Gose kootu

Ingredients
Gose - 2 cups
Onion - 1
Green chilly - 2
Oil - 2 tblsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Grated coconut - fist full
Garlic - 4 pods
Channa dhal - 4 tblsp
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
Hing - generous pinch
Salt

Preparation
1. Cut Gose to thin strips. Slit green chilly. Finely chop onion and garlic.
2. Pressure cook channa dhal with water, turmeric powder and hing for 3 whistle.
3. Heat oil in pan and temper with mustard, green chilly, garlic and curry leaves. Add onion and fry until brown. Add gose and 1 cup of water. Mix well, close pan and cook until its done. Now add cooked dhal, grated coconut and salt. Mix well and allow to boil until thick consistency is attained. Server hot!


Note
1. You can also add tomato and coriander leaves as well.
2. No need to mash dhal as when you mix with gose it gets somewhat mashed and few dhals needs to remain as such!

Brinjal Drumstick Poriyal

Ingredients
Brinjal - 2
Drumstick - 2
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tblsp
Home made sambar powder - 2 tblsp
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
Oil -3 tblsp
Sombu - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Salt

Preparation
1. Finely chop onion and tomato. Cut drumstick and brinjal to finger size pieces.
2. Heat oil in pan and temper with sombu and curry leaves. Add onion and fry until brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes off. Add tomato and fry until it turns mushy. Add sambar powder and turmeric powder. Fry for couple of min and then add drumstick and brinjal. Add 1/2 cup water, salt and mix well. Close pan and cook until veggies are done and oil separates from poriyal. Serve as side dish for any rice combo. My favorite is with keerai kuzhambu.

Note
Before cooking keep the brinjal pieces in water, preferably in rice washed water. Else cut just before adding.

Muttai Kothu Parotta

Ingredients
Parotta - 2
Onion - 2
Tomato - 1
Green chilly - 2
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Egg - 1 or 2
Sombu - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tblsp
Salt
Oil - 3 tblsp
Home made chilly powder - 1tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - generous pinch

Preparation
1. Finely chop onion and tomato. Slit green chilly. Roughly cut parotta to small pieces.
2. Heat oil in pan and temper with sombu and curry leaves. Add green chilly and onion. Fry until onion turn brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes off. Add tomato and fry until it turns mushy. Add chilly powder and garam masala powder. Add 2 tblsp water. Mix well. Add salt.
3. When boils add parotta pieces and mix well. Group all the mix to one side of pan and make space to cook egg. Add egg and generous pinch of salt and pepper for egg. Cook in low flame. When egg crumbles and gets cooked. Mix well with parotta pieces. Cook for another 5 min or until all blends well. Serve hot with Raita or Salna!

Note
1. You can also add chopped coriander as well. Add salt to onion-tomato masala alone as parotta already has salt.
2. You can also add salna or kurma and skip garam masala, chilly powder and ginger garlic paste. You can also fry parotta pieces in oil before adding to masala mix. Dont add water for this method.

Muttai Kurma Kuzhambu

Ingredients
Boiled egg - 4
Oil - 3 tblsp
Onion - 2 big size
Tomato - 1
Green chilly - 1
Garlic - 6 to 8 pods
Chopped ginger - 2 tblsp
Home made chilly powder - 1 tblsp
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
Salt
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Grated coconut - 2 tblsp
Sombu - 1 + 1 tsp
Khasakhasa - 1 tsp
Pattai - 1 small piece

Preparation
1. Finely chop onion. Grind tomato, ginger , garlic and green chilly to smooth paste. Grind Khasakhasa, coconut, 1 tsp sombu and pattai to smooth paste.
2. Heat oil in pan and temper with 1 tsp sombu and curry leaves. Add onion and fry until golden brown in color.
3. Add ground tomato mix and fry for 2 min. Add chilly powder and turmeric powder. Cook in low flame. Fry until all blends well and oil separates. Add water and boiled egg. Close pan and cook for 5 min in low to medium flame.
4. Add ground coconut mix and salt. Allow to boil for 10 more minutes or until all blends well and thick consistency is attained. Serve hot!

Note
You can use a knife and make 2 or 3 deep cuts in boiled egg before adding to gravy.

Idly Upma

Ingredients
Idly - 6
Oil - 3 tblsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urud dal - 1 tblsp
Channa dal - 1 tblsp
Dry red chilly - 2
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Onion - 1 big size
Salt

Preparation
1. Finely chop onion. Cut Idly to small pieces or just mash roughly.
2. Heat oil in pan and temper with mustard, channa dal, urud dal, red chilly and curry leaves. Add onion and fry until golden brown. Add salt.
3. Add Idly pieces and mix well until all blends well and then switch off stove. Serve hot!

Note
Add salt for onion alone. Idly already has salt.

Rava Upma Adai

Ingredients
Rava Upma and Oil

Preparation
1. Mix Rava upma well and make small balls out of it. Flatten each ball to get adai shape. I used  a lid to get work done easily.
2. Heat tawa and cook the adai until both sides turn golden brown in color. Sprinkle few drops of oil on top and spread oil on sides as well. Cook in low to medium flame.
3. Serve hot with coconut chutney or pudina chutney/pudina thogayal!

Note
1. By preparing this easy adai you can make use of left over upma for evening snack!
2. You can also add grated coconut or carrot as well.

Pudina Thogayal

Ingredients
Mint leaves - 1 cup (Tightly packed)
Green chilly - 1
Finely chopped Ginger - 1 tblsp
Urud dal - 1 tblsp
Channa dal - 1 tblsp
Oil - 1 tblsp + 1 tsp
Hing - generous pinch
Salt
Tamarind - 1 small piece
Grated Coconut - 2 tblsp
Mustard- 1 tsp
Split Urud dal - 1/2 tsp


Preparation
1. Clean and wash mint leaves. Slit green chilly.
2. Heat  1 tblsp oil in pan. Fry urud dal and channa dal to golden brown color. Take out.
3. To same pan add ginger, hing and green chilly. Fry for 1 min. Add mint leaves and saute until leaves shrink and gets cooked.
4. Switch off stove and add tamarind and coconut. Mix well.
5. First grind dal to coarse powder. Then grind mint portion to smooth paste. Add to dal powder and mix well.
6. Heat 1 tsp oil in pan and temper with mustard and urud dal. Add to mint thogayal. Serve as side for rice or tiffen items.

Note
Do not over cook mint leaves. It gives bitter taste.

Peerkangai kootu

Ingredients
Ridge ground/Peerkangai/Chinese okra - 2 cup
Moong dal - 3 tblsp
Coconut - 2 tblsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Green chilly - 1
Oil - 1 tblsp
Garlic - 3 pods
Small onion - 4
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urud dal - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 4 or 5
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
Hing - generous pinch
Salt
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Coriander leaves - 1 tblsp

Preparation
1. Peel skin and remove seeds of ridge ground. Cut to small cubes. Finely chop coriander leaves and onion. Crush garlic. Slit green chilly.
2. Grind coconut, jeera and pepper to smooth paste.
3. Soak dal in water along with hing and turmeric powder for 15 min and pressure cook for 3 whistle.
4. Heat oil in pan and temper with mustard, urud dal and curry leaves. Add green chilly and garlic. Fry until garlic turns brown and then add onion. Fry until it turns golden brown. Add ridge ground and 1/2 cup water. Close pan and cook until its done. Add coconut paste, salt and cooked dal. Mix well and cook until all blends well and thick consistency is attained. Add coriander leaves, mix well and switch off stove. Serve hot!

Note
1. Do not cook both dal and veggie together.
2. You can replace moong dal with thoor dal.
3. You can make use of ridge ground skin for making thovayal.

Eral Thokku / Prawn masala

Ingredients

Prawn - 1/2 kg

Onion - 3 big size

Tomato - 2 medium size

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Home made chilly powder - 2 tblsp

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tblsp

Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp

Salt

Sombu - 1 tsp

Pattai - 1 small piece

Oil - 4 tblsp

Preparation

1. Clean and wash prawn. Remove excess water and set prawn aside. Finely chop onion and tomato.

2. Heat oil in pan and temper with sombu, pattai and curry leaves.

3. Add onion and fry well. Fry until it turns golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes off. Add tomato and fry until mushy. Add chilly powder, turmeric powder and fry for 2 min. Add prawn and mix well. Close pan. Cook in low to medium flame.

4. Stir fry every 4 to 5 min. Fry until all blends well and oil separates from masal. Switch off stove and serve hot as side for rice and gravy combo or roti.  I prefer to mix with hot rice and eat. 

Note

1. Do not add water as prawn itself leaves water which is enough for cooking.

2. You can also add 1 tsp pepper and sombu powder at end to enhance taste.

3. You can also add 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves along with prawn. 

4. Taste of  Eral thokku depends on how well you saute onion and tomato.

Chola Puri

Ingredients
Maida - 1/2 cup
Wheat flour - 1 tblsp
Thick Curd - 1 tblsp
Hot oil - 1 tsp
Sugar - generous pinch
Salt
Oil to fry



Preparation
Mix maida, wheat flour, sugar, oil, salt and curd. Add water and knead to tight dough.
Cover with wet cloth and keep it for 2 hrs. Make small balls out of dough and roll each one to thick puri. Deep fry in hot oil until both sides turn golden brown. Serve with channa masala !

Note
1. Sugar is optional. You can also add 1 tblsp rava or pinch of soda.
2. Oil should be adequate for deep fry and make sure its hot while frying.
3. You can also add boiled and grated potato.( Small size potato for 1 cup maida). Mix with flour and then add water to knead.
4. You can do with wheat flour alone. Also you can try cooking it like pulka rather than frying in oil.

Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu

Ingredients
Brinjal - 6
Onion -  1 big size
Gingerly oil -  5 tblsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Venthayam - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Home made chilly powder - 1 tblsp
Tamarind - big lemon size
Thaniya - 1 tblsp
Channa dal - 1 tblsp
Thoor dal - 1 tblsp
Red chilly - 2
Grated coconut - 2 tblsp heaped
Pepper - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
Salt
Arisi Thanni -  1 cup

Preparation
1. Soak tamarind in warm water for 30 min and extract juice for 1 cup.
2. Roast channa dal, thoor dal, thaniya, red chilly and pepper in 1 tsp oil and switch off stove. Add grated coconut and mix well. Cool them and grind to coarse powder.
3. Cut brinjal from bottom side deeply towards top end. Dont completely slice it to pieces. Just put cross mark deeply. Fill the brinjal with ground masala.
4. Heat oil in pan and temper with mustard, venthayam and curry leaves. Add onion and fry until brown. Add stuffed brinjal and fry until color changes. Add chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt, Arisi thanni and tamarind juice. Mix well. Close pan and allow to boil for 15 min in low to medium flame. When all blends well and gravy thickens switch off stove. Serve hot with Jeeraga samba rice and Appalam. Add 1 tsp ghee on top. Wow! tasty and traditional ennai kathirikai kuzhambu is ready!

Note
1. Wash rice once with water. Add 1 cup water and wash again. Reserve that for making curry and gravies. We call the water used for washing rice as "ARISI THANNI".
2. Choose small or baby brinjal.
3. You can use small onions here. Take 6 to 8.  Also you can add crushed garlic pods.
4. Use gingely oil generously for excellent taste. Once you finished cooking oil separates from gravy and floats on top.

Vendaikai masala / Bhindi masala

Ingredients
Ladies finger/ Vendaikai/ Bhindi - 2 cups
Onion - 2 big size
Tomato - 1 big size
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tblsp
Home made chilly powder - 1 tblsp heaped
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil - 4 tblsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tblsp


Preparation
1. Finely chop onion, tomato and coriander leaves. Wash and pat dry ladies finger. Take out head portion and cut ladies finger to bite size pieces.(Cut cross wise).
2. Heat 2 tblsp oil in pan and fry ladies finger until stickiness disappear. No need for color change. Take out and keep aside. Add 2 tblsp oil in same pan and temper with mustard, jeera and curry leaves. Add onion and fry until golden brown.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes. Then add tomato and fry until it turns mushy.
4. Add chilly powder and salt. Stir for couple of min. Add 1 cup of water and allow to boil.
5. When it boils add fried ladies finger and mix well. Close pan and keep flame in low. After 5 min mix it gently and close pan. Cook for another 5 min or until all blends well and dries. Add coriander leaves and mix well. Switch off stove and add lemon juice. Serve hot as side for rice or roti!

Note
1. If you like garam masala taste you can add whole garam masala while tempering and also 1/2 tsp garam masala along with chilly powder.
2. You can replace lemon juice with 1 or 2 tblsp of curd.

Masala pori

Ingredients
Puffed rice - 2 cups
Oil - 2 tblsp
Peanuts - fist full
Pottukadalai - fist full
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Garlic - 2 or 3 pods (crushed with skin)
Red chilly - 1
Home made chilly powder - 1/3 tsp
Salt - small pinch

Preparation
1. Heat oil in pan and fry garlic until golden brown in color and crunchy.
2. Fry peanuts and pottukadalai. Finally add curry leaves and red chilly. Switch off stove. Then add chilly powder and salt. Mix together with puffed rice.
3. Serve as tea time snack or munch while watching TV/movie

Note
1. You can skip chilly powder and add one more dry chilly. Remove chilly after mixing as this snacks is mainly for kids!
2. You can also add generous pinch of turmeric powder to get nice color and flavour.
3. I prefer any snack based on puffed rice more than potato chips or cheese balls. Good for kids, both taste wise and health wise!