PEA NUT MASALA

INGREDIENTS

1. Raw pea nuts 2 cups
2. Finely chopped Onion 1
3. Finely chopped Tomato 1
4. Garlic 2 pearls
5. Green chilly 1
6. Cinnamon ¼ inch
7. Clove 2
8. Garam masala 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Turmeric powder a pinch
11. Aegina motto a pinch

12. Sugar a little

PREPARATION

· Soak pea nuts for 4 hrs and pressure cook it.
· Grind ½ onion ½ tomato along with cinnamon, garlic, chilly and clove to paste.
· In a pan splutter mustard, cumin and add the paste.
· Add sugar, salt, turmeric and masala powder to the gravy.
· Cook till it leaves oil and raw smell goes. Add in the Aegina motto.
· Finally add the cooked pea nuts and allow to boil for few mts.

If it is dry add little water to make it as gravy.
· Garnish with finely chopped tomato, onion and coriander leaves.

Its very well goes with parathas and chapatis. Even we can have like masala sundal.

PEA NUT DRY MASALA

I m sending this recipe to EFM Savories series hosted by SriLekha

INGREDIENTS
1. Raw pea nuts 2 cups
2. Finely chopped Onion 2
3. Finely chopped Tomato 1
4. Finely chopped carrot 1
5. puffed rice 3 tsp
6. salt to taste
7. Chat masala ¼ tsp
8. Chilly powder ½ tsp
9. Coriander leaves to garnish.

PREPARATION

1. Soak raw pea nuts for 4 hrs and pressure cook it.
2. Drain the water from the cooked peanuts.
3. Keep it in a bowl add all the ingredients one by one.
4. Mix it well and garnish with coriander leaves.

Its very tasty and delicious for all age groups. we can add more vegies what ever v can have raw like cabbage cucumber etc. Tis very famous in our Chennai T.Nagar road side shops.

GUJARATI KHADI

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Sour Curd

4 tsp Besan

1/2 inch Ginger chopped

2 Green chillies chopped

Salt To Taste

Handful Corainder leaves

2 tsp Oil

1 Pinch Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder

Seasonings:

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

Few Curry leaves

1 Pinch Asafoetida

Finely chopped onion 1

Preparation:

Beat the curd and add two cups of water. Add the besan, salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
Make a paste of ginger, chillies, cinnamon and corainder leaves.
Boil the curd mixture on slow heat and stir constinuosly. Add the ground paste, and boil again.
Heat oil in a pan, add all seasonings. Fry until they splutter. Add onion fry till it turns golden brown.
Pour this seasonings over kadhi. Garnish with corainder leaves and serve hot with rice.

preparation for pakoda

besan - ½ cup

Rice flour- ¼ cup
Hing a pinch
Chilli powder 3 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

Mix all the above said with little water to make coarse dough.

Deep fry it in oil until turns to brown color and add this pakodas to khadi.

It goes well with white rice or parupu podi rice. This is my daughter's favourite dish. Though preparation time is more but very tasty and no need to prepare any more side dish s the advantage of this. My daughters lunch box will be almost empty when i give this for lunch. Her class mates also like this very much.

DAL POWDER (PARUPPU PODI)

INGREDIENTS

Redgram dal- 2 cups

Pepper - 8 to 10

Red chillies 4

Salt to taste

METHOD

Dry roast the redgram dal, pepper and red chillies and grind along with salt to a coarse powder.

Mix with rice and serve.

This powder can be stored in an air-tight container for a month.

RAGI DOSA

ragi (Finger millet) flour - 1 cup





rice flour - 1/4 cup





Salt to taste





A bit of asafoetida





buttermilk 1/2 cup





Finely chopped green chillies and cumin seeds(optional)





Oil





Mix all the ingredients together to get a batter which is a bit thinner than normal dosa batter





.Let it aside for 10 minutes. Heat tava and spread out a big ladle of batter in an ciruclar manner.





Spread a little oil in the corners and cook for a minute.





Turn it and cook on other side as well. If the dosa is not soft, then it requires more water.

Serve hot with chutney and sambhar

Sending this to

Sudeshna's Harvest -the festival of rice Event.

SEPPANKESHANGU FRY

Seppankezhangu - 3/4 Kg
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli-coriander powder - 2 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Pressure cook the seppankezhangu, peel the outer skin and cut into small disc shaped pieces about 5mm thick.

In a bowl, mix the turmeric, chilli powders and salt.

Dip the pieces in this mixture so they are coated well on all sides.

In a pan, heat oil and add in the pieces one by one (Side by side) as a single sheet of pieces.

When golden brown and crisp on one side, turn over and cook the other side. Repeat this for all the pieces.

This might be a bit time-consuming, but nonetheless makes an excellent tasty side dish. Its all time favourite dish for my family members especially my brother in law loves this very much.

SUYYAN

INGREDIENTS

Rice Flour - 1 cup

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Cardamom - 2 (powdered coarsely)

Oil for deep frying

METHOD

Powder the jaggery well to remove lumps.

Mix the rice flour with the jaggery adding water little by little till we have a thick batter - between a paste like consistency and idli batter.

Note that it should not be too thick like a dough for chapathis, but should be like idli batter - free flowing but not too thin.

Add powdered cardamom to this and mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, scoop in the batter mix using a spoon (holding about 1-2 tsp full of batter) and drop into the oil.

Deep fry them till they change color (which is almost very soon).

Be careful not to leave them for long else they will turn black in high heat.

Keep the heat at medium-high and repeat this for the rest of the batter.

Maintaining the heat at the appropriate level (medium-high) ensures that the insides also get thoroughly cooked.

Delicious soyyams are ready. Usually served during festive occasions.

SOOJI APPAM

Ingredients:

rava - 1 cup,
water - 3 cups,
maida - 1 1/2 cup,
jaggery(grated) - 2 cups,
cardamom - 6,
ghee - 3 tablespoon,
oil for frying

Stuffing:

Roast rava in ghee. See that it does not become red.

Boil water in a vessel. When the water is boiled add rava and
cook well until the rava is cooked fully.

When it is almost done, add the grated jaggery and powdered cardamom
and stir well until it becomes non-sticky.

Make small size balls and keep aside.

Outer Cover:

Add 3 teaspoons of oil to maida and make a very soft dough.
Leave it covered with a piece of wet cloth for 1/2 an
hour.

Make small size balls.

Take a sheet of plastic paper and grease it with oil.

Take a ball of the outer dough and flatten it by hand to make a round flat shape.

Grease the hand with oil while flattening it.

Place a ball of the stuffing on this and close with the outer dough and
flatten it again.

Deep fry in oil turning over occasionally till it becomes golden brown.

When removing from oil, place it between two flat plates and squeeze out
the excess oil.

Suji appam is now ready to serve.

BOUTIQUE JEWELLERY

This was done by my 6 years old daughter from her birthday gift making boutique jewellery set box. Her music teacher gifted her this set.

she made braze let, couple of ear hangings and a necklace.

She is much interested in doing hand works, painting and craft works.

She likes to spend most of her times with her beads, colorings and stitching etc.

KEERAI KULAMBU

INGREDIENTS

Greens - 1/2 lb diced

Red gram 4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Onions - 1/2 diced

Tamarind extract - 1/2 cup

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds.

Then add the onions and sauté for a while.

Then add the greens and red gram in water and allow to cook.

When it is half done, add the turmeric powder and salt and mix well.

Allow to cook well.

Then add the tamarind extract, add sambar powder and allow to come to a boil.

Goes well with rice.

VADA CURRY

Gram Dal - 3/4 cup
Red Gram ¼ cup
Urid dal 2 tsp

Green chillies - 2 finely chopped

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Onions - 1 diced

Tomatoes - 1 diced

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Saunf - 1/4 tsp

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon stick - 2

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Soak gram dal, Red gram and Urid dal for a couple of hours.

Grind them to a very coarse mix adding the green chillies, salt (1/2 tsp) and saunf at the last grind cycle.

Make small disc shaped (vadas) balls and deep fry these in oil.

Set aside.

In a pan, heat oil, add in the cloves and cinnamon and fry for a minute.

Then add the onions and saute for a while.

Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli and coriander powders along with a little water and allow to cook till the smell of raw spice disappears.

Then add the fried dal balls into the mix and allow to cook for a few minutes.


Usually served on the side for idlis, dosas. If you have any left over masala vadais, can use these instead to make the curry too.

RAVA KICHADI

Rava - 2 cups

Onions - 1 big (cut lengthwise)

Tomatoes - 1 medium (chopped)

Green Chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise into 2)

Carrot, Beans, Peas chopped - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

split urid dal - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Curry Leaves - a few

Oil - 5 tbsp

Slightly roast the rava in a dry pan and set aside.

In another pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds, then add the urid dal, curry leaves and fry for a while.

Then add onions and green chillies/red chillies and fry for a while.

To this, add tomatoes and fry for a while.

Then, add the vegetables and saute for a couple of minutes.

Pour about 3-4 cups of water to this.

Add salt, turmeric powder and mix well and allow the water to boil.

When the water is boiling and the vegetables are almost cooked, add in the rava slowly and keep stirring simultaneously so as to not form lumps and cook till done. (Till the water all evaporates). I

f you add too much water, the kichadi might become sticky.

Very healthy light tiffin. Can have any pickle, hot chutneys or coconut chutneys as side dish with this upma.

VALATHANDU MOR KOOTU(PLANTIAN STEM)

INGREDIENTS

Valai thandu 1

Red chilli 3

Gram dal 3 tsp

Jeera 2 tsp

Grated coconut 3 tsp

Salt to taste

Hing pinch

turmeric a pinch

Whipped curd 5 tsp

Curry leaves for garnishing

METHOD

Soak gram dal jeera for 10 to 15 mts in water.

Cut the thandu into fine pieces and pressure cook it for 15 to 20 mts.

Slightly smash it.

Add turmeric and salt.

Grind the soaked items along with grated coconut and jeera.

Add the gravy in to the cooked thandu.

Let it boil for few mts in low flame.

Then add curd and cook for few seconds.

Pop up mustard, gram dal, urid dal and add curry leaves in coconut oil (for good flavour).

finally add this to mor kootu.

your yummy delicious mor kootu is now ready to have any main course.

My elder sister in law Mrs.Latha Badrinarayanan prepared this very delicious. I love to eat her all preparations. She cooks tasty and yummy south Indian traditional foods.

This plantain Stem is rich in fibre and good in the treatment of gallbladder and kidney stones. It also v good solution for Constipation.

CURRY POWDER

INGREDIENTS

Bengal gram 1 cup
Red gram 1 cup
Black gram 3 tsp
Red chili 10 to 15
Coriander seed 1/4 cup

METHOD

Fry all above said items in a little oil. Grind it coarsely.
Keep it in a air tight box. Use when ever required.

Kovai Kai Kari(Gentleman's Toes/Tindora Fry)

INGREDIENTS

Kova kai (Gentleman's Toes/tindora) 1/2 kg
Kari powder 4 to 5 tsp
Fried gram powder or fried peanut powder 3 tsp
Turmeric powder pinch
Salt to taste

METHOD

Pop up mus turd seeds, add black gram, Bengal gram and curry leaves till it becomes golden brown.
Add kova kai stirr occasionally. Sprinkle some water let it fry for 10 mts approx.
Add salt, turmeric powder, curry powder and fried gram/fried pea nut powder in to that.
Fry for some more mts.
Now your kovai kai vadhakal will be ready to eat.


I learnt this from my younger sister in law Jayanthi, Toronto. She only introduce this to my daughter during her visit to India when my daughter was 3 yrs. My daughter loves to eat even it alone without any main course Its goes with all sambar or rasam rice. Even nice to have with white rice as a kova kai rice. Kovai kai is fully iron rich vegetable. .

TOMATO RASAM

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind- a smal lemon sized ball
Tomato medium size 2
Cooked Toor dal 1/2 cup
Rasam powder 4 tsp
Turmeric powder pinch
Hing Pinch
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

METHOD

1. Mix the tamarind extract in 3 cups of water.


2. Add salt, rasam powder, turmeric in to that.


3. Cut green chili into half vertical part add to the mixture.


4. Add finely chopped tomatoes allow to boil for 3 to 5 mts.


5. Add diluted toor dal water in to rasam let it boil for few mts.


6. Pop up mustard seed and add hing, pour in to the rasam.


7. Garnish with coriander leaves.

APPAM WITH COCONUT MILK

INGREDIENTS

Raw rice 1 cup
Boiled rice 1 cup
Black gram 1/4 cup
Fenugreek seeds few
Salt to taste
Cooked rice 1/2 cup
Baking soda a pinch

METHOD

Soak all rice and gram, seeds for 3 to 4 hours.
Grind it nicely add cooked rice while grinding.
Add salt. allow to ferment minimum for 8 hours.
Add a pinch of Baking soda 10 mts before the time of making appam.
Prepare in appam pan.

I learnt this recipie from my friend Vidhya. My husband like this very much with coconut milk and my kids loves with Dosa chili powder or Onion tomato masala.

MYSORE RASAM

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind small lemon size
Red chili 3
Green chilli 1
Red gram 2 tsp
fenugreek seeds only 6 to 8
Coriander seed 1/4 tsp
Black pepper 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
garlic 2 pieces (optional)
Rasam powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder pinch
Hing pinch
salt to taste

METHOD

Add tamarind extract in a cup of water.
Cut green chilli in to two long pieces(vertically cut) and add into that water.
Add salt, rasam powder, turmeric powder and hing in to that.
Boil the content for 3 mts.
Grind all grams, pepper, cumin, garlic and red chilli.
Add the ground mixtue in to rasam allow to boil till the raw smell goes.
Finally add curry leaves and coriander leaves.
pop up mustard seeds in a spoon of Ghee. Add to the rasam.

This will be good When taken with hot white rice and too good at the time of cold and fever.
My Children like this very much with potato curry and paruppu thogayal.

KUNUKKU

INGREDIENTS

Finely chopped onion, carrot, beet root 1 cup
curry leaves
hing
salt to taste
gram flour 3 tsp
rice flour 2 tsp
Adai dough(mixed dal dosa dough) 3 cups
Oil to fry

METHOD

Add all the said chopped vegetables in to dough.
Add gram flour and rice flour in to that to make the it thick.
Add salt and curry leaves.
In a pan pour cooking oil and put the dough into small balls deep fry until it turns brown.

We can prepare this in the remaining adai dough. So that we can not waste or taking next day the same stuff again. Its suits for evening snacks for all age.

MIXED DAAL(PARUPPU) THOGAYAL

INGREDIENTS

Red gram 4 tsp
Bengal gram 4 tsp
Red chilli 3 to 4
Grated coconut 3 tsp
Salt to taste

METHOD

Fry all items in a pan with very little oil except coconut.
Allow to cool then grind along with coconut with little water.
Do not add more water as it becomes chutney.
It goes well with hot white rice along with the combination of jeera milagu rasam or with vathal kulambu.

My mom ll prepare both the dishes vathal kulambu, thogayal with milagu rasam very tasty.
we all like this combination very much. When ever we return from a long tour, longing for tasty food, my mom ll do this the day we returned home.

VEGETABLE RICE

INGREDIENTS

cooked rice - 1 cup
boiled vegetables (carrots,peas,beans,potatoes) 1 cup
Onions - 1
green chilli - 2 0r 3
garam masala - 1 tsp
for seasoning - cinnamon,clove, oil
coriander for garnishing

METHOD

Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon and clove.

Add onions and green chilli saute till it is translucent.
Add vegetables. Stir it for few mts until it get cooked and add garam masala.

Fry it for 2 to 3 minutes and add the cooked rice.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with sauce or any raitha.

VATHAK KULAMBU

I love this vathak kulambu/Mendhiya kulamabu.
My mom prepare this in such a tasty method that made me mouthwatering even i think of that itself. Ozzzz.... great preparation amma. Even today mine cant beat amma's one. Amma is always amma right.

INGREDIENTS
Tamarind -small lemon size
lady's finger 6
red chillies 6
garlic 5 to 6 pieces
hing a pinch
gram dal 1 tsp
urid dal 1tsp
salt to taste
turmeric powder a pinch
sambar powder 2 tsp
onion 1
tomato 1
grated coconut 1 sp

METHOD
In a pan, heat oil and pop up mustard seeds. Add urid daal, hing, gram daal, red chillies, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds and garlic pieces.
Fry till it turn golden brown.
Add the lady's finger and fry for couple of minutes.
Add tamarind extract, sambar powder and salt and allow to boil for 2 mts.
Cut the onion tomato grind along with grated coconut.
Add the ground gravy in to the kulambu.
Let it boil till the raw smell goes and become thick.

This is a good combination of MIXED DAAL(PARUPPU) THOGAYAL rice with PEANUT POTATO CRUNCHY as a side dish.

CRISPTY POTATO CHIPS

Wanna have a crispy potato chips.

• Mix gram flour, salt and chilly powder in water. Dilute as much as u can.


• Peal and slice the potatoes and soak for some time.


• Dry the potato slices in a clean soft cloth.


• Fry the slices in oil.


• Now your yummy crispy tasty potato chips is ready to eat.

FRESH CARROTS

Fresh Carrots

Bought carrots a lot and worrying how to keep fresh. Here s the tips for keeping carrots fresh for couple of weeks.

• peal the skin, cut the head and tail part and keep it in a air tight plastic box.


• keep this in fridge., sure it ll long last for minimum 10 to 15 days.

MIXED FRUIT KHEER

INGREDIENTS

Milk 6 cups
finely chopped
apple, mango, banana 2 cups
sugar 1 cup
fresh cream 1 cup
ghee 2 tsp
vermicelli 1 cup
vanilla essence 1 or 2 drops

METHOD

Fry vermicelli in ghee till it turns golden brown.
Boil milk until it become thick.
Add roasted vermicelli in milk and allow cook for few mts.
In a low flame gradually add sugar in to the milk stir continuously until sugar dissolved fully.
Add fruit mixture, essence, cream in to that mix it well. allow to cool.
Refrigerate for an hour and serve chill.

CARROT KHEER

INGREDIENTS

carrots 200 gms
milk 500 ml
cashew nuts 10 to 15
Badam 10
cardamom powder pinch

METHOD

soak both the nuts for 1 to 2 hrs
Peal the skin of badam
Peal the skin of carrot and cut into small pieces.
Pressure cook all items above said with little water.
Allow to cool and grind them to paste.
Add the paste in to boiled milk along with sugar. Cook for some more mts until the raw smell goes.
Add cardamom powder and serve chill.

BADAM KHEER

INGREDIENTS

Badam 100 gms
sugar 1 cup
Milk 3 cups
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Roasted Pista, cashew 2 tsp
kesari or yellow color powder pinch

METHOD

Soak Badam in hot water for 2 hrs and peal the skin.
Grind it with Little water and make it to a paste.
Fry all remaining nuts keep aside.
Boil 3 cups of water and add the badam paste, cook till the raw smell goes off.
Add sugar allow to dissolve in it then add the milk.
Add all remaining things. stirr contineously.
cook untill it becomes thick.

U can have either hot or cold.

CASHEW NUT BARFI

INGREDIENTS

Cashews - 100 gms
Sugar - 200 gms
Ghee - 200 gms

METHOD

1. Soak cashews in hot water for 30 minutes and .
2. Grind it into a paste by adding a very little water.
3. Add the sugar along with this cashew paste in a medium flame. Keep on stirring.
4. Add ghee gradually while stirring.
5. When done, take out of flame.
6. Pour it into a plate and cut it into pieces.

COCONUT BURFI

INGREDIENTS

Freshly grated coconut 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Milk 1 cup
Ground cardamoms 1 tsp

METHOD

Take a pot and mix freshly grated coconut, sugar and milk. Cook it on a low temperature. When it leaves sides of the pan, remove it from the cooking pan and pour it on a greased plate. Garnish it with silver foil and cut it in diamond shape after it cools down.

TOMATO SAMBAR

INGREDIENTS

small onions 15

tomatoes 6

grated coconut 4 tsp

red chili 8

cashew nuts 10

coriander seeds 2 tsp

jeera 1/2 tsp

black pepper 10

salt to taste

poppy seed 1 tsp

Anni seed 1 tsp

METHOD

Soak THODtomatoes in boiled water for few mts. Peal the skin
and smash it.

Fry cashew,pepper, jeera, red chilli, coriander seeds, poppy seed and grated coconut in a dry pan and grind into paste.

Add some cooking oil in the pan pop up mustard seeds and Anni seeds. Add finely chopped small onions and smashed tomatoes in that. stir it until the raw smell goes off.

Then add the masala paste pour little water and allow to boil for few mts.

It can be taken as a side dish for appam, chapati, paratha etc or even goes with white rice.