Thayir Vadai Recipe | Curd Vadai | South Indian Vada Recipe

Thayir Vadai Recipe

Thayir Vadai / Curd Vadas are my all time favourite. Usually all left over crisp vadas are made into either Sambar Vadai or Thayir Vadai. Curd is beaten, spiced and seasoned, Vadas are then soaked in warm water gently squeezed and then added to the curd to develop flavours. Usually we refrigerate curd vadas and enjoy them in the evening or next day. If you have seen my earlier post on how to make perfect crisp vadas you can use the same recipe as a base to make vadas and then make curd vadas with the left over vadas. I am this person who loves any kind of dahi based chaats and the next favourite would be Thayir vadas. They are simple and easy to make and you can garnish with carrot shavings and coriander leaves.

Appam Recipe (without yeast) | Appam and Thengai Pal | South Indian Breakfast Recipe

Appam & thengai pal such a heavenly combo and makes me so nostalgic. Appam is a rice pancake that is lacy and tender, very filling and usually famous as a South Indian Breakfast special. Even since I can remember we have been having appam and thenga pal at home once a month. It takes loads of patience and a good recipe to make fool-proof appams. Who other than our mother's can get the equation right? There are tons of appam recipes that are flooded on the internet. I am sure each one has a unique and distinctive taste and texture. Let me tell you the appams I have seen in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are so different. The ones in Tamil Nadu are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside, whereas in Kerala majority of the places I have visited appams are fully white tender and lase like. Both kinds I enjoy as long as I have a good cup of coconut milk to accompany with. In TN we have Nallas Appa Kadai taking the honours of making appams from scratch and does make people lazy to prepare them at home. Nevertheless a good excuse to step up for a meal ;-)

Today I will sharing with you the Tamil kind of appams that are soft and tender on the inside and crisp on the outside, they go well with stews, kurma, coconut milk and any non veg curry. At home we make appams for breakfast and rarely for dinner unless we intend to indulge. The batter is used upto 3 times and if you are planning to try this recipe for the first time. I suggest that you half the proportions.

Medhu Vadai Recipe | Medu Vada Recipe | Ulunthu Vadai Recipe | How to make Crisp Medhu Vadai

Medhu Vadai / Medu Vada/ Ulunthu Vadai/ Uzhunnu Vada is a staple South Indian tiffen recipe. The most favorite pairing would be Ven Pongal, Sakkarai Pongal, Coconut Chutney, Sambar and Medu Vada (or) Idly, Vadai, Sambar & Chutney. Usually Medu Vada's are served hot lovely puffed up in hotels. But at home usually the vadas are small to medium sized with and without holes. Amma usually makes Vadas very rarely and if there are left overs she makes Sambar Vadai or Thayir Vadai (Curd Vada). Medu Vadas are deep fried and there cannot be a compromised in this recipe, skinless ulunthu / urad dal is soaked and later ground into a fluffy batter (airy), mixed with spices and then deep fried. In most homes medhu vadas are usually shaped in a milk cover or polythene cover and then fried in oil but recently we started to shape the vadas in one hand and fry them. Its mess free and easy too. Now lets move on to the recipe

Thinai Paruppu Sadam | Thinai Arusi Paruppu Sadam | One Pot Foxtail Millet Recipe

Arusi Paruppu Sadam is a famous Kongu Nandu Recipe, from South India. Almost most homes in Coimbatore and nearby towns cook this sadam of rice and thoor dal. Today for a variation I made this Tamilian favourite rice dish along with Thinai/ Foxtail Millet. I must share the goodness of millets and why our forefathers ate them, they are filled with fibre, proteins, minerals and vitamins. They are so filling and yet gluten free, a great addition if you are someone who wants to diet but eat healthy. Since they contain complex carbohydrates they are great for diabetics. Nowadays with the boom of many organic stores in India we find these millets priced high but mind you millets are in general organic because of the nature in which they are cultivated since they are resilient to pests. 

I must tell you that I am so loving this combination of millet and dal makes it wholesome with added vegetables. I felt so full just like eating rice but I know this is sure a healthy alternative to white rice. Foxtail millet does not have any distinct taste like brown rice, they are bland and require flavouring or can be paired with curry.