Mango Kulfi

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 5/22/2013 2:05:00 AM

'Today is one of those days, where I have been sitting in front of the computer, writing sentences after sentences and deleting them all. Just not my day to write a post I guess. But I did not want to postpone posting this delicious kulfi. So, go ahead and make these delicious kulfis at home and treat your family.What you'll needMilk – 2.5 cup (500 ml)Condensed Milk – ¾ cupMango Pulp – 2 cup (I used the pulp of 2 mangoes)Sugar – 3 tbspCardamom – 3 to 4Saffron – few strandsC(...)'

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Cucumber Mint Cooler

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 5/20/2013 1:49:00 AM

'A glass of fresh lemonade is always a welcome relief on a hot sunny day. I remember I started making lemon juice on my own when I was around 10 years old, but my daughter who’s just 7 surprised me the other day, by preparing this refreshing juice. And she even presented it with a straw and a slice of lemon. Now our family has totally stopped tea in the evenings and look forward to a chilled glass of lemon juice prepared by my daughter.Now, if you are a person who likes experimenting(...)'

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New York Style Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 5/15/2013 2:50:00 AM

'Making a pizza from scratch has been on my to-do list, ever since I bought the oven. But, you can say my laziness, it never materialized.  When the Baking Partners announced the challenge for this month I was really happy. It was a great experience making the Pizza at home. My first attempt at making the pizza itself was a success. The pizza’s turned out super delicious and needless to say, kids and elders loved it. My in – laws preferred it to the store bought ones. Any day, h(...)'

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Ragi Dosa/ Finger Millet Crepes

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 5/9/2013 2:52:00 AM

'Our family is not a big ragi lover. I don't remember even my kids relishing the ragi koozhu. They used to prefer Cerelac or koozhu made out of wheat flour. But somehow, they never took to this healthy grain. The only thing that goes down the throats of my family members is the Sattu Maavu Porridge, which also has ragi in it. In my effort to somehow feed this nutritious grain, long ago, I had tried an instant version of ragi dosa, using ragi flour, which was not well taken (...)'

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Ellu Podi

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 5/6/2013 9:47:00 AM

'I had been to my grandmother's place last weekend and enjoyed my stay there. It was a complete break from cooking and other household chores. I got totally pampered by my dearest grandmother, uncles and aunts. More than me, my children loved their stay. On the way back home, yesterday, my little one tugged at my dress and said, "amma, ennakku, D Chitti, yosanaiaave irruku", (She was supposed to say "nyabagam") and started crying. She wanted to go back. I pacified her somehow, showin(...)'

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Vanilla Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Gelee

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 5/3/2013 1:50:00 AM

'Panna Cotta – the name was alien to me until very recently. When the Groovy Gourmets decided to make Panna Cotta for this month, I was like what Cotta?? Thanks to the Internet, where everything and anything in world can be easily accessed. I came to know what it is. So for all those who don’t know what is Panna Cotta, it is an Italian dessert, prepared by cooking, milk, cream and sugar and then mixing with gelatine. It is then cooled until set. It is usually served with any kind of (...)'

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Pidi Kozhakattai/Steamed Sweet Rice Dumplings

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 5/1/2013 2:36:00 AM

'Pidi Kozhakattai is one of those numerous varieties of kozhakattais that is offered to Lord Ganesha. This is specifically made for Sankatahara Chathurthi, which falls on the the 4th day (chathurthi) after the full moon (Pournami). This is again one of those dishes, of which I came to know of only after marriage. My MIL who fasts on every Sankatahara Chathurthi, prepares these kozhakattais as offerings to Lord Ganesha and has them in the night after moonrise.This is really (...)'

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Paruppu Podi/Spiced Lentil Powder

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/29/2013 1:56:00 AM

'I am not a huge fan of podis and that is evident from the fact that I have posted only one podi, Thengai Podi, so far.  So I never bothered to prepare or stock it at home. But my mom and grandmother always have stock of these handy powders. On one of my visits to my mom’s place, my daughter had her rice with this powder and she loved it and had it on all the days we were there. My mother even packed some for her.Now, after the stock got over, my daughter started asking for it a(...)'

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Chakka Varatti/Jackfruit Preserve

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/22/2013 5:44:00 AM

'I'm back with another Jackfruit post. Those who have been following my blog would’ve known that my Fil, recently got, 3 Jackfruits. With one of them, we prepared the chakka curry and the remaining, was made into this delicious Chakka Varatti or jackfruit jam/preserve. Since my maternal grandparents were settled in Chennai, we used to come to Chennai from wherever we were for our summer vacations. So we never actually got many chances to visit Kerala, our native place and spend (...)'

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Chakka Curry/ Jackfruit Curry

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/19/2013 2:18:00 AM

'Summer is the time, when the markets get flooded with mangoes and jackfruits. Every year, we buy at least a couple of big jackfruits, one would be definitely for Vishu. I have wanted to post the recipe for Chakka varati and Chakka Pradhaman for a long time. I had been talking about this in my house, so my FIL was very eager to get a one.Couple of weeks back, they had gone to Cuddalore to visit a temple and on their return, they changed the route and came via Panruti town (famous for(...)'

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Eggless Mango Cheesecake

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/15/2013 3:34:00 AM

'Cheesecake - I have only seen these on the glass displays of popular bakeries. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be making the cheesecake at home one day. Thanks to the Baking Partners, I am getting to try and experiment with recipes I would have otherwise never tried. The cheesecake was a wonderful experiment, though a bit time consuming, the end result was worth it. With the mango season in full flourish, this was a perfect dessert.Cheesecakes are usually made(...)'

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Beetroot Curry/Subji

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/10/2013 1:57:00 AM

'Beetroot, just another vegetable! Neither is it my favorite nor something that I hate.The usual dish prepared using Beetroot in my household is the Beetroot Thoran and sometimes this Beetroot Pulao, nothing more than that. I know many other recipes like Beetroot parathas and raithas can be prepared with it but somehow never got around making it.Once when I had been to my aunt's place, my cousin there told me about this recipe which, she said is a great side for rotis and also makes (...)'

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Banana Dates Milkshake

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/8/2013 1:37:00 AM

'Do you like bananas? I know most of you would answer in yes! My family is a banana loving family too. H, Mil , Fil all have minimum two bananas everyday. But I and my elder daughter just detest this fruit. We would prefer to stay hungry but not have this even if this were one of the last options. Somehow I developed a kind of aversion to bananas from my childhood and my elder one has followed my footsteps.Even though I do not eat them, I want my daughter to have them and this milksh(...)'

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Vegan Oatmeal Muffins

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/3/2013 6:29:00 AM

'"Baking is a wonderful experience." Whenever I read this phrase and the kinds of these I used to wonder what could be so wonderful about it,  not until I started baking. It is surely a beautiful experience to see your muffins, cookies, cakes, pizzas etc getting baked in the oven. The aroma of freshly baked goodies filling your house is an incredible feeling in itself. Baking has become my latest fetish and it is going to last for sometime.For this month the Groovy Gou(...)'

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Elaneer Payasam/ Tender Coconut Payasam and My 250th Post

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 4/1/2013 2:16:00 AM

'I am very happy to write my 250th post today. It has been a wonderful journey so far. Lots of friends, lots of learning: new cuisines, recipes, etc. Started my baking expedition recently. So far nothing’s gone wrong with my bakes and I'm mighty glad about it. Hope it continues to be the same. I thank all my blogger buddies, friends, family and silent followers of my space. Without your support and encouragement this wouldn't have been possible.Today’s r(...)'

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Karamani and Uralaikizhangu Mezhukuperatti/Yard Long Beans and Potato Stir Fry

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 3/27/2013 11:00:00 AM

'Today’s post is a very simple stir fry that is perfect with steamed rice and Rasam. It is ideal for the lazy afternoons when you are not in the mood to cook elaborate meals. It requires no grinding, roasting etc. And the chopping is also very easy since you need to cut them into long pieces.This mezhukuperatti has become my lil’ one’s favorite and she prefers to pick and eat the beans rather than the potatoes. The usual combination with these beans is Raw Bananas and yam. But I'm so(...)'

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Instant Mango Pickle/ Mangai Curry

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 3/25/2013 2:34:00 AM

'Summers are synonymous with mangoes. The mangoes have started pouring into the markets. Like most households, we too are busy buying the vadus (baby mangoes) for pickling and planning others like Avakaya, Maagai etc. As soon as I sight the Kilimooku Mangoes, I pick them up and its Mango festival in the house till the end of the season. Anything, from the simple mango chammmandi, maangai kootan, pachadi, dal and so on.Today's recipe popularly known as Maangai curry, is a family (...)'

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Grapes Orange Juice| Easy Summer Drinks

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 3/20/2013 2:09:00 AM

'The mercury has started rising in Chennai. All of a sudden, the climate has become really hot and sultry. These are the times, when I really dislike spending hours in the kitchen, cooking elaborate meals. Simple yet fulfilling meals are the best for the summers. My children make a big fuss about having their share of fruits for the day. It’s like a punishment for them if I ask them to have fruits. But I make it a point that they have at least a portion of some fruit every day. So my(...)'

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Pachha Thakkali Kootu/Thakkalikai Kootu/Raw Tomato with Lentils

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 3/18/2013 2:27:00 AM

'Kootu is a popular South Indian accompaniment to rice. It is usually made with a combination of vegetables, lentils and coconut. It is generally mild but you can make it spicy if you like it that way.  Ash gourd and yam, Chayote (chow chow, carrots, potatoes) are few of the combinations of veggies which are popularly used to prepare kootu. I came to know about this raw tomato kootu from my MIL. I’ve never seen my mother use raw tomatoes in her kitchen. So I never cooked with it(...)'

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Dilkhush/Dilpasand (Using Tangzhong Method)

Author : Kaveri Venkatesh      Blog : Palakkad Chamayal      Date : 3/15/2013 5:15:00 AM

'Ever since I bought my oven, my hand's have been itching to try out a wide variety of bakes. But I was too scared to try out anything. So I just stuck to some simple cakes and muffins. Then I came to know of the Baking Partners group, started by Swathi, in which a recipe is suggested and we have ample time to try out once or even twice before posting at our spaces. I joined the group and this is my first challenge. It felt so good to bake something which I had thought could be only (...)'

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