Jeera Rasam (Rama Soundararajan contribution)

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind - small amla size
2. Salt to taste
3. Jaggery (optional)
4. Asafoetida
5. Rasam powder - 2 spoons
6. Tomato - 1
7. Curry leaf - 10 leaves
8. Jeera - 1 spoon

For Grinding:

1. Jeera / cumin seeds - 2 spoons
2. Toor dhal - 2 spoons 
3. Curry leaf - 5- 8 leaves

Procedure:

1. Add salt to tamarind water and mix well
2. Add curry leaf and asafoetida to this mixture
3. Cut 1 tomato into small pieces and add to the mixture
4. Add 2 spoons rasam powder to this mixture and boil
5. For grinding take 1.5 spoons Jeera, Toor dhal and curry leaf and grind in the mixer.
6. Pour the ground items with boiling rasam.
7. For the seasoning: Pour ghee and heat it with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves.

Pavakkai Pitlai (Rama Soundararajan Contribution) or puli kootu

Ingredients:

1. Pavakkai or bitter melon
2. Channa Dhal - 1 handfuls (Kadala paruppu)
3. Toor dhal boiled - 1 small cup
4. Tamarind water
5. Salt to taste 
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Curry leaves 
8. Sugar - optional - 1 teaspoon
9. asaefoetida - 1/4 spoon

For Grinding 

1. Coconut scrapings - 1 handful
2. Dhaniya or coriander seeds - 1 handful
3. Red chilly - 3 pieces or add more for making it a spicy dish
4. Channa dhal - 1 handful
5. Seasonings with: fried mustard seeds, fried urad dhal 1 spoon and curry leaves

For grinding:

• Fry 2 pieces asoefoetida (or 1/4 spoon powder), coriander seeds, red chilly and 1 handful channa dhal till it turns red
• Add grated coconut 1 handful to the fried mixture and grind all these in the mixer. Add tamarind water if available for grinding

Procedure:

• Cut pavakkai or bitter melon into small pieces after taking off the seeds. You can leave the seeds on as it is good for health.
• Boil pavakki in water to make it less bitter and drain the water. (No draining necessary for other vegetables like pooshanikai pumpkin).
• Pour cold water over pavakkai and wash completely.
• Put tamarind water in the pavakkai till the vegetable is completely immersed in the tamarind water.
• Add salt, turmeric powder, 1 handful of channa dhal, curry leaves to the boiling mixture and boil nicely
• If you have boiled toor dhal, add it to the boiling mixture (can avoid if you do not have this)
• Add 1 spoon sugar
• Add the ground items to the boiling mixture 
• Season the dish with fried mustard seeds, 1 spoon urad dhal and curry leaves.

You can also use the same recipe with Chick peas and Pumpkin for puli kootu. You dont have to drain the boiled vegetable water for this vegetable

Coconut Rice

INGREDIENTS:

Red chilli                                 6

Ginger                                     a bit - 1 inch 

Green chilli                             2

Mustard                                  2tea spoon

Channa Dhal                            2 table spoon

Urad Dhal                                 1 table spoon

Asafoedita                                 1/2 teaspoon

Rice                                         3 cups

Oil                                           2 table spoon

Curry leaf                                12nos

PROCEDURE:

Wash and cook the rice and spread it in a wide mouthed vessel. 
Heat the oil and season red chiili, mustard,channa dhal,uraddhal asafoedita and cut green chilli.
Add this with the instant ready mix coconut powder to the cooked rice.
Mix well by adding 1/4 teaspoon of sugar.
Now taste it and add salt if necessary.

Jackfruit payasam

பலாபழம் பாயசம்

Ingredients

1. Jack fruit cut into small pieces (or pulp) - 4 cups
2. Jaggery - 3 cups
3. Water - 1/2 cup
4. Coconut milk - 3 cups
5. Cardamom powder - 2 teaspoons
6. Broken cashew nuts - 5 tablespoons
7. Dry ginger powder - 1 teaspoon
8. Ghee - 1 tablespoon

Procedure

• Pressure cook the jack fruit pieces for 20 minutes
• Remove and grind it in a mixer for 5 minutes
• Keep it aside. Melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water to double thread consistency and strain it to remove the dust
• Now mix jackfruit mass with jaggery syrup and keep it on stove
• Keep stirring for 30 minutes
• Now the mixture will become thick like idly batter
• Then keep a pan on the stove
• Add ghee and roast the cashewnuts to golden color
• Now add the coconut milk to the jackfruit mixture with cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and allow it to summer for 5 minutes
• Never allow it to boil for a long time
• Over boiling will cause curdling of coconut milk
• Garnish with the roasted cashewnuts to serve
• Note: To increase the taste of payasam, roast 2 tablespoons of moong dhal and pressure cook till it becomes soft. Then add this along with the jackfruit mix and stir well

Ladies finger poriyal (Okra Poriyal)

Ingredients:

1. Ladies finger or Okra - 500 gms 
2. Chopped onions - 1 cup
3. Coconut scrapings - 4 tablespoons
4. Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoon
5. Garlic - 3 pods (optional)
6. Mustard - 1 teaspoon
7. Urad dhal - 1 tablespoon
8. Curry leaf - 10 leaves
9. Salt - to taste
10. Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Chilli powder - 3/4 teaspoon
12. Oil - 2 tablespoon
13. Curd (Yogurt) - 1 tablespoon

Procedure:

• Wash and cut the okra to 1 inch length pieces. 
• Heat oil in a pan and add the seasonings one by one
• Then add onions and the cut okras with salt and turmeric powder
• Mix well and sprinkle the yogurt on the top to avoid the vegetable sticky 
• Close with lid and reduce the flame to minimum temperature for 10 minutes
• Keep stirring occasionally 
• Meanwhile grind coconut and cumin seed coarsely without adding water and add this to the cooked okras
• Now add the chilli powder and curry leaves. 
• Mix well and keep on the stove for 10 more minutes at the same heat
• Now remove and serve with your rice and sambar, rasam or other gravy
• NOTE: For diabetic people you can add the diabetic kootu powder instead of coconut

Beans Paruppu Usili

பீன்ஸ் பருப்பு உசிலி

Ingredients

1. Beans (finely cut) - 3 cups
2. Toor dhal -  3 Tablespoons
3. Channa Dhal - 1.5 tablespoons
4. Chilli powder- 1.5 teaspoons
5. Salt to taste
6. Turmeric powder - 3/4 teaspoon
7. Mustard - 3/4 teaspoon
8. Urad dhal - 2 teaspoon
9. Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Curry leaves - 12 nos
11. Oil - 3 tablespoon

Procedure

• Soak toor dhal and channa dhal for about 2 hours
• Wash and grind coarsely with chilli poweder and salt by adding 3 tablespoons of water
• Never add excess water to avoid the mass becoming sticky
• Now heat 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the ground mixture for 5 minutes by stirring constantly
• Remove and steam for 10 minutes
• Cool and grind it in the mixture for 3 minutes without adding water
• Now the content will be a very soft powder. keep it aside
• Wash and cook the beans in 1 cup of water with little salt and turmeric powder till it becomes soft
• Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and season with urad dhal and mustard
• Add curry leaves and put the soft dhal powder and stir for 3 minutes. Now add the cooked beans without water and stir well to get a uniform mixture
• Now the colorful tasty paruppu usili is ready to eat.

Simple Chukku Coffee (Dry Ginger Concoction)

சுக்கு காபி

Ingredients:

1. Tulsi or Mint leaves - 12 leaves with stem
2. Dry Ginger - 100 grams 
3. Coriander Seeds - 50 gms
4. Black pepper - 25 gms
5. Karuppatti (black jaggery) - 500 gms

Procedure:

• Dry grind and store the dry ginger, coriander seeds and black pepper  in an airtight container.
• Boil 6 cups of water and add 6 to 8 teaspoons of ground powder.
• Add black jaggery approximately 8 teaspoons or according to the individual taste
• Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes
• Now 3 cups of chukku coffee is ready
• 1/4 cup of warm milk can be added if required just before drinking
• Note: Always prepare the chukku coffee as fresh as possible. Never reheat it once milk is added since milk will get curdled. This is a stimulant for the digestive system.