Methi Matar Malai

Ingredients:
Fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) - 1 cup ( chopped )
Fresh peas (matar) - 3/4 cup
Fresh cream - 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 ( chopped )
Tomato - 1
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder- 1 tbsp
Chilli powder -1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste.
Grind to Smooth Paste:
Small Onion - 1
Green Chillies - 3 to 4
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 4 pieces
Jeera/Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Cardamoms - 2 nos
Milk - 1/4 cup
Cashews - 4 nos
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Method:

• Soak cashew and poppy seeds in ¼ cup warm milk and leave aside for 10 minutes.
• Blend these soaked ingredients with onion, green chillies, ginger, garlic, green chillies, cinnamon stick,cumin, cloves,and cardamoms to smooth paste.
• Wash methi leaves, add ½ tsp of salt in hot water leave aside for 15 minutes and then sqeeze out of water.
• Blanch tomatoes in hot water for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and blend to a smooth puree.
• Heat oil in a kadai add cumin seeds let them splutter. Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add the masala paste and fry well till the raw smell disappears.
• Now add the pureed tomatoes,chilli powder, turmeric powderand corriander powder and fry.
• Now add one after another, first fenugreek leaves then peas. do a quick stir-fry until the leaves wilt.
• Add salt and cup of water. Cook 5 to 7 minutes.
• Now add fresh cream and cook covered till thick and saucy.
• Serve hot.
  

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.

Dhal / Uppu Paruppu

Ingredients :
Toor dhal - 1cup
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 pieces
Red chillies - 2 nos
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste.
Method:

• Cook dal in water, with Tumeric powder and a drop of cooking oil.
• In the cooked dal, add Salt, crushed garlic and cumin seeds. Smash it.
• Seasoned with mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves.
• This is best eaten with steamed rice, topped With ghee.

Curd / Thayir Kuzhambu

Ingredients :
Curd - 1 cup
Onion - 1 ( finely chopped )
Green chillies - 4 ( chopped )
Curry leaves - few
Corriander leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Channa dhal - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp ( optional )
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt as per taste.
Method :

• Heat oil in a pan, season with cumin, mustard.
• When the mustard starts to pop add urad dhal and channa dhal.
• Now add onions,Green chillies,Curry leaves and saute till translucent.
• Now add Chopped corriander leaves.
• Turn off the heat and when it cools down add the yogurt/ curd ,salt and mix well.
  It goes well with Dosai.

Kongunaatu kozhi Soup and Varuval / Spicy Chicken Soup and Chicken Fry

Ingredients:
Chicken ( with bone ) - 2 lb ( small pieces )

Onion -1 ( chopped )

Tomato - 1 small size ( chopped )

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 2 nos

Red chillies - 2 nos

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste.

For the paste:

Small onion 20 nos or large onions - 1 ( cut into medium size )

Red chillies - 3 nos

Fennel seeds (sombu ) - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds ( seerakam ) - 1 tsp

Pepper corns (milaku ) -1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Cinnamon - 1 no

Split roasted gram ( pottu kadalai ) - 1 tbsp.

Coconut - 2 tbsp ( grated )

Corriander powder -4 tbsp.

Method:

In a pan heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry all the items except coconut and corriander powder .when it turns to golden brown then add coconut and corriander powder and mix it. remove from heat After it cools down, blend to a smooth paste.

Soup:

• In a vessel heat 1 tsp of oil, add mustard seeds after pop ups add onion 1 tsp, 1 green chilli and curry leaves and saute 1 minute.
• Now add 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste fry few seconds. Add tomato and fry 1 minute.
• Then add chicken pieces along with turmeric powder and salt.and saute till they start to turn white.
• Now add ground paste and mix well. add 5 cups of water or required water. cook until chicken becomes soft.
• Now filter the soup and chicken and keep aside. Soup ready.

Varuval or Fry:

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seed after pops,add chopped onion,chillies and curry leaves. fry 2 minutes.
• Add ginger garlic paste fry 1 minute.
• Now add chicken pieces along with 2 ladles full of soup.
• Taste and add salt accordingly.Adding the soup, helps in blending the flavours of the spices with the chicken pieces and bring it all together.
• Fry them for about 5 minutes on low heat until dry consistency.
• Finally add fresh pepper powder and curry leaves.
• Varuval ready.
  Serve the soup hot in soup bowl or with steamed rice and enjoy it with the varuval.

It goes well with idli and kal dosa also.

Vendakkai Puzhi Kulambu / Okra Tamarind Gravy

Ingredients:

Okra ( vendakkai ) - 1 lb
Small onion - 10 nos or large onion - 1 ( chopped ) Tomato - 1
Red chilli -2
Garlic - 3 pieces
Mustard seeds - 1/ 2 tsp
Fenugreek seed ( methi ) - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Seasame oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size
Salt to taste.
Method :

• Wash and thoroughly dry the okra with a kitchen towel. Cut the tops and the ends of the okra, and chop into 1 " pieces.
• Soak tamarind in warm water & rest it for 15 min & squeeze tamarind extract.
• Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard and when it pops,add methi seeds,curry leaves . put onion, red chillies and garlic and saute them 5 minutes.
• Now add tomato and cook it 3 minutes.
• Then add corriander powder,chilli powder,turmeric powder, salt and okra pieces.mix well and cook them 5 minutes.
• Now add tamarind water and bring to boil,reduce the flame and simmer covered for about 10 minutes till the raw smell of tamarind goes away.
• The okra tamarind gravy is ready.

Serve the okra tamarind gravy with rice.

Egg plant (Brinjal) Kara Kulambu

Incredients:

Egg Plant: 4

Small Onion: 10

Tomoto: 1

Red (dry) Chilli - 2

Curry Leaves 5-10 leaves

Gingelly Oil - 4 tea spoons

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Methi Seed: 1 tea spoon

Tamarind: little

Corriander Powder: 2 teaspoon

Chilli Powder: 1 tea spoon

Turmeric Powder: 1 Tea spoon

Salt : (to your taste)

How to Cook

• Dice and Slice Tomotto and eggplant separately.
• Cut the egg plant (brinjal) medium size and keep in the water.
• Soak the Tamarind in the 2 cups of water for about 10 minutes.
• Once ready with all the above items, Switch on the stove and place the Kadai (fry pan) in the stove.
• Drop 4-6 teaspoons of gingiley oil in the kadai and add mustard seed, methi seed.
• Add the Onion, red chilli (dry), curry leave and continue the fry.
• Then add diced tomoto and egg plant and keep frying.
• After 2-3 minutes of frying, add turmeric powder, corrinder powder, chilli powder and salt.
• Add Tamirind water and bring to boil.
• After boil for few seconds, keep the stove in sim (low heat) for about 10 minutes.
• Add chopped corriandor leaves.