Tomato rice

Ingredients:

Rice-1-1/2 cup

Tomatoes-2

Onion-1

Pudina/Mint leaves-4 sprigs

Green chillies-2

Oil-1 tbspmper must

Mustard-1/2 tsp

Fenugreek-1/4 tsp

Salt,Chilli powder,asafoetida for taste

Tumeric powder-1/4 tsp

Procedure:

1.Cook rice and allow to cool.

2.Temper mustard and fenugreek.Add turmeric powder, finely chopped onions and fry well. Then add tomatoes, mint and green chillies.

2.When it cooks well, add chilli powder, asafoetida and salt.Leave it in stove for 5 mins.Garnish with corianderleaves and switch off stove.

3.Spread rice in a bowl, add a teaspoon of sesame/gingelly oil and then add the cooked tomato paste.

Tomato rice,raitha and papad would be a good combo!

Onion raitha

A simple side dish which can be had with any variety of rice (except plain rice and curd rice) or roti, naan,chapathi.

Ingredients:

Finely chopped onion-1

Coriander leaves

Green chillies-2

Curd-1cup

Salt for taste

Procedure:

Finely chop onion, put them in a bowl and add salt. Leave it aside for an hour and the add curd. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Vadai Curry

Serves -2

A little time consuming dish but definitely worth the time. Must be little spicy and hot.

Ingredients:

For vada:
Channa dal - 1 cup

Red chillies-2

Asafoetida-1/4 tsp

For curry:

Fennel seeds-1/4 tsp

Mustard-1/4 tsp

Potato-1

Onion-1/2

Tomato-1/2

Green peas-1/2 cup

Salt for taste

Chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Sour curd-1/2 tbsp

Coriander leaves finely chopped

Oil-1 tbsp

Grind into fine paste (1):

Garlic cloves -4

Ginger-1/2" piece

Cloves-2

Bay leaf-1

Paste 2:

Shredded coconut-1/4 cup

Green chillies-2

Procedure:

1. Grind the ingredients for vada and make into a coarse dough. Steam the dough in idli plates and make dal idlis/vadas.Allow it to cool down.Then scramble them into small pieces.

2.In the mean time, grind the ingredients for paste 1 and 2.

3.Heat a tbsp of oil in pan,temper mustard and fennel seeds.Then fry finely chopped onion.Then add paste 1 and allow it to cook until raw smell goes off.Now add tomato & potato and cook well.Add all powders except salt and cook for 2 more mins.

4. Now add scrambled vadas,salt and cook for a couple of mins. Then add paste 2, cook for a min and add sour curd. Cook for 3 mins.

5.By now the oil should have started floating on top. Now garnish with coriander leaves.

Onion Pakoda/Medhu pakoda

A quick and easy evening snack . Must be had with hot coffee on a rainy day !

Ingredients:

Rice flour-1 cup

Besan flour-1 cup

Finely chopped onion-1

Finely chopped green chillies-4

Coriander leaves

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Baking soda-a pinch

Salt for taste

Oil for deep frying

Water-3/4 cup

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients well and make dough. Add only 3/4 cup of water not more. The dough should be a little looser than roti dough consistency. Add a teaspoon of oil if it is sticky.

2.In a kadai/wok, add enough oil; when it starts bubbling, take key lime sized dough, deep fry till brown. Pakodas are usually uneven shaped; so do not worry if it is not equally sized or shaped.

Can be had with hot sauce or any chutney.

Beans paruppu usili

Ingredients:

Beans-100 gms
Channa dal-100 gms
Red chillies-6
Salt,asafoetida for taste

For tempering:
Mustard,curryleaves,jeera/cumin

Procedure:
1.Cut beans into small pieces and cook in water with a pinch of salt.
2.Soak dal for atleast 3 hrs and grind with 4 red chillies and little salt. Steam the ground dough in idli plates and make dal idlis.When it cools down, shred them into bits n pieces by hand.
3.Temper the said ingredients in a saute pan.Put the cooked beans and the shredded idlis.Leave it in stove for 5 mins.

Jeera Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups

Cumin seeds / Jeera -1 tsp

Ghee- 1 tbsp

Cloves-3

Bayleaves-2

Cashew nuts-5

Procedure:

1.Soak basmati rice in water for 30 mins.

2.Drain the water form soaked basmati rice and keep aside.In a pressure cooker add 1/2 tbsp of ghee ; temper jeera,cloves and bay leaves.

3.Now add rice and 3 -1/2 cups of water and cook until one whistle.

4.Switch off stove and keep the cooker aside.

5.Roast cashews in the other half tbsp ghee and pour it on rice.

Kothu Parotta

Parotta - 5

Finely chop:

Onion-1

Tomato-1/2

Green chillies-3

Garlic cloves-2

Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Oil- 1/2 tbsp

Chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Salt-a pinch only for the veggies

Chilli sauce-2 tsp

Procedure:

1.Shred the parottas into bite sized pieces.

2.Heat oil in pan and add all the finely chopped veggies with a pinch of salt.

ry well for 5 mins or until the raw smell goes off. Then add shredded parotta and all dry powders.

3.Pour chilli sauce and garnish with coriander leaves.

Cheppankezhangu roast

This is a kind of root popular in SOuth India.

Ingredients:
Cheppan kezhangu -6
Oil -1 tbsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Salt for taste
Asafoetida for taste

For tempering:
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Urad dal-1/2 tsp
Procedure:
1.Pressure cook the roots until 2 whistles. Peel of the skin and cut into small cubes.
2.Temper the said ingredients in a tbsp of oil, add all the powders and cooked cheppankezhangu.
3.Roast for 5 mins.

Aloo Subzi

A quick easy subzi which can be had with rice or roti.

Ingredients:

Potato-2

Onion -1/2

Cloves-2

Bay leaf-1

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Salt for taste

Oil for tempering

Grind into fine paste:

Tomato-1

Onion-1/2

Garlic cloves-3

Ginger -1/4" piece

Procedure:

1.Pressure cook potatoes until 2 whistles and peel the skin. Cut it into small cubes.

2. Grind and make a fine paste of all the ingredients.

3.Heat oil in pan, add cloves and bay leaves. Allow to temper.Put onios and fry well. Then add the ground paste and cook 5 -7 mins until the raw smell goes off.Then add garam masala and cook for another 3 mins.

4.Now add the potatoes,salt. Cook for another 5 mins.

*Garnish with coriander leaves if required. Can add peas to make it alu peas masala.

Masala Vada

Ingredients:

Makes 10 medium sized vadas

Urad dal - 1 cup
Finely chopped onions, cabbage,carrot - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped ginger (1/4"),green chillies (4),curry leaves ,coriander leaves
Peppercorns -10
Small sliced coconut pieces - 15
Salt,asafoetida for taste
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

1.Soak urad dal overnight. Grind well in the morning with very little (may be 4 teaspoons maximum) water. Add water just to help dal to grind well.
2.Add all the chopped vegetables and other ingredients including salt and safoetida and mix well with spoon.
3.Heat oil in a frying pan. Wet both hands with water and take a lemon size dough with right hand. Place it on left palm and make a small hole using right index finger. Take the vadausing right hand and deep fry till golden brown. Crispy tasty vadas ready!

*If the dough got watery do not panic. Add some rice flour to get a consistency easy enough to make vada.

Palada prathaman

Happy Onam!

Ingredients:

Rice ada- 1 cup
Milk - 8 cups
Sugar-one and half cup
Cardamom powder
Ghee,raisins,cashews

Procedure:

Cooking is similar to pal payasam recipe

1.Pressure cook ada in milk until one whistle.
2.Open the lid and put the cooker in sim and slow cook for about 30 mins. Keep stirring inbetween and ensure that the prathaman is not getting burnt.
3.Milk will start turning pink after 30-40 mins. Now add cardamom powder and cook for another 5 mins.
4.Add sugar and mix well. Try adding 1 cup of sugar;if required add another half cup.
5. Roast cashews and raisins in ghee and decorate!

Ada Prathaman-Jaggery version

Ingredients:

Rice ada - 1 cup

Jaggery -one and a quarter cup

Water -5 cups

Cashews,raisins,coconut pieces and ghee

Cardamom powder

Milk/Coconut milk(preferably)-1/2 cup

Procedure:

We get rice ada (rice flour flakes) in Indian stores.

1.Boil 3 cups of water in a pan. When it starts boiling, put the ada, switch off stove and close the lid. Leave it aside for 30 mins. Open the lid after 30 mins and see if the ada has become tender; then drain out all the water.

2. Heat the rest 2 cups of water in a pan; when it starts boiling add jaggery and allow it to dissolve well. Drain out the sediments if any. Once jagery dissolves completely in water and starts boiling, add the ada.Do not make thick syrup.

3.Allow the ada to cook well in jaggery water for about 10 mins; add cardamom powder.

4.Roast coconut pieces,cashews and raisins in ghee.

5.Switch off stove and take out the pan. Add coconut milk/milk and coconut,cashews and raisins Do not add milk while the prathaman is in stove because milk will break down if added with hot jaggery.

Yummy prathaman ready.

Sambar Powder

Makes a kg of sambar powder. Can be powdered using a blender.

Ingredients:

1 cup = 200 gms

Coriander seeds - 3 cups
Toordal/lentils - 1 cup
Channa dal-3/4 cup
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Fenugreek-1/2 tsp
Peppercorns-10
Dry red chillies - 20
(or) Chillypowder -4 tbsp
Asafoetida- 2 tsp

Procedure:

Dry roast all the ingredients separately. All dals can be roasted together. No need to heat chilly powder or asafoetida. Once all the ingredients are roasted light brown,make them into fine powder using a blender/mixer. Coriander can be reduced to 2 cups if not favoured.