Author: The HomeChef

A food enthusiast. Focus on cooking inspired through Indian cuisine and contemporary style.
Mains

Vegetarian Pizza

The HomeChef

The most yummiest comfort food would be the pizza. It is great if it is homemade where you choose the toppings of your choice with the quantity  you want and tailor it to the tastes and likes of ever member in the family.

It is one of the most enjoyable dishes as you can get to have the kids involved and most definitely the husband too.

For the pizza dough (makes ~5 medium pizza):

Ingredients:

  1. Plain flour- 4 cups
  2. Yeast sachet(7g) – 1
  3. Sugar – a little
  4. Warm water – 1.5 cups
  5. Olive oil – a little
  6. Salt- a little

Method:

  1. Activate the yeast by mixing the sachet in warm water with little sugar and stir. Keep aside for 5 mins
  2. Mix it into the flour with little salt. Knead the dough for 10 mins and set aside in a bowl lightly oiled. Cover it and leave it to rise in double ~ 30 mins.

For the Pizza:

Ingredients:

  1. Pizza sauce
  2. Mozzarella cheese – 1/2 cup
  3. Onion – 1/2 sliced and pan fried
  4. Zucchini – 1 thinly sliced
  5. Mushrooms – 1/2 cup sliced
  6. Red Pepper- 1/2 sliced
  7. Baby Spinach leaves- few

For the method please watch the  video: Features Ashok (my husband) who helped me do the Pizza 🙂

Mains, Side dish

Spinach Dal – Keerai kootu

The HomeChef

The Spinach dal is a very healthy protein rich curry which is loaded with nutrients due to the super food, spinach. This is another popular dish of South India, easy to cook with simple ingredients. Keerai means greens and kootu means dal based curry (usually thick in consistency) in Tamil.

It is a dietary requirement that we include lot of green vegetables and this is a great recipe for just that. It goes well with both steamed rice or roti.

Please find the video recipe below:

 

Mains, Side dish

Potato Peas Masala- Chettinad style

The HomeChef

Potato peas masala also called as Aloo Mattar is a very popular dish in India. It is a curry which goes well with any Indian bread or rice.

The style I have chosen to cook this recipe is a well renowned cuisine of Tamil Nadu called Chettinad cuisine. In this cuisine, all the spices are freshly ground which adds amazing flavour and aroma to the dish. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Please find the video recipe below:

 

Mains

Gobi (Cauliflower) Paratha

The HomeChef

The Gobi Paratha is a very delicious Indian bread filled with cauliflower and spices.

It is very flavoursome compared to the plain roti. Also it is an easy way to make your children eat the vegetables. They will absolutely love it. The paratha goes well with any roti side or even just yogurt/raita will do.

Enjoy this delightful version of the roti.

Please find the video recipe below:

 

Mains

Brinjal Thokku- side for biryani

The HomeChef

Biryani is a very popular rice dish which is complimented very well by the Brinjal Thokku as a side.

As salt is to a dish, a side will take a mains entirely to a different level. This brinjal thokku does just that. The brinjal can be substituted with eggplants/aubergine. This dish is a curry with tamarind as the base.

A must try, delicious and simple recipe to enjoy with your favourite biryani/pulav. Please find the video recipe below:

 

Also find here the earlier post to Vegetable Biryani.

 

 

 

 

 

Mains

Fantastic Five- healthy breakfast

The HomeChef

Wake up to a great start.

Some of the most beautiful and healthiest things to eat is at its natural state. Fruits make a great way of adding the colours to your plate and at the same time providing us with the much needed nutrients.

Keep it simple and enjoy!

A simple version of a healthy start, inspired from one of my friend’s morning breakfast at a cafe.

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This is a 5 Ingredient meal:

  1. Cut fruits of choice- 3 varieties to get the count to 5  🙂
  2. Yogurt
  3. Granola mixed with nuts

Method:

Plate up everything together and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desserts

Nei Appam – Sweet rice based fritter

The HomeChef

Nei Appam as it name stands is nothing but rice pancake fried in clarified butter (ghee). Also called as Unni Appam (for its small round shape). It is a very traditional dish from the state of Kerala in India and is also very popular in Tamil Nadu (India) and Sri Lanka.

A very delicious sweet snack and I can assure you it is very difficult to stop with one. Appam is generally made during festive occasions. It requires a special pan to get its round shape. The batter can also be cooked in a flat or curved pan if shape is not an issue. The recipe has very simple ingredients and easy to make.

There are variations to this recipe by adding banana. But I prefer this one to it. Hope you enjoy making it as well.

Please find the video recipe below:

 

Desserts

Eggless Banana Bread

The HomeChef

National Banana Bread day is 23 February. But any day when you have those ripe bananas at home can be a baking day.

A long pending recipe to try out the eggless version of the banana bread was a huge hit. Even if you like eggs, this eggless banana bread is no less when it comes to taste and texture. Enjoy the very delicious and simple recipe to try at home.

Please find the video recipe below:

Mains

Sambar -a lentil based curry with Vendakkai Poriyal

The HomeChef

A very tasty and scrumptious meal for lunch/dinner is the steamed rice with Sambar and vendakkai(okra) poriyal.

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Varuthu Aracha Sambar:

The sambar is a very common curry in most households in South India. This version goes the extra mile of adding freshly ground spices into the lentil based curry. It is popularly called as Varuthu aracha (roasted and ground) sambar. Because of the fresh masala, it has a very rich aroma and additional taste which is truly divine. The sambar goes well with steamed rice, dosa or vadai. Add a hint of ghee along with the sambar while mixing with rice to make it extra tasty.

Please find the video recipe to make the Varuthu Aracha Sambar below:

Vendakkai (Okra) Poriyal

A poriyal is generally referred to a dish which is dry and not a gravy. The vendakkai (okra) poriyal pairs very well with steamed rice which has a curry. This recipe is very easy to make with less ingredients.

Please find the video below to make the vendakkai poriyal.