Beetroot Kootu with Chana Dal/Kadalai Paruppu

Beetroot kootu is a very nutritious and healthy dish that can be served with either white rice or with rotis or any Indian bread. Kootu is a very traditional food served in Tamil Nadu as a part of lunch menu and no feast (virundhu) is complete without kootu. Kootu is nothing but cooking vegetables and dals together and finally tempering them. Kootu can be done with different combination of vegetables and dals. Beetroot kootu is mostly done with moong dal, here I have done it with chana dal just like my mom. Check out the other kootu varieties here.

Here’s how to make Beetroot Kootu with step by step photos…

Lemon Couscous – Indian Style/Lemon Couscous Recipe/How to make Lemon Couscous Recipe with step by step photos

Couscous is a traditional Berber [kind of food eaten in North Africa] dish of semolina which is cooked by steaming. It is traditionally served with meat or vegetables. Couscous is a staple food throughout the North African cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya. The process of manufacturing couscous is labour-intensive. The semolina is sprinkled with water and rolled with the water and rolled with hands to form small pellets, sprinkled with dry flour to keep them separate and then sieved. Any pellets which are too small to be finished granules of couscous and fall through the sieve are again rolled and sprinkled with dry semolina and rolled into pellets. [Info source: Wikipedia]. These pellets are packed and sold in the shop as couscous. Here I have prepared the same couscous with Indian spices and lemon juice. This lemon couscous can be had for lunch with any vegetable stir fry or for dinner with just pickles. Meanwhile do check out other interesting and healthy Breakfast Recipes here.

Here’s how to make Lemon Couscous with step by step photos…

Chilli Paneer Dry/Easy Paneer Recipes/Chilli Paneer Recipe/Chilli Paneer Recipe with step by step photos

There is one big problem I am coming across every day, it is definitely not cooking, it is not teaching lessons for kids, it is not the household work, it is not shopping but it is writing an introduction for the recipes. I write a few things, delete it, then rewrite and then somehow settle with a few lines and then move ahead. Coming to today’s recipe I made chilli paneer dry version, which is yet another delectable paneer dish found in all the restaurant menus. This is another simple and quick paneer dish made with onions, capsicums, blended with sauces and Indian spices. Also check out other interesting and mouthwatering Paneer Recipes here, other North Indian Subjis here.

Here’s how to make Chilli Paneer Dry with step by step photos…

Chettinad Egg Curry – TamilNadu Special

Today in Priya’s Virundhu it is a very authentic, traditional and easy recipe of South India, it is the Chettinad Egg curry. This egg curry is a perfect blend of Indian spices, roasted and ground freshly and used immediately to make the gravy. The fresh and aromatic spices infused together with rest of the ingredients and give a perfect coating for the boiled eggs. Check it out friends you will surely love it, no one can surely resist this spicy and delicious curry.

Here’s how to make Chettinad Egg Curry with step by step photos….

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs?

Making hard boiled eggs is a very basic and essential part of cooking for everyone. My husband is crazy about eggs; the only thing he says is you need not cook anything. Just give me some eggs, rice and yogurt. He can survive with it for days. Having said that I am moving on to share with you all how to make these hard boiled eggs. I know you all should be experts in making hard boiled eggs but still I am sharing it for those who are new to cooking.

Here’s how to make Hard Boiled Eggs with step by step photos…

Kadaai Paneer/Paneer Recipes/Kadaai Paneer Recipe/How to make Kadaai Paneer with step by step photos

Since I was born and brought up in South India, paneer was not cooked at home when I was a small kid, we used to have paneer dishes at restaurants and at special occasions. But later on things started to change, we started to make paneer at home and incorporate in many recipes. Now it is so common and my kids also love paneer  I make several paneer dishes referring to books and recipes from friends. This kadai paneer is a very famous and common dish found in almost all the Indian restaurants and my husband’s favourite. check out other interesting and mouthwatering Paneer Recipes here, other North Indian Subjis here.

Here’s how to make Kadai Paneer with step by step photos…

Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes & Mozzarella/Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes & Mozzarella Cheese with step by step photos

For this month’s IFC challenge we are exploring the Campania cuisine of Italy chosen by Priya Suresh. Campania is a highly populated region in the Southern Italy, located on the Italian Peninsula with the Mediterranean Sea to the West.

Campania’s exuberant cuisine relies on sun-kissed vegetables and herbs, salty capers, dried pasta and fresh farmhouse cheeses, chief among them water buffalo’s Mozzarella. Campania is home to over 80% of Italy’s water buffaloes, so the Campani produce a number of delicious water buffalo’s milk cheeses. For this month’s IFC challenge I chose to do the Corstini with cherry tomatoes & mozzarella. Thanks a lot Mrs. Priya for the wonderful challenge.

Here’s how to make Crostini with step by step photos…