Simple (thuthuvalai) Solanum trilobatum soup

Simple thuthuvalai soup - Preparation time 10 mins
This green is very good in bringing down the chest cold. When this soup is consumed for 2 or 3 days it cured cold. Thuthuvalai green is heat in nature so i fried the leaves using sesame oil if you want you can use ghee instead. 
Thuthuvalai leaves and stem contains sharp thorn so be careful while cleaning. I cut the leaves using scissors and washed.

Ingredients:-
Thuthuvalai leaves - 15 to 20 (Washed well, remove the hard stems, chop leaves to bits)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cumin  - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as required (optional)
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2 cups

Preparation method :-
In a kadai or vessel add cumin seed, thuthuvalai keerai, sesame oil, turmeric, pepper and salt.
Fry till the raw smell of the leaves goes of.
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.
You can grind this to smooth drink and consume.
Both way it will be good.

Chow chow Kosthu (Chayote gravy)

Chow chow Kosthu (Chayote gravy) - preparation time 20 mins
This is the recipe shared by my aunt's. When i asked my mom she told yes we used to do that but she also told she didn't made that recipe during our childhood. This will be an interesting recipe who get chowchow in the neighbourhood. 

To me all the kosthu taste good which varies according to the taste of the vegetable.

Ingredients:-
Chayote (chowchow) - 1 (medium size) chopped to small cubes
Small Onion - 20 (finely chopped i.e. small strips of 1/2 inch)
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:-
Add one tbsp of oil to a kadai, add chopped Chayote (without water), turmeric a pinch, salt to cook.
Sortae for few mins and half cup of water and close the kadai this will be cook the vegetable softly.
Mash this using a ladle  slightly (you should feel and have the crunch of vegetable while taking the kosthu)
Clean the tawa and add 1 tbsp oil, mustard, urad dhal, green 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 are in required proportion)
Add boiled and mashed chowchowto the boiling onion and tamarind gravy.
When all the ingredientsblend and become a thick gravy the oil will appears over the kosthu. 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 chowchow kosthu which will give the shinny texture for the kosthu
Finally transfer to a bowl and garnish with curry and coriander leaves. Take it with jeera & pepper rice/ dosa/idli.

Suzhiyam (Sweet stuffed balls)

Suzhiyam - Preparation time 15 mins if pooranam stuffing is available

This is an easy to make recipe if you have pooranam made from thenkai, vellam and kadalai paruppu. Usually all used to make using maida flour coating but i want this sweet to be gluten free so tried using bengal gram and rice flours. It tasted good and health too (exclude the deep frying part :-)))

Actually while you make poli or pooram stuffed kozhukattai you can preserve some of the pooranam to make this dish. I used to keep some pooram so i can make this sweet.

Ingredients:-

Pooranam - 1 cup. (Refer making of pooranam)

Bengal gram flour (Kadalai maavu) - 2 tbsp

Rice flour (aarisi maavu) - 1 tbsp

Salt - a pinch

Water - to make the binding flour

Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-

Make goose berry size balls from the pooranam (refer making of pooranam in vellam pooranam kozhukattai recipe) and keep in a plate.

Heat the kadai with oil to deep fry the suzhiyam

In a bowl add bengal gram flour, rice flour, salt and water

Mix well the dough should be slightly thick so that if you dip the pooranam balls in the dough it should be coated over the ball evenly and not too thick

When the oil is hot dip the pooranam balls in the dough and carefully drop in the hot oil. 

Cook in medium flame so that the suzhiyam is evenly cooked. As pooranam is made using cooked content the outer coating alone is to be cooked which will take only few mins.

This will be tasty and quick recipe provide you have the vellam pooranam handy.

Tomato rice (Thakkali sadham)

Tomato rice (Thakkali sadham) - Preparation time 30 mins

I tasted different type of tomato rice but, i like the way my mom used to make. I don't like to grind the ingredients, so i prefer this method.
Some friends tell me that they used to grind the ingredients which people don't like to eat. I suggest that once or twice do that afterwards inform them that i made this dish by adding the particular spice/fruit/vegetable which you usually don't like to eat. Now you ate it so why don't you try start eating them. Just give your inputs without hurting them.

Teach everyone the flavor, taste, nutrition value and convince them to eat in healthy way.

Ingredients:-1
Tomato - 4 (medium size, chopped to small pieces)
Onion - 3 (medium size, slice them to thin strings)
Green chili - 1
Green peas - small cup full or roughly 20 to 30 peas (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 tsp (if you are using fully sour tomato)
Salt - to taste
Clove - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch 
Bay leaf - 1
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Ginger - small piece (remove the skin and crush)
Garlic with skin - 4 (crushed)
Garlic peeled pods - 8
Saunf - 1 tsp
Cooked rice - 2 cup 

Preparation method:-
Heat a kadai with 1 tbsp of oil. Add saunf, cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf and fry for few mins. Now add the crushed ginger and garlic. Roast till it becomes slightly brown.

When done add sliced green chili, peeled garlic pods along with chopped onions. Sortae with salt, turmeric till onion is cooked and soft. 

Add sambhar powder and chopped tomato. Cook in a medium or slow flame till oil gets separated from the paste.

In a separate vessel boil the peas with required water, a pinch of salt and turmeric.

Add boiled peas to cooked tomato and onion gravy.

Leave the gravy to cook well (till the oil separates from the gravy).

In a broad vessel add the cooked and cooled rice with little oil.
Add half of the tomato rice paste which we prepared (it is good practise to keep little rice and paste separately so that it any of them goes more we can adjust by adding the required paste/rice) and mix well.

You can always increase the paste according to your taste.
Check the spice and salt. Add the required ingredients and bring to correct taste.
This rice will be good till night if the tomato paste is cooked well and water content is removed. Also the rice should be cool so that it wont become sticky and in good condition.
Sure you all will try this recipe and enjoy with your family and friends.