Tomato Rice / Thakkali Saadam

Tomato rice is a popular variety rice from South India. It is a desired recipe for its tangy and spicy flavor and its beautiful red color. Each house has its style and way of making it and this is how I make it. . Tomato paste is optional, but it adds lot of flavor. This is my choice for T in the cooking with alphabets for this month’s marathon.

Pachai Milagu Kaara Kuzhambu / Fresh Green Peppercorn Gravy

Pachai Milagu (Green Pepper) is something that I got introduced recently (in the last one year)... Amazing aroma and taste.. It also has a signature flavor that one cannot forget.. I made a kaara kuzhambu with it.. As usual, I did a lot of internet search for recipes and referred to Valli's site and a few more and made mine with a few changes.. Some sites tell you to grind the masala along with the peppercorns, but since I was using it for the first time, I wanted to use them whole. Every peppercorn when you bite brings a zinggggg!!! This goes best with hot steaming rice!!

Naan / Butter Naan

Naan is a famous Indian bread that tastes best when served hot. It is accompanied with a variety of dishes like Paneer Butter Masala, Channa Masala etc. I have made them both in the oven and the tawa. You could also try with etandoor. Naan can be done in many ways and Butter Naan is a common variety of Naan. This is my choice for N for the Cooking with Alphabets theme in this month’s Marathon.

Spicy Pasta - Indian Style

My daughter loves pasta.. Guess a lot of kids do.. Hey the truth is I also love it.. lol:).. So I surely try my best to make it healthy. I have used Whole Wheat Pasta here.. Reason - that is what I prefer.. Even my daughter likes the nutty taste of the whole wheat pasta and actually does not like the regular pasta.. This is my daughter’s favorite lunch or dinner and she is super excited when I make it.. Pasta is an Italian dish which I have customized with Indian spices and taste according to our preference and liking..

Varagu Peas Pulao / Kodo Millet Peas Pulao

You are short on time and want to do a quick one??? Here is the simple, healthy and delicious pulao.. If you are looking for a short grain but prefer the taste of rice.. Try this short grain – Varagu / Kodo Millet.. I made this for my family and they were very pleased and loved it.. Makes perfect for travel and lunchbox…Varagu is a type of short grain that I have been introduced recently.. It looks very much like rice but it is about 1/3 the size.. It is very healthy.. Varagu is a grain that can grow without much baby sitting from the farmers and this can be grown without Pesticides.. This makes it one of the favorite crops of the farmers. I have used polished varagu, you can use the brown one also. Also it tastes very close to rice, so it is very easy to be included in the diet..

Lemon Rice

There are so many variety rice that we enjoy.. It makes a great travel dish and also for lunchboxes.. I know many of you would have relished this lemon rice in your child hood and your kids are now enjoying this.. Lemon rice is both kid and mom friendly where the kid gets the refreshing lemon flavor with lentils, cashew and ginger and for the mom - it is a too easy to make.. So here is a great lunchbox recipe for self or for kids..

Roundup of My Legume Love Affair (MLLA) # 71

Here is the roundup of MLLA#71. MLLA is an event focused on legume based dishes. This event comes with 2 winners.. Thanks to Susan and Lisa for letting me host their event. Details of the winners are below the roundup!! Congrats to the winners and thanks to all who participated and sent delicious entries.. And winners please email me your mailing address in 2 days to receive your award. Please click on the recipe name to take you to the recipe. Also let me know if I have missed anyone by mistake…