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A thing about Sesame Sesame is an important seed used in Tamilnadu cuisine. Sesame and its oil is very traditional in this part of the world. Sesame is called as எள் (Ell) in tamil. Sesame oil was referred in olden days as எள்நெய் (Ell Nei). Ell meant sesame and Nei meant fat. Later on the name எள்நெய் (Ell-Nei) became எண்ணெய் (Enn-Nei). So the name எண்ணெய் Enn-Nei was referred only for sesame oil in the olden days. When other kinds of oil started appearing, the term எண்ணெய் (Enn-Nei) became a generic word for oil. Sesame oil became நல்லெண்ணெய் (Nalla-Enn-Nei). Nalla means “good”. The nutritional benefits of sesame is astonishing. In Picture Ellu Podi Recipe - www.kannammacooks.com https://www.instagram.com/p/CZAAewMvBMH/?utm_medium=tumblr

Bolst's Fish Curry I have never come across Bolst's curry powder while growing up. Infact the first time I came across this little spice tin was at the Indian store in California. The mind passed it off as an anglo version of the mild curry blend (maybe the name) and was never curious to try. But I recently came to know that its very much a Bangalore product from the colonial times with a lot of history. Thanks to Kaveri Ponnapa @kaverikamb for bringing this curry blend into my life. Her food writing is therapy to me. I have said it before too but I love her soooo much 😍😍😍 Big fan :) I took the concept of pureed tomatoes from her "Chinnaswamy’s Sunday Special Prawn Curry" and made it into a fish curry. She writes that some curry powder, like Bolst's, has personality and I have to agree with her. Its a robust blend of coriander, turmeric, chillies, mustard, ginger, cumin and fenugreek. Its perfect in meat dishes and I am happy I found it. I will post the recipe for the curry soon. #bolsts #bolstscurrypowder https://www.instagram.com/p/CYT0wmlPYnu/?utm_medium=tumblr

Bolst's Fish Curry I have never come across Bolst's curry powder while growing up. Infact the first time I came across this little spice tin was at the Indian store in California. The mind passed it off as an anglo version of the mild curry blend (maybe the name) and was never curious to try. But I recently came to know that its very much a Bangalore product from the colonial times with a lot of history. Thanks to Kaveri Ponnapa @kaverikamb for bringing this curry blend into my life. Her food writing is therapy to me. I have said it before too but I love her soooo much 😍😍😍 Big fan :) I took the concept of pureed tomatoes from her "Chinnaswamy’s Sunday Special Prawn Curry" and made it into a fish curry. She writes that some curry powder, like Bolst's, had personality and I have to agree with her. Its a robust blend of coriander, turmeric, chillies, mustard, ginger, cumin and fenugreek. Its perfect in meat dishes and I am happy I found it. I will post the recipe for the curry soon. #bolsts #bolstscurrypowder https://www.instagram.com/p/CYT0Y3Nvm2V/?utm_medium=tumblr

Mutton Uppu Kari | Salted Mutton Stir Fry with Gundu Chillies, Indian Shallots and Country Garlic Recipe Link in bio Mutton uppu kari is a very traditional mutton stir fry made in Tamilnadu with gundu chillies and Indian shallots. Uppu kari means salted stir-fry. The gundu chillies impart a smoky flavour to the stir fry. This is a very simple dish made with minimal ingredients. It goes very well as a side dish with rice and curry. There are three things that are not negotiable while making this recipe. Its the use of gundu chillies, Indian shallots (small sambar onions) and Indian sesame oil. They are the star flavors that make this stir fry very unique. I also like to use the robust small garlic (country garlic) for making this recipe. This dish has very few ingredients. So getting the ingredients correct is very important for the final flavour. Tamilnadu's Gundu Chillies குண்டு மிளகாய் Gundu Milagai or Gundu (fat) chillies is a quintessential ingredient in Tamilnadu cuisine. One of the very important ingredients in Chettinad cuisine. To the world its called as Ramnad Mundu Chillies as its one of the main crops grown in the Ramnad district. The chilli is smoky and has a unique taste. It's not very spicy and the seeds rattle inside. They have very thin skin. Gundu chilli crop is exclusive to the region due to its drought resistance and saline properties. Ramnad is an extremely dry region. Mostly "manavaari" crops are mainstay. 'Manaavaari' land / region is where the crops are not planned. The crops are decided based on the given rain and climatic conditions. The crop is left to the mercy of natural conditions and irrigation is very very minimal. The premium variety of these chillies are called S9 chillies and are in high demand all over Tamilnadu. Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/mutton-uppu-kari-recipe/ YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/Qad54PBhyjs #mutton #gunduchillies #muttonuppukari #uppukari #ramnadmundu https://www.instagram.com/p/CVS0VQ0JR6s/?utm_medium=tumblr

Meen Cutlets Recipe - baked NOT fried - Made in Air Fryer This is my family recipe. These legendary meen cutlets recipe is from Vinodh's sister Padma Akka aka Babyka as we know her. She must have made thousands of these in her life and still counting. There is always a stash of these cutlets lying in the freezer ready to be fried when guests come, which is almost always everyday at her place. I just cannot keep up with her pace of handling guests but she does it so flawlessly. Superwoman!!! I had these for the first time in her house when we went for "kalyana sappadu" - the wedding feast just after our marriage. She started carefully deboning 3-4 kgs of fish at about 5pm for that night's party while the cook prepped masalas etc.. and the kitchen was running on turbo. She is lucky as she has access to fresh fish that's caught just hours before at Amaravathi Dam (She lives in Udumalpet). Party in Baby akkas place means it's really a "party" filled with lots of people, lots of food and laughter. Everyone in the family loves these meen cutlets. I love all her food and this is a favorite of mine too. They are traditionally deep fried. I have tweaked the recipe a little and baked it and I am so pleased with the results. In the original recipe, fish is steamed, deboned, shredded and then made into cutlets. For baking these cutlets, I skipped the steaming part, used fillets, minced them and used it in the recipe. Steamed and shredded fish was making the cutlet dry after baking. Note: If you are planning to deep fry these, here are some pointers. Steam the fish and then shred it. Use the shredded fish for making patties. I have used cornstarch slurry and rusk powder for coating. For deep frying, use beaten eggs / egg whites for dipping the patties and bread crumbs for coating as they yield better results. Here is a picture of me, baby akka and her first son Ashwin. For full recipe, details of products, links etc.. check below. Meen Cutlets Recipe | Baked Not Fried Recipe | Healthy Fish Cutlets made in an air Fryer Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/meen-cutlets-recipe/ #meencutlets #fishcutlets https://www.instagram.com/p/CUX9_w6Ps9V/?utm_medium=tumblr

Godumai Bonda - Wheat Bonda Recipe - Quick Snack Recipe Made With Leftover Idli Dosai Batter Godumai Bonda - Wheat Bonda is the perfect snack for the busy evenings. This road to deep fried heaven just takes 15-20 minutes. Whole wheat flour is mixed with Idli Dosai batter, veggies, herbs, spices and deep fried in Idhayam Mantra Groundnut Oil. The taste of deep fried food in groundnut oil can’t be beat. Idhayam Mantra Groundnut Oil is traditional, pure and natural. Groundnut oil has a high smoking point making it the perfect medium for deep frying. They are also very lite. These Bondas are so easy to make and are perfect for parties. The batter can be made in advance and deep fried when required. They don’t take a long time to fry, so the fried hot hot crispy bondas will be ready in minutes. Do try these at home. Also, don’t forget to fry these in Idhayam Mantra Groundnut oil. I am sure you will be hooked. Godumai Bonda - Wheat Bonda Recipe Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/godumai-bonda/ YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/NEnuk0Ci5VY #IdhayamMantra @idhayammantra #godumaibonda #wheatbonda #idlidosaibattersnacks #idlimaavubonda https://www.instagram.com/p/CUFJWbmpBX9/?utm_medium=tumblr

Godumai Bonda - Wheat Bonda Recipe - Quick Snack Recipe Made With Leftover Idli Dosai Batter Godumai Bonda - Wheat Bonda is the perfect snack for the busy evenings. This road to deep fried heaven just takes 15-20 minutes. Whole wheat flour is mixed with Idli Dosai batter, veggies, herbs, spices and deep fried in Idhayam Mantra Groundnut Oil. The taste of deep fried food in groundnut oil can’t be beat. Idhayam Mantra Groundnut Oil is traditional, pure and natural. Groundnut oil has a high smoking point making it the perfect medium for deep frying. They are also very lite. These Bondas are so easy to make and are perfect for parties. The batter can be made in advance and deep fried when required. They don’t take a long time to fry, so the fried hot hot crispy bondas will be ready in minutes. Do try these at home. Also, don’t forget to fry these in Idhayam Mantra Groundnut oil. I am sure you will be hooked. Godumai Bonda - Wheat Bonda Recipe Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/godumai-bonda/ YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/NEnuk0Ci5VY #IdhayamMantra @idhayammantra #godumaibonda #wheatbonda #idlidosaibattersnacks #idlimaavubonda https://www.instagram.com/p/CUFIyqhJxGo/?utm_medium=tumblr

Kammanchoru Recipe For complete recipe, check link in bio Kammanchoru is a traditional recipe made in the Kongunadu region. Kambu aka bajra / pearl millets are used for making this recipe. The millets are first soaked briefly and then ground to a coarse powder. The millets are usually ground in a "ural-ulakkai" / stone mortar. It can be very laborious and time consuming to make it in the stone mortar. My mother in law makes it in ural ulakkai to this day. I prefer the mixie at home. I think it comes equally well in a mixie too. The ground powder is then cooked to a porridge. The porridge thickens up when cooled. The cooked and cooled mixture is then made into balls and had for lunch along with a curry made with keerai (greens) or horse gram. The leftover kambu balls is then left in water to ferment and had as a porridge for dinner or for breakfast. The fermented balls are diluted with yogurt and had with shallots, green chillies, chilli chutney, fried dried anchovies and other condiments. The porridge is a must during summer and is believed to be very cooling for the body. The balls get a little sour during fermentation. Usually after 5-6 hours of fermenting, store the balls in the refrigerator and use it to make porridge whenever needed. The balls will stay good for up to 2-3 days. Kambu Soru and Kambu Koozh | Kammanchoru Recipe | Fermented Bajra Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/kambu-soru/ YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/TRlToKIzFVc #kambusoru #kambusadam #kambu #pearlmillet #fermented #koozh #bajra #kammanchoru https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzmZOSphMl/?utm_medium=tumblr

Kothimbir Vadi Recipe | Coriander Fritters These traditional fritters from Maharashtra are the perfect fried indulgence that we need for Ganesh Chaturthi coming up in a few days. Kothimbir means coriander leaves and vadi means cut pieces. These fritters are made with a batter consisting of besan, peanuts, coriander leaves and spices. The batter is then steamed, cut into pieces and then shallow fried in Idhayam Mantra Groundnut Oil . The addition of peanuts gives this dish that nice crunchy texture in every bite. I have added little Eno fruit salt to the batter so the fritters are nice and lite. You can substitute it with baking soda or just omit it if you do not want to use any leaveners. Do try this recipe and if you do, don't forget to comment or tag me. Kothimbir Vadi Recipe | Coriander Fritters Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/kothimbir-vadi/ YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/1pS26NAkkD4 #IdhayamMantra https://www.instagram.com/p/CThKpP7p2Od/?utm_medium=tumblr

Vazhakkai Kola Urundai - Deep Fried Plantain Balls Recipe link in bio This recipe is from Neikarapatti Amma as we fondly call her. Amma's real name is Vijayalakshmi Gurusamy. She is my aunt's co-in-law. Neikarapatti is near Palani in Tamilnadu. The house where Neikarapatti Amma lived was huge. It was called as Jameen Bangala. We were always excited to go there as a kid. The house was really huge. Not to mention the 20x20 feet bathrooms. After sun sets and everyone's back home, a good 15 people - all of them family, used to play cards in the lobby. I was a kid then and all cards played by kids were "oppuku chappa - not countable tickets. How I wish we knew this then." This kola will come as a snack for everyone to enjoy. This is Neikarapatti Ammas family recipe and its out of this world. Neikarapatti Amma is the most sweetest person you will ever meet. She loves to chew on betel nut. Just next to the dining table will be a thaamboolam with betel leaf, nut, sunnam paste and roja paaku. After lunch, every one will just relax in the front yard chewing betel leaf. Some will just take a small nap in the wicker chairs lined up in the hallway. Good old days. People seemed to have a lot of time then. Only memories are left now. This Vazhakkai vadai / Kola is legendary. Here is the most amazing Vazhakkai Vadai you will ever eat. Vazhakkai Kola Urundai Deep Fried Plantain Balls Recipe Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/vazhakkai-vadai-vazhakkai-kola-plantain-vada-recipe/ YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/nama0L6uQd4 #traditionalrecipes #vazhakkaikola #plantain https://www.instagram.com/p/CTULjORpKA8/?utm_medium=tumblr

Sweet Corn Payasam This is a very special recipe as its from one of my best friends for life - Gai. Vidya Gayathri as the world knows her. We have been together since college. That is now a lot of yearsss ago 🤪. She is the most caring person you will ever come across. I love you Gai baby. She now runs a small boutique for children in Coimbatore near Hopes. If you are in Hopes area, do check her out - @mangocoimbatore . She had given this recipe years back but I just made it recently. This recipe is a winner. Make sure to use the sweet corn variety. The regular corn will be a little fibrous and wont work well for this recipe. Frozen corn works well too! Sweet Corn Payasam Recipe Link https://www.kannammacooks.com/sweet-corn-payasam/ YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/wA1dDeZXKEw #sweetcorn #payasam #dessert #bestfriends https://www.instagram.com/p/CTCaFHqJez3/?utm_medium=tumblr

Ragi Murukku The festive season is here. Krishna Jayanthi is around the corner and this murukku is a perfect one to try this year. This Ragi murukku is crispy but not hard. The secret is the addition of little butter in the dough. For complete printable recipe, check Kannammacooks.com #idhayammantra https://www.instagram.com/p/CS9GAdBJcEP/?utm_medium=tumblr

Today’s - Eat the rainbow 🌈 series 🍜 Veggie Pad Thai 🥦 Broccoli Tofu Stir-Fry 🥒 Cucumber Salad For recipes, check kannammacooks.com #eattherainbow🌈 https://www.instagram.com/p/CS6Mg35J7zo/?utm_medium=tumblr

KNIVES 101 When I shared my knife details here, some of you asked me for the best available knife locally. According to me, the best knives available here in India are the local knives made of cheap iron. They may not look very good but they hold their edge / sharpness longer and they are easy on the hands. You might have seen your local restaurant, street shop vendor cut through veggies like an orchestrated dance. 99% of the time, he / she will be using a simple iron blade / knife. They are the best. "Cheap and Best" as my dad would say. From time to time, you can sharpen these iron knives at home using a carpenters grinding stone that you can find in your local hardware shop. This is the cheapest option available and works well for these iron knives that can be handled roughly. You don't need an expensive whetstone to keep these knives sharp. The worst knives are the stainless steel knives that you find in departmental stores. These knives are not sharp at all. They become blunt soon. Once they are dull / blunt, You need to put in a lot of effort to cut vegetables etc...They are a pain to handle. Stay away from these. These might look very good but in the kitchen, functionality is more important than aesthetics. Another option available that I like are the ceramic knives. You don't need to sharpen these but they last for a year or two max. After which, you need to change them as the blades will become dull eventually. These cannot be sharpened. If you have a budget, go for Japanese knives made of materials like carbon steel, damascus etc.. They will last a lifetime. You might also need to invest in a honing steel and a whetstone to keep these knives sharp. All knives require maintenance. You will have to take care of your knives. Solid wooden chopping board is my choice. Plastic / PVC boards can leach into food over time. Bamboo boards are not for Indian kitchens as we wash the boards frequently and it wont stand the moisture well and will break apart. Practise your knife skills everyday. I learnt to cut by watching videos of Martin Yan and Jacques Pepin. They are the best teachers. You can search for their knife technique videos on YouTube. https://www.instagram.com/p/CSbBwBhJxJW/?utm_medium=tumblr

Mutton Thanni Kuzhambu and Mutton Varuval Recipe link in bio and stories The Mutton Thanni Kuzhambu is a popular kuzhambu / curry in Kongunadu region especially in Erode and Salem areas. "Thanni" means water. The mutton curry is made to a watery / soupy consistency. After making the curry, the mutton pieces are removed from the curry and made into a stir-fry with lots of de-seeded red chillies and powdered black pepper. The flavour of dried red chillies roasted in oil tastes divine with mutton. It is not very spicy at all as its deseeded. This is like a two-in one recipe. Traditionally mutton liver, brain etc.. is added along with regular mutton for added flavour. In some homes, steamed mutton blood is added to the mutton Varuval. I have not used any offal today. But make sure you use bone-in mutton as all the flavour lies in the bone and it gets released into the curry while it cooks making it very flavorful. This dish goes so well with tiffin items like idli and dosai as well as for lunch with rice. This recipe is so very similar to my Athama's Kongunadu mutton kuzhambu. The difference is in the preparation. Mutton Thanni Kuzhambu And Mutton Varuval Recipe Detailed Recipe Link: https://www.kannammacooks.com/mutton-thanni-kuzhambu/ YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/GacKimPMLRQ #kongunadurecipe #muttonkuzhambu #muttonvaruval #thannikuzhambu https://www.instagram.com/p/CSUTMxvJrug/?utm_medium=tumblr

Beetroot Rasam Recipe link in bio and stories This recipe is from Vinodh’s aunt Mahesh amma. This beetroot tomato rasam is so comforting that it has become one of our favorites at home. There is a little prep involved but it is so worth it. The sourness from country tomatoes and tamarind along with the sweet beetroot and spices makes it so delicious and is perfect for this rainy weather. This can also be served as a soup. This recipe is a straight winner. I like to strain the rasam and serve it as a soup. This recipe has become one of our house favorites!!! A must try if I say so myself. #beetrootrasam #eattherainbow https://www.instagram.com/p/CSMh9xlJk0u/?utm_medium=tumblr

Merakai Thogayal We call the chow chow / chayote fondly as merakai in Kongunadu and its a really popular everyday vegetable. This is a very delicious thogayal made with lots of garlic and it tastes heavenly when served with hot rice and a little ghee. #merakaithogayal #chayotesquash #chowchow https://www.instagram.com/p/CSEpFxIJ1rc/?utm_medium=tumblr