LADYS FINGER SAMBAR/VENDAIKKAI SAMBAR

Ingredients:

Mysore Dal 100 gms
Tamarind one gooseberry size
Lady's finger 12 nos
Shallots 10 nos/Bellary onion half
Curry leaves 10 nos
Mustard seeds one spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Sambar powder one tablespoon
Turmeric one spoon
Castor oil four drops
Tomato one
Coriander leaves chopped half a cup
Sesame oil one tablespoon

Procedure:


Soak the tamarind in two cups of water for 15 minutes.
Cook the Mysore dal with required water, one spoon of turmeric and four drops of castor oil.
I use Mysore dal because it is cooked fast without the pressure cooker.
Wash the lady's fingers and wipe them.
Cut the veggie into bit long pieces.
Chop the onion and tomato.
Heat the wok with sesame oil over a medium flame.
Add mustard seeds. once it starts to crackle, add onion, curry leaves and the veggie pieces.
Saute them constantly until the veggie fried well and shrink.
Add asafoetida, sambar powder, half spoon turmeric.
Saute again.
Pour the tamarind extract over the fried veggie.
Add salt.
Allow boiling for ten minutes until the veggie cooked soft.
Now transfer the cooked dal contents with water.
Allow boiling for few minutes
Check the salt.
Add corianderleaves and remove from the flame.


Lady;s finger sambar is ready to have with hot rice or idlies.!

VALLARAI GREENS THOKKU

So delicious and nutritious thokku You will like it!

Ingredients:

Brahmi leaves two cups
Garlic pods five
Tamarind gooseberry size
Jaggery one (achu vellam)
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder one spoon
Sesame oil half cup
Mustard seeds one spoon
Asafoetida one pinch
Fenugreek powder half spoon
Turmeric powder one spoon
Fennel powder one spoon
water as required

Procedure:

Wash the leaves several times to remove the mud.
Blend all the leaves, tamarind, garlic with water to form a fine paste.
Heat the sesame oil and add mustard seeds to crackle.
Switch off the flame to avoid burning.
Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, fennel powder, fenugreek powder and add the blended paste. 
Add jaggery and salt.
Switch on the flame and bring to boil.
Allow boiling for getting a thick paste consistency.
Stir often to avoid the burning at the bottom of the pan.

Now the vallarai/brahmi leaves thokku is ready.
Pour one tablespoon of sesame oil over the thokku and serve.

You can have it with idlies, dosas or hot steamed rice.
It tastes supreme. You will love it. 

DRUMSTICK PULP URUGAI/THOKKU

Murungai/Drumstick tree is called as miracle tree because its entire parts are of high nutritional values and medicinal uses. Moringa/murungai /drumstick pulps of pods and seeds are packed with vitamin C, Vitamin B complex, Oleic acid, a healthy mono-saturated fat, Thiamin, Vitamin B1, B6 and Folates and other minerals.

We are going to learn the Drumstick pulp urugai/thokku here.

Ingredients:

Drumstick pods six nos
Garlic pods five
Tamarind gooseberry size
Curry leaves 10 nos
Jaggery one piece
Fenugreek roasted powder half a spoon
Asafoetida half a pinch
Red chilly powder one spoon
Sesame oil one tablespoon
Mustard seeds one spoon

Procedure:

Wash the drumstick pods and cut them into two. 
Scoop out the pulp with seeds from drumstick pods and collect them in a plate.
Blend the pulp, tamarind, garlic with required water to a bit coarse paste.
Heat the frying pan with one tablespoon of sesame oil.
Add mustard seeds to crackle and simmer the flame.
Add curry leaves, red chilly powder, fenugreek powder, turmeric, asafoetida  and tomato cubes.
Saute them in a medium flame.
Transfer the drumstick pulp mixture.
Saute them for a few minutes.
Add salt and jaggery.
Add half a cup of water and allow to cook well.
Pour one tablespoon of sesame oil and let the mixture cook until the oil separates along the sides.

Drumstick pulp urugai is ready.
Tasting yummy!

You can have it with hot steamed rice or use it as side dish for curd rice, arisiyum paruppum or any meal.

BANANA FLOWER CURRY KUZHAMBU

Banana flowers/blossom is one of the super veggies that are good for the health of women of all age groups. It is packed with fiber contents and iron contents.

It prevents infection; it reduces free radicals activity, it cures anemia and good for diabetic patients.
It regulates bleeding during menstruous period. It supports to increase the breast milk of lactating mothers.

You can try this delicious curry kuzhambu for idlies, dosais and hot steamed rice. It exactly tastes as non-vegetarian gravy. Every floret of this curry is looking like ayirai or nethili fish.

Ingredients:

Banana florets one cup 
Shredded coconut one cup
Shallots half cup
Country coriander powder one tablespoon
Cumin seeds one spoon
Pepper one spoon
Star anise one 
Cinnamon three sticks
Poppy seeds one spoon
Fennel seeds powder one spoon
Cardamom one optional
Turmeric one spoon
Red chilly powder  one spoon
Curry leaves one strand
Mustard seeds one spoon
Sesame oil one tablespoon
Shakthi (Any brand) mutton masala powder two spoons
Fried gram one spoon to make the gravy thick
Required water
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves optional
Tomato one medium size
Garlic and ginger gratings one tablespoon

Procedure:

Clean the banana florets by removing the stigma and transparent petiole.
Collect them in a bowl.
Collect the shredded coconut, fried gram, poppy seeds, cinnamon, Coriander powder, cumin seeds, pepper in a mixer and blend them into a fine paste.
Heat the wok with oil over a medium flame.
Add mustard seeds one cinnamon, star anise, two cloves, fennel seeds to crackle.
Once they start to crackle, add shallots and curry leaves.
Saute for a while over a low flame.
Add ginger garlic gratings and saute till the nice aroma emanates.
Add banana flowers and saute for few seconds.
Add turmeric, red chilly powder, mutton masala, tomato pieces and saute for two seconds.
Now add the ground masala and saute for two seconds over a low flame.
Add required water and salt.
Allow boiling until the flowers cooked.

Remove from flame and serve with chapathies, rotis, idlis dosas or hot steamed rice.
It goes very well any main dish.

This is the same method as the other veggie kuruma or gravy of  South India.

You will like this yummy gravy..😊😃

COWPEAS BRINJAL KOOTU

Ingredients:

Cow peas one cup
Brinjal four or five
Turmeric one spoon
Coriander powder one spoon
Sesame oil one tablespoon
Garlic pods four
Cumin seeds one spoon
Tomato one
Sambar powder half a spoon
Salt to taste
Shallots 10 nos
Curry leaves 10 nos
Green chilly one.

Procedure:

Dry roast the cow peas  until the peas turn brown and bend for a second until the beans broke into pieces.
Wash the broken peas and cook for ten minutes with turmeric, castor oil two drops and required water until the peas turn soft and well cooked.
Add chopped brinjal, sambar powder, half a spoon of turmeric, salt and allow boiling until the brinjal cooked soft.
Heat the tempering pan with oil.
Add mustard seeds to crackle.
Add shallots, curry leaves, green chilly.
Saute for a while until the shallots turn translucent.
Transfer the cooked brinjal and cooked cow peas.
Allow boiling for a while.
Remove from fire.


Enjoy with hot steamed rice topped with cow ghee

CAULIFLOWER SAMBAR

Ingredients:

Mysore dal 100 gms
Tamarind one gooseberry size
Shallots 10 nos
Curry leaves10nos
Tomato one chopped
Sambar powder two spoons
Asafoetida one generous pinch
Cauliflower florets 10 nos
Coriander leaves chopped one tablespoon
Sesame oil one tablespoon
Mustard seeds one spoon
Salt to taste.

Procedure:

Cook Mysore dal with required water, turmeric, and few drops of castor oil.
You can cook this Mysore dal with turmeric, castor oil in pressure cooker allowing two whistles.
Soak the tamarind in one cup of water and get tamarind extract.
Wash the florets.
Peel off the shallots and chop them.
Heat the wok with oil over a medium flame.
Add mustard seeds to pop up.
Add shallots, curry leaves and saute for a few seconds until the shallots gets transparent.
Add tomato cubes and sambar powder and asafoetida.
Add cauliflower florets.
Saute for a while and pour the tamarind extract.
Add salt required. 
Allow boiling until the tamarind extract gets thickened.
Add the dal mixture with one cup of water.
Allow boiling for five minutes.
Switch off the flame.
Add coriander chops.

A fine flavorful cauliflower sambar is ready to serve.
Serve hot topping with cow ghee and steamed rice.