Tofu manchurian

Tofu is the paneer made from soya milk. Usually people at home never liked the taste of it, but this Chinese style tofu was actually good and did not reveal its true nature.
Ingredients
1.Tofu - 150gms
2. Flour - 2tbsp
3. Cornflour - 1/2tbsp
4.  Salt
 Cut Tofu into small cubes, add maida, cornflour and salt mix well. Shallow fry in a table spoon of oil and keep aside.
5. Onion -1
6. Capsicum -1
7. Ginger garlic paste -1/2tsp
8. Red chilly paste - 1/2tsp
9. Honey - 1tsp
10. Soya sauce - 1/2tsp
11. Tomato sauce -1tps
12. Spring onions - 1tbsp
13. Oil -2tsp
14. Salt

 Method
1. Heat oil in pan, starting from onion add one ingredient after another stirring constantly after each addition. After adding tomato sauce stir in the fried tofu cubes mix well and toss in some chopped spring onions and serve with rice or roti. ( can use the onion bulb of the spring onions)

Mushroom Rice

Whenever I make this rice, the aroma reminds me of the fried rice I used to have in my college canteen. Simply irresistible.
Ingredients
1. Basmati rice - 2 cups
2. Onions-2
3.  Button Mushroom - 200gms
4. Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
5. Soya sauce - 1tsp
6. Pepper powder - 1 1/2tsp
7. Salt
8. Spring onions - 2tbsp
9. Oil - 1 1/2tbsp

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onions, saute till it is pink and soft. Add ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.
2. Add mushrooms cut into four, stir and cook for five minutes.
3. Add soya sauce, little salt and stir for a minute. Before removing from heat, add pepper powder (preferably white pepper powder) and finely chopped spring onions.
4.Cook Basmati rice separately and leave it to cool. Add the rice to the mushroom mixture  and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper powder according to taste and serve garnished with spring onions.

Appam

Appam is a very delicious snack that can be made in a Jiffy. Every time I make this, I am always asked how I made this. Nowadays I see this served as little pancakes, as a starter in restaurants.
Ingredients
1. Flour (maida) - 2 cups
2. Banana - 1
3. Melted Jaggery - 1/2 cup
4. Cardamom -1
5. Oil - For frying

Method
1. Combine maida, required amount of melted jaggery, cardamom and blend in a mixer. Add mashed banana and blend again.
2. Take a spoonful of this batter, drop in warm oil and deep fry, until brown.
( Adjust the amount of jaggery according to taste )

To avoid deep frying, take a spoonful of the batter and spread lightly on a tawa and cook on both sides with a little oil or ghee. These pan cakes taste better with the flavour of ghee.

Ellurandai - sesame seed ball

Sesame is rich in iron and it is a nutritious food for women. Ellurundai is a simple, delicious snack and a traditional food made in rural Tamil Nadu or other wise called gramathu samayal. As it helps in regulating menstruation, pregnant women are not allowed to eat this. I  remember gorging on these ellurundai eveytime my grandmother makes it during vinayagar chaturthi. She uses it as a filling  for the kolukkattai and the left over sesame mix is made into balls and it won’t last even for a day, with me moving around the kitchen, until it gets over. There is another version of this called chimmli, which my mother makes using ragi along with sesame, which also is believed to regulate menstruation.
 Ingredients
1.Black Sesame - 2cups
2.Grated Jaggery - 1cup

Method
1. Wash and soak sesame for an hour. Drain the water and let it dry ( or straightaway start roasting in a kadai, as it is roasted the water will evaporate and become dry)
2. Dry roast the sesame, till it crackles and becomes crunchy.
3. when it is cool, run the sesame in a mixer, add grated jaggery and grind again only until everthing is well mixed. Transfer to a plate and make balls.

Pineapple cake

Since we had a birthday celebration at home, I was making a lot of cakes this week. I had some left over butter after making brownies and I made this simple pineapple flavoured cake, which was soft and sweet in contrast to the dark, bitter sweet brownies.

Ingredients
1. Flour - 125 gms
2. Butter - 125 gms
3. Sugar -125 gms
4. Egg - 2
5. Pineapple essence - 2tsp
6. Baking powder - 1tsp
7. Tutty fruity - 3tsp

Method
1. Beat butter and powdered sugar, until soft and fluffy, add the eggs and beat for a few more minutes. Add the essence, mix well.
2. Fold in the flour and baking powder (sieved together), only till everything is mixed, add the tutty fruity ( lightly dusted with flour) mix and pour it in a greased and dusted baking pan and bake at 180 degree c for 20 minutes.

Ring Murukku

Ingredients
1. Rice flour - 4 cups
2. Roasted gram flour - 1 cup
3. Chilly powder -1/4tsp
4. Asafoetida - 1/4tsp
5. Ajwain - 1/4tsp
  or cumin - 1/4tsp
6. Hot oil - 2tbsp
7. Salt
8. Sesame seeds - 1tsp

Method
1. Mix all the above ingredients, add water and knead to a dough.
2. Take tiny portions, shape it like a ring and deep fry in oil.
3. Since it is time consuming, I have used half the dough in the regular murukku maker and half as ring shaped murukku.

Sambhar Sadham - Bisi bele bath

The first time I made this rice was 15 years back, when I was learning to cook. My mother and grandmother loved it so much that I was asked to make it again many times. Now it is my son’s favourite vegetarian food. Bisi bele bath is a popular food in Karnataka, there are so many versions, since everybody liked this, I have stuck to this recipe. Though I have lost the original recipe 10 years ago, I have been making from what I can recollect from my memory.


Ingredients
1. Par boiled rice - 1cup
2. Thuvar dal -1/2 cup
3. Shallots -1/2 cup
4. Vegetables - 200 gms
  (Either drumstick and brinjal or carrot, peas and potatoes)
5. Red chilly -5
6. Coriander seeds - 11/2 tbsp
7. Bengal gram - 1tsp
8. Urad dal - 1tsp
9. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2tsp
10. Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
11. Tamarind - a small lemon sized ball soaked in 1/2 cup water
12. Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
13. Asafoetida - 1/4tsp
14. Cloves -2
15. Cinnamon -2 small pieces
16. Ghee - 1 1/2tsp
17. Cashew
18. Mustard+urad dal -1tsp
19. Curry leaves - few

Method
1. Wash and cook, rice and dal in 6 cups of water with turmeric powder, asafoetida and 1/2tsp of ghee in a pressure cooker. (It takes 15 minutes)
2. Combine Red chilly, coriander seeds, bengal gram, urad dal, cloves, cinnamon and fenugreek seeds and roast in few drops of oil.
3. Roast coconut in little oil for a 2 minutes and powder along with the roasted spices.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard+urad dal and curry leaves.
5. Add sliced shallots, saute until it is cooked. Add the vegetables, half cup of water and cook.
6. When the vegetables are cooked add tamarind water and when it begins to boil, add the spice powder, mix well and remove from heat.
7. Mash the cooked rice and dal lightly. Add the vegetable mixture to the rice, mix well and on low heat stir until everything is well incorporated.
8. Heat ghee and roast the cashews a few curry leaves and pour on the sambhar rice. Serve hot, with pappadam.

Keerai Poriyal - stir fried greens

Greens are an excellent source of fibre. Stir fried greens is a traditional food which is made in south India and served along with rice and ragi porridge. It is a nutritious vegetable, high in iron and calcium and low in fat. Every leafy vegetable has its own medicinal and nutritive value. The greens that I have used here is especially good for treating stomach ulcers. The tiny dark ripe fruits are taken in empty stomach to treat mouth ulcers.

Ingredients
1. Manathakkali keerai( or any greens) - 1 bunch
2. Onion -1
3. Garlic - 4 cloves
4. Asafoetida - a pinch
5. Cumin -1tsp
6. Red chilly -2
7. Mustard + urad dal - 1tsp
8. Oil - 2tsp
9. Salt
10. Grated coconut - 2tsp(optional)

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard+urad dal, red chilly and cumin.
2. Add finely chopped onion and garlic and saute. Add a pinch of asafoetida and saute for few seconds.
3. Add washed and finely chopped greens( only leaves), stir and cook on low heat without adding water and without covering the pan. Add salt and when the keerai is cooked and fried, add grated coconut, mix and  remove from heat. Serve with rice, roti.

Vegetable rice with soya

Soya is a good source of protein. Soya chunks taste like meat and it can be used in reicpes like cutlet, vegetable kurma, rice.
Ingredients
1. Basmati Rice - 3cups
2. Carrot - 100gms
3. Peas - 100gms
4. Soya chunks - 15
5. Ginger+garlic+green chilly(1or 2) paste - 2tsp
6. Chilly + coriander powder -1 1/2tsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Onion -3
9. Tomato -3
10. Cardamom -3
11. Cloves -5
12. Cinnamon -1(1inch piece)
13. Star anise - 1
14. Fennel - 1tsp
15. Bay leaf -1
16. Oil - 1/4 cup
17. Juice of 1/2 a lemon.
18. Mint leaves - 5 -10(optional)
19. Coriander leaves - 1tbsp

 Method
1. Heat oil, add the spices from cardamom to bay leaf.
2. Add thinly sliced onions, saute until they are pink and soft, add chopped tomatoes, stir and after it is cooked add ginger,garlic and chilly paste.
3. After a minute add finely chopped carrot, peas and soya chunks (soak soya chunks in hot water for 15 minutes, rinse in cold water, squeeze out water completely and add to the recipe)mix well.
4. Add chilly+coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, stir well. Sprinkle little water, cover the vessel and cook the vegetables.
5. When the vegetables are cooked add 6 cups of water to the thick masala (if there is liquid in the masala adjust the amount of water) and bring it to a boil.
6. When it begins to boil add  the basmati rice (washed and soaked for 30 minutes), chopped mint and coriander leaves, lemon juice and mix well.
7. when the rice begins to boil, cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat and place some heavy weight on top of the lid(to prevent letting out steam). Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
8. Open after 5 to 10 minutes and serve with raita, chicken or  potato kurma.

Sarkkarai Pongal - Sweet Pongal

I like my sarkkarai pongal to be very sweet, as I believe that’s what makes a good sarkkarai pongal. People who have tasted sarkkarai pongal given in temples as prasadham will not disagree with me. The recipe for a good sarkkarai pongal lies in the sweetness, the flavour of generous amount of ghee used and the crunchiness from the cashews, as it slides down the mouth. Basically a village food-gramathu samayal, prepared in earthen pots, cooked over fire using wood, the sarkarrai pongal cooked this way has a nice smokey flavour and it very different from what is cooked in a pressure cooker in city households. I’ve had the pleasure of eating straight from the earthen pot, when my mother cooked it for the cows in our shed for "maattu pongal" and off course only after the cows were fed. The sarkkarai pongal tastes better if paagu vellam is used.
Ingredients
1. Raw rice - 3/4 cup
2. Mung Dal - 1/4 cup
3. Jaggery - 2 cups (melted)
4. Ghee - 2tsp + 1/2tsp
5. Cashew and raisins - 1/4 cup
6. Cardamom - 4
7. Milk -1 1/2cup
8. Water - 3 1/2cup

Method
1. Wash rice and mung Dal, add water, milk, 1/2 tsp ghee and pressure cook for 15 minutes. ( Once high pressure is reached reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes)
2. Melt grated jaggery with a tablespoon of water, let it boil for a minute until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and run it through a strainer. See to that we get 2 cups of melted jaggery.
3. Mash the cooked pongal lightly, add the jaggery syrup, crushed cardamom and mix well on low heat.
4. Heat ghee and roast cashews and raisins. Add this( along with the ghee) to the pongal and let it boil for a   minute or two on low heat. Remove from heat and serve hot.
(Pongal might not look thick while it is boiling, once it starts cooling pongal will be soft and sweet melting in your mouth, but if the pongal is overcooked, it will become hard once it is cool.)

Idly and idly sambhar

Ingredients for Idly
1.Par boiled rice -2 cups
2. Urad dhal - 1/2 cup
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1tsp
4. Salt - 1tsp

Method
1. Wash and soak rice, along with fenugreek seeds for 2 hours
2. Wash and soak urad dhal separately for 30 minutes.
2. Grind urad dhal to a fine paste.
3. Grind rice to a paste and mix it to the ground urad dhal batter along with salt.
4. Leave it to ferment overnight.
5. The next morning or after 8 hours make idlies using idly maker.

Ingredients for sambhar(for idly)
1. Onion - 1
2. Tomato - 1 (large)
3. Green chilly - 3
4. Mung dhal - 1/4 cup
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Salt -1tsp
7. Oil - 2tsp
8. Mustard+urad dhal -1tsp
9. Curry leaves - few
10. Coriander leaves - 2tsp
11.Asafoetida - a pinch.

Method
1. Cook mung dhal with a pinch of turmeric powder, asafoetida and few drops of oil or ghee.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard+urad dhal and curry leaves.
3. Add thinly sliced onion and slit green chillies, saute until the onion is pink and soft, add chopped tomato and continue to stir until the tomatoes are cooked.
4. Add turmeric powder, salt and a cup of water and bring to boil.
5. Add cooked mung dhal, mix well and boil the sambhar for a couple of minutes and remove from heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Idly.
( Suggestion: Can add lemon juice or tamarind juice (1tsp) before removing from heat.)

Ragi puttu- kelvaragu puttu

Puttu is a kerala speciality made using rice flour. Ragi/fingermillet is used in many recipes like ragi pakoda, ragi adai sweet and kaaram, ragi dosai, ragi kool, ragi kali, all traditional recipes still made by people in villages. One such recipe is ragi/kelvaragu puttu.  Follow the same method for making rice flour puttu. Puttu is also a part of chettinad cuisine and sometimes jaggery is used instead of sugar and it gives a different taste.

Ingredients

1. Ragi flour - 1cup

2. Coconut - 1/ 2 cup (grated)

3. Sugar - 1/2 cup

4. Banana-2

5. Ghee - few tsps (melted)

Method

1. Add a pinch of salt to 1/2 cup water and keep aside.

2. Sprinkle this salt water on the ragi flour and mix it slowly, breaking the lumps. 

3.The right consistency to stop adding water is, when the flour is pressed in hand , it should hold firm. Now whip this flour mixture in a blender for 2 seconds to break the lumps.

4. Fill this wet ragi flour in the puttu maker alternately with grated coconut and steam cook for 15 to 20 minutes. (Do not stuff it tight, should be loosely packed)

5. Puttu should be eaten with mashed bananas, sugar and ghee.

6. If puttu maker is not available, spread the wet ragi flour on a piece of cloth placed on an Idly plate, top it with grated coconut, cover and steam cook.(Steam cooking - Take a pan with a cup of water, place the plate with the ragi flour without touching the water, cover the pan and cook or Idly cooker can be used.)

Muttai varuval - Egg Roast

Ingredients
1. Boiled Egg - 3
2. Onion - 1
3. Ginger garlic paste -1/2tsp
4. Fennel - 1/2tsp
5. Chilly+coriander powder -1tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Pepper powder - 1/2tsp
8. Oil -2tsp
9. Salt, curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, add fennel and curry leaves.
2. Add finely chopped onion, saute' until it is cooked.
3. Add ginger garlic paste, stir and add chilly+coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt.
4.After a few minutes, once the masala is cooked, drop in the boiled eggs and mix with the masala.
5. Add pepper powder and roast the egg masala for a minute and remove from heat.
6. Serve with sambhar rice, curd rice, rasam rice or chappathi.

Urulaikizhangu pattani masala - Potato and peas masala

Ingredients
1.Potato- 1/4k
2.Peas -1/2cup
3.Onion -1(large)
4. Tomato - 2
5. Ginger garlic paste-1 1/4tsp
6.Chilly+coriander powder -2tsp
7.Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
8.Green Chilly -1(can be ground along with ginger and garlic)
9.Garam masala powder- 1/4tsp
10. Coriander leaves
11. Fennel -1tsp
12. Clove-1
13. Cinnamon - 1(a small piece)
14.Oil - 1tbsp

Method
1. Cook potatoes and peas separately and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add fennel, clove and cinnamon.
3. Add sliced onion, saute' for a minute or two, add chopped tomatoes, stir till the tomatoes are cooked, add ground paste of ginger garlic and green chilly, stir and add chilly+coriander powder, turmeric powder and stir. Sprinkle some water if needed for the masala to cook or else cover the pan and let the masala cook in the oil on low heat.
4. Add cooked and diced potatoes, peas and salt, mix well in the masala. Before removing from heat add garam masala powder and coriander leaves stir for a minute. Serve with sambhar rice, curd rice, roti or bread.

Samosa

Ingredients
1. Flour (maida) - 1 cup
2. Oil - 3 - 4 tsp
3. Salt
4. Ajwain - a pinch (carom seeds)
Combine flour, oil, crushed ajwain, salt and mix well until it resembles bread crumbs. Add water and knead to a soft dough. Divide the dough into small portions. Take a portion, roll it to a thin base and cut into half. Take one half, fold like a cone, fill it with the masala, seal the open ends and deep fry in oil. Repeat the same with the other half and the rest of the dough portions.
Masala
Ingredients
1. Potato - 2
2.Onion -1
3. Green chilly -1
4. Coriander + cumin powder - 1tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Coriander leaves - 2 tsp
8. Fennel - 1tsp
9. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
10. Garlic - 2 cloves
11. Lemon juice - 1/2tsp
12. Roasted peanuts - 1tbsp

Method
1. Cook potatoes, mash well and keep it aside. Grind green chilly, ginger and garlic to a paste.
2. Heat 2tsps of oil in a pan, toss in fennel followed by thinly sliced onion, then chilly,ginger, garlic paste.
3.Add mashed potatoes, turmeric powder, roasted and powdered coriander +cumin. Stir in coriander leaves, salt, peanuts and before removing from heat add lime juice and mix well.  Let it cool, divide into small portions and use it.

Pudina thuvaiyal - Mint chutney

Ingredients
1. Mint - 1 bunch
2. Urad Dal - 1 1/2tbsp
3. Red chilly - 2
4. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
5. Tamarind - pepper sized ball
6. Oil and salt

Method
1. Heat 1/4tsp oil and roast urad Dal until golden brown.
2. Heat 1 1/2tsp of oil and roast washed mint leaves, red chilly and ginger.
3. Combine roasted urad Dal, mint leaves, red chillies, ginger, salt, tamarind and grind to a fine paste.
4. Serve with white rice or curd rice. It can be diluted, seasoned with mustard and urad dal in oil and served with idly or dosai.
5. If desired coconut can be added.