ONION THOKKU | VENGAYA THOGAYAL RECIPE | SIDE DISH FOR DOSA | IDLI | CHAPATHI

Vengaya thokku|Onion Thokku is a easy and delicious thokku ,which goes well with Idli, dosa, chapathi and rice too. This Onion thokku or thogayal was introduced to me by my mami, during our visit to a family temple in Kumbakonam. Generally, we pack food when we travel in bus and trains. We generally pack puliyodarai or idli milagai podi.  During our visit to a temple, when i was in college, my mami made Idli and made this vengaya thogayal. It tasted so awesome and i still don't know how many idlis went inside !!. Both the idlis and thokku was made on the previous day night and was kept outside, as we visited the temple early in the morning. The idlis stayed soft till 9 am and the thokku was too awesome . She kept onion thokku in a separate box to pair with curd rice for lunch. It stayed flavourful and tasted divine with curd rice too.
Try this thokku with small onions(shallots) , you can make with big onion too but it won't taste the same.
Check out Idli recipe and Curd rice recipe.

BABY CORN MANCHURIAN GRAVY- INDO CHINESE RECIPES

 Baby corn manchurian is a popular indo chinese dish, which can be made as a dry version and also as a gravy too. I have tried Vegetable manchurian , but never tried manchurian gravy with baby corn. Last week, i called my friend's daughter to join for dinner with my kids. I asked her anything she likes so much so that i can make for her. She instantly said fried rice and baby corn manchurian. I tried and it came out pretty well and all the kids enjoyed and we too loved it.
   After gaining more confidence in making the indo Chinese gravy, i made this baby corn manchurian again few days back. It goes very well with Schezwan fried rice , Sprouts fried rice and Vegetable fried rice.
Check out my dry Chilli paneer and Cauliflower Manchurian.

ANDHRA PULIHORA RECIPE | ANDHRA PULIYODARAI RECIPE

Puliyodarai is our family's favorite and i have posted 2 varieties of puliyodarai here already. Check out Pulikaichal and Iyengar kovil style puliyodarai.  I always wanted to try this andhra pulihora , as one of my friend makes it so awesome. Recently we are invited to her place for lunch and while she was discussing me about the food, i told her i want a simple andhra meals . Since she is a very good friend of mine, i took the privilege of telling her to keep the pulihora compulsory in the menu. I have noted down the recipe from her long back and it was in my hand written book too.
    Yesterday, i finished my cooking so fast and i thought i will make little puliyodarai too. It just too 10 minutes for me to make this instant andhra pulihora. If you have cooked rice in hand , this will be ready in a jiffy. Perfect one to take this for lunch box too.

GINGER CARDAMOM TEA | INDIAN KITCHEN BASICS | HOW TO MAKE TEA

 Tea, so many of us make tea as a  routine basis everyday. In our home me and Suresh take plain tea every morning. I always love this ginger-cardamom tea, especially after a heavy breakfast or an deep fried tea time snack. I never keep any proper measurements for making tea on daily basis. I hope it is with the case of every one of us. When we do on a daily basis it will easily come for us. For my tea generally i add milk more and water will be less. If you prefer the tea to be bit light, that is more of water and less of milk, adjust the ratio of milk and water accordingly. Rest of the procedure is same.
   Last week when i was teaching my helper , how to make tea, i thought i will post this here, so that it will be useful for many bachelors and first timers who make tea.  Always use good quality of tea leaves. My preferred tea brand are Tata gold, Wag bakri, Society Tea. While i was in chennai i use 3 roses,red label  or Taj mahal tea.
Check out my Filter Coffee.
Looking for Tea time snacks ? Check out this Snacks recipes

KIWI GINGER LEMONADE | SUMMER JUICE RECIPES

Summer is in full swing and it is more important for each one of us to stay hydrated all the time. Sometimes though we take lot of water, we need some fresh juice to quench our thirst. Kiwi ginger lemonade i made after the super hit recipe of my Grape orange juice. This time instead of orange i made with lemon. It tasted so well and i tried the same kiwi lemonade by replacing water with plain soda. It turned out very well too. Try out this easy summer drink recipe made with just few simple ingredients.

KAL DOSAI RECIPE | HOW TO MAKE SOFT DOSAI| DOSAI RECIPE

Dosai is a staple south indian breakfast recipe and we make different varieties Kal dosai recipe i have noted down in my hand written cook book very long back. Actually it was given by a friend's mom and i remember noting it down when she visited my home. After that i totally forgot about the kal dosai. Two days back when i was going through my cookbook and i suddenly saw this recipe and wanted to try this dosai at home. Unlike other dosa, this own't turn out crispy. This dosa will be slightly thick, but not a uttappam, and will be soft too. This kal dosa is a perfect one for travel or packing for kids lunch box as it will stay soft for many hours. So while eating it won't give a dry feel . I still remember my grandmother used to pack dosa smeared with milagaipodi and pack in banana leaf , for our bus and train journeys.

METHI PURI | METHI POORI RECIPE | METHI RECIPES

    I have tried many recipes with methi leaves, and this methi puri is in my to do list for a long time. Last week i got a fresh bunch of methi leaves from the Indian store and finally made this methi poori. It tasted very well and i had this for my lunch along with a glass of Masala chaas. It is best one to make and carry for picnics as it won't get spoil soon. You can pack this for kids lunch box too. Unlike other pooris this will not puff very big as i have added besan(kadalaimaavu) to this. If you want puffed pooris , just skip the besan and make puffed pooris. The recipe was given by my friend, who makes this methi puri very well.
Check out my Methi Thepla and Methi Pakora.

HOW TO MAKE TAMARIND PASTE | HOME MADE PULI PASTE | INDIAN KITCHEN BASICS

Indian Kitchen basics

Those who are regularly following Jeyashri's kitchen, must be aware that i have a started a new series in  my blog, after the successful attempt of Cooking for guests series. Past 2 weeks, i posted Indian micorowave recipes. This week i am sharing the recipe of Tamarind paste. As in most of the South indian family, we do Rasam , sambar or vathakuzhambhu on a daily basis. I have seen many ladies feeling so lazy to extract the tamarind juice every day, even i am not an exception to this. When somebody introduced to me the "readymade tamarind paste" available in stores, i started buying that and  it was so comfortable for me. After few months i realised, buying from store is not a healthy option as they may add any preservatives. So finally decided to make Home made tamarind paste. 
It took 30 minutes for me to finish making this and you will be relived for 2-3 months(depending on the usage) This tamarind paste can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 months.

8 MANGO DESSERT RECIPES | MANGO RECIPES FROM JEYASHRIS KITCHEN

Mango as we all know the king of fruits. I love to eat to mangoes as such rather making dishes out it. That doesn't mean i don't like desserts out of mango. I love mangoes in all form. I have posted desserts using mango during the last year mango season and also this year too. I have compiled the Top 8 mango dessert recipes from my blog, which will easy for the readers. Enjoy the mango season with this mango recipes.

YOGURT FRUIT PARFAIT RECIPE | EASY BREAKFAST RECIPES

Yogurt fruit parfait is a very easy and filling breakfast recipe. As summer is in peak, most of the time we don't feel like having food. This yogurt based fruit parfait, is a chilled breakfast, which doesn't need cooking also. Just make this in a jiffy and you can replace the digestive biscuits with Home made granola or even regular store bought cornflakes. Try out this easy breakfast recipe, and enjoy the summer.

BROCCOLI AND PANEER CUTLET | INDIAN SNACKS RECIPES

Last week, i in the saw fresh broccoli in the market and bought it without any second thought. Actually i wanted to make Broccoli stir fry, but finally ended up in making this yummy broccolii and paneer cutlets. Actually i made this for evening snack and had it along with tea. I used paneer as a binding agent and the cutlets turned out so well. You can also use the same combo of paneer and broccoli for making paratha too. Try out this broccoli and paneer cutlet . Check out my Potato cutlet too.

MANGO MILKSHAKE RECIPE | MANGO RECIPES

Mango milkshake , the name itself makes me drool. I have always tried mango milkshake with banganapally mangoes but this is the first time i have tried with alphonso mangoes. I loved the  colour and the taste very much. I made this for an event organised by a friend and i made this in bulk. We all enjoyed the mango milkshake very much and it was quite filling too.

INDIAN MICROWAVE COOKING - BHINDI FRY - MASALA BHINDI

Ladies finger | okra | Bhindi generally we make curry, in south Indian way. I have also tried Kadai Bhindi and Kurkure Bhindi . All the recipes are done on stove top. This is the first time i have tried on Microwave. Actually i wanted to make this a  stuffed bhindi, but considering the bachelors, i want to make the recipe procedure very simple. So you can add the spices according to your own choice. Just roughly chop the ladies finger and sprinkle the masala and microwave it for some time. Enjoy this hot.
   I will be posting recipes in a combo of Indian microwave cooking, Indian kitchen basics and Bachelors recipe every weekend. Stay tuned for another interesting recipe next weekend.

IDLI USING IDLI RAVA | SOFT IDLI RECIPE - USING IDLI RAVA | IDLI MAAVU RECIPE

Idli is a popular south indian breakfast, generally made using idli rice . I have posted a detailed recipe of how to make idli batter. I always get mails or comments , to post the recipe of idli using idli rava. Long time i have been wanting to try out this, and finally i bought idli rava, 2 weeks back. Though i have personally not tried idli using idli rava, a friend of mine always makes idli in that way. So i called her up and clarified my doubts and made idli using idli rava. It turned out super soft. Scroll down to see the "notes"section for more tips , when you are grinding in the mixie.

BEACH STYLE PORI RECIPE | EASY SNACKS RECIPES

Beach style pori , a healthy and easy snack which you can make for kids , whom all the time wants something yummy , as they are at home on vacation. Instead of buying snacks from outside, which may not be good for them, you can make some healthy snacks at home. Check out my Sukka bhel recipe too, which is almost similar to this. You can serve this as a tea time snack too. Always make this masala pori just before serving, else it will become soggy. I have already posted the Beach style sundal .  There is no specific proportion for this recipe. I just gave mine and feel free to alter according to your taste buds. Generally in the beaches, they add more of pori and less of peanuts. But at home you can add more peanuts if you like.

MANGO KULFI RECIPE | MANGO RECIPES

MANGO KULFI ICE CREAM

After trying out the Kulfi ice cream, which was a super hit at home, i wanted to try out mango kulfi . As mango season is in full swing, we are enjoying all varieties of mango here. This year i am getting super yummy mangoes from Ministry of Mangoz and after heartily eating the mangoes i am made few recipes using mango. the mango kulfi turned out super creamy and awesome. The aluminum kulfi moulds my friend bought for me from mumbai. Try out this recipe and enjoy this mango season.Try out my Mango Ice cream recipe and Mango sago Pudding.

ALOO PALAK RECIPE | ALOO PALAK GRAVY | SIDE DISH FOR ROTI

Aloo palak is an easy  and rich gravy made with palak ( Indian spinach) and potatoes. i have first tasted this in a restaurant but after that i forgot about that. Last year during my India trip, i noted down few recipes from a handwritten book of my mom. Few weeks back when i saw fresh  palak leaves in the market , without any second thought i bought those palak and tried this aloo palak following the same recipe in the book.
I loved this aloo palak with jeera rice .

 Check out my Palak Paneer and Dal palak 

MICROWAVE COOKING ,KITCHEN BASICS AND BACHELOR COOKING RECIPES | INDIAN COOKING BASICS

First of all i thank all my readers for your great support towards the COOKING FOR GUESTS series. After successfully doing this for almost 5 months i thought i will move on to other series which i feel will be more useful for beginners in cooking. I am getting mails asking to post microwave cooking recipes and i thought i will combine the series with Indian Kitchen basics , Indian microwave cooking, and bachelor recipes too. Recently i got a full time helper at home and she is a not an Indian nationality. So teaching her the kitchen basics and introduction to spices and telling her to cook rice is a great challenge for me.
Though i never allow her to do any cooking, but i still want her to learn the basics and i thought i will record the same here and it will help the newly married and the bachelors too.
   Twice i had been to India for a wedding leaving hubby and kids at home. During those times my friends would send food for them. But rice my hubby will keep at home. For that, i need to give training for him as it is totally new to him.So considering the men who are like him , i hope this series will be more useful and make them learn the basic cooking.
    I hope you enjoy this series and continue to give a great support to me as you give always.
For today to start with i made Microwave Semiya payasam. My mom is an expert in microwave cooking i say, as she makes  so many dishes on microwave if there is a need. Especially when they go for holiday, if there is a microwave i the resort room, she full do the entire cooking in Microwave. I tried the semiya payasam in microwave and it turned out very nice.
Here is the recipe of semiya Kheer in microwave. Check out my stove top Vermicelli payasam. 
Time varies from microwave to microwave. So i have given the time according to my oven.

MUSHROOM PEPPER FRY | MUSHROOM PEPPER MASALA |MUSHROOM RECIPES

Now-a-days we started including mushrooms twice a month , as they say it is very good source of protein. Generally i make Mushroom Masala or Kadai Mushroom . So i wanted to try something different this time and made this mushroom pepper fry. For a change i made a dry subzi in chettinad style with freshly ground spices. The pepper fry was very nice and it tasted well with rasam rice.