Sweet chutney and mint chutney

                                
Ingredients for mint chutney :

• Mint leaves - 2 cups
• Coriander leaves - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 6 to 8
• Grated fresh coconut - 1 / 2 tabl. sp
• Onion - 1 [ cut in to pieces ]
• salt - as per taste
• oil - 1 tsp.

Method :
Heat oil and fry green chillies, mint, and coriander leaves. Then add salt, onion, coconut and grind into a smooth paste. Serve with samosas, and cutlets.


Ingredients for tamarind sweet chutney :

• Tamarind - lemon size
• Jaggery - 8 teaspoon
• Salt - a pinch
• Red chilli powder - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Roasted cummin [ jeera ] powder - 1 tsp
• seedless dates - 100 gms.

Method :
Extract the  tamarind juice, add salt, red chilli powder, jaggery, dates  and boil well  till it is thickened. When it is cool grind together.Filter it and mix  roasted cummin powder to it. Goes well with samosas,  bhel puries, and cutlets.

King vegetable samosa

                    
Ingredients :
For the dough :

• Maida - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 / 4 sp.
• White butter - 50 gms. [ 2 tabl. sps ]
• Salt - 1 / 2 tsp.
• Ice cold water - to mix the dough.
• Oil - enough to deep fry.

For masala :

• Chopped onions - 1 cup
• Potatoes - 3 [ cooked ]
• Cooked peas - 1 / 4 cup
• Aniseed - 1 / 2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1 tbl. sp
• Am chur 1 tsp. [dry mango powder ]
• Black pepper powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Ginger, green chilli paste - 2 tsp.
• Salt - as required
• Kala namak [ black salt ] - 1 / 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :
Dough :
Sieve maida twice with baking powder and salt, blend butter evenly with finger tips to the flour. Then sprinkle ice cold water and kneed to a stiff dough. after that apply little oil to the hands and kneed the dough for nearly20 mints. Then keep closed under a wet cloth for 1 / 2 an hour.

Masala :
First take one kadai, heat oil in that, and add aniseed and little dhania [ optional ] and wait for a second, and add ginger chilli paste, stir and add onions. Fry till crisp and add little sugar, dhania powder, and garam masala powder. Then put peealed and mashed potatoes, and cooked peas. Fry till good smell comes and then sprinkle salt, turmeric, amchur, pepper, and at the end kala namak. Mix well and remove from the gas.

Making samosa :

First make small balls from the dough, and then roll it out into circls of medium thickness. Cut into 2 in the centre. Keep little filling   in  the  centre. Then apply little water around the edges. Fold straight lined edges to the centre to form a cone shape. Then  seal  the  edges with  water. Press  all the edges well. Like this prepare all the samosas and keep under a wet cloth or in the fridge [ gives good results ] for 20 mints. Then heat oil in a deep bottom vessel and fry samosas at a time in medium flame till it becomes golden brown  and crisp. Your mouth watering veg - samosas  is  ready to eat. Serve hot with sweet chuney, mint chutney.

Vendhaya Kuzhambu - Methi Kuzhambu Recipe

Ingredients :

• Small onions - 1 / 2 cup
• Onion curry vadam - 1 / 4 cup
• Tamarind plup - 2 tabl. sps.
• Red chilli powder -1 sp
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/ 2 sp
• Curry leaves - few

For seasoning :

• Till oil - 2 tabl. sps.
• Fenugreek- 1 / 4 sp

Grind together :

• Coriander seeds - 1 tabl. sp.
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 4 tsp
• Red chillies - 6 to 7
• Fenugreek - 1 tsp.
• Grated fresh  coconut -2 tabsps.

Heat oil and fry red chillies, coriander, cumin. Add fenugreek and coconut at the end fry without browning it. Then grind together.

Method :
Mix tamarind plup in required water. Peel small onions and cut finely. Then take one deep bottom vessel pour till oil in that and  haet it, add fenugreek, curry vadam, and fry for few minutes. Add onion, curry leaves and stir till it turns in to golden colour. Then mix ground paste and fry till good smell comes from the masala.Pour tamarind water, and boil along with salt, turmeric powder. When it becomes thick remove from the fire. serve hot with rice or idli.


Onion curry vadam:

Ingredients :

• Dehusked black gram [ urad ] - 1 cup
• Small onions [ peeled ] 1 / 2 k. g.
• Red chillies - 10 to 12
• Salt - as required
• Asafoetida - little
• Chopped curry leaves - little
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Mustard seeds - 2 tsps.
• Castor oil - 2 tsps.

Method :
Soak urad dal in enough water for 1 1/ 2 hours. Grind to smooth paste, along with red chillies. Add half of the peeled onions at the end and grind till smooth consistency. Add salt, asafoetida, other half of the finely chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves, mustard seeds and mix well. To prevent in sticking to the hands mix 2 tea spoons of castor oil at the end. Then make small balls using hands and dry on a plastic sheet under hot sun for 4 days. Store in airtight containers and use whenever necessary.

Kathiri kai podi curry [ tamil nadu ]

Ingredients :

• Tender brinjals - 1 / 2 k. g.
• Oil - for frying
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Bengal gram dhal - 2 tbl.sps.
• Coriander seeds - 1 hand full
• Dry red chillies - 4 to 6
• Urad dhal - 1 sp
•  Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 sp
•  Jaggery - 1 / 2 sp
• Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbl. sps.
• Powdered asafoetida - little
• Cut coriander leaves - little

Method :
Slice brinjals lenghwise and soak in water till required. Fry red chillies, coriander seeds, urad dhal, bengal gram dhal in oil till it turns golden brown in  colour. Dry roast coconut separately till golden. Pound every thing together in mixie along with asafoetida. Then heat oil in a pan and fry brinjal, add salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, jaggry and close with a lid in lower flame till its change in colour. Then add powdered ingredients and mix well. Remove from the fire. Garnish with cut coriander leaves.

Vatral kulambu

Ingredients :

• Dry vatral - 2 tbl. sps.
• Till oil - 2 tbl. sps.
• Tamarind pulp - 1 / 4 cup
• Sambhar powder - 2 tsps
• Salt - as required
• Jaggery - little

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 / 2 sp
• Asafoetida powder - a pinch
• Fenugreek - 1 / 4 sp
• Broken red chillies - 2
• Channa dal - 2 sp

Method :

Take one kalcatti keep on the gas, heat oil, add seasonings and then fry vatral till it becomes dark. Add sambhar powder in the oil itself. Pour tamarind pulp, along with water.  Add salt, turmeric powder, to that, and boil for 10 mints in lower flame. Mix little rice flour in water and add to boiling gravy. Allow to boil till it becomes thick. Add jaggery at the end and garnish with curry leaves. Serve with hot steam rice and any side dish like poriyal.

Variations :
Fresh vegetables like brinjal, sambhar onions, peeled garlic [ 2 pods ], yellow pumpkin, avarai kai, colocaesia can be used to prepare this kulambu.

Some vegetables can be sun dried and preserved. these vegetables when it is dried are called as vatral.
 [ ladies finger, manathakkali, sundakai, bitter gourd,and karamani. ]

This is my mother's  [ Mrs lalitha mani 's  ] recipe.

Bread omelette

Ingredients :

• Bread slices - 12
• Amul butter - 1 / 4 cup
• Green chutney - 1 / 2 cup
• Idli melakai podi - as required

For omelette :

• Besan - 2 cup
• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 2 table spoon
• Salt - as per taste
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Red chillie powder - 1 sp
• Water - for mixing
• Oil - as required
• Onion - 2
• Red tomatoes - 2
• Coriander leaves - little

[ chopped onions,tomatoes, and coriander leaves finely in chopper and keep aside. ]

Method :

Mix all ingredients in enough water along with onion, tomatoes, coriander and form a batter. [ the batter should be very thin so that you can make thin dosas.] Meantime take one toaster and toast the bread slice.[ apply little butter, green chutney, sprinkle little melakai podi  in the bread before toasting and keep aside.]
 Now take one non-stick tava and keep on the gas, apply little oil to that, and make thin dosa. Roast both sideswith oil. Before serving keep the bread toast in the center of dosa and fold it and cut into tri- angle shape and serve hot. This is my brother kanna's recipe.

Keerai kuzhambu

Ingredients :

• Mula keerai - 1 small bunch
• Drumstick leaves - a handful
• Cooking soda - a pinch
• Toovar dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind - lemon size [ extract the pulp ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 sp
• Rice flour - 1 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 sp
• Green chillies - 2 to 3

Fry and powder :

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 5to 6
• Grated fresh coconut - 1 / 2 cup

For seasoning :

• Coconut oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 1 [ broken ]

Method :

Wash and pressure cook toovar dal adding just enough water and turmeric powder. Then wash the mulai keerai, drumstick leaves in salt water and cut keerai into bits [ discarding the roots ]. Put green chillies, keerai, a pinch of cooking soda and boil for 5 mints. Mash well and add the tamarind pulp, salt, and turmeric powder and boil well.  Then mix the cooked toovar dal. In one tspn oil fry the ingredients given for the masala till channa dal, urad dal turns into golden colour. Then powder it coarsely and add it to the boiling mixture. Then add rice flour [ mixed with water ], jaggery, salt. Boiled in low flame for 5 mints. Remove from the gas. Season with 1 tspn mustard seeds, 1 dry red chilli, in  coconut oil and add it to the gravy.