Kurma is a very popular South Indian sidedish for chapathi, poori & parotta. I should say, am not a big fan of kurma. When it comes to paneer, my 1st option would be Paneer Butter Masala. I wanted to make a spicy kurma kind of gravy and made this Paneer Kurma. It came out really well. It was quite spicy, rather than the usual buttery kind of gravy. Hubby liked it very much. It is quite similar to the Veg Kurma recipe which I have shared long back. Really loved the paneer version of it. Recipe with video..

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Palak Pakoda/Spinach Fritters is a simple & quick pakoda made with fresh spinach leaves. I have used palak variety, U can use any spinach. It is a perfect evening snack, particularly for those fussy kids who refuse to eat spinach/greens. Am always happy to sneak in some spinach. This is a quick fix recipe especially when u have unplanned guests as it can be prepared in a jiffy. They are crispy, tasty & divine with a cup of filter coffee. My favourite combo is, this pakoda along with a piping hot cup of Masala Chai..

19/02/17 – Post updated with new pics and video.. 🙂

Here is the v...

Mor Kuzhambu or Butter Milk Kuzhambu is an easy and quick kuzhambu that most of u might know. Just sharing here, my version of it. Vegetables that can be added include okra, chow chow or poosanikai. Paruppu Vadai with Mor kuzhambu is a special and perfect combination. This goes well with steamed rice and paruppu usili or potato fry or seppankizhangu fry. I make it with vadai when time permits, else with veggies. Both tastes good. If nothing is available, I make it as a plain kuzhambu and temper it with vadagam too.

Red Velvet Mug Cake is an easy and super-quick dessert, perfect for a last minute Valentine treat! My previous trials have never resulted in such bright red colour. Finally found a good quality red food colour and made these gorgeous looking Red Velvet Mug Cakes. I saw this recipe in Gemma’s bigger bolder baking website and made a few changes. It can be made in less than 2 mins (depending upon the power of your microwave), perfect small sized serving & is eggless!! Cant ask for more! Right?!? I just topped my mug cakes with white choc chips. If u want to use a cream cheese frosting – check HERE. U can even top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Coconut Rice is a simple and yummy lunch box rice variety. It can be made in just 15 to 20 mins. Not much cooking skills are needed to make this. In the sense, it is perfect for bachelors. Am not a big fan of variety rice, but once in a while I like to have it. Puliyodharai is an exception though! Coconut Rice and potato fry is an unbeatable combo! In fact I would say it is the default combo at home 🙂 Finally not to forget that this Coconut Rice tastes very flavourful when made with freshly grated coconut.

Kootu is a South Indian side dish for rice made with veggies, lentils and coconut. Chow Chow Kootu is a simple kootu variety that goes well with rice. Our family favourite combo is with rice & Poondu Kulambu, though we like to have with sambar as well. It tastes good with chapathi or mixed with plain rice too. I normally prefer adding a handful of moong dal or chana dal while making the kootu. Do check my Podalangai Poricha Kootu which is quite a spicy version of kootu.

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I am a big fan of pasta & especially this Cheesy Tomato Pasta. There are many shapes of Pasta. I have tried many shapes and this Farfalle is my favourite. I usually make Tomato Pasta with homemade pasta sauce, but when not available I use tomato sauce and spice it up with seasoning just like I have done in the video. I should say this pasta tastes much better than the ones that we get in restaurants & pizza outlets. Especially here, it tastes totally bland. I had posted this recipe long back, now updated with new pics and video 🙂

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Masal Vadai is a popular South Indian tea time snack. It is very commonly available in the local tea shops there. I should say it smell’s divine if u happen to be near a tea shop when they make it. It is perfect on a rainy day with a hot cup of coffee or tea. It’s also called Paruppu Vadai. Usually some people do not prefer to add fennel seeds. U can skip it if u don’t want.. The only planning u need to do is the soaking of chana dal. If that is done the rest of the process can be done in 15-20 mins. Medhu Vadai Recipe HERE.

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Making Moong Sprouts at home was a long time due post. My mom includes Moong Sprouts in her cooking quite often. When I thought of trying some dishes with it, I could not find it here. I am sure we get it in Chennai – especially in any Pazhamudhir store. The only dis-advantage in using the store bought sprouts is the use of unclean water in making it. Having said that, HOMEMADE is always the best right?!? As a result, I made it at home. It is a very easy & straight forward process. U just have to plan ahead as it will take a couple of days to sprout. Sprouts Salad recipe coming next.. HERE .

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Paneer 65 is a very popular starter in any Indian restaurant menu. It is a spicy pakoda kind of snack that can be had with coffee/tea or as a starter. Paneer is an universal favourite especially for vegetarians. Chotu just loves paneer in any form. I made this Paneer 65 during the holidays and he could not resist to pick one while I was clicking the pics. U can see the result below 🙂 The only planning that u need to do is to marinate the paneer. Once that is done it is only a 15 min process.  Do try my Paneer Pakoda recipe..