Beetroot  Pulao

Today's post is the result of my husband's homework. You read it right. I asked my husband to look into 8-10 cookbooks and mark the ones he would love to try. It was a funny scene at home with my husband asking me about the vegetables on hand, time at my disposal etc and my older one joining him in adding to the list of to-dos.

Finally I picked up from the list and made this almost one pot meal which was very filling and colorful at the same time. This goes to the CCChallenge for the month of Nov week 3.

Ingredients - 

Basmati Rice 2 cups
Beetroot, grated 1 cup
Potatoes, sliced 1 1/2 cups
Onions, chopped 1 cup
Fresh/Frozen Coconut, grated 1/2 cup
Green Chillies, finely chopped 3-4 (or as needed)
Salt as needed
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Lemon/Lime Juice as needed
Seasoning (Oil / Ghee 3 Tbsp, Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp,)

Method Of Preparation -

Cook the basmati rice so that each grain is separate. While the rice is cooking lets prepare the masala for the pulao.

In a heated kadai/wok, add oil/ghee and the rest of the seasoning ingredients. After the mustard seeds pop, saute the onions until translucent.

Add grated beetroot to the onions and saute. Meanwhile parboil the potatoes and drain them.

Add those parboiled potatoes to the kadai. Sprinkle the coconut, turmeric and saute until the potatoes are cooked through and turn a little crispy.

Sprinkle salt and the cooked rice as well. Mix well and adjust the salt. Squeeze in the lime. arnish with coriander leaves and fried cashews. Serve hot/warm with Raitha.

Preparation Time 30 min
Serves 4-5

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Chatti Pathiri

After a long absence from Indian Cooking Challenge, I decided to do this month's challenge as it sounded very tempting!

As I understand Chatti Pathiri is a layered pastry with a variety of fillings. Typically they are filled with meat. However, Srivalli zeroed in on a sweet nutty filling which made this one a very special treat at home.

This recipe is adapted from the Malabar Cuisine of Kerala and apparently poppy seeds is the most important ingredient in their cuisine. It definitely adds a very exotic touch to the sweetmeat.


I found that the Chatti Mathiri is very filling because of the obvious ingredients and so make sure that each serving is a small one so as not to load up on calories :). The only thing I would do different is substituting All Purpose Flour with Whole Wheat Flour. I imagine, it would be just as tasty.


Chatti Pathiri

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Apple Cinnamon Milkshake

I am part of a group of bloggers who have decided to honor the memory of the the celebrity chef Tarla Dalal by posting a recipe from her collection.

I have been a follower of Tarlaji for her healthy tips, tricks and recipes. One such is this milkshake. I typically resort to making this milkshake when I am fasting and this gives me the much needed energy to go through the day!

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Posted by Harini R on Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Sweet Potato Poori

I had too many things on my mind and was in a state of confusion as to what I should be posting for Day 3. Here again a friend of mine, Shalaka, helped me out and suggested that I should try out these pooris.

They turned out very good and my older one enjoyed them for an after school snack. I made some crunchy for the little one and she was immensely pleased! So my entry for Day 3 Week 2 of BM #34 is here..

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Posted by Harini R on Tuesday, November 12, 2013


I had initially planned to make Zucchini Halwa for today's post but my older one wanted to bake cookies with Zucchini and so I googled my way through to arrive at my own recipe. She is giving me great ideas these days !

So for Day 2 check out these cookies which are kid approved. My older one helped bake these. I felt that the cookies I made had an after taste of baking soda as I had used 1/2 tsp of it. But my friends and family didn't agree with me. Anyway, the next time, I shall reduce the baking soda and have updated the recipe below as well.

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Sweet Corn Pudding ~ Sweet Corn Kheer

For Week 2 of BM #34, I have chosen to make desserts out of vegetables. So keep an eye out for some interesting desserts with a few chosen vegetables.

Here is a delectable and simple pudding/kheer to please your friends and family for Day 1. I have made this using a microwave but feel free to make it on the stove top.

My husband loved it the first time around but said that the pulp from the corn was a little irritating and so made it the second time by straining the pulp and he was impressed.


Sweet Corn Pudding ~ Sweet Corn Kheer

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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, November 10, 2013

Apple Raita

In my last trip to the library, I got a bunch of cookbooks to see if there is anything which catches my fancy. But as it always happens, I never browse through the books as leisurely as I would like to but nonetheless, I picked out a few of them which I thought would be fast, easy and healthy.

Here is one from Madhur Jaffrey's 'From Curries to Kebabs', which was a healthy addition to my lunch. Check it out for CCC#2, Nov week 2 edition. 

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Posted by Harini R on Saturday, November 9, 2013

Chickpea-Banana Salad

For Day 3, Week 1, BM #34, I had a brain storming session with my friends and was given a suggestion to make chaat with banana. Though they gave me the rough idea of what goes into it, I googled and found some interesting ingredients.

Traditionally, Chaat in the Indian sense, has a protein and carbohydrate component. In this, there are chickpeas and fruits and the spices marry very well with them to give a fantastic kick to the taste buds! 

I was also thinking that a sprinkling of green chutney, tamarind-date chutney, beaten yogurt and sev would take it a notch higher. The older one wasn't ready to give up this taste for anything!

My older one virtually fell in love. Though it was a little spicy for her, she loved the spicy flavor and then the bite of banana and pom in every other bite. She gave up saying that I finally made her eat 'banana', her nemesis, so to say. :)

I was a little skeptical about the dad liking it but he had no problems finishing his bowl. :)

Recipe Source - Here
Ingredients - 

Cooking Oil 1 Tbsp
Ginger, grated 1/2 tsp
Garlic grated 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies, finely chopped 1 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Chaat Masala 1 tsp
Tamarind paste (Thick) 2 tsp
Water 1/4 cup
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans, soaked, drained and boiled 1 cup
Salt as needed
Banana, finely chopped 1 cup (1 medium size banana)
Pomegranate seeds handful
Spring Onions, finely chopped 1 Tbsp
Cucumber, finely chopped 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves, finely chopped or garnish (I skipped it)


Chickpea-Banana Salad

Method Of Preparation -

In a heated pan, add oil and saute the ginger, garlic and green chillies for about 30 min. 

Add in the Coriander powder and chaat masala.

Add the tamarind paste and pour in the water and mix well. Sprinkle salt and the boiled chickpeas as well.

Mix well and let the mixture become dry. Remove from fire and set aside to cool.

Upon cooling toss in the chopped spring onions, cucumber, banana and pomegranate seeds.

Sprinkle some chaat masala and garnish with coriander leaevs for a filling salad!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 34.

Preparation Time 20 min
Serves 2

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Banana-Oat Milkshake

I have been trying make this for myself since a long time. Finally I got to making it for BM #34, week 1, day 2.

I was getting tired of drinking the regular banana milkshake in all it variety and so when I saw the banana-oat combo floating around in the blogosphere, I couldn't resist. 

For people who are anti-oats, they can try roasting the oats and using the powdered version in this smoothie. Also cooking the oats prior to using it in this shake is also a great idea.

Ingredients - 

Rolled Oats 1/4 cup
Banana sliced 1 cup (I used a medium sized banana)
Milk 3/4 cup
Cinnamon powder a pinch
Sweetener of your choice (I didn't add any)


Banana-Oat Milkshake

Method Of Preparation -

Blend all the ingredients in a blender/mixer and sip it up to good health!!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 34.

Preparation Time 2-3 min
Serves 1

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Posted by Harini R on Monday, November 4, 2013

Happy Deepavali!!

Trifle Pudding with Banana Muffin Crumbs

Today, on the eve of Diwali, we start the 34th edition of Blogging Marathon. This week I shall be posting 3 recipes using Bananas.

For Day 1 here is a Trifle Pudding for which I used a banana-nutmeg muffin crumbs as a base. It is funny how I came about this recipe. I initially thought to post just the Banana-Nutmeg Muffin for today. But due to unexpected tasty disaster, as I would like to call this, I am posting this pudding instead!

It happened like this. I was on the phone with my sister giving her instructions to bake a yogurt cake. At the same time I was preparing to bake these banana muffins as well. By the time out conversation was over my muffins were out of the oven and when I tasted some crumbs, I realized that I had missed out the most important ingredient, Sugar! So much for giving instructions to my sister!!

Though my kids dipped those sugarless muffins in sugar, strawberry jam and enjoyed those, they had greater fun teasing me. But it didn't feel good to be posting that muffin recipe alone. So to assuage my guilt here is a Trifle pudding which is a combination of my search on the web and my friend, Pooja's inputs.

This pudding has become a raging hit at home as well as at a party I took this to. I agree it is low on sugar and cream but that is just how I made it. Feel free to convert it into a sinful indulgence with loads of whipped cream and ice cream and loads of fruit as well. I wish I had some fruits on hand to make it look and taste better! But well, no regrets on this pudding!!

Ingredients - 
For the Banana-Nutmeg Muffins - 
All Purpose Flour 1 cup
Whole Wheat Flour 1 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup (I forgot to add this)
Baking Powder 2 tsp
Baking Soda 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg Powder 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/8 tsp
Allspice Powder 1/8 tsp
Buttermilk 1 1/4 cup (approximately)
Mashed Banana approx 1/2 cup (I used a small banana)
Cooking Oil 1/3 cup
For the Custard Filling -
Milk 3 1/2 cups (Divided use)
Custard Powder 1/4 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
For the Jelly Topping - 
Jelly Crystals Raspberry or Cherry flavor 1 pack (I used Gelatin free instant set jelly from the Indian store)
Water 2 cups 
Additional Ingredients - Whipped cream, fruits like kiwi, strawberries, cherries etc


Trifle Pudding with Banana Muffin Crumbs

Method Of Preparation -
To Bake the Banana-Nutmeg Muffins -
In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients listed in order from flour to Allspice powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together mashed banana, oil and buttermilk.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and gently mix to form a slightly thick batter.

Preheat the oven to 375 F and line the muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Scoop out the batter and fill 2/3 of the muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 min and remove. Let them cool.

To make the Custard Pudding - 
Boil 3 1/4 cups of milk in pan. Add sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves.

In a separate bowl, make a smooth mixture with the remaining milk and custard powder.

Gradually mix the custard powder-milk mixture into the boiling milk. Keep stirring until the custard thickens.

Remove from fire and set aside until it cools down to room temperature.

To make the Jelly - 
Boil 2 cups of water, remove from fire. Add the jelly crystals and stir until the crystals dissolve.

Set aside for 10 min to cool.

To assemble the Trifle Pudding - 
Mash the muffins (I added a little sugar and oil as well - remember they were sugarless muffins to start with!) and pat them onto a greased pan (preferably a glass bake-ware so that the layers would be visible making it a visual treat as well).

Bake it for 15 min and remove. Let it cool on the counter top.

After it cools, layer the custard, cling wrap it and set it in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. (Make sure the custard is at room temperature before layering)

After the custard firms up, get the jelly ready and gently spoon it over the custard. Cling wrap it and refrigerate until the jelly firms up as well.

When it is firm, slice the pudding and serve!

Note - A sponge cake can be used as the bottom layer or even cookie crumbs can be used.
Use whipped cream and/or fruits to add more layers to the pudding!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 34.

Preparation Time 30 min for the miffins, 10 min for the custard , 10 min for the jelly 5-6 hrs setting/cooling time
Makes 12 slices

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Yogurt-Fruit Parfait

For CCC #2, November, week 1, I have chosen to post this delightful parfait which was liked by half of us at home. I had noted this down a long time back from a health magazine at the doctor's office :). 

But then my older one showed me a different version of parfait from a magazine she got from school. So I was inspired to make this for her. She literally got behind me to make it for her. Just the previous day my husband had got home a whole pack of fruity Greek yogurt. 

My older one and I loved this thoroughly while my husband was not too thrilled about it. Neither was my little one. She just picked out all the pomegranate seeds and gave the rest back. So I guess it is a matter of preference. 

I thought I should try with the traditional hung yogurt instead of the Greek Yogurt. Also there is no particular order of ingredients. So feel free to play around with the combinations.
Here is what I used..



Ingredients - 

Greek Yogurt 1 1/2 cups
Pomegranate seeds 
Banana slices as needed
Chopped Nuts (I used cashew and Almonds)
Peaches chopped
Corn Flakes (I used Raisin Bran Crunch cereal)


Yogurt-Fruit Parfait

Method Of Preparation -

Start with a yogurt layer then layer the rest of the ingredients as per your fancy and decorate the top as you will.

Enjoy every scoop of goodness for a filling breakfast or snack!

Preparation Time 10 min
Makes 1-2 servings

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Posted by Harini R on Friday, November 1, 2013

Rasedar Aloo

For Week 4 of CCC#1, I chose to make this irresistible Rasedar Aloo. I first got a taste of this at my friend, Pooja's place. She treated us to this fantastic accompaniment with Bedmi Puri.

I had to get the recipe from her and it has become a new favorite at home. I was not comfortable with using boiled potatoes to start with and then pressure cooking the whole thing with all the spices in there. But I now realize that it enhances the flavor to its best!!


The first time I made it, both my husband and the older one were competing against each other as to who is going to get the last scoop out of the dish! I served it with regular puris for the kids and Oats And Spring Onion Paratha for the adults. Also paired it with Rava Uthappam.


Updated Pictures on Oct 28 2013. I understand that the picture uploaded is not of great quality. I shall try to upload a better picture taken in bright daylight.


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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, October 27, 2013

Oats And Spring Onion Paratha

For Day 3 of BM #33, I had a tough time picking out a recipe from my fellow marathoners who did the A-Z series last month. 
In the end, I chose a simple, healthy and tasty paratha from Themagicsaucepan.
I thought adding Oat Bran would also make it interesting.That shall have to wait awhile, though!

Ingredients - 

Whole Wheat Flour 1 cup
Rolled oats, powdered 1/4 cup
Salt as needed (I didn't add)
Water as needed to knead a soft dough
For the Filling - 
Spring Onion whites, finely chopped 1/2 cup
Spring Onion Greens, finely chopped 1/2 cup
Green Chillies, finely chopped 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Seasoning (Oil 1 tsp, Cumin seeds a pinch)


Oats And Spring Onion Paratha

Method Of Preparation -
To Prepare the Dough - 
In a mixing bowl, add wheat flour, oat flour and add water gradually to knead into a soft dough and set aside for 30 min.

To Prepare the Filling -
In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds. After they splutter, add the spring onion whites and saute until they are soft.

Add the spring onion greens and green chillies. 

Sprinkle salt as needed.

Remove from fire and set aside to cool.

To Make Parathas -
Pinch 5-6 equal portions of the dough.

Take each portion of the dough and flatten it against the palm of your hands. Spoon the filling (about 1-2 teaspoons) and close the edges. 

Now carefully roll out discs so that the filling doesn't leak out of the dough.

Place on a hot griddle/tawa. Cook on both sides spraying as much oil as needed.

Continue for the rest of the dough.

Serve hot with the choice of your curry. I served with Rasedaar Aloo (Recipe coming soon..).

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 33.

Preparation Time 30 min
Makes 6

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For Day  2 week 4 of BM #33, I picked a recipe from Nivedhanam. It was very tempting and I knew we would love it as I had earlier made a similar tasting one with Idli Rava, Uppu Urundai and loved it.


Cornmeal Kozhukattai


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Posted by Harini R on Friday, October 25, 2013

Seven Layered Cookies

For Day 1, Week 4 of BM #33, I chose to bake these cute cookies originally called Neapolitan Italian Cookies from Gayathri's space. I tried to get as close as possible to those but traditionally those cookies are rainbow colored and so I chose not to name them Neapolitan Cookies. 

I typically don't use artificial colors in my kitchen, so I used grated carrots for one layer. The individual cakes came out very well and the kids happily enjoyed the crumbs while the whole cake was setting in the refrigerator.

The result was pretty impressive given that it was the first time for me to bake a multi-layered cake. I shared these cookies with my neighbors who enjoyed these thoroughly.

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Tomato Soup

As part of Cookbook Cooking Challenge for the month of October, Week 3, here is a delectable recipe for the Classic Tomato Soup. This has been shared by my neighbor and a good friend, Pooja. Thanks to her we have made this soup a regular affair at home!

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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, October 20, 2013

Vada Pav

For Day 3 Week 3 of BM 33, here is a famous street food from the lanes and by-lanes of Mumbai.
This is one of my husband's favorite kind of 'burger' and he relished every last bite of it! Needless to say the kids enjoyed the vadas (Aloo bondas) as is as well as in the form of burgers!

Recipe Source - Vah Chef
Ingredients - 

Pav Buns 12
For the Batter - 
Besan/Chickpea Flour 1/2 cup
Asafoetida/Hing 2 pinches
Turmeric 1/8 tsp
Salt as needed
Baking Soda a pinch (Optional)
For the Aloo Curry Filling - 
Aloo boiled and coarsely mashed 2 cups
Ginger grated 1/2 tsp
Garlic grated 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies finely chopped 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Salt as needed
Coriander leaves chopped 2 Tbsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice as needed
Seasoning (Oil 1 Tbsp, Mustard seeds 1 tsp, cumin seeds 2 pinches, Curry leaves few, Asafoetida couple pinches)
For Theekha Chutney - 
Peanuts roasted and powdered 4 Tbsp
Sesame Seeds roasted 2 Tbsp
Coconut Powder 2 Tbsp
Jeera powder 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Green chilli finely chopped 1 tsp
Garlic minced 1 tsp
Hing 2 pinches

Salt as needed
Oil 1 tsp
For Vada Pav Assembly -
Coriander-Mint Chutney
Tamarind-Date Chutney
Teekha Chutney
Optional Toppings - Chopped onions, fried green chillies, Ketchup etc..



Method Of Preparation -

To Prepare the Aloo Curry filling - 
In a heated pan, add oil and mustard seeds. After the seeds crackle, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.

Add in the grated ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Remove from fire and add the mashed potatoes, salt, turmeric, chopped coriander leaves and garam masala.

Mix well and squeeze in some lemon juice.

Make 12 equal portions and roll them into small balls.

To make the Vadas (Aloo Bonda) -
Prepare the batter by mixing besan, salt, hing, turmeric and adding water slowly while whisking it rigorously so there are no lumps in the batter. 

The batter should be slightly thick so it can coat the aloo curry filling.

Heat oil in a kadai/wok. When the oil is hot enough, dip the prepared aloo curry balls in the besan batter and gently slide them into the hot oil. 

Fry until the bondas as uniformly golden brown and continue to fry the remaining bondas until done.

To Prepare the Teekha Chutney -
In a heated pan, add oil and saute the garlic, green chillies and coconut powder. Remove from fire and add the rest of the ingredients listed under the teekha chutney and mix well.

To Assemble Vada Pav - 
Apply the Coriander-Mint Chutney on one side of the pav bun, layer it with Tamarind-Date chutney.

Gently Press the aloo bondas or Vadas and place it on the chutney layers. Sprinkle the teekha chutney generously as per preference. Top it with the other side of the bun and devour!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 33.

Preparation Time 45 min
Makes 12

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Moong Dal Cutlets

For Day 2 Week 3 of BM #33, Here are some nutritious cutlets which I served for my kids as an after school snack.

It is very difficult to get my kids to eat sprouts of any kind. So I found this neat way to make them eat the sprouts without grumbling!

My older one ate them in three different ways and enjoyed each one of them. She added the chutneys, yogurt and sev and gobbled a couple. Then she added some boiled chana to it, mashed the cutlets and ate it dunking in yogurt. She layered these on a bread slice and tried it later for dinner as well. 


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Quinoa - Chickpea Veggie Burger

I have chosen to share some combo dishes using some kind of patties or tikkis this week as part of BM 33. So for day 1 of week 3, here are some healthy patties which my family loved to have in burgers for dinner.

I read in an online magazine that the combo of quinoa and pinto beans in a patty makes a for very healthy and filling burger. I adapted that idea and made these. Please feel free to customize as per preference and enjoy the goodness of quinoa. My husband who is virtually a quinoa hater has come to love these patties as well.

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Masala Tomato Chutney


A group of bloggers are doing a weekend Cookbook challenge where we post a recipe from a non web source. For this weekend, here is a simple masala tomato chutney which made an interesting addition to the chutneys at home!

Source - 'Tiffin Varietylu' by Malladi Venkatakrishna Murthy.
Ingredients - 

Oil 1 Tbsp
Cloves 3-4
Cinnamon  inch
Onions chopped 1 cup
Tomatoes chopped 2 cups
Garlic 3-4 cloves
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Salt and Red Chilli Powder as needed
Seasoning (Oil 2 tsp, Mustard seeds 1 tsp, Hing couple pinches)
To Grind - 
Coconut 2 Tbsp
Saunf/Fennel Seeds 1/2 tsp

Masala Tomato Chutney

Method Of Preparation -

In a heated pan, add oil and fry the cloves, cinnamon. Saute the garlic and onions as well until the onions are translucent.

Add the tomatoes and cook until they are mushy and slightly dry.

Add the coconut-fennel paste and cook a little until the oil floats up.

Remove from fire and grind the whole mixture and set aside. (Optionally the the chutney can be served as is in a chunky state as well).

Prepare the seasoning by heating oil, adding the mustard seeds and hing. After the mustard seeds pop, remove and pour it over the prepared chutney.

Serve it with any dosa/idli or with rice.

This post is for the CC Challenge of the month.

Preparation Time 20 min
Makes approx 1 cup

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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, October 13, 2013
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