Ginger Thokku

Ingredients :

• Finely chopped tender ginger - 1 cup
• Garlic flakes - 6 to 8 [ optional ]
• Tamarind - orange size
• Grated jaggery - 2 tbl. sp.
• Salt - as required
• Red chilli powder - 2 tbl. sp.
• Fenugreek powder - 2 tsp
• Seasame oil - 1/4 cup
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Method :

Select tender root ginger. Wash and dry over a cloth and then cut into very small pieces. Then soak tamarind and squeeze to get thick extract. Strain through a strainer.  After that, take one pan, season with mustard seeds. When its pop, add garlic and curry leaves, then add  ginger and fry  for 5 minutes. Then pour tamarind plup and allow to boil until it turns thick. Then add jaggery, salt,and then red chillie powder. Keep stirring till it reaches thokku consistancy. Remove from the gas and mix fenugreek powder to that. Allow to cool throughly and store it in a clean, dry bottle. Its goes well with roti, rice, idlli and dosas.

Tindli Fry [ Kovakai ]

Ingredients :

• Kovakai [ Tindli ] - 100 gm [ cut into round pieces ]
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 3 table spoon
• Curry leaves - little
• Fresh grated coconut - little [ for garnishing ]

Method :

Wash and drain tindli. Cut into thin round pieces. Then heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add tindli and mix well. Cover and cook over a slow fire [ no water should be added ]. Stir now and then. Remove the lid, add salt, turmeric, cumin powder and chilli powder. Mix well and cook till the vegetable gets done. Add sugar and coconut. Remove from the gas and garnish with curry leaves. Serve with any kuzhambu or rasam rice.

Mix Veg Kurma [ south type ]

Ingredients :

• Mix vegetables - 1 cup [ cut into small pieces ]
•  [ Potato, flower, carrot, peas and french beans ]
• Fresh grated cocout - 2 tabl. sp
• Onion - 1 [ chopped]
• Salt - as required
• Chutney dal - 2 tbabl. sp [  pottu kadalai ]
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Green chilli - 1
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Curd - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 2 tabl. sps.
• Fresh coriander leaves - little

Grind together :

[ grind coconut, green chilli, ginger garlic paste, chutney dal, turmeric and red chilli powder along with curd in mixer and grind to smooth paste and  keep aside. ]

Method :

Take one small pressure cooker, add oil. When the oil become hot, add chopped vegetables and fry for 5 minutes in low flame. Then add salt, mix well.   Then add ground masala along with required little water. Stir well and close the lid. wait for 2 whistle to come. Then remove from the gas. After the pressure goes open the lid and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. It goes well with roti, rice and dosas.

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.