Kerala Style Beetroot Kichadi, Onam Sadya Recipes

          This whole week it's going to be all Kerala dishes here, especially ones that are served in the Sadya. Yesterday, I had posted Inji Puli, and today it's the Beetroot Kichadi. The Kerala Kichadi is a curd and coconut based dish and not the Rava Khichadi that we Tamilians make or the Rice and Dal Khichdi that they make in the North. It's more like our Pachadi and we can use other vegetables like okra, cucumber and bitter gourds too. There is also another dish called Pachadi in the Sadya and there's only a small difference between the Kichadi and Pachadi. Again I followed the recipe from a cook book, it's a very easy dish and would be a nice accompaniment to any Indian meal and we loved it at home..

Mampazha Thayir Pachadi, Mango Raitha

          Today's post is going to be a short one, it's been a busy day and I am not in mood to do a long one, so I chose a very simple dish, Mampazha Thayir Pachadi or Ripe Mango Raitha. Sometimes, at the beginning of the season, the mangoes are not that very sweet, they make a perfect choice for this pachadi, but of course you can use the nice sweet ones too, just leave out the honey that I have added to it. This can be a perfect side to any meal, or have it like I do, as a dessert after a good meal..

Banana Raitha, Vazhaipazha Thayir Pachadi

          Till now, whenever there was excess of bananas or overripe bananas, my only go to dish was the banana walnut bread, but now, I found this Banana Raitha/ Vazhaipazha Thayir Pachadi. We all know the health benefits of bananas, and if you need to know more, check out this article ' Banana Health Benefits at Well-Being Secrets ( has intereseting info about the origin of bananas, types and its many health benefits). Coming back to our dish, this is such an easy recipe, needs just minutes to put together, but it tastes so good, even my daughter who is not a big fan of bananas likes this and it's healthy too. You can serve it as a side to any meal, either a typical south Indian one with rice, sambar and curry or with briyanis or even with rotis. I can even have this as a dessert after a meal and it's so cooling and delicious in this hot weather now..

Pineapple And Walnut Raitha

          Usually when I made raitha at home, it's mostly with cucumber or sometimes with carrots or beets or even with just onions, this is the first time I tried out with pineapple. I knew that pineapple and yogurt go well together, but what made the raitha more interesting was the walnuts. I actually made the raitha with only half a pineapple, but we just loved it so much, that I ended up making it with the remaining half too, do try this if you like pineapple..

Potato Raitha, Urulaikizhangu Thayir Pachadi

          Everytime, I made raitha/thayir pachadi, it was mostly cucumber or onion or tomato raitha or a combination of all these vegetables together. I have even made raitha with zucchini and pumpkin, but this is the first time I made this raitha with potatoes. Once the potatoes are boiled and peeled, the raitha can be put together in no time and can be served as a side to parathas, rotis, briyanis or pilafs..

Ajwain Leaves ( Doddapatre ) Tambli (Tambuli), Karpuravalli Thayir Pachadi

          Until sometime back, I didn't know that we can make something other than a ' kashayam ' ( medicinal concoction ) with ajwain leaves/ karpuravalli/ doddapatre ( Coleus Aromaticus ). In our apartment, some members of the association grow fresh greens in small quantities, when I had gone to buy some, I found these ajwain leaves too. As a kid, I remember, that we were always asked to chew on a couple of these leaves ( most of the houses had this plant ) or drink the ' kashayam ' for its medicinal value. These leaves have a slightly peppery and spicy taste, so not many kids are happy eating this. So, when I saw them selling this also, I thought it was for that purpose only, but then, one of the ladies told me about this dish with it, named ' Tambli ' or ' Tambuli ' ( Udipi Cuisine ) and I also got the recipe for it. It's basically a raitha or thayir pachadi ( yogurt-coconut based dish ), very easy to prepare and tastes good when mixed with some rice. The best part is, you don't get the sharp spicy taste that you get when you chew the raw leaves..

Pusinikkai Thayir Pachadi, Ash Gourd, White Pumpkin Raitha

          Pusinikkai/ Ash Gourd/ White Pumpkin, most of the times I have made only kootu ( cooked with dal ) with this vegetable, or sometimes I have used it in sambar. Though I have heard of this thayir pachadi, I have never made it till now. It's a very easy recipe, very tasty and flavorful, we can have it as a side to some mixed rice or even mix it with rice ( like mor kuzhambu ) and have, a refreshing and healthy dish for the hot summer..

Mango Salad, Mampazha Salad

          Last week I had bought some mangoes, as much as I enjoy eating them as such, I wanted to try out something different with it. I had tasted chopped ripe mangoes with chat masala and I had liked it, so thought of trying out something like that, a salad with it. This is a very simple salad, needs no special salad dressing, just regular ingredients in the kitchen, I tried it with only half a mango but it turned out really good, so I made it with the other half too. A perfect side to any meal, rice or rotis or you can even have it with some tortilla ( corn ) chips..

Spinach Raitha, Keerai Thayir Pachadi

          Coming back after a ten days trip and settling down back is a real pain, especially in India, the whole house is covered with dust, with loads of laundry to do and to top all that, the hot weather makes things even worse. You don't feel like cooking and eating heavy stuff, tend to lean more towards to lighter foods especially something cold and healthy at the same time, like this Spinach Raitha. It's so simple to make, you can use either fresh or frozen spinach and it can be served cold or at room temperature, a perfect accompaniment to any meal..

Carrot Raitha

          Raitha is a must in my home, whenever I make parathas or briyanis, even otherwise my daughter  loves to have cucumber raitha just like that. We can make it with almost all vegetables and it's a healthy accompaniment to any meal. For today's raitha, I have used grated carrots and chopped tomatoes, very simple to make and the extra flavor comes from the seasoning..

Tomato Raitha/ Tomato With Yogurt And Spices

          Enjoying our stay here in the US, especially my daughter, she's having a nice time, visiting her friends and cousins. Now then, when we go back to India after a month, it's going to be again, ''oh I miss this and that and that " for sometime. Coming to today's post, since I am not cooking here, it's also from draft, a very simple and delicious raitha with tomatoes, just, the way I made it is slightly different. This goes very well with parathas, pilafs, or I can have it just like that, try it, am sure you'll like it..

Sliced Cucumbers With Pepper And Cumin/ Cucumber Salad

          After doing a long post on Tiramisu, I thought I'll keep this one simple and short, well the recipe ( if you can call this as one) is also very simple, Sliced Cucumbers With Pepper And Cumin. This is a perfect accompaniment to any meal, or also, a healthy snack for hot summers, very mildly spiced and refreshing with a slight hint of lemon..

Cucumber Raitha/ Cucumber With Curds

          Cucumber Raitha, this is the most common raitha that's served with Briyanis and Pilafs. Very simple to put together with grated cucumber and curds, so refreshing especially in this hot Indian summer. My daughter just loves this, another reason, I make this very often..

Grilled Corn Salad

          Everybody at home likes fresh corn, so when I see them in the market, can't resist myself from picking some. I usually boil it or grill it directly on stove top, both ways they taste very good. But the problem with corn on the cob, is the fiber that gets stuck in the tooth and if you are wearing braces, then it's a big 'No'. So I thought of using the grilled corn in a salad along with other vegetables and made a mint-ginger dressing to go with it. It turned out really good, you can also add some cooked pasta to it and make it a complete meal..

Vazhaithandu Thayir Pachadi/ Banana Stem With Yogurt

          Vazhaithandu/ Banana Stem, this is one of the vegetables that I missed back in the US. Though we got raw bananas and banana flower, we never got this, so while visiting India, this used to be a delicacy for us. The vegetable, as such is very rich in fiber and is supposed to be good for kidney stones. I make a couple of dishes with it, one of them is this Thayir Pachadi, a very easy and healthy preparation. The cooking part is very simple, but preparing the vazhaithandu is what is more important. I have given the step by step pictures for preparing this vegetable for cooking. Try this out as part of a healthy meal when you get a chance to find this vegetable..

Taboule ( Couscous Salad )

          I am on a two weeks trip to the US, we haven't yet completely moved back to India. I was checking in the pantry for something that'll make up for a light lunch and found this box of whole wheat couscous. While checking the packet, I found the recipe for this salad ( Taboule) on it, and since I had all the ingredients in hand, went ahead and made it. Try it, it's so easy, ready in minutes and very healthy too..

Chickpeas (Chana) Raitha

          I have been a little busy the last few days, couldn't spend much time with my blog, and today's dish is also a very simple one. A simple raitha that would go well with any briyani or mixed rice, or if you are on a diet, this could be a complete meal by itself..

Vendikkai Thayir Pachadi ( Okra With Yogurt )

          Well, today I am feeling a little lazy, might be it's the end of the week or the beginning of the weekend, whatever the reason, I have chosen a very easy dish today. A simple thayir pachadi or raitha and I love this particular one with vendikkai or okra or lady's finger, I like the ones that we get here in Chennai, they definitely justify the name lady's finger, so slim and long. It's so easy to prepare, serve it as side dish with rice or rotis or parathas..

Chayote Raitha

          Chayote, also known as chow-chow or vegetable pear, belongs to the gourd family. It's used widely in Indian cooking, cooked either with lentils (dal or kootu) or as a curry or even in salads and raithas. Usually when I make parathas, I serve it with some raitha ( a vegetable and yogurt preparation) and some spicy pickle. Last week when I made beet-root parathas (recipe coming soon), I made this raitha with chayote,  it tasted delicious, a very simple dish that anybody can do..

Black-Eyed Peas & Pineapple Salad

        With the hot weather outside, you don't feel like eating anything heavy, salads seem to be perfect for these days. I had some cooked black-eyed peas, made a salad with it along with some pineapple and cucumber, it is a very refreshing salad, wholesome enough for a light lunch..