Kumbala Kai Tovve (Pumpkin Sambar)

Ingredients:
Pumpkin- 2 cup (Chopped)
Salt
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1 cup
Jaggery - small piece
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

For Seasoning
Coconut Oil - 4 tsp
Curry leaves - 6
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Hing
Uradal - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2

Method:
1. Pressure cook moong dal and pumpkin
2. In a pan make seasoning with the above ingredients and transfer
    dal and pumpkin to it
3. Add salt, jaggery, water and cook for 5 min
4. Finely add coconut, coriander and cook for 5 more min
5. Tastes good with rice and chapatis

Tomato Hasi Saaru (Tomato rasam - Raw version)

Ingredients:
Tomato - 1 Big
Salt
Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup

For Seasoning
Coconut Oil - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Hing
Uradal - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2

Method:
1. Pressure cook tomato (whole) and once it gets cooled squeeze it nicely
    in a mixing bowl
2. Add coconut milk, salt and water to it
3. Make seasoning using ingredients mentioned above and add it to the
    mixing bowl
4. Serve with rice
Note: This rasam is a raw method and SHOULD NOT be boiled once the ingredients
          are mixed.

Beetroot Kootu

Ingredients:
Beetroot - 2 (Medium size)
Kabuli chana - 1/2 cup (Soak for 4-5 hrs)
Tamarind extract - 3 tsp
Salt
Green chillies - 3
Coriander leaves

For Masala Grinding:
Raw rice  - 1 tsp (Soak for 30 min)
Coconut (Shredded) - 1/2 cup
Dhania - 1/2 tsp


Method:
1. Grate beetroot and pressure cook along with kabuli channa and green chillies (cut length wise)
2. Once cooker gets cooled, take out green chillies and grind with the masala ingredients mentioned 
    above
3. In a cooking bowl add cooked beetroot, channa,salt and tamarind extract and boil for 5 min
4. Then add masala paste, coriander leaves and continue boiling for 10 more min
5. Make seasoning with oil ,mustard seeds, curry leaves,hing and add it to above kootu
6. Serve with rice

Serves - For 3

Idli Sambar

Ingredients:
1.Onion - 1(Medium size)
2.Tomato - 1(Medium Size)
3.Toordal(cooked) – 1/2 cup
4.Coriander leaves
5.Tamarind juice – ¼ cup
6.Oil – 2 tsp
7.Mustard seeds
8.Uradal – ½ tsp

For masala grinding:
1.Channa dal – 2 tsp
2.Uradal – 1 tsp
3.Red chillies – 4 nos
4.Dhania – 2 tsp
5.Jeera – 1/2 tsp
6.Fried gram – 1 tsp
7.Curry leaves – 10 nos
8.Coconut(grated) – ½ cup
9.Methi seeds - 2-3 nos
10.Whole Pepper -2-3 nos
11.Cinnamon - small piece

Method:
1.Fry masala ingredients(except coconut) with little oil and switch off stove. Now add coconut to the same 
   frying pan and saute it for 1 or 2 times.
2.In a pan add 2 tsp of oil, mustard seeds, hing, uradal. Once they splutter, add
   chopped onions and tomato, fry till it becomes soft.
3.Now add cooked dal, tamarind, salt, jagery , salt and once it starts boiling add grinded masala and bring 
   it to boil.
4.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Idli/vada

Servings – For Four

Butter Milk Rasam - Majjige Saaru

Butter Milk - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2-3 Nos
Salt
Jaggery - small piece
For Seasoning - Coconut oil - 3 tsp, mustard seeds, hing, Uraddal - 1/2 tsp, Curry leaves

Method:
1. Take Heavy pan, make seasoning with above ingredients
2. Add water to the seasoning and then add vertically slit green chillies, salt and jaggery
3. Boil till chillies become soft
4. Now add butter milk and coconut milk and bring it to one boil.
5. Tastes good with rice.

Note: For preparing coconut milk, grind shredded coconut with little water and filter the same
      to extract milk.

Makes - for 3

Methi-Tomato dal

Ingredients:

Chopped methi leaves – 1 cup

Cooked MoongDal – 1 cup

Tomato (Big) – 1

Green chillies – 2

Crushed Red chillies – 1 tsp

Finely chopped Ginger and Garlic – 1 and ½ tsp

Salt

Water 1 cup

Termeric powder

Tamarind extract – 3 - 4 tsp

Jaggery – small piece

For Seasoning – Ghee – 2 tsp, Jeera – 1 tsp, Curry leaves, hing, Mustard seeds

Method:

1. In a pan add ghee mustard seeds, jeera once it splutters add hing, curry leaves
2. Now add chopped tomatoes, fry for 2 mins then add methi leaves, green chillies, ginger,garlic saute till it becomes soft and gives nice aroma.
3. Add tamarind extract,water,turmeric powder,jaggery,red chilli,salt and continue boiling for 3 min
4. Finely add cooked dal and boil for 4-5 min
5. Tastes good with rice

Serves - 2

Mix Veg Sambar (TamilNadu Style)

Ingredients:

1. Toor dal  - 1 cup
2. Vegetables - 1 and 1/2 cup
3. Onion - 1/2 (small)
4. Tomato - 1/2 (small)
5. Tamarind juice
6. Salt
7. Coriander leaves
8. For seasoning: Oil – 2 tsp, Curry leaves, Methi seeds – ¼ tsp, Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp, hing

For Masala:

Dhania – 1 tsp

Jeera – ½ tsp

Uradal – 1 tsp

Channadal – 1 tsp

Black pepper – ½ tsp

Red chillies – 4 nos

Fresh grated coconut – ¼ cup

Method:

1. Cook dal and vegetables separately
2. Dry roast ingredients for masala (except coconut), set it aside to cool
3. In a pan add 1 tsp of oil, saute chopped onion and tomato and grind it with coconut and roasted masala ingredients to smooth paste
4. Take a frying pan, make seasoning by adding all ingredients then add cooked vegetables, sauté it for a minute, add tamarind extract, salt and grounded masala paste
5. Boil till it leaves raw smell, finely add cooked dal and continue boiling for 5 more min
6. Garnish with coriander leaves

Makes for - 2

Majjige Huli (Buttermilk Sambar)

Ingredients:
1. Chopped Ash gourd (Boodh Kumbala kai)- 2 cups
2. Butter milk - 2 cups
3. Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
4. Curry leaves
5. Channa dal - 2 tsp
6. Ginger - small piece
7. Red chillies or Green chillies - 4
8. Salt
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10.Jeera - 1 tsp
11. Jagery - small piece
12. For seasoning - Oil -2 tsp, mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp, hing, uradal - 1/4 tsp

Method:
1. Soak channa dal for 30 mins
2. Grind coconut, chillies, soaked channa dal, ginger, jeera with little water
3. Chop Ash gourd into cubes and boil with little water, turmeric, salt
4. Once Ash gourd becomes soft, add grinded masala, curry leaves , jagery and continue boiling for 10 mins
5. Now add butter milk, keep the flame low, continue boiling for 5 more mins
6. Finally add seasoning  - Take small frying pan, add oil, mustard seeds, once it splutters, add uradal, hing
7. Serve with rice

Servings - For 2 people

Mango Rasam (Maavina kai saaru)

Ingredients:
1 Raw mango pieces - 1/2 cup
2.Fresh grated coconut - 1 and 1/2 cup
3.Water - 2 cups
4.Asafetida / Hing
5.Salt
6.Green chillies - 4 nos
7.For seasoning - Oil -2 tsp, mustard seeds, uradal, curry leaves

Method:
1.Grind mango pieces,coconut,a pinch of hing/asafetida, green chilles with water and filter this
   to a container, again add little water to the resedue and extract / squeeze maximum juice.
2.Make seasoning by adding oil, mustard seeds, once it splutters add uradal and curry leaves
3.Add this seasoning to the rasam
4.Serve with hot rice
Note:This is raw mango rasam, quick and easy to make, doesn't require boiling.

Lemon Rasam

Ingredients:

1. Coconut milk - 1 cup
2. Water - 1 cup
3. Green chillies - 2
4. Curry leaves
5. Coriander leaves
6. Lemon juice - 2 tsp
7. Salt
8. Jagery - 1/2 tsp (powdered) or small piece
9. For Seasoning - Coconut Oil - 2tsp, uradal, hing, mustard seeds,turmeric powder

Method:

1. In a pan, add oil,mustard seeds. once it splutters add uradal,hing, curry leaves,turmeric powder
2. Now add water to the above seasoning, once it starts boiling add jagery,green chillies (should be cut vertically),salt and continue boiling for 10 mins
3. Add coconut milk (Grind grated coconut along with little water to smooth and filter this to extract coconut milk)
4. Continue boiling for  2-3 mins, switch off the stove
5. Once it gets cooled add lemon juice and mix well
6. Tastes good with rice

Servings - 2

Vegetable Tovve

Ingredients:

1. Cooked moong dal - 1 and 1/2 cup
2. Green chillies - 4 nos
3. Vegetables(chopped carrot,tomato,capsicum) - 1 cup
4. Onion(chopped) - 1/2 cup
5. water - 2 cups
6. Curry leaves
7. coriander leaves
8. Salt
9. Lemon
10. Jeera and Dhania powder - 1 tsp
11. For seasoning - oil - 5 tsp,jeera,mustard seeds,uradal,hing

 

Method

1. In a pan, add oil,mustard seeds,hing,uradal,once it splutters add green chillies
2. Add onion, fry till golden brown, add vegetables,water and cook till it becomes soft
3. Add salt,cooked dal,curry leaves,jeera and dhamia powder,coriander leaves and continue cooking for 15 minutes
4. Once cooled, squeeze lemon
5. Serve with rice 

Servings - 3

Palak poppu ( Andra special )

Ingredients:

1. Toor dal - 1 cup
2. Palak(chopped) - 2 cup
3. Onion - 1
4. Tomato - 1
5. Green chillies - 4-5 nos
6. Garlic - 1 pod
7. Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
8. Ghee - 3 tsp
9. Termeric powdwer
10. Water - 1 cup
11. Salt

Method

1. Cook dal seperately and keep aside
2. In a pan add water,palak ( finely chopped),green chillies, tamarind, termeric powder,salt,tomatoes,garlic and boil it till all ingredients becomes soft
3. In another frying pan, add ghee, mustard seeds,onions ( finely chopped) and fry till it becomes light brown
4. Add this fried onions and cooked dal to the boiling palak and other ingredients (reff step 2), continue boiling for 10 mins.

Servings: 2

Note: Tastes good with rice/ragi ball/chapatis

Spicy Vegetable Rasam

Ingredients:
1.Water - 4-5 cups
2.Finely chopped onion - 1/2 cup
3.Finely chopped tomato - 1/2 cup
4.Finely chopped carrot - 1/4 cup
5.Jeera powder - 1 tsp
6.Dhania powder - 1/4 tsp
7.Roasted methi seeds powder - 1/4 tsp
8.Black Pepper(crushed/powdered) - 1 tsp
9.Tamarind Juice - 4 tsp
10.Garlic(chopped) - 1 pod(small size)
11.Red chillies - 3-4 nos
12.Termeric powder
13.salt
14.Curry leaves
15.For seasoning-Ghee,mustard seeds,hing,Jeera

Method:
1.Boil onions,tomatoes,carrot with little water
2.Once it becomes soft, add remaining ingredients and continue boiling for 15-20 mins
3.Once rasam is ready,add seasoning(Heat 1 tsp of ghee,add hing,mustard seeds,jeera)
4.Tastes good with rice and papad.

Servings: 2 nos

Heerekai / Ridge Gourd Tovve

Ingredients:
Ridge gourd - 1( Medium Size)
Red chillies - 4
Moog Dal - 1 cup
Finely choped ginger - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves
Lemon
Termeric
Hing
Salt
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp (Seasoning)
Uradal - 1/2 tsp (Seasoning)
oil - 2 tsp

Method:
1. Cook Dal and Ridge gourd seperately, mash dal to fine paste and keep it aside
2. In a pan add oil,mustard seeds,Hing, cumin seeds, uradal, red chillies, ginger
3. Add dal and cooked ridge gourd to the above seasoning.
4. Add little termeric,salt and coriander leaves to the above mixture and continue boiling for 5- 10 mins
5. Once stove is switched off add lemon juice to this.
6. Tastes good with rice
Note: Instead of ridge gourd other vegetables like pumkin, cucumber can be used.