Pudalangai Thayir Pachadi [ snake gourd in yoghurt ]

                                                        Pudalangai [ snake gourd ] thayir Pachadi




Ingredients :

• Snake gourd - 200gm.
• Yoghurt - 2 cups [ beaten ]
• Curry leaves - few
• Salt - as required

For paste :

• Ginger - small piece
• Fresh coconut - 2 table spoon

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1/2 tsp

Method :

Prepare a coarse paste of the ginger and coconut and keep aside. Wash and chop the vegetable in to small semi- circles. Heat a cup of water with salt in a deep pan and add the chopped vegetable. Saute lightly with a spoon till rich green in colour. Close and simmer over a medium flame for 3 to 5 minutes till the vegetable cook and soft. Remove from the gas. Heat oil and pop the mustard seeds. Add the prepared mustard, blended paste and the vegetable to the yoghurt. Mix well.

Note :  Use less salt for this vegetable. Remove the seeded middle portion if not tender.

Bhindi Masala [ my mom's preparation ]

Ingredients :

• Ladies finger [ bhindi ] - 1/2 kg
• Big onion - 1/2 kg [ peeled and chopped finely ]
• Grated fresh coconut - 2 to 3 tbl.sps. [ grind without water ]
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Dhaniya, jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - for deep frying

Method :

Wash and cut the bhindi into 1/2 inch pieces. Then keep kadai on the gas, pour oil. When the oil become hot fry the bhindi till it change in colour. Remove from the oil and keep aside. In the same kadai add 2 to 3 table of oil, and fry the chopped onion into brown colour. Then add the masalas one by one. [ salt, turmeric, red chilli, dhaniya jeera powder, tamarind paste.] Mix well and add the bhindi along with ground coconut. When the subji completely coated to the masalas remove from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with roti, and rasam rice.

Thakkali Sambhar [ My mom's recipe ]

Ingredients :

• Red ripe tomatoes - 1kg [ chopped ]
• Boiled thur dal - 1 cup [ mashed ]
• Small onion - 1 cup [ peeled and cut ]
• Big onion - 2 [ peeled and chopped ]
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Jaggery - little
• Curry leaves - little
• Coriander leaves - little

For seasoning :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Dry red chillie - 1 [ broken ]
Oil - 1 tsp

Method :

Grind the tomatoes inthe mixcer [ like purie ] and keep aside. Take one deep bottom kadai add oil. When the oil become hot add seasoning. When the mustard seeds pop, and the channa dal change in colour , add onion and fry till it change into light brown in color. Then add tomato purie, salt, turmeric, sambhar powder and jaggery with enough water.  Allow to boil till the raw smell goes. Then add the boiled  mashed dal. Boil for another 5 to 10 minitues. When the kuzambu gets ready remove from the gas and garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice, and idli and dosas.

Lauki Tamatar [ Punjabi Style ]

Ingredients :

• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Lauki small [ bottle gourd ] - 1 [ peeled and cut into small pieces ]
• Onions - 2 [ peeled and chopped ]
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece [ chopped ]
• Green chillies - 2 [ deseeded and chopped ]
• Red tomatoes - 3 [ chopped ]
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 11/2 tsp
• Amchoor powder - 1/2 tsp [ or 1/2 lemon juice ]
• Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Desi ghee or oil - 3 tsp

Method :

Take one pressure cooker, heat ghee or oil reduce the flame and add jeera, fry till golden brown. Then add onions and fry till transparent. Then add turmeric, green chillies and ginger. Stir till onions turn into light brown. Add tomatoes, cook till soft and well blended with onions. Reduce flame and then add all masalas one by one. cook on low flame till oil separates. Then add lauki and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water and close the cooker. When 1 whistle comes, reduce the flame and keep for 5 minutes. Then remove from the gas. After the pressure leaves open and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chappaties.

Pumpin Curry

Ingredients :

• Red pumpkin - 2 cups [ chopped ]
• Onion - 2 medium size [ chopped ]
• Churned curd - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 4to 5 [ chopped ]
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece [ chopped ]
• Cumin seeds - 1 tbls. sps.
• Coriander seed powder [ dhanya powder ] - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Method :

In a kadai, heat oil. Add mustard, when it splutters, add cumin seeds, chopped onions, green chillies and ginger. Turn well. When pumpkin is 3/4 th cooked, add grated coconut and cook till pumpkin is done. Finely add churned curd and mix well. cook for a minute. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot.

Chetti Nadu Puli Kuzambu

Ingredients :

• Ladies finger - 50 gms [ cut into 1/2 inch pieces ]
• Small onions - 1/2 cup [ peeled ]
• [ you can take choice of vegetables ]
• Tamarind - lemon size [ extract the pulp ]
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Dhanya powder - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/ 2 tsp
• Jaggery - little

Grind together :

• Dhanya - 1 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Bengal gram dal - 1 tsp
• Raw rice 1/2 tsp

 [ fry all these ingredients in kadai without oil tll nice aroma comes.Then make powder in mixer and keep aside. ]


For seasoning :

Til oil - 1 tbl. sps.
Ghee - 1 tbl. sps.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - little

Method :

Take one deep bottom kadai. Heat oil and ghee together, add the ingredients given in order. When channa dal is golden in colour  and the mustard seeds pop add onion, ladies finger and fry for 5 minutes. Then add the extracted pulp,salt, turmeric, dhanya powder, red chilli powder, jaggery, asafoetida and boil well till it is of reduced to 1/4 of the quantity. Then add the ground masala and boil for another 10 minutes. If necessary add little water. When he kuzambu gets ready remove from the gas. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve with hot rice, papads, wafers, kootu or roasted curry.

 

Ribbon Pakoda Ready Mix

Ingredients:

• Bengal gram flour [besan] - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - As required

Method :

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container. Whenever you want to make ribbon, take the required flour [ready mix], add little water, 1/2 tsp hot oil and prepare dough. Make portions of the dough, place into a ribbon mould and press gently straight into the hot oil. Turn over and remove from the oil when it becomes golden in colour and crisp.