Idli podi of any kind is quite staple in our home. We sprinkle, dip, spread it over anything from toast to piping hot anything with idli being on the top of the list. Almost once a week I pack Sid with idli podi for school and he loves it and never get bored. My MIL and amma make their…
Accompaniments
If you are looking for a new leafy green to shake up your spinach routine, try Amaranth ( Mulai Keerai / முளைக்கீரை ) greens. It is a terrific source of vitamin A, folate, iron, and calcium, and it tastes pleasantly earthy, available all year long in most Asian markets and Indian grocery stores. There are three common types of Amaranth leaves, one…
This Andhra style thokku is hot in taste and yummy. Usually in tamilnadu we prepare thokku with onion. This method is only with tomatoes.
Thakkali thokku/ Tomato thokku/ Thakali thokku/ Tomato pickle/ Thakkali oorukkai
Andhra style spicy stuffed brinjal roast. {Telugu to English} Vankaya ~~ Brinjal, Vepudu ~~ Dry Fry
Vankaya Vepudu / Brinjal Roast / Stuffed Brinjal / Eggplants / Eggplant Stir-fry / Brinjal Stir-fry / Stuffed Eggplant / Kathrikkai Varuval
Kale is one tough leafy vegetable with woodsy stalks and chewy leaves similar to Murungai Keerai, leaving us with few recipe options. Cooking this with lentils was considerably easy for intake with minimal effort. Tried this with Bengal gram, following traditional kootu preparation and had no problem with picky eaters. Fresh kale (green or purple) belong to the Wild cabbage / Broccoli family, rich in anti-oxidants with high nutrition content. These type of veggies usually get a red carpet welcome in my kitchen and will be honoured with lentil studded crown.
Spinach with broken cashews combined with spiced up flour blend to make this crispy snack. Pakoda mostly termed as "Pakora" in North Indian Sweet stalls are very rich with loads of ghee and nuts and usually seen with the combination of any leafy or mixed vegetables. This recipe of mine is for one such variety, petty much similar to regular pakoda with few additions.
Palak Pakoda / Spinach Pakoda / Keerai Pakoda / Cashewnut Pakoda / Pakodi / Ulli Pakodi / Pakora / Pattanam Pakoda / Sweet Stall Pakoda / Mint Street Style / Ghee Pakoda
Chicken Tikka Masala is a westernized Indian dish originating from Punjab. Succulent Tandoori Chicken cooked in creamy tomato onion cashew gravy with grilled veggies.
Restaurant Style Tikka Masala / British Tikka Masala / Tandoor Masala / Chicken Masala / Punjabi Tikka Masala
Long beans, are like any other beans except, its pod grow longer, about half a yard long and hence its also known as Yard long beans. They belong to the legume family (Cowpea / Blackeyedpea) and taste similar regular green beans but with less sweetness. Good when stir fried or steamed. Here's a simple stir fry version seasoned with Indian spices.
Normally a bunch might have about 50 to 60 beans, my recipe is for half of that. They can be refridgerated for 2 days but taste better when fresh and bright green.
Mixed vegetables flavoured in sour curd tempered in coconut oil. (Aviyal / Avial / Mixed Vegetable Curry)
Pakoda kurma is a lentil based sauce which is decadently creamy. Small deep fried lentil dumplings cooked in rich coconut milk gravy. This recipe might sound very unfamiliar to many, as its confined only to certain communities in Tamil Nadu. Quite hard to find online, as it sparingly shows up on searches. There are a couple of ways of making it, here's how we make it in our family. Quite a lengthly process, that's why I guess they make it only during special occassions. Ghee is a must as far as the original recipe goes, but its Ok to substitute with oil. (Padoka Kuzhambu / Pakora Korma / Pakora Kurma )