Vegetable stew also known as Ishtu is one of the most popular side dish recipes served for Appam and Idiyappam/Noolappam in Kerala. I make appam at least twice in a month for breakfast as it is our family favorite. Usually I make mixed vegetable stew, potato kurma/ payaor onion chutney as side dish for appam. I learnt this stew recipe after watching a cookery show by a Chef in Raj TV. He addressed this recipe as “Restaurant style Vegetable Stew”. I got attracted by the title and wrote down the recipe in my cook book. Its a very simple & healthy vegetable stew recipe that looks colorful with awesome flavor and rich taste of mixed vegetables, coconut oil & coconut milk. I made this stew in pressure cooker to make my job easier.So its color was pale white but it tasted great. We loved it a lot with appam.This veg stew post was lying in my drafts for long time.So I thought of bringing out today. Friends, do try this easy, Kerala style vegetable stew recipe at home & relish it with appam or idiyappam for your breakfast. For variations, you can use potato instead of mixed veggies and make it as potato stew. Ok lets see how to make vegetable stew with step by step photos !
Check out my other “Kerala Recipes” too!
Grate or chop 1 coconut into pieces. Grind to a smooth paste adding 1 cup of water. Strain the thick coconut milk and keep it in a bowl. Again grind the coconut adding 1 cup of water.Take the second milk by extracting it. Keep in another bowl.
Wash and chop the vegetables of 1 inch length. Slit the green chilli, slice the onion.Chop the ginger into small pieces or slice it thinly.
Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves. Add thinly sliced onion, ginger pieces and slit green chilli. Saute till onion turns transparent. Make sure color of onion stays white and not brown.
Then add the chopped mixed vegetables, a big pinch of sugar and saute for a minute. Sugar helps to retain the color of vegetables.Add the required salt and the second coconut milk.Mix well and close the cooker. Cook for one whistle in very low flame. It takes 7-8 minutes.Open the cooker after the steam is released.Veggies would be cooked soft.
Now add the thick coconut milk now and give one boil.Check for taste, add more salt if needed. Switch off the flame. Garnish with curry leaves and set aside. Give a standing time of 15 minutes and serve with appam/idiyappam.
Enjoy !
Note
Add more green chilli for spicy taste.
Add cashew paste for thickness and richness to the stew. Grind 6 cashews and add the paste.
This stew has a mild masala flavor.
Coconut oil is very important for tempering. Do not skip it.
Try this Kerala style vegetable stew with appam and enjoy !!
Ellu Bella (Sesame seeds-Jaggery trail mix in English) is one of the most popular Makar Sankranti recipes in Karnataka.This is basically a mix of 5 main ingredients – Sesame seeds, Jaggery, Dried coconut pieces, Roasted Peanuts and Fried Gram dal.During Sankranti festival, this mix sold in small packets in all the shops.This ellu bella mix is exchanged with friends & relatives to celebrate this harvest festival and as a token of love for better bonding of relationship. In Kannada, they call this as Ellu beerodu in which they give a pack of ellu bella mix, betel leaves & nuts, fruits ( preferably banana), Sugar moulds ( Sakkare achu) and sugar cane to the near & dear. I have seen my friends ( School moms group) preparing this ellu bella mix 2-3 days before Sankranti and distribute to all. Being in Karnataka for the past ten years, I wanted to share their traditional sankranti recipes in my blog. So I asked my friend Archana to share the recipe and the method of making ellu bella.She explained patiently and clarified all my doubts on how to cut jaggery & coconut into small pieces etc. Thank you so much Archu. Some people add equal measure of all the ingredients whereas some use according to their preferences. I have just followed my friend’s recipe. I prepared ellu bella for the first time in my house successfully and distributed to Raksha’s friends as well. They all loved it very much.Next year I must try homemade sakkare achu. Now lets see how to make Ellu bella recipe at home with step by step pictures !
Check out my other Karnataka recipes too!
Take the whole dried coconut. Grate it using a grater to remove the skin. Slice it using a chips slicer to make thin slices.Chop into very small pieces using a sharp knife. Spread in a plate.
Take the jaggery and cut into small blocks using a knife.Then cut them into very small pieces using scissors or nut cracker tool. I used scissors ( Achu vellam/Achu bella works the best. But I used round ones).Spread the jaggery pieces in the plate.
Microwave peanuts in high power for 2-3 minutes.Remove in a cover or cloth and rub it well to remove the skin. Break them into 2 and keep aside.
Sun dry the coconut & jaggery pieces for 2 – 4 hours OR Dry roast the coconut pieces without changing the color. Warm the jaggery pieces without melting.Sun drying is the best option though. Dry roast sesame seeds till it crackles. Set aside to cool.
In a wide bowl, take the roasted, broken peanuts, fried gram dal, sugar balls, jeera mittai, dried coconut pieces and jaggery pieces. Mix well and store in a box. Distribute to your Family & Friends !
Enjoy !
Try this easy,traditional Karnataka special ellu bella mix at home and have a great celebration !
Distribute ellu bella with a pair of banana, betel leaves & nuts, sakkare achu & sugarcane piece as shown below ( sugar cane is missing in the pic )
Gobi Paratha is Sendhil’s most favorite Paratha recipe. After marriage he took me to In-swing restaurant in BDA complex, Banashankari and got this cauliflower paratha for me as he loves it very much. That’s the first time I tasted a stuffed paratha in my life. He told me to try the same at home. As I was a beginner in cooking, I did not have any idea about the stuffing part, how to roll paratha etc.
When I tried it, all the stuffing came out while rolling and the paratha became a disaster. Still he appreciated me for my attempt and ate well. And that’s my man. Now after so many years of cooking, I can make a good gobi paratha for him. So I wanted to share this recipe in my blog with step by step photos and a detailed video recipe to help beginners.
You can try this yummy paratha recipe for dinner or lunch box. Even Kids would love this paratha if you cook it adding ghee or butter. It comes out soft and stays good for hours. Lets see how to make Gobi paratha/Cauliflower paratha at home easily !
Gobi paratha recipe/ Cauliflower paratha recipe
How to make gobi paratha/Cauliflower paratha at home with step by step photos and video !
Cauliflower - 1 no or Grated cauliflower - 1.5 cups
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Green chilli - 1 no ( finely chopped)
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Ajwain/Carom seeds – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Dhania powder/coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Aamchur powder - 1/4 tsp ( optional)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. ( to garnish)
Salt - as needed
METHOD
In a wide bowl, take the wheat flour, add required salt and 1/2 tbsp. of cooking oil. Mix well. Add water little by little and make a smooth, non-sticky dough.Knead well, apply a tsp of oil and cover the dough with a dry cloth, leave it for 20 minutes. In the mean time, lets prepare the stuffing.
Take the cauliflower and remove the leaves, cut into 4. Remove the stem part and separate the florets in a plate. In a wide bowl, boil water and add the florets. Boil for few minutes, parboil and drain the excess water. Remove the half cooked cauliflower florets to a dry kitchen towel/cloth. Pat it dry.
Grind the florets in a dry mixer jar without water. Wipe the sides of jar and grind in batches. You can also grate it. But grinding is easy. Take in a plate.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , add the finely chopped green chilli, grated ginger (If u wish u can add very finely chopped onions at this stage) and saute well. Add the grated cauliflower, salt, red chilli powder, dhania powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder,aamchur powder and ajwain. Mix well till all the moisture is absorbed. Let the mixture cool down.Divide the stuffing into lemon sized balls.
Take the chapathi dough and make lemon sized balls. The size of dough ball & stuffing ball should be equal.
Take one dough ball, dust it in wheat flour and roll into small poori size.Make the corners thinner than center. Keep the stuffing ball in the center and seal it. Again dust in the flour and roll to a thick or thin paratha as u wish. Sendhil likes it medium thick.So I do it accordingly.
Heat a dosa tawa, cook the paratha on both the sides till half cooked in medium flame. Brush one side of paratha with ghee or cooking oil and cook for few seconds till brown spot appear.Flip the paratha and brush the other side of paratha.Cook for a minute. Keep flipping and cooking till brown spots appear all over the paratha. Brush with ghee and remove in a plate. Serve hot immediately with raita or pickle OR stack the paratha in a clean kitchen towel or thermal foil for later use. (Remember the more you brush with ghee, softer the paratha would be.)
Enjoy !
Note
Do not make the chapathi dough very sticky. Rolling will be difficult. You may have to dust the paratha with more flour which leads to dry paratha.
You should grease the paratha with cooking oil or ghee for best taste.
Cauliflower stuffing should be free from moisture so that paratha won’t become sticky while rolling.
Adding aamchur powder gives a mild tangy taste. Skip if you don’t have it.
Enjoy this yummy, flavorful gobi paratha with your favorite side dish or simple masala raita.
Its been my long time wish to try North Indian style Sooji ka halwa/ Rava sheera. So I tried it for New year celebration yesterday. In North India, Suji ka halwa is one of the most popular and easy halwa recipes that is made in all houses for all the festivals & occasions and is served in most of the temples as Prasad. This halwa is served along with Poori and Chole for breakfast. Halwa poori chole is one of the most popular breakfast combo in North India and Pakistan.
In Karnataka, people call this sooji halwa as Kesari bath. Rava/sooji, Sugar and ghee forms the basic ingredients for this sweet recipe. But Rava kesari, suji ka halwa and kesari bath has its own variations in the quantity of ingredients, method of preparation, taste, color and texture. I watched few You tube videos and followed Food viva for the recipe.
Though it tastes mildly sweeter than the South Indian rava kesari, it was dripping with ghee and finger licking good. We loved it very much. Its taste reminded me of the banana sheera I had in my friend’s house Satya Narayana pooja. Its very easy to prepare for special occasions and to treat your surprise guests. For variations, you can use milk instead of water. Lets see how to make North Indian special suji ka halwa/ Sooji halwa/Rava sheera recipe with step by step photos and a detailed video !!
Suji Ka Halwa Recipe
Suji Ka Halwa - North Indian version of Rava kesari
Bombay Rava/ Sooji /semolina - 1/2 cup ( Do not use chiroti rava)
Ghee - 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp or 2 pods crushed
Saffron threads - few
Milk - 1 tbsp ( to soak saffron thread)
Chopped cashews, badam and few raisins/dry grapes
METHOD - HOW TO MAKE SOOJI HALWA
Soak saffron threads in 1 tbsp hot milk.I din’t use saffron in this recipe. I used cardamom powder alone.
Heat 1/3 cup of ghee in a kadai.Roast the dry grapes, cashews and almonds till dry grapes bloat and nuts turns golden. Add rava and roast well for 4-5 minutes in medium flame. Rava turns light golden brown in color.
Add 1.5 cups of water to the rava and mix well till 3/4 th of the water is absorbed by the rava and becomes semi thick.Keep the flame low and cover the kadai with a lid. Cook the rava for 2-3 minutes.
Open the lid and add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron milk ( if using). Mix well without lumps.Sugar melts and the mixture will become watery. Keep the flame medium and mix well.
Halwa turns thick and starts to leave the sides of pan. Immediately add 1tbsp of ghee, mix well quickly and transfer the halwa to a bowl. Do not wait for the halwa to thicken completely. Remove it as soon as it becomes semi thick because this suji ka halwa becomes dry and hard when it cools down. So remove it at the right time. Garnish with few nuts and serve warm.
Enjoy !
Note
Add more sugar ( Say 3/4 cup of sugar) if you need more sweetness.
You can use milk instead of water but cook the rava for more time if using milk.
Do not reduce the quantity of ghee. It helps to keep the halwa soft.
If you don’t want to add more ghee, use half the quantity of oil.
Try this easy, yummy Suji Ka halwa/Rava sheera at home and enjoy !!
Recent days I have been trying varieties of Poori recipes for our weekend breakfast. I have tried and posted palak poori,masala poori, beetroot poori, chola poori . This week I made tomato poori ( Tamatar ki puri in Hindi and Thakkali poori in Tamil) for the first time. I just combined the recipes of my regular poori & masala poori and tried this tomato poori by adding tomato puree.It came out really well with nice red color. I prepared Bombay chutney as the side dish for this poori. It was a nice combo and we loved it a lot. This poori can be packed for kids lunch box or for snack as it tastes good and soft even if its not hot. Do try this colorful poori variety for your family and let me know the feedback. Tomorrow I will share the recipe of Bombay chutney. Today lets check out how to make this yummy tamatar puri recipe with step by step photos !
Tomato poori recipe / Thakkali Poori / Tamatar ki puri
How to make tomato poori recipe - Weekend special breakfast recipe
Wash and grind 2 tomato in a mixie jar without adding water. Grind it to make a smooth puree.
In a wide bowl or plate, take the wheat flour, tomato puree, rava, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, crushed kasoori methi, salt and ghee. Mix till crumbly.Remove the unground tomato pieces if any.
Add water little by little and make a thick, smooth dough. Dough should be non-sticky.Knead the dough with your palm for 2-3 minutes and keep aside for 10 minutes. If you wish, you can make poori immediately.
Make lemon sized balls out of the dough.Take one ball, dust with wheat flour and roll into thick, small poori as shown below. Thickness of poori should be more than chapathi. Only thick poori would puff up well.
Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry the poori. Check its temperature by dropping a pinch of dough. If it rises to top immediately, oil temperature is just right.Make sure oil is not smoking hot. Keep the flame medium . Take a rolled poori, pat it with your hands to dust off the excess wheat flour and drop one poori in hot oil.
When it starts to come up, just press it gently with the ladle. Poori will puff up well. Now flip the other side and cook for a minute. Remove in a tissue paper, drain the excess oil and serve hot with your favorite side dish.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of masala powders as per your taste.
Do not make the dough sticky. Poori will absorb more oil.
Adding rava helps to maintain the poori puffy for long time.
Addition of ghee helps to keep the poori soft for hours.
Roll the poori thicker than chapathi else it won’t puff up.
Heat of the oil should be perfect to get well puffed poori. If the heat of oil is less, poori will sink in oil and drinks more oil. If the heat is more, the color of poori will become dark and may turn like a papad.
We enjoyed this yummy tomato masala poori with Bombay chutney !
How to make Kerala style vegetable stew recipe 
. Some people add equal measure of all the ingredients whereas some use according to their preferences. I have just followed my friend’s recipe. I prepared ellu bella for the first time in my house successfully and distributed to Raksha’s friends as well. They all loved it very much.Next year I must try homemade sakkare achu. Now lets see how to make Ellu bella recipe at home with step by step pictures !
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Suji Ka Halwa - North Indian version of Rava kesari 
