MIXED VEGETABLE RICE RECIPE / KAAI SADHAM RECIPE

Mixed vegetable rice is a tasty and easy to make lunch box recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Cooked rice - 2 cups
Beans, carrot, potato, peas - 1 cup (cut into cubes)
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

(OR) sambar powder -1 tsp.

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Hing

Ghee - 1 tsp.
Garam masala -1/2 tsp.
Oil -2 tsp.
Salt - to taste

METHOD:

Wash and cut the vegetables into cubes. You can add any vegetable of your choice. I used Beans, carrot, fresh peas, potato and capsicum.

In a kadai, heat oil. Add cumin seeds and then chopped vegetables. Now, add turmeric powder, hing, salt and sambar powder. Mix well, sprinkle some water and cover with a lid and cook. When done, open the lid, add garam masala and sauté for 2 minutes. Add coriander leaves. 

Now, add the cooked rice, little salt for the rice, ghee and mix well without breaking the rice. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with any raita of your choice.

Variation: With onion. Sauté onion until translucent before adding vegetables.

Pavakkai vadakkal recipe/ Bittergourd fry recipe

 

INGREDIENTS:

Bittergourd (midhi pavakkai variety) - 1/2 kg.
Salt - as per taste
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 1 tsp.
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.

(OR) sambar powder- 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Oil - 2 tablespoons

METHOD:

Select tender bitter gourd. Wash well and finely chop them. Discard the seeds. 

In a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds and urad dhal and when golden brown, add the chopped bittergourd salt and sambar powder OR chilli powder and fry until it is cooked and crisp.

NOTE: To avoid bitterness, you can marinate bittergourd with salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes, and squeeze the water. But the bitterness is healthy and I do not prefer to marinate and squeeze.

BLACK EYED PEAS SUNDAL RECIPE, KARAMANI SUNDAL RECIPE, LOBIA SUNDAL RECIPE

Black eyed peas / Lobia, karamani in tamil, rich in fibres and protein, is available in two varieties red and white. 

👉👉Red cow peas sundal recipe link 

👉👉Karamani sweet sundal recipe link

INGREDIENTS:

White karamani 

(Black eyed peas/Lobia) - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves- to garnish

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.

Urad dhal - 1 tsp.

Turmeric powder- a pinch (optional)

Hing - 1/4 tsp.

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 1 tablespoon

To grind coarsely without water:

Green chillies - 2

Scraped coconut - 1/4 cup

METHOD:

Dry roast karamani, soak for 2 hours and pressure cook along with salt for 2 whistles or until soft. When the pressure releases, take out, drain the water and keep aside.

In a kadai, heat oil, add ingredients given in "to temper", add cooked karamani, mix well, add the coarsely ground mixture, saute for a minute. Mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot or warm

Kadalai paruppu sundal recipe/Chenna dal sundal recipe

Kadalai paruppu sundal is an easy sundal, made without much soaking time.

INGREDIENTS:

Kadalai paruppu/Chenna dal - 1 cup

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Scraped coconut - 1/4 cup

Finely grated ginger - 1/4 tsp.

Hing - 1/4 tsp.

Salt - to taste

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.

Urad dhal - 1 tsp.

Dry red chilli or green chilli - 2

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 2 tsp.

METHOD:

Wash well and soak kadalai paruppu (chenna dal) for 45 minutes. Drain water. Cook soaked dal in boiling water, open pot method along with salt and turmeric powder, until soft but not mushy. Drain and keep aside.

OR pressure cook for 2 whistles until soft. When the pressure releases, take out and drain the water completely and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds,  when it splutters, add urad dhal, chillies, fry. When urad dhal turns golden brown, add hing, grated ginger and curry leaves, saute quickly and add cooked dal. Mix well. Saute for a couple of minutes, add grated coconut, mix well and serve.

Grapes Sheera Recipe / Sheera Recipe

Sheera, a popular prasadam in Perumal temples is prepared with milk and no added colours. Also known as sooji halwa and kesari, this is a traditional sweet, prepared at home with milk or water, during festivities and for breakfast as well. I was tempted to make it with these grapes (in Australia) which was so tasty. 

INGREDIENTS:

Double roasted rava/sooji - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Grapes puree - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cashew and raisins - few

Cardamom powder -  1/4 tsp.

Saffron strands - few (optional)

METHOD:

Grind grapes in a mixie. I have used seedless grapes. 

In a kadai, heat a spoon of ghee and fry the cashew and raisins until golden brown, keep aside. 

In the same kadai, fry rawa (sooji) until you feel a nice aroma. 

Add hot water gradually, stir quickly so that no lumps are formed. Add ground grapes, little ghee. Cover with a lid and allow it to get cooked. 

Now add sugar, stir, mix well. Add some more ghee. Initially while adding sugar, the mixture looks like forming lumps. Do not panic. Mix well, stir continuously mashing the lumps, and the sugar melts well. Add remaining ghee.

Add cardamom powder, fried cashews and raisins. Cook until the mixture comes together, forms a mass and separates from the pan.

Serve warm or hot.

Mahalaya Paksha Thaligai - Part 3

Mahalaya Paksha Thaligai - Part 3

Common practice,and tradition 👇👇

Appam Recipe and video link: https://www.shanthisthaligai.com/2009/12/appam-tanjore-style.html?m=1

Mahalaya Paksha Thaligai - Part 2

Mahalaya Paksha Thaligai - Part 2
Common doubts and tradition 👇👇

 

Mahalaya Paksha Thaligai - Part 1

Mahalaya Paksha Thaligai

Appam (Tanjore style) Recipe link:

https://www.shanthisthaligai.com/2009/12/appam-tanjore-style.html?m=1

 

Broken Wheat Kadambam recipe / Dalia Kadambam recipe

Jai Sri Jagannath 😊 

Broken Wheat Kadambam / Dalia Kadambam (Iyengar special Kadambam with a twist) made with samba godhumai kurunai (not godhumai rava). I have been making this for more than 20 years, similar to Iyengar kadambam, with a slight twist, during vrat days when rice and tamarind is not permitted, but have not posted in my blog. Some of my close friends and family members asked me to post it in blog. I promised to post it soon. Hence, posting this Dalia Kadambam.

INGREDIENTS:

Broken wheat - 1 cup
Tur dhal - 1/2 cup
Raw mango chopped - 1/2 cup
Mixed vegetables - 3 cups (Ash gourd, Beans, Carrot, Pumpkin, Potato)
Tomato - 1
Green chilly - 1
Sambar powder - 1tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.

Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Gingelly oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt - to taste

To fry in oil and powder:
Oil - 1 tsp.
Coriander seeds - 3 tablespoons
Bengal gram - 2 tsp.
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 2 tsp.
Dry red chillies - 2 (or more as needed)
Pepper - 1/2 tsp.
Hing

To temper:
Ghee - 1 tsp.
Dry red chillies - 2
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Curry leaves - a sprig

METHOD:

Dry roast broken wheat until it changes colour to white. Wash and drain water. Add turmeric powder, salt.

Peel and roughly chop mango. Add to broken wheat. 

Pressure cook broken wheat and tur dhal with turmeric in separate containers, mash well and keep aside. Water ratio 3:1

Cut vegetables and tomato into medium-sized pieces.

In a pan, heat a teaspoon of oil and add the items given in the list "To fry in oil and powder" until golden brown. When cool, powder coarsely in a mixie. Keep aside.

 

In the same pan, heat the remaining oil, temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry chilly, green chilly, hing and add tomato. Saute a bit and add all the vegetables, a pinch of turmeric powder and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add little salt, sambar powder, sprinkle little water and cover with a lid.

When done, add cooked broken wheat and mashed dhal, ground powder, little salt and mix well without any lumps. 

Add enough water to get the desired consistency and cook for 3-4 more minutes stirring frequently. Temper with the ingredients (given in the list "to temper"). Finally add a spoon of raw gingelly oil and ghee. Mix.

Offer to Perumal.

Serve hot with any vadaam or poricha appalam.

VARIATION: 

1. With or without tamarind

2. Can be made as one pot dish. But tastes perfect when made as said above.

Pacha Manga Chammanthi Recipe

Pacha manga chammanthi is a Kerala style, sour and spicy thogayal, made with raw mangoes, coconut, shallots and chillies. Traditional chammanthi calls in for shallots. But I have not used.

Best when served with kanji and can be mixed with hot rice, topped with ghee. A good accompaniment with curd rice as well. Mangoes that are raw (unripe) and slightly sour is used for this chammanthi.

INGREDIENTS:

Sour raw mango - 1/2

Green chillies - 2

Dry red chillies - 2

Coconut grated - 1/2 cup

Salt - to taste

Ginger - a small piece

Curry leaves - few

METHOD:

Roughly peel and chop raw mango.

Coarsely grind the mango pieces, green chilies, dry red chilies and ginger. Do not add water.

Add grated coconut, salt and curry leaves and grind again to a thick, coarse paste.

Serve with hot rice topped with ghee OR kanji and pappadam.

NOTE:

Do not add water while grinding. The moisture from the mango is enough.

Add chillies according to your taste buds. This chammanthi tastes great if a bit spicy. You can also use green chillies instead of red chillies OR a mix of green and dry red chillies.

AVAKKAI PICKLE RECIPE

 

INGREDIENTS:

Mangoes cut into cubes with shell – 6
cups
Turmeric powder - 1/4 cup 
Chilli powder - 1 cup 

(I used 3/4 cup chilli powder and 1/4 cup  Kashmiri chilli powder)
Crystal salt (powdered) - 1 cup 
Mustard seeds powder - 1 cup 
Methi seeds - 1 tablespoon
Black chenna dhal - a handful 
Gingelly oil (Sesame Oil) - 2 to 3 cups

METHOD:

Select firm mangoes (preferably avakkai variety as it stands for a longer period). Wash and cut mangoes into slightly big cubes with the shell (this is an important step and slightly tough job) OR get it cut by the vendor. 

Remove the membrane sticking to the shell from all the cut pieces. Wipe each mango piece with a clean white cloth and allow it to dry completely.  

Powder crystal salt. Powder mustard seeds.  

In a wide vessel, put cut mangoes, add turmeric powder and oil, mix well until all the mangoes are coated. 

Take another wide vessel, add mustard powder, chilli powder, salt, fenugreek seeds, black channa, oil and mix well. Take a handful of cut mango, coat it in the above mixture and put in a glass bowl or jar. Repeat the process with all cut mangoes.

Transfer it to a clean porcelain jar OR sterile bottle, add some more oil, mix well and close tightly.  Mix well daily with a long wooden spatula for 5 or 6 days. Hot and spicy avakkai is ready. 

Another less spicy version and a quick version can be seen here. 

NOTE : Always use a dry spoon to take out the mangoes.

Palakkotai mangai aviyal recipe / Chakka kuru manga aviyal recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Jackfruit seeds (Chakka kuru) -  1 cup

Raw mango peeled and chopped - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp. 

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Green chillies - 2 or 3

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

Thick curd - 1/4 cup

Salt - as per taste

Coconut oil - 2 tablespoons

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

METHOD:

Cut jackfruit seeds lengthwise.

Peel and chop raw mango.

Grind coconut, jeera, green chillies to a medium coarse paste.

In a pan, cook jackfruit seeds with salt, turmeric powder and little water. When cooked, add chopped raw mangoes. When done, add the ground coconut paste. Cook until the raw smell diffuses. In a pan, heat 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, and curry leaves. Add to the mixture. Switch off the heat. Add thick curd, coconut oil and mix well. Serve with rice.

Javvarisi vadam recipe/ Sago vadam recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Javvarisi (Sago/Sabudana) - 1/2 kg

Water - 5 1/2-6 ltr

Green chillies - 3 or 4 medium size 

Salt - to taste

Lemon juice of 1 key lime - (optional)

Hing - 1 tsp.

This vadam is a crunchy and delicious treat for our taste buds. This is very easy to make. It can be served as a side dish in South Indian thali or can be had as a snack.

METHOD:

Clean javvarisi (sago)  without mud and stones, wash gently two or three times and drain the water completely. Now pour water an inch above sago, soak overnight. (Use maavu  javvarisi, do not use nylon javvarisi).

Next day morning, grind green chillies with little salt, hing and lemon juice, strain and keep ready. If you grind it very fine, you need not strain. Measure water and keep ready. 

The sago would have absorbed all the water by now. Rake the sabudana gently with fork or hand. Add half a litre of water and gently mix without lumps.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel, add remaining water, when it boils add the sago mixture. When half done, add green chilli water. (If the paste is very fine, you can add directly without straining). Add salt and mix well. Usually, for vadam, use little less salt, as the vadam turns salty when dried in sun. (You can taste and see. You should feel the salt is little less). Cook until the sago turns translucent.  

When slightly cool, spread a cotton cloth or quality plastic sheet in mottai maadi (open terrace) and pour the mixture with a spoon to a round shape. Dry in the hot sun for two to three days until bone dry and store in an air-tight container. Deep fry in hot oil when required. Serve with South Indian meals as side dish or can be had as snack.

You can add tomato puree or pudina puree when half done and cook as said above for pudina javvarisi vadam and tomato javvarisi vadam. I made tricolour vadam like this for our Independence day. 

Version 1 of NOT soaking javvarisi and making vadaam is here.

NOTE: 

1. Its always better to use clean white cloth to spread vadam, to prevent health hazards. Alternatively you can use a good quality plastic sheet.

2. Its better to add little lemon juice. If you add more lemon juice, vadam will turn red while frying.

3. Add little green chillies, just for taste. If you add more, the spicy, pungent aroma(நெடி) of the chilli goes straight to the nose while eating and will cause irritation in nose. 

4. Use little less salt than usual, as the vadam turns salty when dried in sun. (You can taste and see. You should feel the salt is little less).

5. If using the cloth for drying, the vadam sticks to the cloth and it will be difficult to peel the vadam. How to take vadam from cloth? 

When the vadam is dry completely, turn the cloth upside down, sprinkle water on the backside of the cloth, now turn the cloth and within few minutes, it will be easy to peel the vadam. Transfer to a  big plate, and sun dry again for a day or until completely dry.

Pachai pattani sundal recipe/ Green peas sundal recipe

Pattani sundal is everyone's favourite sundal made with dried green or white peas. Thenga Manga pattani sundal, a popular beach sundal recipe can be seen 👉👉 here . Now, off to the regular pattani sundal, which we make for Navarathri...

INGREDIENTS:

Pachai pattani or Vellai pattani (Dried Green peas or White peas) -1 cup
Salt - to taste
Grated coconut - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder- a pinch

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal -1 tsp
Hing- a generous pinch
Dry red chillies or Green chillies- 2
Curry leaves -1 sprig

METHOD:

Soak pachai pattani (dried green peas) for 6 hours minimum or overnight. Drain soaked water. Add sufficient water to immerse the peas, little salt, turmeric powder and pressure cook for 2,3 whistles (depends on your pressure cooker) or until soft. 

Once done, drain the excess water.

Heat a kadai with oil, add items in 'To temper'.

Add cooked pattani (peas), salt, grated coconut. Mix everything well, sprinkle little water and stir fry for a few minutes until the salt is absorbed evenly. Pachai pattani sundal ready.

NOTE: 

Do not overcook. If overcooked also skin peels off and will become mushy.

Sometimes the skin comes off while cooking with salt. So add little salt while cooking and remaining salt during tadka. 

VARIATION:

Grind green chillies, little coriander leaves and grated coconut to a coarse paste.  Heat oil, temper, add cooked peas and ground paste, mix well until raw smell diffuses.

Sprouted Moth bean sundal recipe / Moth bean sprouts sundal

Sprouts have always been considered super healthy. This sundal is simple to make and highly nutritious. A quick, tasty, protein filled sundal. The method to sprout will be posted later. 

INGREDIENTS:

Sprouted moth beans - 3 cups
(Any sprouts of your choice can be used)
Scraped coconut - 2 tablespoons
Salt - to taste

Lemon juice- as needed

To temper:

Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric powder - a pinch.
Urad dhal - 1 tsp.
Green chillies - 1 or 2
Hing
Curry leaves - few

METHOD:

Steam cook sprouted moth beans for 5  minutes until soft, add salt as needed, temper with the given ingredients. Add scraped coconut. Squeeze half a lemon, mix well. Sprouted moth beans sundal is ready for offering.

NOTE: Any sprouted lentils can be made in this way.

Karamani sweet sundal/Sweet Sundal recipe

SWEET SUNDAL:

This is made only with Karamani(cow peas) or Pachaipayaru(green gram).

INGREDIENTS:

Karamani or Pachaipayaru - 1 cup
Crushed jaggery - 1/3 cup
Salt - a pinch

Temperings:
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Dry red chilly - 1
Scraped coconut - 1/4 cup

METHOD:

Dry roast karamani or green gram for 3 min., soak for 1/2 an hour and pressure cook with a pinch of salt for 2 whistles or until soft, drain the water completely. Heat a teaspoon of oil and temper with mustard seeds and dry red chilly. add the cooked karamani/greengram and jaggery. When thick add coconut and mix well.

Sweet sundal is ready for offering.

Buckwheat Khichdi recipe/Kuttu Ki Khichdi recipe

                                                                            

Buckwheat khichdi (Kuttu Ki Khichdi) is an Ekadashi/Navarathri fasting recipe with buckwheat groats (kuttu dalia). Buckwheat is light on stomach. The health benefits can be seen in my  👉👉 buckwheat pasta recipe.

Ingredients:

Buckwheat groats/ Kuttu Dana - 1 cup
Potato - 1 medium sized
Grated ginger - 1 tsp.

Green chilli - 1 (roughly chopped) 

Black pepper - 1/4 tsp. (roughly crushed)

Dry roasted peanut powder - 2 tablespoons
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tablepoons

Peanut oil - 2 tsp.

Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - few
lemon juice - optional

Method:

Dry roast, wash and soak buckwheat groats in water for an hour. Drain water. Soaked buckwheat👇👇.

Add 2 cups water, salt and pressure cook for 3 whistles. When pressure is released, take out and fluff it.

Meanwhile, peel and chop potato. Dry roast and coarse grind peanuts. 

Heat oil in a kadai, add cumin seeds. When it crackles, add chopped potato, grated ginger, curry leaves, green chilly and required salt. Cook until potatoes are done. Now add peanut powder, stir well. Add cooked buckwheat and ghee, mix well. 

Add lemon juice (optional).

Serve with curd or chutney of your choice. 

Buckwheat pasta recipe

Buckwheat is a seed which is gluten free and rich in heart-healthy nutrients. It lowers cholestrol and helps in managing diabetes. Buckwheat is a good source of protein, fiber, magnesium and improves heart health. It also has a good source of plant compounds.

Video: 👇👇

Buckwheat is commonly used in North India on Ekadasi and Vrat days, as it is not a grain and thus approved for days when you are fasting from grains. Buckwheat flour is popularly known as 'Kuttu ka Atta' in North India. However, Ekadasi/Vrat protocols are different in South India.

Ingredients: 

Buckwheat pasta - 2 cups
Tricoloured bell peppers and Broccoli - 2 cups
No rennett parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
Blanched tomato puree - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tsp.
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Milk - as needed
Salt - to taste
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp.
Dried basil - 1 tsp.

Method:

Boil water. Add pasta, salt, oil. Cook al dente or follow instructions in pack. Drain.

Heat pan, add butter. When butter melts, add veggies, salt, tomato puree, stir. Add milk as needed. Mix, allow to boil.

Add cooked buckwheat pasta. Mix gently, add black pepper powder , oregano and dried basil. Add milk to get desired consistency. Cook in low flame for 3-4 minutes. 

Yummy buckwheat pasta is ready. Offer to Krishna 🙏🙏. Serve hot.

VAZHAIPOO PITLAI RECIPE / BANANA BLOSSOM PITLAI RECIPE / BANANA FLOWER PITLAI RECIPE

Vazhaipoo (banana flower) is a super food with excellent source of dietary fibres and has many health benefits. These flowers are loaded with magnesium, which improves mood swings and brings down stress levels. It is packed with essential minerals like protein, potassium, calcium, copper, phosphorus and iron. 

INGREDIENTS:

• Vazhaipoo (Banana blossom) - 3 cups chopped
• Tamarind - half the size of a lemon
• Cooked black channa dhal - 1/2 cup
• Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
• Cooked gram dhal (kadalai paruppu) - 2 tablespoons
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
• Salt - to taste

To fry in oil and dry grind to a powder:

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper - 6 nos.
• Gram dhal - 1 tablespoon
• Urad dhal - 1 tablespoon
• Dry red chillies - 2 or 3
• Coconut scraped - 3 tablespoons
• Hing - a small berry sized

To temper:

• Oil - 1 tsp.
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
• Split urad dhal - 1/2 tsp.
• Curry leaves - a sprig

 

METHOD:

Clean and chop banana blossoms as said here. Pressure cook toor dhal, mash and keep aside. Cook black chenna dal and gram dhal separately with turmeric powder. When cooked, drain the water completely and keep aside. Soak tamarind in water and extract juice from it. Keep aside.

Fry the items(except coconut) given in "To fry in oil and grind to a paste". Dry grind to a coarse powder.

Heat oil in the same kadai, add tempering items, when golden brown, add squeezed banana blossoms, add turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Add little water, cook covered and when half done, add mashed tur dhal, cooked kala chenna and gram dal, pour in the tamarind extract and allow it to boil for a while until raw smell diffuses. Now add ground powder. Allow it to boil until thick.

Vazhaipoo pitlai (Banana blossom) pitlai is ready to be served with hot rice and ghee.

BROKEN WHEAT PONGAL RECIPE / DALIA PONGAL RECIPE / LAPSI PONGAL RECIPE

Broken wheat pongal is a healthy and easy South Indian breakfast dish prepared with samba variety  wheat.  It is known as Dalia in Hindi. I make this during vrat days. This dish is bachelor friendly and a healthy substitute for rice as well.
NOTE:  Vegans can avoid ghee and use any plant based oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• Broken wheat - 1/2 cup 
• Moong dal - 1/2 cup 
• Black pepper - 1/8 tsp. 
• Cumin seeds - 1/8 tsp. 
• Grated ginger - 1 tsp 
• Asafoetida 
• Water - 2 cups
• Salt - to taste 
• Curry leaves 

To temper:

• Oil - 1 tablespoon 
• Ghee - 1 tablespoon 
• Pepper-jeera powder - 2 tsp

 

METHOD:

• Heat a pan and dry roast broken wheat until it becomes white.
• Dry roast moong dal until hot.
• Wash both dal and broken wheat, drain and keep aside.
• Take a vessel, add water and all ingredients, mix well and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
• When the pressure is released, take out the vessel, add pepper-jeera powder to the pongal. Heat oil and ghee and pour on top of it. Mix well. Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.