Carrot Parupu Usli

A month long marathon comes to an end today.. It was such a topsy turvy ride with so many posts done at the very last minute.. Phew!!!! Today’s recipe is going to be a simple curry with carrot.. Do you like veggies that are not spicy??? I am a yes and no.. I prefer spicy veg when accompanying my sambar rice or rasam rice or curd rice... Some veggies are exception, I do not mind the simple carrot curry with coconut, but love this spicy version which is a great accompaniment to any rice dish.. Adjust the spice according to your preference. I make the regular parupu usli with Beans and the recipe is here..

Tahini

Tahini is a very delicious paste made from sesame seeds. It makes a delicious and important addition to Mediterranean cuisine.. It is an important part of the hummus.. It is advised to store the tahini is the fridge to avoid spoiling. Also addition of oil is not compulsory, but it gives a creamier texture.

Homemade Cream Cheese

Cream Cheese is a delicious condiment served along with bagel and crackers. It is also used as an ingredient in making deserts like Cheesecake and Mousse. I got this recipe from Gayathri's blog and with only 2 ingredients, this is surely a keeper recipe.

Maangai Pachadi / Raw Mango Pachadi –Tamil New Year Pachadi

A delicious pachadi made during the Tamil New Year. Life is a combination of happy moments, sad moments, excitement, thrill etc and every year in the New Year we make this pachadi which is a combination of Sweetness (from jaggery), Bitterness (from neem flower), Sourness (from raw mango) and seasonings. This is very simple to make and is also delicious..

Coconut Milk–Thick and Thin Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is an important ingredient in many countries cooking. It is used to thicken gravies, served as a drink with sweetener, sometimes is served as a condiment. Coconut milk makes a great condiment due to its subtle flavor along with the mild sweetness. It will taste great with spicy Thai dishes.

Til Ki Chutney–Uttarakhand

Today we are visiting the state of Uttarakhand, previously known as Uttaranchal. Uttarakhand is a one of the newer states formed in November 2000. Uttarakhand has a big significance as two of the major Indian rivers originate here – Ganga, the Gangotri and Yamuna, the Yamunotri. Another important place in Uttarakhand are the 2 holy places – Kedarnath and Badrinath. Today’s recipe is a simple chutney and I got this recipe from here. Chutneys are a boon. They pack so much flavor, but very less work. They are beautiful accompaniment that takes the main dish to the next level.. Can you imagine dosa without chutney?? Bonda without chutney?? idli without chutney?? bajji without chutney?? With and without chutney makes a big difference to the experience of the main dish.. So here is another such chutney which is a delicious one with bajji, idli, dosa, bonda.. It also makes a great dips with chips, nachos etc.. Try this very flavorful one and you will enjoy both making and relishing it..

Pumpkin Oambal - Nagaland

Come and travel with me to the far North Eastern India to the state of Nagaland. Nagaland is the smallest state in India and is the 16th state established. Agriculture is very rich and the important economic activity here. Principal crops include rice, corn, millet, pulses, oilseeds, potatoes and sugarcane. Nagaland is called the”Falcon capital of the World”. From Wiki – “The Nagas were originally referred to as Naka in Burmese language, which means 'people with pierced noses. Christianity is the predominant religion in this state. Nagaland is also the only “Baptist state in the World””. Another unique information to Nagaland is that there are about 20 languages that are used here. The cuisine of Nagaland, fondly called the Naga cuisine is predominant in meats and fish and they are smoked, fermented or dried. Now coming to today’s recipe, it is a delicious finger licking chutney.. The original recipe had bay leaf and lemon. I omitted them due to our taste and preference. I got this recipe from here and did make a few changes..

Hmarcha Rawt - Mizoram

Today we are visiting the another North Eastern State – Mizoram. Mizoram means – the land of hill people. From Mapsofindia – “ The Mizoram cuisine offers mainly non-vegetarian delicacies. The people who belong to this place do eat vegetables, but they prefer to add some non-vegetarian ingredients to each and every dish they prepare. The staple food of these people is primarily rice. One of the most popular non-vegetarian items of the people of the state is fish. The most commonly used medium of cooking is mustard oil. The Mizos do not like to eat oily food and they prefer to cook most of the dishes with little oil.” With that being said that each and every meal has meat in it, it was a big challenge to land on a vegetarian meat free dish.. I got this recipe from here and made few changes..In South we make what is called as pachai milagai thuvayal, meaning Green Chili thuvayal. This is so similar to that. I have added tamarind and asafetida and the original recipe does not have that.. I have used half of green chili and half of red chili.. Choice is yours, you could either one only and both in different quantity. After roasting the red chili, it needs to be soaked in water for 10 minutes as it does not have water content like the green chili. A very spicy chutney..

 

Pidi Karunai Masiyal / Karunai Kizhangu Masiyal

A delicious masiyal made from karunai kizhangu.. This can be served with rice, great with rasam rice.. Also a great one with dosa or roti!!.. This is quite simple to make and can be made very quickly... Make sure to relish this hot or warm!!

French Fries

A delicious accompaniment which is so popular in many parts of the world. Although this is quite popular, it is considered not so healthy. To me the reason is double frying. This is a great accompaniment to Burgers, makes a great evening snack. Serve it with ketchup and you cannot stop with one!!

Fig Jam

Fig is one of the fruits for which I knew the English name before I knew its Tamil name (my own mother tongue). Although I have heard the word, I never knew its meaning.Aththi Pazham is the beautiful name I have heard so many times, but never it was Fig.. Always thought of fig as an exotic item, but little did I know that it is so easily available in India.. Recently I was visiting a market and I saw a vendor have a cart full of a pinkish brown produce which looked so much like beetroot, but it was different.. My husband asked me - Do you know what that is? I was like - I am not sure. He said that is Fresh figs!! I was like wow, looks so big and so much like beetroot.. I have mostly seen and used dried ones that are much easier to get.. For this recipe also I have used the dried version only.. Figs are very nutritious and have lots of Iron in them..

Tamarind Chutney / Sweet and Sour Chutney - Indian Chaat Recipes

Indian Chaat recipes are so famous and so delicious... And this chutney is a key one!! This chutney is both sweet and sour chutney and is a delicious condiment. Serve it with pakoras, samosas, chaat and many more popular Indian snacks to take it to a next level.. Have fun with this chutney drizzled over dahi vadais, bhel poori, or any kind of chat; this takes them. You can make this in bulk and pour it in muffin trays or ice cubes tray and freeze and store it in a Ziploc bag. It stays good in freezer for 3 months. When need to use, take required piece out and thaw and serve chilled or room temperature!!

Potato Chips (Baked)–Baked Potato Chips

Who does not like potato chips and how about a guilt free one? Make this potato chips and it is not easy to tell that it is baked. Spices are personal choice, but I kept it simple and traditional with salt and red chili powder. Use a v slicer or a mandolin to get paper thin slices.

Mango Jam

Mango is the king of fruits is what I am teaching my daughter now... Generally we do not see Mango jam in stores many times.. I always imagined it was due to the cost of the mangoes.. We have a mango tree in our hometown and love to relish the mangoes.. But I am not a mango person.. I do not prefer anything made with Mangoes from Mango as is to Mango shake.. But the only exception is this delicious Jam.. Good thing about Mango jam, you get so much flavor and sweetness from the fruit that you can reduce the added sugar a lot..

Strawberry Jam

What a perfect way to use up the seasonal fruits than Jam.. It is a great idea to make jams from fresh fruit and you can store these jams (canned) throughout the year.. Winter comes and it is strawberry everywhere... They look so pretty with a very beautiful contrast of Dark Pink color with the very fresh green leaves. You want to grab them all from the store, but then how do you use them up without going waste!!! The answer is jam. Some rules about Jam that I follow in my house are - 1. Canning should be done for Jam if it is more than 200 grams quantity. 2. All Jam jars should be labeled about contents, date of preparation. 3. Only clean and moist free spoon should be used to scoop the jam. 4. No artificial colors or preservatives to be added. 5. Spoon that touches bread or anything else will not re enter the jam for another scoop. Use a fresh spoon. This jam is very tasty and has a great flavor and aroma of strawberry. It is also very easy to make. My choice for S - Others / Miscellaneous

Nelakadalai pachadi / Groundnut Dip

Nelakadalai is tamil name for Groundnut and this pachadi / dip is a great accompaniment. I saw this from a TV show (Arokya Unavu in Jaya TV) and tried it the next day and we loved it..Has a nice variety of texture from the crushed groundnuts and the grated carrot and the seasoning... This goes very well with sambar rice or Biriyani or aloo paratha... Kept well in the fridge for 2 days.. Have loved it so much that this is my first choice when it comes to making pachadi.. My choice for N - Others / Miscellaneous

Mixed Fruit Jam

Bread, butter and jam is a very nostalgic and very simple breakfast. All the ingredients (Bread, butter and Jam) and generally store bought at my place and we just assemble and you have a yummy dish ready.. Now with all the “trying different cuisines and food” aura rounding around me, I try to make all the 3 ingredients at home… Definitely more complicated than buying from the store, but tastes so fresh and so awesome.. I am sure you have heard me say, how rewarding bread baking is.. Now comes the second ingredient which is the Jam. Mixed Fruit Jam is a famous type of jam which is made with a variety of fruits. Since we make it home, we can customize and personalize it. Adjust the sugar, adjust the variety of fruits, add essence if you want, add color if you want… Have fun!!! Now the truth is that I dislike to buy the store bought jam as it almost looks like solidified sugar water!!! But sometimes if I am pressed for time or ingredients, I do have to buy it.. This is my choice for M - Others / Miscellaneous

Kalyana Manga Urugai - Quick Manga Pickle(கல்யாண மாங்கா உருகாய்)

Kalyanam means marriage in Tamil and Manga is raw Mango and urugai is pickle.. That is how the name for this pickle has arrived.. It is a pickle which is served in Tamil marriages. Kalyana Manga Urugai is a pickle that is quick and easy to make. Normally pickles takes many days to process, but this one can be done in less than 15 minutes. Although it can be served immediately, it is best when it sits for a couple of hours to allow all the spices to soak well. This urugai is served in all South Indian Marriages. This is my choice for K - Regional

Coconut Chutney (தேங்காய் சட்னி)

Accompaniments are so important part of the menu.. So much that it can transform a simple and boring breakfast to a tasty and yummy one.. This is so true with this very delicious coconut chutney which is a quick and easy recipe that is served as a side with many South Indian tiffin or snack items. It is a good side for idli, dosa, bonda, vadai etc. This is my dish for this month's Vegan Thursdays

Guacamole–Mexican Cuisine

Guacamole is a very easy Mexican dish which tastes best when served cold. It is served as a side to the chips, served as a part of the Mexican platter, sometimes served inside Burrito!! Basically it is everywhere in Mexican Cuisine. It is so interesting that it hardly takes any time, no cooking to do, but you have a great and tasty and healthy dish!! A dish that one cannot miss when talking about Mexican cuisine and I am including this for this month’s BM – Mexican Cuisine