Spicy Cucumber Juice

Ingredients:

• Grated Cucumber – 1 cup
• Green chilli – 1
• Ginger – ½ inch size
• Jeera – 1 tsp
• Buttermilk – 1 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Salt
• For seasoning – Ghee – ½ tsp, hing, mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Method:

• Peel and grate cucumber
• Blend cucumber, water, buttermilk, ginger, jeera, salt, green chilli
• Filter the blended liquid and add seasoning to the juice
• Serve with ice cubes

Serves for 2

Kaashi Halwa (Ash gourd Halwa)

Ingredients:

• Grated ash gourd (Boodhkumbala kai)  -  ¼ kg
• Sugar – ¼ kg
• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
• Ghee – 100 gms
• Cashews – 5 no
• Saffron – few flakes
• Pinch of Turmeric powder

Method

·      In a heavy bottomed pan, add grated ash gourd and heat it in medium

             low heat and stir occasionally

·     Once it starts thickening, stir continuously. Add sugar and cook further

             till thickens.

·     Add ghee, cardamom, saffron , turmeric powder, cashews and stir on

             low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball or the ghee oozes out

Serves for - 2

Puliyogare

Ingredients:

·         Tamarind – 250 grams

·         Jaggery – 50 to 100 gms (Adjust according to sweetness required)

·         Gingery oil/Sesame oil – 1 cup

·         Channa dal – 3 tsp

·         Peanuts – ½ cup

·         Red chillies – 5 nos

·         Masala powder

·         Garnish powder

Ingredients for Masala powder

·         Red chillies (Byadagi) – 1 cup

·         Coriander seeds – 3 cups

·         Methi seeds – 2 tsp

·         Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

·         Black pepper – 1 tsp

·         Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

·         Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

·         Hing – ¼ tsp

·         Curry leaves – 4-5 strands

Dry roast above ingredients and make it to fine powder

Remains fresh when refrigerated

Ingredients for Garnish powder

·         Black pepper – 1 cup

·         Coriander seeds – 1 cup

Dry roast above ingredients and make it to fine powder

Remains fresh when refrigerated

Method to make puliyogare paste

·         Soak tamarind with little water for one hour and grind it to smooth paste

·         Heat 3/4 cup gingery/sesame oil and add mustard seeds, red chillies, channa dal, peanuts

·         When the seeds start crackling, add the tamarind pulp, salt and jaggery. Mix well.

·         The liquid will start boiling, keep stirring in between

·         Now add the 5-6 tsp of powdered masala and simmer till you get a sticky thick paste.

·         Switch off stove and allow it to cool

·         This will keep well for a month in a airtight jar

Method to make puliyogare

·         Make fresh seasoning by heating 4-5 tsp of gingery/sesame oil add mustard seeds, few peanuts, curry leaves,pinch of hing and turmeric powder

·         Add cooked rice and salt to the above seasoning (Rice should be cooked with less water than the usual measurement)

·         Add 3 tsp of puliyogare paste and mix with rice

·         Spread 2 tsp of powdered masala and 1 tsp of garnishing powder over rice and mix well

·         Serve hot with curd.

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

Badam burfi

Ingredients:

1. Badam – 1 cup (200 gms)
2. Milk – ½ cup
3. Ghee – 4 tsp
4. Sugar – 1 and ¼ cup
5. Cardamom – 7 nos

Method:

1. Soak almonds in hot water for 2 hrs
2. Peel the almonds skin and grind with milk, cardamom, sugar to fine paste.
3. Heat ghee in a heavy pan.
4. Add paste and cook on medium high flame, stir continuously.
5. After a while it should turn a light brown and aromatic.
6. Stir gently till a soft lump forms and ghee begins to separate.
7. Grease the plate, spread above mixture uniformly and allow it to cool for some time
8. Once it becomes lukewarm, cut into square pieces.

Makes - 12 piece

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

Veg Biryani

Ingredients:

1. Basmathi rice – 2 cups
2. Vegetables – 1 cup
3. Curd – ½ cup
4. Salt
5. Coriander powder – 1 tsp
6. Chilli powder – 1 tsp
7. Cloves – 2
8. Cinnamon – small piece
9. Bay leaves
10. Crushed whole pepper – ½ tsp
11. Jeera – 1 tsp
12. Hing
13. Ghee – 3 tsp
14. Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Soak basmathi rice for about 30 min
2. In a frying pan add ghee, add bay leaves, jeera, pepper and once it splutters,add cinnamon,cloves, hing, chilli powder, coriander powder, sauté it for 2 min
3. Now add chopped vegetables (cut it lengthwise), salt, curd and sauté it for 2 more min
4. Mix this with soaked rice and cook it till done.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves