The Singing Chef

The Singing Chef The Singing Chef is a home cooking blog that focuses on simple, fuss free baking and vegetarian cooking from all over the world.

A food blog that has over 500 easy to cook recipes. The variety ranges from simple home made pies, cakes and muffins to traditional Indian food as well as western and oriental dishes. Whether it is a healthy lunchbox option you're looking for or a quick sinful dessert, this is a vegetarian's one stop shop.

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 9Why fear when Idli batter is near? The answer to remove chaos from school mornings is to have Idl...
14/01/2026

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 9
Why fear when Idli batter is near? The answer to remove chaos from school mornings is to have Idli batter on hand. Since Vadai batter needed to be made anyway for our Bhogi dinner, we planned Idli batter so that in one clean sweep, we could take care of both.
Today, for recess, Ms. 10 has Button Podi Idli. For snack, she has Apple slices, Christmas Pudding Cookies and Honey Roasted Macadamia Nuts.
Tonight, I’ll be cooking our Pongal spread. Again, I will be racing against time to make sure that all food is ready at our usual dinner time.
What do you make for Pongal?

Pongal/Sankranti 2026The first festival that we celebrate in the English calendar year is here. I’ve always been told th...
13/01/2026

Pongal/Sankranti 2026
The first festival that we celebrate in the English calendar year is here. I’ve always been told that Pongal is the most important of all our festivals, given our agrarian roots.
This year, work has been hectic. While I put this into the meal plan, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to cook an entire meal again when I got back from work. But, then agaib, I thought I couldn’t let the festival just pass us by.
Today’s Bhogi meal is the 1st (or the last, depending on which year we’re talking about) Pandigai Saapadu of the year. I follow a standard format for these kinds of meals.
I made Mor Kuzhambu with Ashgourd. I made the usual Sathumadhu/Rasam with Tomatoes. Vazhaikkai Vadakkal, Carrot Kosumbari, Tayir Vadai, Vellarikkai Pachadi, Javvarisi Vadam, Rice and Yelai Paruppu were standard fare.
Pal Poli is traditionally made on Bhogi and I decided to stick with that. But I recently saw a post shared by where she had served Kheer Poori with the ready to fry Puris. I decided to try making Pal Poli with them. These turned out great. I’m so glad they did.
I am glad we were all able to enjoy this Bhogi dinner together. There’s something so special about enjoying festive meals with the family.
Wishing you and your family a Happy Bhogi!

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 8I didn’t stick to plan. I tried to improvise with what was on hand. That didn’t work and so I imp...
13/01/2026

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 8
I didn’t stick to plan. I tried to improvise with what was on hand. That didn’t work and so I improvised again. The important thing is that the child went to school on time with a lunchbox that had something edible. Not just something edible, something the other child would have loved to have.
I had boiled some Potatoes for last night’s Masala Puri. I decided to make an Aloo Paratha stuffing with the remaining Potatoes. I had some leftover Poori dough. Parathas were on my mind. But the dough was hard. I ended up making a Kachori.
Today, for recess, Ms. 10 had an Aloo Kachori. For snack, she had Tau Sar Pia, Jantikalu and Pear slices.
We’re cooking a big Bhogi meal tonight, and so lunch was Kalanda Puli Kootu Saadam. Simply because I found Puli Kootu Masala in the freezer. Perhaps there will be leftovers from tonight’s dinner and I won’t have to make lunch tomorrow.

Masala PuriThis is a dish I first ate during my University days in Pondicherry, somewhere near the Gandhi statue. I was ...
12/01/2026

Masala Puri
This is a dish I first ate during my University days in Pondicherry, somewhere near the Gandhi statue. I was expecting Masala Puri to be something like a stuffed/spiced Puri, but it turned out to be a cross between Ragda Patties and Sev Puri. I soon forgot about it.
Years later, I had it again in Bangalore with . And I forgot about it again.
A couple of weeks ago, we ordered a plate of Masala Puri at the . And I decided to make it at home, especially because I had soaked and cooked Peas at home.
As if on cue, posted a recipe for Masala Puri recently and I bookmarked it. And what a treat it turned out to be. Mr. 14 had additional servings of the Peas Masala, without the Puris. That’s saying something.
Thanks, Raji. This is a keeper recipe and I know I will make this often.

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 7It was going to be Handvo Paniyaram for today’s recess, because I was to make the batter for Sund...
11/01/2026

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 7
It was going to be Handvo Paniyaram for today’s recess, because I was to make the batter for Sunday’s breakfast. Since that didn’t happen, I quickly soaked equal parts Toor Dal, Whole Moong, Oats and Quinoa last morning. I ground it to a batter and left it outside overnight.
The fermentation Gods must have blessed it as I woke up to find batter overflowing from the utensil. Not complaining.
I added grated Zuchhini and Carrot along with Coriander, Chilli Paste, Ginger Paste and Salt. In my Appey pan, I heated some Coconut Oil and prepared a little tempering in each compartment comprising Mustard, Curry leaves and Asafoetida before adding the batter.
Today, for recess, Ms. 10 has Dal Quinoa Appey. For recess, she has a Tau Sar Pia that brought, a Christmas Pudding Cookie that brought, and Apple slices.
I made a Dosai with the same batter for Ms. 10’s breakfast. We will be finishing all the leftovers at lunchtime and I’ll cook dinner fresh when I’m back from work.

Meal Planning (and our meals this past week)I did a bit of meal planning and some prep to make our first proper week of ...
11/01/2026

Meal Planning (and our meals this past week)
I did a bit of meal planning and some prep to make our first proper week of school and work a little less chaotic. We didn’t stick entirely to the plan. And that’s OK!
In reverse chronological order:
Sunday dinner was this luscious, creamy, Leek and Potato Soup. Pesto Spaghetti was tossed out at the last minute. had requested this Soup weeks ago and I had Leeks waiting in the fridge. It came together very quickly once the Leeks and Potatoes were sliced (all thanks to the one who requested it).
Sunday lunch was Poori Chhole. I didn’t make the Handvo Paniyaram after all, and we had Bread Upkari for breakfast.
I didn’t make Pizza last night as we were out to do some shopping and were full from the lunch. We stuck to the plan for Saturday’s lunch with a full Tamil meal.
I also didn’t make Gochujang Ramen on Friday as I was out with and . Mr. 14 made his own Ramen as he was the only one having dinner at home. Friday’s lunch was Camp style Vegetable Upma with a Purple Carrot Peanut Pachadi/Thogayal leftover from Wednesday. And breakfast was Chana Dal Cheelas with Carrot and Zucchini. Such a hit!
Thursday’s dinner was Chapatis and Palak Paneer. The “Chapatis” were made from the dough leftover from Monday’s Dal Dhokli. I also threw in the leftover Boondi Raita from Tuesday’s lunch into the Palak Paneer.
On Wednesday, we had a Telugu Thali with Tamata Pappu, Vankaya Pulusu, Sorakaya Palu Posina Koora and Purple Carrot Peanut Pachadi.
On Tuesday, dinner was Macaroni and Cheese as Ms. 10 had a play date. Lunch was Konkani style Green Pulao and Boondi Raita.
Monday’s dinner was Dal Dhokli.
The biggest hack this past week was making the Egg Muffins and an oven-baked Cheese Omelette that turned out to be lifesavers.
I’ve put together a plan for this week too, but it won’t go to plan simply because Mr. 14 has home based learning this week. Pongal takes up 3 days of the week and I’ll have to see how best to manage leftovers as well.
What did your week look like?

Poori ChholeGrowing up, we ate Pooris every week, but we had Chhole only once in a while. Now, we eat Chhole somewhat mo...
11/01/2026

Poori Chhole
Growing up, we ate Pooris every week, but we had Chhole only once in a while. Now, we eat Chhole somewhat more often, but Pooris are made for Bhau Beej and Rakshabandhan, and maybe one other time during the year.
And every time I make them, I’m disappointed with them. The only time I’m content is when I’ve watched ’s video and followed it to a T. I put Poori Chhole into the plan so that I can get better at these. After all, practice makes perfect.
I made the Chhole using Punjabi Chhole Masala. And when that was done, I got to work on the Pooris. I started by watching the video for the nth time, but what was different was that I watched it intently just before I started. Not all of them turned out perfect, but whenever I remembered her tips and applied them, they puffed up beautifully.
A wonderful . Simple, filling and nostalgic all at once.

Saturday LunchWe made it through the week. And I’m optimistic for the weeks ahead. A little planning goes such a long wa...
10/01/2026

Saturday Lunch
We made it through the week. And I’m optimistic for the weeks ahead. A little planning goes such a long way. I’ve always wanted Saturday lunches to be relaxed, yet be the full, somewhat traditional meals that we don’t have time for during the week.
I planned this meal last Sunday but deviated from it a little bit. Instead of a Paruppu Thogayal, I made Paruppu Usli with Vazhaippoo. It’s one of my favourites and it is a labour of love.
With our plan to eat more fruit this year, I also made two more fruit dishes that weren’t in the original plan. I made a Plum Rasam and Pink Dragonfruit Rice. And thanks to a last minute change in plans, joined us for lunch.
Our Saturday Thali had Rice, Parangikkai Menthi Kuzhambu, Plum Rasam, Vazhaippoo Paruppu Usli, Baby Potato Vadakkal, Dragonfruit Rice and Curd.
Some pickles came out to join the party and we also had a little siesta after. Very much the expected ending. What say?

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 6I’d planned a Camp style Vegetable Upma for lunch and, so, while planning our meals, I decided to...
10/01/2026

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 6
I’d planned a Camp style Vegetable Upma for lunch and, so, while planning our meals, I decided to add a “Dal” component to breakfast and recess.
I decided to make Vegetable loaded Chana Dal Cheelas. These require a little bit of planning and a little bit more work than Besan Cheelas, but they’re 100% worth it.
Yesterday, for recess, Mr. 14 and Ms. 10 had Carrot Zucchini Chana Dal Cheelas with Tamarind and Date Chutney. For snack, they had Apple slices, Wafers and Christmas Pudding cookies that brought for us.
One week of school done. 9 more to go. Next week’s meal plan has been drawn up. It required a lot less planning as Pongal takes up 3 days and those meals are set.

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 5I did the least prep for this morning as I was extremely tired last evening. I went in for a nap ...
08/01/2026

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 5
I did the least prep for this morning as I was extremely tired last evening. I went in for a nap halfway through making dinner. But this morning, I took the easy way out.
Frozen patties were pan fried and turned into Burgers. The Egg Wraps were filled with Vegetables. I stuck to the plan, but I also went with what was available and tried to make the boxes balanced.
Today, for recess, Mr. 14 and Ms. 10 have Burgers. For lunch, Mr. 14 has Vegetable and Egg Wraps. For snack, they have Pears and Thenkuzhal. Additionally, Ms. 10 has a Butter Biscuit.
There’s a bit of noise around the Pears - I heard some “but I don’t like…”, and I merely said, “We’re trying again to introduce fruit into our lives.” I’m slowly learning a lesson I ignored for a very long time: the age-old tradition of telling your children to eat something because it is good for them - that’s not going to work on mine. So, I have to try new ways!

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 4Lunchboxes are empty these days and I even get calls from home to specially tell me that everythi...
07/01/2026

2026 Term 1: Lunchbox 4
Lunchboxes are empty these days and I even get calls from home to specially tell me that everything was eaten during recess itself. It’s still the first few days of school and I’d like to wait and see if this is a change for the longer term or if it is just a phase.
I read somewhere that having one child makes you a parent but having two makes you a referee. I don’t want to make multiple things in the one hour I have before we all leave. But each child seems to “definitely not want” what the other “definitely wants” and more often than not, I end up making something they both like (which is rare) or something they both dislike. I’m seen as very “fair” either way. Can you relate?
Egg Mayo Sandwiches fall into the “liked by both” category and so I made sure that I slotted them into the first week!
Today, for recess, Mr. 14 and Ms. 10 had Egg Mayo Sandwiches. For snack, they had Orange segments, .industries Bourbons and Ribbon Pakoda.
I just realised that I’ve not done any prep for the Burgers that I’d put in the plan for tomorrow. I’ll see how I feel in the morning and proceed accordingly.

Monday DinnerI love one pot meals. I also love full multi course meals. I like the latter a lot more if I’m not the one ...
06/01/2026

Monday Dinner
I love one pot meals. I also love full multi course meals. I like the latter a lot more if I’m not the one cooking.
Jokes apart, I find eating to be a bigger chore than cooking. So, I especially love meals that easy to cook and easy to eat. And what better way to start the new year, the proper first day of work and school, than with this comforting bowl of Dal Dhokli.
I can’t believe that, years ago, when was showcasing this dish to commemorate , I’d never eaten it. Now, it’s one of our comfort meals, a staple even.
My “jugaadu” method from yesterday involved kneading the dough with Besan and Vegetables and cooking the strips in the boiling Dal. The ensured that our food stayed hot even though we went out for a nice walk before dinner.
We try to eat Vegetables and/or Protein in some form before the main meal. This way, we get to enjoy some of our favourite foods while still maintaining the balance.
There’s another one pot meal planned for tonight. One that I actually grew up eating. And another one that spells comfort.
How has your week begun?

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