Mexican Rice/Spanish Rice - Method 1/Mexican Rice with step by step photos

I am very fond of Mexican food, may be because it is spicy and hot like the South Indian food. Living outside India I have got wonderful opportunities to try different cuisines in these past 10 years. Whenever I get a choice of cuisines, my first choice will be Mexican followed by Thai food, and then Italian.

Spanish rice is also known as Mexican rice is a very common side dish in Northern Mexico. In Mexico this rice dish is referred to as “Arroz” which translates to “rice”. In Northern Mexico the rice is cooked with chicken broth, tomato, onion and garlic, it is the Mexican way to flavor the rice. So the “Mexican Rice” is nothing but the rice is cooked in the Mexican style.  Today I made Mexican rice and Chicken Fajitas for lunch and chicken fajitas is coming up in my next post.

Here’s how to make Mexican/Spanish rice with step by step photos…

Cucumber Raita - A Perfect Cooler

Raita is nothing but a simple dip prepared with yogurt/curd/dahi and different combinations of vegetables or spices. Here I have made a cucumber raita a perfect cooler to settle down our stomach and bring down the heat in our body.

Cucumber belongs to the gourd family and is believed to be the oldest cultivated vegetable originated in Northern India. Cucumbers has various health benefits, it is low in calories and fat.

Here's how to make Cucumber Raita with step by step photos....

Exciting Prizes That I Won

Hello Friends,

Mrs. Priya Srinivasan of  EnVeetuKitchen conducted an interesting event Meal in 30 min with a give away, my self and lot of my fellow bloggers participated in the event. Please click here for the event details. Mrs. Priya Srinivasan has a neatly organised blog with lovely and interesting recipes. I love her authentic and traditional recipes in her blog. This week she announced the winners of the event and I was selected as one of the winners and the prize was Rs.500 gift voucher from cuponation. For the winner announcement and the round up, please click here. Thank you very much conducting such a wonderful event Mrs. Priya Srinivasan and thanks a lot for selecting me as one of the winners. Congrats to other winners Sapana and Babitha as well.

Paal Kozhukattai with Vellam/Sweet Rice Dumplings with Jaggery – Vinayagar Chathurthi Special

Wishing all friends and readers “A Very Happy 67^th Independence Day”. On this special day I am sharing with you Paal Kozhukattai a traditional South Indian Sweet…

Vinayagar Chathurthi/Ganesha Chathurthi is the birthday of Lord Ganesha celebrated all over India and many other parts of the world by Hindus. On this auspicious day, delectable neivadyams are made for Ganesha and special poojas are performed as a mark of celebration. Kozhukattai is a very special dish prepared for Vinayagar Chathurthi. But there are different types of kozhukattai’s like the modhagams, Kaara Kozhukattai, sweet kozhukattai etc. Paal Kozhukattai is one among them, which is nothing but small rice dumplings cooked in coconut milk along with either jaggery or white sugar. I always prefer to make it with jaggery/vellam as it is healthier than the white sugar.

Here’s how to make Paal Kozhukattai  with step by step photos…

Spinach Pakoda/Palak Pakoda/Pasalai Keerai Pakoda

Spinach/Palak Pakoda is a very quick and easy tea time snack or a starter which can be made in no time. I am just not going to give a very elaborate introduction for this pakodas, just try it out guys you will surely love it. Check out Onion Pakodas, Medhu Pakodas and other Starters/Evening snacks  here.

Here’s how to make Spinach/Palak pakodas with step by step photos…

Lemon Rice/Elumichai Sadham –South Indian Special

Lemon rice/Elumichai Sadam is a very common, traditional and authentic dish prepared in all most all South Indian homes. This heavenly tasting lemon rice is always paired with Potato Masala/Fry, it is like they are made for each other and is totally unbeatable. Lemon rice is a very simple and quick dish to prepare and comes in handy for lunch box. Not only just lunch box but also for travel, it does not get spoilt because of the lemon juice which acts as a natural preservative. Lemon rice is also prepared during special pooja days, Seemandhams and Valaikappus(Baby shower). In my earlier post I had mentioned about the valaikappus . In Valaikappu’s/Seemandham’s 5 or 7 or 9 different types of variety rice is prepared for the occasion and lemon rice plays a vital role in it. Check out my other Valaikappu Rice Varieties here, I will be updating all the rice varieties one by one in my future posts.

Usually Lemon rice is prepared with Potato Masala/Fry but today I prepared Spinach Pakoras and served it as side dish.

Here’s how to make Lemon rice with step by step photos…

Garlic & Herbs Pasta with Parmesan Cheese/Garlic Cheese Pasta Recipe/Garlic Cheese Pasta with step by step photos

Today I was in no mood to do an elaborate cooking, so made a very quick and simple garlic and herbs penne pasta with parmesan cheese. Actually the name says it all; it can be made in no time with very less ingredients. I made this pasta and served them with fresh zucchini stir fry. It was an elegant and heavenly Italian lunch which just made our day. My kids love pasta and they got excited and finished them all.

Here’s how to make Garlic & Herbs Pasta with Parmesan Cheese with step by step photos…