Vazhaipoo (banana flower) curd Kootu

 

Ingredients:

Vazhaipoo - 1 small size

Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp

Coconut - 2 to 3 tbsp

Green Chillies - 1 to 2 (Can be increased according to your spice level)

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Rice flour - 1/2 tsp

Ginger - small piece

Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetids powder - 1/4 tsp

Beaten Curd - 3 to 4 ladles

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Clean the vazhaipoo and chop them into small pieces.  Pressure cook the chopped vazhaipoo adding little water and turmeric powder.   Grind the coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, ginger and rice flour into a smooth paste.

In a pan add 1 tsp coconut oil and when it is hot add mustard seeds. When it finishes crackling add curry leaves and asafoetida powder.   Now add the coocked vazhaipoo with the water,  the ground coconut paste and salt to it.  Allow it to boil and switch off the stove.  When it cooks add 3 to 4 ladles of beaten curd and mix well.

Chinese Bhel (Air Fryer)

Ingredients:

2 pack Hakka noddles

1 big white onion

2 bunch spring onions

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red pepper 

 1/2 yellow pepper

1 big carrot 

1/4 cabbage

4 cloves garlic 

1 inch ginger

Chilli flakes

2 spoons oil

3-4 tablespoon Corn starch

1/2 tsp Sezhwan Sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp soy sauce

1) Boil the 2 pack of noodles and once cooked drain, separate them with some oil on it and then mix it with corn starch.

2) Air fry the noodles in 2 batches 350 degrees for about 10-15 mins each batch and keep flipping the noodles every 5 mins so it doesn’t burn. 

Recipe

1) Heat oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onions and sauté until cooked and transparent.

2) Add finely chopped Garlic and ginger  and saute for 2-3 mins.

3) Add all thinly sliced veggies and saute till 1/2 cooked.

4) Next add salt for veggies and then all the sauces in the sauce section and mix the veggies well, cook for another 3-5 mins and switch off the stove while it’s still crunchy.

5) Now mix the crunch noodle to the veggies by separating the noodles with hand before mixing. Add some ketchup and spring onions at end and mix well.

Peanut Urundai

 Ingredients

Roasted Peanuts - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1/2 - 3/4 (cup)

(If need less sugar use only 1/2 cup.  I used only 1/2 cup)

In a pan add the jaggery and 1/2 cup of water.   Wait till you get a hard syrup consistency.  This can be checked by adding water in a small cup and drop the syrup and check.  It it is loose, it is called tomato consistency, next consistency will be little hard and if you drop the syrup ball from water and drop it on any plate a sound will come and when you stretch it it will stretch like a rubber band.  After sometime when you take the syrup ball from water and you will be able to break it.  This is the consistency we need for making peanut balls.  Now switch off the stove and add the peanuts, mix it well with the jaggery syrup and then drop it in a plate.   When it is little warm start making balls with your hand.

Tamarind Upma

 Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Curd - 1 cup

Red Chillies - 3 to 4

Channa dal - 2 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind paste - 3 Tsp

Sesame Seed Oil - 3 tbsp

Asafoetida - 1 small piece

Salt to taste

Mix the rice flour with tamarind paste, salt and 1 1/2 cups of water.

In a kadai add sesame oil and when it is hot add mustard seeds. After it cracked add channa dal, asafoetida, split red chillies and saute till the channa dal becomes golden brown colour. Now add the rice flour curd mixture. Satee till the rice flour is completely cooked. If you touch the mixture lightly it should not stick to your hands.  If you like you can add more oil and wait for crumble texture. The mixture can be microwaved without adding extra oil.  Then switch off the stove and serve hot. 

Simple Bread Roll with Apple pie filling

 Ingredients

Bread slices - 4

Apple - 1

Jaggery - 2 tsp

Butter 2 tsp

White sugar powder - 2 tsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Mix white sugar powder and cinnamon powder and keep it aside.

In a pan add 1/2 tsp butter, chopped apple and jaggery and saute till the liquid reduces and not mushy. Switch off the stove.

Flatten the bread with the help of rolling pin and keep the Apple filling one side of the bread and roll it.  In a tawa add butter and toast the bread roll till it is completely toasted. Remove from the tawa and sieve the cinnamon sugar powder on top of the bread roll. Enjoy when it is hot.

Iyengar Bakery style open Bread Toast

Ingredients

Bread slices

Carrots - 2 grated

Cabbage - 1/4 cup chopped

Capsicum - 2 tsp

Onion - 1 big chopped

Tomato - 1 chopped

Green Chilli - 1 no. chopped

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp (as per the spice level reduce or increase it)

Garam Masala Powder - 1/8 tsp

Chat masala - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp chopped

Oil - 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste 

In a pan add oil and when the oil is hot add mustard seeds and then cumin seeds.  Then add chopped onion, green chilli and saute till onion becomes translucent. Then add chopped tomato and saute, then add chopped cabbage, carrot and capsicum and saute till they are half cooked.  Now add red chilli powder, chat masala, garam masala powder and saute till the raw smell goes.  Switch off the stove and add chopped coriander leaves and mix. 

In a tawa toast the bread with butter on one side and flip it.  Now spread tomato ketchup on top of the toasted side of the bread and also add the cooked vegetables and toast the bread.  Then flip the vegetables sides to the bottom of the tawa toast  and remove it from the tawa. This is a open bread toast.   

Mysore Pak

 Ingredients

Besan Flour - 1 rice cup

Sugar - 2 1/2 rice cup

Ghee - around 1 1/2 cup

In a kadai lightly roast the Besan flour without change in colour and when aroma starts coming switch off the stove and remove it to a plate.  Sieve the flour after it gets cooled.

Keep a plate coated with ghee.

Clean the kadai and add sugar and 1 cup of water and make one string consistency sugar syrup.  Now add the roasted Besan flour and keep stirring.  When everything combines start adding warm ghee little by little.  You will see the mixture getting thick. Add ghee till you see holes forming at the sides of the kadai. Also if you drop the mixture it will form a ribbon consistency. Remove from the fire and drop the whole mixture to the plate coated with ghee,   When it cools a bit cut in the desired shape as you wish and store it in a air tight container.  . 

Cooker Carrot Kheer

 Ingredients

Carrots - 4 large size

Milk - 1 1/2 litre

Sugar - 1/4 - 1/3 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Saffron - few strands

Ghee 1 tsp

Almond/cashews 

In a cooker add ghee and fry chopped almonds/ cashews till golden brown colour and remove from the cooker.  Now add chopped carrots and 1 litre milk close the lid and pressure cook for two whistles.  When the pressure releases naturally, blend it with a hand blender and not in the mixie. Because we don't need a smooth consistency.  Add the remaining milk, around 10-12 almonds coarsely ground without water, cardamon powder, saffron strands, sugar and sauteed almonds/cashews.  Adjust the consistency of the kheer by adding extra milk if it is little thick. Boil for a while and switch of the stove. Serve it either hot or cold. 

Cabbage Moong dal Parupu Usili

 Ingredients 

Cabbage - 1/2

Curry Leaves

Coriander Leaves

Moong Dal - 1/2 rice cup (soak)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp powder

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Coconut oil 1 tsp

Any cooking oil - 2 tsp

Red Chillies - 2 nos.

Grind the soaked moong dal, 1/8 TSP turmeric powder and salt ( without water into a fine coarse paste. 

In a kadai add 1 tsp oil when it is hot add mustard seeds. When it cracked add asafoetida powder and then add the chopped and washed cabbage to it and also 1/8 TSP turmeric powder. When it is cooked switch off and remove from fire.  Now in another clean kadai add 1tsp of cooking oil and coconut oil and when it becomes hot add the ground moong dal paste and saute till they become crumbs in texture.  Now add the cooked cabbage chopped coriander and curry leaves. Saute for a minute and remove from fire. (Another version is, the ground moong dal can be steamed for fifteen minutes and then sauteed in the tadka for a while till the raw smell goes and then add cooked cabbage to it) 

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.