Mango is in full season now. In Hong Kong, we get few varieties of local mangoes in the market. I love the tiny mangoes and other few ones available in the local market. We have Mango Semiya payasam recipe in Jeyashri’s Kitchen. I have tried Mango pal payasam also for a cookery demo, in Singapore. I actually wanted to try Ada pradhaman with mangoes. But here I didn’t get the rice ada....

Spicy pomegranate raita Carrot capsicum raita Method: Δ

I have heard about the health benefits of Mapillai samba rice and wanted to switch on to that atleast for making idli | dosa. In my in laws house, they eat this variety of rice only instead of white rice. This rice has very low glycemic index and very good for diabetics. Since my brother in law is into farming, we get organic Mappillai samba arisi at home. We eat rice whenever we go on vacation....

Rajma pulao Mexican fried rice INGREDIENTS: METHOD: Wash the rice and drain the water. Slice the onions and chop the capsicum . Peel the skin of the garlic and finely chop them. Puree the tomato in a mixer. Soak the red kidney beans overnight and pressure cook this till it becomes soft. Drain the water and keep it aside. In a heavy bottomed pan, add oil and throw in the chopped garlic....

Milagu thattai | Pepper flavoured thattai, is a very crispy snack and it tasted very similar to the Grand Snacks thattai. Those who have tasted the thattai from Grand sweets and snacks can relate to it. My sister tried this recipe and the recipe was originally from my chitti, who is an expert in making Bakshanams. She always huge packets of sweets and savories to her sons who are in the US....

So don’t pay a fortune for bland frozen mini quiche…make them at home! Mini Quiche Mini Quiche are literally the perfect finger food: small enough to eat with one hand (while the other is clutching a wine glass like it’s your life line); no need for toothpicks, mini napkins; mess free food – no risk of sauce dribbling down your new white silk top; can be made 2 to 3 days ahead, kept in the fridge or frozen then reheated; they look adorable – and impressive!...

Mochai sundal is one among the sundal which my amma makes during navaratri. This mochai she rarely cooks and to be more precise she cooks only during navaratri for sundal only. I use this for making Kara kuzhambu and sometimes in Vathakuzhambhu too. I just made this mochai sundal with a similar spice mix that has been used for KALYANA RASAM, omitting the pepper and jeera. A very Happy Navaratri to all of you....

Make it for breakfast or brunch – or anytime! Monte Cristo Sandwich I shared this recipe as a way to use up leftover homemade Glazed Ham, because this is a recipe that’s worthy of leftover baked ham! Though having said that, I make this year round using ordinary deli ham. It’s a great recipe to turn the ordinary into an extraordinary breakfast, lunch or even dinner – because nobody gets excited over a Ham and Cheese Sandwich....

This is a fully loaded mushroom recipe – there’s 750g / 1.5 lb mushrooms in this! Mushroom Risotto It’s such a let down when you’re faced with a giant bowl of Mushroom Risotto, only to find you have to fish around desperately through piles of gluey rice to find a a few piddly bits of mushrooms. Let me assure you, no fishing expedition will be required for this Mushroom Risotto!...

We South Indians, usually make Lemon rice, a very easy variety rice recipe. We usually make this for lunch boxes or during festivals like aadi perukku and Kannum pongal. I am not a big fan of Lemon rice during my childhood days, but later post wedding started liking it. Amma makes yummy lemon rice and coconut rice. She also makes this Narthangai sadam, which is my mama’s favorite. It is made in a similar way but we use Narthangai juice instead of lemon juice....

AND you won’t get your fingers caked with batter and breadcrumbs in the process of making them. Find out my little tricks! Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders Have you ever made a recipe based on the photos showing a perfect golden BAKED crumbed chicken, only to find that: a) the crumbing comes out splotchy with some burnt bits and some white bits; and b) the crumbing is not that crunchy (unless you bake it so long the chicken overcooks)?...

METHOD: Dry roast the black pepper, dry coconut, sesame seeds,cardamom , saunf, and cloves till the coconut turns nice brown color. Take care not to burn it. Lastly add the cashew nuts and switch of the flame. Grin this into a fine paste adding little water. In a pan, add oil and add the cumin seeds and ginger garlic paste. Saute in a low flame till the raw smell goes....

It’s certainly not an everyday mash, so save it for special occasions to serve alongside grand centrepieces! Paris Mash was made famous in Australia by Guillaume Brahimi, one of our country’s top French chefs. His Paris Mash is 25% butter, and it’s so rich, I could only get through a few spoonfuls… And that’s saying something for this Potato Monster!! What is Paris Mash? Just as Prime Rib is the king of all roasts, and Carnitas rule all tacos, Paris Mash is the mother of all mashed potatoes!...

Soak the cashew in warm water for 10 minutes and grind this along with yogurt into a smooth paste. Chop the onions and tomato roughly. In a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and add the onions, tomatoes , coriander leaves, green chilli and garlic and saute for a few minutes till it shrinks. Grind the onion tomato mixture into a fine paste. In a pan add oil and add the onion paste and add the cashew yogurt paste....

I know I shared a baked chicken recipe last week but this is so good, I didn’t have the patience to wait longer! I saw Peruvian rotisserie chicken being made on a cooking show once and unsurprisingly, it was added to my ever growing list of “things to make”. Do you keep a list of “things to make”? I actually have 4 5 lists. “Make for blog”, “Clients” (being recipes I create and shoot for clients), “Meals” (being my normal meals), “Ideas” (that list where 95% of the things on it never get made) and “ABSOLUTELY MUST TRY”....

Combine all the ingredients except oil in a wide bowl. Knead into a soft pliable dough adding water as required. Add little oil and grease the dough and keep it covered for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into equal balls and start rolling them into disks to make parathas. Heat the griddle and cook the parathas on both sides . Smear little oil while cooking. Repeat the same process for the rest of the dough....

I consider these pumpkin muffins healthy enough to eat for breakfast and sweet enough to eat for dessert. Although I suppose if you want to make these more breakfast-like, you can sub the chocolate for dried cranberries or leave them out altogether (but don’t do that!). My favorite way to eat these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins is by making them feel even more decadent and I do that by warming one up and then topping it with a pat of butter....

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes and put the almonds in very hot water and soak for 30 minutes. When the rice gets completely mashed and the kheer gets thick switch off the flame. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the sliced almonds to this kheer. Serve hot or chilled. Basmati Rice 1/4 cup Milk 1 litre Almonds 7-8 Sugar 5-6 tblsp Saffron a pinch Δ

A little background on this dish – Saag just means pureed greens, so when you order this dish in a restaurant, chances are that it’s slightly different at each place. Some will add kale, broccoli, even brussels sprouts to their saag (I’ve even made saag using foraged ramps also known as wild leeks). Many make “Palak Saag” which is saag made with spinach. My favorite saag is authentic Punjabi saag or “Sarson ka Saag” which translates to “saag made with mustard greens....

I used the roasted vermicelli, if you have unroasted just heat a pan and add a tsp of ghee and roast this into golden brown keeping the flame low. Vermicelli tends to burn fast so be careful. METHOD: In a pan add 2 tsp of ghee and fry the cashew nuts into golden brown. Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Keep it aside and add the vermicelli | semiya to this....