Kitchen and Home Making

Avarakkai Poriyal I am not a great fan of Avarakkai Poriyal, though it is rich in fiber. And there is a nice story behind it too, which I like to share it here. To be true and frank, before marriage, I don’t know how avarakkai will be . My mom won’t use to make it, since my dad doesn’t too like it.   After my marriage, SH asked me to prepare avarakkai poriyal one day for his lunch. We use to call avarakkai as “Vonno”, in my mother tongue, sourashtra. I told him that I have not tasted that veggie even once and don’t know how the taste will be. He got shocked of hearing it. But I promised him to prepare it for the next day lunch. Then, I called my mom and told her that SH has asked me to prepare Avarakkai poriyal. You please tell me how to prepare it. She laughed at me and told me that it is very easy and simple to prepare that dish and told me how to cook it. The other day, I prepared it and my SH  was happy with it. Because of him only, am now buying avarakkai regularly.  And n

  Paruppu Rasam is a must to be done in our daily lunch. We use to have it daily with steamed white rice. We would have heard people telling that rasam is good for digestion and some use to drink the rasam in a glass also during indigestion. During my childhood, my mom  suggest to take rasam rice when we are sick, since it improves our taste buds. Now-a-days my son Amiit, has started loving rasam rice, and has become a great fan of rasam. Happy that he has transformed from curd rice. Paruppu Rasam

 Since am a sourashtrian from south of Tamilnadu, our recipes and cooking methods will be little different from other people of South Tamilnadu.  Such one recipe is "Rasam Powder". We use to make rasam with this powder only.Though making of this powder needs little experience and patience, it is easy to prepare. Once you stuck up with the taste of the rasam made with this powder, you never mind the time taking process behind it. An one day tiresome job, will help you to prepare tasty  rasam daily for years. Let me come to the recipe straight, without building my story. Rasam Powder Ingredients: Black Peppercorns - 2 cups ( I used my measuring cup) Dry Red                 - 250 gms Cumin Seeds         - 25  gms Asafoetida            - 50 gms Method:                           First of all, divide the peppercorns into four equal amount of batches and red chillies into three equal portions. Heat a wide fry pan and fry the first batch of peppercorns in