Great Millet / Vellai Cholam / Jowar Idly

Vella Cholam / Great millet / Jowar Idly

Vella Cholam -  2 cups

Raw Rice – 1 cup

Urad dal / Black gram – 1cup

Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp

        Soak all the ingredients together for 4 hrs and grind nicely in wet grinder, adding water.  Finally add 2 ½  tsp of salt and mix nicely.

Ferment the batter for 8 hrs.

Steam cook Idly for 10 mts.

Serve with Sambar / Chutney /  Milagai Podi



 

Kambu / Pearl Millet / Bajra Dosai

Kambu / Pearl Millet / Bajra Dosai

Kambu maavu / Pearl millet flour  -  3 cups

Rice flour -  1 cup

Salt – 3 tsp

Urad dal / Black gram – 1/2 cup

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

        Soak dal and fenugreek seeds for 4 hrs.  Grind to a smooth paste. Mix nicely with flours and  salt without any lumps adding water gradually.

Allow it to ferment for 4 hrs.

Prepare tasty Dosai .

Serve hot with Sambar  /  Chutney  /  Milagai Podi




 

Sambar / Arachu Vitta Sambar

Sambar / Arachu vitta Sambar …

Serves:  4

*Tur dal  : 1/2 cup

 Mix Veg chopped :  1 cup

Arachu vitta Sambar Powder : 2 tbsp

Sambar Powder : 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Tamarind Paste : 4 tsp

Jaggery or sugar  : ½ tsp

Mustard seeds :  1/4 tsp

Hing :  1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds : a pinch 

Curry leaves : 2 arc

Coriander leaves : 1 tbsp 

Water : 3 cup

Oil  : 1 tsp

        Soak Tur dal for minimum half an hour. Cook for 2 whistles  in a pressure pan.  

In 2 ltr cooker heat oil &  temper mustard seeds. When it starts popping, add a pinch of fenugreek seeds, Hing.  Stir for 15 secs.  

Add tamarind paste ( or tamarind extract), salt, chopped veggies,  sambar power, freshly ground sambar  powder ( if using), curry leaves, sugar & mix everything nicely. 

       Close the lid & cook for a whistle. 

Mash the cooked dal. 

Open the cooker & add smashed dal  in sambar & cook for a nice boil. Can adjust the water consistency if needed. 

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 

Kadhamba Sambar Rice:   If you are preparing sambar rice directly,  add 1 cup of raw rice along with tempering and other ingredients like tamaring paste etc and cook in the pressure cooker and follow the rest of the steps as usual. 

        

Note:  For mix veg , you can use any veggies like Potato, Ash gourd, Pumpkin, Drumstick, Carrot, etc.
If you are using Brinjal, Ladies finger, Onion, Shallots, etc... stir fry them before using them.

  Can also be made using single veggie.  


NOTE :   

Use 4 tsp of readymade sambar powder if you don't have freshly ground sambar powder.

If you don't have tamarind paste, soak 4 tsp of tamarind in 3 cups of water. Soak for half an hour & use the extract. 

Cut Mango Pickle

Cut Mango Pickle

Raw Mango – 1

Chilli Powder – 3 tsp

Salt – 3 tsp

Hing – 1 pinch

Til oil – 2 tsp

Mustard – ½ tsp

     In oil temper mustard . Remove from flame and when the oil is still hot add chilli powder, hing, salt.  Stir nicely.  Mix with the Chopped Raw Mango nicely.

Best Pickle for Curd Rice.

Arachuvitta Sambar Powder

Arachuvitta Sambar Powder

Til Oil – 1 tsp

Channa dal – 4 tsp

Coriander seeds -  6 tsp

Red chilly – 8

Coconut grated – 4 tsp

Black pepper -- 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds -- 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds -- 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp

Hing  – ½ tamarind seed size

        Dry fry Mustard seeds and Fenugreek seeds separately till it pops .  Remove from pan. 

 Dry fry channa dal, coriander seeds till the dal becomes golden in colour. Remove from pan.  In less oil fry red chilly, pepper, hing till it changes its colour slightly. 

Add grated coconut and fry till it becomes brown .  Turn off the flame.  Mix cumin seeds and mix nicely. 

Remove all the ingredients in a wide plate and let it come to the room temperature.  Grind all the ingredients together and  Store in the air tight box.  According to the usage, prepare powder and store.

Shelf-life:

One week if stored outside

One month if stored in fridge.

READY TO EAT Dahi Aloo ... ONE SHOT Method

DHAHI  ALOO …ONE SHOT Method

1 cup  --  Fresh Churned Curd.

 

2  tbsp  --   Besan / gram flour

3 --  large Potatoes ( chopped )

½ tsp  --  coriander powder

½  tsp  --   garam  masala powder

¼ tsp  --  turmeric powder

1   tsp   --  red chilli

1 tbsp  --  water

Salt as per taste.

1 tbsp  Oil….

½  tsp --   cumin seeds ( crushed )

1  --   onion, chopped

1  --   green chilly , slit

2  --  garlic cloves, crushed

½   inch  --   ginger, crushed

8  --   curry leaves

1  --  tomato, chopped

A pinch of hing

 

Mix All the ingredients except one cup curd ( no need to saute any ingredients )....  cook for a whistle in pressure pan....

 After opening add curd and enjoy ' Ready to eat Dhahi Aloo ' .

PRE-MADE TEMPERING ... VERY HANDY

Premade Tempering:

 

 *     Poricha  kootu

         Coconut Oil --  4 tsp
        
         Mustard --  5 tsp

         Cumin seeds  --  5 tsp

         Urad dal -- 5 tsp

 

         In oil temper mustard seeds , when it starts popping add the other ingredients and fry til dal turns into golden in colour.  store in air-tight box.

       How to store ,

         Can store for a week outside.

         If refrigerated can store up to 15 days.


 * Rasam:
  
   Ghee :  4 tsp 
   Mustard Seeds : 5 tsp 
   Pepper +Cumin seeds mixture : 3 tsp ( crushed )
   Curry leaves  :  1 arc  
  
    In ghee  temper with mustard seeds .  When  it stops  popping add crushed pepper and cumin seeds and curry leaves and give a nice stir.      

       How to store:

 

Can store for a week outside

      If refrigerated can store up to 15 days.       

·      Sambar :

      Til Oil : 4 tsp

      Mustard : 5 tsp

Red chilly : 3

      Fenugreek seeds : 5 pinch

Curry leaves : 20

 

      In oil temper mustard, when it stops popping add fenugreek seeds, red chilly and curry  leaves and give few stir . Remove from heat.

      How to store:

Can store for a week outside

      If refrigerated can store up to 15 days.

 

 

 

 

Broad Beans / Avaraikai Poricha Kootu

 

         Broad Beans Poricha  kootu

Serves :  4

Yellow dal / Moong dal --  1 cup  ( Soak for an hour )

Broad beans  --  2  cups  ( chopped  )

Drumstick -  5 pieces ( chopped )

Turmeric  powder  --  1 tsp

Plain Coconut Powder    -- 3 tbsp

Salt  to  taste

Poricha Kootu Powder   --  4 tbsp

Rice flour – 1 tsp

Curry  leaves  -- few

Water  --  3 ½  glass.

       Mix  all  the above  ingredients   in  a vessel. 

Cook  for  3  whistles  in  a  Pressure  cooker.

After opening ,  add  Premade tempering.

[ You can use Cabbage, Snake gourd , Ash gourd ,  drumstick, Fenugreek leaves, in place of Broad beans ]

 

Poricha Kootu Powder

Poricha kootu Powder: 

Coconut oil  --  1 tsp

Red chilly  - 6

Black Pepper  - 1 tsp

Curry leaves  -- 4

Urad dal / Split black gram --  4 tsp

 

Fry all the ingredients in oil till the dal becomes golden in colour.

How to Store  

You can store the Poricha kootu powder for a week if stored outside. (Or) If refrigerated, it can be stored upto 30 day.

Plain Coconut Powder ( wet )

 Plain Coconut Powder (wet):

Take some portion of grated coconut from freezer ….  Grind nicely to get coconut powder like consistency.  This powder will be wet.

.  Can use where ever the recipe needs coconut paste.

[ Instead of grinding fresh grated coconut, if we grind the one from freezer, storing and using some portion from it will be easy ,as it is loosely packed . ]

 

How to store

Pack it LOOSELY and store in freezer .

Can store upto a month.

Paruppu Podi

PARUPPU PODI

Tur dal – 1 cup ( 170 grams )

Red chilly – 2

Black pepper – 1 tsp

Salt – 1 ½ tsp

        Dry fry all the ingredients and finally add salt and grind into fine powder.

Have with hot Rice + Ghee  .

Best side dish for Paruppu podi rice is Poricha kootu.  

Microwave Mysorepak

Microwave  Mysorepak

Besan - 1 cup
Ghee ( melted) - ¾ cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - ½ cup

This should be made in a big MW vessel, to prevent overflowing.

Mix besan & melted ghee well and Micro high for 1 mts. or if needed 30 more secs  & keep ready.

Mix sugar & water in the BIG  MW bowl.
MW hi for 2 mtes & remove.

Mix thoroughly & MW hi for 2 more mts.
Stir to make sure the sugar has dissolved thoroughly & completely.
If not, MW for a few more mts.

Remove & add besan-ghee mixture.
Put back on microwave.
MW hi for 2 mts, remove & stir.

Put back & repeat once again.
Usually it takes 4-5 mts & varies with the oven.
As soon as a honey comb texture is reached, remove.

Immediately pour over a greased plate, level by shaking the plate & sprinkle Crushed Saffron and sugar on top, when mysorepak is still hot.

Cool & cut.

Bell Pepper Paruppu Usili / Capsicum Paruppu Usili

Bell  Pepper  Paruppu  Usili

Bell Pepper ( Capsicum )  --  ¼  Kg 

(  You can use any colour , I used mixed )

Curry leaves  --  few

Hing --  2 pinches

Turmeric Powder  --  ¼  tsp

Red chilly powder – ¼  tsp

Salt to taste

Tur dal --  ¼  cup

Channa dal --  ¼  cup

Red chilly  --  5

Mustard seeds --  ½ tsp

 

Soak  dals and red chilly together for an hour

Drain and grind it coarsely.  Add  chopped curry leaves , salt , hing , turmeric powder and mix them nicely. 

Steam cook the mixture , loosely packed ,  using Idly mould …  for 10 mts.

Let it cool.   Give  a   pulse  in mixie to get nice coarse consistency.

 

In a non-stick pan heat 3 tbsp of oil and temper with mustard seeds .

Add the coarsely ground usili and stir fry nicely 10 mts in open pan…

Add finely chopped or thinly sliced bell peppers, red chilly powder and little bit salt ( only for veg , as we have already added salt in usili ) and cook for 2 mts in closed pan and then for 2 more mts in open pan… stirring once in between.     

No need to overcook bell peppers . 

When it is half cooked ,  remove from heat.  Bell peppers taste better when it is still crispy.

Enjoy yummy colourful and healthy  Bell Pepper Usili.

Pineapple Rasam .... full of flavor

Pineapple  Rasam

Finely chopped pineapple  -- ¼ cup

Sugar  --  ½   tsp

Tomatoes -- 3

Green chilly --  1

Ginger  - 1/4 inch.

Cooked Thur dal : 1 tbsp

Rasam powder -- 4 tsp

Hing powder – ¼  tsp

Lemon juice --   3 tsp

Salt,to taste

Turmeric powder --  2 pinches

 

To temper:

Ghee 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼  tsp

Cumin seeds – ¼  tsp

        Fenugreek seeds  --  a pinch

        Cashews. – 2 ( Optional )

*  Curry leaves  ,coriander leaves , extra chopped pineapple pieces, tomato pieces for garnishing.

Method:

Grind together chopped tomatoes, pineapple pieces ,sugar, ginger , green chilly, ,.a few coriander leaves & curry leaves with water till soft .

To this add rasam powder, salt, turmeric powder , hing & cooked tur dhal.

Cook this in a vessel in the pressure cooker for 1 whistle. 

Cool ,open & add lemon juice.

 In ghee temper with mustard seeds.  When it starts popping add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds , cashews. Fry till cashews turns into golden brown.    Add to rasam.

Garnish with coriander leaves , curry leaves and Pineapple pieces.

Serve hot with rice.

Neem Flower Rasam

Neem flower Rasam

Neem flowers - 2 tsp ( Fresh or dry flowers )
Tamarind paste  - 1 tsp
Tomatoes – 3
Tur dhal powder  - 1 tsp
Ghee - 3 tsp
Salt to taste.

Sugar – ¼ tsp

Fry in ghee & powder:

Red chilli -  2
Pepper - ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½   tsp
Hing powder – ¼  tsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds – ¼  tsp
Curry leaves – few

Tur dal --  ½ tsp

In ghee, temper as given & fry neem flowers … keep it aside.

Coriander leaves - few chopped,  for garnishing.

          

Grind tomatoes to a paste .

         In a vessel add tomato puree, 2 cups of water , salt, sugar,  dhal powder, tamarind paste  and cook for 2 mts … add  the ground powder ,  cook in low heat.

When it is about to boil and becomes frothy remove from heat.  Don’t  boil rasam.

Add tempering with neem flowers.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

 Close the lid immediately.  

 Variation :  Instead of adding tamarind paste , you can add orange juice  from one fruit , finally before garnishing.

* Tur Dal  powder   :  Grind Tur dal to a fine powder and store .  You can use this powder in any type of rasam .