Vinku's upma

Fry cashews separately.  Keep aside.  Heat oil, burst mustard.  Add urad dal, slit green chilli, ginger, curry leaves.  Add hing and lots of tomatoes (3 tomatoes for one cup).  Once tomatoes are cooked, add 1 cup of rava.  Saute for a bit.  For the liquid, the ratio is 1 rava  : 2 liquid.  For the liquid, half cup buttermilk with juice of 1/2 lime, and the rest water.  Add salt.  Mix, cover and cook till done.  At the end, add cashews and 1/2 tsp ghee.  (Note:  the cup measure used here is a rice cup).

Found these recipes handwritten by mom with Vinitha in Austin.

Bagara Baingan

450 gms Brinjals
5 gm red chillies
115 gms coconut
15 gms coriander seeds
5 gms garlic
5 gms sesame seeds
225 gms onions
115 gms tamarind
5 gms jaggery
Mustard seeds
Turmeric pwdr
Curry leaves

Wash brinjal without breaking the stem.  Cut lengthwise so that brinjal still remains whole.  Heat oil and fry brinjal till the skin becomes brown.  Remove and keep aside.  Fry onions with the coriander seeds and red chillies.  Grind it with the coconut and garlic.  Extract tamarind pulp and add to the ground paste.  Roast sesame seeds separately and powder.  In a little oil, saute the paste well.  Add the brinjal and sesame seed powder.  Cover and cook till gravy thickens.  Add jaggery.  Tadka mustard seeds and curry leaves in ghee and pour over the curry.

This used to be one of our favorites growing up.

Basic Curry Gravy

2 finely chopped onions
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste:
3 cloves garlic
one piece ginger
3 dry red chillies
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
25 gms cashews

Heat oil and saute onions till golden.  Add masala paste and saute for about 10 mins, adding a little water if paste tends to stick to bottom of pan.  Add tomatoes and cook for 5 mins.  Add 2 cups water, curry leaves and salt.  Bring to a boil.


Is this the curry gravy that mom used to make with potatoes or the tomato masala recipe?

Dhansak

Turmeric pwdr 1/2 tsp
Tuvar dal 1/2 cup
Mixed dals (green gram, Bengal gram) 1/2 cup
1 large potato
1 Brinjal
2 onions
1 piece red pumpkin
2 carrots
1 piece ash gourd

Grind together:
1/2 tsp methi seeds
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chilli pwdr
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 small piece ginger, cinnamon, one green chilli, coriander leaves
Grind these with one onion and tamarind.

Wash and soak the dals for 1/2 hour.  Cut the vegetables into small pieces.  Pressure cook veggies, dlas with the turmeric pwdr for about 25 mins.  Chop the second onion fine.  Saute till golden brown.  Add ground masala and fry well.  Add cooked dals and veggies, salt to taste, required water and mix well.  Simmer for some time.  Garnish with coriander leaves.

Rava dosa as per Sangi's mom-in-law

2 cups rice flour

1 cup rava

About a handful of atta to bind

Mix.  Give tadka of jeera, ginger, green chilies

Ragi dosa per Sangi's mom-in-law

2 cups ragi

1 cup urad dal

Soak both separately for a couple of hours.  Grind urad first, then add ragi and grind. 

Chithi's tinda and aloo curry 

Main ingredient is tinda, just a little aloo

Grind tomatoes, garlic, onion, green chillies, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.  Then sauté in a little oil until it separates and raw smell goes.  Add turmeric pwdr, chili pwdr, jeera and dhania pwdr. 

Then add aloo and tinda.  Sauté for a few minutes, add water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.  Might require one more whistle.  If too watery, can boil off the water or add wheat flour to thicken. 

Adai with millet

1 cup different dals, 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup millet

Sangi's Bajra kitchdi

Bajra (instead of rice), moong dal (she uses yellow, can use any - maybe try green skin moong)

Pressure cook both Bajra and dal in separate vessels.  After cooking, the water is not to be thrown, so don't use too much water to cook.

Tadka in ghee - jeera seeds (can also add sesame seeds and ajwain).  Add ginger, turmeric and pepper. Can add veggies like beans, carrot, peas.  Either pressure cook the veggies or add with tadka.  Add salt, Bajra and dal along with water and cook for some time.

Amma's small onion Sambar 

Roast Chana dal, red chili, coriander seeds and coconut.  Sauté the small onions.  Grind few onions along with the spices.  Boil the rest of the onions in tamarind water until raw smell goes.  Add the paste and boil for a few mins.

Amma's Vetha Kuzhambu

Soak tamarind.  Heat a little Idhayam oil and add hing.  Keep it aside.  Grind 1/4 cup coconut and keep aside.  Burst 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 1/2 tsp methi seeds, 1 red chili, 3 tsps tuar dal. Grind into a paste. In some regular oil, saute some vethal.  Once done, add coconut paste, tamarind water and salt and if needed some jaggery.  Then add seed paste.  Boil until raw smell goes.  

Mom just added hing to the oil before adding coconut.  

Pudina Chutney

2 handfuls of pudina leaves

One small onion - chopped

One big tomato

1 tbsp grated coconut

Green chilli/red chilli per taste

Hing

½ tsp tamarind paste

A small piece of jaggery

Heat oil.  Burst urad and channa dal.  Add hing. Add onion and
chilli.  Saute. Then add tomato, coconut, tamarind and jaggery
and salt to taste.  Turn off the gas and add pudina leaves.
Once cool, grind.

Note:  Can saute baby potatoes with the pudina chutney

Amma's Tomato Masala

Grind coconut, dhania, red chillies, tamarind (all without roasting).  Add cinnamon and cloves to oil, then saute onions. Then add masala and salt.  Add tomatoes.

Seven Cup Sweet

1 cup besan
1 cup coconut
1 cup milk
1 cup ghee
3 cups sugar

Add everything to a pan and cook.  When it thickens, pour onto a greased plate and cut.

Ragda

1/2 cup dried peas
2 big onions
2 big tomatoes
1 piece ginger
4 cloves garlic (optional)
lime size piece of tamarind
coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric pwdr
1 tsp chilli pwdr
1 tsp garam masala pwdr
salt to taste

Soak peas overnight.  Pressure cook for 15 mins with a little salt.  Chop tomatoes.  Grind together onion, ginger, garlic, tamarind and coriander leaves.  Heat oil.  Add cumin seeds, then the chilli and turmeric pwdrs.  Add ground paste and saute until raw smell goes.  Add garam masala, boiled peas, a little water and salt to taste.  Garnish with chopped tomatoes.

Malabari Curry

Ingredients

1/2 coconut
1tbsp Dhania
1 1/2 tsp jeera
3 small pieces cinnamon
3 cloves
3 peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
1 red chilli
3 tsp khas khas
1 big onion, chopped

Heat oil. Roast the above.
Add some water and grind into a paste.

1 tomato
Boiled carrots, peas, cauliflower, beans and potato

Fry the ground paste in oil.
Add tomato and sauté for a while.
Add the cooked vegetables, salt and some water and let it boil for a few minutes.
Add cream at the end if desired. 

Groundnut Chutney

Ingredients

Raw peanuts
Onion
Tomatoes
Tamarind
Salt
Cilantro
Red chillies
Coconut
Oil, mustard

1. Steam the peanuts.
2. Sauté the chillies.
2. Grind all ingredients together.
3. Burst mustard and sauté the above mixture.

Beet root Chutney

Ingredients

Beet root
Coconut
Onion
Cilantro
Red chillies
Jaggery
Hing, salt, oil

1. Sauté onions. Add beet root, coconut, and red chillies. Sauté for a bit.
1. Grind together beet root, onion, chillies, coconut, tamarind, jaggery and cilantro.
2. Heat oil and burst mustard. Sauté the above mixture.

Onion Chutney

Ingredients

250  gms onions
5 red chillies
Tamarind ( lemon size)
Jaggery
1/2 tspFenugreek
Salt, oil, mustard

1. Fry fenugreek and chillies in some oil.
2. Grind onions, fenugreek, tamarind.
3. Heat oil. Add mustard.
4. Add the paste above, salt, jaggery and stir for about 15 mts.

Tomato Masiyal

Ingredients
Tur Dal
4 Tomatoes
1 Onion
2 garlic pods
2 Green Chillies
Oil, mustard , cilantro, curry leaves

1. Pressure cook the tur dal.
2. Heat oil, burst mustard. Add urad dal, hing, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute onion and garlic.
3. Add tomatoes and let it cook.
4. Add mashed dal and salt.
5. Add cilantro.

Vatha Kuzhambu

Ingredients

lime size tamarind, soak in water
1 tbsp urad dal
pinch of fenugreek powder
hing
2 tsps chilli powder ( add 1 tsp and if required add more)
1 small drumstick


Heat 3 tbsps oil in a pan and burst mustard seeds. Add urad dal, fenugreek powder, hing, chilli powder. Saute for 1 minute. Add tamarind water, 1 cup water, drum stick,salt, & let it boil till it thickens. Add curry leaves & turn it off.

Amma's Carrot Chutney

Another one of my favorites.

Amma's Tomato Masala

It's been years since I've had Amma's tomato masala. It is so awesome with chapathi and used to be one of my favorite dishes. 

Rasam Podi

Ingredients

Red chillies - 2 cups
Dhania - 1 1/2 cups
Channa dal - 1/2 cup
Tur dal - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 3/4 cup
Peppercorn - 1/4 cup

Dry roast everything.
Cool and grind.

Soya beans usili

Ingredients

Soya - 1 cup

Tur dal - 1/2 cup

Red chilies - 2

Green beans - 1/4 kg

For tadka - salt, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, hing, oil

Soak tur dal for an hour. 

Cut beans finely.

Grind the dal with red chilies, salt and hing coarsely.

Steam this. 

Boil the beans and soy.

Heat oil in a pan and burst mustard seeds and then add urad dal.

Add curry leaves, hing and salt and the steamed dal and beans and soy.

Stir well. 

Vinku's Podi

Ingredients

1/2 cup channa dal
1/2 cup dhania whole
1/8th cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup whole red chillies
1/2 cup coconut

Roast spices without coconut in one tsp oil. When they are roasted add coconut and roast well. Cool. Grind and keep it in the freezer. Can use this in veg curries, sambars, etc.