Easy Creamy Tomato Soup without cream

 Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 5 nos. (large size)

Carrot - 2 nos.

American corn - 3 tbsp

Onion - 1 big size

Garlic - 6 nos.

Butter or Olive Oil - 2 tsp

Basil Leaf - few (optional)

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

In a cooker add the oil/butter or mixture of both and saute onions and chopped garlic.  When the onions are cooked add chopped carrot, american corn, chopped tomatoes add salt and sugar and close the lid and leave it for three whistles.  When the pressure released open the lid and allow it to cool.  After it cools make a pure of the whole cooked vegetables.  Transfer the puree again to the cooker, add pepper powder and boil it.   Switch off the stove and add the basil leaves.  Serve hot with toasted bread or bread croutons or with nice bread sandwitch.  

Easy Cooker Sambar

 Ingredients:-

Any chopped vegetable (white pumpkin, drumstick, carrot, brinjal etc.) suitable for sambar including or excluding onion

Tur Dal - 1/2 cup (rice cup)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Sambar Powder - 2 tsp ( adjust according to your taste)

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - small piece

tamarind - small lemon size

Curry Leaves - few

Red Chillies - 2 nos.

Version I

In a cooker add oil and when it is hot add mustard seeds, asafoetida and red chilles.  When the mustard seeds crackles add curry leaves and mix it and remove it to a small cup.

Now add the chopped onion saute till they are cooked completely and then add vegetables of your choice, tur dal and turmeric powder.  Add enough water to cook and close the cooker and leave it for four whistles.   When the pressure drops down open the cooker and add tamarind juice and salt, boil it and switch off the stove.  Now add the mustard seeds and curry leaves tadka to the sambar and serve it hot with rice, idli, dosa etc.   This is very easy method to make sambar.

Version II

Instead of adding sambar powder, you can make this powder and addd it at the end and finish the sambar.

In a tawa add oil, two tsp of coriander seeds, one tsp channa dal, 1/8 tsp vendhayam, small piece of asafoetida and four red chillies.  Saute till the channa dal becomes golden brown.  Then add three to four tsp of grated coconut and fresh tamarind saute for a minute, remove from fire and grind it with water to fine coarse paste.   Add this paste to the cooked dal and vegetables and add salt and finish the sambar.  Add little jaggery at the end.  In tadka avoid adding asafoetida here since we are adding it in the paste.   

Sambar Powder

This powder is used for simple sambar where you don't grind fresh coconut and sauteed  masala with water which is usually called araichuvitta sambar.  You can use it for vethakozhambhu also.

1 cup.        - Coriander seeds
20 to 25    -  red chillies - (1 cup to 1 1/4 cup red chillies)
1/4  cup.   -  tur dal
1/4 tsp.     -   black pepper
1/4 tsp.     -   fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp.     -   turmeric powder

Ingredients for bulk quantity:

Red Chillies - 1/2 kg

Coriander Seeds - 1/4 kg

Tur Dal - 1/2 rice cup

Fenugreek Seeds - 3 tbsp

Black Pepper - 2 tbsp

Whole Turmeric - 5 to 6 pieces

(Dry it under sun and grind it in the local flour mill.  Allow it to cool after grinding and store it in a air tight container)

In a pan dry roast all the ingredients except turmeric in medium low flame.  When nice aroma comes switch off the flame and add turmeric.  Cool it completely and dry grind it to a fine powder.  Store it in an airtight container.

Pancake

Ingredients

All purpose flour or
Any gluten free flour.      -  1 cup
Salt.                                 -   1 pinch
Sugar.                             -    2 tbsp
Butter.                            -    2 tsp
Baking soda.                  -   1/8 tsp
Milk.                              -   1/2 to little less than 3/4 cup
Cinnamon powder.        -    1 tsp

Mix everything together and in a pan at medium heat pour the batter and do not spread it.   When one side is done flip the pancake.  When it is done enjoy with maple syrup/honey or any other topping of your choice.

Adai Dosai

Ingredients:

Boiled rice 1/2 cup

Raw Rice - 1/2 cup

Tur dal - 1/4 cup

Channa dal - 1/4 cup

Urad dal - 1/2 cup

Moong dal - 1/4 cup

Red Chillies - 4 to 6 nos.

Asafoetida - small piece

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Ginger - 1 inch

salt to taste

Soak Asafoetida piece in hot water.  Soak Rice and Dal separately. Grind rice, cumin seeds, Ginger, salt and red chillies to fine coarse batter and remove.   Then grind soaked dals to fine coarse batter.   Mix both the batters and leave it for around 1/2 hour.   

Make thin dosa out of the batter making small holes in the middle of the dosa.  Add oil in all the holes and around the dosa and wait till the bottom becomes golden brown.   Flip the dosa and add oil cook and remove it.   Enjoy with good tiffin sambar which is a great combination for this adai dosa.

Black Ellu (sesame seeds) Podi/Powder

 Ingredients 

Black sesame seeds - 1/3 cup

Red Chillies - 4 to 6 nos. (adjust according to your spice level

Urad Dal - 2 tbsp

Asafoetida - one big piece

Oil 

Salt to taste

Dry roast the black sesame seeds till it crackles (add the sesame seeds to the tawa only when it is hot)  After it crackles remove it to a plate.   Now add oil and roast red chillies till they change in colour.  Remove it to a separate plate.  Then add Urad dal and Asafoetids and fry till golden brown and remove it to the plate where red chillies are kept..   First dry grind the sesame seeds and remove it to the same plate.  Now add rest of the ingredients and also add salt and dry grind it to coarse powder.  Mix everything and enjoy with rice.   

ELLU RICE

In a kadai add sesame oil and when it is hot add mustard seeds.  When mustard seeds crackle, add 1 tsp urad dal and saute till it becomes golden brown and then add curry leaves.  Switch off the stove.  Now mix rice with this and then add the sesame seeds powder and add some sesame seeds oil and salt as required.  

Sabudana Bite size Tikkies

 Ingredients

Sabudana - 1 cup (250 ml)

Boiled Large Potato - 3 nos.

Roasted Almond or peanut - 1/3 cup 

Green Chillies -2 or 3 

Ginger - small piece

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Roasted Cumin seeds powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp roughly pounded

Coriander leaves - 3 to 4 tbsp

Salt to take

Oil to shallow fry

Dry grind the sabudana. Coarsely grind the peanuts/almonds.  Chop the green chillies.  Grate the ginger. 

Mix all the ingredients except oil and make a dough. Spread the dough in a rectangular tray coated with oil and cut it into small pieces. 

In a tawa shallow fry the Tikkies and serve it with green chutney or tomato ketchup. 

Angaya Podi

 Ingredients

Neem flower dried - 3tbsp

Sundakkai dried - 3 tbsp

Sukku - 2 long pieces

Milagu - 1 tbsp

Seeragam - 1 tbsp

Kati perungayam 

In a pan add one by one of the above ingredients and dry saute them till they all turn into black in colour. Don't over burn them. Sukku to a dark brown colour.  Perungayam till it puffs up and when pressed with laddle you should be able to press it.  

After it cools dry grind the above ingredients with salt to a nice powder. 

If you have loose stools. Have 1/2 tsp of the above powder with hot rice and ghee.  You can have this rice with little curd on the side.  Don't eat it with sambar, vegetables etc. If it didn't stop you can have it one more time on the next day.  Try not using it more as it may lead to constipation. 

If you have indigestion you can take this powder with rice and ghee and eat cooked vegetables with the rice.  Or you can have it with hot water after food. Again this also should be taken only once as chances of getting constipated is more. 

Aloo Paneer Paratha

 Ingredients:-

For Filling

Paneer - 1/4 of a packet (finely shred)

Boiled Potato - 1 Big size (finely shred)

Jeera Powder - 1/4 tsp

Amchur powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala powder - 1/4 tsp

Chat Masala - 1/4 tsp

Coriander seeds - 1/4 tsp (crushed)

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar 1/4 tsp

For chapathi

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Ajwain - 2 pinch

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp 

Oil/ghee as required 

In a dry bowl mix all the ingredients given under filling.

Prepare the dough for chapati all the ingredients given under chapathi.

Roll a small piece of dough to a small chapati and add enough filling to it and close it.   Roll the dough and tava roast it with ghee.  Serve with masala curd. ( Mix curd, salt, sugar, chat masala, garam masala, red chilli powder, jeera powder and add boondhi on top)

Jeeraga Rasam

 Ingredients:-

Tur dal - 1 tbsp

Black pepper - 3/4 or 1 TSP

Cumin seeds - 3/4 TSP

Red chilli - 1 or 2

Asafoetida - 1/8 TSP

Ghee - 1 TSP

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind - 1 small lemon size

Tomatoes - big 2 nos

Curry leaves

Sugar/ jagger - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Grind the soaked tur dal, one tomato, black pepper, cumin seeds and red chilli with water to a coarse paste.   Heat a pan and add ghee. When it is hot add mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves and remove it to a cup. Now add the tamarind water and one cut tomato, turmeric powder, sugar/jaggery, salt and little coriander leaves and few curry leaves and boil it till the raw smell goes.  Now add the ground paste and add required water and boil till it starts to boil. Switch of the stove and add the mustard seeds removed in a cup.   Enjoy with hot rice and appalam. 

Instapot Rice Kheer

 

Ingredients

 

• ▢
• Basmati Rics - One fist full 
• ▢water  - 1 cup
• ▢Whole Milk - 3 cups
• ▢Sugar - 1/2 cup 
• ▢
• ▢saffron
• ▢Almonds/Cashews - 2 tsp
• ▢Raisins - 1 tsp
• Elachi powder
• Ghee - 1 - 2  tsp
• Soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes and grind it coarsely. Add ghee in the instapot and saute the nuts and raisins and remove from the pot. In saute mode add 1 cup water and milk to the pot. When the water and milk boils add the rice to the pot.
• Close the lid and valve and keep it in pressure cooking mode for 25 minutes. 
• Wait for the pressure to release and switch on the saute mode.  Stir it and add sugar.  Wait till it thickens a bit.    Now add the raisins and nuts and close the lid without the valve closed.   If you want to serve it chill, wait for the kheer to come to room temperature and keep it in the fridge.

Simple Dal using cooker/Instapot

Turdal - 1/8 cup

Moong dal - 1/8 cup

Moth dal - 1/8 cup

Masoor dal - 1/8 cup

Bay leaf - 1

cinnamon - small piece 

Red Chilli - 1

cummin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Onion - 1 no.

Tomato - 1 medium size

Garlic chopped - 1 tsp

Ginger chopped - 1 tsp

Green chilli chopped - 1 to 2

Garam masala - 1/2 spoon

Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing - 1/8 tsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Heat a pressure cooker/Intapot and add bay leave, cinnamon oil and ghee after that add cumin seeds and red chilli and saute a bit.  Add chopped Garlic, Ginger, Green Chillies and chopped onion.  Saute till the onion becomes translucent.  Now add chopped tomato.   Now add the dals and turmeric powder,  Add water 4 1/2 cups of water and close the lid.  For the cooker leave it for five whistles and for instapot set on Pressure cooking mode for 8 minutes.  close the vent.   After it is done add Lemon juice and garam masala and leave it to boil for a minute.  After it is done enjoy it with jeera rice or chapathi.

Dry Fruit Burfi

 Ingredients

Dates -  10 nos

figs    -  10 nos.

Almonds - 20 nos (slithered)

Ghee - 1/2 tsp

Microwave the Dates and Figs for a minute or till they become little soft.  Grind them in a mixie to a paste without adding any liquid like water or milk.  

In the pan add the slithered almonds ( you can also add nuts of your choice) and dry roast it and they should not turn brown.   After that add the ground paste to the pan and ghee and mix them well on low fire.   When every thing is combined switch off the fire and transfer the mixture to an aluminium foil .  When it slightly cools roll into a cylindrical shape and wrap it with the aluminium foil.   keep this in fridge for 1/2 hour.  After which take it out and open the aluminium foil and cut them into small pieces.  Since we are making it without adding any liquid like milk or water while soaking the figs and dates, this will stay for atleast 15 days when kept outside.