Idli uppma

Ingredients:
Idlis - 7
Red onion - quarter ( chopped)
Green chillies - 4 ( slit)
Ginger - ½ inch ( finely chopped)
Curry leaves - 5
Salt
Turmeric powder - ¼ teaspoon
corainder leaves - 2 teaspoon (chopped)
Asafoetida - 2 pinch
bengal gram - 1 teaspoon
urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - ½ teaspoon
Mustard seeds -1 teaspoon

Method:
Split the idlis into pieces by mincing using a spatula.
Fry bengal gram and black gram in heated oil.
When the grams change into golden colour add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds starts to crackle add chopped onion pieces and fry.
Add slit green chillies, and chopped ginger and fry for 1 minute.
Add turmeric powder and saute for 30 seconds.
Add the idli pieces and mix well for 1 minute.
Finally add the asafoetida, required salt and coriander leaves.

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Rava Pongal - ரவா பொங்கல்

Ingredients:

Rava - 1 cup

Moong dal - ¼ cup

Ghee - 2 tablespoon

Whole cashew nuts - 6

Cumin seeds - 1½ teaspoon

Peppercorn - 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida - ¼ tea spoon

Ginger- 1 inch (grated finely)

Salt

Curry leaves - 6 (chop into pieces, to make kids don't discard while eating)

Method:

Split the cashew nuts into two and roast till golden color.

Grind the pepper corns and cumin seeds coarsely.

Fry the moong dal and wash it.

Boil the moong dal. (if there is any extra water strain it)

In 1 teaspoon of ghee, fry the rava for 2 to 4 minutes in medium or low flame.

In a small kadai add 1 teaspoon of ghee.

To the heating ghee add ginger, cumin, pepper, asafoetida, curry leaves and fry. Keep it aside.

In a thick kadai add 2 cups of water and add required salt (make a proportional guess considering the quantity of moong dal also)

Bring it to boil. Add the rava slowly and while continuously mixing (without any lump).

When the rava is cooked soft add boiled moong dal, seasonings, add all the ghee (don't worry now, you can burn the calories later) and mix well.

Have the pongal with chutney and sambar.

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Araichu vitta sambhar

Ingredients:

Tuvar dal - 1 cup

Onion - 1/2 ( chopped)

Vegetables as you wish.

Tomato - 1 (medium-chopped)

Tamarind - key lime size

Salt

Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon

For Grinding:

Whole red chilli - 5

Coriander seeds - 2 teaspoon

Bengal gram- 1 1/2 teaspoon

Grated coconut - 2 tablespoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds -1/4 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Oil

Curry leaves

Asafoetida- - 1/4 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal -1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Boil the dal with vegetables and little salt.

Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp.

Fry the bengal gram, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, whole red chilli, grated coconut, corainder seeds and grind them.

In a saucepan heat the oil.

To the oil add onions and fry.

Then add the tomato pieces and fry.

Then add the tamarind extract, turmeric and salt.

When the raw smell fades add the ground dals & mix.

Reduce in between low and medium flame.

Now add boiled dal with vegetables and mix.

Finally season the sambhar with mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and asafoetida.

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Masal vadai

Ingredients:

Bengal gram (or) channa dal - 2 cups

Red onion (big) - 1 (chopped)

Ginger - 1 inch

Green chillies - 6 (small)

Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 10

Coriander leaves - 4 teaspoon

Salt

Oil for deep frying

Ingredients:

Soak the bengal gram for 1 to 4 hours depending on dal quality.

Keep 1 tablespoon of soaked dal aside.

Transfer the soaked dal sans water into a wet grinder.

Add ginger and green chillies also into the grinder.

Grind coarsely .

Add chopped onion, fennel seeds, chopped curry leaves, corainder leaves, salt, 1 tablespoon soaked dal and mix all ingredients well. (except oil).

Make key lime size ball, flatten it on wax paper, and fry in batches.

Remove when fried. (Level of frying is upto you. Keep the flame between low and medium.)

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Pongal

Ingredients:
Raw rice ( sona masoori) - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Peppercorns - 1 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoon
Ginger - 3/4 inch ( chopped)
Ghee - 2 tablespoons or depending on your fitness level
Water- 3 cups
Salt
Asafoetida- 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 4 to 6 leaves
Cashew nuts ( whole)- 10

Method:
Dry roast the moong dal till the raw smell goes off.
Fry the rice for 30 seconds in low flame.
Wash both dal and rice.
Pressure cook rice and dal in 3 cups of water with required salt.
Grind peppercorns and cumin seeds coarsely.
Roast cashew nuts in ghee till it turns into golden color.
In a small kadai, fry chopped ginger, pepper and cumin in ghee. Add curry leaves and asafoetida in the kadai.
Immediately pour the above roasted items into cooked dal and rice. Add the roasted cashew nuts. Mix well.
Serve with coconut chutney, sambar and medhu vada.

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Sweet Pongal - சக்கரை பொங்கல்

Wish you all a Happy new year. Though this pongal is called sakkara pongal, there will be no sugar. Instead jaggery is used.

Ingredients:

Sona masoori rice - 1 cup (பச்சரிசி)

Moong dal - 1/4 cup (பாசி பருப்பு)

Jaggery (powdered) - 2 cups (உருண்டை வெல்லம் - தூள் ஆக்க வேண்டும்)

Ghee - 2 1/2 tablespoon

Cashew nuts (whole)- 10

Golden raisins- 6 to 8

Milk - 1/2 cup

Water- 2 1/2 cups

Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Cooking (or) edible camphor - 1 pinch

Saffron threads - 1 pinch (குங்கும பூ)

Method:

Slightly dry roast the moong dal till the raw smell fades off.

Mix the moong dal and rice together and wash.

Pressure cook both dal and rice by adding 2 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of milk.

Split the whole cashew nuts into two and roast them in 1 teaspoon of ghee. Remove the cashews when it reached golden color.

Roast the raisins in kadai with 1/2 teaspoon of ghee. When the raisins starts to puff remove from fire.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan add 2 cups of jaggery and 1/2 cup of water in medium heat.

Let the jaggery melt and when it starts to boil remove from fire and filter out the dirt.

Again bring the melted jaggery to boil in between low and medium flame. When the consistency reaches to soft ball (in a cup of cold water let one drop of syrup and the drop should form small ball, we call this பாகு பதம்)

Immediately pour the syrup in the boiled rice and dal and mix.

Now keep the pressure cooker in low heat and add 1 tablespoon of ghee and mix.

Add roasted cashew nuts, raisins, cardamom powder ,one pinch of edible camphor, one pinch of saffron and mix.

Add remaining ghee and mix.

Remove from fire.

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