Paruppu Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 3/4 Cup

Green Chili - 2nos

Garlic pods - 3

Crushed cumin Seeds - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Small onions - 4 nos

Tomato - 2 ( cut into pieces )

Sambar powder - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dry Red Chili - 2 nos

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste.
Method:

• To a Pressure cooker add toor dal, chopped tomato, small onions, asafoetida, turmeric powder, garlic pods,cumin seeds,sambar powder, salt,green chili and add 2 cup of water. Pressure cook it.
• Open the cooker and mash the dal.
• In a small frying pan add oil when its hot add mustard. Allow them to splutter.Add dry red chili and curry leaves.
• Add this to the dal.
  Serve with steamed rice along with ghee.

Murungakkai / Drumstick Sambar

Ingredients:

Toor dhal - 1 cup

Drumsticks / murungaikkai - 3 to 5 nos
Tomato - 1
Small onion - 6 to 9 nos ( cut into medium size pieces )
Tamarind - small 1/2 lemon sizeRed 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 drumstick into medium size pieces.
• Add drumstick 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

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.

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.

Mutton Masala / Mutton Gravy

Ingredients:
Goat meat/Mutton - 1/2 kg
Onion large - 1 ( chopped )
Tomato - 1 ( chopped )
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Corriander powder - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Corriander leaves - few
Curd - 2 tbsp
Cinnammon stick - 1
Clove - 1
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste.
Method :

• Cut the mutton pieces into medium size & wash it nicely.
• Marinate the mutton pieces with turmeric powder,curd & salt. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.
• In a pan heat oil then add cinnamon sticks & cloves ad fennel seeds.
• Now put in the chopped onions & fry it till golden brown.
• Now add the ginger garlic paste & fry for a minute.
• Then add the tomatoes & fry it till the tomatoes are soft.
• Add corriander powder,chilli powder,fresh pepper powder and salt & fry for 2 minutes.
• Now put the mutton pieces and saute for 5 minutes and pour little water & mix it nicely.
• Now close the lid and pressure cook the mutton till it is tender.
• Now open the lid and add curry leaves and let it simmer for 10 minutes.or Cook till the gravy is thick.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve with Rice, roti ,idli ,dosa etc etc,,,