Suba's Recipes

                                    This post explains one of the most flavorful payasam varieties that I have made on several occasions. I came across this recipe in Jeyashri's Kitchen blog and have tried it many times since then. It is one of our family favorite recipes. The key factor about this recipe is that this does not require milk unlike other payasam varieties.

                                      This post explains one of the easiest payasam varieties to make - aval payasam with jaggery. This is one of the quickest recipes to make for any occasion. As aval takes lesser time to cook, this can be prepared very easily and in a short span of time and is a perfect choice to offer as neivedhyam on festival days.

This post explains the preparation of sweet and salt adai which are offered as neivedhyam during the karadaiyan nombu function. For more details on this function, check my post about the festival.                                                   This year the festival falls on  Wednesday, March 14th 2018 .

Mor Kuzhambu is an easy to prepare kuzhambu variety using yoghurt/curd.  I have already posted the traditional mor kuzhambu recipe using vegetables. But this particular recipe doesn't require any vegetables and has the main flavour from Oman/Ajwain. Also unlike the regular mor kuzhambu, this doesn't require coconut and instead besan/gram flour is added for thickness.

Rava pongal is a flavourful pongal variety which is an alternative to the regular pongal made with rice. I learnt this recipe from my cousin who makes this so well. This recipe uses a method similar to the rava idli preparation where rava is roasted along with the tempering. Also unlike the regular pongal, this recipe uses mustard, urad dal and channa dal in the tempering along with the other standard ingredients.                                                       Though the recipe calls for quite a number of ingredients, the pongal tastes so flavourful and yum. It is best for days which call for a no onion no garlic dishes. You can pair with sambar or chutney or even with a simple pickle. Try this recipe for a change to the regular pongal.

This is the 100th post in my blog and hence wanted to post a sweet recipe. I came to know about the world of food blogs only 3 years back. When I started to browse for some new recipes, found many blogs with some wonderful recipes. I also started to understand that food blogging is not just about posting recipes; Photography and food styling play a key role in attracting the readers.  I started this food blog 2 years back just as a way of recording my recipes during my free time when my kid started school. During my initial days, I was not completely aware of the techniques in photography. I have been learning a lot of important aspects with respect to blog posts and photography over the last 2 years.  When I created an Instagram account last year just to post my daughter's everyday lunch box recipes, I came across so many wonderful people who are passionate about food even if they don't blog regularly. Interacting with other bloggers or people who are passionate ...

Ammini Kozhukattai also called as Mani Kozhukattai, is generally prepared on the day of Vinayakar Chathurthi festival. It is usually made with the left over kozhukattai dough. We just roll small balls out of the dough, steam them and do a simple tempering. But this dish can easily be prepared any day as a simple snack or even as a tiffin item. Only effort required will be in rolling the tiny balls😉. This is a very healthy snack as we steam the dish and hence is a good choice for kids too. My daughter loves this snack and hence I prepare it once in a while. Hence thought of sharing here in the blog.                                I have given here a simple version of the dish. You can make variations to this by adding idli milagai podi if you prefer a spicy version. You can also use the filling used for ulundu kozhukattai( urad dal stuffing) and add to this. Also it is suggested to use o...

Neer mor is a refreshing drink usually made as a neivedhyam for Rama Navami festival along with panagam . My mother makes it for her poojai on Tuesday and Friday along with panagam. We also make it frequently during summer to quench our thirst on hot days.  I made this on the Sri Rama Navami day last week and managed to click as well.                                                                     

Panakam is a refreshing drink usually made as a neivedhyam for Rama Navami festival. I have had it regularly as my mother makes it for her poojai on Tuesday and Friday. She makes this along with neer mor . It is such an easy and healthy drink to prepare and can be made even on regular days as a simple neivedhyam. Though different people make it in different ways, given here is a simple recipe -  the way my mother makes. I made this on the Sri Rama Navami day last week and managed to click as well.                                                               

Mor Kuzhambu is an easy to prepare kuzhambu variety using yoghurt/curd. This is a welcome change to the regularly made sambar and other  kuzhambu varieties. It can be prepared in a short period of time and can be served with any spicy curries like potato /raw banana/colocasia fry. We also make paruppu usili as a side dish for this. This is a no onion no garlic recipe and hence usually made on festival days. Though it is an easy recipe, there are few tips and instructions to follow while preparing this. I have given them in the notes section. I learnt this recipe from my periamma who is an expert in cooking traditional dishes.

Vella dosai is a very healthy dish made with wheat flour and jaggery. It can be prepared instantly and can satisfy our sudden sweet cravings. This has been my favourite from childhood as it has jaggery in it. In my home, they usually make this to pair up with the regular instant wheat dosa . You can make this as a quick after school snack for kids, as it doesn't require any pre-planning.

Potato masala( poori masala) is a classic combo liked by people of all age groups. This is simple to make as it does not require any grinding part and can be done in very short span of time. The same masala can be used for masala dosa stuffing as well.            

Savoury diamond cuts - maida salt biscuits is an easy to prepare snack item.  We prepare both sweet and salt versions of this biscuit. We can have it as a separate snack item or add it as part of the South Indian style Mixture. I shall try and post the sweet version soon.

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu is a tangy and spicy traditional kuzhambu variety which is a variation to the regular sambar. This is one of the trademark recipes of my mother-in-law. In this recipe, dals are soaked and ground to a coarse paste and made as balls and cooked in tamarind based gravy. This is a perfect accompaniment for rice and does not require any side dish. There are many variations to this recipe in terms of the ingredients. The recipe given below is the simplest one with minimal ingredients and effort.

Mango thokku is an easy to make pickle variety using raw mangoes. This can be used as a side dish for curd rice or even as an accompaniment for tiffin varieties. This is healthier when compared to store bought pickles, as it is homemade without any preservatives. Also check my easy to prepare  tomato thokku  recipe.

This is my mother-in-law's signature dish. Any dish prepared with this powder tastes great. My mother-in-law says coriander seeds and red chillies are the 2 key ingredients for this powder.

Maa ladoo is a very healthy and easy to prepare sweet. This is very good for growing kids as it contains pottukadalai(roasted gram). This is an easy to prepare sweet for any festivals or even for a quick evening snack.

Idli Upma is an easy to prepare snack/tiffin variety with leftover idlis. There are many variations to this upma, which I have mentioned under the "Notes" section. This can be prepared as an after school snack for kids.

Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu - Garlic Pepper Kuzhambu is a very flavourful kuzhambu variety which has the goodness of garlic, pepper and curry leaves. My aunty makes this so well. Unlike other kuzhambu varieties this kuzhambu uses freshly ground spice paste and does not require sambar powder. This kuzhambu pairs well with any kootu variety or it can also be had as a side dish for curd rice.

Mango pachadi is a traditional sweet prepared during festivals in south indian households especially on tamil new year day. It has multiple tastes like sweetness, sourness, spiciness and bitterness. When prepared on tamil new year day we also include little neem flowers fried in ghee. Here I have given the recipe without neem flowers.