Kovakkai Rice [ Ivy- gourd ]

Ingredients :

• Kovakkai [ ivy gourd ] - 1/4 kg [ wash and cut into round pieces ]
• Long grained rice - 2 cups
• Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chillie powder - 1 tsp
• Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Coriander leaves - little
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Fresh ghee - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

 

Dry roast and grind to powder :

• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Black gram dhal - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dhal - 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 4 to 5
• Dry coconut - 2 tbsp [ grated ]

[ Fry the above ingredients in half a tsp of oil and powder it. ]


Method :

Cook the rice and allow it to cool completely. Then take one kadai, add ghee and oil. When it becomes hot, add mustard seeds. When it pops, add kovakkai. Mix nicely, add salt, turmeric, red chillie powder and tamarind paste. Keep the flame low. Stir in between till the vegetable becomes soft. Then add roasted peanuts and dry roast masala powder. Mix well. Finely add cooked rice to that and stir gently till all the masalas are completely mixed well. Remove from the fire. Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves. Serve with fry papad. Enjoy your yummy kovakkai rice.

Tender Jack Gravy [ Kerala Recipe ]

Ingredients :

• Tender jack [ raw jack ] - 1/4 kg.
• Coconut - 1 [ medium ]
• Onion - 1 [ chopped ]
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for frying [ coconut oil ]
• Curry leaves - for garnishing

Method :

Grate coconut and grind with little water. Strain and squeeze out 1st extract. Add more water and take second extract, and keep both separately. [ or u can use ready made coconut milk also ] Then chop onion finely, and keep aside. Remove outer core, fibres and mince jack into very fine pieces. Heat coconut oil, add cumin seeds and then chopped onion. Fry for few minutes and then add jack. Fry well, add sambhar powder, salt second extract of coconut and pressure cook for 1 whistle. After removing lid, add first extract of coconut and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve with aapam, dosas and cooked rice.

Gummidikaya Anaulu Pulusu [ Karnataka Recipe ] [ Red pumpkin ]

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Ingredients :

• Red pumpkin - 3 inch slice [ 1 big ]
• Sweet potato - 1
• Fresh field bean seeds - 1/2 cup [ mochai ]
• Oil - for seasoning [ coconut oil ]
• Salt - as required
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 tsp [ optional ]
• Curry leaves - little

Grind together :

• Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Black gram dahl - 1tsp
• Bengal gram dahl - 1tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Dry red chillies - 7 to10

[Fry the above spices in little oil till it turns into golden colour and then grind with 1 tsp of poppy seeds and 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut]

Method :

Cut pumpkin,sweet potato with skin into 1 1/2 inch squares. Cook them along with field beans in enough water till it becomes soft. Pressure cook till one whistle. After pressure leaves, mix the ground paste, tamarind paste, salt jaggery and cook till the gravy becomes thick. Before removing, fry 2 tbsp of grated coconut in coconut oil along with curry leaves till the coconut changes into light brown. Add it to the gravy and mix well. Serve with cooked rice and roti.

Udipi Sambhar [Without dal] Easy way

Ingredients :

• Tender carrots - 2 [ peel and cut into cubes ]
• Small onions - 10 [ peeled ]
• Chow- chow - 1 [ peeled and cut into cubes ]
• Brinjal -  2 to 3 [ cut into cubes ]
• Tomatoes - 2 [ chopped ]
• Green chillies - 2 [ slit length wise ]
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Jaggery -1 tbsp [ according to taste ]
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sambhar powder - 11/2 tsp
• Curry leave - little
• Coriander leaves - little

Grind together :

• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
• Coriander seeds - 1tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 7 to 8 [ kashmiri ]
• Curry leaves - 4 to 5

 [Grind all together in a mixer to smooth paste]


For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Dry red chillie - 1 [ broken ]

Method :

Take one pressure cooker. Add all cut vegetables, peeled onion, tomatoes, salt, turmeric, sambhar powder, jaggery , tamarind paste and ground masala along with required water. Mix well and close the cooker. Wait till 3 whistles to come. Remove from the gas. When it becomes cool, open the cooker. Fry seasoning in hot oil and pour on the sambhar. Garnish with curry leaves and fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with cooked rice, idlis and dosas. It tastes very nice.

Geerana Rasam [Without dal] - Digestion Soup

Ingredients :

• Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbsps
• Raw mango - 1 big piece [ peel the skin and cut into small pieces ]
• Wheat rawa [ lapsi ] - 1 tbsp
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds [ jeera ] - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Curry leaves - little

For seasoning :

• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method :

Take one vessel, add 3 cups of water along with mango pieces and salt. Allow to boil till the mango
becomes very soft. In the mean time take one kadai, dry roast wheat rawa, pepper and cumin seeds till nice aroma comes. Make powder in mixer and keep aside. Soak coconut in hot water for 15 minutes, then squzee it and keep the milk aside. When the raw mango cooked nicely, mash it, add the masala powder, coconut milk and required water. Check the salt. Finely add seasoning. [Heat ghee in a vessel. When the ghee becomes hot, add cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.]  Pour to the rasam. Serve with hot steamed rice along with roasted curry.

Note:

You can also have this rasam after recovering from fever which will make us feel fresh.

Italian Mixed Vegetable

Ingredients :

• Capsicum - 3 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Cauliflower - 1 small [ cut into small pieces ]
• Green peas - 1/4 cup
• Tomato - 3 to 4 [ chopped ]
• Brinjal - 4 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Carrot - 1 [ peal  and chopped ]
• Onion - 2 to 3 [ chopped ]
• Garlic flakes - 2 [ chopped]
• Chillie flakes - 1/2 tsp
• Bread slices - 3 to 4 [ cut into pieces ]
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Oil - as required

Method :

Take one deep bottom kadai, add some oil. When it becomes hot, add onion, garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Then add other vegetables and mix well. Add salt, black pepper and fry till the vegetables becomes soft. Add some water while boiling. Finally, add chillie flakes and mix well. When the vegetable is completely done, garnish with bread slice pieces and serve. It tastes well with rotis and plain pulav.

Channa Dal Pradhaman

Ingredients :

• Channa dal [ kadalai parupu ] - 1 cup [ roasted to a golden colour ]
• Fresh coconut - 1 big [ or you can use ready made coconut milk also ]
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Jaggery  - 1 cup
• Cardamom [ yalakkai ] - 6 to 7 [ powder ]
• Coconut pieces - 2 tbsp [ fried in ghee ]
• Cashew nuts - 10 to 12 [ fried in ghee ]
• Ripe Plantain [Nenthra pazham / Kerala Banana] - 1 [ cut into small pieces ]

Method :

Grate the white portion of coconut, blend in a mixie and keep in a vessel. Add 1/2 cup of boiled water. Mix well and allow to cool. When it becomes cool, squeeze out the milk. Keep the 1st milk separately. In this way extract the milk 2 more times and keep each milk seperately. Roast channa dal in a frying pan in golden color and cook the dal along with chopped banana pieces in the third coconut milk first. When the dal gets half cooked, add the second milk and boil well. Add jaggery, sugar and mix well. Cook till it gets done. Add cardomom powder, fried coconut and cashewnut pieces in ghee. Finally add the first coconut milk and mix well. When one boil comes remove from the gas. Your yummy channa dal pradhaman is ready to serve.

This dish is served very commonly in most of the south indian functions.