Uppuma varieties [ lapsi pulli uppuma ] [ wheat rawa ]

 Ingredients :

• Lapsi rawa [ wheat rawa mediumsize ] - 1 cup
• Grated fresh coconut - 1 tbl. sp.
• Water - 3 1 / 2 cups
• Salt - as required
• Tamarind paste [ or ] ready vatha kuzambu paste - 1 tsp.
• Till oil - 3 tbl. sp.
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Sambhar powder - 1 sp

For seasoning:

• Mustard seeds - 1/ 2 sp
• Black gram dal - 1 / 2 sp
• Bengal gram dal - 1 / 2 sp
• Curry leaves - little
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Broken red chillies - few

Method :

[ Easy method is using pressure pan or cooker ]

Wash and soak the rawa for 5 mints.
Heat oil in pressure cooker, and add seasoning and wait for a second till it changes into gloden brown, and pour water to that along with tamatind paste, salt, turmeric, asafoetida, sambhar powder, fresh coconut, curry leaves. When it starts boiling reduce flame, and mix well. Cover with a lid and keep weight immediately.Cook in completly reduced flame for 5 to 8 mints. Or if 2 sound comes switch off the gas.After  10 mints open the cooker and add a teaspoon of fresh ghee and mix well. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot with pickle and fried papad.

Potato rolls

Ingredients :
For the dough :

• Maida - 1 cup [ full ]
• Fine rawa - 1 / 4 cup
• Oil - 3 tsps.
• Salt - 1 / 2 tsp.

For the masala :

• Potatoes - 1 / 2 k. g.
• Finely chopped onions - 2 tbl. sps.
• Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbl. sps.
• Ginger green chilli paste - 1 tsp
• Dry mango powder [ am- chur ] - 1 / 2 sp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Red chilli powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Garam masala powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for frying

Make into paste :

• Maida - 2 tbl. sps.
• Water - 4 tab. sps.

Method :

Take one basin and mix maida, rawa, oil and salt, using enough water to kneed a smooth dough. [ like chappathi dough ] and keep closed. Then boil potatoes in pressure cooker. Peel skin and mash coarsely. Add other raw ingredients and mix well. Make medium size balls from the dough. Sperd like puries. Place filling lengthwise [ spoon full ] on that puri at one corner leaving little gap behind. Gently roll from that corner to other end.Seal with maida paste at the end and sides of the roll. Make all the rolls in same way and deep fry till crisp and golden brown. While serving cut the rolls in to two or three pieces. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or sweet chutney.

Sweet chutney and mint chutney

                                
Ingredients for mint chutney :

• Mint leaves - 2 cups
• Coriander leaves - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 6 to 8
• Grated fresh coconut - 1 / 2 tabl. sp
• Onion - 1 [ cut in to pieces ]
• salt - as per taste
• oil - 1 tsp.

Method :
Heat oil and fry green chillies, mint, and coriander leaves. Then add salt, onion, coconut and grind into a smooth paste. Serve with samosas, and cutlets.


Ingredients for tamarind sweet chutney :

• Tamarind - lemon size
• Jaggery - 8 teaspoon
• Salt - a pinch
• Red chilli powder - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Roasted cummin [ jeera ] powder - 1 tsp
• seedless dates - 100 gms.

Method :
Extract the  tamarind juice, add salt, red chilli powder, jaggery, dates  and boil well  till it is thickened. When it is cool grind together.Filter it and mix  roasted cummin powder to it. Goes well with samosas,  bhel puries, and cutlets.

King vegetable samosa

                    
Ingredients :
For the dough :

• Maida - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 / 4 sp.
• White butter - 50 gms. [ 2 tabl. sps ]
• Salt - 1 / 2 tsp.
• Ice cold water - to mix the dough.
• Oil - enough to deep fry.

For masala :

• Chopped onions - 1 cup
• Potatoes - 3 [ cooked ]
• Cooked peas - 1 / 4 cup
• Aniseed - 1 / 2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1 tbl. sp
• Am chur 1 tsp. [dry mango powder ]
• Black pepper powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Ginger, green chilli paste - 2 tsp.
• Salt - as required
• Kala namak [ black salt ] - 1 / 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :
Dough :
Sieve maida twice with baking powder and salt, blend butter evenly with finger tips to the flour. Then sprinkle ice cold water and kneed to a stiff dough. after that apply little oil to the hands and kneed the dough for nearly20 mints. Then keep closed under a wet cloth for 1 / 2 an hour.

Masala :
First take one kadai, heat oil in that, and add aniseed and little dhania [ optional ] and wait for a second, and add ginger chilli paste, stir and add onions. Fry till crisp and add little sugar, dhania powder, and garam masala powder. Then put peealed and mashed potatoes, and cooked peas. Fry till good smell comes and then sprinkle salt, turmeric, amchur, pepper, and at the end kala namak. Mix well and remove from the gas.

Making samosa :

First make small balls from the dough, and then roll it out into circls of medium thickness. Cut into 2 in the centre. Keep little filling   in  the  centre. Then apply little water around the edges. Fold straight lined edges to the centre to form a cone shape. Then  seal  the  edges with  water. Press  all the edges well. Like this prepare all the samosas and keep under a wet cloth or in the fridge [ gives good results ] for 20 mints. Then heat oil in a deep bottom vessel and fry samosas at a time in medium flame till it becomes golden brown  and crisp. Your mouth watering veg - samosas  is  ready to eat. Serve hot with sweet chuney, mint chutney.

Vendhaya Kuzhambu - Methi Kuzhambu Recipe

Ingredients :

• Small onions - 1 / 2 cup
• Onion curry vadam - 1 / 4 cup
• Tamarind plup - 2 tabl. sps.
• Red chilli powder -1 sp
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/ 2 sp
• Curry leaves - few

For seasoning :

• Till oil - 2 tabl. sps.
• Fenugreek- 1 / 4 sp

Grind together :

• Coriander seeds - 1 tabl. sp.
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Red chillies - 6 to 7
• Fenugreek - 1 tsp.
• Grated fresh  coconut -2 tabsps.

Heat oil and fry red chillies, coriander, cumin. Add fenugreek and coconut at the end fry without browning it. Then grind together.

Method :
Mix tamarind plup in required water. Peel small onions and cut finely. Then take one deep bottom vessel pour till oil in that and  haet it, add fenugreek, curry vadam, and fry for few minutes. Add onion, curry leaves and stir till it turns in to golden colour. Then mix ground paste and fry till good smell comes from the masala.Pour tamarind water, and boil along with salt, turmeric powder. When it becomes thick remove from the fire. serve hot with rice or idli.


Onion curry vadam:

Ingredients :

• Dehusked black gram [ urad ] - 1 cup
• Small onions [ peeled ] 1 / 2 k. g.
• Red chillies - 10 to 12
• Salt - as required
• Asafoetida - little
• Chopped curry leaves - little
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Mustard seeds - 2 tsps.
• Castor oil - 2 tsps.

Method :
Soak urad dal in enough water for 1 1/ 2 hours. Grind to smooth paste, along with red chillies. Add half of the peeled onions at the end and grind till smooth consistency. Add salt, asafoetida, other half of the finely chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves, mustard seeds and mix well. To prevent in sticking to the hands mix 2 tea spoons of castor oil at the end. Then make small balls using hands and dry on a plastic sheet under hot sun for 4 days. Store in airtight containers and use whenever necessary.

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.