INJI (GINGER) PACHCHADI

Ginger, with its strong and spicy aroma, has its own place in Indian cuisine. It may be used fresh or dried, powdered or pickled or in the form of juice or oil.  No, wonder ginger is the classic Indian household favourite.  Ginger improves absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients and aids in digestion. It also helps break down the proteins in your food. Ginger protects the stomach against ulcers by promoting mucus secretion.  Today, I made inji pachchadi and it tastes best with rice and any sambhar.

KHARA (SAVORY) BISCUIT

Bored of baking sweet / sugary cookies, I decided to bake some spicy biscuits… and got this recipe from my friend and it came out so cute, lovely and spicy that every one at my place liked it.  It doesn’t have any raising agent and required very less fat.  My husband prefers spice over sweet and so he liked it so much… crunchy and spicy khara biscuit.

ANJEER (FIG) HALWA

I read about Anjeer Halwa in Tarla Dalal’s web page and made very minimal changes to suit my taste buds… and since I had anjeer at home thought of trying it.  Fig has got so many health benefits… they are high in potassium so helps to reduce insulin level and have anti-diabetic properties, rich in calcium and strengthens bones.  They are so good to treat acne prone skin… one can go on and on about benefits of fig.  Here is a easy, quick and simple fig halwa recipe…

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).

DOSA / IDLI MILAGAI PODI (GUN POWDER)

 

 

Dosa / idli milagai podi or molaga podi is a flavourful condiment for dosa and idli.  It is also used as seasoning / flavouring for podi curry.  Well, at my place it is used in so many recipes that sometimes I think of getting it ground in a mill in kilos.  My husband can eat it just like that.  Apart from being used as a substitute for chutney and sambhar, one can use it in kathrikai (brinjal), vazhakkai (raw banana) or cabbage podi curry as this milagai podi has loads of flavour.  Generally, channa dal, urad dal, til, whole red chilli and salt are the main ingredients of this podi; but I also add kollu (horse gram), tamarind, jaggery and asafoetida to enhance the flavour – spicy, tangy and sweet.  I was watching some cookery show in Podhigai and learnt about the benefits of kollu (horse gram) and decided to use it in my dosa milagai podi.  Note: Kollu is not advisable to pregnant women.