Veg Shahi Kurma [ Navabi Special ]

Ingredients :

• Mix vegetables* - 1 cup  (cut into small pieces)
• Paneer - 100 gms (cut into cubes)
• Onion - 2 (finely chopped)
• Green chillies - 2 (slit)
• Shahi jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Cashew - 15 (soak in hot water for 20 mins & grind to a smooth paste)
• Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cardomom powder - 1/4 tsp
• Saffron - pinch (soak in 2 tsp of warm milk)
• Salt - As required
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Fresh cream - 2 tbsp
• Corriander leaves - little (for garnishing)

*Note (For Vegetables) : Carrot, French beans, Potato, Cauliflower, Green peas


Method :

Take one pan & keep on the gas. When the pan becomes hot, add 2 tbsp of ghee. Then add shahi jeera to that along with slit green chillies. Wait for a second & add the chopped onions. When it finely changes into pink color, add the ginger garlic paste & mix well. Then add cashew paste along with required water. Then add all the dry masala powder along with saffron & little sugar. Then add the boiled vegetables & paneer. Close the same with a lid & boil for 15 mins in a low flame. Finely add fresh cream to that & garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with stuffed or normal parathas.

Kothamir vengaya Kura

Ingredients :

• Brinjal (small) - 1/4 kg
• Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp
• Onion - 2 [ peeled and chopped ]
• Tomatoes red - 2 [ chopped ]
• Green chilli - 2
• Cashews - 15 [ soaked in water and grind to a smooth paste ]
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 3 tbsp

[First grind coriander leaves and green chilli to a smooth paste and cut the brinjals to a four without removing the stem and deep fry in oil and keep aside].


Method :

Take a pan & add oil to that. When the oil becomes hot, add mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste and mix well. Fry till it changes to a mushy paste and then add dry masala powders to that along with required water and mix well. Allow to boil for 5 to 7 minutes. Then add coriander chilli paste and cashew paste. Mix well and add the fried brinjals to that. Close with a lid and allow to boil for 5 minutes more. When the oil gets floated up, remove from the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Your yummy subji is ready. Serve with roti and rice.

Tomato puppu [ andra special ]

Ingredients :

• Moong dal - 1 cup
• Tomatoes - 3 [ red big chopped ]
• Onion - 1 [ big peel and chopped finely ]
• Green chilli - 2 [ slit ]
• Garlic - 3 to 4 flakes [ chopped ]
• Salt - as required 
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Dhaneya powder = 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp 
• Curry leaves - little 
• Coriander leaves - little 

For seasoning :

• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 2 [ broken ]
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method :

Take one cooker, add 1 cup moong dal along with 3 cups of water. Add turmeric and close the lid. Wait for 6 whistles to come. Then keep aside. Take a pan & add ghee to that. When it becomes hot, add seasoning one by one.  Then add chopped garlic. When it changes into golden brown color, add green chilli, chopped onion and then chopped tomatoes. Cook till it becomes mushy. Then add all the dry masala powders and mix well. Then add cooked mash dal to that. If required, add little water to that and mix well.  Allow to boil for 5 minutes more. Your dal is ready. Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves. Serve with hot steamed rice and roti. Before removing, add asafoetida to that.

Srirangam Vathakuzambu

Ingredients :

• Manathakaali [ black night shade ] or Sunadakkai - 1 hand ful
• Chinna vengayam - 1/2 cup [ peeled ]
• Tamarind paste - 11/2 tbsp
• Jaggery - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Seasame oil - 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Split urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required

For masala powder :

• Methi seeds - 2 tsp
• Urad dal - 2 tbsp
• Thuvar dal - 2 tbsp
• Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 6 to 7
• Raw rice - 1 tsp

Method :

Roast all the ingredients separately, grind to a fine powder & keep aside.

Take one deep bottom vessel & add oil. When the oil becomes hot, add the seasoning. After a second, add onion & fry till it turns to pink color. Now add manathakaali or sundakkai & fry till it gets roasted. Add the vendhayam [ methi seeds ] powder & sorte for few more seconds. Then add the tamarind paste along with required water. Add salt, turmeric, jaggery & mix well. Now add the ground masala powder. Boil well till the raw smell goes. When the kuzhambu becomes little thick, close the pan, reduce the flame & let it boil till oil is floating on top. Serve the kuzhambu with steamed rice, seasame oil & roasted curry.

Kalyana Rasam

Ingredients :

• Tuvar dal - 1/4 cup [ boiled and mashed ]
• Tomato - 2 big [ red ]
• Ghee - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Coriander leaves - 1 hand ful
• Curry leaves - little

For grinding :

• Tuvar dal -1 tbsp
• Blackpepper - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 2
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method :

In a pan, heat little ghee & add tuvar dal, black pepper & red chillies till it changes color. Finally add cumin seeds & switch off the gas. Add cumin seeds at the end only, otherwise it will taste bitter. Then grind to a fine paste, adding little water & keep aside. Grind the tomatoes & keep aside.

Then take one deep bottom vessel, add tomato puree, ground masala, turmeric, asafoetida, salt & 2 cups of water. Allow to boil in a low flame for 15 minutes. Now add boiled & mashed dal to this & cook till foam comes & switch off the flame.

Garnish with coriander & curry leaves. Heat a ghee in a pan & add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the same to the rasam. Serve with hot rice along with appalam & curry.

Tendli [ Kovakkai Thogayal ]

Ingredients :

• Kovakkai [ tendli ] - 1 cup [ chopped ]
• Red chilli - 4 to 5
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Tamarind paste - 1/ 2 tsp
• Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
• Salt - as required
• Onion - 1 [ chopped ]
• Coriander leaves - 1 hand fll
• Garlic flakes - 2 [ optional ]
• Mustard seeds  1 tsp

Method :

In a pan, add a tsp of oil. When its hot, add channa dal, urad dal, curry leaves, red chillies , salt, and  tamarind paste. when the dal change in to golden brown add cumin seeds and switch off the flame and keep aside. In the same pan, add kovakkai and cook it in medium flame for 10 minutes. When its cool grind it along  with  fryed dal, coconut. When 3/4 grind add finely chopped  onion  and coriander leaves. Grind it coarsely. Add little  water  if  required  while grinding. Finely temper with mustard seeds  and  serve  with hot  rice, idli  and  dosas.

Thrunelvayli thaleetha kuzambu

Ingredients :

• Mix vegetables - 1 cup [white pumpkin, yam, red pumpkin, sweet potato and green peas]
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Seasame - 2 tsp
• Raw rice - 2 tsp
• Jaggery 1 tsp
• Thur dal - 2 tsp
• Red dry chilli - 7 to 8
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup

For seasoning : 

• Coconut oil - 2 tap
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Method :

Peel the skin from the vegetables and cut into cubes. Then keep one kadai, when its becomes hot, fry seasame seeds, and raw rice with out oil, then add a spoon of oil when the oil becomes hot, add red chillies and fry for a second then add thur dal . When the dal  change  in to gloden  brown  add  fresh coconut  to  that  fry till nice aroma comes.  Then grind along  with seasame, rice in mixer to a smooth paste.  Mean time boil the vegetables in cooker adding tamarind paste, salt, turmeric and jaggery with required water.  Wait for 1 whistle to come. Remove from the gas. After the pressure goes  open the cooker and add the ground  masala  and mix well. Season  with mustard seeds and cuury leaves in coconut oil. Your  tasty kuzambu is ready serve with hot steamed rice.