Bisibelabath - Sambar satham

Ingredients:

Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 cup
Pigeon Pea/Red gram - Thuvaram Parupu - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - Puli - lemon size (Big)
Pearl onions - Sambar/small vengayam - 1 cup (12 nos.)
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - 1/2 tea spoon
Potatoes - Urulai kizhangu - 2 nos.
Green peas - Pachai pattani - 1 cup
Bengal gram dal - Kadali paruppu - 1 table spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 5 nos.
Coriander seeds - Dhania - 2 table spoons
Fenugreek - Vendayam - 1 table spoon
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai/Koparai - 2 table spoons Cinnamon - Pattai - 1 no.
Cashew nuts - Munthiri paruppu - 1 table spoon
Ghee - Nei - 2 table spoons
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and keep rice and red gram dal (Both together) in pressure cooker adding 6 cups of water with a pinch of salt.
2. Clean and make tamarind paste and keep it aside. Peel off the skin from potatoes and boil them, boil green peas separately and keep them aside.
3. Mean while make masala powder. Heat 1 tea spoon of oil in a pan, fry red chillies, bengal gram dal, black gram dal, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, grated coconut and make them to a powder.
4. Now heat oil in a kadai, add tamarind paste, asafoetida, salt, pearl onion, boiled potatoes, green peas, then the masala powder and boil for some 10 minutes. Now transfer these contents to the pressure cooker (after the rice is cooked) and cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Fry cashew nuts in ghee and add them to rice and serve.

Hot and tasty bisibelabath is ready to be served. Serve with potato chips/ Onion pachadi. It can be served for 4 people. It requires 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Dried peas can also be added instead of green peas but it has to soaked in water for atleast 6 hours. Remove dust particles from tamarind using filter.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed. Vegetables can be added according to one's taste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toor_dal

The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure

Michel de Montaigne

Garbanzo beans/Channa/White chick peas sundal - Mookadalai/Kondakadalai sundal

Ingredients:

Garbanzo Beans/Channa dal/White chick Peas - Mookadalai/Konda kadalai - 1 cup
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 5 nos.
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Soak channa dal for 8 hours. Keep in pressure after adding a pinch of salt and water (Immerse level).
2. Heat 1 table spoon of oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds, black gram dal, curry leaves and finally add boiled channa dal. Add a pinch of asafoetida and mix them well. Now add grated/shredded coconut and garnish with coriander leaves.

Mookadalai sundal is ready to be served. This can be offered to God for any festivals, even on Tuesdays or Fridays. This is called as prasadham/neivedhyam. This can be prepared and offered for poor people. Its very good for health.

Note: Soak channa dal before 8 hours, if it cannot be cooked after soaking, remove the water and keep refrigerated. It can be kept for 1 week and used at any time.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed. Coconut is optional, but it adds to taste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chana_dal

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.

Mark Twain

Semolina laddu - Rava laddu

Ingredients:

Semolina - Ravai - 1 cup
Sugar - Sarkarai/Cheeni - 1 cup
Ghee - Nei - 200 ml
Cashew nuts - Munthiri paruppu - 40 nos.
Raisins - Dratchai - 40 nos.
Cardamom - Elakkai - 3 nos.

Method:

1. Fry rava in a pan after adding 1 tea spoon of ghee. Grind rava, sugar and cardamom in a mixie. It should not be too fine.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashew nuts and raisins and keep it aside.
3. Heat the remaining ghee. Now take the rava sugar mix, mix ghee little by little (do one by one). We can add one cashew nut and raisin for 1 laddu. Mix ghee for making one laddu.
   Make balls out of it and leave it for half an hour. It will be ready to eat.

Tasty rava ladoo's are ready to eat. It requires 30 minutes to cook. It can be kept for 2 to 3 days.

Note: Rava should not be grinded too soft. Add only ghee and not oil or water. If required milk can be sprinkled for making balls.

Optional: Grated/Shredded coconut can be added to the rava sugar mix. Milk is optional, anyway it will make the ladoo harder to some extent, so better to avoid it and use only ghee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semolina

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly

M.F.K. Fisher

Soup - Rasam

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - Thakkali - 2 nos.Tamarind - Puli - small quantity
Garlic - Poondu - 3 nos.
Red gram dal - Thuvaram Parupu - 1/2 cup
Rasam Powder - Rasam podi - 2 table spoons
Turmeric Powder - Manjal Podi - 1/2 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 3 nos.
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Chop tomatoes and keep it aside.
2. Boil toor dal with one and half cups of water. It should be liquid in consistency.
3. Soak tamarind in hot water and keep for 10 minutes, filter all the dust particles using filter and make paste out of it.
4. Peel off the skin from garlic or crush it as it is according to your choice and keep other ingredients ready. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, add asafoetida, tomatoes and fry well. Now add turmeric powder, tamarind paste, little salt, garlic, rasam powder and mix them well. Now add boiled and smashed tuvar dal. Add 2 cups of water to it. Allow it to boil for 10 mintues. Finally garnish with coriander leaves.

Hot rasam is tasty and delicious to be served. It can be served with white rice or can be had like soup. It can be served for 3 people. It requires 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Rasam is good for digestion. Tamarind will contain dust particles which must be filtered. Rasam powder can be prepared at home which I have mentioned in Podi varieties or can be bought readymade from shops.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed for taste.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatoe
A vegetarian is a person who won't eat anything that can have children.
David Brenner

Gobi Manchurian - Pookosu

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - Pookosu - 1 no. (Large)
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Large)
Ginger - Inji - 1/2 cup
Garlic - Poondu - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Green chillies - Pachai Milagai - 2 nos.
Red chilly powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhaniya thul - 2 table spoons
All purpose flour - Maida - 1 cup
Corn flour - Makka chola mavu - 2 table spoons
Soya sauce - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Salt to taste
Oil for frying, Butter - 1 table spoon

Method:

1. Soak cauliflower floretts in hot water for 10 minutes. Then boil it in water for 10 minutes.
2. Now mix all purpose flour (Maida), butter and corn flour and make them to paste. Make ginger garlic paste and add to this. Mix them well. Now dip these floretts in this flour paste and deep fry in oil. Keep them on a tissue paper so that excess oil will be absorbed.
3. Now heat oil in a pan/kadai (It can be done in the same kadai in which the floretts are fried) and add ginger and garlic which are chopped, add cumin seeds, curry leaves, chopped onions, little salt and fry them well. Now add soya sauce and then the floretts which are dipped. Now add chilly powder and coriander powder and mix them well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Hot red gobi manchurian is delicious and ready to be served. Yummy!!! Yummy!! It can be served as a starter or along with parathas, naan, chappathis or rice. It can be served for 4 persons. It takes hardly 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Ginger and garlic should be cut into small pieces after peeling off the skin. Half of them should be kept as such and the remaining half should be made to a paste which is added to all purpose flour. Cauliflower should be soaked in hot water because it will kill if any germs are there.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to taste. Red colour powder can be added to look beautiful. Capsicum, tomatoes, tomatoe sauce can be added.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower

A dinner lubricates business

Lord William Stowell

Rasam Powder - Rasam podi

Ingredients:

Pepper - Milagu - 50 gms
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 50 gms
Red gram dal - Thuvaram parupu - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 20 nos.
Fenugreek seeds - Vendayam - 5 table spoons
Coriander seeds - Dhaniya - 5 table spoons

Method:

Fry each of the ingredients separately in a pan/kadai after heating a tea spoon of oil. Allow it to cool off. Grind them in a mixie.

Rasam powder is ready.

Note: Powder should not be too soft. It shouldn't be grinded too much. Should be like shown in the picture.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumin_seeds

Man is what he eats

Ludwig Feuerbach

Fenugreek leaves/Methi - Vendaya Keerai masiyal/kadayal

Ingredients:

Fenugreek/Methi leaves - Vendaya Keerai - 1 bunch
Red gram dal - Thuvaram parupu - 1 cup
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Small size)
Tomatoe - Thakkali - 1 no. ( Medium size)
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham Parupu - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning

Method:

1. Clean, wash and cut methi leaves and keep it ready.
2. Wash and keep red gram dal in pressure cooker along with green leaves (Methi), onions chopped, tomatoes chopped, green chillies cut into small pieces, salt. Add water and boil it for 15 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, black gram dal and mix it to green leaves.

Fenugreek leaves smash are ready to be served. It can be served with rice. It can be served for 2 people. It requires 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Fenugreek leaves have to be washed 2 to 3 times.

Optional: Red chillies can be added instead of green chillies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methi

Water is the most neglected nutrient in your diet but one of the most vital.

Kelly Barton

Cabbage fry - Muttakos poriyal

Ingredients:

Cabbage - Kos - 1/2 kg
Green peas - Pachai Pattani - small quantity
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 3 nos.
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Grated/Shredded coconut - small quantity
Mustard seeds - kadugu - small quantity
Black gram dal - Ulutham parupu - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and cut the vegetables. Boil it in a pressure cooker adding little salt and keep it aside. Boil green peas and keep ready.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai and splutter mustard seeds, black gram dal, green chillies, curry leaves and now add vegetable and green peas. Fry them well. Now add grated coconut. Add salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

Cabbage fry is ready to be served. Serve with any of rice varieties. It can be served for 2 people. It takes 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Cabbage should be cut finely. Add only little water and salt to cabbage. It requires only less quantity.

Optional: Green peas, onions can be added to taste. Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage

You didn't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.

Julia Child

Old rice - Pazhayadu

Ingredients:

Old rice cooked - Pazhaiya satham
Curd/Yoghurt - Thayir - 1 cup
Onion - Vengayam - small quantity
Green chilly - Pachai milagai
Salt to taste

Method:

If cooked rice is left over, dont waste that. Pour water into that and a pinch of salt and allow it to soak overnight.
In the morning, take the rice from water and mix it with curd. Have it with green chilly or onion.

Tasty and healthy rice is ready.

Note: People from village use to eat this food and go for work. They lived long life and I wish you all to live a long and happy life.

Optional: Ingredients can be added to taste.

The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse.

Jules Renard

Brinjal rice/Vangi Bhath - Kathirikai Satham

Ingredients:

Brinjal/Egg plant/Aubergine - Kathirikai - 1/4 Kg
Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 cup
Onions - Vengayam - 1 no.
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 4 nos.
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Poppy seeds - Kasakasa - small quantity
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - small quantity
Mustard - Kadugu - small quantity
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - small quantity
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Cashew nuts - Munthiri Parupu - small quantity
Turmeric powder - Manjal Podi - small quantity
Cinnamon - Pattai - 1 no.
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and keep rice in pressure cooker after adding a pinch of salt. After cooking spread it in a plate and allow it to cool.
2. Cut brinjals length wise and soak in water after adding a pinch of salt to it. Boil the brinjals and keep it aside.
3. Cut onions, grind ginger and green chillies and make it to a paste. Fry poppy seeds,cinnamon and coconut and keep it aside. Fry cashew nuts and keep it separately.
4. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, cashew nuts, then add ginger paste, coconut paste to it, turmeric and add chopped onions. Fry them well, now add boiled brinjals. Deep fry them until it forms like gravy.
5. Now mix the gravy with the rice and serve hot.

Hot and tasty brinjal rice is delicious and ready to be served. Serve brinjal rice with potato chips. It can be served for 2 people. It takes hardly 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Brinjals should be soaked in water once it is cut, else it will turn black.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or remove according to ones desire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant

I went into a Mc Donald's yesterday and said, I'd like some fries. The girl at the counter said, Would you like some fries with that?

Jay Leno

Onion chutney - Vengaya chutney

Ingredients:

Onions - Vengayam - 2 nos. (Large size)
Pearl onion - Sambhar vengayam - 4 nos.
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 5 nos.
Black gram dal - Ulutham Parupu - 1 table spoon
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai Parupu - 1 table spoon
Tamarind - Puli - small lemon size
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Peel off the skin and cut onion into big pieces. Keep other required ingredients ready.
   Heat oil in kadai/pan and add red chillies, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, tamarind, salt and finally onions. Deep fry them.
2. Allow the mixture to cool, and grind in a mixie.

Onion chutney is ready to be served. It can be served with idlys, dosa, chappathi, rice balls. It can be served for 2 people. It hardly takes 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Grind the fried onions only after cooling off and add only required amount of water. Always be careful in adding salt, if it is more we can't eat, if there is no salt we can't imagine of serving. So be patient while adding salt.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals desire.

Food is our common ground, a universal experience.

James Beard

Rice balls - Uppu urundai

Ingredients:

Raw rice flour - Pacharisi mavu - 1 cup
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai Paruppu - 5 table spoons
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - small quantity
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - small quantity
Green chillies - Pachai Milagai - 4 nos.
Ghee - Nei - 1 table spoon
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Raw rice should be washed, dried and grinded to semolina/rava form.
2. Mix flour with 1 table spoon of ghee. Bengal gram dal should be soaked in water for an hour. Mix the saked dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, chopped green chillies, grated coconut and salt to the flour.
3. Make it as small balls and keep in pressure cooker or microwave oven. If it is pressure cooker keep it for 10-12 minutes. If it is microwave oven keep it for 3 and half minute.

Hot and tasty rice balls are ready to be served. It can be served with any of the chutneys. It can be served for 2 people. It takes hardly 30 minutes to cook apart from soaking dal.

Note: Rice flour should not be too coarse or too soft.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to ones desire.

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merier world.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Tomato Gravy - Thakkali thokku

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - Thakkali - 3 nos.
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Big)
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Garlic - Poondu - 2 nos.
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - small quantity
Green chilly - Pachai milagai - 1 no.
Chilli powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1 tea spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania powder - 2 tea spoons
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - small quantity
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Black gram dal - Ulutham parupu - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Chop onions, tomatoes and keep other ingredients ready. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilli and make it to a paste.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard, black gram dal, cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, then deep fry onions, now add tomatoes, curry leaves, turmeric powder, asafoetida, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, and fry them well till it mixes.

Tasty thakkali thokku is ready to be served. It can be served with chappathis, rice, idly, dosa. It can be served for 3 people. It requires 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Onions and tomatoes should be cut into small pieces so that it can be fried well. Smash some tomatoes in a mixie and fry the remaining tomatoes which are chopped.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato

Its important to begin a search on a full stomach

Henry Bromel

Potato fry - Urulai kizhangu varuval

Ingredients:

Potatoes - Urulai kizhangu - 4 nos. (Medium size)
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Medium)
Tomatoe - Thakkali - 2 nos. (Medium)
Green peas - Pachai pattani - small quantity
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Garlic - Poondu - 2 nos.
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 tea spoon
Chilli powder - Kaintha milagai - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - dhani thul - 2 table spoons
Turmeric powder - Manjal thul - a pinch
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Peel off the skin and boil potatoes and green peas in pressure cooker or microwave oven.
   Cut onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and keep other ingredients ready.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard, black gram dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, onions followed by tomatoes, add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and little salt. Mix the content well and allow it to fry. Now add boiled vegetables and green peas. Fry the contents well.

Potato fry is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served for 3 persons. It requires 20 minutes to cook.

Note: If the chilli powder is grinded along with coriander powder just add 2 table spoons.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed if desired.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato

What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease.

George Dennison Prentice

Curd rice - Thayir satham

Ingredients:

Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 cup
Curd/Yoghurt - Thayir - 2 cups
Milk - Pal - 1 cup
Butter - Vennai - 1 tea spoon
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 3 nos.
Black gram dal - 1 table spoon
Bengal gram dal - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Mustard - Kadugu - small quantity
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Keep rice in pressure cooker. 1 cup of rice requires 6 cups of water. Rice should be smashed after cooking.
2. Mix curd, milk and butter and keep ready in one bowl. Add required amount of salt.
   Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, curry leaves, add asafoetida, ginger, green chillies and fry them well. Mix all the contents to the curd mix, add these to the smashed rice. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tasty curd rice is yummy yummy!!!! It can be served for 3 people. It requires hardly 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Curd should not be sour. Mix the rice when it is in medium heat, not too heat as soon as you take out from the stove.

Optional: Carrot, cucumber, raisins, cashew nuts, tomatoes, kara bundi can be added to the rice if desired. Butter can or cannot be added.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd

There is no love sincerer than the love of food.

George Bernard Show

Semolina Kitchadi - Rava Kitchadi

Ingredients:

Rava - Ravai - 1 cup
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Small)
Tomatoe - Thakkali - 1 no. (Medium)
Garlic - Poondu - 3 nos.
Black gram dal - Ulutham parupu - small quantity
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai parupu - small quantity
Green Peas - Pachai Pattani - small quantity
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - small quantity
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai
Mustard - Kadugu - small quantity
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Heat 1 tea spoon of oil in a kadai/pan and fry rava for 5 minutes. Keep it aside.
2. Add 3 table spoons of oil in the same kadai/pan, splutter mustard, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, curry leaves, then fry onion followed by tomatoe and green peas (Boiled), fry for some time, add turmeric powder, salt, garlic, fry for some time, add 2 cups of water to it and close it with a lid. Allow to boil till bubbles come.
3. Then add fried rava to this and keep mixing so that it mixes well, everything is even.

Hot rava kitchadi is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served for 2 people. It requires some 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Green peas should be boiled separately for 5 minutes and then added. Rava should be fried before cooking. These type of breakfast items requires more oil, else it won't be nice to taste.

Optional: This can be cooked with all kinds of vegetables like carrot, beans... if desired.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semolina

Good food ends with good talk

Geoffrey Neighor

Idly - Idly

Ingredients:

Idly rice - Idly arisi - 6 cups
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds - Vendayam - 3 table spoons
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak idly rice and fenugreek seeds in a small cup for 5 hours. Soak black gram dal for 1 hour.
2. Grind black gram dal along with fenugreek, first in a grinder, remove the contents, now grind rice. Dal takes some 25 minutes to grind and rice takes some 40 minutes to grind.
3. Transfer all the flour into a plastic box add 2 table spoons of salt, mix it well with hand. Keep it for 8 to 10 hours.

Idly batter is ready to be used. It can be used for 2 to 3 days in a week.

Note: Rice flakes can be soaked and added to rice while grinding. It makes the flour even more soft. Fenugreek seeds makes the flour very soft and it is good for health. It will take off heat from the body. A pinch of baking soda can be added so that idlys will look pluffy.

Optional: Measurement said above is for good quality dal. If dal is of medium or low quality the measurement for dal has to be increased. It should be 2 cups. Always mix the batter after grinding using hand and the plastic box should be big enough to allow the batter to become sour. It shouldn't be of equal size or lesser size. Plastic box is good for these kinds of flours. Always use plastic containers to be kept in refrigerator.

Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.

G.K. Chesterton

Mirchi kuzhambu - Kara kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Tamarind - Puli - lemon size
Pearl onion - Sambar vengayam - 5 nos.
Tomatoes - Thakkali - 2 nos. (Medium size)
Garlic - Poondu - 5 nos.
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - small quantity
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - small quantity
Mustard - Kadugu - small quantity
Fenugreek seeds - Vendayam - small quantity
Chilli powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 2 table spoons.
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 4 nos.
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - small quantity
Asafoetida - Perungayam - small quantity
Sesame oil - Nalenai - 3 tabel spoons
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes, then filter all the dust particles and make it a paste.
2. Cut onions, tomatoes, garlic and keep other ingredients ready. Fry fenugreek for a minute and make it powdered.
3. Heat oil in kadai, splutter mustard, fry red chillies, curry leaves, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, onions followed by tomatoes, garlic, then add red chiili powder, coriander powder, asafoetida, turmeric powder, and little salt.
4. Pour tamarind paste to this mixture. Mix them well. The content has to boil and come to half. It has to be boiled atleast for 30 minutes. Finally add fenugreek powder and mix it well.

Mirchi kuzhambu is hot and delicious. Yummy!!! Yummy!!! It can be served for 3 persons. It takes some 45 minutes to cook.

Note: Tamarind will have dust particles which must be removed before cooking. Any vegetables can be boiled and added to this.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind

My favourite animal is steak

Fran Lebouritz

Chayote dal - Chow chow kootu

Ingredients:

Chayote - Bangalore Kathirikai - 1 no. (Large)
Green gram dal - Pachai paruppu - 1/2 cup
Pearl onion - sambar vengayam - 5 nos.
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 3 nos.
Grated/shredded coconut - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut chayote, wash dal and keep both in pressure cooker adding required water, a pinch of salt and asafoetida.
2. Cut small onions and keep other ingredients ready.
3. Heat oil in a pan/kadai and splutter mustard, cumin seeds, then fry onion and green chillies, finally add the smashed chayote and dal mixture and boil it for some 10 minutes. Add grated coconut at the end and add required salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

Chayote dal is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served for 2 people. It takes 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Peel off the skin from the vegetable and the centre part has to be removed before cutting and cooking. Pour only required amount of water while boiling because if we use too much water it will become smashed and the vegetables won't be visible.

Optional: Red chillies can be used instead of green chillies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

Food is an important part of a balanced diet

Fran Lebourtz

Vada curry - Vadai curry

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dhal - Kadalai paruppu - 1 cup
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Big size)
Tomato - Thakkali - 2 nos. (Medium size)
Curry leaves - Karuvepillai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Turmeric powder - Manjal thul - small quantity
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Grated/shredded coconut - 1 cup
Ginger - Inji - 2 tea spoons
Garlic - Poondu - 3 nos. (Large)
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - small quantity
Mustard - Kadugu - small quantity
Chilli powder - Kaintha milagai powder - 2 tea spoons.
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak bengal gram dhal for 3 hours. Grind adding very little water, to make pakkodas. Add chopped coriander leaves to the mixture and little salt and fry them in oil as you do pakkodas. Turn around and take them away while it is slight brown. Not even brown when it is just fried and white in colour so that it will be easy to break and add to the curry.
2. Grind ginger, garlic and make a paste. Grind green chillies and grated coconut and make it a paste.
3. Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard, cumin seeds, curry leaves, then fry onions, followed by tomatoes, add little salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and pour some water and then add the ginger paste and green chilly paste and allow it to boil for some 10 minutes. Once it looks like gravy add the broken pakkodas into the this and mix well.

Vada curry is delicious to be served. Yummy!!!!!! It can be served with idlis, dosas, chappathis and pooris. It can be served for 4 people. It requires some half and hour to cook (Apart from soaking dhal).

Note: Pakkodas shouldnt be fried deep brown as this will be difficult to break and add to the gravy.

Optional: Instead of coconut, coconut milk can be made thick and thin and both can be added to the gravy. Soya oil can also be added according to taste. Pakkodas content can be reduced if the gravy content required is more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_gram

Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast

Epictetus

Yoghurt/Curd gravy (Plain) - Mor Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Yoghurt/Curd - Thayir - 1 cup
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Grated/shredded coconut - small quantity
Red gram dhal - Thuvaram paruppu - 1 tea spoon
Bengal gram dhal - Kadalai paruppu - 1 tea spoon
Fried gram dhal - Udaicha kadalai - 1/2 tea spoon
Cashew nuts - Munthiri paruppu - 2 nos.
Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 tea spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Turmeric powder - Manjal thul - small quantity
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak red gram dhal, bengal gram dhal, fried gram dhal, raw rice and cashew nuts for 1 hour. Then grind them to a paste. Grind coconut, ginger and green chillies and make a paste.
2. Smash curd and make it to a form of butter milk. Add little water to it. Add turmeric powder and salt to it. Mix it well.
3. Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves, then add ginger paste and dhal paste followed by curd mix. Mix them well. Add a little salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Curd soup is ready to be served. It can be served with rice. It can be served for 2 people. It requires only 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Curd can be a little sour, it will taste good. Dhal must be soaked for atleast an hour for grinding to a paste.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals taste. Vegetables can be added to this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd

He who comes first, eats first

Eike von Repkow

Raw Banana/Plaintain - Vazhaikai varuval

Ingredients:

Raw banana/Plaintain - Vazhaikai - 2 nos. (Medium)
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no.
Tomato - Thakkali - 1 no.
Garlic - Poondu - 3 nos.
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Mustard - Kadugu - small quantity
Black gram - Ulutham paruppu - small quantity
Bengal gram - Kadalai paruppu - small quantity
Turmeric powder - Manjal thul - small quantity
Chilli powder - Milagai thul - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 2 table spoons
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Peel off the skin and cut raw bananas as shown in the picture and soak in warm water adding little salt and curd. Boil it for some 5 minutes either in pressure cooker or microwave oven.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard, black gram, bengal gram, asafoetida, curry leaves, then onions followed by tomatoes and raw bananas, turmeric, chilly powder, coriander powder and little salt. Fry the vegetables nicely for some 20 minutes. Turn around all the curry so that the ingredients mixes well and the vegetable becomes crispy. Sprinkle little water if necessary.

Hot and tasty raw banana is ready to be served. It can be served for 3 people. It requires some 25 minutes to cook.

Note: Raw banana should not be ripen as it will not be nice to cook. Bananas must be soaked in water before boiling because it will become dark in colour if kept outside after peeling the skin.

Optional: Vegetable can be cut in any shape, in round or into small pieces. Its all individuals choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana

I no longer prepare food or drink with more than one ingredient

Cyra Mc Fadden

Bitter guord curry - Pagarkai varuval

Ingredients:

Bitter guord - Pakarkai - 1/2 kg
Sesame oil - Nallenai - 4 table spoons
Chilly powder - Milagai thul - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 2 table spoons
Salt to taste
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric - Manjal podi - small quantity

Method:

1. Wash and cut bitter guord after removing all the seeds. Boil it for 10 minutes (Either in pressure cooker or microwave oven).
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai and splutter mustard, add asafoetida and then bitter guord. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Fry for some 20 minutes.

Hot and tasty bitter guord is ready to be served. It can be served with any rice varieties. It can be served for 3 people. It requires some 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Bitter guord can be cut lenghwise into two so that all the seeds can be removed in one stretch. For bitter guord there is no need to peel off the skin. Add a pinch of salt while the vegetable is boiling. Vegetable has to be always boiled for some 10 minutes and then fried since it will be easy to fry and it will be well cooked and tasty to eat.

Optional: Onion, tomatoes and grated/shredded coconut can be added according to individuals choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_gourd

The most remarkeable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.

Calvin Trillin

Vegetable fried rice - Vegetable Biriyani

Ingredients:

Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 cup
Carrot - Carrot - 1 no.
Beans - Beans - 200 gms
Potato - Urulai kizhangu - 200 gms
Cauli flower - Pookosu - small flower
Green Peas - Pachai pattani - 2 table spoons
Mint/Mentha leaves - Pudhina - small quantity
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Big size)
Ginger - Inji - Small quantity
Garlic - Poondu - 2 nos. (Medium size)
Green chillies - Pachai Milagai - 4 nos. (Medium size)
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 2 table spoons
Cinnamon - Pattai - 1 piece
Cloves - Lavangam - 3 pieces
Cardamom - Elakkai - 2 pieces
Turmeric - Manjal Podi - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and cut vegetables and keep them in a plate. Boil each vegetable separately. Cauliflower has to be soaked in hot water, then remove the water and boil it again with fresh water so that insects if any would die.
2. Grind ginger and garlic and make it to a paste. Grind coconut and green chillies and make it to a paste. Cut onions and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add dry spicy items, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, then add ginger garlic paste, fry onion, then add all vegetables followed by turmeric, salt and mint leaves. Mix all the contents, finally add coconut paste, add rice to it mix it well.
4. Finally add 1 and 1/2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Cook for 15 minutes.

Hot and delicious vegetable fried rice is ready to be served. It can served with onion salad, potato chips or kuruma. It can be served for 3 people. It takes 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Rice requires only one and a half cup of water. For variety rice we should use only little water. Each vegetable has to be boiled separately as beans requires comparatively a large time than other vegetables.

Optional: Bread roast can be added to this rice. We can decorate with cashew nuts before serving. A little ghee can be added if necessary before frying all the ingredients. Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals choice.

Health food makes me sick.

Calvin Trillin

Onion Salad - Onion Pachadi

Ingredients:

Pearl onion - Sambhar onion - 2 nos. (Medium size)
Curd - Thayir - 1 cup Salt to taste

Method:

1. Take curd and stirr so that it is dilute and thin, add grated onions and a little salt.

Onion pachadi is ready to be served. It can be served for 2 people. It takes 5 minutes to prepare.

Note: Curd should be fresh not too sour.

Optional: Big onions can be used instead of pearl onions. Green chillies can be cut and added and seasoning can be done finally adding some curry leaves and coriander leaves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are

Anthelme Brillat - Savarin