Easy Salad Recipe For Kids - Salad For Birthday Party

Yesterday we went to Raksha’s friend birthday party. I’ll post that party menu recipes this weekend. I tasted this salad there. It was a very simple recipe but very tasty. Raksha doesn’t like to eat pomegranate but she loves sweet corn very much. As that salad had more sweet corn, she had it without complaining anything. It was so colourfully done to attract the kids. All the kids liked it very much. Not only kids, we too liked it a lot. It tasted very similar to Karnataka kosambari.

Today I prepared the same at home and I have planned to give her a bowl of salad after she comes from the school. We had it along with our lunch. Friends, do try this colourful salad and give it to your kids. This can be prepared well in advance.U can even pack for their lunch box along with some variety rice. It would be healthy and filling too :)

Easy salad recipe

Easy salad recipe for kids.Even ur kids can make it for themselves :)

Cuisine: Indian Category: Salad Yields: 1 cup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Minutes Total Time: 12 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

For mixing Pomegranate - 1/4 cup Sweet corn kernels - 1/3-1/2 cup Grated coconut – 1-2 tbsp Cucumber - 1 tbsp (Optional) Coriander leaves – 2tsp Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp (optional) Salt - as needed Lemon juice - few drops (optional)

HOW TO MAKE SALAD - METHOD

Pressure cook the sweet corn and remove the kernels (Click here to see the easy removal of kernels). Finely chop the cucumber, coriander leaves. Grate the coconut using a peeler so that it looks like long strands as you see in the picture.   In a wide bowl, add all the ingredients. Mix well, add salt and lemon juice if desired.

Note

If you are planning to try this for parties, cook the corn and remove the kernels, take out the pomegranate seeds and chop the cucumber on the previous day itself.  Refrigerate everything separately in an air tight box. On the day of party, just two hours before, take everything out of the fridge and mix well, add salt and freshly grated coconut. Nowadays we can store the grated coconut in a ziplock bag and freeze it. Bring it to room temperature and mix it with the salad. Add lime juice if desired and set aside. By the time you serve, it would be good to taste. For variations, you can also add grated carrots. Adding grated coconut gives a nice taste. Skip if your kid don’t like it. Do not add pepper powder if you make for kids. Adding lemon juice is completely optional. I din’t use it.  U can also add a tsp of olive oil to make it more healthy.

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Coconut Payasam | Arisi Thengai Payasam Recipe - Payasam Varieties

Every Friday, I used to do Thiru vilakku poojai at home. So I make payasam / sweet pongal or kesari for neivedyam. For today's Friday pooja, I tried arisi thengai payasam ( Rice coconut kheer with jaggery) for the first time asking the recipe from my MIL. It came out very well. We loved it a lot. 

This coconut payasam is surely a keeper. I have decided to try this for my guests too. It was so nice with a great smell of coconut. I added ghee roasted coconut bits (Kerala style) which gave a nice crunchy taste in between while eating. Do try this thengai payasam / coconut payasam with jaggery for a change from our usual paruppu payasam. U’ll love it :)

Coconut payasam

Thengai payasam/Coconut payasam recipe for festivals and pooja.Tastes great !

Cuisine: Indian Category: Dessert Yields: Serves 2

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

To soak n To grind Raw rice - 1.5 tsp Grated coconut - 1/2 cup (tightly packed) For syrup Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup Elachi/Cardamom seeds - 3 nos (powdered) Milk or coconut milk - 2 tbsp(optional) To roast in ghee Ghee - 2 tsp Coconut pieces - 1/2 tbsp Dry grapes - few (optional) Cashews - Few nos (optional)

METHOD - HOW TO MAKE ARISI THENGAI PAYASAM

Wash and soak the raw rice in water for 30- 45 minutes. Grate the coconut. Grind the coconut and rice adding 1/2 cup of water to a smooth paste. In a bowl, take the ground paste and add 1.5 cups of water. Allow it to cook well in simmer flame for 10-12 minutes. Stir in between to avoid getting burnt bottom. The mixture will turn slightly thick like a porridge. In the meantime, grate jaggery. Add 1/4 cup of water, melt it, make a syrup, strain  to remove impurities and set aside. When the coconut paste is cooked well, add this syrup. Mix well. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Roast the coconut pieces & cashews in ghee and add to the payasam. Add cardamom powder. Remove and add the boiled & cooled milk. Mix and Serve. Enjoy !

Note

Use paagu vellam to get a nice color. Adding milk is optional. Add based on the consistency you need. U can also add coconut milk instead of milk at the end before switching off the flame. Addition of roasted coconut bits is optional. I followed Kerala style pradhaman for this step.

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Tomato Rice Using Rice Cooker

I usually make tomato rice using pressure cooker. Recently my friend Shalini told me to try in electric rice cooker without using a kadai and she shared her recipe too. I love tomato rice only when it is fully packed with garam masalas. For Sendhil, it should be with least spices. So I tried Shalini’s recipe which has very less spices with a south Indian touch. He loved it a lot. I have made it many times so far.

It comes out very well. Thank you Shalini. This recipe will be helpful for working women and bachelors. Do try this method and let me know your feedback. If you like without garam masala, try this recipe else follow this way. Nowadays I use my rice cooker for making pongal, pulao & biryani.The best thing I love in rice cooker is the aroma of the food it renders while boiling.:) It smells awesome while it cooks. Friends , Do try this one shot tomato rice recipe and make yourself free :)

Tomato rice

How to make tomato rice recipe directly in electric rice cooker without using a kadai.

Cuisine: Indian Category: Lunch Yields: Serves 3

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

Basmati rice - 1 cup Ripe tomatoes - 5 nos Big onion- 2 nos Fresh Green peas - 1/4cup (optional) Green chillies - 2 nos Garlic cloves - 10 nos Red chilli powder –1- 1.5 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Curry leaves - few Salt - as needed Water – 2.5-3 cups To temper Cooking oil+ghee - 3 tbsp + 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Channa dal - 2 tsp Cumin seeds –1/2 tsp Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (to garnish )

METHOD

Switch on the rice cooker and keep it in “cooking mode”. Let the plate get heated for few minutes. Then add oil and ghee together in the centre of the slotted plate. Oil & ghee will spread and moves all over the plate as it gets heated. Wash the basmati rice and set aside.I din’t soak it. U can soak for 20 minutes. Slice the onions and finely chop the tomatoes. Slit the chillies and peel the garlic. Now add all the items given under “to temper” in the same order. Mustard seeds won’t splutter. But it will sizzle. Roast the dals and jeera for few seconds. Then add the onions, green chillies, curry leaves and garlic cloves. Saute well. Add powdered salt for quick sautéing. Then add green peas and saute for few minutes. Lastly add the finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and saute for 2 minutes till tomato turns mushy. Make sure the cooker is in cooking mode. If it goes to warm mode, switch to cooking mode. Finally add 3 cups of water, cover with the lid and allow it to roll boil. After the water starts to roll boil, add the rice without water. Check for salt and cover cook for sometime. Cooker will automatically switch to “Keep warm” mode. Open the lid and check whether rice is cooked well. If not add 1/2 cup of water, mix well and again switch it to “cooking” mode. After the rice is done, let it be in “Keep warm” mode for 30 minutes because rice will cook well and soft in warm mode. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with raita and Enjoy !

Note

I used 3.5 cups of water as my husband wants it slightly overcooked. U can use 3 cups and try.Keep this water quantity as reference and adjust as per ur liking.  If you soak rice for more than a hour, you can use even lesser water, say 2.5 cups. For variations, U can add all the spices like cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and elachi along with tempering ingredients. Adding green peas is optional. If you use dried peas, soak over night and add them. Check the mode of rice cooker every now and then. It may go to warm mode very soon. Switch the nob to “cook” mode whenever needed. Sometimes, it may not go to cooking mode when you try to change. At that time, switch off the rice cooker for a minute and again try changing the mode, it will work.

Technorati Tags: tomato rice,tomato rice recipe for lunch,tomato rice recipe,tomato rice using rice cooker,rice cooker recipes,electric rice cooker recipes,lunch recipes,lunch box recipes,thakkali sadam

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Pudalangai Poriyal | Snake Gourd Poriyal - Side Dish For Rice

Pudalangai poriyal recipe makes a rare appearance in my kitchen because Sendhil is not fond of this.Also I don’t get lengthy snake gourd like we get in Tamil nadu instead it looks short & stout here. My MIL calls this as”Panni podalangai" and she had told me not to buy those varieties. So,whenever I find a lengthy one, I buy it and make kootu or poriyal. This is my MIL’s version. Its very simple to make and comes out tasty too. We can make it with or without coconut. It tastes great for sambar and paruppu urundai kuzhabmu.

Snake gourd poriyal

Snake gourd curry/Podalangai poriyal recipe - Simple n delicious side dish for rice

Cuisine: Indian Category: Side dish Yields: Serves 2

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Total Time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Snake gourd - 1 no Moong dal - 2 tbsp Grated coconut – 3 tbsp(optional) Sugar – 1/4 tsp Salt & water - as needed To season Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 2 tsp Red chilli - 2 nos Green chillies - 2 nos (Slit into two) Curry leaves - few Big onion - 1 no

METHOD

Wash and cut the snake gourd’s head & tail part.Then into two pieces vertically.Remove the soft middle part using ur hands.Cut it vertically into two.Then cut it into small stripes. Add moong dal and salt.Mix well and leave it aside for 10–15 minutes.It may leave little water.Do not squeeze it.If u squeeze,it will leave more water and loses all its nutrition.So its better to collect the water it leaves & use it while cooking. In a kadai,heat oil.Temper all the ingredients as given above.Saute finely chopped big onions&chillies till onion turns transparent.Then add the snake gourd pieces and little sugar.Sprinkle the reserved water. Mix well & press it lightly. Cover the kadai with a lid and simmer the flame completely.Sprinkle water every now and then and stir it.In 10-15 minutes,snake gourd will be completely cooked. Add grated coconut at the end,mix well and switch off the flame.

Note

U can avoid onions while sauteing to make a no onion no garlic version.But add more grated coconut at the end to give a nice taste. Sometimes I use only red chillies to saute.

Technorati Tags: Pudalangai poriyal,Podalangai poriyal,Snake gourd recipes,Snake gourd curry,Side dish for rice

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Beach Style Kara Pori / Masala Kara Pori Recipe - Snacks Recipes

Beach style Kara Pori/Spicy puffed rice is one of the yummiest beach side snacks recipes like thenga manga pattani sundal, Milagai bajji, Roasted peanuts, Sutta solam etc etc that one should never miss tasting in beaches.Recently when my parents visited me, I bought a big raw mango to make my dad's favorite instant mango pickle. I had some left over puffed rice which I bought for making karthigai pori urundai. When I saw both in my kitchen, I was tempted to try this beach style masala kara Pori with onion. 

As I had bookmarked my SIL’s recipe, I quickly referred it,also went through this recipe and got few suggestions from Sendhil. I modified it slightly as per our taste and tried it. I din’t add cucumber and I used very less tomato (as told by Sendhil) as it makes the puffed rice soggy very quickly. It came out very well & was so so nice. We enjoyed eating kara pori as well as cut raw mango coated with chilli powder & salt like we get in beach. It was heavenly!!

Beach style kara pori

Yummy, a must try beach style snack !

Cuisine: Indian Category: Snacks Yields: 2

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Minutes Total Time: 12 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml

Fresh puffed rice/Pori - 2 cups Boiled peanuts - 1/2 cup Grated carrot - 3 tbsp Raw mango – 4 tbsp(finely chopped) Big onion - 2 nos( Use 1 if too big, finely chopped) Tomato - 1 no ( I used a very small one, finely chopped) Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Red chilli powder - 1- 1.5 tsp Salt - as needed Lemon juice – 2 tbsp ( juice of 1 big lemon) Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)

HOW TO MAKAE BEACH STYLE KARA PORI - METHOD

Pressure cook the fresh peanuts adding salt for two whistles. If you use dried peanuts,soak in hot water for 2 hours & proceed as above. Chop & grate the veggies mentioned above. Keep everything ready. In a wide bowl, mix all the ingredients except puffed rice & lemon juice. Just before serving, add the puffed rice & squeeze the lemon juice. Check for taste and balance it. Add more lemon juice as tanginess should be more. Serve immediately. Enjoy !

Note

Skip raw mangoes if you don’t get it. But it tastes great when combined with all these ingredients. U have to soak the peanuts for a minimum of one hour in hot water & keep in a hot casserole if you want to cook it quickly else soak for 3-4 hours in normal water. Add salt while cooking. U can also add finely chopped cucumber pieces & grated beetroots as done in some beaches. Adjust red chilli powder according to your taste. As tangy taste is more dominant than spicy taste, I used more lemon juice. Adjust as per your liking.

Enjoy beach style kara pori as an evening snack ! You'll love it :)

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Poori Recipe / How To Make Puffy Poori – South Indian Puri Recipe

Poori/Puri is an yummy Indian breakfast recipe that is loved by all irrespective of their ages. I usually make poori recipe for guests and in weekends. Raksha loves to eat this more than chapati. As we all know making puffy, crispy as well as soft poori is a bit tricky. It has to be puffy at the same time it should be soft. So I have used rava(suji) and ghee along with wheat flour. Rava/semolina helps to give crispy, puffy poori and ghee makes it soft. 

Apart from the ingredients, consistency of the dough, rolling thickness of puri, oil temperature everything matters here. So I have shared the South Indian style poori recipe with tips and tricks based on my observation & from the cookbooks I read. I have also shared a full video recipe for better understanding. Hope it will be useful for beginners.Lets see how to make puffy poori at home with a video !

Before that check out the side dishes for poori and plan accordingly :)

1. Potato masala

1. Onion masala without potato

1. Chana kurma

1. Aamras - North Indian Sweet side dish

1. Easy Potato kurma

1. Saravana bhavan style mixed veg kurma

Over to the recipe with a full video :)

Poori recipe

Poori/Puri recipe- South Indian deep fried flat bread,kids favourite recipe!

Cuisine: Indian Category: Breakfast Yields: 8-9nos

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 5 Minutes Total Time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup =250ml

For dough Wheat flour/atta - 1 cup Melted ghee - 1/2 tsp Sooji/rava /Semolina - 1/2 tsp Sugar – A pinch (optional) salt - as needed Water - as needed ( I used around 1/3 cup) Cooking oil - to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE POORI - METHOD

To make perfect poori, wheat flour and water is enough. But here I have given a fool proof recipe to make soft poori for beginners with the above given ingredients. In a wide bowl,take the flour. Add salt, a pinch of sugar, rava, ghee and mix well to make a crumbly mixture. Add water little by little and make the dough. Dough should not be sticky, wet or too soft like chapati dough. It should be smooth and stiff but not hard. I used around 1/3 cup plus 1- 2 tbsp of water.It may vary based on the flour you use. Keep this as reference. Initially you may feel the dough little bit hard.knead well in between ur palms for few minutes. It will become smooth and soft. Do not allow the dough to sit for long time. Start rolling. Make small lemon sized balls. Dust the balls in flour and make small sized poori of palm size. Use less flour for dusting. The thickness should be medium, not too thin like chapati. If you make it thin, puris won’t puff up. Arrange the pooris in a paper or a greased plate without overlapping each other. Heat oil to deep fry. To check the right temperature of oil,put a small piece of dough. It will rise immediately at the same time it should not be browned. This is the perfect heating of oil. Immediately slide the poori and after a second, press it with a slotted ladle. It will puff up well. Flip it carefully and allow it to cook for few seconds till  the bubbles cease. Remove and lower the flame till you drop the next poori .Drain in a tissue paper. Keep the flame high and repeat the same for remaining pooris.

POINTS TO NOTE

Addition of ghee keeps the poori soft and gives a nice flavour. But do not add more than the mentioned quantity. Adding sooji/rava is to maintain crispness. The puffed poori won’t break till u break it with your hands.Some people soak the rava in little water before adding. If you add more quantity of rava, it would be good. But here it is not necessary as we are adding negligible quantity. U can also omit rava and try. It is completely optional. Adding a pinch of sugar gives a nice golden color to the poori. But it is optional to use. Dough consistency is more important. If you make it too hard or sticky, poori will be too  hard. If the dough is too soft, poori will become very soft. If you feel, you have added very less water and the dough is too tight,beat the dough well for few minutes. It will become soft.Then make pooris. It will come out well. Do not rest the dough. Make puris immediately else it will drink more oil. Always use less flour for dusting else the dusted flour will spoil the oil and will be settled as sediments. So dust only once. U can apply oil on the rolling board and make pooris. Thickness should be medium ie slightly thicker than chapati and it should be even. Else poori will puff only in some places where it is thick. Make sure there are no holes while you roll. Pooris won’t puff up if there is a hole. Right temperature of oil is more important. Never allow it to fume or smoke. Poori will turn dark brown in color. Check the oil as mentioned above and proceed. After you make 2 –3 puris, adjust the flame,check the oil temperature again & fry the pooris. If the oil is too hot, switch off the flame for few minutes to reduce the heat. Else add some more fresh oil to reduce the heat. By doing this way, you can make pooris of even color till the end.

Check out the side dishes for poori :)

1. Potato masala

1. Onion masala without potato

1. Chana kurma

1. Aamras - North Indian Sweet side dish

1. Easy Potato kurma

1. Saravana bhavan style mixed veg kurma

Enjoy puffy pooris with potato masala or kurma. 

 

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Easy Rasam Recipe With Easy Rasam Powder

As I mentioned in my kara kulambu post, my appa makes rasam very well. When my father was in mumbai, he used to do this rasam with an easy homemade rasam powder. For this recipe, store bought rasam powder  is not needed. We love this rasam more than my mom’s version. So we (me & my sis) used to tell our dad to make rasam in weekends and we enjoy with mom’s potato poriyal.

This is a very simple rasam recipe using freshly ground rasam powder with just 2 ingredients. U can replace this rasam powder with store bought or your own rasam powder too. It comes out well. It can be made in few minutes. We call this as bachelor’s rasam. U can even drink this rasam. I love to mix with buttermilk & drink. 

The flavour of pepper and jeera waft around your house when you make this rasam. Try this easy rasam during busy mornings. Tastes great with simple potato curry and papad !

Rasam recipe

Easy rasam recipe with freshly ground easy rasam powder

Cuisine: Indian Category: side dish Yields: 3

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Total Time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

For rasam powder Pepper corns - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp For rasam Tamarind - Medium gooseberry size Tomato - 1 no Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Rasam powder - 3 tsp (mentioned above) Crushed garlic cloves - 5 nos Sugar - A pinch Salt - as needed Water - 3 cups To temper Oil or ghee - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Jeera/cumins seeds - 1/2 tsp Red chillies – 1 or 2 nos Curry leaves - few Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (to garnish)

HOW TO MAKE RASAM - METHOD

In a bowl, soak tamarind in half cup of hot water for 5 minutes. In the mean time, prepare rasam powder by grinding the pepper corns and cumin seeds together. Store in a box.Set aside. Extract tamarind juice using 2.5cups of water. Totally it should come to 3 cups. Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder & rasam powder. Mix well. Check for taste. U’ll feel the rasam taste. Add more salt & rasam powder if necessary. Now crush the tomatoes well using your hands and add to this tamarind water. In a kadai, heat oil or ghee and temper the mustard seeds, jeera/cumin seeds, pinched red chillies, curry leaves. Add the tamarind mixture. Let it boil for a minute. Then add 1/4 cup water and add the crushed garlic pods. Give a full roll boil only once and it becomes frothy. (alternately you can just boil the rasam and add the tempering at the end. It gives a nice flavor).  When it becomes frothy, add chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Transfer to a bowl. Close it with a lid immediately. Rasam is ready to enjoy with plain rice !

Note

The quantity I have given for rasam powder can be used for making rasam thrice. Store it in an air tight box and use a clean, dry spoon. U can also use sakthi, priya, aachi rasam powder. Use 1 tsp for 1 cup of water. Check for taste. Add more or less based on your need. Dal water can be added for more taste. For variations, you can saute the tomato while tempering instead of adding it raw.. Adding Sugar gives a clear rasam. Garlic cloves and coriander leaves is a must for this recipe. Tempering can be done at the end too. It will give a different flavour. Using ghee is optional but it smells good while you eat.

 

Yummy , flavourful rasam is ready to eat with plain rice!

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