Poori

Ingredients:

Wheat flour/All Purpose flour - Gothumai/Maida mavu - 2 cups
Salt - Uppu - For taste
Oil - Ennai - Small qty.

Method:

Mix flour with water. Water proportion is 45 % of flour. Add little salt and oil to the flour before mixing with water. Mix the dough well and cover with a wet cloth and keep it aside for some 30 minutes before making poori. Now make small balls and flaten the dough to make puris. Heat oil in pan/kadai, place one by one. Press kindly in the middle of puri so that it will bubble out. Hot puris are ready to be served. serve with Potato curry. This can be served for 4 people. Requires hardly around 30 minutes to cook.

Note: Always prepare the dough in advance. Dont flatten the dough too much then it will not bubble out. Press in the middle of puri in oil so that it will come up very well.

Optional: Any side dish like Kuruma, Thakkali thokku, Channa can be served for puri.

Rice dhal cake - Adai

Ingredients:

Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 cup
Toor dal - Thuvaram paruppu - 1/2 cup
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - 1/2 cup
Moong dal - Pachai paruppu - 1/4 cup
Red chilly - Kaintha milagai - 4 nos.
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Salt - Uppu - To taste
Oil - Ennai - Small Quantity

Method:

Wash and soak rice, dhal, red chillies and cumin seeds for 4 - 5 hours. Then grind into coarse paste. Add salt. Heat tava and pour one batter full of flour. Add oil. Heat both the sides. Serve hot with any chutney. This can be served for 4 people. It required hardly 20 minutes to prepare apart from soaking hours.

Note: For adai the flour must be coarse and must not be grinded into soft dough.

Optional: The proportion of rice and dals can be changed. Only rice and toor dal can be also be used.

Methi Roti - Vendaya Keerai Chappathi

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - Gothumai mavu - 2 cups
Methi leaves - Vendaya keerai - 1 bunch
Salt - Uppu - a pinch
Oil - Ennai - Small quantity

Method:

Mix wheat flour with salt, 1 table spoon of oil and water. Usually water required is 45 % of flour quantity we take. Wash methi leaves and chopp it. Mix immediately with the dough. Place tava on stove when it is hot place the chappathis made, add little oil, heat both sides. Hot Methi Roti is ready to be served. Serve hot with curd and pickle. It can be served for 2 persons. Requires around 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Methi leaves should be mixed with the dough immediately when it is washed and chopped. Roti can be heated directly on stove without tava. But care must be taken so that it is not burned.

Optional: Roti can be served with any side dish as per your choice.

Vermicelli upma - Semiya upma

Ingredients:

Vermicelli - Semiya - 2 cups
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Medium size)
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 3 nos.
Ginger - Inji - small piece
Bengal gram - Kadalai paruppu - 1 table spoon
Split urad dhal - Udaitha ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - handfull
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Oil - Ennai - 3 table spoons
Salt - Uppu to taste

Method:

Dry roast the vermicelli in a pan after adding a tea spoon of oil. Keep it aside. Peel off the skin from onion and cut into lengthwise. Wash and cut green chillies. Keep other ingredients ready. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds, add bengal gram and urad dhal and fry for some time. Then add green chillies, onion, curry leaves, little salt and then add 3 1/2 half cups of water. One cup of semiya requires 1 3/4 cups of water. Then once the water is boiling add roasted semiya and let the mixture boil for some 10 minutes. Finally add coriander leaves. Once the mixture is cooked it can be served with any kind of chutney. This can be served for 2 people. It takes hardly 20 minutes to cook.

Note:

Always dry roast the semiya before cooking.

Optional:

Red chillies can be added instead of green chillies. Vegetables, tomatoes, green peas, turmeric, garlic can be added if we are preparing kitchadi. Rava/semolina can also be added to this.

Rice upma - Arisi upuma

Ingredients:

Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 cup
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 3 nos.
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Break rice into uneven pieces using a mixie. Don't powder it, just turn on and off. A button is provided in mixie just to press and release for these kind of breaking.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, curry leaves and add asafoetida and salt. Mix them well. Add 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker add the fried items and broken rice and mix well. Keep it for some 15 minutes.

Rice upma is delicious and ready to be served. Serve with any type of chutney. It can be served for 2 people. It requires 20 minutes to prepare.

Note: Rice should be broken by turning on the mixie and immediately switching off.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed

The greatest delight the fields and woods minister is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me and I to them

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rava/Semolina Pongal - Ravai Pongal

Ingredients:

Rava/Semolina - Ravai - 3/4 cup
Green gram dal - Pachai paruppu - 1/4 cup
Black pepper - Karuppu milagu - 1 table spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Cashew nuts - Munthiri paruppu - 6 nos.
Ghee - Nei - 1 table spoon
Butter - Vennai - 1 table spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Add a tea spoon of oil in a pan/kadai and fry rava for some time. Wash and boil dal in pressure cooker for some 20 minutes adding 6 cups of water. Don't smash it too much. Let it be boiled and be visible. Now add fried rava to it and add finely chopped ginger, salt, asafoetida and boil it for some time.
2. Heat ghee and butter in a pan, when it is hot add black pepper, cumin seeds, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Now add this mixture to the already cooked rava-dal.

Serve hot with any of the chutney items. It can be served for 2 people. It requires 30 minutes to prepare.

Note: Rava has to be fried little and not too much. Use powdered rava and not the whole rava. Be careful while boiling dal as it will easily come out of the pressure cooker while boiling.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed

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

Eat little, sleep sound

Iranian Proverb

Dal Idly - Paruppu Idly

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - 1 cup
Green leaves - Keerai - 1 cup (Any kind)
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no.
Green chilly - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Garlic - Poondu - 2 flakes
Red chilly - Kaintha milagai - 2 nos.
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

Wash and soak bengal gram dal in water for 2-3 hours along with cumin seeds and red chillies. Grind them to a smooth paste after adding ginger-garlic, green chillies, green leaves (Chopped) and curry leaves. Grease idly plate and pour this batter and keep it for 3 minutes if kept in oven or 10-12 minutes if kept in Idly cooker.

Dal idly is healthy and ready to be served. Serve it with any of the chutneys.

Note: Any kind of green leaves can be used.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed

Large, naked raw carrots are acceptable as food only to those who lie in hutches eagerly awaiting Easter

Fran Lebowitz

Dosa - Dosai

Ingredients:

Idli rice - Idli arisi - 6 cups
Black gram dal - Muzhu ulutham paruppu - 1 cup (If it is first quality)
Fenugreek seeds - Vendayam - 3 table spoons
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in water for about 4 to 5 hours. Black gram dal can be washed and soaked just for 1 hour. Soak fenugreek seeds when you soak black gram dal. Then grind them in a grinder. First grind dal and then rice, both separately.
2. Now add 2 table spoons of salt to it and mix the batter using hand. It should become sour for which only hands should be used. Allow the batter to stay for 8 to 10 hours.
3. Heat dosa tawa and add oil to it, you can use raw onion for spreading the oil. Insert knife inside the onion, soak in oil and spread it on the tawa. Now add dosa batter and make it round. If it is cooked turn the other side and add a little oil. When it is crispy and turns light brown remove it from the tawa.

Tasty dosa is ready to be served. Serve with chilly powder, sambar or chutney. This batter can be kept in a plastic box and can be preserved in a refrigerator for 1 week. Always add some water to the batter while making dosas. If it is idly no need to add water. This batter can be used for preparing both idlis and dosas.

Note: Batter should be left for 8 hours when it is summer season and 10 hours when it is winter season. Only hands should be used while mixing the batter after it is grinded.

Optional: Rice flakes can be soaked in water and can be added to get a smooth batter. Fenugreek seeds is good for health. It removes heat from the body and makes the batter smooth. At the same time don't add too much as it will make the batter look yellow in colour and the taste will not be good.

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

" [When asked what he would eat if he was in a desert with no food in sight except a cow ] I'd find out what the cow was eating and join it."
Benjamin Zephaniah

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

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

Roti - Chappathi

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - Kothumai Maavu - 1 cup
Butter - Vennai - 1 tea spoon
Milk - Paal - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Take wheat flour in a bowl, add butter, salt, milk, oil and a little water. Make it a dough. Don't add too much water, it will become dilute.
2. Heat chappathi in tava adding oil around the chappathis. Turn both sides well.

Hot chappathis are ready to be served. It can be served with potato or any other dishes according to your choice. It can be served for 2 people. It requires some 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Mix the flour and set aside before 2 hours you fry them. This will make the dough very soft.

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

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

Semolina - Rava Upma

Ingredients:

Semolina - Rava - 1 cup
Onion - Vengayam - 1 (Big size)
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 4 nos. (Medium)
Mustard - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Bengal gram - Kadalai Paruppu - 2 table spoons
Black gram - Ulutham Paruppu - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Fry rava in a pan for some 5 minutes. Keep it aside. Cut onions and keep other ingredients ready.
2. Heat oil in a kadai/pan and add mustard, once it splutters add bengal gram, black gram, green chillies, curry leaves and finally onion and fry till it turns brown and add salt. Pour 2 1/2 cups of water for 1 cup of rava. Close it with a lid till it boils (till bubbles come).
3. Add rava to it and stirr it well, be careful that it mixes well. Cook for 10 minutes.

Hot and tasty semolina is ready to be served. Serve with any of the chutneys. It can be served for 2 people. It takes hardly 20 minutes to cook.

Note: One cup of rava requires only two and half cups of water, so be careful with the measurement. Else it will look very dilute.

Optional: Rava can be fried using microwave oven. Red chillies can be used instead of green chillies.

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

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.
Albert Einstein

Pongal - Ven Pongal/Milagu Pongal

Ingredients:

Raw rice - Pacharisi - 1 cup
Green gram - Pachai parupu - 1/3rd cup
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Ginger - Inji - 1 spoon
Pepper - Milagu - 1 spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 2 spoons
Cashew nuts - Munthiri parupu - small quantity
Curry leaves - Karuvepillai - small quantity
Ghee - Nei - 2 spoons
Butter - Vennai - 1 spoon
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and keep rice and green gram (Dhal) and pour 6 cups of water, add asafoetida, salt and ginger to it in a pressure cooker. Let it boil for 20 minutes.
2. Then add ghee to a pan and fry pepper, cumin seeds, cashew nuts and curry leaves and add this to boiled rice and dhal. Now add butter to the content. Mix it well.

Pongal is delicious and ready to be served. Enjoy with any chutneys/sambhar. It can be served for 2 people. It takes hardly 30 minutes.

Note: Pongal has to be served hot, else it will not taste nice. It should be cooked only in a medium flame, else all water will be exhausted and pongal will not be cooked well. 6 cups of water will be sufficient so that rice and dhal will be cooked nicely.

Optional: Cashew nuts and butter can be added/removed according to taste.

The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin