Rava Dosa

Ingredients
--------------
Rava 1 cup
either maida or rice flour (optional) -3/4 cup
Green chilli -1
ginger - finely chopped(optional)
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Jeera
Yogurt
Salt to taste

Procedure
------------
-Add water and 2 tbspn of yogurt to Rava and rice flour, and make into a batter with consistensy similar to a dosa batter, but slightly thinner
- cut onion, green chilli, ginger into very small pieces and mix well with the batter along with a tsp of jeera
- Heat the tava and pour 1-2 karandi of batter onto the hot tava in a circular fashion starting from the circumference to the center of the circle.
- Add oil around the dosa and in any vent holes that form
- Invert the dosa and cook the other side
- Try to make the dosa cripsy for better cooking and taste

Rava dosa is ready to serve

Sambar

Ingredients
-------------
* Vegetables: (One of )Onion, Potato etc
* Tamarind (Can substitute tomato instead of tamarind)
* Tomato -2 (optional)
* Sambar powder (contains red chilli powder, dhania powder, turmeric)
* Toor dal
* curry leaves
* Salt to taste
* Hing powder (asofoetida)
*Mustard Seed (1/2 tsp)
*Jeera (cumene) seeds (1/2 tsp)


Procedure
-----------
-Pressure cook dal
--Soak small piece of tamarind in water and strain out tamarind and use the water
--Add vegetables to tamarind water and heat with sambar powder, salt, hing (perungaya podi or asofoetida powder), curry leaves and bring to boil
--Add cooked dal to the boling sambar
-- Prepare tadka (talichhu kottu = heat oil and add jeera and mustard seed until they pop and add cut tomatoes -optional). Turn off fire when tomatoes are cooked (if you are not using tomatoes, turn off fire as soon as mustard seed and jeera (cumene) start popping), and add cilantro.
-- Add above tadka  to sambar.

Idly Chutney

The difference between Tuvayal and chutney is that in Chutney you do not use any oil

Ingredients
--------------
Cocunut - 1/4 cup
Pottu kadlai (Roasted chana) - 1/2 cup (twise of cocunut)
Inji (Ginger) - 1 inch piece
Paccha mologa (Green chilli) - 2-3
Puli(Tamarind)- small amount
Uppu (Salt)

Procedure
---------
Blend all the ingredients with water into a paste. Add tadka. Simple!

Togayal (Tuvayal) - South indian style

Ingredients
---------------
Urad dal- 3 tsp
Red chillies - 2-3
Hing powder - pinch
Tamarind
Vegetable to be used: (One of ) Cilantro, Karuvapulla (curry leaves), Cabbage, Onion, Cocunut, Chow chow, Zuccini, Tomato


Procedure
----------
--Fry urad dal, red chillies, hing powder in oil until dal is golden brown
--Remove contents from oil and in remaining oil saute the cut vegetables and heat until cooked**
**In case of tomato, put full tomato, in case of cilantro or curry leaves switch off the fire before putting in pan and just cook for few seconds
--allow to cool and make a paste of veggies and the masala items in a blender with salt and small amount of tamarind

variation: Instead of tamarind, you can substitute with a full tomato

Pattiya Kootu

Pattiya Kootu has therapeutic value and good for health.

Ingredients
------------
Vegetable: Any Gourd variety execpt bitter gourd, (or) chow chow , (or) cauliflower, (or) cabbage
Ghee
Jeera (Cumene seeds)
Pasi paruppu (Moong dal)
Curry leaves
Black pepper powder
Salt to taste

Procedure
-----------
--Cut vegetable into small pieces
--Heat ghee in pan and add jeera and vegetables and saute for 2-3 mins (surula vadakkavum)
--Heat pasiparuppu (moong dal) with water 1:4 ratio (open cooking)
--Add the vegetables to paruppu and water and cook in medium heat (simmer) 15-20 mins with curry leaves
--Add black pepper and salt (salt should be roated for few seconds before adding to the kootu)

Serve with vattal kozhambu or togayal (paruppu togayal or paruppu podi)

Keerai Masiyal (Spinach Preparation)

Ingredients
--------------------
Frozen Spinach
Jeera (Cumene seeds) - 3tsp
Hing powder (Asoefetida) - 2 pinches (sprinkle from container several times)
Mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
Cooked dal - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/2 tsp
Rice Flour - 3 tbl spoon(Optional)

Tadka: Ghee, Mustard seed, Urad dal


Procedure:
--Start heating frozen spinach in a pan after adding jeera, hing powder, salt
--Add a cup of water and close lid on the pan and contine to cook on medium high heat
--After spinach is fully cooked
--Add cooked dal (or dissolve rice flour or wheat flour in water 2 tsp) to the spinach and mix well and heat for few mins
--Prepare tadka (on a separate pan add mustard seeds and urad dal to 2 tsp of olive oil or ghee) and heat till the seeds start popping. Add tadka to the Cooked spinach.

Vattal Kozhambu/ Mendiya Kozhambu

Ingredients
---------------
Mendiya Kozhambu - Vegetables: (One of ) Okra, Egg plant, Radish, Potato or Sweet potato
Vattal Kozhambu: Manatakkali vattal or Sundakka vattal
Tamarind
Oil: Nallenai (sesame oil) 3 tbsp
Channa dal
Fenu greek
Mustard seeds
Salt to taste

--Heat oil in pan, add Chana dal, fenu greek, Mustard seeds, Hing powder
--Add vegetable if you are making mendiya kozhambu, and let it cook for few min
--Add vattal if you are making vattal kozhambu
--Add tamarind water, sambar powder, salt, curry leaves and bring to boil until water quantity reduces to 1/3rd

Serve with rice and spinach, and papad or raita (as there is not much protien in vattal kozhambu)

Paruppu Togayal

Ingredients:
------------

Toor dal 1cup
Black pepper 1tsp
Red chilles 3
Salt 3/4 tsp


Procedure
--------
--Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan add toor dal, black pepper, red chillies and fry until golden brown
--Allow to cook and make a paste in a blender with salt and water

Togayal is ready to serve with rice and rasam (if on a diet have jeera mologu rasam and rice, and paruppu togayal on the side)

Jeera Mologu Rasam

This rasam has therapeutic value and can be served for people suffering from cold/cough, flu or some ailments requiring special diet

Jeera 1tsp
Molugu (black pepper ) 1tsp
Toor dal 2tsp
Kanja mologa (dried red chilli pepper) 3

--Fry the above ingredients in ghee until it becomes golden brown and make paste in a blender
--Soak pebble amount of tamarind in water and strain
--Add paste to the tamarind water, bring to boil after adding salt
--Add curry leaves when boiling
--Can add tadka optionally

Serve the clear portion of the rasam after letting the solid portion to settle
Serve with rice and Paruppu togayal

Kokani dal

Ingredients
-------------
Toor dal
Green chilles chopped
Giner chopped
Hing powder
Turmeric
Salt

Tadka : Ghee, Mustard seeds, Curry leaves (Onion -optional)

Procedure
-----------
--Pressure cook dal
--Add water to dal, and add green chilles, ginger, hing powder, turmeric and salt and bring to boil
--Add tadka

Ambulu Patti Rasam (Poondu Rasam)

Ingredients
----------------
Tomato - 2
Poondu (Garlic) - 6
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Jeera (cumene seeds) 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro
Ghee

Procedure:
---------------
--Cook (Vega vekkavum) Poondu in water and keep aside
--make a paste of 2 Tomatoes, black pepper, jeera
--mix paste with poondu and boil with water and salt for 5-10mins
--Cut cilantro into small pieces (4-5 stems) and garnish after removing from fire
--Tallichu kottavum (pop mustard seeds and jeera in ghee) and add to rasam

Serve with Rice and Appalam

Avial

Vegetables - Cut lengthwise and keep aside
Ash Pumpkin, Potato, beans, carrot, Peas, Drumstick (optional), curry leaves
Turmeric powder

-Heat oil in pan and cook chopped vegetables for few mins in oil
-Add salt, and pinch of turmeric powder and cover the pan and cook in low medium heat
-Make a paste of cocunt, green chilles, jeera in a blender with 1.5 cup yogurt
-Add the paste to cooked vegetables, and cook for 5 mins

Serve hot with rice

Paruppu Rasam

Ingredients
----------------
* Tamarind
* Tomato
* Green chilli peppers
* Hing powder (Aesofotida)
* curry leaves (optional)
* Toor dal water (can be gotten from cooking dal)
* Rasam powder (contains dhania powder, jeera powder (cumene), chilli powder, turmeric etc)

Procedure
-----------
--Soak tamarind in water, and strain the tamarind and keep the water
--Add chopped chilli pepper, Chopped tomato, hing powder, rasam powder, salt to the tamarin water and heat at medium high flame until tomatoes are fully cooked and masala is blended in water
--Add paruppu tanni (dal water) and curry leaves bring to boil again
--Tallichu Kottanum (Pop mustard seeds and jeera in hot ghee and add to rasam)
--Garnish with Cilantro (Kottamalli)

Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients
-------------------
Rice (Basmati) - 2 Cups
Chopped vegetables - 2 Cups (onion, carrot, peas, beans etc)
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 2 Tb spn
Garlic Paste - 1 Tb spn
Gingef paste 1 Tb spn
Sliced green chilles - 2
Spices - 1-2 Cinnamon stick , 2-3 bay leaves
Optional (Cumene seeds, black pepper etc)
Yogurt (plain) - 2 tbl spn
Salt to taste



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUw_cCXKQA4

Ven Pongal

Rice - 2 cups
Pasi paruppu (Moong dal) - 1/4 cup (1:4 ratio, dal to rice ratio)
Ginger
Black pepper
Ghee
Jeera (Cumene seeds)
Milk

Procedure:
--Pressure cook rice and moong dal with water
--Melt ghee in a pan, add chopped ginger, jeera, black pepper, curry leaves, cashew
--Add to cooked pongal, add salt and add milk to kozhachufy

Serve hot with chutney, sambar or ericha kari

Rava Upma

Vegetables: Potato 1, Onion 1/2 Small pieces (Or only 1 Beetroot for beetroot upma)
Rava (Cream of the wheat) - 1-2 cups
Chana dal 1tsp
Urad dal 1tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Ginger - chopped 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 2 small or 1 medium
Edible Oil (Olive or sesame or any cooking oil)
Ghee
Curry leaves (Karuva pulla)
Salt to taste


Procedure:
--Heat oil in Pan
--Add Chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds and cook until the mustard seeds start popping
-Add chopped ginger and green chilli peppers
-Add chopped vegetables and cook in low medium heat for 5 mins (until semi cooked)
-Add curry leaves
--Add several cups of water, and add salt (you should add 3-4 measures of water for 1 measures of rava that you plan to cook, for arusi upma you need more water)
--Boil the contents in medium heat until the vegetables are fully cooked
--Add rava gradually to the water stirring continously (if you add suddenly, upma will form lumps)
--stir well till cooked (2-3 mins)
--Add ghee (clarified butter) Cover the pan and cook in low flame for 2-3 mins
--Leave pan covered for sometime

Serve hot with Chutney

Variations: Beet root upma, dry upma, arusi upma (rice upma)

Rajma and Chole (Channa masala)

*Beans - Kidney or Garbanzo beans (Soak overnight and pressure cook, or use Canned Beans, wash beans and strain water if using canned beans)
* Bay leaves 2-3
* Cinnamon stick (1/2 stick)
* Cumene seeds
* Ghee or Oil
* Ginger garlic paste
* Onion - 1
* Tomato - 2
* Red chilli powder
* Turmeric powder (just a pinch)
* Dhania powder (Coriander powder)
* Amchur powder ( Mango powder)
* Garam masala
* Salt to taste
* whole milk 1/4 cup(optional)



Procedure
-------------
--Finely chop 1/2 onion
--Take another half of the onion and make a paste with 2 tomatoes in a blender
--Also have the masala paste prepared by mixing coriander powder, amchur powder, garam masala and red chilli powder togather with 2-3 tbspn of water until its a pasted
--Heat ghee or oil in a pan
--Add cumene seeds, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and cook for few mins until oil soaks flavor
--add onion and cook until onion is cooked golden brown
--Add ginger garlic paste, and the onion-tomato paste and cook for few more mins
--Add masala paste, and a pinch of turmeric and cook for few mins
--Add Cooked beans and some water(or canned beans)
--Add salt and Cover the pan and Let the contents cook until water is boiling and the taste of masalas have blended and beans are fully cooked
--Remove from fire and add 1/4 cup of whole milk

Rajma (Or chole) is ready to serve with Rice or Roti

Aracchu vitta Sambar

Ingredients
-----------

*Vegetables cut in big pieces (2 cups)- Potato, Ash Pumpkin(Pushanikka), Capsicum etc
*Ghee or Oil 2 tbspn
*Sambar powder 1 tsp
*Hing powder 1/4 tsp
* Toor dal 1/2 cup
* Salt to taste
*Tamarind - soak 1 lemon size amount of tamarind for half hour, use water and discard tamarind.

For Arachu vuttufying (for making the sambar paste)
* Dhania- 1/2 cup
* Red chillies 3-4
* Chana dal 1/4 cup
* Grated cocunut 1/2 cup

Procedure
-------------
-Pressure cook toor dal until fully cooked (4 whistles)
-Add ghee or oil to pan and heat in medium high heat
-Add cut vegetables and let them cook in oil for few mins
-Add tamarind water, more water as needed, salt and pinch of turmeric powder, hing powder and cook in medium heat
- In a seperate pan, add 2 tsp of oil and cook the dhania, red chillies, chana dal and finally add grated cocunut after ingredients are fried. Let it cool and blend it with water in blender.
- Add cooked dal and paste to the pan where the vegetables are boiling
-Cook until the masala smell goes away and sambar is fully cooked


Arachu vitta sambar is ready to be served

Related recipes : Bisi bele bath, Yericha Kari

Lemon Rasam (Elimbichembayam Rasam)

Ingredients
------------
*Toor dal (Split yellow Lentils) 1/2 Cup
*Tomatoes Chopped in big pieces- 2 tomatoes
*Cumene seeds 1/4 tsp (optional)
*Ginger - chopped 1/2 tsp
*Lemon Juice - 1 lemon
*Turmeric 1/4 tsp
*Cut Green chilli pepper - 2 small
*Rasam powder - 1tsp
*Hing powder
*Salt to taste
*Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
*Ghee (Clarified butter) or Nallenai (Sesame oil)
* Cilantro

Procedure
------------
--Cook toor dal in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles until fully cooked
--Mash cooked dal with a beater and make into paste and add water
--Add cumene seeds, chopped ginger, chopped green chillies, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt
--Add rasam powder and bring to boil and cook in medium high heat until tomatoes are soft
--Remove from heat and squeeze lemon juice into rasam
--Make Tadka (fry and pop mustard seeds and little cumene seeds) in 1tsp olive oil or ghee and add to rasam
--Add cilantro to garnish

Vegetable curry - type 2

Ingredients
------------------
*Cut Vegetable - 2 to 3 cups(One of ) Potato, Carrot, Egg Plant, Okra (Ladies finger)
*Onion (optional, usually used with potato, cheppa kazhangu etc.)
*Ghee (Clarified butter) or Edible oil (virgin olive oil, sesame oil etc) - 2 tsp
*Urad dal - 1 tsp (optional)
* chana dal - 1tsp (optional)
*Sambar powder - 1tsp (contains coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric)
*Cumene seeds 1/4 tsp
*Perungayam powder/ Hing 1/4 tsp(Asoefoetida powder)
*Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
*Salt to taste

Procedure
------------
--Add Ghee to the pan and cook in medium heat
--Add mustard seeds, cumene seeds, urad dal, hing powder once the ghee has melted and fry in medium heat for some few mins
-- if using onion, add onion (cut in small pieces) and let it cook until golden brown
--Add vegetables, sambar powder and salt cook in medium high heat for few mins
--Add little water and cover the pan and cook in medium heat until vegetables are cooked

Vegetable curry or poriyal is ready to serve

Note: For egg plant, cook with the pan uncovered, covering the pan while cooking will cause it to mash up. For Potato masala curry and cheppa kazhangu, pressure cook the root vegetable and peel skin and cook with onion in the above procedure.

Variation: Some people use (red chilli powder + turmeric powder) instead of sambar powder in above recipe

tip for preparing okra (ladies finger): after adding vegetables on tava, cook it on high for a min, this will cause it to char (blacken) a little bit, which gives it a good flavor. Also add two tsp of yogurt, this will prevent okra from sticking togather. Also don't stir too much as other vegetables.

Vegetable curry - type 1

Ingredients
------------------
*Cut Vegetable - 2 to 3 cups(One of ) Beans, Beet Root, Cabbage etc
*Ghee or Cooking oil - 2 tsp
*Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
*Cumene seeds 1/4 tsp
*Perungayam powder/ Hing 1/4 tsp(Asoefoetida powder)
*Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
*Dried red chilles 3-4 (Kanja molaga)
*Urad dal and/or chana dal (1 tsp)
*Salt to taste

Procedure
------------
--Add Ghee to the pan and cook in medium heat
--Add mustard seeds, cumene seeds, red chillies, hing powder, urad dal/chana dal once the ghee has melted and fry in medium heat for some few mins
--Add vegetables and salt cook in medium high heat for few mins
--Add little water and cover the pan and cook in medium heat until vegetables are cooked
--Add Grated cocunut and cook for few mins

Vegetable curry or poriyal is ready to serve


Related recipes: Sundal
Variation: For Vazhakka kari, soak in water with some yogurt for few mins before cooking to prevent becoming black. No need to use hing , but use turmeric.