Kongu Nadu Keerai, Spinach Pachadi

          Kongu Nadu Keerai, this is a recipe that I had jotted down many years back and I had tried it once then. After that, when I wanted to do it, I thought I had lost the piece of paper, then finally after so many years, I found it back, all neatly jotted down in a notebook. I had taken it from a TV show, and I think it's a kind of spinach preparation done in Kongu Nadu region ( Coimbatore, Erode,Salem, Tiruppur and some more places in Tamilnadu, India belong to this region ). The recipe is very simple and different, it's like a Pachadi kind of dish and it goes very well with plain rice, give it a try next time when you make spinach..

Pusinikkai Dosa, Ash Gourd ( Winter Melon ) Dosa

          Today's post is going to be one more dosa, and this time I have used Vella Pusinikkai/ Ash Gourd or Winter Melon to make it. As I have said so many times, we love idlis and dosas at home, and this one again turned out to be really good. To make it a little more healthier, I have used idli rice and jowar ( solam ) in equal proportions. This is not an instant dosa, it needs previous soaking, grinding and then the batter has to be fermented. The dosas came out so soft and spongy like set dosas and they would go very well with coconut chutney, sambar or vada curry..

Eggless Rich & Chewy Brownies

          Though I have posted a couple of brownie recipes in my blog, they all have a cake like texture and I was looking for a chewy one. Even when I tried this recipe from here, I was still not sure, but then it turned out to be rich and chewy and absolutely delicious. This recipe is not only eggless but also with whole wheat flour ( atta ), but nobody can tell from the taste, it's not dense as most whole wheat bakes tend to be. This could be because, this recipe has more cocoa powder than flour and also it uses browned butter, which is actually our Indian ghee, this gives such a delicious flavor to these brownies, do try this method when you make brownies next time..

Pasta With Alfredo Sauce

          Every time I made pasta at home, I somehow avoided making Alfredo Sauce, even if I did a white sauce, I usually made a healthy version. This time, I was making pasta for lunch, just for my daughter, so I went ahead and made a creamier version, something that was a little closer to the creamy Alfredo sauce. But even so, I can tell you that I have made a healthier version, replaced half of the butter with olive oil and I have not used heavy cream or full cream, but still the sauce turned out very very delicious and my daughter loved it..

Maa Inji Thokku, Mango Ginger Pickle

          After, all the festive food for the last couple of days, most of us should be tired of seeing sweets and snacks, so today's post is going to be a spicy and tangy Thokku/Pickle with Maa Inji/ Mango Ginger. I actually made this some time back, when I had a couple of bags of maa inji, the same time, that I had made the simple pickle with it and the rice. This thokku is again easy to make, and it tastes very good with curd rice, or mixed with some plain white rice, or even as a side to idlis, dosas and rotis..

Sweet Corn Halwa, Makai Ka Halwa

          Wishing all my fellow bloggers and friends a Very Happy Diwali, many of us would be busy with last minute sweet preparations and decorations, for those who love fireworks, have a Safe Diwali. Today's post is going to be another easy sweet dish, Sweet Corn Halwa. I never thought that we could make sweet dish with sweet corn, until I saw this halwa here. I have made vadas with it, long time back, but usually I boil it or grill it. After doing the sundal with sweet corn, I had one more lying in the refrigerator, and I wanted to try something new with it or something new that I have not made with sweet corn. Most of the corn halwas that I found on the net used mawa or fresh khoya in it, I didn't have either and I was a little lazy to go out and get it. Then I found this one which used just milk, the method was almost similar to the one used for making Lauki ( Bottle Gourd ) Halwa. The recipe as such is very simple, the only thing that takes time and patience, is sauteing the corn well, otherwise the halwa will have the raw smell of corn. If you like the other halwas made with vegetables like lauki, carrot and beetroot, then give this a shot..

Ribbon Pakoda, Ola Pakoda

          Ribbon Pakoda called otherwise as Ola Pakoda, Nada or Ribbon Murukku, is one of the easiest snack that you can make for Diwali. The dough is simple and there is no particular shape to be followed like the regular murukku, so it's once again a beginner's dish. Just adding the right amount of fat to the dough and frying it properly is all that's required to get good Ribbon Pakodas. I have made it mildly spicy and added sesame seeds for flavor and they came out very crispy, another snack that would go perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee..

Seven Cup Cake ( Burfi ), Besan And Coconut Fudge

          Seven Cup Cake ( Burfi ), is an easy sweet but somehow I have never tried to do it till now. It's basically a combination of the mysore pak ( besan fudge ) and the coconut burfi. The name seven cup denotes the total cups of all the ingredients used, 1 cup besan flour, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup milk, 3 cups sugar and 1 cup ghee. I found the sugar was a little too much, so I made small changes in the quantity. The burfi came out really good and it tasted very delicious..

Savory Diamond Cuts, Savory Maida Biscuits

          This year, I had made up my mind on a couple of sweets and savory items that I wanted to make, this Savory Diamond Cuts/Maida Kara Biscuits was one among them. I saw them in a couple of blogs, they looked so cute and tempting, and while going through the recipe, I saw that they were not difficult to make, in fact a very easy one that even a beginner can make. These savory biscuits are not very spicy, they have a very subtle ajwain flavor and a perfect match with your tea or coffee..

Dates And Nuts Roll, Khajoor Katri

          Another easy and delicious recipe for this Diwali, Dates And Nuts Roll or Khajoor Katri. This has been on my do list for a long time, it's a healthy and delicious sweet. It's a ' no sugar ' sweet, the dates give all the sweetness for these rolls. It's a fool proof recipe, anyone can do it and it just takes less than 30 minutes, what more can you ask for, try it out for this Diwali and enjoy..

Thattai

          Thattai, for the last couple of years , I have been making this for Diwali. There are so many versions of this, we can make it using rice flour in combination with besan flour ( kadalai maavu ) or roasted gram dal flour. But I have been following this method, I soak and grind the rice, then add roasted gram flour ( pottukadalai maavu ) along with other spices and ingredients and make this thattai. It's a simple recipe, using simple ingredients, but it takes some time to flatten the thattais and frying them, especially if you're making a large quantity. The first time I made it, I remember, I had soaked 5 cups of rice and it took me a good 3 hours to finish making the thattais. But other than that, I can say, that this can been made even by beginners, just start with a small quantity..

Kaju Katli, Cashew Burfi

          Kaju Katli is one of my favorite sweets, of course, having a big sweet tooth, I end up saying this for most of the sweets. On the other hand, my daughter doesn't like it at all, so I hardly make it or buy it. This time also, I made a small batch, using just 1/2 cup of cashews. This is a simple sweet, you have to follow a few steps carefully and I am sure anybody can make it. And even if you didn't get them perfect the first time, you can still eat it, since the taste is not the problem, only getting the smooth and soft texture is the tricky part. If you are a beginner, then this could be an easy sweet to try out for this Diwali..