Peerkangai Thogayal (Ridge Gourd)

Ingedients

¼ kg Peerkangai (Ridge Gourd)
3 tbsp urad dhal
3 Red chillies
A pinch asafetida
2 spoons oil
Marble size tamarind
salt to taste

Method

Peel the outer skin of peerkangai slightly and cut into pieces.
Soak tamarind in warm water for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan, add urad dhal roast them until brown in color.
Add red chillies, asafetida and saute for a minute and allow to cool.
Grind it to coarse powder and set aside.

In the same pan add oil, peerkangai, tamarind and salt saute for 3 minutes.
Grind it to coarse paste.

Now add the above powder with this paste and mix well.
Ready to serve Peerkangai thogayal.
Goes well with hot rice.

Health benefits

Ridge gourd is low in cholesterol, high in dietary fiber,
vitamin C, zinc,iron and magnesium .

                                         

                           

Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk
2 cups mixed boiled vegetables( carrots, potatoes, french beans, cauliflower)
1 cardamom
1 clove
1 small stick cinnamon
2 green chillies
1 tbsp cornflour (mix with water)
1 tbsp chopped ginger
Few curry leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and fry for a minute.
Add boiled vegetables, salt, cornflour and mix well.
Cook for 5 minutes.
Add coconut milk and cook for a minute.
Finally add slight green chillies and some curry leaves.
Ready to serve hot Vegetable Stew.
Good accompaniment for Apam / dosa.

Nellika Arachakalaki (Amla / Gooseberry Raitha)

I would like to give some simple recipes for working women / bachelors / busy mothers.
It’s so easy and simple to cook.

Ingredients

4 or 5 boiled big nellikas
1 cup fresh curd
4 tbsp coconut
2 green chillies
Small piece of ginger
1 spoon oil
¼ spoon mustard
¼ spoon fenugreek
1 red chillie
A pinch turmeric powder
Few coriander leaves & curry leaves
salt to taste

Method

Boil nellika with turmeric powder, remove the seeds.
Grind nellika, coconut, green chillie, ginger, and coriander leaves.
Mix the above paste with curd and add salt.

Heat oil and let the mustard splutter, then add fenugreek, red
chillie and curry leaves.
Very simple and easy nellika arachakalaki is ready within 10 minutes.
Serve with hot rice.

Health & beauty tips of Nellika.

Nellika is a natural source of Vitamin C with antioxidant properties.
It helps to improve the eyesight.
Nellika juice helps in regulating bowel movements.
Drink nellika juice with honey in the morning to get the perfect
glow on your face and skin.
It also prevents premature graying hair.

Bottle gourd Dhal (Soraka)

Ingredients

½ cup toor dal
1 cup bottle gourd
2 green chillies
A pinch turmeric powder
¼ red chillie powder
2 tsp oil
¼ tsp mustard
¼ tsp jeera
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook toor dhal for 3 whistles and set aside.
Add bottle gourd with little water, turmeric, red chillie powder,
green chillies and salt pressure cook for 1 whistle.
In a pan add oil, season with spluttering mustard, jeera,
red chllie and curry leaves.
Add this to cooked dhal and cook for 2 more minutes.
Ready to serve bottle gourd dhal.

Health benefits

Bottle gourd is rich in minerals, iron, protein and fibre.
It helps in preventing constipation and piles.
It's very good for managing urinary infection.
It's good for treating jaundice.
It plays an important role in weight reduction also.

Noolkol Kurma

 
Ingredients

¼ kg Noolkol (cut into large pieces)
2 potatoes (cut into large pieces)
2 onions
2 tbsp carrot
1 tsp green peas
¼ tsp fennel(saunf)
¼ tsp red chillie powder
¼ tsp Garam Masala
1 Cardamom                        
A pinch turmeric powder
Few Ginger & Garlic
4 tbsp coconut
2 tsp roasted gram dhal
1 Green chillie
2 tsp oil
2 tbs fresh cream
Few coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method

Boil potato, noolkol, carrot and peas.

Heat pan, add few drops of oil and fry ginger, garlic,
green chillie, fennel and cardamom.
Grind this along with coconut and roasted gram dhal keep aside.

Heat 2 spoons of oil in a pan, add onion and saute.
Add boiled vegetables and saute.
Add red chillie powder,turmeric powder, salt and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the coconut paste and masala powder and cook.
After 2 minutes switch off the gas.
Add fresh cream and garnish with coriander leaves.
Goes well with Rice/Phulka/ poorie /Appam

Besan Dosa (Kadalai Maaavu Dosa)

Ingredients

1 Cup Gram flour
2 tbsp Rava
2 tbsp curd
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 Grated carrot
1 chopped onion
2 tsp chopped capsicum
1 green chillie
few curry leaves and ginger
1 tsp idly molaga podi (optional)
Oil as required
Salt to taste

Method

In a bowl add gram flour, rava, curd, salt and
turmeric powder mix well by adding little water
and set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat pan, Pour the batter on it and just spread it. Also add some oil.
Top it up with the above vegetables, slightly press and cook.
Turn it to other side and cook both sides well.
Transfer this dosa in a plate and sprinkle some Idly molaga podi.
Serve hot .

Medu Vadai

Ingredients

1 Cup urad dhal
1 Onion (optional)
1 Green chillie
Few pepper
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry


Method

Soak urad dhal for 3 hours.
Blend it into a coarse paste.
Take a bowl add urad dhal paste, onion, green chillie, pepper, curry leaves, salt and mix
all these ingredients well.
Heat oil in a pan.
Make vada shape and deep fry in the oil until it turns to golden colour.
Crispy medu vadai is ready to serve.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients

1 cup grated fresh coconut
2 green chillies
Small piece of ginger (optional)
1 tbsp roasted gram dhal
¼ tsp  mustard
A pinch asafoetida
1 tsp oil
Few coriander or curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method

Add coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted gram
dhal and salt in a mixie with a little water and make a fine paste.
Heat oil, add mustard and asafoeitida.
Add this to the chutney.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Very simple and common coconut chutney is ready to serve.

Kadi with Potato

Ingredients

¼ kg Potato
1 cup fresh thick curd
¼ tsp chillie Powder      
A pinch turmeric powder
¼ tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp gram dhal powder
2 tsp oil
Few ginger & garlic
Few coriander leaves/ curry leaves/ mint
Salt to taste

Method

Boil the potatoes with salt and turmeric powder.
Mix gram dhal powder with water and add to the above.
Boil this for 5 minutes, add required salt also.
Add curd and mix well.
Cook until it's frothy and switch off the gas.

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, ginger, fennel, turmeric powder
and chillie powder.
Pour this to the above kadi.
Granish with mint leaves.
Very simple potato kadi is ready to serve.
Goes well with hot Rice/ Dosa/ Apam /Phulkas.

Amla Pickle ( Gooseberry, Nellikka )

Ingredients

½ kg Amla
4 tbsp Gingelly oil
1 tsp Fenugreek powder
4 tbsp Red chillie powder
¼ Turmeric powder
A pinch asafoeitida
Salt to taste

Method

Wash and steam amlas for 10 minutes.
When it is cooked, the flesh has become soft and glossy.
De-seed and split into 4 pieces.

Heat gingelly oil, add mustard, asafoeitida and fenugreek powder.
Now add amla,  red chillie powder , salt and mix well.
Cover and cook on a slow flame for 5 minutes
without adding any water.  (Stir in between)
switch off the gas, allow to cool.
store in  bottle or air-tight container.

Paruppu Adai

Ingredients

2 cups Boiled rice
1 cup mixed dhal (gram dhal, moong dhal,thoordhal, urad dhal)
1 tsp jeera
5 or 6 Peppers
Asafoetida – a pinch
2 Red chillies
2 green chillies
Lots of curry leaves
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
2 tsp Roasted gram dhal powder (optional)
Oil – as required

Method

Wash and soak the rice and dhal separetley for 3 hours.
Grind the soaked rice into to a coarse batter.
Likewise, grind the soaked dhals into a coarse batter
along with the rest of the ingredients.
Dhal batter should be of slightly thick consistency.
Set aside for 4 to 5 hours.

Before spreading the batter, add coriander, roasted gram dhal powder and jeera mix well.
Heat a dosa pan, take the batter and spread to round shape.
Apply oil on the corners of the adai.
When one side of the adai is cooked, flip it over other side.
Cook both sides in low and medium flame only.
Ready to serve Paruppu Adai.

Aval Upma (Poha upma)

Ingredients

1 cup Aval (poha)
1 medium potato (boiled and mashed)
1 chopped onion
2 tbsp boiled green peas
¼  tsp turmeric powder
1 green chillie
2 tbsp ground nuts
A pinch asafoetida
1 tsp lemon juice
Few coriander leaves
1 tsp grated coconut (optional)
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
(Seasoning optional)

Method


Wash the aval in water and filter it  immediately.
Add salt and turmeric powder and mix gently.
Aval should be moist but not mashed.

Heat oil in a pan, add onion , peanuts and saute for 2 minutes.
Add  green chillie, asafoetida , potato , peas and saute well.

Now add aval mix well cook for 5 minutes in low flame and switch off the gas.
Add lemon juice and mix gently.
Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut.
Ready to serve easy Aval Upma.

Ellu Urundai (Sesame Ladoo)

Ingredients

1 cup white sesame seeds
2 tsp ghee
2 tbsp crushed peanuts (optional)
¾ cup powdered Jaggery

Method

Roast the sesame seeds till they turn golden brown color and keep aside.
Take a pan, add ghee and jaggery.
Saute it over a slow flame till it caramelises.
(To check this- add a drop in water, if it forms a hard ball it is
right consistency )
Switch off the gas and now add the roasted sesame seeds
and peanuts to the melted jaggery and mix thoroughly.
Grease your palm with little ghee and shape the sesame mixture.
sesame ladoo are ready to serve.

Health benefits

Sesame seeds are an excellent source of copper,
magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.

Tomato Kurma

 Ingredients

½ kg Tomatoes (cut into large pieces)
¼ tsp fennel(saunf)
¼ tsp red chillie powder
¼ tsp masala                        
A pinch turmeric powder
Few Ginger & Garlic
4 tbsp coconut
2 tsp oil
2 tbs fresh cream (optional)
Few Curry / Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method

Heat pan, add few drops of oil fry ginger and garlic.
Grind this along with coconut and keep aside.

Heat 2 spoons of oil in a pan, add fennel and tomatoes.
Add red chillie powder,turmeric powder, salt and sauté  for 5 minutes.
Stir gently, else the tomatoes will smash.

Now add the coconut paste and masala powder.
After a boil, turn off the gas.
Add fresh cream and garnish with coriander leaves.
Goes well with Steamed Rice/Aapam/idly/ Dosa.