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.