Simple and Quick Gottu Rasam

 Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 2 small 

Garlic - 4-5 nos chopped (optional)

To grind:

Tamarind paste - 2 to 3 tsp or tamarind pulp from a small gooseberry size tamarind

Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp

Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Cumind Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli - 1 to 2 nos.

Curry Leaves few 

Salt to taste

Jaggery -  1/2 tsp (optional)

Tempering:

Ghee/oil  - 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/8 tsp

Few Curry Leaves

Garnishing:

Coriander Leaves

In a mixer jar add all the ingredients listed under grinding and grind it to a coarse paste by adding enough water.

In a pot add Oil/Ghee and when it is hot enough add Mustard Seeds.  After it crackles add asafoetida powder, cumin seeds and curry leaves and saute for few seconds.

Ginger Thogayal

 Ingredients

Ginger - 1/3 cup (chopped)

Urad dal - 3 tablespoon

Channa dal - 1 tablespoon

Red Chillies - 2 to 3 numbers

Whole asafoetida - small piece

Curry Leaf - 3 strips

Oil - 1 1/2 tsp

Tamarind - Small gooseberry size

Jaggery/sugar - 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

In a kadai add 1 tsp oil and saute urad dal, channa dal, asafoetida, red chillies till the dal turn golden brown colour.  Now add the tamarind and curry leave, saute for a minute and remove it to a small bowl.  Now add 1/2 tsp oil and saute the ginger till it changes colour slightly need not do it till they become brown.  After it is done remove from fire.  Cool all the above items.

Now add everything to a mixer jar except ginger and dry grind it to coarse powder.  Now add the ginger and run for a while and after that add around two table spoons of water, salt and jaggery/sugar and grind it to a coarse paste.   You can do tempering if you want with gingly oil and mustard seeds and pour it on top of the thogayal.  This goes well with rice and ghee, dosa, idli, pongal etc.  

Peanut Salad

 Ingredients

Raw peanuts - 1cup

Carrot - 1 (shredded)

Onion - 1/2 (chopped)

Coriander leaves (chopped)

Lemon juice

Green chillies/Black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Soak the peanuts for 6 hours and then pressure cook for 7 whistles.

Drain the peanuts and mix in a bowl raw peanuts and all the above ingredients.