Kuzhi Paniyaram | Kara Paniyaram | How to make crisp paniyaram

South Indian's love their rice and we are no exception. And I must admit R & me also have chappati/ roti atleast thrice a week for lunch. So we do have a balance act that we do. I constantly get asked this question from readers as to what to do with left for dosa batter? how to make perfectly soft idlies? how to make crisp dosas? and so on. I have posted my no fail idly dosa batter recipe which you would want to check as its the same batter that I have used for this recipe too. Coming to today's recipe Kuzhi Paniyaram is a favourite and quick to do snack/ breakfast recipe in most South Indian homes. Today I will sharing a spiced version (kara paniyaram) recipe which is great to dip with any coconut based chutney.

One good tip to get crisp and perfect shaped paniyaram without sticking to the paniyaram mould is to grease it properly and add a bit of rice flour to the batter. And never use freshly ground dosa or idly batter use the last set of batter and make the mix (ingredients) atleast an hour before doing paniyaram. This helps in developing flavours and also just 10 minutes before making the paniyaram add the rice flour to get crisp and perfectly shaped kuzhi paniyaram.

Eggless Strawberry Pudding | Strawberry Condensed milk China Grass Pudding | Easy Eggless Dessert Recipe

I love fresh seasonal fruits, this year its been raining strawberries in the place I live. I love to source for ingredients that are readily available and try recipes to blog about them ;-) call me crazy that's understated. With a hectic weekend, Monday started off with all the agenda and to me cooking is therapeutic and with fruits I never say no. Today I wanted to kill time usefully hence churn'd out this simple dessert with pureed strawberries, condensed milk, milk and agar agar, the result was a simple delightful pudding that is free of eggs. If you are not sure what to make with strawberries this season, now you know :P. Its definitely a must try if you are a strawberry-holic or pink lover ;-).

Long ago I tried using gelatine and feel sick in my stomach. Later I gotto know that gelatine was made of animal bones and I was shocked. Never did I ever go near gelatine again. China grass (vegetarian counterpart to gelatine) is the new gelatine that is safe and accepts well with me, a great gelling agent in puddings or custards. From a personal experience I felt that china grass gives a more light feel to the dessert compared to gelatine. 

Vendakkai Kurma | Orka Coconut Curry | Bhindi Korma

Vendakkai Kurma

R & I love Vendakkai/ Orka / Bhindi & recipes with this vegetable is a sure must once a week. I remember Amma stuffing me with this vegetable during exams since they are said to improve memory power. That almost everyday after exam there would be vendakkai and moor sadam (buttermilk rice) for lunch :-) and I never complained. This combo still remains as my favourite no matter how many years pass by. I still have a memory of me with my book enjoying this for lunch. 

When I was new to cooking I always felt vendakkai (ladies finger) were a challenge to cook since they are slimy and hard to manage although I loved the taste of it, I did dread cooking with them. But like all cooks I overcame the challenge with this vengetable and ever since I cook with this vegetable every week. Earlier I had posted Vendakkai/Orka Coconut milk curry and I did see many interesting comments in that post and today I am sharing a totally different method to this Coconut & yoghurt based Vendakkai Kurma/ Korma. Lets move on to the recipe

Gobi 65 | Cauliflower 65 | Restaurant style Cauliflower recipe

Gobi 65 recipe

My husband generally loves vegetables and to continue the vegetarian diet through the weekend I made this easy to do Gobi 65/ Cauliflower 65. Instead of a snack we had this with our lunch along with sambar, rice and poriyal. This is a really quick snack/ side to do effortlessly. Cauliflowers contain vitamin B1, B2, B3, B4, B6 & B9, Omega 3, Vitamin K & Vitamin C. 

To make Gobi 65 a spiced batter is made and partially cooked cauliflower florets are dipped in the batter and fried in oil to cook further. The remain crunchy and succulent for a long time and taste great as a snack along with some fried curry leaves and ketchup or as a side to rice.

Red Velvet Jar cake recipe | Red velvet cake pudding recipe ~ Valentine's Day treat !

Red velvet jar cake

Love means different things to different people, each person differs in their expression of love. Today being Valentine's day everyone talks about love. But to me I came to know the true meaning of it through the Bible. It reads as this

"Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, 

always perseveres. Love never fails".

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

What better way to express in words what love can be? One other quote that made perfect sense it 

" Love is a verb if not just a word" which is so true. This little jar cake is just my expression of love for my other half. Love you sweetheart. Happy Valentine's Day!