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.

Duck Roast Slices in thick gravy - Kerala style

Ingredients:

Duck - 1 breast
Shallots 100gms
Ginger and garlic 10 gms each
Kashmeeri chilly powder 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
Garam masala 1 pinch
Cashew nut 2 halves
Raisins 6 nos
Coconut milk 50ml
Coconut oil a dash
Curry leaves 1 stem
Cherry tomatoes 3 nos
Salt to taste

Method:

First clean the duck breast and marinate with ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder. Boil and keep aside.

Next take a thick bottomed pan, pour coconut oil, sauté the sliced onion and curry leaves, when they become golden brown, add ginger garlic paste, cashew nut, raisins and the ground masalas. Cook well to a thick mixture. Now add the sliced boiled duck breast, and roast well on all sides, add salt to taste. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. Serve with boiled vegetables carrot bean or roast potatoes if desired.

Tomato Rasam

Ingredients

2 large ripe healthy tomatoes
4 cups water or top water of boiled dal (stock)
2 whole red chillies
1 stalk curry leaves
1 tiny sprig mint leaves
1 tiny sprig coriander leaves
1-2 flakes garlic grated
2-3 pinches clove-cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp. sambar masala
8-10 peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
2 pinches asafoetida
1 marble sized ball of jaggery or 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 small strip tamarind
1 tbsp. ghee or oil
salt to taste

Method

Put whole tomatoes in boiling water, simmer for 3 minutes, keep aside for 5 minutes.
Heat 1/4 tsp. oil in a small pan, add pepper corns and 1 tsp. cumin seeds.
Roast till aromatic, grind in a mortar or under a stone till powdered. Keep aside.
Remove tomatoes from water, peel away the broken skin.
Grate or mash till fine. To this thick pulp add roasted whole chillies, all leaves, all masalas, salt, tamarind, jaggery and mash well either with hand or with a hand blender. The ingredients should have blended well into the pulp. Take in a deep pan, add stock or water. Heat ghee in a small pan, add mustard and remaining cumin seeds, asafoetida and allow to splutter. Add garlic and stir, add carefully to the rasam. Bring to a boil, check spices and salt and adjust. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Keep aside covered for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot as a soup or with steaming hot plain rice and papads. Making time: 30 minutes, Makes: 5 servings.

Avial Vegetable Curry

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.

Kara Paniyaram

Ingredients:

Par boiled rice - 250g
Raw rice - 250g
Urad dhal - 125g
Fenugreek - 5g
Onions -5
Chillies -2
Oil - 50ml Curry leaves - few
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Soak the rice, dhal and the fenugreek seeds for 5 hours
2. Grind them into a thick batter and allow it to ferment for 5-6 hours
3. Chop the onions, chillies and curry leaves
4. Heat the pan with 2 teaspoons of oil and fry the chopped vegetables till the onions become transparent 5. Pour this into the batterand mix well
6. Heat the paniyaram pan and add 1/2 teaspoon of oil in all the portions. Pour the batter in them. After few minutes, turn the paniyaram so that it gets cooked
7. Serve hot with Coconut chutney. Both Sweet Paniyaram and Kara Paniyaram can be prepared on the same day which will be a good combination

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Meen Moilee - Fish Stew - South Indian Style

Ingredients

Pomfrets 6
Onion 3, sliced
Ginger 1 inch piece, chopped
Green chilli 6, chopped
Garlic 8 flakes, chopped
Tomato 3, sliced
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Coconut 1, grated
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Coconut oil 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Method

Cut the pomfrets into fillets. Grind the coconut and take half cup of thick milk, half a cup of second extract and half a cup of third extract. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and onion and fry till the onion turns transparent. Add turmeric powder, the fillets and the third extract of the coconut milk. Bring to boil and then simmer for 3 minutes, slowly turning the fillets. Add salt, tomato and the second extract of the milk and simmer for another 3 minutes. Remove from fire and add the first extract of the milk and bring to a boil over low flame. Sprinkle lemon juice and mix carefully and serve hot with rice.