Kathiri kai podi curry [ tamil nadu ]

Ingredients :

• Tender brinjals - 1 / 2 k. g.
• Oil - for frying
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Bengal gram dhal - 2 tbl.sps.
• Coriander seeds - 1 hand full
• Dry red chillies - 4 to 6
• Urad dhal - 1 sp
•  Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 sp
•  Jaggery - 1 / 2 sp
• Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbl. sps.
• Powdered asafoetida - little
• Cut coriander leaves - little

Method :
Slice brinjals lenghwise and soak in water till required. Fry red chillies, coriander seeds, urad dhal, bengal gram dhal in oil till it turns golden brown in  colour. Dry roast coconut separately till golden. Pound every thing together in mixie along with asafoetida. Then heat oil in a pan and fry brinjal, add salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, jaggry and close with a lid in lower flame till its change in colour. Then add powdered ingredients and mix well. Remove from the fire. Garnish with cut coriander leaves.

Vatral kulambu

Ingredients :

• Dry vatral - 2 tbl. sps.
• Till oil - 2 tbl. sps.
• Tamarind pulp - 1 / 4 cup
• Sambhar powder - 2 tsps
• Salt - as required
• Jaggery - little

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 / 2 sp
• Asafoetida powder - a pinch
• Fenugreek - 1 / 4 sp
• Broken red chillies - 2
• Channa dal - 2 sp

Method :

Take one kalcatti keep on the gas, heat oil, add seasonings and then fry vatral till it becomes dark. Add sambhar powder in the oil itself. Pour tamarind pulp, along with water.  Add salt, turmeric powder, to that, and boil for 10 mints in lower flame. Mix little rice flour in water and add to boiling gravy. Allow to boil till it becomes thick. Add jaggery at the end and garnish with curry leaves. Serve with hot steam rice and any side dish like poriyal.

Variations :
Fresh vegetables like brinjal, sambhar onions, peeled garlic [ 2 pods ], yellow pumpkin, avarai kai, colocaesia can be used to prepare this kulambu.

Some vegetables can be sun dried and preserved. these vegetables when it is dried are called as vatral.
 [ ladies finger, manathakkali, sundakai, bitter gourd,and karamani. ]

This is my mother's  [ Mrs lalitha mani 's  ] recipe.

Bread omelette

Ingredients :

• Bread slices - 12
• Amul butter - 1 / 4 cup
• Green chutney - 1 / 2 cup
• Idli melakai podi - as required

For omelette :

• Besan - 2 cup
• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 2 table spoon
• Salt - as per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Red chillie powder - 1 sp
• Water - for mixing
• Oil - as required
• Onion - 2
• Red tomatoes - 2
• Coriander leaves - little

[ chopped onions,tomatoes, and coriander leaves finely in chopper and keep aside. ]

Method :

Mix all ingredients in enough water along with onion, tomatoes, coriander and form a batter. [ the batter should be very thin so that you can make thin dosas.] Meantime take one toaster and toast the bread slice.[ apply little butter, green chutney, sprinkle little melakai podi  in the bread before toasting and keep aside.]
 Now take one non-stick tava and keep on the gas, apply little oil to that, and make thin dosa. Roast both sideswith oil. Before serving keep the bread toast in the center of dosa and fold it and cut into tri- angle shape and serve hot. This is my brother kanna's recipe.

Keerai kuzhambu

Ingredients :

• Mula keerai - 1 small bunch
• Drumstick leaves - a handful
• Cooking soda - a pinch
• Toovar dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind - lemon size [ extract the pulp ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Rice flour - 1 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 sp
• Green chillies - 2 to 3

Fry and powder :

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 5to 6
• Grated fresh coconut - 1 / 2 cup

For seasoning :

• Coconut oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 1 [ broken ]

Method :

Wash and pressure cook toovar dal adding just enough water and turmeric powder. Then wash the mulai keerai, drumstick leaves in salt water and cut keerai into bits [ discarding the roots ]. Put green chillies, keerai, a pinch of cooking soda and boil for 5 mints. Mash well and add the tamarind pulp, salt, and turmeric powder and boil well.  Then mix the cooked toovar dal. In one tspn oil fry the ingredients given for the masala till channa dal, urad dal turns into golden colour. Then powder it coarsely and add it to the boiling mixture. Then add rice flour [ mixed with water ], jaggery, salt. Boiled in low flame for 5 mints. Remove from the gas. Season with 1 tspn mustard seeds, 1 dry red chilli, in  coconut oil and add it to the gravy.

Jack fruit idichu pizhinja payasam [ kerala special ]

Ingredients :

• Ripe jack fruit - 12 pieces [ cut into small pieces ]
• Ghee - 2 table spoon
• Powdered jaggery - 1 cup
• Sago [ javvarisi ] - 1 / 2 cup [ soaked in hot water ]
• Cashew nuts - 10 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Coconut milk - 2 cups
• Elaichi - 8 [ powdered ]
• Sugar - 5 table spoon
• Grated coconut - 1 / 4 cup

Method :
Grind  the jack fruit and coconut together in mixcer and keep aside. Then take one small presure cooker keep on the gas. Add jaggery, sugar along with water and allow to boil till the jaggery completly disolve. Then add the ground paste, elaichi powder,coconut milk, soaked sago, and mix well. Close the cooker and wait for 3 whistle to come. Remove from the fire, wait for some time and then open the cooker.  Fry the cashew nuts to a golden colour  in the ghee and add  to the payasam.
Enjoy your payasam.

Garlic [ pundu kuzhambu ]

Ingredients :

• Garlic - 2 [ full ]
• Small onions - 1 / 2 cup [ peeled ]
• Black pepper - 1 sp
• Sambhar powder - 1 1 / 2 sp
• Tamarind paste - 1 table spoon
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Jaggery - as per taste
• Ghee - 1sp
• For seasoning:

• Fenugreek seeds - 1 / 2 sp
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 sp
• curry leaves - little

Grind coarsely :

• Tomatoes - 2 [ red ]
• Big onion - 1 [ or smalled onion 8 ]

Method :
Separate garlic into flakes and peel. Mix tamarind paste into 3 cups of water. Then fry pepper in little ghee and crush coarsely. Then take one deep bottom vessel, add seasonings, garlic, small onions, and crushed pepper. Fry for 3 mints, add sambhar powder, salt, grounded  masala and fry for 5 mints in low flame. Then add tamarind water,turmeric, jaggery and boil for 10 mints, till oil floats.Garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot with ghee rice or curd rice.

Variations :Add sliced brinjal or ladies finger instead of garlic.

Saffron pulav [ kesar, kungumappoo ]

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice 2 cups [ soaked in water ]
• Bay leaf - 2
• Cashew nuts - 4 to 5
• Cinnamon - 2 pieces
• Cloves - 2 to 3
• Cardamom - 2
• Salt - as per taste
• Saffron 1 / 4 sp [ disolved in little milk ]
• Lemon juice - 1 sp
•  Oil - 1 table spoon
• Butter - 2 table spoon

Method :

Take one pressure pan keep on the gas pour butter and oil together add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardmom, cashewnuts and  fry for 2 mints, till it becomes golden brown in colour. Then add the soaked rice, with required salt, and 3 1 / 2 cups of  water. Add lemon juice to that [ it helps to prevent rice becoming sticky ]. Before closing the cooker, add safron to the mixture and close the cooker, wait for 2 whisles to come. And then open the cooker. Your tasty easy saffron pulav is ready to serve.