Vini's Pulav

1 big onion

2 cloves garlic

Frozen mixed veggies

3/4 tsp sambar pwdr

1/2 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp coconut

1 cup rice

Heat oil.  Fry onions.  Then add garlic. Then veggies.  A pinch of salt.  Cover and cook on medium low until veggies are soft.  Then add spices and coconut.  Finally, add rice and salt.

Palak with badis (MIL's recipe)

Boil paalak with ginger and garlic.  Blend.

Saute the badis.

Heat oil.  Add finely chopped onion.  When brown, add finely chopped tomatoes.  Add turmeric and red chilli pwdrs.  Once tomatoes are cooked, add the badis and palak.  Cook for a few mins.  Garnish with garam masala pwdr.

Sookhi Moong Dal 

1 1/4 cups moong dal

2 inch ginger

1 green chilli

Jeera seeds

Hing

1 tsp red chilli pwdr

Haldi

Salt

2 tsps lemon juice

Coriander leaves

Soak moong dal for half an hour.  Boil dal w/salt and haldi till it is just cooked but not mashed.

Drain excess water.

Heat oil.  Add jeera, hing, chopped ginger and green chilli.  Then add red chilli pwdr and cooked dal.  Mix and season with lemon juice and salt.

Cook till dry.

Beans Foogath

Dice beans fine (400 gms)

One onion, finely chopped

Green chilllies, finely chopped

Heat oil.  Burst mustard seeds.  Then curry leaves, onion and green chillies.  Cook for a few mins (do not brown the onions).  

Add beans and salt.  Cover and cook on low flame for 5 to 7 mins till cooked, but still crunchy.  

Add grated fresh coconut and juice of one lemon.

 

Palak Moong Chilka 

Serves 4

250 gms palak, chopped

1/2 cup moong chilka dal

1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

Jeera seeds

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp red chilli pwdr

1/2 tsp dhania pwdr

1/4 tsp amchoor

Salt

Mix together dal, palak, ginger, salt and 3 cups of water and pressure cook.

Heat oil.  Add jeera, then fry onion.  Add pwdrs and saute for a minute.  Add to dal.

Cauliflower, Peas & Potato Sabzi

Serves 4-6

2 cups, when cut, cauliflower

3 smallish potatoes

1 cup shelled peas

Hing

Mustard seeds

8-10 curry leaves

2 green chillies, finely chopped

Turmeric pwdr

Salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp grated fresh coconut

Coriander leaves

Cut cauliflower into small florets.  Cut the potatoes into 3/4 inch dice.  Burst mustard seeds in oil.  Add hing, curry leaves.  Then add potatoes, cauliflower, peas, green chillies, turmeric, salt and sugar.  Stir for 2 minutes.  Add about 1/4 cup of water and stir.  As soon as the water begins to bubble, cover and turn the heat to low.  Cook for 10-15 mins or unti the potatoes are just done.  Sprinkle coconut and coriander on top.

 

 Aappam

Raw rice (Basmati or regular) - 1 cup

Grated coconut 1 to 1 1/2 handful 

Cooked rice 2 tbsp

Sugar 3 tsp

Yeast 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Soak rice for 4 hrs.

Grind it w/other ingredients (except yeast) to dosa consistency.

Add yeast and keep aside for fermenting for 6 to 8 hrs.

Add water to bring it to the right consistency.

Make aapams.

 Vini's coriander chutney

Saute (for 1 bunch coriander, 2 to 3 tomatoes) coriander, tomatoes, ginger and green chillies in a little oil.  Then grind.  Good in sandwiches.

Vini's Brinjal rice

Saute onions, then chopped eggplant until cooked.  Put some powder (Vini uses Iyengar's Bisibele bath pwdr, can also use sambar pwdr).  Add chopped coriander and peas. 

 Vini's coriander rice

Grind a handful of coriander, red chilli, 3 black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds with just a little water.  Heat oil.  Burst mustard, urad dal.  Add the paste.  Saute for a minute, then add cooked rice (1 1/2 cups) and salt.

Pattani Rice

 

Paneer Makhanwala

 

Avalakki Bisibele bath

 

Radish usal

 

Thirattipal

 

Masala for kovakkai

 

Capsicum Paneer Rice 

 Hyderabadi Style Tinda

 

Thiruvathirai kali

Wash & dry required quantity of raw rice. Then fry it till it turns slightly

 Pudina Chutney

Heat oil.  Add 1 tsp channa dal and 1 1/2 tsp urad dal.  Then add 10 small onions or 1 large onion, 4 small cloves garlic, a small piece of ginger, 3 green chillies, small piece of tamarind.  Saute well, then add 1 1/2 cups pudina leaves.  Saute for 2 mins, then add 4 tbsps of coconut.  Add salt and grind.  Temper with mustard and urad dal.  

Curry leaf chutney

Ingredients 

1 bunch curry leaves

10 small onions or 1 big onion

4 red chillies

Salt

2 tsp Tamarind

Mustard seeds and urad dal, 1/2 tsp each

Grind curry leaves with salt, red chillies and tamarind with a little water.  Slice the onion into small rounds.  Heat oil.  Add mustard, urad dal.  Then add onion.  Then paste, heat for a little bit.

Corn Pulav

Ingredients 

1/2 cup cooked rice

3/4 cup corn

1 small bayleaf

1 small cinnamon

2 cloves

1 large onion, sliced

1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 green chilli, sliced

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tbsp oil

Coriander leaves

Heat ghee & oil.  Saute from bayleaf to coriander powder.  Then add onions, then the corn.  Then add rice and mix.  Can also add 1/2 a chopped tomato and chopped capsicum with the onion.

 Vinku's recipes

Simple More kuzhambu (no coconut)

Method 1: Heat oil.  Add mustard, cumin seeds, methi seeds, hing, grated ginger, slit green chilli, curry leaves and chopped coriander.  Then add turmeric powder.  Once it cools, add buttermilk/yogurt+water and salt.  For this, accompaniment has to be usli.

Method 2 (for two people):  Soak 1 tsp each of channa dal and toor dal for 30 mins.  Grind with 1/2 tsp each of coriander and cumin seeds, ginger and green chilli.  Heat oil.  Mustard, cumin, methi seeds, hing, turmeric pwdr, curry leaves, chopped coriander.  Add turmeric powder, add the paste and saute in oil for a couple of mins.  Then, add water and salt and boil for 2-3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add yogurt.

Masala oats

Precook steel cut oats.  Heat oil, burst mustard, urad dal, hing, frozen mixed veggies (optional:can add copped onions).  Once they cook, add 1/2 chopped tomato.  Then, add turmeric powder, cooked oats and 1/4 tsp tamarind paste, 1 1/2 tsps vangi bath pwdr.  Cook for a few minutes.  Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Rava dosa

Equal quantities of wheat flour, rava and rice flour.  Can use cream of wheat for rava.