Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Beetroot Raita | Raita Recipe

Beetroot raita, a delicious and quick to make raita with the grated beetroot and curd.  Other than onion raita I haven't tried or tasted much raita recipe until i started to pack lunchboxes for ST. 

He doesn't like to take onion raita for his lunch box because of its pungent smell, so whenever i made biryani or pulao for his lunch box, i was scratching my head for some raita recipe. 

Then one day, i made this beetroot raita as side dish for vegetable birynai,the combo was instant hit at our home, the mildly sweet beetroot raita goes really well with the spicy biryani. 

Later ST told me that even his colleague liked it so much and few asked him whether he knew how i had prepared it. And also in my instagram account(where i share daily lunch box pictures of ST, if you're interested to know what i cook on day to day basics, follow here.), whenever i had shared the picture of his lunch box with beetroot raita, i got a few request for the recipe.

 Actually this beetroot raita is an easier version of beetroot pachadi recipe which i learnt from my friend a long time ago. Now let's checkout on how to make this delicious aso here goes the recipe.

Beetroot Raita

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 10 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Accompaniment | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Beetroot Raita, Easy Raita Recipe, Pink Raita Beetroot raita, a delicious and quick to make raita with the grated beetroot and curd.
Ingredients
Beetroot(grated) - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Green Chili - 1
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard & urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste

Procedure
First grate the beetroot and chop the green chili finely. Heat a pan with oil, add mustard, urad dal and curry leaves, let the mustard crackle.
Then add the grated beetroot, green chili and salt. Saute them till beetroot becomes soft and the raw smell leaves. Switch off the flame and let it cool.
Take the curd in a bowl and add salt, beat it well (remember we already added salt in the beetroot, so add just enough for curd also here), then add the cooked beetroot and mix it well.
Tada, Tasty and healthy Beetroot raita is ready. Serve it with your favorite biryani or pulao. We had it with Mushroom Biryani.

Related : How to make Beetroot Chutney 

Notes:
  • Give it a 10- 15 mins standing time before serving the raita.
  • The color of the raita intensify as time goes by.
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Monday, July 30, 2018

Roundup for Regional Cuisine from India

This is the second time that i'm doing roundup for the BM theme. As usual, this month BM also has some interesting themes and one among them is "Regional Cuisine from India". Two months before also, i had joined the same theme and posted three recipes from various parts of India, but this time i want to show case some of the regional famous cuisine from our city, Tirunelveli,Tamilnadu,so i picked this theme. Along with me, my fellow food blogger friends also shared some of the unique regional dishes from various parts of India. Here is the compilation of all the dishes that we have shared under the theme "Regional cuisine from India" for this month.


Here are mine - Regional cuisine from Tamilnadu

Idi Sambar
Tomato ChutneyRava Kothu

Sowmya's regional cuisine, different types of dal

Snakegourd Kootu
Palak DalDal Makhni

Harini's regional cuisine from Tamilnadu,Andra and North India

Idli Upma
Mirchi Ka SalanKhoya Makhana Subji

Srivalli's regional cuisine from Andhra

Andhra Style Jaggery Pongal
Drumstick CurryAndhra Chicken Fry

Mir's regional cuisine from Maharastra and North india

Dashmi Roti
Green Coconut ChutneyMedhi Pudhina Poha

Varadha's regional cuisine from North India

Kobi Wadi
Cucumber raitaBasic Kadhi

Farah's regional cuisine

Pistachios and Almond Kulfi
Coconut ChutneyPineapple Kesari

Priya's regional cuisine from Punjab, chettinad and Gujarat.

Punjabi Egg Curry
Chettinad Prawn thokkuGujarat Dal Vada
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Friday, July 27, 2018

Onion Rings | Tea Time Snack | Snack Recipe

Onion Rings, a crispy and delicious fritters made from the onion. It's like the western adoption of our onion bajji but the way the onions are cut into rounds makes them so fancy and it's also one of the staple side dish here in America. More than a side dish for our meal, we used to like them as snacks for our evening tea and it tastes absolutely delicious. So if you're looking for a quick and easy to make snack for your tea time, then here it is!!! They are so crispy & airy and wanting you to eat more and more !!! Now let's check out how to make this addictive and delicious onion rings.

Onion Rings | Tea Time Snack

Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 15 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
Onion - 1 
Maida - 1/2 cup
Corn flour - 1 & 1/2 tbsp
Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
Bread crumbs - 3/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Water - as needed
Oil - for frying

Procedure
Take all the ingredients required, in a bowl add the maida,chili powder and corn flour and mix it well.Then add the baking soda and salt and mix it together with the flour.Add water little by little and make a free flowing batter. Next take the onion and peel the skin.Cut the onions into rounds and separate the layers individually. Keep the batter and break crumbs ready.Dip a onion ring in the batter well and then coat it with bread crumbs on all sides. Place it on a plate. Do the same for all the onions, heat the oil for frying, once the oil is heated(add a drop of batter in the oil,it should come up immediately), add the onion ring.Fry till it becomes golden brown on both sides, drain the oil and place it on tissue paper.Crispy and tasty onion rings are ready.
Notes:
  • If you want thick outer layer, coat the onions in the batter and bread crumbs one more time.
  • Cut the onion into about 1/2 inch rounds.
  • Instead of red chili powder, you can use paprika or pepper powder also.
  • Once the oil is heated, keep flame in medium while frying.
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Thursday, July 26, 2018

Mint Chutney for Breakfast | Pudhina Chutney without Coconut

Pudhina Chutney, a delicious and flavorful chutney made from mint leaves. It tastes so good with both idlis and dosas. When i was in chennai,I had tasted something similar to this chutney in few restaurant as one of the side dish for dosa. 

The mint flavor was very mild and it tasted delicious with dosa. Later i tried to recreate the chutney with what i had tasted and remembered, after a few trials, the recipe that i'm sharing today was almost similar to the restaurant style chutney and now it's one of our favorite chutney. 

If you like restaurant style mint chutney , then give it a try, definitely you will love it. Also remember that the mint flavor is intense once it's grounded into paste, so use more or less of mint leaves as per your preference. 

Since i like mild flavor, here in the recipe i have used 1/2 bunch of mint leaves (1/2 cup approximately), but you can add more if you want strong mint flavor. Now let's check out the recipe.


Mint/Pudhina Chutney

Preparation Time : 20 mins | Cooking Time : 15 minsServes : 2 to 3 
Recipe Category: Chutney | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Mint Chutney, Pudhina Chutney, Green Chutney Pudhina Chutney, a delicious and flavorful chutney made from mint leaves. It tastes so good with both idlis and dosas.
Ingredients
Mint - 1/2 bunch
Onion -1
Tomato -1
Red chili - 2
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 pod
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
To temper
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard & urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Procedure
First chop the onions and tomatoes roughly, clean the mint and remove the stems. Heat the oil in a pan, add the chana dal, red chili and garlic.
Let the chana becomes golden brown in color, then add the onions with a pinch of salt and saute it becomes translucent.
Then add the tomatoes , give a good mix and cover it with lid, let the tomatoes cook and becomes mushy.
Add the mint leaves and let the mint leaves shrinks, let it in the flame for 2 more mins and switch off the flame. Let it cool completely. Put it in the mixie jar along with required salt.
Grind into smooth paste, transfer into a bowl, temper the ingredients listed under "To Temper" and add into the chutney.
Tasty and flavorful mint/pudhina chutney is ready.

Related: How to make Curry leaves chutney


Notes:
  • Chana dal gives thickness to the chutney.
  • Add more or less of chili as per your preference.
  • Instead of red chili, you can use green chili also.
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