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.

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.

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.

Vegetable kurma

Ingredients:

Green peas- 1/2 cup
Potato-1
Carrot-1
Beans-100 gms
Onion -1
Tomato-2 small
Green chillies -2 finely chopped
Ginger-1 inch finely chopped
Garlic cloves-6 ( finely chop 4 cloves)
Salt for taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Thick curd - 1 tbsp
FInely chopped coriander leaves
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder-1/2tsp
Garam masala powder -1/2 tsp
Dry roast and grind to paste:
Cinnamon,bay leaves,cloves,cardamom

Shredded Coconut- 1 tbsp

Procedure:
1.Dry roast all the said ingredients and grind along with 2 garlic cloves,ginger,1 tomato and coconut.
2.Cook all the vegetables in water. Once they are cooked, add the ground paste, all masalas ,salt.
3.Finally add curd and leave it in stove for a min. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chow Chow kootu

Ingredients:

Chow chow -1
Channa dal- one handful
Carrot -1
Potato-1
Salt, asafotida, turmeric for taste

Grind into paste:
Shredded coconut - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Green chillies-2
Red cillies -4

For tempering:
Oil - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - one sprig
Mustard - 1 tsp
Red chillies -2
Urad dal - 1 tsp

Tamarind - 1 small lemon size


Procedure:
1. Soak tamarind in lukewarm water and extract juice.
2. Cut all veggies as big as 1/2 inch and boil in water.Add turmeric powder.
3.Pressure cook channa dal till 2 whistles.
4. Grind all the said ingredients into coarse paste.
5. When the vegetables are cooked, add tamarind water, asafoetida, ground paste,salt and allow to boil.
6.Temper all the said ingredients and put it on top of kootu.

Ennai kathirikai

Serves -4

Ingredients:

Grind into thick paste:
(Clockwise from left top)
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Channa dal - 1.5 tbsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Coriander -1 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Red chillies- 8 nos
Oil - 1 tbsp

Dry roast and powder:
Sesame - 1 tsp
Peanuts/groundnuts-1 tbsp










Tamarind - 1 small lemon size










Oil for deep frying brinjal
Sal, turmeric powder & asafoetida for taste














Procedure:

1. Heat saute pan and pour a tbsp of oil. Roast all the ingredients one by one mentioned above under the head 'grind to paste'. Roast them until they turn light brown. Also dry roast sesame and groundnut. Allow them to cool down.
2.Soak tamarind in lukewarm water.
2.Grind all the roasted ingredients into a fine paste. Add adequate water while grinding.
3. Put the soaked tamarind along with water in blender and extract juice. This will give thick extract with very little waste. Take out the sediments.
4.Take off the stem of brinjal.Slit each brinjal into 4 without cutting the lower part. Now insert the ground paste into the slit brinjal and deep fry in oil. Leave the rest of paste for making gravy.
5.Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and add tamarind extract. Add turmeric powder and asafoetida. When it starts boiling add rest of the paste and allow it to cook. After 5 mins add salt and the fried brinjal. Add water if necessary and allow it to boil.

* Onion, tomato, garam masala powder and whole spices like cinnamon,cloves,cardamom, bay leaves can be added before tamarind extract if required.

Aloo Gobi Masala

Ingredients:

Masala:

(Top right picture; clockwise from left)

Garam masala - 1tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Salt for tast

Amchur powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red cilli powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida -1/4 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Other ingredients:

(Bottom picture; clockwise from left)

Small cauliflower (cut and cleaned) -1

Potato - 1 big or 2 small

Green peas- 1/2 cup

Chopped Tomato-1/2cup

Finely chopped onion - 1

Finely chopped - ginger (1/2 "), garlic(5 cloves), green chillies(5), coriander leaves

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a saute pan, fry cumin seeds and add onions until the raw smell goes off. Add garlic and ginger and fry well. Then add green chillies.

4.Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder,amchur powder, garam masala, asafoetida and tomatoes. Fry for 5 minutes so that all the powders get mexed well.

5. Now add gobi and then potatoes and peas. Add little water and close the pan with lid. Allow the veggies to cook for about 10 mins. Open up and cook again for 5 mins. Add coriander leaves adn switch off the stoce.

*If you microwave potatoes for 5 mins and cauliflower for 10 mins before adding them to the masala, cooking time is saved.

Avial

Ingredients:

Plantain(Raw Banana) -1
Small Cucumber-1
Potato-1
Carrot-1
Brinjal-1
Drumstick-1
Cluster Beans (Kothavarangai)-5 nos
Small Snake gourd-1/2
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Tamarind-very small lemon size
Salt for taste
Coconut oil-2 tbsp
Curry leaves

To grind:

Cummin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Green chillies -3
Grated Coconut -4 tbsp

Cooking Procedure:

Kerala avial:

1.Cut all the vegetables lengthwise like you cut for finger chips, say 3" long.
2. Cook all the vegetables in tamarind water for 10 mins.Add turmeric powder. Be sure to add very little tamarind water as the dish will get too watery. The main reason being the mix of all watery vegetables viz. cucumber,snake gourd,etc.
3.Grind the said ingredients with very little water.
4.Once the vegetables are cooked, add the ground paste, salt and mix well.
5.Temper curry leaves in coconut oil and pour on the dish, mix well.

The consistency should be thick and little dry if you want the avial to be very authentic.Ensure not to overcook veggies.The smell of coconut oil must be the highlight. Can use raw mango to the veg mix but avoid tamarind in that case.

Madras avial:

A slight variation in the mix of vegetables and ingredients. Ash gourd as a replacement to cucumber; yam will be an addition to the veg mix. Avoid turmeric and add a small cup of slightly sour thick curd in the end. Reduce the amount of coconut oil.

The consistency should always be thick in both the cases.

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.

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