Lunch Series #22 |Weekend Lunch #4
A few months back, there used to be a definitive demarcation between weekdays and weekends.
The days which had hurried mornings, quick breakfasts and packed lunchboxes meant it was a weekday.The holidays and weekends were relaxed, dishes cooked according to the likes and dislikes of the family, a sure Sunday outing and dinner outside. It was so much fun!
But now,days have merged up together and everyday looks and feels like a working day and a weekend!!
Back in those days, weekday meals used to be simple and I used to add a something special for a weekend meal and this is one such.
This meal was prepared eons ago after a trip to Ooty. We found a lady selling vegetables by the dside of the road and there were loads of Zucchini which caught my eyes.I got quite a lot and then tried out recipes with it.
In Coimbatore, the Zucchini costs three times more than what I got it for in Ooty and the prospect of trying out recipes excited me all the more!
One of the recipes that I made was this Zucchini Kootu, a dish made with lentils and Zucchini and mildly flavored with homemade spice mix . This kootu was made in a pressure cooker so that it gets done quickly and only the seasoning is added at the end.
The rasam here is a different one from the ones I make often and made with a mix of spices and horsegram!
The chutney is one of our family favorite made with a toor dal and tastes awesome with hot steamed rice with a drizzle of Sesame oil.
Since this was a weekend meal, I made a kheer with Lil Dudes favorite vegetable – Carrot!
And instead of vegetable curry, I fried Lotus stem Vatral which is sun dried Lotus stem and it tastes so good! Earlier we used to get this as much as we want and whenever we go to the store that sells sun-dried stuffs. Now this one is getting scarce and so when I see this pack on the shelves I pick a couple of extras.
On the menu of Lunch Series #22 |Weekend Lunch #4
- Steamed Rice
- Kaalu Chutney [Lentil Chutney]
- Zucchini Kootu
- Thirikadugam Rasam [ Rasam made with Horsegram and a mix of spices]
- Homemade Curd
- Carrot Sago Kheer
- Fried Lotus Stem Vatral [ Thamarai Thandu Vatral] – Store brought one that I fried.
Here is the simple and super quick kootu that was a part of the thali. Don’t forget the peanut Tadka coz that’s what give it that extra flavor! Hop over to the Zucchini Kootu recipe to check out the method…
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#116
Oh I absolutely agree with days blending together now with the pandemic! Tomorrow my son’s school is reopening and i don’t feel any change! Anyway, that’s a yummy platter there, I can’t believe you cooked even a payasam when there was no occasion 😁! Looking forward to more thalis from your magic folder 🙂
It is the same story everywhere PJ. Everyone at home and unable to differentiate between weekdays and weekends 🙂 Lovely thali PJ. Love all the dishes featured here.
For us my hubby is going for work , so we know that there is a Sunday . Ehe he and I prefer it this way only . But yes in general life has changed and there isn’t a difference between weekdays and weekends !
Zucchini kootu is innovative , my daughter uses a lot of zucchini – she always replaces bottle gourd with it .
Rasam is a all time favourite and I like that payasam too !
The interesting element and what has made me nostalgic is the lotus stem vartal . I haven’t seen them in years now , my paternal aunt used to make them .and we all love them !
Now looking forward to your next series 😍
This is a lovely menu PJ. All the dishes are so different and you have managed to find a balance in it. Tell me about wfh and I have woes to tell..:(..The initial few weeks we were trying to make new mini thalis and then it got us so worried that all of us were putting on weight. Not seen lotus stem vathal till now.
My husband frequently works from home and so that wasn’t a change for me. The kids however attending virtual schools and having everyone under the same roof after a long time is a welcome change for me.
This is an inviting platter even if its’t a planned one and you were able to squeeze in a kheer as well, a Sunday special, I guess. )
Guess what, zucchini grows in my backyard like anything, and this entire summer I ended up cooking so many zucchini recipes. And totally relate, I wish we could get back to the regular routine soon. Between this one yummy thali with that kheer its absolutely delicious.
As a food blogger we are always on the look out of different veggies which we can try and when you do not get it easily you feel it more. I can completely understand how excited you would be. This lunch thali looks like a perfect comforting meal Padmajha. Let me check the kottu recipe.