Dry Garlic Chutney

Ingredients:
Dry Shredded Coconut – 1 cup
Sesame Seeds – 1/4 cup
Dry Red Chilies – 4 or to taste, dry roasted
Roasted Salted Peanuts – 1 Tbsp
Garlic – 1 bulb (approx 15 cloves)
Tamarind Paste – 1 tsp or to taste
Salt – to taste
Method:
1. Roast Coconut on medium heat until it begins to turn golden. Remove from pan and keep aside to cool.
2. In the same pan, roast Sesame Seeds in the same manner. Remove from pan and keep aside to cool.
3. In a food processor, add Roasted Dry Red Chilies and Roasted Peanuts and lightly pulse.
4. Add in remaining ingredients: Garlic, Coconut, Sesame Seeds, Salt, Tamarind Paste. Grind until you get a uniform texture.
5. Adjust salt or tamarind and pulse the food processor until mixed.
6. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Keeps fresh for up to 2 weeks.

Chakkera pongali/Sweet Pongal

Ingredients::

1 cup - Sona Masuri rice
½ cup - yellow moong dal (pesara Pappu)
  2 cups - jaggery, crushed to fine
¼ cup each - cashews and golden raisins
 1/2cup - ghee, melted
4 cardamom pods - skins removed and seeds powdered finely
 1 1/2 cups each- milk and water (or 2 cups each, if you like a halwa like pongali)



Procedure::

Take rice and roasted moong dal in a pot. Add water and milk. Stir, cover the pot and cook the rice to tender. I use a pressure cooker but an electric rice cooker also works fine.
While the rice is cooking, in another pot, melt jaggery. Add the powdered jaggery and one cup of water. Stir and cook till jaggery melts. Bring the solution to a rolling boil. and reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes. Turn off the heat. Let the jaggery syrup cool a bit.(Jaggery has to be cooked separately and you can't add it directly to uncooked rice and milk. Because it prevents the rice from cooking properly and also splits the milk. Please keep this in mind.)
 Add the thoroughly cooked rice-dal pongal to the jaggery syrup.cover it with a lid and let it be for 15 minutes or so. then switch on the stove to mdium  heat. Stir in the ghee, cashews, golden raisins and cardamom powder. With a strong laddle, stir well to combine all. Cover and simmer until the whole mixture comes together into a sticky, gooey mass. Turn off the heat. Sweet pongal thickens further on cooling.

Palli Podi/ Peanut Chutney powder

Ingredients:
Peanuts – 1 cup
Sesame seeds – ¼ cup
Garlic cloves – 2-3
Dry Red chilies – 1/3 cup
Hing – pinch
Dry coconut – ¼cup
Sugar – 2tsp
Tamarind paste – 2tsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds separately and keep aside. I use peeled peanuts, so there is no need to peel them after roasting; but otherwise peanuts need to be peeled at this stage.
• Dry roast garlic and red chilies; let cool.
• Once all the ingredients are cool enough to handle, take them in a blender and grind them to a coarse powder.

Goes well dosa, idli or even plain steam rice with some ghee.. yummmmmmm.

Mint Tomato Chutney

Ingredient Name Unit Quantity   cumin seed tsp 1/2 garlic number 5 MINT LEAVES bunch 5 Oil tbsp 2 red chillies dry number 3 salt 0 as per taste Seasame seeds dry roast tbsp 2 tamarind 0 as per taste TOMATOES small 5 Directions | How to make Mint Tomato Chutney    Take a pandry roast seasame seeds and keep it a side. in the same pan add oil, cumin seeds, garlic,red chillies,tamarind,salt and mix then add mint leaves, chopped tomatoes and mix well. let it cook for 5 min then remove from stove and transfer it to a blender as we need to make a paste. In the blender add seasame seeds,and cooked mint, tomatoes into it and blend till a find paste. chutney is ready

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:

Cauliflower – 1/2 medium, cut to bite-size florets
Oil – for deep frying

For the batter:

All-purpose Flour – 5 Tbsp
Corn Starch – 3 Tbsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Black Pepper – 1/4 tsp
Water – 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp

For the sauce:

Oil – 1 Tbsp
Onion – 1/2 medium, chopped finely
Green Chilies – to taste, cut diagonally
Garlic – 3 large cloves, chopped finely
Ketchup – 2 Tbsp
Red Chili Sauce – 2 Tbsp or to taste
Soy Sauce – 4 tsp or to taste
White Vinegar – 2 tsp
Water – 4 Tbsp
Corn Starch – 2 tsp
Green Onions – 2 stalks, cut diagonally for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a medium non-stick pan.
2. Add Onions, Green Chilies and Garlic and cook until Onions are light brown.
3. Add Ketchup and Red Chili Sauce and cook until Oil starts to separate from mixture.
4. Add Soy Sauce and Vinegar and mix well.
5. Mix 2 tsp Corn Starch with 4 Tbsp Water and add it to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce starts to thicken.
6. Keep sauce aside.
7. To make batter, add All-purpose flour, Corn Starch, Salt, Black Pepper and Water to a small bowl. Mix until there are no lumps.
8. Coat Cauliflower pieces well with batter and deep fry until Cauliflower is a medium dark brown color.
9. Finish frying all of the Cauliflower and add it to the pan with the sauce. Toss well to coat Cauliflower completely.
10. Add Green Onions and toss again.
11. Serve immediately.

Dondakaya Vepudu

Ingredients:

250 gms /1/4 kg Dondakayalu/Tendli/Ivy Gourds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
10-12 curry leaves
1 large onion, finely sliced
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd
pinch of coriander pwd
pinch of garam masala pwd
1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
salt to taste
1 1/2 – 2 tbsps oil

Procedure::

1 Wash the tendli and nip the tip and tail ends. Slice them into rounds and keep aside.
2 Heat a tbsp of oil in a cooking vessel, add the dondakaya pieces and saute on medium heat for 3 mts. Now reduce to low flame, place lid, let it cook, approx 15 minutes. Keep checking in between, sauteing them so that they don’t burn. The sauteed tindora will lose moisture and begin to have a wrinkled appearance. Remove lid at this stage and saute on low for 4-5 mts.
3 While the dondakaya is frying, take another cooking vessel, add 1/2 tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds till the aroma emanates the kitchen.
4 Immediately add the sliced onions and combine. Add salt and turmeric pwd and mix well. Saute on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, keep sauteing so that it doesn’t burn. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 4-5 mts.
5 Add red chilli pwd, coriander pwd and garam masala pwd and combine. Add this entire onion masala mixture to the almost cooked dondakaya. Add the grated coconut and combine. Cook on low-medium flame for another 18-20 mts, without lid. Turn off heat.
6 Serve hot with steamed rice.

Tri-Color Stir-fry

Ingredients:
Yellow Bell Pepper – 1 (diced into 1″ squares)
Red Bell Pepper – 1 (diced into 1″ sq.)
Green Bell Pepper – 1 (diced into 1″ sq.)
Tomato – 1 medium (diced into 1″ sq.)
Cucumber – 1 (peeled and cut into 1″ sq.)
Red Onion – 1 small (diced into 1″ sq.)
Green Chili – 1-2 (finely chopped) – optional
Cilantro – 10 springs (finely chopped)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Tandoori Masala – 1/2 tsp
Chaat Masala – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
Dried Cranberries – 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a large wok on med-high flame.
2. Once Oil is hot, add Onions, Tomatoes and Green Chilies.
3. Saute for 3 to 4 mins., stirring continuously.
4. Add Chaat Masala and Tandoori Masala and mix well.
5. Add Bell Pepper and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add Cucumber and Lemon Juice, mix and turn off the flame.
7. Add in Salt and mix well.
8. Top with Cranberries and Cilantro, toss lightly and serve hot (or cold)!

Tips:

1. Do not overcook the onions…they need to retain their crunch to really enjoy this dish.
2. Use just one color bell pepper if all 3 colors are not available.
3. This is a great dish when you are hungry but want something really healthy.