Coconut Rice / Thengai sadam

Coconut rice / Thengai sadam

Ingredients:

Cooked rice	2 Cups
Grated coconut	1 Cup
Salt	As needed
Pappad	3 Nos
To Temper
Coconut oil	2.5 tsp
Mustard	1.5 tsp
Urad dhal	1 tsp
Channa dhal	1.5 tsp
Red chillies	3 - 4 Nos
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Hing	a small pinch

Method:

1. Pressure cook rice with water in 1:2 ratio for 3 to 4 whistles.
2. Heat a pan with coconut oil, temper the items given under "to temper" list.   Now add the grated coconut and saute it for a minute.
3. Add the cooked rice to it and mix well.
4. When serving coconut rice, mix some crushed pappad along with rice and serve it.
5. Flavorful coconut rice is ready :).  It goes well with roasted potatoes or with kurma kuzhambu.

Kamarcut

Kamarcut

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut	1 Cup
Jaggery	1/2 Cup
Cardamom powder	2 small pinches
Gingelly oil	1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Heat jaggery with little amount of water.  Once it's melted, strain it to remove impurities.
2. Again boil the jaggery syrup till it becomes frothy.  Now add the coconut and mix well until the mixture becomes thick.
3. Sprinkle cardamom powder and give it a mix.  Lastly add gingelly oil and when its warm, make medium sized tight balls.
4. Enjoy your candy :)

                                       

Snacks/Onion Rings

Onion Rings

Ingredients:

Maida	1/2 Cup
Corn Flour	1/4 Cup
Onion	2 Nos
Rice Flour	2 tblsp
Red Chilly pwdr	1/8 tsp
Chilled Soda	1 Cup
Salt	As needed

Method:

1. Whisk together Maida,corn flour, rice flour, red chilly powder and salt in a large bowl. Then pour in the club soda to make a smooth batter.
   
2. Cut 2 large onions into 1/4-inch thick slices and separate into rings. Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl.
   

   
   
3. Place a few onion rings at a time into the bowl of batter and turn to coat all sides with batter. Remove onion rings from batter and place into pan of bread crumbs; Turn to coat completely with crumbs.
   
4. Cook a few rings at a time in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Transfer to paper towels to let oil drain. Serve with Tomato ketchup. 

                                          

Mor Kuzhambu

Mor Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Curd	1 1/2 Cups
Turmeric powder	1/8 tsp
Ginger	1 inch piece
Grated coconut	1/4 Cup
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Hing	2 small pinches
Salt	As needed
Coriander leaf	2.5 tbsp
To Soak and Grind
Channa Dhal	1 1/2 tblsp
Coriander seeds	1 tblsp
Rice	1/8 tsp
Toor Dhal	2 tsp
To Roast and Grind
Fenugreek seeds	1/4 tsp
Red chillies	7 Nos (depends on your spicy level)
To Temper
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Urad dhal	1/2 tsp
Curry leaf	1 sprig

Method:

1. Soak everything under "To soak and Grind" in warm water for 30 mins.
2. Meanwhile, boil the vegetable (here I used white pumpkin) along with little salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.
3. Heat a pan with little oil and roast the fenugreek seeds and red chillies for few secs.  Do not burn the fenugreek seeds, otherwise it gives you the bitter taste.
4. Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds and ginger without water.  Then add the soaked items and roasted items to the mixture and grind it to a smooth paste.
5. Beat curd, turmeric powder and hing until you get the consistency like dosa batter. Now add the grinded mixture to this and mix well.  Also, add the boiled vegetable to this mix.
6. Pour this content in wok/kadai and bring it to boil.  Do not boil it for long time.
7. Switch off the flame, then temper the items under "to temper" and add it to mor kuzhambu and garnish with coriander leaves.
8. Your Mor Kuzhambu is ready now.

Medhu Vadai/Ulundhu Vadai

Medhu Vadai/Ulundhu Vadai

Soaking Hours: 6 Hrs | Preparation Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Yields: 10 

Ingredients:

Urad Dhal	1 Cup
Small Onion	15 Nos
Ginger	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Pepper powder	1 tsp
Green chillies	4 Nos chopped
Hing	1 small pinch
Curry Leaves	few
Salt	As needed

Method:

1. Soak Urad dhal for 6 hours and grind it into a little coarse paste by adding small amount of water.
   
2. Blend the chopped green chillies and ginger altogether.
3. Take a bowl, add Urad dhal batter, onions, cumin seeds, ginger-green chillies paste, pepper powder, curry leaves, hing and salt as per taste.Give it a mix.
   
4. Meanwhile heat a wok/pan with oil to fry deep enough.
5. To make vadai, Wet your hand with water and take medium sized balls out of dough, then pat it on the plastic cover/banana leaf (that should be greased with oil before) and with your thumb finger make a hole in the center and carefully slide the vadai into oil. Fry the vadai's till golden brown on both the sides.
   
6. Enjoy your vadai with sambar, chutney, dahi, rasam :)

Arachuvitta Sambar

Arachuvitta Sambar

Ingredients:

Toor Dhal	1 Cup
Big Onion	1 No
Tomato	2 Nos
Radish	2 Medium sized
Tamarind	small gooseberry size
Turmeric powder	2 small pinch
curry leaf	1 sprig
Coriander leaf	2.5 tbsp
Salt	As needed
To Temper
Oil	4 Tblsp
Mustard	1 tsp
Urad Dhal	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp
Curry leaf	1 sprig
To Roast and Grind
Channa Dhal	1.5 tblsp
Coriander seeds	1 tblsp
Red chillies	4 - 5 Nos
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp
Black pepper	1 tsp
Moong dhal	1 tsp
Curry Leaves	1 sprig
Fenugreek seeds	1 tsp
Asafoetida	1/8 tsp
Grated coconut	1/4 Cup

Method:

1. Pressure cook  toor  dhal with water in ratio 1:3 along with a pinch of turmeric powder and two drops of oil for 4 to 5 whistles.
2. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for 15 mins, then filter it and keep it ready.  Peel off  the radish skin and chop them into round shape.
3. Take a pan and dry roast everything under "To Roast and Grind" except grated coconut until slight brown (Do not burn it).  Switch off the flame, add coconut now and give it a mix.
4. Once it has cooled down, grind it with little water until you get masala consistency.
5. Heat a vessel with oil,add mustard seeds once it is spluttered, add urad dhal, cumin seeds, curry leaves and let it splutter, then add onion and saute it for few mins until it turns transparent then add tomato and few pinches of salt so that tomato gets cooked quickly.
6. When the tomatoes becomes mushy, add sambar powder, rest of the turmeric powder and saute it for 2 mins. Add chopped radish along with salt and 2 cups of water. Let it boil for fifteen minutes.
7. After the radish is cooked well, add dhal, tamarind water, 1 sprig curry leaves, coriander leaves and bring it to boil.
8. Finally, add the grounded masala mix and boil it for 5-7 mins to get rid off the raw smell.
9. Enjoy the Sambar with Rice,Idly,Dosa :).

Notes:

• You can use any vegetables(Eg: Drumstick,brinjal,carrot,potato,radish...) to make this sambar.

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

Lemon	2 Nos
Cooked Rice (Ponni Parboiled)	2.5 Cups
Salt	As needed
To Temper
Sesame Oil	3 Tblsp
Red Chilly	4 No
Mustard	1 tsp
Urad Dhal	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Channa Dhal	1/2 tsp
Green Chillies	3 to 4 Nos
Ginger	1 inch
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tsp
Asafoedita	1/8 tsp
Curry Leaves	1 sprig
Coriander leaves	for garnishing

Method:

1. To start with, pressure cook the rice with water in ratio 1:2 so that the rice remains separated even after its cooked.
2. Meanwhile, squeeze the lemons and collect the juice, slit the green chillies and chop the ginger into fine pieces.
3. Heat a wok/Kadai with sesame oil , add red chillies and saute it for 10 sec, then add mustard seeds.  Once it is spluttered add cumin seeds, urad dhal, channa dhal and fry till they become golden brown.
4. Then add green chillies and ginger, saute it for 30 sec.  Now add turmeric powder, curry leaves, asafoedita and give a quick stir.  Switch off the flame.
5. After switching off the flame, add lemon juice to the mixture and give it a stir.
6. Finally, add this whole mixture to the cooked rice with salt as needed and garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes:

• Adding lemon juice off the flame is to avoid losing vitamins.
• You can also mix lemon juice directly with rice and give some time for it to absorb and then you can add the tempered items to the rice and mix it well.