Vishu '09

Pongal '08

Neveidyam: Sakara pongal, Venpongal

Vinayaka Chathurthi '08

Neveidyam: Kozhakattai, Ulundu Vadai

Varalakshmi Pooja '08

Neveidyam:

Sundal, Vadai, Kozhakattai, Kesari

KrishnaJayanthi '08

Uppu Cheedai, Vella aval and Navaneetham (Butter with kalkandu and dry fruits)

Chayote Kootu (chow chow kootu)

Ingredients:
Chow Chow - 1 big, cut into cubes
Red chillies - 2
Mustard - 1 spn
Urad dal - 1 spn
Curry leaves
Oil

To grind:
Coconut - 1tbspn
Redchillies - 2

Grind them to a smooth mixture.

How to make:
1) Cut the vegetable into big cubes and cook until it becomes tender.
2) Add the ground mixture to the cooked vegetable.
3) Add turmeric and salt.
4) Temper with mustard, urad dal, redchillies.
5) Add fresh curry leaves.

Sweet Sour Raw Mango Pachadi

Ingredients:
Raw Mango - 1big size
Green chillies - 3
Jaggery - 1tbspn
Mustard - 1 spn
Urad dal - 1 spn
Redchillies - 1
Curry leaves - a bunch
Salt to taste
Turmeric a pinch
Oil

How to make:
1) Cut the mango into big cubes with or without the skin.
2) Semi cook the pieces with little water, slit green chillies and turmeric.
3) After its half done, add jaggery and salt and mix well.
4) Heat oil and splutter mustard, urad dal, red chillies.
5) Put curry leaves and mix well.

Vazhathandu moor kootu

Ingredients:

Young plantain stem - medium size

Slight sour curd - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Redchillies - 2

Mustard - 1spn

Urad dal - 1spn

Oil

To grid:

Coconut scraps - 2tbspn

Redchillies - 3

Jeera - few

Black pepper - few

Raw Rice - 1 spoon

Grind smoothly all the ingrdients and using rice gives a thick consistency to the mixture.

How to make :

1) Cut the plantain stem into pieces according to ur choice, either big or small pieces.

2) Dissolve some yogurt in water and make it very watery and add this to stem the plantain, in order that the pieces will not turn black.

3) Add turmeric and half salt and cook until the vegetable is done.

4) After it becomes soften, add the ground mixture and boil it once more.

5) After this procedure is done add the yogurt and cook covered for few minutes adding the remaining salt.

6) Temper this with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.

Note: Do not use very sour yogurt for this and also it should not be too watery.

Saraswathi pooja '08

Neveidyam - sakara pongal, ulundu vadai

Nellikai pachadi (arachukalaki)

Ingredients:
Goose berry - 5nos. (not aranellikai)
Grated coconut - 1tbspn
Green chillies - 2nos.
Mustard seeds - 1tspn
Venthayam - 1tspn
Fresh yougurt - 1 cup
Salt to taste
oil

To Grind:
Coconut, green chillies, boiled nellikai

How to make:
1) Wash the goose beeries (nellikai) and pressure cook them until 2 whistles.
2) Remove from the cooker and then remove the seed.
3) Grind boiled goose berries with other ingredient and mix with fresh yougurt.
4) Heat oil in a pan and then splutter mustard and fry venthayam.
5) Mix all and add salt to taste.

Very good pachadi during summer days. Body coolant and rich in vitamin C.

Meal 1 (S.E Asian Style)

A simple lunch in S.E Asia is served with, a soup, a salad, any parboiled vegetable and portion of rice. I tried this lunch menu during my friend's visit with some alterations catering our style of eating. Appreciations filled my heart!!!!

Sweet corn soup

Capsicum soy toss

Carrot Salad

Jeera Rice

Potato Wedges

These lip smacking potato wedges are perfect anytime snack. Though it is high caloried, however, a best snack once a while.

Ingredients:

Potatoes - preferably lengthwise potatoes are selected than the round ones.

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Oil - deep frying

How to make:

1) Wash, peel and cut the potatoes lengthwise. Not to thin.

2) Heat oil and when oil is heated deep fry these wedges.

3) Put it in paper towel to remove excess of oil.

4) Sprinkle salt and pepper.

5) Serve with tomato ketchup or green chutney (desi style)

Alternatives:

Sweet potatoes can also used to make like these....gives a sweet taste and goes well with spicy green chutney.

Sweet corn soup...... slurp!!!!

Ingredients:

Fresh corn kernels (preferably sweet corn)

Pepper powder - 1tspn

Corn flour - 2tbspn

You can add grated vegetables like carrots,cabbage,beans of ur choice.

How to make:

1) Remove the corn form the kernels and boil.

2) Take half of the corn and pass it through a blender to form a puree.Keep the rest of the corn aside.

3) Take a pan add the crushed corn to it and add enough water to make it of pouring consistency and add the remaining corn.

4) Take corn flour in a bowl and add a little water to make a paste.

5) Add this paste to the corn mixture and stir making sure that it does not stick to the sides of the vessel.

6) When the mixture becomes opaque, add pepper powder and salt.

7) You can boil the vegetables and add to this.

Mupparuppu Vadai - 3 dal vadai!

My mother use to make this vadai during poojas and festival (vishesham)time. Though it will not come out more crunchier like masal vadai, it tastes yummy! The vadais in the posted snap may not be in appropriate shapes due to my lack of experience, so excuse me for that :)

Ingredients:
Thuvar dal (thuvaram paruppu) - 1/4 cup
Channa dal (kadalai paruppu) - 1/2 cup
Urad dal (ulundu)- 1/4 cup
Raw rice - 1tbspn
Redchillies -4
Salt - to taste
Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - a bunch

How to make:
1) Soak the dals and raw rice for 45mins and grind them. (Split the grinding process into 2 session, first grind thuvar dal and urad dal smoothly and then grind channa dal coarsely to make vadas crunchier).
2) During grinding process add salt, redchillies.
3) Take out the mixture and add hing powder and chopped curry leaves.
4) In case if the batter is very thick add little water to make it exact consistency, if its is very lose with excess of water add some rice flour.
5) Make medium sized patties and deep fry in oil.

Carrot Salad - On the go!

A simple healthy salad which i usually do almost everyday. Carrots are rich in beta carotine and vitamin d which is essential for eye sight, skin, bones etc., The preparation is very simple and no need to cook or boil. Can be taken spicy or sweety according to one's preferences.

Ingredients:

Fresh carrots- 2

Lime juice - half cup

mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Urad dal - 1 tspn

Green Chillies - 1 or 2 (according to spicy you want to be)

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tspn

How To Make:

1) Grate the carrot and do not drain the water.

2) Mix lime juice, salt and chop the chillies and mix with this.

3) Splutter mustard seeds in oil and then fry the urad dal till golden brown.

4) Mix all the ingredients well and leave it for 1 hr.

Alternatives:

This salad can be mixed with unsour yogurt and served cold.

Instead of green chillies, powdered pepper can be used.

Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Tamarind - lemon size

Dry vathal- sundakai or manathakali kai

Coconut - 50gms

Dry redchillies - 5

Tomato - 1

Thuvar dal - 1 small cup

Sambar powder - 1tbspn

Mustard, Venthayam, Oil, Salt- required amnt

To grind:

Grind tomato, coconut, redchillies together smoothly.

How to make:

1) Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard and then add venthayam, 1spoon thuvar dal and add 2 redchillies.

2) After all the ingredient is sauteed well, add the dry vathal and fry well.

3) Add sambar powder and then to it add the extracted tamarind pulp.

4) Bring it to boil till tamarind loses its raw smell.

5) Add the ground mixture and thuvar dal.

6) Add salt and a pinch of hing.

7) Garnish with curry leaves.

Brinjal chops (gravy)

This side dish is for Non-veg Briyani, a traditional recipe of muslims. I had tasted this in few occasions during my friends wedding and get 'o' gethers. I got the recipe from one of my friend's mother and had tried many times which came out tasty with exact flavour. This is good with veg briyani, tomato rice and also with plain rice.

Ingredients:
Brinjal (Violet color) - 250gms
Tamarind pulp - 1 cup
Redchilli powder - 1 spoon
Onions - 1, chopped finely
Tomato - 1 big size
Venthayam - 1tspn
Jeera - 1tspn
Black pepper - 1tspn
Black Sesame - 1tspn
Roasted Groundnut - 1 tbspn
Curry leaves
Sesame oil (preferably adds taste and aroma)

To Powder:
Dry roast venthayam, Black sesame, Groundnut and powder coarsely and keep aside.

How to make:
1) In a pan add 1tbspn of sesame oil, after it gets heated, add jeera and black pepper.
2) To it add chopped onions, tomato and saute till it become soft.
3) Then add cut brinjals and saute well.
4) Pour the tamarind pulp, add chilli powder and salt.
5) Bring it to boil, during this add 3 tbspn of sesame oil.
6) Add the powdered ingredient to the boiling gravy and mix well to avoid lumps.
7) Add curry leaves and boil till the oil utilised comes seperately from the gravy.

Vendakaai Coconut Curry

Ingredients:
Vendakai (okra) - 500gms
Grated coconut - 1tbsp
Oil - 1tbspn
Mustard- 1tspn
Urad dal- 1 tspn
Redchilli - 3nos.
Salt - for taste


How to make:
1) Wash and cut the okras to 1/2 to 1 inch cm in length.
2) Put oil in a pan and splutter mustard, urad dal and red chillies
3) Then add okra to it and saute till it becomes soft.
4) Add salt and if you need it still hot, can add chillies powder while sauteing.
5) Then add the grated coconut to it and mix well.

Beans Paruppu Usili

Ingredients:
French beans - 500gms
Thuvar dal - 100gms
Redchillies - 4
Curry Leaves - a bunch
Mustard - 1tspn
Urad dal - 1tspn
Salt for Taste
Oil


How to make:

To grind:
Soak thuvar dal with red chillies for 1/2 hr. Then grind it coarsely with curry leaves. Don't grind to smooth as it would turn soggy when mixed with beans during cooking process.

To make curry:
1) Introduce oil in a pan, add mustard and after it splutters add urad dal and red chillies.
2) To this add the ground mixture and saute well in the oil, until it loses stickiness becomes dry.
3) Add a pinch of hing to the dal mixture.
4) Add halfcooked beans to the dal mixture and allow to cook well.
5) Add salt to it.


Alternatives:

Instead of sauteing the ground dal mixture directly, can also pressure cook the dal and mix with beans.

Half cook beans in a pressure cooker so that it will consume less time when cooking with dal. Use the strained water from beans to make sambar and rasam to avoid the wastage of proteins.

Fruits Cocktail

Ingredients:

2 Apples

1 Rock Melon

2 Banana

1 big piece pineapple

1 bunch of grapes

1 big cup sugar

250gms fresh cream

How to make:

1) Wash and cut all the fruits.

2) Add sugar to the cut fruits and then add fresh cream.

3) Some fresh cream can be whipped and made as topping when serving.

Athernatives:

Can add honey and nuts with powdered saffron to make it more richer.

Capsicum Soy Toss

This i learnt from a chinese friend which is highly fresh and serves a side dish with rice.

Ingredients:
Capsicum- 3(1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow)
Cabbage- cut into big pieces
Chinese green chillies- 2
Spring onions- cut into pieces
Light soy sauce- 1tbspn
Salt and sugar(a pinch) to taste
Oil ( preferrably olive oil)
Black pepper powder- a pinch

How to make:
1) Wash and cut the vegetables, big pieces.
2) Chopp green chillies, spring onions.
3) Heat oil in a pan and saute green chillies.
4) To that, add the vegetables and add sugar, a pinch.
5) Add soy sauce and then toss the vegetables (or) gently stir them.
6) Do not over cook, retain the cruncher taste of the vegetables.
7) When serving garnish with spring onions and pepper powder.

Jeera Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati rice 1 cup (do not over cook)

Jeera 2tbsp

cinnamon stick 2

Bay leaves 2

Salt to taste

Green chillies 3 slit lengthwise

Ghee

How to make:

1) Cook rice, with cinnamon stick and bayleaves.

2) Heat ghee in a pan and saute the green chillies.

3) Splutter jeera then add rice to it.

4) Add salt to taste.

5) Garnish with fried cashews and corriander leaves.

Peas Pulav

Ingredients:

Basmati rice -1cup

peas(frozen or fresh)- 1 small cup

Onions - cut lengthwise

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves

Oil

How to make:

1) Cook basmati rice. Do not over cook

2) Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion, then add peas.

3) To that add rice and salt to taste.

4) Garnish with coriander leaves.

Easy to make and very much ideal for lunch box.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Vegetable sliced - cabbage, capsicum, carrots, beans, spring onions, onions
Salt to taste
Pepper powdered 1 tspn
Soy sauce 1 tbsp
Oil

How to make:
1) Cook basmati rice, do not overcook.
2) Cut all the vegetables evenly lengthwise.
3) Heat oil in a pan and then saute onions.
4) Then saute all the vegetables one by one.
5) Add soy sauce and then add the rice into it.
6) do not stir, as it rice may break and will get mashed.
7) Add salt and black pepper powder and garnish with spring onions.
8) Do not boil the vegetables as it may loose its crunch.

Maanga paruppu kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 6 (slit into two halves)
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Chillie powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 1/2 tb sp
Ghee - 1 tsp
1Raw Mango (sour in taste and cut into bite size pieces)

For Seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 3 to 4
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Hing - a pinch

For garnishing
Finely chopped coriander


How to make
1. Wash and pressure cook dal adding a pinch of turmeric, ½ tsp of oil and 2 cups of water. (adding turmeric and little oil to dal helps dal to cook fast and soft)
2. Once the pressure is gone remove the lid of the cooker and mash dal with a masher.
3. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add seasoning with a pinch of hing. when the seeds start spluttering, add mango pieces, stir once and cover with a lid for 3 mts in low flame till the mango pieces turn soft. Turn off the flame.
4. Add chilli powder and salt to mashed dal. Mix well. To this add the fried seasoning, little water and cook in low flame for 3 mts for the dal to absorb the flavour of the seasoning.
5. Garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Idly Burgers (Leftover special)

Ingredients:

1) Leftover Idlis
2) Leftover vegetable cutlets
3) Green chutney(Coriander, green chillies, ginger, mint leaves ground together and mixed with salt and lemon juice)
4) Tomato ketchup
5) Tomtoes, Cucumber, Onions cut into round pieces
6) Grated cheese
7) Mango powder


How to make:

1) Cut the idlis into two halves (cross section)
2) Arrange the idlis, and spread the green chutney, and place the vegetable according to your interest.
3) Place the veg. patties and sprinkle the mango powder and then spread tomato ketchup.
4) Grate the cheese and cover with vegetables and then the other idly half.
5) Heat the oven and place these for 2 mins, for the cheese to melt a li'll.

Vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup green beans, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1 tsp. red chilli powder

1 tsp. garam masala

coriander leaves

1/4 cup bread crumbs

oil for deep frying

How to make:

1) Boil potatoes. Steam chopped vegetables until tender.Peel and coarsely mash potatoes.

2) Add salt, red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander leaves.

3) Mix with your hands.

4) Make small balls of the mix and shape into round flat patties with a greased hand.(use mould if u want any other shapes, eg. hearts, diamonds, etc.)

5) Roll in bread crumbs.

6) Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the patties until golden brown.

7) Serve hot with Ketchup.

Pachai thakkali kootu (Green tomato kootu)

Ingredients:-
Green tomatoes - 7 (medium sized)
Moong dhal - 1 medium sized cup
tumeric powder -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Channa dhal - 2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 1
Coconut - 2 tsp (optional)

How to make:

1) pressure cook moong dhal with a pinch of turmeric powder and keep it aside.

2) Wash the tomatoes and cut it into 4 pieces, if its too big then make it 8 pieces.

3) In a pan, put the tomatoes, add required amount of water, turmeric powder and salt and let the tomatoes cook.

4) Fry channa dhal, urad dhal, red chillies, to golden brown and let it cool and grind it into a fine paste.

5) when the tomato is half done, add the grounded paste and let it boil for another 3 to 5 mts.

6) Now add the cooked dhal to it and add water to adjust the consistency.

7) Let it boil for another 5 mts. By the time, tomatoes will be fully cooked. Make sure tomatoes are not mashed while doing these processes.

8) Now heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds then add urad dhal and asafoetida powder and coconut scrapes and fry it till golden brown.

9) Pour it on top of kootu. Garnish it with curry leaves and li'll coconut oil.