Shemai Custard / Semiya Payasam / Vermicelli Kheer

Some recipes are similar so much across many countries and today we are going to be seeing one such recipe.. I am talking about Shemai Custard which is soooo similar to the Semiya payasam we do in India.. It is a kheer or custard or payasam made with vermicelli also known as Semiya. It can be served for breakfast as it has all in one from milk to sweetness to the vermicelli.. It also graces any occasion and is very simple to make. It can be served both hot and cold.

Ganesh Chathurthi 2015 / Vinayaka Chathurthi 2015–Celebrations and Recipes

Happy Ganesh Chathurthi... Today (17.09.2015) is celebrated as Ganesh Chathurthi / Vinayaka Chathurthi and it is one of the most popular festivals in India.. Ganesh Chathurthi is celebrated as the birthday (rebirth) for Lord Ganesha.

A craft my daughter did in Nursery for Ganesh Chathurthi

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..

Mysore pak - Indian Sweets

Here comes a very authentic and traditional sweet that is prepared in our houses almost in all festive occassions.. It is said to have originated in Mysore (Karnataka), it is a very popular sweet and is made in many functions.. We make mysore pak also for parupu thengai. Parupu thengai is a cone shaped presentation of sweets prepared during marriages and authentic occassions. From wiki – “Mysore pak was first prepared in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace by a palace cook named Kakaasura Madappa”. Make sure you have everything ready before you start the process as you will have very little luxury time. Also keep a close watch when the color changes as you skip the time, then your mysore pak will not come correctly.. Next time I make this sweet I will try to take step wise clicks..

Ellu Poorna Kozhukattai / Ellu Kozhukattai - Ganesh Chathurthi Recipes

There are so many varieties of kozhukkattai and today we are seeing another traditional and authentic made for Ganesh Chathurthi. The taste of this kozhukattai is awesome from the sesame and jaggery...

Parupu Usli

Parupu usli is a very popular dish which is made from dals and green beans. This is served in almost all marriages and functions. This is very rich in nutrients from parupu which is rich in proteins and green beans which is a green vegetable. This one is also very appealing to the eye with green, yellow and red colors. It is a great accompaniment to mor kuzhambu, rasam or sambar. It is very filling as it comes with a lot of protein. Since the grinded dal tastes similar to vadai, we also call this vadaikkari..

Carrot Kheer–Summer Drinks

Today's recipe is a delicious and refreshing kheer made with carrots.. The method is quite simple. You can serve this hot or chilled.. Serve this for this hot summer and get the goodness of carrots and milk along with honey

Milk Powder Burfi–Double Color Burfi–Diwali Sweets

My daughter loves the double color sweets on the sweet shelf.. And the ones that we normally do is with maida.. Today I am making a similar looking sweet with no maida or flour but with milk powder as the main ingredient.. This sweet will also be a treat for people looking for gluten free recipes..I got this recipe from here and made the changes according to our taste.. Make sure to adjust the sugar as per your taste… Artificial sweetener also works great for this recipe.. So if you are making this for people who use artificial sweetener, feel free to substitute.

Moong Dal Fry–Microwave Method–Guilt free Snacks

Want a healthy snack that you can munch guilt free??? So in perfect for holidays or for watching TV.. Moong dal / Paasi Parupu is a healthy dal which is easy to digest but loaded with proteins.. Ask a person with fever or stomach flu or people who have just delivered, paasi parupu (moong dal) will be part of their diet as it is easy to digest, loaded with proteins and so healthy. I have heard that it also helps in healing the wounds.. There are so many items that we make with this dal. Some are -. This is a different one with it being a snack which is so similar to the fried one. I have the Moong Dal Fry recipe here which is a very famous snack. I got the idea from here to make the similar moong dal fry without actually frying it.

Parupu Bonda

For this week BM we will be seeing a variety of snacks starting with a type of Bonda today. Fried items are many people's weakness.. You can just stop with one.. Same holds true for this delicious bonda. This bonda is made with a variety of lentils (parupu) along with spices ad herbs.

Thirattipaal / Theratipaal using Ricotta Cheese / Microwave Thirattipaal

One of my favorite sweets is enjoy is thirattipal, but it takes for ever to do them. But the taste and the end result is so worth the time, effort spent. Here I came across a simple recipe and got the thirattipal in 15 minutes... Now that is so delicious and also the time and effort is much less..

Akkaravadisal (அக்காரவடிசல்)

Akkaravadisal is a very simple sweet. This is also a festive food made during Pongal festival. It is very similar to sakkara pongal but this is made with sugar instead of jaggery and this is cooked on the stovetop. There are many versions of Akkaravadisal and this is how we make it at home..

 

Javvarisi Payasam / Sago Kheer

A delicious payasam made from javvarisi. It is quite easy to make.. There are so many varieties of Payasam and kheer we make.. Each is so unique in taste, texture and appearance. This payasam looks so beautiful with the transparent tiny balls floating in it.. I remember my child hood days where we used to play with the balls when this payasam was served. We press with the finger and the balls with move slipping under your fingers and it will be so much fun!!! We make this payasam for a lot of festivals. This can be served both warm and chilled!!

Karchikaya / Sweet Somas (Somasi)–Diwali Sweets

A delicious sweet that is prepared for Diwali.. This recipe will make 12 - 16 medium sized somasi and there will extra filling, that you can eat as is or as a stuffing for parathas..  This is a traditional sweet!!!

Godumai Halwa–Tirunelvelli Halwa–Diwali Sweets

This very traditional halwa has been on my list for such a long time.. We make this halwa for Diwali and what a better time to try this one than now.... I fell in love with this halwa and it is so addictive!!! I would not classify this one as easy, but not too hard as I had imagined!! You can eat this as halwa or make it into pieces and enjoy!! Also food color here is optional... If no food color, then it will in rich honey color!!! Cooking time for this quantity was 30 – 40 minutes from the time sugar syrup is started..

Mullu Murukku–Indian Snacks/ Indian Savories - Diwali Recipes

Mullu thenkuzhal is a savory which is a famous South Indian snack. It tastes best when served warm or at room temperature. It goes well as an accompaniment with coffee or juice. This is a quick savory and can be done in less than 30 minutes. This can be stored in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks. This variation is used in occasions like marriages, festivals and celebrations.

Pineapple Thinai Kesari / Pineapple Foxtail Millet Kesari

Today is first day of Aadi month and is celebrated with a sweet, special food items. Here is a delicious and a almost guilt free sweet which has no processed ingredients. We would have heard about rava kesari and also flavored ones like mango kesari, pineapple kesari etc. Today I added a little more extra twist by including healthy items and excluding the unhealthy ones. So here are my changes – ravai to thinai ravai, sugar to panam kalkandu and have reduced the ghee a big extent. It was very tasty and delicious. I have also not added pineapple essence or food color. That is optional. This kesari with thinai is so perfect to start this week’s marathon with the theme as millets!!

Adai

Adai is a very famous tiffin or heavy dinner. It is also a festive food made during Karthigai. Adai tastes best when served hot. Some will prefer to eat Adai as is. The famous accompaniment for Adai is Aviyal, but tomato urugai tastes great too. onions and vegetables add a great taste and flavor, but they are also optional based on preference, availability and occassions.

Vella Dosai / Jaggery Pancake

Vella Dosai is a sweet dosai made with wheat and jaggery. This dosai requires no side dish and tastes best when served hot or warm. Serve this for breakfast or a quick tiffin. It is delicious and so kid friendly. It becomes dull and rubbery once it gets cold. This is also done during Karthigai. It is a quick dosa and can be done in less than 30 minutes. This recipe will make 12 dosas.

Sandesh / Shondesh–West Bengal

Today we are completing the 30 days Indian States Marathon. Last in the alphabetical order is West Bengal. A state which is very close to my heart. Although I have never spent a lot of time here, I was born in Calcutta (now known as Kolkatta) and I have also done my 11th Standard in there. I have also frequently visited during my holidays. A state cuisine which is very popular for its milk sweets and kachoris and street foods. Sandesh is a specialty from the state of Bengal. Sandesh is a delicacy, served as a dessert. It is made with milk and sugar as it main ingredient but it is not too sweet to give tooth ache. This recipe is not an easy one to make and needs lot of patience and stirring. Garnish with Pistachios as they look very beautiful and contrasting to the color of the sandesh. This recipe will make 20 to 24 sandesh.