How To Cook Millet In A Pressure Cooker, Rice Cooker, Pan - Indian Style

 

In this post, I have discussed how to cook millet in pressure cooker, rice cooker and in a pan. All these are our Indian ways of cooking millets. Iam happy to make a post about Millets (Sirudhaniyam in Tamil)after a long time.

As we all know, Millets are a super healthy grain with loads of fiber, calcium, minerals & iron. People have started switching to millets and include it in their regular cooking as a replacement of rice for breakfast, dinner and lunch as well. Millet rice can be cooked on stove top( In a open pan), in a rice cooker, pressure cooker and even in microwave just like normal rice.

 But most of us are not sure about how to cook millets perfectly in a fluffy way like pulao, biryani or for making Indian style recipes like Pongal, upma, porridge, koozh with a mushy texture. Its always confusing about the water ratio for different types of millet like Varagu arisi (Kodo millet), Samai (Little millet), Kuthiraivali (Barnyard millet), Thinai rice (Foxtail millet) and Kambu (Pearl millet).

 I have not discussed about Quinoa in this post. Quinoa and thinai are different millets. I will make a post on that separately.

So in this post, I have shared how to cook Indian millets in 3 different ways i.e Open pan method, In a pressure cooker and in an electric rice cooker. Water quantity may vary based on the quality of millet. Some millet may need less water and some may need more. So please keep this post as a reference and do the trial and error.

Warning about millets

I would like to emphasize this point before going to this post. Even though, Millet is a super healthy food, one should consume it moderately based on their body. Over consumption may lead to indigestion, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, imbalanced thyroid levels. So please include different types of millet in your diet thrice or 4 times in a week.

Do not consume the same millet repeatedly. Try to include varieties of millet in your cooking. I have heard people consuming millet for all the 3 times in their daily food just for weight loss by completely avoiding rice. Recently I read in an article that Millets would slow down the thyroid activity. So moderate consumption is advised for people with thyroid problems.

In general ” Too much of anything is good for nothing”. So please consume it in moderate quantity and reap all it benefits. Maintain a healthy life style. This is my kind advice based on my own experience.

For people who are new to millet, please check my “All about millets” post for a better understanding. 

Millets names in different languages

ENGLISH – Finger millet, Kodo millet, Pearl millet, Barnyard millet, Little millet, Foxtail millet

 
HINDI - Nachani /mundua, Koden/Kodra, Bajra, Jhangora, Kutki, Kangni/Rala 

 
TAMIL – Ragi, Varagu, Kambu, Kuthiraivali, Samai, Thinai

 
KANNADA – Ragi, Harka, Sajje, Oodalu, Saame, Navane

 
TELUGU – Ragula, Arikelu, Sajjalu, Odalu, Sama, Korra

 
MALAYALAM – Panjipullu, Koovaragu, Kambam, Kavada pullul, Chama, Thina

How to cook Millet

How to cook different types of millet - Thinai rice, varagu rice,samai, kuthiravali and kambu

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Millet Recipes

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 5-30 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 15-40 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 240ml Varagu arisi (Kodo millet), Samai arisi (Little millet), Kuthiraivali ( Barnyard millet) - 1/2 cup Water – 1.25 cups to 1.5 cups ( 1:2.5 to 1:3 ratio) Cooking oil - few drops (optional) For thinai & kambu, water quantity may vary. Soaking is needed. Thinai rice( Foxtail millet) - 1/2 cup Water - 1.5 cups Kambu / Pearl millet – 1/2 cup Water – 2 cups For making pongal, bisibelebath, thick porridge : use 1: 5 ratio of millet & water and use pressure cooker. For making pulao, biryani : use 1:2 or 1: 2.5 ratio of millet and water. It is better to cook in open pan to get fluffy rice.

METHOD

Try to buy unpolished millet because its healthier than polished ones. Wash the millet at least twice or thrice.Use a strainer or metal sieve with fine holes to filter it. Some millet may contain husk, dust particles or even small stones. So wash it well. HOW TO COOK VARAGU, SAMAI AND KUTHIRAVALI  In Open pan : For 1/2 cup of varagu arisi, measure 1.25 cups of water ( 1:2.5 ratio). No need to soak in water. Heat water in a pan. When it starts to roll boil, simmer the flame completely.   Add the washed and drained millet to the  boiling water. Lower the flame completely. Cover with a lid & cook for 5-7 minutes. Fluff it gently once in the middle using a fork. Cook till all the water is absorbed. Switch off the flame and keep it covered for 10 minutes. It will get cooked in the resting time and becomes fluffy. After 10 minutes, you can remove it and serve with any sambar or any kuzhambu OR use it for making variety rice. Enjoy ! How to cook in rice cooker : Wash 1/2 cup of millet and drain the excess water. Boil 1.5 cups of water and add the millet  ( 1:3 ratio). Cook it till the lights turn to warm mode. Open the cooker & check if its cooked well. If not, add 1/2 cup more water and cook for some more time. How to cook in Pressure cooker : For cooking in pressure cooker, wash the millet and drain the excess water. Heat a cooker base with 3 cups of water. In a cooker vessel, take 1/2 cup of varagu/ kodo millet, Kuthiravali/ barnyard millet and add 1.25 cups of water (1:2.5 ratio).  For Samai/ Little millet, add 1 cup of water ( 1:2 ratio). Add few drops of cooking oil if you need fluffy rice. Cover with the lid and pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Make sure flame should be the minimum. It takes nearly 5-7 minutes to cook. If not, cook for 5 minutes in low flame and switch off the flame. DO NOT COOK the millet directly in a cooker base. It may lead to burnt bottom layer. So its better and safe to cook millets by placing them inside a vessel. If you are making pulao or biryani, you can directly cook it with spices and vegetables. In that case, add 1:2.5 water and keep an eye. Switch off after cooking for 6-7 minutes in very low flame. Open the cooker after the steam is released. HOW TO COOK THINAI/ FOXTAIL MILLET In a open pan : Wash the foxtail millet twice to remove the dust. Soak it for minimum 30 minutes. For 1/2 cup of thinai/ foxtail millet, heat 1.5 cups of water. When the water starts to roll boil, add the soaked thinai. Mix well and add a few drops of cooking oil. Cover and cook till all the water is absorbed. Toss it once or twice in the middle. Actually thinai takes long time to cook than other millets. So keep checking for the water content and add 1/4 cup more only if needed. In a rice cooker : Wash 1/2 cup of foxtail millet and drain the excess water.Soak it for an hour. Boil 1.5 cups of water and add the millet. Cook it till the lights turn to warm mode. Open the cooker & check if its cooked well. If not, add 1/2 cup more water and cook for some more time.  How to cook in Pressure cooker : For cooking in pressure cooker, wash the millet and drain the excess water. Heat a cooker base with 1.5 cups of water for 1/2 cup of thinai. Let the water roll boil. Add the washed millet, few drops of cooking oil and mix well. Cover with the lid and pressure cook in very low flame just for one whistle. Make sure flame should be the minimum. It takes nearly 5-7 minutes to cook. If not, cook for 5 minutes in low flame and switch off the flame. Cooking for longer time burns the bottom layer. So keep an eye. HOW TO COOK KAMBU/ PEARL MILLET : Wash the kambu well. Soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain the excess water and spread in a cloth. Let it dry for 5 minutes. Grind it coarsely in a mixie to remove the husk. Sieve it well. Boil 2 cups of water for 1 cup of kambu. When the water starts to roll boil, add the kambu, mix well without lumps and cook till all the water is absorbed. Cover & cook it. Kambu cannot be cooked fluffy. It comes out mushy in texture. In pressure cooker : Take 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 1 cup of kambu. Cook for one whistle in low flame or 3 whistles in medium flame. Enjoy with sambar, kootu and poriyal !

Note

The quantity of water may vary. +/- 1/2 cup difference may be there. Cooking time may vary for the cooker and open pan method. So keep an eye if you are cooking for the first time.

MILLET RECIPES

• All about millets

• Mixed Millet energy mix powder

• Instant millet dosa recipe using health mix powder

• Millet ladoo

• Thinai idli,dosa recipe

• Saamai sweet pongal/Little millet pongal recipe

• Ragi idli,dosa recipe

• Kambu dosai/Pearl millet dosa recipe

• Varagu idli, Dosa

• Varagu Ven pongal

• Kuthiravali Puli upma

• Kuthiravali Upma

• Thinai Nei appam

• Thinai Payasam

• Soft ragi adai - Sweet n spice versions

• Ragi puttu - Sweet n spice versions

• Ragi vermicelli - Sweet n spice versions

• Ragi porridge - Sweet n spice versions

• Multi grain nankhatai/biscuit recipe

• Health mix powder recipe for babies

• Health mix powder for adults

• Instant Ragi dosa recipe

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Onam Sadya Recipes – Kerala Onam Sadhya Vibhavangal/ Lunch Menu

I am extremely happy and proud to share my 5th Onam sadya lunch menu with you all. Since 2012, I have been sharing varieties of Onasadhya feast during ThiruOnam festival. Every year I used to attempt some new, authentic Kerala dishes in my Onam sadya. I take this as a chance to learn many Kerala recipes and to express my passion for their food. Moreover Sendhil and myself loves to have feast and treat ourselves with Kerala delicacies.

Initially I started with a simple Onam sadhya menu in 2012. Later I started making around 15-20 dishes for the onam feast every year. Onam sadya preparation is the one and only thing that makes me busy in my kitchen and cook continuously for 3-4 hours. Pre Planning and organization is very important to cook a sadhya. So I have shared Onam sadya items list, how to prepare easily, Onam sadya serving order etc according to my knowledge and experience. Please excuse me and correct me if there is anything wrong.

Most of the dishes are tried from our fellow food bloggers of Kerala. I have given the links for each recipes. I hope this post would help you plan and prepare Kerala Onam sadya easily and quickly. Lets see how to prepare Onam sadya lunch menu in detail.

Please check out my other Onam Sadya menu below :

• Simple Onam sadya 1

• Onam sadhya menu 2

• Onam sadya menu 3

• Onam sadya menu 4

Onam sadya Serving order : From tip of banana leaf : Salt, Papadam, Nendran banana, chips, upperi, Puli inji, Pickle, Olan, Kalan, Erissery, Puliserry, Avial, Kootu curry, Thoran, Mezhukkupuratti, Pachadi, Kichadi. In the center of leaf : Rice, Parippu curry, ghee, Sambar, Moru curry, ulli theeyal, rasam, Sambaram, Parippu pradhaman, Payasam varieties on the top corner.

Refer image below.

Wish all my readers and friends a very happy Onam.”ONAM ASHAMSAKAL” !!

Onam sadya Recipes - Kerala Lunch Menu

Onam sadya lunch menu recipes - Kerala Onam vibhavangal

Cuisine: Kerala

Category: Onam sadya

Serves: Serves 2-3

Prep time: 60 Minutes

Cook time: 180 Minutes

Total time: 4 hours

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

Onam sadya items list for cooking Vegetables I used for this menu ( Yam, Raw banana, Drumstick, Ash gourd/Kumbalanga, Carrot, Potato, Beetroot ) for thoran, Mezhukkupuratti, Pachadi, Olan, Kalan, Kootu curry, erissery, moru curry, sambar Small onions Ginger for Puli inji Moong dal for Parippu curry Curry leaves Tamarind Red chillies Green chillies Cumin seeds Brown chana Black eyed peas/Cow peas Coconut oil Coconut Banana Nendran banana Moong dal for Parippu pradhaman Jaggery Semiya for semiya payasam Sugar Coconut milk Cardamom seeds Dry ginger powder Papad Salt & water Sour Curd for moru curry Buttermilk for Sambaram Mustard seeds + Urad dal + Red chilli - For tempering Onam sadya recipes with links Choru/ Cooked red rice  Papadam, Banana, Upperi, Nendran chips ( store bought) Parippu curry Varutharacha sambar Moru curry Tomato Rasam Ulli theeyal Side dishes Puli inji Naranga achar/Lemon pickle ( store bought) Beetroot pachadi Carrot thoran Potato Mezhukkupuratti Chena/Yam erissery Kootu curry Kurukku Kalan Olan Avial Payasam recipes Semiya payasam Parippu pradhaman Palada payasam Ada pradhaman Chakka pradhaman Paal payasam Pink palada payasam in pressure cooker Sambaram Other recipes ideas for menu Ulli sambar Unniappam Onam Sadya menu Simple Onam sadya 1 Onam sadhya menu 2 Onam sadya menu 3 Onam sadya menu 4

HOW TO MAKE ONAM SADYA - METHOD

Plan the menu, buy the vegetables and other items one day before Onam. Soak the tamarind for sambar, rasam and brown Chana( Kadala) overnight. Wash and soak the matta rice overnight or for 2 to 3 hours.  In the morning, after taking bath, start cooking. Soak the Ada in water for 30 minutes if you are making ada pradhaman.  I used 2-3 cookers of 3 liter capacity for making this menu quickly. Last year when I made sadya, I noticed that most of my time was spent in pre preparatory works like grating coconut, extracting coconut milk, grinding masala, chopping vegetables and for cooking dals & vegetables. This year I wanted to make all these works simple and easy. So instead of grating 2 coconuts, I made small slices of it using a ladle edge with thick & blunt handle as you see in the picture. Make sure your mixie blades are in good condition else it may break.  Then I dry ground all the coconut slices together and divided them into 2 parts. I used one part for taking coconut milk and the other part for masala. It saved lot of time for me. Take the required amount of coconut for each dish. Most of the dishes call for grinding coconut +green chilli+ jeera to a smooth paste. So grind it by taking a portion of coconut. Keep it and use wherever needed. Use the remaining coconut for taking coconut milk. Add in payasam. Also I dry roasted the moong dal for parippu curry and pressure cooked it along with toor dal for sambar together in my big pressure cooker by placing moong dal in the bottom of cooker and toor dal for sambar in a tiffin box. Please refer the picture. U can even keep a plate of mixed vegetables required for sambar over the toor dal.  While the dals are cooking, You can chop the vegetables for sambar, avial or kootu curry, olan, Pulisssery, pachadi, kichadi & inji curry. By this time, steam would be released from the cooker. Remove the toor dal box and mash the dal well. Similarly mash the moong dal too. Add little ground coconut paste to moong dal and boil well. Parippu curry is ready. For cooking Vanpayar and vegetables for olan, kalan and erissery, I again used my big cooker and cooked them together by keeping one above the other in small bowls and plates. As all these veggies gets cooked in one go, you just have to add them in coconut mixture and boil it. For thoran, I cooked it in my small cooker adding very less water and cooked in high flame for two whistles. After removing this, cook the red rice adding 1:12 water and drain the excess water. Keep the rice aside. Make sambar, rasam and other dishes. Make the payasam at the end using the cookers ! It takes nearly 2-3 hours. Disclaimer: I know these are not the authentic method of cooking Kerala food but to make my job easier, I followed these steps and I hope it would help beginners. Friends, please excuse me. Thanks for visiting this page. Hope you will try all these recipes and like it.  Once again, I wish you all a very happy Onam. Enjoy the feast!

Make a grand Onam spread on Festival day and enjoy with your family members.

Wish you all a very happy Onam !!

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Travel Food Recipes Ideas–South Indian Variety Rice

Last week we had a trip to Valparai near Pollachi,Tamil nadu for summer vacation in our car. We packed few rice varieties for lunch and had it during our road trip in Attakatti. Usually we make Tamarind rice/Puli sadam and Curd rice for travel. But this time, Sendhil told us to prepare some other rice varieties for a change. So my MIL made this yummy, easy, comforting and a healthy South Indian meal for our travel.I thought of sharing this easy travel food recipes idea with you all. It would be helpful for you to plan and prepare food for your short trip/Picnic during this Summer holidays. My MIL made Milagu jeeraga sadam/ Pepper cumin rice, Ellu sadam/ Sesame seeds rice, Lemon rice and Curd rice along with vadam/Vathal. We also carried some store bought sweets and snacks to munch during our travel. Lets see how we prepared this simple and yummy travel lunch menu.

Here is a collage of Valparai-Athirapally Pictures. Check THIS LINK for more pictures.

Travel Food Recipes Ideas

South Indian lunch menu for travel

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Travel recipes

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 20 Minutes

Cook time: 30 Minutes

Total time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml For rice varieties Steamed rice - 2 cups Water - 6 cups Gingely oil - 2 tsp Salt - as needed For lemon rice Lemon - 5 nos Green chilli - 6-8 nos Red chilli - 2 nos Curry leaves - few Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 1 tbsp Chana dal - 2 tbsp Roasted peanuts - a handful ( optional) Hing/Asafetida - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Gingely oil - as needed while mixing the rice Salt - as needed For Pepper cumin rice/Milagu jeeraga sadam Ghee - 2 tbsp Pepper corns – 1.5 tbsp Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp Salt - as needed Curry leaves - few For Ellu sadam Black sesame seeds - 2 tbsp Red chilli - 2 nos Garlic cloves - 3 nos Salt - as needed Curry leaves - few For curd rice Steamed rice or raw rice - 1 cup Water - 5 cups Salt - as needed Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 1 tbsp Chana dal - 2 tbsp Green chilli - 2 nos ( finely chopped or slitted) Ginger - 2 inch piece ( finely chopped or grated) Curry leaves - few Fruits like grapes, pomegranate - to mix in the rice Coriander leaves - a fistful Koozh vadam/Vathal - as needed ( to deep fry) Mor milagai & Pickle - side dish for curd rice Lemon rice recipe Milagu Jeeraga Aval ( replace aval with rice) Curd rice/Thayir sadam Tamarind rice/Puli sadam

METHOD

On the previous day night of travel, prepare the lemon rice paste.Make sesame seeds powder by dry roasting the sesame seeds, red chilli and then powder it adding salt.Make pepper cumin seeds powder. Refrigerate the lemon rice paste alone. Keep the powders in an air tight box and store it. The next day morning as soon as u get up, wash and soak the rice in required water for 20 minutes. Use two cookers. One for curd rice and other one for rice varieties. Soak the rice separately in 2 cookers. Rice will be well soaked by the time u take bath. Pressure cook the rice for one whistle in low flame and switch off the flame. Remove the lid after the steam is released. NEVER USE YOUR HANDS FOR MIXING THE RICE. USE LADLE FOR HANDLING THE RICE. Spread the rice in a plate and add some gingely oil. Take the rice in curd rice cooker and mash it well adding salt and milk. Do not curd when the rice is hot. Add curd after the rice becomes lukewarm. Add the seasoning ingredients for curd rice. Mix well. Add curd and mix well.Check for taste. Do not make the curd rice too thick or too watery. Make it like a creamy consistency so that it won’t become too hard in the afternoon.Check for taste and add more salt if needed. By the time, u mix the curd rice, the rice spread in the plate would have become warm. Divide the rice into 2 portions. Take one portion of the rice and make lemon rice adding the lemon rice paste.Add gingely oil generously. Check for taste and add more salt & paste if needed. Take the other portion of rice and divide into 2. Use one portion for making ellu sadam and the other one for milagu jeeraga sadam. Add gingely oil for ellu sadam and ghee for milagu jeeraga sadam generously.Do not forget. NEVER USE YOUR HANDS FOR MIXING THE RICE. USE LADLE. Prepare all the rice varieties and stack in the boxes. Make Neer mor/Spiced buttermilk (Thalicha more) and store in a bottle. Deep fry Koozh Vadam/Vathal  or papad and mormilagai.Store the vadam in a polythene bag or ziplock covers after it cools down. Pack some pickle in a small container. Arrange everything for travel in a bag. Take the sweets, snacks and fruits if any for travel. Enjoy !

Note

I have shared some general point to remember while preparing food for travel. Never put your hands to mix the rice varieties, use a spoon or ladle instead. If you mix the rice with your hands, it won’t stay good for more than 2 hours in summer. Add gingely oil generously while mixing the rice. It helps to prevent the rice from drying. Make sure you don’t use raw coconut in the dishes. If you use coconut, roast it well or saute the coconut based dish in oil till all the moisture content is completely gone. If you are making curd rice, add less curd and more milk while mixing. It helps the curd rice to set well while eating.Never add curd in hot rice. Carry a bottle of spiced buttermilk or diluted curd to add in the rice while eating. Suppose if the curd rice becomes too thick, you can add buttermilk and bring it to proper consistency.In the buttermilk bottle, put some slitted green chillies, ginger and few curry leaves with mustard seeds seasoning ( make thaalicha neer mor). It helps to keep the buttermilk fresh and tastes less tangy. We packed the rice in our steel travelling set. If you don’t have a travelling set, you can pack them in use & throw silver foil packs or plastic boxes. It is better to use banana leaf for packing the food. It gives a nice flavor and a healthy choice as well.

Is it not a happy and comforting meal for your travel ?? Prepare & Enjoy it !!

 

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Very good recipes Tags: travel food ideas, travel food ideas indian, travel meal ideas, road trip food ideas, food ideas for traveling in a car, homemade road trip food, picnic food ideas indian, travel food recipes indian

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How To Celebrate Tamil New Year At Home (Tamil Puthandu)

In this post, I have discussed how to celebrate Tamil new year at home along with Tamil new year recipes links and menu. In our house, we celebrate Tamil varusha pirappu in a simple manner. Tamil New Year – Varusha Pirappu/Tamil Puthandu is the celebration of first day of the Tamil  new year that comes in Mid April. Its a special day for Tamilians as it marks the beginning of all Tamil festivals. Following this, we celebrate Rama Navami, Chitra Pournami, Aadi Pandigai etc. 

This year, Tamil new year falls on April 14, 2024, Sunday. Tamil people all over the world celebrate this day by Keeping new Panchangam  and offering some special dishes like Mango Pachadi, Panakam, Neer mor etc. This festival falls in the month of Chithirai, the first month of the Tamil solar calendar. On the eve of Chithirai Puthandu, a tray arranged with three fruits (mango,banana and jack fruit), betel leaves and arecanut, gold/silver jewellery, coins/money, flowers and a mirror is placed. This is to be viewed upon waking in the morning.

In the temple city of Madurai, the Chithirai Thiruvizha is celebrated in the Meenakshi Temple. In Kerala, people celebrate this  day as Vishu festival. The day is marked with a feast in Tamil homes and entrances to the houses are decorated elaborately with  Maa kolams (Visit my in-laws blog to check varieties of Kolams). In most parts of India, one can see neem trees blooming with their flowers and the first batch of mangoes hanging prominently. So this day is celebrated with neem flowers and raw mangoes to symbolize growth and prosperity ( Source:Wiki).

As I am posting the celebration procedures of all our Indian festivals, I guess my regular readers would be expecting this post from me :)). Though the celebration method is very simple, the specialty of this festival lies in including Raw mango, fresh or dried neem flowers & making an elaborate full meals lunch menu for offering God along with fresh fruits. We should include all the six taste on this day. Full meals menu includes Rice, Mango Pachadi, Paruppu, Sambar, Poriyal, Kootu, Payasam, Vada. You should make Panakam and neer mor if you keep Panchangam for pooja else its optional. You can do it for Rama navami. Lets see the celebration procedure of Tamil new year with recipe links.

 

Kolam from my in-laws blog

Ingredients for Pooja & menu

On this day we avoid vegetables like Drumstick, Bottle gourd, brinjal, Keerai/greens, cabbage, Beetroot, Carrot, Beans, Potato, Onion and garlic in our cooking as we offer the lunch menu to God.

• Lamp
• Flowers
• KumKum and turmeric powder
• Betel leaves & nuts
• Banana leaf
• Coconut
• Match box, incense stick, dhoop, and camphor
• Banana, Mango & fruits like apple, jackfruit on your wish ( Banana is essential)
• Vegetables like Raw banana, cluster beans, Broad beans, Lady’s finger, Gooseberry etc
• Raw Mango ( Must buy)
• Dried or fresh neem flowers
• Urad dal for making vada
• Rice & dal, jaggery for making Payasam
• Other essentials for cooking

Preparations for Tamil New Year

On the previous day i.e 13th of April, wash the lamps, clean the house. Decorate, put threads in the lamps. Buy all the required fruits, vegetables, groceries, flowers and pooja items for the festival and keep them ready. Some people have the practice of keeping fruits, flowers, rice, pulses, jaggery, a plate full of money and jewellery in front of a mirror in the pooja room. On April 14th morning, people used to see that before starting the day. Its called as Vishu kani celebration. If you have this practice in your home, please consult the elders of your house and arrange the fruits, groceries, money etc the previous night itself.

For cooking, wash and soak the urad dal for vada and grind the batter using mixie or grinder. Keep the batter in fridge without adding salt.

If you want, you can roast the rice & dal and keep it ready for making payasam the next day. Chop all the vegetables and store in a box if needed. These pre preparations can be done to make the lunch quickly.
You can do the pooja at any auspicious time. Make sure there is no Rahu Kalam and Yama kandam.

How to prepare the menu

On April 14th early morning, we take head bath and draw maa kolam in the entrance and before pooja room. Keep flowers and decorate the pooja room. Start preparing the lunch menu. Please check THIS POST to make this menu under one hour. 

Pressure cook roasted rice+dal mixture for making payasam. In another cooker, keep the rice. After cooking rice+dal for payasam, add the jaggery and let it boil. Add coconut milk and cardamom powder. Add the fragrant spices like Pachai karpooram, Jathikai powder. Roast cashews in ghee and add to payasam. Transfer the payasam to a bowl and wash the cooker. In the same cooker, pressure cook moong dal for making paruppu. Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing. Add to the cooked moong dal. 

Make Mango pachadi. Keep it ready. Make sambar, Poriyal or kootu. We make either poriyal or kootu for the menu. You should make Panakam and neer mor if you keep Panchangam for pooja else its optional. Instead of this full meals menu, you can make 5 rice varieties like Lemon rice, Coconut rice, Sweet pongal, Tamarind rice and curd rice along with vada and payasam.

Lastly you can make Urad dal vada and appalam. Make Mormilagai and pickle if you wish.
If you can’t get Raw mango and Neem flowers, no issues. Just make some thayir pachadi with vegetables like carrot or lady’s finger or even with vada and offer to God.

How to do the pooja

After you finish cooking, wash the banana leaf and spread it in front of pooja place. Arrange all the prepared dishes in the banana leaf ( Check out my Full meals lunch menu post to view the order of arranging the dishes ). Light the lamps. Show the incense stick, do the neivedyam.Show the dhoop, deep and finish the pooja showing mangala Harathi.

Tamil New Year Recipe Links for making Full meals

FULL MEALS MENU

• Vendakkai sambar

• Paruppu for rice

• Mango pachadi

• Carrot thayir pachadi ( recipe shared HERE )

• Raw banana poriyal (recipe shared HERE)

• Veppam poo rasam

• Arisi Paruppu payasam/ rice, moong dal kheer

• Pepper vada using mixie

• Instant mango pickle

• Panakam & Neer mor

OR

Variety Rice Recipes + Vada + Payasam

Please watch the video below to make 5 rice varieties easily.

Check out my Full meals lunch menu post to view the order of arranging the dishes

OTHER OPTIONS FOR KUZHAMBU (Avoid onions)


• Arachuvitta sambar – Brahmin’s style

• Mango Sambar

• Broad beans sambar

• Pumpkin Sambar , cluster beans sambar 

• Morkuzhambu

• Morkuzhambu with oats vada
  

KOOTU VARIETIES

Mixed vegetable kootu OR Avial without onion


PORIYAL VARIETIES

• Mixed vegetable poriyal
  

• Sweet potato poriyal

• Cluster beans/Kothavarangai poriyal

• Raw banana curry/Vazhakkai poriyal

• Raw banana curry - Chettinad style

• Vazhaipoo poriyal

• Raw banana poriyal

• Easy vendakkai poriyal/Okra stir fry

PACHADI VARIETIES

• Gooseberry curd pachadi

• Banana stem Pachadi

OTHER LUNCH MENU IDEAS

• Tamil nadu lunch menu 1

• Tamil nadu lunch menu 2

• No Onion No Garlic Lunch Menu

  PAYASAM VARIETIES
  
  Check out my 18 Payasam Varieties for full collection.

• Aval payasam / Poha payasam

• Thengai payasam/Coconut payasam

• Paruppu payasam - Moong dal payasam

• Rice payasam

• Ada Pradhaman

• Palada Payasam

• Vermicelli payasam

OTHER SWEETS

Sweet pongal / sakkarai pongal in cooker

Obbattu/Puran poli

15 Easy Sweets collection

KESARI RECIPES

• Rava Kesari Recipe

• Kesaribath - Karnataka style

• Semiya/Vermicelli kesari

• Microwave rava kesari

• Milk kesari/Paal kesari recipe

• All the above recipe links are for variations. You can try any based on the availability of ingredients. Its not a hard and fast rule to make a full meals and offer GOD. Some people celebrate Tamil new year just by offering a payasam and vada. 
• If you are a bachelor and wish to do the pooja, you can simply soak Poha/Aval in Milk adding sugar & cardamom and offer to God. GOD will accept everything and anything if done whole heartedly. The celebration procedure I have shared here is based on my family practice. It may vary as per your tradition and custom. So beginners, please consult the elders of your family and do the pooja . 

Wish you all a very happy & prosperous Tamil New Year !!
அனைவருக்கும் இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!!


Technorati Tags: Tamil new year recipes,Tamil new year celebration,Tamil new year celebration method,Tamil new year celebration procedure,Tamil new year pooja,tamil new year procedure,Tamil new year 2016,Pooja procedure,How to celebrate tamil new year,Tamil new year lunch menu,Varsusha pirappu recipes,Varuda pirappu menu,Puthandu recipes,festivals
Very good recipes Tags: Tamil new year recipes, Tamil new year celebration, Tamil new year celebration method, Tamil new year celebration procedure, Tamil new year pooja, tamil new year procedure, Tamil new year 2016, Pooja procedure, How to celebrate tamil new year, Tamil new year lunch menu, Varsusha pirappu recipes, Varuda pirappu menu, Puthandu recipes, festivals

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25 Paneer Recipes – Easy Indian Paneer Recipes For Chapathi

 

Here is a collection of 25 Paneer Recipes that includes some quick and easy Indian cottage cheese recipes like gravy for chapathi/roti, Paneer snacks for kids, starters and sweets. I have never thought that I would make a collection of 25 Paneer Recipes (Indian Cottage Cheese in English) in my food book. 

In my family, nobody is a big fan of paneer.Generally Kids love paneer based dishes whereas my daughter Raksha is just the opposite. She hated paneer recipes till she was 6. So paneer makes its appearance very rarely in my kitchen. Even if I make it, I used to try mostly restaurant style paneer gravy as a side dish for roti/Chapathi to make my family eat it without any complaints. 

Slowly Sendhil started to eat paneer recipes liking its taste & knowing its health benefits. Whereas Raksha began to ask me to prepare side dish recipes using paneer by seeing her class mates lunch boxes.

Then I started exploring varieties of simple paneer gravies and restaurant style recipes like Paneer butter masala, Mughlai Paneer kurma, Paneer Makhani, Shahi paneer, No onion no garlic paneer gravies, dry paneer recipes/starters like paneer 65, paneer tikka, Chilli paneer, Kadai paneer, kids friendly recipes like Paneer bonda, Paneer cutlet, Paneer sandwich, some breakfast and lunch recipes like Paneer dosa, Paneer biryani & some sweets recipes with it. And now paneer dishes has become our family favorite. I feel like I have achieved something big. 

Here I have shared a collection of 25 Indian paneer recipes which are super hit among my family members and are easy to make too. I still have a big list to try. I will include them in this list whenever I post it. Lets check out the collection of 25 paneer recipes with step by step pictures.

Check out my Soft Chapathi Recipe, Kulcha, Naan without yeast

25 Indian Paneer Recipes

A collection of 25 paneer recipes - Gravies, dry starters, snacks & rice varieties

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Paneer Recipes

Serves: 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Paneer Potato Bread Rice Masala powders Whole garam masala Onion Tomato Capsicum Fresh cream Butter/Oil Milk Coconut Salt & water

PANEER RECIPES - COLLECTION

Choose your favorite & enjoy making these yummy paneer recipes at home ! Don’t forget to share your feedback with me!

Technorati Tags: easy Paneer recipes,Paneer recipes,Indian paneer recipes,Paneer recipes kids,Indian paneer recipes without onion & garlic,Paneer dishes,Varieties of paneer recipes

Very good recipes Tags: easy Paneer recipes, Paneer recipes, Indian paneer recipes, Paneer recipes kids, Indian paneer recipes without onion & garlic, Paneer dishes, Varieties of paneer recipes

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