Simple Potato Poriyal Recipe – Boiled Potato Curry For Rice - Urulai Kizhangu Poriyal

Potato curry ( Urulai Kizhangu poriyal in Tamil) is known to be one of the best side dish recipes for sambar rice, rasam rice, Dal rice or even curd rice for many South Indians. Sometimes I love to have it rolled in chapathi as its a dry curry.Indian style potato roast or potato fry ( Aloo curry in Hindi) can be done in ‘N’ number of ways. People prepare it with their own variations and style. Most of us have adopted our mom’s recipe when we were beginners in cooking. Yes, I too learnt this way of making boiled potato curry from my mom. She makes it for rasam rice. Every Thursday Dal/Paruppu,Tamarind pachadi/ Puli pachadi, Rasam, Potato curry and Papad would be our lunch menu before my marriage. But amma makes spicy potato curry whereas I prepare a less spicy version. So adjust the quantity of chilli powder according to your taste.  In most of our houses, potato curry makes it appearance once in a week at least for our kids sake as this would be the favorite side dish for many. In my house too, I make this potato poriyal mainly for Raksha’s lunch box as she loves to take it without any complaints and brings back empty lunch box in the evening.So I pack Dal rice( Paruppu sadham) and Potato curry (Urulai kizhangu poriyal in Tamil) at least once in a week for her lunch box.Its also an easy side dish to prepare during busy morning hours.When you have boiled potato ready in hand, this poriyal can be done under 10 minutes.I am sure bachelors and working women find this recipe useful. Do try this easy and simple boiled potato fry and let me know your feedback. I love it with Sambar & Rasam sadam. Lets see how to prepare South Indian style Potato poriyal with step by step pictures and a video !
Check out my MIL’s Potato poriyal version which I make it specially for my guests .Also check out my no onion no garlic Brahmin style potato curry !

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Elai Vadam Recipe – Ilai Vadam – Easy Rice Appalam In Banana Leaf

Elai Vadam / Exhibition appalam – Rice papad / Arisi appalam made in banana leaf ( Vazhai ilai) was in my try list for the past few years. Whenever my fellow bloggers post this elai vadam recipe, I get tempted to try but I never got the confidence to try on my own. Recently my MIL prepared this ilai vadam using idli rice after watching Revathy Shanmugam mam’s cookery show in Jaya TV. Last week when she came to Bangalore, she brought some vadam to taste. She said its a time consuming process but the end result is worthy.Its taste reminded Delhi appalam we get in exhibition.We had this rice papad sprinkled with red chilli powder and we loved it very much.  

My MIL told me the tradition behind this appalam making process.On those days, people in Tamilnadu villages used to make this rice vadam using Vadham ilai or Poovarasan ilai. This vadam is usually given for ladies after delivery ( Postpartum diet) as urad dal papad creates gas problem.This vadam is roasted in direct fire ( Sutta appalam) instead of deep frying in oil as deep frying makes it difficult to digest.The best thing about this vadam is it dries up quickly even under the shade. It takes one to two days to get ready based on the weather in your place. Overnight drying under the fan would be enough. I felt this vadam is ideal for places where there is lack of sunlight. 

With the help of my MIL, I prepared this easy arisi appalam in Bangalore using raw rice. This vadam can be prepared with raw rice, idli rice or both in equal quantity. If you make it with raw rice, vadam comes out super light, airy and crispy whereas vadam made with idli rice comes out crunchy and very flavorful like store bought arisi appalam but slightly dense in texture. 

In that case, you can add little sago( javvarisi) to bring the light texture. As I have thatte idli stand, this vadam process was completed within one hour. If you don’t have this plate it may take more time. You can buy thatte idli stand or elai vadam stand in the market if you are really interested to try this one. Now lets see how to make elai vadam recipe with step by step pictures and VIDEO !

Check out my javvarisi vadam , killu vadam, vengaya vadagam & Koozh vadam recipes too.

Elai vadam recipe- Ilai vadam - Easy rice appalam in banana leaf

How to make elai vadam - Easy rice appalam n banana leaf - Summer special recipes

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Snacks

Serves: 24 

Prep time: 120 Minutes

Cook time: 60 Minutes

Total time: 180 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Raw rice - 1 cup ( I used Maavu arisi/dosa rice) Salt - as needed Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Water - As needed (I used 1/2 cup for grinding, 3/4 cup for mixing)

HOW TO MAKE ILAI VADAM / RICE APPALAM - METHOD

Wash and soak the raw rice in enough water for 2 hours. Drain the excess soaked water completely and grind the rice coarsely without adding water. Then wipe the sides and add 1/2 cup water, required salt. Grind to smooth paste like maida. Please note there should not be any grits in the batter. It should be completely smooth. So grind patiently for long time. I used my Indian mixie for grinding the batter and it took 5 minutes. Grind in two batches. Remove the batter in a bowl.Add cumin seeds. The consistency of batter should be slightly thinner than dosa batter. Now take a banana leaf and spread the leaf inside the plate according to its shape.Add 1/2 ladle of batter and swirl the plate. Batter spreads all over the plate. If you don’t have banana leaf, just spread the batter directly in the plate & swirl/rotate it.It also works but its difficult to peel once its cooked. If you have 3 plate or 6 plate ilai vadam stand, follow the same and spread the batter in all the plates. Heat water in an idli pot. When the water comes to roll boil, place the idli plate. Let it steam for 5 minutes. The color of batter changes to pale white & transparent after cooking. Remove the leaf from the plate and let it become warm. Peel the cooked vadam and spread in a cotton cloth( Dhoti) or in a polythene sheet. Do not put in newspaper. It will stick with it.   Let it dry in balcony or under the sun for one day. If you don’t have this option, dry it under the fan wind. When it dries up, it shrinks in size & changes in color slightly. After one day drying, it would have dried up to 75%. During night, keep it under the fan. If its crispy all over, its ready. If its soft in the middle, it needs more time to dry. So the next day, keep it under the sun & repeat the same till its completely moisture free. Store it in a box & use it for months. Stays good even for an year if prepared properly. Heat required oil in a kadai to deep fry. Break the vadam into half & deep fry in oil. Flip & cook both the sides. Remove & drain in a tissue. Sprinkle red chilli powder on top & serve as an evening snack or with any variety rice !

Enjoy !

Note

The consistency of batter is very important. Do not make it too watery or thick. You can make this vadam with idli rice instead of raw rice. Steaming takes maximum 5 minutes. Try to peel the vadam after its cooled down. If the vadam turns golden brown after frying, it may be due to the quality of rice. In that case, you can try adding few drops of lemon juice in the batter and make it next time.

Enjoy this crispy, yummy arisi appalam with rice or as an evening snack !

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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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How To Make Chocolate At Home Without Coconut Oil – Homemade Chocolate Recipe With Cocoa Powder

Easy homemade chocolate recipe using milk powder and cocoa powder with step by step photos and video !
Wish you all a very happy Valentine’s day !!. When I was looking for some interesting Valentine’s day special recipe, homemade chocolates came to my mind. Long back I have shared a Vegan version of chocolate recipe using cocoa powder,honey and coconut oil. Though it is an easy, perfect and fool proof recipe for homemade chocolate ,the flavor of coconut oil would be dominant which many people don’t like it. Many of my readers who had tried that recipe requested me to share an alternative for coconut oil. I tried it with butter and even with dalda but it didn't work.So I was looking for a chocolate recipe that uses butter and cocoa powder. 

I came across this homemade chocolate recipe without oven in YouTube video . I just halved the quantity of ingredients and tried it today. It came out really well but not tasting like silky smooth Dairy milk. It was pretty good in taste like Five star chocolate with a mildly chewy, fudgy kind. But its quiet addictive to eat :) To make Dairy milk kind of chocolate, we must use cocoa butter to achieve the silky texture. In India, cocoa butter is not easily available and its very costly to buy online too. 

Another easiest option is to melt dark compound or white compound chocolate either in microwave oven or stove top ( Double boiling method) and make chocolates. It tastes really good equal to the store bought ones. Soon I will make a detailed post on that. But this chocolate recipe is made with 4 simple ingredients like milk powder, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla essence and Butter ( clarified ghee). Cooking procedure is also easy. You don’t need to check for one string consistency sugar syrup. Its just mixing and freezing. Homemade Chocolates would be ready ! Now anyone can make chocolates at home using this recipe. 

This chocolate tastes the best when served chilled. But it stays good for an hour without refrigeration. So you can make this ahead and serve kids for birthday parties. Kids would love this chocolate for sure. Do try this easy homemade chocolate recipe for this Valentine’s day and have a great celebration. Surprise your Husband and Kids with this lovely chocolates this evening. Soon I must try Raksha’s favorite Milk chocolate/ white chocolate as well by replacing cocoa powder with milk powder. Now lets see how to make chocolate at home using cocoa powder and milk powder with step by step photos and a video for better understanding ! Hope you will try and like it.

Easy homemade chocolate recipe - How to make chocolate at home with cocoa powder

Easy homemade chocolate recipe - How to make chocolate at home with cocoa powder with step by step photos and video !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Chocolates

Serves: 12 Pieces

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 60 Minutes

Total time: 65 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml ; 1 tbsp – 15ml ( 3 tsp) Milk powder - 2.5 tbsp ( I used Nestle Everyday milk powder ) Cocoa powder - 1.5 tbsp ( I used Kwality brand) Icing sugar or powdered sugar - 4 tbsp Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp Butter – 3 tbsp ( Soft, at room temperature) Chopped Nuts & raisins - As needed ( optional) Boiled milk at room temperature - 1 to 2 tbsp ( optional, use only if needed)

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE WITH COCOA POWDER

In a bowl, mix milk powder and cocoa powder. Set aside. Boil 5 cups of water in a wide bowl or kadai. Allow it to roll boil well. Switch off the flame. Take a bowl that fits in the kadai. Add 3 tbsp soft butter to it. Keep the bowl inside the hot water kadai. Mix the butter and melt it completely. Keep the bowl inside the hot water throughout the procedure. Add icing sugar or powdered sugar to the melted butter.Mix well. It will resemble a creamy paste. Add milk powder + cocoa powder mixture to this and mix well. It will become a thick paste by absorbing all the butter. Lastly add vanilla essence, mix well. (IF YOU FEEL THE MIXTURE IS TOO THICK, ADD 1 TO 2 TBSP MILK TO LOOSEN IT).  Take a chocolate mould ( Either plastic or silicone mould) and fill the chocolate mix. Pat it  well to level the chocolate. Excess butter may ooze out. Don’t worry. Just fill the mould and freeze it for one hour. Remove the mould and rest it for 5 minutes. Remove the chocolate and enjoy !! Enjoy this Valentine’s day with this simple homemade chocolate recipe !

Note

Butter should be soft at room temperature. So keep it outside for few hours if its hard or soften the butter in microwave for a minute. For variations, you can add finely chopped nuts or raisins to the chocolate batter. Water should be very hot so that butter can melt easily. Remember to keep the bowl inside the hot water throughout the cooking procedure. It helps the chocolate to set well. For making milk chocolate/white chocolate, just replace cocoa powder with milk powder. I used light cocoa powder. If you use dark colored cocoa powder, chocolate tastes like dark chocolate with mild bitterness. You can try to add equal amount of milk powder and cocoa powder i.e 2 tbsp each for more chocolaty taste.

Try this easy, simple chocolate at home and enjoy the occasion !!

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