Aapam

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Urad dal- 1/4 cup

Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup or coconut milk 1/2 cup

Cooked rice-1/2 cup

Salt, a little sugar for taste

Procedure:

1. Soak rice, dal and fenugreek for 3 hrs and grind well with coconut.Add salt and sugar and mix well with hand.

2. Allow the batter to ferment overnight and make aapams using aapam pan.

Brinjal kothsu

Ingredients:

Brinjal - 4 big ones
Tamarind - size of a lemon
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Mustard, oil & curry leaves for seasoning
Asafoetida,chilly powder & salt for taste

Procedure:

1. Soak tamarind in water for 15 mins and make paste.
2. Roast or boil brinjal in hot water and peel off the skin.
3. Mash brinjal well and add tamaring paste.
4.Add salt,asafoetida; season with mustard, urad dal,channa dal and curry leaves.
5. Allow this mixture to boil until it thickens.

Ven Pongal

The most easiest and wonderful recipe!

Ingredients:

Raw rice 1 cup

Moong dal 1/2 cup

Pepper corns, curry leaves, cumin seeds for seasoning

Salt, asafoetida for taste

Cashews for garnishing

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1.Cook rice and dal in 4 cups of water. Switch off the stove after the pressure cooker whistles twice.

2. Add ghee in a pan; once the ghee gets heated, add cumin seeds, pepper corns and curry leaves and allow them to pop.

3. Now add the cooked rice and dal , mix well. Garnish with roasted cashews.

Ven pongal can be served with chutney/sambar. But a better combo would be pongal & brinjal kothsu.

Vishu & Tamizh puthandu spl- Arisi, Parupu Payasam

Vishu Aasamsagal and Thamizh puthandu nalvazhthukkal!

Ingredients:
Raw rice - 1 cup
Moong dhal- 1 cup
Cocunut milk/ Milk - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Grated coconut, cashews and ghee for garnishing

Procedure:

1.Cook rice and dhal together
2.Add jaggery in boiling water and let it dissolve completely. Sieve the jaggery solution.
3.Now add the cooked rice, dhal to the jaggery solution.
4.Add coconut milk and allow it to boil
5.Roast cashews and grated coconut in ghee and garnish

Puliseri

This is a typical kerala dish which is similar to Morekuzhambu. Very easy to prepare!

Cooking time : 15 mins

Ingredients:

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Fenugreek,Mustard,oil & curry leaves for seasoning

Green chillies- 2

Dried red chilies- 3

Buttermilk-2 cups

Salt & turmeric powder as required

Procedure:

1.Grind coconut,green & red chillies into a fine paste

2. Mix this paste well with butter milk.

3. Heat oil in saute pan. Add mustard,fenugreek and curry leaves.When mustard starts popping, add turmeric powder.

4.Immediately pour buttermilk mixture and add salt. Retain it in heat until it foams.

Yummy Tomato Thokku

Ingredients:

Ripe tomatoes- 6

Mustard and fenugreek for seasoning

Salt

Asafoetida

Turmeric powder

Chilli powder

Oil (Preferably gingelly oil)

Cooking time: 1 hr

Procedure:

1. Boil water in a pan and add the tomatoes. Switch off the stove once the tomatoes are added.

2.Close the lid of the pan and allow it to cool for 30 mins.

3.Peel the tomato skin and blend well in mixer.

4.Heat oil in pan, add mustard,fenugreek and turmeric powder. Add the tomato pulp.Put the stove in sim and stir well until tomato juice becomes pulp. This process will take about 30 mins.

5.Now add chilli powder,asafoetida and salt; keep stirring until the pulp turns thicker.

6. Add 2 tsp gingely oil in the end.

Tip:Tomato juice can be microwaved for 5 mins to get the pulp. Add 1 sp tamarind paste to tomato juice if the tomatoes are not ripe enough to give the sour taste.

Mushroom Freid Rice

Cooking time : 30 mins

Ingredients:

Button Mushroom - 20 pieces
Basmati Rice- 2 cups
Onion -1
Green chillies - 2
Cloves,cinnamon,bay leaves,cardamom as required
Oil to fry
Ghee - 1 tsp
Salt for taste

Procedure:

1.Soak basmati rice in water for 10 mins.
2.Heat oil in a pan; add cloves,cinnamon,bay leaves,cardamom.
3. Now add the chopped onions and fry until it turns golden brown.
4.Add chillies and mushroom. Fry for a min.
5. Add basmati rice, salt and 3 cups of water.
6.Close the lid of pan and allow it to cook.
7. Add ghee at the time of serving.

Paneer butter masala

Cooking time - 30 mins

Serves - 4

Ingredients:

Paneer - 15 cubes

Onion - 1/2

Garam Masala powder - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2

Butter- 3 tbsp

Salt & a little bit sugar for taste
Oil to fry paneer

Coriander leaves

Milk-1/2 cup

For tomato paste:

Tomatoes - 2

Onion- 1/2

Ginger,garlic

Cashew as required

Procedure:

1.Fry the paneer cubes in oil until it turns golden brown. Put the fried paneer in water for 15 mins

2.Grind tomatoes,1/2 onion,ginger,garlic and cashew into a fine paste.

3. Fry the chopped onions in butter unitl they turn transparent.Now add green chillies, tomato paste,garam masala powder,chilli powder and fry until the raw garlic smell goes off.Add water as required.

4. Now add the fried paneer, salt and sugar. Then add milk and allow it to cook well.

5. Add 1 tbsp butter in the end and garnish with coriander leaves if required

Easy Palgova

Since this is my first post, let me start with a sweet.

Ingredients:

Condensed milk- 1 tin
Curd - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cherry,raisin,cashew for garnishing

Cooking time: 5 mins

Procedure:

1.Mix all the above ingredients in a microwaveable bowl.
2.Beat well with a spoon.
3.Microwave for 3 mins.
4. Take out the bowl; mix well again with spoon and microwave again for 2 more mins.
5.Garnish with cherry,raisin & cashew

Tip: Ensure that the bowl used is big enough as the mixture might overflow in the process of coagulation.