Thakkali Sambhar [ My mom's recipe ]

Ingredients :

• Red ripe tomatoes - 1kg [ chopped ]
• Boiled thur dal - 1 cup [ mashed ]
• Small onion - 1 cup [ peeled and cut ]
• Big onion - 2 [ peeled and chopped ]
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Jaggery - little
• Curry leaves - little
• Coriander leaves - little

For seasoning :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Dry red chillie - 1 [ broken ]
Oil - 1 tsp

Method :

Grind the tomatoes inthe mixcer [ like purie ] and keep aside. Take one deep bottom kadai add oil. When the oil become hot add seasoning. When the mustard seeds pop, and the channa dal change in colour , add onion and fry till it change into light brown in color. Then add tomato purie, salt, turmeric, sambhar powder and jaggery with enough water.  Allow to boil till the raw smell goes. Then add the boiled  mashed dal. Boil for another 5 to 10 minitues. When the kuzambu gets ready remove from the gas and garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice, and idli and dosas.

Lauki Tamatar [ Punjabi Style ]

Ingredients :

• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Lauki small [ bottle gourd ] - 1 [ peeled and cut into small pieces ]
• Onions - 2 [ peeled and chopped ]
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece [ chopped ]
• Green chillies - 2 [ deseeded and chopped ]
• Red tomatoes - 3 [ chopped ]
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
• Amchoor powder - 1/2 tsp [ or 1/2 lemon juice ]
• Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Desi ghee or oil - 3 tsp

Method :

Take one pressure cooker, heat ghee or oil reduce the flame and add jeera, fry till golden brown. Then add onions and fry till transparent. Then add turmeric, green chillies and ginger. Stir till onions turn into light brown. Add tomatoes, cook till soft and well blended with onions. Reduce flame and then add all masalas one by one. cook on low flame till oil separates. Then add lauki and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water and close the cooker. When 1 whistle comes, reduce the flame and keep for 5 minutes. Then remove from the gas. After the pressure leaves open and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chappaties.

Pumpin Curry

Ingredients :

• Red pumpkin - 2 cups [ chopped ]
• Onion - 2 medium size [ chopped ]
• Churned curd - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 4to 5 [ chopped ]
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece [ chopped ]
• Cumin seeds - 1 tbls. sps.
• Coriander seed powder [ dhanya powder ] - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Method :

In a kadai, heat oil. Add mustard, when it splutters, add cumin seeds, chopped onions, green chillies and ginger. Turn well. When pumpkin is 3/4 th cooked, add grated coconut and cook till pumpkin is done. Finely add churned curd and mix well. cook for a minute. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot.

Chetti Nadu Puli Kuzambu

Ingredients :

• Ladies finger - 50 gms [ cut into 1/2 inch pieces ]
• Small onions - 1/2 cup [ peeled ]
• [ you can take choice of vegetables ]
• Tamarind - lemon size [ extract the pulp ]
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Dhanya powder - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/ 2 tsp
• Jaggery - little

Grind together :

• Dhanya - 1 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Bengal gram dal - 1 tsp
• Raw rice 1/2 tsp

 [ fry all these ingredients in kadai without oil tll nice aroma comes.Then make powder in mixer and keep aside. ]


For seasoning :

Til oil - 1 tbl. sps.
Ghee - 1 tbl. sps.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - little

Method :

Take one deep bottom kadai. Heat oil and ghee together, add the ingredients given in order. When channa dal is golden in colour  and the mustard seeds pop add onion, ladies finger and fry for 5 minutes. Then add the extracted pulp,salt, turmeric, dhanya powder, red chilli powder, jaggery, asafoetida and boil well till it is of reduced to 1/4 of the quantity. Then add the ground masala and boil for another 10 minutes. If necessary add little water. When he kuzambu gets ready remove from the gas. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve with hot rice, papads, wafers, kootu or roasted curry.

 

Ribbon Pakoda Ready Mix

Ingredients:

• Bengal gram flour [besan] - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - As required

Method :

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container. Whenever you want to make ribbon, take the required flour [ready mix], add little water, 1/2 tsp hot oil and prepare dough. Make portions of the dough, place into a ribbon mould and press gently straight into the hot oil. Turn over and remove from the oil when it becomes golden in colour and crisp.

Dhan Sakh [Dal Variety]

Ingredients:

• Tuvar dal - 2 cup
• Channa dal - 1/2 cup
• Masoor dal - 1/2 cup
• Potatoes - 1/2 cup [peeled and chopped into 4 pieces]
• Onion - 1/2 cup [chopped]
• Tomatoes - 3 [chopped]
• Pumpkin - 1/2 cup 
• Methi leaves - 1 hand full
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Green chilli paste - 1 tsp
• Salt - As required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Dhaniya jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Water - For pressure cooking

Method:

Take a pressure cooker, add the washed dals, chopped vegetables and enough water. Close the cooker and pressure cook till it becomes soft [4 whistles]. After the pressure leaves, open the cooker, mix well and strain through a colander. Then add all the masalas and mix well. Take one kadai, heat oil, add the above mixture and cook for 5 minutes in low flame. Before serving, add a tsp of ghee and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti, cooked rice, or jeera rice.

Useful Tip:

You can mix the remaining stuff (See 2nd Photo) into a chapathi dough and make delicious parathas.

Super Ready Mix [Special Tamarind Rice Mix [Puliyotharai Mix]

                                    Tamarind Rice Mix [Puliyotharai Mix]


Ingredients:

• Tamarind - Small orange size
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Broken black gram dal - 4 tsp
• Bengal gram dal - 5 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 10 12
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Dry turmeric - 1 [Verali Manjal]
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
• Seasame oil - 4 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Salt - as required
• Peanuts - 1 hand full
• Jaggery - little

Method:

Take one deep bottom kadai, pour little oil to that. Then add turmeric, fenugreek, red chillies and asafoetida. Fry till red chillies become crispy. Then remove from the gas and grind in mixer to form into a nice powder and keep aside. Then keep the same kadai in the gas, add remaining oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, bengal gram dal and fry till the dal changes into golden colour. Remove from the gas and grind to a coarse powder and keep aside. Then fry the tamarind without oil [till the wetness goes]. Make powder along with salt. When the kadai is hot, fry the curry leaves in that and crush with hand.  Take one basan or bowl and mix all the powder. Your ready mix tamarind rice powder is ready.

When you want to have the same with rice, add this powder to the ready cooked rice along with 2 tsp of seasame oil, fried peanuts and mix well. Serve with vadams [different type of papad] and wafers.