I tried Andhra style raw banana curry/ Plantain curry (Aratikaya kura in Telugu) as side dish for rice for the first time. Being a South Indian, Poriyal / Dry curry is a must in our daily lunch menu. As I got bored of my Tamil nadu style vazhakkai poriyal, I wanted to try something different with raw banana. I found this curry recipe very simple and easy.This aratikaya koora has no masala or coconut, still it tasted great with rice. We loved it very much. Its taste reminded our vazhakkai podimas to me.
I tried this recipe referring Swasthi's recipes& Cooking from heart blogs.In South India, people make raw banana curry in different ways. Kerala style raw banana thoran and Tamil nadu’s Vazhakkai poriyal tastes great in its own ways.I am happy that I learnt this Andhra style raw banana curry.Soon I must try Kerala style thoran too. This recipe would be suitable for bachelors and working women as it has no grinding job. Friends, do try this plantain curry. I am sure you will love its taste and easy to cook steps. Lets see how to make Andhra style raw banana curry recipe with step by step photos.
Cook raw banana with skin in 3 cups of water till soft.
Prick a toothpick and check if its done.Peel the skin, chop into cubes.
In a kadai, heat oil. Temper all the ingredients.
Saute onion, green chilli, ginger till transparent.
Add turmeric powder, salt and raw banana pieces. Mash few banana pieces and cook for 2 minutes. Serve with rice.
Andhra raw banana curry / Plantain curry (Aratikaya kura) - Step by step pictures
Wash and cut the banana into two or three. Cook with skin in 3 cups of water. Cover cook for 8 to 10 minutes till banana becomes soft. Prick with a knife or toothpick and check if its done. Make sure you do not over cook the banana.You can also pressure cook it in high flame for 2 whistles.
Remove & keep the cooked banana in cold/plain water for 2 minutes. It helps to keep it firm yet soft. Peel the skin and chop into cubes.
Finely chop the onions,ginger. Slit the green chillies and curry leaves. Heat oil in a kadai and temper mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and cumin seeds.
Saute onion,curry leaves, green chilli and ginger pieces till onion becomes transparent.Add turmeric powder, salt and raw banana cubes.Mix well.
Mash few banana pieces and cook for 2 minutes in low flame. Switch off the flame, sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves if desired.I did not add it.Remove and serve with rice.
Note:
Adjust the quantity of chillies as per your spice level.
Do not over cook the banana. Check with a toothpick whenever needed.
Mango payasam/ Mango rice kheer(mambazha payasam in Tamil)is an easy, Indian dessert recipe made with cooked rice, mango pulp and sugar or condensed milk. It can be prepared with cooked rice or vermicelli/sevai. Alphonso & Banganapalli mango tastes the best for this kheer. Actually this payasam is prepared in all the states across South India in their own style. Recently I tasted this mango kheer in a hotel lunch buffet and loved its taste. It was tasting more like paal payasam with mango flavor. So I tried to recreate the same at home and prepared it adding condensed milk(milkmaid). It was tasting so rich and yummy when served chilled. Mango season has almost come to an end. This year, I couldn’t post much using mango. So I thought of sharing this yummy kheer as my contribution for mango recipes this year. Do try this delicious kheer and enjoy with your family. Lets see how to make mango payasam recipe with step by step photos.
Mango payasam recipe / Mango Rice kheer Recipe
How to make mango payasam / mango rice kheer with condensed milk
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker base. Roast the cashews & remove in a plate. Soak saffron in 2 tbsp warm milk. In the remaining ghee, roast the rice till it turns puffy & white.
Grind it coarsely in a mixie jar. Add the ground rice in the cooker, add milk & pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.
After the steam is released, mash the rice well. Add condensed milk, cardamom powder and boil for a minute. Switch off the flame and let the payasam cool completely.
Take the mango, peel the skin and chop into pieces. Grind into smooth paste. Add this pulp to the cooled payasam. Do not add the mango pulp when the payasam in hot, milk will curdle.
Add the roasted nuts. Mix well & check for taste and consistency. Add more condensed milk or sugar for sweetness & boiled milk for thin consistency if needed. You can make it thick like pudding. Mix well & refrigerate for an hour. Serve chilled for best taste.
Note: Adjust the quantity of condensed milk as per your taste.
Kothavarangai kootu recipe / Cluster beans kootu (Gawar Ki Phalli sabji in Hindi) is an easy, healthy side dish for rice.We call this as Kothavarangai poricha kuzhambu in Tamil.
We make it as a gravy and eat it by mixing with plain rice adding ghee.We serve with puli kuzhambu too. Usually I make kothavarangai sambar or poriyal. But recently I started making this kootu learning from my MIL. It is prepared with cluster beans, moong dal, tamarind sambar powder and ground coconut paste. We love its taste and flavor. To make my job simple, I make this kootu directly in a pressure cooker. So this side dish for rice can be prepared under 15 minutes. Do try this healthy cluster beans kootu at home and enjoy with plain rice & ghee. Lets see how to make kothavarangai poricha kuzhambu with step by step photos !
Tamarind or tomato - small piece( 1/2 tsp extract) / 1 no.
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt & Water - as needed
To grind
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Small onion - 2 nos or big onion - 1/4 no
Cumin seeds /Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Water - to grind smooth
To Temper
Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
METHOD
Wash and chop cluster beans into 1 inch size pieces.Grind coconut, onion, cumin seeds to a smooth paste and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker base, heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves. Add the chopped cluster beans and saute for 2 minutes in medium flame.
Add 1 cup of water, turmeric powder, sambar powder, moong dal, tamarind extract or chopped tomato and ground coconut paste. Mix well.
Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Open the lid after the steam is released. Mix well and check for thickness. If the kootu is very thick, add 1/4 cup water, mix well and boil for a minute. If its watery, boil for 2 minutes till kootu becomes thick.
Serve this kootu with puli kuzhambu or vatha kuzhambu. You can mix this with plain rice adding a tsp of ghee. Tastes great !
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste.
If you don’t have sambar powder, you can replace with 3/4 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp dhania powder.
You can also use one tomato ( finely chopped) instead of tamarind extract.
Addition of cumin seeds & onion for grinding adds a nice flavor to this kootu. So do not avoid it unless you make a no onion no garlic kootu.
Use chana dal instead of moong dal for variations.
Try this easy kothavarangai kootu and enjoy with plain rice or vatha kuzhambu !
Palak chapathi (Spinach chapati, Pasalai keerai chapathi in Tamil) is an easy, healthy paratha recipe that can be served with onion raitha or boondi raita and pickle as the side dish.
I make this easy palak chapathi for our dinner usually. I followed my soft chapati recipe and added masala powders to make this spinach chapathi flavorful and soft. Curd & oil is the major ingredient that helps to make it soft. You can roll it thin or thick and pack it for lunch box if you like. You should eat it hot to enjoy its best taste. For variations, you can add finely chopped palak leaves and add it to make the job easier. Lets see how to make easy palak chapati with step by step photos !
Palak Chapati / spinach chapathi recipe
Easy , healthy palak chapathi / Spinach chapathi recipe with step by step photos - Easy, instant dinner recipes
Wash and clean the palak leaves. Grind the leaves, green chilli and ginger to a smooth paste adding required water. Set aside.
In a wide plate or bowl, take the whole wheat flour, ajwain, ground palak, curd, cooking oil, salt, garam masala powder and mix well.
Add little water only if needed. Make a smooth dough.Knead for 5 minutes. Grease with oil. Cover & rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, make ball sized dough and dust in wheat flour.Roll it thin or thick as you like. I rolled it medium thick.
Heat a dosa pan. Put the chapati and cook in low to medium flame. When bubbles start to appear, flip the chapati and cook the other side. Apply oil on both the sides by flipping the chapathi.
Remove and serve hot with onion raita or boondi raita. Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of masala powder as per your taste.
For variations, you can add finely chopped palak leaves, grated ginger & green chilli instead of grinding them.
You can use cumin seeds instead of ajwain.
Easy, healthy palak chapathi is ready to relish with boondi raita & pickle.
Cauliflower poriyal /South Indian Gobi fry is a tasty side dish for rice. When I was young, my mom used to make a spicy cauliflower poriyal recipe (In Tamil nadu style) with mild masala flavor for rasam rice as my dad likes that way. Sometimes she adds boiled peas to make it colorful and healthy.
I had already shared my mom’s all-rounder cauliflower gravy for chapathi, rice, idli, dosa. So today I thought of sharing my mom’s, South Indian style cauliflower dry curry recipe with you all. You can make it less spicy if making for kids. Even bachelors can try this recipe as its easy to make & no grinding job as well. It tastes the best with sambar rice and rasam rice. Lets see how to make Tamil nadu style cauliflower poriyal with step by step photos !
Cauliflower Poriyal Recipe / South Indian Gobi Poriyal Recipe
Cauliflower Poriyal - side dish for sambar & rasam rice
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( use 1/2 tsp for less spicy taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Coriander leaves - as needed
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp ( optional, I din't add)
HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER PORIYAL
Take the cauliflower, remove the florets. If the florets are big, chop and make it small. Boil 5 cups of water adding turmeric powder & little salt. When the water starts to roll boil, switch off the flame. Add the cauliflower florets and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the excess water and collect the parboiled cauliflower. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds. Add finely chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves. Saute till raw smell goes off.
Add chopped tomato & saute until mushy (It is not shown in the picture) Add turmeric powder, salt & red chilli powder. Mix well for a minute.
Lastly add the parboiled cauliflower florets, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Mix well & simmer the flame. Cover cook for 5 to 10 minutes till cauliflower becomes soft & well cooked. Check for taste, add more salt & chilli powder if needed.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice, sambar or rasam.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder as per your taste.
You can add garam masala powder along with chilli powder for more masala flavor. You can also have this curry with chapathi if you like.
Tomato gives mild tanginess to the poriyal. So don’t skip it. If you don’t have tomato, you can add lemon juice after switching off the flame.
Try this easy, yummy cauliflower poriyal for rice and enjoy !
Rava Pongal is one of the easy to make South Indian breakfast recipes. It is very popular in Tamil nadu. Rava khara pongal recipe ( sooji pongal) is prepared with roasted semolina ( Sooji in Hindi) and pressure cooked yellow moong dal as major ingredients. Its cooking method is very similar to our Ven pongalrecipe/Ghee pongal but semolina is used instead of rava.
Even though rava pongal is not widely available in Tamil nadu hotels, this must be a favorite breakfast recipe to many of us. In my home, Sendhil loves rava recipes a lot more than me & Raksha. So I try to makerava upma,rava dosa or this rava pongal at least once in a week. I started making this recipe after watching a cookery show by our beloved Chef Damu. After making it several times, I started preparing in my own comfortable way. I have shared the same in this post. Quantity of water, little oil and more ghee is the key for soft pongal. If you have cooked moong dal in hand, rava pongal can be prepared quickly and easily. Bachelors and working women can try this for breakfast. Ok, lets see how to make sooji pongal/ Tamil nadu style rava pongal with step by step photos and a video ( Video is under editing). I will try to share it soon.
Rava Pongal Recipe - Sooji Pongal
How to make rava pongal recipe - Easy, yummy South Indian breakfast recipe
Water - 1.5 cups ( for dal) + 2.5 cups ( for rava)
Salt - As needed
To temper
Ghee + cooking oil - 3 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5 nos ( break into two)
Ginger - 1 inch piece ( chopped finely)
Curry leaves - Few
Asafetida/ Hing - A pinch
METHOD
In a pressure cooker base, heat 2 tsp of ghee and roast the moong dal till nice aroma comes out. Add 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Open the cooker once its done and mash the dal.
Heat a kadai and dry roast the rava in medium flame for 5 minutes. Take care, Rava should not burn. Transfer it to a plate.
In the same kadai, heat 2 tbsp ghee + 1 tbsp oil and add pepper corns.When the pepper corns starts to splutter, add finely chopped ginger, cashews and curry leaves. When the cashews start to turn golden, add cumin seeds and hing.
Mix well and add water 2.5 cups of water immediately ( I used 1:3 ratio of rava & water). Add the required salt, cooked moong dal in the water.
When the water starts to roll boil, simmer the flame completely or switch off the flame if you are a beginner. Add the roasted rava slowly in one hand while mixing the water in other hand. This is most important to avoid lump formation.
After the rava is mixed well with water, it becomes thick. Cover & cook for 5 minutes in low flame. Open the lid and mix it once. Again cover cook for 2 minutes till rava becomes soft and well cooked.
Add 1tbsp of ghee at the end, mix well and switch off the stove. Initially, when the pongal is hot, it looks mushy. But it will become non-sticky and stay soft when it becomes warm. Serve with your favorite side dish like coconut chutney or gosthu.
Enjoy !
Note
Do not reduce the quantity of ghee mentioned in the recipe. U can always add more if you want. Oil helps to keep the pongal non-sticky.
You can add more water for cooking rava. 1:4 ratio of rava & water is also fine.
Use upma rava/coarse sooji not chiroti/fine rava.
Enjoy this easy, yummy South Indian breakfast Rava pongal at home !
