Tomato Rice

Ingredient

1.       Onion – 1 big

2.       Tomato – 2 big

3.       Green chillies – 4 to 5 ( as per spice)

4.       Garlic – 4 to 5 pears

5.       Chilli powder – ½ teaspoon

6.       Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon

7.       Salt as per taste

8.       Bread slices – 1 to 2 slices

9.       Tamarind – very small piece

10.   Rice – 1 cup

11.   Oil/Ghee – 4 to 5 tablespoons

12.   Coriander leaves – 2 to 3 leaves

To Temper

1.       Cinnamon – ½ an inch

2.       Elaichi – 1 number

3.       Fennel seeds – 3 to 4 seeds

4.       Oil

Procedure

        1.Chop onions and tomato. Grind ginger and garlic for paste.Slice green chillies.

        2.Heat the kadai and temper all the items mentioned in To Temper with oil.

        3.Fry chopped onions,tomato,gingergarlic paste and green chillies well. Generally I like 

            to grind the items to paste. This can be option by simply frying them.

        4.Add tamarind solution to the frying items and add chilli powder,turmeric powder,salt 

            as per taste.Allow it to boil for some time till it becomes paste.

        5.Cook rice with required amount of water. Allow it to cool for sometime.

        6.Chop bread slices into small cubes. Fry them in oil or ghee. Till it becomes brown color.

        7.Mix the rice in the paste and add bread crums.

        8.Season with few coriander leaves.

Channa kozhambu

     

Ingredient

1.White channa – 2 handfull

2.Kadalai parupu – 1 teaspoon

3.Coriander seeds – 1 handfull

4.Tamarind – small gooseberry

5. Coconut – ¼ cup

6.Red chillies – 4 pieces

7.Sambar powder – 2 teaspoons

Tempering:

1.Oil – 2 teaspoons

2.Mustard – ¼ teaspoon

3.Red chilly – 1 piece

4.Curry leaves – 4 or 5 leaves

Procedure
           1.Soak the white channa previous nite itself in a vessel full of water.

           2.Cook well the channa in cooker around 6 to 7 whistels. Depends on the cooker and 

              gasket.

           3.Prepare the tamarind solution by soaking the tamarind in water an hour before
           4.Now temper mustard,curry leaves and red chilly in oil. Add the tamarind solution 

    with sambar  powder.
5.Add the channa to the boiling tamarind solution. Add little salt to the solution.
6.Once the solution boils till the raw smell goes. Dry roast kadalai parupu,coriander 

    seeds,red chillies and coconut. Let it cool. Now grind it to powder. Add it to the 

    solution and let it boil for some more time.
7.Serve channa kozhambu with plain rice and sabjis.

Kara kulambu

Vendaikai-lady’s finger/Kathirikai-Brinjal/Murungaikai -Drumstick

Ingredients

1.       Drumstick – 1 number

2.       Eggplant/Brinjal – 2 to 3 numbers medium sized

3.       Shallots – 7 to 8 numbers sliced

4.       Garlic – 3 pearls

5.       Tomato – 1 big or 1 and a half medium sized

6.       Sambar powder – 2 teaspoons

7.       Tamarind – 1 tablespoon tightly packed

8.       Salt as per taste

To Temper

1.       Mustard – ½ teaspoon

2.       Red chillies – 1 to 2 numbers

3.       Curry leaves – 4 to 5 leaves

4.       Uradh dhal – ½ teaspoon

5.       Methi seeds – 4 to 5 seeds

6.       Sesame Oil/Gingelly  – 2 tablespoons

To Grind

1.       Tomato – ½ or 1 number

2.       Grated coconut – 2 tablespoons

Procedure

               1.Slice the shallots and the half tomato. Slice drumstick and brinjal.

               2.Heat the kadai, add oil and temper all the items mentioned in “To Temper”.

               3.Fry onion, sliced garlic and tomato well. I save half tomato to blend in mixie as I 
                   like that way.Add the vegetables either drumstick and brinjal or lady’s finger to 
                   the frying onion.

               4.Prepare the tamarind solution. Add it to the kadai, add sambar powder and salt.

               5.Let it boil for some time. Grind coconut and tomato to the boiling solution.

               6.Allow it to boil for some time and remove from the stove once it is little thick.

               7.Serve hot with plain rice and vegetables. Tastes yummy with gingelly oil or ghee.

Kathirikai/Brinjal rasavangi

Ingredients

1.       Brinjal – 5 to 6 pieces medium sized

2.       Tamarind – 1 tablespoon tightly packed

3.       Moong dhal – 1 handful

4.       Kadalai parupu – 2 teaspoons

5.       Coconut – 2 teaspoon

6.       Turmeric – a pinch

7.       Sambar powder – 2 teaspoon

8.       Thata payaru/Karamani – ¾ handful

Dry roast and grind

1.       Kadalai parupu – 1 teaspoon

2.       Coriander seeds – 2 to 3 teaspoons

3.       Red chilli long – 2 numbers

To Temper

1.       Mustard – ½ teaspoon

2.       Urad dhal – ½ teaspoon

3.       Red chilli – 1 number

4.       Curry leaves

Procedure

       1.Heat the kadai and temper the item in “to temper” and add water, add moong dhal and

           brinjal. Let it boil for sometime.Boil thata payaru separately and add to the boiling 
           items.
       2.Add a pinch of turmeric and let it boil for sometime.

       3.Dry roast and grind above items.Keep the powder ready.

       4.Prepare tamarind solution and add to the boiling mixture. Add sambar powder to it.

       5.Once it boils well add the masala powder and grated coconut to it. Let it boil and once it 
           is thickened. Remove it from stove.

Vazhaikai Grinded Masala Curry

Ingredient
        1.Raw plantain/Raw banana – 1 number
        2. Grated coconut – 1 tablespoon
        3. Turmeric – a pinch
        4. Salt as per taste
Roast and Grind
        1.       Kadalai parupu – 1 teaspoon
        2.       Coriander seeds – 2 teaspoons       
        3.       Red chilli (long) – 2 number

To Temper

        1.Mustard – ½ teaspoon

        2.Uradh dhal – ¼ teaspoon

        3.Asafoetedia – a pinch

        4.Curry leaves – 4 to 5 leaves

        5.Oil

Procedure
        1. Peel the green outer skin of raw plantain. Chop the raw plantain into small 

           cubes.Put all the chopped cubes into a bowl of water so that it does not turns into 
            brown colour. Usually I add a teaspoon of curd to the bowl of water.

        2. Dry roast items in Roast and Grind and grind them in mixie.

        3. Heat kadai and add oil for tempering and temper all the above items.

        4. Add the chopped raw plantain to kadai and add water so that the vegetable is 
            immersed completely.Add salt as per taste. Add a pinch of turmeric to it and let it 
            boil till it becomes tender and cooked.

        5. Once the vegetable is cooked add the roasted masalas and coconut.

        6. Serve with rice and kozhambu.

Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients

       1.Paneer – 10- 12 cubes

       2.Gram Masala – 1 to 2 teaspoons

       3.Chilli powder – 1 teaspoons

       4.Butter – 2 teaspoons

       5.Ginger garlic paste – 2 teaspoons

       6.Onion – 1 big

       7.Tomatoes – 2 medium sized

       8.Cashews – 4 pieces

       9.Salt as per taste

     10.Full cream – ¼ cup

     11.Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

     12.Kasoori methi/methi – 1 to 2 teaspoons/ 1/4 teaspoon

     13.Turmeric powder -1/4 teaspoon

Procedure

            1. Fry sliced onions and tomatoes in oil in heated kadai.Let it cool and grind it with 

                 cashews to paste.

            2. Prepare garam masala.

            3. Add butter to heated kadai and add ginger garlic paste to it.Add the onion and 

                tomato paste to it and stir well. Add turmeric powder,chilli powder,coriander 

                powder,methi powder and garam masala to  it and stir well. Let it get cooked for 

                some time and add salt. 

            4. Mean while boil thick milk to cream. Keep it ready to pour finally.

            5. Put all the paneer to the mixture. Once gravy is cooled add fresh cream and PBM is 

                 ready to serve.

Bissibela bath

Ingredients

                1.Rice – 1 cup

                2.Toor dhal – ½ cup

                3.Carrot – 1 medium sized

                4.Bean – 8 number

                5.Potato – 1 big

                6.Cauliflower – 4 to 5 small florets

                7.Green peas – ½ cup

                8.Tamarind – 1 gooseberry size

                9.Sambar powder – 2 tablespoon

                10.Coriander leaves for seasoning (optional)

               

To Temper

                1.Mustard – 1 teaspoon

                2.Curry leaves – 10 pieces

                3.Red chilli – 2 numbers

               

Procedure

                1. Chop all the vegetables.

                2. Cook dhal,rice and vegetables together. I pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles.

                     Water ratio for cooking (1 rice:3 water).Since we r cooking together dhal and 

                     vegetables I usually pour 1 cup extra.Water can be little more but not less as we 

                     want mashed rice and dhal.

                3. Before removing rice from cooker, temper all above items in “to temper”, pour 

                    the tamarind solution and add sambar powder to it.Once it starts boiling add 

                    required amount of salt to it.

                4. Once the raw smell of tamarind is gone add the cooked rice,dhal and vegetables 

                    to the boiling solution.Stir well the contents. Allow it cook till it becomes little 

                    thick.Finally before removing the items from kadai add some ghee to it.

                5. Garnish with coriander and curry leaves.Serve with papad/vadam/potato curry 

                    would be best combination to enjoy.

Vazhai Thandu Raitha

My family would always insist me to have this food as this is very rice in fibre and low fat too.

But i would always run away since i hated the strands of fibre either in curry form or kootu form. I started loving this vegetable only after my athai(aunt) served this for me as raitha.

She is biggest inspiration for my cooking.Thanks athai for that. Looking forward to learn lots more from her.. :) 

We can use this raitha for any varity rice or for plain rice with rasam or kozhambu.

Ingredients

       1.Vazhai thandu/Plaintain pith – Small stem

       2.Thick Curd – 1 small cup (150 to 200 ml)

       3.Salt

To Temper

      1.Mustard  – 1 teaspoon

      2.Asafoetida – a pinch

 

Seasoning

      1.Coriander leaves – 3 or 4 leaves

      2.Green Chillies – 1 number

Procedure

             1. Now keep mashed curd which would be suitable for raitha consistency and add salt 

                  as per taste.Add the sliced vazhaithandu as and when you slice them and add 

                  them into curd. I am elaborating on slicing of vazhaithandu in step 2 and 3.

             2. Clean and slice vazhaithandu/Plantain pith. Keep the vazhaithandu 

                  horizontally.Cleaning means cutting the stem cross sectionally and removing 

                  strand of fibre from it.You would get many cross sectional stems sliced.

             3. Now cut sliced vazhaithandu into very small cubes. Finish cleaning and slicing the 

                 entire vazhaithandu/Plaintain pith.

             4. Add small cubes of vazhaithandu to curd. Temper with above items. Season with 

                 coriander leaves and green chillies.

Note: Instead of green chillies you can use dry red chillies also. In case of red chilli add only one and that too while tempering with mustard and asafoetida.

Vangi bath

Ingredients

                1.Brinjal – 2 medium sized

                2.Tamarind – 3 white partitions or half of gooseberry size

                3.Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon

                4.Green chilli – 1 or 2 pieces

                5.Ginger – 1 inch

                6.Curry leaves – 7 to 8 pieces

                7.Garam masala – ½ teaspoon (optional)

                8.Salt

                9.Coriander leaves for seasoning

To Grind

                1.Gram dhal/Kadalai paruppu – 1 tablespoon

                2.Coriander seeds – 2 tablespoon

                3.Pepper corns – 5-7

                4.Red chillies Big – 2 pieces

                5.Coconut – 3 to 4 tablespoon

To Temper

                1.Mustard – 1 teaspoon

                2.Urad dhal – 1 teaspoon

                3.Curry leaves

Procedure

                1. Roast all the “to grind items” till color changes to slight brown. Add coconut to 

                    roast finally.Coconut can be roasted slightly.Let it cool and grind it finely.

                2. Soak tamarind and prepare the solution.

                3. Now heat the kadai and temper with “to temper” items. Add green chillies, ginger 

                    and chopped brinjals.Fry it thoroughly.

                4. Now add the tamarind solution and salt. Allow it to boil it for some time.

                5. Add the grinded powder to the boiling solution.Let it boil till it becomes a paste.

                6. Cook basmathi rice or normal rice such that the rice will be separate after it is 

                    cooked.

                7. Spread the cooked rice in plate and allow it cool for some time. Then mix it with 

                    the paste.

                8. Season with curry and coriander leaves.

                9. I prefer serving Vangi bath with raitha. Enjoy yummy vangi bath with raitha.

                

Rice Pal Payasam

Ingredients

1.       Raw rice – ¼ cup

2.       Sugar – 1 small karandi

3.       Condensed milk – 1 small karandi

4.       Full cream milk – 2 cups

Procedure

      1. Boil raw rice with 4 to 5 whistles with 1 cup of water. Allow the cooker to cool and take      
          the rice from it.

      2. Boil milk with sugar. Boil well so that the milk is getting condensed.

      3. Add sugar and rice. Let it boil for some more time. Add the condensed milk let it boil 
          for some more time.Check the consistency and remove from the stove.

      4. Serve yummy pal payasam hot.