Gawar beans Curry/ Goruchikkudukaya kura

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Gawar beans/goruchikkudu , ends stringed & cut into small pieces
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Few curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/4 Cup Dalia or roasted channa dal
• 8-10 red chillies (dry)
• 1 tbsp dry coconut powder
• a pinch of turmeric powder

Method:

• Dry roast dalia, red chillies, coriander seeds, dry coconut & make a fine powder.
• Steam the gawar beans over a pot of boiling water until they are cooked.Do not over cook.
• Heat oil in a pan & add mustard & cumin seeds, when they start to crackle add the curry leaves & onions.
• Saute till onions are soft & add the boiled gawar beans, turmeric powder & mix.
• Add salt, ground powder & mix well.Cover & cook on medium heat for 5-10 mts stirring in between.
• Remove & serve hot.

Tomato Soup

To me, tomato is the epitome of summer. Bright, fresh and succulent, produce like this are a handful of things I look forward to in a dessert summer.I’m happy when I’m snuggling with my hubby in a couch slurping a hot cuppa soup.Almost all our repertoires have a recipe for tomato soup. I have one too & here it is...

Ingredients:

• 4 Ripe tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2" ginger, crushed
• 6-8 mint leaves
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp Roasted Cumin powder

Method:

• Boil the tomatoes along with ginger,garlic,mint leaves & bay leaf for 20 mts.
• Fish out the bay leaf & blend tomatoes along with the garlic, ginger & mint when cool & strain well.
• Transfer this into a sauce pan & add salt.
• Bring to a boil & reduce , now add roasted cumin powder & pepper.
• Cook for 5 mts & remove.
• Serve hot sprinkled with pepper & bread croutons.

Ganji /Rice water Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Brown rice
• 5 Cups water
• few curry leaves
• 5-6 green chillies
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
• Rock salt/Sedha namak to taste
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp Dry ginger powder
• 3 tsp Chopped Onions
• Chopped Cilantro

Method:

• Wash rice & pressure cook with 5 cups of water.
• Drain the rice water & save the rice.
• Add rock salt, curry leaves, chillies, ginger powder, pepper powder, cumin powder & mix well.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer it for about 20 mts.The rice water should be simmered down to 3 cups.
• Add onions, chopped cilantro & mix.Serve hot.

Chikkudukaya Kura/ Indian Broad beans Curry

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Kg Chikkudukaya/Broad beans/Sem ( destring & cut into 1" pieces)
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 4 green chillies, slit
• 1" ginger, grated
• A pinch of Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Channa dal
• 1 tsp Urad dal
• few curry leaves
• 1 tbsp oil

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan & add mustard seeds,when they start crackling add channa dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves & stir fry till dal changes color.
• Add chillies, ginger , broad beans, tomato, salt & mix well.Cover & cook on medium flame till beans are cooked.
• Add chilli powder, turmeric powder & mix well.
• Cook for a couple of minutes & remove.
• Serve hot with roti or rice.

Chekkalu

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Rice flour
• 5 tbsp Channa dal(soaked in water for 1 hr)
• salt to taste
• 8-10 Green chillies
• 1" Ginger
• few curry leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• Water to make dough (roughly 1/2 cup)
• Oil to deep fry

Method:

• Grind & make a coarse paste with ginger & chillies.
• Take rice flour & add channa dal, chilli-ginger paste, curry leaves, salt, ghee & mix.
• Now add little water & mix it to a tight dough.
• Take a small lemon size ball of the dough, place it on a zip lock bag & press it.
• Heat oil in a pan , slowly drop the shaped chekkalu.
• Fry on a medium flame till golden brown & crisp.
• Remove & place on a tissue.Cool them completely & store.

Ravva Dosa

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Semolina
• 1/2 Cup Rice Flour
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• 1" Ginger, grated
• 4 Green chillies, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped cashew nuts (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds, crushed
• Oil

Method:

• Make a thin batter by mixing together semolina, rice flour, asafoetida & salt.
• Add the grated ginger, minced green chillies, crushed pepper corns, cumin seeds,cashew nuts & mix well.
• Heat tava , pour a laddle full of batter & spread by swirling the tava.
• Pour a tsp oil around & on the dosa & cook until it is crisp & golden brown.
• Remove & serve hot.

* It take a longer time than the normal dosa to become crisp.

Gobi Mussalam

Ingredients:

• 1 Cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Cup Tomato Puree
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 4 Green chillies
• 2 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1" Cinnamon stick
• 4 Cloves
• 4 Cashew nuts
• Chopped Cilantro to garnish

Method:

• Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves & cashew & grind the mixture to a fine paste.
• Boil water & add cauliflower florets & boil for 5 mts.Remove water & fry them till brown & keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan & add ginger garlic paste, onions, chillies & fry till onions become soft.
• Add the ground masala paste & fry till oil separates.
• Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder,tomato puree & bring to a boil.
• Add garam masala & mix well.Add milk & cook till gravy thickens.
• Add cauliflower pieces & mix well.Cover & cook for 5 mts.
• Remove, garnish with chopped cilantro & Serve hot.

Lobia & Amaranthus Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup lobia/Black eyed peas ( soaked overnight & cooked)
• 1 Cup Brown Basmathi rice, cooked
• 1 bunch Amaranthus leaves, chopped
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp coconut, grated (fresh)
• 1 tsp Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg (grated)
• Salt to taste
• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1" piece Ginger

Method:

• Make a smooth paste of coconut, cumin, nutmeg,ginger,peppercorns,chillies.
• Heat Oil in a pan & saute garlic & onion for 2 mts.
• Add tomatoes, turmeric powder & cook for 3 mts.
• Add the amaranthus leaves & cook till done.
• Add the ground paste , salt,precooked lobia & mix well.
• Add the rice & mix well.Cover & cook on medium heat for another 5-7 minutes & remove.
• Serve hot.

Pongal

Pongal.....a soft, smooth, silky lentil-rice dish , specked with black pepper, cumin & cashews & a rivulet of ghee.I remember my early morning darshans at Tirumala , where we used to start around 5 in the morning & stand in the queue, getting up early never seemed dreary, as there was enough motivation.More than devotion, it was the energy that attracted me in that age. And then there is Prasadam.Once darshan is over, steaming hot pongal,will be served in thonne,which has to be gobbed hurriedly, one can barely hold the screaming hot pongal.Even though the recipe is simple with only a couple of ingredients, pongal served at temples is always special.It may be the way they cook or the ghee that the cook pours in it.

My husband loves pongal, he was in chennai for 6 long years...& is addicted to the taste.Add some coconut chutney to it ..... he is sold.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Rice
• 3/4 Cup Moong dal, dry roast until color changes
• 1 tsp Pepper corns, crushed
• 2 Tsp Cumin seeds,roasted & crushed
• 1/2 tsp Ginger, grated
• Curry leaves
• 3 tbsp Ghee
• few cashews
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Pressure Cook rice & moon dal with 4 cups of water for 5-6 Whistles.
• Heat ghee in a pan & add pepper, cumin seeds & fry till they change color.
• Add ginger, curry leaves fry for a minute.
• Add this seasoning to the rice & dal mixture.
• Add salt to the same & mix well.
• Fry cashews in some ghee & add to the pongal.
• Serve hot with coconut chutney.

* Add hot water if pongal is thick.

Vegetable Manchuria

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Cabbage,very finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, grated
• 1/2 cup beans, minced
• 1/4 cup Cauliflower, grated
• 2 Spring onions, chopped
• 4+2 Green chillies, minced
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp Corn flour/starch
• 1 tbsp Soya Sauce
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Pepper powder
• A pinch of Ajinomoto
• 1/4 cup rice, cooked & mashed
• Oil to deep fry

Method:

• Mix cabbage, carrots, beans, cauliflower, little salt & leave it aside for 20 mts.
• Squeeze out water from them. keep the water aside.
• Take the squeezed vegetables & mix salt, pepper, chillies,1 tbsp corn flour, rice & mix well.
• Make small balls (like koftas) with this mixture.
• Deep fry the vegetable balls till golden brown & keep aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a pan & add crushed garlic, chillies, spring onions & saute for a minute.
• Add little water(squeezed from vegetables), salt pepper, ajinomoto & Soya sauce & bring to a boil.
• Mix 1 tbsp corn flour to half a cup of cold water & pour it gently into the pan.
• Bring to a boil & add the fried balls.Cook for 3-4 minutes & remove.
• Garnish with chopped spring onion & Serve hot.