Kitchen Khaleesi

This could be the most healthy pizza you could ever give your kids, both eye attractive and appealing, this pizza's crust is made with whole wheat and no yeast! That makes a very quick process and no proving time! Fully loaded with veggies, this pizza gives 2/5 portion of vegetable serving per day.  Ingredients: For Base: Whole wheat flour- 1.5 cups Salt -1 TSP Baking powder-1 TSP Olive oil-1 tbsp Flax seeds-1 tbsp Warm milk as needed. For Sauce: Tomato puree- 1 cup Finely chopped onion- 1 med size Garlic cloves- 3 minced Salt- 1 tsp Sugar-1/2 TSP Chilli powder-1/2 TSP Black pepper powder-1/4  Italian seasoning mix- 1 tsp Olive oil- 2 TSP For Topping: Finely chopped onion-1 Med size Broccoli- 1 cut into florets Sweet corn kernels- 1/2 cup Red and yellow bell peppers- each 1 diced Carrot-1 cut into rounds Tomatoes -2 diced Cheddar cheese - 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella- 3/4 cup grated Method: Base: Mix, flour, baking powder, salt, flax seeds. usi...

Alternate Thursdays​ at our home, we have English type breakfast. Well almost..  Because we don't make black pudding and cook bacon strips neither. But this fluffy Mashed Potatoes are a mandatory staple along with pancakes, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms and grilled tomatoes. Not to forget the syrup. This mashed potatoes is also suitable for babies who are above 1 year old. Serve them with Spinach Purée and need not worry about their nutritional need for that day. Ingredients: Potatoes- 1/2 kg Milk- 3/4 cup Butter - 2tbsp Salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper- 1tsp Method: Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 inch thick dices. Put them in boiling water and it should take around 25 minutes. Or Alternatively in Pressure cooker upto 4 whistles. Or microwave for 13- 15mins with lid covered. Use a potato masher which has holes in it. Mash them well. Add butter while hot. Throw in salt and mix well.  Add the milk slowly and mix well. Heat up if necessary. Mix ever...

Both of my kids are Doraemon's fans. For some reason they like this lazy guy Nobita too! Even some times I wanted a kitty robot like Doraemon to help me with my kitchen works. LOL! So anyways my little one was nagging me for a long time to make these. And I found that many Dorayaki recipes swirling in internet were made with Nutella which didn't seem authentic. And found the main ingredient was this ADZUKI BEANS or ADUKI BEANS. These beans taste very much similar to that of our black eyed peas(kaaramani). This is available in Amazon in canned form(refer photo). They are precooked and pretty simple to make. Sweetened with sugar, and made into a paste with a hint of Vanilla and sandwiched between 2 classic Japanese pancakes. Perfect as a snack or Dessert! Ingredients: For ADUKI BEANS paste Epicure aduki beans- 1 can Sugar-200g Vanilla extract- few drops For pancakes Flour 1.5 cups Sugar-2 tbsp Baking powder 2 TSP Baking soda 1/4 TSP Salt a pinch Milk- 1.25 cups Me...

PALAK has a very unique taste that pairs not only in gravy, but also soups, cutlets and of course here's our Biriyani!!! In school days my mum used to make pulao using a green called sukaangeerai. Similar to that I've made this. A good trick to make kids eat spinach. Ingredients: Palak -1 big bunch Onions - 2 thinly sliced Tomatoes - 3 med finely chopped Green chillies -2 slit Coriander leaves and mint leaves- each a fistful Oil- 2 tbsp Ghee 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste - 2tsp Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon -2 each Bay leaf -1 big Curd- 1/2 cup Basmati rice 2 cups Salt Turmeric powder- 2 TSP heaped Chilli powder- 1 tsp Garam masala- 1 tsp Method: Wash thoroughly and finely chop the palak.  Heat oil in a kadai. Add oil and ghee. Splutter Bay leaf and other spices. Add onions, palak, coriander, mint and ginger garlic paste. Saute well until it's translucent. Add in tomatoes and cook well. Stir in the turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala.  Add...

 This sweet little bonbons are made by my mother weekly once, as a neivethyam for ranganathar. also in sabarimala this is served as a main prasadham. Soft, delicious and mildly sweet with richness of clarified butter, and crunchy dried coconut flakes, Whenever she makes this at home, it disappears within seconds! Ingredients: Whole wheat flour-1 cup Maida- 1 cup Rice flour- 1cup Baking soda a pinch Powdered jaggery- 1.5 cups Dried coconut flakes( kopparai sillu) -1tbsp Ghee( clarified butter)- 1/2 cup Caradamom powder- 1 tsp Method: Dissolve jaggery in 1 cup of water. Boil and filter. Allow it to cool slightly. Add all the other ingredients, except ghee. Mix the jaggery and some more water, and make into a batter( med consistency).Make sure that there are no lumps. Heat the appampaatra/ kuzhipaniyaarakal. Add 1 tsp of ghee in each slot. Pour one small ladle of batter, it should be 3/4 of slot.Add 1 tsp of ghee on top of that. After frying one side, ...

This is different and healthy way to use your leftover idlis. You can buy Veppamboo either from shops or collect your own and dry them in sun. It comes very handy to make pachadi, thuvayal, rasam. But Using in Upma, you'll never notice the difference. Adding Veppamboo in some form, will reduce your daily blood sugar levels and kids will love it too, when served with any chutney. Ingredients Idlis-6-8 Gingelly oil- 2 tbsp Veppamboo( dried neem flowers)- 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds-2 tsp Split urad Dhall- 1 tsp Dry red chillies- 2 Curry leaves Asafoetida- a pinch  Ground powder of pepper and cumin- 2 tsp Salt Method Coarsely mash the idlis. Sprinkle some water, so that it won't get dry while frying Heat oil in a Kadhai. Add oil, mustard seeds,chillies, dhall, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add Veppamboo and sauté well Now add the mashed idlis, pepper and cumin powder, salt. Mix thoroughly. Serve hot!

I've been researching for the past few weeks for an eggless waffle recipe, that doesn't show any difference between the egg and eggless. We can't deny the fact that eggs give a richer flavour to the waffles but you can't tell the difference when you have these. Any eggless desserts will have a sort of bland white colour, but not in this. The secret is to add custard powder, as it has cornflour, vanilla flavour and when cooked it gives you a beautiful golden brown colour and its crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, combined with buttery caramelised bananas, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce gives an ultimate indulgence!! INGREDIENTS: Waffle Batter All purpose flour- 3 cups Vanilla custard powder- 2tbsp heaped Melted butter- 1/3 cup Buttermilk-2 cups Water - 3/4 cup Vanilla extract- 2 tsp Sugar 1/3 cup Salt a pinch Baking powder -4 tsp Baking soda- 1tsp Caramelised Bananas Sugar-1/2 cup Butter -2tsp Bananas-4 med For Topping Va...

"Why is my Idli sometimes comes out as flat as oothappam?" Too much of urad Dhall or too much of water in urad Dhall makes the Idli batter to flatten. When the batter reaches its OMC I.e, Optimum moisture Content, it ferments well and rises perfectly. Watery batter doesn't rise while steaming. " My idlis are of right size. But turns out very hard sometimes. What could be possibly wrong?" When you leave the batter to ferment overnight, urad dhall foams up along with the rice. When you are about to make idlis, do not disturb the foam. Stir the batter very gently 2-3 times and pour into Idli plates and steam "Why is my dosa white in colour? It doesn't get that golden brown crispy finish?" Addition of raw rice a.k.a Ponni Pacharisi will help you to get that golden roast finish. The ratio for dosa are as follows: 4+1:1.5 4 Idli rice+1raw rice: 1.5 urad Dhall " I leave my batter overnight to ferment but it doesn't seem ...

I believe this menu will definitely be helpful for most women who having a squeezing tight schedule, either working women or homemaker. I have designed this as a sample. In my home every Wednesday and Sunday we take light breakfast like cereals and fruits because lunch will comprise of non vegetarian dishes. This menu has balance in ingredients and nutrition. You can either follow the same or you can change the dish to a similar one you are comfortable with. I will post all the recipes included in this menu for your convenience asap. It is written in this format: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Day-1 Monday- Idli, Moongdhaal sambhar, coconut chutney/Rice-muttaikuzhambu/vendaikkai kuzhambu-cabbage and carrot poriyal- Keerai kadaisal-rasam-pickle/ Onion Oothappam with Dhania chutney. Day-2 Tuesday-Mudakathaan keerai dosa- toordal sambhar/ sambhar rice-curd rice- potato roast- appalam/ Bread sandwich with French onion soup Day-3  Wednesday- Fruit salad- cereal with milk/Garli...

Sodhis are great sides for Aappam, Idiyappam. They are simple and delicious stews made with 3 extractions of coconut milk and spices. They can also be made into sweet variant. Recipes are given below. Coriander Sodhi Ingredients: Thick coriander juice- 1/2 cup Coconut milk- 3 extractions from same pulp of half big coconut. Onions Med size - 2 thinly sliced Green chillies- 2 slit Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp Salt Oil- 1 tsp Method: Heat oil in a pan, add onions and chillies and fry them. Add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, and fry for few more minutes until the onions turn brown. Add the second and third extractions of coconut milk and bring them to boil. Add salt Simmer and finally add coriander juice and first extraction coconut milk. Heat up but do not boil, as it will curdle. Remove from heat and serve hot! Maapillai Sodhi This type of Sodhi is famous in Tirunelveli. It is similar to that of coriander Sodhi, instead of coriander juic...

This type is similar to that of Tomato Kothsu. A very classical accompaniment, made using charred brinjals that imparts a unique smoky flavour to this dish. I've come close to the recipe of the famous Chidambaram kathirikkai kothsu, as a variant. Ingredients: Big sized Brinjals- 3 Baby onions chopped -1/4 cup leaving skin on is an option Tamarind lemon size dissolved in 1/2 cup of water. Salt. Tempering: Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard- 1 tsp Dry red chillies - 2 Asafoetida- 1/2 tsp Curry leaves Method: Char the brinjals on stovetop flame using a papas roaster. Cook in a med flame, turning occasionally  until all the brinjals are super soft. Keep aside and cool them. Remove the skins and mash them. Heat oil in a pan. Temper mustard, chillies , curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the chopped onions and fry them well. Now add the mashed brinjals and tamarind pulp, with some water. Add salt. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 3 mins. Remove from flame. Garnish with chopped cori...

The biggest advantage in paasiparuppu is that it cooks beautifully with all the spices and salt unlike Toor Dhall which won't boil if salt is added to it ( Toordhall😤 + Salt😶= unsightly messy Dhall mixture). This is a very easy method of making sambar for tiffin varieties. One pressure cooker is all you need!! Ingredients: Baby onions peeled 1/2 cup or one med sized onion sliced lengthwise Tomatoes 2 med size chopped Carrot 1 sliced rounds Drumstick-1 cut into 1 inch pieces Paasiparuppu- 1/3 cup Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Sambar powder- 3 tsp Water 500 ml Tamarind - lemon size dissolved in half cup of water Salt Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing For tempering: Mustard seeds - 1tsp, Ghee- 1 tbsp, Curry leaves few, Asafoetida -1/4 tsp, Dry red chillies-2 Method In a pressure cooker add Veggies, Dhall, spices, and water. Cook for 3 whistles in a med flame. Remove the weight, open lid and add tamarind pulp, cook till the raw taste has gone. Adjust salt and wa...

This chutney is very famous in southern part of Tamilnadu. It is also known as Koozh chutney. Rich in protein and delicious when accompanied with some Kothamalli Podi and Crispy Dosas. Ingredients Toor Dhall- 1/2 cup soaked overnight Baby onions peeled - 10-12 nos. Green chillies slit -3 nos Grated coconut 1 tablespoon Salt For tempering: Oil- 2 teaspoons, Mustard - 1 teaspoon, jeera(optional)- 1/2 tsp, curry leaves few, Asafoetida 1/4 tsp. Method Grind toor Dhall and coconut in a mixer until smooth using some water. Heat oil in a Kadhai. Add mustard, curry leaves, Asafoetida, jeera and let it splatter. Add the onions, chillies and fry them well. Now add the Dhall coconut mixture and add some water. Make the sure the flame is low. This chutney tends to thicken very quickly on heating. Incorporate well and add salt. Continue to cook on a low flame. Add some more water if required. Turn off when the chutney turns glossy. Serve hot. Alternatively u can grind the chillie...

This variety is more like Khurma type but without the fragrant spices. This is a great alternate to Sambhar! Ingredients Onions med size 3- finely chopped Tomatoes big-2 finely chopped Sambar powder - 3 teaspoons heaped Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon Grated coconut- half cup Oil - 2 teaspoons Salt as per requirement Method Heat oil in a pan, add finely chopped onions and sauté well. Add the tomatoes, sambar powder, turmeric powder and cook until tomatoes are soft. Blend the grated coconut with half cup of water in a mixer. Add the coconut to the tomatoes and adjust salt. Add a little more water if the mixture is too thick. Cook covered for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and Serve.

Either you're residing in Chennai or Chicago, you find a way to make South Indian breakfast almost everyday. Using minimal ingredients, you can make a one pot wonder that will accompany for Breakfast and or Dinner. Doing Sambhar everyday is not our kind. I have other ideas to make breakfast neither too simple nor too complicated :)) TOMATO KOTHSU-1 This type is frequently made during my school days.. since it doesn't have coconut, it will keep well in fridge for upto 2 days. Ingredients: Baby onions, peeled - 1/2 cup Green chillies slit lengthwise-2 Tomatoes -4 Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Chilli powder- 1 tsp Salt as required For tempering: Oil - 2 tsp, Mustard- 1 tsp, Split urad dhal - 1/2 tsp, curry leaves, Asafoetida- a pinch Method: Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water till the skin peels off. Or there are other options to do this. The taste differs from the methods. You can simply microwave the tomatoes covered for 3 minutes approximately. Or you can grill the...

Why can't there be a combination of Indian dishes with a classic Belgian twist? That's how the idea of making some Desi style Waffles came to my mind! Here are few..

Did this solar cooker as a holiday project for Aniska. This time I wanted to make a solar cooker which ACTUALLY WORKS. And thank God it did! As a part of my demonstration, I made some chocolate cupcakes which turned out good!

Last time when I went to my mom's house for holidays, My husband was skipping either breakfast/dinner everyday, due to unavoidable circumstances. So this time I made sure that he never goes hungry. Prepped some freezer meals for him since I'm going outta station.. Now most of u know that freezer meals are very common in foreign countries. But we don't have the habit of freezing the leftovers or preparing 'make ahead' freezer meals. Trust me. It's really useful when it comes to tough times. Now that I've prepared these, I will post the recipes. It might be very useful to you as your loved ones can take care of their hunger pangs at an instant!! THESE MEALS LASTS ABOUT A MONTH MINIMUM AND 3 MONTHS MAXIMUM. DO NOT RE FREEZE IF ITS THAWED TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS ABOUT 'WHAT TO FREEZE' AND 'WHAT NOT TO', DO ASK IN COMMENT SECTION BANANA BREAD 3 very ripe bananas Pinch of baking soda 1/3 cup of oil 1 large egg 1 cup of ...