Avarakkai /Papdi/Broad beans curry

Ingredients:

Avarakkai /Broad beans - 1/4 kg

Urad dal - 1 1/2 tsps

Mustard seeds - 1 1/4 tsp

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Red chillies - 4

Moong dal - 1 Tblsp

Salt as required

Oil

Method:

Remove both the edges and cut the avarakkai into small pieces and wash nicely.

Take a kadai and put oil and season with mustard seeds, urad dal,hing and red chillies.

Now add the cut avarakkai,salt and mix nicely.

Now add moong dal on top of the avarakkai curry and spread it and mix nicely.

Now close the lid on top of the curry and cook by adding some water.

After the curry is cooked nicely, remove from fire.

You can add coconut (optional).

The avarakkai curry is now ready to be eaten with sambar rice or rasam rice.

Moong Dal

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1 cup

Big onion - 1

Tomato - 1 big

Green chillies - 2

Garlic - 3-4 flakes

Curry leaves - few

Jeera - 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - as required

Oil

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Small lemon - 2

Daniya powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook the moong dal with water for 25 minutes.

Cut the onion ,tomato,garlic,green chillies into small pieces.

Grate the ginger .

now take a kadai and season with Jeera and then add the cut onions and garlic pieces and add grated ginger and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Now add tomato pieces and green chillies and stir fry.

After the moong dal is cooked add it with the seasonings and add salt, turmeric powder and curry leaves and hing and mix nicely and stir.

Now add daniya powder and garam masala powder and mix nicely.

Now add some water and cook the mixed moong dal nicely for some time.

After the moong dal is cooked nicely remove from fire and garnish with coriander leaves and squeeze lemon and mix nicely.

Now the moong dal is hot and ready to be served with rotis,chappathis and hot rice.

Chettinad Vatha kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Tamarind - 1big gooseberry size.

Dry red chilly - 3-4

Brinjal -small 5-6

Garlic cloves -5

Urad dal -2 tsp

Mustard seeds -1 tsp

Methi (fenugreek) seeds -1 tsp

Coriander (daniya ) seeds -1 tsp

Toor dal - 1 tsp

Chana dal -1 tsp

Hing - a pinch

Onion -1 big

Sambar powder - 3 tsps

Curry leaves - few

Salt as required

Oil

Method:

Fry coriander seeds, chana dal, toor dal, methi seeds without adding oil till it becomes brown.

Grind these ingredients into masala powder.

Cut the brinjals lengthwise into half and the half into two,wash nicely and put them in water and keep aside.

Heat a kadai with oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal and methi seeds and fry till it becomes brown.

Now add curry leaves, dry red chillies and garlic chopped into pieces and also onion chopped into pieces and fry till it becomes soft.

Now add the sambar powder and fry.

Now add the tamarind extract liquid and brinjal pieces and allow it to boil.

Add the powdered masala powder to the boiling solution.

Lower the heat and let the kuzhambu boil for some time with all the mixtures.

After the vatha kuzhambu becomes thick, remove from fire .

Now serve the vatha kuzhambu hot with Rice and papad and some curd pachadi (raitha)

Mulangi Sambar /Radish Sambar

Ingredients:

White Radish - 2-3 nos(medium ones)

Tamarind - 1big gooseberry size

Sambar powder - 3-4 tsps

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing (asafoetida) 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt as required

Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Tuar dal (black gram dal) - 1/2 cup

Mustard seeds for seasoning - 1 tsp

Method:

Remove the skin of the radish and cut into small round slices.

Soak tamarind in water and make a thick extract.

Wash the radish slices and put into the tamarind liquid, and add salt, sambar powder,hing,turmeric powder and curry leaves and allow to boil and cook.

In the mean while take a small vessel and put the tuar dal with water and cook in the pressure cooker.

When the radish in the sambar has cooked ,slowly add the cooked tuar dal from the cooker and mix nicely.

The dal should be well cooked like mashed.

Now add some coriander leaves and mix in the sambar.

Now the sambar is ready, and now season in a little oil mustard seeds and pour into the sambar.

You can have the mulangi sambar with hot rice and some nice curry,raita, fried papad.

Brinjal curry

Brinjal curry

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Ingredients:

Small violet brinjals - 1/4 kg

Chana dal - 3 tsps

Urad dal - 1 1/2 tsp

Daniya seeds (coriander seeds) - 3 tsps

Whole red chillies - 4

Hing (asafoetida) - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt as required

Oil

Mustard seeds -2 tsps

Method:

Cut brinjals into small lengths and put them in water and keep so that they do not turn black.

Take kadai and pour little oil and roast chana dal, urad dal, red chillies, daniya seeds and the curry leaves.

Now powder these items coarsely.

Now take a kadai and pour oil in it and season with mustard seeds and urad dal and hing and drain the water from the brinjal and add to the seasoning.

Now add the salt and the coarse powder masala and mix nicely.

Now close the brinjals with a lid and cook on a low flame and keep stirring off and on.

After the brinjal is cooked nicely remove from fire.

Now have hot with rasam rice or any rice of your choice.

Beans parupu usli

Ingredients:
Beans -1/2 kg
Toor dhal -1/2 cup (soaked in water)
Chana dhal -1/2 cup (soaked in water)
Soak both the dhals together in water.
Whole red chillies -10
Salt -as required
Hing (asafoetida) 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil

Method:
Cut the beans into small pieces and wash thoroughly.
Take a pan and pour oil and put the mustard seeds and urad dal.
When the seeds splutter add the beans put some water salt and cover it.
Alternatively you can put the cut beans in a glass dish with a lid and cook in microwave for 8 minutes.
Keep the cooked beans aside.
Wet grind the soaked dhals in a mixie along with hing and whole red chillies.
Now steam the dhal paste in the cooker for 15 minutes or in microwave for 5 minutes
Now take a kadai and stir fry the paste into separate bits pouring small amounts of sesame oil
After the mixture is cooked evenly add the beans and mix with the dhal mixture.
The parupu usli is ready.
You can have it as a side dish with mor kuzhambu rice.

Avarakkai (broad beans) kootu

Ingredients:

Avarakkai - 1/4 kg

Moong dhal - 1 Tblsp

Chana dhal - 1 Tblsp

Freshly grated coconut -1/2 cup

Curry leaves - few

Salt - as required

For grinding:

Urad dhal -1 tsp

red chillies - 3-4

Black peppercorns -7-8

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

For seasoning:

Urad dhal -1 tsp

mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida (hing) a pinch

Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:

Cut the avarrakai into small pieces and put in a vessel along with moong dal and chana dhal and pressure cook for about 25 minutes.

After it is cooked, remove from the cooker and keep aside.

Now roast in a little oil Urad dal, red chillies, methi seeds, peppercorns.

Now wet grind the items along with jeera and fresh coconut into a rough paste.

Now mix the ground items with the cooked vegetable thoroughly, add salt, curry leaves.

Now season with little ghee, urad dal, hing, and mustard seeds.

Now the kootu is ready to be served.

It can be had either with chappathi, or plain rice and ghee.

This kootu can be done with different vegetables like beans, cabbage,chow chow,white melon etc

Moar (diluted buttermilk rasam)

Ingredients:

Diluted buttermilk - 1 glass

Turmeric powder --1 tsp

Daniya (coriander seeds) - 1 tsp

pepper corns - 3-4

methi seeds (fenugreek) -1/2 tsp

Tur dhal - (red gram dhal) -1 tsp

Red chillies -3-4

Curry leaves - few

Asafoetida (hing) -a pinch

Salt - as required

mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Take a vessel and pour the diluted buttermilk in it.

2. Dry roast daniya seeds,methi seeds, pepper corns,tur dhal and red chillies.

3. Now powder the roasted items in a dry grinder.

4. Add the powdered items to the buttermilk and mix thoroughly.

5. Place the buttermilk on the gas and add salt, turmeric powder,hing and curry leaves and allow it to boil.

6. As soon as it starts coming together and the froth comes, put off the gas. (do not boil for a long time as it will curdle).

7. Now remove from fire and season in 1 tsp of oil mustad seeds.

This dish can be had with plain rice.It is quite sour and a bit spicy also.

Vepampoo Rasam (Neem flower rasam)

Vepampoo rasam is my Grandma's favourite recipe. I make it quite often since it is a favourite in our family. It is also healthy and good for the stomach. You can also fry neem flowers in a little ghee with a pinch of salt and mix it with plain rice and have it since it is very tasty and delicious hope you try this recipe and like it.

You can conveniently get this vepampoo in any south indian grocery shop. They sell it in packets, or if you are lucky and any one close to you either a relative or friend who live in villas and happened to have a neem tree in their garden, they can provide you with these dried flowers which just fall down and they are collected by the owner and cleaned and put into use.

In India most people who live in bungalows have neem trees.I shall take you on a journey to prepare the vepampoo rasam.

Ingredients:

1 lemon sized tamarind (soaked in water)

Dried Neem flowers -1 Tblsp

Red chillies -3

Turmeric powder (haldi powder) 1 tsp

Rasam powder -1 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida (hing) a pinch

Curry leaves - few

Salt - as required

Ghee for seasoning -2 tsps

For Seasononing:

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Red chillies -3

Dried neem flowers - 1 Tblsp

Ghee - 2 tsps

Method:

1. Take a vessel with tamarind water and place it on the gas.

2. Put salt,turmeric powder,asafoetida (hing), rasam powder,curry leaves and allow it to boil.

3.When the thick liquid rasam boils and reduces add some more water and allow it to boil.

4.Meanwhile clean the dry neem flowers so that there are no stones in it.

5. After the rasam has boiled remove it from the gas.

6. Now take a kadai and season with ghee, the vepampoo, mustard seeds,red chillies.

Now the rasam is ready to be served with plain rice and papadam or any vegetable curry of your choice which you make.