Murunga Keerai Poriyal/Drumstick Leaves Stir-fry

Ingredients:

Drumstick leaves - 2 cups
Shallots/china vengayam - 12
Garlic - 10 cloves
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
White whole urad dal - 1 tsp.
Bengal gram - 1 tsp.
Dry red chillies - 2
Oil - 1 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.

Method:
Peel the onion skins. Wash the onions and slice them. Peel the garlic and crush them.
Wash the leaves and keep aside.
Heal the oil and add the mustard, cumin, urad and bengal gram. Allow the mustard to crackle and dals to change into golden color. Break each chilli into halves and sauté for a minute. Now add the shallots and garlic. Sauté till the shallots become translucent. Now add the leaves and continue sautéing. Sauté in between till they are completely cooked. Now sprinkle required salt and mix. Finally add the coconut. Remove and seve with sambar or rasam rice.

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Coconut Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:
Grated coconut - from 1/2 a coconut
Green chillies - 2 (or as per taste)
Ginger - a small piece
Coriander leaves with stalks - a small bunch
Salt (to taste)


To temper:
Mustard seeds + cumin seeds + urad dal - 1/2 tsp.
Oil (as required)
Curry leaves - a few


Method:
Grind coconut, green chillies, ginger and coriander leaves with salt into a thick paste.
Temper with the given ingredients.
Serve as a side dish for idli and dosai.

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Nellikai Sevai ~ Gooseberry in Rice Noodles

Ingredients:
Gooseberry/Nellikkai - 3 (big)
Instant sevai - 2.75 cups
Oil (as required)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Urad dal - 1 tsp.
Chana dal/bengal gram - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Peanuts - 1.5 tbsp.
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp. (broken)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Green chillies - 4 (slit)
Whole red chilli - 1
Curry leaves - a few
Salt - as required
Ginger - a small piece (chopped)


Method:
Cook sevai/rice noodles as per instructions in the packet. Keep aside.
Grate the gooseberries and keep aside.
Heat the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida, peanuts, cashewnuts, red chilli, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, grated goose berry and turmeric powder one by one and saute.
Mix the cooked sevai and required salt and enjoy with hot chutney.

Note:

The chutney I prepared for this sevai wasn't a perfect combo. It gave a bland taste. Better to have the sevai with a hotter side dish.

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Ulli Theeyal

Ingredients:
Shallots - 1 cup (sliced)
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp.
Coconut oil - as required
Salt (as required)
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Whole red chilli - 1
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Method:
Mix 1 cup of water to the tamarind paste. Keep aside. Heat the oil and saute the coconut till brown color. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder  and cumin seeds to the coloured coconut and saute for a few seconds. Grind into a paste. Heat the oil and saute the onions for a few minutes. Pour the tamarind water and bring it to a boil. Sprinkle required salt. Mix the paste and if required, add a little water. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile in another small pan, heat the oil and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, broken red chillies and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds crackle, pour it over the theeyal. Enjoy with rice.

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Coconut Burfi Version 2.0

Cooking time: 5-7 minutes
Serving: 1 byte per person.


Ingredients:
Firmly packed grated coconut - 2 cups
Sugar - 1.5 cups or (as per taste)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp.
Ghee - 2 tsp.
Food color - a few drops


Method:
Grind the grated coconut in a blender without adding water (optional).
Add the coconut and sugar in a wide, thick-bottomed non-stick pan and begin sauting in medium-low flame.
When the sugar melts (leaves water), add the food colour and saute.
After a minute, mix in the cardamom powder and ghee.
When the coconut begins leaving the sides of the pan and white bubbles appear, remove and spread in a ghee-greased pan.
After 15 minutes, make an incision to form a shape.
Let it cool and cut.
Enjoy.

Note:
I divided the ingredients into halves. In one pan, I was sauting (with colour) and my mother was preparing with no colour simultaneously.
When the right consistency was achieved, I first spread the white portion in the cake tray and then spread the pink portion over the white one.

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Fresh Pigeon Peas Sundal

Ingredients:
Fresh pigeon peas/thuvarai - 2 cups
Ginger - 3/4 inch (chopped)
Green chilli - 1 (slit)
Dry red chilli - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Asafoetida powder - 2 big pinches
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Curry leaves - a few
Grated mango - 1 tbsp.
Grated coconut- 1 tbsp.
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp. (chopped)


Method:
Boil the pigeon peas with required amount of salt. Strain. Keep it aside.
Heat the oil and temper the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.
Add the red chilli (break it into halves), asafoetida powder, green chilli, ginger pieces and curry leaves and saute.
Now add boiled the peas and saute.
Mix the grated mango, grated coconut and coriander leaves.
Serve as an evening snack.

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