Any festival is incomplete without a batch of freshly made Mullu Thenkuzhal also called Mullu Murukku. It was an essential Diwali Snack growing up and I am doing the same for my kids to experience the festival. Diwali is incomplete without at least a couple of savory snacks and Mullu Thenkuzhal is one of the essential ones in our family. Diwali or not, this murukku is one of the most addictive snacks and you just cannot stop with one....
A delicious South Indian special Paruppu Urundai Mor Kuzhambu is perfect for the weekend Lunch. Pair it with some steaming hot rice and enjoy. Paruppu Urundai Mor Kuzhambu is my husband’s all-time favorite. Any day this Paruppu Urundai Mor Kulambu would be his first choice for lunch/dinner. The paruppu Urundai in the kuzhambu is a wonderful way to get more protein in the meal and also serves as a vegetable component for the kuzhambu....
Saag Aloo or Spinach and Potato curry is a simple and flavorful Indian Curry recipe that is Vegan and Gluten Free . Saag Aloo is a mild and very flavorful side dish that pairs well with roti or rice. This spinach and potato curry is a very popular and commonly found recipe on Indian restaurant menus. We almost find this dish every time in the lunch buffet. Sometimes it is just the spinach and the potato, but sometimes they also use some eggplant alongside it....
Vaazhakkai Kola Urundai is a perfect bite-size appetizer and it does not need a side sauce as well. This Raw Banana Fried Ball is a very easy appetizer for parties and can be made in about 30 minutes. When I recently saw this recipe on Priya’s space, I bookmarked it right away. I have never heard of these kola urundais before but was very tempted to make them because of their flavor....
Vanillekipferl originated in Vienna, Austria, and is popular throughout central Europe during the Christmas season. These Austrian vanilla crescent cookies are crumbly butter cookies shaped into crescents and coated in vanilla sugar. Vanillekipferl originated from Vienna in Austria and is a very famous cookie during Christmas. These cookies are popular throughout Europe and can be found in every coffee shop. Vanillakipferl cookies are shaped in the shape of a crescent moon symbolizing the victory of the Hungarian army over the Turkish in one of the many wars....
This Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe was one of the earliest (or the first recipe) that I ever used when I began baking. It is inspired by the original Nestlé Toll House recipe. I have been using this recipe to date, and it is one of our family’s favorite ones. Are you one of the people who like to try out the recipes on packages? I sure like to try out recipes that are written on the packages....
If you love the store-bought Danish Butter cookies in the blue tin that come around the Christmas season, then this is the recipe you need to make them at home. These cookies taste amazingly buttery and have a lovely ‘melt in the mouth’ texture. Danish Butter Cookies, just the name reminds me of the soft, melt-in-the-mouth cookies. My first taste of the Danish cookies was the Royal Dansk Butter Cookies in the blue box....
Karthigai Pori Urundai or Aval Pori Urundai is a traditional sweet made for the Karthigai Deepam festival. Aval pori and Nel pori are both used to make the pori urundai. Pori is nothing but puffed rice. Regular puffed rice is made of rice, where it is heated under high pressure with steam. That is used in many street foods like this very famous Churmuri/Beach side Masala pori or in savory snacks like this Kara Pori....
Nothing can be better than this Khatta Meeta Moong Dhal or Sweet and Sour Whole Green Mung, for weekend brunch or lunch. It is filled with flavors and works great with rice or roti. I can’t have enough dal recipes in our house. I love every kind of dal, and it is one of my favorite comfort foods for weekend brunch. When it comes to dal/lentil recipes, the most favorite is Dali Thoy....
These Mexican Churros are a simple 3-ingredient recipe that is a Cinco De Mayo special. With less than 30 minutes to make this, I am sure this will be a recipe that can be enjoyed by all When I made my list for the 3-ingredient recipe, I clearly had no idea that I had planned this recipe just in time for Cinco de Mayo. I have always enjoyed churros, but lately, it has been very hard to find some good churros out there....
Hearty and delicious Middle Eastern Lentil soup is the perfect vegan and gluten-free soup for cold nights. The Instant Pot lentil soup is so easy to make and is literally a dump-and-go recipe. Soup is considered a meal by itself in our house. All we need is some bread on the side and we are happy. I started making this Lentil soup when my kids were still small and we ate it for the first time from the local Middle Eastern Restaurant back in NY....
Pavakkai Podi or Bitter Gourd podi is one of the good instant podi mixes to have in the kitchen for the busy days. With rice and some chips or Applam they become a quick meal. Coming from a South Indian background, podi’s are a must-have in the kitchen. These are such a lifesaver when it comes to a busy weeknight dinner. The regular podi’s that are stocked in my pantry are Thengai podi (coconut podi) , Paruppu Podi (lentil Podi) , karuvepillai podi (curry leaves podi), and Poondu podi (garlic podi)....
Pizza Swirl bread uses a basic pizza dough recipe as the base and the stuffing is pretty simple with just the pizza sauce and the cheese. If you are looking to bake savory bread, I would definitely recommend trying this pizza swirl bread. Bread has become such an integral part of my family’s life. Ever since I have started baking bread, I love to try out different combinations and flavors. To this date, my favorite bread is the Semolina bread....
The recipe I chose today, Podalangai Poricha Kuzhambu, is a kind of Araichu vita kuzhambu made with snake gourd. Many other vegetables other than snake gourd could also be used, but this is a very commonly used vegetable in my house for this kuzhambu. For my third day of cooking from a celebrity chef, I chose my favorite chef and cookbook author, Meenakshi Ammal. After my mother, I owe a lot of my cooking skills to this lady....
Thengai Arisi payasam does not use any milk and it has coconut milk in it. So if you skip frying the cashew in a tiny bit of ghee, this becomes a totally vegan payasam. During Navarathri, Thengai Arisi Payasam is one of the payasam/kheer I prepared. This is a very traditional payasam that is often prepared during festival time. My mother had been telling me to make this payasam for a very long time, but for some reason I never made it....
Thengai Thuvayal is one of the easiest recipes to make with roasted lentils, chilies, and coconut. This thogayal pairs wonderfully with hot rice and dollop of ghee or oil. I consider thengai thogayal to be the ultimate comfort food. I grew up eating this coconut thuvayal on top of steaming hot rice and a lot of ghee. Amma would usually make Milagu Jeera rasam to go with it and we will eat it either with some kind of roasted curry or just appalam (papad)....
The Chinese Steamed Tofu and Vegetable Dumplings is the perfect recipe for Chinese New Year. The dumplings are a symbol of wealth and richness as they are shaped like gold ingots. For the last and final day under the theme of festival recipes around the globe, I chose to make these Vegetable Dumplings for Chinese New Year’s eve. Chinese people celebrate the New Year with a lot of superstitious beliefs and each and every food that they consume has a specific reason as to why it has to be consumed on New Year’s Eve....
ToNak or TonDak pav is a very popular Goan recipe that is made traditionally with the red cow peas. The gravy or masala that is made for this dish can be used with any type of beans or peas or legumes that is available. There are also other versions of this recipe that uses vegetables such as potatoes and eggplants. Also I have seen few recipes that use mushrooms....
Amritsari Aloo Subzi is a very simple and flavorful side dish, which is made with just a few ingredients and yet is very aromatic and delicious. I am making recipes to highlight different flavors from different states of India. Yesterday I blogged about the Haryana special Bajra roti which is a gluten-free flatbread made with millet flour. Today I have a very simple and flavorful side dish, Amritsari Aloo Subzi from Punjab which is made with just a very few ingredients and yet is very aromatic and delicious....
Avarakkai Poriyal or avarakkai curry is a delicious South Indian stir fry made with Indian broad beans and seasoned with spices and grated fresh coconut . A great choice of vegan and gluten-free side dish to make for lunch or dinner. I love summer when we grow tons of fresh avarakkai in our vegetable garden. Avarakkai is also known as Indian broad beans in English and Papdi in Hindi. It is a versatile vegetable that can be used to make poriyal like this....
