Simple vanila cake

Ingredients:

• Flour - 1 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Egg - 1
• Oil or butter - 1/2 cup
• Milk - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Vanila extract - 1 tsp

Method

Sieve flour and baking powder together twice and keep aside.
Beat the egg light and fluffy.
powder 1 cup sugar.
In a bowl beat sugar and oil/butter (which ever you want to use). beat till light and creamy.
Now pour the egg and beat slightly.
Now add the seived flour little by little and fold in along with milk alternatively.
Add vanila extract and mix.
Now grease a cake mold. (I used the cooker separator) and dust with maida.
Pour this cake mixture and tap well.

Baking with Pressure Cook.

Heat the pressure cooker for 3 to 5 minutes.
Put a flat bowl or plate upside down and place this cake mold over that.
Close the pressure cooker. Do not put the cooker weight.
Keep in high flame for 3 minutes and then simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
turn off the stove and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Now take the mold carefully and turn it on a plate. Place the cake on a gauge to let it cool.

Cake ready for evening tea.

Kosamalli

This is a traditional dish of chettinad made with Brinjal in tamarind... usually served as a side dish for Thalicha Idiyappam and in house holds a side dish for Idly or Dosa... Harmless and tasty.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal – 4 (Violet and white striped)
• Small Onions – ½ cup sliced
• Tomato – 1 sliced
• Green Chilli – 5 to 8
• Red Chilli – 5 (Dry roast 3 and run in the mixie)
• Mustard – ½ sp
• Split Urudh Dhal – ½ sp
• Jeera – ½ sp
• Curry Leaves – 2 strings
• Coriander Leaves – a small bunch
• Tamarind – a small ball
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 sp

Method:

Wash and keep the brinjal over stove. The outer skin gets burnt. Keep turning it on and off so that it is cooked on all sides.

Now just remove the burnt skin and remove the stem.

Make a solution of tamarind and salt.

Chop this cooked brinjal. Mash half the sliced onions with hands (to separate the rings) into the brinjal. Pour the tamarind into it. Mix and check for salt.

Heat oil in a kadai. Season with mustard, urudh dhal, jeera, red chilli and curry leaves. Add the remaining onion, chopped tomatoes, slit green chillies. Sauté for a minute, add the chilli flakes and the mixed brinjal contents.

Bring it to a boil and switch off. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: Do not boil for a long time since the sauce of this dish is mainly tamarind it will go slightly bitter like.

Instead of burning the brinjal over stove, cut into four pieces (Lengthwise). And cook in water. Remove the flesh from the skin and mash with hands.

Also all the onions can be added into the brinjal or all can be sautéed.

And also the chilli flakes is optional.

Prawn Curry

Ingredients:

• Prawn - 250 gm
• Small Onions - 1/4 cup
• Garlic - 5 to 6 pods
• Green chilli - 2
• Tomato - 1
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Turmeric powder - 1 sp
• Jeera - 1/2 sp
• Somf - 1/2 sp
• Fenugreek - 1/2 spoon
• Pepper - 1/2 sp
• Kasa kasa - 1 sp
• Cashew - 3
• Coconut - 3 tbsp
• curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• oil

Method:

Remove the prawns from the shell and clean well. Blend coconut, small onion ( 3 or 4), half tomato, Jeera and somf, kasa kasa and cashew to a paste.

Cut the onion and garlic into two or three pieces. slit the green chilli and chop the tomato.

In a kadai heat 2 table spoon oil and fry the pepper and fenugreek seed followed by the curry leaves, onion and garlic and green chilli.

sauté for a while and then add the tomatoes and cook we..

Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt, sauté till the raw smell goes.

Add a little water and the cleaned prawns.

Cook it closed for a minute and then add the ground coconut paste.

Bring it to boil slightly and turn off the stove.

Note: Prawns get cooked faster. Clean the prawns in lot of water as it will have fine sand in it. If the prawns are bigger cut them into two. you can reduce the coconut if you want it as a think masala.... increase the quantity if you want it as a gravy for rice or chapathi.

Channa

Ingredients:

• Channa - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 2
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Channa Masala Powder - 2 sp
• Garam masala powder - 1 sp
• Jaggery - 1 sp
• Tamarind pulp - 1/2 sp
• Oil - 2 sp
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander leaves - 2 tb sp
• Tomato sauce - 1 tb sp
• Spices - Cardamom, Cinnamon, clove
• Knob of Butter or Spoon of Fresh cream

Method:

Pressure cook soaked chaana with little sugar and spices. In a small white cloth add all the spices and make it like a sack and put it in the pressure cooker.

Blend onion tomato and ginger to a paste.

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the ground paste in it till the raw smell goes and water evaporates.

add chilli powder and channa masala powder.

Now take the spice sack out and discard the content add the channa with that water and let it cook well.

Add a spoon of jaggery, tamarind pulp and salt to taste. Mash a little of the channa to give thickness to the gravy.

Add the tomato sauce and garam masala.

Garnish with chopped coriander and a knob of butter or fresh cream.

Note: Can also a add a potato while you cook the channa. Mashing the potato into the gravy will thicken it. Also cook channa in correct amount of water and use that in cooking as the flavor of the spice will be in it. Since we are using the water wash the potato well and add to avoid any sand or dust.

Babay Potato Masalai

Ingredients:

• Baby Potato - 1/4 kg
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Garlic - 2 pods
• Red Chilli powder - 2 sp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 sp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 sp
• Methi Leaves - 1 sp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste

Method:

                                 

Pressure cook Baby Potatoes with salt and a spoon of chilli powder. Peel them and keep aside. If it is a little big cut into two.

Heat oil in a kadai add the crushed garlic along with the skin. add the sliced onion sauté well. Add the tomatoes and sauté  till the tomatoes are mashed and cooked. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. When the oil starts to separate add the potatoes, and toss well.

Keep it closed for 3 minutes.

Toss well and add the garam masala and sprinkle crushed methi leaves. Keep it in medium flame for a minute sauting it well.

Serve with chapathi or curd rice.

Parotta

Ingredients:

• Maida - 2 cup
• Oil - 1/2 cup
• Salt - 1 sp
• Sugar - 1/2 sp
• Water

Method:

Add the sugar and salt to maida mix well. Kneed it to a dough with little water. Once you kneed the dough well (15 minutes). apply oil over the ball and cover it with a wet cloth.
Leave it for a couple of hours


Then make it into small balls.
With oil spread the ball of dough to a very thin sheet with the tip of the fingers.
Then take it by holding a tip and pleet it like saree.
Whirl it and leave it covered for half an hour.
After half an hour take each ball and spread it with your finger tip to a round parotta. toast it in thava on both sides.
Crush them from the sides to separate the layers and give it a flaky look.
serve it with kuruma

Naan

• Ingredients:
• Maida - 2 cups
• Curd - 3 tbsp
• Yeast - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tb sp
• Baking powder - 1 sp
• Warm water - 3/4 cup

Method

In a cup put 1 tsp of yeast and pour the warm water mix and leave it closed.
In another bowl mix the maida, salt, sugar and baking powder.
Rub in the oil in it add the curd and mix with hand.
Now add the water with yeast and mix well. Kneed the dough well. If sticky apply oil in your fingers and palm and kneed for a minute and then leave it covered for about 3 hours. the dough will raise double.


Then make it into 6 to 8 balls dust the table with maida and roll it out with a rolling pin and toast the naan in the oven. or thava.
Apply butter and serve with paneer gravy or rajma or channa.

Parangikai puli kozhambu

Ingredients

• Yellow pumpkin - 250gm
• Small onions - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - 4 to 5 pods
• Red chilli - 2
• Pepper - 1 sp
• Fenugreek seed - 1 sp
• Split urudh dhal - 1 sp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 sp
• Tomato - 1
• Curry leaves - 2 strings
• Tamarind - 1 small ball
• Red chilli powder - 1 sp
• Coriander powder - 2 sp
• Oil - 2 tb sp
• Gingelly oil - 2 tb sp
• Salt to taste
• Jaggery - 1 sp

Method

Clean wash and cut yellow pumpkin into big pieces.
Peel small onions and garlic if they are big cut into two.
Heat both oil in a kadai season with pepper, fenugreek seed, split urudh dhal, red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves. add small onions and garlic and sauté well on high flame.
Once the onion turns slight brown add the pumpkins and sauté well. Keep the flame in medium and toss well.
In a bowl make a solution of tamarind and salt. Filter and add chilli powder and coriander powder to the solution. Also smash a tomato and puree it into the tamarind solution.
Once the pumpkin is almost cooked pour this content and let it boil. Check for spices and salt. add the jaggery.
Boil till the oil comes out.
This will be a little thick. serve for rice.

Note: If you want a little thin kuzhambu add little water or add little dhal or the water in which the dhal was cooked. you can add little more of gingelly oil also. Hot idlys with gingelly oil and parangikkai kuzhambu is the best combination.... 

Pongal

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 3/4 cup
• Green gram Dhal Paasi payaru - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 2 to 3 table spoon
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Pepper - 1 sp
• Jeera - 1 sp
• Green chilli - 2
• Cashew nuts - few
• Ginger - 1 small piece
• Ghee - 2 sp
• Curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method.

Pressure cook rice, dhal, salt and oil. (6 glass water for1 glass rice + dhal ). When well cooked open the cooker add the milk and keep stirring well.
Powder the pepper and jeera chop the green chillies and ginger.
Heat ghee fry cashew nuts add the powdered ingredients chopped ingredients and curry leaves  and mix it to the rice.
Serve with sambar Chutney

Note: Pongal is a heavy dish and to help digesting that we add ginger but some may not like to bite and chew ginger. so grate it and add or put the ginger in the rice while pressure cooking by slightly smashing it and then remove it once you open the cooker.

Sambar for Breakfast

Ingredients:
Green gram dhal - 1/2 cup
Small onions - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 big
Green chilli - 2 slit
Sambar powder - 2 sp (Any brand)
Turmeric powder - 1 sp
Asafoetida - 1/4 sp
Oil - 2 sp
Mustard - 1/2 sp
Split urudh dhal - 1/2 sp
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves
Salt

Method:

Pressure cook the dhal in water with turmeric powder and asafoetida. Cook well and mash the dhal.
In a kadai heat oil season with mustard, split urudh dhal, red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the peeled shallots (Small onions), green chillies and tomato. Sauté well till the onions are well cooked.
Pour a glass of water add the add sambar powder and salt and bring it to a boil. Now add the cooked and mashed dhal.
Add water if necessary simmer and bring it to a boil.

Note: This can go with Idly, Pongal Rava upma etc. This will be a little watery, you can also add a spoon of Kadala mavu (bengal gram flour) dissolved in water which will make the sambar thick. Also can add well cooked yellow pumpkin a piece or two which will improve flavor as well as the thickness.

Uppu Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

•         Rice flour – 1 cup
•        Small onions - handfull
•        Coconut – 2 tbsp
•     Mustard – 1 tsp
•          Urud Dhal – 1 tsp
•          Green  Chillies  - 2
•          Curry leaves – 2 strings
•          Slat – 1 tsp
•          Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Peel and slice the onions. Chop the curry leaves.

Keep the idly vessel ready, start pre heating it.

In a kadai pour two spoons of oil. Add the mustard and urud dhal when it pops add the curry leaves and small onions and green chilies. Mean while Keep 2 glass of water to boil.  Sauté it for a minute and then add the rice flour and salt. Add the grated coconut. Sauté for two minutes. Pour the boiling water into the kadai over the flour stirring well to prevent lumps.

While it is hot itself make round kozhukattais with hand. Apply little ginglee oil over the plam so that it will not. Do not make smooth balls. As you do the round balls of kozhukattai arrange them in the idly tray and bake for 10 minutes.

Chicken Fry

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1/2 kg
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Lemon - 1
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 sp
• Corn flour - 1 sp
• Salt
• Food color Red - 1 pinch (optional)
• Oil

Method

wash and clean chicken. Make slits if the pieces are bigger.

In a bowl marinate, Chicken with lime juice, curd, turmeric powder, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and a pinch of food color(Optional)

Leave it for 4 hours. sprinkle corn flour and mix just before frying. (Again corn flour is optional)Fry it in oil. you can also shallow fry in thava with few spoons of oil or brushing oil.

The more it is soaked more the taste.

Thengai sadham

Ingredients:

• Raw Rice - 1 cup
• coconut - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Green chillies - 3
• Curry leaves - 3 strings
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dhal (Kadalai Paruppu) - 2 tsp
• Cashew Nuts - 6 to 10
• Red chillies - 2
• Ghee - 1 sp

Method:

Cook rice with little salt, drain and spread in a plate. add a dash of oil so that the rice do not stick.

In a kadai heat oil and season with mustard, Bengal gram dhal, curry leaves, chopped green chillies, red chillies sauté for a minute.

Then add the grated coconut and toss it will. add the salt.

Put this mixture to the rice and toss well.

Fry cashew in ghee and add to it.

Note: you can also add 1/2 spoon of very finely chopped ginger. since coconut is heavy ginger will help in digestion how ever many may not like chewing ginger.

keppai puttu

Ingredients:

• Ragi flour (Keppai mavu) - 1 cup
• Coconut grated - 1/2
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 2 sp
• Cardamom powder

 Method:

Sprinkle water in the keppai mavu (Ragi flour) with a pinch of salt. and sieve it to avoid lumps. spread it on the idly maker and steam cook it. To know if it is cooked the color will change from light pinckish brown to a darker shade also taste a little so when cooked you wont feel the raw flour taste.

Once cooked add the grated coconut, sugar, ghee and cardamom powder and mix well.

This is a healthy snacks for kids as Keppai is good for health !

Inippu pidi Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Salt - 1 pinch

Method:

In a bowl mix the flour, grated coconut, sugar and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle water and make it a dough. Make
Kozhukattais with hand (with the impression of four fingers on one side of the kozhukattai). Apply ghee in the tray and arrange the kozhukattai and bake till done.

Karuppatti Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
• Karupatti - 1/4 cup
• ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:

Take the rice flour in a bowl.

With two spoons of water melt the karupatti over stove. Dry roast the sesame seed. Crush it between palms and add it to the flour. Filter and pour the karupatti pagu to the flour. Sprinkle water. Rub it along. Make kozhukattai. And bake in idly baking vessel. (apply ghee in the idly making tray so that it do not stick to the tray).

Note: too much of Karupatti pagu will make the kozhukattais hard and it will have a texture like that of raw uncooked flour.

chicken Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 1/2 kg
• Small onions - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - 5 to 6 pod
• Tomato - 1
• Tamarind - small ball
• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Kasa kasa - 1 sp
• Jeera - 1/2 sp
• Oil - 2 tb sp
• Cinnamon - 1" stick
• Bay leaf - 1
• Curry Leaves
• Split urudh dhal
• Fenugreek - 1/2 sp
• Red chilli - 2
• Chilli powder - 2 sp
• Dhania powder - 1 sp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Peal the onion and garlic. If they are big cut into two. Cut the tomatoes.
Wash and clean the chicken.
Heat oil in a cooker pan or a thick bottomed vessel. Season with split urudh dhal, fenugreek seed, red chilli, spices and curry leaves. Add the onions and garlic and sauté briskly on high flame.
Add the Chicken and toss well. Close and cook and stir ocassionaly. Add a little water as the chicken itself will let out water. Add the tomatoes.
When the chicken is cooked almost add the chilli powder turmeric powder dhania powder and salt. If needed add a little water.
When the chicken is completely cooked add little tamarind water.
Grind the coconut, Kasa kasa and Jeeragam into a paste with little water.
When the chicken is completely done check for salt and spice and pour this coconut paste an bring it to a boil. Serve for Biriyani, Rice or chapathi.

Note: If the chicken is hard the you may pressure cook and then add tamarind water. You can also avoid or lessen the quantity of coconut if you are diet conscious. You can also add few cashews to make it mire thick and rich. In this case add little more chilli powder as the cashew may take out the spiciness. 

Thengai Chutney

Ingredient:

• Coconut - 1/2
• Roasted Bengal gram dhal - 2 tb sp
• Green Chilli - 5 to 6
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 sp
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli - 1
• Curry leaves 

Method:

In a mixie blen grated coconut, Roasted bengal gram dhal (Pottu kadalai or odacha kadalai), green chillies and salt with little water. When it is ground to a paste pour the content in a serving bowl. Heat oil in a kadai or a ladle add the mustard urudh dhal, red chilli and curry leaves. Fry them and pour the content into the ground chutney.

Note: Chutney is a good combination with Idly, Dosai, Pongal, Upma, Vadai and Bajji There are lot of Variations that you can make with a simple coconut chutney.
1. You can avoid the bengal gram and use only coconut and green chilli as it will purely have coconut taste. Diet conscious people can reduce coconut and increase roasted bengal gram dhal.
2. You can also add few cashew nut while grinding the chutney as it gives a rich taste.
3. Instead of green chillies use red chillies it will give a nice flavor and color to the chutney slight orange shade.
4. While grinding the chutney add a pod of garlic, this gives a nice flavor but how ever many do not like the smell of garlic in it. please avoid taking chutney with garlic at night especially to avoid bad breath.
5. The other varion you can make is. While seasoning the chutney sauté few small onions slicing them along with mustard and urudh dhal.
6. You can also add a a hand full of ground nut with out skin instead of roasted bengal gram dhal.

vazhaipoo vadai

Ingredients:

Vazhaipoo - 1
Thoor dhal - 1 cup
Bengal gram dhal (Kadalai paruppu) - 1/4 cup or even less
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Small onion - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 10 strings
Coriander - a small bunch
Red chilli - 6 to 10
Jeera - 2 sp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste.

Method.

Clean the vazhai poo and keep aside.Soak both the dhals together for about half an hour.
Peal and slice the small onions into round slices.Chop the curry leaves and coriander.  Grate the coconut.
In a mixie run the jeera red chilli once, to this drain and add the dhal. No water. Blend it coarsely.
 Put the contents in a bowl. Run the vazhai poo in the mixie so that it is coarse and not  a paste. Put this along with the dhal.
Mash the onions with hand so that the layers come separately and put it with the contents. Add turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida, grated coconut, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
Check for salt.
Heat oil in a kadai make small ball and press it between palms and fry in hot oil.

Note: If the quantity of bengal gram dhal is much then the vadai gets harder. Increase in quantity of coconut may dissolve the vada when you drop it in oil. also soaking the dhal over night will give an dunplesant smell and hard and dry vada.

Avarakkai masalai

Ingredients:

• Hyacinth Beans (Avarakkai) - 200 gm
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Oil - 2 sp
• Garlic - 2 pod
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Split urudh Dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1 piece
• Curry leaf - 2 strings
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the avarakkai in thin pieces Boil in little water with salt. Heat oil in a kadai season it with spice, mustard, urudh dhal curry leaves and garlic. Then add the onions sauté for two minutes then add the tomatoes and sauté well till the tomatoes are cooked well add the chilli powder turmeric powder and salt. And cook well till the contents get pulpy. Now drain the avarakkai and add to it and cook well.

Note: For more taste you can grins 1/4 cup of coconut, 1/2 tsp of jeera and kasa kasa and add the paste to it. This will increase the volume make the consistency taste and look richer. 

Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 1/2 kg
• Pepper - 1 tb sp
• Salt - to taste
• Curry leaves - 6 strings
• Coconut oil - 4 tb sp
• Onion - 1
• Lime - 1

Method:

Wash and clean chicken. Slit the leg pieces. Powder the pepper in a mixie. Marinate the chicken with the powdered pepper, salt, lime juice, curry leaves. Leave it covered for an hour. In a kadai pour 3 table spoon of coconut oil and drop this chicken with the marination. close and cook then cook it open till the chicken is completely done. Slice the onion. In another pan pour the remaining oil and sauté this onion slices and curry leaves. fry till the onions are brown sprinkle a spoon of sugar over the onions. This gives a nice flavor and a glossy effect.
Put it over the chicken in the kadai and toss once. Serve this chicken for chapathi or basmathi rice.

Payaru vazhaipoo thoran

Ingredients:

• Green gram (Paasi payaru) - 1/4 cup
• Plantain flower (vazhai poo) - 1/2 cup
• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Small onion - 4 to 6
• Curry leaves - 3 strings
• coconut oil - 2 tbsp
• green chilli - 4 to 6
• Jeera - 2 tsp
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• salt to taste

Method:

cook the green gram in water with salt. do not over cook. take the inner part of the vazhai poo and chop well. put little salt and a dash of coconut oil mix and keep. When the green gram is cooked (See to it there is very little water) add this chopped vazhai poo in it and toss well. close and cook for 3 minutes. 

grind coconut, green chilli, geera and turmeric powder coarsely. Turn off the stove and add the ground coconut and toss. put the curry leaves and pour the coconut oil. serve with rice or kanji or even for chapathi.

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
• Water - 1 3/4 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Aginomotto - 1 pinch
• Carrots - 1/4 cup
• Beans 1/4 cup
• Onion - 1 small
• Cabbage - 2 leaves
• Capsicum - 1/2
• Egg - 2 nos
• oil - 2 tbsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Pepper powder - 1 sp
• Vinegar - few drops

Method:

soak the rice in measured amount of water and salt in a cooker. Add the chopped carrots and beans. Pour two spoons of oil and a pinch of aginomotto in the rice. Close the cooker and leave it on sim for 15 min with out weight.
In a kadai melt butter add the chopped onions, salt pepper and aginomotto and sauté for a minute. Then add cabbage followed by capsicum and turn off the stove. Take this contents in a plate.
Heat the kadai again melt butter. In a bowl beat the egg with little salt, pepper and vinegar. Pour the egg in the kadai and scramble nicely. Now mix the vegetable egg and rice together.

Kathirikai Aviyal

This is also called as kallaveetu aviyal.... it is a dish to accompain Idly or Dosa or Chapathi fo rebreak fast as well as dinner.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal - 4
• Potato - 2
• Tomato - 2
• Onion - 2
• Chilli powder - 1 sp
• Salt to taste
• Pepper - 1 sp
• Oil - 1tb sp

For the paste

• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Kasa Kasa - 2 sp
• Split roasted bengal gram (Pottu Kadalai) - 2 tbsp

Method:

Cut all the vegetables into square pieces.Heat oil in a kadai. Season with pepper and curry leaves. Add the onions and sauté it well. Add the brinjal and potato sauté for 2 to 3 minutes then add the tomatoes. Sauté till the vegetables are cooked add chilli powder and salt and cook till the raw smell of chilli powder goes. Then pour a glass of water and bring it to boil. Allow it to boil for 3 to 5 min then add the ground paste. Bring it to a boil and tun off the stove.

Note: Peel the potatoes and put it in water. Same way put the brinjal also in water as you cut them to avoid blackening.

Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients:

• Onion - 1
• Potato - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Carrot - 1/2 cup
• Beand - 1/2 cup
• Peas - 1/2 cup
• Cauliflower - 1/2 cup
• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Green chilli - 5 to 8
• Cumin seed - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 sp
• Turmeric powder 1 sp
• Coriander - 1/2 bunch
• Curry leaves
• Bay leaf
• Cinnamon
• Salt to taste

Method:

Cut all the vegetables into small squares. Break the cauliflower into small florets, boil water blanch the florets with little salt drain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a cooker pan add the spices and curry leaves followed by onions. sauté it for a minute. Then add the vegetables, peas and cauliflower. Sate for 3 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
When the tomatoes are cooked add coriander powder turmeric powder and salt. Pour a glass of water and add half the coriander leaves. Close the cooker and pressure cook for a whistle.
Grind Coconut, cumin seed green chillies and coriander leaves.
Open the cooker allow it to boil and pour this ground paste. Bring it to boil and turn off immediately.

Note: If you let it boil for a longer time after adding the coconut paste the coconut may churn and float like foam on top surface. This goes good with chapathi, poori, parotta or biriyani. Change the consistency as per you need.

Sambar for Breakfast

This sambar is usually called pachadi in our native. Its for breakfast to accompain Idli, Dosa, Upmas, Pongal or Idiyappam. Its called pachadi when green gram dhal (Paasi paruppu ) is used and sambar when thoor dhal is used. Some people adds both the dhal equally so just to increase quantity.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal - 3
• Potato - 1
• Onion - 1
• Tomato -1
• Green chillies - 6 to 10
• Green gram dhal - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1tbsp
• Tamarind - a small ball
• Salt - to taste
• Mustard - 1/2 ts
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli - 2
• Asafoetisda - 2 pinch
• Coriander leaves 
• Curry leaves

Method:

Pressure cook dhal with turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Cut brinjal, potato, tomato and onion in small pieces. Slit the green chillies. When the dhal is cooked open the cooker and put all the cut vegetables add a glass of water and pressure cook for two whistles.
Open the cooker and let it boil. Make a solution of tamarind and salt and pour into the sambar.
In a kadai heat oil add all the seasoning stuffs along with curry leaves and asafoetida. Once the mustard splutters pour the sambar in it and bring it to a boil.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: If you feel the sambar has gone little thin (Watery) dissolve a spoon full of idly batter in very little water and add it to the sambar when it boils.

potato fry

Ingredients:

• Potato - 2 large
• Garlic - 1 pod
• Mustard  1/2 tsy
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 string
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small squares. Heat oil in a kadai and season with mustard and urudh dhal add the crushed garlic and curry leaves. Add the potatoes and sauté for a minute.
Then add the chilli powder turmeric powder and salt.
Sauté till the color changes to golden yellow and the potatoes are completely cooked.

Note: Put the potato in water after you peel it and also the cut potatoes in water. When you are about to put it in the kadai drain it from water and put. And no water to cook potato this way. This hardly takes 5 min to cut and 5 min to cook.

Paal Kozhukattai

Ingretiends:

• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Jaggery - 3/4 cup
• Green gram dhal - 1/2 cup
• Milk - 2 cup
• Elachi - 2
• salt - 1 tsp

Method:

Cook the green gram dhal (Paasi paruppu ) well in water. Mash it well.

Run the coconut coarsely in mixe. Take a bowl and mix the flour, salt and the coconut. Add little water as the coconut may have water content. Make a dough. Make small small kozhukattai like pills (Tablets).

Keep the dhal boiling, Pour the milk in it. Keep stirring. When it is boiling nicely drop the kozhukattai in it. Do not mix it as soon as you put as it may break the kozhukattai. After a minute leave a flat ladle preferably Dosa ladle do not stir or sauté scrape the vessel from the bottom so that you don't disturb the kozhukattai. 

Now grate the jaggery or break them into small pieces and mix it inside the boiling dal milk and kozhukattai.

Season with elachi powder.

Note: If you feel that there may be dust and sand in jaggery, Crush the jaggery and heat it with little water (say less than 1/4 glass). When the jaggery dissolves leave it to settle and filter and pour it into the kozhukattai. Instead of milk if you add coconut milk the taste will be really yummy.

Thayir vadai

Ingredients:

• Curd - 2 cups
• Vada - 4
• Small onions - 4
• Oil - 2 sp
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 string
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch
• Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Method:

Boil water in a vessel. Drop the vadas in it. Take it out and press slightly to squeeze the water out. In a bowl beat the curd well. Heat oil in a pan add the mustard, asafoetida, curry leaves. Once the mustard splutters then add the sliced small onions and saute for a minute. Pour this in the curd. Arrange the vadas in a palte and cover it with this curd. It has to soak well for atleast an hour to taste better.

Note: The remaining vadas can be made as thayir vada, and the process of dropping it in hot water helps to take away the oil from the vada. 

Vadai

Vadai a native favorite dish of south India also known as Ulundhu Vadai is an often snack at ma home. It is always served in the morning accompanying Breakfast.

Ingredients:

• Urudh Dhal - 1 cup
• Green Chilli - 2
• Small onions - 1/2 cup
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
• Curry leaves - 3 strings
• Salt - to taste
• Oil

Method:

Soak urudh dhal for half and hour. In a grinder grind the urudh dhal and the green chilli. Do not pour much water. Just sprinkle water now and then. 

grind it smooth and fluffy add salt when it is almost ground.

Slice the small onions very thin. Chop the coriander and curry leaves.

Add the onion, coriander and curry leaves in the batter by mashing with hand. Mix well.

Dip your hand in water take a ball of the batter, press it like a patty with your thumb, make a whole with the thumb and drop it in hot oil. If you are not comfortable doing it with hand, take a polythene sheet or probably a milk cover, take a ball of the batter keep on it make a patty and a whole take it and put it in oil.

When cooked for about half a minute turn over the other side. Turn it twice or so till it is golden yellow color and the bubbles cease drain and take it out.

Note: Do not pour much water when you grind as it may absorb lot of oil. In that case add a spoon or two rice flour mix and then make the vada. Even when you leave the batter out for a long time and make vada it will absorb oil. So if you feel there is too much of batter keep it immediately in the freezer as soon as you grind it. To add more taste you can also add a table spoon of grated carrot also.

Pongal

Ingredients:

• Raw Rice - 1 cup
• Green gram dhal (Paasi paruppu) - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Salt - to taste 
• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - 10
• Pepper - 2 tsp
• Jeera - 2 tsp
• Green chilli - 1
• Ginger - 1/2" piece
• Curry leaves

Method:

Wash and clean rice and dhal. In a cooker pour 5 glasses of water for 1 glass of rice and the dhal. and cook it. Add the oil and salt when it starts boiling. Cook well till all the rice is cooked and water is absorbed. Keep stirring it. 

Blend pepper and jeera coarsely. In a kadai heat ghee fry the cashew nuts, drain and keep aside. In the remaining ghee add the whole pepper, chopped green chillies, ginger, crushed pepper and jeera and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute and mix it into the pongal. Add the fried cashew nuts also with it.

Note: You can also pressure cook the pongal but the rice will be whole and not mashed. People who do not like to chew on ginger when you cook the rice and dhal drop in a whole piece of ginger and take it out after it is cooked. Pongal is a heavy dish and the ginger helps in easy digestion. And if you don't add whole pepper just add crushed pepper alone.

Parangikai Puli Kuzhambu

This is to be served with rice, the vegetable side dish to accompain this could be some this less spicy like cabbage or beans or carrot poriyal. This kuzhambu will taste good only when it is spicy, for that matter any Puli Kuzhambu. And it will be yummy to have with hot idly with ginglee oil over the idlies.


Ingredients:

• Yellow Pumpkin - 500 gm
• Tamarind - a lemon sized
• Rock Salt - 2 tsp
• Small Onions - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - 5 - 6 pods
• Tomato - 1
• Kuzhambu chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Split urudh dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Fenukreek - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli - 2
• Curry leaves - 2 strings
• Oil - 4 tb sp
• Jaggery - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Cut the yellow pumpkin into cubes. Take the skin off.

Peel the onions and garlic. If they is big then cut into two else keep it whole.

In a kadai pour the oil, season it with urudh dhal, fenugreek, pepper, red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves.

Then add the onions and garlic. Keep in high and sauté briskly. Now add the pumpkin pieces. Hold the vessel with cloth and toss once every five minutes. Sauting with a ladle may break the pumpkin pieces.

In a bowl pour water to the tamarind and salt. Make solution of it. Darin and squeeze and mash the tomato in it. To that add Kuzhambu chilli powder, Turmeric powder and chilli powder to it. Mix with a spoon and check for salt and spice.

Mean while keep tossing the pumpkin so that it gets cooked well. You can close it with a lid and also cook from half way.

When it is cooked 3/4th pour the tamarind and spice solution into the kadai. Add water if needed the pumpkins must be immersed. Let it to boil well till the oil comes and floats on top and it thickens.

Add the grater jaggery to it, let it to boil for another 5 minutes and turn off.

Note: You can add a little of gingelly oil if you feel it is too spicy, that will also add taste to the kuzzhambu. Adding jaggery is optional. For Kuzhambu chilli powder you can refer my Kuzhambu podi recipe. Other wise Add 2 tsp of chilli powder and 3 tsp of coriander powder.

Paneer Tikka

Ingredients:

To marinate

• Paneer - 200gm (1 pack)
• Sour Curd - 1/2 cup
• Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Food Color (red) - 1 pinch
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Other ingredients:

• Onion
• Tomato
• Capsicum
• Lemon
• Oil or butter
• Tooth pics

Method:

Soak the paneer in water for 15 minutes. Keep the block of paneer on a towel for few minutes. Beat the curd well and pour in a cup, flavor that with Chilli powder, salt, food color, ginger garlic paste, mix well. Cut the paneer into 2" square pieces of 3 to 4 mm thick. Dip each piece in the curd mix and lay it on another plate. Cover it and let it to stay for a minimum of half an hour to one hour.

Cut the onions into square pieces. De seed the capsicum and tomato and cut into square pieces. in a thava pour a spoon of oil or a knob of butter and sauté these onions tomato and capsicum well sprinkling a little salt over it.

In the same thava add few drops of oil or butter and lay the paneer along with the marination over it. turn on both sides and cook till it browns. Brush oil when needed.

In tooth picks arrange paneer, onion, tomatoes and capsicum alternatively.

Squeeze lemon and serve with mint chutney.

Stir fried Spicy Baby Corn

Ingredients:

• Baby Corns - 10
• Onion - 1
• Capsicum - 1
• Red Chilli Sauce - 1 tbsp
• Tomato Puree - 1 tbsp
• Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
• Garlic - 1 pod
• Green Chilli - 1
• Aginomotto - 1 pinch
• Corn Flour - 1 tsp + 1 tbsp
• Butter - 1 knob
• Salt to taste

Method:

Clean the baby corn and slit them length wise into four piece.

Cut the onions and capsicum length wise. Chop finely or grate the garlic

Melt butter in a pan add the chilli flakes and garlic sauté for a minute. Add the onions and chilli, sauté till light brown.

In another pan melt a little butter. Take the baby corn in a plate and sprinkle the cornflour mix well using fingers. Sauté till golden yellow in the melted butter.

To the onions add the sauces, salt and aginomotto, mix well.

Now toss in the corn and capsicum into it. Dissolve one tea spoon of corn flour in 1 table spoon of water and sprinkle. heat it not more than a minute as the flour may start to stick on the pan and burn.

Maavu urundai

Ingredients:

For the flour

• Paasi paruppu (Green gram dhal) - 1 kg
• Raw rice - 1 cup

To make the urundai

• Flour - 1 cups
• Ghee - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 cups

Method:

Dry roast the dhal in a kadai. Take care that it is not overly roasted. Initially keep in high flame and keep stirring, then simmer it. Roast till the smell of the dhal begins to disperse in the air. When you over roast to brown color the taste of the final dish goes bad. 

Same way roast the rice also. 

Now cool it and give in a shop and get it ground to a fine powder.

See to that it is only rice and not any other ingredients was run through the machine, as that flavor or color may be imparted on the maavu urundai flour. Its always better you take 1/2 kg of rice and run through the machine before grinding the flour for maavu urundai.

Once ground to a fine powder, Sieve it in a sieve to a fine powder.

Once cooled and air dried put it in an air tight container and store for later use.

Take one cup of the flour in a basin. Grind sugar to a fine powder in a mixe and measure one cup. Now sieve the flour and sugar together so that they blend well. Heat the ghee slightly. Sprinkle spoon full of ghee in a small area of the flour and rub gently. Gather the flour with the ghee and press to make a ball. Repeat this for the remaining flour.

Store the urundais made in an air tight container.

Note: Making maavu urundai may seem easy, and yes it is actually easy but one have to be very careful while roasting the dhal and rice, and see to that rice has been ground in the machine before you grind the flour. And do not pour the ghee all together. You should not make it as a chapathi dough as it will not form a firm round ball if the ghee is too much as the ghee melts the shape may keep changing. So you have to only rub the fat in the flour. Gather the flour and make a ball. 

Kothumai Dhosai

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Small onion - 3 to 4
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Oil
• Salt
• water

Method.

                                      

To the wheat flour add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water and salt in a bowl and mix well. If needed use your hand to break the lumps. 

Peel and slice the onion. In a kadai add a spoon of oil and let the mustard splutter. Then add the sliced onions and sauté well. Add this to the wheat flour batter.

Heat the dosa thava and pour a ladle full of batter spreading it well as you pour. Remember we are not going to spread it with the ladle as for the normal dosa. pour a spoon of oil.When cooked on one side and turn over and cook on the other side.

Note: The higher the number of holes in the dosa the crispier it gets, for which the batter should be loose. The kodhumai dosai tastes good with Red Chutney. (Refer Milagai thuvayal )

vegetable Au Gratin

Ingredients:

• Carrots - 100 gm
• Beans -  100 gm
• Cabbage - 3 leaves
• Capsicum - 1
• Mushroom - 4 to 6
• Cooked Noodles - 1/4 cup
• Tomato Ketchup - 6 tbsp
• Red chilli sauce - 2tbsp
• Cheese - 2 cubes
• Mozeralla Cheese - 3/4 cup
• Bread crumbs - 4 tbsp
• Butter - 1 knob
• Salt
• Pepper

For the white Sauce:

• Butter 1 tbsp
• Corn flour - 1 tbsp
• Milk 1 cup
• Salt and pepper - to taste

Method:

Cut the carrots into thin slices of one inch long. Cut the beans as strips of one inch. Boil carrot, beans and cabbage in little water with salt. Drain and keep aside.

De seed the capsicum and cut into thin strips.

Cut the mushrooms into 4 pieces. In a pan melt butter and slightly brown the mushrooms in it.

Make the white sauce. In a thick bottomed pan melt butter add the corn flour and stir well till bubbles come. Simmer the stove add the milk all at once and stir well lumps may form. Shred one cube cheese and add along with milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Butter a baking dish. Layer it with a thin layer of white sauce. Layer with one vegetable, followed by tomato ketchup (mix red chilli sauce along with this), noodles, other vegetable, mushroom, next vegetable and then pour all the white sauce evenly over it. Cover with grated mozzarella cheese and sprinkle the bread crumbs over it.

Bake at 180 degree celcius till the bread crumbs brown slightly. else micro wave it in grill or combination till the cheese melts.

Note: Salt to the dish is added in the sauce and in the vegetables. Do not boil capsicum. You can also flavor with oregano in the white sauce which will impart a beautiful smell. The mushroom is optional as are the vegetables. \You can also add potatoes if you like it with cheese. Increasing the quantity of white sauce after every layer of vegetables and also cheese improves the taste. But diet conscious people should avoid making Au Gratin often. This is a heavy dish. So it could be served for lunch or dinner.

Malli Sadham

Ingredients:

• Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
• Coriander leaves - 1 Bunch
• Onion - 1/4 cup
• Ginger - 1/2" piece
• Small Onions - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - 2 pod
• Green chillies - 4
• Tomato - 1/2
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamomk - 1
• Cinamon - 1"
• Bay leaf - 1
• cumin seed - 1 tsp

Method:

Soak Basmathi rice in 1 3/4 cup of water for 15 min.

Wash and clean coriander leaves. Grind coriander leaves, ginger, green chillies and cumin seed to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a cooker add the spices. Crush the garlic and add with the skin. Add the chopped onion and sauté for a minute. Add the chopped  tomato and cook till the tomatoes are cooked. Now add the ground paste and cook till the raw smell changes.

Add the rice along with the soaked water. Add salt Mix well. Close the cooker and simmer for 15 minutes without weight.

Turn off the stove and put the weight. Open after 10 minutes. 

Garnish with fried cashews and coriander leaves. Serve hot with Raitha.

Note: The onion and tomato are just for flavor add a very small tomato or half. and half onion is more than enough. For more taste and flavor add a spoon of ghee with the oil.

French Fries

Ingredients:

• Potatoe - 3
• Corn flour - 6 tb sp
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Oil to fry

                                     

Method:

Peel and cut the potatoes into long strips. Soak it in salt water for 2 minutes. Take it out and pat dry on kitchen towel.

In a dry plate put the dried potato strips sprinkle salt and pepper and corn flour. Mix with fingers so that the flour coats the potatoes. Do not add water.

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the potato fingers. Keep the flame high while frying. When it turns to golden color drain and take it out of the oil. Serve hot with Tomato Ketchup.

Note: You can also Indianise the fries with Indian flavor by using Chilli powder instead of Pepper or Chilli flakes, little methi leaves, or crushed or dried pudhina leaves.