APPLE CHUTNEY

Chutneys can be served with dosa, idli, upma etc.  I try various kinds of chutney  with vegetables, fruits which are easy to make and readily available at home.  Today I made Apple chutney to serve with dosa.  It was very delicious.  You can make this chutney with very few ingredients which are always available at home.

If you have grated coconut stored in the fridge, then you can make any kind of chutney at home very easily.

Let us look at the recipe now:

METHI POHE VADE

Methi Pohe Vade is  made with left over Kanda Poha which I had in the fridge.  Since I do not wan to waste it, I thought of making something out of it.

I had some methi leaves in the fridge and I made use of that to make this YUMMY Methi Pohe Vade.  It is a nice snack along with a cup of hot coffeee/tea.  Sometimes, with the left over items, we can make some innovative dishes.

This post is lying in my draft since July 2015 and today only I realised that I have not posted it.



Let us look at the recipe now:

BLACK GRAPES PICKLE

I am coming out with yet another pickle recipe which is with a fruit.  Black seedless grapes are available now and I tried the pickle with it.  Since it was very sweet, I had to add extra chilli powder to balance it with vinegar.

Since the grapes are very soft, it will not take much time to  make this recipe.  If refrigerated, will remain for 3-4 days but before that you must have finished the entire lot as you will love them.

This can be served with dal rice, curd rice, paratha etc.  Now the season is of pickle, I am concentrating more on pickles.

Let us look at the recipe now:

VAZHATHANDU COCONUT DRINK

During the summer season, my mother in law always give coconut water to drink for my children.  In fact in the month of February itself, she starts giving them till the rainy season starts.  This practice I also follow till today after her death in 2009.

Fresh Coconut water itself is very cooling to the body.  Since I was having vazhathandu after making the vazhandu neer mor, I decided to make it along with the coconut water as I had an extra tender coconut with me.

VAZHATHANDU COCONUT DRINK

Let us look at the recipe now:

VAZHATHANDU NEER MOR

Vazhathandu means banana stem or stalk you can call it has got many medicinal values and good for health.  The juice consumed in the empty stomach early in the morning helps to get rid of kidney stone problems.

We always add this to our menu once in a week.  We can make varieties of dishes out of this, however, this drink is quite good in quenching your thirst during the summer.

vazhathandu neer mor

Let us look at the recipe now:

VAZHATHANDU THOKKU

Vazhathandu l Unnipinndu l Unnithandu l Banana stem is very good for health.  South Indians make various subzi, pakoras, pickle, Karuvadam etc. out of this.  Its juice is taken in empty stomach to treat for Kidney stones.

 

As I mentioned in the kovakkai thokku, I am a big fan of pickles and tries with various vegetables and fruits.

I had purchased a big vazhathandu with the intention of trying something out of it other than the regular thoran, raita, sambhar, pachadi, kootu, chutney, soup, kofta sambhar, kofta kadhi, vazhathandu bhajia etc.

Today I had some guests and want to try something special for them.  I made Carrot moongdal kheer and the Vazhathandu thokku.  Both the dishes were enjoyed by them.

Let us look at the recipe now:

CARROT MOONGDAL PAYASAM

Payasam or Kheer is liked  by every one.  I am bored of making the normal Paal Payasam, Nei Payasam, Vella Payasam etc. which are common in our house for the  festivals, Sumangali Prarthanai, Shradham etc.

I always make changes in our routine and try something different always for guests if they come to our house for lunch or dinner.

Today, I tried the carrot moongdal payasam and was a hit.  The preparation is very easy and the dish is very tasty too without much sugar added in it.

It tastes more yummy, when it is served chilled.

Let us look at the recipe now:

ADA MANGAI, DRIED SPICY MANGOES

ADA MANGAI is a spicy dried mango pieces stored for years together i.e. a year or two.  My grand mother is from Palakkad and we had a house there the village called Pallanchathanur.

During Mango season, my grand mother makes this ada mangai and we used to go to the back yard to put them for drying.  We used to make ada mangai kootan or curry which is served with hot rice and roasted papad.

You can either cut the mangoes in pieces or  cut both the sides of the mangoes and apply salt and chilli powder  and dry them.  This year shall try to make with the whole mango and upload photo.

You  must select the mangoes  which are sour in taste.  Wash and cut the same into pieces.
Add salt and little turmeric powder, red chilli powder.  keep for a day.   Next day you can see that little water has oozed out in it.   Take out the  mango pieces and dry it in the hot sun.
Evening bring back from the terrace and put it back in  the salt water. Again remove it in the morning and keep for drying.  Repeat the process till the salt water gets over.
Once it is dried fully, store it in the airtight container and whenever you want you can use it.   remember, the more it becomes old, the more tastier the curry.

Hope you will enjoy this forgotten recipe.

THANKS FOR VISITING THE BLOG.  YOUR SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME.

CARROT RICE

Delhi carrots are still available now and during the season, I prefer to use this carrot.  The English carrot my children do not prefer.

Varieties of rice preparation have been posted in the blog.  I observed that I have not posted the Carrot Rice.  Though my daughter prefer to eat the carrot raw and does not like the cooked one except for carrot payasam, carrot halva.  In pulao also she used to tell me mummy do not put carrot.  One evening when I asked her what to make for dinner, she said carrot rice.  I was happy to make the same.

It is a simple preparation with mild spice  and tasty too.  All children love the same.  We use less spice hence even small childlren in our neighbourhood enjoy our food.

Let us look at the recipe now:

CARROT RICE

KOVAKKA THOKKU

I am a fan of pickle.  varieties of pickles I try even though I know that eating too much of pickle is harmful to our health which increases acidity due to the stressful life we are leading now a days.  But sometime, we need the pickle as accompaniment as pickle is part of our Indian food.

We make pickles usually with Mango, Lime, Wild lime, gooseberry etc.  Now a days, I have started trying the pickles with vegetables and fruits.

I have already posted one kovakkai pickle but this one is thokku in a different form. This pickle was appreciated by my colleagues and friends as they liked it very much.

Kovakkai thokku

video:

CARROT JUICE

Carrots are available in India in two varieties  - one is Delhi Carrot and another one is English carrot.  

Most of the benefits of carrots can be attributed to their beta carotene and fiber content.  This root vegetable is also a good source of antioxidant agents.  Further, carrots are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B8, pantothenic acid, folate, potassium, iron, copper and manganese.

My children prefer to eat carrots raw and do not like to cook them.  If I put in kichadi or pulao, they remove them and keep aside.  Hence I always give them in the form of salad only.

My son always prefer to drink something cold always hence I very often make juice out of it.

Since summer is fast approaching, I thought of posting some juice recipes.

ORANGE JUICE

Orange is a juicy fruit  which containts Vitamin C and fiber.  They are good source of folate, Vitamin A (in the form of cartenoids), B1, potassium, copper etc.    It also helps in protecting the skin, fight against viral infections,  helps prevent  cancer, lower cholesterol, regulates high blood pressure, kidney diseases and stones.

The fruit is very juicy and consuming as it is I prefer.  Sometimes my children wants juice so I make juice out of it and give them.  I always give them the seasonal fruits.

It it is sweet, then no need to add sugar, otherwise you may have to add little bit sugar.  The best way to make the juice is through a hand juicer or a plain juicer to get the juice out.  I prefer the plain juicer.

ORANGE JUICE

SOUPY BRINJAL CURRY

Soup brinjal curry I made was very easy and tasty too.  If you have some unexpected guests, this curry is very easy to make provided you have brinjal at home.   You can use potato, capsicum, onion and other veggies too to make this.  We can serve it along with rice, chapati, roti etc.

Normally in my house, my husband and children do not eat the brinjal but I am a fan of this.  I love to eat in the form of baingan bharta, bharleli vangi or brinjal dry subzi or poricha kuzhambu with raw banana and karamani.

I bought a big brinal to make bharta as my friends were supposed to come, but it got cancelled.  Hence I had no choice but to make the brinjal curry and took it to office to share with my colleagues.

You can either use the big one or small purple colour brinjals which we use for ennai kathrikkai.

SOPUPY BRINJAL CURRY

KOVAKKAI PORIYAL, IVY GOURD STIR FRY

Kovakkai, ivy gourd, thenli, tindora it is known as.  The white fleshy part of the thenli tastes like cucumber.  We can make kootu, stir fry subzi, along with black chana and pickles too. It can be served as a side dish for chapati, rice etc.

This vegetable contains Vitamn C, also filled with the set of vitamins such as beta-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 & B2, in addition the properties of anti-anaphylactic as well as anti-histaminic.  It is believed that consumption of this veggie helps to lower fever. The prsence of anti oxidants in this veggie assists our body by eliminating various illness conditions, as per the study.

MANATHAKALI LEAF SOUP

I have posted the Manathakali Vathal Kuzhambu few minutes ago.  Now I am presenting you  the soup  which I made today  with the leaves as my neighbour's son was having some stomach issues and not eating the food for the past five days.  Since the manathakali leaves got the medicinal values and are good for the stomach, I decided to make the soup for him with the coconut milk.

After making the same, when I gave it to the mother for tasting it, she said it is really awesome.  Most of the parents are not aware of the herbal values and the home made medicines specially for the children.

Since I had the plant in my balcony garden, I could make it very easily and share it.

Manathakali leaves soup

UNDHIYO

Undhiyo is a Gujarati dish prepared with varieties of subzis available.  During winter, this is prepared as the ingredients in it helps in keeping the body warm and also varieties of vegetables are consumed by one as it is available seasonally.

Undthiyo is a delicious dish which can be served with puri, phulka.  I tried my hands on it for the first time and was happy with the result as it tasted "Awesome"

While speaking about mix seasonal  vegetables,  Undhiyo is somewhat like the  South Indian Kavathu Puzhuku or Thalagam  (minus the Methi Muthia) made by Keralites and Tamilians during Thiruvathira along with  Thiruvathira Kali.   In Undiyo,surti papadi is used, whereas for the South Indian version, papadi i.e avarakka is used.

 I have posted both the above recipes and let us look at the undiyo  recipe now:

MANATHAKALI VATHAL KUZHAMBU, BLACK NIGHT SHADE KUZHAMBU

Manathakali keerai, sukuti keerai or black night shades in english is very good healing stomach related ailments.    It is also known as Sunberry and Wonderberry.

The fruit as well as the leaves are having the medicinal values.  The raw fruit is soaked in curd and salt and sun dried for storing.  it remains for a longer period.  whenever you want can fry it and serve with rice, curd rice etc. or can use for vathal kuzhambu.

During our childhood, we used to pluck the fruit and pop it in our mouth though it does not have any kind of particular taste.  After moving to Mumbai, I used to see this plant on the compound wall or in the backyard of our office building.  Whenever, I get a chance to see this plant, I somehow remove it and bring home to replant the same in my balcony garden.  Same case, goes with sundakkai also.

Once I gave the ripe fruit to my son and he loved it.  Still he remembers  though he is 24 year old, eats it and tell his sister that you do not know the taste of it as she refuses to eat it.  When we were  very small, we used to call it chinna thakali (means small tomatoes).  I have seen an light orange variety during my childhood, but now a days, cannot see them.  We also had a purple colour chilli plant in our garden when we were small and used to wonder from where the seeds come from.

Coming back to the manathakali, after plucking the raw fruit from the plant, always put in salt water for washing as there could be some small insects in it.  If you put in salt water, it dies and can be removed after straining in the poori jaara.

We make poriyal, kootu, molagootal  etc.with the leaves but you need a sizeable quantity of leaves.  We make soup out of this and is excellent with coconut milk.  Even you can feed the children too as it will have mild sweet flavour because of the coconut milk which is again good for the stomach.

 I have posted  the photographs of the plant, raw fruit and the ripe fruit below.

click here: video