Keerai masiyal

This is one simple yet nutritious dish.

Ingredients

Greens like arakeerai (amaranthus) – 1 bunch
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – per taste
Red chillies – 1 or 2
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Broken urad dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 3-5
Asafoetida
Oil for tempering

Get Cooking

1. Cut the roots out, wash the greens well & drain the water. Chop the washed greens finely.
2. In a heavy bottomed vessel, add the chopped greens, turmeric powder and a half a glass of water. Cook on medium- low heat.
3. As the greens cook, it reduces in volume. Mash the greens well with a ladle or a wooden masher.
4. Add salt at this stage according to the amount of greens. Cook till water evaporates while mashing the greens.
5. Heat oil for tempering. Add chillies, mustard seeds, broken urad dal. When it splutters, add asafoetida & chopped curry leaves. Pour the tempering over the cooked greens.
6. Serve with rice. ( Great with curd rice & vathakuzhambu)

Tips

Some just boil the greens and run it in a blender to get a mash. I prefer cutting & using muscle strength to mash.
I like using stoneware/ Uruli to cook the masiyal, any heavy bottomed vessel can be used.
I add a few methi (vendayam) seeds in the tempering

Lavang Lathika – baked

This is a version of lavang lathika where the sweet was baked instead of resorting to frying.
Ingredients
Maida – 1 to 1.5 cups
unsweetened khoa/ Mawa crumbled – 200 gm
Dry pitted sliced dates – 3 to 4 tbsp
Raisins – 3 to 4 tbsp
Poppy Seeds  – 2 to 3 tbsp
Cardamom powder – a pinch or two
Oil – a few tsp
Cloves as needed
Salt to taste
Sugar syrup 1 string consistency – from say 3/4 to 1 cup sugar

Get Baking!
1. Knead the maida with some salt, oil and water into soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Mix up the crumbled khoa, dates, raisins, poppy seeds, cardamom powder for the filling
3. Knead the dough and make small balls. Roll the balls into small pooris (about 3″ diameter)
4. Place 1 to 1.5 tsp of the filling in the center of the poori.
5. Wrap up the filling using the poori by overlapping opposite sides and shaping it like a rectangle
6. Secure the filling by inserting a clove in the middle and ensuring the filling does not spill out or sides do not open.
7. Line up the sweets on parchment paper. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 180 deg.
8. Crank up to 200 deg and bake for a further 5 minutes.
9. Make the 1 string consistency sugar syrup by the side.
10. Dip the lavang lathikas in the sugar syrup and allow to soak.
11. Take the sweet out and set aside to cool on a plate. Store in an airtight container.

Tips
You can add some other sliced dry fruits to the filling, like almonds, cashews. You can add desiccated coconut…use imagination 🙂
You can mix whole wheat flour and maida in the ratio 80%-20%
Take care not to add too many ingredients as you may wind up with more filling than dough. The quantities are all up to you, may increase or decrease any based on taste.
Keep an eye out while baking and ensure that the sweets turn a golden brown and not get overbaked.
It is a good idea to make as many portions of the filling as there are pooris. If there is more filling, you can freeze the excess. More dough…make them into thick pooris, score them out like thukda and bake/fry.

Kathirikai Rasavangi

Ingredients
Brinjal: cubed about 1/2 cup
Kabuli chenna: soaked and cooked about 3 tbsp
Toor Dal: 4-5 tbsp cooked
Tamarind pulp extract: from about a gooseberry sized tamarind piece
Red chillies: 3 – 4
Black peppercorn: about 1/2 tsp
Dhaniya: 2-3 tsp
Urad dal: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Coconut grated: 4-5 tsp
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Oil (preferably coconut oil)

Get Cooking!
1. Take about a tsp or two of oil, roast the dhaniya, urad dal, black peppercorn till the urad dal is golden brown. Set aside to cool down.
2. Add in the grated coconut, grind to a paste.
3. In a saucepan, add a tsp of oil. Put in the cubed eggplant. Saute for a minute or two.
4. Add in the turmeric powder, tamarind pulp extract. Add a little salt for the brinjal being taken. Cook till the raw smell of tamarind is gone & the brinjal is cooked.
5. Add in the kabuli chenna, toor dal and the ground paste. Bring it to a boil.
6. For tempering, in some coconut oil let the mustard seeds crackle, add some urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves. Pour this into the rasavangi.

Tips
You may add some chopped tomatoes if you please when cooking the brinjal. You may also roast some grated coconut along with the tempering and add it to the rasavangi.
Add some jaggery before the tempering.
If you have not soaked kabuli chenna, you may alternatively use some chenna dal and let it boil along with the brinjal. Preferred ingredient though is kabuli chenna. You may dry roast kabuli chenna and soak in hot water to get it softer sooner.

Tavala adai

Ingredients

Raw rice – 1 cup
Boiled rice – 1 cup
Chenna Dal – 1/3 cup
Toor Dal – 1/3 cup
Urad Dal – 1/3 cup
Black peppercorn – 1.5 tsp
Fenugreek powder – 3 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1.5 tsp
Salt to taste
Curd (sour curd is good!)
Oil (gingelly oil preferably)

For Tadka
Mustard seeds
Chenna dal
Urad dal
Asafoetida
Curry leaves

Get cooking!

1. Grind the raw rice, boiled rice, chenna dal, toor dal, urad dal, fenugreek powder, peppercorns, cumin seeds into a medium to fine powder.
2. Mix the powder with some salt, curd, water to make a thick batter consistency.
3. Do a tadka with gingelly oil, asafoetida, mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add a tsp or so of chenna dal, a tsp or so of urad dal, curry leaves.
4. Pour the tadka into the batter. Mix well and set aside closed for a couple of hours.
5. Check the batter, if it has become thick, pour in some water to make a thick adai-like batter
6. In an appakadai (I used a shallow kadai), pour in a tsp or two of oil. Pour in a ladle of batter. Close with a lid and cook for a couple of minutes on medium heat.
7. Open and flip, cook for a couple more minutes. You may pour a few drops of oil around if you feel so.
8. Once done, serve with chutney, milagai podi or paruppu podi

Tips

You can reduce black pepper corns and use some red chillies. Add some mor milagai to the tadka. I have the powder made and kept in an airtight jar, so can whip this up when required.

Manathakkali Kootu

Manathakkali ( black nightshade) is good home remedy for mouth sores. This dish is made with the leafy veggie and kuduthi ( the water used to wash the rice before cooking. The second wash water preferred for the dish)

Ingredients

• Manathakkali Leaves 1 bunch washed & chopped
• Onions 1-2 finely chopped
• Tomato 1-2 finely chopped
• Kuduthi about 1/2 – 1 cup
• Green chillies 1-2 slit
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Cumin seeds
• Oil (preferably gingelly oil) about a teaspoon or two

Get Cooking

1. Heat oil, add cumin seeds and slit green chillies. Sauté for a minute or two.
2. Add the chopped onions. Sauté till the onions are translucent.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes. Toss around till the tomatoes are cooked
4. Add the chopped leaves, turmeric powder and salt. Toss around.
5. Pour in the kuduthi ( just enough to cover the leaves and not make it watery).
6. Cook till it boils. Serve with rice.

Tomato Thokku

Ingredients
Tomatoes chopped – about 1 kg
Oil (preferably gingelly oil)
Mustard seeds
Fenugreek seeds
Cumin
Tamarind
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1-2 tsp
Asafoetida
Salt

Get grinding!
1. Dry roast about 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin. Set aside to cool, then grind to a powder.

Get cooking!
1. Soak tamarind and obtain a thick paste (about 2tbsp). You may use store bought tamarind paste as well.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat about 1 tbsp of oil.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, tamarind paste, turmeric powder
4. Cook stirring now and then till it loses its watery consistency.
5. Add salt to taste, cook till oil separates stirring occasionally.
6. Sauté mustard seeds, asafoetida powder in some oil.
7. Make some space in the middle of the pan where tomatoes are cooking (sort of like a well). Add the red chilli powder into that well.
8. Pour the sautéed mustard seeds, asafoetida on the red chilli powder. Mix in the tomatoes.
9. Add the ground powder in and mix well.
10. Add a few tablespoons of oil and cook till all become a homogenous paste consistency. Cool and store in glass or porcelain container.
11. Serve with rotis, rice, upma, idli, dosa… 🙂

Tips
You may use store bought tamarind paste instead of soaking and making the paste yourself.
I added a tsp of sambar powder and reduced the amount of chilli powder.
You may also add a few red chillies to mustard, asafoetida tadka. Add loads of asafoetida that gives a good smell & taste.
Those who like garlic made a few pods in the beginning, roast a little; then add the chopped tomatoes.
This dish stays for a few days if stored properly.

Peerkanga skin- paruppu thogayal

Ingredients

Ridge gourd ( peerkanga) peel – from 2 gourds
Toor dal – 1/2 cup
Red chillies – 3 chillies
Black pepper seeds – a few
Tamarind – a small piece
Salt to taste
Oil

For tempering (optional)
Mustard seeds
Broken urad dal
Asafoetida
Curry leaves

Get cooking!

1. Dry roast the toot dal with the chillies & black pepper seeds till the dal is golden brown. Soak in some water and keep aside.
2. Heat a teaspoon or two of oil and put in the peels. Sauté till the peel is cooked. Add water to ensure the peel is cooked well.
3. Drain the excess water from the soaked dal.
4. Grind the dal, chillies, black pepper seeds, cooked peel, tamarind, salt to make the thogayal.
5. Temper the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves in some oil and add to the thogayal. ( optional step)
6. Serve with hot rice & roasted pappad

Tips

The ridge gourd peel can be replaced by chow-chow peel. If the amount of peel is a lot, one can reduce the dal as well.

Bread Upma

Leftover bread close to expiry date? This is a good way to finish them off! There are different ways of doing this. This is just one of those many!! Also works with any variety of bread

Ingredients

Bread slices – 4 chopped to cubes ( or crumble if you like)
Tomatoes- 2 roughly chopped
Onion – 1 roughly chopped ( optional)
Green chillies – roughly chopped
Ginger – finely chopped
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves/ cilantro – chopped
Mustard seeds
Chenna dal
Split urad dal
Cumin seeds
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Asafoetida
Lemon
Oil

Get Cooking!

1. In a wok, heat a spoon or two of oil. Add mustard seeds.
2. When the seeds splutter, add in the chopped green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, chenna dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida. Toss around.
3. Add the chopped onions and cook till translucent.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder. Pour a little water and let the tomatoes soften.
5. Add in the chopped bread. Toss around gently to coat the bread with the flavours.
6. Turn off heat. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice. Toss gently to mix in.
7. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Tips
Added a pinch or two of oregano (omam) powder to the tomatoes. Also used kasoor methi leaves instead of cilantro to garnish.
One may also add chopped garlic when adding ginger.
Add in grated tomatoes , chopped capsicum , shelled green peas and cook them in before adding the bread to add to nutritive value of the upma.

Idli Upma

Leftover idlis. Loads of variations. Here is one.

Ingredients

Leftover idlis

Onion 2 chopped

Tomato 2 chopped

Green chilli 2-3

Red chilli 2

Ginger chopped or crushed

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Urad dal 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves

Salt

Lemon 1

Oil

Get Cooking!

1. Pinch out the idlis. Alternatively you could add the idlis to a mixer and give it a whip to get the same result. I prefer the former.
2. In a wok, heat up some oil. Add in the mustard seeds, urad dal, green & red chillies, ginger and curry leaves.
3. When the seeds splutter, add in the chopped onions. Sauté till they become translucent.
4. Add in the chopped tomatoes. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
5. Mix in the pinched idlis.
6. Add some salt. Please note the idlis already have a bit of salt. So take care with the amount of salt.
7. Sauté this around for a few minutes. Squeeze in the lemon juice & mix well.
8. Toss around the idli Upma.
9. Chop some coriander leaves and add.

Tips

I added a teaspoon of idli milagapodi before adding in the coriander leaves and tossed the Upma to mix it in well. Reduce the number of chillies if doing this so as to balance the spice factor.

Paruppu Poli

Called obbatu, bobbatu, Puran poli depending on where you come from.

Traditionally made only with maida. Variations exist. Maida-Rava (1:1/4 ratio) or like I have used whole wheat atta-maida mix may be used.

Poli

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour 2 cups

Maida 1/4 cup

Chenna dal 3/4 cup

Jaggery 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Ghee

Salt

Get Cooking!

1. Mix the atta, maida with a little salt, a spoon of ghee. Add water and make into a smooth dough.
2. Add another teaspoon of ghee, smoothen the dough. Wrap in a cloth and set aside for about an hour.
3. Meanwhile, slightly dry roast the chenna dal and soak this in water.
4. Once soaked, pressure cook the dal. About 4-5 whistles
5. Cool, drain excess water. Make the dal into a smooth paste in a mixer.
6. In a Kadai, heat a spoon of ghee. Add in the dal paste.
7. Add in crushed jaggery. Mix this in with the dal on a low heat.
8. Ensure no lumps are formed. Stirring the jaggery into the dal paste till it forms a homogeneous mix that doesn’t stick to the pan.
9. Add the cardamom powder to this. Mix well. Set aside to cool.
10. Make small lemon size balls of the puranam/ filling ( the jaggery-dal mix).
11. Take the atta-maida dough. Knead slightly. Make into small balls to make the poli.
12. Take a dough ball, flatten into a small disc. Place a ball of the puranam. Pull the dough to enclose the filling. This makes it into a big ball of dough with filling inside.
13. Roll this out into a thin paratha. Use loose atta to ensure the roti doesn’t stick to the rolling pin/plate.
14. Heat a tawa. Place the poli. Sprinkle some ghee on the poli. Flip it over and cook on the other side. Fold and set aside to be served