dal – 2 tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 3 (Broken into small pieces)

Finely Chopped Curry Leaves – few

Sesame Oil – 3 tsp

Method

Wash and soak the idli rice at least for 2 hours.

In a grinder, add the soaked rice with required salt and grind it. Please make sure it should not be fine flour.

In a kadai, heat oil. And add this flour and mix well for 4 to 5 min. Then switch off the flame.

In a pan, heat oil. Add the tempering items one by one and sauté it for few seconds.

Now add the grated coconut and sauté it for few min.

And add these tempering items into the flour.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well. And make it as small sized ball.

In an idli cooker, place these balls and cook it properly. 

Once it done then serve with coconut chutney/Kara chutney/Tomato Ketchup…

Roasted Elephant Yam

It is the simple and tasty side dish. It is very easy to make. This goes very well with fried rice, kuzhambu sadam, variety rice, chapatti, bread…

Ingredients

Chopped Elephant Yam – 1 ½ cups

Finely Chopped Onion – 1 (big)

Chopped Tomato – 1

Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

Garam Masala – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil as required

(To Temper)

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilli - 2

Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp

Curry Leaves – few

Coriander Leaves – few

Method

Bring some water to boil in a vessel, then add little salt and elephant yam then cook for 10 min.

Strain the excess water and put it in a paper towel.

In a pan, heat oil. Then add the cooked elephant yam pieces into oil. And fry these pieces and keep it n a paper towel.

In a pan, heat oil. Add the tempering ingredients one by one.

Then add the chopped onions and fry well.

Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till it becomes mushy.

Now add chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder and mix well.

Once it done, then add the chopped coriander leaves. 

Then serve hot with steamed rice…

Spinach Fried Rice

This is simple and healthy rice. Normally we are making poriyal, kootu, sambar with spinach... But I want to make something special by using spinach. It came out very well. We liked so much. Why can't you all give a try to make this yummy dish!!!

This goes very well with any fry, papad, onion raita...

Ingredients

To Cook Rice

Basmati Rice – 2 cups

Water – 3 cups

Ghee – 4 tsp

Cardamom – 4

Cloves – 4

Cinnamon Sticks – 2

Sliced Green Chilli - 2

Bay Leaf – 1

Salt to taste

(For Fried Rice)

Finely Chopped Onions – 2 (big)

Finely Chopped Ginger – 2 tsp

Finely Chopped Capsicum – 1 cup

Cooked Green Peas - 1 cup

Finely Chopped Spinach Leaves – 1 bunch

To Temper

Ghee - 1 tsp

Red Chilli - 3

To Garnish

Fried Cashew nuts – 3 tsp

Chopped Coriander Leaves - few

Method

In a pressure cooker, heat ghee. Add bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick and saute it for few sec.

Then add basmati rice saute it for few min. Add little salt and enough water.

Then cook till 2 whistles come out. Let it cool for few min.

Heat a pan, add chopped ginger and saute it for few min.

Now add chopped capsicum and let it fry well another 2 to 3 min.

Add chopped onions and fry till it becomes slight brown in color.

Finally add chopped spinach and saute it well. Now add cooked peas and mix well.

Then add the rice and mix well.

In a pan heat ghee. Add the tempering ingredients and fry for a min. And add this into rice.

Let it be for another 5 min on slow flame. Add fried cashew nuts and chopped coriander leaves. 

Yummy spinach fried rice is ready to serve.

Corn Flour Halwa

It is a very quick and easy halwa. My son wanted to make some instant sweet. So I made this. It came out very well. Why can’t you all try for your kids! They’ll definitely love this…

Ingredients

Corn Flour – ½ cup

Granulated Sugar – 1 cup

Salt – a pinch

Cardamom – 3

Pistachio – 5

Color Powder – a pinch

Chopped Cashew Nuts – 2 tsp

Dry Grapes – 2 tsp

Ghee – ½ cup

Water – 2 ½ cup

Method

In a bowl, take corn flour and 1 ½ cups of water and mix well. It should not contain any lumps.

In a pan, heat 1 cup of water. When it starts boiling, add the sugar. When it starts boiling, add the corn flour mix.

Add color powder and little salt and keep continuously stirring it.

When u gets right consistency, add ghee and stir it.

In a pan, heat remaining ghee. Add cardamom, chopped cashew nuts, dry grapes and saute it for few sec.

Then add into this corn flour halwa… Garnish with pistachio.

Yummy and delicious halwa is ready to serve!!!

Goan Green Chicken Curry

This greenish chicken curry is very popular in Goa. It is almost available all over restaurant in there.

 This goes very well with ghee rice, fried rice, pulao...

Ingredients

(To Grind)

Chicken Pieces – ½ kg

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Curry Leaf – few

Chopped Green Chilli – 2

Chopped Mint Leaves – 1 cup

Grated Coconut – 1 cup

Chopped Coriander Leaves – 2 cup

Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp

Peppercorn – ½ tsp

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

Chopped Onion – 1 (big)

Cinnamon Stick – 1

Cardamom – 5

Dry Red Chilli – 4

Salt to taste

Water as required

(For Gravy)

Finely Chopped Onions – 2 (big)

Oil – 3 tsp

(To Temper)

Cardamom – 1

Bay Leaf – 1

Clove – 2

Cinnamon Sticks – 2

Method

In a blender, add the ingredients which are under to grind and make it as fine paste and keep it aside.

In a kadai, heat oil. Add the tempering ingredients and sauté it for few sec.

Then add the chopped onions and sauté well. Then add Chicken pieces and mix well with salt.

Let it cook for few min. Then add the ground masala. And sauté well until the raw smell goes well.

Then cook another 10 to 15 on medium flame till the chicken becomes soft and tender.

Once the curry ready, then switch of the flame.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

Chettinad Baingan Masala

This is a spicy chettinad style Baingan masala. It gives nice flavor and taste to this dish.

 This goes very well with steamed white rice/chapatti/idli/dosa...

Ingredients

Eggplant/Brinjal – 8

Oil – 3 Tsp

Curry Leaves – 1 Sprig

Chopped Onion – 1 Cup

Chopped Tomato – 1/2 Cup

Chopped Cilantro – 2 Tsp

Salt – to taste

For Masala

Poppy Seeds – 1 Tsp (Soaked in cup warm water)

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Green Chillies – 2

Garlic – 3 Cloves

Fresh Coconut – 1/2 Cup

Roast & Grind

Cumin Seeds – 1/4 tsp

Peppercorns – 1/4 tsp

Curry Leaves – few

Fennel Seeds – 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch piece

Roasted Gram Dal(Dalia) – 1 Tsp

Coriander Seeds – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp

Method

In a pan, heat oil then add in cumin seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon, dry red chillies and fry for 15 secs till they are fragrant.

Finally add in curry leaves, dalia and fry for few more secs.

And remove the roasted ingredients into a plate and allow them to cool completely.

Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Season it with curry leaves.

Then add in onion, brinjals, and pinch of salt mix well. Cover and cook till brinjals and onion.

So meanwhile make the fine powder from the roasted ingredients that we have kept aside.

And then make a smooth paste from the poppy seeds, green chillies, ginger, garlic, coconut and 1/4 cup of water and then set aside.

Add turmeric powder to the gravy followed by tomato, wet masala and cover to cook for 5 mins.

Add dry masala powder, 1/2 cup of water, salt, cilantro, cook for 3 mins.

Serve with hot steamed rice/roti…

Soya Chunk Chicken Curry

This is another yummy chicken curry. We love to have soya chunk. Then I thought an idea about using soya chunk to make chicken curry.

This combination works out well. This goes very well with steamed white rice, idli, dosa, chapatti, roti…

Ingredients

Soya Chunk – 1 ½ cups (Soaked)

Chicken – ½ kg

Chopped Onions – 1 ½ cup

Chopped Tomatoes – 1 cup

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Chopped Coriander Leaves – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tsp

For Dry Roast & Grind

Dry Red Chilli – 10

Coriander Seeds – 2 tsp

Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Peppercorn – ½ tsp

Cinnamon Sticks – 1

Cardamom – 2

Grated Coconut – 1/2

To Temper

Cardamom – 2

Cinnamon Stick – 1

Bay Leaf – 1

Curry Leaves – few

Method

In a pan dry roast all the ingredients which are under for “dry roast & grind” and saute it for few min and grind it as fine powder. Then keep it aside.

Wash and clean the chicken pieces and chop it into small pieces.

In a kadai, heat oil. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute it for few sec.

Then add chopped onions and fry till it becomes slight golden brown in color.

Now add Soaked soya chunk and saute it well with little salt.

Now add chopped chicken pieces and fry well.

Add few curry leaves and mix well. Then add tomato pieces and close the lid. Let it cook till it becomes mushy.

Add required to water to cook till the chicken pieces becomes tend and soft.

Now add Ground masala to curry and mix well. Then keep cook continuously till the chicken gets soft.

In a pan, heat oil. Add the tempering ingredients one by one, and saute it for few sec. Then add this into curry.

Serve with hot steamed rice/roti…

Maida Egg Adai

This is another simple and easy dish. It is very easy to prepare. This is a tastiest snack. You can prepare this for dinner/breakfast.

Ingredients

Maida/All Purpose Flour – 1 cup

Eggs – 2

Finely Chopped Onions – 1 cup

Finely Chopped Mint Leaves – ½ cup

Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves – ½ cup

Finely Chopped Green Chilli – 2

Finely Chopped Ginger – 1 tsp

Finely Chopped Garlic – 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Pepper Powder – to taste

Salt to taste

Water as required

Oil – 2 tsp

Method

In a big bowl, take all purpose flour, salt with required water and mix well. Make sure it should not have any lumps.

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, ginger, garlic and saute it for few sec.

Then add mint leaves and coriander leaves and saute it for minutes.

Add chopped green chilli and onion. Then saute it well.

Transfer this into a separate bowl. And beat eggs with little salt and pepper powder and mix well.

In a dosa pan, apply oil. And pour maida batter and make it as adai. Then put this egg beaten mix on top it. 

Let it cook well. Then serve with ketchup.

Mint Rasam

I was getting bored with regular rasam. Then I thought of prepare using mint leaves to make rasam. It came out very well. Try this simple, yummy and delicious rasam.
This goes very well with steamed white rice, papad & pickle...

Ingredients

Chopped Mint Leaves – 1 cup

Finely Chopped Onion – 3 tsp

Finely Chopped Tomato – 3 cup

Cooked Toor Dal – 1/5 cup

Crushed Ginger Garlic – 1 tsp

Tamarind Water – 1 cup

Chopped Coriander Leaves – few

(To Grind)

Fennel Seeds – few

Cumin Seeds – ¼ tsp

Peppercorn – 1/2 tsp

Garlic Pod – 1

To Temper

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 2

Curry Leaves – few

Oil – 2 tsp

Method

In a kadai, heat oil. Add crushed ginger and garlic and saute it in few sec.

Then add chopped mint leaves and saute it for few min.

Add chopped onions & tomatoes with salt and fry till it becomes mushy.

Now add tamarind water and chopped coriander leaves.

In a blender add the ingredients which are under to grind and make it as powder and add into rasam.

Add the cooked toor dal and mix well.

In a pan, heat oil. Add the tempering ingredients and saute it for few sec.

And transfer into rasam. Then switch off the flame.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

Chicken Drumstick Curry

Are you getting bored of regular chicken curry? Try this new recipe... It will also give nice aroma and great taste.

This goes very well with steamed white rice, chapatti...

Ingredients

Chicken – ½ kg

Chopped Drumstick – 2 cups

Chopped Potato – 1 cup

Crushed Ginger Garlic – 2 tsp

Salt to Taste

Sliced Green Chilli – 10

Chopped Onions – 2 cups

Chopped Tomato – 1 cup

Chopped Coriander Leaves – 1 cup

Oil – 3 tsp

To Temper

Vengaya Vadagam

Curry Leaves – few

For Dry Roast & Grind

Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Peppercorn – 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 2

Coriander Seeds – 1 tsp

Method

Clean and wash the chicken and chop it into small pieces.

In a kadai, heat oil. Add crushed ginger garlic and saute it for few sec.

Add chillies and saute it for few sec.

Then add chopped onions and fry till it becomes mushy.

Add chicken pieces with enough salt and saute it for few min.

Add chopped drumstick and potato pieces then fry well.

Add the chopped tomatoes and enough water then close the lid.

Heat a pan, and dry roast the ingredients which are under for dry roast and grind then make it as powder.

Then add into this chicken curry. Mix it well. Then add chopped coriander leaves.

Let it cook for another 10 min.

Heat oil in pan, add vengaya vadagam and curry leaf and let it be for few seconds.

Then add this tempering items into chicken curry and mix well. Then switch off the flame.

Mini Tiffin - 1 (Green Gram Pongal, Idli, Idli Sambar, Idli Podi)

Collection of tiffin items help to fulfill our stomach with happiness especially weekend or any special occasions. I hope you can enjoy to have this combo with your lovely family.

Idli Podi

Ingredients

Urad Dal – ½ cup

Channa Dal – ½ cup

Hing – ½ tsp

Peanuts – a handful

Garlic – 3 pods

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Tamarind - 1/5 tsp

For Dry Roast

Sesame Seeds – 2 tsp

Curry Leaves – a handful

Dry Red Chilli – 25

Method

Heat a pan, and dry roast the ingredients one by one which are under to “dry roast” and keep it aside.

In the same pan, heat oil. Add hing, urad dal and roast it till gets slight brown in color and transfer into a plate.

Then add channa dal and roast it for another few min and transfer into plate.

Add peanuts and roast it for few min then transfer into a plate.

Let it cool down completely and grind it as fine powder.

Finally add garlic powder and grind it one more time. 

Keep it in tight air container and serve with hot idlies.

Green Gram Pongal

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Green gram - 3/4 cup

Finely Chopped Ginger – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

(To Temper)

Pepper -2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida/Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Ghee – 2 tsp

Cashew – 3 tsp

Method

Wash & Soak green gram overnight. Then soak basmati rice at least for 30 min.

Then pressure cook rice and gram with 1 tsp of ghee and together with 5 cups of water for 4 to 5 whistles. The rice should be mushy.
Once it done, allow it to cool. In a pan, heat ghee. Add the tempering ingredients one by one and saute it for few sec.

Add the tempering ingredients to rice and mix well. Add melted ghee on top of it.

Serve hot with sambar/chutney/kurma… 

Idli Sambar

Ingredients

Toor Dal – 1 cup

Potato – 2 (Big)

Chopped Carrots - 2

Shallots (Small Onions) – 20

Sliced Green Chilli – 4

Chopped Tomatoes – 2

Tamarind – small sized ball

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Salt to taste

To roast & grind

Coriander Seeds – 1 tsp

Channa Dal – 1 tsp

Red Chillies – 4

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek Seeds – ½ tsp

Curry Leaves – few

Asafoetida – ½ tsp

To Temper

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 2

Urad Dal – ½ tsp

Curry Leaves – few

Coriander Leaves – few

Oil – 2 tsp

Sesame oil – ½ tsp

Method

Soak tamarind in warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes. It helps to extract tamarind juice easily.

Pressure cook toor dal for 5 whistles or till it becomes mushy, with two pinches of asafoetida, turmeric powder, few drops of sesame oil and 2 cups of water.

Wash the potatoes and cut into 4 slices and pressure cook it along with toor dal. Once it done, peel of potato skin and cut into small pieces.

Roast all the ingredients under to roast and grind. Do not burn anything. So roast everything on a low flame. Let it cool down and powder into coarse powder.

In a kadai, heat oil and add small onions then fry till it becomes mushy. Now add green chilli and tomatoes and fry till transparent.

Extract tamarind juice from the tamarind. Dilute it and make it 1 cup of it and add start heating in a pressure cooker/kadai.

Add the fried onions, tomatoes to it. Then add few curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt and bring to boil. Then add mashed or sliced potatoes.

Now add the coarse powder (sambar powder), keep pressure cook for another 2 whistles. If you need, add extra water to avoid lump formation. 

In a pan, heat oil add mustard seeds, urad dal, and dry red chilli, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Mix it with sambar.