Potato & Fenugreek Curry (Aloo Methi)

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2
Fenugreek leaves - 1 bunch( chopped)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Green chillies - 4 ( slit vertically)
Tomato - 1 ( chopped)
Garlic - 4 cloves ( chopped)
Red chiili powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 powder
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:
Peel the skin of potatoes and cut into cubes. Drop them in water.
Heat the oil in a kadai.
To the oil add cumin seeds.
Add onion, green chilli and fry till the onion becomes translucent.
Add the garlic pieces and fry .
Add the potato cubes and stir for 2 mts.
Add little water and cover.
After potatoes are boiled add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and stir for 1 minute.
Add the chopped fenugreek leaves and stir for 3 to 6 minutes or till the leaves are cooked.
Add the tomato pieces and cook.
Remove from burner after 2 minutes.

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Veg Semiya Pulao

Ingredients:
Roasted semiya (Vermicelli) - 200 grams
Onion - 1/2 ( finely chopped)
Fresh Ginger - 1 inch long (grated)
Garlic - 2 cloves (grated)
Green chillies - 4 (vertically sliced)
Beans - 5 (cut into pieces)
Carrot -1 (cut into pieces
Peas - 1/4 cup
Cinnamom - 2
Cloves - 4
Cardamon -2
Bay leaves -2
Salt
Oil
Water for semiya - 3 cups

Method:

1. Boil the water by adding salt and little oil.
2. Immerse the semiya in water and let it cook. This will take 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Drain the water from semiya in a strainer. Place the strainer under running cold water. When all water drained out, keep it aside.
4. Heat the oil in a kadai.
5. To the oil add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, onion and then fry.
6. Add the garlic and ginger and fry again.
7. Add the green chilli and fry.
8. Add the green beans, carrot, peas and stir for 2 to 4 minutes and add salt.
9. Pour little water and cook the vegetables.
10. When the vegetables are boiled add the semiya and stir gently.
11. While serving remove the bay leaves.

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Eraal vadai - Shrimp cutlets - எறால் வடை

Ingredients:
Small shrimp - 1/2 kilo
Onion - 3/4 finely chopped
Green chilies (small) - 8 chopped finely
Ginger - 2 cm length (grate them)
Curry leaves - 10 (chop finely)
Turmeric - 2 pinches
Pottu kadalai - 1/2 cup (Fried channa or chutney dal)
Sombu - 2 tea spoon
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Grind the shrimp coarsely. (Assuming you got the cleaned and de-veined shrimp)
Grind the pottu kadalai and sombu in dry grinder.
In a bowl, add minced shrimp, pottu kadalai, and sombu powder.
Add Onion, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, salt and turmeric powder to the above mix.
After mixing them, it is ready for making vadai.
Take a small ball out of the mix and flatten it on a wax paper or on plantain leaf.
Keep the thickness low so that it will cook evenly inside.
Drop the vadai gently in the heating oil.
Run the flame in low heat. Even in medium heat vadai will get burnt on the outer edges. Do not drop lot of vadais in one batch. I know you are all smart. Still I would like to insist.
Remove from flame when golden brown.

more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30685181@N04/3059572875/

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Peerkangai Thuvaiyal - Ridge gourd chutney - பீர்க்கங் காய் துவையல்

Ingredients:
Ridge gourd- 1 (medium)
Whole red chilli - 3
Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
Urad dal - 2 tea spoon (வெள்ளை உளுத்தம் பருப்பு)
Asafoetida - 2 pinch
Tamarind - 1 ball about the size of black berry (புளி - கொட்டை பாக்கு அளவு)
Salt to tase
Oil


Method:
Peel and discard the sharp edges of ridge gourd. Leave the green portion of the ridge gourd as it is. Keep peeling till it levels with the green surface.
Cut the ridge gourd into pieces. If the ridge gourd is not tender, remove the seeds.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Add mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, whole red chillies and fry for 2 minutes. (or till the urad dal starts to change color). Remove from heat and transfer to another container. Otherwise the dal and chillies will get burnt and blackened.
Soak tamarind in a separate bowl with very little water. This is for easier grinding later.
Heat another few spoons of oil in the kadai and add the ridge gourd pieces.
Add salt.
Saute till the ridge gourd is processed.
Throw all the items in the mixie/grinder (including the tamarind). Grind. Add as per the thickness of the chutney you want.

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Pulicha Keerai Thokku - Gongura thokku - புளிச்ச கீரை தொக்கு

Ingredients:
Gongura leaves - 2 bunch(from)
Whole red chillies -4
Green chilli -2
Garlic - 4 cloves (crushed)
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp (வெந்தயம்)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp (கடுகு)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp (பெருங்காயம்)
Oil (Idhayam oil or any other gingelly oil) (நல்லெண்ணெய்)


Method:
If the leaves are not already washed, wash them and dry them thoroughly in shade. Drying means leaves should not become like compost. It will take 2 hours to 4 hours depending on the weather conditions.
Heat oil in a big kadai.
After the oil is heated add fenugreek seeds and fry them.
Then add whole red chillies, green chillies and fry for few minutes.
Transfer the contents of kadai into another vessel.
Again add oil. This time for sauteing the leaves.
After the leaves are saute'd, leave it for few minutes to cool a little.
In a mixture-grinder, put the fenugreek+chillies mix, turmeric powder, salt and the leaves. Grind them coarsely.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, allow it to crackle, then add the garlic and fry till the garlic shows to light brown colour. Sprinkle asafoetida in the kadai. Transfer the grinder contents into the kadai. Fry for 2 minutes.

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Vedhaya keerai kootu (வெந்தய கீரை கூட்டு )

Ingredients:
Fenugreek leaves - 1 bunch (வெந்தய கீரை, मेथी)
Pasi paruppu (moong dal) - 1/2 cup (பயத்தம் பருப்பு)
Onion - 1/2( chopped)
Garlic - 1 clove ( crushed )
Tomato -1 (medium) chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoons
Green chilli - (slit vertical)
Salt
Oil
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp (கடுகு)
Cumin seeds-1/4tsp (சீரகம்)

Method:

Boil the moong dal.
Heat the oil in a kadai.
Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds in the hot oil.
When mustard seeds starts to crackle add the onion, garlic, green chilli and fry in medium flame till onion is fried.
Add the fenugreek leaves and saute it.
Affer 8 to 10 minutes add the chopped tomatoes and required salt and stir.
When the tomatoes becomes paste add the boiled dal.
Add turmeric powder and let it be for 3 minutes and remove.

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