I Camp in my Kitchen

My Meal Plan for December 15 - December 19th

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Hello everyone, a new post after sometime, i usually update my old meal plan post, with every week new plan, but this week onward i thought why not make it a new post, so i can also give links to the recipes i have in my blog.

Coming to this week meal plan, i have made a simple breakfast menu, since most of the kids will sleep atleast till 8/9 am and will not be ready to wake up anytime sooner, atleast my elder one will not up before 8:30 am. So i have the kept the breakfast really simple.

Breakfast menu :Poori, Semiya upma, Chutney cheese sandwich, Masala idly, Peas corn kuzhipaniyaram. More Breakfast options here

This week in lunch meal plan, i have included some mixed rice recipes,which are quick to make, considering the fact the kids will be home for winter break, and mommies will be already busy thinking what to feed them for their frequent hunger pangs.

Mixed rices : Dhaniya podi rice, Sesame seeds rice, chutney dal rice, masala paratha, sambar saadam, More one-pot meals here

Dry curries : Potato baby corn subzi, Corn capsicum paneer subzi, karunai kizhangu curry/yam fry, Potato capsicum curry,

Snack menu

Snacks, is what kids will be asking for more, so i have tried to include some filling snack options this week, like banana crumble, carrot vadai etc.

Chocolate cake, carrot vadai, banana crumble, banana chocolate milkshake

Dinner again i have kept it simple in the meal plan, since after a long day of run and play, TV and games and also some indulgent snack, they wont be voraciously hungry but still need something to fill them up, so here is what i have done

Dinner menu: Curd rice, Pepper poha, Adai aviyal, oats dosai, Paneer subzi

If you are interested to know my previous meal plans, please click the link here

If you like my meal plans, do give a thumbs up and share this post on your social media and tag my page I Camp in my Kitchen. You can find me in instagram #icampinmykitchen, #icampinmykitchenmealplans

See you next week with a different meal plan, till then, Eat healthy and Enjoy Food.

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Golu celebrations

Navrathri Golu Festival, How i celebrate my Navrathri & Neivedhiyams

Monday, September 23, 2019

Navrathri is next week,how many of you are excited! One of the festivals I look forward with so much excitement is navrathri! The 9 days of pooja, meeting friends and foods excites me even more. I plan and visualize it months before, what decoration to do? What theme shall we add this year, and I go for my navrathri shopping when I m in India both for new dolls and also for the thamboolam.

I love to pick gifts for thamboolam, for my lady friends and also to all the kanya ponnu/girls who tag along their mommas. I take extra care and loads of love when I buy something for them, it might not be big or lavish but the love and thought behind it counts a lot.

A small packet of pottu/bindi or a pair of hair bands make them squeal with joy. I gift even the boys who come, i keep a stash of stationery(2 pencils, a scale, eraser and sharpeners) for them.

While buying gifts, please keep in mind the utility of it, try avoiding plastic, my manni/co-sister once gave a good agarbathi/incense stick in thamboolam, something that is useful and will be gone in 10 days.
I don’t gift blouse pieces with my thamboolam, all of us know it gets circulated, instead I give small face towels which can be carried by kids with their lunch box or by adults for gym/workouts/walks.

Once I got some magnetic holders that can be stuck to fridge or doors and can hold utilities like scissors, knives in kitchen or pencil/pen in living room. For the past 3 years I m getting SS utensils from Chennai.

Coming to poojai, I m sharing what i do in my home, hoping a few would find it useful.

First and foremost, don’t get tensed or overly worked up, you are celebrating Ambal, a supreme power, a lady who knows everything and also you. The shradhai with which you do the pooja matters more than how many hours you do it or what you offer for neivedhiyam.

I chant Ashtothrams(Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi) and do the pooja, usually around 9:30 -10 in the morning.
I do neivedhiyam both morning and evening. Mornings I usually offer freshly cooked rice, paruppu and payasam, as it is made everyday during navrathri, even otherise rice and paruppu are staple at home.
If you dont have time to make the above, a glass of fresh milk in the morning is good as neivedhiyam. If offering boiled milk, add a tsp of sugar and offer. Evenings are mostly Sundal, that too, just a cup of any lentil/legume .

God’s grace till date I have one or the other coming for thamboolam all days so I offer the neivedhiyam done in the evening to them and coffee/tea and there will be snacks if I m expecting lot of people. Usually vadai/salad/poha etc along with the Sundal and coffee.

Many people club one or two places together for their evening golu visit, so don’t expect them to be eating a big bowl of sundal or a big cup of coffee at every place. Serve less, so they also don’t feel guilty about wasting food and you too don’t feel bad about them not finishing what you offered.

While there might be days where I have to goto another pooja in the evenings , those days I offer fruits and a mix of nuts with rock candy or milk with sugar.
If expecting a big crowd any of the days, I keep their thamboolam ready a day ahead, make a big batch of sarkaraipongal/payasam and sundal. So I don’t spend much time in the kitchen, and enjoy the golu with my friends.
Golu/navrathri is all about enjoying the goddess at home, do pooja and chant naamas everyday, be positive all days, do poojai/neivedhiyam with shraddhai and loads of love, for that is what will be measured by her not, what you offer and in what you offer !! Have fun ladies, for it is your 9 days!!

Here is the Kalasam Jodanai/How to decorate the kalasam for navarthri pooja

Here is the list of Neivedhiyams

Sundal Varieties

Mixed Rice Varieties

Puttu Varieties

Kheer/Payasam varieties

Sweet Pongal varieties

Poha/Aval Varieties

Kesari Varieties

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Meal plan

My Meal plans, 2019

Sunday, September 15, 2019

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Adai

Varagu Arisi Adai/Kodomillet and lentils dosa/pancake, Dinner ideas with Millets

Tuesday, September 03, 2019

Adai, thick pancake, dosai made in many southindian households. Adai-Aviyal is a famous combo, you can find it in many restaurants during weekends or any specific weekday. Traditionally made with rice and lentils, now we have adai with every grain we find, quinoa, oats, millets, red rice, black rice, this rice and that rice.
So, me too bringing you this millet adai, using kodo millet. I already have a mixed millets adai in the blog, i love adai for many reasons, it is easy to make, no fermentation required,a grind and pour kind of dosa/pancake, less soaking time and make it thin, serve for breakfast, a little thick for lunch/dinner.
This varagu arisi/Kodo millet adai is easiest way to feed millets to your people, incase they dont like the taste or texture of it and also, it is lighter on tummy. The recipe is relatively simple, just soak all the ingredients for the varagu arisi adai together. Let is sit for 3-4 hours minimum, then grind and pour immediately. i usually soak them overnight, so the breakfast tension is sorted for me during busy days.

Any leftover Varagu arisi adai batter can be stored in the fridge and used for a day. The below ingredients will result only batter that will be enough for a 4 member family.

Ingredients

1 cup varagu/kodomillet

1/4 cup chana dal

1/4 cup toor dal

1/4 moong dal

1/4 masoor dal

4-5 nos red chilies

handful of curry leaves & coriander leaves

1/2 tsp shredded ginger

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Method

Wash and soak the millet and the lentils together for 4 hours minimum. I usually soak them around lunch 2 pm for 8pm dinnner. I grind it around 7 pm and rest it for 30 minutes before making it for dinner.
After the minimum 4 hours of soaking time, drain the excess water, take the contents into a mixer jar along with red chilies, curry and coriander leves, ginger and grind it to a batter. It usually needs around 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water to grind well.

Remove the batter to another vessel, add salt and mix well. Check the consistency, it should ne little thick like idly batter. Some might prefer the adai batter to dosa batter consistency. If yes, then add aother 1/4 cup of water to it and mix well.
Let the batter rest for 30 minutes for the spices to mingle well. Heat a dosa pan, i use my cast iron tava for my dosa/adai.
Keep the flame medium, add a tsp of gingely oil to the tava, spread it well and wipe it off with a tissue or a cloth.
Pour a ladleful of batter in the center of the tava and spread it using the back of the ladle in circular motion. I usually prefer my adai thin that its usual thickness.

Make a hole in the center of the adai, this ensures even cooking of the adai, dot the edges with gingely oil, once the edges turn brown, flip the adai to the other side and cook for another minute.
Serve hot with jaggery/aviyal, i served mine with jaggery and coriander thokku.

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Blogging Marathon

Malabar vellari Araichuvita kootu/Indian cucumber dal with freshly ground masala

Friday, May 17, 2019

Today' post is special, yes it is the 100th edition of our Blogging Marathon family. What started as a casual blogging activity to keep ourselves regular with our blog has now become a part of us. For many like me, without BM, we might not be posting regular with varied and interesting themes. Thanks to Valli for keeping us together with so many challenging and fabulous themes which made us move from our comfort zone and tryout many different cuisines and dishes, which otherwise would still be sleeping in our Bookmarked folders.
Coming to today's post, for the next 3 days i will be blogging under the theme: pick a alphabet and make 3 dishes. I chose 'M', nothing special, as i had a post ready already. Today's post is a simple day to dish that happens in my house almost once a week.

A simple kootu, with freshly made masala. I usually make kootu with my kootu powder, but there are times i run out of kootu podi or we want a different taste for our kootu. This is my go to recipe. Simple spices and some fresh coconut, you have a finger-licking side for your rice. I serve this kootu, with roti also, both my kiddos like the fresh taste the ground masala brings to this dish. Do try this recipe and let me know how you like it.

Ingredients

180 grams of malabar vellari, chopped into cubes, approximately 1 cup

1 medium sized tomato, chopped

1/4 cup of masoor dal

1/4 cup moong dal

1-2 tsp coconut oil/any cooking oil

2 red chilies

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp tumeric powder

3/4 tsp salt or to taste

To grind to a paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 green chilli

1/3 cup fresly grated coconut

Tempering

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chili (optional)

1 tsp urad dal

Method

Prepare your vegetables first. I usually use a medium sized malabar vellari for 2-3 days, i divided it into 3 and use it for 3 times/days. The above measurement will get you roughly a cup of chopped vellari cubes. Wash and chop the tomatoes. Wash the lentils in water, drain and keep aside. Take the ingredients given under grind to paste in a mixer jar and add 2-3 tbsp of water and grind it to a fine paste.
In a pressure cooker, heat oil,when it is hot, splutter mustard seeds, add the red chilies, immediately add the chopped vellari cubes and tomatoes to this and saute for a minute.

Next add the drained dal to this and saute for a minute. Next add the ground paste to this, i add 1/4 cup of water to the mixer jar and add that water too to the pressure cooker. Mix it all together well.
Add 1&1/4 cup of water to this and mix. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
When this mixture begins to boil, close the lid of the pressure cooker and let this cook fo 4-5 whistles. Once done, take it off the stove and let the pressure drop on its own.
Open the pressure cooker and mix all the contents together. The usual consistency of the kootu is thick, if you prefer a thinner consistency add 1/4 cup of water but not more than that. When served on a plate, the kootu should remain in its place and not run.

In a small tadka pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, crackle cumin, add curry leaves and urad dal to this, let the dal turn golden brown, pour this sizzling tadka over the kootu and serve it warm with rice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

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My Meal Plan for December 15 - December 19th

Navrathri Golu Festival, How i celebrate my Navrathri & Neivedhiyams

My Meal plans, 2019

Varagu Arisi Adai/Kodomillet and lentils dosa/pancake, Dinner ideas with Millets

Malabar vellari Araichuvita kootu/Indian cucumber dal with freshly ground masala

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