Arisi / Paal Payasam - Rice Kheer

My sister-in-law is expecting her second one this April, a very happy and interesting phase of her life. We stopped by her place few days back to be a part of a small get-together with family and relatives. I thought I should make her something special to give her a sweet treat during her sweet motherhood journey. It was too late by the time I decided to make something. Suddenly my mind clicked in the right way to remind me of this simple dessert that needs minimal ingredients but gives best taste and utmost satisfaction. 

There is nothing to sweat out here except for stopping by the kitchen a few more times than usual cooking to give some extra stirs. Simple it is ... just boil, cook and garnish and voila it is ready. Try this and you are sure to treat your friends the best way at the dessert table. I have made this for so many of our get-togethers and it has been perfect every time its been served

Gobhi 65 with the special Crispy n Soft bites

 

Cauliflower, a vegetable that is beautiful by its name is also a beauty in its taste and look. Nature is simply great.. the way it makes flowers and vegetables and trees and plants and this and that n everything around. Everything is so unique when it comes to nature. Cauliflower i feel is also a beautiful creation. Ever looked at it closely - tiny pearls cluttered  together that give the look of beautiful flowers which are bundled again to look like a dense bouquet. The beautiful creamy color, the soft but grainy texture and the green fresh leaves around them to add to its beauty. Its really a wonder. God and nature might have taken a long time to decide how this vegetable would look :)

I love this vegetable fried or boiled or chopped or grated ... just cooked beautifully to give the magical taste. This recipe is a simple call for those taste buds that need to be satiated pleasingly. Its easy and simple and sure to win hearts.

It serves as a perfect appetizer at parties too. Do a little homework a little ahead of time and surprise your friends with a delicious munch

Sweet n Spongy Rasgullas

Rasgullas... mmmm I cant even say it - my mouth is watering for these sponge balls but I dont have to worry for the time being as I have some resting in the fridge right now. Juicy, spongy, sweet, soft and yummy balls floating in simple sugar syrup is as heavenly as its sounding now. Me n my hubby both love them. Oh!!!! we just cant stop eating. Everytime we open the fridge we are sure to pop atleast one into our mouth.  Now think how many would I be eating as I am the one in the house who uses the fridge the most he he :) your  guess is almost right but I wont let you know the count ;) its a secret. This is also my father-in-laws favorite so I make one big batch when he is home.

Whenever at a sweet shop, we would always have rasgullas or rasmalais and there have also been times when I have stocked Haldirams tins when in the US. I had always thought that it would be the toughest recipe in the dessert section but guess what - you can name this one to be the easiest. Yes it is. No sweating here.. I promise. It is so easy to make that I just dont sit down to make it but instead I do it as and when I pass by my kitchen. Yes I do. Say, it is this easy - I keep the milk for boiling while I go and clean up the living room   then when I am back I make the paneer and rest it. Then later when I am done with my work I kick-off the sugar-syrup process while I make the balls and pop them in. Finally the pressure cookers job comes in which doesnt need my lending helping hand :)

Easy to make and heavenly delicious to eat is what I shud say. They are just mmmmmm hmmm yummmmm

Spicy Crispy Baby Potatoes

Potatoes are yummy and baby potatoes are yummier than them. If you havent tried it ever then I would suggest you definitely try it and am sure you will fall in love with these babies. I remember my childhood days when my mom used to make these for us and how we used to fight for our shares. My mom always used to make it in a big batch and share it out equally for all of us but at the end we would be fighting again asking for moms share. Gone are those beautiful old days.

These potatoes tend to taste a little different from the regular sized ones. I think they have an extra something - some tangy or tingy taste that draws itself closer to our heart. When I made this for my hubby for the first time, I remember I got only 7 potatoes(babies) left for me when I sat down with my dinner plate. He did not even realize how he had gobbled  down so many of them in a few mins. After that I have always taken the safer side - slide away a portion of the dish for myself hidden in the kitchen and unveil the secret only when I sit down with my rotis... :) Come on now, dont stare at me like that making me feel I am a thief in my own kitchen. After all its my favorite too.

Now when we are 2 more in our beautiful world of love there is more wants for this dish. My kids are crazy about these. The moment they see these packets at the vegetable store they would make sure they take it themselves to the billing counter.

Whenever I make this, its like the fastest eater is the best at place here ;)

Sweet Potato Roundels

Sweet Potatoes are sweet .. very sweet to eat and relish in a very sweet way. Oh my!!!!! you are very sweeeeeeet my little "Sweet Potato". At mine all of us love sweet potatoes except for my elder kid... hmmm now think what cud be the problem for this silly mamma here. Yes, I did not want my kid to miss out on the taste of this beautiful vegetable and also its nutritional goodness. 

Right from when he was an year old I have been trying to give him a taste of this sweetness which he has always rejected. It did not work even after numerous attempts until I came up with this simple twist which is apt for my kids style of eating. Now believe me, this has worked like a charm for the past 3 years or more. He even takes it as a snack to school and I can always know that the box would be empty when he's home - now that is a magic 

Kara kuzhambu ... no coconut

Kara kuzhambu with no coconut was new to me until I had it at one of our relatives house. She cooks real good food and that too in a jiffy. Last week when we went to their home for a quick visit, it turned out to be a day long visit. As we had been to their afte a very long time, she did not want us to leave home without having lunch. Seeing her love we could not say no and so dropped out others and stayed back for lunch. Oh my god.... she was so fast at work.... something here something there .... and thats it... in no time lunch was ready :)

She made this simple kara kuzhambu for us. When I had it I like a lot but then realised it was completely different from the one I make. She made it without using any coconut which is the usual way of making. Kids loved it too. When we were about to leave she packed some for our dinner too... saying it would taste very good with dosa too. So we had it for dinner too along with dosa. It was too good and as is got the recipe from her and have been making it in my kitchen
  
Try it out and you might like it too

Methu vada... Urad dal vadai

Methu vadai ... aaaha the best thing ever. Love them a lot and not only just me but all in our family. Cant make it very often coz of its high-calorific values though ;) but festival and auspicious days are no excuse. Any auspicious day and vadai+payasam make their way into the kitchen menu.. Now that is good... nope veryyyyyy good as we can enjoy with an excuse at hand 

I always make lots of them as I get to share them with my friends around and secondly we sure like leftovers of these - yes leftovers. We love dahi vadas/curd vadas. They are so yummy too and I make them all the time with the leftover vadas. So now you know why we need lots of them in the making

Every home has a warm welcome for these soft yet crispy textured fluffy fellas that has been in the traditional menu for ages now. This time I had a request from my friend asking for my secret recipe curious about how they turn out perfect every time. Oh no .. there is no secret as we all know and better fact - this is the easiest among things to do. Still she did not believe me and wanted me share the recipe with her. So here we go dear - A recipe shared just for you ;)

Carrot soup.. a nutrition top-up for kids...

Nikhil, my elder kiddo has started liking soups these days. I noticed lately that whenever we are at a restaurant he makes sure he orders his soup first before any other of his favorites. He is usually a picky-eater like many other toddlers at this stage. I always have to think of new ways and hide-n-seek ways to give him few specific vegetable supplements. When i say hide-n-seek I mean I have to play white lies many a times to make him eat some veggies say - beetroot, spinach, beans, sweet potatoes and many more. Thinking of such ways sometimes give me wild ideas or sometime very simple ideas.  Sometimes I mash some veggies and add them to chappathi dough, something mash it give a gravy consistency, sometimes deep-fry for an extra effect but this one here is a wonderful and healthy alternate if the kids like it.

This soup-liking story sparked my silly nutrition-seeking mind to take advantage of this nice little healthy like. Ideas flashed making my eyes sparkling bright and smile getting mischievous that I could feed them some more veggies easily. Nowadays it has been a regular habit to serve them 3-4 unadulterated soups a week, which is very good.

When I discussed this with my friends one day, I could see so many faces brightly lit that were sure many requests for a recipe forward. I could see that many mothers were really very happy to get this recipe getting into their kitchen tables right away. I had so many smiles that I had to post this with a smile on my face.

This is a very simple recipe .. of course fool-proof. Yes, I am sure you can never go wrong with it. Enjoy and let me know.

Paneer n Yellow Capsicum in Poppy seeds gravy

Couple of weeks back I tasted a Paneer recipe at a local restaurant that I felt was a little different from the usual ones. We all loved the recipe. I liked a specially different taste that it had. It was a little creamy, little sour, little spicy and something special which is beyond my guess. Guess what ??? I finished an extra portion of naan than I usually take which makes it clear that I was working on every mouthful a little extra to understand the recipe. 

Yes you are thinking right now....my mind started working on guessing the ingredients and about making an attempt to recreate the typical taste which I liked though not the exact recipe. The recipe had capsicum and onion and some more stuff but I have it a little different.  This recipe - my version calls for paneer and yellow capsicum as its main ingredients. For that extra creamy and silky gravy texture we would need poppy seeds and cashews. Hmmm ....  a rich recipe to give a simple dinner gravy a tasty twist which will sure satiate your taste buds. 

To my happiness, the first attempt to this recipe has been a real success. I got to share this with a couple of my friends and 'they + family' have liked it... nope I am sorry they have not like it but they have loved it. At my home all of us have enjoyed. My elder kid, a paneer lover gave me a thumbs  up and giant hug for my yummy trial and my little one loved it too. The recipe was perfect except that I want to change a few steps and try again this week. I am planning to alter the steps when making the gravy to make the cooking faster. I was thinking  to post both styles together but a friend of mine is planning to try this recipe over the weekend so couldnt wait. Anyways I will try that too and update again. Check out this recipe and let me know your comments. 

Sakkarai Pongal my mom's version

Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated all across South India especially in Tamil Nadu. A beautiful way to thank Sun God for his blessings on the new harvest. The beautifully decorated home entrances filled with colorful kolams and rangolis, the juicy sweet sugarcanes, the harmonious sound of bells ringing in everyones house indicating their prayers, people wishing each other 'Happy Pongal' , children n everyone enjoying their new outfits and the sweetest Pongal to eat are the best descibed events to be quoted about this festival as I have witnessed it from my childhood. A festival that brings a sense of happiness and togetherness.

In my Grandmas time, they used to do this outside the house in the frontyard welcoming the Sun God. She used to put bricks and rocks around to make a small stove-kind and burn small pieces of wood. Brass pots were used to boil milk and make pongal. Now things have changed  and we have started making pongal inside the house and also in cooker rather than brass pots :) How things have changed :) But am planning to follow thw tradition in the coming years... atleast will try to 

I have already shared my mil's version some time back. My mom makes sakkarai pongal a little different than her - without moong dal and now I have also started liking this version too. This version stays fresh longer than the moong dal version and also moong dal version tends to be more sticky that purely rice version. There can be many a reason for each tasting sweeter in its own way. Both taste awesome :) Here is my moms version that I have been following for quite a while now and it is fool-proof... which is good :)

Spicy potato wedges.. my kids favorite

Potato wedges, smileys, french fries ... name any such junk and kids are sure to love it. Its not a problem with the kids but it a problem with mother nature that she blesses us with delicious potatoes that no one can ever resist. Just kidding, we are so blessed by mother nature that it helps mothers like me to fix happy meals for her kids in no time :) Fry it, roast it, bake it, mash it ... anyway you try, it will sure make a pleasant hit at the table. Kids and elders everyone loves it but we sure restrict thinking about the calories we might put on. Its ok for kids once in a while to enjoy their favorite snack in their favorite way.My kids are so much in love with this that they ask for it every time we go out. So its a favorite timepass anywhere around. 

I dont add too many spices to this recipe as it calls for little ones every time to be the fool-proof testers ;) You can pick to add whatever spices you like to bring out your favorite flavors. We love garlic and cumin so I have stuck to that for a while now. Here is my simple, easy to make, fool-proof, yum-yum recipe that will help your kiddos enjoy their snack time in a happily yummy way

Chunky vegetables in a simple gravy style

Chunky vegetables ... oh yes thats what my kids love and they are best for the nutrition they need to keep growing the healthy way. A simple way to get them what they love but without any additional pour of spices or extras is this beautiful tireless recipe. This recipe just came out of the want for my kids to eat their veggies. They always ask me - Niks says "Mommy... big vegetable sticks plssssssss...' and Aadit says "Veggie veggie veggie" and that is what makes this recipe an always welcomed recipe for us.

A very simple way to put together a few little things to get in those most needed minerals and vitamins. Give it a try to get your kids to become real veggie lovers

Simple mixture... the simple homemade style

Mixture is my dad's favorite and now my in-laws favourite too. It is a must for Diwali and my mom never fails to make it. She is perfect and she is the best cook I know in whatever she cooks. I have followed or atleast tried to follow my moms footsteps when it comes to cooking certain food

This mixture is such an addiction that I had to make it too in my kitchen. Evr since I have had a kitchen of my own, I have been making this every Diwali. It tastes great with a subtle touch of spice unlike the store bought ones which I feel like are loaded with too much stuff. Keeping it simple and tasty is the mantra here

Wishes to all my readers...

An year passed by and so many things brushed into our lives - well each one had its own spice and own stir. Some days have been lovely, some gloomy, some lazy, some bubbly, some very happy, some silly, some boring and some very interesting. Beautiful are the thoughts when they run through our minds. How different has each day been... thoughts bring in few kicks of laughter, few kicks of smiles, few of cries and few 'I dont know what'. But yes, as I said every day had its own style. Thanks to Him for everything that was.

This blog has not had much attention for the past 2 years. Then suddenly I burst out with a few of them pinned across :). Now there is no explanation for whatever it has been. Hope in the coming year I learn a lot more in the culinary side too and fill my blog space with lovely recipes. 

Wishing all my readers and friends and family a very "MERRY CHRISTMAS" and a "HAPPY NEW YEAR"  

Hope you have  blast at the party :)

Paneer corn balls

Paneer... and by now you know what I would say... :) "Its my kids favorite" . I say this every time ans yes it is true - I really cant say much other than this. This is a version of paneer that my kids love to snack on almost every day but nope thats not the way we make it. It sure hits the snack menu a hell lot of times.

Soft, golden crispy, yummy paneer balls with beautiful golden corn popping out in every other bite makes this dish very very special to my kids. Not much spice but just enough to bring out the kick in it. Every time I make this, I have my little helpers right in the kitchen not even having the slightest thought of moving out. They sit right on the counter and help me with everything - say  cooking, cleaning, setting plates, 'bringing the ketchup bottle' and ofcourse eating:) . And the best part, the paneer balls never make their way out of the kitchen - yes they are gobbled down before they can be even transferred to a serving plate

Below is a quick snack/starter that will keep your kids busy licking their fingers