TOMATO THOKKU FOR IDLI, DOSA

This is a tasty side dish for idli dosa.Whenever I have ripe tomatoes in my hand, the first side dish that comes to my mind is this tomato thokku. I learnt this from my mom. Very easy to prepare . U can try this for chapathi too. Ideal side dish for trip / travel .

INGREDIENTS :

• Ripe tomatoes – 1/4 kg
• Big onion – 2 nos (finely chopped )
• Tamarind – 1 small piece ( Optional )
• Red chilly powder – 1.5 - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt & water – As needed

To temper :

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal – 1 tsp
• Channa dal – 1tsp
• Curry leaves – A few

Coriander leaves – To garnish
METHOD :

• Cube cut tomatoes and finely chop the onions.
• In a kadai,add oil and temper the items given above. 
• Now add the onions and saute till transparent.
• Then add the tomato pieces and saute till it becomes mushy.
• Add the turmeric & red chilly powder along with salt.
• Mix well and add the required water to cook. Cover with a lid.
• After sometime ,check whether the onion & tomato gets cooked.
• Once the mixture thickens, add the coriander leaves and serve hot..

Tastes divine with hot idlies ;)

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Kathirikai Podi Curry / Brinjal Podi Curry / Eggplant Podi Curry

Today's recipe is one of my most favorite side dish for rice. Yes, its brinjal podi curry which we call as Kathirikai podi curry in Tamil. Its a no onion, no garlic recipe. Its a popular poriyal recipe in Tamil nadu. This is my mom’s special recipe too. It goes well with More kuzhambu and Rasam rice. I can have with plain rice as well. The flavor of freshly ground spice powder coated over the perfectly cooked and roasted brinjal make this dish loved ny everyone. Friends, you too try this kathirikai podi curry recipe and share your feedback with me :) .

INGREDIENTS 

• Small brinjal – 7 nos ( Choose small brinjal for best taste)
• Salt and water – As needed.

To roast & grind :

• Cooking Oil – 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds – 1.5 tsp
• Chana dal – 1 tbsp
• Red chilly – 4 nos (use 3 for less spice)
• Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

To temper:

• Gingely Oil / Sesame oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - Few

METHOD :

• Wash and cut each brinjal lengthwise into 4 pieces and soak in water to avoid change of color.
• In a kadai , add a tsp of oil and roast the coriander seeds, chana dal, red chillies till golden in color. Keep the flame low. 
• In the same kadai add the grated coconut and roast for a minute. If you are using coconut pieces, you can roast it along with dals and red chillies. Make sure you don't burn anything. 
• Grind all the roasted items to a coarse powder. ( not too fine or too coarse )
• Now in a kadai add gingely oil , temper the mustards & urad dal . Add the brinjal pieces . Saute till the brinjal is cooked soft but retains the shape. Do not add water, keep the flame low and cover cook the brinjal till its skin shrinks and cooks well. 
• It takes nearly 10 to 15 minutes in very low flame based on the size of brinjal. Cover the kadai with a lid. Open in the middle and stir it whenever needed. Make sure brinjal doesn't get burnt.  
• Lastly add the roasted powder , salt and mix well for few minutes in low to medium flame. Make sure the brinjal pieces don't break. Swicth off the flame.  
• Poriyal is ready to serve hot !!

We enjoyed with my mom’s more kuzhambu :)

NOTE 

As we cook the brinjal , its shrinks in size but the color is retained. My mom makes this curry in other way too.She slit cut the brinjal into 4 pieces , stuff this podi , use lot of oil and saute it till brinjal gets cooked in oil. Since this method consumes more oil and also the color of the brinjal turns black , we avoid making this way. For kids , you can try this method..

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PHIRNI RECIPE – MILK PUDDING USING RICE FLOUR

PHIRNI, a famous North Indian dessert is usually made with rice soaked & grind to a smooth paste. For a change I tried with rice flour suggested by MB in her cookbook. Its very easy to make and tasted great . Its a very good replacement for Payasam.

Usually Phirni looks thick. I made it little thin as per our taste. Please make it as you like. I have updated this recipe as per the suggestions given by an anonymous reader. If you want to make badam phirni, soak few badams in water , blanch & chop them finely. Add the chopped badam at the end after switching off the flame. I used badam just to garnish.

INGREDIENTS :

• Milk – 1/2 litre ( around 2 cups )
• Rice flour – 3/4 tbsp
• Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
• Cashewnuts , pista & badam – Few (finely chopped)
• Rose water  or kewara - 1/2 tsp (for additional flavor , I dint use)

METHOD :

• Mix rice flour in 1/2 cup of milk and without forming any lumps.
• Heat rest of the milk in a heavy vessel.
• When it starts to boil, add the rice flour paste and cook stirring constantly.
• It takes nearly 15-20 minutes to thicken. Keep the flame medium low - high to avoid spilling. Stir now & then..
• When the milk becomes thick add sugar & switch off the flame..
• Stir well till the sugar dissolves completely. Check for sweetness .
• Mix cardamom powder , rose water & chill in refrigerator (* Do not freeze )

Serve in small cups with fried nuts on top !!
NOTES :

• I made it slightly thin. Add milk if you want more diluted. Adjust sugar accordingly.
• Thickening time of milk may vary according to the heat. 
• U can add saffron soaked in warm milk instead of cardamom powder & name it as “ kesar phirni “. 
• We can use fine chiroti rawa for thickening of milk instead of rice flour.

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GOOSEBERRY PICKLE/ NELLIKAI OORGAI

Though i have posted some pickles from my MIL’s hand , I feel this post is somewhat special as i made it on my own using less oil for first time.The result was completely satisfactory.Click here to see another healthy , quick side dish  for rice using gooseberry if u r interested..

INGREDIENTS

Big gooseberry  - 12 nos Red chillies – 8 –10 nos (Long variety , adjust ) Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Asafetida / hing – 1/4 tsp To dry roast Methi seeds – 1 tsp Cooking oil – 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds –1 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp To temper Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

METHOD

• Dry roast methi seeds in a kadai till it turns brown with a nice aroma.Powder it along with asafetida and turmeric powder.Set aside.
• Grind the red chillies to a coarse powder. Keep aside.
• In a pressure cooker or in an idly pot ,steam cook the whole big gooseberries without adding water.After it cools down ,cut the gooseberry into bite sized pieces .( It will come off easily when u press it with ur fingers.)
• Then in a wide mouthed kadai add a tbsp of oil and temper the items given above.Add the gooseberry pieces and the coarse red chilly powder.
• Mix well for few minutes till raw smell disappears.Add the salt and toss well.
• After sometime , add the ground methi seeds mixture and mix well .
• Make sure everything gets combined well.
• Keep in medium flame for 2-3 minutes .Finally add the sesame oil , mix well.
• Switch off the flame. Let the pickle cool down .
• Transfer it to an air tight container.
• Tastes best the next day !!

Enjoy with curd rice !!

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Introducing BigRock.com – A venture from Directi to tap Indian SMEs

 Directi , an internet domain registrar and web hosting company in India has introduced new venture 'BigRock.com'. Directi also has Logicboxes.com, ResellerClub.com, WebHosting.Info and Skenzo under its wings.

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KAIMA IDLI – SARAVANA BHAVAN STYLE

When i was searching for recipes using left over idlies , i came across this kaima idly in sharmilee’s blog. I got attracted by this title & tried it on the same day.It was very nice.Thanku so much sharmilee :). Now i am posting this for my future reference.Sure kids would love this..

INGREDIENTS :

• Left over idlies – 5 nos  ( cube cut )
• Big onion – 1 no (finely chopped)
• Tomato – 2 nos (-do-)
• Green chilly - 1 no ( finely chopped)
• Capsicum - 1/2 no
• Red chilly powder– 1/2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt  – As needed.

To temper :

• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Urad dal – 1 tsp
• Channa dal – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves – a few

To garnish :
Coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

• Heat a kadai with 2 tbsp of oil and  shallow fry the cube cut idly pieces.( u can also deep fry)Set aside.
• In the same kadai, add a tbsp of oil and temper the items given above.
• Now add the  chopped onion , saute well.Add green chilly ,curry leaves & capsicum pieces.Saute well.
• Then add tomato pieces and saute till it becomes mushy.
• Finally add  red chilly powder , turmeric powder , garam masala powder & salt. Mix well.
• Now add the shallow fried idlies and toss well .

Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy eating hot !!

NOTE 

In the actual recipe, the idlies are deep fried .But for health concern, i shallow fried the idlies.For kids , u can deep dry & do.So its ur choice of making it.

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