Sweet potato porial, Boiled Sweet potato curry with coconut, Sweet potato recipe

Sweet potato, a sweet tasting root vegetable, is rich in carbohydrate, dietary fiber,  Vitamins A, B5, B6, and Manganese.

Sweet potatoes with dark orange flesh have more beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A) than those with the lighter colored flesh.

Although the leaves and shoots are also edible, we Indians, mainly consume the tuberous root. It is best to consume sweet potatoes by baking them without losing the nutrients.

Here we go with a simple baked sweet potato curry.

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes - 4 or 5 nos
(Medium sized)
Coconut oil - 2 tsps
Coconut (grated)  - 4 tsps

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt - a little

Curry leaves

Preparation:

Wash the potatoes thoroughly in water. Bake them with salt.

You can consume it with the skin itself, as it becomes very soft after baking. Here I have removed the skin.

Cut them into cubes.

In a kadai, add coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, add asafoetida, red chili powder, curry leaves. 

Now add the sweet potatoes, grated coconut, and stir it softly.

Very tasty sweet potato curry is ready to go with sambar sadham.

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Vazhaithandu mour recipe - Vazhaithandu juice recipe

Vazhaithandu or banana stem or plantain stem is beneficial for our health in many ways. 

It is rich in fiber, minerals and the edible part of the stem can help to lower blood pressure, cure ulcers and prevents constipation. It helps in weight loss and to get rid of kidney stones. We usually make poriyal, pachadi, raita and kootu. 

Here we are going to see vazhaithandu juice, blended with buttermilk.

Sundaikkai pulikuzhambu recipe - Turkey berry in tamarind gravy - Turkey berry kuzhambu recipe

Sundaikkai (Turkey berry) is rich in iron, calcium and a few other minerals and vitamins. It has amazing health benefits.  

Using fresh Sundaikkai, we prepare Sambar and Puli kuzhambu.  Here we are going to see puli kuzhambu, as the name implies, it is prepared using tamarind extract.  

This same recipe can also be prepared with dried Sundaikkai (Sundaikkai vatral), Manathakkali vatral, Shallots (small onions) etc.

Pudhina chutney for idli and dosa - Mint chutney recipe - Pudhina chutney recipe

Mint leaves or Pudhina in Tamil is an aromatic herb. It is one of the oldest herbs too. It has remarkable medicinal properties and it is commonly used by us to make chutneys, raitas etc. Also, we use it in in Biryanis. 

Mint has very powerful antioxidant properties. It aids in digestion, breathing disorders, treating skin conditions, and to manage blood glucose levels.

Here we prepare a chutney with a few ingredients. This is an excellent combination for idli and dosa.

Beetroot poriyal - Simple Beetroot poriyal - Beetroot stir fry

Beetroot is of exceptional nutritional value. It is an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fiber. 

It is low in fat, full of vitamins and minerals and packed with antioxidants.

Beetroot poriyal is a quick stir fry recipe. It is prepared with a few ingredients,  a nice side dish for rice with sambar and rasam.

Kappa puzhukku - Kerala Kappa puzhukku recipe - Cassava recipe

Kappa puzhukku is a traditional recipe of Kerala. Kappa or Cassava root, known as Maravalli kizhangu in Tamil is a good source of carbohydrate. 

It is a basic food like rice, mostly served along with Thenga chammandi (Coconut or Thenga thogayal).  It makes a good breakfast with kattan chaya (black tea). It can also be taken as a side dish.

Idli with tomato chutney - Idli with tomato, onion chutney

Idli is a popular breakfast in South India. It is a steamed food with fewer calories. It contains no fat.  Thus it is easy to digest and healthy.

Idli with tomato+onion chutney is an excellent combination. Tomatoes and onions are always available at home. So, this chutney can be prepared very quickly with fewer ingredients.

You can go through my post of how to prepare idli batter for making soft idlis.

Paruppu thogayal - Paruppu thogayal using pasi paruppu

Paruppu thogayal is a rice mix. 

South Indians must be familiar with this recipe.

It is usually made with Moong dal (pasi paruppu or split yellow gram). We also prepare this with toor dal.  

You can prepare this thogayal in a jiffy time. It is that much simple, but very tasty to go with hot steamed rice.

Varutharacha pulinkari - Pumpkin theeyal

Varutharahca pulinkari, also called as theeyal is a traditional and a popular recipe of Kerala. 

A plain pulinkari or thenga aracha kuzhambu is prepared without roasting the coconut. But, varutharacha pulinkari, as the name implies, is prepared by roasting the coconut before grinding. As coconut is roasted, the recipe is darker in color.

Potato fry - Easy and simple potato fry - Potato fry with a little oil recipe

Potatoes are liked by everyone. 

We know they are rich in carbohydrates. So, those who are in a diet plan, exclude potatoes.

Potatoes can easily be a part of a healthy diet, based on how we prepare it.

By the way of steaming or boiling the potatoes for a fry, we can reduce the amount of oil added to prepare the recipe. Here is one such simple recipe of potato fry.

Milagu kuzhambu recipe - Black Pepper kuzhambu - No onion, no garlic pepper kuzhambu

Milagu kuzhambu is a traditional and healthy recipe. This is so easy to make and it can be used for 2 to 3 days. Also, it can be refrigerated for a week. 

Beginners can try this recipe as it includes a few ingredients, that are readily available in our kitchen. 

Sutta appalam is the best combination for this along with hot steamed rice. This is a mix for plain rice. 

An ideal recipe for a rainy day.

Pumpkin olan - Mathanga olan - Simple olan recipe

Olan is a very simple, and a traditional recipe of Kerala. 

It is a delicious dish prepared with coconut milk. There are no spices, yet it is very tasty. 

Normally, Black eyed peas (Karamani) is added along with Pumpkin and Ash gourd.  Also, taro root (chembu or sepan kizhangu) with yellow pumpkin is another good combination to make olan.  

Here I have prepared a plain yellow pumpkin olan. 

Ladies finger sambar recipe ( Vendakkai sambar recipe)

Ladies finger, also known as Bhindi in Hindi is one of the most commonly eaten vegetables. It is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. 

With Ladies finger, we prepare sambar, puli kuzhambu, fry, and masala.  

Here I prepare sambar, one of the best recipes for plain rice. It is easy to prepare for the beginners.

Aval payasam - Aval payasam using rock candy (kalakandu or misri) - Poha kheer

Aval or Poha or rice flakes is said to be Lord Krishna's favorite. 

Aval payasam is usually made using sugar or jaggery. I usually prefer jaggery, as it has iron content and it is healthier than sugar. 

Here I have made another version of aval payasam using rock candy or misri, which gives a rich sweetness. It is big kalandu in Tamil.  

In Hindu tradition, misri is offered to the lord and distributed as Prasad. So I have used misri.

Ridge gourd kootu - Peerkangai kootu recipe

Ridge gourd recipes are a good accompaniment for rice, chappati, idli, and dosa. 

Ridge gourd kootu and thogayal go well with rice, whereas Ridge gourd curry made with moong dal goes well with chappati, idly and dosa.

Here we see how to prepare ridge gourd kootu, as a side dish for rice.

Inji curry - Puli inji recipe - Palakkad style Inji curry

Inji curry or Puli inji is a traditional recipe of Kerala.  This tangy recipe is always served in a sadya, but it is prepared very commonly as and when required. 

Aval upma - Poha upma recipe

Aval or Poha or beaten rice is a form of flattened rice. It is easily digestible and very popular across India. These dry flakes swell when added to water or milk, as they quickly absorb the liquid added. Normally, we use Aval to make snacks and lighter food. We also make sweet recipes using aval.

Now let us see Aval / Poha upma, which you can make very swiftly with easily available ingredients at home.  

Simple and easy tomato rasam recipe - Tomato rasam recipe without tamarind

Rasam holds an important place in South Indian meals. The taste of a rasam varies according to the ingredients we use. 

Here we are going to see a simple tomato rasam. I have prepared this rasam with my sambar powder itself.

When we prepare any recipe using toor dal or moong dal, we can collect the dal water and use it for this rasam. That will also be fine.

Capsicum or Bell pepper curry, Simple Capsicum curry

Capsicum is a vegetable with an abundant source of vitamin C. It also holds a few more vitamins and minerals and dietary fiber. 

The best way to get the nutrients from a vegetable is to limit the use of water while cooking the vegetable. Steaming is the best method to retain the nutrients. 

This simple and very easy Capsicum curry is prepared without water. 

Tomato chutney with onion - Tomato chutney for Idli and dosa

Tomato + Onion chutney is a very easy recipe and the specialty of this chutney is, it goes well with idli, dosa, kara kozhakkatai, and chappathi.  

You can instantly grind this chutney as the ingredients are the basic ones in our kitchen.

We can bring some taste differences in this chutney, by varying the proportions of tomato and onion. 

One is using equal quantities of both, next one is with more tomatoes+less onion and the last one is with more onion+less tomatoes. 

Here I have used more tomatoes option.