Curd Rice

South Indian food is incomplete with out curd. The last item in lunch or dinner is plain rice and curd .Some people add salt. One of Jain friend came house I made curd rice that day.She told it is very tastly I never thought that curd rice could be this tasty that why all of eat every day. Her son did not like milk products but he ate this .Curd is good source of calcium to. Now she make this at her home with out  ginger.

NOTE: Usually the curd tadka or poppu is done with ghee.You can use oil also.

Ingredients:

Rice 1 cup

Milk 1/2 cup

Curd 2 cups

Ginger 1 inch

Green chili

Chana Dal(Senaga pappu) 2 teaspoon

Urad Dal(Mena pappu ) 2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves 8-10

(also called pallilu/veru senagapappu)

Cashew 2 teaspoons (or) Ground nut 2 teaspoons

Ghee /oil 4 teaspoons

This is optional to garnish

Pomegranate seeds 2 teaspoons

Coriander leaves finely chopped handful

Preparation:

1. Cook the rice a place in a big bowl , add the curd and mix well and add the milk and mix well.

2.Cut ginger and green chillies into very small pieces .

3.Heat ghee /oil in a pan add Chana dal, Urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves, groundnuts, green chillies,ginger and hing fry till the urad dal becomes into golden color . Add this to curd rice bowl. Add salt and mix well.

This is offered as prasadam. It tastes even better if you leave it for 4 to 5 hours. The curd becomes little sour so it is more tastier.

Garnish the pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves if you like .

Sweet Vada or Bellam Garelu

Ingredients:

Urad dal 1 cup

Jaggery 1 cup

Cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon

Oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Soak the Urad dal water for 2-3 hours. Drain and grind the dal into smooth paste.  The same procedure as you do for vada .Use grinder or processor or mixie but dont add more water.

2.Heat oil in a pan for about 5 minutes in medium flame. If you want to use less oil take a small or medium sized pan.

3.Turn the stove into medium flame after the oil is heated. Take a plastic sheet or banana leaf .Apply few drops of oil on the sheet or leaf. Now take a lemon size ball of the batter and slightly flaten it and place a hole in the centre.

or for small vada put a water in one bowl and in other keep the batter wet your hand make a ball of batter place it between fingers and with a thumb put a hole and drop into oil.

4.Gently drop the flattened batter in the hot oil and deep fry till it becomes golden brown .Fry on both sides in medium flame or else the inside batter will not fully cook.

5. Heat another pan add 1 and half cup of water and add jaggery and stir continously on a low flame till the syrup becomes thick and sticky.

6.Put the fried vada in the jaggery syrup and let is soak it for about 3 minutes.

7.Serve this hot.

Cabbage pickle

Ingredients:

Cabbage finely chopped 1 cup

Red Chilli powder 1/2 cup

Mustard powder 1/2 cup

Salt 1/4 cup (adjust according to your taste)

Tumeric 1/4 teaspoon

Oil 1 cup

Lemon juice 1/4 cup

For garnishing:

Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon

Red chilli 3

Hing 2 pinches

Preparation:

To store this Pickle for a longer time Wash the cabbage and dry it so that there is no water in it.

1. Finely chop the cabbage using food processer. If you are chopping manually chop into very  small pieces.

2. Put the chopped cabbage pieces in a bowl, add mustard powder,redchilli powder,tumeric and salt and mix well with a dry spoon or spatula.

3.Heat a pan and put oil and add mustard seeds,red chillis and hing.After the mustard seeds start pooping out. Switch off the stove and mix this to the pickle bowl.

4.After the pickle is cooled add the lemon juice and mix well.

Very good with rice,dosas and vadas

Upma with Onion and Ginger

Ingredients :

Sooji Coarse or Upma Rava 1 Cup

Ginger 1 inch

Green chillies 2

Onion 1 medium sized

Water 2 Cups

Mustard Seeds 1 teaspoon

Urad dal 1 teaspoon

Channa dal 1 teaspoon

Jeera 1 teaspoon

Ground nuts 1 teaspoon

Cashew 1 teaspoon

Hing 2 pinches

Curry leaves 6 to 8

Red Chillies 2

Oil 5 teaspoons

Water 2 cups

Salt

Preparation:

1. Cut green chillies,ginger and onion into very small pieces.

2. In a pan heat oil ,add chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds,jeera ,curry leaves, groundnuts,cashew,green chillies,ginger,onions, hing  and fry till onions become translucent.

3. Add the sooji gently and mix well.

4. When sooji slightly changes the color. Add water gently and mix carefully . Ensure that no lumps are formed.

5.In a low flame cook the upma for about 10 minutes .

Serve hot add lemon juice if you like it. Serve with Lemon pickle or Nimmakaya Karam or Tomato pickle or Mango pickle.

Coriander Chutney (Instant and oilless)

Ingredients:
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
Green chillies 2
Ginger 1/2 inch piece
Lemon 2 or Lemon juice 4 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1.Cut coriander leaves ,green chillies and ginger.
2.Make all the above to a smooth paste by mixing little water ,add salt and lemon.
Refrigirate it. Good with any starter.

Raw Tomato Chutney (Oil less and instant)

Ingredients:
Tomatoes 2
Green chilli 2
Small Onion 1
Salt as needed


Preparation:
1.Cut tomatoes, onion and green chilli into pieces.

2 .In a mixie add tomotoes,chilli ,onion and salt till they become fine paste.

3. Chutney is ready. Served with upma,dosas,idly,bajji and uttapams.

Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

Peanuts 1 cup

Green chillies 2

Ginger 1/2 inch

Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon

Urad dal 1 teaspoon

Hing 2 pinches

Curry Leaves 4 to 6

Red chillis 1

Oil 2 teaspoons

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan and put 1/2 teaspoon of oil and fry peanuts on a medium flame ,till they slightly change their color.

2.In a blender or mixie add peanuts,water,salt ginger and green chillies and make them into a fine paste.

3.For garnishing , heat a pan and add the remaining oil and put urad dal,hing,curry leaves,red chillies and mustard seeds.When urad dal turns into golden color add this to the peanut paste.

4. Don't leave this outside for a more than 4 hours.If so refrigirate. You can make peanut paste thin or thick by altering the waste as per your taste.

Served with pakoras,bajji,dosas,uttapam and idlies.