Mushroom Soy Chunks Biryani / Protein Rich Biryani / Soy Chunks Mushroom Biryani

Both Mushrooms and Soy Chunks are powerhouse of good protein, their individual powers vary. Mushrooms are used in many cuisines in the world now due to its flavour and health benefits. Its an idealistic food option for many weight watchers due to their high water content and low calorie value. They are an excellent source of Potassium and helps in reducing blood pressure, boosts the immune system, help prevent cancer. Soy Chunks are vegetable protein which contain no fat when compared to animal protein.Also they are rich in fiber, Omega 3 fatty acids, iron and calcium. Nowadays, they are widely added in the preparation of many food items. Though I add Soy Chunks in many of my recipes, the combination of Mushroom and Soy Chunks is unbeatable due to its exclusive aroma. This biryani is a very good option for parties, lunch with a side of a simple raita. Try this out in your kitchen and enjoy.

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
Red Onion Sliced - 1/2 Cup
Mushrooms Sliced - 2 Cups
Soy Chunks - 1 Cup
Peas - 1 Handful
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Melted Ghee - 3 tsp ( For Good Flavour )
Bay Leaves - 3 or 4
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tbsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Green Chillies shredded - 1
Green chillies slit - 1
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
For Tadka / Tempering :
Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 2 tsp
Cinnamon Sticks - 2-3 Medium
Lavang / Cloves - 5 or 6
Cardamom - 3
Somfu / Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Star Anise - A small piece

Method

• Soak the Basmati Rice in water. Meantime, cut the onion, mushroom and keep them ready.
• In the cooking pan / vessel, add oil and ghee together. Finish the tempering process by adding the ingredients mentioned as above.
• Once its done, add the ginger garlic paste on medium flame. Fry them till the raw smell completely takes off.
• Fry the red onion slices next till they become translucent. Add the green chillies,mushrooms, soy chunks and peas next to the cooking pan and fry them for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the powders into the pan now and stir them well. Add the sona masoori rice which is completely drained from water into the cooking vessel and fry them for a minute. Add the Bay leaves too into the pan now.
• Add 3.75 cups of water and required amount of salt into the cooking pan and allow them to cook on a low flame.
• Once its done, serve this nutritious, protein rich biryani loaded with flavours with a side of cool raita and your favourite side dish.

Aloo Palak / Palak Aloo / Spinach Potato Gravy

Aloo Palak is one of the quickest side dish for rotis and pulao and its easier to make it. I prepare aloo palak in two different ways. In the simpler version, to the cooked spinach and potato cubes the tadka would be added along with some spice powders. In this version, the preparation is little elaborate and tried in restaurant style. This version is best suited for special occasions whereas the first simpler version is for regular day cooking.

Ingredients
Spinach Leaves - 10 to 12 Cups packed.
Potato - 2 Medium ( cut into medium cubes )
Green Chilli - 1 Medium ( shredded )
Oil - 1 tbsp
Melted Ghee - 2 tsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon Sticks - 1
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp
Red Onion shredded - 1/2 cup
Ripe tomato - 1 big
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Dhana Jeera Powder / Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - 1 pinch
Water - As desired.

Method

• Wash the spinach and chop them nicely and keep ready. Cut the onion, tomato, potato, green chilli into desired size and keep them ready. Microwave the potato cubes and keep the cooked potato cubes ready.
• In the cooking pan / kadai, add oil and melted ghee. When its heated, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks followed by ginger garlic paste. Fry them till the raw smell goes off.
• Then add the onion, shredded green chilli, tomato and fry them till they get cooked and look mashy.
• Add the finely chopped spinach leaves into the pan and cook them till the quantity gets reduced considerably and cooked to your satisfaction. No need to water to the pan at this stage. Close the lid in the middle and allow the spinach to get cooked with the steam itself.
• Add all the powders into the pan now and mix them well.  Add the cooked potato cubes into the pan and mix them all.
• Add required amount of salt and a pinch of sugar into the pan and fry them for 2-3 minutes. If they get very thick, add little water and make the gravy consistency perfect.
• Switch off the flame and add a tsp of ghee or little butter on its top just before serving. Its totally optional and I generally do this topping if its made for a special occasion.

Variations / Tips

Potato cubes can be substituted with fried Tofu cubes to make it more healthier.

Maavilakku / Mavilakku / Maa Vilakku

 

Maa vilakku poojai is performed during Adi month mostly on Fridays. Tradition of putting Maa Vilakku differs from family to family but the basic concept behind this tradition remains the same. We chant prayers and offer Maa Vilakku to our respective Goddesses like Mariamman, Family deity or the main deity of that region. Being a native of Thanjavur, we dedicate this pooja to our main goddess Bangaru Kamakshi Amman.

Maa Vilakku means vilakku made out of "Maa/ Maavu ". We make two special lamps on this auspicious day using a mix of rice flour, jaggery and ghee and put them on a silver plate or on a plantain leaf spread over the silver plate. Some people light a single Maa Vilakku as per their family tradition.

During my childhood, my mom used to perform this pooja in the kamakshi amman temple on Adi friday. I and my sisters used to wait patiently in the temple for her to finish off the pooja and distribute a small ball of Maa Vilakku sweet to us. Until then, we would not move out of the temple. Being a sweet lover, I love this sweet and also this poojai.

Maavilakku poojai at my Mom's Home, chennai in 2011

Ingredients 

Rice Flour - 2 Cups ( Homemade Rice Flour )
Powdered Jaggery - 1.5 Cups
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cardamom Powder - 3 tsp

Method

• Soak the raw rice in water for half an hour. Filter the water and spread the wet rice uniformly on a thin cloth or tissue paper for sometime till all the water gets evaporated.
• When its dried completely, grind them finely using a mixer grinder. Meantime, powder the jaggery and cardamom powder and keep them ready.
• Mix the powdered jaggery, cardamom powder and ghee into the rice flour thoroughly till you are able to form a small ball out of it.
• Make two rounds of uniform size and place them over the silver plate or on the plantain leaf if its available. Make two deep small rounds at the centre of each sweet balls.
• Fill the small rounds with melted ghee and put a nice thread into it.
• Decorate the plate with thamboolam, flowers as per your tradition and interests. Before offering the Maa Vilakku to the Goddess, light them at the centre. Chant the prayers and do the neivedhyam. During this pooja, its good to recite Kamakshi Stothram.

Sarva Mangala Mangalye Shive Sarvaartha Sadhikey
Sharanye Trayambakey Gowri Narayani Namostutey

 

Manathakkali Keerai Poriyal / Manathakkali Keerai Sundal / Manathakkali Keerai Curry

Manathakkali Plant is very common in South India and I think I saw this plant in every household and they make different food items using its leaves, green berries, flowers, black ripe berries.  Its a medicinal plant and used widely in Ayurvedic medicine. Leaves of this plant are believed to cure stomach related problems and liver problems. We make Manathakkali Vathal Kuzhambu, Manathakkali Keerai Kootu / curry / paruppu usili / Usiliyal etc., This item I tried Manathakkali Keerai Usiliyal / Poriyal which my mom prepared almost weekly. I loved to pluck the good leaves from the plant during my childhood and we had few plants in our backyard during that time. My mom tried to make different varieties using this Manathakkali Keerai and one of the varieties is this simple usiliyal. Its an excellent and healthy side dish in any healthy meal. I am very proud to present this in my blog as I have used our home grown manathakkali leaves in my preparation.

Ingredients
Fresh Manathakkali Leaves - Between 2 to 3 cups packed.
Moong Dal / Payatham Paruppu / Pesara Pappu - 1 Handful
Salt - To Taste
Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash
Oil - 3 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 2 Medium
Fresh Coconut Flakes - 1/2 cup
Method

• Pluck the good manathakkali leaves from the plant. Wash them thoroughly and chop them nicely.
• Soak the Payatham Paruppu in water and cook them separately and keep the cooked dal ready.
• In a kadai / pan, add oil first. Finish the tempering process by adding hing, mustard seeds, urad dal , dry red chillies into the pan.
• Add the chopped leaves into the pan. Sprinkle some water and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes with the lid closed.
• When its cooked, add the cooked Moong Dal, required amount of salt into the pan and fry for another 2 minutes.
• Switch off the flame and garnish with some fresh coconut flakes on its top. A healthy side dish is ready to be served.

Varalakshmi Vratham / Varalakshmi Pooja / Varalakshmi Puja

Varalakshmi Vratham / Varalakshmi Pooja is one of the important hindu festivals celebrated in South India. This festival falls on the friday before the full moon day in the month of Adi / Sharavana month every year and this year we celebrated this pooja on July 27th, friday 2012. Varalakshmi, the goddess of wealth is worshipped on this day by many women and its believed that the goddess grants the boon/varam to them after performing the varalakshmi pooja. I started performing this vratham right after my marriage as its a tradition in my husband's side.

Early Morning, women get up and put traditional kolams in the frontyard. After taking headbath and wearing new or clean clothes, they make neivedhyams/prasadams to Goddess Varalakshmi. After that, they decorate the Kalasam in a grand way with all jewelleries and perform the varalakshmi vratham in detail. They tie a yellow thread with nine knots while performing this pooja and read the varalakshmi vratham story at the end. On this day, they invite many married women for thamboolam and give them prasadams. They all sing songs prasing Goddess Varalakshmi in the evening and chant "Varalakshmi Ashtothranamavali".

Kalasam Decoration :

Take a silver plate or your traditional pooja plate and spread it with raw rice. Coat the silver varalakshmi sombu/pot with turmeric paste and decorate the pot /kalasam with kumkum dots. Fill half the sombu with water. Add a coin,a small jewellery, a flower, a betal leaf and nut inside the pot. Coat the coconut with turmeric paste and keep it ready. Once its dried, draw the goddess face on its side perfectly and keep it ready. Spread five mango leaves on the top of the kalasam uniformly. Keep the coconut on its top such that the amman face should be clearly visible from the centre. After placing the coconut properly, take a new cloth and decorate the amman as shown in the picture. While decorating, make sure that the amman pot is not disturbed. After the kalasam is nicely decorated, keep it ready. Just before starting the pooja, invite the amman to your pooja by placing the kalasam on the layer of rice in the pooja plate. If mango leaves are not available in the region you live, substitute it with betal leaves. 

Pooja Place Arrangements :

Pooja place should be cleaned and arranged nicely before the day of varalakshmi pooja. On the pooja day, keep the flowers, other pooja items handy before starting the pooja. Keep few paper napkins on your side to wipe your hands in the middle. Keep the pooja vidhanam book ready with the pages pointing to Varalakshmi Pooja.

Prasadams :

In our household, we make 5 prasadam varieties and offer to the Goddess. We generally make Paramannam ( Sweet Rice ), Puliodhara, Medhu Vadai, Sundal, Boorelu, Appam, Payasams, Annam.

You can choose your prasadams based on your interests and item availability. Please see the recipes in the blog for your preparations.

Above all, doing the vratham with good devotion is much more important than doing all the decorations, prasadams in a grand way. Somehow in my perspective, honest and deep prayers would give an immense satisfaction to your soul than creating a big hungama during any pooja or vratham day. My dear friends and family, kindly forgive me if my idea conflicts with any of yours.

Basic Pesto / Simple Pesto / Italian Pesto



Italian Lunch : Pennie coated with pesto, garden salad using home grown

cherry tomatoes dressed with raspberry vinaigrette



Ever Since I tasted the Pennie Pasta coated with the green delicious pesto, I have become addicted to that greenish oil and herb sauce. I never fail to taste this pesto at least once a month. Not only me, my family loves this pesto and urge me to make this more often in my kitchen. As its abundant during summer, we could enjoy our home made pesto this time using our home grown fresh basil leaves.

Though Basil leaves are prominently featured in Italian cuisine, its originally a native of India. Health benefits of basil is mainly due to the essential oils present in basil, and its widely used in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, stress related issues due to its antiviral, antioxidant properties. There are many varieties of basil found in the world and their culinary use varies with different regions.



Basil Plant in our home garden



Ingredients




Fresh Basil Leaves - 2 Cups packed
Garlic Pods - 3
Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 cup
Broken Walnuts - 1/2 cup
( Pine nuts can be substituted if available ).
Black Peppercorns - 1/2 tbsp
( Add more pepper powder if you want to ).
Salt - To Taste.


Method

Wash the basil leaves and keep ready. Dry roast the walnuts and black peppercorns first. Then grind them in a mixer grinder coarsely along with other ingredients. Add salt and black pepper powder according to your taste at the end. Keep the sauce in an air tight container. Add portions of this pesto to the cooked pasta and thoroughly mix this with the pasta and enjoy with a side of  a garden salad and fresh sparkling apple cider. A perfect Italian meal on any special day in your life.

Raspberry Smoothie / Raspberry Lassi

Thirst quenching smoothies are always healthier, a great energizing drink especially after doing  rigorous workouts. At home, we are smoothie lovers and we love to transform any fruits into lassi/smoothie form for a refreshing dessert. Fresh sweet and tangy raspberries are seen everywhere in the markets during this summer.  To enjoy these mini berries, I made a super cool raspberry lassi / smoothie along with our tomato basil pasta salad. Try this out and enjoy your summer with healthy desserts. 

Somehow, I prefer to give these healthy smoothies to kids at any time rather than offering them unhealthy desserts like sugar candy, gelato, sugar coated creamy pastry, desserts made with high fat whipped cream.

Ingredients

Fresh ripe raspberries - 2 Cups

Greek Yogurt or regular yogurt - 2 cups

Ice Cubes - 4 or 5

Honey - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 4 tsp ( optional , you can omit if you enjoy the slight tangyness of raspberries )

Water - 1 glass

Method

Put all the ingredients into the mixer grinder and grind them using the whipper for few rounds.When the smoothie is done to your satisfaction, transfer them into serving glasses. Decorate the drink with one or two fresh raspberries on its top and serve.