Thehomemadecooking

Thehomemadecooking Welcome to The Homemade Cooking — a space rooted in South Indian tradition and homemade comfort. Vegetarain, soul-soothing recipes and seasonal shares.
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Cooking with heart, from home♥️

05/31/2026

🍆Kathirikai & Avarakai Puli Kootu🍆

Ingredients:
Moong dal-1/3 cup
Brinjal-6-7 pieces
Broad beans-10 pieces
Shallots-10-12
Tamarind- gooseberry size
Water-3 cups
Turmeric-1/2 tsp
Chili powder-1 tsp
Sambar powder-1 tbsp
Rice flour-1 tbsp
Asafetida -1/2 tsp
Salt as needed
Coconut oil-3 tsp’s
Mustard-3/4 tsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Cumin-1 tsp
Fennel-1 tsp
Crushed salted peanuts-2 tbsp
Ghee-1 tsp (optional)
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Curry leaves- an arch

Steps:
1. Pressure cook moong dal adding a pinch of turmeric and ghee and cook with 4-5 whistles. You can also use Chana dal or Thuvar dal instead. Even karamani, or peanuts can be used like how we use for pumpkin puli kootu.
2. In a pan add oil, tempering. And shallots with curry leaves. Add turmeric, asafetida - saute and cover it with lid & cook for 1-2 mins.
3. Add the vegetables, salt, splash water cover it with lid and cook for 4-5 mins on medium flame.
4. Add chili powder, sambar powder, rice flour and stir. Add tamarind water and a little bit of water if needed and cover it with lid and cook tamarind water with veggies. Takes 8 mins. Then add mashed well cooked dal.
5. Allow it to cook for further 3-4 mins. Add pestle crushed peanuts, finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix and add gentle teaspoon of ghee.

Serve this hot with your fav food. Rice, curd rice, dosa, lentil dosa, quinoa etc.

05/22/2026

🥬Easy & Quick Cabbage masala kootu in Instant pot🥬

Ingredients:
Cabbage-1/4 portion of a cabbage (or based on your needs)
Onions-1
Tomato-1
Ginger-1/4 piece
Chana dal-1/4 cup
Moong dal-1/3 cup
Salt as needed
Asafetida powder-1/2 tsp
Water-3-4 cups
Curry leaves
Ghee-2 tsps
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Cumin-1 tsp

For grinding:
Coconuts-1/4 cup
Turmeric-1/2 tsp
Red chili powder-1 tsp
Green chilies-2
Sambar powder-1 tbsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Rice flour- 2-3 tsps
Cumin-1 tsp
Water for grinding

Steps:
1. Cut the vegetables and keep them aside.
2. Under the grinding column, add all of them to a blender and grind them to a smooth paste.
3. In instant pots vessel, add all of the items including salt and asafetida and add water and pressure cook them on High for 7 mins.
4. Once it’s done, mix well, add curry leaves, and temper in coconut oil or ghee.

Tips:
1. You can use any vegetable of your choice in the place of cabbage.
2. You can choose to add any one lentil too.
3. Adding fennels seeds, garlic enhances the flavor.!
4. Add coriander leaves for freshness and aroma.
5. Finally adding sautéed small onions and coconuts gives a rich flavor.
6. Sometimes in my house hold they add mint leaves sautéed alone or with onions, which gives a fresh flavor.
7. If you don’t have fresh coconuts use desiccated or coconuts can be skipped.

Any doubts dm or comment I would be happy to answer whenever I see them. As well, next will the very easy known recipe for all of us- Spinach poriyal.!

05/22/2026

🍲Lunch Platter Combo-113🍲

On My Plate:
📌Sona Masoori rice & ghee
📌Cabbage Masala kootu (recipe coming soon)
📌Potato Fry (Recipe in reels, in this reel, reshared and in story)
📌Spinach Poriyal (Recipe coming soon)
📌Applam

Guys recipes are coming soon for kootu and spinach Poriyal and the recipe for potato is already mentioned in this reel, or in my reshare- icon next to reels and then in my story for the day.!

05/13/2026

🌶️Tangy Kovakkai Thokku | Ivy Gourd Thokku🌶️
(For A small batch)

INGREDIENTS IN COMMENT- PINNED📌
Steps:
1. To begin with, choose to slice all veg, or chop. I prefer slicing for Thokku.
2. In a pan add oil of your choice or sesame oil or peanut oil preferably which will be aromatic for Thokku. And for Thokku oil brings shelf life but lessen it accordingly.
3. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds. You can choose to add Urad dal and red chilies too. Then add garlic chopped and curry leaves. Garlic is optional.
4. Add sliced onions, bell pepper and saute them and cover it with lid and cook for 2 mins. Red bell pepper is for color and flavor. If it’s not available use regular green capsicum. Or skip this.
5. Then add turmeric, chili powder, salt and kuzhambu podi. Recipe in my reels. If not use store bought, or coriander powder alone or sambar powder. Add ivy gourd and stir.! Then add tomato puree. You can choose to add raw tomato’s instead. And then add tamarind water. Cover it with lid and bring it to thick Thokku consistency where everything is cooked and oil separates (if you had added good amount of oil) if not nicely bring it to thick gravy consistency.!
6. Finally add pickle powder. This is totally optional. I buy them from Indian stores. And this adds a depth , beautiful flavor and taste not only to this, but for many dishes too including sambar. You will be surprised :)
7. Finally transfer this to a stainless steel container or glass or ceramic after letting it cool down, as we don’t want the lid sweat that will make this fungus prone. Optional is drizzling at the end with beautiful aroma of sesame oil. That’s all.! This goes excellently with hot rice and ghee as I have shown in the video, as well as with curd rice, sides for idly , dosa, chapati, Poori, sambar rice etc.

Some prefers to fry Kovakkai separately in oil, or air fry them. You could choose to do that method too.!

09/28/2025

Before we start, I repeat again, one can make varieties using cauliflower rice in South Indian cuisine. Ven pongal, usili upma, upma, variety rices, pulao, biryani, fried rice, milagu rice, dal rice including tempered curd rice. Call it rice or not, but try it once 🌿🥥

Ingredients:
1. Riced cauliflower-1 small bag (use 1/2 of fresh cauliflower if making it at home)
2. Grated coconuts-3/4 cup
3. Coconut oil-2 tsp’s
4. Mustard-1/2 tsp
5. Urad dal-1 tsp
6. Chana dal-1 tsp
7. Green chilies-2
8. Red chilies-2
9. Curry leaves-5-6 leaves
10. Asafetida-1/2 tsp
11. Salt as needed
12. Coriander leaves for garnishing

Steps:
1. If you are using frozen riced cauliflower keep them in microwave on high for 5-6 mins. And use it. Or cut cauliflower into florets, add them in food processor or blender and coarse grind them like rice granules. This recipe can be done in stove or instant pot.
2. In a pan add coconut oil or oil of your choice and add the tempering ingredients. Once lentils turn golden in color add the rice or coconuts as per your wish.! I like to add coconuts and give them a stir. Add asafetida and salt. And cauliflower rice and toss together and cover it with lid and keep the flame on low for a min and then finally garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve this hot with your fav sides.

This is Cauliflower based- not regular rice, a replacement of rice. Just sharing what worked for me. It’s Low carb friendly.


09/21/2025

Black Rice in Instant pot | கருப்பு கவுனி சாதம்

Before we begin, let’s look at the different ways to cook this rice. It can be prepared in a traditional vessel, a pressure cooker, or even in the Instant Pot, as shown here. I’m not a dietician or physician to talk about its health benefits or pros and cons, so we’ll keep the focus purely on how to cook this rice in the Instant Pot.

Steps:
1. Use 1 cup rice : 3 to 3&1/2 cups water for chewy rice and for softer or porridge consistency use 4-5 cups water.
2. Wash the rice thoroughly 4-5 times and then use same measurement of water and soak for 6-8 hours or over night or minimum 4 hours. This softens the bran and reduces cooking time.
3. Place soaked rice with measured water in the inner pot by adding water in the pot like how we do in pressure cooker. Select Pressure Cook (High) mode. Set timer for 20-22 minutes. Allow Natural Pressure Release (NPR) – don’t quick release, as the grains need time to soften.
4. After pressure releases, open the lid and let the rice sit for 5–10 minutes.
5. Fluff gently with a fork or ladle or use fingers to press and check the rice whether it has got cooked or not.
6. For everyday meals: pair with sambar, rasam, or curry. For kanji: mash lightly, add more hot water, and season with salt + ghee or buttermilk.

✨ Tip: The texture of these heritage rices will always be denser and chewier than white rice, so soaking + natural release is key.
With pressure cooking- cook for 8-10 whistles. In pot cooking 1 cup rice :4 cups water and 50-60 mins cooking.

09/20/2025

Soon we will see “Karuppu kavuni” Rice - Black Rice- in IP

On my plate🔔
📌 Black Rice & Ghee
📌 White Pumpkin Puli Kootu
📌 Bittergourd Vathakal
📌 Gooseberry Raita
📌 Adukale brand Khara Murukku
If you like this, try it and leme know.!

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