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.