Tomato Chutney (தக்காளி சட்னி)

This recipe of tomato chutney is one of the easiest preparation that would go with almost every other breakfast. This is a very good combination with Idly, Dosa, Poori, Chapathi or even Upma. I learned this recipe from my Grandma who is well known in our family for many of the tastiest recipes. This dish would give you the rich taste if you use well ripe tomatoes in dark red color. Preparation time for this dish is lesser than 20 minutes with very simpler ingredients. Quantity given here would suffice for 3 people.

Ingredients:
1. Tomato - 3 medium sized
2. Onion - 2 medium sized
3. Garlic - 3 pods
4. Sambhar Powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon
5. Cloves - 3
6. Cinnamon stick - 2 small pieces
7. Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
8. Salt - to taste
9. Oil - 3 tablespoon
10. Coriander Leaves



Preparation:
1. Finely chop the tomatoes and onions.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the spices one by one - Cloves, Cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds and fry in a low flame. Take care not burn them.
3. Now add tomatoes, onions and garlic and cook well for 2 to 3 minutes
4. Add required amount of salt and sambhar powder and mix well. If you do not have sambhar powder, you can alternatively use 1/2 table spoon of red chilly powder and 1 table spoon of coriander powder.
5. Mix well and add required amount of water (for the given amount, i add 300 ml of water) and cook well.
6. When it is cooked, you would still have some water in the mixture. Now switch off the stove and filter the water to another dish.
7. Smash the remaining mixture nicely with a spatula and add it to the filtered water.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and tomato chutney is ready to serve.

PS: I didnt have coriander leaves today, so my photo misses the garnishing today :)

Onion Pakora

There are different versions of recipes for this snack, and here is a simple and quicker way of doing it. Preparation time is lesser than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
1. Onions - 2 finely chopped
2. Besan Flour - 6 tablespoon
3. Rice Flour - 1 tablespoon
4. Red chilly powder - 1 tablespoon
5. Salt - to taste
6. Oil - to deep fry
7. Curry leaves - optional


Preparation:
1. Mix all the given ingredients except oil with required amount of water. Prepare the mixture to a semi solid consistency.
2. Heat oil in pan. Now add the mixture little quantity at a time and deep fry it till it becomes golden brown. Use hands to add the mixture to oil and make sure to separate the onion rings when you drop it in oil to get a good crispness.
Hot pakora is ready to eat.

Pudalangai (Snake Gourd) Kootu

Snake gourd consist of substantial amount of moisture and little protein, fiber, fat and carbohydrate. It has also has good mineral and vitamin contents. This recipe of snake gourd is made with curd and cocconut and is a good combination for rice dishes.

Ingredients:
1. Snake Gourd - 300 gms
2. Coconut - 1/4 cup
3. Green Chillies - 3 to 4 you can adjust this to your spice level
4. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
5. Curd - 50 gms beaten to butter milk consistency
6. Curry leaves - 3
7. Oil - 1 tablespoon
8. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
9. Urud dhal - 1 teaspoon
10. Red chillies - 3






Preparation:
1. Chop snake gourd and cook in a vessel with water. Do not add more water just add water so that the vegetable is fully soaked.
2. When the vegetable is half cooked, add salt and cook further in low flame.
3. Meanwhile grind coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, curry leaves to a fine paste.
4. When the vegetable is almost cooked and the water level decreases, add the ground paste and cook for 3 minutes in a low flame.
5. Now add the beaten curd and keep stirring occasionally. Cook another 4 minutes in low flame and remove it from stove.
6. Heat oil in a separate pan. Add mustard seeds and urud dhal and red chillies and fry well and add it to kootu.
It is ready to serve now.

Vendhaya Kuzhambu 2

This is another version of Vendhaya kuzhambu, different compared to the previous one as we just grind only coconut and use all other ingredients as whole. It can be prepared in 20 minutes and this quantity would serve 5.

Ingredients:
1. Onion - 1 big
2. Tomato - 2 medium sized
3. Garlic - 15 pods
4. Mustard Seeds - 1 tablespoon
5. Cumin Seeds - 1 tablespoon
6. Channa dhal - 1 tablespoon
7. Urud dhal - 1 tablespoon
8. Curry leaves - 5
9. Fenugreek/methi seeds (Vendhayam) - 1 tablespoon
10. Oil - 3 tablespoon
11. Salt to taste
12. Red chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
13. Coriander powder - 2 tablespoon
14. Tamarind - 1/2 cup of tamarind extract or 2 teaspoon of tamarind paste
15. Grated coconut - 3 tablespoon



Preparation:
1. Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add cumin seeds, fry for a while and them add channa dhal and urud dhal and curry leaves and fry well.
2. Add methi seeds and fry well. Dont over fry it as the dish will taste bitter.
3. Add onions and garlics and cook until onion turns golden brown and garlics become translucent. Add tomatoes and mix well.
4. Now add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, salt and cook it for another 1 - 2 minutes.
5. Add the tamarind paste and 2 cups of water and bring it to boil in low flame for 10 minutes and stir the mixture occasionally.
6. Grind the grated coconut to paste and add it to the boiling mixture and cook for another 5 minutes in low flame and the dish is ready to serve.

This dish goes well with rice/idli/dosa

Kovakkai (Tindora/Dondakaya/Ivy Gourd) Curry

Ivy Gourd is very rich in Vitamin A and also considered as good source of protein and fiber. This also helps in reducing blood sugar level and also is used as medicinal herb in traditional Thai and ayurvedic medicine.
This is a very simple dish with Ivy Gourd and can be prepared in 25 minutes time. Quantity in this recipe would serve 4.




Ingredients:
Ivy Gourd - 300 gms
Onion - 1 big finely chopped
Tomato - 2 medium size finely chopped
Ginger/garlic paste - 1/2 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Urud Dhal - 1/2 tablespoon
Curry leaves - 3



Preparation:
1. Chop Ivy gourd length wise or as round pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add urud dhal and curry leaves and fry.
3. Add onions and stir well and then add ginger garlic paste. When onion becomes golden brown, add tomatoes and cook well.
4. Add ivy gourd and cook the mixture, when half cooked, add salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and mix well.
5. Sprinkle some water on the mixtur and cook by closing the lid in a low flame for 7 to 8 minutes till the vegetable is well cooked and oil separates from the mixture.
6. Remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves and it is ready to serve.

This curry goes well with Chapathi/Dosa/Rice.

Spinach Pakora

Spinach is considered to be rich source of iron and also has a high calcium content. It is good to have steamed spinach to get maximum of all its minerals and vitamins. But since most of us dont prefer to take greens, this preparation will help you get the nutrients from the green to some extent.

Ingredients:
Besan flour - 1 cup
Spinach - finely chopped a bunch
Salt - to taste
Red chilli powder - 1 tablespoon (or) Green chillies - 5 finely chopped
Rice Flour - 2 tablespoon
Oil - to fry





Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients except oil with required water. Do not add more water, the mixture should be consistent to make round balls.
2. Heat oil in pan and make small balls of the mixture and deep fry in oil till it becomes golden brown.
Hot Pakora is ready to server. Serve it alone or with ketchup or mint chutney.
You could use any other greens or onions to make Pakoras.

Paruppu usili (பருப்பு வுசிலி)

Paruppu usili (lentil curry) can be made with variety of vegetables like Beans or cluster beans or Green bell pepper or banana flower. This is a very authentic south indian dish and is very good combination for any rice.

Ingredients:
Channa dhal - 1 cup
Cluster beans (or any vegetable ) - 1 1/2 cups finely chopped
Red Chillies - 6 to 7
Asafoetida - pinch
Oil - 2 to 3 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 2 teaspoon
Urud dhal - 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste



Preparation:
1. Soak dhal for 1 hour and grind it to a coarse paste with red chillies with no or very little water. Alternatively you can use red chilly powder instead of red chillies.
2. Steam this mixture in a cooker without water for 5 to 7 minutes till it is cooked.
3. Finely chop the cluster beans and cook it in water.
4. Strain the water from the beans and keep it aside.
5. Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add urud dhal and Asafoetida.
6. Now break the cooked dhal into pieces and add to the pan with required salt and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Yummy yummy paruppu usili is ready to eat.

Tomato Pachadi (Raitha) - தக்காளி பச்சடி

This is yet another simple and quicker recipe with simpler ingredients.
Ingredients:
Tomato - 3 finely chopped (medium size)
Onion - 2 finely chopped (medium size)
Green Chillies - 3 split vertically
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard -2 teaspoon
Urud dhal - 3 teaspoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curd - 50 ml
Curry leaves - 4
Coriander leaves - little


Preparation:
1. Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add urud dhal and add a pinch of Asafoetida and fry well.
2. When urud dhal turns golden brown, add onions, green chillies and tomatoes and cook well.
3. When it is cooked, remove it from the stove and cool the mixture.
4. When the mixture is cooled, add curd and required salt and mix it well.
5. Garnish with finely chopped coriander and curry leaves.
Tomato raitha is ready to serve.