1)dal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Masoor Dal

1 Tomato (Tamatar)

1/2 tsp Jeera

1/4 tsp Turmeric (Haldi) Powder
2 Green chilli
3 tsp Oil
1 level tsp Salt (Namak)
3 Garlic (Lasun) Cloves

How to make simple dal:

 Boil the dal with salt, turmeric powder and slit green chillies.
 In another pan, heat oil, add the jeera, tomatoes and garlic pods, sauté on a high flame
till the tomatoes are soft and pulpy.
 Add the boiled dal into this with little water, boil well for 15 minutes to incorporate the
masala into the dal, garnish with coriander.

2)CHARUPODI RECIPE
Charu Podi is a traditional south Indian mix of whole coriander and cumin seeds spiced up with
black pepper.

Ingredients:

1c coriander seeds (dhania sabut)

1/2 c cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 c whole black pepper (sabut kali mirch)
How to make charupodi:

 Mix all the ingredients together and grind.

 You can store it in jar and not in a refrigerator.

Answer

3)Rasam
Ingredients :

Tamarind juice : 2 cups

Tomato : 1
garlic : 2 pods
curry leaves : 5
coriander leaves (finely chopped) : 2 tbsp
turmeric powder : a pinch
salt  : to taste
oil : 2 tsp
mustard : 1 tsp
cumin : 1 tsp
red chilli : 1 small

For the powder :

pepper : 1 to 1.5 tbsp
cumin : 1 to 1.5 tbsp
red chilli : 1 (medium size)
Thoor dal : 1 tbsp ( available in any Indian store).

(Grind the above ingredients into dry powder).

METHOD :

Take 1 medium sized tomato, mash it and add it to the 2 cups of tamarind juice/extract.
Heat oil in a wok, and add mustard. After the mustard splutters, add cumin. Once the cumin becomes brown pour in the tamarind
juice with tomatoes , and add salt, turmeric powder, mashed garlic, curry leaves, 1 red chilli split into two and rasam powder. Bring it
to a boil, switch off the stove and add the coriander leaves.

You can either drink this as hot soup, or serve with white steamed rice.

4)Sambhar
Ingredients:

2 cup Sambhar (Tuvar) Dal

1/4 kg Vegetables( Drumstick,Green Pepper,Eggplant ,Okra

 )

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

3 Red chillies
3 Green chillies
1 tsp Sambhar powder
Curry leaves

a pinch Hing
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Mustard
1/4 tsp Tamarind paste
4 tbsp Cooking oil

How to make sambar:

 Wash and dice all the vegetables.

 Boil water and cook the dal with turmeric and salt.
 Separate the cooked dal and water, and keep them aside.
 In thuvar dal water cook the vegetables..
 After the veggies are cooked, add tamarind paste.
 Now add the cooked thuvar dal and simmer for a few more minutes

 Heat some oil in a pan, splutter mustard, then add methi , red chillies,

green chillies, curry leaves, hing , turmeric, and sambhar powder and keep
frying for a few minutes.
 Season the sambhar with the above prepared tadka.
 Sprinkle coriander on top.

5)aviyal
1/2 cup Grated coconut
5 Green chilies
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1cup Yam Thinly sliced into 11/2" length pieces

1cup Cucumber Sliced lengthy into 11/2" length pieces
1cup Snake gourd Sliced into 11/2" length pieces
1/4cup Carrot Sliced into 11/2" length pieces
1/2cup Long runner-beans sliced into 11/2" length pieces
2 Drumstick cut into 2" length pieces
Curry leaves
3 tblsp Coconut oil
1 Raw bananas sliced into 11/2" length pieces
Raw mango pieces
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

How to make aviyal:

 Grind coconut with green chilies and cumin seeds in paste and keep it aside.
 Heat coconut oil in a thick bottom vessel, add vegetables and cook it on a low flame
without adding water.
 When the vegetables are cooked, add turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
 Put bananas and mango pieces in cooked vegetables and cover the vessel.
 When steam comes out, add the coconut paste and stir well.

6) Cabbage Poriyal
Ingredients:• 2 Cups cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 tsp Urad dal
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 Dry red chillies, broken
• 1 Green chilli, slit
• 8 to 10 Curry leaves
• 1/4 Cup fresh coconut, grated
• A pinch turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Oil
• Salt to taste
How to make Cabbage Poriyal:

• Take a frying pan and heat oil.

• Add mustard seeds and urad dal. Let the seeds crackle.
• Add green chilli, dry red chillies, curry leaves and turmeric powder.

• Stir the mixture for few seconds.

• Add cabbage, salt and 1/4 cup of water.

• Cook over medium heat until the cabbage is tender.

• Mix grated coconut with it and serve hot.

 Remove from fire and garnish it with curry leaves .

7) Beans Poriyal
ingredients:• 1 1/2 cup Beans, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp Moong Dal
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/8 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/4 cup Coconut, grated
• 1 Onion, chopped
• Salt
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 1 tsp Urad Dal
• A sprig of Curry Leaves
• 1 tsp Oil
How to make Beans Poriyal:
• First, remove the head and tail end of the beans and chop them to make fine pieces.
• Now, boil the beans, moong dhal, turmeric, salt and red chili powder in water. Cook them until
the moong dal and beans turn soft. Thereafter, drain the water and keep the mixture aside.
• In a frying pan, heat the oil and add mustard, urad dal, curry leaves and onion. Sauté the
mixture until the onions turns golden yellow.
• Now, add the beans and moong dal mixture and fry for about 2 minutes, until the moisture is
absorbed.
• Add grated coconut and stir well for a minute. The yummy beans poriyal is ready to be
served!!

8)Potato Masiyal
Ingredients

Thoor dal - 1 cup

Potatoes  - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ginger (minced) - 1 inch piece
Green chillies - 2-3
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Haldi powder - a litle
Red chillies - 2
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
A few coriander leaves
Salt - 1 tsp  or to taste

Method

1.Soak toovar dal in water for 15 minutes.

2.Cut the potatoes into large pieces.

3.Pressure cook dal with potato bits by adding sufficient water and ½ tsp
salt for 8 minutes. Keep it aside

4.Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard and fry  the  chana dal and red
chillies till the dal turns light brown

5.Add minced ginger and largely cut green chillies. Fry for a while.

6.Then add haldi, asafoetida, tomato pieces and curry leaves and fry for
another few minutes.

7.Put the cooked dal - potato mixture in the pan, add a little salt and cook
for 3-5 minutes.

8.Remove from flame. Stir in lemon juice and finely cut coriander leaves,
before serving.

9) Potato Masala - Aloo Subji

Ingredients for potato bhaji - aloo bhaji for 4-5 servings

 Potatoes - 4 Boiled till just done.

 Onion - 1 large, chopped fine.

 Green chillies - 2

 Ginger paste 1/4 tsp.

 Salt - 1/2 tsp according to taste.

 Garlic(optional) - 1/4 tsp

 Oil -1tbsp.

 Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp

 Cumin Seeds : 1/2 tsp

 Asafoetida(hing) : a pinch.

Preparation :

 Boil Potatoes. Peel and cube them.

 Cut green chillies in pieces.

Cooking method :

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and cumin seed. When they stop spluttering, add
Asafoetida (hing).
2. Add green chilli pieces. fry for 5 seconds.
3. Add chopped onion, fry till onions are transperant.
4. Add ginger/garlic paste, curry leaves. stir.
5. Add cubed potatoes, salt. Stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
6. Add chopped Coriander leaves(cilantro). Mix well.

Serve it with Indian Breads such as Chapati , Poori, Dosa

10)Carrot Poriyal Recipe

Carrot - 4 Nos
Onion - 1 No
Green Chillies - 4 Nos
Coconut gratings - 2 tablespoon
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafotida powder - a pinch
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Method:

Scrap the skin from the carrot and cut it into small pieces.

Chop the onion and green chillies.

In a kadai put the oil and heat it. When it is hot add the mustard and when it pops up add the urad
dhal, jeera, asafotida powder and fry till urad dhal turns light brown. Add chopped onion, green
chillies along with curry leaves. Fry till the onion turns transparant. Add carrot pieces and mix
well. Add salt, sprinkle a handful of water and close with lid. Cook in low flame till the carrot is
soft. Add coconut gratings and mix again and remove from stove.

11) SEMIYA PAYASAM RECIPE

A preparation of milk and vermicelli sweetened with sugar.

Ingredients:

1 cup Vermicelli
3/4 cup Water
1 cup Sugar
A pinch Saffron
1 cup Milk
3-4 Cashew nuts
7-8 Raisins
2-3 Cardamom

How to make semiya payasam:

 Saute the vermicelli in ghee till it turns brown.

 Boil water in another vessel..
 Put vermicelli in boiling water and cover it, stirring occasionally.
 After the vermicelli becomes soft, add the sugar stirring continuously.
 Dissolve in the milk and add this to the vermicelli.
 Powder the cardamom and add it to the mixture.
 Flavor the desert with fried cashew nuts and almonds.
 Simmer the vermicelli for about two minutes. Your delicious payasam is ready to be
served .
12) PAL PAYASAM RECIPE

The yummy and favorite dessert to complete the Onam meal

Ingredients:

3 litres Milk
700 gm Sugar

180 gm Dried red rice

3 - 4 Almonds and Cashewnuts

How to make pal payasam:

 Boil the milk and condense it.

 Add sugar and keep stirring it.
 When it boils again, put the washed rice in it,lower the flame .
 Simmer it till the rice is cooked.
 Garnish with finely chopped almonds and cashewnuts

13)Javvarisi-Semiya Payasam
Payasam... The very thought makes me feel all warm and cozy inside! Payasam has always
been a sort of comfort food for me. So, I figure what better way to start out the new year
than to share a bowl of payasam with you all?

I guess this was the first Indian dessert I'd been exposed to growing up here in the US.
Nowadays, I've learned that many different types of payasam exist. Here, I'm sharing the
"standard payasam" we grew up with in my family which includes both javvarasi (sago) and
semiya (vermicelli).

Ingredients:

Javvarisi/sago - 2 tbsp
Semiya/vermicelli - 1/4 cup, roasted in ghee until golden and fragrant
Sugar - 1/3 cup, or to taste
Elakkai/elaichi/cardamom - 2, seeds removed from pods and powdered
Milk - 1 1/2 to 2 cups
Raisins - 10-15
Cashews - 8-10, broken in half
Ghee - small amount to fry raisins and cashews

Method:

1. Place about 1 cup water in pan and bring to boil. Add the javvarasi/sago to the boiling
water and cook until they become transparent and soft. You may need to add some more
water, depending on how small the sago are and how fast they cook. Just be careful not to
add too much water or the payasam will become watery.

2. Once the javvarasi is just about cooked, add the semiya to the same pan and continue
cooking until the semiya is cooked. This should take just a couple of minutes.

3. At this point, add the sugar to the pan and stir to dissolve it. The consistency should be
fairly thick at this point.

4. Now, add the milk to the consistency that you like. Some people like it almost drinkable.
Others like it fairly thick to eat off of their plates. (I generally add milk until I get the right
thickness for us.)

5. Once the milk begins to simmer, turn the heat off. Add the cardamom powder.

6. Lastly, fry the raisins and cashews in a little bit of ghee and add to the payasam.

javvarasi-semiya payasam

Payasam can be served warm or cold. My family's favorite way to eat it is warm with crisp
appalams broken up and mixed in! Enjoy this with your loved ones!
Nei (Ghee) Roast

Ingredients

Idli rice – 2 cups

Urad dal – 1 cup
Methi seeds – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee – as required to make dosas

Method

Soak the rice and dal-methi separately and grind to a smooth paste.
Mix both the batters together,add salt to taste and keep the batter for fermenting overnight.
Add more water to the batter if it is too thick.
Place a dosa tawa on flame and make dosas.
Pour melted ghee on top and roast till the dosa becomes brown and crisp.

To make rocket dosa

Spread the batter thinly as you would to prepare a dosa.

Pour ghee and when it starts becoming brown and crisp,simmer

the flame and make a small cut on the dosa with the dosa ladle from the middle to outside.
 Start rolling the dosa from the cut part till it becomes a rocket-

shape. Serve hot with chutney.

 For the Chutney
Add grated coconut(1 cup),1 green chilly,a small piece of tamarind,1 sprig curry leaves and salt to taste together and grind to a
smooth paste WITHOUT adding water.If the chutney is too dry and does not grind easily,sprinkle few drops of water and then
grind.