Aloo - Palak Curry

Ingredients:

Potato/Aloo - 1 - remove skin and cut into small pieces

Boil these ingredients separately and mash this to a coarse paste:

Spinach/Keerai/Palak - 1 bunch
Tomato - 2(medium)
Green chillies - 5 nos
Fennel seeds(Soombu) - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning:

Onion - 1 - chopped
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Cloves & Cinnamon Sticks - 2 nos(each)
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Boil the slices potatoes until they are cooked.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and wait until they splutter.
3. Add onion and fry until golden brown, then add ginger - garlic paste, garam masala powder and fry until the raw smell goes off.
4. Now add the cooked potatoes and the ground spinach/palak paste.
5. Add salt and let it boil for 2 mins.


Note:

-> Serve with Naan, roti, jeera rice, white rice....
-> Instead of potato, try with cooked channa....it will be yummy!

Mango Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup
Green Mango - 1 - peel off skin and grate it.
Green chillies - 3 nos
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Channa dhal - 1 tsp
Hing(Asafoetida) - A pinch
Green Kesar color - A pinch(optional) or turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - A pinch(optional)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
oil - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dhal. Wait until they splutter.
2. Add channa dhal, fry for 15 secs, add green chillies, hing and curry leaves.
3. Add grated mango, salt and sugar(only if mango is too sour), green kesar color(optional) and mix well for 2 mins in a medium flame
4. Add cooked rice, coriander leaves and mix well.

Note:

-> Easy, isn't it??? Preparation is same like lemon rice...
-> I used kesar color to enhance the color of mango. you can also add turmeric powder...

Egg dosai

Ingredients:

Dosai / idly batter
Egg - 1
Oil - as required
Method:

-> Heat a flat pan / dosai pan(keep it in medium / low flame), put a ladle of batter in the middle of the pan, and spread it gradually using ladle, break a egg in the middle of the spread dosai and rotate the pan to spread the egg around dosai.
-> Flip dosai to other side for the egg to cook well.
-> Serve it hot with all chutney varieties, sambar, chutney podi...etc.,

Idly Batter

Ingredients:

Idly rice/Boiled rice - 4 cups or Long grain rice - 3 cups
Urad dhal - 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Soak all ingredients separately for 5 - 8 hours, grind it in a food processor/indian grinder/blender.
2. Mix salt to the batter and let it ferment over night or minimum 8 hours.
3. when batter is raised(see pic) its ready to prepare soft and fluffy idlyies....

Note:

-> Do not make it too thick(idly will be hard and become dry soon) or too thin(idly will become flat)
-> In the same batter we can prepare dosai, uthappam and paniyaram(click here to see those items breakfast)

Plantain Bajji

Ingredients:

Plantain(Raw Banana) - 1 -
Besan(Gram) flour - 6 tsp
Rice flour - 2 tsp
Corn flour - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Hing(Asafoetida) - A pinch
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Kesar color - A pinch(optional)
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp(optional)
Oil - for frying






Method:

1. Peel off the skin of plantain and cut it as thin slices(length wise).
2. Mix besan, corn and rice flour together. Add salt, hing, chilli powder baking soda and 1/2 cup of water and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan(in a medium flame).
4. Dip each slice of plantain in the batter and slowly slide in oil. Fry it until plantain is cooked.(cook approximately for 4 min, turn the sides often).

Note:

-> Serve with tomato ketchup or with green chilli sauce or coconut chutney.
-> Same like we can prepare with onion, capsicum, potato, bread, cabbage, cauliflower...etc., as u like....Enjoy the snack!
-> But be cautious about oil, if you oil is more, press it in a tissue, take the excess oil out and have it.
-> Heart patients, person with high cholesterol, person who has gas trouble better avoid this.

Strawberry Milk Shake

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 cup
Strawberries - 6 nos. - cut into pieces
Sugar - 2 tsp

Method:

-->> Grind all ingredients in a blender/mixi/food processor until foam comes.
-->> Serve it cold...

Vanilla Kesari

Ingredients:

Rava(sooji) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Elaichi - 2 nos.
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Kesar color - A pinch
Water - 2 and 1/4 cup
Raisin - few
Cashew - few
Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Roast rava(sooji) until it start to turn brown, approx 5 - 8 mins.
2. Boil water in a pan, add color, elaichi and sugar.
3. Simmer the gas and start adding rava(sooji) slowly and stir while you add sooji(or else sooji will form as cubes and won't mix well).
5. Close the lid for 2 mins. Stir and check if rava(sooji) is cooked.
6. Mean while roast raisins and cashews in ghee and add to the kesari and mix well and serve hot.

Note:

-> you can add any kind of essence like mango, orange, rose, pineapple...etc.,

Cauliflower Pakod(r)a

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 - Make them into pieces
Besan(Gram) Flour - 4 tsp
Rice Flour - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Corn Flour - 1 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch (optional)
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - A pinch
Kesar color - A pinch(optional)
Water - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp or as per need.
Oil - for frying


Method:

1. Mix all ingredients leaving oil. Add little more water if needed. Mixture should not be watery as like bajji.
2. Heat oil in a pan, fry adding little by litte.

Note:

-> Serve with hot sauce or tomato sauce or with chutney....
-> Same way we can prepare onion pakod(r)a. See pic below.

Onion Pakod(r)a:

Idly Upma

Ingredients:

Idly - 8 nos
Onion - 1 - chopped
Carrot & Beans - few - cut into small pieces
Ginger - 1 inch - finely chopped
Red Chilli - 2 nos
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 3/4 tsp
Hing(Asafoetida) - A pinch
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp or less
Coriander leaves - few



Method:

1. Try to smash idly using hand, you will get finely spluttered idly pieces.Watch the pic closely to find the desired state.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dhal. Wait until they splutter.
3. Add onion, chopped ginger, red chillies and hing. Fry until golden brown in onion.
4. Add carrot & beans now and fry until they are cooked.(Simmer gas and close the lid of the pan to cook the vegetables.)
5. Add the spluttered idly pieces and mix well for 3 - 4 mins.(simmer gas now, or else it will stick to the bottom).Garnish with coriander leaves and it is ready to serve.

Note:

-> Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar....
-> For better taste use the day before idly to prepare this. Even the dried corners will become soft after heating. So hear after there is no need to eat dry idly's, eat it hot as idly upma.
-> Fresh idlies will stick to hand and won't splutter well or leave 8 hours gap to prepare this.

Pudhina Rice / Mint Rice

Ingredients:

Unboiled Rice - 1 cup - Soak rice for 45 mins
Puchina(Mint) - A bunch
Green Chilli - 8 nos
Onion - 1 - cut it length wise
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cloves & Cinnamon Sticks - 2 nos.
Cardamom(Elaichi) - 2 nos.
Bay leaves - few.
Curd - 2 tsp
Oil/Ghee - 3 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp







Method:

1. Grind pudhina and green chilli and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves.
3. Add onion and fry until golden brown.
4. Add ginger - garlic paste and fry for 2 mins.
5. Add the ground pudina and greenchilli paste and fry for 5 mins. until oil gets spearated.
6. Now add rice and 2 cups of water and curd mix well.
7. Keep it in a pressure cooker or rice cooker until rice is cooked.

Note:

-> Serve with any kind of raitha, chicken 65....etc.,

Keerai Kuzhambu / Spinach Gravy

Ingredients:

Spinach / Keerai - A bunch - Separate leaves and wash well.
Onion(small) - 12 nos
Garlic - 6 nos
Green chilli - 5 nos
Tomato - 2
Salt - 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli - 2 nos - remove the seeds
Hing(Asafoetida) - A pinch
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Boil all the ingredients until spinach leaves are cooked. Do not cook too much, as the color of the leaves change and taste differs from original recipe.
2. Once cooked, smash them in a blender(just one round). Do not grind finely.
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard and cumin seeds, add red chillies, hing and add it to the ground spinach paste.

Hint:

-> Boil 1/2 cup of toor dhal and add to this mixture to prepare keerai paruppu kuzhambu. (see pic below)
-> Serve with rice...more of this spinach gravy and less amount of rice. People who are in diet can follow this.(see pic below)

Keerai Paruppu Kuzhambu...














Keerai Saatham / Spinach Rice:

Ennai Kathrikai / Brinjal Fry

Ingredients:

Brinjal - 4 nos - cut it length wise.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Tomato - 1 - Squeeze it and extract juice, leaving skin.
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan(non-stick is better), add all ingredients and cook well until oil ooze out.

Note:

-> Serve with Moore kuzhambu, curd rice, rasam rice, and more....

Kollu Saatham / Horse Gram Rice

Ingredients:

Horse Gram - 1/2 cup - Roast it until color changes
Uncooked Rice - 1/2 cup
Water - 5 cups
salt - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients and pressure cook it.

Serving Suggestion:

-> Serve with curd, or any thovaiyal(chutney) variety.

Kollu Thuvaiyal / Horse Gram Chutney

Ingredients:

Horse Gram - 1 cup
Garlic - 3 nos
Red chilli - 4 nos
Tamarind - 1 Amla size / 1/4 tsp of paste
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Roast horse gram, garlic and red chilli in a pan and let it cool.
2. Grind them along with tamarind paste and salt and with required amount of water.

Note:

-> Serve with rice, dosai, idly, etc.,
-> Best side dish for rasam saatham, kollu saatham, curd rice.

Keerai Poriyal / Spinach Poriyal

Ingredients:

Spinach/Keerai(Any kind) - 1 bunch - chop them
Garlic - 2 nos
Grated or sliced coconut - few
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli - 2 nos - Remove seeds
Hing(Asafoetida) - A pinch
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, urad dhal and wait until they splutter.
2. Add redchill, hing, salt and add the chopped spinach and close the lid of the pan.
3. Reduce to medium/low flame and let it cook. Do not add excess water.
4. Now grind garlic and 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds and coconut without adding water.
5. When the spinach is cooked, add the ground mixture and mix well.
6. When there is no water left in the pan you can turn off gas.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 1 cup
Lemon juice - 3 tsp / extract juice from half lemon
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Channa Dhal/Urad Dhal/Both - 1 tsp
Red chilli - 2 nos. - remove the seeds
Hing (Asafoetida) - A pinch
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1/4 tsp


Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add urad dhal/channa dhal or both, add red chilli, curry leaves, hing, and lemon juice.
2. Add turmeric powder, salt and let it boil for 1 minute in a medium flame.
3. Turn off gas and mix rice and serve hot.