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Dear Friends,  It's been a long time since I have been posting recipes here.  The locked down time is a good time to learn and cook new recipes.  Hoping to share many more beautiful and exotic recipes with you'll. Eat nutritious. Stay home👍 Stay Safe👍. Sukanya Yogesh www.Sukanyasmusings.com WATERMELON RIND HALWA This locked down has given us a lot of valuable lessons and one such lesson is reducing wastage and conserving our resources, valuing nature and living quality lives, something that was by being practised by our previous generations but somehow forgotten by us. There are many parts of vegetables or fruits that we tend to throw missing out on the huge nutritional quotient that it offers. It’s time to start making wonderful recipes from them and getting more value out of your buck. Something that fancied me during this lock down was the watermelon rind halwa. All my life I never knew that we could eat the watermelon rind, imagine the gross wastage...

BEET ROOT PORIYAL / BEET ROOT CURRY A lot has been said of the benefits of eating beet root and our parents and elders always ask us to add beet root to our diets. But….this is a big but…..we don’t want to add it to our diet, no matter how much we want to…there are many people who would agree with me. Before we get to that, let’s see the nutritional benefits of eating beet root. Beetroot is an excellent source of folate and a good source of manganese. It contains betaines which may function to reduce the concentration of homocysteine, a homolog of the naturally occurring amino acid cysteine. Beetroot is highly nutritious and is packed with a variety of essential minerals and vitamins. It is extremely effective in cleansing and purification of the body and keeps the digestive system of the body on track. Beet has a stimulating effect, which can ward off the weaknesses and several ailments of the body, when consumed regularly. It has a very positive impact of the functioning of...

WATERMELON JUICE Nothing can beat the summer like a tall cool drink of watermelon juice. A watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight. As with many other fruits, it is a source of vitamin C. Watermelon is mildly diuretic and contains large amounts of beta carotene. Watermelon with red flesh is a significant source of lycopene. Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. No matter which way you cut them, when it comes to nutrition, melons are number one. Ingredients Watermelon - 1 seedless watermelon Powdered sugar or honey to taste Cold water and ice cubes Method Wear an apron over your clothing when cutting watermelon. Place your watermelon on a cutting board. Peel the watermelon and slice it into 1"chunks using a sharp knife. Place the watermelon chunks into a bowl. Use a fork instead of using your hands to avoid dripping of th...

MUTTAKOSE PATTANI THUVARAN (CABBAGE AND GREEN PEAS DRY CURRY) As I mentioned in my earlier post, after Diwali I am looking to cook foods that are bland, not so colorful and light. So I decided to make cabbage and green peas thuvaran with some molaghu rasam. I love the combo of cabbage and green peas. Its absolutely delightful. MUTTAKOSE PATTANI THUVARAN Ingredients Cabbage - 1 medium size Green peas – 1 ½ cup (fresh or frozen) Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Udad dal - 1 tsp Green chillies – 1-2 Grated ginger / ginger paste – 1 tsp Asafetida (Hing) - a small pinch Freshly grated Coconut – 1-2 tbsps Cooking oil - 1 tbsp (Prefer coconut oil) Salt as per taste. CABBAGE AND GREEN PEAS DRY CURRY Method Chop the cabbage & rinse well under running water in a colander. Rinse the green peas as well and keep aside. In a Kadhai (wok), Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil, when it is hot, Add the mustard seeds and udad dal, when it begins to crackle, when the udad dal becomes slightly pink, add the green c...

PARUPPU THOGAIYAL (A chutney made with Lentils) After the Diwali snacks and sweets onslaught, I am thinking of foods which are easy to digest and lighter on the stomach. Togayal is one such dish which usually is a treat to the taste buds and light on the stomach as well. Thogayal is generally served as an accompaniment to a meal. I made bottle gourd kootu and paruppu thogayal and it felt like a slice of heaven. Paruppu thogayal can be eaten with Idly, dosai or any snack. We can also eat this by mixing it with hot rice and a dollop of ghee or some gingelly oil. This thogayal can be made with Moong dal or toor dal. I used moong dal as it’s a healthier option. Add caption Ingredients Yellow split Moong dal / Pigeon Pea (Toor dal) – 1 cup Coconut – 2 tbsps (Freshly grated) Dry red chilli – 1 (To taste) Curry leaves – A sprig Peppercorns – 1 tsp Asafetida – ½ tsp Salt as per taste Oil – 1-2 tbsp Method Heat oil in a Wok (kadhai), Add the Yellow split moong dal or Toor dal (whichever yo...

BADHUSHA I would like to wish all the visitors,  A VERY HAPPY & PROSPEROUS DIWALI. These days I look for sweets which are less sweet. I usually have Badhusha in a shop here in Singapore and adore it because it’s not that sweet as other sweets, so this Diwali I decided to make Badhusha also known as Balushahi in some parts of India . While I was browsing for a no-fail recipe I stumbled across Raks kitchen (Raks happens to be a fellow blogger from Singapore as well) and found this wonderful step by step recipe with pictures. I had tried making Badhusha earlier but it was a huge flop as it came out very hard. I didn’t want to try any stunts and followed exactly as mentioned in her blog. Ingredients Maida/All purpose flour -1 ½  cups Butter – ¼ cup Oil – 1/8 cup Sugar - ½ tsp Curd – 1 ½ tsp Cooking soda/sodium bi carbonate - 2 pinches Water - ¼  cup (approx.) Oil - for deep frying For Syrup Sugar - ½ cup Water - Just to immerse the sugar Cardamom powder -  ...

CRISPY BREAD ROLLS INDIAN STYLE Its Tea time again and I’m pondering over what snack to make for my kids. I thought why not make bread rolls as it’s a really long time I haven’t made them as I am trying to avoid fried foods. But heck its raining isn’t that reason enough to have something fried with a mug of piping hot tea. Bread rolls is a dish that can be made with ingredients at home. So dunk into this crispy and delectable snack. I am sure the kids will enjoy it too. BREAD ROLLS Ingredients Slice Bread - 1 Packet Potatoes - 5-6 medium sized Green Chillies -2 Ginger paste – 1 tbsp Cumin seeds –  1 tsp Asafetida – a pinch Cumin powder – 1 tsp Coriander powder – 1 tsp Salt as per taste Coriander Leaves Method Boil the potatoes. Peel and mash them. In a wok, add one tablespoon of oil. Add the cumin seeds and when they start to fry, add in the ginger and chilly paste, the coriander powder, cumin powder and asafetida. After a minute or two, when you...

VERMICELLI UPPUMA (SEMIA UPPUMA) Its vacation time here in Singapore . Here is a special snack that kids and adults will enjoy. It is nutritious too. Vermicelli is made from semolina, It’s a much healthier option compared to the All purpose flour noodles that kids like to eat these days. Because it appears like noodles, kids absolutely love this dish. You can add vegetables and make it too. I have just showcased the traditional south Indian style of preparation that I learnt from my friend’s mother which was so delightful that it remained etched in my memory forever. Ingredients Vermicelli – 2 cups Onions – 1 Green chillies – 2 Ginger – a small piece Curry Leaves – A sprig Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Cumin seeds – ½ tsp Chana dal ( Bengal Gram) – 1tsp Curry leaves – A sprig Asafetida (hing) - a pinch Freshly grated coconut – 2 tbsps Salt as per taste Method In a wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil, Now add the mustard, cumin and Bengal gram, when the mustard starts to crackle and t...

MORU APPAM / KUZHI PANIYARAM (BUTTERMILK FRITTERS) This is a snack I absolutely adore, soft and spongy on the inside and crisp and crusty on the outside. This dish gets its name because sour buttermilk (moru) is used in the batter. It is known as Moru Appam in Kerala but in Tamilnadu it is known as Kuzhi Paniyaaram. One evening when I was pondering over what to make for tiffin (evening snack), I raided my fridge and found a big bowlful of Dosa batter, the batter was slightly sour. Sometimes inspite of refrigerating the dosa batter, it becomes sour. Once, the batter becomes sour the dosa doesn’t taste so good. I thought of putting it to good use by making moru appams. It’s like making the best out of something that would go waste. Traditionally Moru Appam is made by soaking raw rice and Udad dal in the 3:1 consistency (3cups of raw rice and 1cup Udad dal) just as we do for the dosa batter and then adding on the other ingredients as mentioned below. I made the Moru Appams with...

URULAKAZHANGU KAARA CURRY (MASHED SPICY POTATO CURRY(DRY) This is absolutely on the top of my “Comfort foods” list. This curry can never stop exciting me to have my grub. Hot rice, a small dollop of ghee (thanks to weight watching) mixed with rasam and the hot and spicy urulakazhangu kaara curry, simply lip smackingly awesome. Urulakazhangu means potato in Tamil, Kaaram means spicy, Curry means a dry curry(it can also mean something with gravy), but this recipe is a dry curry recipe. On a boring day when you have run out of ideas as to what to cook and feel totally uninspired and feel like nothing could be as laborious and cumbersome like cooking, this would be the dish that would totally cheer you up. Simple, yet delicious. Hardly takes any time to cook. Ready in a jiffy. You can even have this with Yogurt and rice. Ingredients Potatoes – 5-6 Red chillies - 1 Red chilly powder – 1 tsp Coriander powder – 1 tsp Cumin powder – 1 tsp Sambhar powder – 1tsp Pickle Masala(Achar Masala) – 1...

SWEET AVAL / VELLA AVAL / SWEET POHA (SWEETENED BEATEN RICE FLAKES) BEATEN RICE  Flattened rice (also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. The thicknesses of these flakes vary between almost translucently thin (the more expensive varieties) to nearly four times thicker than a normal rice grain. This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across Nepal, North East India and Bangladesh, and is normally used to prepare snacks or light and easy fast food in a variety of Indian cuisine styles, some even for long-term consumption of a week or more. It is known by a variety of names: Poha or Pauwa in Hindi, Baji in Newari, Pohe in Marathi, Chindé in Bengali, Chira in Assamese, Phovu in Konkani, Chudaa in Oriya and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, Atukulu in Telugu, Bajeel or Bajil in Tulu, Chudwey in Urdu(Dakkan...

BHARVA BHINDI (STUFFED OKRA/LADIES FINGER) I would like to apologize to all the people who visit my blog regularly as I am not able to blog these days although blogging is one of my favorite hobbies or pass time as you may call it.. Partly due to work and family pressures and partly due to Facebook which has slowly but surely taken a lot of my leisure time. I promise myself that I would atleast retain the habit of posting one recipe a month. Here is a recipe everyone in my house loves. I could call this version of Bharva Bhindi a more south indianized version or a fusion between south and north Indian. Do try this recipe and enjoy the bharva bhindis. BHARVA BHINDI (STUFFED OKRA/LADIES FINGER) Ingredients Okra / Bhindi -1/2 kilo Cumin seeds – 2 tsps For stuffing : Coriander powder – 1tbsp Cumin powder – ½ tbsp Amchoor ½ tbsp Red Chilly powder – 1 tbsp Bengal   gram / Chana dal -2 tbsp Black gram dal /White lentil /Udad dal – 1 tbsp Sesame seeds – 1tbsp Salt as per taste Method ...

This is an ode to my Filipino maid who is with me for 2 and half years. Its festive time for Christians with Christmas and New year   around the corner and here is a Filipino dessert to tingle your taste buds. The first glimpse of the Piaya actually makes you feel it is an Indian dish. Since it looks like a paratha (Stuffed bread) and the first bite gives you a nostalgic feeling as it tastes somewhat like the Puran Poli. After the completion of 2 years with me, my domestic helper(maid) who helps me dish out these wonderful dishes went home to visit her family and came back with this sweet delicacy for us. Since we are strict vegetarians we were a bit skeptical, so she told me, ”Maam it is completely vegetarian”. I tried it and the taste was so much like puran poli that I decided to share this wonderful recipe Piaya PIAYA This Filipino dish originated in the Negros province found in the middle of the country which is considered as the sugar capital of the Philippines . Other re...

TOM ATO THOKKU / THAKKALI THOKKU I had bought a kilo of tomatoes accidentally not knowing that there was huge bag of tomatoes lying in my fridge already. Since I had so many tomatoes and I knew that they surely would spoil. I sorted them and picked out the red ripe tomatoes and decided to make this awesome Thokku . (Read all about thokku in this link). Thakkali thokku tastes awesome with curd rice, bread, dosas, chappatis or absolutely anything The cooking of the tomatoes takes time but the thokku has a shelf life of weeks and you can enjoy it everyday. I have used to 10-12 tomatoes which gives me about 300gms of thokku. If you want more use more tomatoes. Ingredients Tomato – 10 - 12 Tamarind paste – 1 tbsp Fenugreek powder – 1 tsp Asafoetida - a pinch Red chilly powder – 1½ tbsp Mustard seeds for seasoning – 2 tsps Sesame (Til) oil – 8-10 tbsps Method Wash and wipe the tomatoes. Chop them and grind them in a blender along with 1 tablespoon of the tamarind paste. Blend in...

KHAMAN DHOKLA Gujarat is most famous for its fluffy and light Khaman Dhoklas. Dhokla or 'Khumman' is made with a fermented batter of chickpeas. My dearest hubby Yo is a great fan of this dish and it can cheer him up anytime, whether served during a meal or as a tea time snack. Ingredients Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup Semolina (Rava) - 1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar – 1tbsp Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon Green chilly paste - 1 teaspoon Citric Acid (Nimbu ke phool) - 1/2 teaspoon or Lemon juice – 1 tsp Eno Fruit salt or Soda Bicarb – 1 ½ tsp For the tempering Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Cumin seeds – ½ tsp White Sesame seeds (til) – ½ tsp Green chillies – 2-3 Curry leaves – A sprig Asafetida (hing) - a pinch For the garnish Freshly grated Coconut – 1 tbsp Coriander leaves – 1tbsp Method In a big bowl add in all the ingredients except the Eno fruit salt and mix well using water to make a thick idli like batter. Let this rest for 10 minutes. Add in the Eno fruit salt or Soda bicarb, Add ...

STRAWBERRY ICE LOLLIES Ice lolly is basically fruit juice converted to flavored ice. I realized that it’s a good way to make children have fruits. Fruits can be included in your kid’s diet by presenting it in a fun and creative way. We have been buying ice lollies from supermarkets since ages but imagine making them at home. Fresh, pure, unadulterated and it definitely tastes better. It’s simple to make at home, you just need fresh fruits (here I have used strawberries), Ice lolly moulds and a deep freezer that’s it…so…simple. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and few hours to freeze. So plan early if you want to present this dessert to guests or to your kids. Ingredients Strawberries – 500g Water -100ml Castor Sugar – 100g Method De-stem and wash the strawberries and chop the strawberries into pieces. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until it becomes one uniform mixture. Pour the mixture into the ice lolly moulds and freeze until solid. You can avoid sugar from t...

PANEER MAKHANI Whenever I announce to Yo( my hubby dear) the menu for the day with some exotic restaurant dish name he gets highly excited about coming home for lunch. Gone are the days when a simple rasam and beans curry could seduce a man away from his work. Women have to resort to other gastronomic charms to get them to leave their work and at least spend some quality time with their family. After all as the old saying goes a way to the man’s heart is through his stomach. Here is a very simple recipe for Paneer Makhani, its so easy to make that it will be ready in a jiffy and be impressive at the same time. Quick to cook and good to eat as the Maggi noodles advertisement in India claims. Ingredients Paneer - 250 gms Fresh Cream - 200 gms Tomato Puree - 200 gms Butter - 2-3 tbsps Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves) - 2 tbsps Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Green Chillies - 2-3 Salt as per taste Method Melt the butter in a pan, add cumi...