Vankaya Masala / Brinjal Masala - Restaurant Style

Brinjal Masala / Eggplant Masala also called as "Vankaya Masala" is one of the delicacies of Andhra cuisine. I love this gravy especially the one served at weddings and restaurants. It tastes so unique and little rich and creamy in consistency than the regular one that is made at home kitchen. I often make this vankaya masala at home along with the side of hot white rice. No accompaniments are required and it goes well with rotis, chappathis too. In weddings, they serve this gravy along with Brinji Rice which is an excellent combination. Fresh tender small brinjals / Eggplants are best suited for making this gravy.

Ingredients

Fresh Tender Brinjals - Around 20

Ripe Tomato - 1 Big or 2 Medium 

Red Onion - 1 Big

Fresh Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 Stem

Green Chili chopped finely - 1 tsp

Coriander Leaves - To Garnish

Water - As Required for making the gravy

Salt - As Required

Jaggery - 1 tiny cube

Thick Tamarind Extract - 1 tbsp

Grounded Paste

Urad Dal - 2 tsp

Channa Dal - 2 tsp

Black Pepper Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp

Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp

Groundnuts/ Peanuts - 1/2 tbsp

Dry Red Chillies - 8 or 10 

Cashew Nuts - 5 or 6

Method

• First cut the vegetables that are required and keep them ready. While cutting the brinjals for this gravy, slit them into four halves on the outer side of the tiny brinjal keeping the stem intact. In this way, the whole brinjal will be cooked perfectly and seen in the gravy.
• Dry Roast all the ingredients that are required to make the grounded paste till you get a nice aroma on a medium flame. It should not turn black. Let it cool down a bit. After its cooled completely, make a thick paste out of it.
• In the cooking pan, add 1/2 tbsp of  oil and a tsp of ghee first . When its heated, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds in order. 
• Add the shredded onion,green chili pieces and a pinch of salt into the pan. Fry them for a minute and then add the ginger garlic paste into it. Fry the contents in the pan till the raw smell goes off.
• Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, curry leaves into the pan and fry them till the tomatoes get mushy and mashed.
• Add the tiny brinjals / baby eggplants and little salt now into the pan.Fry them for a minute.
• Add the thick tamarind extract, required amount of water into the pan. Add jaggery into it now. Cover the lid and allow the contents to cook. When the tiny brinjals get cooked to three fourth, add the grounded paste into the pan. Add required amount of salt for the whole gravy and remaining ghee and oil into it now.
• Let it cook on medium flame for 6-7 minutes. Once you notice the oil oozing on top layer of the gravy, its done. By then, the gravy would have been perfect with all raw smell completely gone.
• Switch off the flame and let the gravy cools down little bit. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice or rotis.

Tips / Suggestions

• This gravy tastes extremely good after couple of hours as the gravy settles down with all the grounded spices well.
• Fresh tiny brinjals are a must for this gravy.
• For getting the exact creamy consistency, make sure you add all the ingredients in the grounded paste without fail especially the cashews.
• Do not overcook the brinjals initially. When its cooked to three fourth, add the paste.Otherwise, all the brinjals would get mashed and they wont be seen in the gravy properly.

Diwali 2016 / Lakshmi Pooja 2016 At Home

Diwali, festival of lights has been my favourite festival since my childhood. I would always dream of Diwali every year, would open and embrace my new diwali dress secretly, would collect the fire crackers and count them every single day, would enjoy the sweet samples that my mom made during Diwali. Those memories are priceless. Keeping that in mind, I am trying my best to make my kids diwali an enjoyable one which they should remember in their life time and relish as I do.

Diwali this year 2016 was celebrated at home only with my kids as my husband had gone to India on an official trip. So, the energy level was little down. Inspite of that, I triggered the event with music, good festive food, decor at every corner of the home, lights and dinners with extended family. Performed the Lakshmi Pooja in the evening and offered new jewelleries to goddess lakshmi and made prasadams too.

Hope to  enjoy the next  Diwali with my husband and kids together. Wishing you all a very Happy, Colourful Diwali this year...

Decor made by my kids

Decor by my kids

Diwali Goodies -- Kesar Peda, Mixed Nuts Burfi and Kara Boondi

Navarathri 2016 / Golu 2016

Navarathri Golu 2016 at my home

Navarathri 2016  started in full swing, thamboolam invites poured in, full sight of navarathri dolls at many Indian grocers here, colourful sarees taken out with matching jewelleries, all kinds of lentils, beans occupied the kitchen counters for sundals...It went on and on. Mind was so refreshed to welcome Navarathri Devi at home.

I single handedly decorated the Golu this time as the kids and my husband were too busy at their respective works.Of Course, the steps were organized and kept ready by my husband.  Trust me, it was very tiring for me to keep the dolls and decorate alone. After keeping the Golu, I sat and enjoyed my hard work with great satisfaction. Well, my dear friends, I hope you would like my Golu this year and would appreciate my work!!! Please give me your suggestions to improvise my Golu.

Navarathri Mornings started with "Sri Lalitha Sahasranamam" followed by other devi songs. One kind of Sundal was offered as Neivedhyam to our Navarathri Devi. During the 9 days, many of my friends attended the Lalitha Sahasranama Pooja in the mornings and we enjoyed a full feast of South Indian Food.

First Day Neivedhyam -- Kesari and Moong Dal Sundal

Totally, it was really good to see vibrant colours of sarees, kids in Indian dresses. I am sure you would have enjoyed Navarthri Golu at your homes too and celebrated Navarathri Devi in a grand way. Wishing to make a beautiful Golu next year too....

Ganesha Chathurthi 2016 / Vinayaka Chathurthi 2016 / Vinayaka Chavithi 2016

Cute Ganesha made by my husband

Ganesha Chathurthi / Vinayaka Chathurthi 2016 was also celebrated in a grand manner at home this year.  As the Ganesha pooja and palavalli decoration is totally done by my husband every year, I am able to focus only on making yummy prasadams for Lord Ganesha. Since morning, all ganesha devotional songs would be filling the house. We all would be doing our chores listening to the songs.

My husband collected all the Pathris for ganesha pooja from our backyard garden with the help of my son. Then they started making the Palavalli with fruits. Meantime, my husband made his own ganesha from scratch using Rice flour, turmeric powder and sandol powder. His ganesha was set aside and was getting ready for his big pooja.

In the kitchen, I was making varieties of modaks, vadai, and other items in full swing. My only intention was to finish off all kitchen works before the actual pooja started. Finally I achieved that too. ( As my husband and kids more...time at the pooja place ).

We had a very long pooja for Lord Ganesha and my husband loved to recite the stories at the end. My kids got so hungry towards the end. This made me understand that if our stomach was not full, our mind was unable to think, focus on prayers. 

Finally, the pooja got over and we enjoyed the Prasadams.

Our Ganesha enjoying in our Palavalli and ready to eat the Prasadams.

 My Prasadams for this year included : 

1. Undrallu
2. Black Channa Sundal
3. Medhu Vadai
4. Puliogare
5. Payasam
6. Maha Neivedhyam
7. Ulundhu Kozhakattai / Urad Dal Modak
8. Sweet Modak / Thengai poornam Kozhakattai
9. Pappaarthi / Dal Payasam with rice balls in it
10. Palaarthi / Milk Based Payasam with rice balls in it.
11. Vada Pappu,
12. Panagam
13. Dates

Prasadams for 2016 Ganesh Pooja

Varalakshmi Vratham 2016 / Varalakshmi Pooja / Varalakshmi Vratham

Though this post comes very late, I could not proceed without sharing this beautiful festival that we celebrated on August 12th, 2016. Like every year, I followed the same rituals since morning, getting better year by year with improvised planning. I was able to focus peacefully on prasadams, decorating the amman while listening to Sri lalitha sahasranamam.

This year, my daughter and son were also fortunate to enjoy this festival at home. I and my daughter performed the pooja and tied the yellow threads. We were showered with lots of fresh flowers from our own garden and also from Vivek Flowers.

For the whole day, we had been seeing more ladies for Thamboolam. Made good prasadams for the festival and served the guests too.

Prasadams for this year included Puliogare, Paramannam, Medhu vadai, Chickpeas Sundal, Vella Payasam.

Missed my mom's blessings this year.

Palak Paneer / Spinach Gravy with Indian Cottage Cheese

While making a north indian dinner or lunch, including Palak always make the menu more colourful and healthy. My family loves Palak Paneer a lot, whether its Palak Paneer, Methi Paneer, Saag Paneer for that matter. Paneer coated with this yummy green gravy steals the show. And that too, if its homemade paneer then the taste will be amazing. Well, this is the most frequently made dish at my home for my rotis and I have been forgetting to blog this recipe for long.  This version is pretty simple, easy and retains the colour, flavour and taste of the Palak / Spinach.

Ingredients

Spinach Leaves - 6 cups

Tomato - 1 

Red Onion - 1 Medium

Green Chillies - 2 Small

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp ( I used Kitchen King Garam Masala ).

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Ghee or butter - 1/2 tbsp

Paneer cubes - 15 Squares or less ( As you like )

Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 tsp

Water - As required for getting the gravy consistency. 

Ginger Julians - 6 or 7 julians to garnish.

My Homemade Paneer

Method

• Wash the Spinach Leaves thoroughly without any sand. Wash the other veggies and keep them ready.
• Fine cut one green chilli, red onion into tiny pieces and keep them ready.
• In a kadai / cooking pan, on a medium heat, steam cook the spinach leaves and tomato with the lid open. After its cooled, drain the water and keep it aside. You can add the water into the gravy. 
• Grind the cooked spinach, tomato along with cumin seeds, green chili into a smooth paste.
• Cut the paneer into small squares and keep them ready. You can shallow fry them on a flat pan if you wish with little oil. 
• In the cooking pan / kadai, add half the amount of ghee and oil first. When its heated, add the ginger garlic paste, shredded red onion, green chili and fry them till the raw smell vanishes.
• To that add the grinded paste along with all other powders and sugar and fry them till the spices blend well with the gravy. Add the cooked water that you kept on the side.
• Add required amount of salt and cook for another minute. Add the Paneer cubes into the gravy and let the Palak Paneer cook on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes with the lid closed.
• Add the remaining ghee/butter on its top and some finely shredded ginger julians on its top.
• Serve the tasty Palak Paneer along with rotis or hot basmati rice.

Tips / Suggestions 

• Don't over cook the Spinach / Palak as it might lose its colour. 
• Try to have the right consistency for the gravy, neither thick nor watery.
• Make this dish with fresh ginger garlic paste and notice the difference in the taste.
• Homemade Paneer definitely uplifts the taste of Palak Paneer.
• Generously add some butter on its top just before serving. 
• Dont forget to serve them in a fancy, restaurant style container finally.!!!!

White Pumpkin Kootu / Vellai Poosanikai Kootu - Simple, No Grinding Method

In any Tamilian Meal, kootu will be served along with other vegetable curries. There are many varieties of Kootu served with different vegetables like white pumpkin, Sorakai ( Bottle Gourd ), Avaraikai ( Flat Beans ), Beans,  Red Pumpkin, Chow Chow ( Chayote ), etc., I always love to include a Kootu in my complete meal, especially with water based vegetables as it tastes very well.

This version of White Pumpkin Kootu is my mom's version with no grinding required. As she was a busy mom, she preferred to make healthy items with small short cuts at times. This kootu is just a one pot item which can be cooked in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles and served after tempering right away.  With less time, you can comfortably add a healthy accompaniment to your meal.

Ingredients

Into the Pressure cooker :

White Pumpkin pieces - 3 cups

Moong Dal / Payatham Paruppu - 3/4 cup

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Tomato chopped - 1/2 cup

Green Chillies - 2

Water - Little. ( Enough for the dal to get cooked ).

Tempering / Tadka :

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chillies - 1

Curry Leaves - 1/2 stem

Oil / Ghee - 2 tsp

Salt - As Required

Fresh Coconut flakes - 1.5 tbsp.

Method

• Cut the white pumpkin into bigger chunks and keep ready. Chop the tomato, green chillies and keep ready. Add all the ingredients mentioned under "Into the Cooker" in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles.
• After the pressure is released completely, open the cooker and add required amount of salt and coconut flakes into the cooked kootu.
• Let it cook for a minute. Then prepare the tadka in a separate tempering pan. Pour the tempering over the cooked kootu in the pressure cooker.
• Serve with hot rice and as a nice accompaniment in your meal.

Tips / Suggestions

• If you have a small pressure cooker, you can add the ingredients directly into the cooker and cook.
• If you have a medium / big cooker, then you can cook them in a separate vessel inside, even along with rice.
• If you don't have a pressure cooker, no need to worry. You can cook them over the stove in a thick bottomed pan and follow the same steps.
• Don't add too much water while cooking. Otherwise you wont get the right kootu consistency.
• Add only fresh coconut flakes to the kootu. If the coconut is smelly or little bit old, then it spoils the kootu totally after making, wont stay for a longer time.

Easy Hotel Sambar using Crockpot / Slow Cooker

Morning Breakfast is an important meal for the family. A simple hot breakfast will kick start the day with lots of energy. To decide on the menu for the weekday breakfasts is really challenging. Whether its a pongal, kichidi, idli , dosa, vada or any other item, the main accompaniment "Sambar" comes as a rescue. Sambar is a South Indian gravy which combines the goodness of lentils, vegetables, aromatic spices and tangy tamarind extract cooked and simmered on the stove for its delicious taste.

To make my life simpler, I always hunt for short cut ways to satisfy my need. Crockpot / Slow cooker helps me a lot nowadays in my kitchen.

Crockpot Sambar is very easy to make, take less efforts. If you fill your crockpot / slow cooker with all the ingredients, then in the morning, a nice aroma will emanate from your kitchen which in turn will greet you with a steaming smile.

Ingredients

To the Crockpot / Slow Cooker 
Shredded Red Onion - 1/2 cup or Small Pearl Onion - 10 or 12.
Shredded Ripe Tomato - 1/2 cup
Shredded Green Bell Pepper - 1/4 cup
Small Brinjal - 1
Green Chillies Medium - 2
Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Small Dash
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Toor Dal / Thuvaram Paruppu - 3/4 cup
Moong Dal / Payatham Paruppu - 1/4 cup
Water - 6 cups
Tamarind Extract - 1/2 cup ( Not too thick, medium thickness is enough )

For Tempering / Tadka 
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash
Mustard Seeds - 1.5 tsp
Methi Seeds / Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 1
Fresh Curry Leaves - 1 Stem
Sambar Powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Towards the End to Slow Cooker 
Salt - As Required
Water - As required to adjust the consistency level.
Ghee - 1 tsp for flavour.
Jaggery - small cube

Coriander Leaves - To Garnish.

Method

• First cut the vegetables as specified and keep the other ingredients handy.
• Add all the ingredients as mentioned under "To the Crockpot / Slow Cooker". Allow them to cook under "High" for 7 to 8 hours.
• After 8 hours, check the slow cooker. By this time, the gravy would have been mushy and well cooked.
• Finish the tempering / tadka in a separate pan. When its sizzling, pour the tadka over the sambar.
• Add the other ingredients mentioned under "Towards the End to Slow cooker".
• Allow the sambar to cook for another 5 minutes under "Low".
• Garnish with coriander leaves on top and enjoy this warm hotel sambar with any of your favourite tiffin.

Tips / Suggestions

• If you want to serve Sambar for breakfast, then you can set the Slow cooker in the night before going to sleep. If you need this for dinner, set the slow cooker after breakfast to High.
• Sambar will not overflow or spill from the Crockpot / Sambar while cooking on High setting. So, no need to worry.
• Add salt before adding tadka / tempering.
• Moong dal enhances the taste of the Sambar, enriches its texture. So, dont forget to add.
• Do not forget to add Jaggery into the Sambar.
• I added a tsp of Tamicon to half a cup of water, diluted it and added to the Sambar. It tasted well though. So, its your choice. You can either add real tamarind juice or Tamicon.

Spicy Okra Curry / Vendaikai Masala Curry

Okra / Vendaikai / Bendakaya / Ladies Finger / Bindi is one of the favourite vegetables which is almost seen in all Indian Kitchen. I cannot live without having few bindi in my refrigerator. I always love to make something out of bindi in any form. Though we make many varieties using this tender green fingers, this spicy okra curry is one of our home favourites. Sometime, if you get bored of making the same okra fry in standard form in your meal, you can very well substitute this okra masala curry to make it interesting.

Ingredients

Tender Okra / Bindi cut into small squares - 2 full bowls.
Oil - 1 tbsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash
Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu - 2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1/2 stem
Dry red chillies - 2
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Grounded Powder - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp
Salt - As Required
Fresh Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 tsp
Shredded Tomato - 1 tbsp
Shredded Onion - 1/2 cup

For Grinding 
  2 tsp of coriander seeds
  2 dry red chillies
  1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Method

• Wash ,clean the okra and cut into small squares as shown in the photo above. Cut the onion, tomato and keep them ready.
• Grind the powder as described above in a blender and keep it ready.
• In the cooking vessel, add oil first. When its heated, add mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, curry leaves.
• After the tadka is done, add chopped onion pieces and fry them for a minute.
• Add the freshly made ginger garlic paste into the cooking vessel and fry till the raw smell vanishes.
• Add the okra, tomato pieces and all other ingredients including salt into the vessel.
• Coat the okra/bindi thoroughly with all the powders. Allow them to cook for 4-5 minutes with the lid closed.
• Remove the lid and allow the okra to get nicely roasted on a medium flame.
• When they look crispy enough for you, switch off the stove.
• Serve this spicy, delicious okra curry either with hot rice or roti.

Tips / Suggestions 

Try to prepare this curry using fresh tender okra / bindi only to get a delicious taste.

Pineapple Rasam / Annasipazha Rasam

Pineapple Rasam is one of my favourite rasams / soups. The unique flavours of this rasam emanating from the vessel during the preparation process itself  kindles your hunger and the spicy delicious rasam is an excellent accompaniment in any South Indian Meal. Whenever I see a pineapple at my kitchen, I make sure that a portion of this golden yummy fruit gets transformed as I like.!!!

Coming to the preparation process, it takes less than 15 minutes to make this rasam. Quality of the pineapple plays a key role in this rasam. 

Ingredients

Fresh Tasty Pineapple chunks - 2 cups

Tamarind extracted water - 1/2 cup

Tomato Puree - 3/4 cup

Pineapple Puree - 1 1/2 cup

Water - As Required

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Rasam Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin & Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tbsp

Salt - To Taste

Green Chilli - 1 

Fresh Ginger- A small cube

Cooked toor dal - 1/4 cup

For Tempering

Asafoetida - A Dash

Tomato pieces - 1 tbsp

Pineapple pieces tiny - 1 tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 Stem

Dry Red Chillies - 2 

Ghee / Clarifies Butter - 1/2 tbsp

Method

Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract the juice and keep the filtered thick tamarind extract water ready.

Cook the toor dal and dilute 1/2 cup of the cooked toor dal and keep it ready.

Make the Pineapple puree by grinding the cleaned pineapple chunks, a green chili and the ginger cube in a blender without adding any water and keep it ready.

Make the tomato puree by grinding a fully ripen tomato in a blender and make it ready.

In a cooking vessel, add the tamarind extract, pineapple puree, tomato puree. To that, add turmeric powder, rasam powder, little asafoetida, half the quantity of cumin&black pepper powder and required amount of salt.. Add a cup of water and cover the vessel with a lid. 

Allow the content to cook till the raw smell of the tamarind goes off.  At this stage, add the diluted dal water into the rasam vessel. Add required amount of water into it. 

Cover the lid and allow them to cook on a low flame.

Meantime, do the tempering process. In a tadka / tempering pan, add ghee first. When its heated, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chili, curry leaves, asafoetida and the remaining cumin/black pepper powder in order. When they are nicely tempered, pour them over the rasam.

Keep it on the stove till you notice nice froth on the top layer of the rasam. Switch it off once you get enough froth on the top.

Serve the hot, spicy, aromatic rasam with hot rice and ghee and enjoy. It can be a good appetizer too.

Tips /  Suggestions

Addition of  tamarind extract is optional. I basically like to blend the pineapple flavour with tamarind in my rasam. 

Do not boil the rasam for more time, then you might loose the real flavour and freshness. As soon as you get enough froth at the top layer, switch off the stove.

Kale Pesto with Walnuts

Kale is one among the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. It is rich in Protein, fiber and has vitamins A,C, and K. Folate content and Omega - 3 is high in Kale which is the main key for brain development. Kale can help lower cholesterol which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease.  It has numerous cancer fighting substances.

Using this super food, I made a super Kale Pesto with toasted walnuts. It can be stored in air tight refrigerator for 2-3 weeks but its better to enjoy its real freshness.

Ingredients

Kale leaves without stem --  2  cups
Garlic Pods --- 6 or 7
Peppercorns - 1 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
Parmesan Cheese - 1/4 cup
Toasted Walnuts - 1/2 cup
Salt - To Taste
Lemon Juice - Juice of One lemon completely.

Method 

Pulse the washed kale leaves, garlic pods, peppercorns, olive oil, salt, lemon juice in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Add the Parmesan cheese and walnuts and pulse until the walnuts are ground to your desired consistency.

Store it in glass jars and enjoy with hot pasta, bread, crackers, sandwiches, etc.,

Notes

I did not add any basil leaves in this pesto as I wanted to enjoy the Kale taste as much as possible.

Trust me, your dinner rocks with this pesto sauce. With any kind of Pasta, this simple pesto completely enhances the meal. With a side of fresh, crunchy Italian salad, its divine.

Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Quinoa , a tiny high protein grain from South America  is seen in many Indian Kitchens nowadays. Though I don't use it regularly in my kitchen, I try to make some attractive dishes using this grain. One of my favourite quinoa recipe is this colourful quinoa salad. To add to its richness, I have added some chick peas to the salad.

It can be a perfect meal for any time of the day with a side of Masala Chas / Buttermilk. Due to its crunchy, spicy taste and excellent aroma, even salad haters could have a plate of this salad as it swings away from the blandness side. Also its not cold like a regular green salad. 

Ingredients

Cooked Quinoa -   2 Cups
Cooked Chickpeas -  1 Cup
Shredded Red Onion - 1/2 cup
Finely Shredded Green Chillies - 1 tbsp
Finely crushed garlic - 2 tsp
Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup
Grated Beetroot - 1/2 cup
Tiny tomato pieces - 1/2 cup
Red chili powder / Paprika - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Shredded Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Oil - 3 tsp

Method

• Cook the quinoa, chickpeas using the regular cooking method. For cooking a cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water. On medium heat, cook the quinoa for around 15 minutes till it gets fluffy.
• For cooking the chickpeas, soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook them for 4-5 whistles. 
• Grate the vegetables and keep all the ingredients ready.
• In the cooking pan / kadai, add oil first. Then, add the crushed garlic, onion, green chillies one by one and fry them till the raw smell goes away.
• To the pan, add the cooked chickpeas and the powders and mix them well.
• Add the cooked quinoa along with the grated vegetables. Add required amount of salt into the pan.
• Switch off the flame. Turn the salad upside down and squeeze little lemon juice over the top.
• Mix them well and transfer the salad into the serving bowl.

Tips / Suggestions

Do not overcook the chickpeas as it gets mushy, making it difficult to be added in the salad.Similarly, cook the quinoa till they get fluffy. You can customize the spice level to your taste. Do customize as you like and enjoy in the summer.

Vallarai Keerai Kollu Podi / Brahmi Leaves Powder / Vallarai Keerai Idly Podi

" Vallarai Keerai" in Tamil  called as "Brahmi" leaves in Hindi is widely used in Ayurveda Medicine. This green leaf is used to fight against Alzheimer's disease, improving memory, fight against ADHD ( Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder )  and as a general tonic to reduce stress and promote good human health.

Using these rich green leaves, I made an aromatic and flavourful Herbal Green Leaf Powder / Podi which can be enjoyed with hot rice and little ghee on top. It can also be enjoyed with Idli / Dosas too. I made it more nutritious by adding horsegram / kollu to this powder.

You can customize this mixture by substituting Kollu / Horsegram with Toor dal. Add garlic to this powder if you like that taste of it. But its purely optional.

Ingredients

Vallarai Keerai - 2 Big Bunch Bunch

Curry Leaves - 3 Sticks

Horsegram // Kollu / Ulavu -  1/2 cup

Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu - 2 tbsp

Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chillies - 6 or 7

Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Salt - To Taste

Method

Wash the Brahmi Leaves and dry them on a thin muslin cloth or paper for  6-8 hours till they get dried completely. Dry Roast the brahmi leaves and curry leaves together on medium heat in a pan or kadai. Allow them to cool completely.

Dry roast all other ingredients except salt in the same pan till golden brown. Cool them completely.

Grind all together in a mixer grinder / blender to a fine smooth powder. Add required amount of salt and asafoetida and grind once again for 2 seconds to mix them.

Store it in an airtight container and enjoy. 

Tips /Suggestions

As its a dry powder, add a tsp of ghee while serving this with hot rice. If you are using this as a gun powder for Idly / Dosas, add few tsps of Sesame oil and serve. It enhances the taste for sure.

You can make vallarai keerai vadai, vallarai keerai adai, Vallarai keerai kootu / Paruppu too.

Happy Birthday Amma

Its been a long time since I published posts in my food blog.  Ever since I lost my wonderful mother, I got uninterested in many things that I enjoyed doing earlier. Life after amma's death is difficult at times, making me realize the importance of everyday life. No one is going to pamper us the same way as amma does. I felt as if my mom came in front asking me to start writing posts again. She was an incredible cook commented on my food recipes in her own sarcastic funny way which i loved to hear..Missing my amma so much..

When i make any kind of sweet dishes, memories of my mom occupies my mind totally. All sweet memories of her. My time with my mom is incomplete, yes, it is. I never had a proper "Good Bye" from her, was not fortunate to see her face and the kindness on her eyes at the end. I paid the price for staying far away from her.

During her birthday week, I made an elaborate south indian thali and enjoyed with family and friends.

Amma's Tribute --  All learnt from her

This post is my hearty tribute to my dear mother who really inspired me to achieve many more things in my life. Love you Amma...as always till I live in this world.

If God can give me a single wish, I would really love to see you atleast once again for few minutes, talk with you.