KEERAI SAMBAR & RAW BANANA PORIYAL– LUNCH RECIPES

I learnt both keerai sambar & raw banana curry recipes from my MIL. Its a nice combination. I usually make this sambar once in a week as its healthy. We love this combo. My MIL says , keerai sambar needs less tamarind and more dal. This sambar should be little bit thicker than our usual sambar. I used Arai keerai ( Amaranthus) here.U can try Mulai keerai & siru keerai , karisilankanni keerai too..If u r using siru keerai or karisilankanni keerai  add little more tamarind as those leaves tastes slighlty bitter..

INGREDIENTS

Arai keerai (Amaranthus) – 1 cup Tamarind – Big gooseberry size Toor dal – 1/2 cup Green chillies – 2 nos Sambar powder – 2 tsp Sambar onions – 12 nos ( use whole onions, no need to chop) Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp Hing – 1/2 tsp Salt & water – As needed To temper: Oil – 2 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Methi seeds –3/4 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Red chilli – 1 no ( pinch & add)

METHOD

Wash & chop the keerai ( use the stem too ) roughly. Pressure cook toor dal along with greens , 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder & a drop of oil till the dal is nicely mashed and set aside. You can also pressure cook dal & keerai separately.  Extract the juice from the tamarind and set aside. Now in a kadai ,heat oil and all the tempering items one by one  in the same order. Add the sambar onions & green chillies and saute till it turns transparent. Now add the tamarind extract , 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder ,sambar powder , salt & hing. Let it boil well for few minutes with a nice aroma. Then add the mashed dal & greens mixture.Add little water if the sambar is too thick. Boil for 3 –4 minutes and serve hot.

NOTE: Greens can be cooked in the tamarind extract instead of  cooking with dal. But I follow this  method to reduce the cooking time.Sometimes my MIL adds only red chillies .
Adding sambar onions is a must for this sambar. This gives a great smell & taste. If u dont have sambar onions in hand, u can use roughly chopped big onions too..

RAW BANANA PORIYAL / VAZHAKAI PORIYAL

INGREDIENTS

Raw banana – 1 no ( big)  OR 2 nos ( if very small) Sambar powder – 1 – 1.5 tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Tamarind – Berry sized ( less than small gooseberry size) Salt – as needed To grind Grated coconut – 3 tbsp Big onion – 1 no Jeera – 1 tsp To temper Oil – 2 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves – few

METHOD

Wash , peel the skin and chop the raw banana in circles and soak in water. ( to avoid color change) In a vessel, cover cook the raw banana along with salt , a piece of tamarind, sambar powder , turmeric powder , salt with required water.Cook for 5 mins & check the banana is done.Do not over cook them.. Now drain the excess water & set aside.Grind the coconut in a mixie, then add the big onion & jeera and run the mixie once or twice to crush the onions.( Onion pieces will be visible) In a kadai , temper all the items given above and add the cooked raw banana pieces & the coarsely ground coconut- onion mixture..Saute in a low flame till u get nice aroma and the golden brown layer forms at the bottom.Add oil if needed.. While sauting make sure u don’t break the banana pieces and becomes mushy. Serve with sambar rice !

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ARACHUVITTA SAMBAR | TAMIL BRAHMIN RECIPES

Last weekend I was searching for Tamil brahmins recipes in some blogs and websites, I found arachuvitta sambar and urulaikilangu curry ( potato curry) as the simple sunday lunch menu mentioned by many of them. So I prepared the same at home for our lunch. 

Actually my MOM & MIL makes a similar kind of  idli sambar. Keeping that recipe in my mind , I prepared this araichuvitta sambar for lunch. One of my brahmin friends told me about this recipe long back which I noted down in my diary. 

By referring that recipe and the other recipes which I came across , I prepared this sambar. It was too good , fresh and flavourful. We loved it a lot. My friend told this sambar is usually made with small onions. I used drumstick and sambar onions. Do try this version for your sunday lunch & let me know friends !

INGREDIENTS

For 4 people ( 1 cup - 250ml)

Tamarind – Big gooseberry size Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Salt & water – as needed Drumstick – 1 no (chopped length wise of pointer finger size) To pressure cook: Toor dal – 1/3 cup Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Cooking Oil – a drop Hing – 1/4 tsp Water – As needed To roast & grind: Cooking oil – 2 tsp Fenugreek seeds – 1/8 tsp Dhania / coriander seeds - 1 tbsp Chana dal – 1/2 tbsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Red chillies -  5 nos (adjust as per your taste. Use upto 7 ) Raw Rice – 1/4 tsp  Hing – 1/4 tsp Grated coconut – 1 tbsp To saute: Cooking oil – 2 tbsp Small onions/ sambar onion – 1/2 cup ( 10 - 15 nos) Tomato – 1 no (optional) ( I dint use) Curry leaves – a few Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp (optional, its not used in Brahmin style) To temper: Ghee – 1 tsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Jeera / cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp Red chillies – 2 no (pinched into two) Curry leaves - few To garnish: Coriander leaves – few chopped finely.

METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder , hing and a drop of oil. In a kadai , add 2 tsp of oil and roast all the ingredients given under “ to roast n grind” in the same order. Make sure nothing gets burnt.. Roast under medium flame till nice aroma rises. Add grated coconut at the end , mix well and switch off the flame.It will get roasted in that heat itself. Grind to a paste in a mixie. Set aside. In a wide mouthed kadai, heat oil, saute the small onions, curry leaves .. Onions should be sauteed very well with a nice aroma. ( you can also add a tomato & saute with onion if you like) After it is sautéed , add the tamarind extract,  drumstick pieces , turmeric powder & salt.. Add some raw curry leaves  & a pinch of hing when it boils. Cover & cook till the drumstick is done. Now open the pressure cooked dal and mash it well. It should be well mashed. After adding the dal, add the freshly ground paste. Mix well without forming lumps. Let it boil for few minutes. Sambar thickens. So add more water if necessary. Check for salt. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Last but not the least , temper all the ingredients given under “ to temper” in ghee & add to sambar. Cover it with a lid to retain the aroma. Serve after 15 – 30 mins.. Enjoy with rice , potato curry and papad !! Note : You can use vegetables like chow chow, radish, brinjal, potato, carrot, beans, turnip to make this sambar. You can also make it with small onions alone which is known as Vengaya arachuvitta sambar.  Some people add 2 small onions while sauting the masala. But I din't use it.

NOTES

Please check this link for Brahmin style potato curry recipe. Chopped tomato can be used along with onions. Saute it till its mushy and then add tamarind extract. Instead of adding the spices along with dal, you can saute the ground spices before adding tamarind extract which gives additional flavour. Adjust the red chillies according to your taste. Dal should be mashed well. U can also use vegetables like carrots, potatoes, chow chow, brinjal along with drumstick.

Do try this and let me know ur comments..Catch u all in my next post ..

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Simple Onam Sadya Recipes - Kerala Onam Dishes

As Onam is nearing, I see lot of posts featuring Kerala onam recipes in blogosphere. After trying the andhra lunch thali successfully, I wanted to try a simple and easy Kerala lunch menu keeping onam festival in mind. When I was thinking about it, my neighbour showed me “Vanitha” magazine which was flooded with onam special recipes of “Pazhayidam Mohanan Namboothiri”. There were many ideas for onam sadya dishes including payasam. As the recipes were given by a popular chef, I tried everything confidently. 

My neighbour Mrs. Prema read all the recipes and translated everything patiently. Thanks a ton to her. Among those recipes, I picked some easy to make, simple dishes and prepared it. I reduced the given quantity as per my need and tried them. So I have mentioned the quantity what I used. We had a great onam lunch. Now after having my preparation, I really want to taste the authentic Onam sadya in Kerala..Wish I could get a chance. When you want to prepare onam special dishes, the choices are endless. My neighbour told they serve nearly 60 side dishes. Wow..!!.I started drooling!!..

Do check out my Onam sadya menu - 2 

I wanted to fill the banana leaf but I couldn’t. I should have kept Pazham, pappadam and nendhran chips which are the highlight in their menu. I was not able to do it. As this is my first Onam sadya post, I am not aware of the serving order. So I kept the dishes as I wished. Please excuse me. I dint prepare Avial as we used to make it regularly. U can see the recipe here. I wanted to try popular dishes which are new to me.They were really awesome in taste.. We loved it. 

Coconut oil and coconut are used as the main ingredients in their food. Even then the food was easily digestible .Yesterday my kitchen was filled with nice aroma of coconut oil. I have bookmarked some more recipes from that book. I’ll try everything and post it soon.
Coming to the recipes ,let me start with the sweet dishes.

SEMIYA PAYASAM

This Kerala style semiya payasam is very simple to make. The taste was excellent. My hubby who doesn’t like this payasam loved it a lot.. It can be served hot or cold. For variations, you can add badam powder at the end to give a kheer taste..

INGREDIENTS (1 cup - 250ml)

For 2- 3 people Semiya / Vermicelli – 1/4 cup Sugar – 4 tbsp  ( adjust) Milk – 1/2 ltr Water – 1/2 cup Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp(optional) Ghee – 1 tbsp Cashews and dry grapes - few

METHOD

In a wide mouthed Kadai , add half tbsp of ghee and roast the vermicelli till it turns golden brown with a nice aroma. In a pressure cooker base , take the milk and water . Let it boil till it reduces to half in quantity.. Then add the roasted vermicelli and close the cooker. Leave it for a whistle and the semiya gets cooked well. (Semiya should not be mushy) Open the lid and add the sugar. Mix well. Add more milk if its too thick.Check for taste and add more sugar if required. Finally add the cardamom powder.. Boil for sometime. In a small kadai , take the remaining ghee and roast the cashews and dry grapes. Add on top of the payasam and garnish !! Serve hot or cold !

NOTE:

Cardamom powder is optional. It is not given in the actual recipe but I used it. U can add saffron threads soaked in warm milk which gives a nice color too.. My neighbour adds instant badam mix at the end which also tastes the best..

ELANEER PAYASAM / TENDER COCONUT PAYASAM

This elaneer should be watery in consistency. Usually the pulp of tender coconut should be grinded coarsely along with its water and prepared. But I just cut the pulp into small pieces as given in the book . I also added jaggery instead of sugar as mentioned in the book. But please add very less jaggery as we are adding condensed milk, honey and coconut milk at the end.

INGREDIENTS

Tender coconut -  2 nos ( take the pulp and water) Jaggery –  2-3 tbsp ( please add lesser quantity) Grated coconut – 1/2 cup ( to extract milk) Condensed milk – 2 tsp Honey – 1 tsp (optional)  ( i added a tsp) Water – Little Cardamom powder – A pinch (optional)

METHOD

Take the jaggery and melt to make a syrup by adding water just to cover it. Strain and remove the impurities. After it starts to boil, add the pulp of tender coconut ( I cut into bite sized pieces.. U can also use by grinding it coarsely).. U can even cook the pulp separately and add to jaggery. Let it boil for sometime. In the mean time , grind the grated coconut with water to extract the first milk. Set aside. Similarly take the second and third milk. Now add the third milk to the boiling jaggery mixture. After few seconds, add the second milk. Give a boil. Switch off the flame and add the first thick coconut milk. Mix well and allow it to cool down completely. Finally add the condensed milk and honey. Mix well and enjoy..

Note:

The color of this payasam varies according to the jaggery color. Mine was white in color as my jaggery was light yellow in color. Always add jaggery in lesser quantity. If sweet is less, you can add more syrup later. Condensed milk and honey should be added after the mixture cools down completely.

MEZHUKKUPURATTI / MIXED VEG STIR FRY

Mezhukkupuratti is a simple stir fry which can be made in minutes yet tastes delicious.

INGREDIENTS

Yam – 1/4 cup Plantain / Raw banana – 1/ 4 cup Carrot – 1/4 cup Turmeric powder – 1 Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves – few Red chillies – 2 nos Green chillies – 2nos Salt & water – As needed

METHOD

Cut all the veggies uniformly of small square shaped pieces. Cook yam in pressure cooker.cook plantain and carrot together. Make sure everything is not over cooked and mushy. Now in a kadai , take the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds , cut chillies and few curry leaves. Add the veggies finally and toss well by adding the required salt.

MIXED VEGETABLE THORAN

INGREDIENTS

Grated Cabbage – 1/4 cup Carrot – 1/4 cup Big onion – 1 no Half cooked toor dal – 1/4 cup Ginger – 1/2 inch piece Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp Salt – as needed Grated coconut – 3 tbsp To temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Green chilly – 1 no ( slit cut) Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves – few

METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal for one whistle by keeping high flame. The dals gets half cooked. Grate the cabbage and cut carrot into small pieces. In a kadai, heat the coconut oil and temper with mustard seeds and urad dal. Then add the onion pieces. Saute well and add the ginger pieces , green chilly and curry leaves. Now add the cut vegetables , toor dal and mix well. Add all the powders one by one and mix well. Sprinkle little water and cover cook for sometime. Run the grated coconut once in mixie and add it at the end. Mix well and serve hot !!

PULI INJI / INJI CURRY

Among all these dishes, Puli inji secures the first rank.. We loved it a lot. It was very tasty. One can have a plate full of Dal rice or curd rice with this puli inji. Usually its very thick in consistency. But I made it little thin to suit our taste.  Please make it according to ur taste buds. But in the book, it was mentioned to make it thick. It stays good for more than a week. Use a clean spatula every time.

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind – A big gooseberry size Ginger – 2 finger size ( chop finely) Jaggery – 1 tbsp ( add more if reqd) Salt & water – as needed.. Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Hing – 1/4 tsp To temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Pinched red chilly – 1 no Green chilly – 1 no (finely chopped ) Curry leaves – a few To dry roast & grind: Methi seeds – 1/2 tsp

METHOD

Soak tamarind in warm water for take the extract. Add chilli powder , jaggery and give a boil till it reduces to half in  quantity. In a kadai , add coconut oil and temper the items given above.. Add the finely chopped ginger pieces and saute well for few mins. U’ll get a nice aroma, Finally add everything to the tamarind mixture and allow it to roll boil . **In the mean time , dry roast methi seeds and powder it. When the tamarind mixture starts to thicken , switch off the flame and add the methi powder. Mix well & Close it with a lid Serve with dal rice / curd rice.. !

NOTE

• Puli inji is a spicy accompaniment. A tsp of it is sufficient for a plate of meals. It also aids digestion. Make sure this puli inji is in your menu if you plan to make kerala food..

KALAN

Kaalan tasted similar to mor kuzhambu. We mixed it in plain rice and enjoyed it.

INGREDIENTS

Sour curd – 1 cup Pepper powder – 1 tsp Yam – 1/4 cup ( chopped roughly) Green chilly –2 nos Curry leaves – a few Ghee – a tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp **Dry roasted methi powder – 1/2 tsp Salt & water – as needed To grind: Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Green chillies – 2 no Jeera – 1/2 tsp To temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Pinched red chilly – 1 no

METHOD

In  a pressure cooker , add the yam pieces, pepper powder, green chilly pieces and a tsp of ghee. Cook well. After opening the cooker, add the whipped curd, turmeric powder and salt. Let it boil. In the mean time, grind the items under “ to grind” to make a paste by adding little water. When the mixture reduces to half, add the ground paste. Boil well. Temper the mentioned items and mix to kalan. Switch off the flame and add the methi powder finally. It would be in the consistency of kootu / aviyal. Mix well and close with a lid to retain the aroma.

ASH GOURD KHICHDI / POOSANIKAI THAYIR PACHADI

Ashgourd pachadi simple and tasty accompaniment for dal rice.

INGREDIENTS

Ash gourd – 1/ 4 cup ( chop finely) Salt & water  - as needed Thick fresh curd – 1/2 cup To grind Grated coconut – 2 tsbp Green chillies – 2 nos To temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp Urad dal – 1/4 tsp Hing – a pinch Pinched red chilly – 1 no Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Cook the ash gourd pieces with the required water and squeeze them well to remove its water content.Set aside Now in a kadai , temper all the items given above. Grind the coconut & green chillies to make a paste. In a bowl , take the ground coconut paste , tempered items , squeezed ash gourd pieces and the required salt. Mix well .. add the fresh , thich curd just before serving . Enjoy with paruppu sadam ..

ERISSERY

 Erissery is a semi dry , rice accompaniment which has lots of coconut. Adding more coconut gives a nice flavour for this dish. 

INGREDIENTS

Yam/ Chena – 1/4 cup Raw banana – 1/4 cup Pepper powder – 1 / 2 tsp Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Salt & water – as needed. To grind Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Jeera – 1 / 2 tsp To temper: Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Urad dal –1/2 tsp Jeera – 1/2 tsp Grated coconut – 1/2 cup Curry leaves - few

Please note I have put grated coconut twice here. Use accordingly..

METHOD

Chop & cook the yam and banana pieces separately. Heat oil in a a kadai and shallow fry the cooked vegetables. Grind the items given above with little water to make a paste. After shallow frying the veggies , add the ground paste followed by chilli, pepper and turmeric powders. Mix well and allow it to boil sometime. In a kadai , heat coconut oil and temper with urad dal, jeera , curry leaves and grated coconut. Roast them well and add it to the boiling mixture. Mix well and switch off the flame..Enjoy !

KERALA SAMBAR / MIXED VEG SAMBAR

INGREDIENTS

Toor dal – 1/2 cup Potato – 1no Big onion – 1 /2 no Lady’s finger – 1/4 cup Drum stick – 1 no Turmeric powder – 1 / 4 tsp Chilli powder – 1.5 tsp Coriander seeds powder – 2 tsp Salt –  as needed Tamarind –  Small lemon size Dry roasted methi seeds powder – 1/2 tsp To temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Pinched red chilly – 1 no coriander leaves – to garnish

METHOD

Pressure cook dal and potato. Set aside.. Reserve the dal water for making rasam.. Soak tamarind in water and take the extract. In a kadai , heat coconut oil and saute the lady’s finger and drum stick pieces. Add all the powders.Saute quickly without burning. Immediately add tamarind extract, Cover and cook well. After the veggies are cooked add the cooked dal and boil well for few mins. Finally temper the items and add the methi powder. switch off the flame.. Garnish with coriander leaves.. In the serving bowl , place a banana leaf and pour the sambar. Close for sometime and then serve. This is the additional tip given in the book..

KERALA RASAM

INGREDIENTS

Cooked toor dal water – 1 cup Tamarind extract – 1 tsp Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Hing – 1/4 tsp Water – 1/4 cup Jeera – 1/4 tsp Methi seeds –1 / 4 tsp Tomato – 2 nos Curry leaves – few To dry roast and powder Dhania – 1 tsp Pepper corns – 1 tsp to temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Pinched red chilly – 1 no Coriander leaves – to garnish

METHOD

In a kadai , dry roast dhania and pepper corns & powder them. Take the tamarind extract , chilli powder , 1 tomato ( crushed) , jeera , hing and methi seeds along with little water. Boil everything till it reduces to half. Then add the dal water , remaining 1 tomato(finely chopped) , rasam powder and the required salt. Boil for few mins. Remove and temper with mustard seeds and pinched red chillies. Garnish with coriander leaves..

KERALA PARIPPU CURRY

INGREDIENTS

Moong dal – 1/2 cup Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp Red chilly – 1 no ( pinched ) Water & salt –as needed To grind Grated coconut – 2 tbsp Jeera – 1/4 tsp Green chilli - 1 no To temper Coconut oil – 1 tbsp Mustard seeds –1 /2 tsp & ginger pieces ( optional ) Pinched red chilly – 1 no Curry leaves – few

METHOD

Roast dal till raw smell emanates. Pressure cook the roasted dal with water , turmeric powder and a pinched red chilly.. Grind the coconut,chilli and jeera to make a paste. Mix it to the cooked dal and boil till it thickens. Remove and temper with the above items. Serve adding ghee !!

AVIAL

Please click on the picture to see the recipe for avial.

Do check out my Onam sadya menu - 2 

Easy Chakka pradhaman recipe

Kerala Paal payasam recipe

HAPPY ONAM TO ALL MY BLOGGERS AND FRIENDS. DO TRY THESE RECIPES AND HAVE A GREAT CELEBRATION !!

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ANDHRA THALI | ANDHRA LUNCH MENU | ANDHRA VEG MEALS

Its been my long time wish to try other state foods. I really got bored of making my usual sambar, vathakulambu etc.. So with my hubby’s acceptance and guidance, I tried Andhra meals / Andhra lunch menu as a first step. He had tasted andhra food in some restaurants like Nandini, Nagarjuna. So he told me the names of dishes they serve in the platter. I googled and found good recipes from some of the blogs. They came out very well. 

My hubby thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes I made. I too loved it. My daughter who is a fussy eater loved the food. I was very happy that my first attempt in andhra food was a big success at home. While cooking I found some ingredients, they use commonly in almost all the recipes. They use Red chillies , Ginger & Garlic paste , Hing and ajwain. I think these ingredients gives the aroma and spiciness in their food. My house was filled with nice aroma when I prepare all these dishes. People who love spicy foods must try Andhra food. Ok, coming to the platter.

In the above picture you can see Andhra Sambar , Tomato Rasam , Mamdikaya cauliflower pachadi , Ivygourd poriyal  ( Tindora curry) , Palakura pappu . I tried Andhra style paruppu podi /Kandi podi too but I forgot to mention in the thali. I will make a seperate post for it. 

PALAKURA PAPPU / DAL PALAK

My hubby told this recipe tasted exactly like the one he had in restaurants. Thanks a lot sailu’s food .

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Toor dal/red gram dal/kandi pappu – 2 handfuls or 1/4 cup Palakura/palak/spinach leaves –2 small bunches ( washed and finely chopped) Big onion – 1 no ( chopped) Turmeric powder -  a pinch Green chillies – 2-3 nos ( slit lengthwise) Ginger – 1/2 inch piece ( chopped) Thick Tamarind extract – a tsp ( soak berry sized tamarind and add the extract) Salt & water – as needed For seasoning (Use a tsp of ghee) Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/jeera – 1/2 tsp Urad dal- 1/2 tsp Garlic cloves, crushed – 3-4 Red chillies – 2 nos (pinched ) Curry leaves – few

METHOD

In a pressure cooker, place dal, washed and finely chopped palak leaves, onions, green chillies, ginger and turmeric powder. Add 1 to 2 cups of water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. Heat ghee in a kadai, add mustards seeds and after they start to dance , add cumin seeds, urad dal,  crushed garlic, pinched red chillies and curry leaves and fry for half a minute. Add this to the pressure cooked dal along with salt and combine. Add the tamarind extract and cook on slow to medium flame for 5-7 mts without lid or till you get the consistency of your choice.Add water if necessary Enjoy mixing with plain white rice and ghee !!

NOTE

1. For variations u can try sauting the onions , green chilles , palak leaves in little oil before pressure cooking with dal.
2. Always do the seasoning in the end.
3. If you want, you can do the seasoning using oil and add little ghee on top of the dal.
4. Give a standing time of at least half an hour before serving for all the tastes to blend.

  ANDHRA SAMBAR

I got the following recipes from here. If you want to try varieties of Andhra thali, you must visit this blog to get a good idea. She has given a nice collection of recipes. Thanks Srinithya.

INGREDIENTS

Carrot,potato – 1 no each Drumstick- 1 no Tomato  - 1 no (chopped) Big onion –1 no ( chopped) Toordal- 1/2 cup Gooseberry sized tamarind – soak in warm water. Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp Madras sambar masala / any sambhar powder – 1 tsp Poppy seeds/gasalu-1 tsp Coconut dry / kobbari –2tsp Ginger garlic paste- 3/4 tsp Oil-2 tbsp To temper Mustard seeds -1 tsp Jeera / cumin seeds –1 tsp Hing -2 pinches Red chillies – 1 no ( pinched to two)

coriander leaves – to garnish.

METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal and the vegetables . Set aside. Dry roast poppy seeds, grated coconut and grind it to make a paste along with sambhar powder. keep aside. In a wide mouthed kadai , add oil and temper the mustard seeds , jeera , hing and turmeric. Add the G&G paste and saute well. Add the chopped onion and tomato pieces. Saute till tomato turns mushy. Add the tamarind extract and salt , few curry leaves.Allow it to boil for few mins. Now add the cooked dal and veggies along with ground poppy seeds paste. Boil for 10 mins in medium flame. Remove and add coriander leaves. Serve with hot , plain white rice adding little ghee !!

NOTE

1. The vegetables should not be over cooked.
2. As per the original recipe , madras sambar masala is used . But I used my home made sambar powder.
3. I also used red chillies while tempering and i tempered at the end.

MAMDIKAYA CAULIFLOWER PACHADI | RAW MANGO CAULIFLOWER PACHADI

Thought she has given varieties of pachadi in her blog, I chose this one just becoz of this combination. I wanted to try this combo and as it sounded unique and different. I’ve got an yummy raw mango dish to add in my mango recipes list.

INGREDIENTS

Green Raw mango pieces  - 1 no ( medium sized) Grated cauliflower florets -1/2 cup Garlic cloves – 5-6 nos ( chopped) Red chilli powder –  1 to 2  tsp Roasted cumin fenugreek powder - 1/8 tsp Turmeric powder -1/8 tsp Chopped garlic pods-3 tbsp Salt- to taste Water – As needed. To temper Oil-1 tbsp Mustard seeds-1 tsp Jeera – 1/2 tsp Curry leaves chopped – few Hing-2 pinches

METHOD

Peel the skin of raw mango and chop it finely. (Its better if you grate it ) Remove the cauliflower florets and add in boiling water along with little turmeric powder and salt. Remove and grate it. Set aside. Heat oil in a pan add mustard, jeera , curry leaves and hing Add garlic and fry till brown.Now add veggies and fry for 2 seconds and close lid and cook till soft,stir in middle to avoid burning. Add little water if necessary. Add chilli  powder , turmeric powder and salt. Mix and cook for sometime. Serve with rice as a side dish !!

TINDORA TOMATO CURRY | IVYGOURD TOMATO STIR FRY

I have never used tindora in my cooking. For a change, I tried this curry . My husband who hates tindora loved this a lot. 

INGREDIENTS

Dondakaya/ivy guard chopped length wise-1 cup Chopped tomato –1 no Chopped big onion – 1no G&G paste – 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder- 2 tsp Salt-to taste Curry powder-2 tsp ( i used garam masala powder) Dry coconut powder-1tsp ( i used grated coconut) Turmeric-1/8 tsp Oil-3 tbsp To temper Mustard seeds-1 tsp Jeera  - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves- few Coriander leaves- few to garnish

METHOD

Pressure cook ivy guard pieces till done, drain excess water and set aside. Fry the pieces in 1 tbsp of oil until crisp and set a side Heat oil in a pan and  temper all the above ingredients. Add onion  , ginger garlic paste and fry for 5 minutes till raw smell emanates. Then add tomatoes and cook till soft. Add all the powders, salt and ivy guard pieces. Fry for 5 more minutes. Add coriander leaves and serve. It smells and tastes gr8 with rice as well as roti. !!

NOTE

1. I dint deep fry the tindora pieces instead I shallow fried it for sometime and proceeded the recipe.
2. Make sure the tindora is not overcooked while pressure cooking.

TOMATO DAL  RASAM

I made slight changes in the actual recipe to suit my hubby’s taste. It tasted excellent and flavourful the next day. I reheated the rasam and used the same for two days.

INGREDIENTS

Finely chopped tomatoes-3 nos Berry sized Tamarind Cooked tuvar dal -1/4 cup Ajwain/vamu /carom seeds/omam-1/2 tsp Hing-2 pinches Crushed garlic- 4 cloves salt-to taste Red chillies-2 nos Turmeric powder -2 pinches Black pepper powder – 1 tsp To temper Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Jeera – 1 tsp Curry leaves – few Coriander leaves – to garnish.

METHOD

Pressure cook toor dal with little turmeric powder till mushy and set aside. In a cooking bowl,  add water, tomatoes and tamarind. Cook till soft and reserve the boiled water.  Grind the tomatoes and tamarind to make a paste. Crush ajwain with hands and set a side. Heat oil in a pan add cumin, mustard, hing, ajwain and dry chillies. Fry well and add garlic pieces.saute till golden brown. Now add mashed dal, tomato paste, water, crushed ajwain, pinched red chillies, salt and pepper powder. Boil for sometime. I added little sugar while boiling. Garnish with coriander leaves.  Serve hot !!

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Carrot Sambar Recipe For Idli - South Indian Carrot Sambar

I started to make this carrot sambar recipe for my daughter when she was a kid. Its a great way to make my daughter eat this vegetable. I make it less spicy as per my baby’s taste. Its a good side dish for Idli, dosa with a nice aroma and mild sweetness of carrot. This sambar can be served for rice if you add little more tamarind. You can make it as a no onion no garlic version by skipping onion, garlic in this recipe. I have shared those points in Notes section.Try this for your family .I am sure they will love it. Lets see how to make this healthy carrot sambar recipe for Idli ,dosa.
Check out my other Idli Sambar Recipes HERE.
42 Chutney varieties
15 Idli varieties

Carrot Sambar Recipe

Healthy Carrot sambar for Idli dosa

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 2-3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 200ml Carrot – 2 nos Toor dal + Moong dal – 1/2 cup Sambar onion – 10 nos OR Big onion – 1 no Sambar powder – 1.5 tsp ( add less based on kids taste) Tamarind – Small gooseberry size Asafetida / Hing – 2 pinches Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Salt & water – As needed. To Temper Oil – 2 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp Tomato – 1 no Garlic flakes – 5 nos Curry leaves – A few To garnish Coriander leaves - few

METHOD

Wash & peel the skin of carrot. Chop into slices.Chop the big onions into small cubes. If using small onions, peel the skin and set aside.In a pressure cooker, take dal, few curry leaves, a tsp of ghee and turmeric powder adding 2 cups of water. Take the sliced carrots in a small bowl, no need to add water.Place it inside the cooker. Cook for one whistle in low flame. Open the cooker & mash the dal.Remove the carrot bowl.  Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , season with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves. Add onion, garlic cloves and saute until it turns transparent. Add tomato pieces and saute until mushy. Add the tamarind extract, hing, salt, sambar powder , turmeric powder and salt.Boil well for few minutes. Add cooked carrot slices and dal. Mix well and roll boil for 2 minutes.Adjust the consistency of sambar by adding required water. Garnish with coriander leaves.Transfer the sambar to a vessel and add a tbsp of ghee. Enjoy with hot Idli, dosa !!

Note

To make this sambar for rice, add medium gooseberry sized tamarind and use 1 slitted green chillies along with onions.Do not add more tamarind. Sambar will become too sour. SKIP onion garlic and make it for festivals.  You can also add potato cubes along with carrot slices. For variations, skip tamarind and use 3-4 tomatoes. You can use either toor dal or moong dal alone.

  Enjoy this healthy, yummy sambar with Idli, dosa !

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MILAGU KUZHAMBU | PEPPER KUZHAMBU

My hubby loves this milagu kuzhambu a lot. He always used to say that  Iam good in making this. Thanks to the supplementary issue of “Aval Vikatan” . It is the source for this kuzhambu. But I made some modifications according to our taste buds!! Whenever I get up late in the morning and when I run short of time to prepare lunch for my husband, I always do this. Its very easy to do. Lets see how to make this easy pepper kuzhambu for rice with simple ingredients.

Ingredients 

To dry roast and grind

• Pepper corns – 1 tbsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

To saute:

• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Small onions – 5-7 nos ( finely chopped)
• Garlic -  10 flakes (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves – a sprig
• Tomato – 1 no (finely chopped)
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Cooking Oil or gingely oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt and water - as needed

Other ingredients:

• Tamarind – Medium gooseberry size ( 2 to 3 tsp extract)

HOW TO MAKE MILAGU KULAMBU - Method 

• Dry roast pepper and Jeera together just for 1 min in a hot kadai. U’ll get a nice aroma.(Note:Jeera should not be turned black) Grind it slightly coarse.
• Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 –10 mins and extract juice from it. Take 1 cup of juice from it. Add the pepper, jeera powder to the extract. Keep it aside.
• Now heat a wok/pan with 2 tbsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it pops, add the methi seeds. Fry..
• Add the finely chopped onions and garlic pieces along with curry leaves. Saute till they become translucent.
• Now add the tomato and cook till it becomes mushy.
• Add the turmeric powder and tamarind extract along with the required salt.
• Let it boil for 10 to 15 mins in medium flame till its raw smell goes off. Add water in the middle if necessary. You can make it thick or thin as you like. Check for taste and add some raw pepper powder if needed. 
• Now switch off the flame and garnish with  fresh curry leaves and 2 tsp of gingely oil. Cover and rest before you serve. 

If you need it more spicy , you can add the raw pepper powder on top of the gravy. No need to boil. That gives a special flavor to this Kuzhambu. I always do this at the end:)

Yummy ,Spicy Milagu Kuzhambu is ready to serve with plain rice and ghee!! It tastes great when crispy potato poriyal or  simple sorakkai poriyal is served as a side dish!!

My MIL’s Tips:

1.     For initial stages of cold: U can try this kashaayam.

Take 1 tbsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin /jeera and 1 inch size ginger in a blender and crush it into one or two. Boil a glass of water . Add this mixture to it. Boil till it gets reduced into quarter glass. Drink this by adding honey or jaggery.
2. For loss of appetite and Indigestion:
Grind 1 tsp of pepper ,1 tsp of Jeera with salt. Make it a coarse powder by adding a pod of garlic at the end. Mix it with ghee and hot plain rice and have it for 2 days. It improves the loss of appetite.
3.For dry cough: Roast 5 –7 peppers in 2 tsp of ghee till it splutters. Now remove the roasted pepper and eat it as it is. Drink the hot ghee (throat bearable heat).
We usually do all the above remedies at our home and are really beneficial:)

For Weight Loss:
If you drink pepper rasam(without rice) around 11 in the morning regularly, sure you will reduce your weight by at least 1 to 2 kg per month(no dieting is necessary). But please don't add too much of pepper . It may lead to stomach ulcer. Just normal amount of pepper as we use for rasam is sufficient!!

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BISIBELEBATH RECIPE

We do this rice dish in the weekend.U all know this is Karnataka's special dish.We make sambar and rice separately & mix them..Here is the recipe,
Check out my latest Karnataka style Bisi bele bath recipe

  Ingredients 

Vegetables – ALL or ANY(Carrot,beans,potato,peas,raddish,brinjal,chow-chow,raw banana,drumstick,broad beans etc)	2 cups
Rice	1/2 cup
Water	4 cups
Toor dal	1/3 cup
Tamarind	A big gooseberry size
Oil	1 tbsp + 2 tsp (to roast)
Sambar powder	1/2 tsp
Jaggery	A Small piece

To Roast & Grind

Dhania/Dry Coriander seeds	2 tsp
Fenugreek	1/2 tsp
Chana dal	1 tbsp
Red chilly	6 – 8 nos (adjust)
Asafetida/Hing	a pinch
Cinnamon	1 small stick
Cloves	2 nos
Grated Coconut	2 tbsp

To temper

Mustard seeds	1/4 tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds	1/4 tsp
Sambar onions/Pearl onions	1/4 cup
Green chilly	1 no
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Oil	1 tsp
Coriander leaves	to garnish
Cashew nuts	a few

  Method

1. Wash and Pressure cook rice with required water.Keep it for 2 –3 whistles and till it is overcooked & mushy.Set aside.Cut all the vegetables for 1 inch size.
2. Then pressure cook toor dhal with a drop of oil and a pinch of turmeric powder.Keep it for 2 whistles. Hand blend it. Mix well to become mushy.Soak tamarind in water and extract pulp from it.
3. Heat a kadai with 1 tsp of oil and roast all the items given under “To roast & grind” table and lastly add the grated coconut , roast it well and grind in a powdered form.Keep it aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan,add the tempering items,sambar onions and green chilly.Saute till they are transparent.Add the tamarind extract, all the raw vegetables and a pinch of asafetida.Close the pan with a lid .It should boil till the vegetables get cooked.
5. Now add the cooked toor dal and sprinkle the ground powder. Mix well to avoid lumps.
6. Let it come to a boil. Finally,add the curry leaves and coriander leaves.
7. Delicious SAMBAR IS READY !!!
8. Now take the rice in a big vessel and add the required amount of sambar to it with ghee.Mix it well.
9. Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot with Papad or Vadaam!!!

NOTE:

1. As we prepare the sambar separately,u can use the same for dinner too!!.It tastes excellent with idly,Pongal & dosa!!So no need to prepare any side dish for dinner.U can take rest and enjoy the weekend!! 
2. I’ve mentioned 2 cups of vegetables for just 1/2 cup of rice because this is the easiest way to make the children to eat vegetables :).Please reduce the amount of vegetables based on ur wish..
3. In karnataka, they add cloves and cinnamon while grinding the spices but i don’t add. I make it in our style .So if u need the authentic bisibelebath , roast the cinnamon and cloves along with spices , Powder them and add..
4. Add more sambar while u mix with rice because the rice absorbs all the sambar by the time u eat. Keep some sambar in reserve.I always mix the rice & sambar just before eating and serve hot..
5. At last, add little ghee to enhance the taste and flavour.

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