JEERA RASAM

Ingredients

(For Four Persons)

2 tbs Cummin seeds

1 tbs Tuvar dhall

1 Red chillies

Lemon size tamarind

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cummin seeds

1 tsp Ghee

One sprig Curry leaves

Preparation

Squeeze the pulp from the Tamarind and add two cups of water. Coarsely powder the Cumin seeds Red chillis and Tuvar dhall. Add this powder and turmeric powder and salt and allow it to simmer. Add some water and boil it till it is frothy. Season it with Mustard and Cummin and Curry leaves with Ghee.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF RASAM

Ingredients

Rasam powder is the main Ingredient for most of the Rasams.

Preparation of Rasam Powder

2 cups Coriander seeds

1 cup Cummin seeds Jeera

1 cup Pepper corns

1 tbs Fenugreek seeds

1 tbs Mustard seeds

1 cup Dried curry leaves

10 Red chillies

Preparation

Dry roast all the Ingredients separately and grind it to a slightly coarse powder.

TOMATO RASAM

Ingredients

Lemonsize ball of tamarind

1/2 cup of Tuvar dhall

2 Tomatoes

2 tsp Rasampowder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Asfoetida

Salt to taste

SEASONIONG

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1tsp Cummin seeds

1tsp Ghee

Little curry leaves and coriander leaves

1 Green chilly(optional)

Preparation

Soak the tamarind and squeeze the pulp. Cook the tuvar dhall. Add 2 cups of water to the tamarind pulp. Add rasam powder,turmeric powder,asfoetida,salt and allow the mix to boil till the raw smell disappears. Now cut the tomatoes to small pieces and add it to the rasam. Mix the tuvar dhall with little water and add it to the rasam . Add e water so that it is enough for four persons.Allow it to simmer till it is frothy.Season it with mustard cummin seeds and curry leaves and coriander and slit the green chilly and add to the rasam.It can be served hot with rice and cna be had like a soup.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF MANGO PICKLES

This is the summer season also the season of Mangoes.It can be pickled in different ways and stored for a year.The basic Ingredients are the same but the measurement makes a lot of difference and give different tastes.

Ingredients

Fresh chilly Powder.This is now available ready made in various brand names.It should necessarily be fresh and be in deep red colour.

Roast about 200 gms of fenugreek seeds and dry grind it to coarse powder.

Fenugreek seeds

Roast or dry Mustard and dry grind it to a coarse powder.

Gingelly oil(Til oil)

Asfoetida powder

Grind the crude salt to a powder after drying it in the sun.

Garlic pods (optional)

Mustard seeds.

TENDER MANGO PICKLE

5 Measure of Tender Mangoes(more than the weight this measurement is accurate)

1 Measure of chilly powder

1 Measure of powdered mustard powder

1 Measure of salt

asfoetida (optional)

2 big tbs of till oil

Preparation

Wash the tender mangoes clean. (Normally available in the month of March and April).The mangoes must be measured and put in a clean jar. Add one measure of salt and mix it with the mangoes. Keep it a side for 3 days. Keep mixing it with a clean ladle daily. On the third day drain the salty water and add to it 1 measure of chilly powder and 1 measure of mustard powder. Add this mix to the mangoes and mix it thoroughly.Keep mixing it daily for a week.Add the till oil and cover the jar. The pickle is ready for use after one week. Always use a dry spoon inside the jar.

AVVAKKAI

This pickle is a special Andhra Variety.

500 gms of big sour Mangoes.Cut the Mangoes to small pieces.(it is not necessary to retain the seed cover)

Red chilly powder

Mustard powder

Fenugreek seeds

Gingelly oil

Powdered salt

Garlic pods optional

Preparation

Wash the mangoes and cut them to small pieces. Dry it under the fan in a cloth by spreading it in a thin cloth for one whole day. Measure the mango pieces in a cup. For 6 measures of mango pieces---one measure of chilly powder,one measure of salt,1/2 measure of mustard powder,one measure of til oil,and a handful of fenugreek seeds. Mix all the masalas with the oil in a jar and add the mango pieces to the masala and mix it throughly. Keep the lid of the jar tightly and tie it with a piece of white cloth. Keep the the jar in the hot sun for a day.After two days the oil will be floating on top of the pickle. The pickle can be used after two days. (one handful of garlic pods can be added to the pickle according to taste)

VENDHIYA MANGAAI

5 Measures of cut mango pieces

1 Measure of chilly powder

1/2 Measure of coarsely ground fenugreek powder

1 Measure til oil

1 Measure of powdered salt

2 tbs Asfoetida powder

Preparation

Mango pieces should be dry by wiping it with a dry cloth.Mix all the masala and the mangoe pieces in a dry jar.Mix it well daily for a week.It is ready for use after week.


MANGO THOKKU

250 Gms of any Mango

Chilly powder

Salt

Til oil

1 tbs of mustard seeds

2 tbs of fenugreek powder

Small piece of jaggery(optional)

Preparation

Peel the mango and cut it into smal pieces. Season with oil the mustard seeds and asfoetida powder. Add the mango pieces to the seasoning and fry it well with salt. Salt to be added according to the sourness of the mango. After 5 minutes add the chilly powder and the jaggery. It becomes like a paste. It is very delicious to eat with rice and chapati and dosas.Its shelf life is one week and if stored in the fridge it lasts long.

PAVVAKKAI (BITTER GOURD )PITLA

Ingredients(for four Persons)

150 gms Bitter gourd

Lemon sized ball of Tamarind


Little Jaggery


For Grinding

Half Coconut scraped

1 tbs Channa dhall

1 tbs Urad dhall

4 Red chillies

1 tsp oil

1 tbs Coriander seeds

For Seasoning

1 tsp Mustard

2 tbs Scraped coconut

One sprig of curry leaves

1 tbs oil


Preparation

Soak the tamarind and squeeze the pulp. Cut the bitter gourd into semicircle pieces. Fry all the ingreidients for grinding to a paste in a mixture. With little oil fry the bitter gourd pieces in a frying pan. Transfer the vegetables to the tamarind pulp and cook it with little turmeric powder and jaggery. Add salt to taste. Once the bitter gourd is cooked add the ground paste with water and allow it to simmer. Season it with mustard, scraped coconut and curry leaves with oil. Add the seasoning to the Pitalai.

Variation

The same pitalai can be prepared with Brinjal. Same ingredients and the same preparation but only the vegetable vary.

VENDHIYA PULI

Ingredients (for four persons)

Lemon size ball of Tamarind

4 Green chilles

one sprig of curry leaves

1 tsp turmeric powder

small piece of Jaggery

For the Powder

1 Tbs Fenugreek seeds

1 Tbs Rice

4 Red Chillies

For seasoning

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tbs til oil



Preparation

Soak the tamarind in water and squeeze the pulp. Add turmeric powder and the salt and jaggery. Roast all the ingredients and make it to a powder in a mixture like rawa. Boil the tamarind water with all the ingredients till the raw smell disappears. Slit the green chillies and add to the gravy. Season it with mustard, fenugreek seeds currry leaves in til oil. It can be had with rice with fried pappads or any vegetable curry.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF VATHA KUZHZMBU

Ingredients (For four Persons)

For Seasoning

2 tbs of Manathangalikkai Vathal
or
2 tbs of Chundakkai vathal

2 tbs of Gingelly oil

1 tsp of channa dhall

3 red chillies

1 tsp mustard seeds

one sprig of curry leaves

For the gravy

one lemon sized ball of tamarind

2 tbs of sambhar powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp asfoetida powder

small piece of jaggery

Preparation

Soak the tamarind and squeeze the pulp.Add the sambhar powder,turmeric powder,asfoetida,jaggery and salt.Allow it to boil till the raw smell disappears. Now season all the items in the ingredients given for seasoning in gingelly oil and add to the boiling mix. Allow it to simmer for 5minutes.This can be had with rice and pappadams roasted or fried or with any vegetable curry.The best side dish is Parrupu Thogaiyal and Olan.

Parrupu Thogaiyal


Roast 4 tbs of Moong dhall till lite pink in colour. Grate half a coconut. Add 3 red chillies and grind it to a coarse paste. Add salt to taste and grind it again. This is very good side dish for Vatha Kuzhambu.

VAZHAI THANDU PORICHA KUZHAMBU(BANANA STEM)

Ingredients (For four Persons)

1 piece of banana stem(tender)

1/2 piece of raw banana

2 colacasia tuber(optional)

2 brinjal

Handful of soaked channa(preferably white)

Lemon size ball of tamarind

For grinding

1/2 coconut

5 redchillies

2 tbs of channa dhall

2 tbs of urad dhall

3 tbs of dhania (coriander seeds)

For seasoning

1 tsp of mustard seeds

2 tbs of scraped coconut

1 sprig of curry leaves

Preparation

Soak the tamarind and squeeze the pulp. Cut all the vegetables into finger size pieces. Banana stem should be cut round and the thread removed from it. Wash all the vegetables and cook them in the tamarind pulp withturmeric powder and asafoetida. Add salt to taste to the boiling vegetables. Cook the soaked channa in a pressure pan till it is soft. Add it to the tamarind pulp with the vegetables. Fry the channa dhall urad dhall red chillies and the coconut to it. Grind it to a fine paste and add it to the cooked vegetables. Allow it to boil till it froths . Season mustard seeds and fry the coconut along with it and add curry leaves. Add the seasoning to the poricha kuzhambu. It can be had with rice.