Kothavarangai/Cluster beans Parupu Usili

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

=========

• Cluster beans - 250 grams
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Chana dal - 50 grams
• Tuar dal - 50 grams
• Green chillies - 2
• Red chillies - 2 to 3
• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:

======

• Soak Chana dal and Tuar dal in water for half an hour.
• Drain excess water completely.Add asafoetida,red & green chillies ,soaked dals in a mixer,half of salt and grind into a coarse mixture.(Just Pulse them twice/thrice in the mixer...like a parupu vadai)
• Make them into flat vadas and steam in an idly plate for 15 min.(You can also microwave on high for 7 min).
• Add the cooked dal mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool completely.
• Split them without lumps with your hands.(Or pulse it in a mixer just once)
• Wash the beans,remove ends and chop into very small pieces.(say 5 mm)
• Add water just to immerse the chopped beans in a kadai.
• Cook covered with turmeric powder and rest of salt till the veggies become tender.(Add salt after the veggies are half cooked).Drain excess water if any.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds,curry leaves.
• When it splutters,add the dal mixture and saute on a low flame till the dal mixture becomes very fine granules without lumps and gets roasted.(If you are using normal kadai,keep sauting without a stop and take away those stuck to the kadai with the spatula every now and then).
• Add the cooked cluster beans and saute for 5 min.

Serve hot with rice and Sambar/More kootan or any kozhambu.

The same thing can be prepared with normal french beans as well.

Green chutney for Sago wada

Ingredients:

=========

• Cilantro /Coriander leaves - 2 small bunches
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Roasted Peanut powder - 1 tsp
• Tamarind - a half inch piece
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Curd - 4 tsp

Method:

======

• Grind together all the ingredients except curd into a fine paste with little water.
• Add curd and mix well.

Serve with Sago wada.

Sago/Sabudana wada

I got this recipe from Tee's blog.Made slight variation to it.It was really yummy.

Ingredients:

=========

• Sabudana/Sago - 200 grams
• Potato - 1 big
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 4 to 5 tsp of chopped leaves
• Salt - to taste
• Roasted peanut powder - 3 tbsp(Dry roast the groundnuts,clear off the skin and grind to a fine powder in a mixer)
• Jeera - 1 tsp,crushed between palms
• Lemon juice - just 1 tsp
• Oil - for deep frying
• Green chillies /cayanne pepper - as per taste(3 to 4)

Method:

======

• Rinse the sago with water twice and soak them for 5 to 6 hours.Add water just to immerse the sago.After 6 hours,it would have puffed up and will be soft to touch.
• Drain the excess water completely .
• Pressure cook the potato,peel off the skin and mash well.(Do not over cook.Just leave 2 whistles on a high flame)
• Add soaked sago,potato,salt,lemon juice,cilantro,jeera,roasted peanut powder,green chillies/cayanne pepper in a wide opened vessel and mix well.
• (While making round balls out of it,it should not stick to your hand.Add roasted peanut powder ,if needed to get the consistency.But too much of it will make the vada extremely crispy.)

• Make round balls or flat vada or any shape you need.

• Heat oil in a kadai.When its medium hot,drop the balls gently into it and fry on a low flame till it becomes golden brown.

• Put them on a tissue paper to drain excess oil.

Serve medium hot with green chutney.

People in Maharashtra eat this during fasting.If you wish add finely chopped onions.But adding onions requires immediate deep frying once the dough is made.

Cucumber-Peas Idly

Ingredients:

=========

• Idly batter - for 30 idlies
• Rava/sooji - 2 laddle full(2 karandi)
• Rice flour - 1 laddle full(1 larandi)
• Salt - to taste
• Cucumber ` - 2 to 3 big
• Peas - 1 handful
• Green chillies - 4 to 5
• Ginger - a 1 inch piece
• Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
• Sour curd - as per taste
• Ghee - for greasing the plate
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
• coconut,shredded - 3 tbsp(optional)

Method:

======

• Peel off the skin of cucumber ,take away the seeds(if its not tender) and chop them roughly.
• Grind together chopped cucumber,green chillies,ginger,coconut,coriander leaves into a paste using a mixer.
• Add the ground paste to the idly batter.This may loosen the consistency.
• So add rava,salt and rice flour to get back the idly batter consistency.
• Add peas and sour curd to the batter.
• Heat oil in a tadka pan.Add asafoetida and mustard seeds.When it splutters,add it to the batter.
• Mix the batter well.
• Grease the idly plate witha drop ghee and pour 3/4 of a laddle of batter.
• 
• Steam for 10 min.

Yummy cucumber-peas idly is ready.Serve with molagapodi/Tomato-onion chutney/Idly sambar.

Tip:

===

• Do not take away the idlis from the idly plate when its hot.Allow it to cool down little bit.
• Sprinkle little water on the idlis and then take away the idlis.
• After taking away 2 idlis,dip the spatula in water and start taking again.This prevents the idlis from sticking to the plate.

Butter Corn with Italian seasoning

Ingredients:

=========

• Frozen American corn/Fresh American corn - 500 grams
• Cooking Butter/Salted butter - 2 tbsp
• Salt In case of cooking butter - to taste
• Pepper powder - 1 to 2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp
• Italian seasoning - to sprinkle

Method:

======

• In case of fresh corn,separate the corn kernels .
• Cook covered in a kadai with little water(just enough to immerse the corn) .
• Do not add excess water and strain it as the taste of corn goes away with water.Add little water and cook till it is sucked by corn.
• If you feel its not cooked,add little more water again.But normally the corn will be cooked in 5-10 min.
• Heat butter in a kadai.Add the cooked corn,salt,pepper and saute well for 5 sec on low flame.
• Switch off.Sprinkle italian seasoning(as per your taste) and add lemon juice.

Serve hot.

Tip: If you have a microwave you can cook the corn in that too.

You can try out various flavors like corn with Pepper and lemon alone,corn with butter and salt,corn with chat masala...

Tomato-Onion chutney

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

=========

• Tomato ,chopped - 5 medum sized
• Onion,chopped - 2 medium sized
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Ginger - 1 half inch piece
• Tamarind - a very small piece(like a 50 p coin)
• Jaggery - a pinch
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Ingredients:

=========

• Add tomatoes,onions,green chillies,ginger,tamarind,jaggery,salt,turmeric powder in a mixer and grind to a fine paste.
• Heat oil in a kadai,Add asafoetida,curry leaves and mustard seeds.When it splutters,add the ground paste and saute till the raw smell goes off and the gravy becomes thick.

Tip:Cook covered and saute in between as the tomato gravy starts popping out .

Serve with Idly/Dosa/Kozhakattai.

Koozh Dosai

Ingredients:

=========

• Idly rice/Par-boiled rice(Puzhungal arisi) - 150 grams
• coconut ,shredded from - half of a medium sized coconut(optional...I did not use ` here.But it enhances the taste.You can also coconut milk instead of shredded coconut)
• Salt - to taste

Method:

======

• Wash and soak the rice for 3 to 4 hours.
• Grind into a fine paste with water in a mixer.The consistency should be like an idly batter.
• Wash the mixer with 2 glass of water and pour that water into a kadai.Add 1 laddle of batter to it.
• Keep stirring on a low flame till you get a paste like koozh.(as shown below).Set aside to cool.
• Add the koozh to the ground paste..
• Add salt,shredded coconut,water or coconut milk to the ground paste and mix well.The consistency should be like rava dosa batter.

If using coconut milk,add only 2 tbsp of shredded coconut.

• Heat a skillet and pour a laddle of batter from outside to inside like a rava dosa.Add 1 tsp oil across the dosa and cook on medium flame.
• Turn it over and cook on other side too.

Serve hot with Tomato-onion chutney/Molagapodi.

Inji Mangai Pisaral(Ginger-Mango Mix)

This recipe serves two .Can be made in large quantity and stored in fridge up to a week.

Ingredients:

========

• Raw Mango                                        -                       1 big 
• Ginger                                                 -                       1 big piece ,say 100 grams
• Salt                                                     -                        to taste
• Lemon juice                                        -                        2 to 3 tbsp(depending on the sourness of                            mango)
• Green chillies                                       -                        2
• Asafoetia                                             -                       1/2 tsp
• Oil                                                       -                       1 tsp
• Mustard seeds                                     -                       1 tsp

Method:
======

• Peel off  the skin of ginger and chop it into very small pieces,say length 3mm.
• Chop the mango and green chillies into very small pieces,say 3 mm.(Do not peel off the skin of mango).
• Add salt,lemon juice(as per the taste) ,green chillies,ginger and mango pieces into a bowl and mix well .
• Heat oil in a tadka pan.Add mustard seeds and asafoetida.When mustard seeds splutter,pour into the bowl and mix well.

Enjoy with curd rice.

Pudina Paratha

This recipe can make 10 parathas.

Ingredients:

=========

• Wheat flour - 1 heaped laddle for 1 paratha(so here 10 laddles)
• Mint leaves - 5 bunches
• Salt - to taste
• Red chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Ajwain/carom seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil -
• Butter -
• Chat Masala powder - 1 to 2 tsp

Method:

======

Dough:

=====

• Wash mint leaves well and separate the leaves.
• Chop the leaves of 3 bunches finely.
• Add the chopped leaves,red chilli powder,ajwain,salt,1 tsp of oil to the wheat flour and add warm water.(Quantity of water:55% of the wheat flour).Knead into a soft dough.
• Cover with a moist cloth and set aside for half an hour.

Powder:

======

• Pat dry rest of the mint leaves.
• Heat a kadai and lightly roast the dried mint leaves.
• Set aside to cool and grind to a fine powder.
• Mix chat masala powder to the ground mint powder and mix well.Set aside.

Paratha:

======

• Make round balls from the dough each of diameter,say 3cm.

• Just press it between your palms and rub both the sides on wheat flour .
• Spread into a roti of diameter say 9 cm.

• Smear little oil /butter evenly across the roti.

• Roll it into a fan and coil it like a snail as shown.

• Just press it again between your palms,rub on wheat flour and spread again into a roti.

• The above process is done for getting the layers in the paratha.
• Repeat the process for each of the ball and start making parathas with the spreads that were rolled initially.

• Heat a tava/skillet and put the roti.When dots appear,flip it over .Spread little oil on both sides and cook on both sides till it gets brown patches.Cut into two halves if you wish.
• Sprinkle the powder(mint+chat masala) on hot parathas.
• Just before serving crush the parathas between your palms to open up the layers.
• Serve hot with curd and pickle.

Yummy Parathas are ready with a mint flavour.

Bread Upma

Ingredients:

=========

• Bread - half a loaf
• Tomatoes,finely chopped - 3 big
• Onions,finely chopped - 3
• Green chillies ,chopped - 3
• Ginger,finely chopped - 1 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Chana dal - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• Salt - to taste
• Baby corn,chopped into thin round slices- 2(optional)

Method:

======

• Tear down the bread slices into small pieces roughly as shown below.

• Heat Oil in a kadai and add asafoetida,mustard seeds.
• When it splutters,add chana dal and saute till it turns brown.
• Add curry leaves,green chillies,ginger,onions and saute till it turns transparent.
• Add baby corn, tomatoes with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.
• Saute till raw smell goes off.
• On a low flame,add the bread pieces and mix well.Saute for 2 min.

Serve hot.

Mezhukupuratti (with yam and Raw Banana)

Ingredients:

=========

• Yam - 1/2kg
• Raw Banana - 1 big
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Coconut Oil - 3 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 3
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

======

• Cut the veggies into cubes and cook covered for 5 to 10 min in very little water with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.Stir occasionally with a flat spatula.Do not mash the veggies.

• Heat coconut oil in a non-stick kadai and add mustard seeds.
• When it splutters,add asafoetida powder,curry leaves and red chillies and saute for a sec.
• Add the cooked veggies and allow it to get roasted on a low flame.

Serve with rice and morekootan.

Purple cabbage Sandwich

Ingredients:

=========

• Sandwich Bread - 1 loaf
• Purple cabbage - 1/4 or 1/2
• Capsicum - 1 (green/red/yellow)
• Salt - to taste
• Pepper - 2 to 3 tsp
• mayonnaise - 2 to 3 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Tomato ketchup - (optional)
• Butter - for toasting

Method:

======

• Chop purple cabbage and capsicum into very fine pieces.
• Add salt,pepper,mayo,lemon juice to the chopped veggies and mix well.
• Apply little butter on the inner side of bread,spread 2 tsp of cabbage filling and add 1/2 tsp of tomato ketchup on top.

• Cover with another slice of bread and toast well with little butter/ghee.
• Cut diagonally and Serve hot.

Mint,corn & Peas Pulao with Soya chunks

Soya is very rich in protein .There are lots of dishes that can be made with Soya.It can be added to any pulao too.Here is my version of a pulao that has mint,potato,peas ,corn and ofcourse the SOYA CHUNKS.

This recipe serves 3.

Ingredients:

=========

• Rice(Sona Masuri/Basmati) - 200 grams
• Onions - 2 medium sized
• Peas - 1 handful
• Potato - 1 big
• Corn shells - 1 handful
• Tomato - 1
• Fresh Mint leaves - 3 small bunches
• Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch
• Coconut shredded - 1 tbsp
• Soya chunks - 20
• Cashews - 5
• Ghee - 3 tsp
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - a 1 inch piece
• Elachi - 2
• Bay leaf - 1
• Shai Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• sugar - 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp
• ginger garlic paste - a pinch
• green chillies - 3
• Pepper powder,garam masala powder - 3/4 tsp,each
• turmeric powder - a pinch

Method:

======

• Wash and soak the rice in water for 2 hours.Drain excess water.
• Heat a tsp of ghee in a hard bottomed pressure cooker.Add little chopped onions and saute till they turn pink.Add the soaked rice and saute for 5 min so that the rice becomes dry.Set aside.
• Separate mint leaves & coriander leaves from stem and wash well.
• In a mixer,add mint leaves,coriander leaves,tomato,rest of onion,coconut and little water.Grind to a fine loose paste.
• Heat a tsp of ghee in the same cooker,add shahi jeera,jeera,cloves,cinnamon,elachi,bay leaf and saute for 5 sec.
• Add green chillies,peas,corn,potato slices,ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off.
• Add the ground paste,turmeric powder,pepper powder,salt,sugar,garam masala powder and saute till the raw smell goes off.
• Now add water(for 1 cup of rice add 1 cup of water).But since the ground paste is also watery,add only little water so that (Ground watery paste + little water = 1 cup ).
• Add soya chunks and mix well.Now add the rice and mix well.
• Pressure cook the above contents.(One whistle on a high flame and switch off in 5 min exactly).
• Heat a tsp of ghee and roast the cashews till golden brown and garnish the pulao.Add lemon juice and mix well.

Serve hot with Onion raitha.

Onion Chutney

This chutney goes very well with Idli /Dosa ,but above all its tastes best when had with moreappam.

This recipe serves 3.

Ingredients:

=========

• Onions,chopped - 4 to 5 big
• Tamarind - a small piece,may be length 1 cm
• Jaggery - 1/2 tsp(if powdered)
• Salt - to taste
• Red chilli - 3 to 4
• Pottukadali/Roasted gram - 2 tsp

For tempering:

===========

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal,split - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

======

• Grind all the ingredients into a fine paste in a mixer.(If its too thick ,then add just 2 tbsp of water and grind).
• Heat oil in a kadai ,add mustard seeds.When it splutters ,add urad dal,asafoetida,red chilli,curry leaves and saute till urad dal becomes brown.
• Add the ground paste and saute for 5 to 10 min till the raw smell of onion goes off.

Serve with Moreappam.

Moreappam/Kuzhi paniyaram

Moreappam is an excellent snack that is made of sour dosa batter that is 5 to 6 days old.When the dosa batter gets sour after a week ,it can be transformed into an yummy snack with little tadka and sour curd/buttermilk.You need a special vessel and spatula as shown in the pics below.

Ingredients:

=========

• Old dosa batter -
• Sour curd/buttermilk - 2 to 3 tbsp or 1/4 glass
• Coconut gratings - 1 tbsp
• Ginger,finely chopped - 1/2 tbsp
• Green chillies ,finely chopped - 2 to 3
• Curry leaves - a spring
• Onion,finely chopped - 1 (Optional)
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - for frying and tadka
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Chana dal - 1 to 2 tsp
• asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

======

Batter:

=====

• Add salt,ginger,green chillies,onions,curry leaves to the batter.
• Add little curd/butter milk to the batter.Make sure the consistency remains the same after mixing well with the above ingredients.
• Heat the kuzhi paniyaram vessel on a medium flame.(Apply oil to the holes if its not non-stick).
• Add oil into each hole,such that only 1/4th of the hole is filled with oil.

• When the oil is hot,Pour half a laddle of batter into each hole as shown below.Do not pour excess batter as it may overflow.

• Allow it to get cooked.This may take 5 to 8 min.
• Now using the pointed spatula,turn over the moreappams to the other side and leave for 3 to 5 min.

• Again turn over to other side and leave for 3 min to get roasted.After getting roasted,it will look as shown below.

• Check the video below to see how to turn over and take away the moreappams with the spatula.
• Place them on a tissue paper to absorb excess oil .Do not serve too hot.
• Serve with onion chutney.

Olan

Ingredients:

=========

• Pumpkin(Raw or half-ripe) - 1/2 kg
• Ash gourd - 1/2 kg
• Karamani/Cow peas - 1 handful(red ones)
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• Green chillies ,slit open - 2 to 3
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Coconut Oil - 2 tsp
• Coconut milk - 1 glass (Optional.But use it for rich authentic taste)

If the coconut milk is too thick,add only half a glass.

Method:

======

• Peel off the skin of pumpkin and ashgourd. Slice into thin rectangular pieces.
• Add little water and ash gourd in a vessel such that ash gourd is just immersed and cook covered.
• When ash gourd is half cooked, add pumpkin slices and little water .Cook till the veggies are 95 % cooked.
• Add salt,sugar,green chillies,curry leaves and cook for 2 to 3 min.Take care not to mash the veggies.
• Add coconut milk and cook for a min.Do not allow to boil.

Switch off the flame and add coconut oil on top.

Serve with Sambar/Poricha kozhambu and rice.

Neipayasam

Neipayasam is very famous among the kerala Iyers and it is made as a prasadam in many kerala temples.It is very delicious and rich in taste.

This recipe serves six.

Ingredients:

=========

• Raw rice - 110 grams
• Jaggery - a big ball of diameter,say 6 to 7 cm
• Ghee - 3 tablespoon
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coconut gratings - 2 teaspoon(just cut very tiny piece,say of length 3 mm .Do not shred the coconut)

Method:

======

• Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours.
• Add water,(for 1 cup of rice ,add 1.25 cups of water) and cook covered for 10 min.
• Switch off and leave covered till the water is absorbed by the rice completely.
• After the above process,the rice would have been cooked 80 to 85%.Set aside.

• Beat the jaggery ball with a stone and crush it.Use a news paper beneath.
• Add 1 to 1.5 glass of water and jaggery to a kadai .Stir on a medium flame till the jaggery melts completely.
• Switch off and strain the dirt using a strainer.

• Add the strained jaggery juice and rice in a kadai and mix well.
• After mixing well,switch on the flame.
• On a medium flame,stir continuously till the mixture becomes thick.
• Add ghee and stir for 5 to 10 min till the mixture becomes like a slightly loose paste.
• Do not make it very thick.As the payasam itself thickens with time.
• Add cardamom powder.Roast the coconut gratings in a tsp of ghee and add to the payasam.

• Leave the payasam in the kadai itself to cool down to room temperature.Transfer it to a serving bowl.

Enjoy the yummy Payasam!!!

Mango Thokku

Ingredients:

***********

• Big Size Thokku Mango - 2(Or any Variety Raw Mango)
• Gingelly Oil - 10 to 12 tablespoon
• Salt - 6 to 7 teaspoon(can vary according to the sourness of mango)
• Jaggery - 1 lemon sized ball (can vary according to one's taste and sourness of mango)
• Red Chilli Powder - 7 to 8 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - a ball of dia,say 0.5cm / 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek powder - 1.5 teaspoon

Method:

======

• Peel off the skin of mango and cut into thin slices roughly.

• Pulse the slices in a mixer once or twice.(Do not make into a fine paste.Just have to be slightly ground)
• Heat oil in a kadai,add mustard seeds and asafoetida.
• When it splutters,add ground mango,turmeric powder,salt and keep stirring on a low flame.(Add 4 tsp of salt initially and add again after tasting)

• Keep sauting till the mango thickens .
• Add jaggery,chilli powder(little by little) and keep sauting till it becomes very thick.The endpoint is: As you keep sauting,the thokku should not stick to the sides of the kadai and the oil will come out of the pickle)
• Set aside to cool and store in air-tight container.

Note:Add 2 or 3 teaspoon of oil in between while stirring,if you feel the oil is completely sucked.

Pyaas & Stuffed Okra Sabzi

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

========

• ladies finger/Okra,tender ones - 150 grams
• Onions,chopped lenghthwise - 2
• Oil - 3 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

For the stuffing:

===========

• Besan Flour - 3 tablespoon
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1 tsp
• GaramMasala powder - 1 tsp
• White sesame seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 1 tablespoon

Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well without lumps.Note that there is NO SALT.

Method:

======

• Wash ladies finger well and cut off the ends.Slit open in the centre.
• Stuff enough powder in the slits carefully.
• Sprinkle the salt over the stuffed ladies finger.
• Arrange the ladies finger on a Idly/Plate or Steam Plate and Steam for 5 min.If you have a microwave,just keep in it for a min.

• Heat Oil in a kadai.Add mustard seeds and jeera.When they splutter ,add onions and saute for 10 sec.
• Add ginger garlic paste and saute till th onions become tender.
• Add steamed ladies finger and saute well.
• Allow it to get roasted.

Serve hot with rotis.