AFAM Event

Here comes AFAM for this month .......Since Maheswari
(Publish Today) is taking a small break ,I am hosting this month's AFAM
.As I am a 1 month old food blogger, I need all the support and encouragement of the food bloggers to make this month's event a grant success.

So what's this month's fruit? It is M for Mango .....you are right ..this's month's AFAM is MANGO ...

Photo NYTIMES
Come on everybody we could see mangoes , mangoes all around this summer ..So let your imagination fly around - from Indian Traditional Recipes to Fusion and to International Cuisine....Come on Food Bloggers start cooking and post it on your blog ...

So here is AFAM - A Fruit A Month Rules.
Rules are pretty much the same as other Blog Events.
1.Based on the fruit of the month, you have to come up with a recipe with the fruit in any form fresh or dried.

2.Post the recipe on your blog and if you could post the picture also by 20 th of the month.

3.If you can, write more info about the fruit.Like my mom always says Pomegranate fruit is good for your health especially for your heart.Some of might know about home medicine used for common cold/fever using fruits.

4.Email me your name,the pic,permalink of your recipe/pic to recipesnmore@gmail.com with AFAM -(fruit name)as the subject.

5. You have to email me your post by the 20th of that month and the final round up will be done in the last ten days.

So here is the fruit of this month "MANGO".

Hoping to see more of you participate and spread the word about AFAM around the Blog world.

My Green Lunch Today

“Going Green with Green Leafy Vegetables”.
Mahanadhi's JFI was so unique and so different thought to bring all the recipes together from our kitchen and share with the entire community.

Who does not like Palak Spinach ,Methi or Cabbage .Wow !!all are my favourites and the list actually goes no .So for today's lunch i decided to make something green and only green...Green adds color to the food and brings us joy and pleasure. Spinach has a high calcium content in them. Spinach is a rich source of Vitamin A,C,E. We cook spinach atleat twice a week .It is a must dish at our place.So Green is a must in the menu.

Today I decided to make for my self green lunch .Sounds different !!!I made Palak (kirai) Molaguthal and Pavakai (Bitter Gourd) Curry. Few people do not like bitter gourd as the name it self speaks out .But I love it .Some what I love the bitterness of this particular veg .

Here it goes !!!This is traditional kerala combo lunch .Mostly if we make molaguthal then the side dish should be little be spicy .Because molaguthal is a little less spicy .The other combo along with this would be "PuliVetha Eggplant curry"..I will surely make that combo and shall share it with all you guys.

Raw Materials Required for Palak Molaguthal

1/2 Lb Palak
1/2 cup Tuvar Dal cooked
1/3 coconut sliced
2 tsp jeera
3-4 red chilli
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urdh Dal
Litte Oil for seasoning
salt as per taste

Preparation style

First cook the palak in a small bowl and grind it to paste and transfer it another bowl.Usually spinach just takes few minutes to boil.Then in the blender or mixy ...grind the coconut,jeera and chilli powder by adding 1/2 glass of water.Then mix the coconut gravy,cooked Dal and palak together and allow it to boil .Let the palak boil and on the side take a small pan and pour little oil and add mustard and then after it breaks add urdh dal and pour on the palak.Add salt as per taste and mix it well and serve it hot with rice.

Raw Materials Required -Pavaka Dish

1/2 Lb –Pavaka (Bitter Gourd)
3 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp sambhar powder
1/2 tsp Haldi
1/2tsp Mustart seeds
1/2tsp Urdh dal
Salt as per taste

Preparation style

Wash and cut the pavaka into small pieces.Then in a small kadai add little oil and add mustard seeds to it. .Allow it to break then add urdh dal seeds to it .Let it get its golden brown color then add the pavaka and fry then quite well .Add chilli powder, sambhar powder,haldi and salt and mix it quite well .Let the dish take it own time for cooking .The pavaka should roast it self .After sometime when we find that it is fully roasted then off the gas and serve it hot with rice. Enjoy Madi!!!!!

This is my entry for “Going Green with Green Leafy Vegetables”. Mahanadhi's JFI

My New Rose Plant

Our new garden addition. We had been to the near by "garden center" to buy some plants for our backyard.I could see this rose plant with one Orange rose in it .Too cute it was ...The light orange color ohh man looks very cute in my home garden.Just wanted to share with all you guys .....

Ribbion Pokoda

Ribbion Pokoda ....Perfect snack .I remember in chennai mom used to make it specifically when my self and my brother had summer vacations.She used to prepare so much that my self and my brother used to keep eating it always .Mouth watering dish .Never know how it one eats.I always love this particular snack and never a no to it .Esp with chai in the eveg ...Too good ...I prepared some for my self and my better half.So thought i could share it with all you guys .....

Raw Material Required

2 Cup - Rice Flour
1 Cup -Besan (Kadala Mavu)
2 tsp chilli powder
Little Hing
6 tsp Butter (room temperature)
Salt as per taste
Oil for deep frying

Preparation Style

In a small bowl mix all the above material together by adding little water .Try to mix it well until u get a dough which is little equal to the chapati dough that we all make .Then heat the oil on one side .With the help of the "Nazhi" make ribbion shapes and allow the dough to cook .

Let it cook and get to the golden brown stage and then take it off from the fire.Eat it hot and it would taste excellent ......Enjoy Madi!!!!!

Pav Bhaji

Gone are those days where i used to hang out with my friends at "GANGOTRI"...blogger who stayed in chennai must be knowing that place.All kinds of snacks where available .My first choice would be pav bhaji ...Oh man !!!I tell you those guys make excellent ones .Too Good!!!!.Last nite i made pav bhaji at home .Quite similar .But a simple one ..here how it goes

Raw Materials

1 Cup Aloo
1/2 Cup -Carrot
1/2 Cup- Shimla Mirch (Green Bell Pepper)
1/2 Cup Peas
1/2 Cup Onion
2 Riped Tomatoes
2 tspPav Bhaji Masala (MDH -bought from the store)
1tsp Jeera
1 Lime
Salt as per Taste
Pav From the store
Kotamali for garnish
Little Oil

Preparation style

Take a small cooker add little oil and after few seconds add jeera .Then add onion .Allow the onion to brown a bit and then add tomatoes.After the tomatoes leave it water add all the veg's to it .Then add salt and the pav bhaji masala .Now add sufficient water so that all the veg's submerge in it .Now close the cooker and let there by 4-5 whistles from it. After the cooker calms down open it and mash the bhaji with smasher .All the veg's will be perfectly cooked so well that it would be easily smashed.On the other side in the Tava add some ghee or butter and place the Pav's in them .Turn both the sides of the pav until they get a golden brown color.Squeeze lime in the bhaji and serve it hot with the pav ...Enjoy Karo Man

Javarsi Vadam

When you hear the word "Vadam" from anywhere i am the first to go and finish it .Wow man too good!!!!! .In India amma used to make it every year and stock it and later fry them and give it to us .But here is Us who is there pa ..No one to prepare for me and give .I did not like the ones which you get it in the stores ..So i decided to make it my self .My friends told me that it would be of too strain ..but i tell u guys , if i want to eat something i am really not worried to take the pains .

vathals , vaadam i am first. Our's is a walkout basement ..so was even more convenient to try it out .For the first time i made it came out really well .If we have it suda suda sambhar ,rasam and potato curry ...enna combha pa ...too good ...how much rice goes inside your body ..no count at all ...

I thought i could share with all you guys the way i prepare vadam at home.Would all like to take a ride with me in this ...

Raw Materials Required
1 lb -Javarsi
8-9 Green Chilli
4 tsp rice flour
Little Hing
2 lemon -(extract juice)

Preparation Style
Take the javarsi in a bowl and soak them in water for about 5-6 hours.Preferable if you soak by eveg 3 p.m it should be fine .Then say by 9 wash it with cold water and grind the javarsi in to paste.When u grind it see that you add 4 tsp of rice flour.
This helps to maintian the color of the vadam.
Keep this aside.Then take a big cooker and fill it with half water and pour the mixture.Then grind the green chilli and pour it into the cooker .Add hing to it also .Keep stirring the mixture for about 1 to 1.5 hours .You will seen the shine of the javasri coming out.Then add salt to it .The color of the mixture will start to change from white to transparent one .Then off the gas and close the cooker.
Next day morning it would become thick .The add lime to the thick mixture and mix it well .Then in a small bowl take little of the mixture and add enough water to loosen it up .


Then in a plastic sheet with the help of the small spoon pour little in a circle forum .Let the entire thing dry in the sun .It would be most preferred to do it on a sunny day .Then the next day you could see the vadam coming out from the sheet automatically as it is dried .Take it out and fry it oil ...Too good man .There would be a little strain for pouring the circle in the sheet but that is ok .
If we want something tasty then we need to strain rite ....!!!!!Enjoy maadi Ladies
This Month is Lakshmi's Veggie Cuisine
.I saw many of our blog friends have prepared traditional recipes like sambhar,rasam .This vadam would add a excellent combho to all of them .Thank to Lakshmi for hosting this .

Cooking ,Company ,Kitchen - Same Boat

"Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music."
Julia Child

© Foto Search

Yes I do feel that cooking is it self a art .Some consider as though the home makers are jobless and spend non sense time at kitchen. They think that cooking is just a matter of few minutes and the job is done. It is something like completing a project .Choosing the raw materials, the ingredients to add on the product until the end product is delivered on to the dinning table.


I think cooking at home is almost the company that I run on my own .I have to please the end customer who are the members of the family and accept their feed back. My profits are the comments and the encouragements that I get from my member which always induces me in making new products (new dishes). And of course not to forget the research development that I conduct in the net plays also an important role.

From R & D to decision making I think all the ladies are perfect managers. Who said that ladies cannot take right decision .I feel that we perfect in decision making and managing the household.Women always hold a balance in their life between home and office.I am so new to this blog world, I feel so happy to see so many women around the world who are in this and and so creative . The power of women is here !!!!!Great Going

Cheers to the Ladies and Cheers to the World of cooking

Hot Pongal and Kadala Parup Chutney

Suda Suda Pongal on the table ....Yeah pongal is the most favorite among the south indain cuisine ..when we always visit the restaurants in Indian , mostly our first order is "Pongal Chutney"...wow!!!!what a combha it used to be ...I made today some and thought i would share with all you guys ...Enjoy Maadii!!!!!

Raw Materials For Pongal

1 Cup -Rice
1/4 Cup- Moong Dhal
2 tsp Jeera
2 Green Chilli
1 tsp Pepper Powder
1/2 cup Milk
3 tsp ghee
Little Ginger
Little cashew
Little kismis
Salt as per taste

Preparation style
Pressure cook the rice , moong dhal ,jeera, green chilli ,pepper and ginger together.After the pressure comes down ..in a small kadai pour ghee and add the cashew and kismis.Then add salt and milk to it .Add curry leaves as a final touch to the dish ...Wow !!!!It smells so great......Yummy

Raw Materials

2 tsp Kadala Parup
3-4 red chilli
Little Hing
Salt per taste
5 Tsp - Coconut
3 Tsp -Curd

Preparation Style

Fry the parup, red chilli and hing little in a small kadai.When the parup turns golden burn then off the stove and add coconut to it .After the heat is cooled down then grind it into thick paste.Then add curd to it and pour it in the small bowl .Add salt and mix it well .Curd Kadala Parup chutney ready!!!!!!

This is my entry for RCI - Tamil Cuisine Event.(http://veggiecuisine.blogspot.com/)

Jatpat Masala Papad

Snack Time at home .We always keep think of what to make in 5 mts esp which would go Chai ..I decided to make Jatpat Masala Papad.Here how it goes ..

Raw Materials Required

1 Lijat Papad
1/4 Cup -Tomato
1/4 Cup -Cucumber
1/4 Cup -Mango (Raw)
1 Green Chilli
Some Kotamali
1 Lemon

Preparation Style

Microwave the lijat papad for 35 sec .It would be crisp.One the other side cut down the tomato,cucumber,green chilli and mango in a small bowl .Add kotamali and also pour the lemon juice.Jatpat Masala papad is readyyyy.....Enjoy

Sweet and Sour -Apple Paniharam

Apples have got different varieties.Each is unique and has its own characteristic.We have always used apple in a dessert form , juice form or simply eaten it raw.But I decided to make something different.

An Apple a day keeps you away from the doctor"....Very very true .An Apple actually helps you lower blood cholesterol, improved bowel function, reduced risk of stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma.Lets all eat apple regularly be healthy.

This recipe comes out from my own kitchen to all of you . It is always heard that kids and few adults don't like apple.Try on this and i am sure they would be a fan of it .

Raw Materials Required

1/2 Green Apple
1/2 Red Apple
1 Cup - Dosa Batter
1 tsp - Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp - Gram masala
Little pinch -Hing

Preparation Style

Grate the green apple and the red apple and mix it together with the dosa batter.Then add the red chilli powder and also the gram masala and hing to it .Mix it well .

Then take a non stick panniaram pan and pour the batter .Wait for few mts until you see the sides starts to cook .Then turn to the other side and allow it to cook .Serve the dish hot with dosai mulaga podi .

I am posting this recipe as the entry for "http://publishtoday.blogspot.com/2007/01/fruit-month.html" ...Contest

Maida Halwa

I had to make some sweet within half hour .Enna to make .Lets think ???,.Then i finally got my self to Maida Halwa.For the first time i prepared this dish , the outcome was great and tasted quite well .

Raw Materials Required

2 Cups Maida
4 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Ghee
Some Cashew
Some Cardamom
Little Saffron
Pacaikarpooram

Preparation Style

Take a small bowl and mix the maida well and add little water and take down till you reach a dosa batter.Keep the bowl aside.Then take a small kadai and pour the sugar and little water .Allow the sugar to boil until you reach thick thread consistency ,then pour the maida batter and stir for a while.Add saffron to it.The flour would start to began to harden and then add ghee .Stir until the ghee leaves the flour .Then off the gas and add pachaikarpooram, cardamom powder.Pour the halwa in the bowl and dress it with dry fruits .
Enjoy All

Happy Vishu And A Happy Tamil New Year

Wish you all a Very Happy Tamil New Year

Pattu Mami Polli

Masala Poli

We must all have had masala poli at sri krishna sweets in chennai .Too good .Here is my version of masala poli .Tastes really good .

Raw Materials for the dough

3 Cups - Maida
1tsp -Haldi
Pinch of salt
Oil

Raw Materials for the stuffing

3 -Aloo cooked and smashed
1 -Carrot grated
1/2 cup -Green Peas
1 tsp - gram masala
1 tsp - dhanya powder
1 tsp -chilli powder
Salt as per taste
Some Kotamali


Preparation for dough

Add all the ingredients required for the dough together except oil in a bowl .Then add some water and form a chapati dough.The pour some oil on the dough and keep it aside for some time



Preparation of the stuffing .

Take a small bowl and add all the ingredients for stuffing together and make small bowls .




Then take a small piece of dough and make a small chapati .Fill the stuffing inside like how we do for paratha.Then with the help of our hand spread out the dough with out allowing it to break .Dip your hand in oil and make it spread .Then it would not break .Then heat the dosa tave and place the madia stuffed chapati on it .Pour sufficient oil on both the side to cook well.Then after it is cooked place it on the place and drizzle dosai mulaga podi on it and serve it hot .The highlight of it is to drizzle the dosai mulaga podi on top of the maida stuff poli.

Yellow Pumpkin Payasam

Sounds different or vieried .Sounded me the same way when my friend prepared for me .But believe it is too good .Here how it goes

Raw Materials

2 cups -Milk
1/3 cup -Sugar
1/3 Cup - Yellow pumpkin
2 tsp -Elachi
Few strings of Saffron
2tsp -Condensed Milk
2tsp -Ghee
Few khaju and Kismis


Preparation Style

Pour the milk in a bowl and allow it to boil .After 5 mts put the pumkin and allow it to cook with the milk .It actually cooks very fast.Once the pumkin is cooked and the milk comes to the boil then add sugar and elachi to it .Then add saffron to the milk and also some condensed milk.After few mts of boil ,keep the gas on sim and remove the bowl from the gas.Then in a small kadai pour 2 tsp of ghee and add fee khaju and few kismis and pour it in the payasam .Looks great and taste great.

Tomato Soup

Well who would not like a tomotato soup that too hot hot on a rainy day .Here i made some for myself and would like to share with you guys .


Raw Materials

2 - Tomotoes Riped ones
1/4 - Carrot
1 Piece -garlic
little Onion
Salt as per tast
Pepper as much required

Preparation Style

Take a small pan and boil the tomotoes and carrot together for some time.Boil them unless the skin comes out .Then grind the tomatoes ,carrot ,garlic and onion together .you will get a thick pulp of it .Then transfer the same into the pan and boil the same .Once it starts to boil then transfer it to the serving bowl and add salt and pepper and little kotamali for garnish.
Enjoy the soup

Cucumber Raita

Well Cucumber is quite good for health.And Ratias' for rotis always goes quite well.Here we go a smile and easy recipe for raita.


Raw Material Required

1 Big Cucumber
1 cup ratia
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Sugar
Kotamali for dressing

Preparation Style

Scrap the skin of cucumber and kadukas it .Remove the excess water from cucumber by pressing it hard.Then add curd ,salt,sugar and pepper and stir them well.
Add little kotamali for dressing and serve it with cold .Best combo would be vegetable pulov and chapati

Vegetable Briyani

Who would not love Briyani on a Sunday afternoon .It would a all time favorite for everybody.I prepare it often with a simple and a easy style


Raw Materials Required

1 Cup- Basmati Rice
1/4 Cup -Onion
1/4- Cup -Beans
1/4 Cup -Carrot
1/4 Cup - Green Peas
1/4 Cup - Califlower
2 or 3 -Green Chilli

Dry Spices
3 pieces -Elachi
3 pieces -Gram or Clove
1 small stick - Cinannom
1 tsp - Jeera
2 pieces -garlic
2 tsp - Ghee
2 Tsp Briyani masala powder

Preparation Style

Soak the rice in water for 1 hr before the preparation.Wash the rice and dry fry it in a pan with ghee and pour it in a small plate.In the same pan pour the ghee and add
all the dry spice along with garlic and allow the aroma to speard.Then add green chilli to it and stir.Then add all the veg's along with the rice .Add the masala powder and stir well.Add sufficient water and pour them in the rice cooker .
Serve them hot with Kurma

Vegetable Aval Upma

Almost everybody do not like upma.And that too Aval upma I am sure it is prepared as the last choice .But once you try this veg aval upma it would be a routine at your place.

Raw Materials Required

2 Cups -Aval
1/4 Cup -Onion
1/4 Cup -Tomato
1/4 Cup -Green Peas
1 small Piece Ginger
3-4 Green Chillies
1/4 tsp - Rai
1/4 tsp - Urdh Dhal
Oil for TADKA
3 tsp -Lemon Juice
Hing a Pinch
Salt as per taste

Preparation Style

First wash the aval in luke warm water for few seconds and let it dry in the strainer.Then in a small Kadai pour some oil and allow it to heat.Then drop the rai and allow it to crack .Then add urdh dhal and hing and stir it .The add the onions , green chillies and also ginger and stir it form sometime unless the onion turns golden brown .Then add tomatoes to it and let them leave water.Then add peas to them and allow it to cook for 5 mts .Then add the dried aval and some salt and stir them well . Off the gas and then add lime to it and serve them hot . This particular dish does not require any kind of side dish .
Enjoy eating

Traditional Adai and Kotamali Chutney

My Mother used to make this recipe at home often .
A very traditional way of making Adai .This Adai can be eaten with tradtional kerala avail and also muladapodi.

Raw Materials Required for Making Adai

1 cup -Rice
1 cup -Tuvar Dhal
1/2cup -Urdh Dhal
1 cup -Channa Dhal
5-6 Red Chilles
1 tsp Hing
Salt as per tast
Curry Leaves

Preparation Style

Soak all the above ingredents for about 3 hours .Then grind them corsely with suffient water.The batter prepared must not be like a dosa batter nor like a idli batter.Must be in the semi solid consistency.Add salt as per tast and mix it well.Then we can make adia in the dosa tava and serve it hot.

Raw Materials Required for making Kotamali Chutney

1 cup - Coconut
3 tsp - Potukadalai
3-4 Green Chilli
1/2 bunch of Kotamali
1/4 tsp -Rai (Kadagu)
1/4 tsp -Urdh Dhal
Oil for Tadka
Salt as per tast

Preparation Style

Grind all the ingredents except rai,urdh dhal and oil with suffient water added to it .Transfer the mixture into a small bowl .Then take a small kadai and pour the oil .When the oil is heated add the rai and wait until it cracks, then add urdh dhal and pour in the bowl.Then add salt and serve it along with adai.