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May 29, 2015

Jigarthanda Recipe | Madurai Jil Jil Jigarthanda Cool Drink

Jigarthanda recipe
Jil Jil Jigarthanda recipe – I still couldn’t believe I made this world famous Madurai special cool drink at home and that too from scratch. Jigarthanda is an yummy super cool drink packed with all the benefits of badam pisin, Nannari sarbath and milk.

The term Jigarthanda refers to “a drink that cools the heart”. It is very popular among Muslim settlers in South India.  I tasted this drink very recently once in Tirunelveli and twice in Salem at Madurai Vilakuthoon Hanifa’s Jigarthanda outlets. I made an instaclick and shared a picture of it in Instagram too. 

Last year when my fellow bloggers shared Jigarthanda recipe, I got tempted to try it at home. But I was not sure about the actual ingredients used in it. After tasting it once, I was able to guess the recipe and started browsing for the same. Few weeks back I got a request from a reader to try n share this recipe in my blog. So I decided to give this a shot and found this recipe from sharmi’s blog & this video very helpful to make the authentic Madurai Jigarthanda. So I followed them & made Jigarthanda from scratch except Nannari sarbath/Sarsaparilla syrup and Kadal paasi. 

Original Jigarthanda recipe may use Kadal paasi or badam pisin. But I used badam pisin as suggested in the recipe. First I bought badam pisin/almond gum(Almond resin in English) and Nannari sarbath from Salem Nattu Marundhu kadai. Then I collected all the other ingredients and made it in my own pace. It took nearly 1.5 days for me to make Bhai ice cream, for soaking Badam pisin and to make reduced milk. So I have suggested an easy method of making Bhai ice cream using store bought vanilla ice cream. Hope it would work. 

One thing I should admit here. I was not able to bring the orange color in ice cream and reduced milk following the original recipe. But somehow I wanted to recreate the shop ones. According to me, the color of milk turns orange only when we add caramelized sugar. So I added little caramelized sugar in reduced milk and a pinch of orange food color in ice cream. I am not sure whether food color is added in the authentic recipe, but I became very happy & satisfied when my Jigarthanda looked and tasted very similar to the ones I had. What do you say friends, Isn’t it looking similar to the Madurai ones ??

Jigarthanda recipe

Jigarthanda recipe
Even though jigarthanda’s base ingredients takes more time to prepare, its worthy because once you keep all of them ready in hand, you can make this drink in minutes for your family members and guests. Its after all a mixing job. I am giving a glass of this coolant almost everyday for Sendhil along with his breakfast to reduce his body heat. 

Kadal paasi & nannari sarbath used in Jigarthanda is a very healthy body coolant just like sabja seeds/falooda seeds. So its a must try coolant drink in this summer season to beat the scorching heat. Friends try this recipe and enjoy with your family. Check out my Falooda recipe if you are interested ! Ok, enough of boring stories. Let me go to the making of JIL JIL Jigarthanda with pictures.

Bhai ice cream

Picture of Badam pisin before & after soaking

Badam pisin


Badam pisin


Ingredients needed for making jigarthanda
Jigarthanda recipe

Jil Jil Jigarthanda recipe


Jil Jil Jigarthanda recipe Madurai special cool drink for summer - Jil Jil Jigarthanda recipe from scratch
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Side dish
Serves: Serves 5-6 glass 
Prep time: 1 day
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 1Day5Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup – 250 ml 

  • Milk - 1/2 litre
  • Almond resin/Badam pisin - 1 tbsp ( you can get in Nattu marundhu kadai/Native stores)
  • Bhai ice cream or vanilla ice cream - as needed ( procedure shared below)
  • Nannari sarbath / Sarsaparilla root extract- as needed
  • Sugar - 2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp ( Use more if you like sweet sambar)
  • Plain boiled milk - as needed
To make ice cream
  • Milk - 1/2 ltr ( 500 ml, I used low fat milk)
  • Fresh cream - 1/3 cup ( I used Amul )
  • Unsweetened khoya - 2 tbsp ( I used milky mist khova)
  • Sugar - 1/4 cup 
  • Vanilla essence - few drops
  • Orange food color-a pinch(optional)
HOW TO MAKE JIGARTHANDA - METHOD

  • Soak badam pisin/Almond resin in large volume of water overnight. I used 4 cups of water for just a tbsp of badam pisin. It will increase in volume hugely.
Madurai Jigarthanda recipe
  • Boil 1/2 liter of milk in a wide kadai till it reduces into 1/2 the volume. Keep stirring every now & then.Collect the skin that falls on sides and mix with the milk. Milk will thicken. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and let it boil.In the mean time,caramalize 1/2 tbsp of sugar in a mini kadai and add it to the boiling milk.
  • Please click this post to know how to caramalize sugar. Mix well and switch off the flame. This is called as reduced milk which is one of the most important ingredients for making jigarthanda. Refrigerate till use.
Madurai Jigarthanda recipe
Madurai Jigarthanda recipe

  • For making ice cream,boil milk in a pan and reduce it slightly. Add sugar and mix well.Let the milk come to room temperature. Add fresh cream, unsweetened khoya, food color and vanilla essence to it. Mix well without lumps and transfer it to a bowl. Freeze it for 45 minutes and remove it. Grind it smoothly in a mixie and again freeze the mixture for another 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
  • Again remove the half set ice cream and beat it well.Repeat this procedure for 5-6 times. The more you do, the more creamy your ice cream would be. But this is really a tiresome job. I felt very bored of doing this and sometimes forgot to beat the ice cream for 4-5 hours too ;P. So develop some patience and do this activity. Don’t forget to lick the left overs in the mixie jar. It tastes yumm and you will get the interest of beating the ice cream again and again ;P.
Madurai Jigarthanda recipe
Madurai Jigarthanda recipe
  • If you don’t want to go for the above process, I will suggest u an easy way. Just go and get a box of vanilla ice cream and allow it to melt completely. Add food color and khoya to it. Beat in the mixie and mix well without lumps. Freeze it for 4-5 hours. Easy Bhai ice cream is ready. Though I have not tried this method, I am confident this would work. Please let me know if you try this way.
  • Boil some milk and let it cool. Take this milk in a bowl. Take some nannari sarbath, soaked badam pisin, reduced milk in small bowls separately. Take out the ice cream and keep aside.
  • In a glass tumbler, take 1-2 tbsp of soaked badam pisin or kadal paasi. Add 1.5 tbsp of Nannari sarbath. Add 2 tbsp of plain milk. Above this add 2 tbsp of reduced milk. Beat them well using a spoon. Lastly add a scoop of ice cream and mix well. Now the glass would be 3/4 th filled. Top with another scoop of ice cream if desired and serve chilled.

Enjoy !


Note

  • Never replace badam pisin with china grass/Agar agar. Taste would vary. Also never skip ice cream because you won’t get the original jigarthanda taste. 
  • Adding food color to the ice cream and caramelized sugar to the reduced milk is purely my idea. Authentic recipe may not use this.
  • You can adjust the quantity of nannari sarbath and badam pisin as per your liking. If you want to make this drink even more cool and healthy, add some soaked sabja seeds.

Try this recipe & enjoy Madurai special JIL JIL JIGARTHANDA sitting at your home. Homemade is always the best, Right ??

Jil Jil Jigarthanda

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May 26, 2015

Udupi Sambar Recipe-Hotel Style-No Onion No Garlic Sambar

Udupi hotel sambar
Last week I tried this Udupi hotel sambar recipe for idli and that too without onion,garlic brahmin version after years.I came across this recipe in “The Hindu” Food safari section.The recipes I have tried from that section is always a super hit in my home.The best example is my soft kulcha recipe.The taste & cooking method of this udipi sambar is very close to my Hotel idli sambar using freshly ground sambar powder.So Sendhil & myself liked it a lot and relished with idli,dosaHappy.Try this recipe if you are looking for a no onion no garlic side dish for idli,dosa & pongal.You will love it !Lets see how to make this Karnataka Udupi's most popular sambar recipe with step by step pictures.
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May 25, 2015

Bisi Bele Bath Recipe-Karnataka Special Bisibelebath - Sunday Lunch Recipes Series-17

Bisi bele bath recipe
This week’s Sunday lunch recipes is not a biryani post as u all expected.Instead I made Bisi bele bath as per a reader’s request.I posted Homemade bisi bele bath powder few months back and completely forgot about it.But one of my readers reminded me and asked to share bisi bele bath recipe using that powder.Though I have been making it very often,I have not shared this easy recipe here.So I made bisi bele bath and curd rice for our Sunday lunch yesterday just to make this post.It came out really well and tasted similar to the ones made using MTR bisibelebath powder.I referred this You tube video for the recipe,made some changes to make the cooking method even more easy.I have not tasted the authentic bisi bele bath recipe in MTR restaurant but I am a big fan of my (school moms) friend Megha’s bisibelebath.She uses store bought bisi bele bath powder mostly.I am glad this recipe turned out very similar to hers and most importantly I was able to bring the watery consistency.Generally bisi bele bath is served with kara boondi on top.It is one of the best side dish for bisi bele bath. But in my family, both Sendhil & Raksha loves to have it with ghee & raw onion topping. Do try this easy recipe and make this for your lunch box. Don’t forget to reheat it before you eat because bisi bele bath has to be eaten hot as its name suggests(bisi-hot,Bele-dal,Bath-Rice recipe)
Bisi bele bath recipe

Bisi bele bath recipe

Bisi bele bath Recipe - Karnataka Style


Bisi bele bath recipe using Homemade bisi bele bath powder Karnataka style Bisi bele bath recipe using Homemade bisi bele bath powder
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Rice recipes
Serves: Serves 3-4
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

  • Raw Rice or steamed rice - 3/4 cup
  • Toor dal - 1/2 cup
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Water- 6 cups for rice+dal ( Totally I used around 9 cups)
  • Salt - as needed
  • Cooking oil – 2 drops
  • Knol Khol/Kholrabi- 1/2 no
  • Brinjal - 1/2 no (long variety)
  • Beans - 5 nos.
  • Carrot - 1 no (optional)
To grind
  • Bisi bele bath powder - 4 tbsp
  • Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
  • Tamarind - Big gooseberry size
  • Jaggery - 1 tsp
  • Water - to grind
To temper
  • Cooking oil - 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Hing - a pinch
  • Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp
Ghee – 1-2 tbsp
METHOD

  • Take rice,dal,chopped vegetables,salt,turmeric powder,2 drops of oil and 6 cups of water. Cook it for one whistle in very low flame.Remove the lid and mash the rice,dal mixture very well.Add 1 cup of water to it and set aside.
Bisi bele bath recipe
  • Now take the bisi bele bath powder,grated coconut and soaked tamarind along with little water in a mixie jar. Grind it to a smooth paste.
Bisi bele bath recipe
  • Take the ground paste,add 2 cups of water and some salt to it. Mix well and boil the mixture in a kadai.Add some jaggery.Let the mixture roll boil for 5 minutes.You will get a nice smell.
Bisi bele bath recipe
  • Now add the masala to the rice+dal mixture. Mix well and add 1 more cup of water.Check for taste and add more salt & bisi bele bath powder if needed.
  • Let it boil nicely for 2-3 minutes. Lastly add 1 tbsp of ghee.Mix well.Adjust the consistency of rice by adding more water.It should be pourable.So add more water based on that and check for salt.Temper mustard,curry leaves, roasted peanuts and hing in a kadai and add to the rice.Mix well and serve hot !!
Bisi bele bath recipe
Yummy,hot bisi bele bath is ready.Serve with kara boondi or raw onions as I did !

Note
  • Add more bisi bele bath powder based on the spice level.
  • You can add more jaggery if you like sweet taste.
  • No need to use carrot or raddish .But you can use peas,chow chow/chayote if u wish.Skip Kholrabi if u don’t like it.
  • Taste the bisi bele bath and adjust the salt whenever needed
  • Addition of ghee at the end gives a great taste.So don’t skip it.
Bisi bele bath recipe

Enjoy eating hot,hot bisi bele bath with kara boondi or Raw onions.Tastes great !!
Bisi bele bath recipe

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May 21, 2015

Paneer Tikka Recipe on Tawa , Green Chutney With Curd - Stove Top Version

Paneer tikka recipe on tawa
Last week, I made paneer tikka  on tawa for the first time using gas stove .Even though I have an oven with microwave, convection and grill options, I din’t want to make use of it as it was my first attempt. So I tried in my new non-stick tawa. It came out very well. Paneer was perfectly browned & soft. I watched Sanjeev kapoor channel’s youtube video hosted by my favourite Chef Harpal singh. I had already tried Corn cheese balls following his recipe and it was a super hit among my family and friends. So I tried this recipe without any hesitation. He demonstrated the recipe using gas tandoor but I made the same in tawa.


Sendhil loved it and relished the tikka with green chutney adding curd. I became very happy and confident enough to try this recipe for my guests too. Soon I must try the same using my oven’s grill option and make a post here. Now lets see how to make paneer tikka using gas stove on tawa with green chutey as side dish.


Paneer tikka recipe

green chutney for tandoori

Paneer tikka recipe-Stove top version & Green chutney


Paneer tikka recipe-stove top version & Green chutney Paneer tikka recipe using Tawa in Gas stove and its most popular side dish - Green chutney
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Side dish
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Paneer - 100 gms
  • Tomato - 1 no ( deseeded,optional,i dint use)
  • Green capsicum - 1/2 no (u can use colourful bell peppers too)
  • Big onion - 2 nos
  • Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
For marination
  • Hung curd or thick curd - 1/2 cup
  • Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Tandoori masala powder - 1.5 tsp
  • Ginger&garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
  • Chat masala powder- 1/2tsp
  • Kasoori methi - 2 pinches
  • Lemon juice - few drops
  • Salt - as needed
To roast
  • Butter – 1.5 tbsp
  • Besan flour - 1.5 tsp
  • Ajwain - 1/8 tsp

Mustard oil or cooking oil – 2 tbsp + 2 pinch of turmeric powder

Green Chutney with curd
  • Mint+coriander leaves – 1/2 cup
  • Green chillies – 1or 2 no
  • Thick fresh Curd – 1/4 cup
  • Roasted cumin powder – 1/8 tsp
  • Chat masala – a pinch
  • Garlic cloves – 2 nos
  • Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
  • Black salt – 2 pinches
  • Sugar - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt – as needed
HOW TO MAKE PANEER TIKKA ON TAWA - METHOD

  • Heat butter in a kadai and roast the ajwain & besan flour. Roast well in medium flame for 2-3 minutes till u get a nice aroma. It will turn like a thick paste. Set aside and let it cool.
  • Soak the skewer in water for 30 minutes to avoid getting burnt.
Paneer tikka recipe
  • Take the hung or thick curd in a wide bowl. Add 1 tbsp of roasted besan mix. Mix the spice powders, g&g paste, salt , kasoori methi and few drops of lemon juice. Check for taste and set aside.
    • Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil & when it starts to smoke, add turmeric powder. Switch off the flame immediately & add the oil to the marinated masala. 
Paneer tikka recipe on tawa
  • Cut the paneer ,tomato, capsicum and onion into square shared pieces as shown in the pic. Now add all the veggies to the masala and allow it to marinate for minimum 2 hours or over night in refrigerator.
Paneer tikka recipe on tawa
Paneer tikka recipe
  • Arrange the marinated pieces in a skewer or tooth pick. I placed paneer, then onion, capsicum and I repeated the same order. I finished it with a paneer piece. You can order them as per your wish. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick tawa. After the oil is heated, turn the flame to low. Keep the skewer and cover the tawa with a lid. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
Paneer tikka recipe on tawa
  • Then turn the skewer and cook the other side till it turns golden brown. Keep turning every now and then till you achieve the color. Onions, capsicum, paneer would be roasted well and will give a nice smell. Remove in a plate and serve it really hot with green chutney to enjoy its best taste.
Alternate method : Instead of skewing all the veggies, you can saute each vegetable separately in oil and then arrange them in toothpick or skewer.
Green chutney for paneer tikka : Wash and take mint+coriander leaves in a mixie jar. To this, add all the other ingredients.Grind it to a smooth paste adding curd. Do not add water. Remove the chutney & serve with tikka.

Green chutney for paneer tikka




Note


  • Adjust the spices as per your taste.
  • If you don’t have tandoori masala, add garam masala instead. But tandoori masala works the best.


Paneer tikka recipe stove top

Paneer tikka is ready to relish with green chutney & garam garam Chai. Enjoy !!
Paneer tikka recipe

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May 20, 2015

South Indian Full Meals | Lunch Menu For Guests | Thalai Vazhai Ilai Virundhu

South indian meals

Last week I made this full meals for my guests. Its been years since I posted a South Indian full meal lunch menu here. So I thought of sharing this yummy platter with you all. After Onam Sadya, I din’t get any chance to make an elaborate lunch menu and serve in Thalai Vazha Ilai / Banana leaf. 

Generally South Indians especially Tamil people make this kind of lunch menu for marriage feast, guests, newly wedded couple / Maapilai virundhu or for festivals and occasions. According to Tamil people, serving food in Thalai Vazhai ilai is considered to be the way of showing love and respect towards our guests. Not just that, there is a traditional serving order that has to be maintained while keeping the dishes in banana leaf.

In Tirunelveli, our people give more importance to the serving order. Before I served this platter, I called my mom and asked her about the serving order but still I got confused on where to keep the pickle and kept it wrong I think. So I asked my mom again and wrote this post with corrections. There may be slight variations from the write up and picture. So please don’t get confused. I have divided this post into sections for easier understanding. 

Hope this lunch menu post would help beginners especially newly wedded girls who are new to cooking. In the above platter, you can find (from left) Salt, Poriyal/Curry, Kootu, Thayir pachadi, Pickle, Rasam, Payasam, Curd, Banana,Vada, Rice, Dal, Sambar and Appalam. I have shared all these points based on my understanding and cooking style. Pardon me for mistakes :)

Check out my other state and some more Tamil nadu lunch recipes here .

Thalai vazhai ilai virundhu

SERVING ORDER
First lets see how to place the banana leaf and serve the dishes in order.
  1. Always place the banana leaf such that the broader side of leaf should be on the right side of person who is going to eat. 
  2. Start with salt on upper part left side of banana leaf (as shown in the pic). Some people may need more salt in dishes. Hence salt should be kept so that the person can add if its needed.
  3. Then serve the thayir pachadi on the right side upper part. Then comes kootu. Next to kootu keep poriyal, curry/roast. Here I served carrot thayir pachadi, keerai kootu and potato curry.
  4. Lastly keep the pickle varieties next to salt. Don’t forget to keep a tumbler of water.
  5. In the below part of banana leaf, keep the appalam, chips, vadam, masala vada or urad dal vada, Banana in the left side. Keep the rice in the middle of leaf and put some dal +ghee in one corner of rice. In Tirunelveli, people keep the dal in the right side and pour some ghee over it. In another corner of rice, add some sambar with vegetables.
  6. After the person finished eating dal rice, serve the sambar along with ghee if needed.
  7. Next to sambar, serve vathakuzhambu or more kuzhambu if you have prepared it.
  8. Then comes rasam. Before serving the curd, serve payasam. Some people wish to have in banana leaf and some prefer to have payasam in bowls. So serve it as per their wish.
  9. Lastly add the buttermilk / curd.
  10. After you finish eating, if its a marriage feast, close the banana leaf by pulling the upper part and cover the bottom part with it. It signifies that the person wishes to have this kind of food very often. Whereas if you have this food in a condolence meeting, then you should close the upper part with bottom part in the reverse manner.
South Indian Lunch menu

South Indian Full Meals


South Indian Full Meals South Indian lunch menu for guests - Banana leaf spread / Thalai vazhai ilai virundhu
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves: Serves 4
Prep time: 45 Minutes
Cook time: 45 Minutes
Total time: 90 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
Vegetables to be chopped
For sambar
  • Raw mango - 1 no (Use 1/4 mango for pickle)
  • Drumstick - 1 no
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • Green chillies - 3 nos
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Coriander leaves - to garnish
For curry
  • Potatoes - 4 nos
  • Big onion -1 no
  • Curry leaves - few
For kootu
  • Keerai - 1 bunch ( I used mulai keerai)
  • Small onions - 5 nos
Other Ingredients
  • Rice – 2 cups
  • Toor dal – 1/2 cup
  • Moong dal – 1/4 cup for serving + 2 tbsp for kootu
  • Sambar powder – as needed
  • Salt & water – as needed
  • Cooking oil,mustard,urad dal,cumin seeds – as required


 
    HOW TO COOK A FEAST
    I prepared this lunch menu for 4 adults + 1 kid. It took nearly 1 hour 30 minutes for me to finish the preparation. I started around 10 am and finished making all the dishes except rice at around 11.30 am. I used 2 pressure cookers, a small & a big one and 3 kadai. I always pressure cook the rice at the end while making feast so that you can serve the rice hot hot while eating. No worries even if sambar, rasam and other dishes are cold. In fact making these dishes earlier gives more taste. So the earlier you prepare, the better its taste would be ; ))
  • In the previous day night, wash and soak the dal for vada. Soak it over night. Soak the tamarind in separate bowls for sambar and rasam in the previous day night.
  • The next day morning, start the cooking at least 3 hours before serving time. First take a big pressure cooker and add the toor dal, salt, turmeric powder, hing and a drop of oil (for making sambar). Take a small container or tiffin box like thing that suits the cooker. In that, put the moong dal,water, hing, turmeric powder and a drop of oil. This dal is for serving. Wash and cut the potatoes into two and put them inside the cooker. Hope you can get the idea by seeing the picture. It takes nearly 15 minutes for cooking.
South Indian lunch menu
  • In that 15 minutes of time, you can go for chopping works. First grate 2 carrots and finely chop a green chilli for pachadi. Keep in a bowl adding salt. Chop onion, green chillies, Drumstick and mango for sambar. Keep in a plate. Chop a portion of mango into small pieces for pickle. Add salt, red chilli powder and hing to it. Mix well and set aside. Now wash the greens / Keerai twice and chop it roughly. Take it in a small cooker. Chop few small onions for kootu. Keep in a plate. Chop some onions, curry leaves, mint leaves and coriander leaves for vada.
South Indian lunch menu
  • By this time, the pressure would be released in the cooker, dals & potatoes would be ready. So remove the potatoes using a tong and keep them immersed in cold water. It helps to peel the skin easily. Chop them into cubes and set aside.
South Indian lunch menu
  • In a small cooker, take the chopped greens, add moong dal, salt and required water. Cook for 1 whistle in low flame. It takes 10 minutes to cook.
  • In that time, do the grinding job. First grind for vada and then for kootu. Keep them in separate bowl. Mix the chopped onions+greens with vada batter & set aside.
  • Now you have cooked the dal for sambar, dal for serving, potato for poriyal and keerai for kootu. So pressure cooking, chopping and grinding jobs are over simultaneously.
  • Then heat a kadai with ghee and roast the vermicelli for payasam. Add milk and cook it. Transfer the payasam into a bowl and close it with a lid.
South Indian lunch menu
  • In another kadai, make sambar. While the drumstick and mango is getting cooked in tamarind extract, add the ground coconut paste to the pressure cooker in which you cooked the keerai. Let it boil for sometime till kootu thickens.
  • Now the veggies in sambar would have cooked. Add cooked dal to the sambar and let it boil for sometime. Garnish the sambar with coriander leaves and add a tbsp of ghee at the end. Cover the bowl and set aside. Heat oil in another kadai and temper the ingredients for potato curry. Add the peeled potatoes and roast it well.
South Indian lunch menu
  • Sambar, poriyal, kootu making is over. Now heat a small tempering kadai with 3 tbsp of oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, jeera. Add half the tempered items in small quantities to serving dal ( thick dal), thayir pachadi and lastly add the chopped onions in the kadai and saute till transparent. Add it to kootu. Add some coconut oil. Close the kootu with a bowl to retain the aroma.
  • Now make rasam and close the bowl by adding a tsp of ghee. Add some water to the tempered moong dal along with salt and hing. Mix well. Similarly add the curd to the grated carrot with some salt. Mix well. Thayir pachadi is ready.
South Indian lunch menu
  • Just 45 minutes before serving, pressure cook the rice in one burner. Heat oil for deep frying in another burner. Make vada, roast papad, chips or vadam. That’s all.Rice, Sambar, rasam, kootu, curry, thayir pachadi, paruppu/dal,  vada, appalam is ready.
  • Start to serve following the above mentioned order. Enjoy the feast !
  • TIPS : Add a tbsp of ghee in the sambar, garnish with coriander leaves,check for salt and close the lid of sambar bowl.Addition of ghee & coriander leaves gives a nice aroma to the sambar.Similarly add a pinch of sugar and a tsp of ghee to rasam. It enhances the taste and gives a clear rasam while you serve.
    If you want to finish the entire process within an hour, you can do some pre preparatory jobs in the previous day night. Finish the chopping works and refrigerate the vegetables, grated coconut and carrot in separate zip lock bags. Soak the dal for 4 hours and grind the vada batter. Mix onions,greens and refrigerate the batter too. Doing all these jobs will spare 30 minutes of your cooking time on feast day. So its your choice. Enjoy the South Indian Full Meals : ))

LINKS FOR DISHES WITH CHOICE
Please check out my recipe index page for more sambar, rasam, kootu, poriyal and pachadi ideas.

Try and Amaze your guests and family members with this South Indian Full Meals menu, get the applause !
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