Venn Pongal (South Indian Style Khichdi)

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It reminds me of the saying, "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper is the key to a healthy lifestyle." In our home, breakfast time is usually a very hurried affair. Hubby and son are always on a rush for office and school. On the contrary, dinners are one of the most happy times, because of mainly three reasons - food, family and discussions.

Pongal is one dish that is prepared at least once in a week in our home. It is my comfort dish with a simple combination of rice and moong dal (yellow split lentils) seasoned in black pepper, cumin seeds, curry leaves, mustard seeds and ghee (clarified butter). It is a very common and popular breakfast in South India. We can also say, a South Indian version of the North Indian khichdi. It is a very healthy, nutritious and quite filling dish. My son loves this pongal accompanied by some sambar. You can have it for dinner too and if you ask me - my family can have it 3 times a day without complaining. It is one of the best foods you can give your toddler (just do not add peppercorn to the recipe). 

Ingredients:- 

• 1 cup parboiled rice
• ½ cup moong dal (yellow split lentils)
• 3 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• salt to tase

Method:-

• Wash the rice and dal together and pressure cook with 5 cups water and salt.
• Heat 2 tbsp ghee and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and curry leaves.
• Fry for 1½ minutes and pour this seasoning over the rice-dal mixture. Mix well.
• Transfer the mixture onto a bowl.
• Serve piping hot drizzled with the remaining ghee.

Notes:-

• You can add 1 inch piece ginger cut into slivers in the seasoning if you like.

Happy Cooking!! 

Sending this entry to :- Cutchi Kitchen's Giveaway and Hetal's 1st Anniversary Celebration Giveaway and Cook With White announced at Merry Tummy and Foodabulous Fest Event organised by SimplyTADKA & Rafeeda's Announcement Page and  Cooking With Seeds event hosted by Shruti Rasoi and announced by Priya and Amrita's Party Event and Srivalli's Kid's Delight Potluck Party and Nandoo's Healthy Breakfast Event 

Instant Sambhar (No Onions & No Tomatoes)

Sambhar is one of the most popular recipes in South Indian cuisine. Any South Indian meal is incomplete without sambhar. Sambhar can be made in many ways. But today I would like to share this "Instant Sambhar" with you all. This recipe is really a life-saver for Moms of school-going kids. It is very tasty and flavorful recipe. It is very simple and and quick to make too. One of my son's favorite accompaniment with ghee rice or pongal.

Ingredients:-

• ½ cup split pigeon pea / tuar dal
• 2 - 3 tbsp oil 
• 1½ tsp sambhar powder
• 1 tsp rice flour
• ½ tsp mustard seeds 
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds 
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp asafoetida / hing
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 green chillies
• a small piece of tamarind (soaked in 1 cup warm water and strained)
• few coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• salt to taste

Method:-

• Wash and pressure cook dal along with 2 ½ cups water, turmeric powder and 1 tsp oil.
• Whisk dal well and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan. add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Saute till they crackle.
• Add tamarind pulp, sambhar powder, salt and mix well.
• Add boiled dal and cook till boils. 
• Add rice flour and stir well. 
• Cook covered on slow flame for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with rice or idli's. 

Notes:-

• You may add 2 drumsticks (cut into small pieces) after adding curry leaves.
• You may add slit green chillies or whole red chillies chillies in the tempering if you like your sambhar spicy.
• You add add chopped & boiled vegetables (brinjals, pumpkin, radish, lady finger's or potato) to the sambhar along with tamarind pulp.

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :- Spotlight: Beans & Lentil and Mission Explore Food: Lentils & CookCookandCook & Thoushaltcook and Cook Yellow Event announced at Merry Tummy

Cabbage Poriyal / Cabbage Stir Fry

Cabbage is a good source of fiber and very low in calories. It is also rich in iodine which is very important for healthy, normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. It is an excellent source of vitamin C to boost the immunity system. It is good for asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory disorders as it detoxifies the lungs. Hence, we should try to include cabbage at least once a week in our daily diet. This simple yet healthy and nutritious recipe is one of my favourites. It is very easy and quick to prepare too and served as a side dish to chapathi's.

Ingredients:-

• 600 gms cabbage (shredded)
• 2 onions (sliced)
• 6 dry red chillies 
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / zeera
• ½ tsp onion seeds / kalonji
• ½ tsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp all spice powder / garam masala powder 
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder 
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds / methi dana
• few curry leaves
• salt to taste

Method:-

• Heat oil in a wok.
• Add to it onion seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Stir well.
• Add onions and saute till transparent.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, all spice powder and 2 tbsp of water.
• Saute till oil seperates.
• Add cabbage and mix well. 
• Add 2 - 3 tbsp of water and simmer till done.
• Serve hot with chapathi's

Notes:-

• You may add 1 tbsp grated coconut along with cabbage.
• You may add green chillies instead of dry red ones, but add them with the onions.
• You may avoid adding ginger-garlic paste if you want.

Happy Cooking!!

Tomato Chutney

I love chutney's. It brightens up any meal unlike very few accompaniments. In India, any South Indian meal is considered incomplete without a chutney. Tomato chutney is my hubby's all-time favorite chutney. Even my son who doesn't usually eats chutney's, enjoys this tomato chutney a lot. This chutney is a perfect accompaniment to dosa's, idli's, rice and my hubby loves eating it with Hari Moong Dal Khichdi too.

Ingredients:-

• 2 tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 4 - 5 curry leaves
• 3 dry red chillies
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• 1tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• salt to taste

Method:-

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add cumin seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and garlic.
• Mix well and add onions, tomatoes and turmeric powder.
• Saute well till onions and tomatoes are tender.
• Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.
• Grind this mixture along with coriander leaves to a fine paste.
• Serve with idli / dosa's or plain rice.

Notes:-

• You may adjust the amount of red chillies as per your taste
• You may also use green chillies instead of red ones.

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :- Easy to Prepare in 15 minutes 

My 50th post - A Guest Post from Pavithra : Avial

Today, is a very special day for me. My blog completed 50 posts today and my happiness has also doubled because I have a very special blogger friend on my blog as my esteemed guest. She definitely needs no introduction as you may have received her continual appreciation and support in the form of her valuable comments on your space.  Her words are so encouraging and motivating and each time you read her comment there would be a smile on your lips. I’m sure most of you must’ve guessed who she is.  So, without much delay I’d like to introduce you to the most humble person I’ve ever come across in this blogging world – The very adorable Pavithra R of Potpourri.

She is very down-to-earth by nature and helpful always. Whenever I need advice on my blog, she is the first person who comes to my mind and believe me, she answers to all my questions very jovially and readily. Last week, I asked her anxiously if she’d be willing to do a guest post for me.  She was kind enough to accept my invitation immediately. Thanks a lot Pavithra for sharing your wonderful recipe with us. 

She started her wonderful blog 3 months back and is always ready to voice her opinion on issues related to sports, politics, education, movies, or be it books. Do visit her space to and check out her posts on Sports - Why is it so important for kids , How to use SWOT in personal life , Suspended Coffee , German restaurant story and A lesson on Unity . I also love her simple and comfort cooking like Simple Mango Pudding and Simple Carrot And Paneer Pulao .

Over to Pavithra:-

Hola, to all!!

I'm Pavithra, a techie by profession and a wannabe writer(Dream, dream and dream :-)). I'm a dreamer, but I live in the moment. I love anything related to food, news, music, sports and lifestyle. I like the flavor and aroma more than any other quality in food. I love trying out new dishes at restaurants and of course at home. I have a lot of little cousins, who are always enthusiastic to taste my simple recipes, no matter how bad it turns out, HaHa. My favorite TV channels are TLC, Fox Traveler and NDTV Goodtimes. One of my favorite shows is "High Way On MY Plate"(Highly recommended for foodies!). Overall, I'm a simple person with sophisticated thought process. :-)

About my blog "Potpourri": HeHe, What can I say - it is my punching bag!!

PS: Nilu: Thank you so much for asking me to do a guest post, although I'm not a food blogger per se, I really appreciate it!! This is my first :-)

The first word which comes to my mind when I think about Nilu and her blog is being "Humble". I'm sure everybody would agree with that!

Also she is one of those bloggers, who is very innovative and creative with new ideas and never shies away from giving credit to whomsoever she learnt the cuisine from. I especially love her MIL's recipes!!

Her's is one of those blogs, I never miss reading the tips(notes) section on any given day, because it is really useful and informative! Her comments on posts are genuine and heartfelt, I really appreciate her for that.

I also love the humble "Cooking Mama" picture on her profile. :-)

I love all her recipes, because it is simple to make and doable!

To pick quite a few, here are my 3 favorites:

Gulab Ka Sheera  

Vermicelli With Poached Eggs  

Dry Fruits Hareera

Since Nilu is from Mumbai, I'm hoping to learn a lot of Maharashtrian Vegetarian cuisine from her in near future!! :-) 

Well, I wanted a simple yet rich recipe which is healthy, but not made very often. I see a lot of healthy, rich and simple recipes in Nilu's blog and hence wanted to go with the flow!

Also, I love the flavor in Kerala cuisine because they are very authentic!

                                                                         Avial                                                                              

Avial is one of the favorite dishes in our household. It is a humble yet rich side dish from Kerala. Avial is made with loads of vegetables and coconut as the main ingredient. The only rule of thumb is to use 'coconut oil' to make this authentic recipe. It takes the dish to a different level.

It is also a healthy recipe!

Ingredients:

1)Carrot - 1

2)Beans - 8

3)Brinjal - 2(small)

4)Potato - 1

5)Ash Gourd - 1/2 cup

6)Raw Plantain - 1(small)

7)Drumstick -1

8)Raw Mango - 1/2

9)Yam - 1/2 cup

10)Curd - 3 tsp

11)Water - as required

For Grinding:

1)Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup

2)Cumin Seeds  - 1 tsp

3)Green Chilli - 4

For Tempering:

1)Coconut oil - 3 tsp

2)Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

3)Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

For Garnishing:

1)Coriander leaves - 3 sprigs 

Preparation:

1)Chop all the vegetables into same(or similar) sized pieces.

2)Grind Coconut, Cumin Seeds and Green Chillies in a mixer with little water and make a coarse paste(Not a fine paste!)

3)Take required amount of water in a pan, add salt and turmeric powder. Now add all the cut vegetables. Let it boil, until the veggies turn tender.  It should not be mushy. Filter the water out and spread the veggies. 

Note: Every vegetable takes different time to cook, so it is not possible to boil them separately, hence it is OK to add all the veggies together, make sure the Brinjal which tends to cook super fast is placed above and not at the bottom of the pan.

4)Add coconut oil to a pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter.

5)Add the cooked veggies and saute for couple of minutes.

6)Add the grounded paste and mix well. Saute for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame.

7)Add curd and mix well.

8)Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Avial tastes perfect with plain rice.

Tips: 

1)Instead of boiling the veggies in a pan, you can cook the veggies in pressure cooker or you can steam the veggies in microwave oven.

2)You can add any number of veggies in this dish. Avoid Capsicum, it takes away the authentic taste of Avial.

3)The filtered water from boiling the veggies can be used to make vegetable soup.

Thank you Pavithra for taking some time and making this yummy avial for me. I'm sure all my readers would have loved this tempting dish. Hope to see many more of your interesting posts in the future :-)  
Happy Cooking!!