PUDALANGAI KOOTU RECIPE

Ingredients :

• Snake gourd - 1 [ wash and cut in to pieces ]
• Moong dal - 1 / 2 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Salt - as per taste
• Curry leaves - little

Wet grind together :

• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
• Dry red chilli - 1 or 2
• Green chilli - 2
• Cummin seeds - 1 / 4 sp

For seasoning :

• Coconut oil - 1 tabl. sps.
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• urad dal - 1 / 2 sp
• Coconut gratings - 2 tabl. sps.
• Curry leaves - little

Method :

In 5 cups water cook moong dal adding turmeric, [ soak and pressure cook 1/ 2 cup soya beans to make it more nutritions. ] When half cooked add snake gourd pieces, salt and cook till the vegetable become tender. Then add the wet ground masala, curry leaves and cook little more till the gravy become thick.Then heat coconut oil season with mustard seeds, urad dal,  curry leaves and coconut gratings. Mix well and serve hot as a side dish for rice, sambhar, and kadi varieties.

RED CHILLI THOKKU RECIPE

Ingredients :

• Fresh red chilli [ not dry chilli ] - 1 / 4 k. g.[ cut in to pieces ]
• Tamarind paste - 1 1 / 2 tabl. sps.
• Dry red chilli  [ kashmeri ] - 7 to 8
• Salt - as required
• Jaggery - little
• Channa dal [ bengal gram ] - 1 hand ful 
• Broken black gram [ urad dal ] - 1 hand ful
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 sp
• Sea same oil  - for frying
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp

Method :

First take one kadai, pour 2 teaspoon of oil. Heat the oil and add  dry red chili, channa dal, urad dal and fry till the dal becomes golden in colour. Then add the fresh red chilli, fry for 5 mints in low flame. Then add salt, tamarind, jaggery,  asafoetida  and  mix  well. Remove from the gas make it cool and grind in mixer. Then keep the same kadai on the gas, pour 2 tabl. sp of oil. Heat it and add the mustard seeds, when it pops  mix the grind thokku and fry for some time till it leaves  the side. Your tasty melagai thokku is ready. It goes well with rice, dosas, and roti.

GUTTI VANKAYA KURA - ANDHRA STYLE STUFFED BRINJAL CURRY

Ingredients :

• Tender violet small brinjal - 1 / 2 k. g. [ even sized ]
• Big onions - 1 / 4 k. g. [slice  length  wise ]
• Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Dhaniya  jeera  powder - 2 sp
• Red chilli powder - 2 to 3 sp
• Sugar - 1 / 2 sp
• Ghee - 1 / 2 sp
• Oil - 3 to 4 tabl. sps.
• Curry leaves - little 
• Chopped coriander leaves - little

For seasoning :

• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 sp
• Dhaniya  - 1 / 2 sp
• Curry leaves - little

Grind together :

 [ fry onion in deep curved pan till it gets roasted well. Strain excess oil and allow to cool. Then add dhaniya, jeera powder, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric, tamarind paste. Grind to a smooth paste. after that mix ghee and keep aside.]

Method :

Select tender even sized brinjal. Cut into four from bottom side [ not near stem ] half way through so that brinjal remains whole.Keep in water till required.  After removing from the water, stuff masala inside brinjal. Take a deep curved pan or vessel. Heat oil add seasoning, arrange the bringals in that with the remaining masala on top along with 1 glass of water. Reduce the flame and cook till brinjal becomes soft. Add sugar and mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. While serving keep brinjal in a plate pour  the gravy  on top. It goes well with roti and rice. Your tasty kuthi vankaya kura is ready.

Note :
 [ some brinjals take long time to cook. If water is not enough add in between. Do not allow the masala to stick to the pan. Stir carefully in between. ]  


Garlic - 2 flakes [ optional ]

DUM ALOO RECIPE

Ingredients :

• Small potatoes - 1 / 2 k. g.
• Dhania [ coriander seeds ]- 1 tabl. sp
• Mustard seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Green chilli - 2 to 3
• Garlic flakes - 3
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Onion - 2
• Red tomatoes - 2
• Peanuts - 1 hand ful [ raw ]
• Dry red chilli - 4
• Salt - as per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Oil - 3 tabl. sps.
• Sugar - 1 / 2 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tabl. sps.
• Fresh cream - 2 tsp
• Fresh chopped coriander leaves - little

Grind to paste :

Fry these ingredients in little  oil and grind to a paste. [  Dhania, mustard seeds,green chilli, ginger garlic, onion, red chilli, tomatoes and peanuts. ]

Method :

Scrape outer skin from potatoes. Prick with fork, boil and keep aside. Keep a kadai over fire. Add ghee and oil together, fry the ground masala in medium flame till it becomes dry and nice aroma comes.Pour little water.  Add salt, turmeric,and  sugar. Mix well and add boiled small potatoes.Allow to boil for 2 mints. When the masala fully quoted on potatoes add little cream and remove from the fire. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. It goes well with pulkas, parathas.

Senai kilangu [ elephant yam ] paratha

Ingredients :

For stuffing :

• Elephant yam [ senai ] - 1 / 4 k. g.[ scrape the outer skin and pressure cook ]
• Thuvar dal - 1 small cup [ boiled ]
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 / 2 sp
• Green chilli paste - 1 / 4 sp
• Salt - as per taste
• Turmeric - 1 / 2 sp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 tsp 
• Or lemon juice - 1 tabl. sps.
• Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbl. sps.
• Oil - enough for frying

 [ mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mash well. Finely add coriander leaves and mix well and keep aside. While boiling the yam don't add water, because the stuff will become thin.Keep the yam in big vessel along with dal  and pressure cook ]

For the dough :

• Wheat flour - 1 1 /2 cup
• Maida - 1 / 4 cup
• Melted butter - 1 tabl. sp
• Salt - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :
Sieve and  mix the flours together in a mixing bowl.Add salt and butter, mix well till the butter blends. Gradually add water and kneed a smooth dough. Make medium size balls from the dough. Flatten each ball and keep a table spoon filling inside. Close and seal well all around. Press it in wheat flour and roll out in to thick parathas. Heat a tawa and fry these parathas using oil for both sides while frying. Serve hot with thick curd and pickles.

Capsicum paruppu usili

Ingredients :

• Green capsicum - 1 / 4 k. g. [ finely cut ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Salt - as required
• Curry leaves - little

For usili :

• Thuvar dhal - 1 cup
• Green chilli - 2
• Dry red chilli - 2A
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 sp
• Turmeric - 1 / 4 sp
• Salt - little

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Coconut oil -  3 tabl. sps.

Method :

Soak the dal in hot water [ enough to cover the dal ] for 1 / 2 an hour, and graind coarsely along with other ingredients for the usili. Keep kadai on the gas, pour coconut oil, heat it and add the seasoning, when the dal change in to light brown in colour add  the ground usili. Fry in low flame for 5 to 10 minuts, till the dal become soft and seperate. Keep the usili aside, and heat oil in same kadai and add finely cut capsicum, with  pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Stir for a minute till the capsicum is crispy. Take care that it is crunchy and not over cooked. Add the soft usili, and stir gently for 2 mints in medium heat. Add more salt if required. Garnish with curry leaves and mix well. Serve as a side dish with rice.

Easy method :

To do the same recipe in short time, steam ground paste in greased idli plate for 10 minutes, cool it down and crumble it. Fry it along with cooked vegetables.

Tanjore marathi pitlai

Ingredients :

• Cooked thuvar dal - 1 / 2 cup
• Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Black pepper - 1 / 2 sp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp [ bengal gram dal ]
• Urad dal [ broken black gram dal ] - 1 tsp
• Raw rice - 1 tsp
• Methi seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Dry red chilli - 7 to 8
• Copra [dry coconut ] - 2 inch piece
•  [ fry all these ingredients in little oil and pound coarsely ]
• Raw peanuts - 1 handful
• Fresh grated coconut - 2 tabl. sps.
• Curry leaves - little
• Salt - as required
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• Coconut oil - 3 tabl. sps.
• Jaggery - little
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 sp
• Red chilli powder 1 sp

Required vegetables :

• Brinjal - 1 [ cut in to pieces ]
• Drum stick -1 [ cut in to 1 / 2 inch ]
• Pump kin - 1 small piece [ cut in to pieces ]
• Ladies finger - 3 to 4 [ cut in to 1 / 2 inch ]

Method :
Take one deep bottom vessel, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curryleaves. When mustard seeds splutters, add cut vegetables to that and mix well. Pour enough water along with tamarind paste, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, jaggery. Allow to boil  in low flame till the vegetables becomes soft. Then add mashed thuar dal, and boil for 5 mints more.  When it starts boiling add pound ingredients. Boil for 5 mints more. Before removing fry penuts, fresh coconut and  curry leaves in coconut oil [ till it becomes golden brown in colour ] and pour it  in to the pitlay.  Serve it with hot steam rice.