This is a very popular soup usually made with potatoes and leaks. Whenever I have a bunch of leaks from the farmers market, I do think of making this soup for my daughter. Potato Soup is my daughter's favorite soup. She talks about it the whole day to everyone she sees and looks forward to dinner. Sometimes, I do not particularly plan on making it but, I make it because she pleads for some potato soup. Today, it had been pouring cats and dogs and from the minute she got into the car she has been talking about warm potato soup for dinner. So voila that is what we had for dinner.

I sometimes make it with  just onions or half leeks half onions or just leeks. It all depends on what I have in my kitchen. As far as the potato goes, I use whatever I have. I have also made it with vegetable broth and without it. Vegetable broth definitely adds more flavor to the soup. So, if you are not prepared but have potatoes, onions and milk you can still make it taste good.

Gadgets:

Pressure Cooker or Heavy Bottom Pan
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Cup
Spatula
Handheld Blender

Ingredients:

Potato  ( skin pealed) - 5
Onion or Leek or 1/2 of both - 2 1/2 cups
Garlic - 1 pod
Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Butter - 1 tbsp
Milk - 2 cups ( 2%)
Water - 2 cups
Vegetable Broth - 1 cup
Note: If you do not have veggie broth substitute with water.

Preparation:

1. Peal and cut potatoes into cubes and rinse it under water. Cut onions or leeks or a combination of both uniformly.

2. Heat the pan or pressure cooker on medium high with some butter.Allow the butter to melt then add the onions, leeks, garlic, salt and cook until they turn soft.

3. Add potatoes, water and veggie broth and pressure cook it. If using the pan cover and cook until the potatoes are well done. Allow to cool then blend with an handheld blender until smooth.

4. Turn the heat to medium and add milk pepper and allow it to come to a boil and serve it hot with bread or quinoa or rice or paratha or naan or crackers.

A few weeks ago an anonymous person requested I post something with broccoli as the main ingredient. I found some very good quality tender broccoli from the farmers market. I tried to use the long stock and cut them uniform and long which helped in cooking faster and the texture was perfect. I cooked it well by request and my daughter and nephew gobbled it all up. It had a lot of flavor and will go perfect with any kind of food. I am sure Mrs. Anonymous will not be disappointed with this recipe. Please do get back to me with your comments. Looking forward to hearing from you Mrs. A.

Gadgets:

Heavy bottom Wok
Saucepan
Measuring Pan and Spoons
Cutting Board
Knife

Ingredients:

Broccoli - 2 cups
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Fresh Cracked Pepper - as per taste
Garlic Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Marinara Sauce - 1/4 cup
Water - 4 cups

Preparation:

1. Boil water in the saucepan until it reaches a rolling boil. Heat the wok to medium heat.

2. Add the uniformly cut broccoli to the boil water and turn out the heat and drain the water after a minute.

3. Increase the heat of the wok to high. Add oil and broccoli and toss.

4. Add salt, pepper, garlic and toss. Cover and cook on medium heat for a few minutes, making sure to toss often.

5. Once the broccoli feels cooked, add marinara sauce , mix and cook covered for a few more minutes. Serve hot with any kind of food.

The most popular dip among my nieces and nephews : Guacamole. Every time they get together this is the most requested dip. I happened to have a whole bag of avocados in my fridge that needed immediate attention. Since the school was out due to MLK's birthday, I was requested to make the dip for snack this afternoon. I keep varying the ingredients, but here is a tried and tested chunky style guaco that I make often. 

Gadgets:

Cutting Board

Knife

Mixing Bowl

Measuring Spoons

Spoon

Fork

Ingredients:

Avocado - 2

Garlic- 2 cloves

Salt- as per taste

Lemon Juice- 2 tsp

Cilantro- 2 tbsp chopped 

Pepper - as per taste

Jalapeno- 1 ( with no seeds) or  3 sliced jalapeño soaked in vinegar

Preparation:

1.  Mince the garlic with some salt until the garlic almost gets to be a paste.


2. Pass the knife along the length of the avocado. Open the avocado into two halves and remove the seed.

3. Cut the avocado into big chucks and add to the bowl with 2 tsp lemon and coat the avocado chunks in the juice. This helps to keep the color and stop avocado from getting oxidized.

4. Add the garlic paste to the avocado along with some freshly grated pepper, jalapeño's and finely chopped cilantro.


5. Using the fork roughly  mix the avocado. Taste to see if the salt and garlic are well mixed.

6. Serve with chips, use with in a burrito.

Happy Pongal!

Pongal is a very special celebration for me since childhood. It was special because it used to be a three day holiday and the weather would start to warm up. Everywhere we went, one would see homes all cleaned up and decorated with beautiful kolams. The joy of eating warm pongal off the stove was very comforting indeed. I remember the afternoons when we used to sit down and enjoy chewing on sugar cane. Among all that the television was grand those three days with a zillion shows and movies to enjoy. It was such a traditional festival for the people of Tamil Nadu. Today, I wish you all a very happy pongal and love to share a recipe that I made this morning. Enjoy!

Gadgets:

Pressure Cooker 

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Heavy Bottom Pan

Grater
Bowl to cook the rice.

Ingredients:

Rice (Long Grain Rice) - 1 cup  ( usually new rice is used)

Moong Dal - 1/3rd cup

Channa Dal - 2 tbsp

Milk - 2 cups

Water - 4 cups plus 1 cup for the pressure cooker

Jaggery - 2 cups 

Water - Enough to cover the jaggery

Nutmeg - 1/4th tsp grated

Cashew Nuts - 1/4 cups broken pieces

Roasted Sliced Almonds - 1/4 cup ( From Trader Joe's )

Raisins - 1/4 cup

Ghee - 2 tbsps

Cardamon - 6 pods powdered

Saffron - a pinch
Salt- a pinch

Preparation:

1. Heat the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water.

2. In a wok dry roast the dals separately and add to a vessel.

3. Wash the rice with water and add the roasted dal to it.

4. Add 2 cups of milk and 3 cups of water and pressure cook to 1 whistle on high heat and 2 whistles on low heat.

5. Heat the jaggery and cover it with water just enough to cover it.

6. Once the pressure is realized heat the heavy bottom pan with ghee. Add the nuts and raisins and allow it to get lightly toasted. Add grated nutmeg and add 1 cup of water to stop the nuts from getting burnt.

7. Add the pressure cooked dal and rice to the wok and mix well. Add the melted jaggery and allow to cook on low heat. Add a pinch of salt.

8. Make sure the pongal is not thick but is loose because the pongal will thicken when it starts to cool.

9. Add the powdered cardamon and jaggery and serve hot.

Every time I make kootu (which I make most often), I usually follow the simple recipe and I substitute it with different veggies. This evening, I wanted to try Mrs. Saraswathi Viswanthan's recipe and try adding a powder to the kootu mix. I like it because, it not only acts as a thickening agent but also gives a texture to the kootu which I like. This is a powder that can be prepared and stored in a bottle. When needed this podi can be added to the kootu in the end. Sometimes, its nice to taste something different. Next time you are in the mood to make some kootu try adding this podia/powder in the end.

Gadgets:

Wok

Spatula

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Blender

Ingredients:

Udad Dal - 1 cup

Channa Dal - 3/4 cup

Black Pepper - 2 tbsp ( add this ingredient as per your taste)

Red Dry Chillies - 2

Cumin Seeds - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Heat the wok with some oil. Roast all the ingredients, allow to cool and coarsely powder, then store in a bottle.

Cabbage is a common vegetable found in every country. It is very easy to cook and it also gets done very fast. It is delicious when well cooked and can smell awful and slushy when over cooked. My Amma and my Padhu chithi make it very well.They had a different approach to making them delicious. Padhu Chithi prepared the curry using a pressure cooker and my Amma used the kadai. Over the years I have adapted my own version and I thought it would be great to blog about it. I think cabbage poriyal can easily be passed as a salad with any kind of food especially if they are rice based. One can also improvise by adding udad dal, peas etc.

Gadgets:

Heavy Bottom Wok
Spatula
Measuring spoons
Cutting Board
Knife
Food Processor ( Helps to uniformly shred cabbage)

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 1 whole finely shredded ( please cut them or shred them uniformly, makes all the difference when cooking washed and drained well)
Oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Chilies - ( green or red whichever you may prefer) - 1
Cilantro - 2 tbsps minced
Curry Leaves - a few
Coconut - 3 tbsps ( optional)
Peas (optional)
Salt

Preparation:

1. Heat the heavy bottom wok on high heat. Add oil, ghee, mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to pop and then add chilies and curry leaves. Add cabbage.

2. Mix well and allow the seasoning to coat the cabbage. Allow it to cook well before adding salt. Water will start to ooze when salt is added. Keep mixing the cabbage until the water evaporates. All this will happen in 4 minutes.

3. Garnish with cilantro,curry leaves and coconut and serve it hot.

This weekend was Thiruvathirai Kali and I always enjoy making the kali ( a sweet rice dish made with jaggery) and Thalatha kozambu that goes with it. I do not know who came up with that combination, but I enjoy it and so does my husband. We look forward to making it every year and enjoy it. It is very simple to prepare and can be made anytime. It resembles a sweet upma. Here is the kali that I enjoyed yesterday. 

Gadgets:

Heavy Bottom Vessel/ Wok
Spatula
Blender
Measuring cups
Saucepan


Ingredients:

Long Grain Rice  - 1 cup
Water - 3 1/2 cups for cooking rice and 1 cup for melting jaggery
Jaggery  - 1 pound
Ghee - a few tbsp
Cashew Nuts - 15
Sliced Almonds - 1/2 cup
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Cardamon - 6 pods
Coconut - 1/4 cup grated

Preparation:

1. In a heavy bottom skillet dry roast the rice until it turns white.

2. Allow it to cook and using the blender make a coarse rice mixture ( one the resembles couscous)

3. Boil 3 1/2 water and once it comes to a rolling boil add a pinch of salt and add the broken rice. Allow it  to boil and then reduce the flame and cooked covered while mixing it a couple of time. The rice must be completely cooked and be transparent.

4. In the meantime heat the saucepan with jaggery and water. Allow the jaggery to melt and filter to remove stones and residue.

5. Add the jaggery liquid to the cooked broken rice. Mix and allow the jaggery to cook into the rice for 10- 15 minutes on low heat.

6. Add ghee to the seasoning wok. Add the raisins, cashew nuts and almonds. Lightly toast and add to the kali.

7. Garnish with cardamon and mix well and serve it hot with thalatha kozhambu.

I am sure most of you are aware of kosmalli. Carrot kosmalli is very popular in south Indian cuisine. The fruit kosmalli  is something that I tried in the last minute and happened to liked it a lot. I just finished a bowl of this salad for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the lightness and freshness of it that I decided to blog about it. I personally think that simple side dishes get more appreciation and therefore enhances the meal served. Especially when you have last minute guests, this is a perfect salad to prepare and serve with any kind of food in a jiffy. I am a big fan of blending salty, spicy and sweet ingredients in salads. So the next time if you are wondering how to make any meal special, try this one and you will start making it more often. My daughter tells me that the photos look perfect for the holidays.

Gadgets:

Bowls

Cutting Board

Knife

Measuring Cup

Measuring Spoon

Seasoning Ladle or wok

Mixing Spoon

Colander

Ingredients:

Moong Dal- 1/2 cup

Pomogranate - 1/2 cup

Grapes - 1/2 cup sliced

Green Chillies - 1 ( if its too much spice substitute  black pepper powder)

Salt

Lemon Juice - a dash

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 tsp ( optional)

Water - Enough to soak Moong Dal

Oil - 2 tsps

Cilantro or mint - 1 tbsp chopped finely.

Preparation:

1. Soak the Moong dal in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. In the meantime mix the fruits in a bowl. 

3. Heat the season wok and add mustard seeds and asafetida. Allow to pop and add to the fruits. 

4. Mix the moong dal and fruits mixture. Add a dash of lemon and season with salt. 

5. Add black pepper powder or slices of green chillies and garnish with cilantro. Serve on the side with any kind of food.

These days my husband and I shop regularly at the farmers market. With a little help we have understood what we need to buy and from whom to buy. The local vendors are so friendly and are getting familiar with us. I cannot go past a bunch of teenagers who sell organic produce from their parents farm. They have such good swiss chard and I grab a bunch or two from them to prepare chard the south Indian way. My daughter thinks it is very cool because it is all pink and tastes yummy. As for me, I love making it for her because it takes me less than 10 minutes to make it and tastes so fresh. Perfect side dish alongside some dal and rice for a simple meal.

Gadgets:

Cutting Board

Knife

Wok

Spatula

Measuring Spoons

Ingredients:

Swiss Chard - 1 bunch ( cut into shreds)

Olive Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Udad Dal - 2 tsp

Coconut -2 tbsp

Dry Red Chilies - 2

Salt

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

1. Heat the wok on medium high. Add oil, asafoetida, mustard seeds and allow for it to pop.

2. Add udad dal, red chilies and allow for the dal to turn golden brown.

3. Add the Swiss chard that are cut into thin shreds and toss it well.

4. Allow it to cook for a few minutes. It will start to wilt and reduce in quantity. Add salt and coconut to it. Toss and serve hot on the side with some rice and dal. 

I am yet to meet a person who can pass on garlic sticks. Its sometime difficult to find or make garlic bread when we need it. This is my go to garlic bread that I usually make for an after school snack, to serve with soup, movie snack or when unexpected guests arrive. Its a huge hit among the kids and it disappears fast from the plate. It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare these  garlic bread sticks. Next time when you have an instant craving for garlic bread sticks you can give this one a try.

Gadgets:


Toaster
Measuring spoon
Plate
Knife
Bowl

Ingredients:

Bread Slices -4
Ghee - 1 tsp or Butter - 1 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
Garlic Powder - a few shakes
Italian Seasoning - a few shakes (optional) or Crushed Peppers
Cheese ( optional , I add it some time )


Preparation:

1. Add the ghee/ butter into a bowl along with the oil. Microwave it until the ghee/ butter melts.

2. Pastry Brush or Spoon the melted oil, ghee/ butter mix over the toasted bread.

3. Sprinkle the garlic powder evenly over the bread. If you want extra spice you can add spicy Italian seasoning or crushed peppers over the garlic powder.

4. Cut the bread slice into sticks or strips  and serve hot. 

Sometimes the weather, time or our moods dictate the food that is prepared in our kitchen. The fall weather is so perfect for a warm cup of soup. This is my go to soup especially when I am out of  fresh veggies in my fridge or when I have very little time and have a lot of hungry stomachs to feed. A bag of frozen corn can feed a family of four easily. A very healthy, simple soup that is the most popular among all the kids in my family. I make it so often and sometimes serve it for dinner along with some instant garlic bread. I promise you that once you have tasted this one you would not buy the corn soup at any store. A bag of frozen organic yellow corn from Trader Joe's is all that I used for this recipe. So, next time you are in a mood for some hot soup, give this one a try and you will not be disappointed.

Gadgets:

Pressure pan/ Heavy Bottom Pot
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Blender ( Vitamix works the best, but  a normal blender will work too)
Sieve

Ingredients:

Frozen Corn/ Fresh Corn - 16 oz
Water/ Vegetable Broth - 3 cups
Milk ( Regular/Lactaid/Rice/ Cream)- 2 cups
Note: In case of allergies rice milk works fine. If you want to make it rich add some cream. Personally, 2% milk works fine.
Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Butter -1 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Add corn, water or veggie broth and salt to a pressure cooker and cook it to 3 whistles. Once the pressure releases and allow the liquid to cool. If using a stock pot, add all the ingredients and cook the corn on medium high for 10 minutes or until it is well done and allow to cool a little.

2. Transfer to a blender and make a smooth puree. If you own a vita mix just blend into a smooth puree and add it back into the pan/ pot. If using a regular blender, pass through a sieve to remove the corn husk and then add to the pan/pot.

3. Add milk, pepper and butter. Allow to come to a boil and serve hot with garlic bread.

A few months ago we were very busy getting ready to move. Sorting through things took most of my time and when it was time to put food on the table, I had no zest to prepare anything elaborate. I made this pressure cooker sambar to go with idli/ dosai/ rice or quinoa often. It was a breeze and I have been making this sambar since. Gone are the days when I made dhal separate and then added it to the veggie mix. This sambar works well with the following veggies: Onions, Bell Pepper, Drum Stick, Carrot, Potato, Egg Plant (these are the veggies that I have used in groups or individually). For those of you who have  new born babies, work or otherwise generally not in the mood to cook, this one might be a saver. It is super easy and produces very delicious sambar every single time. This is what I made for breakfast this morning and served with steaming idli's.

Gadgets:

Pressure Cooker
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cutting Board
Knife
Spatula

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 medium size
Tomato - 1 wine ripe ( can use any kind)
Red Bell Pepper - 1
Curry Leaves -  a few
Cilantro - 2 tbsp choped
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Methi Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Sambar Powder - 1 1/2 tsp ( add as per your taste)
Red Chillies - 1
Toor Dhal - 3/4 cup ( Tastes good with Moong Dhal too)
Water - 3 cups ( makes a thicker sambar)
Salt
Jaggery - a small bit

Preparation:

1. Heat your pressure cooker/ pan on medium high.

2. Prepare the veggies by cutting them into bigger chunks.

3. Add oil, asafoetida, mustard seeds, red chilies, methi seeds and when the mustard starts to pop add all the veggies and the curry leaves and give it a toss. Allow it to all cook for 2 minutes.


4. Add salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder and mix well. Allow it to blend well for 1 minute.

5. Add Toor dhal and mix it with the veggies and then add water. Cover and pressure cook on medium high for one whistle and then lower the heat to low and allow it to cook for 2 more whistles.Turn off the stove and remove the pressure pan from the stove.







6. Wait for the pressure to release. Open and mix gently the dhal and veggies ones.Add jaggery and mix. If you think it is thicker than you would like add 1/2 cup of water and mix well.







7. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with idli, dosai, rice or quinoa.