Curd Rice is a comforting South Indian rice recipe that makes for a filling complete meal with pickle. During Navratri, Daddojanam (the name Yogurt rice goes by in Andhra) is prepared as a festival food and offered to Goddess Durga.

Vadas – light and fluffy on the inside with a crisp exterior, packed with flavor, make for a perfect offering to Goddess Durga. This Navratri special Vada recipe is basically a classic South Indian breakfast fare served with sambar and chutney.

The festive season has begun in India. Navratri is here and its time for some special festival sweets. The first day of Navaratri has Sweet Pongal as an offering to Goddess Durga. Creamy, infused with cardamom, garnished with roasted raisins and cashew nuts, this delicious jaggery based pudding is comforts and warms the soul.

Lettuce salad is an all time favorite high raw food salad. I tend to go the raw food way once in a while to detox the body. I used what I had in the fridge to make myself a light and filling salad. I like the smoky flavor of roasted bell peppers and they make a great addition to today’s lettuce salad.

Coconut Ladoo is one of my favorite coconut dessert recipe to date. Just a few ingredients, a few minutes in the kitchen and you are ready for a heavenly experience with soft-on-bite rich coconut sweet. Coconut Laddu make for perfect after meal nibbles or a party dessert.

Palak Pakoda is a monsoon snack that is super easy and quick to make. I found the freshest farm grown spinach at the Farmer’s Market (rythu bazaar) and decided on making a North Indian style snack Palak Pakoda.

Andhra cuisine has a vast array of brinjal recipes. Today’s brinjal curry is a classic Andhra vegetarian recipe that is prepared on special occasions and can be considered for a party vegetarian menu. Quite a few Andhra vantalu (dishes) call for the use of sesame seeds.

Typical South Indian style vegetable stir fry, Carrot beans vepudu, is healthy, easy to make with perfect combination of flavors. Curry leaves, hing and fresh coconut are my top most ‘essential’ ingredients whenever I venture out to make this vegetable fry recipe.