Sweet kuzhi paniyaram / Guntapongalam

Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Sooji -3 tblsps
3. Poppy seeds - 1 tblsp
4. Coconut - 2 tblsps
5. Cashews - 6
6. Ripened banana - 1
7. Jaggery - 5 tblsps
8. Cookind soda - a pinch
9. Ghee - as required

Cooking Method:

1. Soak jaggery in water until it dissolves or boil little water and add jaggery to it, once it dissolves switch off the stove and let it to cool.
2. Meanwhile, soak poppy seeds, coconut and cashews in little water.
3. Now take wheat flour, Sooji and cooking soda, mix it.
4. Now grind soaked poppy seeds, coconut and cashews, then also add ripened banana and grind once again.
5. Then mix above all together to dosa batter consistency.
6. Make paniyaram with ghee.

Black Pepper Rasam II

Ingredients:

1. Coriander seeds - 4 tsp
2. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Black Pepper Corns - 1 tsp
4. Red Chilies - 2 or 3
5. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Red Onion - 1 cut into small pieces
7. Garlic - 10 - 12 peeled
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Cilantro - Some
10. Crushed Tomato - 1 cup
11. Thick Tamarind Paste - 3 tsp
12. Oil - 3 tbsp
13. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
14. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
15. Salt - to taste

Cooking Procedure

1. In a mixer jar, first dry grind the ingredients 1 to 5 smoothly.
2. Next add items 6 to 9 and grind to paste. Keep it aside.
3. Now to a thick bottom pan, add oil and heat, when it is hot enough, add mustard seeds, wait to crackle, add asafoetida, then add the ground paste and fry,  then add crushed tomato, tamarind paste, water and salt. Bring it to boil and switch it off.

Serving Suggestions:

• It can be mixed and served as it is to the white rice or it can be filtered if one wants fine thin watery consistency. Can also drink as digestion drink.
• To taste better with rice, cook rice with little extra water, little mushy, so this rasam mixes well with rice.
• In cold weather or when suffering from cold or sore throat it can also be eaten with Sooji Upma. That is take a bowl add Upma and rasam, very thin consistency, eat like soup.

Black Pepper Rasam - I

Ingredients:

1. Coriander seeds - 5 tbsp
2. Black pepper corns - 1 tbsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
4. Red Chilly - 1
5. Turmeric powder - a pinch
6. Asafoetida - a pinch
7. Fresh garlic pods - 7
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Tamarind paste - to taste
10. Tomato paste - to taste
11. Salt - to taste
12. Coriander leaves chopped - 3 tsp
13. For Tampering:
1. Oil - 3 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. Red chilly - 1

Cooking Procedure

1. First, in a mixie jar, add coriander seeds, black pepper corns, cumin seeds, red chilly, turmeric powder, asafoetida, powder it nicely.
2. To this add fresh garlic pods, curry leaves, tamarind paste, tomato paste, grind it once again to a fine paste.
3. Now, add water and grind it once again.
4. Add this mixture to a big sauce pan and add lots of water, that is chaaru / rasam consistency, check for sourness and salt. At this time, you can adjust sourness by adding more tamarind and tomato.
5. Boil everything.
6. Once it starts to boil , add tampering and chopped coriander leaves.

Kitchen secrets:

• Enjoy with white rice. 
• Secret is, cook white rice with little more water than usual. That is little mushy. So that this chaaru / rasam mixes very well with the rice.

Suggestions:

• Can even drink a glass of this, steaming hot, to control the cold and chest congestion.

Spinach Kootu

Ingredients:

• Cook and Mash:
• Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
• Moong dhal - 1/4 cup

• Chop:

• Spinach - 1 bunch

• Dry fry each separately and wet grind together:

• Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chillies - 3
• Grated Coconut - 5 tsp
• For tempering:
• Ghee - 1/4 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilly - 1
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Asafoetida - a pinch

• Salt - to taste

Cooking Procedure:

1. Add the chopped Spinach to the cooked and mashed dhal.
2. Cook Spinach.
3. To this add the ground mixture.
4. Add Salt.
5. Once it starts to boil, Yes! it is done.
6. Add the tempering.

Toor Dhaal Dosa

Ingredients:
Note : Overnight soaking and fermentation process needed for this.

List 1 - For Dosa
==================
1. Raw Rice (Ponni Raw Rice Or Sona Masoori Rice)  - 2 Cup
2. Toor Dhaal - 1 Cup

Soak List1 in a container overnight (make sure you pour water enough to cover the whole rice and little above the rice).

List 2 - Grinding
=================
1. Red Chillies - 6 Nos
2. Tamarind - 1 Pinch
3. Salt - Per Taste
4. Dessicated Coconut - 1 Handfull
5. Black Pepper - 5 To 10 Nos.

List 3 - Seasoning
==================
1. Oil - 4 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
3. Asafoetida - a pinch
5. Curry Leaves - Some

Dosa Procedure:
===============
1. Add List1 & List2 in a wet grinding mixie jar.
2. Grind until the batter is paste consistency
3. Add water little bit while grinding to make the grinding process smoother.
4. Once done, take the batter into a empty vessel and ferment overnight (for 12 Hours)
5. Add salt per your taste.
6. Ferment this batter overnight (12 Hours)
7. After 12Hrs, do Tampering procedure and add these into the batter.

Seasoning
============
1. Add oil in a pan, Heat for 2 mins until it is hot.
2. Add Mustard seeds and wait until it crackles.
3. Add Asafoetida (Hing) / Turmeric power / Curry leaves to the oil and fry for some time.
4. Transfer all these into the dhall paste.

Coconut Dosa

Ingredients:
Note : Overnight soaking and fermentation process needed for this.

List 1 - For Dosa
==================
1. Raw Rice (Ponni Raw Rice Or Sona Masoori Rice)  - 250 Grams
Soak Raw Rice in a container overnight (make sure you pour water enough to cover the whole rice and little above the rice)
2. Desicated Coconut (Frozen or Dry) - 150 Grams
3. Salt - Per your taste

List 2 - Dhaal
==============
1. Toor Dhaal - 100 grams
2. Salt - Per your taste
3. Coriander Leaves - Little
2. Red Chillies - 2 Nos

List 3 - Tampering
==================
1. Oil - 4 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
3. Asafoetida - a pinch
4. Turmeric powder - a pinch
5. Curry Leaves - Some

Dosa Procedure:
===============
1. Add List 1 in a wet grinding mixie jar.
2. Grind until the batter is paste consistency
3. Add water little bit while grinding to make the grinding process smoother.
4. Once done, take the batter into a empty vessel and ferment overnight (for 12 Hours)
5. Add salt per your taste.
6. Make dosas on a tawa.

Dhall Procedure:
===============
1. Add List2 and enough water into pressure cooker.
2. Cook for 1 or 2 whistles, Smash the dhaal to make it to a semi paste consistency.
3. Empty this into a empty vessel.
7. Do Tampering procedure, transfer all these into the dhaal paste.
8. Add Salt per your taste.
9. Wash the coriander leaves and cut into smaller pieces and add these to the dhall.

Tampering
========
1. Add oil in a pan, Heat for 2 mins until it is hot.
2. Add Mustard seeds and wait until it crackles.
3. Add Red Chillies / Asafoetida (Hing) / Turmeric power / Curry leaves to the oil and fry for some time.

Tomato Dosa

Ingredients:
Note : Overnight soaking and fermentation process needed for this.

List 1

==========

1. Raw Rice (Ponni Raw Rice Or Sona Masoori Rice)  - 250 Grams  

Soak Raw Rice in a container 4 Hours (make sure you pour enough water to cover the whole rice and little above the rice)

List 2

==========

1. Tomato (Roma)  - 3 Numbers

2. Red Chillies - 6 Numbers

3.Tamarind - 1 Pinch

List 3 - To Season

==============
1. Oil - 4 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
3. Asafoetida - a pinch
4. Turmeric powder - a pinch
5. Curry Leaves - Some

Procedure:

===============
1. Add List 1 & List 2  in a wet grinding mixie jar.
2. Grind until the batter is paste consistency
3. Add water little bit while grinding to make the grinding process smoother.
4. Once done, take the batter into a empty vessel and ferment overnight (for 12 Hours)
5. Next day before making dosa, do the seasoning procedure and add it to the batter.

Seasoning
========
1. Add oil in a pan, Heat for 2 mins until it is hot.
2. Add Mustard seeds and wait until it crackles.
3. Add Asofotida / Turmeric power / Curry leaves to the oil and fry for some time.

Additional Notes
===============
If you need more sour tasting dosa's add more tomatoes or Little more Tamarind as needed. You got to try ones or twice to get the best for you.

Cauliflower Curry

Masala Powder:

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Urad Dal - 4 tsp
3. Black Pepper - 3 tsp
4. Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
5. Red Chillies - 3

• Roast the above said items in a tsp of oil, cool it and then grind it to a coarse powder. Keep it aside.

Chop list I:

1. Garlic - 4 Pods
2. Green Chili - 6
3. Coconut - 3  tablespoon
4. Cilantro - some
5. Curry Leaves - some

• Chop the above said items and add it to the coarsely ground powder, and grind it to a smooth paste consistency. Do not add even a single drop of water. This reduces the taste of the curry.

Chop list II:

1. Onion Chopped - Small onions or preferably Red Onion - 1 no.
2. Cauliflower Chopped - 1

Seasoning ingredients:

1. Oil - 4 tablespoon
2. Mustard Seeds - 2 teaspoon
3. Asafoetida - a pinch
4. Turmeric powder - a pinch

Procedure:

1. Heat a wok, add 4 tablespoon of oil.
2. When it is hot enough. add mustard seeds.
3. After it starts to splutter, reduce flame, add asafoetida and turmeric powder.
4. Immediately add chopped onions, fry them very well, mix in between.
5. Then add the ground smooth paste, at this point if needed add another tsp of oil, fry the paste very well until the raw smell of the garlic goes off.
6. Reduce flame, then add the cauliflower and salt, mix it very well, close the lid, increase the flame, mix it now and then until cauliflower is cooked well.

Chayote Rice

Ingredients:

Chayote - 2
Ghee - 3 Tbsp
Urad Dal - 1 Tbsp
Rice - 1 Cup
Salt - To Taste
Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs
Chopped Cilantro - 1/4 Cup

Grind Coarsely:

Black Pepper - 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tbsp
Red Chilly - 2
Garlic - 3 flakes
Salt - a pinch

Method:

1. Cook rice in such a way that each grain should be separate.
2. Spread it to cool.
3. Heat Ghee, once it is hot, reduce flame then add Urad Dal, wait until it changes its color to light brown.
4. Then add Curry Leaves and Grounded Powder, fry for a minute, add the chopped Chayote pieces and chopped Cilantro, stir it and close it with a lid, increase flame to medium.
5. Cook until it is done (open the lid and stir in between in regular intervals, for about 10 - 15 minutes).
6. Check whether the Chayote got cooked, reduce flame to low, add completely cooled rice, add salt, at this point,if you feel you need more ghee, add some more, stir from all sides.

Variations:

Instead of Chayote you can add a Onion and a Carrot and  2 Tbsp cooked Bengal Gram(Chana Dal).

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 7 Tbsp
2. Star Anise - 1
3. Bay leaf - 1
4. Green Chillies - 3 chopped
5. Onion - 1
6. Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 Tbsp
7. Carrot - 1
8. Green Beans - chopped - 1/2 cup
9. Capsicum - chopped - 1
10. Frozen Corn seeds - 1/4 cup
11. Tomato - 1
12. Cabbage chopped - 1/4 cup
13. Cumin-Black pepper powder - 2 tsp
14. Soy sauce - 3 Tbsp
15. Salt - to taste
16. Cilantro - chopped - 1/4 cup
17. Rice - 1 cup
18. Water - 1 and 3/4 th cup

Cooking Method:

1. In a wok, heat 5 Tbsp of oil, add star anise seed, bay leaf, green chillies, onion - fry for 1 minute.
2. Then add ginger-garlic paste, carrot, green beans, capsicum and corn seeds - fry for 2 minutes.
3. Then add cabbage, tomato, cumin-black pepper powder, soy sauce, salt and cilantro - fry for 1 minute.
4. Transfer everything to the another bowl.
5. In the same pan fry the washed rice in 2 Tbsp of hot oil for a minute.
6. Now add water and fried rice to the the fried vegetables.
7. Cook until it is done.

Okra Capsicum Curry

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 3 Tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
4. Okra chopped - 2 cups
5. Green Capsicum chopped - 1 cup

Grind to coarse powder:

1. Dry roasted Khus-Khus - 1 Tbsp
2. Roasted channa dal - 2 Tbsp
3. Garlic - 2 cloves with skin
4. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Red chillies - 3
6. Coconut grated - 3 Tbsp

Cooking Method:

1. Heat a wide pan.
2. Add oil.
3. Splutter mustard seeds.
4. Add curry leaves.
5. Add chopped okra and fry on medium heat for 3 minutes, then add chopped capsicum, salt and turmeric powder and fry until it is done.
6. Reduce the flame to low heat.
7. Sprinkle the 'Grind to coarse powder'.
8. Mix it well.
9. Goes well with chapathi and rice.

Celery-Potato-Mint Rice

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 3 Tbsp
2. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Red chilly -1
4. Curd chilly - 2
5. Bay leaves - 2
6. Star Anise seed - 1
7. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
8. Mint leaves - handful
9. Onion - 1 chopped
10. Salt - to taste
11. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
13. Potato - 1
14. Celery - 1 bunch - Chopped
15. Black pepper powder - 2 Tbsp
16. Rice - 1 cup
17. Variety rice powder - 1 Tbsp

Method:

1. Cook rice.
2. Cool it completely.
3. In a separate pan heat oil add cumin seeds, bay leaves, star anise seed, red chilly, curd chillies, onion, mint leaves, curry leaves, salt, turmeric powder - fry it.
4. Now add potato - close the lid, wait for a minute or two - stir it.
5. Now add celery, again close with lid and cook until it is done - keep stirring in between - and also keep an eye on 'not to burn'.
6. At last add black pepper powder - stir it and switch off the stove.
7. Cool it little bit and mix with cooked rice.
8. Lastly, add a spoon or two of variety rice powder on top of this and mix everything once again.
9. Serve with onion-curd raita.

Onion-Celery Rice

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 3 Tbsp
2. Ghee - 1 Tbsp
3. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp
6. Curd chillies - 3
7. Garlic cloves - 3 - chopped
8. Ginger - 1/4" piece - chopped
9. Onion - 1 - chopped
10. Mint leaves - 12 - chopped
11. Curry leaves - 1 sprig - chopped
12. Celery - 3 sticks - chopped
13. Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Rice - 1 cup

Method:

1. Cook rice.
2. Cool it.
3. In a separate pan heat ghee and oil - add mustard seeds - allow to crackle.
4. Then add cumin seeds and urad dhal - brown it.
5. Next add curd chillies, garlic, ginger - fry it.
6. Now add onion, mint leaves and curry leaves - brown it
7. Then add celery and salt - stir it and close the lid and cook until it is done.
8. Next add black pepper powder.
9. Stir it once again.
10. Switch off stove.
11. Mix the rice with this mixture.
12. Serve with curd or raita.

Rice-mint pakoda

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 1 cup

Maida - 3 Tbsp

Sooji - 3 Tbsp

Rice flour - 5 Tbsp

Chopped onion - 1

Chopped carrot - 1

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 Tbsp

Soaked and drained channa dhal - 3 Tbsp

Dry grind:

Green chillies-3

Red chillies-3

Cumin seeds-1 Tsp

Omum seeds-1 Tsp

Mint leaves-few

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Asafoetida-3 pinches

Salt-to taste

Method:

Secret of Success - To get very crispy pakoda:

Do not add even a single drop of water.

1. With the help of vegetable chopper chop cooked rice just like rava granules.
2. Tip: To get like rava granules cooked rice can be kept in refrigerator.
3. To this, add maida, sooji and rice flour and run it once again.
4. Take the whole mixture into a big bowl.
5. To this add all the remaining ingredients.
6. Mix well with hands.
7. Drop just like pakoda in hot oil.
8. Fry on medium heat until it sounds crispy.
9. Serve hot.

Cabbage-Channa dhal curry

Ingredients:

Oil - 3 Tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Green chilies chopped - 3

Red chilies broken - 2

Ginger chopped - 1" piece

Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Asafoetida - a pinch

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Cabbage chopped - 3 cups

Channa dhal cooked firm (not smashed or mushy) - 3 Tbsp

Salt - to taste

Coconut grated - 2 Tbsp

Cilantro - to garnish

Method:

• In a wide pan, heat oil and add

• mustard seeds,
• urad dhal,
• green chilies,
• red chilies,
• ginger,
• curry leaves,
• asafoetida,
• turmeric powder,
• chopped cabbage,
• cooked channa dhal and
• salt

and mix everything once and close the lid.

• Reduce the flame to medium and cook until it is done.
• Check and mix for every 5 minutes.
• Once it is done add grated coconut and cilantro and mix well.
• Goes well with steaming white rice with a drop of ghee and any pickle.

Spring onion-Dhal Rasam

Ingredients:

Spring Onions - chopped - 1 cup

Toor dhal cooked and smashed - 7 Tbsp

Tomatoes chopped - 3

Tamarind paste - 1 Tbsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Rasam Powder - 3 tsp

Salt - to taste

Asafoetida - 3 pinches

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Black pepper-cumin powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Jaggery - to taste

To Temper:

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Red chilly - 1

Garlic cloves chopped - 3

To Garnish:

Cilantro chopped - 3 Tbsp

Method:

1. Cook spring onions.
2. To this add all the other ingredients under "Ingredients:" and bring to boil.
3. Now, add temper and garnish.

Spinach-Moong dhal pindi kooram

Ingredients:

Moong dhal - 1/4 cup

Spinach - a bunch

Salt - to taste

To grind smoothly:

Garlic cloves - 7

Raw rice soaked in water for 15 minutes - 3 tbsp

Coconut grated - 5 tbsp

Water - as needed

To Temper:

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Curd Chilies - 7

Urad dhal - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

To garnish:

Cilantro chopped - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Cook moong dhal with lots of water.
2. Smash it.
3. Keep it aside.
4. Chop Spinach.
5. Cook spinach with water and salt.
6. Now add cooked and smashed dhal, and ground paste to the cooked spinach.
7. Mix well.
8. Add more water if needed.
9. Bring it to boil.
10. Switch off the heat.
11. Add temper and garnish with cilantro.
12. This goes well with steaming white rice with any pickle.

Dhal-Squash-Coconut Milk Curry

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 3 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Bay leaf - 1
4. Red Onion chopped - 1
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt - to taste
8. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
9. Coriander-Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
10. Red Chilly powder - 2 tsp
11. Garam Masala powder - 4 tsp
12. Bisibela bath powder - 3 tsp
13. Tomato chopped - 2
14. Yellow squash chopped - 2
15. Green gram dhal cooked - 1/4 cup
16. Coconut milk - 1 cup
17. Ajinomoto - 1 pinch
18. Cilantro - to garnish

Method:

1. Wash and soak green gram dhal in plenty of water overnight and cook it and keep aside.
2. In a thick wide pan heat oil, add mustard seeds - wait until it crackles.
3. Then add bay leaf, chopped red onion - fry this.
4. Reduce heat - add ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder, coriander-cumin powder, red chilly powder, garam masala powder and bisibela bath powder and fry it on low flame until the oil oozes out.
5. Now add chopped tomato - cook it.
6. Add chopped yellow squash - cook it with lid closed.
7. If needed at this point add some water.
8. Now add cooked green gram dhal, coconut milk, Ajinomoto.
9. At this point add salt and water if needed.
10. Cook it once again on medium flame until it boils and bubbles up.
11. Switch off heat and garnish with cilantro.

Raw rice - Moong dhal pongal

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 3/4 cups
2. Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
3. Water - 5 cups
4. Ghee - 8 Tbsp
5. Freshly ground black pepper powder - 3 tbsp
6. Cumin seeds - 3 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
8. Cashew nuts - 8
9. Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Cook moong dhal separately.
2. Boil water.
3. When it starts to boil add washed rice to it and cook on medium heat until it is cooked and little bit mushy.
4. Now add cooked moong dhal and mix well along with salt.
5. In a separate pan, to the hot ghee add black pepper powder, cumin seeds, curry leaves and cashew nuts and keep stirring.
6. When the cashew nuts turns to reddish in color, add this mixture to the pongal and stir well.

Coconut-milk Murukku

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour - 1 cup
2. Roasted channa dhal powder - 1/4 cup
3. Salt - to taste
4. Ghee - 3 tbsp
5. Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
6. Water - to knead all these
7. oil - to fry

Method:

1. Sieve rice flour.
2. Powder and sieve roasted channa dhal.
3. To this add salt, ghee and coconut milk and mix well.
4. Then add water and knead it like chapathi dough.
5. Make murukku directly in hot oil.
6. I used star shaped murukku.

Note:

This murukku takes long time to fry since it has coconut milk in it, but it is very crunchy and tastes very good.