Fresh home made ghee [ neiy ]

Ingredients :

• Un salted butter - 500 gms
• Deep bottom kadai

Method :

Keep 500 gms of unsalted butter in a heavy bottom kadai over a medium heat. When it melts and comes to boil, lower the heat stirring all the time. The butter will bubble and make bubbling sounds. Skim the froth occasionally with a ladle from the top, till it turns deep golden in colour.  In about 10 minutes it will be clear and become clear. Quickly remove from the gas to maintain  the dark honey colour and cool it for 10 minutes. Strain the contents in to a container with a firm lid remains the black at the bottom of the pan.

Note :
Ghee is traditional medium for frying food. It is served as a topping for white rice and gravy in a south indian menu. Ghee prepared at home with unsalted butter is wholesome and delicious.

Tasty tip :

The black residue can be turned into a tasty snack by mixing with  a table spoon of wheat flour and 1 / 2 teaspoon sugar.

Cabbage thovayal

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Ingredients :

• Cabbage - small one [ chopped ]
• Big onion - 2 [ cut in to pieces ]
• Broken black gram [ urad dhal ] - 4 table spoon
• Dried red chillies - 4 to 5
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
• Green chilli - 1 [ slit ]
• Ginger - very small piece
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 / 2 cup
• Salt - as required
• Oil  - 2 tsp

Method :

Take one pan , heat oil and roast urad dhal, red chillies,until bright red in colour. Add asafoetida, onions and fry till onions turn golden. Add cabbage along with salt, tamarind paste, green chilli, ginger piece. Fry in low flame for 2 mints. Then mix fresh coconut to that, blend all the ingredients in to a coarse paste to make a thick chutney using very little water. Serve with rice, idli, dosas.

Dhideer rasam [ instant soup ]

Ingredients :

• Red big tomatoes - 1 / 4 k. g.
• Sambhar powder - 1 /2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Lime juice - 1 table spoon
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - little

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Green chilli [ slit ] - 1
• Fresh ghee - 1 tsp

Method :

Boil the tomatoes and extract the puree.Take  a  deep vessel, boil the sambhar powder, turmeric, asafoetida, and salt along with the tomato puree and 3 cups of water.Keep in a low flame for 5 minutes. Add  1 / 2 cup of water if needed. Melt the  ghee in a small pan, add the mustard seeds when it pop add the  cumin seeds. Add slit green chilly in the same ghee saute it and add to the rasam. Remove from the gas and add the lime juice to that and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tasty tip :
Add a pinch of pepper powder to the seasoning for extra flavour.

Sabudana upma

Ingredients :

• Sabudana [ javvarisi ] - 2 cups [ soaked in water  ]
• Moong dahl - 3 / 4 cup [ boiled not fully 3 / 4 th  cooked ]
• Salt - as required
• Fried peanuts - 1 handful
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 / 2 cup
• Green chillies - 2 [ chopped ]
• Ginger - 1 inch piece [ chopped finely ]
• Curry leaves - little
• Sugar - 1 / 2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - little
• Lemon juice - 2 table spoon 

For seasoing :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dahl - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dahl - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Green chillies - 2 [ chopped ]
• Ginger piece - 1 piece [ chopped ]
• Oil - 2 table spoon

Method :

Wash sabudana and drain excess water. Keep little water in sabudana adding require salt and keep aside. [This can be done even in previous night also]. Heat oil in frying pan and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add urad dahl, bengal gram dahl, chopped green chillies, chopped ginger and curry leaves. Add the sabudana mixture, boiled moong dahl and mix well in low flame. Fry well till it is cooked and dry. Afterwards, add fresh coconut, sugar and lemon juice. Mix nicely before it is removed from gas. Add fried peanuts and chopped coriander leaves. Your yummy breakfast is ready.

Potato masala

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 1 / 4 k.g. [ boiled,peel and make small cubes ]
• Onions - 100 gms. [ cut in to small pieces ]
• Tomatoes - 2 to 3 [ chopped ]
• Green chillies - 2 [ chopped ]
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tablsp.
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chillie powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - little

Method :

Boil the potatoes, peel and make small pieces. Keep a kadai on the gas, and add oil. When it becomes hot, add chopped onion and saute till it becomes golden brown in colour. Then add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder and chopped tomatoes. Mix well. Finely add boiled potatoes and fry for 5 mints in low flame. If  the subji becomes thick add little water. Allow it to boil for few seconds. Remove from the gas. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves. It goes well with teplas.

Mirchi ka saalan

Ingredients :

• Bajji chillies - 250 gms.
• Til seeds- 1 handful
• Peanut - 1 / 4 cup
• Cashew nuts - 1 handful
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 tblsp.
• Oil - 3 tablsp.
• Salt - as required
• Onion - 2 to 3 [ cut into pieces ]

Method :

Crush onion, cashew, til seeds, peanut, coriander, chilli powder in mixer and make a smooth paste. Then clean chillies and fry in oil till it become soft. Keep aside. Add oil in a pan, season with curry leaves, and add the ground paste, tamarind, salt, turmeric,   and  jaggery. Cook till oil leaves the masala. If the masala sticks to the kadai add required water and allow to cook in low flame till the raw smell goes. Add the fried chillies and cook 5 mints more.Then remove from the fire. Serve hot with roti, parathas etc.

Vadakari

Ingredients :

• Bengal gram dhal - 2 cups [ soaked in hot water ]
• Onion big - 3 [ peel and chopped ]
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Tomatoes - 2 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
• Cloves - 2
• Mint leaves -1 / 4 cup [ chopped ]
• Red chilli powder - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Oil - 250 ml.
• Ginger garlic - little [ chopped ]
• Fresh coriander leaves - little
• Salt - as required

Method :

Soak and grind bengal gram dhal along with green chillies,and salt. Mix chopped mint leaves to the dhal. Then keep a kadai on the fire, add oil. When it becomes hot add small roundels of ground bengal gram dhal, and fry till half done. Keep it aside, keep kadai on the fire add oil. When the oil becomes hot add gram masala, chopped onion, chopped ginger garlic and fry till it becomes golden brown in colour. Then add cut tomatoes and fry well.. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder saute well. Add the vadas to that  and a cup of water. Allow to boil for 5 mints in low flame till the raw flavour goes. Remove from the gas and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with  roti ,and dosas.