Viki's Kitchen.

Sweet potato boli

2013-05-22T19:28:00.001-07:00

Boli is a kind of sweet paratha prepared in Tamilnadu, India. We can see many varieties of stuffing for boli. In Chennai, one can see some shops selling this boli alone, as they are very popular there. Preparing pooran boli / oppittu (with channa dal stuffing) at home is a time consuming job, as preparing the stuffing demands many steps like pressure cooking the dal, preparing jaggery solution,

Egg kuruma

2013-05-21T15:59:00.001-07:00

Whenever we say egg curry, the only thing that comes into the mind of many people is a spicy red hot egg curry. But there are many versions all over India. Sometimes we may need an egg curry with more gravy to go along with rice or idiappam (rice noodles). Then I would choose this curry or kuruma with lots of coconut masala. This kind of egg curry with more gravy is a common in Southern

Masal dosai

2013-05-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Idly and dosai are popular dishes of Tamilnadu, India. They are consumed as a main course for dinner and a staple for breakfast. Proper fermentation of the batter is the key behind the successful idlies and the hot climatic condition prevailing there throughout the year will make the idly petal soft. Though making the perfect idly depends on how much care we give for maintaining the temperature,

Chennai fish curry

2013-05-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Chennai fish curry is a spicy, tangy curry. It is one of my favorite versions of fish curry. Chennai has a huge fishing harbor in Royapuram which supplies many markets all over the city and state. One can get excellent quality sea fish in all the Chennai markets.Also fresh water fish is caught from many lakes around. People living there for generations are very good at making delicious fish

Ragi Malt

2013-05-13T18:36:00.001-07:00

I am sure every Indian would know to make this ragi drink and I wanted my blog to have this too:) Many years ago with the introduction of TV and advertisements to India, many people started buying the energy powders and brand named health drinks and started believing that it was their favorite hero's energy secret:) It would be surprising to see even the mothers from typical villages which grow

Homemade corn tortilla

2013-05-09T09:27:00.002-07:00

Homemade tortillas are more easier to prepare if we know how to make chapati. Texture of corn is more or less similar to rice flour. So it may tend to stick to the rolling board. I keep a wax paper or plastic sheet over the rolling board, sprinkle some flour and start rolling. It peels off easily and can be cooked over any tawa or flat pan. Anyone who tastes fresh corn tortillas will definitely

Crab pepper fry

2013-05-04T08:09:00.003-07:00

Cooking seafood on most of the days was a tradition in my house while growing up. While common fishes are cooked on weekdays, we reserve the exotics like crab, shrimp for the weekends, as they take more time to devour:) Here is what I made using crab and pepper....the crab pepper fry. I am sure I coined this recipe all by myself and I love it very much. This has a thick curry like finish, a

Semiya Pulav

2013-04-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

Semiya pulav is a very quick and yummy main course. Semiya briyani or pulao was a new food to me, till I tasted it for the first time from my colleague's tiffin box. Many years ago, I met this happy personality Mythreyi mam, a beautiful woman, can drive a car in that small town, could travel alone anywhere, knowledgeable and friend for most of the beginners there. Whatever clarification we would

Fruit and nut ice cream

2013-04-22T18:51:00.001-07:00

Ice cream topped with jelly. To soak and grind: Almond - 10 cashew - 5 cardamom seeds - 1.5 tsp saffron - 3 strands Other ingredients: Almond - 10 cashew - 5 pistachio - 10 Tooti frooti (dry fruits) - 1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz 1 can (400 gm) fat free Whipped Topping 8 oz (225 gm) - 2 packs Preparation: Soak the almonds overnight (or)Put it in boiling water, wait till

Wheat dosai

2013-04-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: Wheat flour - 1/2 cup sour dosa batter - 1/4 cup salt - to taste water - as per need oil - as per need finely chopped onion - 2 tbsp cumin - 1/2 tsp Method: Put the wheat flour in a mixing bowl. Add water and make a batter of runny consistency. Add all the other ingredients. Mix well. Heat a thick dosa tawa (without applying oil and till hot, then reduce flame) and pour 1 ladle

Happy Tamil New Year ,

2013-04-13T11:25:00.001-07:00

Wishing all a very happy and prosperous Tamil New Year. (click to see image source.Thanks.) Love, Viki

Tomato chutney

2013-04-09T18:01:00.001-07:00

Normally the red color chutnies we see in any average Indian food has to be very spicy. That too the street foods in Chennai offers its customers the spiciest chutnies along with idly, dosa etc. But when we go to some vegetarian restaurants like Saravana bhavan, we can get less spicy foods. I tried this tomato chutney just like Saravana bhavan with their mild sweetness and tangy taste. I made

Chicken koftha

2013-04-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Other names: Chicken meat balls , chicken kofta, chicken kheema balls, baked chicken meat balls, chicken kola urundai. Deep fried meat balls (mutton / chicken kheema) is called kola urundai in Tamilnadu, India. Instead of frying I have baked it, as it seems quick for me. If we are following my recipe below, then baked koftha will definitely taste similar to deep fried version. If you want a deep

Hi !

2013-03-23T17:58:00.001-07:00

Dear readers and friends, I am on a short blog break. Hope to write again soon! Wishing all a happy, healthy, peaceful, prosperous and Blessed Easter. Enjoy blogging and blog hopping, Take care, Love, Viki

Radish spicy fry

2013-03-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Normally radish is cooked as stir fry in Indian cuisines. I wanted to give it a make-over and here is a spicy fry. Red radish in a bag. Radish spicy fry. Ingredients: Radish - 250 gm onion - 1 oil - 2 tbsp red chilly powder - 1 tsp fennel seed - 1 tsp curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp salt - to taste Method: Peel the radish if necessary. Rinse well. Finely chop onion and radish. Heat oil

Coconut cookies

2013-03-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

For each petal on the shamrock This brings a wish your way Good health, good luck, and happiness For today and every day. May your blessings outnumber The shamrocks that grow, May St.Patrick pray for us all, Happy St.Patrick's day! Glitters123.com | Saint Patricks Day | I am seeing green everywhere around St.Patrick's day. A week ahead, I too made some cookies to honor St.Patrick. I

Pomegranate strawberry jam

2013-03-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

I made this Pomegranate strawberry preserve / jam recently. At first my plan was to use pomegranate alone, but then it came to my mind that pomegranate on its own has very less pectin, so I added strawberry to get the thickness. I have not gone for canning for this but kept it in fridge for a month. I haven't used any preservative or pectin, so it can be called a refrigerator jam:) This has

Chettinadu pepper chicken

2013-03-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

Chettinad pepper chicken is an appetizer popular in chettinadu restaurant (Indian restaurants). I tried and tried this recipe until I get the perfection of what we generally get in restaurants. I found that the secret of the flavor depends on marination, curry leaf, fresh pepper powder and sesame oil. Try this and enjoy! Chettinadu pepper chicken fry. I baked the marinated chicken instead of

Carrot kuzhi paniyaram

2013-03-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I made this carrot kuzhi paniyaram, inspired by the Tamil movie Saguni, in which actor Karthi makes carrot kuli paniyaram for his girlfriend. I always try to make foods that are popular in restaurants and movies in our house, as it is safer to eat home cooked meals for people like me:) On that day hubby had a lot of work, stayed overnight and came home only in the early morning. There

Madras Kara kulambu

2013-03-07T14:48:00.001-08:00

Madras / Chennai is one of the major cities in India. Kaara kulambu is another version of puli kolambu, a curry made with tamarind and spices. It is a very popular curry in Madras / Chennai. One can hear this word kaara kolambu very often in Chennai, as this is one dish prepared in most of the households there. I have seen the women cooking this kara kulambu in the evenings after coming home

Broccoli usili (dal fry)

2013-03-04T18:52:00.002-08:00

Usili is a side dish made with dal, which can be compared to a dry form of dal fry. It is one of the traditional foods that can be seen in many households of Tamilnadu. Any fibrous vegetable like carrot, beans, cabbage can be turned into usili. It is a great recipe to enrich the simple vegetables with proteins. Many years ago when I first saw this broccoli in a supermarket in Missouri, I thought

Shrimp pepper fry

2013-03-02T17:56:00.001-08:00

I think I should translate it as Era milagu varuval : Era - shrimp / prawn; milagu - black pepper; varuval fry I made this shrimp pepper fry recently, as I wanted to make a very spicy version. I am not sure if this recipe belongs to any regional cuisine or a traditional one. I coined it as per my taste with coconut oil and black pepper. Mostly I pick up the shrimp in the freezer aisle, as it is

Cauliflower fry

2013-02-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

Deep fried cauliflower may seem to be the easiest version of cauliflower fry / pakoda, but I like this version also very much. My mom used to make this along with paruppu kulambu with rice and it is our family's favorite. Mostly after frying some appalam (pappad made of blackgram), she would fry this masala coated cauliflowers in that hot oil. Just this fry can turn any ordinary lunch into a

Mochai sundal

2013-02-25T17:08:00.000-08:00

Typical Indian snacks are made with dals, less oil and more spices. No wonder these foods are considered divine and offered during holy days by Indians. Here is one snack called sundal made with field beans. Fresh field beans (pachai mochai) was a rare sight to see in my birth place. So mom used to do this sundal with dried field beans (kanja mochai). I have also made this dish with dried beans

Wheat chips

2013-02-23T05:58:00.001-08:00

Baked wheat chips is one interesting low calorie spicy snack using leftover chapati. Whole wheat chapathi is a staple food in any Indian / Asian household. Sometimes we may wonder what to do with some left over chapatis. Here is my recipe to turn them into a delicious crispy snack. I made this whole wheat chips by baking the masala coated chapati bits and we enjoyed it as a healthy snack. I am