Quick Kichadi

It is an easy to prepare, healthy and delicious food with rice and lentil as major ingredients. We can have and enjoy this food with chutney, thuvaiyal, pickle, thokku, curd etc.

Ingredients:

• Rice: 2 cups
• Green gram (Paasip paruppu / Moong dal): 1 cup
• Mustard (Katuku / Rai): 1 tsp
• Curry leaves (Kariveppilai / Karipaththa): A few
• Green chili: 3
• Onion: 1
• Tomato: 1
• Garlic: A few
• Coriander leaves (Kothumalli thazhai / Dhania paththa): As required
• Cooking oil / Edible oil: As required
• Turmeric powder: A little
• Ghee / Clarified butter: As required
• Salt: As required
  

Method of preparation:

• Take a cooker and heat oil in it.
• Add muster, curry leaves, chopped green chili, garlic, onion and tomato one after the other and sauté for about two minutes.
• Add six cups of water and boil the contents.
• Add salt and turmeric powder.
• Add rice and green gram.
• Pressure cook for three whistles.
• Add a little ghee and decorate with coriander leaves.

Chinese style fried rice

It is a type of delicious fast food, can be prepared easily at home.

Ingredients:

• Cooked Rice: Two cups
  The following item are used on an as required basis:
• Carrot
• Beans
• Onion
• Capsicum
• Chopped scallions (Spring Onion, green onion, or salad onion)
• Cabbage
• Green Chili
• Chopped Garlic
• Chopped Ginger
• Pepper Powder
• Soy Sauce
• Red chili
• Sauce
• Sesame oil or any edible oil
• Salt

Method of preparation:

• Cut all the vegetables into small pieces.
• Heat oil in a frying pan.
• Add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add chopped ginger and chopped garlic and fry for about a minute on medium-high flame.
• Add green chili, carrots, beans and fry for about three minutes.
• Add capsicum and continue frying for about three minutes, without overcooking.
• Add onions and cabbage and stir well for further about three minutes.
• Sprinkle pepper powder.
• Add soy sauce, red chili sauce and a little vinegar. Stir and cook for about two to three minutes.
• Add cooked rice and required salt and mix well followed by addition of some chopped spring onion.
• Remove from flame.
• Serve hot with sauce.

Egg fried rice

It is an easy to prepare delicious food, contains egg, rice and vegetables.

Method of preparation:

• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan.
• Fry a finely chopped onion till golden brown.
• Add a tbsp of ginger-garlic paste and 3 finely chopped green chilies.
• Reduce flame and stir.
• After a minute, add ½ tsp each of turmeric powder and red chili powder with a stir.
• After about two minutes, add 4 well beaten eggs and stir continuously for about five minutes.
• Add 1/4 cup each of finely chopped and boiled French beans, carrots and peas.
• Stir for about two minutes.
• Add salt and 1/2 tsp of garam masala.
• Add 3 cups of cooked rice and mix well.
• Close the lid and cook for about five minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with or without soy sauce.
  

Papaya shake

It is a very tasty non alcoholic golden yellow drink, both appetizing and nourishing.

Ingredients:

• Ripe papaya: 400 gm
  
• Ripe banana: 100 gm
  
• Honey: 2 tbsp
  
• Cardamom powder: one or two pinches

Method of preparation:

• Blend the pulp of both the fruits with a little water.
  
• Add honey and cardamom powder.
  
• Mix well.
  
• Serve cold.

Lassi

Lassi is a popular curd / yogurt based non alcoholic drink, enjoyed chilled during summer season.

Yogurt (curd / Thayir) is blended with water to prepare lassi.


Sweet Lassi:

• Mix 500 ml of yogurt, 250 ml of water, 4 tbsp of sugar and some crushed ice.
• Rose water, fruit juices, saffron or butter may be added as per choice.
• Blend in a blender / mixer.
• Serve chilled (with the froth which forms while preparing lassi).
  If mango juice is added , the sweet lassi will be called Mango Lassi.
  Similarly Pineapple Lassi, Grapes Lassi etc.
  If saffron (Kesar / Kungumappoo) is added it will be called kesar Lassi.
  If butter is added, it will be called Makkhaniya Lassi. (Makkhan means butter / Vennai)
  
  

Salty Lassi:

• Mix 500 ml of yogurt, 250 ml of water, a little salt, pepper and some crushed ice.(Roasted cumin seeds: optional)
• Blend in a blender / mixer.
• Serve chilled (with the froth which forms while preparing lassi).
  

Chaas / chaach / moru / neer moru:

It is a very good non alcoholic summer drink for refreshment.

It is fatless.

• Butter is removed from curd by churning.
• More water is added.
• Required amount of salt and cumin seeds / jeerakam / jeera are added as flavor.
• Freshly ground ginger, green chilies and curry leaves may also be added as seasoning.
• Can be served chiller or cold.

Negative calorie food and weight loss

To digest the negative calorie foods, we need to spend more calories than the calorie content of the food itself. We can make use of this as an advantage to reduce body weight. To lose weight, burning of more calories than its intake is very much essential.


Our digestive system works hard to digest the zero calorie diet (negative calorie diet).


It is useful to consume negative calorie diet to burn excessive and unwanted fat.


Eat fruits. Avoid drinking juice. The fibres / fibers that give the roughage to bowel movement are not discarded when the fruit is eaten.

Some negative calorie fruits and vegetables:

Fruits:

• Apple, Blueberries, Cantaloupe (Cantaloup, Musk melon or rock melon), Cranberry, Grapefruit, Honeydew, Lemon, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tomato, Tangerine, Turnip, Watermelon, etc.
  
  

Vegetables:

• Asparagus, Beet root, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Beans, Lettuce, Onion , Radish, Spinach, Turnip, Zucchini, etc.

Green Tea

Drinking green tea:

• Lowers total cholesterol level, improves the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL)
• Reduces the risk of cancer
• Inhibits cancer growth
• Inhibits HIV
• Reduces rheumatoid arthritis
• Reduces cardiovascular disease
• Reduces infection
• Helps prevent tooth decay
  
  

Green tea is to be prepared for drinking without over brewing. There are many varieties of green tea. The brewing varies accordingly.

General method of preparation:

• Take 1 or 2 tsp of green tea.
• Add 200 ml of hot water (not boiling water).
• Wait for about 3 minutes.
• Filter and drink.

If brewing tea using tea bag:

• Take a glass tumbler.
• Put the tea bag.
• Add hot water.
• Wait for 3 minutes.
• Discard the tea bag.
• Drink the green tea.

Chicken 65

It is a popular fast food item, which can easily be prepared at home.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (boneless, legs, or thighs: 1/2 kg, cut into small pieces)
• Chili powder: 4 tsp
• Coriander (Dhania) powder: 2tsp
• Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
• Garam masala powder: ¼ tsp
• Lemon juice: 5 tsp
• Yogurt/curd: 2 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
• Food color: 3 pinch
• Oil for deep frying: 2 cups
• Coriander leaves (for garnishing): 4 stalks
• Salt to taste.

Method of preparation:

• Mix red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, color, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice and curd in a deep bowl.
• Prepare a thick paste.
• Add chicken pieces and stir well so that the masala is coated all over the pieces. Marinate for about an hour.
• Heat edible oil in a wok.
• Deep fry on medium flame until brown color.
• Drain excess oil.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve with onion – lemon – tomato salad.

Very tasty to have with rice, biriyani, pulav, kushka, puri, purotta (parantha), etc.

Badam milk shake (Almond milk shake)

It is an easy to prepare, energetic, tasty drink, also called Badaam pal or Baadaam paal.

Ingredients:

• Milk: 1litre / 1 liter (4 cups)
• Almond: ¼ cup
• Sugar: 1 cup
• Cardamom (elaichi / elakkai / yelakkai): 5
• Saffron (kesar / kungumappoo): 1 pinch
  

Method of preparation:

• Boil the almonds and remove their skin.
• Grind with sugar to obtain a fine paste.
• Boil milk.
• While boiling, add crushed cardamom and the almond paste.
• Stir and continue boiling for about two minutes more.
• Remove from flame.
• Garnish with saffron.
• Serve hot or cold.

Cabbage Pickle / Pickled Cabbage

Cabbage pickle is an easy to prepare tasty pickle. It will last for about ten days, if preserved properly in a fridge.

Ingredients:

• Grated cabbage – 1 cup
• Chili powder – 1 tsp
• Mustard powder –1tsp
• Finely grated Garlic pods – 4
• Edible oil – 2 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
  
  

Method of preparation:

• Sprinkle salt on grated cabbage.
• Leave it for about an hour.
• Separate water by squeezing the cabbage completely.
• Discard the water.
• Add all other ingredients one after the other.
• Cabbage pickle will automatically be ready within about five hours.
• Tastes good with cooked rice, parotha, chapatti, etc.

Kadhai Chicken

It is also called Kadai chicken curry, murg kadhai, kadhai murghee, Iruppuchchatti kozhi curry, Wok chicken curry and so on.

Ingredients:

• Chicken: 1
• Onion: 4
• Tomato: 6
• Ginger garlic Paste: 4 tsp
• Green Chili: 3
• Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
• Garam masala: 2 tsp
• Red chili powder: 2tsp
• Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Edible oil: as required
• Coriander leaves: for garnishing
  
  

Method of preparation:

• Dress the chicken and cut into pieces.
• Chop the onions, tomatoes and green chilies.
• Heat oil in a kadhai.
• Add chopped onions and green chilies and sauté until light golden brown.
• Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt.
• Mix well.
• Add tomatoes, gingergarlic paste and sauté until the tomatoes become half cooked.
• Add a little water and bring it to boil.
• When the gravy becomes slightly thick, add chicken pieces and stir well.
• Reduce heat. Cover and thoroughly cook.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot.
  

Taken well with rice, biriyani / biriani, kushka, chapathi, roti, bread, puri / poori, paratha / purotta, dosa / dosai, idli / idly, oothappam / uthappam etc.

Jigarthanda

Jigarthanda, a unique Madurai cool drink is very nice and healthy to have in summer.
Jigar in Hindi language means heart and Thanda means cold. So we can make out it’s meaning as the cooler of heart. It is a type of falooda (faluda), which gives pleasure. Jigar Thanda means Manam kulir panam (Ullaththaik kuliravaikkum panam) in Tamil.

Many attractive names like jil jil jigarthanda, jum jum jigarthanda can be heard in Madurai.


Ingredients:

• Milk: 600 ml
• Almond pisin (Badam pisin): 3 tbsp
• Rose syrub: 2 tbsp (or nannari syrup 60 ml)
• Ice cream: 1 small size
  

Method of preparation:

• Soak badam pisin in water for about eight hours to convert it from gum form into enlarged jelly form.
• Boil milk in low flame. Continue boiling so as to reduce the quantity to 300 ml (half of 600 ml).
• Allow for cooling and keep it in refrigerator.
• Fill half of a glass tumbler with this chilled milk.
• Add soaked badam pisin, rose / nannari syrup and ice cream.
• Tasty, healthy and cool Jigarthanda is ready.

Nannari is a natural coolant. It is called sarsaparilla.
Edible alga / algae (Kadal pasi) can also be used instead of badam pisin.

Chili bajji

It is a tasty snack, also called chilli bajji, milakai bajji, milagai bajji, mirchi pakora, mirch pakoda or mirchi vada.

Ingredients:

• Green chilies (pachchai milakai / hari mirchi): 10
• Chickpea flour (gram flour / kadalaimavu / besan): 100gms
• Rice flour (arisi mavu / chaval ka atta): 1 tbsp
• Cumin seed powder (jeeragappodi / jeera powder): 1 tsp
• Red chili powder (vara milakai / lal mirchi / sabath mirch): 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder (manjal podi / haldi powder): 1/4 tsp
• Asafetida (perungayam / hing): 1 Pinch
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste.

Method:

• Mix everything (except the green chilies and oil)
• Prepare a thick batter using water.
• Cut the chilies lengthwise.
• Dip the chilies in the batter and deep fry in oil.
• Serve hot with or without chutney or sauce.
  

Spring salad bowl

A low calorie tasty salad.

Ingredients:

• Lettuce : 100 gms
• Radish : 100 gms
• Cucumber : 200 gms
• Onion : 50 gms
• Tomato : 50 gms
• Honey : 10 ml
• Salt : to taste
  
  
  

Procedure:

• Slice tomatoes, cucumber and onions into thin round discs.
• Shred lettuce and chop radish.
• Mix everything well with honey and salt.
• Serve for 4 without delay.

Summer retreat

This low calorie delicious salad is preferred most in summer. It fills the stomach. It is useful for less intake of further food and so useful for weight reduction.

Ingredients:

• Cucumber : 200gms
• Onion : 50gms
• Tomato : 200gms
• Lemon juice : 1 tbsp
• Honey : 1 tbsp
• Salt : to taste
  
  
  

Procedure:

• Slice cucumber, onion and tomato finely.
• Arrange on a plate.
• Add honey and lemon juice.
• Sprinkle salt to taste.
• Garnish with coriander leaves or pudina leaves.
• Serve for four.

Chilli Paratha (Milakai Parotta, Mirchi paratha)

Ordinary Paratha is also called parota, parotha or purotta in many places.
Chilli Paratha is much delicious and can be served as breakfast, brunch, lunch or even as dinner.

Ingredients:

Parathas: 5 to 8
Edible oil: for frying
Onion: 1
Tomatoes: 2
Capsicum / Shimla mirchi / kudai milakai : 1
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 5
Green Chilies: 3
Red Chili Powder: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Ginger - garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Salt: as required

Procedure:

• Cut capsicum crosswise into pieces, green chilies lengthwise and finely chop tomatoes and onion.
• Heat edible oil in a pan.
• Add cumin seeds.
• When they splutter, add onion.
• When onion turns into golden brown add green chilies and ginger - garlic paste.
• Sauté for about three minutes.
• Add Tomatoes, curry leaves and salt.
• Continue cooking in medium flame for about five minutes.
• Add garam masala, red chili powder and turmeric powder.
• After about three minutes, add capsicum, stir and fry a little.
• Cut or tear parathas into pieces and mix them with the fried mixture.
• Cook till the masalas and parathas are mixed together.
• Remove from heat.
• Squeeze lime juice on top of it and garnish with onions and coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with yogurt / curd / raitha or vegetable curry.