Prarthana's Vegetarian Delight

Sambar is a very important dish in south Indian cuisine. My dad is a great fan of this arachivitta (freshly grounded masala) onion sambar. He always asks me to prepare this sambar with arbi(sepakezhangu) fry curry. I make this sambar mostly every weekend and enjoy with fried curries like potatoes, arbi or ladies finger. INGREDIENTS: 1. Shallots/small onions- 5-6 pcs. 2. Drumsticks- 3-4 pcs. 3. Toor dal/ Thuvaram paruppu- 3 tbls. 4. Mustard seeds- 1 tsp. 5. Fenugreek seeds- 1tsp. 6. Cumin seeds- 1tsp. 7. Oil- 2 tsp. 8. Tamarind- gooseberry sized piece. 9. Salt- As needed. 10. Coriander leaves- for garnishing. 11. Dried red chilly- 1 12. Curry leaves- few. 13. Turmeric powder- 1tsp. FOR GROUND MASALA: 1. Coconut scrapped- 3 tbls. 2. Urad dal/ ulutham paruppu- 1 tsp. 3. Channa dal/ Kadalai paruppu- 2tsp. 4. Coriander seeds- 3tsp. 5. Red chilly dried- 3-4. 6. Sesame seeds- 1/2 tsp. METHOD: 1. Peel shallots and keep it aside. Pressure cook toor dal with 2 cu...

I had a big bunch of spinach and I wanted to make something out of it for dinner. I didn't have panner. So couldn't make palak paneer. So I thought of using potato in the spinach gravy. I used normal potatoes. It would be more wonderful if we use baby potatoes for this dish. This is a very simple yummy side dish for phulkas or naan for dinner. INGREDIENTS: 1. Spinach- 1 bunch. 2. Onion- 1 3. Tomato- 1 4. Green chilly- 3 5. Ginger- 1 inch piece. 6. Garlic- 2-3 pods. 7. Cashews- 4-5 pcs. 8. Potato- 2 medium sized. 9. Salt- As needed. 10. Kitchen king masala- 2tsp. 11. Cumin powder- 1tsp. 12. Coriander powder- 1tsp. 13. Salt- As needed. 14. Oil- 2 tbls. 15. Sugar- 1 tsp. 16. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp METHOD: 1. Wash and clean the spinach leaves. Separate the leaves from its stem. Heat a pan and add the spinach leaves with little water. Add sugar and cumin seeds. This helps to retain its greenish color. Cook for 2-3mins and switch off the flame. Allow it to cool...

I usually make simple aglio olio pasta at home. I recently saw this pasta recipe using pesto sauce in a cooking show and wanted to give it a try. I was searching for basil leaves but it was always out of stock. Finally yesterday bought a pack of basil leaves and I made this creamy pesto pasta for dinner. INGREDIENTS: 1. Pasta- 1 cup (I used penne). 2. Onion- 1 small. 3. Garlic- 1 cup. 4. Basil leaves- 1 pack. 5. Walnuts- 1/2 cup. 6. Olive oil- 1/2 cup. 7. Cherry tomatoes-7-8 8. Lemon juice- 1 tsp. 9. Pepper powder- 2 tsp. 10. Salt- As needed. 11. Parmesan cheese- 1 tbls. 12. Mixed Italian herbs or Oregano- 1 tbls. 13. Fresh cream- 2 tsp (Optional) METHOD: 1. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8-10 mins until it becomes soft. Add little salt and 1tsp olive oil while boiling. Once it gets cooked, keep it aside. 2. In a mixer, add basil leaves, 1/2 cup of garlic, parmesan cheese, walnuts, lemon juice, 2 tbls of olive oil and pepper ...

I had to make lunch for myself alone since husband was having lunch at office with his colleagues. I was so lazy to prepare but hungry too. I had some left over rice and I prepared this masala kichadi with that. This kichadi is a very simple yet tasty one pot meal. You can add raw rice and adjust the water quantity according to that. INGREDIENTS: 1. Rice- 1 cup ( I used left over cooked rice) 2. Lentils- 1 cup (Masoor dal, Green Moong dal, Yellow moong dal) 3. Chopped veggies- 1 cup(I used carrot, beans, green peas, sweet corn, cauliflower). 4. Onion- 1 5. Tomato- 1 6. Garlic- 2-3 pods 7. Ginger- Small piece 8. Whole black pepper- 1 tsp. 9. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp. 10. Bay leaves- 2. 11. Cloves- 2. 12. Coriander powder- 1tsp. 13. Chilly powder- 1 tsp. 14. Salt- To taste. 15. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp. 16. Asafoetida- 1 tsp. 17. Oil- 1 tsp. 18. Ghee- 2 tsp. 19. Green chilly- 1 20. Coriander leaves- For garnishing. METHOD: 1. Finely chop onion, tomatoes, ginger ...

Paal payasam/ Milk Kheer is a very basic dessert. In our home, we prepare this paal payasam during festivals. My mom makes excellent paal payasam and is appreciated by everyone for the unique taste in the payasam/Kheer. INGREDIENTS: 1. Raw rice or Basmathi rice Broken- 2 tbls. 2. Milk- 2 cups. 3. Sugar- 8-10 tsp. 4. Saffron- Few strands. 5. Elachi Powder- 1 tsp. 6. Cashews- 4-5 pcs. 7. Raisins- 4-5 pcs. 8. Ghee- 2 tsp. METHOD: 1. Heat a pan with 1tsp ghee and fry the broken rice. I used broken raw rice. Using basmathi rice will enhance the flavor. Fry the rice until it emits nice aroma. Keep it aside. 2. In the same pan, add 1/2 tsp ghee and fry raisins and cashews. Fry until the cashews turn golden brown and keep it aside. 3. In a pressure cooker, add the remaining ghee and milk. Once the milk starts boiling, add the rice and close the lid. Put a clean spoon inside. It will prevent the milk from getting burnt in the bottom. Keep in medium flame until the first...

Keerai molagootal is a dish originated from kerala. The aroma of coconut oil in spinach gravy is the special in this dish. When I visited my brother's place at Coimbatore, my sister in law who is a palakadu brahmin prepared this dish for us. It was awesome and I asked her this recipe. Last weekend I had a bunch of spinach. So instead of making the normal spinach gravy, I prepared this molagootal and it came out well. Thanks to my SIL. INGREDIENTS: 1. Spinach (Any type)- 1 bunch. 2. Yellow moong dal/Pasi paruppu- 3 tbls. 3. Coconut scrapped- 1/2 cup. 4. Coconut oil- 2 tsp. 5. Mustard seeds- 1 tsp. 6. Urad dal/ Ulatham paruppu- 1 tsp. 7. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp. 8. Red chilly dried- 3 nos. 9. Salt- As needed. 10. Sugar-1/2 tsp. METHOD: 1. Wash and clean the spinach. Separate the leaves from its stem. Heat a pan and add the spinach leaves with 2 spoons of water. Add sugar. It helps to retain its greenish color. When the quantity of spinach is reduced and it starts boili...

Paneer butter masala is a very famous and basic north Indian side dish. Butter naan with paneer butter masala is a perfect combo. So here's the recipe of the creamy paneer masala. I make it in a very simple way. INGREDIENTS: 1. Paneer/Cottage cheese- 100 gms. 2. Onion- 1. 3. Tomato-1. 4. Garam masala- 1 tsp. 5. Coriander powder- 1 tsp. 6. Cloves-2 7. Cinnamon stick- 1 inch. 8. Cashews- 6-7. 9. Salt- As needed. 10. Chilly powder- 1 tsp. 11. Butter- 2 spoons. 12. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp. 12. Coriander leaves- For garnishing. 13. Full cream milk- 1/2 cup. METHOD: 1. Chop paneer into cubes. Cube onion and tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan. Add cloves and cinnamon and roast it. Add the chopped onions and saute until it turns pink. Then, add the tomatoes and fry until it becomes soft. Add the cashews and saute for sometime. Switch off the flame and allow this to cool.  2. Grind this into a smooth paste and keep aside. Heat oil or butter in another pan and add the...