Sorakkai mochai kootu is a delicious protein and fibre-rich kootu variety.
Sorakkai( Bottlegourd) has numerous health benefits but we seldom use it in our diet.
💪It protects the heart.
💪It aids in digestion prevents constipation, cures ulcer.
💪Help in weight management
💪High in fibre.
💪Protects the skin and hair.

FIELD beans (Mochaikai) outer skin removed

Mochaikai /mochakottai-
💪Rich in protein
💪Rich in vitamin A, B1 and C
💪Rich in fibre
💪Rich in iron, copper, manganese and folate.

Ingredients

Sorakkai(Bottle Gourd/Lauki)-2 nos chopped 
Mochaikai(Field beans)-1/2 cup
Green gram dhal-1/2 cup
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera)-1/2 tsp
Red chilly-1 no
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Asafetida a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil-1 tsp
Curry leaves few

Grind Together

Grated coconut-4 tbsps
Green chillies-3 nos
Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Method

  👉Wash and peel the outer skin of the bottle gourd using a peeler cut it lengthwise in the middle and remove the seeds then chop it into small cubes.
👉Cook the dhal in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles and set aside.
👉Now in the same cooker add the chopped sorakkai , turmeric powder, field beans(mochaikai) little water and cook for 2 whistles.
👉Then release the pressure again keep on heat and add the ground paste, salt, cooked dhal mix everything well and bring it to a boil finally temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilly and curry leaves. Serve hot.

Preparation time-15 mins
Serves- 4

Note

✍️Mochaikai (Field beans) has a transparent cover on it you can either use it as such or remove the cover and use it ,for that you have to soak the beans in water for 1 hour and then using your thumb and forefinger lightly press the bean near the white line( refer pic) the outer cover will come off easily.
✍️Fresh Mochaikai is available only during certain seasons especially in the month of December and January,but you get the packaged dried field beans in all supermarkets.

Pakoda and potato kurma is a very different variety of kurma (gravy) made with pakodas(pakoras) and it tastes superb and goes well with idiyappam, appam. This is a traditional recipe and has been passed on for generations in my family.

Ingredients 

For kurma 

Paste 1-

Grated coconut-1 cup (Grind to a fine paste)

Paste 2 -

Onion-1 big chopped
Ginger-1 inch piece
Garlic-6 cloves
Green chillies-8 nos
(Fry  everything in a tsp of oil and grind to fine paste)

Other ingredients-

Curd-1/2 cup slightly whipped
Potatoes-2 nos cooked and diced to cubes.
Salt  to taste
Cloves-4
Cinnamon-2
Bay leaf-1
Oil-2 tsp
Coriander leaves few

For Pakoda

Bengal gram dhal-1 cup (soaked for 1/2 hr)
Green chillies-6 nos
Onion-1 chopped finely
Fennel seeds(Sombu)-1 1/2 tsp
Ginger-1 inch piece
Garlic-3 cloves chopped
Curry leaves and coriander leaves few
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method For Making Kurma

👉 In a bowl add the slightly whipped curd and the paste 1 and paste 2 mix well and set aside for sometime.

Pakoda mixture and curd mixture

👉Heat oil in a kadai add cloves,cinnamon,bay leaf and saute for a minute,then add onions fry till it's cooked well.
👉Now pour the curd mixture followed by salt and required amount of water and allow it to cook well .
👉Now add the cooked potatoes.
👉Simultaneously make pakodas and immediately add them to the boiling kurma. Allow it to thicken to desired consistency.Check for salt.






👉Garnish and serve hot with chappati poori,appam,idiyappam,dosa etc.

PAKODA

Method

👉Grind the soaked Bengal gram dhal to a coarse paste after draining the water completely along with ginger, garlic, fennel seeds and salt.
👉Now mix the chopped onion, green chillies , asafetida, curry leaves and coriander leaves to the paste and set aside.




👉Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai and when the oil is hot take the ground mixture and  using the tip of the fingers just drop small portions into the oil and deep fry till golden brown colour is reached and till the oil stops bubbling.
👉Immediately transfer the pakodas into the Kurma.


Preparation time-30 mins
Serves-6

Note

✍️The pakodas should be added immediately to the kurma then only it will absorb the kurma and taste good.

Araikeerai masiyal is a simple yet tasty and nutritious recipe made with green leafy vegetables especially amaranth(Araikeerai in Tamil ).Its a great way to include greens in your diet.

Small Onion Garlic Thokku | Chinna Vengayam Poondu Thokku 

Small onion and garlic thokku is a delicious, spicy chutney/thokku which can be made very quickly and stored for a week

 After the  festive days its time for us to detox .Once people  hear the word detox they usually think about juices, but did you know that our simple spices does the job even better .

   Deepavali legiyum recipe | Diwali marundu recipe

This Deepavali legiyum is an essential part of South Indian tradition, it is as important as the sweets and snacks which we make during the festive season

Homemade Khoya | Homemade Mawa 

 Adhirasam recipe |  Athirasam| Ariselu | Kajjaaya 

Gulab Jamun | Gulab Jamun with Homemade Khoya

 Papaya Halwa

Ingredients

Ripe papaya-1 medium sized
Sugar- 1/2-3/4 cup
Ghee-2 tbsps
Cashews few
Cardamom Powder- a pinch

Method

👉Remove the skin and seeds of the papaya and cut it into random shapes and grind it to a fine paste in a mixie.DO NOT ADD WATER FOR GRINDING.set aside.



👉Heat ghee in the kadai, add broken cashews and fry till golden brown colour and then add the papaya paste and allow it to boil. Once it starts boiling add the sugar and keep stirring continuously.
👉Add ghee and cardamom powder when the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture starts bubbling.
Keep stirring. The mixture will now change colour, the ghee will come on the top, become glossy and thicken to halwa consistency, remove from fire transfer into a container allow it to cool.serve.

Note-

✍️Buy only ripe papaya.
✍️The colour of the halwa depends on the colour of the papaya(I have not added any food colour here).
✍️First taste the papaya and accordingly adjust the sugar.
✍️Keep stirring the halwa continuously and cook in low flame.

 Boondi Ladoo | Boondi Laddu | Boondi Ke Ladoo 

Boondi ladoo is a very delicious traditional Indian sweet made with bengal gram flour, sugar and ghee.there are few tips to follow to make a perfect ladoo such as-
1. The consistency of the batter is very important.

Mysore Pak 

 Jangiri recipe | Mini Jangiri recipe | Imarti recipe

Sweet Somasi |  Sweet Somas | Karanji 

Milagu Thattai | Pepper Thattai | Thattai 

Ingredients

Homemade Processed rice flour-1cup
Roasted urad dal flour(varutha ulundu maavu) or fried gram dhal flour-1 tbsp
Butter-2 tsps
Pepper powder-1tbsp
Bengal gram dhal-1 tbsp
Fried gram dhal-1tbsp
Roasted and broken groundnuts- 1tbsp
Asafatida a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method

👉First soak the bengal gram dhal and fried gram dhal for 10 mins.
👉Mix both the flours, salt, butter, asafoetida, pepper powder,the soaked dhals and roasted groundnuts together.then add 2 tbps of hot oil into it and mix the flours carefully.
👉Add water little by little to make a firm dough set aside for 5 mins.



👉Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying.
👉Now take a small lemon sized dough and place it on top of butter paper/aluminium foil/greased plastic sheet and make into small poori shapes using the fingers or press it gently using the back of flat cup.Make sure you press it evenly .Now poke holes into the thattai all over to prevent it from puffing up like poori.


👉Deep fry them till golden brown and remove from fire when oil stops bubbling.
👉Drain the excess oil using a absorbant paper.



👉Store it in air tight container.

Preparation Time-45 minutes 

Note-

✍️You can make kara thattai by adding a tsp of red chilli powder instead of pepper powder.
✍️DONOT use ordinary rice flour as it will soften the thattai very soon and the thattai wont be hard. 

Thakkali Gothsu or tomato gotsu is a very famous South Indian side dish .it's highly nutritious and comes packed with Antioxidants,Vitamins A,C,B6 etc.Lycopene which is present in tomatoes has cancer preventing properties.

Ingredients

Tomatoes-1/2kg
Onions-2 nos finely chopped
Green chillies-6 nos slit in the middle
Garlic-6 cloves
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Urud dhal-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil-1 tsp
Coriander leaves and curry leaves few

Method

👉Wash and cut the tomatoes randomly,pressure cook it by adding just enough water to cover the tomatoes for 4 whistles , remove from the fire release the pressure and mash the tomatoes well ,set aside.
👉Heat oil in a kedai add mustard seeds,urud dhal,garlic,onions,green chillies and saute until the onions are cooked.
👉Then pour the cooked tomatoes along with the water .
👉Now add salt and allow it to boil for few minutes until everything blends well and thickens.
👉Check for salt.
👉Garnish and serve hot with idli,dosa,chappati and rice.


Preparation Time-15 mins
Serves-4

Note

✍️Buy only ripe tomatoes.i have used Bangalore(apple) tomatoes,even country Tomatoes can be used.
✍️While pressure cooking donot add too much water.(I cook the tomatoes in pressure cooker as it's easy and moreover the skin also dissolves quickly).
✍️I like to add sugar to the GOTHSU while eating, it will taste superb.kids will surely like it.

This is a very unique recipe which combines Greens and cabbage,its super nutritious and tasty.It can be made in a jiffy and is best suited for your busy morning schedule .

Ingredients

Amaranth(thandu keerai/molai keerai)-1 cup finely shredded
Cabbage-1 cup finely shredded
Onion-1 no shredded
Green chillies-3 nos chopped
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Urud dhal-1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dhal-1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil-1 tsp

Method

👉Heat oil in a kadai add mustard seeds,urud dhal,bengal gram dhal,cumin seeds and allow them to splutter and turn to golden brown color.
👉Next add the onions and saute for few minutes.
👉Add the cabbage and fry for few minutes until it's half cooked,then add the amaranth leaves and allow them to cook.
👉Add salt.
👉Serve hot with rice,sambar rice,rasam rice,chappati etc.

Serves-2
Preparation Time-15 mins

Note

✍️You can use any green leafy vegetables of your choice.
✍️You can add ginger garlic also.

Thavala Vadai | Mixed Dal Vada

Thavala vadai is a famous and traditional tea time snack in Tamil nadu. Though it has a funny name(THAVALA means frog in Tamil and it also means a vessel seriously nobody knows why it's called so...).

Tomato Rice is a very common recipe but each family has its own style of making it this is my family's version .
We cook the tomato Rice in coconut milk..
It gives it a unique flavour.
This recipe is cooked in Pressure cooker method.

Ingredients

Basmati rice-1 cup
Tomatoes-6 nos chopped
Onions-2 nos chopped
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Red chilly powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Coconut milk-1 /2 cup
Cinnamon,cloves, bay leaves- few
Coriander leaves for garnish
Salt to taste
Ghee+oil-1 tbsp

Method

👉Heat  ghee+oil in a pressure cooker add cinnamon,cloves,onions saute for few minutes.
👉Add the ginger garlic paste fry for few seconds then add the tomatoes followed by red chilly powder,basmati rice fry them for a minute then add 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1 cup water.
👉Add salt, mix everything.
👉Once the steam comes put the weight and sim the heat and after 10 mins increase the heat and cook for 2 whistles then  off the gas and allow it to rest for 2 mins and then release the pressure.
👉Check for salt and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with Onion raitha and chips.

 Serves-4
Preparation time-20 mins

Note-

✍️You can exclude the coconut milk if you don't want it and cook the rice with water only (1 cup rice-1 1/2 cup water) and the remaining procedure is the same.
✍️Don't cook in high flame as it tends to catch the bottom of the vessel since we are using coconut milk.

ADAI AVIAL is a very famous and traditional South Indian tiffin variety.
Adai is a dosai variety made using three types of dals and 2 types of rice varieties.
Avial is made by combining mixed vegetables with coconut masala and curd.
Both these are nutrition packed recipes and it  is a combination made in heaven.
Check out how to make traditional and absolutely delicious adai avial recipe below.

ADAI

Ingredients-

Thoor dhal,Bengalgram dhal,Urud dhal- 1 cup each
Raw rice- 1 cup
Parboiled idly rice- 1 cup
Red chillies-10-15 nos
Onions- 3 nos chopped finely
Curry leaves , coriander leaves a few
Salt to taste
Asafetida a pinch
Oil as required

Method

👉Wash and soak all the dals and rice together for 1/2 hour.
👉First grind the redchillies and then
 after draining the excess water add the rice and dhal mixture and grind very coarsely along with salt  using very little water.
👉Add onions, curry leaves and coriander leaves and pinch of asafetida to the  ground mixture and mix everything well.
👉Heat the tawa take a handful or laddle full of the batter and  place it on the tawa and spread it using your fingers to small adais.add oil .
👉Cook till one side becomes golden brown flip and cook the other side too.
👉Serve hot.

Serves - 6
Preparation time- 45 mins

Note-

✍️Usually people soak the rice and dhal for 3 hours but I soak it only for 1/2 hour and I have no problem while grinding it .
✍️For this quantity of rice and dal I prefer using the grinder for grinding but you can also use ur mixie .USE THE PULSE OR WHIP BUTTON IN YOUR MIXIE FOR GRINDING.and grind in batches.
✍️You can add finely chopped Greens of your choice,traditionaly we add drumstick leaves and make adai.
✍️You even add grated carrot to the adai.

AVIAL

Ingredients-

Mixed vegetables(Carrot,Drumsticks, Elephant yam, Bush Beans, Cluster beans, Raw Plantain ,White Pumpkin,Snake Gourd)- 2 cups chopped to 1 inch piece
Curd-1/2 cup slightly whipped
Salt to taste
Coconut oil-1 tbsp
Curry leaves- few

Grind Together-

Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Green chillies-4 nos
Raw rice-2 tsps
Cumin seeds-2 tsps

Method

👉Grind the ingredients given for grinding to to a fine paste and set aside.
👉Cook the vegetables in  a pressure cooker for 2 whistles adding little water making sure the veggies are soaked completely.
👉Release the pressure and add the ground paste,salt mix well and cook for 2 mins.
👉Add the slightly whipped curd to it.
👉Heat coconut oil add the curry leaves and allow it to splutter and pour over the AVIAL.

Serves-4
Preparation time-20 mins

 Note-

✍️Cover the avial in plantain leaf (vaazhaiyilai) until serving as it adds flavour to the avial