Pudalangai Thayir Pachadi [ snake gourd in yoghurt ]

                                                        Pudalangai [ snake gourd ] thayir Pachadi




Ingredients :

• Snake gourd - 200gm.
• Yoghurt - 2 cups [ beaten ]
• Curry leaves - few
• Salt - as required

For paste :

• Ginger - small piece
• Fresh coconut - 2 table spoon

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1/2 tsp

Method :

Prepare a coarse paste of the ginger and coconut and keep aside. Wash and chop the vegetable in to small semi- circles. Heat a cup of water with salt in a deep pan and add the chopped vegetable. Saute lightly with a spoon till rich green in colour. Close and simmer over a medium flame for 3 to 5 minutes till the vegetable cook and soft. Remove from the gas. Heat oil and pop the mustard seeds. Add the prepared mustard, blended paste and the vegetable to the yoghurt. Mix well.

Note :  Use less salt for this vegetable. Remove the seeded middle portion if not tender.

Bhindi Masala [ my mom's preparation ]

Ingredients :

• Ladies finger [ bhindi ] - 1/2 kg
• Big onion - 1/2 kg [ peeled and chopped finely ]
• Grated fresh coconut - 2 to 3 tbl.sps. [ grind without water ]
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Dhaniya, jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - for deep frying

Method :

Wash and cut the bhindi into 1/2 inch pieces. Then keep kadai on the gas, pour oil. When the oil become hot fry the bhindi till it change in colour. Remove from the oil and keep aside. In the same kadai add 2 to 3 table of oil, and fry the chopped onion into brown colour. Then add the masalas one by one. [ salt, turmeric, red chilli, dhaniya jeera powder, tamarind paste.] Mix well and add the bhindi along with ground coconut. When the subji completely coated to the masalas remove from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with roti, and rasam rice.

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.

Melaku Kuzambu Ready Mix

                                           Melaku Kuzhambu Ready Mix


Ingredients:

• Melaku [black pepper] - 5 tsp
• Tuvar dal - 4 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 cup
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Tamarind - 1 lemon size
• Curry leaves - little
• Salt - As required
• Red chillies - 5 to 6
• Jaggery - 2 tbl sp
• Oil or ghee - 2 tsp

Method:

Take one kadai, heat oil or ghee. Then add coriander seeds, asafoetida, red chillies, tuvar dal and black pepper. Fry till nice aroma comes and dal becomes brown in colour. Finely add curry leaves and remove from the gas. In the same kadai, fry tamarind also. When it becomes cool, grind all together in a mixer, adding salt to that. Your kuzhambu mix is ready. When you want to make kuzhambu, take required powder mix with water and boil for 10 minutes. Garnish with curry leaves.

Instad of thur dal u can also use black brokengram dal. Take black pepper little more than other ingredients.

Mix Vegetable Sabhji [ Gujarati Style ]

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 1/2 kg [cut into cubes]
• Shelled peas - 1/2 cup
• Carrots - 1/2 cup [cut in to small pieces]
• French beans - 1/4 cup [cut in to small pieces]
• Onions - 2 [finely chopped]
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required 
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Dhaniya jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 to 3 tbsps
• Coriander leaves - little

Method:

Pressure cook the vegetables [except onion] [Allow for just one whistle to come. Do not over cook ]. Then heat oil, add onions and stir. After 2 minutes, add peeled potatoes, peas, carrot, french beans and mix well. Then add masalas like salt, turmeric, dhaniya jeera powder, red chilli powder and sugar. Mix well, sprinkle water and stir well. When the sabhji is well blended, remove from the gas. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Baby Potatoes In Curd

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 1 / 2 kg [ small / medium ]
• Salt - as required
• Slightly churned sour curd - 1 / 4 cup
• Dhaniya jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Oil / ghee - 3 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
•  Fresh coriander leaves - little

Method :

Cook potatoes separately in kadai with enough water. [ dont over cook ] Then peel them.  If medium size cut them into two.  Take one kadai, heat oil or ghee, add mustard seeds. When it splutters add cooked potatoes, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and dhaniya jeera powder. Mix well and cook for 3 minutes. Add churned curd and mix again in low flame for 5  minutes more. When the masala compleately quoted  to the potatoes remove from the gas and garnish with curry leaves and fresh coriander leaves. Serve with rasam bath, roti as a side dish.

Urad Ki Dahl

Ingredients :

• Urad dal - 1 cup
• Red medium size tomatoes - 2 to 3
• Onions large - 2 [ chopped ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Green chilli - 1[ finely chopped ]
• Ginger, garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 / 2 tsp [ optional ]
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Fresh coriander leaves - little
• Water 2 to 3 cups

Method :

Soak the dal for 1 hour and drain. Then heat ghee in deep frying pan. Add chopped onion and fry for a minute, add ginger garlic paste, turmeric,chilli powder and green chillies. Mix well. Cook in low flame for 2 to 3 minutes and then add chopped tomatoes, and soaked dal and mix again. Then pour all the indredients to  a  small cooker, add salt and water. Close the cooker and wait for 3 whistle to come. When the pressure leaves open the lid and add garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and 2 tsp of ghee. Serve with roti, paratha, and cooked rice.

Cauliflower Delight [ subji ]

Ingredients :

• Cauliflower - 1 medium size
• Onions - 2 to 3 big
• Tomatoes - 4 to 5 medium size
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Fresh coconut - 1 / 4 cup [ grated ]
• Fresh curd - 1 / 4 cup
• Coriander powder - 1 tbl. sps.
• Chilli powder - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Ghee and oil - 4 table spoon
• Chopped coriander leaves - little

Method :

Cut cauliflower into small flowerets. Wash thoroughly. Then pressure cook adding little salt in it until tender and soft. Keep aside. Then grind onions, ginger garlic paste, coconut and tomatoes. Take one deep frying pan, heat oil and ghee together. Add the ground masala and mix well. Add salt, turmeric, chilli powder. Beat the curd, after a minute, add curd and cook in a low flame for 5 minutes, or till the water evaporates and become thick paste. Finely add the boil cauliflower to the paste and mix well. After 2-3 minutes, remove from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with pulkas.

New tipe Vathal Kuzhambu

Ingredients :

• Thick tamarind pulp - 1 / 4 cup
•  Seasame oil [ gingilli oil ]  - 2 table spoon
• Small onion - 10 [ peeled ]
• Drumstick - 1 [ cut into 1 / 2 inch pieces ]
• Salt - as required
• Jaggery - little
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Sambhar powder - 1 tsp

Grind together :

• Coriander seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Black pepper - 1 / 4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cashewnuts - 5 to 6
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Broken black gram dahl - 1 / 2 tsp
• Thur dahl - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chillies - 10
• Fresh grated coconut - 2 table spoon
• Curry leaves - little

 [Fry all the ingredients in little oil, grind with fresh coconut and keep aside]

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida powder - little
• Fenugreek - 1 / 2 tsp
• Broken red chillies - 2
•  Bengal gram dahl = 1 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Take one deep bottom kadai, heat oil, add seasoning and then fry onions, drum stick together and fry for few minutes. Add  sambhar powder in the oil itself. Add diluted tamarind extract, salt, turmeric, redchilli powder and jaggery. Boil till vegetable becomes soft.Then add ground masala with enough water. Cook till raw flavour is lost and the kuzhambu becomes thick. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice and melted ghee on top.

Nawabi Paneer Curry

 

Ingredients :

• Paneer or cottage cheese - 200 gms.
• Boiled green peas - 1 cup
• Garlic - 3 flakes
• Chopped cashewnuts - 3 tbl.sps.
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Onion - 2 big [ chopped ]
• Coconut milk - 1 cup
• Ghee - 4 tbl. sps.
• Green chillies - 4 to 5 [ finely chopped ]
• Bay leaf - 2
• Beaten curd - 3 tbl. sps.
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Fresh cream - 1 / 4 cup
• Salt - as required

Grind toghter :

• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cloves - 2
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cardamom - 2to 4
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Grated fresh coconut - 1 / 4 cup

Method :

Cut paneer into cubes and deep fry. Soak cashewnuts in boiling water for an hour. Heat ghee andfry onions till brown, add ginger and garlic paste, bay leaf, ground masala and fry well. Add green chillies, coconut milk, curds,cashewnuts, paneer, peas,salt and coriander leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes and mix beaten  cream and bring to boil. Serve hot with chappathis.

Variation :

Instead of paneer, use cubes of potatoes and green peas, mixed vegetables. 

Lapsi [ Broken Wheat Pongal ]

Ingredients:

• Broken wheat - 2 cups
• Milk / water - 4 cups
• Sugar or Red Jaggery - 2 1/2 cup
• Fresh ghee - 1 cup
• Cashew nuts, almonds - 1/4 cup [finely grated]
• Cardamom powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon - 4 [small pieces]

Method :

Take one kadai or a small cooker, heat the ghee, add cinnamon and stir. Add broken wheat and stir again till it turns into light brown colour. Pressure cook the broken wheat adding either water or milk to soften the same. Allow the wheat to cook upto 2 whistles from the cooker. When the cooker becomes cool, mix sugar or jaggery and cook in medium flame. Add remaining ghee and cook in low flame till the jaggery or sugar melts and ghee gets separated. Add cardamom powder and grated nuts. Serve hot as desert in lunch or dinner.