All purpose powder

This powder will be very useful for many quick recipes.

Ingredients:
Channa dal - 4 tbsp
Urad dal-4 tbsp
Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp
Red chillies-8
Fenugreek-1/2 tsp
Hing-for taste


Method:

Dry roast and powder all the ingredients. This can be used for any recipe like vathal kuzhambu, pulikachal, puli kuzhambu,bisibele bath.

1.Dry roast and add peppercorns,a little bit coconut (optional) and curry leaves for vathal kuzhambu along with this powder.
2. Dry roast and add ground nut & sesame seeds if it is pulikachal/puliyodhari
3.It can be directly added for puli kuzhambu.
4. For bisibele bath add a liitle bit of dried and powdered coconut to this powder.

Pasta

A Favorite Italian dish of many people across the globe! Pastas are available in different shapes and sizes. The one pictured here is called 'Penne'.The below mentioned cooking procedure is applicable for all types of pasta.

Ingredients:

Pasta- 3 cups

Tomato sauce-1/4 cup

Chilli flakes

Dried Basil for seasoning

Garlic cloves - 4

Onion-1/2

Carrot-1/2

Peas-1/2 cup

Cheese slices-2

Olive oil

Method:

1.Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 mins; drain the water and keep aside.

2. fry onions,garlic cloves in olive oil.

3.Add carrot,peas and allow to cook well. Sprinkle water if required but ensure not to add more water.

4.Add the cooked pasta, salt,tomato sauce and mix well.Close the pan lid and cook for 2 mins.

5.Now add the cheese slices, allow them to melt and mix well.

6.Season with basil.

Tips:

Olive oil,chilli flakes,basil can be replaced with any cooking oi, green chilies and coriander leaves; but pasta might look like upma :) Cheese slices can be avoided by fat conscious people. But making these changes will make pasta lose its authenticity; so try to stick to the given ingredients as much as possible!

Thattai

It is a favourite South Indian Savoury made from rice flour especially made for Krishna Jeyanthi.

Ingredients:

Rice flour- 2 cups

Urad dal powder-1/2 cup (dry roast urad dal and make into fine powder)

Chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Hing- a pinch

Salt- for taste

Channa dal - 2 tbsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Oil- for deep frying

Method:

1.Soak channa dal in water for 10 mins. Heat the rice flour for a min in pan or microwave for 30 seconds.

2.Mix all the above ingredients, add water and a tsp of oil and make it into soft dough (like chapathi dough)

3.Take a lemon size dough,roll it well with hand into a small ball and spread it on a piece of plastic sheet/polythene bag like a small disc.Make small holes on it using fork/toothpick.

4. Deep fry all the thattais one by one till golden brown, spread on paper towels until the oil is sucked.

Crispy thattais ready! These can be stored for months and never gets spoiled. No need to refrigerate.

Puliyodharai

Ingredients:
Rice-1 cup
Tamarind- size of a big lemon
Salt-for taste
Hing-a pinch
Gingelly Oil- 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder-a pinch

Dry roast and powder:
Channa dal-1 tsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Red chillies-3
Sesame seeds-1 tsp
Fenugreek-1/4 tsp

For tempering:
Channa dal -1 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Ground nut-4 tsp
curry leaves - 1sprig
Red chillies- 2

Method:

1. Pressure Cook rice and keep aside.
2.Dry roast the ingredients mentioned above and make into a coarse powder.
3.Soak tamarind in water; squeeze out the juice and sieve all the sediments.The syrup should be very thick (Fluid consistency) unlike the normal tamarind juice we use for sambar/rasam.
4.Boil the tamarind syrup for 10-15 mins; add salt,hing,tamarind powder and half the quantity of coarse powder.
5.Soak urad dal and channa dal in water for 10 mins before tempering. Now temper all the ingredients in gingelly oil and drop it in the tamaring syrup.
6. Pour 2 tbsp of gingelly oil in rice and mix well. The add the tamaring syrup, mix well. Add the rest of the coarse powder fully or as required.

Enjoy adi perukku!

Tips:
1.Soak tamarind in lukewarm water; gives better and more tamarind extract.
2.Do not cook tamarind syrup more than 15 mins and do make the tamarind extract thick (tomato sauce consistency).

Mambazha Puliseri

This is a typical kerala recipe similar to Morkuzhambu made with ripe mango .

Ingredients:

Ripe Mango-1

Curd-3 tbsp

Salt as required

To grind and paste:

Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp

Red chillies- 4

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

To Temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves-5

Fenugreek-1/2 tsp

Procedure:

1. Cut the ripe mango into 2" pieces.
2. Add oil in a pan and temper mustard,curry leaves and fenugreek .Immediately after adding fenugreek, pour a glass of water or else the fenugreek will burn.
3.Put the mango pieces, add turmeric and allow it to cook well in water.
4.Grind shredded coconut,red chillies and cumin seeds into a fine paste and mix it with curd.
5.When the mango is cooked, add this mixture and salt; allow it to foam.

*For any recipe add salt in the last few minutes. The predominant reasons being:1.The iodine in the salt gets evaporized if added earlier. 2. The vegetable takes more time to get cooked if salt is added in the beginnning.

தேங்காய் திரட்டிப்பால்

Like an easy palgova, this is an easy but very tasty sweet dish which tastes like coconut burfi

Ingredients:

Shredded coconut-1 cup
Condensed milk-1 (14 oz) tin
Orange food color, cardamom powder
Ghee-1 tbsp

Procedure:
1.Roast coconut in a frying pan lightly until it all the moisture content is absorbed and it turns dry. However do not roast until it turns brown.
2. Now starting adding the condensed milk with left hand while stirring the pan with right hand. Mix coconut and condensed milk well.
3.Add cardamom, 1 tsp ghee and color. Condensed milk will give a sticky touch to the mix;so keep stirring for 7-10 mins until the stickness goes.
4. Grease a plate with ghee and pour the coconut mix. Allow it to cool down for 30 mins. Then refregirate for 2 hrs.
5.Take out the plate and make diamond shaped pieces with a knife (grease the knife with butter/ghee before cutting).Decorate with cashews,cardamom and raisins if required.

Unlike the time consuming coconut burfi, this will consume less time without comprimising on taste.

Pav Bhaji

Ingredients:

Pav/Bun - 4 slices

To cook well & mash:

Potato -1

Carrot-1

Beans-100gms

Green peas-100gms

(You can add other veggies like capsicum, cauliflower,etc)

Butter - 4 tbsp

Onion-1

Tomato-1

Giner,garlic paste-1 tsp

Cumin powder-1/2 tsp

Pav bhaji masala- 1tsp

Green chillies-2

Chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Salt for taste

Lemon-1/2

Coriander leaves

Red food colour (optional)

Procedure:

1. Cook and mash the vegetables.

2. Put 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan and add onions; cook until it turns translucent. Now add the tomatoes, green chillies and fry well.

3.Now add the mashed vegetables,all powders,salt,food color and mix well.

4. Add one more tbsp of butter and mix well until the butter starts floating above. Add water if the mixture turns out very thick.

5.Squeeze the lemon and add coriander leaves and switch off the stove.

6. Make Pav by lightly roasting bun with butter; take it out before it turns crispy.