November 18, 2014

ONION TOMATO THOKKU RECIPE-SIDE DISH FOR IDLI DOSA

Is there anyone in your house says NO to this simple yet yummy onion tomato thokku recipe when you make it as a side dish for idli, dosa and chapathi ? No One, right ?? But in my house, both dad & daughter says BIG NOOOOOO whenever I make this as side dish.

Basically Iam a great fan of tomato recipes especially tomato thokku. I can have more than 10 idlis when my mom makes this as a side dish.After marriage,i have tried it many times following my mom’s recipe using Bangalore tomatoes. Sendhil & Raksha used to have it by showing odd faces. So I completely stopped preparing it for years.

Recently I watched Vijay tv’s samayal samayal with Chef Venkatesh Bhat in which he showed Neer dosa with this chutney (he mentioned this recipe as onion tomato chutney) as side dish. At that time, my in-laws were here in my place & they had brought ripe naatu thakkali ( Tangy tomatoes ) from Salem, Tamilnadu. My MIL told me to try this thokku for breakfast as they love it very much like me. I too tried hopelessly thinking Sendhil & Raksha won’t like it. But to my surprise, they both loved it a lot and Sendhil said “ Its good & tasty” for nearly 4-5 times and had two more idlis too.

I was wondering what made the difference between this version & my mom’s version. Is it the addition of garlic or the tangy Tamilnadu tomatoes,something has made the magic and this recipe was a super hit among my family. Thanks a lot Chef. I have done it thrice so far but only with naatu thakkali (In Bangalore they call it as “Naatti”).

Friends do try this recipe using naatu thakkali if you have in hand, even thokku haters would love it for sure. For tomato lovers, Bangalore tomatoes would do !!

Check out my Easy tomato thokku recipe without onion & garlic if interested !

Onion tomato thokku recipe

Onion tomato thokku recipe - A very tasty side dish for idli,dosa n chapathi !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dishes

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Ripe tomatoes - 3 nos
Big onion - 2 nos
Garlic cloves - 6 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 - 1.5 tsp
Sugar - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Hing/Asafetida - a big pinch
Salt & water - as needed

To temper

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal -1 tsp
Red chillies - 2 nos ( pinch into 2 )

Coriander leaves – few ( finely chopped to garnish)

METHOD - HOW TO MAKE TOMATO ONION THOKKU

Wash and chop the tomatoes and onions very finely. Heat oil in a kadai and temper all the ingredients given under “ to temper” in the same order.
Add finely chopped garlic cloves and saute for few seconds. Then add finely chopped onions and saute till they turn transparent. Then add finely chopped tomatoes. Saute till tomato turns mushy adding the required salt

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, hing and sugar. Mix well for a minute. Then add 1/2 cup of water and let the mixture cook well for few minutes. Switch off the flame when the mixture is slightly wet with little water because it will become too dry when it cools down. So switch off the flame at the right time. Remove and add chopped coriander leaves.

Enjoy with idli, dosa and chapathi !

Note

Use ripe tomatoes for best results.
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder as per your spice level.
Adding a pinch of sugar helps to balance all the taste.

Enjoy my favourite onion tomato thokku with hot idlis, dosa & chapathi. It tastes awesome !

Technorati Tags: Onion tomato thokku recipe,Onion tomato thokku,thokku recipes,tomato thokku,onion tomato chutney recipe,Side dish for idli,side dish for idli,dosa,side dish for chapati

November 16, 2014

HOW TO CLEAN VAZHAIPOO/BANANA FLOWER-INDIAN COOKING BASICS

Recently one of my friends in abroad told me to make a post on “How to clean & chop vazhaipoo ie Banana flower/Plantain flower. Also I have planned to share vazhaipoo poriyal recipe in the upcoming week.So before posting that recipe, I thought this post would be useful to you all. Cleaning & chopping vazhaipoo is not that difficult as one thinks. Its just a time consuming job,that’s it. Otherwise its very easy to cook & you can make very tasty recipes with it.

As you all know its a super healthy vegetable with amazing health benefits.It contains various vitamins like Vitamin A, C, and E. They also contain potassium and fibers. This makes them an excellent health food and a source of healthy nutrients. It helps to reduce menstrual bleeding & pain. Cooked banana flowers along with curd or yogurt increases the progesterone hormone in the body and reduces bleeding. Calculated intake of banana flowers reduces blood sugar levels. It also increases the total haemoglobin levels in the body.

So friends, don’t avoid buying vazhaipoo just by thinking about its cleaning process. Listen to your favourite songs or watch some megaaaa serials, this cleaning job will be done within no time.I follow this usually. If not, at least ask your maid to do this job for you.

Try to include vazhaipoo & vazhaithandu in your cooking at least once or twice in a month. Its very very healthy and it makes miracles! Soon I will make a detailed post on how to clean & chop vazhaithandu/Banana stem with its health benefits.

In this post, I have also shared some simple tips and tricks for easy chopping and to maintain its color after chopping. Hope it would be useful to all beginners. Thanks for visiting this page. Have a great Sunday !

Check out some of the delicious vazhaipoo recipes below

Vazhaipoo kuzhambu

Vazhaipoo vadai

Vazhaipoo usili

How to clean vazhaipoo

How to clean & chop vazhaipoo/Banana flower.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cooking basics

Serves: 1

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Banana flower/Vazhaipoo - 1 no

HOW TO CLEAN VAZHAIPOO - METHOD

Spread 2-3 newspapers one over the other Or spread a thick sheet on the floor to prevent stains. Grease your hands with gingely oil very well. Cleaning vazhaipoo makes your fingers black. So this will help to avoid blackening of hands and fingers OR wear some thick gloves.
Take 1/4 cup of curd and mix with 2 cups of water. Mix it well & make buttermilk with it. Keep it ready.
Now take the banana flower and when you remove the cover, you will see bunches of flowers. Take out the bunch and place it in the newspaper. Remove all the florets and collect in the newspaper OR a cloth

Initially you will find big sized florets. But when you keep on removing, you will find very small florets. So keep the big ones and very small ones separately. Don’t forget to eat the cone shaped, blossom part which is very tender and small in size. Eat it as such. It is very good for stomach ulcers.

Take a big floret and remove the stamen(kaalan) and thin white colored cover portions (some people don’t remove this part. My MIL don't remove but my mom does it). Refer picture below. Repeat the same for all the big florets. No need to remove the stamen part for very small ones. You can chop & use as it is.

Chop the big florets finely using a knife and keep them immersed in buttermilk till use. This helps to prevent blackening of banana flower. Do this with all big florets.Similarly chop the small florets and put it inside the buttermilk.( In the below picture, I have added turmeric powder, moong dal and salt to the chopped vazhaipoo and kept it ready for making poriyal.so the color looks yellow. I will try to update a clear picture soon.

I usually take a bunch of florets in hand and remove the stamen and cover part & chop it with a knife keeping as a bunch and dip in buttermilk.

TIPS TIPS

You can do this cleaning process without chopping in the previous day night and keep it refrigerated in a zip lock bag. If you chopped it, immerse in buttermilk and refrigerate.The next day morning, you can make delicious recipes with it.

Suppose if you feel difficult or lazy to chop, here is an easy method of chopping.i e. Take a handful the cleaned banana florets in a big sized mixie jar,run the mixie once or twice for a second.Florets will be coarsely ground. Now take the florets and dip in buttermilk. Repeat the same with all the florets. Refrigerate it overnight and use it the next day.

Check out some of the vazhaipoo recipes below

Vazhaipoo kuzhambu

Vazhaipoo vadai

Vazhaipoo usili

Technorati Tags: How to clean vazhaipoo,how to clean banana flower,How to clean plantain flower,vazhipoo recipes,Vazhaipoo,banana flower

Very good recipes Tags: How to clean vazhaipoo, how to clean banana flower, How to clean plantain flower, vazhipoo recipes, Vazhaipoo, banana flower

November 14, 2014

KFC STYLE VEG STRIPS RECIPE-KIDS SNACKS RECIPES

KFC’s Veg strips with Veg Rice Bowlz & Potato burgers/Krisper is my daughter Raksha’s favourite restaurant food now.Yeah,we have become a regular customer of (Bangalore) Kathriguppe KFC in weekends Drooling

.Thanks to my friend Megha for telling me about the veggie options in KFC.Earlier we were thinking it is only for non-vegetarians.So we have never gone inside it and i was throwing out all the KFC discount coupons i was getting along with sodexo meal pass Not talking

.Once Megha told me about Veg Rice Bowlz and Veggie burger varieties of KFC and suggested me try once.We went in the same weekend and now we have become an ardent fans of those dishes.More than me Sendhil & Raksha have become crazy for its taste and they are ready to go there anytime of the day.U won’t believe if i say that we have visited KFC nearly 6-7 times in past two months Winking

.And nowadays Raksha started demanding me to try KFC’s recipes at home too.When i was browsing for the same,i got some ideas from facebook’s Chef at large group posted by some members.I collected all those recipes & googled few more too.Inspired by all the pictures and recipes,i tried veg strips for the first time last week and i was very happy with the results.It was sooo crispy and Raksha loved it a lot with tomato ketchup.I won’t say its the exact replica of KFC’s original recipe(hope u know its a secret recipe) but i am sure it tastes pretty close and your family will enjoy it for sure.
Today being children’s day,i wanted to treat my daughter with her favourite finger food.So I made this again along with one minute brownie & kept it for her surprisingly.After coming from the school,when i gave this snacks to her,she showed a big smile and hugged me tightly Big Hug

.She tasted and said “Wow,mummy its awesome” and she had 5 of them Laughing

.
The procedure may seem lengthy as i made bread crumbs & chilli flakes at home.If u have store bought bread crumbs & chilli flakes in hand, u can finish the entire process within 30 minutes,Also u can make everything well advanced and just deep fry during serving time.So just try this for your kids birthday party & get together or simply as evening snack.They will enjoy this dish thoroughly.But one thing,serve it hot to enjoy its full flavor,taste & crispness.So don’t forget to serve & eat hot !!
Here is the picture of KFC Veg Rice bowlz with veg strips i tried on last weekend.Here i used coarsely ground corn flakes to give KFC chicken look Winking

.But today i used finely powdered corn flakes.So make it as per your wish.It tastes Sooo Good in either ways Smile

.Soon i will post Veg rice bowlz with curry recipe.

NOTE: KFC's veg strips tastes less spicy with very mild masala flavour.So i too followed the same here.Please add garam masala powder,aamchur powder or chat masala powder if u want strong masala smell.

KAMBU DOSAI-BAJRA DOSA /PEARL MILLET DOSA RECIPE

Last week i shared instant millet dosa using mixed millets energy mix powder.Though i make it very often,i wanted to try a dosa recipe with kambu (in tamil)/Pearl millet ( in English)/Bajra(in Hindi) as i got tempted by seeing my fellow bloggers post.Recently my friend Shalini was telling me about kambu dosai which she has been making for her breakfast regularly.So I took this recipe from her and tried today for the first time.She told me to use brown rice and pearl millet but i used raw rice as i din’t have brown rice in stock.So feel free to use brown rice instead of raw rice in this recipe.You will get good results and its a healthier option too.I will try to post kambu adai and kambu koozh recipes soon.Lets see how to prepare this kambu dosai for breakfast/dinner.This dosa tastes the best when it is served hot.It becomes slightly chewy when its cooled down but overall its a very flavorful and healthy breakfast recipe.Check out my other millet recipes below.

Millet energy mix powder

Millet ladoo

Instant millet dosa recipe

Thinai idli,dosa recipe

Saamai sweet pongal/Little millet pongal recipe

Types of millets with health benefits,other names,where to buy etc.

A small update : I made this dosa for dinner with raw onion-garlic chutney as side dish.I felt this combo was awesome than coconut chutney.Even my daughter told the same.This chutney pairs very well for kambu dosa.Try this combo ! U will like it ;)

Kambu dosai/Pearl millet dosa

Pearl millet dosa/Kambu dosai recipe - Healthy millet recipe for breakfast/dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Millet recipe

Serves: 15 nos

Prep time: 3 Hours

Cook time: 2 Minutes

Total time: 3H2Min

INGREDIENTS

Kambu/Pearl millet - 1.5 cups

Raw rice or brown rice - 1/2 cup

Round Urad dal - 1/2 cup

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Salt & water - as needed

Cooking oil – to drizzle ( while making dosa)

METHOD

Wash and soak the kambu,rice,urad dal and methi seeds together for 2-3 hours.In a big mixie jar,take half of the quantity of soaked grains and grind it adding ice cold water(It helps the mixie jar to prevent heating). Grind it to a smooth paste adding enough water and salt.(I used the soaked water itself).Transfer the batter to a vessel.

Let the batter ferment over night or for 10-12 hours.The next day morning batter would have raise well.Mix it well and check the consistency.If it is too thick,add little water say 1/4 cup and mix well.Heat dosa pan and pour a ladleful of batter.Spread it well if u want to make thin,lacy dosas OR spread it little if u want thick soft dosas.Make it as per your wish.Drizzle a tsp of oil and cook for a minute.Cover it with a lid and cook the dosa if u want crispy ones.Do not flip the dosa.If u want thick dosas like utappam,flip the dosa and cook for a while.Remove and serve hot.

Enjoy with your favourite chutney.I served it with coconut chutney and idli podi !

Note

Use enough water while grinding the batter.Batter has to ferment for 10 hours minimum in cold weather.If the climate is hot,this batter will ferment quickly and it will become sour.So keep an eye.

Use brown rice instead of raw rice.U can use idli rice too.

If u don’t want to use rice at all,just follow 2:1 ratio of kambu & urad dal and grind the batter as mentioned above.

This dosa becomes soft when its cooled down.So serve n eat hot !

Have this healthy millet dosa for your breakfast/dinner.I enjoyed it with coconut chutney,idli podi and had milk with Lion dates syrup.

A small update : I made this dosa for dinner with raw onion-garlic chutney as side dish.I felt this combo was awesome than coconut chutney.Even my daughter told the same.This chutney pairs very well for kambu dosa.Try this combo ! U will like it ;)

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November 11, 2014

EGGLESS BROWNIE RECIPE IN MICROWAVE IN A MUG - ONE MINUTE RECIPE

Nowadays I have become crazy to try 1 minute microwave cakes and cookies recipes in a mug. After making my one minute microwave mug cake and 5 minutes eggless oreo cake successfully, I have become more confident in trying out recipes under few minutes using microwave. Somehow my daughter Raksha is also fond of these instant recipes because she loves to help me in making them. Here is a one minute microwave, eggless brownie in a mug.

Recently we tasted brownie with ice cream in KFC and loved it a lot. Raksha was asking me to prepare the same at home. Basically I was not aware of the difference between a cake and brownie. When I googled for it, I found few differences from here that the texture of cake should be spongy & fluffy. So it needs a leavening agent like baking powder & soda whereas the texture of brownie is dense and chewy. So it doesn’t require all these. Also a brownie tastes more chocolaty than a cake.

When I tried this one minute brownie recipe in a mug from here using cocoa powder, it tasted perfect. As I defined above, it was more chocolaty, mildly sweet, dense and slightly chewy too. I can name it as “perfect brownie in a mug” and that too under 2 minutes. Moreover this brownie tasted the best when we had with vanilla ice cream. You know what my daughter told after tasting this brownie, she told ”mom, this is the world’s best eggless brownie” as if she had tasted all brownies in the world. But still, as a mom, I was very happy with her feedback. So what are you waiting for, surprise your kids with this perfect brownie & ice cream this evening. I am sure they will be super excited to taste this. And don’t forget to leave your feedback here.

Microwave eggless brownie in a mug

Eggless brownie in a mug using microwave under 2 minutes !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Brownie

Serves: Serves1-2

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 1 Minute

Total time: 6 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour/maida - 1/4 cup (30g)
Sugar - 1/4 cup (50g)
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 tbsp ( any brand is fine)
Melted butter - 2 tbsp
Milk at room temperature - 1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp (60ml)
Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp

HOW TO MAKE EGGLESS BROWNIE IN MICROWAVE - METHOD

In a wide bowl, take all the dry ingredients. Mix well without lumps.

Then add the melted butter, milk and vanilla essence. Mix well for a minute in one direction. Sugar should be dissolved in the mixture. The consistency of batter should be slightly thin and not too thick. It should fall like a ribbon. Transfer the mixture to a microwave safe mug or bake in the same bowl if it is microwave safe.

Microwave in high power ( mine is 800w) for one minute. Take it out and check for its texture. If you find any fluid on top, microwave it again for 10 seconds. Now remove and insert a tooth pick or back of a spoon. If it comes out clean, brownie is done. Else keep it for 10 seconds. Mine got done in 1 minute 20 seconds. ( Never over bake. Brownie will become hard. Keep it only for 10 seconds & check it ). Brownies won’t double in size after baking. It will raise slightly as you see in the picture.

Serve it warm with your favourite ice cream.
Enjoy !

Note

Color of brownie may slightly vary as per the color of cocoa powder. I used weikfield cocoa powder which was dark in color.
While mixing the dry ingredients, make sure there are no lumps. Add the wet ingredients and mix in one direction always. Never over bake it. Keep it for a minute first. Remove and check its texture. If you find any fluid on top, keep it for 10 seconds again and check. Repeat the same until a toothpick or back of spoon comes out clean. Over baking makes the brownie hard and chewy.

Enjoy this hot one minute brownie with your favorite ice cream. It tastes heavenly !!

Technorati Tags: Eggless brownie recipe,Eggless microwave brownie recipe,eggless brownie in microwave,eggless brownie using cocoa powder,easy eggless brownie recipe microwave,eggless brownie recipe from scratch

Very good recipes Tags: Eggless brownie recipe, Eggless microwave brownie recipe, eggless brownie in microwave, eggless brownie using cocoa powder, easy eggless brownie recipe microwave, eggless brownie recipe from scratch

November 9, 2014

15 CHUTNEY RECIPES FOR RICE - THOGAYAL RECIPES - THUVAIYAL VARIETIES

In this collection you can find thogayal recipes /chutney recipes for rice like Paruppu thogayal, Coriander leaves thogayal/Kothamalli thuvaiyal,pudina thogayal/Mint thogayal, Poondu thuvaiyal/Garlic thogayal, curry leaves thogayal/Karuvepilai thuvaiyal, Thengai thogayal/Coconut thuvaiyal, Pirandai thogayal, Karisilankanni thogayal, chow chow thogayal, radish thogayal & banana stem thogayal recipes for rice pepared by Tamil people.

Thogayals/ Thuvaiyals are very popular among South Indians especially for Tamil people. Some people like to mix with plain rice and eat and some loves to have it as a side dish for curd rice & sambar rice. In my family, everybody loves thogayal a lot. Everyday our lunch menu starts with a thogayal recipe. I came to know about varieties of thogayal recipes only after my marriage. Before marriage, my mom used to make thengai thogayal to mix with plain rice & pottukadalai thogayal as side dish for lemon rice and that too she makes it very rarely in weekends.

But after marriage, when I tasted few thogayal recipes prepared by my MIL,it was very new and tasted delicious for me. My MIL makes all the thogayals perfectly with well balanced taste. The ratio of tamarind,salt and chillies are very important to make a perfect thogayal otherwise it will taste spicy or tangy. So whenever my MIL visits me, I tell her to make varieties of thogayal recipes like paruppu thogayal, peerkangai/ridge gourd thogayal,coriander thogayal,pudina thogayal, Poondu thuvaiyal, curry leaves thogayal and many more. I refrigerate them in an air tight box and enjoy it for more than a week.

As Sendhil loves thogayal sadam a lot, I pack it for his lunch box too along with some stir fry/poriyal recipes. If I have few thogayals in hand, it is a big support for me as it makes the lunch box job much easier. In my blog, I have posted nearly 12 thogayal recipes for rice so far. It includes some healthy thogayal recipes like pirandai thogayal, Karisilankanni keerai thogayal as well. I wanted to have a collection of them in one post for my easy reference and for people who look for varieties of thogayal recipes for their daily lunch. I am yet to post few more like inji thogayal/ginger thogayal & peerkangai thogayal. I will share them in near future and add it here.

Most of the recipes are without coconut. So you can grind, saute in oil and store them in refrigerator for more than a week too. I hope these thogayals would be very handy and useful for bachelors & working women who wants quick lunch or dinner. Do try these thogayal varieties for your lunch & lunch box. It tastes yummy. Do leave your feedback if you try any of these. I would be more happy. Thanks for visiting this page.