Malai Laddu / Paneer Laddu

There are few food items which make you drool, when you see the pics or in movies..In a typical bollywood setting, you would find these amazing pedal/laddu's on the aarti thali :).. Have always wished, i was right there to receive the prasad :D..This dessert is something i had bookmarked from here ages ago and finally got a chance to make it!

Thakkali Kai Masiyal / Raw (green) Tomato Sambhar

Necessity is the Mother of Invention they say..does that apply to our kitchens?? Have there been times, when you decide to cook something, only to realize that you dont have the ingredients to make the dish :).. What do you do?? Do you make an alternative dish or land up substituting  a new ingredient, which becomes your signature dish, that everyone can stop raving about :D

Kothavarangai Paruppu Usili/ Cluster Beans Lentil Curry

Paruppu (Lentil) Usili is a very popular dish and is done on all auspicious occasions be it weddings or festivals! Its called Usili, when we powder the the lentil and mix it with veggies...The best part of this dish is, we can alternate the taste by using different veggies like beans, cluster beans, capsicum, banana flower or even broccoli :)..

Chocolate Burfi/Chocolate Fudge

The onset of August means its Festival time :))..Before marriage, i have absolutely not helped my amma for any preparations.. for me it was just a holiday.. She would be so annoyed.. that i sleep so late on a festival day.. being a girl how will i manage after marriage..how i should help & learn a little..It all fell on deaf ears :).. My only concern would be the festival food !!

Kothamalli Thogayal/Raw Cilantro Chutney

One of the other staple items in South Indian households in Thogayal..The best way i can possibly explain this is..its a thicker version of a chutney.But we have this by mixing it with rice and ghee/oil!

Badam Burfi/Almond Fudge

I confess i love sweets :)..i love savories as well..but given a choice, i think i would always choose sweets! With the exception of Bombay halwa, i think there is nothing i would say no too :))..But an all time favourite has always been Badam Halwa & Badam Burfi!! 

Eggless Apple Cake

Has there been times when you want to eat something & you just wont find them in your fridge.. and when you finally manage to get it.. there seems to be an overstock, which leaves you wondering 'How am i going to finish all of this now??'

Parangikai Vathakozhambu / Pumpkin Tamarind Sambhar

Assuming, this would be my last day on Earth and i am given a choice of one dish that i can have..then it has to be Vatha Kozhambu and Potato Fry! I am sure, anybody who has ever tasted this will agree with me :)).. Unlike other sambhar / kozhambu the tamarind water is boiled for a very long time, till it shrinks and thickens ( vathardhu meaning to drain/ shrink), hence the name!

Vazakkai Karamedu/ Raw Banana Curry

Raw Banana(Vazha is banana & kai means raw) Karamedu or Poriyal is one of the easiest things to make. You could prepare so many dishes of them..be it chips, bajji's, different types of karamedu..gosh!. 
I noticed that i have been constantly rambling about how i will soon get back to blogging..but have never been able to implement it :(.. A lot of things has kept me occupied.. travel, shifting to a new place and blogging unfortunately took a back seat..I am sure i am the ' Forgotten Fossil' of the Blog world :D, but its never too late to get back right.. atleast thats what my mom s been telling me :) n here i am, with a revamp of an old posted recipe..

Kodbale

Kodbale is a Karnataka snack and an absolute favorite! Its pronounced as 'Code' Ba-le :).. I guess it has the shape of cow horn and when joined resembles a bangle, hence the name!! When i saw the  Valli's ICC announcement for this month ( I know, she has been kind enough to still have me as a part of the group :)), it got me excited!!

Thakkali Pachidi/ Tomato Raitha

I have been saying that i shall be back & have taken such a long time to get back to blogging! I havent dropped by & followed your blogs..in short i just disappeared :)..But decided i will get back to doing what i started and decided to start off by posting a very simple recipe.. Hope you guys have it in you to check them out and support me like you always did!

Dish it Out - Corn & Capsicum

Its been a while & i haven't become regular with my blogging.. I am getting there :)..When i started blogging a few months back and started learning about how it works ..I saw the slot open for hosting " Dish it Out'' by Vardhini.. I dono what i was thinking.. coz i did not having any clue, as how to host an event, but yet mailed her nevertheless!! She was kind enough to have me on board, though she knew i was a total novice and i for now so many months later too, cant help but feel grateful yet again.. :)

Vardhini of Cooksjoy .. hmm let me say is a 'blog' hold name in the blogging world right :).This event ' Dish it Out' is interesting coz i get to choose the ingredients and this way learn more recipes.. So my choice for ingredients for this months DIsh it out Event is ' CORN & CAPSICUM '! Both are my favourites and there are very limited items i know, which combine these two.. So put on you chef hats and whip up something using these very ingredients :))

The event runs from Dec 1st - Dec 31st.

Rules for the Event : 

1. Make a dish using "Corn & Capsicum". They form the core of the dish and we should be able to taste them in the final dish!!

2. Only vegetarian dishes. Eggs allowed for baking!

3. Would really appreciate usage of the logo.. Helps spread the word

4. Link to Vardhini's announcement page & mine is MANDATORY!

5. Archived entries are accepted as long as they are linked with both announcements

 Thanks for your overwhelming response for my previous event and i really hope for you guys to support me in this too :). Please link in your entries given below.. I am waiting!!

Event Time - Kids's Delight ' The Healthy Makeover'

I have known Valli for quite sometime now.. Been a part of her events.. remember ICC, The Blogging Marathon :).. She is such a seasoned blogger and i for one am in awe of people who have the zeal and passion to update their blogs on regular basis, despite their busy schedules..managing kids..I mean, how do they do it! I need the perfect mood.. temperament & some patience to post on a regular basis.. esp when u take a break in between right :)..Valli has been blogging for 5 years and her dedication & commitment to blog .. well, let me just say this post is not going to suffice :D..When the Kids Delight Event was open to hosting.. i just knew i had to do it..

I don't have kids myself..but the idea of a healthy makeover of dishes was something that caught my fancy.. I am super fussy like a kid about dishes..and i love all the " to be had occasionally only" items a hell lot..So, a healthy makeover of an interesting dish was what i need too!! 

What do you guys do?? How do you transform a junk item into something delicious..Lets say like make pizza using wheat flour.. or do you bake bread rolls/samosas.. Anything. Absolutely anything.. How do you work the magic on dishes?? Tell me.. share you recipes with me...Just a quick look at the rules & i can't wait to have a look at all your interesting dishes..The event ' Kids Delight - The Healthy Makover' runs for one whole month, starting tomo Oct 16th - Nov 15th 2012

Rules for the Event

1. Send in as many recipes as you want.. the more makeovers.. even better

2. Recipes submitted to other events are also perfectly fine!

3. If you want to post a recipe from you archive.. no Issues but you have to UPDATE them as current posts!

4. Only Vegetarinan recipes allowed!!

5. Sorry people.. if you don't blog, then i can't accept your recipes this time..

6. Make sure you link your recipe to my announcement as well as Valli's Kids Delight Post ' 

Quite simple right.. We would be thrilled if you have the attached logo in your posts.. helps spread the word & let me just say..am being greedier for more recipes :D

Back!

I have been away from the Blogging world for almost 4 months! The sudden loss of someone very very close shook our world and it took us quite a while to come in terms with reality..There are a few losses which can never be replaced, but the irony of life is... it just goes on..

I still am a novice at blogging and in the limited time i have spent in this blog world, i really appreciate all those people who have noticed my absence and took time to check on me :).. thanks so much..Really appreciate it (U know who u are!)

I have missed all your interesting recipes....your updates..the events.. I shall be back soon & hopefully, i get you all excited with my recipes..

For the final day of the marathon, i present my favorite from the archive.. Mysore Masala dosa.. It makes the weekend breakfast so perfect & complete.. thats my dosa love speaking :)..

Methi Puri

Both S and i are not fans of Puri.. It almost seems strange to me because i almost love all fried items.. There was a point when amma would get angry that i loved fried items so much, and would avoid all the healthy stuff.. she would just ask me to drink a glass of oil everyday,instead of eating :( :)..Puri was on fried dish which eluded me though..i have no clue why!

Pesaratu

Another addition to the list of items i learnt from my MIL :).. We never really made this at home.. I remember amma making it with green gram & both appa and me had a huge list of why we don't like it & we literally banned it..
Then after many many years, i tasted this and liked it.. I can't say a lot, but then its a good variation plus its so healthy.. So to a super easy recipe!

Ven Aval Pongal/ Flattened Rice Pongal

Pongal is a very famous South Indian delicacy, made with rice, moong dal & tempered with spices like pepper, cumin ! S is crazy about this & when i was i Chennai, i have seen my friends dig this too.. They love Pongal, chutney for breakfast.. Its quite a heavy dish, leaves you fuller & is nutritious too.. but i could never really understand their fascination for this dish...

Kancheepuram Idli

I have never been a great fan of Idli's.. But Darshini( Small eat outs in Blore) were always welcome..I dono whether it was the chutney which did the trick, but i can never say No to them..Not that i wouldn't eat them at home, but not one of my favorites :)..Coming to this idli, as the name suggests, it got famous from its place of origin 'Kancheepuram' - the famous place, known for its silk saris in TN, India.. This idli is mildly flavored with spices like pepper, cumin/jeera & ginger powder(Sukhu podi).

Paruppu Sevai/Lentil based Rice Noodles

Today, for the BM i have chosen Paruppu Sevai.. Sevai/Thin vermicelli is a house favorite! My patti would make it often and she would make different varieties like lemon, tamarind, coconut, jaggery, til etc..Imagine one base & so many varieties!