Potato, Onion and tomato dry curry (Vengayam, thakkali and urullai masal)

Potato, Onion and tomato dry curry (Vengayam, thakkali and urullai masal) - Preparation time 15 mins
I thought of making potato curry slightly different from my usual potato curry. This tasted different and with sour, spicy taste. Potato curry went well with sambhar rice. I tried in small quantity.

Ingredients:-
Potato - 1 (big size) pressure cooked and peeled of the skin
Tomato - 1 (medium size) chop to small pieces
Onion - 1 (chopped to thin slice)
Sambhar powder - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Fresh coriander - 2 tbsp

Preparation method:-
Heat the oil in a kadai. Add mustard seed to splutter, urad dhal to become golden brown.
Add the onion and fry till it get cooked and add chopped tomato. Fry for few minutes till both onion and tomato become soft and oil starts leaving. Add sambhar powder, turmeric powder
along with salt. Cook till raw smell goes off.
Now add the cooked potato cubes, coriander leaves to the fried items.
Turn the potato cubes well for 5 to 10 mins in low flame, so that all the fried ingredients gets coated well. 

Chili Baji (Milagai baji)

Chili Baji (Milagai baji) - Preparation time 10 mins
Hotttt baji which mom used to make when we get the large size of chili (usually we used to say as baji milagai). Light green and will be in big size. Mom used to make some processing to bring down the hotness of the chili. Goes well with coconut chutney as usual.

Ingredients:-
Baji milagai - 4
Tamarind - gooseberry size
Water - 2 cups
Bengal gram flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Asafoetida - a pinch
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
Slit the chili from top bottom so we can remove the seeds from the chili. Be careful don't make the chili to half just slight on the side alone.
In a vessel add the water and boil along with the tamarind or tamarind juice. When the water boils add a;; the slit chili's and boil fr fe seconds.
Switch of the stove, cover the vessel with a lid. Leave this for few mins. This is the process to bring down the hot nature of the baji milagai.
Remove the chili and keep in a plate.
Take a bowl, add bengal gram flour, rice flour, chili powder, asafoetida and mix well. Add required amount of water to make thick paste so that it will get coated over the chili.
Heat oil in kadai for deep frying. Usually i will make each chili into two piece (top portion and bottom portion) to avoid keeping large amount of oil for deep frying.
Fry one chili at a time. Dip chili in the baji paste and coat evenly as a thick layer. Now slowly drop the dipped chili into the oil. 
In medium flame fry for few mins so the outer layer and the flour which will be inside the chili (which goes through the slit portion of the chili) are cooked properly.
Colour of the baji will become slightly brownish yellow and crisp.
Serve hot to your friends and family. 

Peerkangai Kootu (Ridge gourd gravy)

Peerkangai Kootu (Ridge gourd gravy):- Preparation time 15mins
When you buy peerkangai check whether inner flesh is not bitter because sometimes it will be very bitter you wan't be able to eat. I once made peerkangai thogayal and finally tasted to check whether salt is enough hmm then only i found that the ridge gourd was soooo bitter that we cant take with Idli. Finally we had idli with idli podi :-) . 

Ingredients:-
Peerkangai (Ridge gourd) - 1 medium size (remove the skin and chop to small cubes)
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Thuvaram paruppu (toor dhal) - 2 tbsp (or 1 small cup pressure cooked softly with pinch of turmeric)
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Sambhar powder - 1 tbsp
Pepper - 5
Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 string
Water required amount
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seed - 1/2 tsp

Preparation method:-
Remove the outer skin of peerkangai and chop to small cubes.
In a vessel boil 1cup of water along with sambhar powder and salt.
When water starts to boil add chopped peerkangai and cook till the vegetable becomes tender.
Add boiled toor dhal to peerkangai and cook for few mins. 

Grind coconut, pepper & 1 tbsp cumin seed to coarse paste and add to the peerkangai kootu. Switch of the flame and mix well.
In a pan add oil, mustard seed and leave to splutter. Now add curry leaves, urad dhal to light brown garnish the peerkankai kootu with this. This kootu almost taste like vellarikai kootu.
You can take this with rice or chapathi.

Easy bread toast

Easy bread toast - Preparation time 5 mins
Actually my husband made this recipe. We used to take bread with jam/butter/tomato gravy but this one is simple and easy to make. After eating 2 slices with jam you would like to have something hot/spicy in the middle. This recipe will compliment your taste-buds. Ingredients we use to make this will be readily available in our home.

Ingredients:-
Bread pieces - 6 (or according to your wish)
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Milk - tbsp

Preparation method:-
In a small bowl mix pepper and cumin. Add required amount of salt and mix well with pepper and cumin.
Heat tawa and roast the bread on one side. Turn the bread & over the roasted side sprinkle the spice mixture using fingers evenly over the bread.
Take little milk in a spoon and sprinkle over the spice mixture which is spread over the bread. This milk make the spice mixture to stick to the bread.
Now turn the bread and cook. If you want you can roast both sides with spice mixture. I will add only on one side because that itself will be spicy.
Enjoy this healthy toast as a breakfast or snack.

Healthy Vegetables in our daily life - Part III

Healthy Vegetables in our daily life - Part III
We might use many vegetables in our daily food preparation but we might don't know the real values or vitamins, minerals it have. I am providing few details which i came across through parents, friends,etc. You have to consult doctor for medicinal problems below is for few handy tips.

Ivy gourd (Kovakkai/Coccinia grandis) - This vegetable is very good for diabetic patients because this regulates the insulin secretion. The glucokemi in ivy gourd will bring down the blood sugar level to required level. Amla is also equally healthy for diabetic patients. It can be preserved and dried for use. We used to make dry curry which can be consumed with roti or rice. Next time if you see this vegetable in market buy and include in your diet. One of the low GI  vegetable. Women avoid during pregnancy and breast feeding. This vegetable is anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant rich.

Brinjal (Katharikai/ Aubergine) - Brinjal is nutrition rich in soluble fiber, water content, regulates the high blood cholesterol level, good anti-oxidant, rich in vitamin A and B complex  (b1,b3, b5 & b6), minerals like potassium, calcium, fiber, folic acid,etc. Good for diabetic and people suffering from high blood pressure. This is soft vegetable easily digestible. We used to make dry curry using brinjal and garlic so the medicinal value of both vegetable can be consumed.

Chow chow (Chayote/Banglore brinjal) - The fruit and seed is rich source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, Vitamin B complex, folates. Contains more water content, less in calorie so consumed during summer to cool the body. Have anti-inflammatory properties and good for heart (cardiovascular). The plant is a perennial climber. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, zinc, copper,iron,less amount of antioxidant. While peeling the vegetable sticky fluid will come and to avoid this chop the vegetable to large portion and dip in water and rub well to remove the sticky fluid. They you can make into small cube to make kootu or sambhar.

Broad beans (Avarakkai) - Increases the haemoglobin content. Very rich source of omega 6 fatty acid, potassium,folate, phosphorus,dietary fiber , protein and water content. Also contains little amount of other minerals, vitamins A, C and fatty acid, amino acid, both soluble and insoluble fiber. Due to complex carbohydrate take care. Good source of vitamin b1. Regulate the blood and improves heart function

Plantain (Vazhakkai) - Good source of calories, dietary fiber to improve bowel movement & reduce constipation. Rich in vitamin A,C when compared to ripe banana, also contains b complex like B6, potassium. Little amount of iron, magnesium, phosphorus present in this vegetable. You can make dry curries using this plantain and gravies.

Pagarkkai Puli kuzhambhu (Bittergourd and tamarind gravy)

Pagarkkai Puli kuzhambhu (Bittergourd and tamarind gravy) - preparation time 15 mins
I used to make kootu/poriyal/ orundai kuzhambu with bitter gourd(pagarkkai). One day i tried puli kozhambhu using pagarkkai. This gravy contains very slight taste of bitter, tangy, sweet, spicy and salt. This goes very well with white rice  or side dish for adai.

Ingredients:-
Tamarind extract - Got from small gooseberry size tamarind ball
Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery - small piece
Thalikkum vadagam - 1
Bitter gourd - 1  (sliced thinly)
Sesame oil (nalla ennai) - 1 tbsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Toor dhal - 1/4 tsp
Bengal gram - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp

Preparation method:-
Heat kadai, add sesame oil, thalikkum vadagam, urad dhal, bengal gram, toor dhal. When nice aroma come add fenugreek seed along with chopped bitter gourd.
Fry till the bitter gourd is cooked to soft. Add turmeric, sambhar powder, salt sortae for few mins.
Add the tamarind extract and boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off. Check the spice level and adjust to your taste at this stage.
When the gravy become thick and oil separates add jaggery and boil.
The bitter gourd puli kuzhambhu will be in mixed taste (sweet, bitter, tangy, salty,etc). Try it out.

Varagu and Thenai aarisi adai (Kodo, Foxtail millet and pulses pan cake)

Varagu and Thenai aarisi adai - preparation time 2 to 2.5 hrs 
Millets are very rich source of protien, minerals, fibre, calcium, phosphorus, etc. In all the millets we have foxtail millet is richest source of all the specified nutrition so try to include this millet in your menu in some way.

I have started my creations using millets according to my Dr's advice. I am going to share those recipe to you all for your health benefit. First i tried sweet dish using thenai flour and jaggery which became hard to eat after 2 days need some more modification.

But when i tried making adai using the Foxtail millet and Kodo millet (Thenai and Varagu) it came out very well. You can try this nutritional adai. This recipe is gluten free, rich source of protien, minerals, etc and i am using coconut oil to prepare adai to enrich the taste of adai.

Ingredients:-
Varagu rice - 3/4 cup and Theenai rice - 1 and 1/4 cup (wash both rice together and soak for 2 hrs)
Bengal gram(Kadalai paruppu) - 3/4 cup 
Toor dal (Thuvaram paruppu) - ½ cup 
Moong dal (Pasi paruppu) - 1/4 cup (wash all dal and soak for 2 hrs)
Mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Sesame oil -4 tsp
Urad dhal - 3 tbsp
Chili - 6 (can increase according to your spice)(soak in water)
Coriander seed (Dhaniya) - 2 tbsp (soak in water)
Cumin seed (Jeera) - 2 tbsp (soak in water)
Salt to taste
Water - to grind
Asafoetida - ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - 10 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 2 inch piece (cleaned, washed and chopped finely)
Small onion - 20 (peeled and chopped fine) or 2 medium size big onion

Preparation method:-

Grinding method 1:-
In mixer grind coriander seed, cumin seed, chili with required water. Add varagu and thenai rice along with the spice and grind coarsely.
In mixer grind soaked dal's and mix with grounded rice mixture. 
We have to be careful while grinding the dal else it will become like a paste.Also don't add water to dal while grinding. If required just sprinkle some.     (or)

Grinding method 2:-
Another way is grind half rice mixture is you can add half portion of dal mixture and grind and remove similarly you can grind the remaining rice and dal.
Note that the grinding time of rice will be slightly more when compared to dal so we have to grind rice slightly and then add the dal to grind.

Garnishing:-
Heat a kadai add oil, add mustard seed. Once it splutters add urad dal and roast till golden brown.
Add chopped small onion, chopped ginger, curry leaves and fry till onion is cooked in goes asafoetida. Add this to ground rice & dal mixture.
Mix all the ingredients well along with salt and keep aside for 1/2 hr (you can also use immediately.
Take required amount of adai flour, add required amount of water to make adai in tawa.
Use this adai flour (mavu) and make adai in heated tawa. You can use sesame oil or coconut oil to cook adai. Delicious, healthy Varagu and Thenai adai is ready to eat.
It will be soft to eat. As chili and ginger are added you can consume without any side dish else you can take it with coconut chutney or sambhar.

Making of channa masala powder

Home made channa masala powder - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
I love to share the recipes i made so that people who want to learn can search and find out what they need.  When we visit some place and if they make some dishes new or different i will ask them how they made this recipe. But some won't share the recipe clearly and say just you put these things and do that way. I will simply move on thinking that why not we try creating it and share. Nothing harm will come in sharing the food or recipe it is a credit for you if you share and others make them tasty. :-)

I like channa masala and battura, but we can eat them occasionally. My mom used to prepare channa masala by buying the channa masala powder from specific brand. I thought of making it in home, so I can make only amount needed. If i go to store i have to buy the minimum amount they sell. I did my searching and found out want ingredients should go in for this spice powder.

I adjusted the spice to my preference and added(also excluded) the spice which i don't want. This came out well. I prepared masala in small quantity used required amount and refrigerated the remaining spice powder.

Ingredients:-
Coriander seed - 1 cup
Cumin seed - 3/4 cup
Cloves - 10
Cinnamon - 2 inch strips 2
Ajwain - a pinch
Cardamom - 4 (optional. I don't like cardamom flavor in spicy dishes so i won't use)
Bay leaf - 1

Preparation method:-
Dry roast all the above ingredients separately till aroma comes from each spices.
Cool all the roasted spices and grind to fine powder.
Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate.
You can use this for few months (if the spices you used to prepare are good grade). Home made channa masala powder is ready.

Elumichai and thakkali rasam (Tomato & Lemon rasam)

Tomato & Lemon rasam - preparation time 15 mins
Tomato along with fresh lemon juice will be nutrition rich rasam. You can take this rasam as soup also.

Ingredients:-
Rasam powder - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1 (chopped to cubes)
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Green chili - 1
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Toor dhal - 2 tbsp (Boil/pressure cook to soft and keep)
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a tawa add 1/4 tsp oil, slited green chili and chopped tomato. Soartae for few mins.
Boil 1 tumbler of water to that add rasam powder, turmeric, salt and tomato along with chili.
Once the added ingredients cooked and starts boiling add cooked dhal with 1 tumbler of water. Once it starts bubbling switch of the flame.
To one teaspoon of oil add jeera, asafoetida roast it and add to rasam. Add finely chopped curry, lemon juice and coriander leaves to rasam. 

Pachai karamani and urulai kizhangu poriyal (Thin beans and potato dry curry)

Pachai karamani and urulai kizhangu poriyal (Thin beans and potato dry curry) - Preparation time 15 mins
Today asked mom to make karamani poriyal differently as my husband don't like this vegetable much so she made this poriyal. It was bit different and good.

Ingredients:-
Karamani - 1 cup (cleaned and chopped to small pieces)
Potato - 1/2 cup (chopped finely)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp or chilli powder 1/2 tsp along with little coriander and cumin powder 
Salt - as required
Water to cook karamani - 3/4 cup or less
Mustard seed - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp (optional)

Preparation method:-
Boil required amount of water (till the vegetable get immersed) with turmeric, salt and sambar powder (if using chilli, coriander and cumin powder we can add in later stage).
When water starts boiling add chopped karamani and cover the vessel with lid and boil till karamani is cooked softly (for 10 to 15 mins) in low flame.
Heat kadai add oil, mustard to splutter, urad dhal to become brown. Add chopped potato and fry. Sprinkle little water and cover with lid so the potato gets cooked.
Now add boiled karamani and sortae till the water dries (If you are using chilli, coriander and cumin powder add at this stage).
If you want you can add grated coconut at this stage and mix well.
Hot and tasty karamani and urulai kara poriyal can be taken with sambhar or rasam or curd rice.

Simple and quick amaranth leaves gravy (mullai keerai kootu)

Simple and quick amaranth leaves gravy (mullai keerai kootu)  - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
When my husband went out of station, became lazy to cook and eat proper food. Since I had amaranth leaves in home I want to try some easy to cook recipes so that i can take with white rice.

If am cooking greens I would like to retain the green color so that the dish will look good and we can get the nutrient values to some extent as we won't  be able to consume raw.

Another important input - don't ever close the vessel when your are cooking greens, also cook for correct time (don't overcook).

Ingredients:-
Amaranth leaves (Mullai keerai) - 1 cup (Cleaned well and chopped to small pieces)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Sambhar powder - 3/4 tsp
Mustard, Cumin, urad dhal - 1/2 tsp (all together)
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Salt to taste
Green chili - 1
Toor dhal - 2 tbsp
Water to cook dhal and greens

Preparation method:-
In a vessel add washed toor dhal, onion, tomato, little turmeric along with required water (till the ingredients get immersed). Pressure cook this for 3 to 4 whistle and switch off.
Boil water, add salt, sambhar powder along with  remaining turmeric. When water start boils add chopped mullai keerai and cook. When cooked softly, add the slightly mashed toor dhal, onion and tomato.
Leave the gravy to one boil and transfer to serving bowl immediately because keeping the greens in hot vessel will also change the color of the keerai.
Heat a kadai, add oil, mustard (to splutter), urad dhal (to brown) and cumin to splutter. Garnish this over the keerai.
Tasty, healthy and easy to prepare mullai keerai kootu is ready to eat along with white rice and roasted pappad.

Manathakkali keerai soup (Solanum nigrum leaves soup)

Manathakkali keerai soup (Solanum nigrum leaves soup) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
Manathakkali is good to heat the ulcer. Mom used to ask us to chew the leaves raw and drink the juice extract of the leaves so that the mouth ulcer will get healed. Similarly taking raw grated coconut or coconut milk is also good to heal the ulcer. So i am going to use both manathakkali leave and fresh coconut for this soup.

Ingredients:-
Manathakkali leaves - 10 (medium size)
Grated coconut - tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Toor dhal - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cup
Salt - to taste
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp

Preparation method:-
Pressure cook the toor dhal with water and mash to smooth paste. Mix one cup of water to dhal and keep
In  a kadai add oil, cumin seed to splutter, chopped manathakkali leaves,turmeric, pepper and sortae for few mins. 
Add water and boil till the leaves are cooked and soft. Now add the toor dhal paste water.
When it starts boiling switch of the flame. In you hand take the grated coconut add little water and crush and juice into the boiled manathakkali soup and finally add the crushed coconut also.
This will be tasty and healthy healing soup. You can add grated and slightly fried vegetable like beans, carrot and cabbage to make it color full for kids.

Fresh ginger tea (Ingi tea) - Preparation time 5 to 10 mins

Fresh ginger tea (Ingi tea) - Preparation time 5 to 10 mins
I liked only dry ginger tea in my childhood but dad will ask for fresh ginger tea. I haven't tasted ginger tea for very long time. For past few years i love the flavor of fresh ginger tea a lot than dry ginger tea.
It will be very tasty and healthy drink surely all will love it and include in your daily menu.

Ingredients:-
Milk - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Brown sugar (pannam kalkandu)  - 1 or 1.5 tsp
Tea leaf along with big granules of tea- 1 heap of tsp
Ginger - 1 or 1.5 tsp (using cheese grater grate to fine strips and keep)

Preparation method:-
Boil milk along with water. Add the tea to boiling milk (increase or decrease the tea according to the texture of tea that you like. I like medium dark not too lite or dark)
When tea is boiling and dark, add the grated ginger and brown sugar (pannam kalkandu).
Let this boil for few seconds. Using tea stainer filter and serve the hot, healthy tea to your friends and family.

Kezhvaraghu adai (Easy ragi adai)

Kezhvaraghu adai (Easy ragi adai) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
Yesterday evening I felt very hungry. I don't want to eat any oily stuff so thought of trying some easy, simple to make and healthy recipe. Mom gave me ragi flour for making dosai or kanch which i stored in my refrigerator now i want to try new recipe using it.

I tried making in small quantity. When i tasted after making it was so tasty to me so finished eating the 2 to 3 adai by myself left 2 for my husband to taste. It will be very tasty when consumed hot and tasty when cold. You can try this and provide you feedback or input.

I actually flattened the ragi adai flour directly over the hot tawa which might not be possible for some so you can oil a silver foil or plantain leaf to flatten and put in the hot tawa. Remove the sheet or leaf from the flattened adai.

Ingredients:-
Ragi flour (Kezhvarghu maavu) - 1 cup
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (or to your spice level)
Curry leaved - 10 (finely chopped)
Carrot - 2 tbsp (grated or finely chopped) optional
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Water to make the dough
Salt - to taste
Ginger - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
Green chili - 1 (finely chopped) optional
Oil - to cook

Preparation method:-
Take a vessel add ragi flour, salt, chili powder, salt, curry leaves, carrot, onion, ginger,green chili.

Mix well all the above ingredients and sprinkle  water to make dough .
The dough should not be tight for puri or chappathi. Let it be slight loose so a small ball can be made using the dough.

Heat a tawa (i use iron tawa for making dosa/adai so that dish will be much more tasty than non stick) and coat with little oil.
In a bowl take water. Dip your hand in the water (to avoid the dough sticking to your hand) and then make small ball from the dough.
When tawa is hot keep the dough ball in the middle and slowly flatten the ball and make a circle.

Make small ball so the flattening process will be easy. Spread little oil around the ragi adai. After few mins turn the adai and cook. The color will become dark when it is completely cooked.

You serve ragi adai hot to all your family members.They will be waiting behind you, before you start cooking the next one. Happy and healthy cooking for you.

Vendaiya keerai puli sundal (Rice with fenugreek leaves and tamarind)

Vendaiya keerai pulisundal (Rice with fenugreek leaves and tamarind extract) - Preparation time 15 mins
Mom used to make pulisundal occasionally. She used to tell me to take when it is not very hot because it will taste good only when in is warm. I like only the taste of hot pulisundal. I made slight twist in the usual pulisundal and tried. It came out well so i am sharing that recipe to you.

Ingredients:-
Raw rice - 1 cup (roast rice till it become slightly puffed and the colour is changed)
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp (or tamarind juice from goose berry sized tamarind ball )
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Bengal gram dhal - 1 tsp
Red chili - 4 (split into 1 inch pieces)
Fenugreek leaves - 1 cup (cleaned and chopped)
Water - 2.5 cup (same cup which you used to measure rice)
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a kadai roast the raw rice till the rice becomes white and slightly puffed. Keep this aside.
Heat kadai. Add sesame oil, mustard to splutter, Urad dhal and bengal gram dhal and roast to golden color, add red chili.
When chili is brown add fresh fenugreek leaves and roast.
Add the sambhar powder, turmeric, salt and sortae for few seconds. Add tamarind water extracted from the tamarind with the measured water (2.5 cup)
When it comes to boil, wash the roasted raw rice and add to the boiling puli thani or tamarind spice juice.
Now remove the kadai and transfer the content to a vessel.
Pressure cook this for 4 whistle and simmer for 5 to 10 mins.
Switch off the flame and leave pressure cooker to cool. When pressure is released transfer to a serving bowl.
This will be hot and tasty dish. It will be tasty even when it is not hot. You can take this when you travel because it won't get spoiled for more hours.
Surely you will like this easy, healthy as we added fresh fenugreek leaves  and tasty dish when you try in your kitchen. 
Hope you all like my innovative dish.

Easy preparation of vallarai soup (Brahmi soup) - Preparation time 15 mins

Easy preparation of vallarai soup - Preparation time 15 mins

My husband bought vallarai keerai from vegetable shop as it had so many medicinal properties. It is good to reduce inflammation, pain on joints, for memory, regularise blood circulation, good for diabetes, etc. Rich in antioxidant properties. Vallarai keerai is called brahmi. This is packed keerai is packed with health benefits

Since we had pain in leg we thought of using it in our diet. He won't consume this as thogayal and dr also suggested to reduce the tamarind content in our food so i have to think differently and light recipe.
I was wondering what to do.There will some astringent taste in this keerai which will go off when we make thogayal. When i searched through internet all the recipe had onion, tomato, etc. I didn't get the soup which i want. I thought of making a simple and easy soup in which we have to get the nutrition of the leaves and we have to get the taste of the soup along with the unique taste of the vallarai leaf. 
Went into kitchen and tried this soup. Actually it came out well and my husband liked the soup in the rainy evening :-). You also try out everyone in your family will love both the soup and you.

Ingredients:-
Vallarai leaves - 15 (Washed well, remove the hard stems, chop leaves to bits)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Coarse Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2 cups
Toor dhal - 1 tbsp (Softly cooked and mashed to paste)
One small piece of amla or lemon juice - 1/4 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a kadai or vessel add cumin seed, vallarai keerai, sesame oil, turmeric, amla, pepper and salt. Fry till the raw smell of the leaves goes off.
Add 1.5 cups of water to keerai and leave it to boil with all the ingredients. Keep the vessel covered when the soup is boiling.
Mix half cup of water with the mashed dal. When the keerai is cooked soft add the dhal and boil. 
Switch of the flame if you didn't add amla in the begining add the lemon juice at this stage and serve hot. It is simple to make, contains the flavor and taste of keerai also can be made within 10 mins if you have boiled toor dhal.

Simple mint pulav or pudhina sadham

Simple mint pulav or pudhina sadham - preparation time 25 mins
I tried this rice when my mixy was not working properly and left with pudhina to make rice. My idea of making pudhina thogayal went of and tried making pudhina rice in my simple briyani style. It came out well and everyone liked this easy and tasy pudhina rice.

Ingredients:-
Fresh pudhina - 1 bunch or leaves 1.5 cup (cleaned and washed)
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Sesame oil - 3 tsp
Green chili -  2 (slit and keep)
Onion - 2 (chopped to thin strips)
Salt - to taste
Rice - 1 cup (i used ponni raw rice so 1:2.5 ration water)
Water - 2.5 cup
Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch
Bay leaf -2
Clove - 2

Preparation method:-
In a tawa add ghee & oil to heat. Add cloves, bay leaf and roast till flavor comes (do it in medium or slow flame).
Now add onion, green chili and fry sligthly, add washed rice and fry for few mins,
Add water, salt and mix well pressure cook for 4 whistle and leave it to cool.
Transfer the pudhina rice to serving bowl and garnish with fresh pudhina leaves and roasted cashew (optional).
When i tried my husband liked this dish very much. You can serve with onion raitha or cucumber raitha & deep  fried pappads.

Fresh fig Milkshake (Athipazha juice )

Fresh fig Milkshake - Preparation time 5 to 10 mins
Fig is rich in vitamins, minerals,soluble dietary fiber and calcium. This fruit brings down the blood sugar level. Reduce cholestrol, I tried this milkshake when my husband bought some fresh figs. First tried without milk but it tasted good with milk. Good source of calorie and carbohydrate.

Ingredients:-
Fresh fig  (Athipazham) - 3 or 4 medium size, peel off the skin.
Milk - 100 ml or 150 (according to your taste and thickness required)
Sugar - 3 or 4 tbsp (according to your taste level)

Preparation method :-
Add sugar, cut figs, milk in mixer and blend.
This will be a smooth and with milk foam.
Serve fresh fig milkshake chill. Preparation method is easy and quick.

Thalicha dosai (Garnished dosai)

Thalicha dosai (Garnished dosai) - preparation time 20 mins
When you take plain dosa daily it will be boring to eat so with the existing dosa flour itself you can change the taste and serve. All will love the changed version of dosai. 

Ingredients:-
Dosa flour - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (chopped to small cubes)
Ginger - 1 inch (chopped finely)
Chili - 1 (chopped finely)
Curry leaves - 1 string chopped finely
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - little
Mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Prepartion method:-
Heat a tawa with oil. Add mustard to splutter, urad dhal, onion, chili, little salt and fry till the onion is slightly cooked.
Transfer the cooked ingredients to a vessel. Now add the dosa flour mix well along with ginger, curry leaves.
Heat dosai tawa and pour the batter in the circle form. 
This will be taste little spicy and crunchy because of onion. Taste good when compared to plain dosa. This goes well with idli podi or even without any side dish.

Split rice/ Rice rava upma kozhukattai (Aarisi rava upma cakes)

Split rice/ Rice rava upma kozhukattai (Aarisi rava upma cakes) - preparation time 30 mins
I tasted this dish in one of my relatives home. My husband is very choosy he likes rice upma but he didn't like this dish very much but, I liked it. This can be served as a dish in some occassion. Easy to eat when made as kozhukattai.

Ingredients:-
Rice rava - 1 cup (this rava should little big than normal sooji rava)
Water - 3 cup
Carrot - 1 (chopped to small cube)
Small Onion - 10 (chopped to small strings)
Peas - 25 gms
Boiled corn - 10 gms
Red/Green chili - 2 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 2 strings (finely chopped)
Sesame oil - 5 to 6 tbsp
Ginger - finely chopped 1 or ½ tbsp
Asafoetida - ½ tbsp
Mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Preparation method:-
In a pan add oil, mustard, urad dhal and fry till mustard splutters and dhal turns golden brown.
Add asafetoida, curry leaves, chili, ginger, onion, carrot, peas, salt and fry till the color changes slightly
Boil water in another vessel and add to vegetable.
When vegetables are half cooked add the rice rava and stir till water is absorbed and comes to kozhukattai dough consistency (i.e. tight dough from which you can shape it).
Leave it to cool and make to small kozhukattai.
In a idli cooker boil water. Apply sesame oil on the idli plate or cloth (the method which you use to cook idli). Keep the kozhuttai in the idli plate and cook like idli.
When cooked it will be glossy and changes colour. Cool it remove from idli plate and keep in serving bowl.

Sakaravalli kizhangu kara varuval (Sweet potato spicy chips)

Sakaravalli kizhangu kara varuval (Sweet potato spicy chips) - preparation time 15 mins
When i ate the raw sweet potato it tasted similar to tapioca so immediately i thought of making chips from this. I tried making chips without spicy but it didn't turn out very well made bit spicy by adding flours and spice i tasted very well. My husband liked it very much. I tried in very little quantity so he asked next day whether i made some.
It is simple and easy to make chips.

Ingredients:-
Sweet potato - 1 (remove the skin, wash well and keep)
Oil - to deep fry
Chili powder - 1.5 tsp
Salt - to taste
Bengal gram flour (kadalai mavu) - 2 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Water - little (only if required becuase the moist in the sweet potato itself is enough)

Preparation method:-
Using chips slicer slice the sweet potato. 
To make the slicing process easy cut the sweet potato into 2 inch pieces so the slicing will be easy.
In a cup mix the flour's, salt, chili powder, asafoetida. Sprinkle this mixture over the sweet potato slices. It has be coated over all the pieces.
Heat the oil , slide the coated slices into heated oil one by one. When cooked and bubbles goes off remove from oil . Cook in slow flame or you will burn the chips.

Kezhvaragu mavu, vengaya pakoda (Ragi Onion Pakoda)

Ragi Onion Pakoda - Preparation time 15 mins
I thought of making pakoda using ragi flour instead of bengal gram. I made this pakoda last week and it came out well.

Ingredients:- 
Ragi flour - 1 cup 
Rice flour - ¼ and even less (according to your preference)
Onion -1 (chopped into strings of 1 inch)
Salt - to taste
Chili powder - ½ tsp
Ginger - 1 inch (half chopped finely and remaining to be crushed with garlic with skin
Garlic - 5 (peeled and chopped finely) and 3 (with skin)
Water - To sprinkle and bind
Sesame oil - 5 tbsp
Oil - to deep fry
Saunf - 1/2 tsp
Curry leave - 6 (chopped)

Preparation method:-
In a bowl add ragi flour, rice flour, chopped onion, chili powder, chopped garlic and ginger, curry leaves and salt. Crush saunf along with remaining ginger and garlic and add to the flour.
Mix all the ingredients well. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a kadai and add to the flour mixture( the oil should be hot so that sound will come when you add to flour) and mix well.
Sprinkle little water so the flour will bind with the added ingredients. 
Make small pakoda and keep in a plate.

Heat the oil for deep frying pan and drop the pakoda’s slowly. Don’t keep the flame high because it will become black without getting cooked so, keep in medium flame.

After deep frying if it has become brown color transfer to tissue paper in a bowl to remove excess oil (this snack won't absorb oil) .

Vegetable paratha (Carrot, Urulai kizhangu paratha)

Vegetable paratha (Carrot, Urulai kizhangu paratha) - preparation time 20 mins
To make stuffed paratha i used to add vegetables to the stuffing so the dinner or breakfast becomes healthy. This will go well with a simple mago pickle and curd. This will be tasty and very good. You can consume even without any side dish if you make it spicy.

Ingredients:-
Boiled potato - 2 
Black jeera - 1/2 tsp
Grated carrot - 2
Boiled peas - handful boiled softy (optional)
Wheat flour - 3 cups
Salt - Required amount
Water - To Knead the dough
Finely chopped Green chili - 1 or 2
Chopped fresh coriander - 1 tbsp
Sunflower or Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

Preparation method:-
Pressure cook the potatoes. Remove the skin, mash the potatoes.
Mix wheat flour with 1 tbsp oil and salt. Knead the flour with required amount of water. Knead well so that the dough is soft. Apply little oil and rest the flour for few mins (maybe 30 mins)
In a kadai add 1 tsp oil, chopped green chili, grated carrot and cook till raw smell goes off . Sprinkle little water if required. Add mashed potato, boiled peas, chopped coriander leaves to the cooked carrot and mix well.
When the stuffing is cool make small ball stuffing. 
Make small ball using wheat flour. Flatten the ball, keep stuffing ball inside and close. Seal fully with the wheat flour and make like a ball. Dust the ball using the dry wheat flour before rolling to paratha.
Using chapathi roller make paratha. Heat tawa and cook the stuffed paratha both side.
Stuffed vegetable paratha is ready to serve. Kids will take the paratha even without any side dish. My niece and nephew loved it.

Tomato, Onion and ginger chutney( Vengayam, thakkal and ingi chutney)

Tomato, Onion and ginger chutney - Preparation time 15 mins
Yesterday i tried this chutney it was tasty and spicy. Surely you will like this chutney. This will goes well with dosa/idli/chapathi. But we took with onion uthappam.

Ingredients:-
Tomato - 1/2 (chopped).
Onion - 1 (finely chopped i.e. small squares)
Red chili - 2 (make to 2 pieces each)
Ginger - 1 inch pieces chopped
Water - if required to grind
Tamarind - little
Mustard - ¼ tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste 

Preparation method:-
Heat a tawa add 1 tsp oil, mustard, urad dhal and transfer to serving bowl when dhal is golden brown. 
In same tawa add chopped onion and fry till onion is cooked. Add tomato, red chili along with chopped ginger fry of few mins to cook. Switch of the flame.
Add tamarind and salt and leave it to cool. Grind to smooth paste (if required add water to grind) 
Finally transfer to a serving bowl and mix the garnish well.

Making of Omapodi

Making of Omapodi - Preparation time 25mins (If dry flour's available)

In many diwali snack dishes this is one of the healthy snack as we used to add ajwain(Bishop weed/omam) to make this recipe. Even for kids it will be soft to eat and digestible because of omam in it. This snack won't absorb more oil while cooking. Quick and easy to make deepawali  snack

Try 1:0.5 (Bengal gram flour:rice flour) ratio
Wash and soak the raw rice for 2 hrs and filter the water.
Grind the rice to fine powder. Seive the flour and remove the coarse powder. Grind the coarse powder and seive again.
Grind flour from bengal gram or buy bengal gram flour.

Ingredients:-
Ajwain(omam) - 1 tbsp
Salt - as required
Water - to grind the coconut
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
In a mixer add little gram flour and ajwain ground the flour till the ajwain becomes fine powder.
Using flour filter seive the flour so it won't be hard or get stuck while pressing the dough for omapodi
Mix both flour's along with diluted salt. Add water little by little and make a dough of chapthati flour consistency.
You can make little loose if you where not able to press the flour in the murukku making machine or dough pressing acchu.
Heat the oil and bring to medium or less flame.
Now using the omapodi achu insert the dough to press over the hot oil.
When the omapodi is done slight aroma will come and the bubble will get subsidized. (Take care else the the omapodi will be burnt it you keep for too long). Omapodi will take very less time to cook when compared to other murukku's.
Now crispy and tasty home made omapodi is ready to eat.
This is an easy to make and healthy snack.

Making of Kosthupodi

Making of Kosthupodi
For making of kosthu this podi is very important. This podi give kosthu the unique flavour, taste and texture. If small family you can make this podi and keep for a month. But for any occasion you freshly prepare and add this podi because the kosthu will taste very good.

Ingredients:-
Coriander seed (kothamalli vethai) - 4 tbsp
Red chili (Kaintha Milagai) - 4 or less
Pepper (Milagu) - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram (kadalai parippu) - 1.5 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a low flame roast coriander, chili, pepper, bengal gram till color changes to brown and nice aroma comes.
Cool the roasted ingredients and ground to coarse powder.
Store in airtight container and use.

Manjal poosanikai or Parangikai Halwa

Manjal poosanikai or Parangikai Halwa (Yellow pumpkin Halwa) - preparation time 25 to 30 mins
Dad brought some parangikai from our native home. Usually i will make adai with tender parangikai and puli kuzhambhu with mature parangikai. This time it was a big piece. Even after distributing to my neighbours i left out with one small piece of mature parangikai. I thought of making halwa using parangikai. It came of well my neighbours liked it. It will be in natural yellow colour.

Ingredients:-
Sorakkai - Grated 2 small cup
Milk - 1/2 cup (i used boiled milk)
Sugar - 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup according to your taste
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cashew - 5 (break to small pieces) 
Cardamom - 2 pinch

Preparation method:-
In a heavy pan add the sorakkai along with 1 tbsp of ghee and roast till the raw smell goes off.
Now add the milk and boil the sorakkai. Cook in slow flame so the water evaporates and becomes solid. Add sugar and mix well. 
When all the ingredients is cooked and come to halwa consistency add the ghee and chopped cashew.
This will be in natural yellow colour parangikai halwa. This will taste as rich sweet. Switch of the flame when ghee slightly come out of halwa. It will taste good when served hot.

Aval kesari (Flattened rice sweet)

Aval kesari (Flattened rice sweet) - Preparation time 15 mins or less
When I visited my mom's home she served aval kesari it was gud. I asked how to prepare she told that they converted aval payasam to kesari by adding more sugar, ghee and cooked till it became to kesari consistent. But I thought of trying kesari directly. Actually it came out well. The cooking time is also not much. Required only less amount of ghee. I tried in less quantity.

Ingredients:-
Aval - 1 cup (cleaned, roasted in 1/2 tsp of ghee to brown. When cool ground to coarse powder)
Sugar - 1.5 cup
Water - 2 cup.
Cashew - 5
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Kesari colour - as required

Preparation method:-
In a kadai roast broken cashew with little ghee and transfer to a bowl. In same kadai add roasted and coarsely ground aval, measured water.
Cook till all the water is absorbed by the aval. Now add the sugar and cook. It will become thick.
Add kesari colour and mix well. Finally add the ghee and mix.
Garnish with roasted cashew and serve hot. It is easy to make and tasty recipe.