Vatha kozhambu

Ingredients:

Red chillies                                          - 4 to 5

Black pepper                                       - ½ tea spoon

Urad dal/black gram dal                  - 1 tea spoon

Channa dal/kadalaparippu              - 1 tea spoon

Asafetida/hing                                    - 1 tea spoon

Tour dal/lentil                                    - ¼ cup

Tamarind paste                                  - 1 ½ tea spoon

Turmeric powder                               - ¼ tea spoon

Salt to taste

Oil                                                         - 2 tea spoon

Mustard seeds                                    - 1 tea spoon

Red chilli cut into two pieces           - 1

Vathal (sundakkai/marathankali) – 3 tea spoons

Curry leaves                                         - 2 strands

Coriander leaves (optional)             - some

Method:-

Pressure cook lentil and keep it aside. Fry chilli, kadalaparippu and pepper without oil and grind it to smooth paste. In a pan add 2 to 3 cups of water, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, Hing, salt and the grinded paste, allow it to boil for 10 minutes. Mash well the cooked lentil and add it to the boiling mix. Stir well and boil it for another 10 minutes in medium heat. Add curry leaves and coriander leaves to it. In another pan heat the oil and add one chilli cut into two pieces, mustard and the Vathal. When mustard splutters pour it to the Vatha kozhambu.

This is very good with rice and ghee, curd rice etc.

Kadala curry

Ingredients:-

Bengal gram/konda kadalai/Kabuli channa – ½ cup

Shallots/small onion                                           - 10

Chilli powder                                                         - 1 tea spoon

Ginger paste                                                         - ½ tea spoon

Garlic paste                                                            - ½ tea spoon

Urad dal/black gram dal                                     - ½ tea spoon

Grated coconut                                                      - 2 tea spoon

Coriander/dhaniya                                               - 1 ½ tea spoon

Curry leaves                                                            - 15

Oil                                                                             - 3 tea spoons

Turmeric powder                                                   - ¼ tea spoon

Salt to taste                                                           

Method:-

Soak Bengal gram for 6 hours. Pressure cook the Bengal gram. Slightly fry the Coriander, Urad dal and grated coconut. Grind the Urad dal, coconut, coriander, shallots, chilli powder and the ginger-garlic pastes to smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add the grinded paste to it and fry well till the oil starts to separate. Add turmeric powder and salt to it and stir well. Add the cooked Bengal gram to it and stir well. Add one cup of water and boil it till the gravy becomes thick. For chapatti we need thick gravy. If we want to use it with Puttu (Steamed rice cake with coconut) slightly loosen the gravy by adding water. Garnish it with curry leaves.

Ma Vilakku

Ingredients:-

Raw rice                                                - 2 cup

Jaggery (grated)                                   - 1 ½ cup

Cardamom powder                             - 1 tea spoon

Cotton wicks                                         - 2

Ghee                                                       - 6 Table spoons

Method:-

Soak rice for ten minutes and drain water. Grind the rice in a mixie and sieve it to soft powder. In a bowl take the rice powder, cardamom powder and Jaggery and mix it and kneed it with your hand pressure for 20 to 30 minutes. Initially you will feel that it is never going to mix well. But the Jaggery will melt when you kneed and you will get smooth tight dough. Never add water to the dough.

Split the dough into two equal size balls and press them to form thick discs. In the center of the disc make an impression to hold 3 table spoons of ghee. Fix the cotton wick to the rice lamps and lit it.

Lighting this Ma Vilakku is very good to drive away the negative energy from our homes.

After the ghee is finished the light goes off by it self. Now you can eat the Maavu as it is or after taking out the burnt wick and burnt portion of the Maavu add enough water to make thick dough as of Dosa dough. If needed add finely cut coconut to it and fry them in the unni aappam chatty. You get yummy unniyappams.

Okkarai

Ingredients:-

Green gram dal/Moong dal/Pasiparippu              - ½ cup

Kadala parippu/Channa dal/Bengal gram dal     - ½ cup

Jaggery Grated                                                            - 1 cup

Cardamom powder                                                     - 1 tea spoon

Cashew                                                                          - 15-20

Raisins                                                                            - 15-20

Ghee                                                                               - 10 tea spoon

Method:-

Dry fry green gram dal and channa dal separately until it stars to change color and we get a good aroma. When cooled soak them together for 2 hours. Boil the dal with one cup of water for 10 minutes. When cooled drain excess water if any and Powder it. In a pan add 1 tea spoon of ghee and fry the raisins and cashew and keep it aside. In the same pan add ½ cup of water and the Jaggery and make it 2 string consistency syrup. To check this consistency you have to pour a little syrup in water and if you are able to roll it to a jelly type ball, it is done. Switch off the stove and add the powdered dal to it and stir well for 2 minutes and switch on the stove and simmer the flame and continue stirring. Add cardamom, cashew and raisins to it and stir for another 3 minutes. Switch off the stove. Continue stirring for another 5 minutes. This is a special pudding made for Diwali in south India.

Modakam

Ingredients:-

Moong Dal Halwa                         - 1 cup

For Batter:-

Black gram dal/Urad dal            - ½ cup

Oil to fry

Soak Urad dal for two hours and grind to a smooth batter. Make small balls from the moong dal Halwa.  Dip each ball in the batter and fry it.

Sweet Boondi /Kunjalaadu

Ingredients:-

Besan                                        - 1 cup

Rice flour                                 - 1 table spoon

Baking powder                       - ½ tea spoon

Oil to fry

Sugar                                        - 1 ½ cup

Water                                       - 1 cup

Cardamom powder               - 1 tea spoon

Clove/ grambu                       - 15

Cashew                                     - ¼ cup

Raisins                                       - ¼ cup

Edible camphor                      - ½ tea spoon

Ghee                                          - 2 table spoon

Method:-

Mix Besan, baking powder and rice flour   together and make a semi thick batter. Heat oil in a pan and Pour the batter into the oil through a ladle with round wholes, so that it drops into the oil like round beads, which is called Boondi. Fry the Boondi and keep it aside. Fry the cashew and resin in ghee and keep it aside. In another pan make sugar syrup to one string consistency. Add cardamom powder, edible camphor, cloves, fried cashews and resins to the syrup and finally add the fried Boondi to it and mix well. This is usually served for South Indians marriage feast.                 

Chakkar para/Diamond cuts

Ingredients:-

Dalda/Vanaspathi                                    - 1 cup

Salt                                                               - 1 pinch

Maida                                                          - 2 ½ cup

Milk                                                              - ½ cup

Sugar                                                            - 1 cup

Oil to fry

Method:-

In a bowl mix dalda and salt as we mix for cake with a hand blender or hand. It should be very smooth. Boil milk and sugar together and allow the sugar to melt completely. When it is cooled add it with the blended dalda and mix well. Add Maida to it and make thick soft dough. Roll the dough to thin chapattis in a butter paper. Cut the chapatti to small diamond or square pieces. Heat oil in a pan and put the diamond cuts into the oil and fry light golden brown. When cooled store it in an airtight container. It is good evening snack.

Mysore Pak

Ingredients:-

Besan                                             - 1 cup

Sugar                                             - 2 cup

Ghee/Dalda                                  - 1 ½ cup

Method:-

In a bowl mix Besan with 2 spoon of ghee/Dalda. In a thick bottomed pan make a sugar syrup adding one cup of water to one string consistency. In another stove heat Dalda and when it is completely melt simmer the flame. Now add Basen little by little to the sugar syrup and stir continuously to avoid forming lumps. When all Besan it mixed with sugar syrup add hot ghee/dalda to it little by little and stir constantly until bubbles form in it and it becomes frothy and the ghee/dalda starts to separate slightly. Transfer to a greased tray and spread it evenly. Cut the Mysore Pak into square/rectangle/diamond pieces.

Moong Dal Halwa

Ingredients:-

Soaked Moong Dal                                   - 1 cup

Melted unsalted butter                          - 1 cup

Sugar                                                          - 1 ¼ cup

Water                                                         - 2 cups

Milk                                                            - 1 cup

Cardamom powder                                 - 1 ½ tea spoon

Saffron (optional)                                    - 6-8 strands

Sliced badam/almond for garnishing /Cashew - 3-4

Method:-

Soak moong dal for 3 to 4 hours. Drain water from the dal and Grind it to a smooth paste adding little water. In a pan add melted butter and moon dal paste and stir continuously till it becomes golden brown in medium heat. Don’t worry at this stage the moong dal will look like sand. Simmer the flame. Simultaneously we have to make the sugar syrup too adding sugar and water in another pan. The sugar syrup should be in a single string consistency. Add milk to it little by little and stir well.  When it thickens, add the sugar syrup and stir well. If you want to add saffron you have to soak it in warm milk and add to the moong dal at this time. Stir well continuously until it becomes thick and it leaves the sides of the vessel without sticking to it. Sprinkle cardamom powder and Mix well. Switch off the stove and transfer this to a serving bowl and garnish with sliced almonds/Cashews.

Kai Murukku

Ingredients:-

Parboiled rice/ponni rice                     - 4 cup

Urad dal/Black gram dal                      - ½ cup

Salt to taste

Jeerakam/cumin seeds                          - 2 tea spoon

Asafetida                                                   - 1 tea spoon

Oil to deep fry

Soak rice for two hours and grind to a smooth tight dough. Roast Urad dal to light golden brown and grind it to smooth powder without any granules. Mix rice dough, Urad dal powder, salt, asafetida, and cumin seed well. If you feel the dough is a little bit loose, doesn’t worry cover the dough with a neat dry cotton cloth/kitchen paper towel. The excess water will be absorbed by the cloth.

Spread a dry cotton cloth on a table. Take big lemon size dough and slightly dip it in oil and twist and move it spirally on the cloth using your fingers. Repeat the same with the remaining dough. Mean while heat oil in a pan and put 4 to 5 Murukku at a time and fry it crispy and golden brown. Fry all the Murukku likewise.  When cooled keep it in an air-tight container. It is a very good, yummy tea time snack.

Diwali Marunthu/ Diwali Lehyam

On Diwali day after taking oil bath early in the morning we have to eat one tea spoon of this Marunthu/Lehyam. This will help us to get rid of indigestion. During Diwali we eat lots of sweets and snacks, which will naturally upset our stomach. This Marunthu is good for such problems.

Ingredients:-

Ginger washed and cut into small pieces       - 1 ½ cup

Coriander seeds                                                   - ½ cup

Cumin seeds/Jeerakam                                      - 2 tea spoon

Ajwain/Aimothakam/omam                             - 3 tea spoon

Black pepper/ milaku/kurumilaku                  - 2 table spoon

Thippili /piper longum                                       - 3 or 4

Cardamom                                                            - 4

Jaggery (grated)                                                   - 1 ½ cup

Ghee                                                                        - 2 ½ table spoon

Honey                                                                      - 2 table spoon

Method:-

Soak all items except Jaggery, ghee and honey in hot water for 30 minutes.

Grind them in a mixer to a smooth paste. In a pan put 1 teaspoon of ghee and add the paste to it and cook it until it becomes thick in a low flame. Add Jaggery and 2 tea spoon of water and stir well. The Jaggery will melt and after few minutes this will become thick. We have to stir it now and then. Add remaining ghee and stir well. This will start becoming thick and will leave the edges of the vessel. Add honey to it and cook for two more minutes and switch off the stove. When it is cooled transfer the Lehyam to a serving bowl.

Thenkuzhal

Ingredients:-

Raw rice                                        - 2 cup

Urad dal/black gram dal           - ¼ cup

Asafetida                                       - ½ tea spoon

Cumin seeds/Jeerakam             - 1 tea spoon

White sesame seeds/ellu               - 1 tea spoon

Butter (unsalted)                        - 50 grams

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Wash raw rice, dry it well and grind it to a very smooth powder. There should not be any granules in it so better sieve it. Dry and grind Urad dal to a smooth powder. Sieve this too for avoiding granules.

Mix these flours, asafetida and salt well together. Add butter to the mix and mix well. Add ellu and Jeerakam to it. Now add water little by little and make it smooth tight dough. In a Thenkuzhal achu/press with medium round wholes, fill the dough and press it in a circular motion in the hot oil. Fry the Thenkuzhal to light golden brown flipping it both sides. If you find it difficult to press directly to hot oil, you can press it to a cloth or plastic paper and gently transfer it to the hot oil. Be careful while putting inside the hot oil. Gently slide it into the oil slowly.

When cooled keep in an air tight container. It is a very crispy and mouth watering  evening snack.

Badusha

Ingredients:-

Maida/All purpose flour                    - 1 cup

Baking soda                                          - 1 tea spoon

Fruit salt                                               - ½ tea spoon

 Curd/yogurt                                          - ¼ cup

Butter (melted)                                     - 2 ½ table spoon

Oil to deep fry

Sugar                                                      - 1 ¼ cup

Water                                                     - 1 cup

Ross essence                                         - 1 tea spoon

Cardamom powder                             - 1 tea spoon

Method:-

Mix Maida, baking soda and fruit salt and sieve well. Add butter to it and gently mix the flour. Now add curd/yogurt little by little and gently mix it to soft dough. Don’t press the dough hard. Handle it gently. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.

In a pan add sugar and water and boil it until all the froth in the sugar on boiling disappears. Simmer the flame.

Heat oil in a pan and take small quantity of dough and gently roll it to lemon size, flatten it gently and with your finger press in the center to make a impression. Repeat the same with the remaining dough. Put three to four Badusha at a time in the oil and fry golden brown in medium heat.

Put the Badusha in the sugar syrup and soak them for 2 minutes and transfer them to another plate.

Unnithandu Thoran

Unnithandu is nothing other than the center portion of the trunk of a banana tree. It is white in color and looks like a tube light. This is rich in fiber and nutrients.

Ingredients:-

Unnithandu/Vazhathandu/Vazhathadai/Unnipindi - 1Feet piece

Turmeric powder                                                                - ½ tea spoon

Salt to taste

Grated coconut                                                                     - 1 table spoon

Cumin seed/ Jeerakam                                                       - 1 tea spoon

Red chilli                                                                                - 2

For seasoning:-

 Mustard seeds                                                                    - 1 tea spoon

Red chilli broken into two                                                 - 2

Urad dal/Black gram dal                                                   - 1 tea spoon

Oil                                                                                           - 1 tea spoon

Method:-

Slice the Unnithandu to thin round pieces. You will find fiber or naaru while slicing. Remove the fiber while slicing. Put the sliced pieces in water to prevent discoloration. Then take the sliced pieces and cut them to small cubes and put in water. Add turmeric powder and salt to it.

Grind coconut, cumin seeds and chilli to a coarse paste without adding water.

In a kadai heat oil (1tea spoon) and season the mustard and broken chilli. Squeeze the cut Unnithandu, drain out all water and put it in the kadai and stir well. Simmer the flame and close the kadai and cook for three minutes. Now add the grinded coconut to it and stir well and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer it to a serving bowl.
This is good with rice.

Adai/Ada Dosai

Ingredients:-

Raw rice/pachari/pacharissi                              - ½ cup

Boiled rice (puzhukkalari/puzhungalarissi)   - ¼ cup

Toor dal/lentil/thuvaramparippu                     - 1 table spoon

Urad dal/uzhunthu parippu/black gram dal  - 1 table spoon

Bengal gram dal/kadalaparippu/channa dal   - 1 table spoon

Red chilli                                                                  - 4

Black pepper                                                           - ½ tea spoon

Asafetida                                                                 - ½ tea spoon

Curry leaves                                                           - 2 strands

Salt to taste

Gingili oil                                                                - 12 tea spoons

Method:-

Soak rice and all dals for 3 hours. Wash the soaked items with chilli, pepper, salt asafetida to a little coarse dough and add curry leaves to it. The dough should to the consistency of dosa dough. Remember the dough should not ferment. If it is fermented the Ada will have a sour taste. If you like that taste you can leave it to ferment over night.

In a hot Dosa pan spread one full ladle of dough in a circular motion to a thin Adai. Spread one tea spoon oil on to it. When one side is done tilt to the other side and add ½ tea spoon of oil and cook it to a crisp Adai. Repeat the same with the remaining dough.

Adai is good if served hot with powdered  Avial/Jaggery/fresh yogurt/ghee and sugar/coconut chutney.

Achinga payar/Long beans Thoran

Ingredients:-

Achinga/Long beans finely cut                   - 1 cup

Coconut (grated)                                           - 1 ½ table spoon

Red chilli                                                         - 2

Cumin seeds/Jeerakam                               - ½ tea spoon

Turmeric powder                                           - ¼ tea spoon

Salt to taste

For seasoning:-

Mustard seeds                                                - 1 tea spoon

Red chilli cut into two                                   - 1

 Vegetable oil/coconut oil                             - 1 tea spoon

                                                                             

Method:-

Cook the Achinga with salt and turmeric powder with ½ cup of water. When cooked drain excess water from it.Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and chilli to a coarse mix without adding water. Heat a pan; add oil, mustard seed and chilli. When the mustard splutters add the cook beans to it and stir well. After one minute add the grinded coconut to it, stir well and cook for another minute and transfer it to a serving bowl.

This is good with rice.

Onion pulinkari

Ingredients:-

Finely cut onion                                       - 1 cup

Tamarind paste                                       - 1 tea spoon

Turmeric powder                                    - ½ tea spoon

Asafetida                                                   - 1 tea spoon

Salt to taste

Red chilli                                                    - 5-6

Bengal gram dal/kadalaparippu           - 1 ½ tea spoon

Fenugreek seed/uluva/methi seeds      - 1 tea spoon

Grated coconut                                          - 1 tea spoon

Curry leaf                                                    - 1 strand

Coriander leaf finely cut                           - 1 tea spoon

For seasoning:-

Fenugreek seeds                                         - ½ tea spoon

Mustard seeds                                             - 1 tea spoon

Red chilli cut into two                                - 1

Oil                                                                   - 1 tea spoon

Method:-

Dry roast kadalaparippu, fenugreek and red chilli and grind to a smooth paste with coconut and enough water. In Deep pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, chilli and fenugreek seeds. When the mustard starts to splutter add onion to it and stir well. After 2 minutes add turmeric powder and salt to the onion and stir well. Add 3 cups of water, tamarind paste and asafetida to it. Allow it to boil well. Now add the grinded paste to it and cook for another 2 minutes. Add some more water if needed and cook. When cooked transfer it to a serving bowl and decorate with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

This is good with rice/ dosa/idli.