THENGAI KOOTAN

Thengai means coconut and kootan means curry.  Thengai kootan is made out of coconut and some vegetables.  I tasted this dish only after my marriage.  When my mother in law made this, I liked it very much and it became part of  the dish once in a week.  I love to have this some chutta pappadam (roasted papad).  It is a simple preparation with or without vegetables and handy when you are having unexpected guests at home. 

(Tamarind is used for making this.  But due to health issues, I avoid tamarind and use amchur powder or bit sour curd too.)

This can be served with plain rice, sevai, idli and dosa too.

 video:  thengai kootan

CUCUMBER COOLER A HEALTH DRINK

Cucumber, ginger, coriander and lime.  a cool drink which has got many health benefits.  It helps in digestion, cooling the body, cholesterol, blood pressure etc. etc.

POHA KUZHIPANIYARAM

Poha kuzhipaniyaram or appam (savory) is made with the left over idli  batter and kande pohe.  I had some left over idli batter and kade pohe in fridge which I did not want to waste.  So I mixed up both and made the kuzhipaniyaram and served hot.  No accompaniments, the piping hot paniyaram was tasty.

RICE STARCH CALULIFLOWER GREENS SAMBAR

Rice Starch, Kanji is very good for health.  It can also be used as starch for the cotton clothes, washing hair, face, body etc.  During my childhood, my mother used to keep the rice water (kanji) overnight and used for washing hair along with Shikakai   powder.

Since the Kanji is beneficial, I thought of making sambar with the kanji.  Let us look at the recipe now:

watch the video : rice starch cauliflower greens sambar

SHIKAKAI POWDER BENEFITS

What is Shikakai?

Shikakai (literally translates to "hair-fruit" or "fruit for hair") is a shrub-like tree that grows in central India. It has been used for centuries as a cleanser for hair, body, and pretty much anywhere else a cleanser might come in handy. What sets this plant apart from the rest is that shikakai actually lathers moderately because its bark has saponins, which foam up when shaken in water, similar to soap.
Some people who have used the "no ’poo" method love it but still miss the suds from commercial shampoo. Shikakai could be the solution for this problem. It's all natural, but it still foams up. Yay!
Shikakai is very high in vitamin C as well as vitamins A, D, E, and K, antioxidants which are essential for healthy and rapid hair growth. These vitamins provide the hair follicles with the necessary micronutrients to help hair grow fast and healthy.
Shikakai looks very similar to tamarind. Its seed comes inside a pod. The seed, or fruit, is then dried, mixed with the leaves and bark, and ground into a very fine powder. That's the reason the shampoo also lathers. This powder is then made into a paste and applied to hair.
The good news is that we no longer have to make our own powder. We can just buy it and follow these instructions. But before you go and buy your own bottle, let's examine the benefits of shikakai.

Common name: Shikakai, Soap-pod • Hindi: Kochi, रीठा Reetha, शिकाकाई Shikakai • Marathi: रीठा Reetha • Tamil: Shika, Sheekay, Chikaikkai • Malayalam: Cheeyakayi, Chinik-kaya, Shikai, Cheenikka • Telugu: Cheekaya, Chikaya, Gogu • Kannada: Sheegae, Shige kayi, Sigeballi • Oriya: Vimala • Urdu: Shikakai • Assamese: Amsikira, Kachuai, Pasoi tenga, Suse lewa • Sanskrit: Bahuphenarasa, Bhuriphena, Charmakansa, Charmakasa, Phenila
Botanical name: Acacia concinna    Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)
Synonyms: Acacia hooperiana, Acacia sinuata, Mimosa concinna

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Shikakai Benefits: A Quick Look

• Shikakai has been used for hundreds of years in India as a shampoo and body wash.
• Shikakai bark has saponines, which make the powder foam up much like soap.
• Shikakai is known to promote hair growth, beauty, and strength.
• Shikakai has low pH levels, which means it won't strip hair of its natural oils.

The Benefits of Shikakai

One of the greatest benefits of using shikakai as a regular cleanser is that it is all natural, so you won’t have to worry about any harsh chemicals seeping into your body. But there are many other benefits, such as:

• Shikakai has very low pH levels, which means your hair won’t be stripped of its natural oils.
• Works as a shampoo and detangler at the same time. Since shikakai does not strip your hair of its natural oils, there's less chances of your hair getting all tangled up.
• Prevents and eliminates dandruff.
• Nourishes hair, making it grow faster and stronger.
• Can be used as shampoo, face cleanser, and body soap. This means there will be less bottles taking up precious shower space.
• Strengthens and conditions hair.
• Keeps hair moisturized and shiny.
• Protects the scalp from fungal infections and even hair lice.
• Helps delay the appearance of gray hairs.
• Strengthens hair roots.

 

POHA IDLI

Idli is the main South Indian breakfast dish prepared by all over the world now.  It is soft, tasty and even when you are sick, this can be served as it is steamed hence do no harm.

Varieties of Idlis are made, normal idli, kanjeevaram idli, tuvar dal idli, jowar idli, corn meal idli and the list is endless.

Here I made the Poha Idli which turned out super soft and could not believe it.   Hence I am sharing it with you all.  This can be prepared without much hassles.

CORN MEAL PARATHA, MAKAI PARATHA

Corn meal paratha or makai paratha is made out of corn meal or maize flour.  There is a difference between corn flour and corn meal.  corn flour looks white and is very fine powder which is a thickening agent whereas  corn meal looks yellow, slightly rava consistency and is used for making corn meal dosa, corn meal adai, corn meal idli, makai ki roti, paratha  etc.

After making the makai ki roti, there was left over dough with me so I decided to make paratha out of it.  It was quite tasty along with the Maa ki daal.  I chose to have this because once I had eaten this combination in one of the Punjabi restaurant. 

corn meal paratha video

SARSON KA SAAG

Sarson ka saag is a North Indian Dish.  It is a winter special.  I happened to taste this dish in one of the marriage party.  On that day it was quite cold,  my friend who was a punjabi told me to try this dish as I never eaten this before.  She said you would love this.  So we both went to that counter and took one makai ki roti and little bit of saag as I never tasted it before.  I thought I will go for more if I like it.

Though I was eating the dish for the first time, it was served hot, I could not resist myself as it was awesome along with some pickle and onion.  I ate around three roti along with the saag.  

I asked her to give me the recipe, she said, I only know to eat, you must ask my mother for the recipe.  But she was kind enough to write and bring the recipe for me.  I am sharing the same with you all.

Sarson means mustard and saag means greens.  So you must have got the name yes mustard greens.  few other greens are also added to this viz.palak, radish, methi, bhatua etc.  I have taken only three main ingredients i.e. mustard greens, palak and bhatua as the bunches were quite big and the vendor was not giving me half of it as I do not need so much. 

 


 Still I brought the same, prepared  and shared  the saag with my friends and told them to make makai ki roti and Rinku was kind enough to prepare the hot roti and we all enjoyed it. 

It tastes so good but at the same time, it is very time consuming and take your half day almost.  So If you are working, prepare the same on weekly off day.  You need lots of  patience to  prepare this  yummy dish.  

MAKAI KI ROTI

Makai ki roti is the North Indian  flat bread  speciality of Punjabis.  This is served normally with sarson ka saag.  It can also be served with Palak saag, bhatua saag and can be served plain with a cup of tea also.

During winter, the combination of sarson ka saag and makki di roti is good to keep your body warm.  People are bit confused with  maize flour or corn meal and corn flour.  Corn flour is a very fine  starch,  white in colour made out of corn, used as a thickening agent whereas maize flour or corn meal is yellow in colour, which is used for making idli, dosa, paratha and the roti.  makai adai, corn meal dosa  I have already posted.

I happened to taste this dish in a punjabi wedding and liked it very much but never thought of making it at home. Ever since I started the blog, I was thinking of making it but could only do it in the past week.

It was an amazing experience for me to make the roti with the saag.  But unfortunately, my husband and daughter could not taste it as they were out of town.

BITTER GOURD PULIKACHAL

Pulikachal is a tangy tamarind (puli in Tamil) sauce. This is an ideal side dish for Molagootal, Thair Sadam, Idly and Dosai.  Also, you can mix this with plain rice and serve.  It can be stored in fridge for few months, if handled properly. This can be served as pickle too. Normally,  this is part of the feast in South India especially in Kerala.

The tanginess, sweet and sour has to be balanced for the real taste of it.  Let us look at the recipe now:

This recipe was shared with me by my neighbour Kamala Vaidyanathan.