Amla Murabba

Ingredients :

• Amlas [ Indian gooseberries ] - 20 (500 grams) 
• Sugar - 2 1/2 cups (500 grams) 
• Cardamom (elaichi)  powder - 1/4 tsp 
• A few saffron (kesar) strands

Method :

Wash the amlas thoroughly. Prick them with a fork at regular intervals. Boil plenty of water in a pan, add the amlas and boil for 10 minutes over a high flame. Drain and keep aside. Dissolve the sugar in 3 cups of water and bring the syrup to a boil. Add the amlas and cook over a slow flame for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the amlas are soft. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Keep covered in a cool dry place for at least 48 hours so that the amlas soak in the syrup. Drain the amlas from the syrup, boil the syrup with cardamom powder and saffron till it reduces to a 2 to 3 string consistency. Add the amlas and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.Allow to cool completely. Bottle in a sterilised glass jar. Store for upto 6 months dry in a cool place. 

Aloo Methi Curry

Ingredients :

• Small potatoes - 7 to 8
• Methi leaves - 1/2 cup [ wash and chopped ]
• Onion - 2 [ peeled and chopped ]
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
• Oil - 4 tblsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - little [ garnishing ]

Method :

First boil / bake small potatoes. Then peel the skin, smash with hand and keep aside. Then heat 4 table spoon of oil in a fry pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add chopped onion and fry for 3 minutes in low flame. When its colour changes, add methi leaves and mix well. Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and little sugar [ optional ] and mix well. When the methi leaves changes into brown colour, add the smashed potatoes. Cook in medium flame. When all the water gets absorbed, remove from the fire. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with hot roti.

Fresh Red Chilli Chutney

Ingredients :

• Fersh ripe red chillies - 1/4 kg.
• Onion - 2 small [ peel and chopped ]
• Garlic flakes - 4 to 5 [ peel and chopped ]
• Tamarind paste - 2 to 3 tbl. sp.
• Green chillie - 2 [ optional ]
• Salt -as required
• Jaggery - as required
• Seasame oil - 3 to 4 tbl. sp.

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method :

Take one kadai. Heat little oil, and fry red chillies, chopped onion, garlic, green chillies. When it becomes little soft, add salt, tamarind, jaggery and mix well. When it becomes cool, grind them to a fine paste. Then keep the same kadai, add remaining oil, heat it and add the seasonings and then pour the ground paste.  Keep stirring until oil gets separated and remove from the gas. Allow to cool and store it in a dry bottle. You can use this for 15 days. Keep in fridge.

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.