Aratikaya podi [ vazakkai podi ] [ andhra dish ]

Ingredients :

• Raw banana - 3
• Finely cut onions - 1 / 4 cup
• Tamarind - gooseberry sized
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for frying
• Fresh curry leaves - few [ for garnish ]

Fry and powder :

• Red chillies - 4 to 5
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Black gram dhal - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dhal -1 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Peel outer skin and cut banana into four lengthwise pieces and then slice into thin pieces. Keep immersed  in water till  required. Then remove pieces from water and fry it in oil till it turns golden. Cool down to room temperature. Grind fried ingredients to coarse powder, add salt, tamarind and run the mixie once. Add fried vegetable pieces and pound coarsely. [ run the mixie at low speed for short intervals stirring once or twice in between ]. Then heat rest of the oil and fry onions till crisp and golden. Add pound pieces and fry for few more minutes. Remove from the gas. Serve with steamed rice,roti  etc.Garnish with fresh curry leaves.

Chow chow thalimpu [ andhra dish ]

Ingredients :

• Chow- chow - 2 [ medium ]
• Garlic - 2 flakes[ chopped ]
• Onion - 1 [ chopped ] 
• Aniseed - 1 / 4 tsp [ roasted and powdered ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2tsp
• Salt - as required
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dhal - 1 tbl.sp.
• Oil - for frying

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Black gram dhal - 1 / 2 tsp
• Broken red chilli - 1
• Curry leaves - few

Method :

Dry roast bengal gram  dhal  till golden and crush coarsely [ fine rawa consistency ]. Peel garlic, chop onions finely and keep aside. Scrape outer skin and cut chow- chow into medium sized pieces. Then heat oil in a shallow pan, add seasonings and then onion. Fry for 5 minutes, add chow- chow pieces and stir for another 3 minutes. Then add just enough water, turmeric, chilli powder, aniseed powder, salt, garlic pieces and cook till vegetable become tender. [ close with a lid ]. When vegetable is threefourth cooked and still there is moisture add bengal gram dhal powder and close the lid again. [ reduce flame ]. Cook till dhal becomes soft, sprinkle little water if necessary. When moisture is absorbed completely remove from fire. Serve with roti, and rice.

Variations :  Use snakegourd instead of chow-chow and make the recipe.

Coconut Laddu

Ingredients :

• Grated fresh coconut - 2 cups [ heaped ]
• Sugar - 1 1 / 2 cups
• Sugarless koa - 100 gms
• Cardamom powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Fresh ghee - just enough to form balls.

Method :

Take a heavy kadai and mix grated coconut, sugar, koa, cardamom powder  with  little water and keep over medium flame stirring constantly till it forms a thick mass. [ do not  allow the mixture to turn into brown colour while cooking. ] When it becomes luke warm [ bearable to touch ] take small quantities in greased hands [ apply little ghee to hands ] and prepare laddus .

Flower, Tendli [ ivy gourd, kovakkai ] green masala curry

Ingredients :

• Cauli flower - 1 small flower [ cut into small flowerettes ]
• Tendli [ kovakkai ] - 1 / 4 kg. [ cut into thin round pieces ]
• Salt - as required
• Oil - 3 tbl. sps.
• Onions - 1 [ cut into pieces ]
• Coriander leaves - little [ for garnish ]
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 2 to 3 ark
• Sugar - 1 / 2 sp [ optional ]

Grind together :

• Onion - 1 [ cut into pieces ]
• Green chillies - 2 to 3
• Garlic flakes - 2 flakes
• Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbl. sps. [ heaped ]
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1 hand full

[grind all together in mixer coarsely and keep aside. ]

Method :

Cut cauliflower into small flowerettes and keep in salted water for 10 minutes. Cut tendli into small round pieces. Heat oil in fry pan, add mustard seeds. When it pop add cut onions and fry for few minutes. When it become soft add cauliflower, tendli with salt, sugar and turmeric. Mix well and add 1 / 2 cup water. Close with a lid till the vegetable cook well. Then add the ground masala and mix well. Allow to cook in low flame till the curry becomes dry. Remove from the gas and garnish with chopped coriander and curry leaves ark. Serve with roti, and rice.

Nellai Melagu Kulambu

Ingredients :

• Small onions 1 / 2 cup [ peeled ]
• Garlic flakes - 4 to 5 [ peeled ]
• Seasame oil - for frying
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Jaggery - 1 tbl. sps.

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Grind together :

• Black pepper - 2 tbl. sps.
• Cumin seeds - 1 tbl sps.
• Coriander seeds - 1tsp
• Fenugreek - 1 / 4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Ginger - small piece
• Dry red chillies - 6 to 8
• Grated coconut - 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Tamarind paste - 2 tbl. sps.

[ fry the above spices in little oil till golden and grind with little fresh curry leaves to coarse paste and keep aside. ]

Method :

Heat oil in a frying pan, and seasonings and then onions, garlic and fry till onions become golden. Add ground paste, salt, turmeric, jaggery and little water to get gravy  consistency. Boil till oil floats on top. Remove from the gas. Serve with idli, dosa, and cooked rice.  You can keep it in the  fridge for 15 to 20 days.

Palak Kadhi

Ingredients :

• Low fat curds [ dahi ] - 1 cup
• Bengal gram flour [ besan ] - 2 tbsp
• Green chilli ginger paste - 1tsp
• Green paste - 1 tsp
•  [ 1 tsp grated fresh coconut, 1 / 4 cup mint leaves, 2 cupe coriander leaves, 1 tbsp rice flakes, [ soaked ]
•     2 green chillies, 1 tsp jeera and salt. Mix all the ingredients and blend to a smooth paste in a mixer using little water. ]
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Curry leaves - 2 to 4
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Sugar - little
• Grated garlic - 1 / 4 tsp
• Palak puree - 1 / 2 cup
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - little [ for garnish ]

Method :

Whisk the curds along with the besan and 2 cups of water till it is smooth. Then add the ginger- green chilli paste and mix well. Then keep aside. Heat non- stick pan on a medium flame and when hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and dry roast for about 30 seconds. Add the besan-curds mixture and continue stirring till it comes to boil. Add the sugar, garlic, spinach puree and salt. Mix well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with roti, steamed rice.
    

Vegetable khichdi [ Handi khichdi ]

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Mix dhal [ soaked ] - 3 / 4 cup
• Cauliflower florets - 1 / 2 cup
• Potato cubes - 1 / 2 cup
• Chopped onions - 1 / 4 cup
• Finely chopped coriander leaves - little
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Dhania - jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Green chilli, ginger, garlic paste - 1 / 2 tsp
• Clove - 1 or 2
• Cardamom - 2
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon - small piece
• Dhania chopped - 2 tbl.sp [ for garnish ]

Method :

Clean, wash and soak rice and dhal for 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Combine together cauliflower, potatoes, onions,coriander, turmeric, coriander-cumin seed powder, chilli powder, ginger-green chilli paste, garlic paste, clove, cardamom, bayleaf, cinnamon and salt in a cooker or handi and mix well. Add the rice, dhal to the vegetable mixture and mix gently and keep aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Put 3 cups of water to boil, pour in to the cooker and close the lid and wait for 4 whistle to come. Otherwise pour the water to the handi, mix well and cover and cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes or till the rice and dhal gets cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with pickle, and wafer.