Khati Mithi Imli Ki Chatney

 

Finally, got a perfect khati mithi chatney that suits my taste buds.  It goes very well with Dhoka, Khandvi, Pani Puri, Samosa, Kachori and almost with all the chaats you can think of.

BHATURE CHOLE

 

Bored of cooking simple chole with the same old basic masalas along with channa masala… today I tried the bhature chole… my sister shared her recipe with me and it turned out tasty.  To get that deep blackish brown colour, I cooked my chole in a iron kadai and left it for a couple of hours…

Karuvepillai Thogayal

 

Thogayals are my husband’s favourite.  He like all kinds of thogayal… karuvepillai, kothamalli (coriander), kathrikai (brinjal), paruppu (dal)… and the list can go on and on.  Its a very simple and easy recipe made with very few ingredients.  Tastes good with hot rice and ghee.

BOMBAY CHUTNEY

 

I first heard about the Bombay Chutney from my Mother-in-Law.  She, being born and brought up in Pune, cooks a lot of Maharashtrian dishes.  Even, some of her South Indian recipes will have a tinge of Maharashtrian touch.   This chutney goes well as a side dish for rotis and paranthas. 

VEGETABLE CHILLA

 

 

I first had with at my in-laws place and liked it instantly.   It is very simply to make and requires very few ingredients.  A healthy and filling way to start the day or can be had as an evening snacks.

MEEHOLI BHAJI

 

Meeholi Bhaji is an Assamese vegetable dish and has a wonderful confetti of colours and a fabulous mingling of flavours imparted by the different types of vegetable and the five-spice mix that is typical of this region.  I took this recipe from a cook book by Mridula Baljekar.

TOMATO RASAM

 

This one is a very simple rasam made with few ingredients and without dal & tamarind yet it is very tasty.  It can also be had like a soup especially in winters.

KEERA (SPINACH) URUNDAI MOR KUZHAMBU

 

We always make mor kuzhambu during important festivals / pandigai (as called in Tamil).  One of the easiest recipes of South India and one of my favourite too.  Mor Kuzhambu is generally made with paruppu urundai or dried salty sundakkai with white pumpkin or okra (bhindi).  My husband likes it with yellow pumpkin for the sweet, sour and salty taste. Here is the recipe with Keera Paruppu Urundai.  I took the recipe from here. You can replace spinach with any greens.  I normally soak all the dals for a minimum of 6 – 8 hours as soaked dals digest faster. 

COCONUT KAJU SHEERA

I have a sweet tooth and after every meal would like to have some kind of sweet.  If nothing is there… I would end up having bourvita or horlicks or kishmish.  I made coconut sheera with jaggery and it came out good.  This can be had as a halwa and simply cut it into 2” square and take it as barfi.

KATHRIKAI (BRINJAL) PULI KOOTU

I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law which is very different from what my mom makes.  I liked this kootu as it gives more of a sambhar look and taste, it can be had with paranthas as well.  Katrikkai puti kootu can be made quickly as brinjal cooks in no time.

TOMATO PICKLE

 

I simply like this pickle with my idli or dosa.  The sweet and tangy flavour of tomato and the sourness of tamarind really go so well in this pickle that you can have with almost anything – idli, dosa, upma, rice, roti, parantha.  It is my best travelling partner – pack some phulka and tomato pickle and you are ready to go.  This pickle can be kept in the refrigerator for almost 10 days.

SAMBHAR POWDER

 

Sambhar Powder is one of the most important podi/powder in a south Indian kitchen and every household in southern India will have their own sambhar powder recipe though the ingredients go into the making of this powder would be more or less the same.  Here is my sambhar powder recipe.

KARADAIYAN NOMBU ADAI–SALTY / SPICY

 

My husband prefers salty/spicy adai than sweet.  And, he also takes takes this adai as an evening snacks and sometimes for breakfast.  I simply toss these steamed adai in dosa milagai podi and serve.

KARADAIYAN NOMBU ADAI – SWEET

 

 

Karadaiyan Nombu or Savitri Nombu is a vratham / vrat observed by TAM-BRAMs on the last day of Maasi masam and first day of Panguni masam of Tamil calendar which is 14th March of every year.  Married women worship Goddess Gauri or Parvathi or Shakti for marital bliss and better health of husband and children. Unmarried girls perform the vratham to get ideal person as their husband.  Karadaiyan Nombu is similar to that of sowbagya Gouri vratham or Gauri Tritiya vratham of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Gangaur vrat of Rajasthan, Jyesta gouri Vrat of Maharashtra, Jitiya Puja of Bihar, Karva Chauth of all other North Indian states.  On this day, married women (in their traditional 9 yard saree called madisar) change their thirumangalya charadu (thread) and tie sacred yellow thread around their neck during the auspicious time of the day and unmarried girls tie only the sacred yellow thread. While changing the thirumangalyam charadu the following sloka is chanted:
Throram Krishhnami subhake saharitham
Dharami aham bharthu
Ayushya Sidhartham supreethabhava sarvadha

In my family, we normally fast till the thread is changed and eat only the neivedhyam prepared for the pooja which is called karadaiyan nombu adai.

NELLIKAI (GOOSEBERRY/AMLA) THAYIR PACHCHADI

 

Amla is so rich in vitamin C and I really love this pachchadi.  Well, my paternal granny would say nellikai should not be taken on sundays… I never bothered to ask why and till date I couldn’t find a logical answer for that.  She would also say not to take amla at night may be for its cooling properties and one may catch cold if taken at night.  Anyway, I like this stuff and wouldn’t bother much about the days it can be taken or not to be taken.  I took the recipe from here and made few changes to suit my taste buds.

KARUVEPPILAI PODI / CURRY LEAVES POWDER

 

Karuveppilai or curry leaf as called in English is so full of medicinal values yet I would always pick these out from my plate…. infact in my family everybody do that… and hence my mom started using ground kaurveppilai.  Curry leaves are so good for the eyes and hair and we all relish when this is served as thokku, podi, kuzhambu or thogayal.  I always keep stock of Karuveppilai podi at home and use it as flavouring agent in many of my side dish / accompaniments.

LEMON RASAM

Lemon rasam really tastes yummy and can be make in a jiffy.  We use lemon in place of tamarind for the sourness.  I generally grind tuvar dal, tomatoes and curry leaves together for this as it enhances the flavour and this way my little ones takes both tomato and curry leaves (both are so healthy and I have seen people pick these two out… that list includes me too).

BISIBELA BATH PODI / POWDER

Here is the ingredients to make bisibela bath podi/powder which can be used to make bisibela bath. You can grind and store it in an air tight container in refrigerator for almost a year without loosing any flavour.