Black eyed beans kaarakolambu

Ingredients

Black eyed beans -1cup cooked
Onion finely chopped
Tomato finely chopped
Garlic cloves
Turmeric powder -1/2 tspn
Red chilli powder -1 tspn
Coriander powder -2 tspn
Salt to taste
Green chilli
Oil
Tamarind paste
Mustard seeds
Fenugreek seeds
Coriander leaves

Method

  In a wok heat little oil, add mustard seeds;When the mustard splutters add fenugreek ,stir them for few seconds and add chopped onion,green chilli and garlic cloves.Saute for few minutes until the onions turn light brown.At this stage add chopped tomatoes and saute for few seconds. Add turmeric powder,red chilli powder,coriander powder and salt.Add 1cup of water and leave it to boil.When it starts boiling add tamarind paste,cooked black eyed beans and little water.Leave it to boil.Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot with white rice.

Heart Shaped Chocolate Cookie Cake

Ingredients:

Oreo Cookies 15-20
Cream Cheese Softened -1/2 packet
Semi sweet Chocolate Bar -2 melted

Method:

   Crumble the cookies well (you can use food chopper).Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs well.Blend it together with your hands. Shape this mixture into hearts and balls. Freeze it for 2minutes. Dip the hearts and balls into melted chocolate ;place it on the silver paper so that it will be easy to remove.Refrigerate for an hour.You can use melted white chocolate to decorate the hearts and balls. This delicious chocolate hearts will just melt into your mouth. Friends  in india can try this with any chocolate cream biscuit.Cream cheese and semi sweet chocolate bars will be available in all bakery stores.

                                   

Mushroom Egg Thokku

Ingredients:

Chopped tomatoes
Chopped onion
Green chilli
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Coriander powder
Salt
Garam masala
Chopped mushrooms
Boiled eggs(sliced into halves)
Mustard seeds

Method:

In a wok or deep bottom pan heat little oil and add mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters add chopped onion and green chilli. Saute until they turn translucent add Chopped mushrooms and chopped tomatoes.Add salt and saute it for few seconds.Add turmeric powder,red chilli powder,garam masala and coriander powder.Mix it well and add little water.Saute it occasionally until the mushrooms are cooked well .At this stage add  sliced eggs.Mix them well and serve it with chappathi.

Carrot Beans Poriyal

Ingredients:

Finely chopped carrot
Finely chopped beans
Mustard seeds
Oil
Salt
Turmeric powder
Onion finely sliced
Green chilly sliced into two halves

Method:

In a bowl add chopped carrots,beans,onion,green chilli,turmeric powder and salt.Mix this well with hands and keep it aside.
In a wok heat little oil and add mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters add the mixed vegetables.In a low flame saute it for few seconds and sprinkle little water.Saute occasionally until the vegetables are cooked.When the vegetables are cooked turn off the stove.This is a side for lunch or you can mix this with cooked rice and have it with rice crackers.This is very easy to make and very nutritious.

Mor Kulambu

Ingredients:

Yogurt/Curd
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds
Red chilli dried
Asafoetida/hing
Urud dhal
Channa dhal(kadala paruppu)
Turmeric powder
Oil

Method:

Whisk yogurt with water.
In a frying pan heat little oil and add mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters add channa dhal and red chilly.Add little asafoetida and urud dhal.Add little turmeric powder.Mix this in the whisked yogurt and add salt.Check for salt.Mix this with cooked rice and serve with spicy potato poriyal.This is a very fast and delicious recipe.

Spicy Egg Masala

Ingredients:


Boiled Egg
Turmeric powder
Red chilly powder
Coriander powder
Salt
Oil
Mustard seeds
Tomato juice

Method:

In a bowl mix turmeric powder,red chilly powder,coriander powder and salt.
Cut the eggs into two halves.
In a frying pan heat little oil (adding 2-3tablespoon of oil gives more flavor) and add mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters put the mixed spices and add the tomato juice.Add cooked eggs and saute it gently so that the spices get into the egg.Saute for 2 minutes and serve hot.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:


Cooked Rice
Oil
Asafoetida/hing
Mustard Seeds
Urud Dhal
Channa Dhal(kadala paruppu)
Peanuts
Turmeric Powder
Lemon juice
Salt
Red chilly Dried


Method:


    In a frying pan heat little oil and mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters add asafoetida, channa dhal,red chilli and peanuts;saute until they turn light brown.At this stage add urud dhal and saute for few seconds. In a bowl squeeze lemon juice and add little turmeric powder.Add this to the fried ingredients. Add salt and stir for few seconds.Mix rice with this and sprinkle little coriander leaves(optional).Serve with spicy potato poriyal.

Egg Plant Chutney

Ingredients:


Egg plant
Channa dhal
Urud dhal

Hing
Red chilies (add according to your spice level)
Peanut
Mustard seeds
Oil
Onion
Tamarind Paste

Method:

In a frying pan heat little oil and add mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters add channa dhal and peanut.Saute until they turn light brown . Add red chilies and urud dhal. To this add little hing and saute for few seconds and add cubed onion.Saute till they turn their color.Turn off the heat and keep it aside.In a frying pan heat little oil and add chopped egg plant.Saute until they turn translucent.Add this to the fried ingredients.Add little salt and tamarind paste.In a mixer, grind this mixture coarsely.Check for salt .In a frying pan heat oil ,add little mustard seeds(adding curry leaves gives additional flavor)  and add this to the chutney.
 

Idly & Tomato Chutney

Ingredients:


Urud dhal  -1 cup( soaked for 7-8hrs)
Rice flour -2 cup
Cooked rice -1/2 cup (or soaked rice flakes)
Baking powder -1tspn
Salt
Oil

Method:

Grind soaked urud dhal and cooked rice.Add rice flour,baking powder and stir well with hands.Leave the batter to ferment for 12hrs.Once it is fermented add salt and mix the batter.In a idly plate apply little oil and pour the batter in each idly space. Steam cook it for 10 minutes.You can check whether they are done by using the toothpick,prick it in the middle of the idly and if it comes out clean then idly is cooked perfectly.Serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Tomato Chutney:


Ingredients:

Tomatoes finely chopped
Red chilly powder
Coriander powder
Salt
Turmeric Powder
Asafoetida/hing
Mustard Seeds
Urud Dhal
Oil

Method:

  In a wok heat little oil and add mustard seeds;when the mustard splutters add urud dhal and add chopped tomatoes.Add little salt so that the tomatoes get cooked and squeeze water.Add turmeric powder,red chilly powder and coriander powder. Add little water and check for salt.Leave it to boil for few seconds and turn off the stove.Spicy hot chutney will be ready to be served with idly/dosa.

Spicy Potato Poriyal

Ingredients

Chopped potatoes
Oil
Urud dhal
Mustard seeds
Tamarind powder -1/2 tspn
Red chilli powder -1tspn
Coriander powder -2tspn
Tomato juice -3to4 tspn
Salt

Method

    In a wok heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil.Add mustard seeds ;when they splutter add urud dhal.Stir it till the dhal turns light brown.At this stage add chopped potatoes,turmeric powder,red chilli powder,coriander powder and salt.Saute it for few seconds and check for salt.Now sprinkle little tomato juice.In a low flame  saute occasionally till they are cooked.Spicy potato poriyal is ready to be served.It goes very well with curd or lemon rice. 

Rasam Sadham

Ingredients:

Chopped Tomatoes
Garlic cloves -peeled and minced/crushed
Asafoetida
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Black pepper crushed
Salt
Oil
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Dry Red Chilli
Coriander powder
Coriander leaves


Method:

     In a soup pot / pan heat oil and add mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters add dried red chilli,cumin seeds,asafoetida(perungayam),crushed garlic and black pepper.Saute it and add chopped tomatoes.Add salt so that the tomatoes get cooked fast.Stir occasionally until the tomatoes ooze out water.At this stage add turmeric powder,little red chilli powder,little coriander powder,little garam masala,tamarind juice and water.Check for salt and leave it to boil.When it starts boiling sprinkle black pepper and coriander leaves.Mix this with cooked rice and serve hot with fish fry.

Sambhar

Ingredients:

Toor dhal -1cup
Chopped vegetables (any vegetables of your choice,I added drumstick,carrot,beans and potatoes)
Tomato -1
Sambhar masala
Turmeric powder
Tamarind
Salt
Onion chopped
Green chilli
Asafoetida ( perungayam)
Mustard seeds
Oil

Method:

In a pressure cooker add 1cup of dhal,2cups of water,1/2 tspn turmeric powder,chopped tomato,green chilli,chopped vegetables,1/2 tspn of sambhar masala and salt.Cook the dhal (till 3 sizzling sound).For tampering  heat little oil and add mustard seeds.When mustard splutters add little asafoetida and chopped onion; fry until they turn translucent.To this add 1tspn of sambhar masala and saute for few seconds.In a low flame stir the dhal ;add little water if its too thick.At this stage add little tamarind paste.Check salt.Leave it to boil.Finally add the seasoning and sprinkle little coriander leaves and turn off the stove.

Easy Potato Poriyal

Ingredients:

Potatoes chopped
Red chili powder
Turmeric powder
Coriander powder
Garam masala
Salt to taste
Oil
Mustard seeds
Urud dhal

Method:

Cook the chopped potatoes ( In the rice cooker we have steamer to cook vegetables so I cook it along with the rice).
Once the potatoes are cooked ,heat little oil in a frying pan.
Add mustard seeds; when mustard seeds splutters add urud dhal.
In a small bowl mix turmeric powder,chili powder,salt,coriander powder and garam masala.
To this add the cooked potatoes.Add the mixed masala.
Stir it for 2minutes and serve hot.

Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:

Raw rice -1 cup
Siru paruppu (split husked moong dhal) -1/2 cup
Ghee
Edible camphor (optional)
Cashew nuts & Raisins fried
Cardamom
Coconut milk

Method:

In a pressure cooker add 1cup of raw rice,1/2 cup siru paruppu,2cups of water and 1cup of coconut milk( you can also take equal proportions of water & coconut milk) .
Add 2-3 tablespoon of ghee and pressure cook it (for 3 sizzling sound).
Once it is cooked remove the lid and in a low flame stir the mixture.
Add crushed jaggery.
Stir continuously and add fried cashews,raisins and cardamom.
Sprinkle little edible camphor. Don't worry if it seems to be very liquid, if you leave it for few minutes to cool down it will turn to semi-thick consistency.

Khichadi

Ingredients:

Sooji/Rava -1cup
Turmeric powder
Onion thinly sliced
Green chilies
Bay leaf and cinnamon stick
Oil
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Hing
Carrot
Green peas
Beans
Salt
coriander leaves
Garam masala

Method:

    Dry roast sooji in a pan and keep it aside.In a wok heat little oil.Add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,bay leaf and cinnamon stick.Saute for few seconds and add little hing.To this add finely sliced onion,green chilies.chopped carrot,beans and green peas.Add little salt ,turmeric powder and garam masala.Saute for few minutes. To this add 2 1/2cups of water.Check for salt.Leave it to boil.Once it starts boiling add roasted sooji and mix well.Sprinkle little coriander leaves and serve hot.

              All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.  ~John Gunther                   

Capsicum Chutney

Ingredients

Capsicum
Channa dhal (kadala paruppu)
Urud dhal
Hing
Red chilies (add according to your spice level)
Peanut
Mustard seeds
Oil
Onion
Tamarind Juice

Method

    In a frying pan heat little oil and add mustard seeds.When the mustard splutters add channa dhal and peanut.Saute until they turn light brown . Add red chilies and urud dhal. To this add little hing and saute for few seconds and add cubed onion and capsicum.Saute till they turn their color.Turn off the heat.Add little salt and tamarind paste.In a mixer, grind this mixture till they reach to a chutney consistency.Check for salt .In a frying pan heat oil ,add little mustard seeds(adding curry leaves gives additional flavor)  and add this to the chutney.

Benefits:


Capsicum is good for eyesight as well as smooth skin.
It encourages healing and helps the body ward off infections.
Capsicum helps to reduce cholesterol and thus, is effective in warding off strokes and heart attacks.
It has been seen that capsicum speeds up the metabolism and helps burn more calories. Thus, it if good for those trying to lose weight.