Thinai arisi/Foxtail millet payasam in one of the easiest yet delicious recipe using millets.It tastes very similar to rice payasam/Arisi payasam.But one thing i should tell you is the yield.Just 1/4 cup of thinai/foxtail millet is enough to make payasam for 3 persons.Without knowing this,i made payasam with 1/2 cup of thinai and i got sooooo much i.e. nearly half of my big sized cooker.Now i am blinking how to empty it.So i just halved my quantity and shared the recipe here.This would be sufficient for 2-3 people.Ok,lets see how to prepare thinai arisi payasam recipe.
Check out my other millet recipesinthis page.
Thinai arisi payasam/Foxtail millet kheer
Thinai arisi payasam/Foxtail millet kheer
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Sweet
Serves:Serves 2-3
Prep time:5 Minutes
Cook time:15 Minutes
Total time:20 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
Thinai/Foxtail millet - 1/4 cup
Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Boiled milk - 1/2 cup
Cardamom seeds - 2 nos
Cloves - 1 no
Mace - a small piece
Edible camphor - a small pinch ( optional)
Ghee – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
METHOD
In a pressure cooker base,add a tsp of ghee.After its heated,add the thinai arisi and roast it well till u get a nice aroma & as u roast,thinai becomes non-sticky.Add the mentioned water and pressure cook in low flame for one or two whistles.Open the cooker & mash it well.
In the mean time,grate the jaggery and add 1/4 cup of water to cover it. Let it melt.Strain the syrup and add it to the cooked & mashed thinai.Allow it to boil.Add some water if needed.
After the raw smell of jaggery goes off,switch off the flame & add the crushed cardamom powder.Roast clove,cashews & mace.Powder the mace and add everything to the payasam.Mix well.Now add the boiled milk.Finally add a small pinch of edible camphor if needed.Garnish with roasted cashews and serve !
Enjoy !
Note
Generally 3 cups of water is enough to cook 1 cup of thinai.i.e ratio is 1:3.Here i used 1:6 ratio of thinai & water as i wanted the payasam to be thin.
This payasam will tend to thicken as time proceeds.So keep some milk reserved.
As i mentioned in my write-up,the yield of the payasam will be more.So adjust accordingly.
Make this thinai arisi payasam,offer God & enjoy.It tastes awesome !
Actually i wanted to try some Chettinad biryani recipe for Sunday's lunch recipes & browsed for Anjappar Hotel style biryani to try with vegetables.But ended up making this chettinad baby potato/Kutti Urulai kilangu(in Tamil) biryani recipe.This is the first time i made a biryani using baby potatoes.I referred Jeyashri’s blog for the recipe but modified it slightly to suit our taste buds.I am very happy & completely satisfied with its flavor & taste.Now i can confidently try this recipe for my guests too.Lets see how to make this yummy potato biryani recipe in my Sunday Special Lunch Recipes Series-4.
Baby Potato Biryani Recipe
Baby Potato Biryani Recipe - Chettinad style
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Lunch
Serves:Serves 3
Prep time:60 Minutes
Cook time:15 Minutes
Total time:75 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
Basmati rice - 1 cup ( I used India Gate)
Water - 1.5 cups(I used 1.75 cups )
Salt - as needed
To grind & Marinate
Boiled & Peeled Baby potatoes/small potato - 15 nos
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Big onion - 1no
Green chillies - 3 nos
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Curd/Yogurt - 1tbsp
Cashewnuts - 5 nos
Soambu/Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic cloves - 5 nos
Cloves/Krambu - 2 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos
Kalpasi/Black stone flower/Kallu hoova - 4 nos( small)
To saute in oil
Cooking oil - 2tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Biryani leaf - 1 no
Cinnamon/Pattai - 1 no
Big onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1 no ( optional,i dint use)
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder/Dhania powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
METHOD
Wash the rice well & drain the water.Add 1.75 cups of water to it & soak the rice for 1 hour.
In the mean time,wash & pressure cook the baby potatoes in high flame for 3 whistles.Peel the skin and set aside.
Heat a kadai with 1 tsp of oil and saute the big onion slices.Remove & take this in a mixie jar.Add green chillies and other ingredients given under “ To grind & marinate” & grind everything to a smooth paste adding enough water.
Take the peeled potatoes & add the ground paste to it.Prick the potatoes with a fork & mix well.Let it marinate for 20 minutes.
Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base and saute the biryani leaf & cinnamon.Then add the onion slices.Saute well till it turns transparent.Then add the finely chopped tomatoes if using.Saute well till mushy.Now add the marinated potatoes along with masala.Add chilli powder,dhania pwd & turmeric pwd.Saute well till raw smell goes off.
Now add the soaked rice along with water & required salt.Mix well & cover cook in low flame for one whistle.It takes 10-12 minutes.Remove the lid after the steam is released.Fluff it with a fork.
Enjoy !
Note
If u don’t have small potatoes in hand,use big potatoes but cook it & chop them into bite sized pieces before marination.
You can also add the combination of coriander & mint leaves in equal ratio while grinding.
Skip adding kal pasi if u don’t have in hand.But please use it if u have because it gives a great smell to the biryani.
You can also sprinkle some lemon juice at the end before closing the cooker.Its optional.
Try this Chettinad baby potato biryani for this weekend ! I served with homemade potato chips.It was yummy to tummy
I usually make Gobi Manchurian following my baby corn manchurian recipe. This time, for a change I tried crispy gobi manchurian recipe from Bharatz kitchen after getting tempted by the title. He had mentioned as “Crispiest Gobi Manchurian” with a clear video recipe. Usually in manchurian, Gobi turns soggy & soft immediately after mixing with gravy/sauce. But as he mentioned, this one stayed crispy for 30 minutes i.e till my photo session was over. This recipe really works well and tastes similar to the restaurant ones.
Some pre preparation work is needed for this recipe but its all worthy. If you don’t want to make gravy , simply skip the corn flour in sauce part and make it as gobi Manchurian dry version. It tastes even more crispy like street style ones. Soon I will post that recipe too. As Bharat explained, the secret of making crispy Manchurian lies in 2 things.
One, you have to use small sized florets for deep frying. Do not use bigger size florets. This makes a great difference in the texture. The second thing is, you have to deep fry the florets twice. Anything when deep fried twice gives you the best crispiness. My MIL usually tell this to me and I have experimented the same with my masala vada & urad dal vadatoo. Deep frying twice helps to maintain the crispiness for long time. The same formula is applied here. But one thing, I should warn you here. Oil absorption will be slightly more than the usual deep frying as we are doing it twice. So use oil absorbent/Tissue paper & keep changing it whenever needed. Also work out more to burn the additional calories ;).
Friends, do try this recipe confidently even if you are a beginner. Try this for your family and kids as an evening snack or as a starter for dinner. I am sure everyone will appreciate you. Lets see how to make gobi manchurian at home easily !
Gobi manchurian recipe
Gobi manchurian - An yummy starter recipe !
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Starter
Serves:2
Prep time:35 Minutes
Cook time:15 Minutes
Total time:50 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
Cauliflower florets/Gobi pieces – 25-30 nos ( small sized)
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Salt - little
Water, turmeric powder & salt - as needed to boil gobi
Cooking oil - to deep fry
For the batter
Maida/All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Corn flour – 1/4 cup
Red food color – a pinch ( optional, I dint use)
Salt & water -as needed ( I used 1/2 cup water)
For the sauce/Gravy
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Finely chopped garlic cloves - 5 nos
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece ( finely chopped)
Big onion - 1 nos (-do-)
Spring onion - 2 sprigs (-do-)
Capsicum - 1/4 no (-do-)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp ( use 1 tsp to make it very spicy)
Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Sauce mix ( Recipe follows)
Sauce mix ingredients
Corn flour - 1.5 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE GOBI MANCHURIAN - METHOD
Remove small sized florets from the cauliflower. Suppose, if you have removed them big,just cut them into small sized florets ( not too small). This is very important to get crispy gobi manchurian. Now boil the gobi in water mixed with turmeric powder & salt for 3 minutes. Remove and drain all the water immediately using a colander. Show it under running water to stop the gobi being cooked. It should stay firm.
Now add pepper powder, corn flour, G&G paste and little salt to the washed cauliflower florets. Mix it well & refrigerate it for 30 minutes. In the mean time, finely chop all the ingredients needed for sauce & keep the sauce mix ready by mixing corn flour & other mentioned ingredients in water & keep it lumps free.
Take a wide bowl and add maida, corn flour, salt and mix well. Add water to make a slightly thin batter like dosa batter. Now remove the florets from fridge & mix it with batter. Make sure all the florets are well coated with the batter.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated, put the florets one by one and deep fry them in medium flame for 2 minutes till they are 3/4 th cooked. Do not toss for one minute. Then stir well and cook till its 3/4th cooked. Do not wait for the bubbles to cease or the cauliflower turns golden brown because we are going to deep fry again. So remove the florets when they are still white in color. Drain in a tissue.
Again heat the oil for some more time but not smoky and add the florets now. Deep fry them till they turn golden brown & crispy. Bubbles will cease now. Now remove & drain in another tissue. You will find the gobi to be super crispy now. Have a bite n see, hehe (if you don't want to deep fry twice, just fry it till it becomes golden brown and crispy & proceed).
In another pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil & saute all the finely chopped veggies. Mix well adding some salt & sugar. Now add the sauce mix, red chilli powder & pepper powder and let it boil till the gravy reduces to half. Lastly add the deep fried gobi pieces, saute quickly and coat it well. Switch off the flame. Garnish with finely chopped spring onions & remove.
Serve hot & Enjoy !
Note
Deep frying twice is very important to get crispy manchurian. But it absorb more oil . So use tissue/absorbent paper.
If you don’t want to feep fry twice, you can just fry it once but you should do it till gobi turns golden brown & bubbles in the oil ceases.
If you want to try this as gobi machurian dry version, omit the sauce mix and add a tbsp of tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp of soya sauce & 1 tsp of red chilli powder after sauteing the onions & capsicum. Mix well & add the gobi pieces, mix well & serve immediately. Do not use corn flour paste here.
Try this yummy gobi manchurian recipe for your family. Have it along with veg fried rice. Tastes yummmm !!
This is my favourite potato curry recipe next to my mom’s easy version.Its a pure South Indian style potato poriyal recipe for rice.I learnt this from my MIL.I usually make this poriyal & Aviyalfor my guest.All my guest like this curry very much & ask the recipe from me.This is my daughter’s favourite too.Its a best side dish for Sambar,rasam & More kuzhambu.Try it and let me know how u liked it.I make it less spicy for my family.Please adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your spice buds.Soon i will share an easy potato curry recipe for bachelors.
Check out my brahmin’s style easy potato curry recipe too !
Potato curry recipe
Potato curry recipe/Urulaikizhangu poriyal - One of the best side dishes for Sambar & Rasam
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Side dish
Serves:Serves 3
Prep time:15 Minutes
Cook time:10 Minutes
Total time:25 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
Medium sized Potatoes - 3 nos
Salt & water - as needed
To grind
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Sambar powder - 1 tsp ( I use 1/2 tsp)
Big onion - 1 no ( medium size)
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
To temper
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Lemon juice - Few drops (optional)
METHOD
Wash and pressure cook the potatoes.Peel the skin and cut them into bite sized cubes.Set aside.Chop the onions into chunks for grinding.Chop another big onion finely for sautéing.
In a mixer,take the grated coconut,chopped big onion & jeera,sambar powder & turmeric powder.Pulse it once or twice.Onions should be coarsely ground.
Now take the potato cubes and mix it with the ground paste. Add the required salt & check for taste.Adjust the sambar powder & salt.
Heat a kadai with oil and temper mustard seeds,cumin seeds & urad dal.Add curry leaves & hing.After the dal turns golden brown,saute the onions till transparent.
Then add the masala coated potato cubes.Saute in low to medium flame till u get nice aroma from it and potato gets roasted nicely.Add 1/2 tbsp of oil the middle while roasting if u feel the mixture is dry.Do not cover n roast it.
Remove the roasted potato & squeeze some lemon juice if needed.Serve with sambar,rasam or more kuzhambu.
Enjoy !
Note
For variations,u can use raw banana or brinjal in place of potato but cook them in prior without losing its shape.
U can also 3 cloves of garlic along with onions while grinding.That gives a nice masala smell.
You can also garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves & squeeze lemon juice if u wish.
Make this yummy potato curry for rice & enjoy with sambar or rasam.Tastes great!
I have tried kulcha without yeast at home only once when I prepared Punjabi lunch menu and that too it was stuffed Amritsari aloo kulcha, not the plain one. I have forgotten the taste of all the other recipes I tried for that Punjabi platter but I still remember the softness of the kulcha. At that time I had followed the recipe from “The Hindu-Food Safari” Section which was an excellent, fool proof, easy kulcha recipe without yeast. So I made this butter kulcha following the same recipe for our Sunday breakfast. Kulchas are meant to be too thick & round but I made it thin as per my family’s likings. It came out really awesome. I couldn’t believe when Raksha had 3 kulchas and asked for more !!. Not just Raksha, even Sendhil & myself loved its softness very much, though we felt bad about the maida used in it. Sendhil was asking me the difference between Naan & kulcha. So I browsed & found some points which I have shared them below. He told me to try the same recipe with wheat flour too. I must give it a try. I made Restaurant style dal fry as side dish for Kulcha. It was a lovely combo. Friends do try this plain kulcha recipe without yeast. I am sure u won’t regret it. Just grease the kulchas with butter or ghee & relish it with the most popular side dish Punjabi Chole or paneer butter masala. It will taste heaven I say !
Here is difference between kulcha & naan for your reference Naan Vs Kulcha - What is the difference between naan and kulcha ?
Naan and Kulcha are flatbreads that have Indian origin. While Naan is the more celebrated type of bread, Kulcha is a typical Punjabi bread that has old Punjabi traditions.
Naan is made in oven or earthen ware made of clay using charcoal to provide heat to cook the bread whereas Kulcha can be made on stove top too.
Naan is made with yeast and sometimes with milk and yogurt to make it soft and also to give it a bounce. But Kulchas are made using baking powder, baking soda, milk & yogurt to give softness.
Although Kulcha is similar to naan in looks and flavor, it is typically thicker and fluffier than naan.
Naans are usually oblong in shape while Kulchas are round.
I am glad i have successfully reached the 3rd post in my Sunday lunch Recipes Series.I have been sharing biryani,pulao & other rice varieties that i make in weekends.This week,i have blogged my vegetable fried rice recipe in Indian style using electric rice cooker.I know most of u make veg biryani & veg pulao in rice cooker.But making a fried rice in rice cooker may be new to some of u.Not just this,the method i have shared here may also be new & it is somehow different from our usual fried rice recipe.A very big thanks to my dear friend Shalini for teaching me this easy,hassle free,wonderful ,Indian style fried rice recipe.Whenever i go out for shopping in weekends with my family,i make this rice recipe along with curd rice.It stays warm & as soon as we reach home,i just saute the required amount in ghee & serve it hot hot.As we love to have fried rice with tomato sauce as side dish,i don’t make any specifically.But my friend suggested peas butter masala& paneer butter masalaas the best side dish for fried rice.So make it as per your choice.Ok,Lets see how to make fried rice recipe in electric rice cooker.
Check out my tomato rice recipe using rice cooker & Chinese veg fried rice recipe
Veg fried rice recipe in rice cooker
Indian style Vegetable fried rice recipe using Rice cooker
Wash the rice twice & drain the water.Soak it adding 2.25 cups of water,lemon juice & oil for 1 hour.Rice will be soaked well.In the mean time,finely chop the vegetables,onion,capsicum & spring onion.Keep it ready.
Switch on the rice cooker,keep in cooking mode & allow it to heat for sometime. As soon as the plate is heated,add the soaked rice along with water,finely chopped carrot,beans & potato.Add the required salt,mix well & cover the rice cooker.Let the rice cook well.Open it once in the middle & fluff it with a fork.Once its cooked,rice cooker will switch to Keep Warm mode automatically.
Finely chop the cabbage,onions,garlic cloves,bottom part of spring onion & capsicum. Heat oil in a kadai & saute them well adding little salt( remember we have added salt in rice) Add this to the cooked rice.Add pepper powder & keep it closed till use.Now the rice cooker will be in”Keep warm” mode.
Just before serving,heat ghee in a kadai and add the required amount of fried rice.Saute well in high flame for a minute,Keep tossing & serve hot immediately.Enjoy with any side dish or tomato sauce.
Note
I have not used soya sauce here.You can use it if u need.
Adding onions & garlic is purely optional.My friend doesn’t add it.
Adding lemon juice in rice helps to give u white colored rice after cooking.But do not add more.
I don’t add ajinomotto as it is not good for health.
Try this easy veg fried rice recipe using rice cooker & enjoy ur weekend lunch
Hitikida avarekalu saaru is an easy, yummy, flavorful gravy prepared using freshly peeled hyacinth beans. It is also known as hitikida avarekalu masala saaru or hitikida bele saaru in Kannada. It is the best side dish for rice and ragi mudde. But people here love to have it with idli, dosa, akki roti, ragi roti and even with uppittu. Avarekalu is a winter season vegetable that is available all over Karnataka during december to february. I was waiting for Avarekalu season to start just to post this gravy recipe in my blog.
Now the season is started and you can see avarekalu ( Flat beans/Hyacinth beans/Indian lilva beans in English, Mochakottai in Tamil, Surti papdi in Hindi) everywhere in Bangalore. My apartment residents buy in kgs almost everyday and add them in almost all the dishes like uppittu/upma, pulao, sagu/kurma and even sambar.
Thanks a ton to my friend Megha for teaching me this wonderful Karnataka style hitikida avarekalu saaru recipe. Myself & Sendhil started liking Ragi Mudde only after having it with this gravy as side dish. Not only ragi mudde, this avarkalu saaru tastes great with rice, idli , dosa and chapathi too. Last year this time, I went to Megha’s house to learn making ragi mudde At that time, she gave me this gravy to taste with mudde. I loved it very much and noted down the recipe. She immediately packed some and told me to give Sendhil too. He liked it a lot. He also appreciated me that I have learnt 2 healthy and yummy authentic Karnataka dishes from my friend. I started making this gravy with ragi mudde regularly in weekends. I am yet to perfect ragi mudde recipe. I will try to post with a video soon after I get it right.
This particular gravy tastes more like kurma/Saagu and this has no tamarind/Huli. Coconut masala & tomato makes the base for this gravy. It can be done very easily in one pot / pressure cooker and its one of the best side dish for Ragi mudde. Scroll below to see how to make this yummy hitikida avarekalu saaru recipe with step by step pictures and video.
Hitikida avarekalu saaru recipe
Hitikida avarekalu saaru recipe for rice !
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Gravies
Serves:2
Prep time:10 Minutes
Cook time:15 Minutes
Total time:25 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
Avarekalu/Flat beans - 1 cup ( add more if you like)
Remove the seeds ( avarekalu ) and soak it in water over night or for 4 hours. Peel the skin by pressing it between your thumb finger & fore finger. It will come off easily. After removing the skin, wash the seeds & set aside. This is called as Hitikida avarekalu (avare bele).
Grind all the ingredients given under ”To grind " to a smooth paste adding enough water. Remove in a bowl. ( You can use Karnataka sambar powder in place of red chilli powder and dhania powder).
Heat oil in the kadai OR pressure cooker and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Now add chopped onions & tomatoes. Saute till tomato turns mushy ( this step is optional). Then add the hitikida avarekalu / chilkavare ( peeled seeds) and curry leaves, mix well. Now add the ground masala paste. Saute till its raw smell leaves it. Add a cup of water. Cover & pressure cook it in low flame for one whistle.
Open the cooker after the steam is released completely. Mix well & allow it to boil for sometime if you feel there is excess water. Else remove in a bowl & garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with ragi mudde, rice, idli, dosa or roti.
Enjoy !
Note
For variations, you can add avarekalu ( whole hyacinth beans) instead of peeled hyacinth beans.
Adjust the quantity of red chilli powder / sambar powder as per your spice level.
You can use coriander leaves for garnish. But use less for grinding. Adding more may change the flavor.
Enjoy this hitikida bele saaru with ragi mudde. Tastes yum !!
.So i just halved my quantity and shared the recipe here.This would be sufficient for 2-3 people.Ok,lets see how to prepare thinai arisi payasam recipe.
Thinai arisi payasam/Foxtail millet kheer 
.I make it less spicy for my family.Please adjust the quantity of 
