Kambu Koozh - Pearl Millet Porridge with Shallots & Curd

Kambu Koozh (கம்பு கூழ் / கம்பன் கூழ்) –  Tamil Nadu’s Traditional Summer Porridge with Pearl Millets! 

    When the sun roasts the earth and our skin starts to sizzle, the body doesn’t crave spice — it longs for something cool, earthy, and soothing. And that’s when Kambu Koozh comes into the picture like an age-old friend with a pot of wisdom.

Ammamma’s Chutney with Fresh Ingredients

Ammamma's Chutney -  That Travelled With Me, Stayed With My Amma

    You know a recipe is special when it tiptoes into your mom’s kitchen, and then proudly takes centre stage as her signature dish. Ammamma’s Chutney, as lovingly named by my kids, is just that—a humble tomato-onion-coconut chutney I tried out during my college days that now has a legacy of its own in our home.

    This isn’t your traditional chutney—it’s my own take on the classic Tamil-style kara chutney, reimagined with a generous scoop of grated coconut, a hint of tamarind, and a handful of fresh herbs for that extra hug of comfort. It’s authentically Tamil at heart, but with a whisper of Malayalee influence—because honestly, how can a Malayalee make chutney without sneaking in some coconut? The result? Something uniquely mine, stirred with memory, spice, and a little cultural mischief.

"Indulge in the Exquisite Flavours of Pegaga Masak Lemak Chili Api"

 

Pegaga Masak Lemak Chili Api: A Culinary Nod to Health and Heritage

    Ah, the infamous memories of being nudged into eating something for its alleged health benefits! That's exactly what comes to mind when I think of Vallarai Keerai (Indian Penny wort). My experience with this green was less than fond, and I suspect many of you can relate to these childhood recollections.  

    Introducing Pegaga - the Indian Penny wort, or Vallarai Keerai, as it's known in Tamil, is a green that’s woven into the fabric of many childhood memories, including my own. Back in the day, this leaf was almost a celebrity in local communities across India for its reputed health benefits, particularly its ability to boost memory power. My mother, ever the health enthusiast, believed fervently in its benefits. As a result, Vallarai Keerai featured prominently in our meals, often paired with green moong beans to soften its bitter notes. As a child, I wasn't a fan—mostly I’d just gulp it down to avoid the formidable gaze of my mum. While I can’t vouch scientifically for its memory-enhancing properties, it certainly quickened my pace at finishing meals—I was quite the slow eater back then!

Discover the Delights of a simple Chinese Style Lunch Menu

    Welcome to a delightful journey through a simple yet authentic Chinese lunch menu! In this post, let me guide you through a mouthwatering spread of traditional dishes that are sure to satisfy your cravings for Chinese cuisine. From fried rice to succulent sweet & sour chicken, each dish is bursting with flavour and easy to prepare. So, let's roll up our sleeves and get cooking!

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

    Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls – we might have come across those crispy deep-fried spring rolls with a variety of fillings, but these Fresh Spring Rolls are the ones made with Rice Paper and are served fresh, i.e. not much of cooking is involved in this recipe.  

     Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls are called "Gỏi Cuốn", which means “Salad Rolls.”  Rice Paper (Bánh Tráng)  are slightly dipped in water to make it soft. Then these Vietnamese Spring Rolls are typically filled with Shrimp, Pork, Chicken, Vegetables like Carrots, Cucumber, Mushrooms, some greens like Lettuce, Cabbage, and Rice/Glass Noodles. And mainly it is not cooked.  Most of the ingredients inside the Fresh Spring Roll except Shrimps/Mushrooms/Chicken and Rice Noodles, all the other ingredients including the Rice Paper are used fresh/raw.

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

    I usually make this Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Shrimps and Vegetables.  But, when I made this batch I just had a few vegetables in hand and thus this turned out to be a Vegetarian version of Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll.  Get your hands with preferred ingredients while making this Fresh Spring Rolls.  Vietnamese spring rolls are traditionally served with Nước chấm (a dip made of fish sauce), but they’re great with Peanut Sauce as well.

Well, let's see what goes inside this Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll:

RICE PAPER (Bánh Tráng)

RICE PAPER (Bánh Tráng)

    I often buy the large circular rice papers, as they are easy to fold and also holds more fillings.  Smaller rice papers also suits well for the recipe, but your spring rolls will be much smaller and if you are a beginner, it might turn out to be tough to wrap them up.

SPRING ROLL FILLING

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

 VEGETABLES:

    I like the combination of Vegetables like Carrot, Cucumber & Cabbage. The Vegetables add the needed crunchiness in this Spring Roll.  I have also added a few pieces of sliced Button Mushrooms instead of Shrimps in this recipe.  I have briefly cooked the Mushrooms with a pinch of Salt.

    Vietnamese spring roll recipes use lettuce leaves, as they turn out to be helpful during the rolling process. When you nestle the noodles, vegetables, and shrimps inside the lettuce leaf, the filling won’t spread out everywhere as you roll up the spring roll. The lettuce adds a nice colour contrast along with the shrimps. 

SHRIMPS/PRAWNS:

     If you are adding Shrimps/Prawns in this fresh spring rolls, then use medium-sized Shrimps.  Make sure to de-shell, devein and clean the Shrimps/Prawns and then pre-cook them in salted water for a few minutes.  Shrimp/Prawns turn out to be vibrant when cooked, which looks good through the transparent rice paper.  Let the cooked Shrimp/Prawns cool down before placing them in the Rice Paper.

CHICKEN/PORK:

    You can also, substitute Shrimps with chicken or pork.  Use small pre-cooked Chicken/Pork pieces.

GLASS/RICE NOODLES:

    Some recipes call for adding Glass Noodles or Rice Noodles.  Pre-cook the type of Noodles you are adding in as per the instruction and allow them to cool down before lining it up inside the Rice Paper.

 

ROLLING THE SPRING ROLL

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

PEANUT SAUCE

• First slightly heat the Peanut Oil and keep it aside.
• Mix all the ingredients mentioned above until well combined.
• Finally, pour in the heated Peanut Oil and give a quick stir.
• Peanut Sauce is ready to be served with Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls.

Nước Chấm:

Ingredients:

Garlic - 1–2 Cloves 

Red Bird's Eye Chillies - 1 No.

Fish Sauce - 2 Tablespoons

Lime Juice - 1 Tablespoon

Sweet Chilli Sauce - 2 Tablespoons (Optional)

Sugar - 1 Tablespoon

Warm Water - 1/4 Cup

Method:

• Finely chop the Garlic Clove and Red Bird's eye Chilli.
• Add the above ingredients along with the Sauces, Lime Juice & Sugar.
• Pour in the warm water and mix well until the Sugar dissolves.

HOW TO MAKE VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS -  Gỏi Cuốn

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

 

INGREDIENTS:

For Fresh Spring Roll:

Rice Paper (Bánh Tráng) - 12 Sheets

Warm Water - as required

 

For the Filling:

Shrimps - 36 Pieces

Button Mushrooms - a few

Carrot - 1 Large

Cucumber -1 Medium 

Cabbage - 1/2 Cup

Butter head Lettuce - 12 Leaves

Rice/Glass Noodles - a handful

 

METHOD: 

Preparing the Vegetables:

• Cut the Vegetables into thin strips.  
• Remove the thick stems at the centre ribs and then shred the butter head Lettuce and keep it aside.
• Briefly cooked the Mushrooms with a pinch of Salt.
• If you are adding Shrimps or chicken Pieces instead of Mushrooms, cook accordingly and keep them aside.

How to Cook the Noodles:

• Boil enough water in a saucepan or a pot.
• Add the Noodles into the hot water.
• Leave the noodles in the hot water for about 7–10 minutes.  (Check package for cooking time).
• Once the noodles turns soft, drain and rinse the noodles in cold water. 
• I usually cut the noodles into two inch long strands so that they are suitable to be lined up in the spring rolls.  Alternatively, you can simply fold the noodles and then place them in the spring rolls.

 

Rolling the Spring Rolls:

RICE PAPER (Bánh Tráng)

• Keep a Bowl of Warm water ready for the preparations.
• Take a sheet of Dry Rice Paper.
• Quickly dip the sheet of rice paper in the lukewarm water to moisten the entire surface. 
• Immediately, place the rice paper on a cutting board or a plate.
• Place a few pieces of shredded Lettuce at the top edge of the Rice Paper.
• Then arrange a few strands of Rice/Glass Noodles over it.
• Then place thin strips of Carrots & Cucumber.
• Finally, line up pre-cooked Button Mushrooms or Shrimps or Chicken pieces at the bottom edge of the Rice Paper.  Keep them facing down.
• Now, gently take the top edge of the Rice Paper and Lettuce and start rolling up the Spring Roll.
• Once, you reach the Mushroom/shrimp area, fold the Rice Paper at the Left & Right Sides.
• Finish up the rolling process until the end of the Rice Paper.
• Tuck it up well and secure the Rice Paper Roll.
• Follow the suit for the rest of the Fresh Spring Rolls.
• Serve Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rills with your choice of Dipping Sauce.
• Serves best as a Starter.

NOTES:

• You can use Vegetables like Bell Pepper to add colours to the Spring Roll.
• Can also add herbs like Mint or Parsley to add some aroma.
• While using Butter Head Lettuce, make sure to remove the stiff stems.
• Precook the Shrimps/Pork/Chicken/Mushrooms, before placing them in the Spring Roll.
• Can use pre cooked Rice Noodles or Glass Noodles to the Spring Roll.
• The Rolling Surface and the Rice Paper should be moist while making these Spring Rolls.
• If the chopping board or plate turns dry through the process, simply brush some water with your hand over it.  Keep the surface moist throughout the process.

 

 

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

CAN YOU MAKE FRESH SPRING ROLLS AHEAD?

    Personally, I feel it is best when consumed fresh that's within a few hours of preparing them.  Another issue is that the rice paper tears when kept for a long time. The wetness from the Vegetables & shrimps easily tears off the rice paper.  If you refrigerate spring rolls overnight, the rice paper hardens, making them difficult to chew. And reheating it is not a good idea at all, as the ingredients inside may not taste as fresh as it is and also the texture of the rice paper changes when done so.  So my preference and advice is to eat freshly made spring rolls within a few hours.

 

CHINESE VEGETABLE & CHICKEN STIR FRY

    I love to cook the local way, the Malaysian Style, Thai, Chinese, all greatly influenced by my 15 years of living in Malaysia -the Food Haven. I am amazed by the simplicity of the dishes and all the more what I love about cooking Chinese food at home is, It is rather easy, and we can incorporate it in no time.

    This Chinese Style Vegetable & Chicken Stir fry is quite similar to the Vegetable Stir Fries, and the only difference is that we add some boneless Chicken pieces along with it, which gives an overall fullness to the dish.

    All the more, these recipes are inspired from the Chinese Restaurants we dine at, in Malaysia.  Initially, when we used to dine at such places, we loved to try different Stir-fries. Stir-fries with Veggies, stir-fried vegetables with Tofu or Chicken or Sausages. Veggies like Eggplants, Brocolli, Long Beans Stir fried  Stir-fried Greens like Baby Kailan, Bok Choy, Napa Cabbages Kang Kung etc., The introduction to these recipes gave me a new way of cooking and combining vegetables, egg, meat, salted fish, shrimps, or tofu into these stir fries.  And also these recipes gave me a total new revelation to cooking vegetables, the way it has to be, retaining the colour, texture, and nutrition.

    Chinese Style Vegetable & Chicken Stir Fry is a quick & easy Chinese dish, with a simple addition of seared Chicken pieces into it.  This style of cooking vegetables & chicken together adds a whole new dimension to the all plain vegetables.  

    But the secret behind perfect Chinese Style Stir Fry is the techniques you need to follow to get it right.  Keep in mind that the vegetables in the stir-fry should retain the colour, crunchiness, and freshness of the vegetables.  When perfectly done, this Chinese Style Vegetable & Chicken Stir Fry is going to be lustrous, gorgeously beautiful, presenting itself with a cornucopia of colours with a remarkable texture.  I love this stir-fry whatsoever.

CHINESE VEGETABLE & CHICKEN STIR FRY

    Just follow these simple tips and techniques for perfectly cooked Vegetable & Chicken Stir-fry.

VEGETABLES:

    As we need to stir-fry the vegetable in one quick movement in a high heat, it is always advisable to keep all the needed items ready side by side.  First clean, peel & cut the vegetables and when it comes to the Vegetables which you can add into this stir-fry, I mostly use Carrots, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Capsicums & Snow peas. Can add Baby Corn too. If using mushrooms, use varieties like Button Mushrooms, Crimino Mushrooms, Shitake, or Oyster Mushrooms.  Small Beech or Bunapi Mushrooms also suits well for Vegetable stir fries.

BLANCHING THE VEGETABLES:

    Then I blanch the vegetables before stir-frying them.  Blanching shortens the time required for stir-frying.  And also the vegetables are cooked half way, retaining the shape & colour.  Then, while stir-frying, the idea is just to mix them up with the sautéed garlic and the sauces on a high heat.  This way the Stir Fry turns out to be perfectly cooked through, retaining the texture, colour, and all the more the nutrition. Once the Vegetables are blanched, you can straight away go with the stir-frying process.

    Then mince the Garlic, Cut the Onions into big pieces and then thinly slice the bird's eye chillies.  Well, I do add a Bird's eye chilli into this Stir Fry.  After all, the taste buds of Indian ethnicity asks for a bit of heat in everything.  You can totally skip it in this recipe.

SEARING THE CHICKEN:

    Well, any Chinese restaurant style Chicken recipes, habe an extremely tender and silky texture.  Soft & Succulent Chicken pieces.  The secrfet behind this velvety texture is that, most Chinese Chefs "treat" the chicken with baking soda.  Baking Soda removes the "meaty" odour and also tenderizes it at the same time.

    Searing a Chicken/Meat is a simple cooking technique where the meat is tosses in hot oil (a litlle amount just to coat the pan) until the colour changes.  This method changes the chemical composition in the meat creating an intense flavour and develop a perfect texture.  And the main point is that they are not deep fried.

SAUCE:

    The next step is to get the sauce ready.  The idea of a sauce in a stir-fry is to add taste and flavour into the bland vegetables.  So you can get easy with the type of sauce you use.  Commonly Oyster Sauce is used along with seasoning like salt, sugar and a dash of white pepper powder.  I love to add the popular locally available ABC Sauce, which is a sweet thick soy sauce with caramelized palm sugar in it. Alternatively, can add Dark Soy Sauce.  I have added the Corn Flour slurry into the sauce mix.  So, you do not need to add ‘cornflour slurry’  during stir-frying.  Corn flour slurry glazes & gives a sheen to the stir-fried vegetables. 

STIR-FRYING:

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Cuisine – Chinese; Southeast Asian
Recipe Type – Stir Fry
Spice Level – Low
Difficulty – Easy
 Serves - 2–3
Author – SM

Preparation Time - 15–20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 5–10 Minutes
 

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HOW TO MAKE CHINESE VEGETABLE & CHICKEN STIR FRY

CHINESE VEGETABLE & CHICKEN STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetables:

Carrots – 1/2 Cup
Broccoli – 1/2 Cup
Cauliflower – 1/2 Cup
Snow Peas – 1/2 Cup
Mushroom – 1/2 Cup