Garlic Chutney

Garlic contains anti-oxidants that protects us from cell damage and aging. Consumption of garlic reduces cholesterol and blood pressure. All the above said properties reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's. Good for heart health. Garlic also boosts our immune system. Good for bone health. It can detoxify heavy metals in the body. Increases longevity. Reduces fatigue and enhances work capacity. 


Preparation: 

• Soak the red chillies in hot water. Allow it to soak for 15 minutes. 
• After 15 minutes, grind together red chillies, garlic, tamarind and little salt. The mixture will look coarse. Add water little by little, and go on grinding until you get a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl. Adjust the salt.
• Heat oil and pour it on the chutney. Mix well. Do not reduce the quantity of the oil. 
• Serve with idly /dosa. Especially good while travelling.
• Can be refrigerated for a week. 

Ingredients: 

Garlic cloves - 5 nos. 

Dry red chilly - 5 

Tamarind - 1/2 teaspoon 

Salt to taste 

Gingelly / Sesame oil - 1/2 tablespoon 

Sharmi's recipe

Ugadi Pachadi

Ugadi pachadi is a ceremonial side dish prepared on the day of Ugadi (New Year's Day) in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana. It is a confluence of six tastes, representing human life. Sweet, Sour, salt, spice, tangy and bitter, each representing a state of mind. 
Two methods of preparation are given below.

Method 1:

• In a pan cook the finely chopped mango along with tamarind juice. Once the mango is soft add the grated jaggery into the mixture. Stir occasionally until the jaggery melts. Remove from flame and keep aside. 
• Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add neem flowers and fry till golden brown, in low flame. 
• Add the chilly powder and salt, mix well and remove from flame. 
• Transfer this to the mango tamarind mixture. Stir. 
• Serve as a side-dish. 

Ingredients:

Grated jaggery - 4 table spoon 

Neem flowers - 2 to 3 teaspoons 

Red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon 

Raw mango finely chopped - 1 table spoon 

Fresh tamarind - lime sized ball (Soak in water and extract thick juice) 

Salt to taste 

Water - 1 cup 

Oil - 1 teaspoon

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon 

Note: Variation of ingredients can be observed from place to place.
Some use fresh grated coconut or coconut bits. Some add green chilly instead of red chilly powder. Some add ripe bananas and cashew nuts or roasted split chick pea..............................etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    PC Google




Method 2 :

Jaggery - 4 - 5 tablespoons (grated) 
Tamarind juice - 2 tablespoon 
Neem flowers - 1/2 tablespoon
Raw Mango pieces - 1 tablespoon
Green chilly- 1/2 teaspoon (finely chopped) 
Salt to taste 
Water as needed.

Preparation: 

• Soak tamarind in little water and extract juice. 
• Mix together all the ingredients.
• Add water as needed to adjust the taste. 
• Serve. 

Note: The measure of ingredients are just indicative. You can vary the quantity according to your taste. 

Black- eyed Beans curry

This curry was made from memory. I read the recipe somewhere. Don't know the exact recipe now, still the curry turned out tasty.

Method: 

• Roast the black-eyed bean in low flame, until there is a very slight color change. Keep aside. When it cools a little, pressure cook it with a little water. 
• Chop the onion and tomatoes. 
• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When it splutters add the onion and tomatoes. Sauté well, until oil separates. Add sambar powder, stir for a few seconds. Add the cooked beans into it. Add salt and enough water and bring to a boil. Should have the consistency of Sambar.
• Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves. As a side dish for rice, dosa, idly.

Ingredients: 

• Black- eyed beans - 1/3 cup 
• Onion - 1 medium 
• Tomato - 1 large (I used a small, sour, local one and half of a large hybrid one. ) 
• Sambhar powder - 1 or 1 1/2 tablespoon (i used Eastern Sambar powder ) 
• Water - 1cup 
• Salt to taste 
• Oil - 2 table spoons 
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon 
• Fresh Coriader leaves - a few  

Gothsu

Gothsu is a side dish served along with idli. It is popular in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu. It looks and tastes like sambar. A sambar sans lentil /dal. 


Method

• In a pressure cooker heat oil. Add the cumin seeds and mustard. When it start spluttering, add the chopped onion, tomatoes and the slit green chillys. Sauté well, till oil comes out. 
• Add the sambar powder and stir well. 
• Add tamarind juice. 
• Add the cubed potatoes and tamarind. 
• Add a cup of water. Close the lid and cook. After 5 whistles remove from flame. 
• Wait till all the pressure is released. Open , add salt to taste. Adjust the consistency of Gothsu. If very thick add boiled water to thin.
• Serve hot with idli. 

Ingredients: 

Tomato - 2 big 

Onion - 1 big 

Green chilly - 4 -5  

Brinjal - 2 big 

Potato - 1 medium 
Oil - 1 - 2 table spoons

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon 

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon 

Sambar Powder - 1 - 11/2 tablespoon 

Tamarind juice ( thick) - 4 teaspoons 
Water 1 - 11/2 cups

Salt to taste 

Uttappam

Uttappam is an embellished dosa. One can use a variety of grated vegetables or chutneys or even egg as the embellishment -its a personal choice. One can even relate it to pizza  - a south indian pizza.

Method:

Heat a flat pan or tawa. Grease it with gingelly / sesame oil. Pour a spoonful of dosa batter on the pan and spread it out like dosa, keep the flame on medium low. Do not make the dosa too thin or too thick. Immediately spread the grated vegetables on the top of the dosa. Pour a teaspoon of gingelly / sesame oil on the vegetables and another half teaspoon around the dosa. When you can't find any raw batter on the top, carefully flip the dosa and cook. Cook for a minute or two. Your Uttappam is ready. Transfer to a plate. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining batter.

Serve hot with chutney powder. Click this link for the recipe of Chutney Powder:

http://ashasnairrajesh.blogspot.com/2016/02/chutney-powder.html    

 Ingredients:

Dosa batter - 1 cup
Chopped onions - 2 table spoon
Chopped tomato  1/3 cup
Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped ginger - 1 teaspoon
Finely chopped garlic - 1 teaspoon
Finely chopped Cabbage - 1/4 cup
Finely chopped green chilly - 1 teaspoon
Gingelly/Sesame oil

Note: You can use vegetables / vegetable of your choice. Different coloured Capsicums are a good choice.

Idiyappam with Vegetable Stew

Idiyappam is a south - indian breakfast dish. This is also known as stringed hopper. Rice flour is the main ingredient. Here i have used the pink rice flour. This is a steamed dish.

Method:To prepare Idiyappam

Place the rice flour in a stainless steel bowl. Boil the water adding salt. When the water starts boiling, make a well in the center of the rice flour and pour the boiling water into it. Using a wooden spatula mix the flour and water thoroughly. Remove the spatula, Cover the dough with a lid and set aside to cool. When it is cool / warm enough, knead the dough using your hand. Add coconut oil or ghee while kneading. Make a smooth dough ball.
Take an idiyappam press a small ball of the dough into it and squeeze into idly moulds.
Steam in an idly cooker for 7 minutes.
If you are using grated coconut, you can add a teaspoon of it in each mould before squeezing the dough over it.

Ingredients: For Idiyappam:                                                                       Makes 24 idiyappams

Rice Flour -2 1/4 cups ( i used pink rice flour )
Boiling water - 2 1/2 cups
Salt to taste or 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil / Ghee - 1 - 2 tablespoon
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup ( optional )


Method: to prepare Vegetable Stew

Heat oil in a medium sized pan. Add all the seasoning ingredients. When the cloves start spluttering, add the finely chopped onions and saute it. When the onion is well sauteed ( Do Not brown ), add ginger-garlic paste, when the raw smell disappears add coriander, chilly and turmeric powder. Stir for a few seconds and add the finely chopped tomato. Saute the tomato and slit green chillies for a minute. Add the chopped vegetables and water, cover and cook for a few minutes or until the vegetables are cooked. Add the black pepper. If the gravy has dried up add little water, add salt to taste. Now add the garam masala and coconut milk. Stir well. Do not boil after adding coconut milk. Remove from flame. Check salt once more. If it is less add more and adjust taste.
Serve with idiyappam

Ingredients: For Vegetable Stew:

Vegetables cut into 1 centimeter cubes - 1 cup ( potato, carrot, cauliflower, beans etc )
Onion chopped - 1 medium
Tomato chopped - 1
Green chilly slit - 2
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilly powder - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
Crushed black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt
Water 1/2 cup

For Seasoning:

Cloves - 3
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
Cardamom -2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 tablespoon


Note: Potatoes in Coconut milk is also a very good side-dish for idiyappam. Click the link for the recipe.   Potatoes in coconut milk

Cowpea Thoran

The cowpea is also known as the Lobia or blackeyed pea. It is a good source of protien and some minerals. It is widely used in south-indian cuisine. The tender leaves are also edible and can be cooked in a similar way. The cowpea is used to make a variety of dishes and they are tasty too.It cooks well in very little water.

Method:

• Wash the cowpea thoroughly. Chop finely. 
• In a mixer jar pulse ( use the Whip Button ) the green chillies. Add the grated coconut, cumin seeds and garlic cloves. Pulse once more. Do Not grind into a paste. Keep aside.
• Boil 1/2 cup water in a pan, add the chopped cowpeas, cover and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Remove the lid, add salt, allow the water to dry off on medium flame. When it is almost dry, reduce flame to simmer and add the coconut mixture, mix well. Adjust salt. In another pan heat oil, add the chopped shallots, mustard seeds and red chillies which are broken into 2 or 3 pieces. When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add curry leaves and the cowpea mix into the pan, mix and remove from flame.

Serve with rice.

Ingredients:

Cowpea - 300 grams
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Greenchilly - 2
Cumin seeds - 2 pinch
Garlic - 2 cloves
Salt

For seasoning:

Shallots  - 2 thinly sliced
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Whole red chilly - 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 2 - 3 teaspoons 




Note: If you are going to use this dish immediately, you may avoid the seasoning.

Parippu Vada

Parippu vada / Masala vada is an easy to make tea-time snack, made with split chickpeas. A very tasty, savoury snack.

Chickpeas also known as Garbanzo beans or bengal gram must be a part of our daily diet. It is so nutritious that one cannot avoid it. It should be a part of the diet of  diabetics and people with high blood pressure. It contains lots of potassium and many other essential minerals which is good for bone health and the heart. Selenium a mineral present in chickpeas prevent tumor growth.

Preparation: 

1. Soak the split chickpea and tuvar dal in water for half an hour.
2. Slice the shallots and cut green chilly into 4 or 5 pieces.
3. Drain the chickpeas and grind it coarsely. It is nice to see some whole split chickpea here and there. So on the safer side you can keep aside a tablespoon of chickpea, before grinding.

4. Mix the chickpea mix with shallots, green chilly, red chilly powder, whole black pepper, fennel seeds, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt.
5. Divide the mixture into 6 parts. Roll each into a ball. Flatten each ball in the centre of your palms.

6. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the vadas on medium flame. Flip so that both the sides are evenly cooked.

Serve hot with hot tea.

Ingredients:               
                                                                                                        Makes 6
Channa Dal / Split Chickpea - 1/2 cup
Yellow lentil / Tuvar Dal - 1 tablespoon
Green Chilly - 1 - 2 nos.
Shallots - 4 - 5
Whole black pepper - 9 - 10
Fennel - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a handful
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Coccinia Grandis Curry

Coccinia Grandis Curry

                                                 

Ingredients:

Coccinia Grandis  - 150 – 200 grams

Shallots – 8

Whole dry red chillies – 8

Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds – ½ teaspoon

Vineager – 1 table spoon

Water – 2 cups

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 – 2 table spoon

For Seasoning:

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds – ¼ teaspoon

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Preparation:

                                                   

Cut each coccinia grandis into four pieces lengthwise. Shallow fry the pieces. Sprinkle salt. Don’t brown. Keep aside, let it cool.

Grind shallots, red chillies, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and vineager into a smooth paste.

Heat a pan. Add mustard seeds, oil and curry leaves. When the mustard splutters, add the ground paste and sauté. Stir continuously in low - medium flame.  When the paste starts to brown, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.

Add the shallow fried Coccinia grandis into the gravy. Cook on a low flame until gravy thickens. 

Serve hot with rice.

Tomato Pickle

Tomatoes and potatoes belong to the same family. Like potatoes, tomatoes are available round the year. This is a low-calorie vegetable/fruit. Fresh ones are rich in potassium. Tomatoes are a rich source of anti-oxidants which protects one from various types of cancers. Lycopene, an anti-oxidant which is present only in tomatoes protects skin from UV-rays. Tomato is also good for eye-health. It is also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A and beta carotenes. 

This is one pickle i love to eat with anything and everything. And the best thing is all the ingredients are always available at home.


Preparation:

1.Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Add the turmeric powder, salt, and tamarind into the cut tomatoes, and mix well. Cover the mixture with a lid. Let this rest for 48 hours.

2.After 48 hours:  Roast and grind the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, separately.

3.Now grind the tomato mixture into a smooth paste along with the red chilly powder, mustard powder and the fenugreek powder. Do not add water.

Method:

Heat the oil in a big pan. Add the seasoning. When the garlic starts to turn brown, carefully add the tomato mix into it. Fry for a few minutes or until the oil surfaces. Remove from fire. Cool and store in glass jars.

Can be served with rice and rotis. Shelf life is more than an year.

Ingredients:

• Tomato - 1 Kg
• Salt - 300 - 350 grams
• Red Chilly powder - 150 -200 grams
• Oil -350 ml
• Tamarind -350 grams
• Mustard seeds -35 grams
• Fenugreek seeds - 20 grams
• Turmeric Powder -1 teaspoon

For Seasoning:

• Garlic - 85 grams(chopped)
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
• Black gram(split) -1 tablespoon