Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu Literally translates to Eggplant gravy in oil. As the name suggests, this requires a generous amount of oil, sesame oil preferably. You can take care of the guilt by eating with a light keerai (spinach) masiyal or paruppusili. CourseMain Dish CuisineSouth Indian Servings4 servings Prep Time20 minutes Cook Time20 minutes Ingredients 1/4cup sesame oilcan also use mild, neutral oil such as avocado 6small baby eggplanttender ones with bright green stems 10pods garlic 1medium onionshallots work best 1medium Tomato 1pingpong ball sized tamarind chunksoak in wa ..read more

Paal Kootu (Milk Curry) I had seen a pal kootu recipe in Meenakshi Ammal's Samaithu Par volume, but was always wondered if milk in a curry would be something I would like. Finally decided to try it, and sorely regretted not having cooked for the past thirty years. This is such a mellow dish, and is perfect with rice. I haven't tried it with rotis, but don't see why not. Typically made with ridge gourd, yellow pumpkin, it takes mellow vegetables. On to the recipe now! CourseMain Dish CuisineIndian, South Indian Servings3-4 servings Prep Time15 minutes Cook Time15-30 minutes Ingredien ..read more

Vegetable Biryani This is a no fuss, one-pot vegetable biryani that comes together in about 45 minutes if you prep right and have everything in place before you start. I followed Revathy Shanmugam's vegetable biryani recipe to the t and it never fails! CourseMain Dish CuisineGlobal, Indian, South Indian Servings3-4 people Prep Time15 minutes Cook Time25 minutes Ingredients 2tbsp oil 1medium onion 2medium Tomatoes 1tbsp ginger-garlic paste 4-5whole spices cinnamon, cloves, cardamom 2cups mixed vegetables: potatoes, cauliflower, carrot, green beans, peas, edamame beans 1/2cup yogurt ..read more

Podis: Staples In A South Indian Kitchen A few podis that I cannot live without. I make these once in about 2 months in small quantities to retain freshness. I used to get these from my mom, but she's older now and I'm older haha, so started making rasam podi and molagapodi on my own, and slowly started making pretty much all the podis. Especially with the covid situation! CoursePodis And Pickles CuisineSouth Indian Servings10 servings Ingredients Rasam Podi 1cup Coriander seeds 3/4cup toor dal 1cup red chiliesdepending on heat preference, you can mix red chilies and bydagi chilie ..read more

Butternut Squash Ravioli A super mellow and delicate ravioli. I fell in love with butternut squash after I tried this recipe! My daughter made this recipe from a source she found on the web (linked in Recipe notes). We skipped the eggs, and used goat cheese instead of ricotta. Other than that, the recipe was wonderful. The raviolis might have been a bit dense without the eggs, but we didn't really mind! CourseMain Dish CuisineItalian Servings36 pieces (appr) Prep Time1 hour Cook Time15 minutes Ingredients 2cups AP Flour upto 1cup Waterstart with 1/2 salta pinch per cup 1tsp olive ..read more

Paruppu keerai Masiyal This is a simple spinach dish that comes together in 15 mins, in the time it takes rice to be ready. Can be made with any of the greens. I've used purslane or paruppu keerai as it's known in Tamil since I grow it. It grows very easily. All parts of the plant are edible, including the very pretty yellow flowers. There are many varieties of purslane with different colored flowers, and I was told the one with the yellow flowers was the one most used in cooking. It can be sauteed with salt and garlic, or sprinkled on salads, or, as I've done here, cooked with onions, chil ..read more

Pudina Podi (Spicy Mint Powder) CoursePodis And Pickles, Side dish, Sides CuisineIndian, South Indian Ingredients 2cups fresh mint leaves 2tbsp Coriander seeds 10-12dry red chilies 1tsp Cumin seeds 1tbsp chana dal 1tbsp urad dal 1small lime sized ball of puli/tamarind 1tsp oil Instructions Wash and dry mint leaves on a clean kitchen towel for a few hours. I let them dry for almost a day Roast coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chilies, and cumin seeds in that order in the heated oil. Hack: You may also throw them all together if in a hurry. Add the dried mint leaves ..read more

Pretzels! Who doesn't love a fresh from the oven, warm pretzel (or two!). One of the quintessential mall foods, my daughter and I decided we had to conquer this recipe during this quarantine period. And we've made it twice now, improving on technique, taste and texture each time. My daughter is definitely better at shaping them. I do the rest. If I close my eyes, I could almost believe I'm in some mall. So while it satisfies the pretzel craving, it also provides some retail therapy relief! CourseSnacks And Light Meals CuisineGlobal Servings8 pretzels Prep Time30 minutes Cook Time11 min ..read more

Kanchipuram Idli Kanchipuram Idli - spiced with ginger in fresh and dried forms, pepper, cumin, kariveppelai (curry leaves), cashew nuts, and tempered in gingelly oil (nallennai/sesame oil) - just reading the description makes me almost drool. So named for its origins in (from who knows when) the temple kitchen (madapalli) of the Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal kovil, it's been enjoyed by millions as a temple prasadam and in homes around the world. I was introduced to it quite late in my life when I got married and had it at my husband's aunt's place. I'll admit - I wasn't a huge fan initial ..read more

Vegetable Biryani Ah. Biryani. That mouth-watering melting pot of flavors and spices. Who doesn't like biryani? Shockingly, me. I have never been a fan and always wondered at the euphoric reaction it elicited among everyone, including my husband. But, during this quarantine period, I decided to conquer some of my misconceptions and biases (one reason for my dislike for biryani is its name) for certain foods. And, biryani tops the list. Others are kadalai curry, vadakari, korma (i really like the aroma, just not a fan of the actual dish, go figure that), aappam (again, I love the looks, the ..read more