Amma's Mutton Biryani Recipe | South Indian Style Mutton/Goat Biryani

Amma's Mutton Biryani Recipe

There's never been a Sunday without Amma's Chicken Biryani/ Mutton Biryani those were my teenage days and what bliss to sit and enjoy home cooked biryani along with a good Sunday movie. Gosh I miss those days terribly. Life was so care-free sigh! but now I just relish those moments by cooking up Amma's recipes and enjoying great tasting meals along with my other half ;-). Biryani is this magic dish that just draws all your senses and taste buds together and any South-Indian cannot live without them. Although I was never a fan of heavy meals/ biryani I always grew up loving the biryani Amma made. It had the perfect colour, texture, taste and spices. I think a lot had to do with her method and love that went into the dish. Nevertheless without much non-sense lets move on to the recipe.

Javvarisi Semiya Paal Payasam | Sago Vermicelli Kheer | South Indian Payasam Recipe

Javvarisi Semiya Paal Payasam

Javvarisi Semiya Paal Payasam (Sago Vermicelli Milk Pudding/ Kheer). A real South Indian cannot live without payasam for a sweet occasion or rather any feast. Mastering a payasam does not take great efforts but practice. I learnt it the hard way. During my initial culinary adventures I used to get ready made packs of payasam mix, read the ingredient list and understood what goes into a payasam. But little did I know then the real procedure / cooking method which was the key to a great payasam. Nevertheless now I absolutely got the hang of it. Paysam is so versatile and easy to make, the best part is it can be made quickly with ingredients in any Indian pantry. Although I must confess that I love relishing a chilled paaysam than the warm counterpart. Usually payasam is made with vermicelli/ semiya or javvarisi/ sago but today I have combined both ingredients to make this delicious payasam. 

Sapotta Milkshake | Chikko Milkshake

Sapotta Milkshake Recipe

Yay its weekend & I cannot believe that I am actually sitting on blogger typing a post. I know you must be wondering if I actually have time to blog on a weekend. The truth is yes ;-) and this weekend was super lazy I am relaxing enjoying this simple sapotta/ chikku milkshake and typing a post. Nothing like sitting back and getting food delivered to your door step on those lazy days when you don't feel like cooking. You all know me better I never vouch for something I have never tried. Do check it out for yourself. Now lets move on to today's recipe.

Vallarai Keerai Thuvayal | Brahmi Leaves Chutney

Vallarai Keerai Thuvayal

Vallarai Keerai / Brahmi leaves are known for its bitterness and like most of us, I also used to detest these greens. My first attempt to try a curry out of these leaves was a huge flop. From them I had this huge aversion towards them and it was more of a fear that I would waste time and ingredients trying to cook with them. My impressions of these healthy greens has changed after I tried this thuvayal recipe that Amma had passed to me. Brahmi / Vallarai keerai is known for its medicinal properties, they promote blood circulation in liver, kidney and lungs. They are also known for skin health and can cure eczema, psoriasis and so on.

Sambar Sadam Tamilnadu Hotel Style | Easy Sambar Sadam

Sambar Sadam - Tamilnadu Style

I love simple one pot meals, especially the one's Amma makes. This time on my request she made this super yummy Sambar Sadam its more like Bisibella Bhath but without the garam masala and more a Tamil style recipe that has mixed vegetables, gingelly oil and small onions. Its a simple preparation with a freshly ground spice mix. A great weekend lunch recipe, purely vegetarian and can be accompanied with papad and curd. If you have guests who are vegetarian then this is a great recipe to serve. 

Vellai Poosanikai Juice for weight loss | White Pumpkin Buttermilk

Vellai Poosanikai Juice for weight loss

After posting Kollu drink for weight loss I had requests for weight loss drinks from readers. So wanted to share a simple Moor or buttermilk with vegetable (Poosanikai/ white pumpkin) that Amma makes for me whenever I come to see her. This is a great vegetable that helps you to lose weight and remove excess water retention in the body. There is no specification that you need to have it in empty stomach but its best to have this during hot summers as this drink is a natural coolant for the body during hot days. If you are prone to cold please avoid this drink. White pumpkins are very low in calorie, filled with Vitamin A, B complex. They have anti inflammatory properties and best for people suffering joint pains. Pumpkins are also best for skin and hair health. 

Murungakeerai Poriyal | Drumstick Leaves Recipe

Murungakeerai Poriyal Recipe

Drumstick leaves/ Murungakeerai are one of the most prettiest green varieties that are loaded with health benefits. I love any kind of greens and murungakeerai is no exception. For some reason its so hard to find drumstick leaves in my local market. So this time when I went home, Amma made this simple delicious drumstick leaves stir fry to go with our sambar and rasam. Drumstick leaves poriyal is more chunks with a unique taste and flavour. Its more mild and does not have a strong flavour. I totally love this combo and wanted to share this simple recipe here. Drumstick leaves are used to cure anaemia, thyroid disorder, joint pains, headache, high bp, stomach pain, ulcers, diabetes, diarrhoea and so on. 

Karunai Kizhangu Fry | Elephant Yam masala fry

Karunai Kizhamgu Fry Recipe

Although elephant yams are not that great looking they taste amazing if you turn them to great recipes. This Yam roast is one such which is Amma's signature dish, I love this so so much that I have constant requests for her to make it. It took such a long time for this recipe to get featured here the reason being I wanted her to make it so that I can blog about it. Amma has been patient with me and never refuses to share her recipes and time so that I can blog about them. Elephant Yams are known for their health benefits especially for women. Although they are carbohydrates they are rich in protein, lower cholesterol, asthma, lower blood sugar, abdominal pain, cramps, for healthy female reproductive system, balance hormones in women and antioxidant rich. If you are reading this and never tried yam I urge you to have this vegetable just for the health benefits it offers. I will be posting more recipes with yam in the coming days.

Nethili Fish Fry - Karnataka Style | Anchovies Fish Fry

Karnataka Style Fish fry recipe

Nethili Fish/ Nethilli Meen/ Anchovies are a small variety of fish that are quite popular down South (India), one of the finger licking fish starters would me Nethilli Meen Varuval in most restaurants. Since the fish are tiny they are marinated in spices and fried crisp. But there are medium sized variety to the same fish. Last week I wanted to try a Karnataka Style fish fry recipe and with this small variety of fish the result was an awesome fish side recipe. This recipe is a simple one just follow your usual marinate and dip the fish in roasted rava/ semolina/ sooji and fry them. This recipe can be served as a starter or side on its own without any dipping sauce. I have a fingerlicking Nethili fish kurma in draft will be posting it soon so check out this space ;-).

Yellow Watermelon Juice | Easy Summer Drink Recipe

Yellow Watermelon Juice

During one of our usual grocery shopping I found a yellow watermelon & got excited seeing its vibrant color. I did not hesitate a bit to pick this fruit, my mom had her own doubts on how it would taste it. As you all know I love fruits and always excited to try new fruits and of course this yellow watermelon is not easy to find. I immediately came home and made a refreshing juice with this yellow watermelon and Amma and I instantly feel in love with it. This yellow watermelon is no different to the usual pink/ reddish watermelon, the outside skin and texture of the fruit is same but I found the taste more like a watermelon and yellow melon mix, not sure if its something to do with my mind ;-) but nevertheless if you love watermelons then this one is no exception. The are naturally very sweet and taste like honey to me. It is said that yellow watermelons lack a particular antioxidant lycopene that result in the yellow color and not red. 

Easy Mutton Soup | South Indian Mutton Soup for cough & cold

South Indian Mutton Soup

By now you all must be knowing that I am a sucker when it comes to soups, I hardly have soups and if there is one soup that I never mind having it would be Amma's mutton soup. Its a more South Indian spicy kind of soup that has mutton broth and spices blended together to give an awesome concoction that will clear our your throat, nose and even fever in one serving. The recipe that I will sharing today is a cheats version of Amma's soup ;-) or you can call it Mutton soup for dummies :P either way they will fit perfect for this easy peesy recipe. 

Channa Masala for Bhature | Chole side dish for Bathure

Chole Masala for Bhature

I love channa/ chole/ chickpeas/ garbanzo beans is one of my favourite ingredients. I love to eat them and cook with them. This week I wanted to make a different turn to the usual recipes and make chole bhature for dinner for my dear husband. He loves Chole Bhature and once in a while he would order this in our favourite restaurant. I wanted to recreate the recipe at home. The result was a perfect bature and chole masala, he loved his meal so much and said its tasting better than what is served in hotels. I was more than pleased and of course wanted to post this hit recipe with all of you. Sadly the bhature were done for dinner and I could not click pictures of it. Will post the recipe for bhature soon. For now lets enjoy chole masala ;-)

Eggless Basboosa Cake | Egyptian Basbousa Semolina Cake

Egyptian Semolina Cake - Basbousa 

Basboosa / Basbousa is a traditional middle eastern cake. There are many variations to Basboosa like honey syrup, rose water, orange blossom, with eggs, with yoghurt/ milk and so on. I have always loved the texture of semolina cakes, although I did have inhibitions that it would taste like kesari/ semolina pudding. I was wrong, the other day I tried Basboosa/ Basbousa an Egyptian dessert cake for the second time. My first time was a big disaster I think it was the recipe that failed me. This time I was sure of the results when I saw the recipe I just knew it will work. I used yellow semolina it was packaged with the name Basini rava in the Indian store. Its more fine than the regular rava and also it is yellow in colour. The kind of rava / semolina you use will determine how good this basboousa will turn out to be. The use of coconut and syrup in the base of this cake makes it more decadent and the topping of warm syrup on the hot cake lets the cake absorb all the syrup making it more juicy and moist to the bite.

Mooli Paratha | Punjabi Mooli ka Paratha | Raddish Paratha

Mooli Paratha

Parathas always have a soft corner in my heart & tummy ;-) that said I also love parathas since they are a meal in itself and just a little curd/ yoghurt will do as a side and I will never complain if there is a homemade pickle to go with it. Although I made a dozen variety of parathas at home, very rarely do I get to blog them. The reason is that most parathas get either vanished, packed into lunch boxes or served for dinner. If you are a reader I got to tell you I do not click pictures for my food blog at night, all pictures are captured during the day that is the reason why recipes that you see in the pictures will have the same colour even when you try them. Raddish have many health benefits it is extremely useful to treat jaundice, protect liver and galbladder, helps lose weight and aid digestion. Helps in hydration by improving moisture level in skin and improve immune system. Now lets move on to the recipe.

Dal Tadka Recipe | Restaurant Style Dal Tadka

Dal Tadka Recipe

Marriage has made a huge change in me, like everyone of us who get married new food, new place and staying away from Amma's food. I started to miss basic simple staple food recipes like dal, curd rice, idly and sambar. Of all the changes marriage has brought food has been one huge change in me. I started to explore and love food for the nutrition in them. Lentils are protein rich and are an easy way to keep you full. Dal or lentils are my favourite I cannot think of not living without a dal curry atleast twice a week.  This Dal tadka has been a personal favourite its a north Indian style Dal, tadka meaning a spiced tempering. I will be sharing a restaurant styled version with you here. This dal tadka goes well with any rice or pulao or chappathi or roti. The flavours in this are amazing and makes a meal so satisfying too.

Chettinad Style Vada Kari | Steamed Low fat Vada Curry | Step by Step Recipe

Chettinad Vadai Kari

Chettinad cuisine is truly special in their use of fresh spices and I am a big fan of this cuisine. I have re- created many chettinad preparations like - Raw banana Kofta, Chettinad pakkoda curry, Chettinad Pavakkai Kuzhambhu, Chettinad mutton sukka varuval & Chettinad Chicken. Vadai Kari/ Vada Curry is a dumpling curry that is famous in South India usually served in hotels and tiffen joints along with hot idlies or dosas. I already posted Amma's version of Vada Curry but today I wanted to do a twist and make it in a chettinad style using fresh roasted spices. The result was an excellent curry, also I have made the vadas/ vadai using a steaming method, its low fat version and can be enjoyed for a filling breakfast.

Kalmi Kebab | Chicken Tandoori Recipe | How to make Chicken Tandoori at home

Kalmi Kebab Recipe

R & I are Kebab lovers, anything tandoor will be a definite pick from any restaurant menu. But once I started to make tandoori chicken at home, we never look back. Homemade tandoori chicken is more moist, flavourful and sans food colour. I always look at tandoori or grilled recipes as it requires less oil and tastes delicious. The other day my husband requested that I make Kalmi Kebab and hence thought of posting this gorgeous recipe with all of you. This Kalmi Kebab is mild in spice, juicy, succulent, tender and tastes delicious, the longer the marination the softer your chicken and  the more flavourful the chicken. Most fast food joints and restaurants serve hard and stiff tandoori, the secret is in the marinate and how you cook it. In this post you will learn how to make perfect tandoori chicken at home. I usually marinate the chicken overnight and it works like a charm. The key is also in the marination and each recipe varies in the proportions and ingredients. 

Mutton Coconut milk Curry | South Indian Mutton/ Goat/ Lamb Curry

Mutton Coconut milk curry

There has never been a Sunday without hot piping idlies and mutton curry for Sunday breakfast. I had already posted Mutton curry using coconut which Amma makes. This curry is almost similar but the taste is quite unique and light since I have used coconut milk. This curry goes well with appam, idiyappam, idly, chappathi, parotta, poori white rice and so on. I have heard that there is a Kerala Mutton curry using coconut milk, the same recipe can be done but with the addition of coconut oil instead of refined.