Tiffin Sambar

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal

1 onion, chopped

1 lb pumpkin, cubed

1 tsp urad dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

a lemon size tamarind

curry leaves

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

coriander leaves for garnishing

Grind:

1 tbsp channa dal

5 red chillies

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Dry roast each of the above one by one and grind them together into a fine powder.

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal with tumeric powder and keep aside.

2. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 min and extract the juice.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing.

4. When it splutters, add the chopped onion and saute for few minutes.

5. Add the cubed pumpkin and fry for 2 min.

6. Add 1 cup of water and cook the pumpkin until it is 3/4ths done.

7. Add the tamarind juice and simmer till the raw smell of tamarind goes off.

8. Add the ground powder.

9. Add the cooked dal and salt. Adjust the consistency of the sambar.

10. Simmer for few more minutes and then turn off the stove.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with idli or dosa.

Dal Rasam

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - a small lemon size
Tomato - 1 ripe and juicy
Tumeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Rasam powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro leaves to garnish

For tempering:
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
a sprig of curry leaves
1 red chilli
1 green chilli
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal with enough water and tumeric powder.

2. Mash the dal and dilute it with 1 cup of water.
3. Soak tamarind in water for 20 min and extract the juice.
4. Blanch the tomato, mash well.
5. Take 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and add the tamarind extract and mashed tomatoes.
6. Add tumeric powder and boil for 15 min till the raw smell of tamarind is gone.
7. Add rasam powder, dal water and salt.
8. Reduce the heat.
9.Tempering:
Heat ghee in another small pan.
Add mustard seeds and asafoetida.
When the mustard splutters, add red&green chillies, crushed garlic,pounded cumin and curry leaves. Pour the seasoning over the rasam.
10. Turn off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice.

Idli

Ingredients:

rice - 4 cups

Urad dal - 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Making the batter:

1. Soak rice for 6 to 8 hours.
2. Wash and soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in 3 cups of water for 1/2 an hour.

3. First grind the dal into a smooth, fluffy batter (using the water used to soak it).
4. Then grind the rice.
5. Mix both the batters.
6. Add salt and mix thoroughly with hand.
7. Leave it in warm place for about 8 hrs so that the batter rises by an inch.

Making idlis:

1. Gently mix the fermented batter.

2. Grease the idli moulds with oil .
3. Pour the batter in the moulds.

4. Steam in an idli pan for 7 minutes on medium heat.

5. Allow it to rest for 5 min.

6. Dip a spoon in cold water, run it around the idlies and take them out .

Serve hot with moong dal sambar.

Note: This idli batter can also be used to make dosas and uthappams.

Chicken masala

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken drumsticks

For the gravy:

2 onions, finely chopped

1 tomato, diced

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tumeric powder

4 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Grind:

1/2 an inch cinnamon

3 cloves

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 red chillies

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

3 tbsp shreded coconut

For the marinade:

1/4 cup thick curd/yogurt

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1/2 chilli powder

1 tsp salt

Method:

A. Beat the curd until smooth and add tumeric powder, chilli powder and salt to it. mix well. Add this mixture to the washed chicken drumsticks & mix well. Leave this in the refrigerator for 1 hour (This marination can be skipped if you are not using drumsticks).

B. Dry roast each of the ingredients(except onion and coconut) given under 'grind'. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a skillet and fry the onions until it turns golden brown. Now, grind the roasted ingredients, fried onion and coconut into a smooth paste.

C. 1. Heat oil in pressure pan and add the finely chopped onions.

2. Saute until they turn translucent.

3. Add the ginge-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell in gone.

4. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 5 min.

5. Add chilli powder, tumeric powder and coriander powder and fry for few min.

6. Add the chicken drumsticks and fry till the masala coats well on the chicken pieces.

7. Add a 1/2 cup water and pressure cook until 1 whistle.

8. After the pressure subsides, remove the lid and add the ground masala, enough water and

salt.

9. Simmer for 10 minutes .

10. Turn off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with rice or rotis.

Bottle gourd (suraikai) curry

Ingredients:
Bottle gourd - medium sized - peel the skin and then cut into cubes.
Garlic- 2 pods

Onion-1 small

Fennel seeds powder- 1/4 tsp(roasted and ground)
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Gram dal- 1 table spoon

Salt- to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

For tempering:

Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Gram dal - 1 tsp
Red chilli -2
Curry leaves

Method:
Dry roast the gram dal and make a coarse powder.
Chop onion and garlic very finely.
Heat oil in a skillet , temper using the given ingredients.

Add onion and saute for 2 minutes.
Add bottle gourd cubes and fry for another minute.
Add enough water, turmeric powder, fennel seed powder, salt, chilli powder and garlic .
When the veggie is 3/4 done, add the gram dal powder.
When all the water is well absorbed, turn off heat and serve.

Recipe adapted from '100 lunch recipes' by Mallika Badrinath.
Can use chow-chow or snake gourd instead of bottle gourd.

Chilli Chicken

Ingredients:
1. 1 lb - Boneless chicken
2. 1 tbsp - Corn flour (White)

3. 2 tsp - Chilli Powder
4. 1/4 tsp - Turmeric Powder
5. Egg white of 1 egg
6. 2 tsp - Ginger Garlic Paste

7. 2 tbsp - curd

8. 1 tbsp - Lime Juice

9. Salt to taste
10. 1 - Capsicum, cubed
11. 1 - Onion, cubed
12. 2 tbsp - Tomato ketchup

13. 1 tsp - Pepper powder
14. Oil to fry
15. Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
Take the cleaned and cubed chicken pieces in a bowl.

Add ingredients 2 to 9 and mix thoroughly. Marinate it for 2 to 3 hours.

Deep fry the marinated chicken pieces and keep it aside.

In a shallow pan add 2 tbsp of oil and saute the cubed onions for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cubed capsicum. Add salt. Saute for some more time.

Now add the fried chicken pieces and mix well.

Add tomato ketchup and pepper powder.

Toss for a minute and turn off the heat.

Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Goes well with biryani or rice and chicken kulambu.

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients:
2 cups Basmati Rice

2 cups vegetables(potato, carrot, beans and peas)
2 cardamom pods
1 small piece of cinnamon
3 cloves
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 green chillies
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tomato
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp ghee
3 tbsp oil
coriander and mint leaves

Method:
1. Soak rice for atleast 1/2 an hour.
2. heat ghee in a pressure pan and add the whole garam masala.
3. add oil to it and add the sliced onions and slit green chilies.
4. when the onion turns translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and reduce the heat.
5. when the raw smell of gin-garlic is gone, add the diced tomatoes.
6. when it is half done, add chili powder.
7. cook until the oil floats and the gravy is red in color.
8. add the vegetables .
9. toss it for a minute so that the gravy coats on the veggies.
10. add rice.

11. add 3 and 1/2 cups of water and salt to taste.
12. add chopped coriander and mint leaves.
13. can add 2 tbsp of lime juice if you like.
14. close the lid and pressure cook until one whistle or 15 min, whichever is earlier.
15. leave it unopened until the pressure subsides.

16. serve hot with onion raitha.

Channa masala

Ingredients:
1. 1 cup channa (soaked overnight and pressure cooked)
2. 1 large onion, finely chopped
3. 1 large tomato, cubed
4. 2 green chillies, finely chopped
5. 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
6. 1 tsp cumin seeds
7. a pinch of tumeric
8. 1 tsp chilli powder
9. 1 tbsp coriander powder
10. 1 tsp cumin powder
11. 1/2 tsp amchur powder
12. 1 tsp garam masala powder
13. coriander leaves
14. salt to taste
15. 3 tbsp of oil

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add jeera. Let it splutter.
2. Add onion and chillies and saute until the onion turns translucent.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell diappears.
4. Add tomato and fry till it turns mushy.
5. Add tumeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and amchur powder.
6. Add little water and allow the masala to cook .
7. Add the boiled channa, adjust the consistency of the gravy as required and add salt.

8. Add garam masala and bring it to boil.
9. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves .
1o. Serve with hot rotis or chappatis.

kathirikai-karamani kulambu

Ingredients:
1. 1 cup karamani(black eyed peas)
2. Tamarind - Lemon size
3. 1 small onion, finely chopped
4. 1/4 kg small brinjal, cut lengthwise
5. 1/2 tsp each of channa dal, mustard seeds and urad dal
6. 2 red chillies
7. 1/4 tsp methi seeds
8. a sprig of curry leaves
9. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
10. a pinch of hing
11. 1 tbsp chilli powder
12. salt - to taste
13. 2 tbsp sesame Oil

Method:
1. Soak Black eyed peas overnight and cook till they are tender.
2. Soak tamarind in water for 15 minutes and extract the juice.
3. Heat in a pan, add channa dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and red chillies.
4. Once it splutters add methi seeds, curry leaves and hing.
5. Add finely ch0pped onion, fry till it turns translucent.
6. Add brinjal and fry for 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and fry till the smell of masala goes off.
8. Add 2 cups of water and cook the brinjal until it is half done.
9. Add tamarind juice and salt. Cook until the brinjals are completely done and the raw flavor of tamarind in gone. At this stage the oil oozes out and the kulambu becomes thick(if it is not thick, mix1 tsp of rice flour with water and add it to the boiling kulambu).
10. Finally add the cooked black eyed peas and bring it to a boil.
11. Serve hot with boiled rice and vegetable poriyal.

Pesarattu

Ingredients:
Whole moong dal- 2 cups (serves 4 people)
Raw rice- a handful
green chillies- 4
ginger- 1" piece
salt to taste
oil

Method:
Wash and soak moong dal and rice for 3-4 hours and grind it into a smooth paste along with the green chilies and ginger. Add salt. The batter should be of medium consistency. There is no need for the batter to ferment. We can use it immediately.
Pour a ladleful of batter on a hot tava and spread it out into a round shape. Drizzle a tsp of oil around and cook for a minute. Then flip it over and cook the other side for another min. Serve hot with onion chutney or pumpkin chutney.