Mint (Pudhina) Chutney
I love to make dishes with mint leaves because it always gives such an mouthwatering flavor to the dishes. And Mint has such awesome qualities like it could be used as a refreshing and a cleansing facial wash. In South India, we call this recipe as “Pudhina Thoghayal”. It goes great with a lot of dishes like Dosa, Idlies, or even with rice and sambhar, rice and vathakuzhambu, etc. Ingredients: Mint Leaves : 1 bunch (separate the leaves from stem) Coriander Leaves : 1/2 bunch Vegetable Oil : 1 tbsp Red Chilies : 6-7 (According to your spice level) Grated Coconut : 3 tbsp Urad dal : 1tbsp Asafoetida : 1/4 tsp Ginger : 1tbsp Tamarind Juice: 1/2 cup Method Of Preparation: Heat oil in a pan add Urad dal and asafoetida, fry them till urad dal turns light...
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Cauliflower Poriyal/Cauliflower Masala Curry
Shriya : “Arthi is one of my best friends and wow, can she cook? The first time I visited her when she moved to the US, she had made dozens of incredible variety of Indian dishes and I ate until my tummy was about to burst. Arthi is passionate about cooking and has gracefully accepted to share her wonderful recipes here with us. Please welcome her in her first SpicyTasty recipe!” I am happy to join hands with my friends to write my recipes in SpicyTasty and my special thanks to them for that. Here is my first recipe, Cauliflower Masala Curry. My mom used to make this and I love this. Preparation time: 35 minutes No of Servings: 4-5 Spice level: 4 out of 5 Ingredients: Cauliflower – 1 (small size) Onion – 1 chopped finely Tomato – 1...
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Araichuvitta Sambar – Lentil Soup (with Jackfruit Seeds/Drumstick)
I am back from my long India vacation. And started my cooking in my favorite kitchen. I had brought some jackfruit seeds from India. So I just made my all time favorite sambar (lentil soup) with my mom’s recipe. This sambar recipe is a very traditional recipe in south India. It’s little different from the regular sambar. If you don’t have jackfruit seeds you can substitute any vegetable. This goes very well with idli, dosa and rice. Trust me it tastes like heaven! Ingredients: Shallots: 7-8(Peeled) Tomato: 1 Oil: 2 tbsp Toor dal: 1/2 cup Mustard seeds : 1 tsp Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp Urad dal: 1 tsp Jack fruit seeds: 1/2 cup Drumsticks : 7-8 nos Coriander Leaves : 2 tbsp (For garnishing) Tamarind paste: 2 tbsp Masala to Grind: Coriander Seeds : 11/2tbsp Channa dal: 1tbsp Cumin seeds...
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Vegetable Manchurian
Vegetable Manchurian is a popular Indo-Chinese appetizer. This is one of my all time favorite. I always thought the procedure is hard and time consuming. It was true the first time I made it. But from the next time, it was as easy as any other dish. The fried vegetable balls soaked in a saucy gravy makes me go crazy. I hope you like the recipe and please share your thoughts. Here you go… Ingredients: For Veggie Balls: Shredded Carrot – 1/2 cup Shredded Cabbage – 1/2 cup Shredded Cauliflower – 1/2 cup Shredded Beans – 1/2 cup Shredded Bell Pepper – 1/2 cup Green Chilies – 2 (adjust to taste) Chopped Ginger – 1 tbsp Chopped Spring Onion – 2 tbsp Corn Flour – 4 tbsp Pepper Powder – 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce – 1 tsp Red Chilly...
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Sweet Pongal for Makara Shankranthi
Sweet Pongal is one of the signature dishes made on Makara Shankranthi or Pongal festival. I got to spend this Pongal with my parents after a few years and it was lovely to have hot sweet pongal served on a banana leaf. Heavenly! Pongal is the Hindu festival that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal has astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun’s movement northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn. Here is how you can make it too.. Ingredients: Raw Rice: 1cup Moong dal: 1/2...
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Mutton Liver Fry
First of all I want to say sorry to all my readers for the late post. I am still on my India vacation and I couldn’t find time to post recipes but I promise when I come back I’ ll post variety of mouthwatering recipes in ST. “Mutton Liver fry” or “Eeral varuval” is very popular dish in south india. And its one of my favorite too. My mom used to make this every weekends in my chilhood days. She says it’s good for health. And cooking mutton liver is little tricky. It should be soft and juicy. If you overcooked it it will turn out into rubber-like texture. So its all with the trial cooking and practice. So do get the right proportion adjust the water and cooking time. My mom usually make this for breakfast, it goes very well with...
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Elai Adai – Jack fruit Dumpling
Elai Adai is one of the popular sweets in Kerala. Elai adai is made of jack fruit jam which is called as “Chakka Varatti” in Kerala. This is made using plantain leaf which gives a special flavor to the adai. Jack fruit by itself is tasty. When it is prepared as a jam and added to coconut puran, it is divine. My mouth waters when I think about it. Recently I went to Kerala for a wedding. Such a beautiful place it is. I spent a week there and had a good time. I tasted their food, specially the sweets. It was yummy!!! The Pazha Payasam (Fruit Kheer), Paladai Pradhaman (Milk Kheer), Chakka Pradhaman (Jack fruit kheer), Elai adai, the list goes on…My mother in law makes awesome sweets. She made this Elai Adai specially for me today and...
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Podalangai kootu(Snake Gourd with Lentils)
My mom made this kootu yesterday and it tasted really good and yummy. Kootu is a combo of vegetables and lentils. It’s very easy to make and goes well with rice, vathakuzhambhu, rasam and sambhar. You can make kootu with any kind of vegetables with the same recipe only substituting the main vegetable. After I go home I think this easy recipe is going to make me cook this kootu often. I am learning a lot of new recipes from my mom. Ingredients: Snake Gourd: 2 cups(clean up the seeds inside and chopped into slices) Channa dal : 1/4 cup oil: 2tbsp Onion: 1/2 (medium) Tomato : 1 Ginger : 1/2 tsp Green chilies : 5 Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp Salt: required to taste Coconut : 1/2(shredded) For Seasonings: Mustard seeds : 1 tsp Urad dal : 1 tsp Curry leaves...
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Mysore Pak
It’s been a long time since I posted a recipe here. It is because I am in INDIA keeping myself occupied. My friend Shriya and I came to India for a long vacation. So I am writing this recipe from India and thought I will start with a sweet. I celebrated Diwali with my family here and had a lots of sweets and savory. Mysore Pak is one of the popular sweet in India. My mother in law makes awesome Mysore Pak every year for Diwali. This time I had a chance to watch her making this sweet. It was simple and yummy. Here you go… Ingredients: Gram flour or Besan – 1 cup Sugar – 1 and 3/4 cup Ghee or Clarified butter – 1 and 3/4 cup Water – 1 cup Method of Preparation: Take a square...
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Spicy Macaroni Recipe
This recipe is from my sister’s (Suja’s) kitchen. She made this spicy macroni for her 4 years old son. It’s no secret kids love Macaroni & Cheese like it’s the next best thing to chocolate. But, how do we get them to eat veggies. My sis tricks my nephew by adding a lot of vegetables and spicing up the Macaroni and creating this tasty dish. Spicy Macaroni is very easy to make and it can be made for dinner or even as an evening snack. Ingredients: Oil : 2 tbsp Onion : 1 Tomato : 1 Green chilies : 3-4 (according to your spice level) Garlic : 3 (chopped) Ginger : 1tsp (chopped) Garam masala : 1 tbsp Maggi masala Powder : 1 tbsp(optional) salt : required to taste Vegetables: 1 cup(I’ve added bell pepper, green peas and carrots)...
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Spicy Fish Kuzhambhu (Spicy Indian Fish Curry)
I am going to be celebrating Diwali in India with my family after 4 years and I am so excited. Just getting used to the jetlag and I am happy to be spending time with my family. For those unfamiliar, Meen Kuzhanbu is the Tamil name for traditional South Indian Fish Curry. It is very rich in flavor, spicy and tastes heavenly. And it is a common saying that it tastes better the day after you make it as the spices get deep into the fish as it sits around. I made this with Salmon filets but catfish tastes great as well. In South India, this is made with locally popular fish like Sankara, Vavval, etc. Ingredients: Sesame oil : 3 tbsp Vegetable oil : 2 tbsp Fenugree k Seeds : 1/4 tsp Vadagam: 11/2 tbsp (Optional) Fish :...
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Paal Kozhukatai
I got this recipe from my sister. She used to make it for special ocassions and “Paal Kozhukatai” is one of my favorite recipes from her kitchen. As many other not so often made dishes, I’ve always thought it would be pretty tough to make it. But I finally decided to make it on Gokulashtami (an Indian festival) and it came out really awesome. And its not at all tough to make. It just took like 30-40 minutes for me to make this lovely dessert. Hope you enjoy making this recipe. Ingredients: Rice flour: 1 cup Coconut milk : 1 cup water :1 cup Milk : 1/2 cup cardamom : 5-6 (crushed) saffron : a pinch Sugar : 1/2 cup (according to your sweet level) Method Of Preparation: Take a cup of rice flour in a pan and add...
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Coconut and Rice Kheer – Thengai Arisi Payasam
Kheer or Payasam is an Indian dessert made for festivals and special occasions. Coconut and Rice kheer is popular in South India and I love this kheer just for the combination of rice and coconut cooked in milk. To sweeten this dish, we can add either sugar or jaggery. I prefer sugar to jaggery for this payasam. Finally enhanced with the flavor of cardamom and fried cashew nut. It is a bit time consuming but very simple procedure. Try this and let me know how it turns out. Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 2 hours No. of servings: 6 t0 7 Ingredients: Basmati rice – 4 tbsp Shredded coconut – 1/2 cup Milk – 8 cups Sugar – 3/4 cup Cardamom pods – 4 Broken cashew nut – 2 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tsp Method of Preparation: Soak...
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Godhuma Rava Briyani/Cracked Wheat Briyani
My mother used to make lot of dishes with cracked wheat. I never got a chance to make anything with cracked wheat myself. Cracked wheat is healthy and you can substitute it instead of rice. If you are in a good diet I would recommend this to eat with sambar, rasam or anything. It is good for health and is low in calories. One of my good friends, Swathika from work, gave me this idea about making briyani in cracked wheat. She had actually made briyani in Rava (Sooji). So I decided to try making Briyani in cracked wheat. Ingredients: Cracked Wheat : 2 cups Onion: 1(medium) Ginger & Garlic Paste: 2 tbsp Tomatoes: 1 Curry leaves: 5-6 Mint leaves: 1/4 cup Coriander leaves: 1/4 cup Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp Oil: 3 tbsp Bay leaves: 2 Cloves: 3 Green...
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Pidi Kozhukkattai – Steamed Sweet and Hot Dumpling
Pidi Kozhukkattai or Steamed Rice Dumpling is a South Indian delicacy which is made for an evening snack or tiffin. There are two types, sweet and the spicy version. It is more like making upma and then steaming it. So it is also known as Upma Kozhukkattai. The spicy dumpling is generally served with coconut chutney or by itself. It is very easy to make and perfect for kids and adults. Ingredients: For Sweet Dumpling: Rice – 1 cup Shredded coconut – 3 tbsp Crus ed jaggery – 1 cup Cardamom – 2 count Water Method of Preparation: Wash rice, strain it and dry it on a clean cotton towel or paper towel. Spread it well so that it helps in drying. Once the rice is dried, grind it coarsely like rawa/sooji. Separate into two halves and measure the quantity....
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Pudhina Puloa/Mint Rice
We have a vegetable garden in our backyard this summer. We planted some mint and they are growing nicely. I made this Mint Pulao from our garden fresh mint. There is nothing like the smell of fresh mint and fresh cilantro from your own vegetable patch.Mint Pulao is one of those items you can whip up quickly yet it has the taste like you spent hours toiling in the kitchen heat making this perfect dish. Ingredients: Mint : 2 cups Coriander leaves : 1cup Garlic : 3 Ginger : 2 tbsp Coconut : 1/2 cup Green chilies : 8- 10(Adjust according to your spice level) Vegetable Oil : 3 tbsp Bay Leaves : 2 Cloves: 3 Cinnamon stick : 1/2″ Onion : 1 (medium)chopped finely water : 3 1/2 cups Basmati Rice : 2cups Paneer : 1 cup (fried)(optional)...
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Mushroom Dry Curry
Mushroom dry curry is one of my favourite. It is so yummy that will definitely become a fan of it. My friend doesn’t like mushroom but she loved this dish and want to try it. I adapted the steps from Vah Chef and made a few changes to it. Try it out and let me know if you liked it. Here you go… Ingredients: Cut mushroom – 3 cups Chopped onion – 1 cup Chopped tomatoes – 1 cup Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp Cumin seeds – 2tsp Garli cloves – 2 Pepper corns- 1 tsp Curry Leaves – 1 strand Green chillies – 2 Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Garam masala – 1/2 tsp (fresh masla – bay leaf, 1/2″ cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom, 3 cloves) Cumin powder – 1 tsp Coriander powder – 1 tsp...
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Chocolate cake
Chocolate cake is one of my favorite cake. And I got a chance to try this for my friend’s birthday. I used the ready made mix. To bake home made base cake, check here. I made a couple of layers of chocolate cake and filled it with chocolate icing. It was all chocolatty and rich! Here you go… Ingredients: Chocolate cake mix – 1 pack Semi sweet chocolate chips – 12 0z pack Chocolate fudge icing – 1 small tin Heavy whipping cream – 1 cup Sugar – 2 tbsp Water – 1 cup Method of Preparation: Prepare the batter according to the instructions given on the cake mix pack or check here to make home made base cake. Divide the batter into two portions and bake the cake in two baking pans of same size. This is for...
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