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This is very similar to the typical Tomato Rice prepared in SouthIndia but just the spices/drypowders used here are slightly different. In general when I make vegetable pulao, i only…

Sweetcorn is a very versatile ingredient. I add them while preparing veggie stir-fry/pastas/vegetable biryani etc. I have even made SouthIndian style sundal with it. That too since I mostly use…

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…

Once in a week my school & college days’ lunchbox menu will definitely have Lemon Rice/Tomato Rice with a piece of Lemon Pickle as sidedish. Such a humble yet comforting meal. Even after eating it all these years am never bored or tired of SouthIndian variety rice ☺️ Maybe because of the gene I suppose. This tomato rice recipe is my own & have been following it for years. It is slightly different from my mom’s. Her recipe doesn’t include garlic & garam masala powder for flavor. The best side dish for this rice is obviously Potato fry but for…

This is my go-to recipe when I want to make a simple side dish for Rice/Roti/Poori. I usually mix these veggies together (Onion,Carrot,French Beans,Potato,Tomato,Capsicum,Cauliflower/Broccoli).They all make a fantastic combo. You can even add Cabbage,Spinach or any other greens too to make it even more healthier. Such a simple recipe but tastes absolutely delicious. Since I love crunch in the curry, I don’t add too much of water while cooking the vegetables. Since they will soften the texture. Just sprinkle few drops of water while cooking the veggies. The following measurement serves two. Adjust quantity accordingly
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Have never cooked Courgettes until I was in Chennai. If you give me any new vegetable all I can think of is how to cook a SouthIndian recipe using it. Courgette/Zucchini is a summer squash vegetable popular in UK.Its texture slightly similar to Cucumber & I have made Courgette Kuruma (thick stew using coconut paste), Koottu (lentil based gravy) before. Last weekend I thought of preparing Pakoda from it. Initially I wasn’t too sure how it will work so thought of adding some carrots along with courgette. Turned out so delicious and this is my own recipe. Instead of the usual Onion Pakoda/Pakora try this and am sure you will like it too. I bought this handy cheap spiralizer during a sale. I use it for salads mainly. Instead of grating Courgette & Carrot i used this spiralizer. In case if you don’t have it , use your knife & make thin strips. 

‘Poriyal’ (பொரியல்) is dry stir fry of veggies that is served as a sidedish with Rice,Sambar or any southindian lunch. Its very very easy to make and the below recipe can be used with various vegetables like Beetroot, Cabbage, Spinach, Snakegourd, White Pumpkin, Any squash varieties, Raw banana,Eggplant etc. 1. Instead of boiling the veggies separately you can directly saute them in frying pan. However sprinkle water and keep an eye on the veggies. They might get charred if it lacks moisture 2. You can add sauteed onions,tomatoes too if you want along with beans & carrot I used dried…

Weekends we mostly prefer hearty lunches. Food is the perfect way to unwind a stressful week. Yesterday we went to purchase groceries and came back home at around 11:00am..Both of us were damn hungry and I thought of putting together a quick meal yet delicious one. I zeroed in on Daal + Chawal (Rice with lentils) and for sides i initially planned a simple potato fry. The fresh capsicum I picked from the market was starring right into my eyes A simple potato fry became stuffed capsicum and to add some deliciousness (read calories) sprinkled cheddar cheese at the…

Paniyaram (பணியாரம்) is a Chettinad Speciality dish (karaikudi region in TamilNadu) and it can be prepared in two ways either sweet or savory. The traditional savory paniyaram is served with Kara Chutney (spicy chutney prepared from onions,tomatoes). You can prepare a batter exclusively for paniyaram or if you are running out of time you can always use regular fermented dosa batter. In this recipe i have used leftover dosai batter and to add flavour i have added veggies & spices. This masala paniyaram is a perfect,guilt free evening snack and you can improvise it in million ways. You can try…

This is an instant biryani version. With less spices & ingredients the biryani can be prepared within 25 minutes. Mushrooms need very less time to get cooked and hence this recipe comes handy on busy weekdays. I used button mushrooms. Also I added only onion,tomato along with mushrooms. Didn’t want to add too much of veggies. I truely wanted mushroom to be the hero of this dish. You can serve this biryani with raita or any other gravy of your choice. I prepared strawberry raita. It tasted delicious. The tangy,sour raita with spicy biryani made an awesome combo. Do try…