Murunga Poo Poriyal| Moringa Flowers Stir-Fry

Did you know that the blossoms of the moringa tree are edible? Not just edible, moringa flowers (called ‘murunga poo’ in Tamil) are chock-full of health benefits, just like the pods and leaves of the tree are! It is not for nothing that the moringa is called a ‘miracle tree’ and that its pods, leaves and flowers are touted as ‘super foods’ the world over!

I got the opportunity to try out moringa flowers very recently, for the first-ever time. They got used in a traditional Tamilnadu-style Murunga Poo Poriyal, which I learnt from Amma. The poriyal, an extremely delicious affair, was much loved by everyone at home. It was such a breeze to make, and paired beautifully with the sambar rice I served it with.

Check out the recipe, just in on my photo blog!

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Manjal Thokku| Turmeric Root Pickle

Turmeric, as we all know, is loaded with health benefits. It helps not just in keeping cold and cough at bay, but also increases the body’s ability to fight chronic diseases, improves digestive functions, improves skin health, and aids in better control of one’s blood sugar, for instance. Our ancestors have always revered turmeric for its medicinal properties, and now its healing properties are being recognised the world over, due to which it is being touted as a ‘super food’.

Manjal Thokku or Turmeric Root Pickle is one of my most favourite things to make using turmeric. All of us at home love this sweet-spicy-sour thokku, which goes well with everything, from rotis and dosas to curd rice.

Check out the recipe, just in on my photo blog!

Kadala Paruppu Thogayal| Chana Daal Chutney

I made a Kadala Paruppu Thogayal or Chana Daal Chutney recently, and it was a big hit at home.

 

Chana daal is a sort of binding agent in most chutneys, whereas a vegetable usually is the star ingredient. However, in this Kadala Paruppu Thogayal, chana daal is the primary ingredient. Can you imagine just how protein-packed it would be? A simple dish to prepare, the chana daal makes it super flavourful!

 

Check out the recipe, just in on the blog!

 

 

Mananthakali Vattalkozhambu| Dried Nightshade Berries Cooked In Tamarind

Give me some piping hot steamed rice, a bit of salt and ghee, some cooked toor daal and some well-made vattalkozhambu any day, and I’ll be a happy person. It is joy to eat this meal with your hands, off a steel plate – no fancy cutlery required there. A carefully erected ‘moat’ made with ghee-infused daal rice, with vattalkozhambu poured down in the centre – I grew up relishing this combination of food, and it still gives me great solace. I love eating up any leftover vattalkozhambu with dosas or as a side to roti–sabzi too!

For the uninitiated, vattalkozhambu is an extremely delicious, traditional Tamilian preparation that uses oodles of tamarind. Today, I share with you our family recipe for Manathankali Vattalkozhambu, vattalkozhambu made using dried black nightshade berries. Do try it out, and let me know if it offers you the same level of comfort and bliss that it does to you! Will you?

Check out the recipe, just in on my photo blog!

Pressure Cooker Jeera Rice| One-Pot Indian Cumin Rice

Today, the members of the Foodie Monday Bloghop group are going #DownMemoryLane. We are all sharing recipes that have memories associated with them. For the theme, I share the recipe for the first-ever thing I cooked for the husband and his family – Pressure Cooker Jeera Rice or One-Pot Indian Cumin Rice.

This recipe is something you can use in a jiffy. In just about 10 minutes, it yields supremely flavourful, fluffy cumin rice that makes for just the perfect accompaniment to dal or a gravy-based curry. Do try it out!

Check out the recipe, just in on my blog!

Broccoli, Green Chana & Peas Tikki

Winter is, slowly and gradually, beating a retreat, here in Bangalore. The days are getting longer, and hotter. The choliya (aka hara chana or fresh green chickpeas) and green peas that I so love using in the winter months have all but disappeared from the markets. I decided to make a little something with these favourite ingredients of mine before they are not available any more – Broccoli, Green Chana & Peas Tikki.

These Broccoli, Green Chana & Peas Tikkis turned out to be a favourite with everyone at home. They turned out absolutely flavourful, and were devoured in a few minutes flat. We had guests over when I made these, and they adored the tikkis as well. Served hot, they make for a different-from-the-usual, healthy evening snack.

Check out the recipe, just in on the photo blog!

Mixed Vegetable & Paneer Dosa

Here’s presenting to you Mixed Vegetable & Paneer Dosa, a pretty dosa that tastes just as slurpacious as it looks. What’s more, it is super healthy too! This Valentine’s Day, whip up these ‘red’ dosas for your loved ones!

You guys probably already know that we are a dosa-crazy family. Dosas find pride of place on our dining table every so often, any time of the day. We experiment like crazy when it comes to dosas, trying out different permutations and combinations to figure out what works best for us. 🙂 Mixed Vegetable & Paneer Dosa is the latest such experiment at our place, one that was a huge hit with everyone.

Check out the recipe, just in on my photo blog!

You’ve Got To Experience The New Winter Menu At Farzi Cafe!

The much-loved Farzi Cafe in UB City, Bangalore, recently launched a brand new Winter Special menu. I had the pleasure of sampling this new menu last week, along with a few other city bloggers and, I must say, I absolutely loved the experience!

I’m mightily impressed by the ‘Farzified’ versions of various typical Indian dishes that are part of the new menu. In fact, this has got to be one of the best renditions of the menu I have tried out so far, at Farzi!

Read all about my experience at Farzi Cafe’s new menu sampling, just in on my photo blog!

Classic Falafel Recipe| Easy Home-Made Falafel

Today, I present to you the recipe for Easy Home-Made Falafel, delicious Lebanese falafel made from scratch.

‘Falafel‘ refers to a deep-fried fritter made using chickpeas or fava beans or a mix of both, with a few herbs and spices added in. The origin of falafel has been linked to Egypt, though today, it is quite a common street food across most Middle-East countries, and is very popular even in India. With time, several versions of the falafel have come up the world over, including a healthier, baked version. Mine, however, is a Classic Falafel Recipe, where the snack is made the traditional, deep-fried way.

Check out the recipe, just in on my photo blog!

Chak Hao Amubi| Manipuri Black Rice Pudding (Kheer)

The recipe I present to you today, Chak Hao Amubi, comes from the mystical land of Manipur. This pudding or kheer is made using black rice, Chak Hao in the local language. I tried this kheer recently for the first ever time, and was absolutely thrilled with just how delicious it turned out.

Black rice is a healthier alternative to the regular white rice in this kheer, imparting a gorgeous purple colour to it. It has a nutty, earthy taste to it, which goes beautifully with the milk and sugar in the kheer.

You have to try this out too! Check out the recipe, just in on my blog!