Instant Tomato Rasam Recipe Without Dal – Easy Thakkali Rasam

For every South Indian, Rasam and Potato curry must be the most comfortable & simple lunch menu. Whenever Sendhil have his lunch at office, I make rasam and potato poriyal for myself & Raksha as we both are big fan of this combo. Usually I make my South Indian style rasam recipe adding tamarind, tomato and dal water. But today, I prepared a simple tomato rasam recipe without tamarind and toor dal water for the first time following this recipe. I tweaked the recipe to ease the process. It came out well. Myself & Raksha loved it a lot. It tasted great with potato poriyal. I

f you are looking for some simple, instant tomato rasam recipe without dal and tamarind, you should give this a try. It can be prepared quickly under 10 minutes. Lets check how to make Instant tomato rasam at home with step by step pictures.

Do check out my Kerala style tomato rasam recipe !

Easy tomato rasam recipe without dal - Simple Thakkali rasam

Instant, easy tomato rasam recipe without dal - South Indian style thakkali rasam

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Rasam varieties

Serves: 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Ripe tomato - 3 nos ( medium sized) Pepper corns - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp Water - 2 cups ( approx) Green chilli - 1 no ( slit) Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Crushed garlic - 3 nos Curry leaves - Few Sugar - A pinch Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp ( finely chopped) to garnish To temper Ghee - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/4 tsp Red chilli - 1 no

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO RASAM WITHOUT DAL - METHOD

Dry roast coriander seeds, pepper, cumin seeds for few minutes.  In a mixie jar, take the washed and chopped tomato, roasted coriander seeds, pepper corns, cumin seeds. Grind to a smooth paste adding 1/2 cup water. In a kadai, add the ground tomato paste, slit green chilli, chopped curry leaves, crushed garlic, turmeric powder, salt and a pinch of sugar. Add 1.5 cups of water to it and check for taste. Add more salt if needed. Let the mixture boil well for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell of tomato goes off. In a small tadka pan, heat ghee and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, pinched red chilli. Add this seasoning to the boiling rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves. Add 1/4 cup water and boil till frothy. Remove in a bowl. Cover with a lid and give a standing time of 30 minutes before serving. Serve hot with rice, potato curry and appalam/papad ! Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spices based on your taste. Tomato should be fully ripen. If not, add berry sized tamarind while grinding. Tempering in ghee is a must. It adds nice flavor to the rasam. Garnishing with coriander leaves enhances the taste & flavor of this rasam.

  This is my way of eating rasam rice with potato curry & papad !

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Pazham Pori Recipe – Ethakka Appam - Kerala Nendram Pazham Bajji

Pazham pori @ Ethakka appam – Kerala special Nendram pazham bajji ( Ripe banana fritters in English) was in my try list for years. Crispy and hot Pazham pori with tea/Chai is one of the most popular and classic combo in Kerala. People love to have this pazham pori with hot tea as an evening snack. I have tasted this bajji only once in Bangalore - Ernakulum intercity express train pantry car. I loved it very much and I decided to blog this recipe at that instance. But I couldn’t find nendram pazham/etha pazham in my area. 

Recently I got few ripen nendram pazham from my neighbor. My neighbors from Kerala used to buy this nendram pazham regularly and feed their toddlers for breakfast as it has lots of health benefits. As soon as I got the ripen banana, this pazham pori recipe flashed in my mind. I browsed for few recipes and videos to make a crispy pazham pori just like the ones I tasted in train. I came across many pazham pori recipes with eggs, besan flour and even with wheat flour. But I wanted to try the traditional, authentic ones with Maida and rice flour.

Finally I got this recipe from my neighbor and tried it for our evening snacks. This sweet bajji is of my kind. I loved it a lot more than Raksha & Sendhil. We are planning to visit Kerala during this summer vacation. I have a big list of dishes to taste in Kerala hotels. This pazham pori is also one among them. I will try to update this post and share a picture in my Instagram feed from Kerala tea shop. Now lets see how to make Kerala special Pazham pori recipe with step by step pictures and video !

Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam

Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam - Kerala Nendram Pazham Bajji Recipe

Cuisine: Kerala

Category: Snacks

Serves: 12 nos

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Nendram banana / Kerala ripen banana - 3 to 4 nos Maida / All purpose flour – 1 cup Rice flour – 3 tbsp Sugar – 1 to 2 tbsp ( based on the sweetness of banana) Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp Cooking Soda – a pinch (optional) Jeera / Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp Crushed Cardamom seeds – 1 no ( optional) Water – 1 cup ( approx) Cooking oil or coconut oil - to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE PAZHAM PORI - METHOD

Take the ripen banana and peel the skin. Cut into long, thin or thick strips as you wish. Set aside. Taste a small piece of banana to know the sweetness. Mine looked over ripen and black as u see in the picture. But It was mildly sweet. So I had to add more sugar in the batter. The quantity of sugar in the batter depends on the sweetness of banana. In a wide bowl,take the maida, rice flour, sugar, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, cardamom powder and a small pinch of cooking soda.  Adding soda is optional. Mix well. Add water little by little and make a smooth, lump free batter. Batter should not be too thin or too thick. Its consistency should be like bajji batter.It should fall like a thin ribbon. Batter should coat the banana well. So make it accordingly. Please watch the video for reference. I used approx 1 to 1.25 cups of water. Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated ,drop a pinch of batter to check oil temperature. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is just right. Now take one banana strip and coat well on both the sides in the batter. Drop in hot oil. Deep fry 2-3 pazham pori for one batch. Flip & Cook in medium flame on fry both the sides till golden. Remove in a tissue paper. Serve hot  to enjoy its best taste.Tea with pazham pori is a classic combo in Kerala. You too give a try and enjoy !

Note

Rice flour is not used in many recipes. But I added it to make crispy pazham pori. Cardamom powder is also optional. If you want the flavor of banana to be dominant, skip it. Adjust the quantity of sugar based on the sweetness of banana. Adding cooking soda is optional. If you don’t add pazham pori looks flat and thin. But mine looked slightly bulgy because of soda. Its your choice of how you want it.

Try this Kerala special snack – Pazham pori at home for your tea time  and enjoy !!

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Indian Style Tomato Spaghetti Recipe – Vegetarian Spaghetti Recipe With Video

This is my second post on vegetarian spaghetti recipe. I started trying out spaghetti based recipes recently and my first recipe was easy garlic spaghetti. We loved that a lot. So Raksha & Sendhil asked me to try some varieties of spaghetti recipes for breakfast. Last Sunday I made this easy, Indian style tomato spaghetti recipe with very simple ingredients. I browsed many vegetarian spaghetti recipes and tried it finally with my own twist. It came out really well and we all loved it. 

Raksha took 2 servings which made me very happy. For Raksha, I used red chilli flakes, pepper powder in little quantity for less spicy taste and added more cheese whereas for myself & Sendhil, I added more spices, used Italian seasoning and made it without cheese. It was tasting great and packed with full flavor. 

Friends, do try this easy, yummy tomato spaghetti recipe for your kids and family.Adjust the spice level based on their taste buds. I am sure they will love it. Lets see how to make this easy, Indian vegetarian tomato spaghetti recipe with step by step photos and video !

Tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian spaghetti recipe

Easy tomato spaghetti recipe - Indian vegetarian style recipe for breakfast & dinner !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Spaghetti recipes

Serves: 3

Prep time: 20 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 35 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Spaghetti -  150 gms Water - 8 cups Cooking oil - 1 tsp Salt - 1 tsp To Saute Cooking oil or olive oil - 2 tbsp Garlic cloves - 7 nos ( Finely chopped) Big onion – 2 nos ( Finely chopped) Grated Cheese – 2 tbsp ( I used Mozzarella) Capsicum - 2 tbsp ( Finely chopped) Ripe Tomato - 5 nos ( small) Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp Pepper powder - 1 tsp Salt & water - as needed Italian seasoning - 1 tsp ( optional) Sugar - 1/2 tsp

METHOD

Boil 8 cups of water in a wide bowl. Add 1 tsp of cooking oil or olive oil, add 1 tsp salt. Put the spaghetti and let it cook till half done. Now add the whole tomato in spaghetti water and let it cook. Remove the tomato to a plate after its skin gets cracked ( blanched) . But keep cooking the spaghetti in medium flame for 20 minutes till it turns soft yet firm. i.e Cook Al dente.  If you cover & cook, water may spill. So cook it in medium flame till 3/4 th of the water is absorbed.Then cover & cook for 10 minutes to become soft. Take one spaghetti and check it. Break it with your fingers. Taste one. If  its soft and slightly chewy,  spaghetti is done.  Please check THIS LINK for cooking spaghetti in detail ! Peel the skin of tomato and grind it to a puree. Set aside.Transfer the cooked spaghetti to a colander and drain the excess water. Wash the spaghetti in the running tap water so that it remains firm. Keep aside.   Heat oil in a kadai and saute the finely chopped garlic cloves. When it starts to turn golden, add the finely chopped onion and capsicum. Saute till onion turns transparent. Now add the tomato puree, salt,  red chilli flakes, pepper powder , sugar and Italian seasoning ( If  using). Mix for a minute and then add the cooked spaghetti. Toss well till the spaghetti is evenly coated with the sauce.Switch off the flame and add the grated cheese. Mix well, remove and serve hot ! Enjoy !

Note

Spaghetti takes more time to cook. It took nearly 25 minutes in medium to high flame. I covered & cooked it for the last 5 minutes. Washing the cooked spaghetti in running water helps to keep the spaghetti stay firm. You can cook the spaghetti and keep in advance if making for guests or parties. You can add canned tomato puree too. Adding Italian seasoning is purely optional. But it gives a nice flavor to the dish. If you have fresh or dried basil, you can add that too.

Try this yummy, tomato spaghetti recipe at home for breakfast/dinner !

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Paneer Puri Recipe – Stuffed Paneer Poori - Poori Varieties

During weekends, I am making varieties of poori for our breakfast and I have been sharing the same in my blog. Last Sunday I prepared this paneer poori (Indian cottage cheese in English) for our breakfast with the leftover paneer cubes. Its a stuffed paneer puri recipe. So you just have to add grated paneer to the wheat flour and make dough with it. Its so simple. 

When I was searching for different types of puri recipes, I saw this one in Ramki’s one page cookbook. I liked the idea of paneer stuffed poori and tried this recipe in my own way. It came out really well, puffy and soft. Even though it tastes like masala poori, Paneer gives an additional softness to it and make it healthy too. Semolina/ Rava helps to keep the poori puffy and hold its shape for long time. So kids would love it for sure. 

Do try this different type of poori during this vacation for your kids and family. Enjoy the breakfast ! I made masala raita and onion masala as side dish for this poori. It was a good combination. You can make tomato bhaji, potato masala or even chana masala as a side dish.  Ok, Lets see how to make yummy, soft paneer poori with step by step photos and a video !

Paneer Poori Recipe - Poori varieties

How to make masala poori with paneer - Paneer puri recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Paneer Recipes

Serves: 12 nos

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 2 Minutes

Total time: 12 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Grated paneer - 3/4 cup Atta/Whole wheat flour - 1.5 cups Besan flour - 1 tbsp Rava/Semolina - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Ajwain or cumin seeds - 1/2tsp Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp( finely chopped, optional) Salt & water - as needed Cooking oil - to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE PANEER PURI - METHOD

Grate the paneer using a grater and measure 3/4 cup from it. Keep it aside. In a wide bowl or plate, take the wheat flour, besan flour, rava, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, ajwain/Omam OR cumin seeds and grated paneer. Mix everything well without adding water. Mixture looks crumbly. Now add water gradually and make a smooth dough. Dough should not be too hard or too sticky. Knead it for 5 minutes. Make poori immediately. Keep the remaining dough covered while rolling the poori. Take a portion of dough and make uniform sized balls. Dust the ball in wheat flour and roll into small thick poori. Remember thin poori won’t puff up. So roll it thick. Refer picture below for thickness.  Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry. Check its temperature by dropping a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is just right. If the heat of oil is less, poori won’t puff up. So check it before deep frying. Reduce the flame to medium and take one rolled poori. Pat it between your palm to remove the excess flour.  Drop the poori in oil. When it starts to come up, press the poori with a ladle gently. It puffs up well. Now flip the poori and cook for a minute till bubbles cease. Remove & drain in a tissue paper. Serve hot with masala raita and some bhaji/Poori masala. TIPS:  Increase the flame to high till you drop the next poori. Reduce the flame to medium as soon as u drop it. You can follow this to maintain the heat throughout deep frying. If oil becomes smoky hot, switch off the flame for few minutes. After the oil comes to desired temperature, fry the poori. Enjoy !

Note

Do not make the dough too sticky or soft. No need to rest the dough. Make poori immediately to prevent oil absorption. Thickness of poori is very important to puff up. So roll it small and thick. Heat of oil is also an important factor for puffy poori. Check its temperature. Oil should not be smoky hot.

Try this yummy paneer poori at home for your weekend breakfast and enjoy !

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Mavinakayi Chitranna Recipe – Raw Mango Rice Recipe Karnataka Style

Ugadi festival is around the corner. This year for Ugadi, I am sharing a Karnataka special delicacy Mavinakayi Chitranna recipe. Its nothing but raw mango rice recipe ( Mangai sadam) prepared in  Karnataka style. I learnt this recipe from my School moms friend Archana. 

When I was asking her about Ugadi special recipes of Karnataka other than holige/Obbattu, she told me that they make Mavinakayi chitranna , Mavinakayi chutney, kosambari, obbattu saaru and some palya for the festival. As I had already shared Holige recipe and easy obbattu saaru recipe,I wanted to try Kosambari and mango chitranna this year. 

Actually our friend Tara told me another recipe for Mavinakayi chitranna adding onion and roasted methi seeds powder. I will post that version later. I found many variations for this particular recipe on net. As I am sharing a festival recipe, I wanted to make a simple no onion, no garlic green mango rice and I followed my friend's recipe blindly :) So here you go, Ugadi special Karnataka style mango rice recipe – Mavinakayi chitranna with step by step photos and a video !

Check out my Holige recipe, easy obbattu saaru, Karnataka Ugadi lunch menu post !

Check out my Andhra Ugadi pachadi recipe, pulihora and boorelu recipes.

Mavinakayi Chitranna Recipe - Karnataka style raw mango rice

Mavinakayi chitranna recipe - Raw mango rice recipe - Karnataka style

Cuisine: Karnataka

Category: Rice varieties

Serves: 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Cooked rice – 2 cups ( Raw rice or steamed rice – 1/2 cup) Grated raw mango – 1/2 to 3/4 cup ( Based on sourness of mango) Grated coconut - 1 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - as needed To temper Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Chana dal - 1.5 tsp Raw Peanut - 1 tbsp Green chillies - 3 nos ( Slit) Curry leaves - Few Coriander leaves - 1.5 tbsp

METHOD

Wash and pressure cook 1/2 cup of rice ( you can use raw rice or steamed rice) adding 1.25 cups of water and few drops of cooking oil. I used steamed rice/ Boiled rice. I used 1:3 ratio of rice and water. After the rice is cooked, spread it in a plate and add a tsp of oil around. Let it cool down. Measure 1.5 cups of cooked rice and keep aside. Wash and grated a medium sized raw mango. Taste it to check its sourness. After grating measure 3/4th cup of it and set aside. Pls refer the pic above. Adjust the quantity of  raw mango based on its tanginess. Heat oil in a kadai.Splutter mustard seeds.Add urad dal, chana dal and peanuts. Roast till peanuts are done and dal turns golden brown in color. Roast it in medium flame. Now add the slit green chillies, curry leaves and half of the chopped coriander leaves. Saute for a minute. Now add the required salt and turmeric powder.Mix well. Some people add raw mango,saute for a minute and then add the rice. But I added the cooked rice first and tossed well for a minute then added the raw mango as the sourness of my mango was less. My friend also told me to do the same. You can saute the raw mango before adding the rice if its too sour. It can be done in either ways. Lastly add the grated mango and mix well for a minute. Check for taste. If the taste is too sour, add some more cooked rice, some red chilli powder or slit green chillies to balance the sour taste. You can add more rice or grated mango based on your taste. Mix well and cook for a minute.Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut. Serve hot or warm as u wish. Enjoy !

Note

For variations, you can make the raw mango paste without coconut seperately, refrigerate it for a week and then mix with cooked rice whenever needed.For this, add the grated raw mango after the tempering is done. Allow it to cook for a minute and switch off the flame. Let it cool down and then store in a box. Use clean spoon to handle. Adjust the quantity of green chillies based on the sourness of mango. I have used steamed rice ( Puzhungal arisi). Generally raw rice is used. You can add basmati rice as well. The quantity of rice may vary based on the sourness of raw mango. My mango was not too sour. It is optional to peel the skin of mango. As we are grating the mango, it is not necessary to peel the skin. Some recipes call for grinding mango, coconut, green chillies and add to cooked rice. You can try this method for variation. Do not avoid coriander leaves. It lends a nice flavor to the rice. Add half of the coriander leave while tempering and the remaining to garnish.

Try this simple and yummy raw mango rice at home, enjoy your lunch !

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Masala Chaas Recipe – North Indian Masala Buttermilk Recipe

When we think about thirst quenchers for summer, the simple and the best coolant that strikes our mind is buttermilk. Its an awesome summer drink that provides lots of health benefits to our body. In South India, Tamil nadu we never fail to make neer mor during summer. Sendhil & Raksha likes to have spiced buttermilk instead of taking curd rice. But I love to eat creamy curd rice with raw mango or baby mango ( Vadu mangai) pickle. So I make South Indian neer mor almost everyday in summer just for them. 

Recently I tasted this North Indian style spiced buttermilk (“Chaas/Masala Chaas” or masala taak in Hindi ) in a restaurant lunch buffet. As it was kept in a mud pot and served chilled, I loved it very much and had 3 servings even after having a tummy full lunch. I wanted to try this simple and yummy chaas at home for a change. I browsed for the recipe and tried at home. Roasted cumin seeds powder( Bhuna jeera powder) and black salt are the star ingredients of this basic plain chaas recipe apart from fresh yogurt/curd. 

To make a spicy masala chaas, green chilli, ginger, coriander leaves can also be used along with cumin powder and black salt. For variations, mint leaves/Pudina, hing and even black pepper powder can be used. A pinch of chaat masala can also be added for that extra punch. Ok, lets see how to make this North Indian special summer drink, Masala chaas recipe with step by step photos !

Check out my Summer Recipes in THIS LINK !

Masala chaas Recipe - North Indian Chaas recipe

How to make North Indian special summer drink - Masala chaas/ Chaas recipe

Cuisine: North Indian

Category: Beverages

Serves: 2-3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 2 Minutes

Total time: 7 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Fresh Curd / yogurt - 1 cup Small green chilli – 1 no Roasted cumin seeds powder/Bhuna Jeera powder - 1 tsp Black salt - 1 tsp OR Regular salt - as needed Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp + to garnish Sugar - a pinch Ice cubes - Few Ice water or plain water – 2 to 3 cups Optional ( to grind) Ginger - 1/2 inch piece Mint leaves - 1/2 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE MASALA CHAAS RECIPE - METHOD

In a mixie jar, take the green chilli, washed coriander leaves, roasted cumin powder, black salt and curd. If you wish, u can add 1/2 inch ginger piece, 1/2tbsp mint leaves while grinding. Grind it to a smooth paste. If you don’t have mixie, use a whisk and beat well. Transfer the ground paste to a bowl. Add 2.5 to 3 cups of ice cold water.Mix well. Check for taste and add more salt and cumin powder if needed. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle a pinch of cumin powder. Serve immediately or refrigerate it till use and serve chilled. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of cumin powder and black salt as per taste. Adjust the quantity of water based on the consistency and taste. You can skip grinding coriander leaves ad use it just for garnishing For variations, you can grind a small piece of ginger too. You can also add a pinch of chaat masala at the end before serving. Always serve it chilled to enjoy its best taste.

Try this easy, North Indian style masala chaas at home and enjoy after a heavy meal. It helps in quick digestion !

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