Recipes - Traditionally Modern Food

Saffron Cookies - Eggless

June 1, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 12 Comments

Rich and Flavorful cookies with saffron. Saffron cookies are addictive tea time snacks. Kids can't say no to this Crunchy delight. Egg-less/ Eggfree cookies tastes delicious. Saffron cookies are perfect holiday treats.

From now on I will be less active in TMF. It is vacation for me. Whether I go India or Amma comes here I do nothing but sitting in couch and enjoying my break. I am not going to cook for a while, After posting few recipes I have already drafted it is going to Amma's samayal posts😊

Last Thursday my parents came and I know I won't be active that weekend as my sister also visited us for a short 3 days trip. I kept this Saffron Cookies ready in draft but weekend just went super quick as always I become lazy. Today Amma reminded me not to take break like last year and yes here is the post.

Saffron gives amazing flavor to the cookies and of course lovely color which will definitely please the toddlers/ kids.
My son always complains that I make cookies only in White/ brown, but now their is one more color without adding food color. With kids it is not always the taste but look, texture etc.

Other cookie recipe from TMF,

Other Cookie recipe to try

Butter biscuit

Tofu cookies

1 minute microwave cookies

Almond flour cookies

Eggless Whole wheat walnut cookies

Custard powder cookies

Double chocolate cookies

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Sweet Corn Pulav

May 24, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 7 Comments

Sweet corn pulav is a flavorful variety rice. Soya chunks add protein to the rice. This is perfect for the lunch box. The flavorful rice goes well with raita/ gravy. Quick rice which can be prepared with 30 minutes.

I have already said about my addiction for onion but my sister is exactly the opposite. Growing up she won't eat onion. Mom used to cook most of the dishes in two versions. One with onion for me and other without onion for her. Slowly her obsession for onions gradually reduced and at one stage she started eating dishes cooked with onion, if onion is grounded.

To tackle the onion confusion she started grinding onion in that case we both will be happy. This sweet corn pulav is one such version. I have altered Amma's sweet corn pulav a bit according to our taste. Be it mixed vegetable, peas or corn this ground paste makes any variety rice extra special. Amma pairs it with kurma or raita. This is one of our special weekend lunch with raita and vadam.

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Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu | onion Kara Kulambu

May 22, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 3 Comments

Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu is a flavorful South Indian rice accompaniment prepared with onion in tamarind base. Onion Kuzhambu stays good for at least 3 days, if refrigrated. Tastes yum with rice, tiffin varieties like kozhukattai, upma etc. Curd rice and onion Kara kulambu is yet another favorite combo.

Last week my uncle, aunt and cousin visited us. Lots of fun family time, outing and late night chit chat so I took a break from TMF. Thanks to mama, after ages I enjoyed "Venkatramana mixture". If you are from singara chennai and visited West mambalam, their mixture doesn't need any introduction. I was munching it all day whenever I passed kitchen.

Enjoyment was one side but for 4 days we had amazing food. Well I am not talking about my cooking. I prepared Masala vadai and Paal payasam with traditional South Indian spread. We visited my cousin's house and there enjoyed Carrot payasam with a tasty North Indian spread. The highlight of day 2 was not only the lake we visited, but age old South Indian travel food, yes Puliyodarai, curd rice, chips, mixture and thakkali Thokku.

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Mini Chocolate Chip Muffin - Eggless

May 15, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 1 Comment

Mini Chocolate Chip Muffin - Eggless step-by-step pictures and video recipe. You can also check out the Eggless chocolate chip muffins recipe. If you like this recipe pls SUBSCRIBE to my channel

Mini Chocolate chip muffins - Eggless is a tasty mid-morning/ evening snack. Mini muffins are the perfect portion For kids. Chocolate lovers can't say no to these eggless yummy muffins.

Vishvak likes chocolate, and nowadays he wants chocolate in everything. Recently we went for a birthday party and he enjoyed Chocolate chip muffins. That's when I realized I haven't yet baked Chocolate chip muffins for him.

Muffin is great for breakfast. Make-ahead breakfast like this is a saver for me during busy mornings. If I give him chocolate chip muffins I can see a happy smile😃 Be it a breakfast or mid-morning, evening snacks one common problem in our home is muffin portion size. At times he can't finish the entire muffin and leave some leftovers. If I give him it after some time he demands a new one.

Back in the UK days when I tried baking for the first time, I got a silicon cake pan, mini cupcake pan. Recently we went to a play date for Vishvak, and my friend prepared a mini cupcake and the portion size was perfect for kids. So I thought of following her idea. This time it is mini muffins.
I don't have a mini cupcake/muffin tray. Instead of buying one used a mini silicone cup in a regular tray and it worked perfectly.

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Keerai Molagootal | Keerai Kootu

May 12, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 4 Comments

Keerai molagootal is a traditional palakkad special dish South Indian rice accompaniment/ side dish prepared with spinach and dal. Freshly ground spice-paste gives a nice flavor to the keerai kootu. Quick one-pot spinach dal curry which can be prepared with Instant pot/ Pressure cooker.

Keerai kootu and Keerai thengai curry are the dishes my Amma makes with spinach. Growing up I was not a big fan of spinach but because of its healthy benefits she somehow managed to make eat it. Coconut flavor in spinach dishes made me like this iron rich vegetable. Keerai pappu become my favorite in recent years.

Amma makes a thick kootu and we take it as a side dish for Rasam/ Milagu Kuzhambu/ Vethakuzhambu. Now a days I started making it in a gravy-like consistency and we mix it with rice use it as a rice accompaniment.

Keerai Molagootal is prepared with channa dal/ moong dal with some vegetable or combination of veggies. Freshly roasted and ground paste makes kootu super delicious. Usually I use green chilli for kootu like Cabbage kootu and Pumpkin kootu, and red chilli for Poricha kootu and Keerai Milagu kootu.

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Malai Kulfi - 3 Ingredients

May 10, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 22 Comments

3 ingredient, lip-smacking Malai kulfi is so addictive. Malai Kulfi can be prepared within 25 minutes. Perfect summer/spring frozen dessert.

The moment I think about summer, ice cream comes to my mind. Along with ice cream, Kulfi was one of favorites ever since childhood days. During our summer holidays mostly we will go to my uncle's house to spend time with cousin, and to escape from chennai heat. Well living in Seattle at times I miss the chennai weather

Whenever we spend peak summer in chennai (Agni nakshtaram) Amma won't let's us go out in the noon. In between tv, sleep, computer games, I will wait for the bell. Yes kulfi vendor.

Those days the way he unmolds the kulfi gave me lot of fascination. I never stopped demanding for a second helping. In fact at times even before finishing first I would start thinking about second.

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Vendhaya Dosai | millet dosai

May 8, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 7 Comments

Vendhaya Dosai | Vendhayam dosa | Fenugreek dosa | Dosa recipe | Dosa variety | south Indian dosa recipe | tiffin variety is a South Indian breakfast. Fenugreek (vendayam) gives a soft texture to the dosai. Usually, Idli rice is used for the preparation, here is a version with millets. Fenugreek Millet dosa is also a good postpartum recipe.

Dosai is our family's favorite breakfast. Growing up for some reason I always like Dosai over Idli. Since it is everybody's favorite Dosai will be there once or twice every week. At times Jagadish starts early for work so he prefers Dosai for dinner so can enjoy hot Dosai.

There are many varieties of Dosai. Vendhaya Dosai is one which I could remember well. When I was at school I used to ask mom to pack Dosai for lunch box. Regular Dosai will become dry after sometime so she makes this and it will taste good. Softness will be retained for a long time.

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Pavakkai Gojju | Pavakkai Kara Kuzhambu

May 4, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 1 Comment

Pavakkai Gojju, Pavakkai Kara Kuzhambu, Kara kulambu, Pavakkai kuzhambu, Kuzhambur with coconut, arachuvitta kara kuzhambu recipe with step-by-step pictures, and video recipe. Check out the Pavakkai pitlai recipe and if you like the video pls SUBSCRIBE to my channel.

Pavakkai Gojju is a rice accompaniment prepared with bitter gourd is a rice accompaniment prepared with pavakkai, tamarind, and spice powder. Sesame seeds give a nice flavor to this Pavakkai Kara Kuzhambu. Pavakkai puli kuzhambu stays good for two days. It is also a nice side for upma.

When it comes to pavakkai, I am not an exception. Growing up, I Hated pavakkai. Even before tasting the dish, the mere thinking of bitterness stopped me from eating pavakkai-based dishes. Whenever I go grocery shopping with Amma, seeing pavakkai I would think my mom shouldn't buy it.

Pavakkai Pitlai is a common rice accompaniment prepared at home. As I mentioned in the Pitlai recipe, jaggery was a trigger for me to eat it so she use to make Pitlai often. Once when Amma was talking to my relative aunt she told her about my dislike for Pavakkai and her aunt suggested this kuzhambu.

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Lemon Quinoa | Elumichai Lemon

May 2, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 3 Comments

Quinoa Lemon is a quick, 20 minute lunch box recipe prepared with Quinoa and Lemon. Traditional Indian lunch box variety rice. To make it bit healthy here is a version with Quinoa. Lemon quinoa is great for dinner too.

As a kid I hated Lemon flavor. I will find reasons to tell Amma for bringing full lunch box back home . After a point Amma stopped packing Lemon rice for my lunch. Well my dislike with Lemon flavor didn't stop with school it was there until recent months. After marriage my mother in law also won't cook anything with lemon. But now a days I started liking lemon based dishes.

Coming back to this Lemon Quinoa. packing lunch box is every woman's biggest concern. At times more than cooking my worry is to decide to what to cook. Sometime I open my fridge and scan for minutes together.

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Paruppu Thogayal | Paruppu Thuvaiyal

April 28, 2017 By Vidya Srinivasan 16 Comments

Paruppu thogayal, Paruppu Thuvaiyal, Lentil chutney, Paruppu Thuvaiyal RECIPE, Lentil chutney RECIPE, THOGAYAL varieties, thuvaiyal varieties, postpartum recipes, pathiya samayal, how to make paruppu thogayal, Tamil brahmin recipes, iyer thogayal , unnave marundhu , paruppu thuvaiyal , tasty south Indian thuvaiyal recipe with step-by-step pictures and video. Check out the Paruppu thogayal video and If you like the video pls SUBSCRIBE to my channel.

Paruppu Thogayal is a traditional South Indian dish. Thogayal recipe can be prepared within 5 minutes. Check out the video and If you like the video pls SUBSCRIBE to my channel

Thuvaiyal is light and good for digestion. Whether it is a side dish or rice accompaniment, Growing up, Paruppu thogayal for me was a different style. My Amma makes a version with urad dal and coconut. We used to have it with sesame oil. Next to coconut thogayal, this was my favorite. Well, Urad dal version is not light like this toor dal thogayal but Vengaya vetha kuzhambu, thogayal, and vadam is an addictive combo.

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