Carrot & Broad bean gravy (Avarakkai, carrot kootu)

Carrot and Broad bean gravy (carrot & avarakkai kootu) - Preparation time 15 mins
Usually we won't be make carrot kootu as it will be too sweet so we can add carrot to avarakkai and make the below kootu. When i went to one of relative house they cooked this kootu. Actually they did with small piece of carrot but i tried with little more. You can try it out

Ingredients:-
Avarakai - 1 cup (chopped to small pieces)
Carrot - 2 small size (Skin peeled and chopped to small pieces)
Turmeric - ¼ tsp
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 or 1 ½ cup water (till the greens get immersed)
Thalikkum vadagam - 1
Pepper coarsely ground - 1 tsp
Toor dhal (Thuvaram paruppu) - one cup (pressure cooked).
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp (optional)
Cumin (Jeera) seed - ½ tsp (optional) {Grind this with coconut and make a paste}
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6 (finely chopped)

Preparation method:-

Boil water with turmeric, salt & sambar powder. When water boils add avarakai, carrot to cook.

Add cooked dhal to vegetable and boil. Switch of the flame

In a tawa add thalikum vadagam (which is made of jeera, urad dhal, onion, mustard, castor oil, etc) to splutter and pepper powder.

Ground coconut along with cumin seed to coarse paste. Add this to the kootu and mix. Finally curry leaves.
Kootu and 1/4 tsp of ghee can be mixed with rice and taken. It will be very tasty.

Mangai ingi salad (Galangal salad)

Mangai ingi salad - Preparation time 5 mins
This is seasonal usually we will get more dring year end. If will be like ginger but will contain little taste of mango also. Goes well with curd rice. Simple to make.

Ingredients:-
Mangai ingi - chopped finely 1 cup (Wash well and remove the skin part. Chop to small cubes)
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Mustard - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Preparation method:-
In serving bowl mix chopped mangai ingi, lemon juice and salt. Mix well and check the taste.
You can serve this with curd rice. It will taste good after few hours because it will absorb the essence into mangai ingi.
If you want you can garnish. Heat oil, add mustard to splutter and garnish the mangai ingi.

Vellai karamani kurma(Blackeye bean gravy)

Vellai karamani (my version of dal makkani using Black eye bean gravy) - Preparation time 20 mins

Innovation of this recipe is interesting. I soaked vellai karamani for making sundal but my husband called and told that he will be coming late. I thought if he takes sundal late night then taking dinner will get postponed so I thought of converting the sundal into some side dish for chappathi.

In hotel we used to take dal makkani for chapathi i liked the taste of makkani very much. So implemented that into blackeye bean. It came out well and tasty.

Ingredients:-
Blackeye beans - 50 gms or try out with two handful bean (Soak for 4 to 5 hrs)
Onion - 1 (chopped to small sq pieces)
Tomato - 1/2 or 1 according to your taste
Ginger - 1 inch size (chopped finely)
Small garlic pods - 8 to 10 (chopped finely)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Green chili - 1
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seed - 1/2 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp ( I used my home made masala for this )

Preparation method:-
Pressure cook the soaked black eye bean for 3 whistle with required amount of water. Mash slightly and keep
In a tawa add oil, cumin to splutter and onion. when onion slightly cooked in goes finely chopped ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, chili powder and tomato. Cook till tomato's raw smell goes off.
Add the excess water from the cooked black eye bean.
When it starts boiling add salt and slightly mashed bean along with the garam masala powder.
Leave this to boil for 10 mins. You can add water if you want the gravy to be little thin.
This will be tasty and goes well with chapathi.

Bitter Gourd fries (Pagarkai varuval)

Bitter gourd fry (pagarkai varuval) - Preparation time 20 mins

When mom make bitter gourd fries we enjoy eating it. It will be bitter, spicy and crispy. She will prepare this as a side dish for rasam rice but as usual we will finish eating before lunch and end up with appalam  for rasam rice. This can be taken as evening snacks also.

Ingredients:-
Bitter gourd - 2 medium size
Red chili powder - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Bengal gram flour - 2 tbsp
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Water - if required
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
Slice the bitter gourd into thin circular pieces. If you like you can keep the seeds else you can remove it.
In a bowl mix bitter gourd, chili powder, salt. If you want you can increase the spice level by adding little more chili powder. Leave this for 15 minutes marination.


Heat the oil in a deep fry tawa.

In another vessel take 10 to 15 marinated pieces of bitter gourd and mix equal amount of flours.
Take care it should not be too soggy then only the fries will be crispy.
Add this mixture to hot oil and cook over medium flame. Remove from oil when the bubbles reduces and the colour changes slightly.

Transfer to a tissue to remove excess oil.
It will surely be bitter but we loved it. Try out and put your feedback. 

Baby potato dry curry (Chinna Urulai kizhangu poriyal)

Baby potato dry curry (Chinna urulai kizhangu poriyal) - Preparation time 30 mins
Everyone love potato. Baby potato will bit more tasty when compared to normal potato. I tried this one when dad came home. He liked the spicy dry curry. Try out this dry curry. It goes well with rasam rice and also with chapati.

Ingredients:
Baby potato - 10
Red chili powder - 1 tsp or 2 tsp ) according to your spice level
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Rice flour - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seed - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 10

Preparation method:-
Pressure cook the baby potatoes and peel of the skin. Prick all the baby potatoes with fork in two or three places.
In a bowl add the baby potatoes, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, coriander and cumin powder. Mix them well and keep aside for marination (15 mins).
In a tawa add remaining oil, mustard to splutter, urad dhal to golden brown, curry leaves and finally goes the marinated potato along with rice flour.
Roast till the outer part turns roasted. This will be crispy outside and soft inside.
With hot rasam sadam (rice) and baby potato dry curry you love your lunch.

Note : Take care while cooking baby potato. It should not be too soft because it will get mashed while roasting.