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January 29, 2016

Bharwan Bhindi Recipe - Stuffed Okra Fry

Bharwan bhindi recipe
I love to try fry recipes with stuffed vegetables.Usually i made Stuffed brinjals like this.But its purely of South Indian style.So i was looking for a typical North Indian style stuffed vegetable fry recipe.This morning I came across Bharwan( meaning stuffed in English) bhindi i.e stuffed Okra masala fry in my favorite Vahrehvah Vahchef’s youtube video. The recipe for masala was so simple with besan & less oil.Its a no onion no garlic Jain recipe and it looked mouth watering too.So without any second thought,i went for this recipe by making some small changes as per my family’s taste buds.It came out really well and got thumbsup from SendhilDancing.As the chef says,the masala used in this recipe can be used to make Bharwa Shimla mirchi, Bharwan Karela and even stuffed tindora.And this stuffed bhindi fry would be a great side dish for roti/chapathi , simple Veg pulao or any paratha. But i loved to have it as a snackWinking.Lets see how to cook bharwa bhindi recipe with step by step pictures.

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January 27, 2016

Avarekalu Huli Recipe – Hyacinth Beans Gravy–Karnataka Recipes

Avarekalu huli
Avarekalu(Cow pea/Hyacinth beans/Lilva beans in English, Mochai in Tamil) season is around in many parts of Karnataka. In Bangalore, every year during winter, december-Janurary Avarekalu Mela is conducted in Food street, VV puram. Recently when I met my School moms friends,Tara was telling me about the varieties of avarekalu dishes she tasted in Avarekalu Mela. I got tempted to try some recipes with it and post here.

Last year during this time, I shared Hitkidabele Avarekalu saaru and Avarekalu Pulao recipes. So this year i tried a yummy Avarekalu Huli recipe and Avarekalu dry palya  for rice by getting the recipes from my friend Megha. She shared her mom’s recipe which was very different from the ones I saw in various blogs.So i tried it & came out really well.We loved this gravy with rice. It was tasting more like Arachuvitta Vathakuzhambu. I used less oil than what Megha suggested. Still it was very tasty. Ok, Lets see how to prepare Karnataka style Avarekalu Huli.

Avarekalu saaru

Avarekalu Huli Recipe


Avarekalu Huli Recipe Avarekalu Huli Recipe - Gravy for rice adding field beans
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Side dish
Serves: Serves 2
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes
INGREDIENTS

  • Avarekalu with skin / Hyacinth beans - 1/2 cup
  • Potato - 1 no
  • Brinjal - 1 no
  • Big onion – 1 no
  • Garlic bulb – 1 whole ( with 15 cloves)
  • Salt & water - as needed
To grind
  • Tamarind - A big gooseberry size
  • Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
  • Dhania powder - 2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
  • Coriander leaves - 1 sprig ( optional)
To temper
  • Cooking oil or gingely oil - 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/4 tsp
  • Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few
HOW TO MAKE AVAREKALU HULI - METHOD

  • Wash and keep the avarekalu.Wash and peel the skin of potato. Chop into 4 big pieces.Wash and cut brinjal into chunks.
Avarekalu huli recipe
  • Pressure cook avarekalu,chopped brinjal & Peeled,chopped potato adding required water & salt. Set aside.
  • Soak tamarind in a cup of water. Brush the onion with oil. Burn the whole onion(with skin) over direct flame.Use a tong & hold the onion. Roast it all the sides in low to medium flame. When the skin of onion turns black, remove & let it cool. Similarly roast the greased whole garlic bulb on all sides till its skin turns black.( Refer Notes for variations)
Avarekalu huli recipe
Avarekalu huli recipe

  • Peel the outer skin of garlic & onion. Grind it to a smooth paste adding soaked tamarind, coconut,chilli powder, turmeric powder, dhania powder and coriander leaves. Mix this paste with the cooked avarekalu,potato & brinjal pieces. Check for consistency  & taste and add some water  or chilli powder, dhania powder if needed.
Avarekalu huli recipe
  • Let the gravy boil for few minutes.Gravy will thicken as it boils. Switch off the flame & temper mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal & curry leaves. Add to gravy and mix well.
    Enjoy !

Note
  • Adjust the quantity of chilli powder & dhania powder as per your taste.
  • This gravy is meant to be thick. If you want to make it slightly thin, add little water.
  • If you don’t want to burn the onion & garlic, Just chop them and saute in a tbsp of oil.
  • You can also replace red chilli + dhania powder with 1 tbsp of sambar powder.

Try this yummy avarekalu huli saaru recipe for rice & enjoy !!
Avarekalu huli
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January 25, 2016

Sorakkai Dosa / Bottle Gourd Dosa Recipe–Sorakkai Recipes

bottle gourd dosa
Usually I make Kootu with Sorakkai (Suraikai, Sorekai in Tamil, Sorakaya in Telugu, Lauki in Hindi, Bottle gourd in English). But this time for a change, I tried dosa with bottle gourd as suggested by my MIL.She usually adds it while grinding rice flour dosa/verum arisi dosa or in paruppu adai to make the dosa very soft. But I added some spices along with rice & bottle gourd to make a spicy, flavorful dosa like adai. 

My friend Shalini used to tell me about her Karam dosa recipe. So I just used those spices for grinding this batter. It came out very well with a nice color as I expected. With coconut chutney as side dish, we loved it a lot. I was very happy that I could make a spicy, yummy, flavorful dosa variety adding a healthy vegetable. 

Friends, if you buy bottle gourd/Sorakkai, don’t forget to try this dosa. You can enjoy it for your breakfast and dinner as well. Ok, lets see how to make bottle gourd dosa with step by step pictures.

Here is my Sorakkai Kootu Recipe – 2 versions,check it out !

Sorakkai dosa

Sorakkai Dosa/Bottle gourd dosa Recipe


Sorakkai Dosa/Bottle gourd dosa Recipe Spicy,soft dosa made of bottle gourd.
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 15
Prep time: 120 Minutes + 12 hours
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 125 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250ml
  • Idli rice - 2 cups
  • Sorakkai/Botlle gourd - 1 cup (chopped)
  • Red chilli - 8 nos ( I used Byadge chilli to get bright red color)
  • Ginger - 2 inch piece
  • Cumin seeds/Jeera - 2 tsp
  • Hing/asafetida - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
HOW TO MAKE SORAKKAI DOSAI - METHOD

  • Wash and cut the bottle gourd. Scrape the outer skin and discard it. Now slit the bottle gourd into two pieces and remove the central soft, spongy part. Discard it. Chop the remaining bottle gourd into pieces and add to batter.
  • Wash and soak the idli rice for 2 hours. After 2 hours, take the big mixie jar and add the chopped bottle gourd flesh part, red chillies, cumin seeds, hing and ginger piece. Grind it to a smooth paste. Now add the rice draining the soaked water and required salt and water. Grind it to a smooth paste.
  • Transfer the batter to a bowl and let it ferment for 8 hours or over night. The next morning, mix the batter well and add some water if its very thick. Heat dosa pan and pour a ladleful of batter. Spread it thin and drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa. Cook the dosa in medium flame and flip the other side. Cook for few minutes and remove. Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Sorakkai dosa
    Enjoy !
Note
  • If you don’t want to flip the dosa, cover and cook the dosa for few minutes, fold it and serve.
  • I used byadge chillies to get more color and less spicy taste. Please adjust the quantity of chillies as per your need.
  • If you wish to make this dosa as thick adai adding lentils, soak 1/4 cup of toor dal and 1/4 cup of chana dal with rice and grind the batter.



Enjoy this yummy, colorful, healthy bottle gourd dosa with coconut chutney and Idli podi !!
How to make bottlegourd dosa
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January 22, 2016

Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe – Eggless Chocolate Cake Without Condensed Milk

Eggless chocolate cake recipe
Last month I tried this eggless, super soft, moist & spongy basic Chocolate cake recipe without condensed milk for my FIL’s birthday. I wanted to share this as my new year’s post but I couldn’t do it. This post was lying in my drafts. As I am out of station, I thought of sharing this post today. I tried to do icing/frosting for the cake but it was not good. I must learn to do it perfect. But the cake base was a super hit at home. 
I have tried eggless chocolate cake with condensed milk for my black forest cake recipe. So I was looking for a recipe without condensed milk & butter. I came across this recipe Sharmis blog, made a small change and tried it. It came out very well. I have baked this cake so many times for Raksha’s school Christmas & New year party but without icing. I just made a simple decoration by drizzling some Hershey’s chocolate syrup and sprinkled some sugar balls. All her friends loved the cake and asked her whether your mom is a chef. This was the best complement I’ve ever received for my baking.
 And now Iam happily sharing this fool proof recipe with you all. Try it for your family and take the credits. Ok, lets see how to make this eggless, spongy, moist chocolate cake recipe using oil. If you wish to try this cake using pressure cooker, please refer THIS POST for the baking procedure.
Eggless chocolate cake

Eggless Chocolate cake recipe


Eggless Chocolate cake recipe Eggless Chocolate cake recipe - Moist, soft and spongy
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Eggless baking
Serves: 10-12 pieces
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 35 Minutes
Total time: 45 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250 ml
  • All purpose flour/maida - 1.5 cups
  • Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp
  • Baking soda - 1 tsp
  • Baking powder - 1/8 tsp
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Granulated Sugar - 1 cup
  • Chocolate Chips - 2 tbsp
  • Water - 1/2 cup (125ml)
  • Boiled milk - 1/2 cup ( at room temp) ( Vegan use 1 cup of water instead of milk)
  • Vanilla essence - 1/2 tbsp
  • Lemon juice or White Vinegar - 1 tbsp
  • Oil - 1/4 cup (60 ml)
METHOD

  • Sieve and mix the dry ingredients ( Maida, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder). Keep aside. Take the wet ingredients ( oil, water, milk, vanilla essence, vinegar) and mix well. Add sugar and stir well to dissolve it.
  • To this,add the sieved maida mixture. Make a smooth batter using a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps and sugar is dissolved properly. Grease a baking tray with butter and sprinkle maida all over it OR line the baking pan with butter paper.
  • The consistency of batter should be thin and falls like a thin ribbon. Lastly add the chocolate chips and mix well.
  • Pour the batter and keep it ready. Pre heat the oven in convection mode at 180c and keep the baking pan inside the oven. Let it bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove and check it with the back of spoon or tooth pick. If it comes out clean, cake is done else bake for 5 more minutes. Let the cake cool down for 15 minutes. Invert the cake and remove it in a plate. You can do icing & decorate the cake as you wish Or simply drizzle some chocolate syrup and sprinkle sugar balls. Serve & Enjoy !


Note
  • I used milk & water in equal quantity but the original recipe used only water.So Vegans can replace milk with water.
  • If you trying this cake for the first time, you can just half the measures given in this recipe and try it.
  • If you wish to try this cake in pressure cooker, do refer THIS POST for the procedure.

Try this easy, yummy eggless chocolate cake at home. You will love it !!
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January 21, 2016

Red Rice Idli Dosa Recipe – Kerala Matta Rice Idli dosa - Healthy Idli Recipes

Red rice idli recipe

We all know Red rice has amazing health benefits when compared with our usual white rice. So I always think to include it in my regular diet. Last week I made this healthy red rice (Kerala Rosematta) idli recipe for the first time. I have tried varieties of idli recipes using millets, brown rice, oats and even with barley. 

When I saw 1/2 kg of Kerala red rice in my pantry which I bought for my Onam sadya, red rice idli & dosa flashed in my mind. I browsed through many recipes and watched some youtube video recipes too. Finally I came up with this version. Idli came out super soft and dosa was very flavorful except the color was dull white. I was very happy with the result and including this in my Idli varieties collection.

Sorry, I am not able to post this recipe with stepwise pictures as they got deleted by mistake. Please find the picture of red rice I used in this recipe. Lets see how to make this healthy, soft idli recipe using Kerala Red rice. 

Check out my Idli varities collection HERE


Red rice

Red rice idli,dosa

Red rice idli,dosa recipe


Red rice idli,dosa recipe Red rice idli, dosa recipe - Healthy breakfast ideas
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 25 
Prep time: 18 Hours
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 18Hrs15Min


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 200ml
  • Red rice - 2 cups ( I used Kerala Red Rice)
  • Salem Idli rice - 1/2 cup
  • White round urad dal - 1/2 cup
  • Thick Poha/Aval – 1 tbsp
  • Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
METHOD
  • Wash and soak Red rice + Idli rice + poha together for 2-3 hours. Wash & soak urad dal + Methi seeds for 2 hours.
  • Grind the soaked urad dal first adding water little by little in regular intervals. I used nearly 1 to 1.25 cups of water. Make a smooth, fluffy batter. Remove in a bowl.
  • Grind the rice to a smooth paste adding required salt & water. Remove the batter and mix with urad dal batter. Use your hands and mix it well.  Allow the batter to ferment for 15 hours or overnight.
  • The next day morning,batter would have raised a bit with sour smell. Batter din’t double for me. Mix the batter well and make idlis. Heat idli pot with water. Grease the idli plate with little oil and pour the batter. Steam the idlis for 10 to 15 minutes till the back of spoon comes out clean. Remove the idlis and serve hot with chutney & sambar.
  • For making dosa, mix the batter well. Add little water if its very thick. Heat dosa pan, pour a ladleful of batter and spread it thin. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa. Cook both the sides and remove. Enjoy !
I served it with  Chidambaram kathirikai gothsu and tomato chutney.

Note
  • Here I have used 5:1 ratio of rice & dal. You can use 4:1 if you use red rice alone.
  • I used a small portion of white rice just for the taste. You can skip it if you wish.

Enjoy this healthy, super soft red rice idli recipe for your breakfast & dinner !!

I served it with  Chidambaram kathirikai gothsu and tomato chutney.

Red rice idli,dosa
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January 20, 2016

Milagu Jeeraga Aval Recipe – Pepper Poha - Poha Recipes

Milagu aval
Last year I got few requests from readers to share different types of poha recipes( Aval in tamil & Malayalam, Avalakki in Kannada, Rice flakes in English, Poha in Hindi, Atukulu in telugu). I have never thought or tried any recipes beyond my lemon aval/Lemon poha. When I got those requests, I started looking for varieties of poha recipes. At that time, my MIL taught me this easy pepper poha (Milagu aval in Tamil) recipe for breakfast & dinner. Its a super easy and super quick recipe that needs just 10 minutes to prepare.We usually make pepper idiyappam but never tried with poha. As Sendhil loves pepper based recipes, it was like double bonanza for me.. No side dish is required for this recipe. So I make this atleast twice in a week. Working women and bachelors can try this recipe if you like pepper recipes. You would love its taste and simplicity. Its is a no onion no garlic Jain recipe. So it can be prepared during festival seasons or for vrat/fasting days.Ok, lets see how to make this easy and yummy breakfast/dinner recipe using poha – Milagu aval/Pepper Poha !! I will try to share more poha recipes in my upcoming posts.

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January 18, 2016

Paneer Dosa Recipe – Paneer Masala Dosa - Dosa Varieties

Paneer dosa recipe
Paneer dosa was in my try list since I had this in a 101 dosa corner. We ordered Paneer cheese dosa for Raksha, Pav bhaji masala dosa for me and Spring dosa for Sendhil. Raksha couldn’t complete the dosa as it was really big. So myself & Sendhil had the remaining. 

I loved the paneer masala stuffing of the dosa &I could guess the ingredients easily. It was more like paneer bhurji. So I tried to recreate the same at home and succeeded in my attempt too. This is so easy to make and tastes yummy with coconut chutney as side dish. You can try this for breakfast and dinner as well . Lets see how to prepare this yummy, kids friendly dosa with paneer masala stuffing !!

Paneer masala dosa

Paneer dosa recipe


Paneer dosa recipe Paneer dosa recipe - How to make dosa with paneer masala stuffing
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 4-5 dosa
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes
INGREDIENTS

  • Paneer - 150 gms ( 1 cup grated)
  • Big onion - 1 no
  • G&G paste - 1/2 tsp
  • Tomato – 1 no
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Dhania powder - 1 tsp
  • Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Mint leaves - few ( optional)
  • Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
  • Fennel seeds/Saunf – 1/4 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
  • Dosa batter – 1 cup
  • Cooking oil – as needed
METHOD

  • Boil water in a pan and keep the paneer block inside the water for 5 minutes. It helps to make the paneer soft. Grate the paneer. Chop onion, tomato, green chillies & mint leaves.
Paneer dosa recipe
  • Heat oil in a kadai and splutter fennel seeds. Add chopped onions and saute until transparent. Add g&g paste and saute till raw smell goes off.
Paneer dosa recipe
  • Now add tomato pieces.Saute until mushy. Add turmeric powder,red chilli pwd, dhania pwd & garam masala powder. Mix well. Add the required salt.
Paneer dosa recipe
  • Lastly add the grated paneer. Mix well.Check for taste. Garnish with mint leaves and coriander leaves, switch off the flame.
Paneer dosa recipe
  • Heat a dosa pan and pour a ladleful of batter. Spread it well and make it thin. Drizzle a tsp of oil and cook well in medium to high flame till the sides become crisp and center becomes golden brown.
Paneer dosa recipe
  • Do not flip the dosa. Keep the paneer masala inside the dosa.You can either spread it over the dosa or keep a ladleful of masala in the middle. Fold the dosa and serve hot with chutney !
Paneer dosa recipe


Note
  • Adjust the quantity of chilli powder & garam masala powder as per your taste.
  • You can skip g&g paste if you don’t like over powering of masala flavor.
  • Use few drops of lemon juice instead of tomato. But adding tomato gives a base to the masala. So its your choice.
Enjoy this yummy paneer dosa for breakfast or dinner !!
Paneer dosa
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January 17, 2016

Veg Biryani Recipes – Collection of 40 Veg Biryani Varieties

Veg biryani varieties
I have been sharing varieties of Vegetable Biryani recipes for the past few months in my Sunday Lunch recipes series. Usually people make different types of biryani on weekends especially Sundays or for special occasions like marriage, festivals, family and friends get together/ party, anniversary & birthdays. Not just for Sunday lunch, many people make veg biryani for daily lunch box too as most of them are easy to make one pot meals. So I made a series of different types of veg biryani recipes on Sundays to explore biryani varieties for Vegetarians. I was happy that I could try & share 40+ veg biryani recipes and pulao recipes.

I have made a list of veg biryani recipe in my website and stacked all of them in one page for your quick reference. Please click on the specific image to view the respective recipe. In this collection, you can find the links for Biryani spices list,How to cook basmati rice & Jeeraga samba rice with a side dish for biryani, Indian Veg biryani recipes, Easy vegetable biryani for bachelors, Hyderabadi Veg biryani, Kerala veg biryani, Veg Kofta biryani,Veg Dum biryani, Pakistan biryani, Sindhi biryani, Tamilnadu muslim style biryani, Kuska/plain biryani, Mushroom biryani, Cauliflower biryani, Baby corn biryani, Brinjal biryani, Sweet corn biryani, Soya chunks biryani, Tomato biryani and some of the most popular Biryani recipes in Tamil nadu like Ambur biryani, Dindigul Thalapakatti biryani, Coimbatore angannan biryani and Anjappar biryani recipes replacing mutton & chicken with vegetables.

 I have also shared a Celebrity biryani recipe”Thala Ajith biryani”-You must try this once. You can also find some Healthy biryani recipes like Mixed pulses biryani, Spinach/Palak biryani, Bittergourd biryani, Qabooli chana biryani,Rajma biryani,Pakistani style mushroom biryani, Millet biryani,brown rice biryani and Kathal biryani. Apart from these recipes, I have shared few pulao recipes like spicy veg pulao,Mushroom pulao and tomato pulao. Friends,do try these recipes during weekends and share your feedback here.Thanks for visiting this page. Hope you find it useful.

Veg Biryani, Pulao Varieties


Biryani.Pulao Varieties Veg Biryani, Pulao varieties for Sunday lunch,Special occasions and for lunch box !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves: Serves 3
Prep time: 60 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 80 Minutes


INGREDIENTS USED

  • Basmati rice & Jeera Rice(Samba rice)
  • Whole Garam masala (Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, Bayleaf, Black stone flower)
  • Mixed vegetables
  • Soya chunks/Meal maker, Mushroom, Cauliflower, baby corn, sweet corn
  • Spice powders (Chilli pwd, dhania powder, garam masala powder, biryani masala powder,turmeric powder)
  • Ginger & Garlic paste
  • SaltWater
  • Coconut milk,milk
  • Curd,Lemon juice
  • Mint & coriander leaves
  • Green chillies,red chillies
  • Cooking oil + Ghee


VEG BIRYANI, PULAO RECIPES




How to cook basmati rice
How to cook basmati rice
Biryani spices
Biryani spices list
Thala Ajith Biryani
No onion no garlic baby corn biryani
Kathal biryani/Raw jackfruit biryani
Millet biryani - Samai Biryani
Brinjal biryani
Ambur biryani
Tawa pulao
Cauliflower/Gobi biryani
Brown rice biryani
Tricolor pulao/Tiranga pulao
KFC Veg Rice Bowlz
Kofta Biryani
Mug biryani recipe
Pot/Matka biryani
Rajma biryani
Kabuli biryani recipe
Pulses biryani
Pulses biryani recipe
Sindhi biryani
Coimbatore angannan biryani
Dindigul Thalappakatti biryani
Donne biryani
Easy paneer biryani
Kuska/Plain biryani
Avarekalu methi pulao
Kerala veg biryani
Mushroom biryani
Veg fried rice
Nawabi biryani/Hyderabadi Dum biryani
Sindhi biryani
Mughlai vegetable biryani
Coriander leaves biryani
Muslim wedding biryani
Anjappar veg biryani
Corn pulao recipe
coconut milk veg biryani
Chettinad small potato biryani
Spicy veg pulao
Bittergourd biryani
Brinji rice
Tomato biryani
Spinach biryani
Vegetable Biryani Recipe
Easy Veg Dum biryani
Easy Veg biryani for bachelors

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