It's been ages since I've posted any recipe on my blog. Not because I stopped trying new recipes, (that's partly true since i keep my cooking to basic and simple dishes nowadays) but because I need to get back to blogging after a big break. I do share my recipes and everyday cooking on my Instagram page. I've decided to post more this month, let's see how I fare at it.

Now today's recipe is a simple one and easy for beginners too. I had Baingan or big eggplant variety lying in my refrigerator for a week. Everytime I was postponing to cook with it. I wanted to try something totally new. I saw this recipe on Youtube and compared many recipes to finalise my dish and it came out pretty well. It's a yogurt based curry but also spicy, based on how spicy you want to make it. It is a great option when you run out of onion and tomato at home. I added a potato to make it appealing for my husband, you can also try that to make kids eat it. It goes well with Roti, chapati, pulao and even rice too. I did not click any good pics before we finished it off today. So here is a short snippet from my instagram story of the dish. Lets move on the actual recipe.

This is one of my most drooled over food pic on social network. (Don't forget to follow me in FB, Instagram and Pinterest, etc. - Links on the right hand corner)

My bro had come home last weekend and i had to make prawns for lunch, because that's his favorite. I was in a big dilemma whether to make prawns biriyani or masala curry. Both are equally tasty and i too just love prawns aka shrimps. I sometimes wonder why few people are so allegic to prawns. They cannot even touch them, else they would have to be admitted in a hospital. Pity them :(

Without any more stories, lets jump right to the Prawn Masala Recipe. You can do a little bit of changes to make it into a semi-gravy or gravy at the end.

There is no looking back, once you make this recipe right.

I don't think I need to describe this gravy, the picture says it all. I wanted to make a green chicken curry which goes well with roti/chapathi and rice too. I had Spinach/Palak, Methi/Fenugreek leaves, Coriander and Mint/Pudina leaves in stock. I was just choosing randomly the greens to use in the curry for the day. Somehow the mint bunch was so attractive, that I decided to go with it. It definitely was a good choice and yummiest gravy I have made. So here goes the recipe:

Since I'm basically from Chennai, I always love fishes and other seafood varieties. Even when I'm writing this, I'm drooling for my mother's fish curry and fish fry. But I never learnt to know the different types of fishes my mom cooks... I just Vanjaram (Sheer fish), Shankara (Red Snapper), Sura (Shark) and there ends my fish knowledge!! Same goes with different Greens available here!!

Usually my fish curry is pretty simple with small onions, garlic and tomato, in a tamarind base curry. Its simple and tasty, but I wanted to try something different. Make the curry a little thick and try to bring in the authentic Kerala taste with coconut and other spices. So I landed in this recipe of roasting and grinding spices with coconut to make this gravy. It's almost similar to my masala used for Chicken gravy if you have tried it.

As you can see in the picture, I made it with our regular fish fry, which is always yummy :P    Recipe coming next!!

I'm Back to posting recipes after a long time. Infact back to actual cooking... ;) I ve been enjoying quite a long time, travelling, eating out all kind of cuisines in US. I even tried red lobsters, crab meat.... :) 
Now I'm busy trying to fit in my new job. 

After this trip, our food habits have also changed a bit. We like a lot of salads, fries, nuts, coke, granola bars, hazelnut latte from starbucks, lots of chicken, burgers, pizzas, cheese, mayo, ranch sauce.....!! 
Out pf all this junk, the good thing is that I'm inspired to try out different cuisines at home. 

So let's move on to today's recipe. When my husband landed back in India, I wanted to cook something he really loves for breakfast and he surely would have missed it in US. I decided to make hot Idlis with our famous Chettinad chicken curry. 

The specialty of Chettinadu curry is choosing the perfect quantity & roasting and grinding the masala items. But trust me it's easy and worth the time it takes to roast and grind (which is just 10 mins)

Day by day I have started to feel the importance of our age old food habits and their medicinal benefits. We have totally forgotten about our grandmom's home remedies and we are heading to the Hospital everytime ending up having a big hole in our pockets!! Someday I would want to make a collection of these age old Indian Ayurveda and Vedic remedies to common ailments and even modern diseases. The ancient scripts which mention these remedies are not less than 1000 years old...!!!! They are the real jackpot we should aim for!!

So How many of us have heard about Navadhaniyam (Tamil word) or the Nine Cereals (Nava means Nine and Dhanya means grains)? It is mentioned in the ancient vedas, and is still used in India for all auspicious rituals. But we do not know the real importance of these cereals, it was supposed to be used as our staple food for leading a healthy life.

We are either having more rice or wheat in India now... South indians started having a lot of Wheat thinking it is better than having carbohydrates in Rice. But that's not true!! Wheat has gluten (Glue-like property) which is hard to digest. Another point Wheat will never suit South Indians... Having lots of wheat will create heat inside the body, which is only required to those who live in extremely cold places. And we have also started having a lot of Maida/flour nowadays in the form of Pizza, Paratha, Bread, etc. We have totally forgotten about the other healthy options!!

What are the Nine Differet Grains or Cereals?
Pigeon Peas (Toor dal/Thuvarai)
Wheat
Horse Gram (Kollu)
Green Gram (Moong Dal)
Paddy/Rice
White Beans (White rajma/Avarai kai)
Black Sesame (Til/Ellu)
Chickpeas (Channa/Konda kadalai)
Black gram (Urad dal/ Ulundu)

Auspicious Significance of the Nine Grains:
Each of these grains represents one of the nine planets, and hence they are used in performing Hindu rituals like Grahapravesham or House Warming Pooja, Navaratri Pooja, etc.

Suriyan (Sun) – Wheat
Chandiran (Moon) -  Paddy/Rice 
Chevvai (Mars) - Tuvarai (Toor)
Bhudhan (Mercury) - Greengram (Moong)
Guru (Jupitor) - Chickpeas (Channa) 
Sukiran (Venus) - White Beans (White Rajma or Motchai or Avarai seeds) 
Sani(Saturn) -  Black Sesame (Til)
Rahu – Black gram (Ulundu or Urad) 
Kethu – Horse gram (Kollu)

South Indian soups are very famous across India, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It is usually not the creamy version but is a clear soup made with spices like pepper. Famous ones are Kozhi (Chicken) Soup, Aatukaal (Mutton leg) Soup, Drumstick soup, Cauliflower Soup, Beetroot soup and many other unique ones. Drinking these soups are believed to be a cure for common cold, cough and fever. Grandmothers make these traditional and authentic soups with all the love and freshly ground spices, for the kids. A cup of soup can be drunk before you start your afternoon meal or you can also have it with rice. Let's see Beetroot soup recipe today.

Ingredients:
Beetroot chopped finely - 1
Onion sliced lengthwise - 1
Tomato chopped - 1
Green Chilli slit lengthwise - 2 or 3
Pepper Corns - 1/2 tsp
Split Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Moong Dal - 1 tsp
Biriyani Spices like star anise - 1 
Black Stone Flower - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1"
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt
Chopped Coriander to garnish

Method:
1. Heat oil in the cooker pan, put all the biriyani spices and roast them until aroma arises.
2. Add the pepper corns, fennel seeds and split urad dal.
3. Now add sliced onions and green chillies. Saute well until onions are transparent.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and beetroot. Also add 1 tsp of moong dal for added flavor and texture.
5. Add salt as required and let the veggies cook for 2 mins.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and close the cooker. Cook for 2 whistles, don't overcook the veggies.
7. Open the cooker, add some pepper powder if required (Since beetroots may be over sweet). Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

You can use the same recipe for Cauliflower or plain tomato soup. This hot soup  tastes great for this cold weather and the monsoon season.
Happy Cooking!!
Rate this recipe below.

Idiyappam is a very famous traditional food item from Tamil Nadu and Kerala (South India). Especially it's very famous in our Chettinad.
Chettinad is a part of Southern Tamil Nadu with Karaikkudi as the capital. It is known for it's specialty cooking recipes.. you can find this name added to many dishes in restaurant menu cards, like Chettinad Chicken, Chettinad Kara Kozhambu, etc. Some of the famous Chettinad items are: Sweets like Paal Paniyaram, Athirasam, Kavuniarisi, Aadi Koozh (Kummayam), Idiyappam, Aappam, Kuzhi Paniyaram, Vella Paniyaram, Therakkal and lots more. My taste buds are tempted by just writing them here.
You should visit chettinad sometime to experience it's cuisine. The best way is to attend a Chettinad marriage function, you will be served food like a King!! The tradition of serving the guests with unlimited delicacies and absolute kindness. . They will serve you until you stop them on your own :) You can find all the varities mentioned served in a marriage feast! Get to experience it soon!!
Chettinad is also known for it's culture, heritage and architectural designs using Marbles and Burma Teak. We would be starting a Vintage page soon with designs inspired from India and include Chettinad designs for you to inspire.