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.