Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

• Rice -1 cup
• Curry leaves
• Lemon -1 (juicy one)
• Mustard -1/2 tsp
• Urad dal -1 tsp
• Channa dal -1 tsp
• Green chillies -2 to 3
• Finely chopped ginger-1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves -1 string
• Salt to taste
• Oil-3 tsp

Method:

1.     Take cooked rice and Spread it in a plate, Squeeze lemon juice in a cup.

2.      Mix it with the rice and keep it aside.

3.     Take a skillet and roast the raw peanut and keep it aside.

4.     Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when mustard splutters, add urad dal, channa dal and peanuts.

5.     When dal turns slightly brown, add green chilies, ginger, and turmeric powder, curry leaves.Toss it well for few minutes and add the rice into it and mix evenly. 

6.     Simmer it for 5 to 10 mins and toss again and check for salt and spicy. Add more lemon juice if required. 

7.     Garnish with cilantro. Serve with papads or chips or soya 65.

Notes: If using basmati rice, keep one cup rice with 2 cups of water.

Soya 65 is best combination for Lemon rice.

Egg Gravy

Ingredients:

• Cloves-3
• Garlic- 2
• Pepper corns -10
• Cinnamon-3 pieces
• Red chilly -6
• Onion-1 medium size
• Tomato- 1 medium size
• Coriander Powder- 3tsp
• Coconut ½ a cup
• Egg-4
• Oil frying -2tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Masala Preparation:

1. Take kadai pour oil, when oil is heat add cloves, Cinnamon, Red Chili’s.
2. Add Chopped Onion and toss it well
3. Add chopped Tomato to the mixture and toss.
4. To this mixture add coriander powder .The above added all ingredients should fry well and should be light brown. To this mixture add coriander powder .Then at last add grated coconut and toss in medium flame, without burning it. The let it cools before grinding.

Note: Grind the mixture and keep it aside (the paste should be fine not coarse).

Gravy preparation:

1. Take a pan, heat oil and add mustard, wait to crackel.            
2. Then add the paste and add required water .Let it boils till raw masala smell goes off.
3. Add two egg and mix well often till egg is cooked.
4. Then take the boiled egg and cut slightly on it surface of it and put into the gravy.
5. Simmer it for 5 mins.
6. Then add the garnishing and switch off the stove.

Preparing Garnish for the gravy:

Keep a kadai and pour oil. When the oil is hot add mustard, let it splatter .Add onion, curry leaves, cilantro fry them well to crispy.

Note: instead of boiled egg, pour the egg at last and don’t disrube for 5 to 10 mins and switch off stove.then u will get round ball shaped eggs.

Green gram Dal / Moong Dal

Ingredients:

• Green gram or Moong dal - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups
• Onions – ½ medium
• Green chillies – 2 to 3 (as spicy you need)
• Cumin -1/2 tbsp
• Garlic-2 pods
• Oil -2 tbsp
• Curry leaves -1string
• Cilantro to garnish
• Salt for taste

Method:

1.     Take a kadai add moong dal and fry dry for few mins till it becomes slight brown.

2.      Pressures cook the moong dal along with water for 2 to 3 whistles and keep it aside.

3.      In a pan, heat oil and add mustard and wait till it crackles. 

4.      Add chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves, cumin, Garlic, turmeric powder and fry till becomes translucent.

5.      Add the cooked moong dal along with the water in which the dal was pressure cooked and salt for taste. Cook for 10 min or till its done.

6.      Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with rice or chappathi.

Cabbage Poriyal

Cabbage comes under green leafy vegetables. This is a type of vegetable we can eat it raw or in cooked from. Cabbage contains Vitamin K. By eating a cup of cabbage with your daily diet makes a healthy diet. The vitamin k helps in "Blood clot", so we should make cabbage as regular food. The below shown recipe is simple from of cooked cabbage. It is called as Poriya or side dish. In India we use to take this with the main course like rice, sambar and rasam. Cabbage can be used in salad, soups, and curries and in many more ways.

 Ingredients:

• Shredded cabbage - 2 cups
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup (fresh or frozen)
• Green chilies - 2 to 3
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
•  Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – less than ¼ tbsp
• Curry leaves – 1 string
• Salt - to taste
• Clintro-garnish

Method:

1.     Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when mustard crackles add urad dal, curry leaves, green chillies and toss it. Add the shredded cabbage, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Simmer the flame until cabbage cooks. You can sprinkle some water if necessary. Make sure you check the water level in between. Cabbage oozes out water when cooking, so don't add too much water in the beginning. 

2.     Check for salt. Stir occasionally until it becomes dry .Now add grated coconut and let it be for 4 to 6 mins. Garnish with cilantro .Serve it hot.

3.     Goes well with Rice,Rasam etc.

Notes: Add half of the salt in the beginning, because it may become too salty when you add with water .If needed can add at the end.

Egg Kothu Parotta

Ingredients:

• Parotta - 4
• Onion - 1 medium
• Green chillies - 3chopped
• Curry leaves-2 string
• Tomato-1 medium
• Chilli powder (optional)- if need more spice
• Garam masala powder -1/4tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Egg -2(well beaten)
• Garnish-cilantro leaves (chopped)
• Oil

For vegetable Kothu Parotta - Mixed vegetables - 1 cup OR

Method:

1.     Heat a tawa and cook the parotta. Then cut them into small pieces and keep the aside.

2.     Take a pan, heat oil and add mustard, wait to crackle.

3.     Add the curry leaves, green chilies, turmeric powder and onions.

4.     Fry the onions till they are translucent.

5.     Then add tomato fry till it cooks. Now add parotta pieces and mix well

6.     Add garam masala powder and finally add egg batter.

7.     Toss till the egg completely cooks without burning.

8.     Add cilantro leaves and switch off the stove.

9.     Serve hot with egg gravy, veg gravy, Rita etc

Notes: Can also add egg gravy or masala gravy to get the consistency.

Veg kothu parotta:

For Vegetable Kothu Parotta, add the mixed vegetables instead of egg,

Once the parotta blend well with the vegetable/egg mixture, turn off the heat.

Serve hot.

Potato Masala

Ingredients:

• Potato –4 (medium size)
• Tomato-1 medium
• Ginger-1 inch
• Garlic- 2
• Onion – 1 medium
• Green chiles – 3 to 4(depends on how spicy u like)
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tbsp
• Mustards seeds
• Roasted channa dal and Urad dal – 1 tbsp (both)
• Curry leaves – 1string
• Coriander leaves chopped for garnish
• Oil -2 tbsp
•  Salt – As required

Method:

1. Wash the potatoes to remove any dirt on its surface. Cut each potato in equal half.
2. Take a pressure cooker; put the cut potatoes and 2 cups of water and ¼ tbsp salt into it.
3.  Cook for 1 or 2 whistle and drain the water. Peel the potatoes skin and mashy it nicely and keep it aside. Chop onion, tomato, green chili, garlic and Ginger
4. In a pan add Oil. When the oil is hot, add Mustard,roasted channa dal and Urad dal. When mustard crackles add Green Chili, Curry Leaves. Add the chopped Ginger, Onion, turmeric and fry till becomes translucent. Add tomatoes and cook till it mashy.
5. Add the mashed potato, salt and mix well and Toss for 5min.
6. Now add required water and stir continuously. Simmer it for 5 to10 mins. This depending on the consistency of the curry you required .Switch off the flame.
7. Finally Garnish with Coriander leaves.Serve Hot.

Goes well with: Poori, Chapathi, dosa etc...

Notes:

Add required water don’t make it watery or too thick.

Kara boondi

Ingredients:

• Besan flour -2 cups
• Beaten rice (Aval/poha) - 1 cup
• Roasted channa dal (pottu kadalai) - 1/2 cup
• Peanuts – ½ cup
• Chilli powder -1 to 2 tbsp (based on spice level)
• Cashew nuts - handful
• Curry leaves -2strings
• Asafoetida/Hing - a generous pinch
• Sodium Bicarbonate (cooking Soda) -3 pinches
• Food colour – a pinch(optional)
• Oil for frying
• Salt for taste

Method:

Step 1: preparing boondi

1. Take besan/chick pea flour in a bowl,food color and add Cooking soda. Don’t add salt.
2. First add little water and mix it well without lumps.Then add water little by little and make a slightly thin batter.The batter should neither be very thin nor should thick.The consistency be that of dosa batter.
3. Heat oil, then take the boondi ladle and pour a little batter on the ladle. The batter will fall through the holes into the hot oil. Pour little by little without over crowding.
4. Fry the balls till golden brown and drain it on a paper towel.
5. Heat oil and fry pottu kadalai (Roasted channa dal).Keep it aside.
6. Then fry peanuts, cashew nuts and curry leaves separately and keep it aside.
7. Then fry Aval and drain it on a paper towel. It gets fried very fast. So cook it in slow flame.

Step 2: making mixture

1. Take a bowl; add above mentioned ingredients all together and sprinkle salt, hing and chilli powder on it. Mix it well.you will get tasty mixture. There are no rules regarding measurements. If you like boondi more, you can add more.
2. Enjoy it with a hot cup of tea or coffee. It will stay fresh for a week.

Murukku

                    The yummy snacks Murukku, who don’t like this. Murukku is my all time favorite.

For this diwali try this easy murukku Recipe and enjoy with your Love able family. Wish you all happy Diwali.

Ingredients:

• Idily rice or parboiled rice or raw rice -2 cups
• Dried channa dal /pottu kadalai – 1 to 1 ½ cup
• Oil or butter -1tbsp
• Seasme seeds (white) – 1/tbsp
• Omam seeds (Ajwain) -1/2 tbsp
• Red chillies – 5- 6 medium size
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Soak boiled rice for 3 to 4 hours; grind the red chilles first then the rice by adding little water to fine paste. Do not add too much water, and then you will not be able to prepare the dough.
2.  Add Dry channa dal to mixer jar and grind to fine powder and sieve it. Keep it aside.
3. Mix rice batter + dry channa dal powder + salt + Omam, sesame seeds + hot oil or butter. Mix it evenly to make soft dough.
4. First let me tell you about the murukku maker. The murukku maker come with 2 moulds and different plates. I have used the 3 hole  plates to make this murukku.
5. Take a small amount of dough and put it inside the murukku maker, then press it with the other mould (you have 2 moulds) and you will find dough coming out of the 3 hole shapes.
6. Move it in a circular motion to make muruku ,on the back side of a small plate or the back of a flat ladle.Grease the back of the small plate or flat ladle with little oil and then press on it.
7. We are doing this as the murukku will easily slip into the hot oil when you turn the plate or ladle. I greased it only once to make all the murukkus.
8. Heat oil in a kadai and when it is hot, drop the murukku inside the oil gently. It starts to bubbling  and the oil raises up with a sound.
9. Then when you need to stop droping murukkus .You can add 6 to 7 murukkus into the oil.Let it get cook don’t touch. 
10. After sometime, flip it over to the other side and fry till it become golden brown.When oil sound stops completely, murrukku is done perfect. 
11. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.Once done, place them on a paper towel, to cool off. Once completely cooled, store it in an air tight container and enjoy this yummy snack for Diwali.                                                                                                                  

Masala Vada

Masala vada is one of the famous South Indian recipes. Masala vada is prepared using channa dal or chick peas dal.I use to prepare this vada using the channel dal in the beginning of my cooking. After I went to vacation to Indian, my mother-in-law showed me how to use chickpeas dal. This tasted much much better than channa dal. So I started using split chickpeas dal. Masala vada is mainly available in the tea shops. People used to go there and get masala vada with a cup of tea and chat for longtime and pass their time. Channa dal is rich in protein, dietry fiber etc.

Ingredients:

• Chana dal - 1 cup
• Coriander leaves - A small bunch
• Curry leaves – 1string
• Onion- 1medium
• Green chilly – 2 medium
• Red chilly-2 medium
• Ginger-1 inch
• Salt – As needed
• Cinnamon-2
• Cloves -2
• Fennel (sombu) – ¼ tbsp
• Oil – as required

Method:

1. Soak Channa dal for 4 hours and then drain the water it and keep it side.
2. Take one handful of channa dal and keep it separately.In a mixer jar add cinnamon, cloves, red chili, fennel, ginger and grind it first , then add channa dal and blend it coarsely .
3. Cut onion, green chilly, curry leaves and coriander leaves into small pieces. 
4. Mix together the ground paste, soaked chana dal and all the other ingredientsand mix well.
5. Heat the oil in a kadai. Make into flat dumplings and deep fry in medium heat till golden color and crispy

Notes:First half fry the patties and take it out , then again fry it to get crispy masala vada(fry two times).

Drumstick Sambar

Ingredients:

• Toor dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind- half lemon size
• Tomato -1 medium
• Drumstick-1
• Egg plant- 2medium
• Onion (small Pearl onion or regular) - less than 1/4cup (Cut lengthwise)          
• Oil -2tbsp
• Mustard -1/4 tbsp
• Curry leaves -1spring                                
• Red chilly -1
• Turmeric pwd-1/4 tbsp
• Sambar powder (home made or store bought) - 2 tbsp( based on spicy level)
• Salt to taste
• Ghee- 1tsp (optional)
• Castor oil-2drops
• Fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1. Take a pressure cooker; add washed toor dal ,tomato and 2 drops of castor oil.
2. Pressure cook it for 1  and keep it aside.
3. Soak the tamarind in water for 30 minutes and extract the juice.
4. Cut drumstick and egg plant in lengthwise and keep it aside.
5. Heat oil in vessel .when oil or ghee is hot, add vegtables and fry for a minute.
6. Add sambar powder and fry for a minute without burning it.
7. Add 2 cup of water and allow it to boil in medium flame, till the raw powder smell goes.
8. Add the cooked toor dal, salt and turmeric powder.
9. Bring to boil and check whether vegtables is cooked
10. Add tamarind juice and check for salt.
11. Let it boil for 5 min, check for consistency. (sambar shouldn’t be too thick or watery).
12. Remove from flame and keep aside.
13. Take a pan, heat oil and add mustard, wait to crackel.
14. Add onion, curry leaves and red chili, sauté nicely to light brown.
15. Garnish with above fried mixture and freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Rava Dosa

Rava dosa is one of my favorite recipes. When ever we go to restaurant I like to eat rava dosa.But after trying this recipe at home, believe me I stopped ordering rava dosa. Try this recipe and bring the restaurant to home. This is my 25th recipe. Thanks for your   support which makes to post more recipe.

Ingredients:

• Rava - 1cup
• Riceflour -1cup
• Maida - 1/4cup
• Cumin seeds -1tsp
• Finely chopped ginger - 1tsp
• Chopped green chillies - 3
• Chopped onion – 1/2 cup
• Chopped Cashewnuts - 2tbsp(optional)
• Asafoetida – 2pinches
• Water - 3cups(as required)
• Clintro for garnish
• Salt to taste
• Ghee or oil 

Method:

1.     Take a bowl add all above mentioned ingridents. Make the batter as butter milk consistency, by adding required water.

2.     Heat a nonstick tava( should be very hot 350^o).

3.     Sprinkle the batter very think on the tava and spray ghee or oil on top of it.

4.     Now garnish with clintro.

5.     Cook the dosa till it get a nice golden brown color.

6.     Serve with chutney, sambar.

Onion rava:

On the tava spread some onion evenly and then sprinkle the batter on it.

Note: This dosa takes little longer to cook.

Beetroot greens Poriyal

Ingredients:

•  Beetroot Greens -1bunch
•  Coconut (grated) -3 tsp
• Green chilly -2
•  Onion –medium size chopped
• Turmeric -1/2 tbsp
•  Oil – 2tbsp
• Mustard seeds – ¼ tbsp
• Urad dal – 1 tbsp
•  Salt to taste.

Method:

1.     Clean and wash the beetroot leaves; cut  in julienne style along with the stem.

2.     Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds.

3.     When the mustard seeds pops,add urad dal, chopped onion and the green chilly.

4.     Sautee till the onin is tender and adds the leaves, turmeric, salt and mix evenly.

5.     Then add a cup of water or less and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the leaves are fully done.

6.     Finally add the grated coconut and saute it for another minute or two. Now remove from stove.

7.     Serve hot with rice.

Cabbage Bonda

Cabbage bonda is very teasty, when you eat it hot. I got this recipe from the road side vada shop. There is shop nearby the hostel I stayed. We all friends used to go here get this bonda often. The red color and soft texture of this cabbage bonda is appetizing.In that tea shop the man used to prepare the cabbage bonda in the evening, within few hours everything will be sold. It is prepared using all-purpose flour. It is very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese.

      Ingredients:

• Cabbage – ¼ of medium size
• Green Chilli -2
• All purpous flour - 1 cup
• Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Food color – 2pinches
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander Leaves (chopped) – 1spring
• Water - as required
• Oil - for deep frying

Method:

1. Chop the cabbage into thin length wise pieces. Chop Green chilies and keep it aside.
2. In a bowl add all purpous flour, Chopped cabbage, green chillies, coriander leaves, chilli powder, food color and salt.
3. Mix well without adding water and add water little by little. The consistency should be in such a way that we should be able to make small balls out of it. Then keep the mixture for half an hour .
4. Take a kadai, add oil into it. Once the oil becomes hot, reduce the flame and make desired size of balls and drop it in the oil. Fry in a medium flame till it turns golden brown (watch it carefully for color, because we added food color).
5. Once done, remove it and place it on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Notes: Eat  when it is hot,will be too good.

Aloo Bonda

Ingredients:

Potato masala:

• Potatoes -3 medium size           
• Onion -1/2              
• Green chilies  -3 
• Ginger   -1/4 inch(optional)             
• Curry leaves -1spring     
• Cilantro
• Garlic-2cloves
• Oil-as needed

Batter:

• Besan flour  -  1cup    
• Cooking soda (sodium bicarbonate)-  2pinch
• Red Color -2pinch 
• Rice flour-1/4cup
• Hing (asafetida)-few pinches
• Red chilli powder-1tbsp
• Salt

Method:

Step1: Preparing Batter

1. Take oval shaped bowl.
2. Add besan flour, rice flour, chilli powder, hing, salt, food color, sodium bicarbonate and mix well.
3. Then add water little by little on continuous mixing. The consistency of the batter should be medium (not too thick or too water).
4. Mix the batter and keep it aside.

Note: If batter is watery it absorbs more oil .Always try to taste the batter for spice and salt or fry a bonda to test.

Step2: making potato masala

1. Pressure cook the potatoes for 1 to 2 whistle. (To get mashy texture)
2. When pressure goes completely, peel the skin and mash it well.
3. Take a pan, add oil, and splutter with mustard seeds.
4. Then add chopped onion,ginger,green chillies,garlic and sauté till it loses moisture.
5. Finally add mashed potatoes and mix well. Now add cilantro.
6. After few minutes with continuously strring, switch off the stove.
7. Let it cool down, then make into small size balls and keep it aside.

Step3: Preparing Bonda

1. Take pan and heat oil.
2. When the oil is hot, get ready for frying (test by dropping a bit of batter into oil, if it rises right away, oil is hot)
3. Now take the potato masala ball, dip it in the batter and drop into the oil.
4. Fry bonda in batches and place on the paper tower to remove excess oil.
5. Try to turn the bonda’s evenly after adding to oil and remove only it turns brown(be conscious on color, because we have added food color)
6. Now ready to serve with hot sauce or ketchup or chutney’s.Bonda is a good filling to make burgur.

Mushroom pasta Indian style

Ingredients:

• Pasta -1 packet
• Carrot, Cabbage, broccoli florets -2 cups
• Green bell pepper -1 medium (cut lengthwise)
• Mushroom – 1cup
• Spring onion – 1 bunch                     
• Olive oil - 3 tbsp
• Soya sauce – 3tbsp
• Chilli sauce – 1tbsp (Based on spice level)
• Marinara sauce -2tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Step1: Cooking pasta

1.     Take a large pan, half filled with water.

2.     When the water comes to boil, add pasta into it.

3.     Add salt and let it boil for 10 mins.

4.     When pasta is 75% cooked, drain the pasta and keep it aside.

Notes: don’t cook the pasta too much, it become mashy.

Step2: Preparing pasta:

1.     Heat oil in the heavy bottom pan, when oil becomes hot adds green bell pepper and salute for few minutes.

2.     Add mashroom fry till the moisture goes off and becomes dry.

3.     Add the chopped vegetables toss it for few minutes.

4.     Once the vegetables are half cooked, add pasta and mix well.

5.     Finally add spring onion and mix it.

6.     Then add soya sauce, chilli sauce and marinara sauce in the mixture and stir well with a spatula, continuously.

7.     Let it be on stove for 2 min .check for salt, if needed u can add now.

8.     Remove from fire. Serve it with ketchup.

Notes: I cook the vegetable fully, you can half cook it.

Vegetable Kuruma

Ingredients:

• Carrot, beans, potato, cauliflower florets & peas - 2 cups
• Curry Leaves – 1 spring                     
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon- 1
• Onion - 1medium
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Green chilly - 3 or 4
• Grated coconut - 1/2cup
• Cashew - 5 Optional
• Roasted channa dal–less than ¼ cup
• Bay leaves-2
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Freshly chopped coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

Step1: Grinding masala

1. Add coconut, cloves, cinnamon, green chillies, ginger, garlic, roasted channan dal to a mixer jar.
2. Make it into fine paste with adding little water and keep aside.

Step2: Preparing Kurma

1. Chop all the vegetables in Medium size and keep aside.
2. Chop the onion and green chili in length wise.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and green chilies, wait to crackle.
4. Fry onions till it loses moisture and add ginger garlic paste.
5. Now add all cut vegetables and sauté for 2 to 3 mins.
6. Add coconut masala paste and mix well.
7. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings.
8. Add water and allow to pressure cook for 1whistel.
9. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
10. Serve it with chapatti, naan, dosa, rice…

Notes: Add little water, because we are pressure cooking. Otherwise kurma becomes watery.

Radish Sambar

Ingredients:

• Toor dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind- half lemon size
• Radish-1medium size
• Onion (small Pearl onion or regular) - less than 1/4cup(Cut lengthwise)
• Tomato medium sized           
• Oil -2tbsp
• Mustard -1/4 tbsp
• Curry leaves -1spring                               
• Red chilly -1
• Turmeric pwd-1/4 tbsp
• Sambar powder (home made or store bought) - 2 tbsp( based on spicy level)
• Salt to taste
• Ghee- 1tsp (optional)
• Castor oil-2drops
• Fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1.     Take a pressure cooker; add washed toor dal, tomato and 2 drops of castor oil.

2.     Pressure cook it for 1 or 2whistles and keep it aside.

3.     Soak the tamarind in water for 30 minutes and extract the juice.

4.     Cut radish in round pieces and keep it aside.

5.     Heat oil in vessel .when oil or ghee is hot, add radish and fry for a minute.

6.     Add sambar powder and fry for a minute without burning it.

7.     Add 2 cup of water and allow it to boil in medium flame, till the raw powder smell goes.

8.     Add the cooked toor dal, salt and turmeric powder.

9.     Bring to boil and see the radish is cooked

10. Add tamarind juice and check for salt.

11. Let it boil for 3 min, check for consistency. (sambar shouldn’t be too thick or watery).

12. Remove from flame and keep aside.

13. Take a pan, heat oil and add mustard, wait to crackel.

14. Add onion, curry leaves and red chili, saute nicely to light brown.

15. Garnish with above fried mixture and freshly chopped coriander leaves.

16. Serve with rice, dosa, idly, medu vada.