Bonda

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Ingredients
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Besan Flour - 2 cups
Onions - 1 cup, finely chopped
Ginger Garlic - 1 Tsp
Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Green Chilli - 2 , finely chopped
Salt - As required
Coriander ,  Curry Leaves - As required
Oil - For Deep Frying
Cooking Soda -  A Pinch
Water
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Method
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1. Mix the besan flour , onion , ginger garlic paste , chilli powder, green chilli, salt , coriander and curry leaves .
2. Add water little by little , so that the mixture remains a paste and not watery.
3. Dissolve the soda in water and add it to the mixture . Keep it aside for about 5 min
4. Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying .
5. Drop the mixture as small balls in to the oil and remove when cooked and brown .
6. Serve with chutney

Mushroom Pepper Soup

Peppry.. Strong.. A wise choice for a rainy evening

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Ingredients
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Msuhroom  - 1 cup,chopped
Onion - 1 , chopped
Peppercorns - 2 Tbsp,crushed
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Water - 2 cups
Turmeric - a pinch
Oil ,Salt - as Required
Corn Flour - 1 Tsp , dissolved in a Tbsp of water
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Method
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1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add onion and salt
2. Saute for a minute and then add the mushrooms
3. Add the crushed peppercorns , ginger garlic paste , turmeric
4. Keep stirring and then add water
5. Once the water boils, close the cooker and allow for 3 whistles
6.  When the pressure is all out ,  add the corn flour paste and heat for a min.
7. Serve hot.

Semiya Payasam...

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Ingredients
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Vermicelli - 1  Cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Water - 2 cups
Ghee - 2 Tbsp
Milk - 2 cups
Garnish
Cashews - 1 Tbsp , Broken
Raisins - 1 /2 Tbsp
Cardamom Powder - A pinch

Optional
Condensed Milk -As desired
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Method
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1. Heat 1.5 Tbsp of ghee in a kadai and add the vermicelli.
2. Fry till it is crisp and add the water.
3. Keep in medium flame and allow the vermicelli to cook
4. Once it is cooked nice and soft, add the sugar and keep stirring.
5.  The sugar melts and the mixture becomes sticky
6. Take it out of the flame.
7. Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add it to the vermicelli along with the cardammom
8. Once the mixture is all cool , add the milk

Suggestion :
To make the payasam more yummy,  add condensed milk as a topping while serving. It sure does add to the taste :)

Bitter Gourd Gojju

Bitter , Sweet , Tasty
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Ingredients
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Bitter Gourd - 3 , deseeded and chopped into small pieces
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - 2 Big Lemon Size
Jaggery - 3 Lemon Size
Haldi - 2 Tsp
Curry Leaves
Mustard
OIl

For the Masala Powder :

Kadala Paruppu - 2 Tblsp
Urad Dhal - 1 Tblsp
Jeera - 1 Tblsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 Tsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 Tsp
Red Chilli - 5 to 6
Pepper Corns - 5 to 6
Sesame Seeds - 1 Tsp
Hing - 1 Tsp

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Method
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1. Soak the chopped bitter gourd in water with a spoon of salt + 1/2 cup of butter milk for about a hour to remove the bitterness
2. Dry roast all the ingredients and make a powder . Grind the coconut also along with the powder
3. Heat Jaggery and make a liquid out of it
4. Heat oil in a kadai , add the curry leaves , mustard and hing
5. Add the strained bitter gourd and add turmeric
6. Add water to the kadai till the bitter gourd is immersed in water .
7. Simmer and allow it to cook slowly
8. Once the bitter gourd is soft , add the tamarind and jaggery and simmer for about 2 minutes
9. Add the ground paste and a little water and allow the gojju to boil till all the ingredients are cooked

Mango Seekaranai

Yummy.......
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Ingredients
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Alphonso Mangoes - 2 , medium sized
Sugar - 1/2 Tbsp
Jaggery - 3 Tbsp
Cardamom Powder - 1 Tsp
Milk - 2 Tbsp ( Optional)
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Method
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1. Peel the mangoes and smash the pulp. The pulp should not  have any big lumps
2. Melt the jaggery and add it to the mango pulp
3. Add the sugar and the cardamom powder and mix till the sugar dissolves
4. If desired , milk can also be added to the above
5. Refrigerate it for about an hour and serve hot with puris / maida rotis

Cauliflower Curry

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Ingredients
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Cauliflower Florets - 1 Cup
Onion - 2 finely chopped
Tomato - 1 finely chopped
Coriander Leaves  - 1 handful , finely chopped
Curd - 2 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Coriander POwder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder- 1/2 Tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Grind To Paste
Poppy Seeds - 1 Tsp
Cashews - 2 Tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tsp
Greenchillies - 3

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Method
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1. Heat oil in a pan , add the chopped onions , salt and saute
2. Add ground paste, tomatoes and saute for about a minute
3. Add the rest of the powders , curd and the cauliflower .
4. Simmer and allow the cauliflower to cook slowly
5. When cooked , garnish with coriander leaves

P.S : Before cooking, soak the cauliflower in water with salt for about an hour .

Veg Noodles

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Ingredients
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Carrot , Beans , Cabbage , Spring Onions - 3/4 cup , Finely chopped
Soy Sauce - 1/2 Tblsp
Chilli Sauce - 1/2 Tblsp
Pepper - 1/2 Tblsp
Ajinomotto - 1 Tsp
Oil
Salt
Noodles - 1 Packet

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Method
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1. Cook the noodles separately and allow it to cool
2. Heat oil in a kadai ( wok , if you have one ) and add the vegetables .
3. Add the salt and pepper and keep stiring the vegetables till they are done
4. Add the soy sauce , chilli sauce , ajinomotto and stir .
5. Once they are done, add the cooked noodles and stir for a couple of minutes.

P.S  : Add mushrooms , spring onions  if desired

Soya Manchurian

Weird combination of ingredients with a surprise dish

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Ingredients
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Soya Chunks - 3 cups
Pepper - 1 Tbsp
Garlic - 3 Tbsp
Ginger - 3 Tbsp
Onions - 3 , finely chopped
Corn flour - 1/2 cup
Red Food Color - 1 Tsp
Soya Sauce - 1/2 Tbsp
Chilli Sauce - 1 Tbsp
Red Chillies - Crushed
Oil for Deep frying
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Method
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1.  Boil hot water in a pan and add the soya chunks in it and allow it to boil for a min.
2. Switch off the gas and allow the chunks to be soaked completely
3. Squeeze the water out of the chunks and keep aside
4. In a bowl , add the pepper powder , salt , food color and the corn flour except for a tsp of it
5. Add little water to it , so that the batter has a medium consistency
6. Add the soya chunks to the above batter and allow it to marinate for about 10 min
7. Deep fry the soya chunks till they are cooked
8. Heat oil in a kadai , add the onions , ginger , garlic & salt .
9. Once the onions are transcluscent , add the soya sauce , chilli sauce and the crushed red chillies
10. Fry till cooked and add the fried soya chunks to the mixture
11. Dissolve a table spoon of corn flour and add to the fried soya chunks
12.  Once the mixture thickens , switch off and serve hot with noodles / fried rice

P.S : The oil used for deep frying soya chunks, has a not so good odour. Best to use only required amount of oil for deep frying

Potato Masal for Poori

A lovely South Indian breakfast !!!

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Ingredients
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Potato - 4 to 5
Onion - 2 , long cuts
Tomato - 1 , long cuts
Green Chillies - 4 , slit open
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Curry Leaves - 4 to 5
Coriander Leaves  - a handful , chopped finely
Kadala Paruppu - 1 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Turmeric  - 1 Tsp
Salt to taste
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Method
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1. Pressure cook the potatoes with salt
2. Smash the cooked potatoes and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a kadai , add the mustard seeds , kadalai paruppu, curry leaves
4. Once the dhal is fried , add the onions , green chillies , salt , turmeric
5. Once the onions are fried , add the tomatoes , ginger garlic paste and fry till the tomatoes are cooked perfectly
6. Add the smashed potatoes and add 1 cup of water to it
7. Cook till the masal thickens
8. Serve with hot pooris

Soppina Saaru

Very very healthy and very very tasty

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Ingredients
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 Greens  - 3 to 4 different variety each a bunch
 Tuvar Dhal - 1//2 cup
 Onion - 1 chopped
 Tomato - 1 chopped
 Garlic - 5 to 6 pods

 For the Paste - Dry Roast

 2 Tbsp Coriander Seeds
 1 Tsp Pepper Corn
 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
 2 to 3 Dry Red Chillies
 1/2 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds
 1 Tsp Poppy Seeds
 1 Tsp Uncooked Rice Grains
 1'' Cinnamon Stick
 3 Tbsp Coconut 

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 Method
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 1. In the pressure cooker, add a tsp of oil
 2. Fry the onions , garlic and then the tomotoes for a min
 3. Add the greens and the tuvar dhal 
 4. Pressure cook all of the above till the dhal is cooked
 5.  Once the pressure is gone, add the ground paste to the cooked dhal and greens
 6. Boil till done.

Black Urad Dhal Vada

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Ingredients
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Black Urad Dhal - 1 cup
Rava - 1 Tsp
Maida - 1 Tsp
Black Jeera - 1 Tblsp
Salt

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Method
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1. Soak the Black Urad Dhal in water for an hour and make a coarse paste .
2. Do remember that the urad dhal might not get soft even after a hour but
then it does gives a soft batter.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the ground urad dhal .
4. Add water if required. The dhal absorbs too much of water . So , it is
best advised to make the paste just before frying
5. Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying
6. Deep fry the urad dhal patties

PS : Qty of Black Jeera can be adjusted based on your taste

Potato Kurma

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Ingredients
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Onion - 1 , sliced
Tomato - 1, sliced
Green chillies - 2 , slit
Tumeric - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 3 Tsp
Garam Masala - 1 Tsp
Ginger Garlic - 2 Tsp
Coriander Leaves - a cup
Kasuri Methi - 2 Tblsp
Coconut Paste - 1/2 cup

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Method
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1. Heat oil in a cooker and add the onions and a pinch of  salt
2. When the onions are transparent , add the tomatoes , garam masala ,
chilli powder , turmeric powder , ginger garlic paste and green chillies
3. Add a little water and allow the tomato to cook in simmer
4. Mean while , scrape off the potato skin and cut into medium sized squares
5. Add the potatoes to the above mixture and add required amount of salt.
6. Add water to the cooker , till the potatoes are all immersed completely.
7. Close cooker and switch off after 4 whistles
8. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and keep it on simmer
9. Add the ground coconut and a little more water
10. When the kurma is cooked completely, switch off and add the coriander
leaves and the kasuri methi.

Mango Rice

Sour , tasty and lovely summer afternoon lunch food ..

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Ingredients
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Raw Mango Rice - 1 , grated
Grated Coconut - 1 Tbsp
Greenchillies - 4 , pounded
Turmeric
For the Tadka :
Ground nuts - 1 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds
Curry Leaves
Rice - 2 cups , cooked and cooled.
Gingelly Oil - 2 Tbsp
Asofoetida - 1 pinch

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Method
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1. Once the rice is cooked, spread it on a wide plate and add to it a drop
of gingelly oil
2. Add oil to the kadai , add the mustard seeds , curry leaves , ground nut
, asofoetida .
3. Add the grated raw mango and turmeric and fry till the mango is cooked .
Cook the mango only in low flame
4. When the mango gets softer , add the pounded green chillies , a little
salt and grated coconut .
5. When the mango is all tender , switch off the gas.
6. Add the cooked rice to the cooked mango . Mix it thouroughly and re heat
when serving.

Veg Fried Rice

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Ingredients
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Carrot , Beans , Cabbage , Spring Onions - 3/4 cup , Finely chopped
Soy Sauce - 1/2 Tblsp
Chilli Sauce - 1/2 Tblsp
Pepper - 1/2 Tblsp
Ajinomotto - 1 Tsp
Oil
Salt
Jeera / Basmati Rice - 1 cup

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Method
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1. Cook the rice separately and allow it to cool
2. Heat oil in a kadai ( wok , if you have one ) and add the vegetables .
3. Add the salt and pepper and keep stiring the vegetables till they are done
4. Add the soy sauce , chilli sauce , ajinomotto and stir .
5. Once they are done, add the cook rice and stir for a couple of minutes.

Gobi Manchurian

An all time favorite at my home !

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Ingredients
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Cauliflower - 1 medium size
Corn flour - 1 cup
Maida - 1/2 cup
Red Food Color - A pinch
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tsp
Garam Masala - 1 Tsp
Pepper - 1 Tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 Tblsp
Soya Sauce - 1 Tsp
Chilli Sauce - 1 Tsp
Tomato Sauce - 1 Tsp  ( Optional)
Ajinomoto - 1/2 Tsp
Onion - 2 finely chopped
Ginger & Garlic - Equal Quantity , finely chopped
Spring onions - 1 cup, finely chopped
Coriander Leaves - For Garnish
Salt to Taste
Oil for deep frying

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Method
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1. Cut the cauliflower florets into medium sized ones
2. Soak in salt water for about an hour and wash them thoroughly
3. In a mixing bowl , mix corn flour , maida , food color , ginger garlic
paste , pepper , garam masala , chilli powder and salt with adding little
water.
4. The batter should be thick enough to hold on to the florets
5. Add the florets to the batter and allow it to marinate for about an hour
6. Deep fry the florets until they are cooked n keep aside
7. Heat oil in a pan, add the onion , ginger and garlic . Add salt to it.
8. Add the soy sauce , chilli sauce and the tomato sauce
9. Stir for about 2 min till the onion and the sauce are cooked together
10. Add the deep fried florets and mix
11. Remove from fire n garnish with coriander and spring onions.

Macaroni

Macaroni with a DESI touch :)

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Ingredients
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Macaroni - 2 cups
Onion - 2 , finely chopped
Tomato - 1 , finely chopped
Chilli powder - 2 Tsp
Garam Masala - 1 Tsp
Turmeric - 1 Tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Cheese (OR) Cheese Powder ( Optional ) - As Required
Garlic Powder ( Optional ) - As Required


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Method
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1. Heat water in a vessel and bring it to a boil
2. Add salt to it and then add the macaroni
3. Strain the macaroni once it is done and toss it with a dollop of oil
4. Heat oil in a kadai , add the onions and fry till transparent
5. Add the tomato , garam masala , chilli powder , ginger garlic paste and

salt
6. Allow the mixture to cook in sim until the oil separates
7. Add the cooked macaroni n stir
8. Switch off the gas n add the cheese powder and garlic powder

Spicy Rasam

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Ingredients
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Small onions - 5 nos , sliced
Tomato - 1 no
Tamarind pulp - 1 Tblsp
Curry Leaves - A handful
Garlic pods - 4 to 5
Coriander Leaves - A Handful
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 Tsp

For Powder :

Sambar Dhal ( Tuvar Dhal ) - 2 Tblsp
Coriander Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Pepper - 1 Tblsp
Jeera - 1 Tblsp
Red Chillies - 4


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Method
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1. Fry all ingredients for powder and grind it along with the tomato and
keep aside
2. Heat oil in a kadai , add the mustard seeds , curry leaves .
3. Add the asafoetida , onions , garlic and fry till onions are half cooked
4. Add the tamarind pulp and the ground paste .
5. Add 2 glasses of water , salt and allow it to boil.
6. When it is done , add the coriander leaves for garnishing.