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In Karnataka, ‘Vaangi Bath’ (Brinjal Rice) is a popular rice recipe that is prepared from fresh spice powder instead of store bought Red Chilli Powder& Coriander Powder combination. This recipe is inspired from Vaangi Bath preparation however the spice powder I used is very simple with minimum ingredients and this rice can be prepared within 30 minutes. A great lunchbox meal that stays fresh, aromatic for a longer time. You can prepare this powder in a large batch and can use it while preparing dry subzi like potato fry, brinjal fry, cauliflower poriyal etc. They taste delicious. I served this…

When you order mini meals in any restaurants like Saravana Bhavan , A2B the Sambar Rice will be of smooth, melt in mouth texture. Unfortunately the quantity they provide is very less and most of it is occupied by Shallots & Drumstick 😉 Thats a different story altogether We can achieve the same taste when we prepare at home as well. This is different from Karnataka’s BisiBele Bath. Sambar Sadham recipe is inspired from my mother-in-law. Our extended family is a big one and everytime during a family function or gettogether we have atleast 20-25 members gathering at her…

Our dinners are usually Roti with a simple sabzi or sometimes I go the South Indian way and prepare Upma/Dosai. Its June and is supposed to be the start of Summer season here in UK. But the weather has been crazily cold for the past few days. All we crave is spicy, greasy foods. Yesterday night I prepared this spicy Tawa Pulao for dinner and it turned about absolutely delicious. I served it with Yogurt and crisps. The authentic street food version is prepared directly on the hot Tawa and the addition of Pav Bhaji masala takes this Pulao to…

‘Pitlai’ (பிட்ளை) is a traditional tamil brahmin dish which is prepared using either bittergourd or brinjal along with chickpeas. Unlike sambar, consistency of pitlai is very thick and can be served as a side dish to Idli/Dosa too. The recipe given below is exactly how my maternal grandmother and my mother makes it. However you could try few variations as mentioned below : – Kabuli channa or brown chickpeas is ideally used while making pitlai – You could substitue it with white chickpeas or green peas – Generally coconut paste is only used to spice the ‘pitlai’.However we do add…

Sambar Rice is like the ‘kichdi’ of SouthIndia. Perfect comfort food to have during elaborate weekend lunch or sometimes during dinner too. This recipe is based on Tamil Nadu style of cooking. It is prepared generally from Rice and Toor Dal. In recent days due to various health reasons people are trying to switch from White Rice to millets for day to day cooking. This sambar sadham recipe is made using Barnyard Millet(Kuthiraivali in Tamil) & Masoor Dal. Also this is the best way to sneak in the vegetables and even fuzzy eaters will love this dish.The millet version tastes…

The word ‘Holi’ reminds us the beginning of spring, beautiful colors, fun filled moments with friends& family, last but not least the food & drinks. Though this festival was originally celebrated in India, now this is being celebrated in many parts of United Kingdom,Europe & other parts of the globe

Murukku, Thattai are the most common items that are prepared during Diwali and Krishna Jayanthi. The specialty of this butter murukku is its texture. Melt in mouth, crispy and you can finish off a bowl full of Murukku in no time 😉 The ultim

Broken wheat/cracked wheat or Daliya(in hindi) is a nutritious ingredient and a great way to start your day with this wholesome meal. You can prepare this idli batter the previous night,refrigerate it and can use it the next day morning for breakfast. I have not used Yeast to ferment the batter. T

I have used cabbage and onions to make balls. If you have any other veggies like carrot or beans you can add them too. A great alternate for the usual potato and paneer based koftas.

In Tamil Black Eyed Beans is known as காராமணி and my mom used to often make சுண்டல் (a popular evening snack in TN) using it. We all know pulses are rich in protein and being a vegetarian I always plan and include them at least twice in a week.Today morning I prepared a very simple gravy with this b