MORINGA RECIPES - STIR FRIED DRUMSTICK / MURINGAKKA THORAN

STIR FRIED DRUMSTICK / MURINGAKKA THORAN

Some healthy veggie stir fry recipe reminds me of my mom. I was a  picky veg eater and she used to make varieties in drumstick recipes(it's my favorite) at my home. Now am cooking such healthy food for my picky eaters ( my cuties). I often cook stir fried vegetables and wrap them in chappathi or Indian bead for kids lunch box. One of the best lunch box ideas for those picky eaters. Vegetables (vegan) stir fry recipes (thoran) are made within minutes with handy ingredients.   Especially in Kerala cuisine,  vegetable stir fry is inevitable. Some of the common stir fry recipes are cabbage thoran, carrot thoran, beetroot stir fry and like so.    
Drumstick coconut stir fry/ muringakka thoran is a traditional kerala style recipe which is served along with steamed rice. 

Drumstick tree (Moringa tree) is a very common evergreen tree in the backyard of most of the Kerala houses and is favorite for most of us like me. Am i right? Not only in Kerala, it well known veggie which is cultivated in several regions of India and throughout the world. Drumstick has got numerous fantastic qualities (moringa health benefits). Even drumstick leaves and drumstick seeds are beneficial to our body. Some of the health advantage of having drumsticks includes offering strong healthy bones, fight against infection, for glowing skin,  useful for digestive disorder, great for dealing with asthma and lung disorders, helpful for lactation and pregnancy and much more. 
Stir fried Drumstick (drumstick thoran / muringakka thoran) is a dry dish with cut drumstick and grated coconut. This healthy easy stir fry with the mildly spiced grated coconut tastes delicious. This recipe is dedicated specially for all those stir fry lovers who loves healthy tasty veggie recipes. Do try and let me know how it turns out for you. So here is the recipe showing how to make stir fried drumstick recipe /quick lunch ideas / healthy lunch recipes/ moringa recipe / muringakka thoran recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Drumstick / Moringa / muringakka  - 6 nos
Kashmir chili powder                       - a pinch
Salt

TO COARSE GRIND

Grated coconut                                 - 1 small cup
Turmeric powder                              - half tsp
Cumin seed                                       - half tsp (can add less those who dislikes its taste)
Shallots                                             - 5 to 6 nos
Green chilies                                     - 2 nos (i used only 1)

TO TEMPER

Mustard seeds                                   - quarter tsp
Dried red chilies                               - 3 nos
Curry leaves
Coconut oil

PREPARATION

• Peel the skin of the drumstick using a knife, wash and cut into finger length pieces. Then slice each cut drumstick into halves length-wise.
• Then drop it in a nonstick vessel along with Kashmiri chili powder, salt and a cup of water. Let it cook (covered) for 10 minutes or until cooked and dry.
• Meanwhile coarse grind (only crush it) the ingredients given under ' to coarse grind ' and set aside.
• When drumstick is cooked well and the water is dried out, add the coconut mixture and saute gently for 2 minutes over a low flame.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, fry dried red chilies and curry leaves. When done, add the cooked drumstick coconut  mixture to it and stir fry for a minute. Switch off the flame.
• Serve as a side dish for steamed rice. 

DETAILED RECIPE PICS BELOW

Please find below the recipe of banana pudding on my youtube channel

VEG SANDWICH RECIPES - HEALTHY SNACK BOX RECIPES FOR KIDS

Here am sharing a very filling and tasty sandwich recipe / brunch recipe dedicated for all busy moms. The sandwich maker recipes are just as simple and humble as the commercials make it look. This magical healthy breakfast ideas are very much helpful for those who hates making breakfast every morning. More over , if any one feels that it is very hard to make your toddler to finish everything on the plate without compelling, give this a try. I fed up in searching google for  toddler food ideas / toddler meals. Now am really happy with my sandwich maker that i can put those food for toddlers  within two slices of bread. How simple it is!!!!! 

So this time am sharing the recipe of healthy lunch ideas for kids (school going).  A complete healthy snack box for kids with mashed potatoes, cheese, butter and veggies. Kids love simple mashed potatoes recipes. If your kid thinks that vegetables are just the yucky stuff, then surely you must try out this sandwich recipes / ideas for kids. This is the way i used to make my kids eat to get the good stuff. Now we both are happy (me and my school going kid). As she loves creative in presentation,  i put my complete effort to make her eat without compelling and she used to do so. Here is the recipe for vegetarian sandwiches for kids / veg sandwich recipes with mashed potato. Do try and make your cuties happy.

INGREDIENTS

Bread slices                     - 4 nos, any bread of your choice
Mashed potato                 - half a cup....(RECIPE GIVEN BELOW)
Stir fried veggies             -  as required...here i used left over ladys finger stir fried and grated cabbage (You can use leftover veggies or simply grated cabbage and carrot)
Tomato sauce                   - 1 tbsp (better skip using tomatoes)
Butter / cheese                 - as required for topping, just spread some
Chopped coriander          - as required for topping

PREPARATION 

• MASHED POTATO RECIPE : Boil 2 medium sized potatoes in a pot of hot salt water and cook until it is tender. Remove the skin and mash it well and set aside. Heat butter(50 g) and a cup of milk in a sauce pan. Whisk well until the butter is melted over a low flame and when done add the mashed potato slowly. Blend it well until smooth and creamy. The excess can be stored in an air tight contain and keep refrigerated for two days. Very good healthy recipe for kids.

• Spread tomato ketchup over one side of each bread slice. Now spread 2 tsp of mashed potato over a bread slice. Then add a tsp of stir fried veggies and grated cabbage. Again spread a tsp of mashed potato if required. Cover it with another bread slice.
• Spread butter over the bread slice generously and some chopped coriander leaves and place the buttered side down on the sandwich maker. Spread butter on the other side along with chopped coriander leaves. 
• Close the sandwich maker and toast . (Will be done within 3 minutes). You can also toast it on stove top by spreading some butter over a non stick pan, when hot place it and gently press your sandwich and flip after a minute. Again toast a minute . DONE...
• Serve .

PAN FRIED FISH - FISH FRY RECIPE IN PUMPKIN LEAF / WHOLE FISH RECIPE

Want to try something new? do try this recipe. Fish fried in Pumpkin leaf (mathan ila). Its drooling flavor. The seasoning for this fish fry is quite simple but i must say, it tastes different with the aromatic flavor of pumpkin leaf. Some are crazy for fish and they used to make yummy fish recipes daily. As fish are good source of vitamins and minerals, a healthy diet must include fish at least twice a week.This fish fry recipe will surely blow your mind away. 

Pumpkin leaves stir fry recipe is a very popular Kerala cuisine. Pumpkin leaves recipes are very popular in South India and of course around the world.Kerala cooking recipes include different varieties of thoran (stir fried recipes) with leaves. These healthy veg recipes are a good source of different types of vitamins, minerals and rich in anti - oxidants which helps to slow down ageing process. This stir fry veggies also helps to eliminate the free radicals which are responsible for cancerous growth. So friends, try to include such leaves in your diet and stay healthy.. Here is the recipe showing how to fry fish in pumpkin leaf. Hope you all enjoyed this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Fish                               -  2 nos(500 g), i used whole sheri fish ( or can use any fish and can cut into pieces)
Pumpkin leaf                 - 3 nos or more, tender leaf
Oil for shallow frying
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves

FOR MARINATION

Kashmir chili powder   -  2 tsp (it is less hot but gives fine red color, OR  instead  u can use 1 tsp red chili powder ). 
Turmeric powder           - 1 tsp
Pepper powder               - 1 tsp
Tomato                           - half of one, chopped
Coriander powder         - 2 tsp 
Garlic                            - 3 cloves
Vinegar                          - 2 tbsp
Oil                                  - 1 tbsp
Salt

PREPARATION

• Clean the fish well and make slits with knife all over the body. Set aside.
• Wash the pumpkin leaves  with water and set aside.
• Grind all the ingredients under marination to a fine paste along with 1 tbsp of oil and marinate the fish with that marinade. Let it set aside for 10 minutes.
• Heat few tbsp( 2 tbsp) of oil in a frying pan and when hot switch off the flame.
• Place the pumpkin leaves over the hot oil and grease the top of the leaf with oil and above which keep the marinated fish. Now switch on the flame.
• Make the flame to medium low and shallow fry both sides. If you have more pumpkin leaves, you can also wrap the fish in leaf and fry. It is really delicious to eat the cooked leaf along with the fish.
• Be careful while  flipping the fish. Garnish with coriander leaves and curry leaves.
• Enjoy this healthy fish fry recipe with steamed rice.

Detailed recipe pics below

RASAM RECIPE - GARLIC RASAM / SPICY SOUTH INDIAN GARLIC SOUP(With no rasam powder)

GARLIC RASAM / SPICY SOUTH INDIAN GARLIC SOUP

Nothing can beat the combo of steamed rice with hot Rasam.  A heavenly combination, which is yet another healthy vegetarian recipes. Rasam is a South Indian spicy soup traditionally prepared using tamarind as a base along with tomato, chili pepper and other spices like cumin, pepper powder etc. Rasam is served along with steamed rice as a spicy soup which is fluid in consistency. Some of the most common recipes for Rasam are Tomato Rasam / thakkali rasam, Inji rasam, Garlic rasam, Parupu rasam, Mysore rasam, Jeera rasam and like so. 
Garlic rasam is a spicy vegetable soup recipe loaded with flavors of garlic and other spices. It is believed that this rasam recipe (garlic rasam) is very good for common cold, sore throat and fever. Garlic is considered to be the natural antibiotic and blood cleanser. The use of black pepper in this rasam also gives medicinal benefits apart from its taste and flavor.
Indian food recipes include a wide variety of vegetarian dishes. Vegetarian meals are an integral part of  Indian recipes and this spicy soup recipe (Rasam recipe) plays an important role. Kerala cuisine (Kerala recipes) is incomplete without rasam. It is a part and parcel of Kerala Sadhya recipes (Onam, Vishu like so). Let's move on to the recipe for rasam. Here is the recipe showing how to make Garlic rasam. 

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind                             - lemon sized
Coriander leaves                  - a handful
Salt

TO COARSE GRIND

Garlic pearls                         - 5 cloves
Green chili                            - 1
Pepper corns                         - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds                          - half tsp

TO TEMPER

Oil
Mustard seeds                      - half tsp
Asafoetida / Hing                  - half tsp
Turmeric powder                  - quarter tsp
Red chili dried                      - 2
Curry leaves                          - few
Garlic pearls                          - 4 nos, with skin crushed
Tomato                              - half of a small tomato, chopped roughly

PREPARATION

Please watch the video of garlic rasam recipe here:

• Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water and extract the pulp. Set aside in a non stick pan.
• Now coarse grind all the ingredients listed under coarse grind and combine it well with the tamarind water. Add a cup of water if required. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes and make the flame very low( or can off the flame).
• Meanwhile roughly crush garlic with skin for tempering and set aside.
• Heat a pan with oil and saute the ingredients given under to temper for few minutes until the raw smell disappears. 
• Now add this tempered items to the tamarind mixture along with required salt and let it cook for 2 minutes in a low flame. When it starts boiling, garnish with coriander leaves and remove from fire. 
• Serve hot with steamed rice..
• Detailed recipe pics below...

Please watch below the video of gulab jamun- custard pudding on my youtube channel

BREAD MEDU VADA RECIPE - EASY HEALTHY SNACK RECIPES / BREAD SNACKS RECIPE

MEDU VADA RECIPE

This simple instant vada recipe is an absolute crowd-pleasing healthy snack. A perfect starter for a small party. Apart from making the traditional vada recipes, the possibilities of making great dishes or snacks out of bread pieces are immense.  This tempting and tasty bread snack will comes under kids snack ideas. I had posted many simple snack recipes with bread / snack for kids / snack ideas and you all enjoyed those healthy snack recipes recipes well. 

So here is yet another easy healthy snack to make for kids and our family. Bread recipes for a snack are kids' favorite and try to pack those healthy snacks in their snack box.  Do check out my quick snack recipes with bread and enjoy. 

INGREDIENTS

Bread slices                    - 4 slices
Yogurt                            - half a cup
Green chilies                  - 2 nos, chopped
Cumin seeds                   - half tsp
Curry leaves                   - 1 strand, chop the leaves
Coriander leaves             - 2 tbsp, chopped
Rice flour                        - 4 tbsp
Onion                              - 1, small, finely chopped
Baking soda                    - half tsp
Salt
Oil  for frying

PREPARATION

• Trim the edges of bread slices and coarsely crumble it with your hand and put them in a bowl.
• To this add chopped onion, chopped green chilies, cumin seeds, rice flour, baking soda, chopped coriander leaves, chopped curry leaves and salt. Combine well with your hand.
• Now add yogurt (little by little) to it and mix well to make a dough. 
• Heat oil in a kadai / wok. Grease your palms and take a small portion of the dough and roll into a ball. Press lightly and make a hole in the center same like medu vada. 
• Drop it to the hot oil and deep fry until golden and crispy over a medium flame.
• Drain it to a paper towel and serve hot with any chutney. Like Coconut chutney, Tomato garlic chutney, Coriander chutney....

Detailed recipe pics below

CHUTNEY RECIPES - CORIANDER CHUTNEY / BREAKFAST IDEAS

Masala dosa and Chutney is a well known and popular South Indian breakfast recipe. One of the easy and healthy breakfast recipes of South India. Not only in South India, most of the Indian breakfast recipes are very famous around the world. Though some of these Indian recipes (healthy Indian breakfast) needs time for fermentation, it is worth enough to try at home. 
Here am going to share a chutney recipe which pairs best with masala dosa. Like masala dosa recipe, we can see lots of varieties in Indian chutney. Some of the most popular masala dosa recipes are paper masala dosa, mysore masala dosa, madras special masala dosa and like so. This coriander chutney tastes best with masala dosa and idli. I used to make green chilli chutney and mint chutney the same way. Hope you guys loved this chutney recipe... So here is the recipe showing how to make chutney / coriander chutney. 

Other chutney recipes
                 Coconut chutney recipe
                 Tomato garlic chutney recipe

INGREDIENTS

Coconut                              - 1 cup
Coriander leaves                - less than quarter a cup, chopped
Curry leaves                       - 2 strands + few for garnishing
Green chilies                      - 4 nos,i used less
Shallots / onion                   - 3 shallots or half of an onion
Salt

TEMPERING

Mustard seed
Two Dried red chili
Few Curry leaves
Coconut oil

PREPARATION

• Grind together all the ingredients except under tempering to a smooth paste by adding quarter cup of water. Be careful, do not add more water.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seed , then fry red chilies until it changes color and curry leaves until crisp.
• To this, pour the prepared smooth paste.
• Switch off the flame immediately before it starts to bubble . Mix well and check for salt.
• Serve hot with dosa, idli,masala dosa, ghee roast etc.
• Step by step pics below....

CHICKEN PASTA RECIPES - RECIPE FOR MACARONI AND CHEESE / MAC & CHEESE RECIPE

Lets  have a comfort food that keeps you nice and warm..Yet another easy mac and cheese recipe for all those macaroni lovers. This easy macaroni cheese recipe with bell peppers is my favorite dish which i love to cook for my daughter. It is a special treat to all those picky eaters. I think i liked this mac n cheese recipe more than my kid as it is the healthiest easy macaroni cheese recipe (add more veggies,,,that makes everything healthier). Whatever the occasion, this home made mac and cheese recipe with creamy chicken will always rock the party, a perfect comfort food for dinner. 
Sometimes, i go for baked mac and cheese recipe , which is crispy crunchy and delicious in each bites..But i cant wait for long hours for this yummy bites. More over the creamy texture is even better than the one from oven.  So i prefer this creamy stove top mac and cheese than the crispy baked mac and cheese. As always, it is very hard to find an easy baked mac and cheese recipe / mac & cheese recipe. Well, this chicken and macaroni recipes will definitely rock your loved ones heart.  So here is the stove top / easy recipe for mac and cheese /chicken and macaroni recipes / mac & cheese recipe / quick pasta recipes. 

INGREDIENTS

Macaroni / any pasta of your choice     - 1.5 cups
Chicken striped                                     - 1 cup
Light soy sauce                                     - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Garlic paste                                           - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder                                  - 1 tsp
Pepper powder                                       - 1 tsp
Butter                                                     - 5 tbsp
Milk                                                        - 1 cup
Onion                                                      - 1, small, finely sliced
Bell pepper / capsicum                           - green, yellow, red ...sliced                                                                  (quarter cup each) 
Shredded cheese                                      - half a cup or more                                                                               (mozzarella cheese)
Salt

PREPARATION

• Boil your macaroni until done according to the package description. (add it to 3 cups of hot boiling water along with salt and cook until it is done). Drain it using a strainer, rinse with cold water and set aside. Drizzle some oil to get rid of stickiness, if required.
• Marinate the chicken strips with 1 tbsp soy sauce and garlic paste. Set aside. 
• Heat a wok with few tbsp melted butter and stir fry the marinated chicken for 5 minutes or over a medium low heat.  Then set aside.
• In the same wok, melt butter and saute the bell peppers and onion slices for 5 minutes. To this add the sauteed chicken  strips along with salt, chili powder, pepper powder and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Combine very well.
• After a minute, add milk along with the cooked macaroni . Whisk until smooth and thick. Cook on a medium flame. Stir occasionally until it thickens.
• Now add the shredded cheese and off the flame. Stir well until cheese is melted.
• Enjoy the rich creamy dreamy yummy cheesy macaroni with your loved ones.!!!!
• Detailed pics below...