Paal Poli

I suppose every one of us have a favorite childhood food memory that can transport us back in time. The taste, smell, and texture of such foods can bring back powerful memories with amazing details. So, do you have one that can bring out the child in you? Do you have one that you can't possibly pass up?

Well, for me it is "Paal poli", undoubtedly one of my childhood favorites. Over the years, the list of my favorite food has grown long for sure, but this one always have a special place. Paal poli, deep-fried semolina flatbread soaked in thick & reduced cardamom-flavored milk, is a sweet, delectable and oh-so good dessert! A rich, special south-Indian sweet course that right royally makes its way into almost every wedding menu. If my memory doesn't fail me, I too remember eating paal poli only at the weddings.

Ginger Cardamom Chai

Authentic Indian milk tea spiced up with ginger & cardamom. Hot & cozy chai is "the" perfect choice to warm up your cold mornings or to unwind after a long, stressful day. This recipe serves just ONE, but you can easily double (or) triple the recipe for more servings.

Dal Panchratan

Dal Panchratan, also called as Panchmel dal is a Rajasthani special. The word "Panch-ratan" means five gems as this recipe is made by combining five protein-rich lentils that is commonly available in any Indian kitchen. I used toor dal, moong dal, black whole urid dal, black chickpeas & whole masoor dal to make this supremely delicious & a filling dal!

Murungai Keerai Adai

A healthy variation from the regular adai varieties. Murungai keerai (drumstick leaves) adai is not only healthy and rich in nutrients but also very tasty. A 100g of cooked murungai leaves has considerable source of nutrients (Vitamin A as beta carotene, calcium, protein, potassium, Vitamin C) compared to 100g of carrot, milk, yogurt, banana, orange put together (Thanks to wiki!)

Karasev

A popular south-Indian savory snack with a touch of pepper in every bite!

Rava Laadu

Rava laadu have always been one of my favorite sweets since childhood. With minimal set of ingredients, rava laadu is a simple & easy recipe that you can put together in a snap.

Kaju Katli

"Deepavali" (festival of lights), the biggest & the brightest of all Hindu festivals is just around the corner. And, here is the recipe for soft, chewy cashew fudge that you can share with your family & friends on the day of Deepavali! After all, Deepavali is all about celebration, fun, sharing & togetherness, isn 't it?! 

Rava Upma

One of the simplest & humblest south Indian breakfast ever! Hot rava upma with an array of chutneys, spicy sambar, couple of medhu vadai and a cup of hot & strong filter coffee to finish.. pure bliss.. the day can't start any better, could it?!

Ribbon Pakoda

There were times, when mothers selflessly devoted their entire time for kids & family..
There were times, when kids didn't demand or complain much..
There were times, when family get-together was a frequent affair..
There were times, when buying snacks from stores is way more than luxury..
There were times, when simple things in life brought a lot of happiness & satisfaction..

And, I am one among the fortunate few, to have grown-up during those amazing times, when life was much simpler, happier, healthier.. 

Maa Laadoo

A sweet & cutesy little give-away prasadam for guests during Navarathri! 

Sugar, Ghee, Roasted nuts - what's not to like in this divine prasadam? Try this and you 'll fall in love with this sweet for sure, just as my family did!!

Kunukku

A crispy & savory cross between adai & vadai! Kunukku uses the same ingredients (well, almost) as adai, and deep fried in oil like vadai. The texture of kunukku is similar to vadai, but tastes like adai.

Kunukku can be prepared & offered as prasadam during one of the Navarathri days, a crunchy break from the sundal monotony!

Karamani Sundal (Sweet Version)

What I love about this sundal is that unlike savory ones, this sundal uses jaggery, and is sweet! I have always been a big fan of this sweet sundal even though my mom never makes it. So, if I know that my neighbors are making this sundal, I "intentionally" pick that day to see their golu and eat this sundal to my heart's content!

Payatham Paruppu (Moong dal) Sundal

A simple snack, cooked with moong dal and tempered with a simple tadka! 

Making these nutritious snacks is no big deal! The trick to make a tasty sundal depends on well-cooked legumes. Perfectly cooked legumes should neither be too hard to bite nor too mushy. Legumes needs to be soaked for the right amount of time, and cooked just right.

This savory sundal is also tempered with the same set of ingredients as the other sundals. So, if you can cook the legumes & season them to perfection, nothing can beat this healthy snack!

Verkadalai (Raw Peanut) Sundal

Very healthy & nutritious snack! One of the easiest sundal that you can make for Navarathri.

Ellu podi (Sweet Version)

A sweet prasadam for Navarathri, unique & different from the regular "savory" sundal varieties. 

Sweet ellu podi is usually prepared on Saturdays, as sesame seeds is the preferred offerings for Sani Bhagavan (Saturn God, one of the Navagrahas).

Click here to check out my recipe for 'savory' ellu podi!

Pattani Sundal

One of the tasty, nutritious evening snacks, that you can prepare and distribute as prasadam during Navarathri.

Kothamalli (Coriander) Podi

Very flavorful rice-mix! The most appetizing part of this podi is the aroma, inviting aroma from the roasted/powdered coriander seeds. Mix in a spoonful of this podi with hot rice & ghee and enjoy with morkuzhambu/ kootu/ appalam on the side. Personally, I love to have it with some plain yogurt on the side.. Yum is the word!!

Kadalai Paruppu Sundal

Sundal - a south-Indian salad made from legumes. Channa dal sundal is one of the easiest sundal that doesn't need much of a planning. My mom usually makes this sundal on the first day of Navarathri, trying to get herself warmed up and get into the groove of soaking legumes on the previous night for the next 7-8 days.

Basic Info

Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 1 hr
Cook time - 30 mins
Serves - 2

Ingredients
Kadalai Paruppu (Channa dal) - 1/2 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Broken urid dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves  3-4 nos
Dry red chilli - 1 no
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Method

Soak channa dal in water for 1 hr. Bring 3/4 cup of water to a rolling boil and add salt, soaked channa dal to it. Let it cook for about 30 mins or until channa dal is soft to the touch but not mushy. While boiling, remove scum, if any that collects on top. At this stage, most of the water would have been evaporated and the channa dal will be left with very little water.

Heat a tsp of oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry urid dal until golden brown, add hing, curry leaves & red chilli and fry for a min until fragrant. Add channa dal (along with the remaining water) and saute for couple of mins or so. Finally, remove from heat and add grated coconut and give it a good mix.

Channa dal sundal is ready for neivedhyam (offerings)!

Kozhukattai

Kozhukattai is the favorite prasadam of Lord Ganesha, the elephant faced God in Hindu mythology. Kozhukattai is usually prepared and offered during Ganesh Chathurthi (a festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesha). Kozhukattai is very similar to rice dumplings; steamed with two kinds of fillings, sweet & savory. Personally, I like sweet kozhukattai than the savory ones. Making kozhukattai needs a lot of prep work and hence, considered to be complex & time-consuming.

Milagai Podi

A spicy south-Indian condiment that pairs up so well with idli/dosa.