SPINACH DAL ( TOTAKURA PAPPU )

Ingredients:-

Toor Dal 1 cup
Chopped spinach ( frozen ) 1 small packet
Chana dal 1\2 teaspoon
Urad dal 1\2 teaspoon
Mustard 1\4 teaspoon
Tomato 1 ( cut into small pieces )
Sun flower oil 1 tablespoon
Salt 1 teaspoon ( or as per your taste )
Red chili 1 ( Broken into 2 or 3 pieces)
Green chili 1 ( Cut into 2 or 3 pieces )
Curry leaves 4 or 5
PULUSU PODI 1\2 teaspoon
A pinch of turmeric powder and asafoetida.


Method:-

Add two cups of water and the pinch of turmeric to 1 cup of Toor dal and cook it in your pressure cooker. If you donot have a pressure cooker, cook in any vessel till the toor dal becomes soft but not paste.

Pour 1 tablespoon sun flower oil into a pan and add 1\2 teaspoon urad dal, 1\2 teaspoon chana dal, red chili pieces, 1\4 teaspoon mustard and a pinch of asafoetida, and fry on a low fire. When these become light brown, add 4 or 5 curry leaves, the chopped spinach and 1\2 cup of water and the green chili pieces. When it is half cooked, add the tomato pieces. Then add 1\2 teaspoon PULUSU PODI and 1 teaspoon salt. After this is cooked add cooked dal and mix well. Cook the whole mixture for about 5 minutes, mixing it at intervels. The Spinach dal is ready to be served with rice

KERALA FISH CURRY

Ingredients:-

Red snapper (any fish) 2 lbs
Salt 1tsp
Lemon 1
Oil ½ cup
Onions 2 nos
Yogurt ½ cup
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Coriander leaves (for garnishing)
Tomatoes 2 chopped
Oil 1 tbp

Dry Masala:
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Paprika ½ tsp
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Cumin powder ½ tsp
Red pepper flakes ½ tsp

Method:-

Cut the fish into ½ inch cubes. Rub with lemon juice and salt. Keep for half hour and deep fry to golden color, drain and keep warm.

In a separate wok sauté the onion in 1 tsp oil for 10 minutes. Drain the oil and add yogurt to the onions. Puree in the blender and return to the wok and stir for 3 minutes in medium heat. Add the ginger garlic paste. When this turns brown add the tomatoes and the masala, stirring until thickened. Put the fish, cover, simmer for 2 minutes and garnish.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Ingredients:-

Flour - 50 gm
Corn flour - 50 gm
Egg(beaten) - 1 no
Water - As required
Garlic(grated) - 30 gm
Carrot(grated) - 50 gm
Cabbage(grated) - 60 gm
Capsicum(grated) - 60 gm
Beans - 50 gm
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt - As required
Pepper - As required
Oil - As required

Method:-

1) Mix together flour, corn flour and beaten egg along with required water to get a idli or dosa batter.
2) Place a nonstick pan over the stove.
3) When it is hot, pour some batter over the pan and make pancakes.
4) Repeat the procedure for the remaining batter.
5) Heat oil in an Aluminium vessel.
6) Add garlic and saute well.
7) Add carrot, cabbage, capsicum and beans and saute well.
8) Add sugar, soya sauce, salt and pepper and saute and mix well.
9) Switch off the flame.
10) Place the pancakes over the table.
11) Put the cooked vegetable mix over the pancakes.
12) Roll them well and lock it with a pick.
13) Heat oil in a frying pan.
14) Fry the rolled pancakes in it.
15) Remove them onto a plate when they turn golden brown.

Serve with hot garlic sauce.

Chicken 65

Ingredients

Chicken - 1/2 Kg. (Boneless)
Curd - 1/2 cup. (Sour)
Chilli Powder - 6 tsp. (Without coriander Powder)
Lemon - 1
Curry Leaves
Mustard - 1/2 tsp.
Salt
Saffron
Oil to fry

Method

Clean the chicken pieces and mix it thoroughly with curd, chilli powder salt, saffron, lemon.

Allow it to marinate for 3 hours. Later on deep fry the marinated chicken till it leaves the kadai.

Once it is deep fried, heat a tsp of oil, add mustard to it and allow to splitter and then add curry leaves to it and mix it with the fried chicken pieces.

Curd Brinjal

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 Brinjal
• Curry leaves
• Mustard, Fenugreek, Cumin, Kala Jeera and fennel seed
• 250gm of Curd
• 1 tea spoon of Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 Green chilies
• Small piece of Ginger
• A pinch of turmeric
• Oil for frying

PREPARATION:-

• Cut brinjal into thin 2-inch long pieces.
• Mix turmeric and salt in brinjal
• Deep fry the brinjal pieces and keep aside.
• Mix yogurt gently with sugar, salt and little water and fried brinjals.
• Heat one table spoon of oil in a pan and put the panch puran and allow them
to splutter. Add green chillies and ginger and fry them and then add curry
leaves.
• Then add it to yogurt

Kerala Fish Moilee

Ingredients

fish - 2 lbs, Tomato - 2 nos, Whole chilli(red) - 10 nos, Onion - 1 big, Garlic - 5 cloves, Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp,
Green chilly - 5 nos, Coconut milk - 1 cup, Salt To taste, Lemon juice - 3 tsp or for taste, Curry leaves - 2 stems, Ginger - 1 inch piece, Oil - 2 tbp

Preparation
Clean the fish and cut into 1 inch pieces. Crush the red chili with garlic and keep aside. Slice the onion thinly. Cut the green chilly lengthwise. Chop the ginger.

Put the oil in a cooking pan and sauté the onion and green chilies for five minutes. Then add the crushed pepper, garlic and ginger. Fry for 3 minutes until the smell of chili comes out. Add the coconut milk, turmeric powder and let it boil. Then add the fish and salt. Cook well and add the tomato pieces. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and curry leaves.

Serve Hot.

Rice Cakes

INGREDIENTS:
• 3 cups rice
• 1 cup skinless urad daal (black gram)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
PREPARATION:
• Wash the rice and lentils separately and soak overnight.
• Grind each separately, into thick pastes (adding a little water at a time) in a blender.
• Mix the pastes together and add salt to taste.
• Keep the batter aside overnight to ferment.
• Grease the moulds on an Idli tray with cooking oil. Pour enough batter in each mould to fill it 3/4 full.
• Put 2 cups of water in a large vessel and heat. Put the Idli tray into the vessel and steam for 20 minutes.
• Check the Idlis by poking with a toothpick. If it comes out clean they are done.
• Serve piping hot with Sambar and coconut Chutney

Sambar

Ingredients:

Tuvar Dal (Red gram) - 1 cup, Red Onion - 1/2, Green chillies slit - 2
Tamarind - ½ lemon sized ball, Oil – as required, Salt to taste

Vegetables (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces )

2 brinjals, 1 small yam, 1 small red pumpkin, 3 french beans, 1 carrot, 1 potato,
2 drumsticks


For Sambar Masala, grind and mix well the following

Red chillies – 5 to 6 , Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp, Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tsp,
Trumeric Powder – 1 tsp, Asafoetida - ½ tsp, Cumin powder -1/4 tsp(Optional)

For tempering

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp, Red chillies - 3, Curry Leaves - a sprig. Oil-as needed
Garlic-3 or 4 cloves

Method:

Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water for sometime,squeeze and take the extract from it. Keep aside. Cook the dal in a pressure cooker,adding required water,salt,1/2 tsp of ghee/oil,sliced onion and green chillies. When the dal is done, remove the lid and add the tamarind extract, stir and simmer for some more time ,so that the dal is mashed well. Now add the cut vegetables into the cooker and cook till they are done, adding the sambar masala and extra water(if required). Once the vegetables are cooked, keep the cooker aside. In a frying pan heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add red chillies, curry leaves, and the garlic (just hit them a little to break the skin). Fry for a minute. Add this to the sambhar, mix well and simmer for few more minutes and serve hot.

CHAKKAR PONGAL

Ingredients
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 1 cup moong dal (without skins)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh coconut cut into small pieces or shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup ghee
• 2 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 cardamoms
• 4 tablespoons of raisins and cashews
• 2 cups milk
• 21/2 cups water

Method

• Dry roast the moong dal on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes till it becomes light pink and a nice aroma arises.
• Cook the rice and moong dal in 2 cups milk + 2 1/2 cups water in rice cooker or on stove in a pan.
• In the meantime, while it is cooking melt the 3 tablespoons of ghee and fry the raisins and cashews on medium heat till cashews turn light golden, drain them and and fry coconut pieces or shredded coconut in the same ghee till golden. Set all these seasoning aside. Crush the cardamom to powder.
• When the rice gets cooked remove the rice and place it in a pan large enough to hold it and the sugar. Add sugar, cook on medium heat till all the sugar is absorbed. Stir it often to avoid burning.
• After the sugar has been absorbed add 1/2 cup ghee and turn off the stove.
• Add the fried coconut, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Stir it and let it stay on the stove for 2 or 3 minutes.
• Afterwards remove from heat. Serve warm.

CURRIED COCONUT FISH

INGREDIENTS:-

750 gms : Sole/ Bekhti fillets
3 tsp : Red Chillies (fresh)
2 tbs : Cocunut dessicated
2 tsp : Ginger, chopped
6 : Garlic cloves
1 1/2 tbs : White Vinegar
3 tbs : Maida (flour)
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Lemon wedges for garnishing

METHOD:-

Wash the fish fillets and pat dry. Sprinkle maida over fillets and keep aside. Grind togeather,red chillies, cocunut, ginger, garlic, vinegar and just enough water to make fine paste. Add salt and evenly coat fillets with this paste. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry fish till crisp. Serve immediately, accompanied by lemon wedges.

Masala Dosa

Ingredients:

1. Rice -- 4 cups (If possible, add 1cup boiled rice)
2. Urad/gram dal -- 1 Cup
3. Methi Seeds, Chana Dal, powa - 1 and 1/2 tbsp each
4. Salt to taste -- approx 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Soak in water for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Wash and grind little by little until a smooth paste is obtained.
3. Keep outside until it ferments (overnight) . Keep in oven in winter.
4. Heat a skillet (tava). Spread a tsp of oil and pour about a cup of dosa batter using a rounded spoon. When it becomes brown, flip it over.

Note: Dosa is like a pancake and is made similarly. Masala dosa can be made by filling the dosa with potato palya (recipe is below). Serve dosa with chutney and butter. It will be easier to make dosa if you have eaten it earlier or atleast if you know how it looks.

To make Potato Palya: Boil 3 potatoes. Take a tbsp of oil in a pan and heat it. Now, add chopped onions (1 cup) , chopped green chilli (2 to 3) and shredded ginger (1/2 tsp). Fry until the onions start turning brown. Now add turmeric powder(1/2 tsp), salt and a spoon of lemon juice. Finally, add peeled and roughly chopped boiled potato and mix well.

AVIAL - Vegetable in coconut & curd

Ingredients:- 2 - 1/2 cup coconut grated, 5 green chillies, 2 teaspoons cummin seeds, 2 cups water, 1- 1/2 cup sour curd beaten, 400 grms yams peeled and diced, 400 grms gourd, peeled, deseeded and cut into strips 4 cims long, 3 medium raw bananas peeled and cut into 4 cms long strips, 2 drumsticks peeled and chopped into 8 cm long pieces, 1/4 Kg red pumpkin peeled and diced, 100 grms broad beans cut into 2 cms long pieces. Salt to taste, 1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder, 2 sprigs curry leaves and 4 tables spoons coconut oil.

Method:- Grind coconut, chillies and cumin seeds into a paste, adding a little water (1 cup) from time to time. Add curd and mix. Put remaining water (1 cup) and all other ingredients except coconut paste, curry leves and oil in cooker. Stir, close cooker and bring to full pressure on high heat. Remove cooker from heat, release pressure and open. Now add coconut paste, place cooker on high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 mins then add curry leaves and oil. Stir and serve hot.

South Indian Meal in minutes

COCONUT RICE

Ingredients - 1 & 1/2 cup rice, 1 coconut, 1 tablespoon blackgram, 1 tablespoon bengal gram
3 green chillies, 3 rd chillies, 1 tablespoon chopped cashewnut, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, 3 tablespoons ghee, a few sprigs of curry leaves, oil for frying and salt to taste.

Method

Wash the rice and put into a container and boil with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes. Remove from cooker and spread the rice on a thali and allow to cool, grate coconut and dice red chillies. Heat oil in pan and fry the chillies, mustard seeds asoafoetida, black gram, bengal gram and cashew nuts till golden brown. Add curry leaves and fry for a few minutes then remove from fire. Fry coconut till it turns light brown in colour. Now add the coconut, and the fried ingredients to the rice and mix well with a spoon.

KADALA CURRY

Ingredients: 1/2 cup jackfruit pieces finely sliced , 1/2 cup whole gram (channa), 1/2 cup grated coconut, 1/4 teaspoon tumeric powder, a few sprigs curry leves, 1/2 teaspoon jaggery and salt to taste.

Method

Grind coconut to a smooth paste, place the cooked jackfruit and gram in a vessel. Add coconut paste and curry leaves, allow to simmer on a low fire for 5 minutes. Heat oil add black gram and mustard seeds when mustard crackles and dal turns brown in colour add coconut and fry till light brown in colour. Season curry with this and serve hot.