Healthy Recipes

Simple, Traditional Recipes for Healthy Living

Welcome to the Healthy Recipes collection at My Grandma’s Healthy School.
Here you’ll find simple, home-style recipes inspired by traditional kitchens and everyday wisdom. These recipes focus on nourishment, balance, and comfort rather than complexity or strict rules.

Our approach to food is gentle and practical — using familiar ingredients, mindful preparation, and time-tested cooking methods that support daily well-being across all age groups.

What You’ll Find in Our Healthy Recipes

Healthy Recipes displayed in various bowls

The recipes shared here are designed to be:

Easy to prepare with commonly available ingredients
Rooted in traditional home cooking practices
Suitable for everyday meals and family kitchens
Focused on balance, taste, and nourishment
Adaptable to different lifestyles and age groups

Each recipe reflects the belief that food is not just nourishment for the body, but also a source of comfort, connection, and mindful living.

A Thoughtful Approach to Everyday Food

Healthy eating does not need to be complicated. In traditional households, meals were prepared with care, simplicity, and an understanding of seasonal and local needs. This recipe collection honours that approach.

You’ll find dishes that encourage:

Slow, mindful cooking
Respect for natural ingredients
Balanced meals without extremes
Enjoyment of food as part of daily life

Explore Our Recipe Collection

Below, you can browse our growing collection of healthy recipes. Each recipe includes a brief introduction and a link to the full post, where you’ll find preparation methods, serving ideas, and gentle tips for mindful cooking.

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(Recipe cards / excerpts appear below)

Cooking as Part of Holistic Living

Food plays an important role in holistic health. Nourishing meals support physical strength, mental calm, emotional comfort, and family connection. Through simple cooking habits, healthy eating becomes a natural part of everyday life rather than a strict routine.

👉 My Family’s Three Favorite Meals

A Gentle Invitation

We invite you to explore these recipes at your own pace, adapt them to your needs, and rediscover the quiet joy of home-style cooking. Small, consistent food choices can support long-term well-being and a balanced way of living.

Breakfast & Light Meals

Traditional Kerala breakfast and light meals including Palappam, dosa, idly, idiyappam, Pazhamkanji, chapati, pidi, kappa puzhuku, and jackfruit puzhuku.

Simple, nourishing breakfast and light meal ideas inspired by traditional kitchens, made with familiar ingredients that are easy on the body and comforting to the soul. These recipes are meant for everyday living—gentle, wholesome, and thoughtfully prepared, with links to explore each dish in detail.

Fermented Rice (Pazhamkanji) Recipe

A traditional fermented rice breakfast from Kerala, simple to prepare and gentle on digestion.
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Kerala Puttu (Steamed Rice Cake)

A traditional steamed rice breakfast prepared with lightly roasted rice flour and coconut.
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Palappam Recipe (Kerala Lace Bread)

Soft, lacy rice pancakes made with coconut milk, ideal for breakfast or dinner.
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Kallappam Recipe (Traditional Toddy Appam)

Soft fermented pancakes traditionally prepared for light and filling meals.
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Easy Idiyappam Recipe (String Hoppers)

Delicate steamed rice noodles that pair well with curries and coconut-based sides.
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Three-Flour Appam Recipe

Soft appams prepared using a blend of flours for balanced texture and flavour.
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Chicken Upma Recipe

A hearty upma prepared with chicken and roasted grains for a filling breakfast or light meal.
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Multigrain Bread Sandwich Recipe

A light and nourishing sandwich made with multigrain bread, vegetables, and egg, suitable for breakfast or a quick snack.
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Lunch | Dinner & Main Dishes

Lunch and main dishes served on banana leaves, including rice, chapati, papad, and a variety of curries and side dishes.

Simple and satisfying lunch and main dish recipes inspired by traditional home kitchens. These meals are thoughtfully prepared using familiar ingredients, gentle spices, and balanced flavours—comforting, nourishing, and suitable for everyday family cooking. Each recipe is easy to follow and meant to bring warmth and wholesomeness to the dining table.

Quick and Simple Lemon Rice

A light and comforting South Indian rice dish flavoured with ghee, gentle spices, and fresh lemon juice—ideal for a simple lunch or travel-friendly meal.
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Vegetable Egg Fried Rice – A Simple Homestyle Main Dish

A fragrant and colourful rice preparation cooked with vegetables, eggs, ghee, and mild spices, bringing together festive flavours in a comforting Kerala-style homestyle meal.
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Chicken & Meat Dishes

Traditional meat dishes including chicken, mutton, beef, and pork dishes served hot in bowls on a table with rice, chapati, chutneys, and sauces.

Wholesome chicken and meat recipes prepared in a simple home-style manner, inspired by traditional Kerala kitchens. These dishes balance flavour and nourishment using familiar ingredients, gentle spices, and thoughtful cooking methods suited for everyday meals as well as special occasions.

Vegetable & Mutton Kuruma – A Hearty Kerala-Style Dish

A rich and satisfying kuruma combining tender mutton and vegetables cooked in a mildly spiced coconut-based gravy, perfect with appam, idiyappam, or rice.
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Kerala Red Pork Curry with Kudampuli

A flavourful pork curry prepared with traditional spices and tangy kudampuli water, slow-cooked to bring depth and warmth to the dish.
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Chicken Roast – A Quick and Coconut-Free Home Recipe

A simple and healthy chicken roast prepared without coconut, making it suitable for everyday cooking while retaining good flavour and texture.
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Chicken Potato Chops – A Comforting Crispy Snack

A wholesome snack made with spiced minced chicken wrapped in soft mashed potatoes and shallow-fried until golden and crisp on the outside.
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Low-Oil Chicken Lollipop – A Pan-Cooked Home-Style Snack

A pan-cooked chicken lollipop prepared using very little oil, avoiding deep frying while still delivering good flavour and texture.
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Stuffed Snake Gourd – A Simple Home-Style Meat Dish

A comforting home-style dish where tender snake gourd is filled with spiced minced meat and gently pan-fried to bring out a rich, savoury flavour.
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Eggless Chicken Cutlets – A Simple Homestyle Snack

A comforting homemade snack made with spiced minced chicken and mashed potato, shaped into cutlets and gently shallow-fried until golden and crisp.
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Fish & Seafood Dishes

Prawns, fish curries, fish fries, fish pickle, and chutneys served with rice on a table, ready to be enjoyed.

Traditional fish and seafood recipes inspired by Kerala’s coastal kitchens. These dishes are prepared using familiar spices, simple methods, and thoughtful cooking techniques that bring out natural flavours while keeping meals comforting and nourishing for everyday home cooking.

Prawns Kanthari – A Spicy Homestyle Kerala Prawn Dish

A flavourful prawn preparation cooked with crushed green chillies and traditional spices, bringing bold yet balanced Kerala-style taste.
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Meen Vatichathu – A Traditional Kerala Spicy Fish Curry

A rich and deeply flavoured fish curry cooked slowly with spices for an authentic homestyle experience.
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Fish Kozhambu – A Light Kerala-Style Steamed Fish Curry

A gentle fish curry prepared by steaming with spices, making it easy to digest and suitable for a light, nourishing meal.
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Ayala Manga Fill – Mackerel with Raw Mango (Kerala Style)

A traditional coastal dish combining mackerel and raw mango, offering a pleasant balance of spice and tanginess.
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Meen Nirapori – Stuffed Fish Fry (Kerala Style)

Fish stuffed with aromatic spices and shallow-fried until cooked through, offering rich traditional flavour.
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Traditional Sardine Fry Without Added Oil (Kerala Style)

A traditional Kerala technique where sardines are cooked without adding any oil. As the fish cooks and moisture dries, its natural fat releases, allowing it to fry gently in its own juices while developing good flavour and texture.
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Simple Crispy Sardine Fry at Home

A classic homestyle sardine fry seasoned with basic spices and pan-fried until crisp.
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Mango-Marinated Pomfret Fish Fry

Pomfret fish marinated with mango and spices, then gently pan-fried for a balanced sweet-and-spiced flavour.
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Simple Fish Fry – A Homestyle Kerala Classic

A traditional pan-fried fish dish made with aromatic spices and cooked until golden and crisp, suitable for everyday meals.
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Vegetarian Curries & Side Dishes

Kerala’s traditional vegetable curries and side dishes, including chickpeas, moru curry, sambar, and other curries, served in bowls with rice on banana leaves and attractively arranged on a tabletop.

A collection of simple and comforting vegetarian curries and side dishes inspired by traditional Kerala home kitchens. These recipes are prepared using familiar vegetables, coconut, lentils, yogurt, and gentle spices, making them suitable for everyday family meals. From light sides to flavourful curries, each dish reflects practical home cooking rooted in tradition, balance, and care.

Kadala Curry – A Traditional Kerala Chickpea Curry

A comforting Kerala-style chickpea curry cooked with coconut and mild spices, commonly served with puttu or appam.
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Kalan – Traditional Kerala Yogurt-Based Curry

A classic Kerala curry prepared with vegetables, yogurt, and coconut, slow-cooked for balanced flavour and texture.
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Manga Vatiyathu (Mango Mappas) – Raw Mango Curry (Kerala Style)

A mildly spiced raw mango curry cooked with coconut, offering a pleasant balance of tanginess and warmth.
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Spiced Potato Curry Without Onion – A Simple Home-Style Dish

A simple potato curry prepared without onions, suitable as a light and comforting side dish.
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Curd Potato Pachadi – A Mild Yogurt-Based Side

A gentle yogurt-based curry prepared with cooked potatoes, commonly served as part of a traditional Kerala meal.
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Simple Curd Curry – A Comforting Kerala Recipe

A quick and comforting yogurt curry seasoned with mild spices, ideal for everyday home meals.
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Kaya Upperi – Kerala-Style Raw Banana Stir-Fry

A traditional stir-fry made with raw banana, coconut, and spices, commonly served as a simple vegetable side.
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Bitter Gourd Kondattam – Traditional Pavakka Varuthathu

Sun-dried bitter gourd slices cooked with spices until crisp, commonly prepared and stored for later use.
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Idinchakka Cutlet – Traditional Tender Jackfruit Cutlets

Crisp and flavourful cutlets made using tender jackfruit and traditional spices, often prepared during the jackfruit season.
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Chakka Kuru Olath – Jackfruit Seed Stir-Fry (Kerala Style)

A simple Kerala-style stir-fry made with jackfruit seeds, spices, and curry leaves, traditionally prepared in home kitchens.
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Chickpea Gravy – A Simple Soupy Home-Style Dish

A warm and lightly spiced chickpea gravy prepared for simple meals and easy pairing with rice or chapati.
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Simple Dal Curry Without Onion

A quick and comforting dal prepared with basic spices and no grinding, suitable for everyday vegetarian cooking.
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Egg-Based Curries & Side Dishes

A small collection of simple and comforting egg-based curries and side dishes inspired by everyday Kerala home cooking. These dishes use eggs prepared with familiar vegetables, gentle spices, and minimal oil, making them suitable for quick meals and simple home-style lunches. Practical, nourishing, and easy to prepare, these recipes are commonly served as sides with rice or chapati.

Egg Thoran – A Quick and Homely Kerala Side Dish

A simple stir-fried egg dish cooked with onion, tomato, curry leaves, and mild spices, commonly served as a quick accompaniment to rice.
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Salads & Light Bowls

Assorted traditional homemade salads arranged on a table in a traditional setting.

Simple, refreshing vegetarian salads and light bowls prepared with natural ingredients commonly used in Kerala home kitchens. These dishes are easy to digest, lightly seasoned, and suitable for all ages, making them ideal for light meals, evening snacks, or as healthy sides for everyday food.

Avocado & Egg Salad – Fresh and Wholesome

A light and nourishing salad made with creamy avocado, boiled eggs, and pomegranate seeds, gently seasoned for a fresh, balanced flavour.
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Sweet Potato (Puzhungiya Mathura Kizhangu) Salad – Quick & Simple Homemade Dish

A simple and comforting boiled sweet potato preparation, lightly seasoned and traditionally enjoyed with coconut or chutney, ideal for light meals and evening snacks.
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Instant Yummy Cheru Payar (Green Gram) Salad – A Simple Grandma-Style Healthy Dish

A wholesome vegetarian salad made with cooked green gram, grated coconut, mild spices, and a touch of coconut oil, prepared the traditional grandma way for everyday nourishment.
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Sweets, Desserts, Snacks & Tea-Time Items

A table laid with traditional Kerala sweets, desserts, snacks, and tea-time items.

Simple traditional sweets, snacks, and tea-time items prepared in Kerala home kitchens using familiar ingredients and time-tested methods. These recipes include both sweet and savoury items, suitable for everyday tea time as well as special occasions, and are enjoyed by both young and old.

Jackfruit Vada – Traditional Kerala Evening Snack

Yummy vadas made with raw jackfruit and spices, suitable for tea time and evening snacks.
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Chenda Kappa – Simple Kerala Tapioca Snack

Boiled tapioca served with simple seasoning or chutney, commonly prepared in Kerala homes.
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Kerala Yam (Kachil/Ube) Evening Snack with Chutney

A simple boiled yam snack traditionally served with chutney for evening meals.
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Crispy Spiced Banana Fingers

Thinly sliced bananas coated with spices and shallow fried.
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Chena Puzhuku (Elephant Foot Yam) with Instant Onion Pickle

Boiled yam pieces served as a nourishing traditional snack.
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Chicken Rice Changu – Steamed Chicken & Rice Flour Snack

A soft and comforting steamed snack prepared with rice flour, chicken, and mild spices.
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Creamy Sweet Potato

Sweet potato cooked gently with coconut for a comforting snack.
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Poochayappam (Kumbilappam) – A Traditional Leaf-Steamed Sweet from Kerala

A soft, steamed jackfruit and rice cake wrapped in natural leaves, gently sweetened with jaggery and enriched with coconut for a deeply comforting traditional snack.
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Coconut Cocoa Cake – Eggless & Vegan Homestyle Cake

A soft homemade cake prepared with coconut milk, jaggery, and cocoa.
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Kinnathappam (Un-Fermented Rice Cake) — Instant, Healthy Tea Snack

A steamed rice cake made with coconut and mild sweetness.
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Delicious Pazhampori (Banana Flakes) – A Traditional Kerala Two-in-One Snack

Ripe bananas dipped in batter and fried until golden.
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Vattayappam (Kerala Round Bread)

A soft, lightly sweet steamed rice bread made with fermented batter, coconut, and gentle spices — a traditional Kerala comfort snack perfect with tea.
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Ariyunda (Andiyunda) – Traditional Kerala Sweet

Soft laddoos made with rice flour and roasted cashews.
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Kanji Water Delight – Transform Leftover Rice Water into a Nourishing Treat

A gentle traditional sweet prepared from thick rice water, lightly sweetened and nourishing.
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Delicious Instant Eggless Jackfruit Pudding – A Must-Try Kerala Dessert

A naturally sweet pudding made with ripe jackfruit and coconut milk.
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Dugdha Banana Dessert – A Creamy Kerala Delight

A creamy traditional banana-based sweet with a smooth texture.
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Unniappam – A Traditional Kerala Sweet with Sacred Roots

A soft, deep-fried banana and jaggery sweet, traditionally prepared for temple and church offerings in Kerala.
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Delicious Wheat Flour Cake – A Soft & Homestyle Treat

A simple homemade cake prepared for family celebrations.
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Pesaha Pal (Maundy Thursday Special Sweet Milk)

A sacred coconut-jaggery milk prepared only on Maundy Thursday to commemorate the Last Supper and Passover in Kerala Christian families.
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Uzhunnappam / Indri Appam (Unleavened Bread) – Traditional Maundy Thursday Dish

A sacred unleavened bread prepared without fermentation, traditionally made and shared on Pesaha (Maundy Thursday).
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Easy and Delicious Multigrain Bread Pudding

Soft and lightly sweet steamed bread pudding made using multigrain bread and jaggery, perfect as a simple home-style dessert.
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Apple, Banana and Honey Cake Without Maida

A healthy homemade cake prepared without all-purpose flour, using whole wheat and natural sweetness.
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Leftover Rice (Choru) Custard

A soft, creamy sweet made from cooked rice, coconut, and milk that children love and elders enjoy.
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Easy & Yummy Banana Halva – A Traditional Grandma-Style Sweet Treat

A slow-cooked traditional sweet made with ripe Kerala bananas, jaggery, coconut milk, and ghee, prepared patiently on a low flame the grandma way.
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Vada Pav – Healthy Homestyle Version

A simple potato vada served in wheat or multigrain bread, suitable for kids’ tiffin and tea time.
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Chutneys, Pickles & Sides

Kerala-style chutneys, pickles, and side dishes laid beautifully on a traditional dining table.

Simple chutneys, traditional pickles, and everyday side dishes that add flavour and balance to home-cooked meals. Rooted in time-honoured methods and familiar ingredients, these recipes are shared for easy reference, with links provided to explore each preparation in detail.

Traditional Raw Mango Chutney

A nostalgic Kerala-style mango chutney with sweet and tangy notes.
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Unaka Chemmeen Manga Chammanthi (Dry Prawns & Mango Chutney) Kerala Style

A tangy chutney combining dried prawns and raw mango for a bold taste.
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Fried Anchovy (Kozhuva) Chutney

A robust chutney prepared with anchovies and spices as a traditional side.
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Italian Spaghetti Sauce

A simple, slow-cooked tomato sauce prepared the traditional way for everyday pasta meals.
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Traditional Spicy Fish Pickle

A traditional fish pickle prepared with spices and oil for long keeping.
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Instant Tomato Chutney – A Simple Homestyle Accompaniment

A quick chutney made with tomatoes and basic spices.
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Coriander Mango Chutney

A fresh, tangy chutney made with coriander leaves, raw mango, coconut, and gentle spices—perfect as a side or spread.
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Gooseberry Chutney

A tangy, refreshing chutney made with fresh gooseberries, coconut, and green chillies.
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Instant Onion and Lemon Pickle (No-Cook Recipe)

A fast, refreshing pickle made without cooking.
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Green Chilli Chutney – A Spicy Traditional Side for Chenda Kappa

Boiled tapioca served with simple seasoning or chutney.
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Egg Fruit–Mango Chutney – A Rustic Kerala Fire-Roasted Delight

A smoky, tangy traditional chutney made with fire-roasted brinjal, raw mango, and coconut.
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Artisan-Style Homemade Wine Preparations

Artisan-style homemade fruit wines displayed in various jars, bottles, and wine glasses, with fresh fruits used for fermentation.

Thoughtfully prepared homemade wines rooted in Kerala’s festive traditions, especially during Christmas and Easter. Fermented in a Bharani—a traditional ceramic or porcelain jar that supports slow, steady aging—these small-batch preparations celebrate patience, natural ingredients, and time-honoured kitchen practices, with links provided to explore each recipe in detail.

Homemade Red Grape Wine

A traditional fermented grape wine prepared for festive seasons and special occasions.
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Healthy Shakes, Juices, & Smoothies at Home

Healthy shakes, juices, and smoothies prepared at home, displayed in glass bottles and drinking glasses

Chackakuru Shake (Jackfruit Seed Shake)

A nourishing homemade shake prepared with jackfruit seeds, coconut milk, and natural sweeteners.
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👉 Healthy Recipes