Vendakkai Sambhar (Lady's Finger / Okra Sambhar)

Category:  Lunch
Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Servings: 3-4 persons

Vendakkai Sambhar

 Ingredients:

• Toor Dhal - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Castor Oil - few drops 
• Small onions - 12-15 nos / Big Onion, chopped- 1 no
• Tomato, roughly chopped  - 1 no.
• Vendakkai / Lady's finger / Okra - 10-15 nos
• Tamarind - lemon sized (I used 1/2 tsp of tamarind concentrate)
• Sambhar powder (Home made / Store bought) -1 - 1 1/2 tsp
• Cooking Oil -2 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing) - a generous pinch
• Curry leaves - few
• Water - as required
• Coriander leaves - 3-4 tbsp
• Salt-  to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook Dhal with required water, turmeric, few drops of castor oil for 3 whistles in medium flame
2. Wash the Lady's finger and wipe dry with paper / kitchen towel; trim the ends and cut into 1 inch pieces
   
3. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and saute the lady's finger pieces well till it starts to brown and without any stickiness
   
4. Once it gets sauted, remove from the pan and set aside
   
5. In the same pan, add 1/2 tsp of oil and add the chopped onion along with pinch of salt; saute well for 1-2 mins
   
6. Add the tomato pieces and saute for another 1-2 mins till it turns mushy
   
7. Add the sauted lady's finger pieces to it and mix well
   
8. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, Sambhar powder and little salt, saute for a min
   
9. Add the tamarind extract with 1/2 cup of water and allow the vegetable to cook well
   
10. When the veg gets cooked, add the cooked dhal and mix well
    
11. Check for salt and adjust the water consistency as per requirement
12. Allow the sambhar to boil for few mins in low / medium flame
13. In another pan, prepare tadka by heating 1/2 tsp oil and 1 tsp of ghee, once it gets hot add the mustard seeds, followed by asafoetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves
14. Add the tadka / tempering to the boiling sambar and switch it off
    
15. Garnish with coriander leaves
    
16. Serve hot with Rice / Idly / Dosa / Pongal
    

Podi Idly Fry (Oven Baked / Tawa fried/ Air fried )

Category: Baking / Kids Snacks
Preparation Time: 10 mins  
Cooking Time: 10 -15 mins   
Servings:  2-3 servings

Crispy Podi Idly Fry

 

Podi Idly Fry is a great snack for the kids and also a fantastic way to use up those left over idlies. For this, refrigerated idlies work best or we can cook idlies and allow them to cool down completely and use them. We can deep fry them too but I prefer Baking or toasting :)

 

Crispy & Yummy!!

Ingredients:

• Idlies - 6-7 normal sized Idlies / 20 mini Idlies
• Sesame Oil- 2-3 Tbsp ( + 1- 2 tsp for final mixing, if needed)
• Idly Podi- 3-4 Tbsp or as needed

Method:

• Cut the Idlies into equal sized wedges; sprinkle 2 Tbsp of sesame oil over it and coat them evenly 
  

Oven Baking:

• Pre heat oven to 400 F
• Arrange them on a baking tray and bake in the pre heated oven for around 10-12 mins
  

Lime / Lemon Rice with Carrots

Category: Rice / Lunch
Preparation Time: 15 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: For 2 persons 

Lemon Rice with Carrots

 Ingredients:

• Rice, Uncooked - 3/4 cup
• Lime / Lemon - 1-2 nos (Adjust as per taste) 
• Carrot, finely grated - 3 tbsp
• Sesame Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Channa Dhal - 1 tbsp
• Urad Dhal (Split) - 1 tsp
• Peanuts - 2 - 3 tbsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Red chillies, broken - 2-3 nos 
• Asafoetida / Hing - a generous pinch
• Green chilly, finely chopped - 1 no
• Garlic, finely chopped - 1 tbsp (Can also be replaced with Ginger)
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - a pinch
• Salt- to taste

Method:

1. Soak rice for 20 mins and pressure cook with required water along with few drops of oil and a pinch of salt for 3 whistles. Cool the cooked rice and keep aside (Make sure the grains are separate and not mushy)
2. Heat Oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, once it splutters add the Channa Dhal, Urad Dhal and Peanuts, fry for few secs
3. Add red chillies and asafoetida, saute well
   
4. Add the curry leaves, finely chopped Garlic and green chilly and saute for a min
   
5. Then add the turmeric powder and carrot gratings, fry well  for 1-2 mins
   
6. Meanwhile in a small bowl, squeeze the lime / lemon juice, add a pinch of sugar and required salt and mix well
7. Once the raw smell goes off from the carrot, switch off the stove and add the lime juice into the pan and mix well
8. Add the cooked and cooled rice into it and gently mix so that it gets well coated with the tempering
   
9. Pack it in the lunch box with plain papad or with spicy potato curry
   
10. Mixed rice varieties will taste best only after 2-3 hrs of preparation by when the essence gets well mixed with the rice

 

Ash-Gourd Morkuzhambu

Category:  Lunch
Preparation Time: 10-12 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 3-4 persons

Ash Gourd Morkuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Ash-Gourd / Winter melon / White Pumpkin, cubed - 1 1/2 cups
• Butter milk / Sour Curd (Thick) - 1 1/2 cups
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste

To Roast & Grind:

• Channa Dhal - 3 tsp
• Urad Dhal - 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Raw Rice - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Coconut - 3 tbsp
• Green chilly - 1-2 nos

To Temper:

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Asafoetida /Hing - a pinch
• Red Chilly, broken - 1-2 nos 

Method:

1. In a pan, add little water, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, little salt and ash-gourd; cook for 8-10 mins until the veg gets cooked
   
2. Once it gets cooked, drain the water and keep aside
   
3. Heat a pan, add the channa dhal and roast in medium flame for a min
   
4. Then add Urad dhal, raw rice, Cumin seeds and curry leaves, roast till it gets roasted and gives out nice aroma
   
5. Add the roasted items in a blender along with green chillies and coconut, grind to a fine paste
   
6. Beat the curd well; add in the salt and 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and mix well. If its very thick, dilute with little water
   
7. In a pan, add the beaten curd, ground masala and cooked ash-gourd cubes, mix well and cook in low flame
   
8. When it starts to boil, switch off
   
9. For tempering, heat oil in another pan and add the other ingredients under tempering and add it to the kuzhambu
   
10. Serve hot with rice. It goes well with hot rice and parupusili
    
11. Notes: To prevent curdling of curd, the below points should be considered:

• It should be cooked in low / Simmer flame
• Morkuzhambu should not boil well, once it starts to boil, switch it off
• Also it should not be kept covered until it cools down

Carrot - Avocado Uthappam (Avocado Dosa)

Category: Breakfast / Tiffin     
Preparation Time: 5 mins     
Cooking Time: 2 mins / dosa   
Servings: For 2 persons

Carrot-Avocado Uthappam

 Ingredients:

• Idly / Dosa Batter - 2 cups
• Avocado, ripen- 1 no
• Green chilly - 1 nos (Can be omitted if making for kids)
• Oil - for drizzling
• Carrot, grated - 1 no (Small) 

Method:

1. Cut open the Avocado and take out the pulp using a spoon
   
2. Take the pulp in a blender along with green chilly (I haven't used here) and blend for 30 secs and then add 1 cup of Idly batter into it and blend well till it becomes smooth
3. Mix the blended batter with the remaining batter in the bowl and mix well
   
4. If the batter is too thick, we can add little water to adjust the consistency  to make uthappams

   

   So Creamy:)

5. Heat Dosa Tawa and grease it. Pour a ladle of dosa batter and spread a little like Uthappam (Should not be thin), Reduce the flame to low
   
   
6. Add the carrot gratings over it and sprinkle little oil and cook covered for around 30-40 seconds  
   
7. Flip it over and cook other side   
   
8. Serve hot with sambhar / chutney!
   
9. We can also add little more water and make regular thin dosa with the same batter  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. These Dosas will be super soft and kids will like it for sure:)

Pudhina / Mint Chutney

Category: Breakfast / Tiffin
Preparation Time: 5 mins 
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Servings: For 3-4 persons

Pudhina Chutney

Ingredients:

• Pudhina / Mint leaves - 2 cups
• Coconut, grated - 1 cup
• Channa Dhal - 1 tbsp
• Urad Dhal (Split) - 1 tbsp
• Red Chilly - 2-3 nos (adjust per taste)
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Pepper - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece (Optional)
• Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 tsp 

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add Channa & Urad Dhals fry till they turn golden brown. Then add the red chilly followed by cumin seeds and pepper; fry for 30 secs
   
2. Add ginger pieces and fry for a min
   
3. Switch off the stove and add the mint leaves and saute till it shrinks in volume
   
   
4. Add required salt, tamarind paste and coconut gratings 
    
5. Grind the mixture with required water to a chutney like consistency and transfer to serving bowl
   
6. Serve with hot Idly / Dosa
7. If needed, we can do tempering but not necessary