Aval/Poha Laddu

Ingredients

• Aval / Poha  - 1.5 cup
• Jaggery - 1/2 cup, powdered
• Cashew Nuts- 10
• Raisins - 10
• Cardamom Powder - a pinch
• Ghee as required

Preparation

1.Dry roast poha until it is hot to touch. After it cools a little, grind it to a fine powder and keep it aside.

2.Heat a tbsp of ghee and fry cashew nuts first. When it starts changing color, add raisins and fry a little. Grind jaggery to  fine powder.

3.In a bowl, mix together, ground poha, jaggery, cardamom powder, cashew nuts and raisins along with that 1 tbsp of hot ghee.

4.Then add more ghee little at a time. When you are able to make laddus out of the mixture, stop adding ghee. Grease you hands with ghee and make laddus from the mixture.

Masala Bread Fry

Ingredients

• Besan - 1/2 cup
• Maida - 1 tsp
• Red chilli - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tbsp.
• Bread (cut length wise) - 4 pcs
• Salt

Preparation

1.Mix all ingredients except bread with water to make a thick batter.

2. Keep it for 15 mins.

3.Dip bread pieces in the batter and fry it in oil

Pazham Pori/Banana Fritters

Ingredients 

• Banana - 2
• Maida - 1/2 cup
• Rice flour - 1tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 pinch
• Turmeric - 1 pinch

Preparation

1.Mix all the ingredients except banana with water to thick batter.

2.Cut banana into 4 pieces. Dip the sliced bananas in the batter.

3.Heat oil. Deep fry the bananas till golden brown. Drain excess oil and serve hot.

Diamond Cuts

Ingredients 

• All purpose flour/ Maida – 250gm
• Egg-1, beaten slightly
• Salt- a pinch
• Coconut milk- ½ cup
• Oil

Preparation

 

1.Mix all purpose flour, egg and salt in a bowl.

 

2.Add coconut milk little by little into the flour and knead it into soft and smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth for 10 minutes.

 

3.Divide the dough into two balls and roll out into thin sheets. Cut this dough sheets into 1” diamond shape using a cutter or a knife.

 

4.Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the diamond cuts on medium heat till it turns in to a golden color. Remove from oil and strain it on a tissue.

 

For sweetening

• Boil sugar syrup till it reaches a thread consistency.
• Add fried diamond cuts to the boiling syrup and mix well until the syrup spread evenly on the cuts.

Vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients 

• Finely Diced Onions – 1 medium
• Mixed Vegetables - 1 to 1.5 cups approx ( 2 carrots, 1 small potato, 1/4 cup of Green Peas...)
• Minced Green Chillies – 2 
• Bread Crumbs – 3 or 4 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
• Oil – 2 tbsp.
• Salt – to taste

Preparation 

 

1.Put all the veggies in a Chopper and mince it into fine pieces.

 

2.Heat oil in a non stick pan and saute onions until translucent. Add the minced veggies and saute for a few minutes. 

3.Add turmeric, chilly powder and salt. Mix everything well.

 

4.Cover and cook on medium low heat for 4-5 minutes until the veggies are cooked nicely.

 

5.Allow it to cool completely. Add bread crumbs to the cooked vegetables and start kneading to form a soft dough which will form shape.

 

6.Using your palms, make any desired shape of cutlets or you can make small balls.

 

7.Heat a non stick frying pan and add some cooking oil. Fry the cutlets until lightly browned on both  sides.

Oats Laddu



Ingredients

• Oats - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Raisin - 10-15

Preparation

 

1.Roast oats without changing colour. Grind it well.

 

2.Roast raisins in ghee.

 

3.Add sugar with a little water and heat it. Add grinded oats into this.

 

4.Add 3tsp ghee. Switch off when it gets thick.

 

5.Make small balls out of it.

Cabbage Vada

Ingredients 

• Cabbage - 1 (Finely chopped)
• Onion - 1  (Finely chopped )
• Besan/Gram flour - 1/2 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4 cup
• Ginger - 1 tsp (Finely chopped)
• Green Chilly - 2
• Curry Leaves - 1 stem
• Salt - to taste

Preparation

1.Mix chopped Onion, Ginger, Green chilly, Curry leaves, Cabbage, Rice flour,Salt and Besan.

2.Make a thick batter using little water. Take small amount of the mixture and make a ball. Flatten the ball in to a round shape using hand.

3.Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot put each one slowly and fry both sides to a golden brown colour.

Banana Cutlet

Ingredients 

• Ripe Plantain -  2 large 
• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup 
• Cardamom powder – 2 pinches
• Sugar -  1 tsp (Optional)
• Plain bread crumbs – 1/4  cup
• Milk –  3 tbsp
• Ghee – 2 tbsp 

Preparation

1. Steam cook the ripe bananas with skin on. Peel off the skin and mash well.

2. Add coconut,cardamom powder,sugar and mix well with your fingers. Roll into medium-sized balls and flatten like cutlets.

3. Dip in milk and then roll in bread crumbs.

4. Heat ghee in a pan. Shallow-fry the cutlets until golden on both sides.

Potato Bajji

Ingredients 

• Potato - 1 large
• Besan / Kadala Maavu - 3/4 cup
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Hing / Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp 
• Turmeric powder - A pinch 
• Baking soda - A pinch

Preparation

 

1. Cut the potato in half and then cut further into thin discs.  

2. Make a thick batter with water and all ingredients above except the potato and salt.

 

3. Heat oil in a pan and when it just about starts to smoke, add the potato pieces dipped in batter.

 

4. Fry the bajjis in small batches in medium heat until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

Cauliflower Pakoda

Ingredients 

• Cauliflower - 1 ( Cut into small sized pieces )
• Besan Flour - 4 tsp
• Rice flour - 2 tsp
• Corn flour - 2 tsp
• Baking soda - a pinch
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Corinder powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 2 pinch
• Curry leaves - few
• Salt
• Oil

Preparation

 

1. Cook the cauliflower pieces with salt and turmeric in boiling water for 5 mts.  Remove the pieces and filter the water.

 

2. Mix all the above mentioned ingredients except the oil and keep aside for 15 mts.

 

3.After marinating, start frying the cauliflower in medium flame.

 

4.Serve hot with as it is or with tomato sauce.

Ladies Finger Curry & Stir Fry

Ingredients 

• Ladies finger – 150 gms
• Coriander powder – 1½ tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
• Pepper powder – ¼ – ½ tsp
• Aniseed  powder – ½ tsp
• Cinnamon – a small piece
• Cardamom pods – 2
• Cloves – 2
• Onion – 1 medium, finely sliced
• Ginger – 1 tsp, chopped
• Coconut milk – 1½ cup

 Preparation

1)Grind all the powders and whole spices to a fine paste, by adding 1- 1½ tbsp water. Heat oil in a pan and saute the sliced ladies finger for a few mins and keep it aside.

2)In the same pan, add the sliced onion and chopped ginger and curry leaves. Cook till the onions turn light golden brown in colour. Add the ground paste to this and cook till the oil appears. Add half coconut milk and let it boil.

3)Add the Ladies finger and salt and simmer till it cooks and gravy thickens. Add the remaining coconut milk and simmer for 3-4 more mins and remove from fire. Garnish with some freshly ground pepper.

Ladies Finger Stir Fry

1.Heat oil in a pan. Add Mustard seeds and Red Chilli and let it splutter.

2.Add 2 Chopped Onion and saute till translucent. Add 200 gram of chopped Okra and 2 Green Chilli and saute it.

3.Add Salt and Turmeric powder to it. Stir well and slow down the flame and let it cook.

4.When Okra is cooked well add 1/4 cup of grated coconut and curry leaves. Stir for 2 minutes and remove from fire.

Sughiyan/Modakam

Ingredients 

• Green gram – 250gm
• Jaggery – 1/4 kg
• Coconut – 1 cups
• Plain Flour – 1 cup
• Rice Flour –  1/2 cup
• Cardamom – 2 crushed
• Water

 Preparation

1.Cook green gram in 2 cups water & drain the water completely. Make sure that it is not overcooked.

2.Melt Jaggery by adding 1/4 cup water. When it melts add coconut & cardamom. Mix well.

3.Add the cooked gram to this mix & combine. Make sure that the mix is dry.

4.When it is cooled make small balls with the mix. Combine plain flour & rice flour. Add little water to this & make a thick batter.

5.Dip each of the balls in the batter & deep fry in oil.

Bread Balls

Ingredients

• Bread slices - 5
• Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup
• Egg - 1 
• Sugar - 1 1/4 tbsp.
• Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
• Oil- for frying

Preparation

1.Remove the crusts(brown sides) of each bread. Shred each bread into small pieces with your fingers.

2.Crack an egg into it along with sugar, coconut & cardamom powder. (use milk instead of egg if you want it completely vegetarian)

3.Mix all the ingredients together with your hands & make it into a smooth dough. Make small balls out of it & keep it a plate.

4.Heat oil in a kadai (deep bottomed vessel) & deep fry these balls until golden brown in medium heat. Turn the balls faster as it fries at a faster rate.

Ulli / Onion Vada

Ingredients 

• Onion - 2
• Green chilli - 1
• Ginger - 1 small piece
• Red chilli - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch
• Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• Turmeric - 1 pinch
• Besan+Maida - 2:1

Preparation

 

1.Chop onion into fine pieces.

 

2.Add chopped green chilli, ginger, curry leaf and other ingredients with water. Make a thick batter.

 

3.Take small portion and shape it.

 

4.Fry it in oil.

Kanava/Squid Roast



Ingredients 

• Squid - 1/2kg
• Onion - 1 big
• Tomato - 1
• Ginger - 1tsp
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Green chilli - 2
• Kashmiri chilli - 1tsp + 2 tsp
• Pepper - 3/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala - 3/4 tsp

 Preparation

 

1.Marinate squid pieces with kashmiri chilli, turmeric and salt for 1/2 an hour. Cook with enough water.
 

2.Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion, salt, ginger and garlic. Keep sauting until the onions are soft and start to take golden colour. Add chilli powder, pepper powder and saute for few seconds.

3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and few teaspoons of water . Close the lid and cook on low flame until tomatoes become soft.

4. Add the cooked squid along with curry leaves.  Add a pinch of garam masala, stir well and close the lid and let the flavours to infuse. Switch off after few minutes.

Duck Roast

Ingredients 

• Duck – 1/2 kg
• Onion – 2, sliced finely

For Grinding

• Shallots – 1/4 cup, chopped
• Ginger & garlic – 1 – 1.5 tsp, chopped
• Chilly powder – 1-1.5 tsp
• Coriander powder – 2-3 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala – 1 – 1.5 tsp
• Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Vinegar – 2 tbsp
• Salt

Preparation

1.Grind  ingredients into a fine paste. Marinate the cleaned duck pieces with half of the ground paste.

Keep it aside for 1 hour.

2.Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the marinated duck pieces till it turns golden brown colour. Keep it aside.

3.In the same oil add the finely sliced onions & cook. When the onion becomes golden brown colour

add the remaining half of the ground masala. Fry it till the oil starts appearing.

4.Add 2 cups of boiling water to the onion and masala mix. Combine well.

5.Transfer the fried duck pieces and the onion gravy to a pressure cooker. Cook till the duck is done.

Once the pressure is gone, open the cooker & cook till the gravy thickens. (This curry usually doesn’t have much gravy,  so you need to cook till the water is almost dried and each piece is thickly coated with the masala.)

6.Transfer the duck pieces to a serving dish and garnish with fried onions & curry leaves.

Rava Kesari

Ingredients

• Rava  - 1 cup
• Ghee - 8 tbsp
• Cashew nuts / Raisins - a few
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Water - 2 cup
• Cardamom (Crushed) - 1/2tsp

Preparation

1.First fry cashew and raisins in ghee and keep it aside. Add 2tbsp of ghee in a pan. Add rava to this and fry for 4 minutes. Keep the fried rava separately in a plate.

2.Pour 2 cups of water in the same frying pan and add 1/2 tsp of kesari powder into it. ( I added turmeric powder for colour)

3.When the water boils add the fried rava into it little by little and stir well without any lumps for 5 minutes in a low flame.

4.When the rava is cooked and add sugar into it little by little stirring continuously. Add 4 tbsp of ghee into it.

5.Finally add the golden brown cashew nuts,raisins and crushed cardamom and mix well.

Snake Gourd/Padavalanga Erissery

Ingredients 

• Moong Dal - 1 cup
• Padavalanga/Snake gourd cut into thin pieces – 2 cups
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder -1/4 tsp
• Salt- as needed
• Grated coconut – 1 cup + 1 tsp for garnishing
• Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Green Chillies – 3
• Ghee -1 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1tsp
• Urid dal split – 1/2 tsp
• Dry Red Chillies – 3
• Curry leaves -1 sprig
• Shallots chopped – 1

Preparation 

 

1)Pressure cook dal and snake gourd pieces together by adding necessary water, salt, red chilly powder and turmeric powder.

 

2)Mash it well with a spatula and keep aside. Now grind together 1 cup of coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds into a medium fine paste and add it to the cooked dal. Turn the stove on and cook it for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add more water accordingly.

 

3)Heat a pan and dry fry 1 tsp of grated coconut till brown in color and keep it aside. Now heat ghee in another pan and allow mustard seeds and urid dal to splutter. Add shallots, red chillies and curry leaves into it and fry till brown. Add it to the dal along with the browned coconut. Mix well and serve hot.

Aloo Paratha

Ingredients 

• Potato - 1, boiled and mashed
• Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Garlic - 4 flakes, chopped
• Coriander leaves - 2tsp, chopped
• Ginger - 1 small piece, Chopped
• Red Chilli - 1tsp
• Garam masala - 1tsp

Preparation

 

1.Mix all these ingeredients.

 

2.Make two rotis. Place the mix in between two rotis and Roll out the dough on all sides evenly.

 

3.Stick the sides. .Keep the roti in tava and apply ghee on it. Cook both sides.

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients 

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Beans -10 , Carrot - 1 
• Soya sauce - 2 tsp
• Egg - 2
• Spring Onion
• Pepper powder 
• Salt 

Preparation

1.Cook rice and cool it well. The grains should be separate. 

2.Heat oil in a pan, pour beaten egg into the pan, add a little salt and pepper powder. When egg has set a little, stir and scramble it. Keep it aside. 

3.Heat oil, add garlic and saute for a few minutes. Then add finely chopped onions and fry until translucent. 

4.Add the finely chopped beans, carrot and stir on high flame. Do not over cook the vegetables. 

5.When the vegetables are done, add cooked and cooled rice, needed salt, pepper powder, soya sauce and toss to combine until well coated.

6.Add the prepared egg scramble and toss well. Garnish with spring onion greens. 

Vanilla Ice Cream



Ingredients

• Milk - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Cornflour - 1tbsp
•  Egg - 1
• Fresh Cream - 1/4 cup
• Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp

Preparation

1.Mix egg beaten, sugar, cornflour with milk.

2.Boil this till it reach creamy consistency. Take from stove and add essence.

3.when it cool, add cream and egg white.

4.Keep it in freezer for some time. Take out and beat it well.

5.Refrigerate well.

Potato Garlic Chips / Potato Mezhukkuperatty

Ingredients

• Potato - 500 gm
• Garlic - 15 flakes
• Red Chillies - 4
• Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Preparation

1.Peel Potatoes and cut into small cubes. Skin Garlic flakes and chop finely.

2.Place a pan on fire and pour in coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds, add red chillies cut into pieces.

3.Lower fire. Add garlic and curry leaves. Saute for 1-2 minutes.

4.When nice aroma of fried garlic appears (color of garlic shall not change) add turmeric powder. Mix well. Then add potato cubes and salt. Do not add water.

5.Mix together all ingredients well. Close the kadai with a lid. Cook in low fire for 10 minutes.

Potato Garlic chips is ready. It is a very simple but very tasty accompaniment with rice.

Baingan Barta /Smoked Eggplant

Ingredients

• Brinjal -1 large 
• Onion - 2
• Ginger -1 inch piece
• Garlic -5 cloves
• Green chilli -1
• Tomatoes - 2,finely chopped
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp 
• Coriander powder -1 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Green Peas - 1/4 cup (optional)

Preparation

1.Wash the brinjal well, wipe it dry and apply oil all over the brinjal. Roast the brinjal over direct flame by rotating it all the sides so that skin turns black evenly all over. 

2.When it cools, cut the stem and peel off the black skin. Mash it well and keep it aside. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilli to a coarse paste.

3.Heat oil in a pan, add jeera/cumin seeds, when it sizzles, add finely chopped onions and saute until onions become light brown. 

4.Add ginger garlic chilli paste and saute for a few more minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, green peas, turmeric, chilli, coriander, cumin, garam masala powders and cook until tomatoes become mushy.

5.Add mashed brinjal, salt needed, mix well and cook for a few more minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves. 

Baingan Bartha can be served with any Indian bread.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients

• Rice - 1 cup
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Water - 2 cups
• Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Seasoning

• Sesame Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Mustard seed - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
• Whole red chili - 2
• Green chili sliced  - 1
• Curry leaves - 12 to 15
• Urad dal - 2 tablespoons
• Peanuts - 1/4 cup
• Salt  - to taste
• Lemon juice - 1/4 cup

Preparation

1.Wash rice gently changing water several times until the water appears clear.

2.For fluffier rice, the rice should be soaked for at least 15 minutes prior to cooking.

3.Drain the rice and put it into the saucepan. Add water, oil, and salt, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling reduce the heat to low and cover the pan.

4.Cook about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork.

Seasoning

1.Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat; stir-fry the peanuts for about 2 minutes until peanuts changes the color to light brown.

2.Take out the peanuts from oil and use the same oil for rest of the seasoning.

3.Add  mustard seeds after seeds crack add red chili, curry leaves, and green chilies, and stir for a few seconds.

4.Add the urid dal, stir-fry for about a minute. Add turmeric, asafoetida and mix it well.

5.Add the pre-cooked rice, peanuts and sprinkle salt and lemon juice over the rice.

6.Mix gently, making sure do not break the rice and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Rice is ready!

Mambazha Pulissery

Ingredients 

• Ripe Mango - 1
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli - 1
• Curry Leaves - a sprig

To grind

• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Green Chilli - 1 
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Preparation

1.Grind together coconut,green chilli,cumin seeds,turmeric and chilly powder with little water to a semi fine paste,Set aside.

2.Peel off the skin of mango and chop them into medium sized pieces.Take a pan add chopped mangoes along with 1/4 cup water and salt.

3.Let the mangoes turn soft but make sure its not mushy, now add coconut paste, and cook in low flame for 5 minutes until raw smell of coconut mixture leaves, add required salt.

4.Whisk the curd without adding water and add little by little and keep stirring to avoid curdling.Keep in low flame and mix well until the mangoes nicely blends along with curd.

5.In a pan heat oil,splutter mustard and add dried red chilly,curry leaves and saute for a while.Add this seasoning to the curry and give a quick stir and switch off.

Potato Theeyal / Urulakizhangu Theeyal

Ingredients 

• Potato - 2
• Shallots - 10-15
• Green chilly - 3
• Coconut - 1 cup
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Kashmiri chilly - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Fennel - 1 pinch
• Tamarind - lemon size

Preparation

1.Heat oil in a pan and add grated coconut. fry it till brown. Add coriander, chilly, fennel,turmeric powder into this. When it cools, grind the coconut  in a mixer without adding water

2.Heat oil in a pan and add onion, shallots, green chilly and saute for some time. Add potato pieces , cover it and cook.

3.Add tamarind extract, when it boils add ground coconut. Add enough water and salt. Cook for some time in low flame and switch off.

4.Splutter mustard in oil, add dried red chilly and curry leaves. pour this over the curry.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients 

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 
• Tomato - 3
• Green chilli - 2
• Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli  powder - 3/4 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1, Cloves - 2, Cardamom - 1, Cinnamon - 1"

Preparation

1.Soak basmati rice for 20 minutes, drain the water completely and cook rice with little salt and 2 cups of water. Transfer and spread it on a plate.

2.Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cardamon. Fry for a few seconds and then add thinly sliced onions.

3.Saute till onions become slightly golden brown, add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few more minutes.

4.Then add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, green chillies and salt.Cook till tomatoes become mushy.

5.Add cooked rice and gently mix to spread the masala onto the rice.Switch off the flame, mix with chopped coriander leaves.Serve with tomato onion raita.

Tomato Onion Raita

Chop 1 onion, 1 tomato, 2 green chilies and 2 tbsp coriander leaves. Whisk 1/2 cup curd with salt until smooth. Add all chopped ingredients with curd and mix well. 

Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients

• Basmati rice – 1 cup
• Chopped onion – 1
• Vegetables – 1 cup (carrot, beans, peas)
• Cinnamon – 1″
• Cardamom – 2
• Cloves – 2

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon,cloves and cardamom. Then sauté onion till they turn light pink, add all the vegetables saute for a few minutes.

2.Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.cover and cook for some time.The vegetables should retain their crunchiness.

3. Add rice, needed salt, 2 cups of boiling water in a pot.Squeeze juice of half a lemon and cook.

4.Mix the rice with vegetables and serve with vegetable raita.

Vegetable Raita

1. Chop carrots, tomatoes (remove the seeds) cucumber and onions finely.

2. Take 1 cup of curd and mix all the vegetables. Add salt required.

3. Heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, when mustard splutters, add finely chopped green chillies. Saute for a second and add to the curd & vegetable mix.

4.Sprinkle roasted cumin powder and mix it . Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Semiya Payasam

Ingredients

• Vermicelli- 1 cup
• Milk- 1 liter
• Ghee- 2 tbsp
• Condensed Milk - 1 tin (diluted in two tins of water)
• Cardamom- 2 crushed
• Raisins- 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts- 2 tbsp (halved)

Preparation

1.  Heat ghee in a heavy pan. In low heat fry cashew nuts and raisins. Take off heat. Remove them and keep aside.

2. In the same ghee, fry vermicelli to light brown. Boil milk, add vermicelli and cook. Add cardamom to the mixture to enable the flavours to infuse into it.

3. When the semia is fully cooked, add the diluted condensed milk to it and keep stirring to ensure it doesn’t settle at the bottom and burn.

4. Continue stirring till it reaches the required consistency. Remove from fire. Sprinkle fried cashew and raisins on top.

Note

• If you are not using condensed milk, you will need 2 litres milk, 1/2 cup sugar for 1 cup vermicelli. The milk has to be boiled stirring continuously, till it reduces to 3/4th of the original quantity.
• To bring it to the desired consistency, add water or milk to thin it. Else, keep stirring on low heat to thicken it.

Plum Jam

Ingredients 

• Plum -250 grms
• Sugar -250 grms
• Lemon Juice -1 tbsp
• Water -1/4 cup

Preparation

1. Wash, deseed and cut plums into medium size.

2. Take a pan, put plums, sugar, lemon juice and water in it.  Bring to boil in low heat. When it boils bring to medium heat.

3. Cook for 10 minutes stirring periodically till the plum is soft. Put off heat and let it cool.

4. Blend well in a mixer. Transfer to the bowl.  Again bring to boil, stir it continuously. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes.

5.When it turns to a jam consistency, put off heat. Transfer to the bottle after 10 minutes.

Stuffed Lady's Finger

Ingredients 

• Lady's finger - 250 grams
• Cumin Seeds - 1tsp
• Asafoetida / Hing - 1/4 tsp

For stuffing

• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Amchur powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Leaves - 1 tsp
• Salt

Preparation

1.Wash ladies finger and wipe it dry with a clean kitchen towel. Cut off the tip and the crown. Make a long slit and keep it aside.

 2.In a mixing bowl, add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, chopped coriander leaves,amchur powder and salt. Mix well and stuff the lady's finger with this masala.

3.Heat oil is a pan/kadai, add jeera seeds and hing. When it splutters, add  the stuffed ladies finger.

4.Keep the flame low and cook covered. Mix it now and then, so that the lady's finger will get cooked evenly. Add chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Gooseberry Pickle

Ingredients 

• Gooseberry - 10
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Garlic - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Green chilly - 2 (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Red Chilly Powder - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Preparation

 

1. Wash and clean the gooseberries. Steam them for 10 minutes or until they get tender. Allow to cool and cut into 4-5 pieces. Remove the seeds. Do not discard the boiled water.

 

2. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Splutter mustard seeds; add chopped ginger, garlic, curry leaves and all spice powders.

 

3. Add salt and the chopped gooseberries and saute for couple of minutes. Add the boiled water and bring to boil over low heat until it is fairly thick. Switch off the heat.

 

4. Allow to cool and add vinegar on top.

Semiya Upma

Ingredients  

• Vermicelli – 1 cup
• Oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – a few
• Green chillies – 2
• Ginger – 1 tsp
• Onions– 1
• Carrot – 1
• Tomato - 1
• Water – 1.5 cups
• Ghee -1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch

Preparation

1)In a wide vessel, add a tsp of ghee and toss the vermicelli in a medium flame till golden brown.

2)In the same pan, in medium heat, add oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to splutter, add curry leaves, onion, ginger, green chilies

3)Fry till the onions become translucent and add all the vegetables.(can use peas, beans)

4)Add some salt, turmeric powder and add 1.5 cup of water and cover it with a lid. When the veggies are 3/4th done, add the vermicelli and mix well.

5)When all the water gets evaporated, cover the lid and keep it in simmer flame  until the vermicelli becomes soft.

Mutton Masala

Ingredients

• Mutton - 1/2 kg
• Onion - 2 
• Tomato - 2 
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/5 tsp
• Black Pepper - 1/3 tsp (freshly ground )
• Curry leaves - 2 strands
• Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves (chopped finely)
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece (chopped finely)

To Temper

• Cumin seeds - 1/5 tsp
• Cloves - 4 to 5
• Bay leaf - 1, crushed
• Cinnamon stick - 1, crushed
• Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Star anise - 2

Preparation

1. Wash the mutton with salt and keep aside. In a wide vessel, add 1 tsp oil and add the onions. When they are translucent, add in the chopped tomatoes.

2. Saute the onion and tomato nicely and grind the onion tomato to a coarse paste adding 1/2 cup of water and keep aside.

3.In a pressure cooker, add 2 tbsp oil and add the mutton pieces. Saute the mutton for a while. The mutton leaves out some water and at that time, add in the onion tomato paste.

4. Pressure cook the mutton with 1.5 cups of water and salt.When the pressure cools down, add in the chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Allow them to boil, till oil oozes out. Switch off the stove.

5. In a wide vessel, add 2 tsp of  oil and add the tempering items one by one. Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic. Fry them for a min. Add the curry leaves and fry it. Transfer the mutton gravy to this.

6. Add 1 cup of water and allow them to boil. Add the freshly ground black pepper.  Add  the coriander leaves and when the oil oozes out again, switch off the stove.

Palak Dal

Ingredients

• Palak/Spinach - 2 bunches
• Dal - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Onion - 1 medium size
• Tomato - 1 medium size
• Garlic blubs - 3
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Oil -   1 tbsp
•  Red chilly - 1
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Preparation

1.Add 2 cups of water in a pot, add dal, pinch of turmeric powder and salt bring it to boil and cook   the dal. mash it well. Keep it aside.

2. Add 1 cup of water in a pot, add the chopped spinach and cook for about 2 minutes. Keep it aside.

3.Heat oil/ghee in a pan, put mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds crackle, add the chopped onion, red chilly, chopped ginger and garlic, asafoetida and saute.

4.Add tomatoes into it.  Once the tomatoes becomes soft, add the cooked spinach/palak and dal.Mix well and bring it to boil.

Parippu Vada

 

Ingredients 

•  Tur daal – 1 cup
•  Green chilly – 3 to 4 nos. ( finely chopped)
•  Small Onion – 07 nos. ( finely chopped)
•  Ginger – 1 ½” (fnely grated)
•  Curry leaves – few
•  Hing/Asafoetida – 2-3 pinches.
•  Red chilly – 2 nos.
• Salt – to taste.

Preparation

 

1.Soak tur dal in water for 3 to 4 hours. Grind the Dal with Red Chilies & Salt in a blender without adding water. Don’t grind them into a paste. Grind them coarsely.

 

2.Add the ingredients (onions, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and hing). Mix them together.

 

3.Make a round shape with your hands running through the edges. Drop the vada into the oil.

 

4.Deep fry them in hot oil until they are golden brown.