Blueberry Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

Low fat milk  -  1/2 cup
Low fat plain yogurt  -  1/2 cup
Blueberries  -  1 cup
Honey  -  1 tsp


METHOD

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Serve cold.

Fresh Fig and Banana Milkshake

Figs and bananas are both very high in potassium so that makes this smoothie great for getting your daily fix of potassium. This is a great meal replacement for breakfast and should hold the average person over until lunch hour..

INGREDIENTS

Fresh Figs  -  3 nos
Banana  -  1 nos
Honey  -  1-2 tsp
Low fat milk  - 1 cup


METHOD

Put all the ingredients in a blender, process it until smooth.
Serve cold.

Coriander Drink

A drink that can help in removing excess salt and toxins from the body.

INGREDIENTS

Bunch of fresh coriander leaves.

METHOD

Wash the coriander leaves well.

Cut it into small pieces and put it in a vessel and pour clean water.

Boil it well for 10 minutes.

Let it cool down and then filter it and pour in a clean bottle.

Cool it in a refrigerator.

Drink one glass daily (before going to sleep or early in the morning) and you will notice all excess salt and accumulated toxins come out of your kidney through urination.

Unakka Chemmeen Chammanthi / Dried Prawns Chutney

INGREDIENTS

Unakka Chemmeen / Dried Prawns  -  1/2 cup
Grated coconut  -  3/4 cup
Dry red chillies  -  6-7 nos
Ginger  -  1 inch piece
Small onions  -  4-5 nos
Tamarind  -  1 gooseberry size
Curry leaves  -  10-12 leaves
Salt  -  as needed


METHOD

Wash the dried prawns and pat dry.
Roast the dried prawns and red chillies together in a pan until the prawns turn light brown.
Keep it aside and cool them.
Add the roasted prawns, dry red chillies , grated coconut, ginger, small onions, tamarind, curry leaves and salt in a blender.
Grind well without adding water.
Adjust the tamarind and salt to suite your taste.
Enjoy the chammanthi with plain rice or kanji (rice porridge).

Murg Methi

INGREDIENTS

Chicken  -  1/2 kg
Onion sliced  -  2 nos
Tomatoes sliced  -  2 nos
Garlic paste  -  2 tsp
Ginger paste   -  2 tsp
Coriander powder  - 2 tsp
Cumin powder  -  1 tsp
Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder  -  1 tsp
Garam masala  -  2 tsp
Methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) chopped -  2 tsp
Oil  - as required
Salt  -  as needed.


METHOD

Heat oil in cooking pan and add the sliced onion, saute till the onion becomes golden brown color.
Remove from heat and grind the onions into a smooth paste.
Now grind the tomatoes along with ginger and garlic paste into a smooth paste.
Heat the oil left over from frying the onions, add the onion paste and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the tomato paste and all the powders along with garam masala and mix well.
Saute the masala well until the oil begins to separate from it.
Now add the chicken pieces  to the masala and add required salt and mix well.
Saute till the chicken is cooked well.
Then add the methi leaves and stir well.
Add 1/2 cup water and stir well and cover the pan and cook till the chicken is tender.(Add more water if the masala dries up).
Remove from heat after is chicken is cooked well.
Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Green Peas Masala

INGREDIENTS

Green peas  -  1//2 cup
Onion  -  3nos
Tomato  -  3 nos
Garlic  -  3 cloves
Ginger  -  1 piece
Jeera  -  1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds  -  1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder  -  2 tsp
Coriander powder  -  2 tsp
Garam masala powder  -  1 tsp
Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped  -  2 tsp
Sugar  -   pinch
Salt  -  As needed
Oil  -  2 tsp
Cinnamon  -  1 piece
Cardamom  -  2 nos


METHOD

Golden roast jeera and fenugreek seeds with little oil in a pan.
Crush them well and keep aside.
Chop onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, and fry them in 1 tsp of oil until the tomatoes turn mushy.
Cool and grind them to a paste.
Heat the pressure cooker with oil and temper with cinnamon and cardamom.
Add the above paste and fry in a medium flame for about 5 minutes.
Then add chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder.
Fry till the oil separates.
Then add the peas and enough water for the peas to cook (1 1/2 to 2 cups).
Add required salt and 1 pinch sugar and cook for 3 whistles.
Open after the pressure is released and add the jeera and fenugreek powder and give it a boil.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice or roti.

Macaroni Payasam

INGREDIENTS

Macaroni  -  1 cup
Milk  -  1/2 ltr
Milk maid  -  2 tsp
Sugar  -  1/4 cup
Ghee  -  2 tsp
Cardamom powder  -  1 tsp
Cashewnuts  -  few
Raisins  -  few.


METHOD

Cook the macaroni well separately, drain it and keep.
Pour milk in a vessel and bring it to a boil.
Then add the cooked macaroni, milk maid and sugar.
Continue stirring till the payasam becomes thick.
Once the payasam is thick add the cardamom powder and switch off the fire.
Roast the cashew nuts and raisins in ghee.
Garnish the payasam with roasted cashews and raisins.
Serve hot or cold.

Oats Soup for Weight Loss

INGREDIENTS

Oats -  4-5 tsp
Onion chopped  -   1/2
Garlic chopped  -  1 clove
Green chilly chopped  -  1 clove
Pepper powder  -  1/2 tsp
Skimmed milk -  1/4 cup
Coriander leaves chopped -  1/2 tsp
Olive oil  -  1 tsp
Salt as needed


METHOD

Heat olive oil in a pan.
Add the chopped onion, garlic, green chilly and fry till golden brown.
Add oats to this and fry for 2mins.
Add little water and stir well.
Add skimmed milk and bring it to a boil.
Add salt and pepper powder and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with brown bread.

Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS

Maida  -  1/2 cup
Unsalted butter  -  3 tsp
Powdered sugar  -  1/4 cup
Egg  -  1 nos
Warm milk  -  1/4 cup
Cocoa powder  -  2 tsp
Baking powder  -  1/4 tsp
Vanilla essence  -  1 tsp
Salt  -  1 pinch

For Icing
Icing sugar  - 1/4 cup
Cocoa powder  -  1 tsp
Melted butter  -  10gms


METHOD

In a bowl combine butter, sugar, egg, vanilla essence and milk and blend well.
Combine maida, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder along with this and blend well.
Blend till the mixture becomes very smooth without any lumps.
Take medium microwave safe tray and grease it with butter and little maida.
Pour the cake mixture into the tray.
Cover and cook in the microwave on High for 3-4 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched.
Let the cake cool for 5 minutes and cover the tray with a plate and turn both the plate and tray upside down, so that the cake fall on to the plate.

To make the icing, put the icing sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl.
Add butter and stir until it becomes smooth.
Spread the icing over the cake.
Top with nuts or fresh cut fruits.
Allow the icing to set.
Slice and serve.

Malabar Fish Biriyani

INGREDIENTS

For Rice
Ghee  -  2 tsp
Cardamom  -  4-5nos
Cinnamom  -  4-5nos
Cloves  -  4-5 nos
Onion sliced  -  2 nos
Basmati rice  -  3 cups
Salt  -  as needed

For Fish Masala
King fish -  1/2 kg
Chilly powder  - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
Onion sliced  -  2 nos
Ginger, garlic and green chilly paste  -  2 tsp
Tomato chopped  -  1 nos
Garam masala powder  - 1 tsp
Curd  -  2-3 tsp
Thick coconut milk  -  1/4 cup
Coriander leaves chopped  -  1 cup
Oil  -  as needed
Salt  -  as needed


METHOD
For Rice
Heat ghee in a pan.
Add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and stir them.
Add the sliced onion and fry them till transparent
Add the rice and stir for 5 minutes.
Add enough water and salt and cook the rice till done.

For Fish Masala
Marinate the fish with chilly powder and turmeric powder for 1 hour.
Fry the marinated fish pieces in oil.
Use the same oil and fry the sliced onion till golden brown.
Add the ginger garlic and green chilly paste along with tomato and stir for few mins till the tomato is coked well and the raw smell of the ginger garlic and chilly paste goes off.
Add garam masala, curd, coconut milk, coriander leaves and salt and stir for 5 mins.
Add the fried fish pieces and cook till it starts to boil.

Final Procedure
Take a deep bottomed vessel and layer the rice and fish masala one by one and cover the lid.
Keep it on low flame for about 10 minutes
Garnish with roasted raisins and cashew nuts.
Serve hot with raita and pappadam.



Note: Coconut oil can also be used instead of ghee as it will give a nice traditional flavor to the biriyani.

Yellow Pumpkin erissery (Mathanga erissery)

INGREDIENTS

Black eyed beans  -  1/2 cup
Yellow pumpkin (Mathanga)  -  3 cups
Grated coconut  -  1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic pods  -  2-3 nos
Turmeric powder  - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder  - As needed

FOR SEASONING
Oil  -  2 tsp
Mustard seeds  -  1 tsp
Dry red chillies -  2-3 nos
Curry leaves  - few
Grated coconut  -  1/4 cup

METHOD

Soak the black eyed beans in water for 2 hours.
Pressure cook them upto 2 whistles.
After opening the lid add the pumpkin cubes along with salt, turmeric powder and chilly powder.
Cook them again for 1 whistle.
Grind coconut with cumin seeds and garlic.
Add the paste to the cooked pumpkin.
Simmer for few mins.
Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds followed by dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the grated coconut to this and fry till it turns golden brown.
Add the above mixture to the pumpkin curry and mix well.
Simmer for a minute.
Serve hot with rice.

Avial

INGREDIENTS

Yam  -  100gms
Ash gourd  -  100gms
Raw banana's  -  1 nos
Drumstick  -  2 nos
Carrot  -  100gms
Beans  -  100gms
Green chillies  -  6-7 nos
Cumin seeds  - 1 tsp
Grated coconut  -  1 cup
Curd  -  1 cup
Turmeric powder  -  1 tsp
Coconut oil  - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves  -  few


METHOD

Clean and cut the vegetables into 1 inch long pieces.
Cook the vegetables separately in a vessel with very little water.
Mix all the cooked vegetables with turmeric powder and salt.
Grind the coconut together with green chillies and cumin seeds and make a fine paste adding little water.
Mix curd to the ground paste.
Add the ground paste to the cooked vegetables and heat through. Make sure to prevent curdling.
Add 1/4 cup coconut oil and curry leaves and mix well. Do not heat.
Serve hot with rice.

Appam and potato stew

APPAM

INGREDIENTS

Raw rice  -  2 cups
Cooked rice  -  1tsp
Grated coconut  -  1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Sugar  -  1 tsp
Yeast  -  1tsp
Warm water  -  1/4 cup

METHOD

Mix sugar with warm water
Add yeast and keep aside for 10-15 minutes
Mix well until sugar and yeast granules are dissolved well.
Soak raw rice for about 4-5 hours and drain it
Make a smooth batter out of raw rice, cooked rice and grated coconut.
Mix the sugar and yeast solution to this
Leave this batter to ferment overnight.
Heat non-sticky appachatty on medium flame
Pour a laddle full of batter to the appachatty
Slightly twist around the appachatty to make a circular shape
Close it with a lid and cook on low flame till the edges become brown color.
Serve it with HOT POTATO STEW.

POTATO STEW

INGREDIENTS

Medium sized potatoes  - 3-4 nos
Onion  - 1 nos
Ginger  -  1 inch
Green chillies  -  3-4 nos
Coconut milk  -  1 cup
Salt  -  as needed
Few curry leaves

METHOD

Pressure cook the potatoes. When cool, open the cooker and peel the skin.
Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Do not mash them
Add the diced potatoes, sliced onion, sliced ginger, green chillies and curry leaves along with sufficient water in a vessel.
Add salt and stir well.
When the water has nearly evaporated, lower the flame
Add the coconut milk and stir well. Do not boil.
Remove from fire and garnish with fresh curry leaves and coconut oil.
Serve with HOT APPAM.

Carrot Halwa

INGREDIENTS

Carrot Grated  -  2 cup
Milk  -  1 cup
Condensed milk  -  1/2 cup
Ghee  -  3-4 tsp
Cardamom crushed -  5 nos
Sugar  -  5-6 tsp
Chopped nuts

METHOD

Grate the carrots.
Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat.
Put the grated carrots in the pan and stir fry for about 10-15 minutes or until the water in the carrot is evaporated and comes to a dark color.
Add milk, condensed milk, crushed cardamoms and chopped nuts and cook for about 20-30 minutes till carrot is cooked well and the milk evaporates and becomes thick.
Add sugar and cook for another 10 minutes carefully so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Remove from and fire and tranfer it to a bowl.
Serve hot or chilled.

Chettinad King fish fry

INGREDIENTS

1. King fish   -  4-5 fillets
2. Garlic  -  8 pods
3. Small onion  -  6-8 nos
4. Cumin seeds  - 1 tsp
5. Fennel seeds  -  1 tsp
6. Black pepper  -  1 tsp
7. Red chilly powder  - 2 tsp or according to taste
8. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
9. Turmeric powder  -  1 tsp
10. Lemon juice  -  1 tsp
11.Salt  -  as needed
12.Oil  -  as needed

METHOD

Clean the fish and keep aside.
Make a fine paste of the ingredients from 2 to 10 with water.
Apply the paste on to the fish fillets and keep them in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Heat oil in a frying pan and and add the marinated fish fillets and shallow fry them on medium heat till both the sides gets cooked well.
Pour little oil on the sides and on top when flipping them.
Once they are well cooked and golden brown color remove and serve hot with rice.

Prawns Masala

INGREDIENTS

Prawns  -  50-60 nos

Aniseed  -  1 tsp

Cumin seeds  -  1 tsp

Small onions  -  6-8 nos

Coconut grated  -  1 cup

Chilly powder  -  1 1/2 tsp

Onions chopped -  1 nos

Curry leaves -  10 sprigs

Coconut oil  -  as needed

Method

Clean the prawns.

Grind together aniseed, cumin seeds, small onions, coconut, chilly powder and salt and make a fine paste.

Marinate the prawns in the paste and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions and curry leaves and fry till golden brown.

Add the marinated prawns to the pan and stir continuously to avoid getting burnt at the bottom of the pan.

Close the pan with a lid, so that the prawns get cooked.

Add more curry leaves and stir it well till the prawns are covered well with the masala.

Serve hot with white rice.

Note: The more curry leaves the better the dish will taste.

Pudhina rice

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice -  2 cup
Mint leaves  -  1/2 cup
Coriander leaves  -  1/4 cup
Green chillies  -  3-4
Ginger  -  1 inch
Garlic cloves  -  5-6 cloves
Cumin seeds  -  3/4 tsp
Cardamom  - 1 black
Cinnamon  -  a small piece
Onion chopped  -  1
Garam masala  -  1/2 tsp
Salt  -  to taste
Oil or ghee

METHOD

Wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes, drain it and keep aside
Make a fine paste of mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger and garlic.
Heat oil or ghee in a cooker, add cumin seeds and when it starts to crackle add cardamom and cinnamon.
Add chopped onion fry till light brown, add garam masala and cook for a minute.
Add the mint paste and cook till oil seperates from it.
Add the drained rice and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add enough water and salt.
Cover and cook till done
Serve hot with any spicy gravy and raita.

Oats Idli

INGREDIENTS

Oats  -  1cup
Rava  -  1/2 cup
Curd  -  1/2 cup
Vegetables of your choice  -  1 cup
Water  -  as needed
Salt  -  as needed
Lemon juice  -  1 tsp
Green chilli choped  -  1 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped  -  1 tsp
Ginger chopped  -  1 tsp

To Temper
Oil - as needed
Mustard seeds  -  1 tsp
Urad dhal  -  1 tsp
Channa dhal  -  1 tsp
Curry leaves  -  1 sprig

METHOD

Dry roast oats for few minutes until nice aroma comes and powder it coarsely after it cools down
Heat oil in a pan and ingredients in To Temper along with green chilli, ginger, once it is fried add the vegetables and fry it.
Then add the rava and quick fry it for a minute in medium flame.
Add this mixture along with powdered oats along with lemon juice, salt, curd and water as needed and make a batter.Mix well.
Pour the batter in a greased idli plate and cook it for about 10-15 minutes or until done.
Serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Oats Dosa

INGREDIENTS

Oats  -  3/4 cup
Rice flour  -  1/2 cup
Wheat flour  -  1/4 cup
Cumin seeds  -  1 tsp
Green chilli chopped  -  1 tsp
Pepper  -  1 tsp
Onion chopped  -  1 no.
Coriander leaves chopped -  1 tsp
Salt  -  as needed
Water  -  as needed

METHOD

Make a thin batter of all the ingredients except onion.
Mix the chopped onion in dosa batter.
Heat dosa pan and then pour the batter to make dosa. Add little oil on to the sides of the dosa.
Cook in medium flame when one side becomes brown turn to the other side and let it cook for 2 min.
When both the sides becomes golden brown,transfer to a serving plate.

Enjoy hot oats dosa with chutney or sambhar.