Healthy Bread Sandwich

Healthy by all means.. this will all taste splendid

*************************************************************************
Ingredients
*************************************************************************

For the Sandwich Spread :

Pudina Leaves - 1 Bunch
Coriander Leaves - 2 Bunch
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tsp
Green Chillies - 10


For the Sandwich:

Carrot - Grated
Beetroot - Grated
Onion - Finely cut


*************************************************************************
Method
*************************************************************************

1. Toast the sandwich bread on both sides
2. Spread the sandwich spread one side each for both the loafs
3. In between the loafs , place the grated veggies .
4. Serve mild hot

Avial

Vegetables cooked in coconut curry

*************************************************************************
Ingredients
*************************************************************************
Carrot , Beans , Raw Banana , Drumstick , Yam - Each 1 cup, All cut into big pieces
Coconut - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 5
Jeera - 1 Tblsp
Coconut Oil - 2 Tblsp
Cooking Oil - 1 Tblsp
Curry Leaves - A handful
Jeera for Tadka - 1 Tsp
Turmeric - 1 Tsp
Salt to Taste
Curd - 2 Tblsp

For Paste :
Coconut - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 5
Jeera - 1 Tblsp



*************************************************************************
Method
*************************************************************************

1. Heat water in a vessel good enough for Yam to get soaked .
2. When it boils, add salt , turmeric and Yam . Cook till Yam is cooked nicely. Drain the water and keep it aside
3. Add the cooking oil, add jeera seeds , allow them to splutter.
4. Add curry leaves and then add the rest of the cut vegetables
5. Add salt , tumeric and water till all of the vegetables are soaked in it.
6. Cook till all are soft. Now add the Yam also to it .
7. Add the coconut paste and  to the vegetables and cook in sim for about 10 min
8. When it is cooked , switch off. Add the curd and mix .
9. Add the coconut oil to it and close the kadai with a lid. This allows the
coconut oil to percolate inside and this gives the wonderful taste to avial.
Keep the lid closed for about 15 min.
10. Finally it is ready to serve with rice / adai

Adai Dosa

Adai Dosa
*************************************************************************
Spicy Dosa that goes well with Avial

*************************************************************************
Ingredients
*************************************************************************
Cooking Rice - 2 cups
Tuvar Dhal - 2 cups
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tblsp
Sombu - 1/2 Tblsp
Cinnamon Stick - 0.5 inch
Jeera - 1/2 Tblsp
Asafoetida - 1 Tsp
Red Chillies - 6
Salt to Taste

*************************************************************************
Method
*************************************************************************

1. Soak the rice n dhal for about 30 min
2. First grind the other ingredients and then add the rice n dhal
3. Grind to a coarse paste.
4. Add required salt. This dosa does not need to ferment .So as soon as the batter is ground to a paste, the dosa can be made
5. Spread the dosa on the tawa and allow it brown on both sides.
6. Serve with Coconut chutney or Avial

Tips :

Add cut onions, coriander and curry leaves to the dosa batter to make an
Onion Adai .

Tomato Thokku

The dark red color tomato thokku attracts one so much !

*************************************************************************
Ingredients
*************************************************************************
Tomatoes - 2 Kg
Chilli Powder - 5 Tblsp
Tumeric - 1 Tbsp
Salt - As Required
Oil - 6 Tblsp

*************************************************************************
Method
*************************************************************************
1. Wash the tomatoes , pat them dry and make a puree of them without adding water. Alternatively, they can also be cut into small pieces.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick kadai . Using non stick for this thokku eases our preparation activity . Also, for a thokku , the oil used has to be more .
2. Pour the tomato puree / finely cut tomatoes , chilli powder , turmeric and salt .
3. Mix nicely so that all ingredients are mixed properly.
4. Keep mixing it now then so that it does not get charred.
5. The thokku would start changing color from bright red to dark red , keep mixing , till the mixture reduces to one third its quantity .
6. Keep stiring now and then , till all the oil in it starts coming out.
7. All this has to be done in medium / low flame only.
8. Thokku takes almost 30 mins for preparation .
9. once it cools down, store it in an air tight container for about 3 weeks.

Tips
1. Could serve as an instant tomato rice mix. Mix it with rice and add some tadka with mustard seeds , curry leaves , urad dhals
2. Side dish for Chapathi / Dosa
3. Add also add peeled and sliced garlic to the oil in the beginning while heating the oil.  It gives a more garlicy flavour to the thokku.

Pithukkam Paruppu Kolambu

Age Old Recipe.. goes good with Idlis / Chapathis / Puris

*************************************************************************
Ingredients
*************************************************************************
Peeled Avarekkai / Pithukkam Paruppu - 1.5 cups
Onions - 2 , sliced
Cinnamon Stick - 2 Small piece
Clove - 3 in no
Chilli Powder - 1 Tblsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Tumeric - a pinch
Tomato - 1 ,  sliced
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander Leaves - For garnishing

*************************************************************************
Method
*************************************************************************
1. Make a paste with the coconut , a single onion and the ginger garlic
paste and keep it aside
2. Heat oil in a kadai , add the onions , cloves and th cinnamon sticks .
3. Fry till brown , add the tomatoes , chilli powder , tumeric powder and
salt .
4. When the tomatoes are cooked , add the avarekalu / pithukka paruppu and
the pour 4 cups of water to it.
5. Allow it to cook.
6. When it is half cooked, add the coconut paste and then allow it to cook
in low flame.
7. When done, garnish it with coriander leaves.


Tips  - Add potatoes cut into small pieces to this curry when adding the avarekalu . Since the avarekalu takes time to cook , it also gives time for the potatoes to cook also.

Baigan Bartha

Smoked Aubergine Curry !

************************************************
Ingredients
************************************************
Aubergine / Large Brinjal - 1
Peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1 , finely chopped
Tomato - 1 , finely chopped
Garam Masala - 1 Tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Pepper - 1 Tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Jeera - 1 Tsp
Hing - a pinch
Coriander Leaves - For Garnishing
Oil
Salt to Taste

************************************************
Method
************************************************
1. Apply oil on the brinjal and show it on a medium flame. Keep rotating the
brinjal so that all sides of the brinjal appear burnt.
2. Once done, allow it to cool and then remove the skin of the brinjal .
3. Smash the brinjal and keep aside. It not required for the brinjal to be
cooked fully . The skin has to appear burnt
4. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the Jeera n hing. Fry till the jeera seeds
splutter.
5. Add onion and salt , fry till brown
6. Add the tomato , tumeric powder, garam masala , coriander powder, chilli
powder, pepper powder and ginger garlic paste.
7. Fry till the tomato is cooked nicely.
8. Add the brinjal and the peas to it and pour 3 glasses of water to it.
9. Allow the peas n brinjal to cook nicely in medium flame.
10. Once cooked, add the coriander leaves for garnishing.

Mushroom Fry

Goes well with Dosa and Chapathi .

*************************************************************************
Ingredients
*************************************************************************
Mushroom - 200gm , Sliced
Curry leaves - 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Garam Masala - 1 Tsp
Chilli Powder - 1.5 Tsp
Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric - 1 Tsp
Oil - 1 Tsp
Salt to Taste
*************************************************************************
Method
*************************************************************************
1. Heat oil in a kadai
2. Add the curry leaves and wait till they are fried
3. Add the chopped onions and salt . Fry till the onions are brown
4. Add the sliced mushroom , garam masala, chilli powder , pepper powder ,
tumeric
5. Stir and allow the mushroom to cook in medium flame.
6. Within a couple of minutes, the mushrooms start to leave water.
7. Cook until all the water in the mushroom is absorbed
8. Once the mushroom appears all dry , switch off .
9. Serve hot with Dosa / Chapathi

Besan Ladoo

Besan Ladoo is the first sweet I make for Neivedyam for Shivaratri.. This ladoo just melts in your mouth..

************************************************
Ingredients
************************************************
Besan Flour – 4 cups
Powdered Sugar – 2 cups
Ghee – 1.5 cups
Cardamom Powder  - a pinch
Cashew - 10
Raisins  - 6

************************************************
Method
************************************************

1.       Heat the ghee in a kadai and add the besan flour.
2.       Keep at low flame and slowly keep stiring the mixture.
3.       Try to make the mixture without any lumps .
4.       Keep mixing slowly so that the besan flour and the ghee are mixed nicely .
5.       The color of the mixture will turn brown after some time
6.       Switch off and allow it to cool.
7.       Fry cashews and raisins in ghee .
8.       Add it to the mixture
9.       Finally , add the powdered sugar and mix properly.
10.   Allow no lumps to be in there
11.   Make small round balls and store it for a week.