Masal Vadai [ Parupu Vadai ]

Ingredients:

• Bengal gram dhal - 1 cup
• Finely chopped onions - 1 / 4 cup
• Green chillies - 5 to 6
• Crushed ginger - 1 tsp. [ optional ]
• Chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves - 2 tabl . sp
• Salt - as per taste
• Oil - enough to deep fry.

Method:
Soak dal in water for 2 hours. Then drain water completely and grind with  4 green  chili  to coarse paste. Add salt, chopped onion, green chili [ finely chopped ], coriander leaves, curry leaves and mix well. Then make lemon sized balls, flatten and deep fry in oil [ 7 to 8 vadais can be deep fried at a time or till oil holds.] When the both sides becomes golden brown and crisp, remove from the oil. serve hot with coconut chutney.

Variations:
Grind red chili, cumin seeds, asafoetida and few small onions together. Mix with ground dal paste. Add drumstick leaves and aniseed. Make vadai as mentioned previously. Finely chopped mint leaves or any other greens can be added.

Methi Mutter Malai [ sabji ]

Ingredients:

• Methi leaves - 1 cup [ chopped ]
• Green peas [ mutter ] - 1/2 cup [ boiled ]
• Salt - as per paste
• Cashewnuts - 10 to 15
• Ghee - 3 tabl . sp
• Oil - 2 tabl .sp
• Garlic - 2 flakes
• Green chili - 2 to 3
• Onion - 1 [ big diced ]
• Ginger - 1 tiny piece
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Fresh cream - 1 / 2 cup

Grind together:
Grind onion, ginger, garlic, green chillie, & cashews together in mixcer to form a fine paste & keep aside.

Method:
First take one bowl & put methi, mutter along with enough water & boil for 5 mints. Then drain the water & soak them in cold water for about 5 mins [it helps maintaining the green colour]. Then drain the water & grind  [do not grind fine grind coarse ] in the mixer. Then take one small cooker, keep on the gas & put some butter and oil together and fry the grind masala for 5 mins in lower flame. If the oil leaves the sides, add the grind methi mutter mixture to that along with salt, sugar. Add little water, fresh cream & mix well. When it starts boiling, close the cooker & wait for 2 whistles to come. Then remove from the gas, after the pressure goes open the  cooker. Serve with naan, parata & roti.

Pule Engi Pickle

Ingredients:

• Tender ginger - 1/4 kg [ cut into tiny pieces ]
• Green chili - 3 to 4 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Salt - as per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
• Red chili powder - 4 to 5 tbl sp
• Jaggery - 2 tbl sp
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 sp
• Fenugreek - 1 tsp
• Seasame oil - 1/4 cup
• Tamarind plup - 2 cups

Method:
Take one deep mouth vessel, keep on the gas &  pour 1/4 cup oil,  heat it & add mustard seeds, asafoetida, dry red chili to that. When the mustard seeds splutter, add green chili, add cut ginger to that & fry for 5 mins. Keep the gas in lower flame. Add salt, turmeric, red chili powder & jaggery at the end. Pour the tamarind plup & mix well. Allow to boil for 15 mins till the ginger becomes soft & the mixture becomes thick. Dry roast fenugreek [ 1 tsp ] & powder it. Add to the pickle after removing from the flame. Store it in dry container. Use within 10 days. If you keep it in the refrigerator you can use it for a month. Serve with curd rice.

Party Pulav

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Carrot - 1/4 cup [ cut into 1/2 inch length ]
• French beans - 1/4 cup [ cut into 1/2 inch length ]
• Fresh peas - 1/4 cup
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
• Clove - 2
• Cardamom - 3
• Cumin seeds - 1 sp
• Cashews - 10
• Raisins - 10
• Lemon juice - 1 tbl sp
• Sugar - 1/2 sp
• Fresh cream - 2 tbl sp
• Ghee - 2 tbl sp
• Oil - 2 tbl sp

Method:
Wash & soak the rice for 20 mins. Take one pressure pan heat oil & ghee together. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, bay leaf, cashews & raisins & fry for 2 mins. When the cashews becomes brown, add the cut vegetables, salt, sugar, lemon juice along with soaked rice & 2 cups of water. Before closing the lid, mix fresh cream to that & close the cooker. Wait for 2 whistles to come.Then remove from the gas. After the pressure goes, open the cooker & enjoy the pulav. Serve hot with dal fry or other side dishes.

Puthu Kottai Sambhar

Ingredients:

• Ash gourd [ white pumpkin ] - 1/2 cup [ cut into dices ]
• Yam [elephant ] Senai - 1/2 cup [ cut into dices ]
• Yellow pumpkin - 1/2 cup [ cut into dices ]
• Tamarind paste - 1 sp
• Salt - as per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Green chili - 2 to 3
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
• Raw rice - 1 / 2 sp
• Methi seeds - 1 / 2 sp
• Coconut oil - 2 tabl . sp
• Curry leaves - little
• Sugar or jaggery - 1 sp
• Mustard seeds - 1 sp
• dry red chilli - 1 [ broken ]

Method:
Take one pressure cooker, keep on the gas and add cut vegetables along with tamarind paste, salt, turmeric powder, sugar & enough water. Mix well & close the cooker & wait for 1 whistle to come. Meanwhile, grind the coconut & green chili in the mixer. Grind it to a smooth paste.When the pressure goes, open the cooker & add the grinded masala to that. If the kuzambu is thick add little water. Before removing, dry roast the rice & methi seeds. Make powder in mixer & add it to the kuzambu. Allow to boil for 10 mins in lower flame. Then season in coconut oil with mustard seeds & broken red chili. Garnish with fresh curry leaves. Serve with hot rice.

Puries

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 2 cups [ heaped ]
• Salt - as per taste
• Sugar - 1 / 4 tsp
• Ghee or vanaspathi - 1 tsp
• Milk or malai - 2 tsp
• Water - for kneading the dough
• Oil - enough for frying

Method:
Sieve (utensil used for straining) flour with salt. Mix sugar & ghee with the flour in a mixing bowl. Gradually add milk or malai, water & kneed to a soft dough. Keep for 5 mins. Then make small balls & speard  into  small puries. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with channa.

P.S: Little sugar is necessary for the puries to puff up well & to keep it crisp.

Ivy gourd, Little gourd [ kovakkai ] Dry Subji

Ingredients:

• Tender little gourd [ kovakkai ] - 1/2 kg.
• Raw pea nuts - 1 handful
• Salt - as per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Dosai milagai podi - 1 tsp
• Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbl sp
• Oil - 4 tbl sp
• Curry leaves - little
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Broken black gram dal - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 sp
• Cut coriander leaves - little

Ingredients for dry masala powder:

• Coriander seeds - 1 sp
• Bengal gram dal - 1/2 sp
• Broken black gram dal - 1/2 sp
• Dry red chili - 4 to 5
• White seaseame seeds - 1/2 sp
• Roasted peanuts - 1 sp
• curry leaves - little
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 sp

[ fry all these ingredients in 2 sps of oil till it turns into gloden colour. Then make powder in mixer & keep aside]

Method:
Cut the little gourd in to round thin pieces. Soak 1 handful of peanuts in the water. Then keep one kadai on the gas, pour 2 sp of oil to that, heat it & add mustard seeds, broken black gram dal, curry leaves, when it splutters add  kovakkai along with soaked peanuts to that, fry for 3 mins, add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, dosai melagai podi, sugar  & mix well. Keep gas in lower flame.When the sabji becomes soft & peanuts are boiled, add the grind dry masala powder to that & mix well. Put 2 sps of  fresh grated coconut &  mix well. Before removing from the gas garnish with cut coriander leaves & curry leaves.Your sabji is ready. Have it with rasam, sambhar rice.