Gongura / Pulicha Keerai Thokku

Ingredients:
Gongura-1 bunch

Garlic-2 pods

Mustard seeds -1 tsp

Peanut - 2 tbsp

Red chillies - 4 nos

Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste.
Method:

• Clean and wash the gongura leaves.
• Boil the spinach in water along with the garlic. Keep stirring it occasionally.
• Smash the boiled spinach by adding suitable amount of salt to it.
• Fry peanut,and Red chillies separately..Grind them into a powder.
• Heat oil in a kadai add mustard. Allow to splutter.
• Add the smashed spinach to it along with peanut & redchillies powder.
• Mix well.
• Remove from Flame.

Serve with rice.

Egg Thokku / Egg Masala

Ingredients:

Boiled eggs - 4 nos ( cut into half )

Onion - 1 ( chopped )

Tomato - 1 ( finely chopped )
Curry leaves - few
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Corriander powder - 2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Water - 2 tbsp
Salt to tatse.
Method:

• Heat oil in a pan or a kadai.Add Fennel seeds, onions, curry leaves and saute, till they turn golden brown.
• Now add ginger garlic paste. Fry 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes and fry, till the tomatoes become tender.
• Add turmeric powder, chilly powder,corriander powder and salt and stir well.
• Fry for 2 mins.Drizzle 2 tbsp of water and mix well.Add the eggs to the mixture and cook for 5 minutes in low flame.
• Remove from the flame.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve with Rice.

Semiya Payasam/Vermicelli Kheer

Ingredients:
Vermicelli/Semiya – 1 cup

Milk – 6 cups(I’ve use 2% fat milk here.You can use whole milk your choice.)

Sugar – 1 cup

Cashewnuts - 6 nos

Raisins – 10 nos

Cardamom pods – 3 nos ( crushed )

Ghee – 1 tbsp (for roasting,semiya, cashews & raisins)
Method :

• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and fry cashews & raisins and keep it aside.
• Heat ghee in a pan and roast the vermicelli till it gets a light brown color and keep it aside.
• Boil milk in a big vessel,and when it is fully boiled,slowly add the roasted vermicelli into it,stirring continuosly to prevent them from sticking.
• Let it come to a slow boil in medium heat.
• When the vermicelli is cooked,add the sugar and mix well.
• Now simmer it for 10 - 15 minutes or until it begins to thicken.
• Add crushed cardamom,mix well and switch off the stove.
• Add cashews and raisins to the payasam. Now Payasam is ready.
  Serve warm or chilled.

Squash Poriyal ( Suraikkai )

Ingredients:
Squash / suraikkai - 1
Onion small size - 1
Green chillies -4 nos
Curryleaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste.
Method:

• Cut squash and Onion into small pieces.
• Heat Oil in a pan. Add Mustard seeds once it splutters add Onion,green chillies and Curry leaves, fry till Onion becomes light brown in color.
• Then add chopped squash, Turmeric powder and Salt. mix well.
• Cover with a lid. dont add water.
• Cook on a low flame and cook till squash turns into soft .

Serve with Rice.

Vada / Methu Vada

Ingredients:
Urad dhal / Ulundhu - 1 cup
Onion - 1 ( finely chopped )
Green chillies ( finely chopped )
Curry leaves - few ( finely chopped )
Corriander leaves - few ( finey choped )
Black pepper - 5 to 6 ( crushed )
Salt to taste
Oil - for frying
Method:

• Wash and soak Urad dhal for atleast 1 hour.
• Wash again and drain all water and wet grind in a grinder or a regular blender adding very litlle water. (1/4 cup water should be fine and no more than that).
• Mean while heat oil in a kadai and keep ready.
• Add chopped onion,green chillies, curry leaves, corriander leaves, black pepper and salt to the batter and mix thoroughly.
• Wet your palm and spread little batter and shape it like a doughnut using your other other hand.
• Make a hole in the center and drop very carefully in the heated oil and deep fry until golden and crispy on both sides.
• Drain excess oil using a paper towel .

Serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Brinjal/ Egg plant Sambar

Ingredients:
Toor dhal - 1 cup
Brinjal / egg plant - 3 to 5 nos

Tomato - 1

Small onion - 6 to 9 nos ( cut into medium size pieces )

Tamarind - small 1/2 lemon size
Red chillies - 3 nos
Curry leaves - few

Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt to taste.

Method:

• Wash thuvar dhal and add two cups of water along with a pinch of turmeric powder and pressure cook till soft.
• Soak tamarind in water and squeeze out the juice.
• Cut tomato into medium size pieces.
• Cut Brinjal into medium size pieces and put into water.
• Add Brinjal pieces, tomato pieces, salt, sambar powder, turmeric powder and cook on medium flame till the vegetable is soft.
• Add tamarind juice and allow to boil.
• Now add the cooked thuvar dhal.
• In a kadai put the oil and when it is hot add the mustard.
• When it pops up, add onions,Red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a while.
• Add the sambar to this. Mix well.
• Allow to boil 2 minutes. Remove from stove.

Serve with Rice.

Tomato Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Onion large - 1
Tomato - 3 nos
Curry leaves - few
Red chillies - 3 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Pepper corns - 4 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1 piece
Coconut ( shredded ) - 2 tbsp
Corriander powder - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Corriander leaves - few
Salt to taste.
Method:

• Cut tomatoes and onions into medium size pieces.
• Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai.Fry red chillies, 3/4 of cut onions,curry leaves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, khus khus and pepper corns until onions turns into golden brown.
• After remove from heat add coconut and corriander powder.mix well and keep it aside.
• Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai .Add the 2 1/2 chopped tomatoes.Fry it 2 to 3 minutes.Grind all together to a smooth paste. and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai.Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
• Add the remaining onions,curry leaves & fry well.
• Now add tomatoes fry 2 minutes.
• Add the ground masala along with salt. and add required water.
• Mix well and allow to boil 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from flame.

Serve with idli & dosa.

Fish / Meen Kuzhambu - ll

Ingredients:
Fish ( cleaned and cut into pieces ) – 1/2 KG
Small onions – 20 nos or Big onion - 1 ( chopped )
Garlic pods – 10 nos
Tomato – 1 big( chopped )
Tamarind – 1 medium sized lemon ( soaked with in 4 glass of water for 15 minutes )
Gingelly oil – 4 tbsp
Vadagam ( Thalippu ) – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
For the paste:
Black peppercorn - 2 tbsp
Red chillies – 6 nos
Cumin – 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds – 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

First take all the ingredients for the paste and grind it to a smooth paste with little water.

Squeeze the soaked tamarind to get all the extract and then filter it.

In the tamarind liquid add the ground paste, mix well & keep aside.

Method:

• In a vessel, heat the oil, add the vadavam, when it splutters, add the curry leaves, followed by the onions and fry until translucent.
• Add the garlic pods and fry until slightly brown.
• Add the tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy.
• Now add the tamarind- ground masala, salt and mix well.
• Check for salt now and add if required more.
• Let it boil for 10 minutes.
• Add the fish pieces and cover the vessel with the lid. Reduce the heat to low.
• Let it cook for another 10 minutes and by this time the oil will get separated.
  The smell of the kuzhambu, when boiling is extraordinary.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

Banana Milk Shake

Ingredients:

Ripe Banana - 1 (peeled and sliced )
Ice cubes - 5
Cold milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Method:

• In a blender, combine the bananas, ice cubes, milk and sugar.
• Cover, and blend for 2 minutes, or until ice is finely crushed.

Serve immediately.

Tomato Chutney

Ingredients:
Onion - 1 ( chopped into medium size )
Tomato - 2 ( chopped into medium size )
Red chillies - 3 nos
Corriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Pepper corns - 4 nos
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste.
For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 /2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tsp
Method:

• In a pan heat the oil & add corriander seeds, channa dal,cumin seeds ,pepper corns &chilliies. fry for a minute and keep aside.
• Same pan heat 2 tsp of oil. Add the onion & fry 3 minutes.
• Now add tomatoes and fry it till soft.
• Let it cool completely .
• Grind it all together with salt to a fine paste.
• DO the seasoning with the mustard seeds,urad dhal and curry leaves in a tsp of oil.

Serve with Idli,Dosa,Paniyaram etc.,

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients:
Fermented Idly batter – 2 cups
Onion – 1 ( finely chopped )
Green chillies – 2 ( finely chopped )

Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp ( finely chopped )

Curry leaves - few ( finely chopped )
Oil.

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together except oil.
• Pour some oil in the paniyaram mould.
• Once the oil is hot pour the batter in each hole.(3/4 batter in each hole)
• Allow it to cook for few minutes.
• Flip it over to cook the other side.

Serve hot with coconut chutney or Tomato chutney.

Mango MilkShake

Ingredients:

Mango ( riped ) - 1

Sugar - 2 tbsp
Milk ( cold ) - 2 glasses

Water - 1 glass.

Ice cubes -according to our taste
Method:

• Peel the mango and cut into medium size pieces.
• Put the mango pieces in the mixer along with sugar and ice cubes blend it to a smooth puree.
• Then add milk and required water and blend it for few seconds.
• Delicious Mango milk shake is ready.

Serve chilled.

Chicken 65

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 lb ( boneless, cut into small size )
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Yogurt/ curd - 2 tsp
Food color - a pinch ( optional )
Oil - 1.5 cup ( for deep frying )
Salt to taste.
Method:

• Mix chilli powder, ginger garlic paste,curd, lemon juice and salt to thick paste.
• Add water if required.
• Add chicken pieces to this and rub to coat the masala to all sides of chicken.
• Let this marinate for at least 1 hour.
• Now heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the marinated chicken pieces till they turn golden.
  Serve with onion rings and lemon wedges.
  

Rava Upma

Ingredients:
Rava / Sooji - 1.5 cups
Onion - 1 ( chopped )
Green chillies - 3
Ginger - 1 tsp ( finely chopped )
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Channa dhal - 1 tsp
Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - 4 cups
Salt to taste.
Method:

• Heat 1tbsp pure ghee and fry rava ,on a moderate heat, and keep aside.
• Now heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
• Add channa & urad & to it and fry till they turn light brown.
• Add onion, ginger and green chilies. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Now add 4 cups of water and add required salt and allow to boil.
• Now add the sooji gradually and stirring constantly till it becomes little thick.
• Cover the pan and keep the flame in sim 3 to 5 minutes.
• Finally add coriander leaves. Take off from the heat.
  Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Kothu Parotta / Egg Paratha

Ingredients:
Cooked parotta / Store bought parotta - 5 pieces
Onion- 1 ( finely chopped )
Ginger garlic paste- 1tbsp
Tomato-1 ( finely chopped )
Green chillies-3 nos
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Chicken masala powder - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp( chopped )
Eggs-2 nos
Chicken kuruma - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste.

Method:

• Heat the parotta in skillet and tear them into small pieces.
• Heat oil in a kadai . Add mustard seeds when it pops up add cumin seeds. Then add onions, chillies and curry leaves.
• When the onion gets cooked add ginger garlic paste. Fry it 2 minutes.
• Then add chopped tomatoes & fry it till the tomatoes are soft.
• Then add Turmeric powder and chicken masala powder &fry 1 minute.
• Then add parotta pieces and fry for a minute.
• Now add eggs,salt and pepper. Blend everything together.
• When the egg is almost done add chalna ,( If u have left over chicken gravy you can use it or use little bit of garam masala powder,corriander powder,and chilli powder )
• Mix well . so that it will get coated over parotta pieces.
• Finally add fresh corriander leaves.

Serve hot with onion raita.

Vaangi Baath / Brinjal Rice

Ingredients:

Rice – 1.5 cups

Brinjal – 4 nos

Onion – 1( chopped )

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt – as per taste.
For powder:

Red Chillies – 3 nos

Corriander Seeds – 1.5 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Peanuts - 1 tbsp
Channa dhal – 1 tsp

Urad dhal – 1 tsp

Cinnamon stick – 1 small piece

Cloves – 2 nos

Coconut gratings – 1 tbsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Oil – 2 tsp.

Slightly fry a Channa dal, urad dal, red chillies, corriander seeds,cumin seeds,cinnammin,cloves,peanut and grated coconut in little oil. Let it cool and grind them in to a powder.

Method:

• Cut brinjal length wise and put it in water.
• Cook rice.Make sure you do not over cook rice.Allow rice to cool.
• In a kadai put the oil and ghee and when it is hot add mustard. When it pops up, add chopped onion, curry leaves and fry well.
• Add brinjal along with turmeric powder and salt and stir fry till the brinjal is soft. Add ground vaangi baath powder and stir well. Then add cooked rice and mix well.Serve with onion Raitha.