Poosanikai Puli kootu, Beans curry- Lunch menu combo 1

Indian Lunch menu ideas, the series i wanted to start for a long time but somehow i kept on postponing it. I used to share my lunch platter in Jeyashri's kitchen Instagram under the hashtag #jeyashriskitchenlunch and many of them used to ask me to post it regularly. As i couldn't commit on that on a daily basis, i thought i will share a platter once a week. It doesn't mean that i don't cook on a regular basis, i cook 3 meals on a daily basis. But sometimes it will be a salad and a soup on my lunch plate, sometimes it may be a simple left over ones after packing the lunch box for kids and husband. As weekend i generally tend to cook a little elaborate lunch. Also by doing this Lunch menu series, it will bring out the unnoticed, yummy, old recipes from Jeyashri's kitchen. I have noted down some family's favorite combo and also the commonly loved combo recipes for this series. Stay tuned to Jeyashri's Kitchen for this interesting series every Saturday for Lunch menu ideas or Brunch menu ideas. The menu won't be too elaborate always as we did for the Cooking for guest series. Sometimes i will post some simple combos and sometimes i will share an elaborate one. Looking forward to your support in this Indian lunch menu ideas series. 
  To start with, we have a no onion no garlic, South Indian lunch menu for Tamil New year on today.

On this platter we have Poosanaikai puli kootu, the family's popular kootu | pitlai recipe. This is a traditional recipe i learnt from my mother in law, made in our house on festival days. We have beans curry, Vendakkai thayir pachadi, neem flower rasam, maanga pachadi and plain rice. 

Please click the link for the recipe from the title given below.

• Poosanikaai puli kootu
• Vendakkai thayir pachadi
• Beans curry
• Neem flower rasam
• Maanga pachadi

If you want to add Vadai and payasam please click on the links given below. 

• Chana dal payasam
• Cabbage vadai 
• Vegetable medhu vadai
• Aama vadai | Paruppu vadai

Vendhaya keerai thokku, Methi leaves thokku

Learn how to make Vendhaya keerai thokku with video and step by step pictures. Methi leaves thokku| vendhaya keerai thokku is a popular no onion no garlic thokku available in Grand sweets chennai. I have tasted this long time back in a friend's place during Navaratri and was too much hooked by its taste. After that i completely forgot about the thokku. Recently while i was seeing the fresh vendhaya keerai in the market, i thought i will try out this vendhaya keerai thokku. As it is holiday season, this Vendhaya keerai will be perfect for long distance travels. Also this is a perfect one to send it for kids who study abroad. They can mix this with rice and have it with plain yogurt too.

In South Indian Thokku varieties, pickle varieties, podi varieties, asafoetida plays a great role in enhancing the taste and flavour. It gives a nice aroma to the dish. I used SSP asafoetida, the no gum added asafoetida, the new shaker bottle and that did a magic in the taste. I have used SSP asafoetida in my coconut hing chutney recipe. This time we get the asafoetida  in a new shaker bottle which is super easy to handle. Asafoetida is used in South Indian cuisines more widely. And in rasam, sambar and kootu recipes it is one of the main taste enhancer.  Though it is slightly priced higher compared to other brands, but a very tiny pinch of  SSP asafoetida gives more flavour to the dish. So if a recipe calls for 1/4 tsp of asafoetida, when you are using SSP perungayam, you can use 1/8th tsp of it. Their products are available Amazon and for my readers in Singapore, you can buy from Saravana stores Singapore, located at Rangoon road. They have a wide range of products and i used Ultra powder asafoetida in this recipe. To buy SSP asafoetida Please visit  Amazon link for purchase and also the SSP pandian website to see about their wide range of products.

Vendhaya keerai thokku

• Recipe Cusine: Indian
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook time: 35 Minutes
• Serves: 1 cup
• Author: Jeyashri
• Recipe Category: Lunch | Dinner| Breakfast
• Description: Learn how to make Vendhaya keerai thokku with video and step by step pictures.

     Vendhaya keerai  2 cups
     Red chili    10-12
     Urad dal  1 tblsp
     Channa dal  1 tblsp
     Dhaniya | coriander seeds  1 tblsp
     Asafoetida | hing  1/4 tsp
    Sesame oil  3 tsp + 2 tblsp
    Salt  as needed
    Tamarind  a small lemon sized.
    Mustard seeds   1/4 tsp
    Jaggery   a small piece

Method  :

• Wash the vendhaya keerai| methi leaves and pat dry it. 
• Take out the leaves and keep it aside. No need to chop the keerai.
• Soak the tamarind in hot water and keep it aside.
• In a pan add 1 tsp oil and add the red chili, coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal and 1/8th tsp of asafoetida. I used SSP powder asafoetida. 
• Saute till the dals turn nice golden colour.
• Once done switch off the flame. 
• Add the venthaya keerai to this. Saute in that heat itself and allow this to cool completely. 
• Let it be in the pan itself. 
• Once it is cool grind this into a fine paste. 
• You can add water to this. I added 1/2 cup of water while grinding. 
• Extract the tamarind juice from the soaked tamarind using 3/4 cup of water.
• In a pan add 2 tblsp sesame oil and add the mustard seeds. 
• Add the 1/8th tsp of asafoetida. 
• Once the mustard splutters add in the tamarind extract. At this stage always simmer the flame or better to switch off an add the tamarind juice. 
• Add the ground vendhaya keerai paste to this. 
• Add salt and the jaggery to this.
• Mix well.
• Cook this in a medium low flame for 10- 15 minutes. 
• The mixture will come to a thokku consistency.
• Do not cook in high flame as this will splutter. 
• Switch off the flame and smear 2 tsp of sesame oil. This step is optional. Add oil only if you want. 
• But it gives a nice glossy texture and enhances the taste. 
• Allow this to cool completely.
• Transfer this in a clean dry jar.
• Store this in the refrigerator. If using for travel, you can easily keep it in room temperature for 2-3 days. As the summer is too high we can't keep it outside for more than 3 days.
• Enjoy the vendhaya keerai thokku with curd rice, idli, dosai and chapathi.
• You can mix this thokku with rice and temper with peanuts and pack for lunch box too. 

Notes:

1. Always keep this thokku in a clean dry jar and use clean dry spoon to handle it.
2. This Vendhaya keerai thokku stays good for 20-25 days in refrigerator.

    

    Video of how to make Vendhaya keerai thokku

        

Method with step by step pictures :

• Wash the vendhaya keerai| methi leaves and pat dry it. 
• Take out the leaves and keep it aside. No need to chop the keerai.
• Soak the tamarind in hot water and keep it aside.
• In a pan add 1 tsp oil and add the red chili, coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal and 1/8th tsp of asafoetida. I used SSP powder asafoetida. 
• Saute till the dals turn nice golden colour.
• Once done switch off the flame. 

• Add the venthaya keerai to this. Saute in that heat itself and allow this to cool completely. 
• Let it be in the pan itself. 

• Once it is cool grind this into a fine paste. 
• You can add water to this. I added 1/2 cup of water while grinding. 

• Extract the tamarind juice from the soaked tamarind using 3/4 cup of water.
• In a pan add 2 tblsp sesame oil and add the mustard seeds. 

• Add the 1/8th tsp of asafoetida. 

• Once the mustard splutters add in the tamarind extract. At this stage always simmer the flame or better to switch off an add the tamarind juice. 

• Add the ground vendhaya keerai paste to this. 
• Add salt and the jaggery to this.

• Mix well. 
• Cook this in a medium low flame for 10- 15 minutes. 
• The mixture will come to a thokku consistency.
• Do not cook in high flame as this will splutter. 
• Switch off the flame and smear 2 tsp of sesame oil. This step is optional. Add oil only if you want. 

• But it gives a nice glossy texture and enhances the taste. 
• Allow this to cool completely.
• Transfer this in a clean dry jar.
• Store this in the refrigerator. If using for travel, you can easily keep it in room temperature for 2-3 days. As the summer is too high we can't keep it outside for more than 3 days.
• Enjoy the vendhaya keerai thokku with curd rice, idli, dosai and chapathi.
• You can mix this thokku with rice and temper with peanuts and pack for lunch box too. 

Notes:

1. Always keep this thokku in a clean dry jar and use clean dry spoon to handle it.
2. This Vendhaya keerai thokku stays good for 20-25 days in refrigerator.
    

Lemon aval recipe, Quick breakfast recipes

Lemon aval recipe| lemon poha is a quick and easy, bachelor friendly breakfast recipe made using poha| aval, with a tangy flavour of lemon.  Most of the days when we are running out of time or out of idli dosa batter, you can make this lemon aval recipe. Even this recipe comes as a savior for weeknight dinner too. I used getti aval | thick poha for this recipe. You can sue red aval too. Thin aval | lacy poha will not work well for this recipe as the poha will not get separated easily when using the thin ones.
Poha| aval| rice flakes are commonly used to make upma and we use it in making idli dosa batter as it gives softness. Also aval is widely used in making payasam, kesari and puttu. I have posted the popular batata poha recipe in jeyashri's kitchen. In the mango season do try the Mango masala poha recipe. Also we have the South Indian version of Milagu aval, puli aval, mor aval and vella aval recipe. Do try this variety of poha recipes from Jeyashri's kitchen and enjoy your breakfast.

Mango Pulihora recipe, Raw mango pulihora

Raw mango pulihora| Mango pulihora| mamadikaya pulihora an easy no onion no garlic chitranna recipe, using raw mango and other freshly ground spices. This South Indian rice variety is a perfect lunch box recipe too. Generally the raw mango rice is called as Mango pulihora. I saw the name in an instagram page some time back and wanted to try this using the spices we use for the Iyengar puliyodarai. As tomorrow is Ugadi festival i thought i will try this Mango pulihora today and share the recipe of the same here.
  Raw mangoes are in season now and generally we make cut mango pickle or avakkai orugai using raw mango. For the Tamil new year and Telugu new year( ugadai pandigai) we make Chitranna| variety rice in the menu along with Mango pachadi and neem flower rasam. Also holige| Obbatu | poli is made in some houses for ugadi | tamil new year. Check out my complete collection of Ugadi |tamil new year festival recipes. 

Magali Kizhangu Urugaai, South Indian pickle

Magali kizhangu urgaai| mahali kizhangu pickle, is a popular tamil brahmin style, zero oil pickle recipe. The Mahali root has lots of health benefits, mainly it helps in purification of blood. When it comes to the taste of the pickle, it has 2 extremes, either people will love it the most or hate to the core. Many don't like even the smell of the magali root. But for the magali pickle lovers it's a heavenly combo with curd rice. Generally curd is added to this pickle and popularly known as Magali thayir oorugai. Though i don't like this magali pickle(yes 😉) i wanted to document this heirloom recipe in jeyashri's kitchen.
My brother in law got this magali kizhangu from West mambalam station road, Chennai.
This Magali pickle recipe comes with an amature video of my mom telling how to make the magali pickle. I was insisting her to tell her on the same day we made the pickle but she was too much tied with other chores and was reluctant to stand for a video. Also i stayed in her place for a day only. Yesterday my sister sent me this video, took from her mobile. Even the step by step pictures are taken by me using mobile as i didn't take my camera during this vacation.
Stay tuned to more pickle recipes coming up in Jeyashri's kitchen.

Ash gourd raita recipe, Poosanikai thayir pachadi

Ash gourd raita | Vellai poosanikkai thayir pachadi recipe, south Indian pachadi | raita variety made using white pumpkin, a perfect summer coolant. Raitas also called as Thayir pachadis in tamil, are a perfect accompaniment for a South Indian meal. We all love raitas and the most favorite among all is the Carrot capsicum pachadi. The same ash gourd raita can be done using cucumber, but you can add raw cucumber in the raita.
We generally make kootu or pitlai or mor kuzhambu or kasi halwa using white pumpkin in South Indian cuisine. This is the first time i tried poosanikai raita. We had this with puliyodarai and it tasted so yum. Check out Jeyashri's kitchen Instagram page to see the lunch menu updates. Do try this ash gourd raita and let me know how it turned out.

Kerala Mango pickle recipe,Instant Mango pickle

Kerala Mango pickle , Instant mango pickle |Kadumanga aachar an easy and quick mango pickle recipe, recipe with video and step by step pictures. I have heard about Kerala mango pickle  but never know what it is about. This is very similar to the Instant mango pickle which i posted earlier but with a small difference. Recently i met my friend's mom who is a native of Kerala, asked her the recipe of Kadumanga pickle and tried it the next day at home. It was quite tasty and we enjoyed with bisi bela bath. Check out my

1. Maavadu recipe
2. Avakkai pickle recipe

Chow chow thogayal, Chow chow chutney recipe

Chow chow thogyal recipe| Chow chow chutney is an easy South Indian recipe made using Chayote  squash also called as seema kathrikkai or bangalore kathrikkai. We usually make thengai thogayal at home, which is our family's favorite one. Recently my cousin was asking insisted me to post Chow chow thogayal, which her mom makes so often. I have posted Peerkangai chutney, which is similar to this chow chow chutney recipe. As i am travelling this week i want to share simple recipes, so tried the thogayal and sharing the recipe of the same. It tasted similar to the thengai thogayal.
Do check out the

1. Kovakkai thogayal
2. Raw mango thogayal
3. Kothamalli thogayal

How to season iron tawa, Dosa kallu seasoning

How to season iron tawa, procedure to season iron tawa, with detailed video. This method does not require the usage of rice kanji, seasoning made with simple ingredients. I always have a mind block that seasoning iron pan is a difficult and time consuming thing. Two years back when i bought an iron dosa tawa in Srirangam temple shop, Trichy, the shop keeper told me few easy tips for seasoning it. This method  of seasoning the dosa tawa does not need any arisi kanji. But after i came back to Singapore, i got a Lodge pre seasoned Cast iron tawa from my friend in US. Since it was a pre seasoned one, i started using that from that time and completely forgot about this iron tawa which i bought from Srirangam. Recently, when i met a friend, he was telling that he was looking for iron tawa and it flashed me of the one which i had. I told him that i will do the seasoning and give that iron tawa. Also i planned that i will take a video of How to season iron tawa to document my work. So let's go into the detailed post on How to season iron tawa. Scroll down to see the notes section to find the tips.

Instant Malpua recipe, Malpua rabdi

Malpua rabdi with step by step pictures, a popular Indian sweet, ghee fried pancakes served with chilled thickened milk, topped with nuts. I have posted Malpua rabdi few back for holi festival. Recently i tried an Instant Malpua using Gulab jamun mix. Generally we make Gulab jamuns using the instant mix, but after making pakoras i thought will try some sweets out of it too. I made gajar ka halwa using gulab jamun mix for a cookery demo here for the promotion of a popular brand. I wanted to try out Malpua using Instant gulab jamun mix and it turned out pretty good. I had no plans of making rabdi, but finally made Kesar rabdi and made it malpua rabdi. If are looking for some easy recipes for Holi festival ,then this instant malpua rabdi is a must try one. Also check out my complete collection Holi festival recipes. You can make this Instant malpua for a potluck party, get to gethers or for Janmashtami too.

I am not posting the Kesar rabdi recipe here as i have made a separate post already. . So please check the link mentioned in the Ingredients table to find the recipe of Kesar Rabdi. Also the time mentioned is only for making instant malpuas.