I haven’t posted any Indian Chinese recipes in a while and was going through the archives when I realized that I had not blogged a popular Indian Chinese appetizer, Vegetable Manchurian. Its prepared almost on the same lines as Gobi Manchurian except that we use finely chopped mixed vegetables instead of Gobi (Cauliflower).

Truffles make for a perfect gift and are super easy to make with just two ingredients ~ chocolate and heavy cream. There are numerous ways by which you can flavor the truffles, alchohol, orange zest/citrus peel, cayenne chili, cinnamon and expresso being some of them. This is a basic chocolate truffles recipe and one cannot go wrong with it.

Sailu’s Kitchen is 6 years old and I am celebrating my blog anniversary with a giveaway. I am giving away 4 Handmade Kalamkari aprons designed by me to 4 lucky winners. This giveaway is open to all readers till 15th November, 2011 (midnight India time). Good Luck and have fun!

I always have left over Idlis when I prepare Idlis for breakfast or dinner. When I am in need of a quick snack, all I do is saute the crumbled cold refrigerated idlis with a spiced base of onions and lots of fresh coriander leaves. I tend to play with the spices each time I go the crumbled idli upma way.

Raw Plantains are a low glycemic source of carbohydrate and full of nutrition. Aratikaya as its called in our part of the world is a regular every day vegetable in South Indian vegetarian cuisine. The key is to use fresh and firm green plantains before they ripen to a yellow shade. Today’s stir fry recipe is perfect side dish with rice, sambar, papad and a bowl of yogurt.

Picked a whole lot of almost ripe tomatoes at the farmer’s market a few days ago and my pantry looks very colorful as the tomatoes ripen to a brilliant red shade. I put a few to good use yesterday when I prepared tomato pepper rasam and today I used a few ripe ones to make a Chettinadu Style Thakkali Kulambu. Spices like cinnamon, clove and cardamom bring a flavor and fragrance of their own while jaggery and coconut add a dose of sweetness that balance and complement the flavor of tangy tomatoes.

Amaranth leaves are much loved in our home and take the form of stir fry, dal and stews in our daily meals. In recent past, I have used these nutritious greens along with chick pea flour (besan) to prepare fritters. They are easy to make, work great as appetizers for parties and also make for a wonderful tea time snack.

Chocolate and cornflakes are my son’s favorite foods and when I combine them both to prepare an easy peasy chocolate covered cornflake crispies they are bound to disappear on the day of preparation itself. Crisp, decadent without being too sweet.

Its the sliminess and slippery feel of taro root which keeps away many from relishing its flavor. It is full of fiber, lot of starch and has a delicious creamy texture. Today’s recipe for chips is a deep fried version. You can even shallow fry the taro root slices which would yield a less crisp exterior but tasty nevertheless.

Katte Pongali is a traditional Andhra style rice and moong dal recipe that is often served in temples as Prasadam (Prashad). Nothing like a creamy, fragrant, warm bowl of Pongali especially during winters. There is something unique about the blending of earthy lentils with starchy creaminess of rice. Its pure comfort food.