Spicy groundnut fries (Vaerkadalai pakoda/ kara vaerkadalai)

Spicy groundnut fries (Vaerkadalai pakoda/ kara vaerkadalai)
Another yummy snack from mommy's cookbook or hand. I wonder home come our mom/grandmom... tried this much recipes for our small tummy. That too delicious, with nutritional values, different, according to season, taste... no word's to explain. I am coming to recipe now.

Ingredients:-
Groundnut - 1 cup
Bengal gram flour - 2 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - to deep fry
Asafoetida - a pinch
Water - to sprinkle

Preparation method:-
Soak the dry groundnut in water for 5 to 10 mins so that the skin will become slightly soft which will make the flour mixture to stick.
Mix bengal gram flour, rice flour, salt, chili powder, asafoetida. Check spice and salt level to your taste.
Filter the water after 10 mins and keep the groundnut.
In a bowl take handful of soaked groundnut, mix the flour mixture to the groundnut so that it is coated well. If required slightly sprinkle water.
Heat oil in kadai. Keep in medium flame and add the flour mixture coated groundnut and cook in slow flame so that the groundnut will become crispy and golden brown.
Careful while frying because some groundnut's might splutter. If cooked in highflame the groundnut will be burnt.

Bitter gourd sweet dry curry (pakkarkai inippu poriyal)

Bitter gourd sweet dry curry (pakkarkai inippu poriyal) - Preparation time 15 mins
My dad like sweet bitter gourd curry so mom used to make bitter gourd as below. It will surely taste different i.e bitter, sweet, spicy. Goes well with rasam rice. I like to eat this curry even without rice so i used to finish this before I start my lunch :-).

Ingredients:-
Bitter gourd - chopped 1 cup
Red Chili powder or Sambar powder - 2 tsp or according to your spice level
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 tbsp or 2 as per you taste
Water - to cook bitter gourd
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a vessel add water, turmeric, sambar powder (if you are using red chili powder you can add while you garnish and fry the bitter gourd), salt and boil. Add chopped bitter gourd and cook till the vegetable is tender. (Add only required amount of water).
In a tawa heat sesame oil, mustard to splutter, urad dhal should be brown. Now add cooked bitter gourd and fry till the excess water evaporates.
Add the sugar and sortae. The sugar will be coated evenly. Dry curry will be bitter only. Additionally you feel the spicy & sweet taste.

Note : Dark green coloured bitter gourd will be very bitter. You can wash the cut bitter gourd pieces using rice washed water (arisi kazhuviaya thaneer). You can cut bitter gourd into two and place the cut portion in the clean floor. These are some methods people used to follow to remove the bitterness. Anyway these things wont help much it is good to take the curry by enjoying and loving the bitterness of the vegetable.

Pasiparuppu thogayal (Mung dhal rice paste)

Pasiparuppu thogayal (Mung dhal rice paste) - preparation time 10 mins
Last month when I went to village mom made this thogayal. I haven't tasted this thogayal before. I asked is it new she told no  and in villages we used to grow mung dhal in our agriculture land's along with urad dhal so that will be in abundant when compared toor dhal. She told the method is same as thuvaram paruppu thogayal. Thogayal taste was same but the flavor differed.

Ingredients:-
Mung dhal(Pasiparuppu) - 50 gms (or handful)
Red chili - 2
Pepper - 6
Garlic - 5 pods (If you don't like garlic you can make even without garlic) 
Sesame oil - 1 or 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - little

Preparation method:-
Roast pasiparupu 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 pasiparupu thogayal with ghee and hot rice.