- Very healthy recipes from the kitchen to the table in minutes

This version of roasted potatoes is a favorite in my household. It is highly relished because, potatoes are cut into small cubes and roast...

Roasted Box Potatoes

This version of roasted potatoes is a favorite in my household. It is highly relished because, potatoes are cut into small cubes and roasted so that each mini box gets toasted well. It is awesome with some rice and any gravy like sambar, thogayal, vathal kozhambu, any subzi or any other kind of food . I always make it for dinner, because thats what my Amma used to do. It is easier to prepare because I do not have to boil the potatoes before roasting it. I opt for using a vegetable chopper to get uniform cubes,  which helps in cooking and roasting evenly. For dinner, I made the roasted box potatoes and they were all consumed.


Gadgets:

Vegetable chopper with small cube setting 
Measuring spoon
Frying Pan With Lid
Colander
Spatula

Ingredients:

Potato - 2 pounds cut into mini cubes
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 4 
Salt
Cilantro- 2 tbsp chopped for garnish


Preparation:


1. Rinse the chopped potatoes under running cold water. Drain well and add 2 tbsp of oil and coast it well. 








2. Heat the frying pan with the remaining oil. Add asafetida, mustard seeds, dry chillies and allow for the mustard seeds to pop. Add turmeric powder and then toss in the potatoes. Mix well and cover with a lid and cook on medium high. 





3. Every few minutes, give the potatoes a toss and then add salt when they are half cooked. Cover and roast them. Make sure to scrape the pan to collect all the roasted potatoes. When you feel that it has toasted enough, garnish with cilantro and serve it hot from the stove.





13 Comments:

Avil payasam is simple and easy to make. It gets cooked fast and is one of my favorite payasam to prepare. It is commonly prepared as pras...

Aval/ Avil Payasam / Poha Kheer / Beaten Rice Pudding

Avil payasam is simple and easy to make. It gets cooked fast and is one of my favorite payasam to prepare. It is commonly prepared as prasadham on Krishna Jayanthi day, as Krishna loves poha as everyone is often reminded of the story of Krishna and Sudama. Yesterday, I had invited family to dinner and I thought aval payasam would be easy to make as a dessert. Here is how I prepared the kheer.


Gadgets:

Frying Pans
Measuring Cups and spoons
Spatula



Ingredients:

Milk - 4 cups
Sugar - 1 cup ( add more according to taste)
Thick Avil/ Poha - 1/2 cup
Cashew Nuts - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 4 pods powdered
Ghee - 2 tbsps


Preparation:

1. Add the avil to a colander and give it a good rinse and allow it to drain well. Set it aside. 

2. Heat the milk in a wide mouth pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Add 2 tbsp of ghee to a frying pan. Add cashew nuts and allow it to get lightly toasted. Add the drained poha and mix well. Until they poha gets well coated in ghee. 

4. Add it to the milk and cook it for 5 minutes. Add sugar and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with cardamom powder and mix well. Serve hot ot chilled.


7 Comments:

A few weeks ago, I was out of tomatoes so I opened a bottle of Tukas tomato paste and after transferring most of it into a freezable conta...

Tomato Chutney Made With Tomato Paste

A few weeks ago, I was out of tomatoes so I opened a bottle of Tukas tomato paste and after transferring most of it into a freezable container, I had some left over  paste in the bottle. Thinking that I can make a chutney with it. I added some water to the bottle, covered and gave it a good shake. I got a thick soup like tomato juice in the bottle. I cooked it down and made a chutney with it. It turned out much better than I had expected. Was super easy and my husband asked me to write it all down before I forget all the details. So using that recipe, I made it again for breakfast this morning and I was happy to taste chutney again. Delighted to share this with all of you.


Gadgets:

Frying Pan
Blender
Spatula
Measuring Cup and Spoon
Cutting Board
Knife


Ingredients:

Tukas Tomato Paste - 1/4 cup
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafotida Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chillies - 2 
Curry Leaves - a few
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 2 pods minced
Salt to taste


Preparation:

1. Heat the frying pan with some oil. Add the asafoetida, mustard seeds, curry leaves and methi seeds in it. Add garlic bits. Once the rawness disappears, mix the tomato paste with water and add to the frying pan.

2. Allow the liquid to cook until it starts to thicken and the raw smell goes away. Then add the salt. 
Remove from heat and cool.

3. Add grated fresh coconut to it and blend into a smooth chutney and serve with hot idli's or dosai's, bread etc. 


8 Comments:

A few months ago I got a very nice finger foods cook book and I found this very interesting recipe with quinoa. I have been thinking of ma...

Quinoa Croquettes

A few months ago I got a very nice finger foods cook book and I found this very interesting recipe with quinoa. I have been thinking of making it for a long time and last week I had the chance to make it for an afternoon snack. Originally the recipe suggested that the croquettes be deep fried, but I took the alternative way of making use of a dutch oven or kuzhi appam pan. The quinoa got toasted well and the outer layer was crunchy while the inner was soft. It however tasted best when hot off the stove. The melted cheese makes it extra special. Maybe the next time I would deep fry and see how it turns out. This recipe is adapted from "Finger Food" book and is modified to suit my taste.



Gadgets:

Measuring Cup and Spoon
Frying pan
Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife
Dutch Oven/ Appam karal


Ingredients:

Cooked Quinoa - 1 cup
Onions - 1 medium sliced
Garlic - 1 tbsp minced
Green Chillies - 2 thinly sliced
Ginger - 1 inch grated
Oil - 1 tbsp plus 1/4 cup for cooking the quinoa
Salt
Cheese - 1/2 cup ( dubliner or Morzerella )
Bread Crumbs - Made from 2 slices
Cilantro - 1 tbsp minced


Preparation:

1. Heat the frying pan with some oil. Add green chillies, onions and salt. Cook it until the onions are well done. Add the grated ginger and allow it to cool.


2. Mix the cooked quinoa, onion mixture and cheese in a bowl and make small balls. Cover keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Add the bread crumbs to a plate. Roll the quinoa balls in the bread crumbs and coat it well.

4. Heat the dutch oven pan ( kuzhi appam pan) and add some oil  before frying the quinoa in it. Roast it on medium uniformly. It will be toasted evenly around. The quinoa balls needs to cooked slowly because, the cheese needs to melt and the insides of the quinoa needs to heat up.

5. Serve with ketchup or any chutney of your choice.



10 Comments:

With the weekend breezing by I was not prepared for Monday morning. This morning I was trying to pack lunch boxes for my family and had ve...

Potato Poha For Lunch

With the weekend breezing by I was not prepared for Monday morning. This morning I was trying to pack lunch boxes for my family and had very little time to do so. Opening my pantry, I was looking at ingredients to make something. I decided that if I cannot find anything interesting I will resort to upma. Then I found the bottle of avil (poha) and I was convinced that I could make something quick. Its very straight forward recipe and I don't think you can go wrong with the taste. All you have to aim at is a sweet, tangy, spicy and salty taste all mixed together. It gets done is 10 minutes and its with ingredients from your pantry. 


Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Frying Pan
Colander 

Ingredients:

Thick Avil / Poha - 2 cups
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp
Green Chillies - 1 sliced
Red Dry Chillies - 1
Boiled Potato - 1 chopped into small cubes
Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
Cilantro - 2 tbsp minced
Curry Leaves - a few leaves
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Cashew Nut - 10 pieces
Salt
Sugar - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp


Preparation:

1. Add avil / poha into the colander and give it a good rinse and allow it to drain. 

2. Add ghee and oil into a frying pan. Add asafetida, mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves. Allow for the mustard to pop and add peanuts and roast it. Add cashew nuts and give it a mix. 

3. Add onions, and cook with a little salt until well done. Then add the boiled potatoes and allow it to mix well and roast a little. Add turmeric powder and mix well. 

4. Add the poha / avil and mix well. Add a dash of lemon juice, sugar, more salt (if required). Mix well and garnish with cilantro and serve it hot.


8 Comments:

Ever since I tasted the mango mint ice cream a few months ago, it has been in the back of my mind to try the combo. With the weather warmi...

Mango Mint Raita

Ever since I tasted the mango mint ice cream a few months ago, it has been in the back of my mind to try the combo. With the weather warming up, mangoes are available at the Indian store and we have a box sitting on my kitchen counter. Mangoes that I have tasted so far are very delicious and I use them in salads or serve them as desserts after dinner. Yesterday, I made palak paneer which was a bit spicy, so  to balance the spice, I made this mango raita. It taste from it was so perfect and it quickly disappeared. My entry to Healthy Me and Healthy Us.


Gadgets:

Bowl
Whisk
Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Cups and spoons


Ingredients:

Serves 2

Ripe Mango - 1 cut into chunks
Mint Leaves - 6 minced
Salt
Dry Chilli Flakes - a pinch
Yogurt - 1 cup
Water - 1/4 cup


Preparation:

1. Mix yogurt and water in a bowl. Toss in the chunky mangoes, a little salt, and crushed chilli flakes. Garnish with mint and serve chilled.

16 Comments:

The last few weeks, I have been enjoying quinoa in a totally different way. I substituted quinoa in the place of rice and made my favorite...

Vegetable Fried Quinoa

The last few weeks, I have been enjoying quinoa in a totally different way. I substituted quinoa in the place of rice and made my favorite Indo - Chinese version of quinoa. Everyone knows that quinoa has a very nutty taste and smell. Lots of people do not like it very much just for that reason. But in this recipe, I was mildly surprised at the soy sauce, garlic flavors taking over the the nutty flavor. A very simple main dish to prepare when you have left over quinoa. I found that it works best when the quinoa is cold or not freshly prepared. It does not get too sticky and looks fluffy. With a bunch of veggies and some left over quinoa this one is a winner.

Gadgets:

Frying pan or Wok
Measuring Cup and Spoons
Cutting Board
Knife
Bowl

Ingredients:
Serves Two

Cooked and left over Quinoa - 1 cup
Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp
Onions - 1 medium sliced
Bell Pepper - 1 Sliced
Carrots - 1 slices
Lettuce - 2 leaves shredded
Cabbage - 2 leaves shredded
Garlic - 3 cloves minced
Ginger - 1 inch thinly sliced
Soy Sauce - 2 -3 tbsp
Green Chilli Sauce or Maggie Hot and Sweet - 1 - 2 tbsp
Scallions - 1 sliced ( I was out of it but please add this)




Preparation:

1. Heat the wok on high with the oil. Add onions, carrots, bell pepper and give it a toss and allow it get cook while stirring.

2. Add the cabbage, lettuce and cook until they get lightly wilted. 

3. Add the ginger , garlic, soy sauce and chili sauce and give it a mix. 

4. Add quinoa a little at a time and gently mix it. Garnish with scallions and enjoy hot vegetable fried quinoa

8 Comments:

Happy Tamil New Year! The 27th year in the Tamil calender is Vijay which means success. I wish a year of success, peace, perfect he...

Kalkandu Bath / Rock Candy Pudding / KSHEERAANNAM

Happy Tamil New Year!


The 27th year in the Tamil calender is Vijay which means success. I wish a year of success, peace, perfect health and happiness to all of you. This year, I made kalkandu bath to share with family and friends and celebrate the new year. Its been so long since I tasted this dessert and I loved how it turned out. Rock candy is a very fun ingredient to work with. The tiny mini squares, gives great pleasure to kids and is mostly offered as prasadham along with dry fruits and nuts. Reminds me of  childhood when I used to wait for my uncle to finish his prayers to give us the rock candy. It was such fun biting into tiny bits of kalkandu here and there in the rice. A very simple and delicious dessert to enjoy.


Gadgets:

Pressure Cooker
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Frying Wok
Spatula
Bowl

Ingredients:

Long Grain Rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Rock Candy/Kalkandu - 1 1/4 cup 
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashew Nuts - a few pieces broken to bits
Raisins - a few
Cardamom - 4 pods powdered
Edible Camphor - a tiny bit


Preparation:

1. Wash the rice well in water. Heat the pressure cooker with some
water. In a bowl add the rice, milk and water and pressure cook on medium to 3 whistles. When the rice is ready give it a mix. Add the Candied sugar cubes and keep mix it until they all melt with the rice.

2. Heat the frying wok with ghee. Add cashew nuts, raisins and fry it until the raisins turn plump and the cashews are light brown. Add the rice to the ghee mixture and mix well. 

3. Add cardamom powder and edible camphor to it. 

4. Serve it hot with a drizzle of ghee. 




9 Comments:

For dinner, I had to make something very quick yesterday. Not having any plan as to what I am going to feed my family, I asked for suggest...

Eggplant Bell Pepper Subzi

For dinner, I had to make something very quick yesterday. Not having any plan as to what I am going to feed my family, I asked for suggestions. If my husband approved of some menu, my daughter disapproved. So in the end I made one dish that each one approves of and solved my dinner dilemma. I made eggplant and bell pepper mixed subzi which was perfect with the tortilla that I was substituting for roti. It turned out spicy and I loved it. Before I forget what I added to create the subzi, I took a few pictures and decided to blog it for my reference.


Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Colander
Measuring Cups and spoons
Frying pan
Lid For The Pan



Ingredients:

Eggplant - 1  cut into chunky cubes
Onions - 1 cut into chunks
Red Bell Pepper - 1 cut into chunks
Cilantro - 1/4 cup finely minced.
Kashmiri Red Pepper - 3
Chilli Flakes - 1/2 tsp ( the one from Trader Joe's is very spicy, skip this ingredient if you do not want spice)
Shah Jeera - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch minced
Garlic - 3 cloves roughly chopped
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
White Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
Dry Methi Leaves - 1 tbsp


Preparation:

1. Heat the pan with oil. Add shah jeera and allow it to get lightly roasted. Add onions and cook it until they are half done. Add bell peppers and mix well before adding the eggplant.

2. Add turmeric powder, chilli flakes, ginger, salt and give it a toss. Cover and cook on medium heat and give it a stir every 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Once you see the veggies getting toasted, add dry methi leaves, garlic, sesame seeds and cilantro and give it a mix. Cover and cook it for a few minutes. Serve it hot with roti.

11 Comments:

Everywhere I go these days, I see oranges. This year we have throughly enjoyed relishing some of the best oranges. The cuties have been aw...

Orange Peel Pachadi

Everywhere I go these days, I see oranges. This year we have throughly enjoyed relishing some of the best oranges. The cuties have been awesome and I wanted to make use of its peel to make a pachadi that my grandmother used to make. It is a very simple condiment that you can serve with curd rice, dosai etc. It has an intense flavor and you can taste the bitterness from the peel, sourness from the tamarind, sweet from the jaggery and salt. I love the flavors and taste of this pachadi and today I had a chance to make it for my family.


Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Frying Pan
Measuring Cup and Spoon
Spatula


Ingredients:

Cuties Orange Peel - From 3 oranges (about 3 fists full)
Oil- 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a little bit
Methi Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 1
Dry Red Chillies - 3
Curry Leaves - a few
Salt
Tamarind Water - 2 cups ( using 2 cups water with small lemon size tamarind)
Jaggery - 1 tsp


Preparation:

1. Cut orange peel into even small pieces.

2. Heat the frying pan with oil. Add asafetida allow it to fry well. Add mustard seeds and once it pops, add methi seeds, curry leaves, green and dry chillies. Cook until the chillies are cooked a little.

3. Add the orange peel. Mix well with the spices. Add some salt and cook it until for  3 minutes. Then add the tamarind water. Allow it to boil and the tamarind water to thicken.

4. Add jaggery, allow it to dissolve and then remove from heat. Make sure that there is sufficient liquid or sauce around the cooked orange peel. They tend to reduce once they cool as the orange absorbs the liquid.

12 Comments:

This morning when I woke up I had no clue that my milk was going to expire today. I had 3 quarts  of milk left in my fridge and it wa...

Home Made Ricotta Cheese


This morning when I woke up I had no clue that my milk was going to expire today. I had 3 quarts  of milk left in my fridge and it was important to use it up than pour the milk down the kitchen sink. I had been thinking of making home made ricotta for a while. Quickly I googled to research on how to make ricotta cheese? Most of them suggested using whole milk (I used 2 % milk), cream, some acidic ingredient like lemon or vinegar and salt. Since I always use vinegar for making paneer, I decided to make ricotta using yogurt. It was straight forward, almost like making paneer. The only difference is that, paneer tends to get chewy while ricotta is creamy. Within an hour I was done making the cheese and warm fresh creamy ricotta tasted delicious. Apart from enjoying the fresh cheese, I experimented by adding spices and herbs to the cheese, which was perfect with crackers. I did not add salt, because I was serving them with salty crackers. My entry to Healthy Me and Healthy Us



Gadgets:

Saucepan
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Colander
Cheese Cloth
Bowl
Kitchen Thermometer

Ingredients:

Organic  2% Milk - 3 Quarts ( not ultra-pasteurized) but whole milk would be better.
Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
Yogurt - 1 1/4 cup
Salt ( optional if you are serving with salty crackers)

Preparation:

1. Heat the milk along with cream and make sure to keep stirring. When it starts to boil ( or reach 170 degrees F) add the yogurt and milk well. Soon the milk will curdle and the milk solids will separate.

2. Place the colander over a large bowl and line the colander with the cheese cloth. 

3. Pour the cheese along with the whey into the colander and filter. In 1/2 an hour the creamy cheese will remain in the colander. Remove, transfer the cheese to a container and store in the fridge or make spreadable cheese with various seasonings.


4. To 3 Tbsp of cheese, add Italian seasoning and give it a good mix. Make it into a ball or if you have moulds shape the cheese. Various herbs, crushed chillies etc can be used to make cheese for crackers.









6 Comments:

Since I roasted 2 eggplants, I made the sutta kathirikka chutney and the other I decided to make baba ghanoush. It is super popular and i...

Baba Ghanoush

Since I roasted 2 eggplants, I made the sutta kathirikka chutney and the other I decided to make baba ghanoush. It is super popular and is served in most restaurants. If I see it on the menu, I always love to order them for an appetizer. It is usually served with pita bread, regular toasted bread, lavash bread or pita chips. It works well with all these combinations. These days they sell them at farmers market and I decided to make some at home this weekend. It is super easy to prepare once you have the roasted eggplant ready. If you have a gas stove it can be done in a jiffy. Else the oven works fine, but takes over an hour to cook the eggplant. Here is the recipe I made this weekend.


Gadgets:

Blender
Measuring Cup and Spoons
Knife
Cutting Board
Knife


Ingredients:

Rosted Eggplant - 1
Garlic - 1 clove
Salt
Crushed Pepper as per taste
Green Chillies - 1/2 seeded
Tahini Paste - 1/4 cup
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Parsley - 1 tsp chopped
Lemon Juice - a dash
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp for garnish


Preparation:

1. Toss all the ingredients into a blender except the olive oil and chilli powder. Give it a blend to a smooth paste. Sprinkle some chilli powder and drizzle olive oil. Serve with warm bread.




11 Comments:

There are two groups of people whom we encounter. One who enjoys dishes made with eggplant and the other who does not like the looks of it...

Sutta Kathirikkai Thogayal / Roasted Eggplant Chutney

There are two groups of people whom we encounter. One who enjoys dishes made with eggplant and the other who does not like the looks of it. Most people think that it resembles a fish and if you are a vegetarian, with that kind of imagination you are not going to be eating eggplant. If you think otherwise, then eggplant might be one of your favorite vegetables. There are many ways of preparing dishes with the eggplant. One very popular and delicious way of using the eggplant is by roasting over fire, pealing off the skin and then using the pulp to create delicious dips or spreads. In south India, a very popular chutney is made out of the roasted eggplant. It is served on the side with rice, roti's, idli or dosai.


Gadgets:

Gas Stove / Grill
Frying Pan
Spatula
Blender or food processor.
Measuring cup and Spoons

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 1 
Oil - 1/2 tsp for coating the eggplant and 1 tbsp to cook with
Asafoetida - a small bit
Udad Dal - 1/4 cup
Channa Dal - 1/4 cup
Dry Red Chillies - 12 ( my chillies are not too spicy so, adjust accordingly)
Cilantro - 1/4 of a bunch
Tamarind - small lemon size
Salt
Jaggery - a pinch


Preparation:

1. Spread some oil over the eggplant. Place it over the gas stove or grill. And cook it until the skin looks very dark and it starts to peal a little. Remove, place in a covered container and once it cools, the skin will peal easily. Rinse under water to remove all charred bits.
2. Heat the frying pan with some oil. Add the asafoetida and allow it to fry
well. Then add udad dal, channa dal and chillies and roast until the dal turns golden brown. Remove from flame.

3. Allow to cool, add them to a blender along with tamarind, cilantro and a little salt. Blend them into a coarse mixture. Add half of the eggplant pulp and blend well. Add the remaining eggplant, jaggery and blend a little enough to give the chutney the texture. Check to see if there is enough salt.


6 Comments:

This is most popular salad that I have served at any get together. All it requires is a bunch of veggies and fruits to be uniformly choppe...

Chopped Salad Medley : No Dressing Salad

This is most popular salad that I have served at any get together. All it requires is a bunch of veggies and fruits to be uniformly chopped, mixed together and allowed to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. Without the addition of salt it remains crunchy. The addition of mint to top it creates a fresh taste. Its so delicious on a hot summer day and goes perfect with any kind of meal. This is adapted from my sister Latha's recipe.


Gadgets:

Vegetable Chopper 
Cutting Board
Peeler
Knife
Bowl

Ingredients:

Bell Pepper ( Use all colors/ sweet peppers too) - 1/2 cup diced
Cucumber - 1/2 cup diced
Onion ( go for a milder type) - 1/2 cup diced
Carrot - 1/2 cup diced
Apple - 1 cup diced
Cilantro - 1 tbsp
Mint Leaves - 1 tbsp for garnish
Pepper - as required
Mango Ginger - 1/2 cup diced
Note: Other fruits and vegetables to add are Asian pear, pomegranates, jicama or something that is crisp and crunchy.

Preparation:

1. Add all the chopped fruits and vegetables into a bowl. Add mint and give it a toss. Cover and store it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Add pepper and mix before serving.



18 Comments: