Chintakaya or Dry tamarind chutney

Ingredients:

Dried Tamarind in salt or Chinta tokku ½ cup

Red Chillies 4

Green chillies 2

Ginger ½ inch piece

Menthi seeds ½ teaspoon

Mustard seeds 2 teaspoons

Hing or inguva 2 pinches

Oil 2 teaspoon

Salt as needed

Preparation:

1. Heat a deep pan or skillet and add oil to it, after oil is heated add mustard seeds,  menthi seeds, hing and red chillies. When the mustard seeds splutter and pop switch off the stove. Add green chillies and ginger.

2. In a mixie bowl and grind it  into thick paste.

It can be stored for 2 months.

Okra or Bendakai or Vendakkai or Bendakaya or Ladies Finger Curd Curry

Ingredients :
Okra or Ladies finger or Bendakaya ½ pound or ¼ kg
Yogurt or Curd 2 tablespoon
Onion 1 (optional) chopped into small pieces
Mustard Seeds ½ teaspoon
Chana Dal ½ teaspoon
Urad Dal ½ teaspoonJeera ½ teaspoon
Hing 1 pinch
Red chillies 2
Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves 1 string
Turmeric powder 2 pinches
Oil 2 teaspoons
Salt as needed


Preparation:
1. Cut okra into small circular pieces. Heat a deep pan or skillet add oil to it. Add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, jeera, red chili cut into 3 pieces, curry leaves and hing.

2. When the mustard seeds start to splutter and dals slightly change color add onion pieces and mix well. When the onion turns translucent, add the okra mix well.

3. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well. After 5 minutes add curd and mix well.

4.  Cook for till the curd is fully absorbed or for about 5 to 10 minutes in medium low flame.  After the curry is fully cooked add the red chilli powder. Mix well and switch off the stove.

Podi dosa

This is spicy and yummy dosa .... it tastes very good. This podi can used in curry and is served with idlies too.

Ingredients:

Dosa batter 5 cup

Podi 1 cup

Oil for making dosa

Preparation:

Click here for the recipe of podi.

1.  Heat a dosa pan and spread 7 inch of dosa over it. Gently spread the idly podi all over the dosa uniformly.  Spread ½ teaspoon of oil along the circumference of the dosa. Gently press with spatula. The podi will stick to the dosa.

2. When is cooked on one side flip it over to the other side. Cook for 1 minute on the other side. Serve hot.

Instant oil less mango pickle

I am a big fan of mango. Oilless and instant pickle. Learners and bachelors can prepare this with ease.

Ingredients:

Raw mango 1 medium sized

Red chillies 8 to 9

(adjust accordingly)

Lemon juice ½ cup

Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon

Salt as needed

Preparation:

1. Cut mango into small pieces with / with out the skin. Add lemon juice and salt, mix well. Add tumeric powder and mix well. Crush the red chillies with hand and add to the mango bowl.

2. Mix well.  It tastes  better after few hours. Very yummy serve with rice or starters or dosa.

Bread Mixed Vegetable Manchurian

INGREDIENTS

Bread slices 4

Carrot 2 medium sized

Beans10 to 12

Spring onions 2 medium
Green peas 1 cup
Onions 2 medium sized

Garlic cloves 6

Ginger garlic paste 1½ teaspoon

Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon

Garam masala ½ teaspoon

Potatoes 2 medium sized

Corn flour ½ cup

Curd 2 table spoons

Soya sauce 1 table spoon

Chopped corainder leaves handful

Oil for deep frying

Salt as needed

Preparation:

1. Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Cook the potatoes and vegetables. Mash the potatoes and add the cooked vegetables and mix well. Mash the vegetables. Add bread slices and curd this makes  bread slices soft. Mix well. Add corn flour, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and garam masala. Make it into a soft dough.

2. Leave it aside for about a hour it is good if you marinate for 4 to 6 hours. Make them into small balls. Heat a pan add oil for deep frying and gently drop the balls when they are cooked on all sides and turn golden brown in color. Keep them aside.

3. Chop onions into small pieces, green chillies length wise, spring onion into circular pieces, garlic into small pieces. Heat a pan and add 2 table spoons of oil after oil is heated add the onions, garlic, spring onions and green chillies. When the onions turn translucent in color. Add soya sauce and mix well. Cook for in low flame for 5 minutes. Add very little salt and mix well. Add this to the manchurian balls bowl and mix well.

 4. Garnish with cilantro or choped coriander leaves.

Sooji Idly or Instant idly

Ingredients:

Semolina or Sooji or Bombay Rawa 2 cups

Curd 2 cups

Ajwini 2 teasoons

Fruit Salt (Eno) or baking soda 1 teaspoon

Salt as needed

Preparation:

1. I have used roasted sooji, heat a pan and dry roast sooji till it slightly changes the color.  Add curd to it and mix well. Add ajwini seeds, salt, fruit salt eno and mix well.

2. Grease the idly plates and pour the batter in the idly plates.

3. Pour water in the cooker and steam the idlies in cooker for about 10 minutes. Serve hot with chutney.

Instant Pessarttu

Ingredients:

Moong Dal powder or Pesara pindi or Green gram powder 2 big cup

Onion 2 medium sized chopped in small pieces

Ginger ½ piece chopped into small pieces

Green chillies 5 to 6 chopped into small pieces

Oil for making dosas

Rice flour 2 table spoons (optional)

(This make pessarattu crispy)

Salt as needed

Preparation:

1. Add moong dal powder, rice flour, salt and water, blend it in mixie or blender for 2 minutes.

2. Heat a dosa pan and spread batter in ciruclar shape about 6 to 7 inches.

3. Spread onions pieces, ginger pieces and green chillies over it. Gently press the pieces with the spatula so that they stick to the pessarattu. Along the circumference of pessarattu add ½ to 1 teaspoon.

4. When it is cooked on this side gently flip it over the other side. After it is cooked on other side transfer it to plate and serve hot with chutney.