Murungai keerai kootu (Moringa leaves gravy)

Murungai keerai kootu (Moringa leaves gravy) - preparation time 20 to 25 mins
Health Tips : Green contains more iron, low fat, high protein,calcium, fibre and other vitamins so, include more greens. If possible you can make dishes using greens daily.

Ingredients:-
Murungai keerai - 2 cups (washed well).
Turmeric - ¼ tsp
Sambar powder - 1.5 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 or 1 ½ cup water (till the greens get immersed)
Thalikkum vadagam - 1
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Toor dhal (Thuvaram paruppu) - one cup (pressure cooked).
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp (optional)
Roasted and ground Cumin seed - ½ tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Preparation method:-
Boil water with turmeric, sambar powder and salt. When water boils add greens and cook till the greens are tender/cooked. If you cook for long time it will become dark
Add cooked dhal to greens and boil.
In a tawa thalikkum vadagam (which contains jeera, urad dhal, onion, mustard, castor oil, etc) when it splutters add cummin seed fry and add to kootu
Add grated coconut cumin powder to kootu and serve.
Transfer to serving bowl immediately to avoid over cooking of green. Murungai keerai will take less time to cook.
Murungai keerai kootu can be taken with rice.

Note: While cooking greens don't cover the vessel with lid because greens color will become dark.

Vegetable cutlet (Kaikari cutlet)

Vegetable cutlet (Kaikari cutlet) - Preparation time 25 mins
We can use the different vegetables to make this cutlet healthy. If we shallow fry with less oil in a non stick pan or roast in an oven it will be very good. While making the cutlet i tried using roasted oats instead of bread crumbs.

Ingredients:-
Potato - 1
Carrot - 1 (medium size) grated
Beetroot - 1 grated
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt - As required
Oats - 2 tbsp (dry roasted and powdered) or Rusk powder
Maida - 1 tbsp (I tried with roasted and nicely ground urad dhal instead of maida it was very tasty and healthy when compared to maida)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Preparation method:-
Pressure cook the potato, peel the skin and mash it.
In a tawa add 1 tbsp oil. Fry grated carrot, beetroot till raw smell goes off. When cooked add chili powder, garam masala, salt, mashed potato and mix well.

Cool it and make small balls. Flat the ball to the shape of vada or the shape you like.

Mix the maida with water to coat the cutlet (the maida and water mixture should be very thin just to coat the cutlet so that the oats powder can be coated).

Coat the cutlet with maida mixture and oats powder.

Roast the cutlet in the non-stick tawa and add oil. When roasted on both side, serve hot.

Note : You can also add cooked peas or sweet corn.

Katharikai (Chidambaram) Kosthu (Brinjal Gosthu/Kosthu)

Katharikai gosthu/kosthu (Chidambaram brinjal gosthu) in mom's method - preparation time 20 mins

Making of katharikai kosthu is famous in our native place chidambaram. In most of the functions this kosthu make a perfect pair with idli. This will be a very tasty side dish. You will end up eating few extra idli or dosai when you prepare this brinjal kosthu. Try it out you people surely love it. With slight modification it can be made as a side dish to pongal. When you prepare pepper rice this can be served as side dish for the rice. Happy and healthy eating :-)

Ingredients:-
Brinjal (katharikai) - 6 (Brinjal should be soft and tender, Check whether the green part is fresh and broad)
Small Onion - 20 (finely chopped i.e. small strips of 1/2 inch. If small onion is not available you can use 2 big onion)
Roasted and ground red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Green chili - 1slit in middle
Curry leaves - 5 (washed and finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - 4 (washed and finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Tamarind juice - 1 tsp
Water - Required to cook brinjal and onion
Mustard - ¼ tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Roast till nice aroma comes and powder- 2 tbsp of coriander seed, 1 tsp gram dhal, 4 pepper & 1 red chili
Salt to taste

Preparation method:-
Chop the brinjal (katharikai) to small pieces and keep in a bowl of water (to avoid oxidation).
Add one tbsp of oil to a kadai, add chopped brinjal's (without water), turmeric a pinch, salt to cook brinjal.
Sortae for few mins and sprinkle little water so the brinjal will be cooked softly.
Mash this using a ladle and transfer to a bowl.

Clean the tawa and add 1 tbsp oil, mustard, urad dhal, green chili & chili. When dhal is golden brown add the chopped onion fry to transparent colour.

Add remaining turmeric, water, salt and boil till the onion is cooked.

Now add the tamarind juice, cook till the raw smell of tamarind goes off. (Take care while adding the tamarind juice. This gravy will be tasty only when all the taste and required proportion)
Add boiled and mashed brinjal to the boiling onion and tamarind gravy.
When vegetables blends with all the ingredients it will become a thick gravy. If you want you can add little water to the gravy.
Add coriander, roasted ground red chili powder,coarse ground powder (roasted coriander seed, gram dhal, pepper & chili) to the gravy and boil for few minutes. Due to dhal it will become thick.

Heat 1 tsp of gingely oil and add to the katharikai kosthu. This will give the appropriate colour and taste to the chidambaram katharikai kosthu or brinjal kosthu.
Finally transfer to a bowl and garnish with curry and coriander leaves.
Goes very well with dosa and idli.

Note: Usually it will be very tasty when you use small violet brinjal's which we get more on south part of India. I tried making this on big size brinjal's which we used to get on other parts of world but, the taste is bit less.

Thuvaram paruppu thogayal (Method II) - Toor dhal rice paste

Thuvaram paruppu thogayal (Toor dhal rice paste) - preparation time 15 to 20 mins
Adding protein to our daily food is essential. If we are making kara (or) puli kuzhambu this paruppu thogayal will be of great combination. When we are kids, after enjoying our long annual leave vacation and returning home mom used to make all the cleaning and cook for us. As vegetables wont be available she used to make this and fry vadagam or karudam (in our terms).



Ingredients:-
Toor dhal - 50 gms (or handful)
Urad dhal - 25 gms (2 tbsp)
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp
Red chili - 2
Pepper - 6
Garlic - 5 pods
Sesame oil - 1 or 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - little



Preparation method:-
Roast toor dhal and urad dhal with little oil. When it roasted slightly add red chili, pepper and roast till it is golden brown.
When roasted switch of the flame and add garlic. Sortae for few mins and add water.
Let the ingredients cool.
Grind roasted ingredients with required amount of salt and water if required.
Don’t make it to fine paste then it will be sticky.
Serve paruppu thogayal with ghee along with hot rice. You love the taste.

Method I - Raw banana or Plantain chips (Vazhakai varuval)

Raw banana or Plantain chips (Vazhakai varuval)- preparation time 10 to 15mins This chips goes well with hot sambar rice. When the plantain is tender it will be ok. so choose hard plantain (muthal vazhakai). The chips will be good and stiff instead of soggy. You can also serve this as snack along with tea or some sweet.

Ingredients:-
Raw banana or plantain - 1
Oil - to deep fry
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (grind pepper coarsely in home)
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
Peel the skin of plantain and cut the plantain to half.
Heat the oil and slice the raw banana directly over the heated oil.
Fry till the bubbles subside. Transfer to a bowl, remove excess oil using tissue.
Mix pepper, salt to fried chips. You can also mix red chili powder instead of pepper. It will also taste good.

Karunaikizhangu varuval (Yam chips)

Karunaikizhangu varuval (Yam chips) - Preparation time 15 to 20 mins
When Mom used start preparing for this we will get ready to eat. When she transfers to bowl immediately we will finish it. She used to make in large quantity to store for 1 day.

Ingredients:-
Karunai kizhangu - 150 gms
Oil - to deep fry
Red chili - 2 (break and keep)
Curd - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
Wash the sliced karunai kizhangu well along with little curd, so that the white or sticky substance in the yam will go off. Wash 2 or 3 times in running water.
Drain all the water using filter/mesh. Mix little curd, split chili & salt well with the grated yam.
Leave this for few mins.
Take the slices and press to remove excess water be careful else the slices will break.
Heat the oil for deep frying. Now slowly add the yam slices( the oil will splash due to water & salt in the slices).
When the slices are cooked and crisp transfer to a bowl containg tissue paper (to remove excess oil).
This will be very tasty and can be served as snack or along with samabhar or rasam rice.