Apple - Cucumber Salad

Apple - Cucumber Salad. The Salad You Can't Stop Eating!

Sometimes we come across a recipe which is like you have never had anything of that kind before. Then suddenly you fall in love with that dish at the very first try.. this is one of that kind. 

cucumber is a refreshing cool vegetable with its unique

Besan / Gramflour Bonda - Quick Evening Snack

கடலை மாவு போண்டா  - Quick Evening Snack

Besan bonda is an spicy and flavourful snack with just 15 minutes preparation time and 15 minutes cooking time. This is an alternate for medhu bonda or bajji. 

Flavoured Rice-Flour Crunchies - Evening snack or side dish

Flavoured Rice-Flour Crunchies - Crunchy Side-Dish or Evening Snack 

This crunchy rice flour snack is easy to make and good to eat. i saw this recipe in an cook book. tried it. and it was good ! today we had with lemon rice.

Sweet Poli - Stuffed with Coconut and Dhal in Jaggery

இனிப்பு பருப்பு/தேங்காய் போளி  

Drizzling ghee on poli as they come out of the stove and letting the ghee to melt itself on the hot poli.. brings the best aroma of ghee - that extra special finishing touch on poli! 😋

Veg Momos - South Asian Dumpling

Veg Momos - for so long, I've been thinking its from China!

For so long, i have been thinking that veg momos are from China. but i am surprised to know that they are South Asian, and native of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and few north eastern states of India.

Bajji - Boundless Evening Snack!!

Boundless Bajji - with Onion, Plantain and Potato

It's been more than a year since i made bajji. don't know why it took me so long to make bajji. propably i get that "craving" to eat bajji only during the winter... hot bajji and filter coffee.. such an awesome combo. A simple fried gram

Kasi (Kaasi) Halwa - Ash Gourd Halwa

காசி அல்வா  - 150th Post - Kaasi Halwa or Ash Gourd Halwa

Long long ago.. not so long when i was holding my mother's hand and walking in the weddings.. just little later than that.. in the weddings and other functions, especially in the breakfast... the first served item was this brilliantly coloured... glossy.. sweet loaded with ghee and cantaloupe seeds.

Bajji Bites - Easy for the Lazy

Bajji Bites - Easy for the Lazy

Not always.. but most of the times i am lazy!😌. But never lazy to munch. imagine.. one lazy evening.. someone serving you.. nice hot and crunchy home made onion bajjis with two spoons of coconut chutney beside the bajjis.

Gala-gala (Kalakala) - Gala Time Snack !

Gala-gala (Kalakala)

Galagala is another snack with my childhood memories. I very well remember.. that day.. Jurassic Park movie was released. My uncle took us kids to the movie in a nearby theatre at a walk-able distance (Muralikrishna Theatre, Shenoy Nagar, Chennai. The theatre is now demolished and been built into a wedding hall). We enjoyed the movie. When we returned home, my auntie made this gala-gala and kept ready for us to munch.

Sesame Seeds Balls - Keep it Simple, Keep it Healthy.

Sesame Seeds balls - Healthy and Easy Snack

Sesame seeds jaggery balls is a sweet laddu which is easy to make and good to eat. I remember my grandmother making it.. pounding the roasted sesame seeds manually with jaggery. But now.. all the hard work is saved. Use a mixer or blender. But taste - I can say we have compromised. The taste and flavour we get by manually pounding the sesame seeds and jaggery is incomparable. But now we cannot think about traditional manual gadgets. We have lost them! But, something is better than nothing. Use a mixer. That is all 😁.

"Kesar-y" Rava Kesari

Rava Kesari with Kesar

Kesari is such a polite and easy sweet dessert. quick to make and good to eat. It doesn't make much fuss to come out well. It is a fool proof recipe.

Murukku - Version 2

Murukku - With Fried Gram Flour

This is the another recipe for murukku with slightly different ingredients. Here i am using fried gram or pottu kadalai along with rice and urad dhal. Yes, its a little different. Doesn't need much fat to keep it less-hard.

The taste of this murukku reminds me of the murukku we used to buy and eat from small shops when we were kids.. 10 murukkus for 1 Rupee. Okay.. let me take you to the recipe quickly.

Medhu Pakoda / Medhu Bonda

Medhu Pakoda / Medhu Bonda

I remember, once my neighbour bought this in a street-side tea shop and shared with us. It was very nice and interesting as it tasted like pakoda but soft textured. May be, hence the name "medhu pakoda" or "mredhu pakoda" or "medhu bonda" which means soft pakoda or bonda. It has slightly crunchy outer crust and soft (yet well cooked) inside, with not many ingredients.

Kadalai Urundai - Indian Peanut-Jaggery Balls

Kadalai Urundai / Kadalai Mittai

I can assure that anyone born before 1990 will have this kadalai mittai in their childhood favourites list. Those small bite-size dark brown peanut-jaggery balls.. for which we used to drool when we used to go to shops with mom. Those days these candies were not individually wrapped in fancy wrappers.

Vadai / Medhu Vadai - Urad Dhal Fritters

Vadai / Medhu Vadai

Any festival is not complete without the vadai or medhu vadai. We three in our house love this medhu vadai and my folks love the way I make. The blend of the smell of vadai being deep fried, agarbathi and camphor brings you completely to the festival mood. Every one at home.. lots of talking.. lot of work as well.. fasting.. little tiresome.. still excited about festivals. Proud being a part of this culture.
Lets me take you to the recipe of this polite, tempting and yummy vadai/medhu vadai.

For more - Festival Foods, Vaazhaippu Vadai, Deepavali,

Murukku - It's Festival Season.. Let's Begin

Murukku / Festival / Evening Snack

There is no reason to wait for the festival season when it is about murukku. We have seen many varieties of murukku. Different in size, shape, taste, texture, colour, place of origin, even different for the occasion for which it is made. It was a very rare instance when I get to see someone in my family make murukku.. like my grandma or my auntie. I have never seen my mom making murukku. The first time I made murukku was for one Krishna Jayanthi, when my daughter was 3 years old. I am here to share this simple recipe for murukku which we all like in our family. This recipe was from my grandmom (nanamma).

Vaazhai Poo Vadai / Banana Blossom Vadai

Vaazhai Poo Vadai

Vaazhai Poo Vadai

Vaazhaippo vadai or the banana blossom fritters is a tasty snack with a little twist with goodness of banana blossoms. Generally masala vadai is a simple deep fried snack. Just adding vaazhaippo to this vadai makes it special. 

Red Sauce Pasta - My version

Red Sauce Pasta - My version

Pasta is my daughter's favourite food. She can eat it for break fast, lunch, dinner, evening snack, mid night snack and she is okay to have it for the next day too! As she has been requesting for few months, yesterday I made pasta. It was her pasta marathon for the whole day! This recipe is for her friends too who love red sauce pasta..

For more breakfast recipes click here - Breakfast

Red Sauce Pasta (coriander leaves only for garnish)