Sprouts Masala Curry Recipe | Mixed Sprouts Recipe | Indian Sprouts Recipe

      Sprouts is a whole grain which has more nutrition packed in.Its really nutritious in a way they have all the nutrition a plant wants to grow.Eating uncooked sprouts can be a nightmare for many people including my dear ones.So this is a simple curry recipe to make your meal more healthier.You can even make pesarattu with moong.According to me these are the easiest to make in cold temperature too.

Mushroom Masala Recipe | Spicy Mushroom Stir Fry For Rice

   Mushroom masala a super quick spicy stir fry for rice.Its a dry version of regular masala made for chapathi.

Valaithandu Kootu Recipe | Banana Stem Curry Recipe | Video How to Cut Banana Stem

     Banana stem/vazhai thandu is an amazing fiber rich vegetable. A lot of people don't know the importance of including vazhaithandu in their regular diet. It is fiber rich and it plays a big role in removing the gall bladder stones/kidney stones.These stones are formed because of large amount of calcium storage in gall bladder.Doctors advice patients with kidney stones to have banana stem to remove the stones.

Keerai Poriyal | Stir Fry For Rice

      Keerai Poriyal - a quick side dish made with spinach/greens.Spinach/palak  is very good everybody knows that.I know palak paratha,palak paneer,dal palak ,what is this palak stir fry ?Palak is not  only for making north Indian dishes/dinner, this green can make a tasty accompaniment for rice too.

Gobi Masala Recipe | Chapathi Side Dish

    Gobi masala - an easy dry masala curry, made with cauliflower.When ever cauliflowers are in season i used to buy them.Make cauliflower soup and cauliflower pepper fry just like broccoli pepper fry or make Gobi paratha.Cauliflower can be great addition to pav bhaji, vegetable kuruma, veg biriyani,Veg pulao mix veg curry or pirattal .Each of them is comforting in its own way.

Paruppu Usili | Beans Usili

         Paruppu usili the tastiest south Indian curry with the protein and goodness of veggie at one go.Even though making it takes a little more time compared to other sides, you can be happy that its the best and very different one.

Avial Recipe | Onam Sadya Recipes

        Avial the bestest of vegetable curry i like from kerala cuisine ,While most other vegetables resembles tamil cuisine(i feel that way) ,but tempered with coconut oil for the authentic kerala taste(Kerala had abundant of coconut trees available so they use coconut for almost everything,coconut oil for deep frying).Stir fries are often garnished with grated coconut.

Raw Banana - Vazhakkai Varuval | Rice Side Dish

      Raw  Banana a much loved vegetable in our house.I do something with this veggie, for rice once in a week ,be it vazhakkai podimas, vazhakkai fry , enna vazhakkai .This type of vazhakkai varuval has become the most favourite after i tried.

Raw JackFruit Curry | Palakai Piratal | Guest Post

   Raw Jackfruit Curry:
        We Chettinad people love raw jack fruit( palakai) as much like kerela people . Keralites are fond of raw jack fruit and they call it as chakka ,they do variety of recipes like pradaman,curry(with fresh ground masala),Ularthiyathu(stir fry),Kuzhachathu(steamed one) etc.

Parotta Salna | Chicken Salna

    Parotta Salna is nothing but different style of making korma.Salna is especially made for parotta, a south Indian speciality.Parotta is plain with more oil, a spicy gravy like salna goes best with parotta.There are many varieties of salna like chicken,plain,vegetable salna.In this post i explain chicken salna.To make vegetable salna replace chicken with finely chopped beans,carrot,peas,cauliflower etc.

Papaya Curry|Papali Kootu

Papaya  Curry a semi liquid gravy that goes very well with rice,roti dishes.

Other Names of Papaya:
     Raw papaya  also called as papali,green papaya, karamusa, kaplanga,Papaw,Paw paw,peper in other languages.Raw Papaya plays a major role in bengali ,Thai and Indonesia cuisine..That's why people's have a great glowing skin :)

Dal Palak|Keerai Kootu

    This is a south Indian style Dal palak (because i do it ,i say it south Indian).Dal palak is a very mild curry that goes very well with kulambu and sambhar.If added little more spice(chili or sambhar powder) you can have it for roti as well(Indian style flat bread).
     This curry can be made with any greens available,I made it with Spinach the Palak .We south Indians call it as pasalai keerai.This Spinach is mostly available in cities.So people who are trying this curry who don't have spinach/palak available go with other greens like arai keerai,mula keerai,Methi or vendhaya keerai(fenugreek leaves) etc.
     This Keerai masiyal is one of the tastiest mild curries of South.You can add toor dal instead of moong dal and temper the curry with mustard and urad dal after the curry is done.
      I pressure cooked the spinach with moong dal like my mom do,If you don't want the greens to be cooked in pressure cooker.Pressure cook the dal and mash it .Saute spinach and combine both of them together.

Palakai Kootu Curry-Chettinad Style(Step By Step Pics)

        Palakai kootu curry is yet another chettinad speciality.Me and my husband are very fond of this type of curry (Our grandma's make this curry yummier ).Here in US its very rare to get raw/tender jack fruit .I saw some in Indian store ,without any second thought i got raw jackfruit.
       When i asked my mom about it .She told there are varieties of raw jack fruit like fruity(which has more seeds) and raw one which don't have many seeds.I really was upset because i already got one which has more seeds.Its really hard to clean the seeds out ,But after i make this kootu we really enjoyed it a lot with Tomato rasam.
     This Jackfruit Recipe is mild and goes very well with rice.

Cleaning Time:15 min(if there is more seeds)
Preparation time:10 min

Cooking time:10 min

Guest Post /Arbi Fry Recipe(Step By Step Pics)

Well Dear Readers .

      This is my 6 th Guest Post(other guest post in order they appear Kosumalli,Vaalaipoo Vada,Paal kolukattai,kandarappam,Vengayam Thakkali Thokku) to my friend and well wisher of photography Shewta of Merry Tummy .She is one of the inspirations for my pictures (guess i am taking good pictures now a days).
Well, some of my post have link to the end,have you noted it ? I felt really proud and happy after i joined Saturday snapshots Event .This event is hosted by shweta and sireesha - Best Picture is the motto of our group ..This is the story how i come to know shweta very well.

A little more about shewta and her blog:

      She is gorgeous looking and bubbly person .She talks her mind . I admire her pictures a lot ,started liking her detailed chats in the recipe, detailed tips she gives on Tuesday's .She has some fantastic marwadi recipes ( I wanted to try all of them ,but still time is there na ,I can try it out ).
        This is my simple guest post South India Style Arbi Fry for her blog.

 Arbi Fry:


    

PotatoPoriyalWithoutPressureCooker/DrySideDishForRoti

        Potatoes are everybody favourite .Potatoes are consumed more than any other veggies around the world .From poriyal to mashed potatoes there are many variations you can do with potatoes.Potatoes available in specific regions vary in taste ,color and are good to make only specific food varieties.
Some varieties of potatoes i know

• Baby potatoes(small size potatoes .Good for frying ,Masalas)
• Russet potatoes( have little pigments shown.Good for baking,mashing,French fries)
• Idaho potatoes(large brown skin potatoes.Good for baking,mashing,French fries and chips)
• Pink potatoes(pink potatoes)

        Same potatoes cooked in different indian style.
       One is Potato masala .In there ,potatoes are pressure cooked ,peeled and added to masalas. Second is  Poori bhaji  here potatoes are pressure cooked and added to onion ,tomatoes and green chilies .In this recipe potatoes are cubed ,tempered and added to masalas .Three diff styles with same potatoes  .
        Even people without pressure cooker can do this poriyal without much fuss.Cooking the potatoes in slow fire gives the potatoes a slight crispness and masala flavours wonderfully blended to the potatoes  makes this dish so awful.

Preparation time:5 min
Cooking time:20-25 min
Serves:2

RawBanana fry/Easy sidedish/எண்ணெய் வாழைக்காய்

Banana tree is one useful tree from top to bottom. In India Banana leaf meal is very famous and it has many healthy benefits too. Banana flower is used for making vadas and dry curry which is very nutritious (has iron and helps in getting regular periods ). Banana stem can be served as a dry dish and with dal. Ripe bananas we eat everyday and it has lots of pottasium which is good for high blood pressure .Raw bananas can be fried, or with besan flour it can be made as a yummy evening snack . So when you have a backyard why not grow banana tree .

I usually do variations on banana fry one is directly adding in oil. Other one is this ,Boiling the bananas in water to give a soft texture and later frying (not deep fried) in oil. This method works faster and has less oil compared to the other method.

First time when I ate it in my aunts house I became a fan. From that time I wanted to try and make this dish in my house. When I did this I was excited and was happy with the result.
 This goes very well this sambar and curd rice.

If you want to try the traditional banana fry click here 

Cooking Time:40 min
Serves:2-3

Snake Gourd Curry/Easy SideDish Recipe/புடலங்காய் துவட்டல்

Snacke gourd is a gourd which got its name from its look and they are climbers like other gourds.Some common names of the pudalangai include "serpent guard" ,"padwal" in telugu its called "potlakaaya" ,in kannada its called "paduvalakaayi " ,in bengali its called "chichinga",in nepali its called "Chichindo",in oriya its called "chhachindra".
 Snake gourd has many benifits :its good for diabetics ,it relieves constipation ,it get the mucus out of respiratory system as a natural anti- biotic .While consuming the snacke guard remove the white center part with seeds .Consuming of seeds can cause indigestion problems .
Compared to other similar vegetables like chinese okra this is easy to cut and consume (according to me ) .You can eat it as a salad with little pepper and lemon juice as well ,by then you have to cut them in to very thin slices  .You can prepare it as a semi liquid gravy by pressure cooking it with dals and green chili.Will gradully post other recipes soon ..
Searching for some other side dish recipes? check  pumpkin curry,Banana fry,Mix veg curry with coconut

Prepration time:5 min
Cooking time:20 min +10 min 
Serves:2

Chettinad Chicken|Spicy Chicken Curry

     Chettinad Chicken- Kozhi curry is a authentic chicken preparation made in southern parts of tamilnadu called chettinad.This is usually the spicy chicken preparations of any chicken recipes, but its authentic and most tastiest chicken recipe ever.
    This is my mom's version of the spicy chettinad chicken curry.This Chicken curry is less fat, i mean no heavy cream ,butter and it comes in less work category -one of the easy chicken curry you will ever make.
Tip :The more the curry simmers and cooks in low fire ,the chicken absorbs all the spice.
    Usually chicken dishes in south India gets lots of garlic and spices to aids easy digestion and takeoff  the smell of fresh meat.Especially turmeric to kill of the bacteria in chicken.This chettinad chicken also is special because it has the wonderful flavors of gingelly oil.Gingelly oil cools your body in warmer temperatures even though you eat this chicken curry at summers.

Serving suggestions of Chettinad chicken:
  With chapathi,roti,rice and also a best party pleaser

Check other chicken recipes like chili chicken fry,Pepper chicken gravy

                                         Chettinad Chicken|Spicy Chicken Curry

                            Spicy Chettinad Chicken Curry

 Cuisine: Indian Category:Sides Serves:3-4 Prep time:40 minutes Cook time:40 minutes Total time:1 hour 20 minutes



Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken(around 500 grams)/kozhi.
• 1 tsp turmeric powder/manjal thool.
• salt as required.
• 1 tbsp gingelly oil/nalla ennai.

Roast and grind:

• 5 red chili/vara milagai.
• 1 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds/sombu.
• 1 1/2 tbsp jeera/Cumin seeds/jeeragam.
• 1 tbsp black pepper/milagu.
• 1 tsp kaskas/Poppy seeds/kasa kasa.
• 5 garlic pods/poondu.
• 1 large onion/vengayam.
• 2-3 tbsp grated coconut/thengai.

Marination:

• roast and ground paste/varuthu arachathu.
• 2 tbsp curd/thayir.
• 3 tbsp gingelly oil/nalla ennai.

Marination for chettinad chicken:

• Cut onion and garlic in to big pieces.
• Add oil to saute pan and saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
• Keep it aside.
• Add oil again and saute fennel,jeera,pepper.
• Add red chili,poppy seeds as well and saute it.
• Finally add grated coconut after switching off the flame.
• Cool of the sauted ingredients completely and grind it to smooth paste.
• Clean the chicken with turmeric and water and cut chicken to required shape (not too large).
• Add ground paste ,3 tbsp gingelly oil ,curd and marinate the chicken atleast for half an hour or overnight.

Cooking the chettinad chicken:

• Heat the saute pan and add the marinated chicken and cook them in low fire until the chicken cooks(around 30 min).

• By that time chicken should be cooked thorough it has got all of the masala flavour.
• Enjoy chettinad chicken with roti ,Rice,chapathi ...

Note:

• Cook the chicken in low fire so chicken gets the spices.
• Marinate them the previous night and cook it the next day morning if you have frozen chicken at hand.
• Using of gingelly oil is purely optional but it gives much more taste and reduces the heat chicken gives.
• Reduce the red chili level according to your taste buds..

Linking it to Amrita's Page  and Gayathri's page

shrutisrasoi  and Pari's Event

Recipe revisiting :Recipe and picture updated on 3/1/2015

Fresh mango pickle/மாங்கா தொக்கு

Mango is one veggie which has fiber ,vitamin A,Potassium and lots of mineral in it .Include mango in your diet often.This is family favourite of ours , my mom used to do it and we used to gobble it up. This pickle can be an accompaniment for curd rice or sambhar rice as well as for dosas. The freshness of mango ,little jaggery, chili powder will blow your taste buds away. There are no preservatives and its very fresh so you can give it to kids.

If you are looking for sidedish with mango try Mangodal curry

Preparation time:5-10 min(grating the mango)
Cooking time:30-40 min
Yields:1/2 cup

Pressure cooker Cabbage Curry(கூட்டு )

I often buy purple cabbage because it tastes awesome and you can make a colorful plate with purple cabbage.You get it in mexican stores .I usually do a mexican dish with it, this time i wanted to make something traditional using purple cabbage. I decided on making kootu.This goes very well with kuzhambu and rasam rice. You can eat it with chappathis too.

Check other side dish varieties tangy okra curry,Tindora fry,Rawmango curry

Preparation time:5 min

Cooking time:15 min

Serves:2