Vaazhaika / Plantain Poriyal

Ingredients:

Vaazhaika / Plantain - 1
Onion - 1 - chopped
Red chill - 2 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - A pinch
Curry leaves - few
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp(optional)
Hing - A pinch
Grated coconut - 1 tsp(optional)



Method:

1. Cut the plantain in square shape, add 1/2 cup of water, add turmeric and salt and let it boil for exactly 5 mins. Close the lid so that it get cooked soon.
2. After 5 mins, drain if there is any excess water in it and keep it aside. Don't keep it without draining water, because it'll be cooked more and get smashed.
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add urad dal and add onion, red chilli, curry leaves and hing now and fry until you see golden brown in onion.
4. Then add the boiled plantain, add coconut and mix well. Low the flame and stir for few mins.

Milagu Pongal / Ven Pongal

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Moon dal - 1/2 cup - Roasted
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 2 - cut into small pieces
Ginger - 1 inch - chopp them finely
salt - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Oil/ Ghee - 2 - 3 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few



Method:

1. Wash rice, moong dal, together and add 3 and 1/2 cups of water. Add salt and cook them in a pressure cooker. If you are not using pressure cooker, add 4 cups of water for cooking.
2. Rice should be well cooked. Say, it should be ready to get smashed.
3. Heat oil/ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds, pepper seeds, wait until it splutters. Then add green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves.
4. Add it to the cooked rice. Add more ghee for better taste. Add salt if needed and mix them well. Now rice will be smashed little bit.

Note:

Coconut chutney, idly sambar, puli kuzhambu suits this dish very much. And the best curry for this venpongal is mixed vegetable puli kootu. Usually we prepare this mixed vegetable puli kootu during pongal festival, which we celebrate in the month of January. In India its winter time and we use the vegetables we get during winter season.

Idly Sambar

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 2 hands full or 1/4 cup
Brinjal - 2 nos
Potato - 1 nos
Carrot - 1 nos
Beans - 10 nos
Cabbage - 1/4 part or 2 hands full
Onion - 1 - chopped
Tomato - 2 - chopped
Green chilli - 4 nos
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp(boil) + 1/2 tsp(seasoning)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp or as per need
Sambar powder - 3/4 tsp or as per need
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Hing - A pinch
Red chilli - 2 nos
Salt - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Oil - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - a hand ful

Method:

1. Cut all the vegetables of any size, add them with toor dal.
2. Along with that add onion, tomato, green chilli, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and add 2 cups or more water and boil them in a pressure cooker.
3. Let it for 6 whistle or one more, so that all vegetables, dal are cooked well.
4. Let it cool, until the pressure gets down. Then drain water and smash them all together.
5. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and add red chilli and then add the drained water and the smashed mixture.
6. Add chilli powder, sambar powder(USE MTR), hing, and salt and let it boil for another 5 mins. Add curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Note:

You can smell nice aroma now and feel like having it immediately. Do not add more toor dal. You can choose vegetable of your choice, but don't choose vegetables that have more water content. In south india, this type of sambar is very special in all restaurants and in wedding parties. This matches idly, dosai, uthappam, uppma, and milagu pongal.

Fish fry - 1

Ingredients:

Vanjarai/Thilappia - 1 pound or 1/2 kg
Turmericpowder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Lemon - 1 - prepare juice of this lemon
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Bread crums - 10 tsp(optional)
Oil - to fry

Method:

1. Clean the fish and drain water completely, say press using a hand tissue to absorb water.
2. Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste and salt and marinate for 30 mins to 1 hour.
3. Before frying, spread little bread crums in a plate, say 1 tsp and take a piece of fish and spread front, back and all sides.
4. Heat a pan and put the fish pieces in the pan and add 1 tsp of oil to each peace.
5. Turn them until cooked well.

Note:

Egg kurma, and this kind of fish fry will be the best combination.

KaaraPaniyaram

Ingredients:

Dosa/Idly Batter - 1 cup
Onion - 1 - chopped
Green chilli - 3 - chopped
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tps
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Channa dal - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - less than 1/4 tsp(if needed)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard and cumin seeds. Add urad and Channa dal, then add onion, green chilli and curry leaves and fry until you see golden brown in onion. Let it cool for some time.
2. Mix the fried items with the batter and add salt(if needed) and mix well.
3. In the paniyarm making vessel, in each hollow add 2 drops of oil. Take the batter in a ladle and fill each hollow and close the lid for 2 min. (Note: Keep the gas in low flame)
4. Take the lid after 2 mins and turn each paniyaram to its rear, and leave it for one min. Now its ready!

Note:

If the Idly batter is bitter, you can try this. Also you can try uthappam. To reduce the bitterness, add a pinch of baking soda along with the batter. Coriander chutney, peanut chutney, coconut chutney, Kaara chutney are the best side dish for this kaara paniyaram.

Vegetable Kuruma - 1

Ingredients:

Carrot - 2 nos- cut into small pieces
Beans - 10 nos - cut into small pieces
Green peas - A hand full
Potato - - 1 nos - cut into small pieces
Big Onion - 1
Tomato - 2(medium)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Grated Coconut - 3 tsp
Green chilli - 3 and chilli powder - 1/4 tsp(if needed)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few

Method:
1. Grind coconut along with 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds and green chillies and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, splutter cumin seeds, add onion, curry leaves and turmeric and fry well
3. Add tomato and fry till oil gets separated.
4. Add vegetables, salt and mix well and let the vegetables to cook for 5 mins.
5. Add the grinned coconut paste now and check for spice and salt. Add more if needed.
6. Let it cook for few more minutes. Finally add coriander leaves.

Note:

Most of us know the only side dish for Poori/Bhatura as potato. Try this! Also for roti, Pulav you can try this as side dish. People who don't like garam masala taste will definitely like this kind of kuruma.

Thakkali Chutney

Ingredients:

Big Onion - 1 - chopped
Tomato - 2 - chopped
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/3 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add onion and curry leaves.
2. Fry onion until golden brown and add tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and fry till oil gets separated.
3. Taste for salt, and add sugar now and mix well.

Note:

Easily you can prepare this dish. Have this with chappathi/roti, rice and idly. If you fry it for more time, the reddish color will turn into maroon color and it wont get spoil for more hours. If you go for a long drive and don't wish to have food outside means you can take this along with chappathi/roti, idly. Specifically if you prepare this dish for idly, use sesame oil.