Zucchinni & Peas Poricha Kootu. ( Zuchinni and Peas simmered in ground coconut paste with spices.)

Some of our most favourite foods would always be comfort foods made by our mothers or grandmothers that we have grown used to eating over our childhood years.  In fact all of the palakkad cuisine cooked at home, translates to comfort food for me many times, being so far away from home. Most of our [...]

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Simple Beans Poriyal.

Ahhh yes, beans has always been an all time favourite. Somehow in the varying order of planning my week`s vegetables, beans would figure more than once.  A very versatile vegetables although low in calories are packed with enough nutrients . Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. Plus green [...]

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Thiruvadharai Upperi – Vegetables steamed and spiced with coconut chilli paste.

The complimenting Neivedhyam for Thiruvadharai Kali would be the Upperi or rather a version of select steamed vegetables, spiced generously with ground coconut and green chillies.  The Upperi as I remember is a combination of various tubers and roots that are combined and cooked to get the most delicious preparation. I remember as a child, [...]

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Navarathri Day 1 – Kadalai Sundal(PeanutsSpiced with coconuts and chillies) & Venn Pongal.

Today being the very first day of Navarathri and also the first saturday of the tamil month of “Purattasi”, it was an auspicious day completely. Today`s Neivedhyam was: Venn Pongal. Kadalai Sundal. KADALAI SUNDAL: This variety of Sundal made of raw peanuts does  not need any soaking and can be prepared with little or no [...]

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Vazhakkai Podimas (Raw Banana half cooked,grated, and spiced with powders)

Vazhakkai as in Raw Bananas already mentioned are a favourite in my family. They are readily available and when properly preserved in the refrigerator, almost stays fresh for a week or more. I never make raw bananas the day I buy them,  unless I am tempted to slice them to topple in hot oil to [...]

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Crispy Arbi Fry (Colocasia part steamed and slow roasted in oil with spices)

Colocasia or Arbi or Sepangkizhangu, a starchy root tuber, very much similar to Potatoes,  has always been a favourite. It`s slightly different from the potatoes , in that it is irregular shaped and has a slightly scaly skin. When boiled, it also gives out a slightly sticky feeling so its important that the tuber is [...]

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Easy & Healthy Vazhakkai Fry.

The lowly vazhakkai was always a favourite vegetable for me although my mom was never such a great fan of it. I always saw how versatile this vegetable was….One could make it in to a fry, at home we always make simple “mozhukkuperatti” where its simply cooked, seasoned with mustard and curry leaves and smothered [...]

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Ten Minute Healthy Cucumber Kootu.

I guess this Kootu is built on the lines of the Kosumalli.  The only difference is that this quick preparation, the moong dal is cooked over the stove top. This quick kootu can be used as a side for any sambar or vethal kuzhambu and also as a side for rotis and phulkas. Cucumbers are [...]

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Kovakkai Curry

This was one of  my sister S`s favourite sides. She always used to like it when mami made kovakkai fry. One of the best combos for Kovakkai Fry was to have it with spicy Morkuzhambu. Kovakkai I have heard  is good for health as its rich in Vitamin A and also in fibre. Somehow my [...]

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Healthy Pavakkai Fry. (Healthy BitterGourd Fry )

Bitter gourd predominantly grows in tropical areas, including parts of Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, where it is used both as food as well as a medicine. The plant’s fruit truly lives up to its name, because it really tastes bitter. Although the seeds, leaves, and vines of this fruit have different [...]

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