Garam Masala powder

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds 2½  tablespoons
Cardamoms 15
Cinnamon stick 15 (½  inch pieces)
Cummin seeds 1 tablespoon
Khuskhus or poppyseeds 1 tablespoon
Pepper ½ tablespoon
Cloves or Lavamjam 1 tablespoon
Nutmeg/Jajikaya 1
Somp ½ tablespoon

Preparation:
1. Heat a pan and turn to medium low flame . Dry roast them till they change
the color.
2. Cool them and in a mixie / blender make them into fine powder.

Soft Idly or Soft dosa tips

To get soft idly and dosas, add handful of poha or attukulu to the soaked urad dal  in water.

Avoid sour idly or dosa batter

To keep  dosa batter or  idly batter from getting sour, do not add salt to the batter. This way it can be stored for 3 to 4 days without getting sour.

Coconut podi

This is very popular podi in Tamilnadu. It can be taken with rice and dosas. It is also used as curry powder.

Ingredients:
Coconut 1
Urad dal or menapa pappu 3 tablespoons
Chana dal or senga pappu 3 tablespoons
Hing or Inguava 3 pinches
Red Chillies 6 (adjust accordingly)
Ghee 1/2 teaspoon
Salt as needed


Preaparation:
1. Scrape the coconut finely.
2. Heat a pan and add chana dal ,after 2 minutes add urad dal and add the red chillies. (No oil is required just dry roast) When the dals change color switch off the stove.
3. In the same pan add the ghee and fry the scraped coconut in medium low flame.
4. In a blender or mixie add all the ingredients and make it into a coasre powder.
Refrigirate and it can be stored for a week.

NOTE:  Dont add salt if you want to use as curry powder.

Aloo Tikki

Ingredients:
Potatoes  6 big sized
Green chillies 3 (adjust accordingly)
Ginger 1/2 inch piece
Cilantro or coriander leaves 1/2 cup
Amchur powder 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
Jeera  or cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon
Salt as needed
Oil  1/2cup

Preparation:
1. Boil the potato. After they cool. Peel the skin and mash the potato.
2. Make a paste of green chillies and ginger.
3. In a bowl mix mashed potatoes ,jeera powder,coriander powder,pepper powder, salt ,ginger and green chilli paste. Mix well.
4. Make small burger size patties or 3 inch circular patties or circular cutlet shape which are about 1/2 inch high.
5.  Heat a chapathi pan or non-stick pan add  2 teaspoon of oil  and place the patties  . Turn to medium low flame . When it turns golden brown in color gently flip it over to other side and add 1 teaspoon oil  and cook till it turns golden brown  in color.
Serve with tamarind or green chutney.

Dhokla

Ingredients:
Besan 1 cup
Ginger 1/2 inch piece
Green chillies 2 (adjust acoordingly)
Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
Oil 1 tablespoon or 3 teaspoons
Sugar 1 teaspoon
Sour curd 1/2 cup
Water 1/2 cup
Fruit salt or Eno 3/4 teaspoon
Salt as needed

For tadka
Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves 1 bunch
Green chillies 3
Oil 2 teaspoons
Corainder leaves handful

Preapartion:
1. Make a paste of green chilli and ginger in a mixie or blender.
2. In a bowl mix the besan, ginger paste, green chilli paste, salt, turmeric, sugar and oil .
3. Add curd and water and beat it in a mixie or beater till it becomes smooth.
4. Grease a large plate or cake pan with oil which is 3 inch deep.
5. In pressure cooker pan pour 2 cups of water.
6. Add the fruit salt or eno , mix well and pour immediately into the greased plate and place in the cooker .
7. Steam for 20 minutes. Remove the plate and cut them into square pieces.


For garnishing:
1. Cut green chillies length wise.
2. In a pan heat the oil for the tadka or poppu , add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. When the mustard seeds pop up. Pour the tadka on the steamed dokla.
3.Garnish with the coriander leaves.

Plain Rice

There are two types of raw rice. Old rice which is stored for more than 6 months and new rice . New rice requires less water. Old rice requires more water. There are different varieties of rice long grain , basamathi, sona massuri .... New rice 1 and 1/2 cup water is ok. Old rice needs more water 2 cups sometimes 3 cups also.Old rice is good for health. New rice causes indigestion problem.

Ingredients:

Rice grains 1 cup

Water 2 cups

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice grains 3 times in water and put it in  a cooker or you can cook directly or in a pressure cooker bowl.

2. Add 2 cups of water and cook it until it is fully cooked. If you are cooking in cooker place the whistle while before cooking the rice on the lid. After 3 whistle turn to low flame and cook for 5 minutes and switch off the stove.

POHA LADOO OR ATTUKULU LADOO

Ingredients:

Poha / Attukulu /Rice flakes(Thin) 2 cups

Sugar 1½ cups

(adjust acoordingly as per your taste)

Water 1 cup

Cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon

Milk powder  1 table spoon or 3 teaspoons

Ghee 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan and turn to low flame. Add the ghee and roast the poha or attukulu for about 5 minutes. 

2. In a mixie or blender make a powder of the poha or atukulu or rice flakes.

3. In the same pan add water after the water starts boils add sugar and make it into a thick consistency.

4. Add the poha or attukulu powder ,milkpowder , cardamom powder mix well.

5. Add the sugar syrup when it is warm and make them into ladoos. 

NOTE: If is brittle add little sugar and make them into ladoos.

Red and Green chilli chutney

Ingredients:
Red Chillies 5
Green Chillies 5
Lime juice 1tbsp or
Tamarind 2 inch piece
Jeera 1 teaspoon
Sugar 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Salt as needed


Preparation:
1. Cut red chillies and green chillies into pieces.
2. In a mixie or blender add green chillies , red chillies ,lemon juice, jeera, sugar  salt and add little water if required , make it into soft paste .
3. Serve with dosas and rice.