Fresh peas and Capsicum Sambar

Ingredients:

Fresh Peas - 1/2 kg

Capsicum - 1 big

Tamarind - 1 slightly big lemon size

Sambar powder - 4 tsps

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt - as required

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Mustard seeds for seasoning - 1 tsp

Toor Dal- 1 cup

Method:

Remove the fresh peas from the pods and cut the capsicum into small cubes and then wash them nicely.

Keep 1 cup Toor Dal in the pressure cooker and cook.

Make a thick tamarind extract.

Now place the tamarind water on the gas and put the fresh peas and capsicum pieces.

Add salt, sambar powder, turmeric powder,hing and curry leaves and allow it to boil.

After the vegetables are cooked nicely, add the pressure cooked Toor dal and mix nicely.

Let the sambar boil for 5 more minutes and then add coriander leaves and mix nicely.

Now remove the cooked sambar from the fire and season with mustard seeds in 2 tsps of oil.

The peas and capsicum sambar is now ready for consumption with any dry vegetable curry of your choice or any raita of your choice.

Vazhaikai curry (Raw plaintain) roast curry

Ingredients:

Raw plaintains - 3-4 nos

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal (black gram dal) -1 1/2 tsps

Sambar powder or Red chilly powder -2-3 tsps

Salt - as required

Oil

Method:

Peel off the skin of the raw plaintains and cut into small pieces and put it in water and keep.

Now take a kadai put oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, hing (asafoetida) a pinch and curry leaves (optional).

After the mustard seed splutters, drain the water from the plantain pieces and put on the seasoning.

Now add salt, sambar powder or chilly powder and stir fry on low flame till it gets roasted nicely

You can add a little more oil if you want a nice crispy roast.

After the curry is cooked nicely you can remove from the fire.

You can have this roast with any rice of your choice.

Capsicum (bell pepper) Dry curry

Ingredients :

Capsicum - 4-5 medium sized

Chana dal (bengal gram dal)- 2 tsps

Urad dal (black gram dal) - 2 tsps

Daniya (coriander ) seeds - 2 tsps

Whole red chillies - 4-5

Curry leaves - few

Black pepper corns -5

Salt - as required

Oil for cooking

Ingredients for roasting and powdering:

Roast in a little oil chana dal, urad dal,daniya seeds,whole red chillies curry leaves.pepper corns and powder them coarsely in a dry grinder.

For seasoning:

Oil - 2 tblsps

urad dal - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch

Method:

Wash the capsicums nicely and cut them into thin strips.

Take a kadai and season with mustard seeds,urad dal and hing.

After the mustard seeds splutter, add the cut capsicum pieces and stir nicely

Now add salt and the ground masala powders and mix thoroughly.

Keep stirring off and on.

After the capsicum is cooked remove from fire and serve hot with sambar rice or rasam rice or any of your choice or if you like even with phulkas or rotis.

Chow chow / Bangalore kathrikai/ chayote kuttu

Ingredients:

Chow chow - 1

Chana dal (bengal gram dal) -1 Tblsp

Moong dal - 1 Tblsp

Coconut Grated fresh -1/2 cup

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Jeera -1 tsp

Black peppercorns - 1 tsp

Whole red chillies - 2-3

Curry leaves - few

Salt - as required

Ghee -2 tsps for seasoning

Hing -1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Peel the skin of chow chow and cut into small pieces and wash thoroughly.

Take a vessel put the cut pieces and chana dal and moong dal as indicated above in the ingredients and pour some water in the vessel and keep it in the cooker to cook for approximately 20 minutes.

Take a kadai dry roast the urad dal, pepper corns, jeera and red chillies and wet grind with fresh grated coconut.

After the vegetable is cooked in the cooker remove it and mix it with the ground masala, a pinch of turmeric, curry leaves thoroughly.

Now keep it on fire just for 5 minutes and keep mixing and stirring.

Now remove from fire and garnish with coriander leaves and season in a little ghee with mustard

seeds urad dhal and hing.

Now the chow chow kootu is ready to be eaten either with rice and ghee or as a side dish for chappathi.

chow chow (chayotee) thogaiyal

Ingredients:

Chayotee -1

urad dal - 1tblsp

chana dal - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 7-8

Grated coconut -2 tblsps

Salt - as required

asafoetida (hing) - a pinch

Tamarind - a lemon size

Method:

Take a kadai and 2 tsps oil and cut the chayotee into small pieces and roast in oil.

Remove from fire and add urad dal, chana dal, red chillies and roast in the remaining oil.

Now remove and put both of them in a wet grinder and along with salt, hing and tamarind and coconut grind into chutney.

Now the chutney is ready to be served. You can have it with plain rice and ghee or even with idli or dosa.