Instant Vattal Kuzhambu podi (For the vathal kuzhambu recipe)

Ingredients:

1. Red Chillies - 6 nos
2. Toor Dhal - 2 teaspoons
3. Pepper - 1 tablespoon
4. Coriander Seeds - 1 tablespoon
5. Jeera - 2 teaspoons
6. Rice - 1 teaspoon
7. Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
8. Oil - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Onion cut - 1 handful
10. Curry Leaves - 1 handful

Procedure:

• Fry all the ingredients in the given oil to golden color
• Grind it to a very fine paste with 1 handful cut onion and 1 handful curry leaves
• Use this for the Vathal Kuzhambu recipe

Wheat Halva (Goduma Halva)

Ingredients:

1. Chamba wheat - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 2.5 cups
3. Ghee - 2 cups
4. Saffron - 2 pinches
5. Almonds - 7 nos

Procedure:

• Wash and soak chemba wheat overnight
• Next day after soaking, put 1/2 cup of water and grind the wheat. Extract the milk and strain it. Take this extract 4 times by using 1 cup of water each time (Total is 4.5 cups of wheat milk)
• Cover and keep it aside
• Allow this mixture to ferment for another 12 hours
• The wheat flour sediments/settles down at the bottom.
• Strain the top layer of the water alone and boil in a pan
• Allow it to simmer. Now add the sugar and make it to a single thread consistency
• Lower the flame. Now add the wheat milk sediment and stir quickly to avoid lumps
• Now keep stirring at a medium temperature for 30 minutes
• When the wheat milk is cooked to a glossy and thick consistency, add 1/2 cup of ghee and keep stirring
• Now add 1/2 teaspoon of halva coloring (optional) and stir
• Keep adding the remainder ghee in 1/2 cup measurements every 10 minutes. Keep stirring through the process of adding ghee (Total time of halva preperation is 1.5 hours)
• Now add saffron, almond scrapings and stir
• Remove from fire and transfer to a vessel
• If the halva is cooked to the correct consistency, 1 cup ghee will float on top of halva

Paruppu podi

Ingredients:

1. Channa dhal - 1 tablespoon
2. Moong dhal - 1 tablespoon
3. Urad dhal - 1/2 tablespoon 
4. Toor dhal - 1 tablespoon
5. Red chilly - 10 nos
6. Asafoetida - 1 teaspoon
7. Garlic pods with the skin (optional) - 4 nos
8. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Dry roast all the dhal ingredients separately and keep aside
• Roast red chilly and switch off the fire
• Add the garlic,asafoetida and salt to the pan which has the red chilly
• Now grind red chilly, salt, asafoetida finely. Then add all the dhals and grind to a fine powder
• Before removing from the mixer, add garlic pods and grind for only 1 minute
• Mix thoroughly and transfer to an air tight container

Ellu Molagapodi (Sesame / Gingelly seeds)

Ingredients:

1. Red chillies - 12 nos
2. Sesame / Ellu - 3/4 cup
3. Urad dhal - 1 tablespoon
4. Jaggery (optional) - 1/4 teaspoon
5. Oil - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Dry roast sesame seeds/Ellu in a pan and keep aside
• Add oil to the pan and roast the red chillies to brown color and remove the chillies
• Add urad dhal to pan and roast to golden brown
• Now grind red chillies and salt together finely. Add sesame seeds, urad dhal and jaggery to grind coarsely
• Mix thoroughly and transfer to an air tight container

Vegetable pickle

Ingredients:

1. Carrot - 1 nos
2. Beans - 4 nos
3. Bittergourd - 1 nos
4. Small brinjal - 1 nos
5. Drumstick - 1/2 nos
6. Mango - 1/2 nos
7. Cluster beans (Kothavarangai) - 5 nos
8. Lime - 1 nos
9. Lemon juice - 1/2 cup
10. Salt to taste
11. Chilly powder - 2 tablespoons
12. Asafoetida - 3/4 teaspoon
13. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
14. Fenugreek powder - 1/2 teaspoon
15. Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
16. Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
17. Garlic (optional) - 10 pods
18. Oil - 4 tablespoons

Procedure:

• Wash, wipe(has to be dry) and Cut all vegetable ingredients into 1/2 inch pieces
• Now heat the oil and season with mustard seeds, fenugreek powder and asafoetida and add to the vegetables. Stir well
• Add all of the remaining dry powder spices to the vegetables
• Now add vinegar, lemon juice and salt to the mixture
• Mix well uniformly and transfer to a dry glass container or ceramic jar
• Cover it with a thin muslin cloth
• Stir well daily from the bottom and use it after two to three days
• This can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 months (avoid using wet spoons to prevent fungus formation)

Curd Rice

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1 cup cooked in 4 cups of water
2. Milk - 1 cup
3. Curd / Yogurt - 2 cups
4. Green chilly - 2 nos
5. Salt to taste
6. Ginger - 2 inches piece
7. Mustard - 1.5 teaspoons
8. Asafoetida - 0.5 teaspoons
9. Curry leaves - 3 teaspoons
10. Oil - 1 teaspoon
11. Chopped Cucumber and coriander for decoration
12. Raisin - 1 tablespoon

Procedure:

• Cook the rice in 4 cups of water and mash with a ladle
• Add salt, milk, curd to the rice
• Heat oil and season with mustard, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves and transfer to the mixed rice
• Mix thoroughly
• To enhance taste, you can add 2 fried  more-molagai's
• Garnish with coriander and cucumber (carrot scrapings can also be used instead of cucumber)

Potato Puttu

Ingredients:

1. Potato - 1/4 kg
2. Green chilly - 2 nos
3. Finely chopped onion - 3 tablespoons
4. Ginger finely cut - 1 teaspoon
5. Coconut scrapings - 3 tablespoons
6. Curry leaves - 7 nos
7. Mustard - 1 teaspoon
8. Urad dhal - 2 teaspoon
9. Oil - 2 teaspoons
10. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Boil potatoes and peel the skins
• Mash the potatoes and add coconut scrapings, salt and mix well
• Heat oil and season with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves
• Add onion, chilly, ginger and sautee till onion becomes glossy
• Add the mashed potato to the onion pan and mix uniformly
• Remove from fire 

Sundal (Green gram sundal)

Ingredients:

1. Whole green gram - 1 cup
2. Salt to taste
3. Coconut scraping - 1 tablespoon
4. Finely cut green chilly - 1 nos
5. Red chillies - 2 nos
6. Ginger paste - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Curry leaves - 5 nos
8. Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Wash and soak green gram overnight
• Drain the water and place the green gram in a covered vessel
• It will start sprouting by evening
• Steam the green gram with salt and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker with weight for 2 whistles only
• Now heat oil and season with ginger paste, green chilly, red chilly, urad dhal and mustard seeds
• Add curry leaves and the boiled sprouted grain
• Stir it slowly for 2 minutes and switch off the flame
• Add coconut scraping, mix well and serve
• Optionally 1 teaspoon of lemon juice can be added 

Sundai curry (Made from left over sambar & avial)

Ingredients:

1. Left over Sambar
2. Left over Avial
3. Oil - 1 tablespoon
4. Curry leaves - 10 nos

Procedure:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan and 10 nos of curry leaves
• Mix sambar and avial together in the pan
• Allow it to simmer till it becomes thick (15 to 20 minutes)
• Do NOT MASH THE vegetables while stirring
• NOTE: You can use the microwave but make sure to close it to avoid spluttering

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1.5 cups
2. Tomato - 6 nos
3. Big onion - 1 nos
4. Ginger paste - 2 teaspoons
5. Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
6. Split green chillies - 3 nos
7. Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
8. Chilly powder - 2 teaspoons
9. Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Ghee - 1 tablespoon
11. Oil - 1 tablespoon
12. Salt to taste
13. Cashews and raisins - optional 2 tablespoons
14. Chopped coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Procedure:

• Wash and pressure cook the rice in 2.5 cups of water
• Heat a pan and roast cashewnut and raisin in ghee. Keep it aside
• In the same pan, add little oil, ginger paste and garlic paste and fry for 3 minutes
• Add onions and sautee till it becomes glossy
• Now put garam masala powder, tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and keep stirring till the tomatoes get cooked
• Now add chilli powder, coriander powder and sautee for 5 minutes
• Switch off the flame and add the cooked rice, cashew and raisins and mix uniformly
• Garnish with coriander leaves

Bisibela bath

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1.5 cups
2. Toor Dhal - 1 cup
3. Turmeric powder - 1 Teaspoon
4. Small onion - 2 handfuls (Alternate - use big onion cut into 8 pieces - 1 nos)
5. Carrot - 1 nos
6. Green peas - 1 handful
7. Beans - 5 nos (optional)
8. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
9. Cloves - 4 nos
10. Cardamom - 2 nos
11. Ghee - 2 tablespoons
12. Oil - 2 tablespoons
13. Coconut scraping - 3 tablespoons
14. Red chilly - 10 nos
15. Coriander seeds - 1 heap tablespoon
16. Channa dhal - 1 heap tablespoon
17. Curry leaves - few nos
18. Fenugreek - 1/2 teaspoon
19. Salt to taste
20. Tamarind - 1 lime size
21. Jaggery - 1.5 teaspoons (optional)

Procedure:

• Wash rice and dhal together
• Pressure cook (with weights) with turmeric powder in 8 cups of water (do not add salt)
• Fry the cinnamon, cloves and cardamon with a bit of ghee. In the same pan roast channa dhal, red chilly, coriander seeds and fenugreek to golden color.Add coconut scrapings to the fried spices till it becomes golden brown in a low flame
• Then let it cool and powder the ingredients from the pan smoothly
• Extract the tamarind juice from the lime sized ball in 5 cups of water and allow it to boil with salt and jaggery in a big vessel
• Sautee the onions with little oil
• When the tamarind water is boiling, add sauteed onions, carrot, peas and the optional beans
•  If you prefer more spice, add 1 teaspoon of plain chilly powder to the boiling tamarind water
• After the vegetables boil, add the ground powder and allow it to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes
• Now add the cooked rice and dhal to this mixture
• Stir well to avoid lumps and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes
• Heat the remaining oil and ghee together and roast cashewnuts
• Add the cashewnuts to the bisibela bath and garnish with coriander leaves

Podalanga (Snakegourd) Poriyal / Thovaram

Ingredients:

1. Snakegourd - 1/2 kg
2. Moong dhal - 2 Tablespoons
3. Salt to taste
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Urad dhal - 2 teaspoons
6. Mustard - 1 teaspoon
7. Red chilly - 4 nos
8. Cut onion - 1 tablespoon
9. Coconut substitute powder or Coconut scrapings - 3 tablespoons
10. Oil - 2 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Soak moong dhal for 2 hours
• Wash and cut snakegourd into small pieces
• Heat 2 teaspoons of oil and season with urad dhal, mustard and opened red chilly
• Add the cut onions and sautee for 5 minutes
• Add snakegourd and moong dhal together in the pan without water
• Add salt and turmeric powder
• Stir and cover with a lid on low flame till the vegetables and dhal are cooked
• Now add the diabetic powder and roast for another 5 minutes
• Remove from fire and garnish with curry leaves

Urundai Kozhumbu

Ingredients:

For the urundai:

1. Toor dhal - 1.5 cups
2. Channa dhal - 1 handful
3. Green chillies - 2 nos
4. Ginger -1 inch piece
5. Cut onions - 1 cup
6. Coriander leaves chopped - 1 tablespoon

For the gravy:

1. Coconut scrapings - 3 tablespoons
2. Red chilly powder - 2 tablespoons
3. Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
4. Jeera - 1.5 teaspoon
5. Curry leaves - 10 leaves
6. Oil - 1 teaspoon
7. Urad dhal - 2 teaspoons
8. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
9. Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Tamarind - 1 big lime size
11. Jaggery - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
12. Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
13. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Extract tamarind juice by using 6 cups of water
• Grind chilli powder, coriander seeds, jeera, jaggery and coconut scrapings to a very fine paste
• Add this ground mixture to the tamarind extract and allow it to boil using medium flame for 20 minutes
• Remove it and season with mustard, urad dhal, asafoetida and curry leaves using 1 teaspoon of oil

For the urundai:

• Soak both the dhals for 2 hours
• Wash and grind with ginger, chilly and salt and grind coarsely adding water to rava consistency
• Remove it, add chopped coriander and chopped onions
• Mix well and make it into lime size balls
• Steam the balls in an idly cooker without the weight for 10 to 15 minutes
• Remove it and add it to the prepared gravy
• Mix well and serve
• NOTE: 2 tablespoons of  coconut scraping can also be added for urundai (optional)

Mango Rice

Ingredients:

1. Raw Rice  - 1 cup
2. Water - 2 cups
3. Mango - 1 nos
4. Turmeric powder - 1 spoon
5. Channa dhal - 1 tablespoon
6. Mustard - 1 teaspoon
7. Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Gingelly oil - 3 tablespoons
9. Red Chillies - 4 nos
10. Green chilly - 6 nos
11. Curry leaves - 10 leaves
12. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Cook the rice with 2 cups of water (Rice should not be mashed or soggy)
• Peel the mango skin and scrape it
• Heat oil and season it with mustard, channa dhal, asafoetida and red chilly
• Grind six green chillies, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds and two tablespoons of mango scrapings coarsely and add it to the pan.
• In the same pan place the remaining mango scrapings with salt and turmeric powder and sautee it for 5 minutes
• Mix the rice with the sauteed mango scrapings mixture and stir well
• A pinch of sugar can be added (optionally) for taste
• Add coriander leaves for decoration

Adult Cough medicine

Ingredients:

1. Black pepper - 1 tablespoon
2. Jeera - 1 tablespoon
3. Dry ginger powder - 1 tablespoon
4. Omam (Ajvain) - 2 teaspoons
5. Honey - 1.5 cup
6. Raisin - 2 teaspoons
7. Almond - 1 tablespoon
8. Ghee - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

• Grind all ingredients together except HONEY to a fine powder
• Heat honey and pour the powder in the honey
• Stir well till it is like a jam
• Add half cup of ghee intermittently
• Cook till it does not stick to the sides of the pan (jam consistency)
• DO NOT DRINK WATER for 1 hour after taking this medicine

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients:

1. Parboiled rice - 2 Cups
2. Raw Rice - 2 cups
3. Urad dhal - 2 tablespoons
4. Fenugreek - 1 teaspoon
5. Salt to taste
6. Onions finely cut - 1 cup
7. Green chillies finely cut - 2 nos
8. Coriander leaves finely chopped- 1/4 cup
9. Channa dhal - 2 teaspoons
10. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
11. Pepper - 1 teaspoon
12. Jeera - 1 teaspoon
13. Oil - 2 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Soak all ingredients (without salt) together for 2 to 3 hours
• Wash well before grinding and grind it to a very fine consistency
• Remove the batter to a vessel
• Wash the grinder with one cup of water and heat this water to a conjee consistency
• Cool it and add it to the ground batter with salt (This congee makes the dish very soft)
• Allow it to ferment for 8 hours
• Heat oil and add the channa dhal, mustard till it is roasted
• Then add the onion, chillies and sautee for 5 minutes
• Add this to the mavu (fermented dough) along with pepper, jeera and coriander leaves
• Now mix well
• Heat the kuzhi paniyaram pan and pour a ladle of the batter to each pit (kuzhi)
• Cover with the lid and let one side cook till it becomes golden color
• Now rotate the paniyaram to the other side and let it become golden brown color

Ragi Dosa

Ingredients:

1. Ragi flour (Indian stores) - 3 cups
2. Raw rice - 1 cup
3. Urad dhal (either black or white) - 3/4 cup
4. Salt to taste
5. Fenugreek - 2 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Soak dhal, rice and fenugreek together for 4 hours
• Grind it to a very fine paste like idly batter consistency
• Add ragi flour, salt and mix thoroughly avoiding any lump formation to idly batter consistency
• Allow it to ferment for 6 to 8 hours
• Make the dosas thick and spongy

Black urad dhal dosa / Muzhu ulundu dosai

Ingredients:

1. Raw or parboiled rice - 4 cups
2. Full black urad dhal - 1 cup
3. Fenugreek - 2 teaspoon
4. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Soak all ingredients except the salt for 4 hours
• Wash and grind it together to a very fine paste (idly batter consistency)
• Add salt and mix well
• Allow it to ferment for 8 hours
• Now you can make thick dosas without oil (spongy texture)

Tomato and onion chutney

Ingredients:

1. Red chillies - 12 nos
2. Tamarind - 1 teaspoon
3. Tomato - 1 big
4. Small onion - 2 handful (If small is not available, use cut onions 1 heap cup)
5. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Grind red chillies, salt and tamarind to a fine paste with tomato
• Then add onion and grind coarsely
• Then heat half cup of oil in a pan and season with mustard and urad dhal
• Add this chutney to that seasoning and allow it to cook till the raw smell of onion is gone
• This is a good combination for ragi dosa and full black urad dhal dosa

Ellu Chutney (Sesame / Gingelly seeds)

Ingredients:

1. Red chillies - 10 to 12 nos
2. Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball
3. Jaggery - 1/2 teaspoon optional
4. Salt to taste
5. Ellu or gingelly seeds - 3/4 cup
6. Urad dhal - 1 tablespoon
7. Gingelly oil - 1 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Heat a pan and dry roast the gingelly seeds or ellu
• When it splutters, remove it from fire
• Heat oil and roast the red chilly
• Add urad dhal and roast till golden color
• Now first grind red chilli, tamarind, salt to a very fine paste with optional jaggery
• Add sesame seeds or ellu and urad dhal to the fine paste from the previous step. Grind this coarsely with minimum water
• Chutney is ready to eat with urad dhal rice (recipe included)

Instant Kurma Mix without coconut

Ingredients:

1. Poppy seeds (Kasa kasa) - 1 teacup
2. Almonds - 1/2 cup
3. Fried gram (pottukadali) - 1 cup

Procedure:

• Heat a pan and roast the poppy seeds for 2 minutes (don't allow it to change color)
• Now, grind with almonds and fried gram
• Mix well and deep freeze
• When you make Kurma, sautee the vegetables with onions, add ginger garlic paste, garam masala and this mix.
• Boil the kurma with water for 15 minutes

Instant sambar powder

Ingredients:

1. Red chillies - 12 to 15 nos
2. Channa dhal - 2 tablespoon
3. Coriander seeds - 2.5 tablespoons
4. Fenugreek - 1/2 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Dry roast channa dhal for 3 minutes
• Add coriander seeds, red chilly and fenugreek and dry roast to golden color
• Powder the above ingredients and use it as sambar powder

Brinjal (eggplant) and Drumstick sambar

Ingredients:

1. Toor dhal - 1 cup
2. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
3. Tamarind - 1 lime size
4. Drumstick - 2 nos
5. Small Brinjal - 6 nos
6. Green chilly - 4 nos
7. Sambar powder - 2 heap tablespoons (depending on the powder)
8. Jaggery - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
9. Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
10. Curry leaves for seasoning
11. Urad dhal - 1.5 teaspoons for seasoning
12. Mustard - 1 teaspoon for seasoning
13. Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
14. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Wash and pressure cook the toor dhal with 3 cups of water without salt for 15 minutes
• Keep aside and extract the tamarind juice using 5 cups of water
• Boil the tamarind juice in a vessel
• When it starts boiling, add the vegetables with salt to taste and optional jaggery
• When the vegetables are cooked, mash the cooked dhal and add it to the tamarind gravy
• Add sambar powder and simmer it for 10 minutes
• Keep stirring to avoid lump formation and heat it for another 10 minutes
• Season it with urad dhal, mustard and curry leaves
• After removing from fire, add chopped coriander leaves

Avial (Vegetable mix coconut curry)

Ingredients:

1. Carrot - 1 big
2. Drumstick - 1
3. White pumpkin (white pushanikai) - 1/4 kg
4. Beans - 15 nos
5. Snow peas or Avarakkai - 15 nos
6. Small brinjal - 4 or 5 nos
7. Mango - 1/2 nos
8. Coconut scraping - 1 cup
9. Green thai chilly - 7 nos
10. Jeera - 1 heap teaspoon
11. Cut onion - 1 teaspoon
12. Sour curd (yogurt) - 1/2 cup
13. Coconut oil - 2 tablespoons
14. For seasoning Mustard - 1 teaspoon, urad dhal - 1 teaspoon, curry leaves - 15 leaves
15. Potato or sweet potato - 1 nos (optional)
16. Yam - 1/4 kg
17. Cluster beans (Kothavarangai) or string beans (Karamani) - 15 nos (optional)
18. Raw Banana - 1 nos
19. Salt to taste

Note: You can use whatever is available from the list above for your avial. Good to have at least 4 to 6 vegetables from the list above.

Procedure:

•  Wash and cut all the vegetables to 2.5 to 3 inches in length
• Boil 3 cups of water in a vessel and add drumstick, beans, carrot, yam, potato,snowpeas/avarakkai with half teaspoon of turmeric powder and salt
• Cover the vessel to boil the vegetables
• When it is half cooked, add mango, raw banana, white pumpkin as these vegetables boil cookly
• Stir and cook using low flame
• Meanwhile grind coconut, green chilly, jeera and onion coarsely
• When all the vegetables are cooked uniformly, add the ground mixture to the vegetables
• Add curd, coconut oil and curry leaves
• Mix well and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
• Season the avial with urad dhal and mustard seeds

CAUTION: Do not overcook the vegetables and do not over stir the mixture to avoid breakage

Pavakkai poriyal (Bittergourd poriyal)

Ingredients:

1. Bittergourd - 1/4 kg
2. Tamarind - 1 small lime size (tamarind extract - 2 tablespoons)
3. Red Chilly powder - 1.5 teaspoons
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoons
5. Salt to taste
6. Jaggery (optional) - 1 teaspoon or according to individual taste
7. Cut onion - 3 tablespoons
8. Oil - 2 tablespoon
9. Mustard - 3/4 teaspoon
10. Urad dhal - 1.5 teaspoons
11. Curry leaves - 7 leaves

Procedure:

• Wash and cut the bittergourd
• Drain the water completeley and mix with tamarind, turmeric, jaggery (optional), salt and chilly powder together
• Pressure cook for 2 whistles and remove the excess water (to avoid bitterness)
• Heat a pan and season with oil, mustard, urad dhal and curry leaf
• Add onion to the pan till it becomes glossy
• Now add the bittergourd (cooked) to the pan and sautee for 10 minutes using low flame
• (optional) Add the coconut powder substitute for diabetics (Recipe is in the blog)

Instead of the coconut substitute poweder, you can use the following:

• Grind 4 tablespoons coconut and 1 teaspoon jeera, 2 pods of garlic coarsely and add to the cooked bittergourd in the pan
• Roast it for 5 more minutes using low flame

Badam Halva (Almond)

Ingredients:

1. Soaked and Peeled Badam (almond) - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1.5 cups
3. Ghee - 1/2 cup
4. Saffron - a pinch
5. Milk - 1/2 cup (can be skim too)

Procedure:

• Grind badam with millk coarsely and transfer it to a pan
• Add sugar, stir and heat for 10 to 15 minutes
• After that check whether you get the sticky consistency (double thread consistency between the fingers)
• Then lower the flame and keep stirring by adding ghee and saffron till the mixture does not stick to the sides of the pan

For Microwave: You can make this using a microwave as well (easier to avoid getting charred or burnt)

• Initial heat time for badam mixture with sugar is 10 to 15 minutes in the microwave
• Remove and follow the same steps heating it for another 10 minutes like above

Transfer to a plate and cut according to your size requirements

Kunuku

Ingredients

1. Thuvar Dhall — 1/2 cup
2. Channa Dhall — 1 cup
3. Urad Dhall — 1/4 cup
4. Rice — 1/2 cup
5. Dried Red Chilles — 5
6. Green Chilles — 3
7. Salt — 1 t.spoon
8. Asoefitida— a small pinch
9. Curry Leaves — a few
10. Cooking oil for frying

Procedure:

•  Soak thuvar dhall, channa dhall, urad dhall, and rice in water for one hour
• Wet grind the above mix with chilles, and salt coarsely
• Add asoefitida, curry leaves
• Make small balls
• Deep fry in oil

Molagai Pachidi

Ingredients:

1. Green chillies - 5 to 6 nos
2. Asofoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
3. Brinjal - 50 grams
4. Tamarind - small size ball
5. Jaggery - 1 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Make a paste of 5 - 6 green chillies
• Heat a pan and pour oil, mustard and asoefitida powder in it
• Add the green chilli paste to this mixture and heat it
• Add the cut cubes (1/2 inch-3/4 cubes) of brinjal in this mixture with some tamarind water and let it boil
• Add salt and jaggery to this boiling mixture

Pineapple Gotsu

Ingredients:

1. Pine Apple           4-6 slices 
2. Tamarind              Small Ball 
3. Coconut Scrape     2 Table spoon 
4. Green Chillies        3-4 
5. Jaggery                  20  gms 
6. Turmeric Powder       1/2 tea spoon 
7. Jeera                      1/2 Tea spoon 
8. Mustard and Urid    1/2 + 1/2 Tea spoon 
9. oil                         1Table spoon 
10. Salt                       2 Teaspoon 
11. Rice                      1 Table spoon 
12. Curryleaf                 4 Arc 

Procedure:

• Cut the pine appleto 1/2" cubes
• Grind chilli,coconut Jeera, Rice together
• Squeeze the Tamarind with 3 cups of water
• Add salt and Turmric Powder and salt
• Add pine apple and boil for 4 minutes
• Add ground masalaand Boil for 3 minutes and season it

Vendiya Molagai

Ingredients:

1. Green Chillies  - 100gm 
2. Fenugreek   -   2  table spoon 
3. Asafoedita    -    1/2  Teaspoon 
4. Salt  -  3 Tea spoon 
5. Lemon  - 1 full (Squeezed) 
6. Ginglee oil - 3 Table spoons 

Procedure:

• Roast the Fenugreek to golden colour  and powder with salt and asafoedita
• Wash and wipe green chillies
• Slit the chillies lengthwise and fill it with the ground powder
• Heat the ginglee oil and drop the stuffed chillies in it
• Keep stirring on a slow fire for 10 to 15 minutes
• When the skin of the chillies change colour ,remove from fire and add the squeezed lemon and mix well
• Serve with Dosai,curd Rice 

Poondu Mulagaipodi

Ingredients:

1. Red chilli - 2 Handful
2. Gingelly oil - 3 tablespoons
3. Garlic Peeled - 3 full garlic

 

Procedure: 

• Heat 3 tablespoon Gingely oil and fry2 handful of Redchilli to light  brown colour
• Remove the oil and keep aside
• Peeloff 3 Full garlic and keep aside
• Now dry grind the roasted chilli with required salt to grind coarsely
• Then add cleaned garlic and grind rough
• Now mix well with a spoon and put it in a bowl
• Then pour the oil ( which was used for roasting) to the ground mixture
• Podi is ready to consume with Dosai or iddly

Ginger Honey Concoction for weight loss

Ingredients:

Peeled Ginger  - 100 gms

Honey - 1/2 cup

1 cup water

Procedure:

• Put the ginger and water in a mixie and obtain the extract juice
• This can be used for 3 days
• Heat half cup of honey in a pan without water (do not let it get crusty)
• Add 1/3 of the ginger extract and add 5 raisins and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes
• Remove from heat and drink it hot
• Do not drink water for the next hour or two

Pathiya saapadu - Pepper Kozhumbu

Lunch: Pepper kozhambu lasts over a week

 

Ingredients:

1. Pepper - 3 heaped tablespoons
2. Jeera - 2 tablespoons
3. Dhaniya (corriander seeds) - 1 teaspoon
4. Red Chillies - 4
5. Toor dhal - 3 tablespoons
6. Rice - 1 tablespoon
7. Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
8. Gingelly oil half cup
9. Small onions if available (10 nos) or cut onions half cup (tea cup)
10. 2 cups of curry leaves
11. Garlic 3 full 
12. Sundakai vattal (if available - it is in Indian stores) - 2 tablespoons to be cooked separately
13. 1 teaspoon Methi seeds  fenugreek
14. 2 teaspoons mustard seeds (Note TEA spoon) for seasoning
15. 1 teaspoon urad dhal (Note TEA Spoon)  for seasoning 
16. Tamarind 1 small lime size

 Procedure:

• Roast all above ingridients except garlic, sundakaai vattal, methi seeds and seasoning items to a golden brown color by using half teaspoon gingelly oil
• Grind this roasted stuff with tamarind without seeds, onion, curry leaves to a very fine paste. Remove it and add 4 cups of water. Add salt to taste and little jaggery if available. Allow it to boil. 
• Keep a pan with quater cup of gingelly oil on the side. Heat it and roast sundakkai vattal, garlic and methi seeds and put it in the gravy. When the gravy becomes thicker (idly mavu consistency) remove it from the pan and season with the remaining gingelly oil.
• Ready to serve. Eat it with hot rice (gingelly oil or ghee optional)
• Adjust pepper for spice level (this is spicy version)
• You can eat with roasted paapad or kootu or vegetables.

Pathiya Saapadu - Milk Kanjee (Conjee) Post-pregnancy recipe

Ingredients:

Morning around 10 AM: Paal Kanji (Conji)

This milk conji stimulates production of breast milk (Fenugreek and garlic are stimulants)

1. Rice - 1 Handful rice (puyungal arisi preferred but regular rice is fine) for 2 glasses of conjee
2. Jeera - 1 teaspoon
3. methi seeds (vendhiyam) - 1.5 teaspoons
4. garlic pods (pallu) - 6

 Procedure:

• Put ingredients together to get to mashed consistency
• Add a cup of milk to the mashed mixture and add sugar according to taste (just a bit)
• Drink 1 glass

Andhra Pulusu

Ingredients:
 

1. Bottle gourd-  9" long
2. Brinjal small- 3 nos
3. Drumstick-1no
4. Tomato-1no
5. Sugar-1 teaspoon
6. Tamarind extract-3 cups
7. Salt- to taste
8. Turmeric Powder-1/2 teaspoon
9. Chillipowder-2 tea spoon
10. Cuminseed - 1/2 teaspoon
11. A pinch of asafoedita
12. Mustard - 1 teaspoon
13. Red chillies - 2 nos
14. Curry leaf - few

Procedure

• Cut the vegetable into 2 " length 
• Add the cut vegetables with tamarind extract.
• Add salt,chillipowder,turmeric and boil till the vegetables get cooked.Before removing from the stove add sugar
• Heat two tablespoon of cooking oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon cuminseed, a pinch of asafoedita,  1 teaspoon of mustard , 2 red chillyies and curryleaf

Adai

Ingredients:

1. Raw rice - 1 cup
2. Channa dhal - 1 cup
3. Toor dhal - 1 handful
4. Moong dhal - 1 handful
5. Urad dhal - 1 tablespoon
6. Red chillies -  8 nos
7. Coconut scrapings - 1 cup
8. Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Ginger - 1 inch piece
10. Cut onions - 1 cup
11. Curry leaves - 8 leaves
12. Coriander leaves chopped - optional
13. Mustard - 1 teaspoon
14. Urad dhal - 2 teaspoon
15. Salt to taste
16. Gingelly oil for seasoning and making adais

Procedure:

• Soak chilly, dhals and rice together for 1 to 2 hours
• Grind the above ingredients coarsely with ginger
• Add salt, coconut scrapings, curry leaves, coriander leaves (optional) to the batter
• Heat one teaspoon of oil and season with mustard and urad dhal
• Add the seasonings to the batter
• Heat oil in the dosa pan and add the batter and spread it to make the adai crepes till it is golden brown
• Turn it around and heat till it is golden brown color

Aapam

Ingredients:

1. Parboiled rice - 2 Cups
2. Raw Rice - 2 cups
3. Urad dhal - 2 tablespoons
4. Fenugreek - 1 teaspoon
5. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Soak all ingredients (without salt) together for 2 to 3 hours
• Wash well before grinding and grind it to a very fine consistency
• Remove the batter to a vessel
• Wash the grinder with one cup of water and heat this water to a conjee consistency
• Cool it and add it to the ground batter with salt (This congee makes it very soft)
• Allow it to ferment for 8 hours
• Pour one ladle in the aapam pan and rotate the pan so the batter is spread thin on the edges with a slight bulge in the center
• Cover it with the lid
• When it is done in a couple of minutes, remove it
• Make sure the center is well cooked

This will go well with Coconutchutney( see recipe elsewhere in this blog) and coconut milk

Ginger Chutney

Ingredients

1. Peeled and Cut Ginger - 1/2 Cup
2. Tamarind - 1 Lemon size ball
3. Red chillies - 7 nos
4. Jaggery - 1 teaspoon
5. Oil - 2 teaspoons
6. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
7. Urad dhal - 2 teaspoons
8. Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Curry leaves - 7 leaves
10. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat oil and season with mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves, asafoetida and keep aside
• In the same pan, roast red chillies and add gingery
• Sautee for 10 minutes
• Now grind the chillies, ginger, jaggery, tamarind, salt together with two tablespoons of water
• When it is ground well, add the seasonings which you kept aside initially and grind for 1 minute
• Serve with Pessarattu

Pessarattu (Full green gram dosai)

Ingredients:

1. Full green gram - 2 teacups
2. Raw rice - 1 teacup
3. Ginger - 1 inch piece
4. Green chillies - 3
5. Cut onions - 1 cup
6. Chopped Coriander leaves - 3 tablespoons
7. Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Soak green gram and rice together for 4 hours
• Wash well and grind this to a paste (idly batter consistency) with ginger and green chilly
• Keep it refrigerator without allowing it to ferment
• When you need to make the pesarattu, add salt, cut onions, jeera and coriander leaves
• Make it like thin dosas (crepes)
• Add 1 teaspoon of gingelly oil (or any vegetable oil) and turn it the other side to grill it to golden brown color
• Serve with giner chutney

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

1. Red chilli [roasted in oil] -  7 nos.
2. Tamarind pulp - 2 teasp
3. Salt to taste
4. Mustard seed -1 teasp
5. Asafoetida---1/4 teasp
6. Urud dhal---4 teasp

Procedure:

• Grind chilli,salt, tamarind to a fine paste
• Now add coconut and grind for 1 min without adding water
• Then roast  mustard, urud dhal ,asafoetida  in 2 teasp of oil and add this to the chutney
• Grind briefly for 1/2 minute
• Mix this chutney with urad dhal rice. 
• Avial and appalam, vadagam can be used as side dish.

Morekazhi

Ingredients

1.   Plain Rice flour-1/2 Cup

2.   Buttermilk or churned curd-1cup

3.   Salt-to taste

4.   Channa dhall- 1 Teaspoon

5.   Mustard- 1/2 Teaspoon

6.   Redchilli-5nos

7.   Asafoeditta-1/2 Teaspoon

8.   Curry leaf- 10 nos

9.   Oil- 2 Tablespoon

Procedure:

·         Heat oil

·         Add mustard, channadhall,asafoedittaand broken Red chilli for seasoning.

·         Now add Riceflour into the butter mlik with salt and mix well.

·         Add this mixture into the seasoning and stir wellto avoid lumps

·         Keep stirring for 7-10 minutes.

·         If necessary you can add another 1/2 cup of water to make it soft.

·         Touch Kazhi with wet hand to make sure whether it is cooked. It won't stick to the hand.

Brinjal with coconut milk Gravy.

Ingredients:

1.     Brinjal-small-10nos

2.     Coriander seeds-1 tablespoon

3.     Cumin seed-1teaspoon

4.     Chilli powder-1 1/2 teaspoon

5.     Salt -to taste

6.     Cutonion -5tablespoon

7.     Coconut milk-300ml

8.     Cooking oil-4 tablespoon

Procedure:

·         Grind all masala ingredients including onion.

·         Slit the Brinjal and stuff the ground masala.

·         Heat the cooking oil in a pan and add the stuffed Brinjal and cook in slow heat

·         When the brinjal is done add the coconut milk and curry leafs,

·         Allow it to simmer for 3-5 minutes.

·         Remove and serve with chappathi or with any cooked rice.