Baby Taro Roast

          I love baby vegetables, like potatoes, carrots and eggplants, I can't resist myself from picking up a bag of baby potatoes when I see them. The other day I saw this baby taro/colocasia, they looked so cute and since I don't see them that often like the potatoes, I picked a bag. I just made this simple roast with it, goes very well rice and dal or sambar saadam and looks very appetizing..

Cabbage Pongal/Khichdi

          My daughter has started wearing braces, the first couple of days, she had to eat something soft. I had to make something that was easy for her to eat and at the same time nutritious too. This Cabbage Pongal is made with rice, split moong dal with skin and cabbage, rich in fiber, protein and other nutrients. An healthy one pot meal, very easy to make, yet very tasty one..

Brownie Cookies

          Merry Christmas ! It's cakes and cookies time, I was not able to bake anything elaborate, but I made these brownie cookies. They are very easy to make, the baking time is very less and they turned out really well. These tasted a lot like brownies, hence the name. This is for all the cookie and chocolate lovers out there..

Three Cheese Elbow Pasta

          My daughter's favorite restaurant is the Olive Gardens (back in US), and the dish that she orders almost every time we went there is the Five Cheese Ziti Pasta. Now we are in India and she misses the Italian food. This week she is getting her braces done, and one of the foods that she cannot have much after that is cheese, which she loves. So, for the past few days it has been all pasta and pizza. I made her this Three Cheese Elbow Pasta, named so, because I had used multi grain elbow pasta and the three variety of cheese that I had. It is a very easy dish, even kids can put it together, tasted very good, my daughter's verdict was, ' tastes close to the Five Cheese Pasta', well, what more can I ask for..

Potato Parsley Curry

          Whenever I go to Nilgiris in Chennai for my grocery shopping, I stop by the vegetable shop, that's close to it, mainly to pick up some basil or broccoli or zucchini, which are not available at all the vegetable shops. This time, they didn't have basil but they had parsley and it was really fresh, so I picked up some. I have a couple of recipes that I have posted with parsley, but none of them are curries, and this time I wanted to do a gravy dish with it along with potatoes. I started doing it, with no idea about, how it was going to taste or smell (parsley has a strong flavor). But then, the final dish turned out too good, it went very well with rotis, it should also taste equally good with all pilafs. Give this a try, the next time you get some parsley..

Chana Dal Sundal/Split Chickpeas

          I wish I could be a little more organised, have my posts ready, a week in advance, take part in events, but nothing seems to work, I am always this 'last minute' person, I edit my pictures, write and post, all on the same day. Since the next few days are going to be a little busy, I am going to keep my posts, all easy and simple. For today's post I chose this simple Chana Dal Sundal, a common snack during the Navarathiri season and a very healthy one, can also have it as a side dish with rice and some spicy kuzhambu like the Kathrikkai Kuzhambu and Poondu Kuzhambu..

Cauliflower And Soy Roast

          Cauliflower and Soy Roast, this is yet another easy and very tasty side dish that goes well with almost anything. I need not go into the nutritional value of soy, a good source of protein - to say the least. Cauliflower pairs with it very well, and the ground masala that I have used gives a nice taste to the otherwise bland soy chunks, give it a try, you'll like it..

National Blogging Day Of Remembrance

           My heart bleeds for those affected, the victims of the Connecticut shooting, let their souls rest in peace...

Chocolate Sandesh

          Today is a special day at Aromatic Cooking, it was this day one year back.., yeah you guessed it right, it's the 1st Blog Anniversary. I can't believe it's been so long, it was an unplanned beginning, but an enjoyable journey. At this point, I can't thank enough my blogger friends for their encouraging comments and not forget to mention their wonderful blogs from where I get the inspiration to keep going. I should also thank my family, especially my husband and daughter for putting up with my delicious (sometimes disastrous) experiments. I know I have to work still harder to make the blog even more appealing but I'll be also equally enjoying doing it. So today, to celebrate this big day, I have made some Chocolate Sandesh. It turned out really good, my daughter who's not a big fan of Indian sweets, liked this because I had made it a chocolate one. If you like milk sweets and like chocolate, then do give this a try..

Lemon Rice

          Lemon Rice is one among the typical mixed rices of South India, a simple yet very tasty one. This along with potato fry is an awesome combination. But during my college days when I was in the hostel, I used to simply hate this rice, I never knew that lemon rice could be made so bad until then, the rice had a dark yellow color from an overdose of turmeric powder and didn't have a hint of the lemon flavor. The perfect lemon rice should have the light yellow color and you should be able to taste the slight sourness from the lemon juice added to it, also I add some chopped ginger which compliments the lemon..

Capsicum Saute/Stir Fry

          You have less time in hands or you are feeling bored to do something elaborate, but still want to have something tasty ( this is always me in the house) and of course you have a few capsicums in hand and most important, you like them, then this Capsicum Saute is for you. The preparation time is very less, just slicing the capsicums, and the cooking time is less than 15 minutes. A nice curry which can be had with rotis or mixed with rice or even stuffed in some bread, tastes good whichever way you choose..

Keerai Paneer Parathas/Spinach Cottage Cheese Flatbreads

          I had got this bunch of arai keerai, a type of greens like spinach and mustard greens. I had wanted to do the Keerai Masial and rice, but my daughter didn't want to have rice that day. I had to use the spinach the same day and I had some paneer in the freezer, so put the the two together and made these Keerai/Spinach Paneer Parathas. They came out very well, we had it with some tomato thokku and curd..

Thakkali Thokku/Tomato Pickle/Spread

          I always have some kind of thokku/pickle at home which comes in handy, when you don't have time to make chutneys or other side dishes. Of all the thokkus, the house favorite is the Thakkali Thokku, we use it as a spread on bread, mix it with rice or as a side dish for our idlis, dosas and rotis. Though you get a lot of ready made ones, I always prefer home made, the main reason being you can make it less oily and less salty.   Everybody has their own version, this is the way I make it..

Potato Masiyal/Mashed Potatoes Indian Style

          Potato/Urulai Kizhangu Masial, this is one of my favorite dishes with potatoes, that goes well with almost anything. I usually make this as a side dish to go with rice and kuzhambus like the Kathirikkai Kuzhambu here, it's the perfect combination. It's once again an easy dish, no super skills required, if you leave out the time to boil or steam the potatoes, it hardly takes about a few minutes to put together this dish..

Thakkali Rasam/Tomato Rasam

          Whenever we want to have something simple, we say 'oh just make some rice and rasam'. Though rasam might be a very simple dish, if not made properly, can end up tasting like hot water. A good rasam (sort of a South Indian soup) should have the correct balance of sourness, salt and spice. Usually everybody has a ready made rasam powder that is added, even I have one, but for today's rasam I am using a freshly ground one. Also there are so many varieties of rasam, some with added lentils, some without, this rasam here is with tomatoes and lentils, very refreshing with freshly ground black pepper and cumin..

Cabbage Saute

           Till before marriage, the only curry that I knew with cabbage was the South Indian Cabbage Poriyal, not that it's not good, in fact it's my favorite, but never thought that you could make something with it, that would actually go with rotis. Only later on, once I got some interest in cooking, did I learn that you could make curries for breads with almost any vegetable. This particular Cabbage Curry, I've tasted at one of my friend's, it's very easy and it goes very well with the Ajwain Parathas that I have posted earlier..

Kathrikkai Kuzhambu/Eggplant Gravy

          Kuzhambus are a nice variation to the regular sambars and when grouped with rice and some kootu (dal/lentil and vegetable prepration) they make a very tasty and complete meal. I make them at least once a week, and one of the best vegetables to be used in it is the brinjal/eggplant/aubergine which is also a house favorite. This Eggplant Gravy also goes well with idlis and dosas and you can also have it with rotis and last but not the least (in fact the best) with some thayir saadam (curd rice). I've also added some boiled peanuts, which gives an extra taste to this dish..

Moong Dal Soup/Split Green Gram Soup

          The weather here has become a little colder or should I say, a lot pleasanter, it's this time of the year when you feel like having hot appetizers or soups. I prefer clear soups to creamy ones and I also like these filling soups made with some dal or beans. They are rich in protein and when had with a slice of bread make a complete meal. Today's moong dal (split green gram) soup is a very simple and refreshing one, flavored with some ginger, lemon and lots of coriander, perfect for those lazy days when you don't feel like cooking much..

Palak Paneer/Mashed Spinach With Indian Cottage Cheese

          Whenever I make a batch of paneer at home, the first dish I do with it is this Palak Paneer, mashed spinach gravy with Indian Cottage Cheese, this being my daughter's most favorite dish. I had made it so many times, but something or the other went wrong, nothing wrong with the dish or its taste, but with the pictures. This time, I think the pictures turned out better, so I thought I'll go ahead and do the posting. There are couple of versions that I do, this is one of them with some freshly ground masala. This is a version that I make when I have to make it for a group, the added masala increases the quantity of the dish, it's a very tasty side dish to rotis and naans..

Coriander Rice

          Coriander, also known as Cilantro or Chinese Parsley, is one of the most common herbs used in Indian cuisine. It's made into chutneys, dips, soups and also used very often to garnish a dish. It has a very fresh flavor, and like most herbs has some medicinal properties, a good antioxidant and is said to be effective in reducing the cholesterol and triglycerides levels. I made this simple rice with fresh coriander, requires very few ingredients and the cooking time is also very less. The rice had a fresh taste and would go well with any side dish or curry, try this out if you like the flavor of this wonderful herb..