THAKKALI RASAM

 THAKKALI RASAM

Ingredients

Thakkali – 2 medium sized

Tuvar dal – 3 tbsps.

Fresh coriander leaves finely chopped – 1 tsp

 Tamarind – ½ lemon sized ball

Red chilies whole – 2

Rasam powder – 11/2 tsps.

Hing – ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

 ghee – 2 tbsps.

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Method of Preparation

Wash, drain and pressure cook tuvar dal adding turmeric powder in two cups of water until soft. Strain mash dal well. Reserve the strained dal water. Extract tamarind pulp adding sufficient water and strain. Mix tamarind pulp salt and turmeric powder and ripe tomato, simmer for 5-10 minutes let the tomatoes cook well in the tamarind juice, when done remove tomatoes and take off the skin and smash tomatoes with hands. Add it again to the boiling tamarind juice, let it cook for a further 2 minutes, Add mashed dal, dal water, rasam powder, allow rasam to boil and foam on the top. Switch off the stove. Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, when they crackle add broken red chilies and methi seeds, allow the fresh aroma of methi seeds (or dried methi leaves) to release, pour the tempering over prepared rasam and serve hot.

KURUMILAGU AND JEERAKA RASAM

 KURUMILAGU AND JEERAKA RASAM

Ingredients

Tamarind pulp (make from 1 small lemon size) - 3 spoons

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

For powder

Peppercorn – 10-15 nos.

Jeera            - 2 tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 strings

Red chili – 2 nos

Tempering

Ghee/oil – 1 tsp

Garlic(optional) – 2-3 clove(crushed)

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Red chilly whole – 1 broken into half

Hing        - a pinch

Method of preparation

Extract pulp from tamarind pour it in a long pan add sufficient water and turmeric powder allow it to slowly boil. In another pan fry peppercorn, jeera, coriander seeds, curry leaves and red chili in low flame till a delicate smell of pepper comes out. Cool and make a coarse powder and add the powder to the hot tamarind juice and allow it to cook along with the juice. Bring to boil. Heat ghee/oil in a pan for tempering. Add mustard seeds, allow them to crackle, add broken red chilies, hing, crushed garlic and the remaining curry leaves allow the garlic to release aromatic flavor. Pour over the rasam and serve hot.

Tips: Melagu rasam is good when you have a sour throat!!

 

CUCUMBER KICHADI

 CUCUMBER KICHADI 

Ingredients

1 small cucumber, peeled and grated
1 small piece of ginger
2 green chilies
4 tbsps. of grated coconut
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsps. of oil
11/2 cups of fresh curd
salt to taste

1 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves.

Method of Preparation
Squeeze out all the juice from the grated cucumber. This juice is nutritious and hence can be added to any other dish with gravy
Add salt to cucumber as per taste.
Grind together 1 tsp mustard seeds, coconut, chilies and ginger with 2 tablespoons of curd.
Add this ground paste to the cucumber. In a pan heat the oil. Add mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds start spluttering add it to the cucumber.
Put this cucumber mixture in the fridge. Just before serving add the curd to, it and stir well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

 

PUMPKIN PACHADI

 PUMPKIN PACHADI

Ingredients

1/4 kg of yellow pumpkin
1 tomato
2 green chilies
4 tbsps. of grated coconut
1 tsp of tamarind paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp of fenugreek seeds
1 dried red chili
2 tsps. of oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tsp powdered Jaggery / sugar(optional)

Method of Preparation
Cut the pumpkin into 1-inch square pieces about 1/2 cms thick. Add the tamarind paste, water, turmeric powder and salt.
Cook on low heat. Grind the coconut with the green chilies. Add this ground paste to the cooked vegetables. In a pan heat the oil.
Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and red chili. When the mustard seeds start spluttering garnish the pachadi with it. Boil well.
If you prefer a slightly sweet taste then you may add sugar or Jaggery.

MANGO KUTTAN

 MANGO KUTTAN

Ingredients
1 raw mango

4-5 pieces of drumsticks
1 cup beaten curds
2 tsp oil
salt to taste
3/4 dried red chilies
3/4 cup grated coconut
1 tsp mustard seed
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
curry leaves – 2 strings

Method of Preparation
Cut the mango into cubes. Drumsticks into 2–3-inch pieces. Add a little water, salt and turmeric powder and cook the drum sticks first and after it becomes soft add mango allow mango to cook till soft on kalchatti.
Heat oil in a small pan. Roast 1 tsp fenugreek seeds with 2/3 chilies.
Add 2 tbsp curd and the coconut to this roasted fenugreek seeds and chilies and grind to a fine paste.
Mix this paste to the cooked mangoes. Turn off the stove and then mix the rest of the beaten curd to the mangoes.
Heat 1 tsp of oil to the pan. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and 1 chilly. When the seeds splutter add it to the kuttan.
Add curry leaves.

 

SAMBAR

 SAMBAR

Ingredients

250 gms small sambar onions/shallots

2 drumsticks cut into 3-inch pieces
Tamarind -size of a lemon.
oil 3 tbsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Tuvar dal 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 string
Mustard seeds 1 tsp.
Roast the following in 1 tbsp oil :
Bengal gram dal 1 tbsp
coriander seeds 2 tsp
fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp 
dried red chilies 4-6 nos 
asafetida powder 1/4 tsp
4/5 small onions (optional)
Grind the above roasted ingredients with 1/4 grated coconut to a fine paste

Method of Preparation

Cook the tuvar dal with water in a pressure cooker thoroughly. It should have consistency of a pulp when cooked.
Pour 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the peeled onions/ shallots till they become translucent. Add hot water and cook drumsticks in it till soft.
Extract juice from tamarind, add 1cup of water. Add to this the fried onions and drumsticks with the turmeric powder and salt and cook it well
When the onions are cooked, add the ground paste, the cooked tuvar dal .

Add water to get the right consistency and boil. 
Remove from stove. In a small pan/kadai pour 1tbsp oil. Add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. When the mustard starts spluttering garnish the sambar with this.

Variations. Instead of onions you can add, carrots, yellow(ripe) pumpkin, elavan, Arbi(chembu) brinjal, sugar baby mango, potatoes or ladies finger. Only onions and ladies’ fingers must be roasted before cooking in tamarind juice, just so that they don't break apart easily. Arbi/chembu should be pressure cooked and peeled. All the other vegetables can be cooked directly in tamarind juice.

 

KEERAI CHUNDAL

KEERAI CHUNDAL

Ingredients

2 big bundles of Spinach/thandu keerai
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp urad dal
4 red chilies.
2 tbsp raw rice.
2 tbsp grated coconut.

Method of Preparation
Wash, chop the Keerai. Add turmeric and salt and cook the spinach on kalchatti.
Wash, dry and roast the rice with 2 chilies. Powder this coarsely.
When the spinach is cooked add the powder to it. Add the grated coconut also.

In a small pan put the oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal and 2 red chilies. When the mustard starts spluttering add this seasoning to the spinach chundal. This dish is supposed to be semi solid in consistency. The rice powder absorbs all the extra juice from the spinach.Tips: Red Keerai also can be made the same way as thandu keerai,