Murungaikai Arachu vitta sambar (Drumstick sambar)

Ingredients:

1. drumstick - 2.
2. shallots - 10-15
3. red chillies - 2
4. channa dal -2 spoons.
5. urad dal -2 spoons.
6. coriander seeds - 2 spoons.
7. coconut - 1/2 cup.
8. tamarind - 1 big lemon size.
9. curry leaves - 2 string.
10. Asafoetida - a pinch.
11. oil - as required.
12. Mustard - 1/2 spoons.
13. Toor dal - 1 cup.
14. turmeric powder - a pinch.
15. Salt to taste.

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook toor dal for 3-4 whistles.
2. peel off the shallots.No need to chop.
3. Soak the tamarind in water for some time.Squeeze the tamarind and extract the juice.
4. cut drumstick into 8-10 pieces.
5. Heat little oil in a pan
6. Add channa dal,urad dal, coriander seeds and red chillies.
7. Fry for sometime and keep it aside till it becomes cool.
8. Heat oil in a pan.
9. Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
10. Add drumstick and shallots and saute for 2-3 mins.
11. Add the tamarind extract,turmeric powder and asafoetida.
12. let it boil till the vegetables turn soft.
13. Grind the fried items along with coconut by adding some water.
14. Once the vegetables are boiled, add this grounded paste and add curry leaves.
15. Add the toor dal (smash it finely) to the gravy.
16. Sprinkle salt.

I used to make this sambar, when sambar powder gets over.

Multi Vegetable porial

Ingredients:

1. cabbage(finely chopped) - 1/2 cup.
2. Carrot(chopped) - 1/4 cup.
3. Beans(chopped) - 1/4 cup.
4. Oil - as required.
5. Mustard - 1/2 spoon.
6. Urad dal - 1/2 spoon.
7. Channa dal - 1/2 spoon
8. Red chillies - 1.
9. Salt - To Taste.

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
3. Add urad and channa dal and wait till it turns slight red colour.
4. Add red chillies.
5. Add cabbage,carrot and beans and saute.
6. Sprinkle some water and cover the pan with a lid.
7. Let it boil for sometime.
8. Once vegetables are finely cooked.
9. Add salt and saute.

Tomato chutney.

Ingredients:

Tomato - 6 nos.
Garlic - 4 pods.
Red chillies - 4.
Oil -  as required.
Mustard - 1/2 spoon.
Urad dal - 1 spoon.
Salt - as required.


Procedure:

1.Heat oil in a pan.
2. add tomato,red chillies and Garlic and saute till tomatoes goes soft.
3. Keep this aside and let it cool for sometime.
4. Grind the tomato mixture to fine paste.
5. heat oil in a pan.
6. Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
7. Add urad dal and let it turn into red color.
8. Now add the tomato paste.
9. saute for few mins and add salt.

This would be the best combination for Idli and Dosa.

Paruppu keerai kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Greens - 1 kattu (any keerai variety)
Toor dal - 1 cup.
Tomatoes - 3- 4 big sized.
Onion - 1 big
Green chillies - 3-4
Sambar powder - 1/2 spoon.
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch.
oil - as required.
salt - to taste.
mustard - 1/2 spoon.



Procedure:

1. chop greens , tomato and onion.
2,Slit the green chillies.
3.Pressure cook Toor dal for 2-3 whistles.
4. Heat oil in a pan.
5. Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
6. Add onion and wait till it becomes glassy.
7. Add green chillies and tomato one by one.
8. add little water and wait till tomatoes are semi cooked.
9. Now add chopped green and little water and wait till greens turn soft.
10.Add toor dal, turmeric powder and sambar powder.
11.Once the mixture boiled finely.
12. Add salt.

This can be mixed with rice and ghee.

All vegetable kootu - A simple way.

I used to prepare this kootu with left out vegetables. Vegetables are optional. You can prepare with whichever is available.

Ingredients:

Carrot  - 1
beans - 4-5
plantain - 1/2-1
plantain stem - 2 inch.
pumpkin - 1 thin piece.
white pumpkin -  1 thin piece
potato - 1
chow chow - 1/2
brinjal  - 1-2
Channa dal - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 2-3
oil - as required
salt - to taste.
cumin seeds - 1 spoon.

Procedure:

1. chop all the vegetable in cube shape.
2. pressure cook vegetable,channa dal and slitted green chillies together for 2-3 whistles.
3.Heat oil in a pan.
4.Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
5. Add cumin seeds.
6. Pour this on boiled vegetables mixture.
7.Add salt.

This kootu can be served as a side dish for rice as well as chappathies.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients :

Coconut - 1 cup.
Green chillies - 2
Fried gram (Pottu kadalai)  - handful.
Garlic - 1pod(Optional).

seasoning:
Oil - 1 tspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 spoon.
Curry leaves - 1 string
Urad dal - 1 spoon (optional).


Procedure:

1.Grind coconut , green chillies, fried gram,garlic(Optional) and salt to fine paste.
2.Heat oil in a seaprate pan.
3.Add mustard, after it splutters add urad dal and fry till it becomes red .
4. add curry leaves saute for 5 seconds and add this to coconut paste.

Coconut chutney is ready to serve.!!

Tomato Onion Kothsu

Ingredients:

Tomato - 3
Onion -1 (Big)
garlic - 3 pods.
ginger  -1/2 inch
oil - as required
mustard - 1/2 spoon.
channa dal - 1 spoon
urad dal -1 poon.
red chilli powder - 1 spoon
turmeric powder - a pinch.
curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnishing.

Procedure:

1. Chop tomato and onions.
2. Grind ginger and garlic.
3.  Heat oil in a pan.
4. Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
5. add channa and urad dal .
6. After dal turn into red color add ginger garlic paste and saute.
7. now add tomato and add little water.
8. Add red chilli powder and turmeric.
9. Once the tomatoes are boiled add salt.
10 Garnish it with curry leaves and coriander .

Black chick peas sundal.

Ingredients:

1. Black chick pea/Black channa dal - 1 cup.
2. Red chillies - 2.
3. Curry  Leaves - 1 string.
4. Oil - as required.
5. Salt  - To taste.
6. Mustard -1/2 spoon.
7. Coconut - 3 spoons.


Procedure:

1.Soak chick pea in water atleast 5-6 hours.
2. Pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles.
3. Heat oil in pan.
4. Add nustard and after it splutters, add red chillies and curry leaves and saute.
5. Add black channa and let it cook for 5-10 min.
6. Now add coconut and salt.

This sundal is one of the favourite navrathri dishes.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

Grated coconut - 1 cup.
Green chillies - 2.
Red chillies - 2.
Ginger - 1 inch.
Curry leaves - 1 string.
Channa Dal - 1 tspoon.
Urad Dal - 1 tspoon.
Ground nut - 1 tspoon(Optional)
Cashew nut - 3-4 (Optional).
Oil  - as required.
Mustard - 1/2 spoon.
Salt - as required.


Procedure:

1.Grind green chillies  and ginger and keep the paste aside.
2. Heat oil in pan.
3.Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
4.Add channa dal,urad dal,ground nut, cashew nut and fry till the dal turns red.
5.Add red chillies and green chilli ginger paste and saute till nice aroma of ginger comes.
6. Add curry leaves and coconut,
7.saute for few min.
8.Mix rice with this mixture and add salt.

Coconut Rice is ready to serve!!!

Simple Vegetable Rice

Ingredients:

1.Carrot - 2
2.Beans - 4-5
3.potato - 1 (Big)
4.channa dal - 1 spoon.
5.urad dal - 1 spoon.
6.red chillies - 2.
7.coconut - 1/2 cup.
8.cloves - 1.
9. cinnamon - 1 small
10.oil & salt as required.
11. mustard - 1/4 spoon or fennel seeds - 1/4 spoon.
12.turmeric powder - a pinch.
13.Curry Leaves and coriander for garnishing.

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add mustard(or fennel seeds) and wait till it splutters.
3. Add cloves and cinnamon.
4. Add  all chopped vegetables.
5. Saute and add little water. Let it boil for some time.
6. Fry channa dal, urad dal,red chillies and coconut in separate pan with little oil.Grind without adding water.
7. once the vegetables are boiled add coconut mixture  and mix well.
8. Add salt and mix.
9. Mix it with rice and add ghee. Garnish it with curry and coriander leaves.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

1.Cooked Rice - 1 Cup.
2.Lemon - 1 big sized.
3.green chillies - 2
4. ginger - 1/2 inch.
5.curry leaves - few
6.red chillies - 2
7.channa dal - 1 spoon.
8.urad dal - 1 spoon.
9.ground nuts - 1 spoon (optional).
10.oil - as required.
11.salt - as required.
12.Mustard seeds - 1/4 spoon.
13.turmeric powder - 1/4 spoon.

Procedure:

1.Heat oil in pan.
2.Add mustard.After mustard splutters, add channa dal,urad dal and ground nut.
3.When dal turns into red, add red and green chillies.
4.Saute it and add ginger and curry leaves.
5. Take rice in separate pan and add the above mixture.
6. add turmeric powder and now squeeze the lemon on the rice.
7. Add salt and mix it well.
8. Lemon Rice ready serve.

Thideer Rasam

Ingredients:
1. Tomatoes - 3 nos(Big).
2. Ginger - 1/2 inch.
3. green chilli - 1.
4.Rasam Powder - 1tspoon.
5.coriander leaves - as required.
6.Asafoetida - a pinch.
7.turmeric powder - a Pinch.
Seasoning;
1.Oil - as required.
2.Mustard - 1 tspoon.
3.Cumin seeds - 1 tspoon.

Procedure:
1.Grind the tomatoes,ginger and green chilli.
2. Add oil in the hot kadai.
3.Add the other ingredients for seasoning.
4.Add the tomato extract.
5. Add a cup of water,turmeric powder,rasam powder ,Asafoetida and let it boil till the raw smell vanishes.
6.Now add salt.
Thideer rasam ready !!!

Traditional Vatha Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Tomato - 4 nos(medium Size)
Green chilli - 4 nos.
Tamarind - lemon sized.
channa dal - 2 table spoons.
Urad dal - 1 table spoon.
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon.
Curry Leaves - 1 string.
Asafoetida- 1 Pinch.
Chill powder - 1/4 teaspoon.
Turmeric powder - a pinch.
Fenugreek - 1/4 spoon
Oil - as required.(Gingelly Oil is preferred).
salt - as required.

Procedure:

1.Soak tamarind in hot water and get the extract.
2. Chop the tomatoes and slit the green chillies.
3. Add oil in hot kadai.
4. Once the oil is hot, add mustard and wait till the mustard splutters.
5. Add  Fenugreek , channa dal and Urad dal.
6.Once the dals turned into slight red color,add tomatoes and green chilli. let it boil for 5 mins.
7. Now add the tamarind extract. add chilli powder , turmeric powder ,Asafoetida and curry leaves.
8. let the mixture boil till the raw smell of tamarind vanishes.
9. Sprinkle salt..

Delicious Vatha kuzhambu ready.