Chettinad style Vegetarian Biryani -- spicy, flavorful and delicious dish.

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I have never cooked with Nethi beerakaya aka Silk Squash before. Nethi beerakaya bajji (fritters) are very famous in Andhra. I bought 2 squashes from the Indian store and made pachadi with one and bajji with the other. To make the bajjis, cut the veggie into thin circles. Dip them into bajji/ pakora batter (besan+chili powder+cumin powder+salt+water to make a thin batter) and deep fry till golden brown. Serve hot sprinkled with chaat masala along with ketchup. We gobbled down our bajjis before I could take the pictures, so all I have here is raw silk squash pieces. Here’s the...

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Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter D Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh Dish: D for Dosakaya Pachadi Letter D stands for veggies like Dondakaya (ivy gourd), Dosakaya (cuke lemon). D also stands for dishes like Dappalam which is a spicy, tangy stew made with toor dal and an assortment of veggies. Daddojam, spiced curd rice or Dalcha, a Hyderabadi lentil dish and so on. I decided to make a traditional chutney recipe using dosakaya (cuke lemon). This is a very quick and simple chutney to make. Dosakaya is not cooked, it is finely chopped and mixed into ground tempering. A...

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This is one of the simplest and tastiest dal recipes. I usually make spinach dal with toor dal and add either tomato or tamarind to make it slightly tangy. But for this dal, I kept it simple and you can the leafy spinach and the slight sweetness of moong dal; tadka with garlic completes the dish. This is my entry Cooking For Kids-Leafy Greens being hosted on this blog. Don't forget to send in your entries before June 30th.

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I’m re-visiting this recipe that I posted about 2 years ago. It features in most of Andhra bhojanams (feasts). I love it since I was little and still do. Here is how we make it: This is my entry to Cooking for Kids-Leafy Greens event. Send in your entries by the end of this month.

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Blogging Marathon# 25: Week 2/ Day 1 Theme: Cooking from a Book Dish: Cucumber Sweet & Sour Chutney (Keera Dosakaya Pachadi) My theme for week 2 of BM# 25 is "Cooking from a Book". Like a lot of you reading this post, I have a ton of cookbooks that I have bought over the years. I find a million reasons to buy a book and I see myself cooking through the entire book before buying. But once the book comes home, it sometimes gets neglected. I have to say I do refer to my cookbooks when I'm in a rut...

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Dal is something that is made almost every other day in my household. Not just my home, but that is the case in almost every Indian households. Lentils form one of the main source of protein to vegetarians. I am always looking for new ways of making the same old pappu/ dal. My everyday dals are usually very simple like this tomato pappu or this palakura pappu. But occasionally I do make kootu where dal is cooked with vegetables and coconut-peppercorn masala paste. My mom learned it from a Tamil neighbor. Today's recipe is from the cookbook, Dakshin by Chandra...

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Alasanda vada or Black eyed peas croquettes are a traditional South Indian fried snack. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.

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Blogging Marathon# 41: Week 4/ Day 1 Theme: BM Pair (Sujatha Ram) Dish: Carrot-Onion Chutney For the last week of marathon, we are cooking from our fellow marathoner. I got paired with Sujatha Ram who blogs at Indian Veg Kitchen. Sujatha is a relatively new blogger, but has quite a few authentic and delicious vegetarian dishes. I have many of her traditional desserts bookmarked and wanted to make at least one for this week, but with my husband travelling, I didn't want to eat the calories all by myself.

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Instant Pot black beans and rice is a perfect one pot weeknight meal. This is a hearty and comforting dish that takes just a few minutes to put together. The best part of this dish is this is 100% vegan, quick and easy to make. My family loves topping it with our favorite toppings and...

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Looking for an quick weeknight meal that is kid friendly? Then try this easy peanut noodles recipe. This is an amazing dish packed with veggies and flavor. It also happens to be 100% vegan. A spicy peanut powder makes this desi pasta recipe delicious. Make the big batch of this powder and make this Indian...

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My love for eggplants is well known in my family and even among my blogging buddies (I'm sure at least 2 of them must be nodding their heads and thinking -- eggplant recipe, AGAIN.. come on Pavani :-) But I can't miss an opportunity to buy them and eat them. Last weekend I found cute little baby eggplants at the Indian grocery, they were the perfect size to make stuffed eggplants. I bought a few, of course. As I was leafing through Chandra Padmanabhan's 'Dakshin', I found this easy stuffed eggplant recipe called 'Sagalay'. This peanut stuffing was a variation...

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After hogging on these yummy cookies, I think it's time for something healthy, yet festive and delicious. This brown lentil salad is very easy to make and will make a great item for a holiday menu or even for potlucks. You can adapt the recipe and add nuts or cheese (feta would be excellent) to make it even more holiday worthy. The recipe is slightly sweet and tart with the agave & dried cranberries and crunchy with the toasted walnuts. Dish can be served at room temperature or chilled, which is perfect for a make ahead menu. Here's how I...

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