Vendakkai Puli Kulambu

Ingredients:

10 Lady's Finger

8 shallots (peeled and quartered)

10 cloves of Garlic (peeled and quartered)

2 Tomato (quartered)

4 Dry red chillies

3 strands of curry leaves

1 small lime size tamarind ball

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seed

1/2 tsp Mustard seed

1/2 tsp Vadagam

A pinch of hing

21/2 tbsp Sambar powder

1 tbsp Coriander powder

1 tsp grated Jaggery

1/4 cup Freshly grated coconut

2 tbsp Gingerly oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash the lady's fingers, wipe clean and cut each into 2 or 3 pieces.
• Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a non stick pan, add the lady's finger and stir fry for few mins till it is half cooked. Keep aside.
• Grind the grated coconut to fine paste.
• Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 10 mins, mash the pulp and strain the water.
• Heat the oil in a wok and splutter the mustard, vadagam and fenugreek seeds. Then add curry leaves and dry chillies. Stir fry for few mins.
• Now add the garlic, shallots and hing.  Stir fry for 2 mins and add tomatoes.
• Then add the salt, sambar and coriander powders. Fry till the oil separates from the masala. Keep on low flame.
• Now add the lady's finger. Fry for few minutes. Add the tamarind water and cover the pan.
• When the lady's finger is cooked, add the grated Jaggery and coconut paste and cook for 5 more mins on low flame.
• Vendakkai puli kulambu is ready when the oil separates and comes on top.
• Serve the spicy  Vendakkai puli kulambu with plain rice and pappadam.

Sweet Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients:

1 cup Idli rice

1 cup Raw rice

1/4  cup urad dhal

2 tbsp Cooked rice

1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Cardamon Powder

1 cup Grated jaggery

5 tbsp Ghee or oil 

Method:

• Wash and soak the rice, urad dhal and fenugreek together for 4-5 hours.
• Then drain the water and grind it together with the cooked rice to a smooth paste.
• Now add salt, mix well and allow to ferment overnight or atleast 12 hours.
• Melt the grated jaggery in 1/4 cup of water and filter the residue. Now add the jaggery mixture with the cardamon powder to the fermented batter.
• Make sure the batter is not too thick or too thin. The consistency should be like dosa batter.
• Now heat the kuzhi paniyaram pan and drizzle few drops of ghee or oil into each whole.
• When it is hot, pour the batter into each hole and fill it to 3/4.
• Let it cook on medium low flame for 2 mins. Now using a tooth pick or paniyaram stick, turn the balls and cook for 2 more minutes till it turns golden brown.
• Serve it hot.

Mysore Bonda

Ingredients:

1 cup Plain flour
1/4 cup Rice flour
2 tbsp Corn flour
1/2 cup Yogurt

2 Green chilli (Chopped)

1 Big Onions (Chopped)
1/2 tsp Ginger (Chopped)

Few strands of Curry leaves (Chopped)
1/2 tbsp Crushed Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate soda

Oil for deep frying

salt to taste

Method:

• In a big bowl, Combine all the ingredients for the bonda except oil.
• Mix well and make sure the batter is of vada consistency.
• Keep aside for 1-11/2 hrs to ferment.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.
• Shape the batter into round balls and drop carefully into the hot oil.
• Keep the flame medium low and fry till bondas turn golden brown. 
• Serve bondas hot with coconut chutney.

Radish Carrot Poriyal

Ingredients:

1 Radish

3 Carrots

1 Onion (Sliced)

1 Tomato (Chopped)

4 Green chillies (Slit)

3 strands of Curry leaves

1 Green Cardamom

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 Star anise

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Urad dhal

Oil for seasoning

salt to taste

For Grinding masala:

3 shallots

1/4 tomato

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

Method:

• Wash and peel the skin off the radish and carrots and cut it into small bite size pieces. Keep aside.
• Grind the ingredients given under masala with a few tbsp of water into a fine paste.
• Heat oil in a wok, splutter the mustard and urad dhal then add the whole garam masala. Fry for a few mins.
• Then add the onion, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry for 2 mins.
• Then add the carrot, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Cover and cook till carrot is half cooked.
• Now add the radish and tomato.Stir, cover and cook till it is almost done .
• Then add the grinded masala and stir fry for few more mins to mix everything together till the poriyal is dry. Switch off the stove.
• Serve it hot with rice and Kulambu or Rasam.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

2 cups self raising flour (sifted)

21/2 cups Carrots (Finely shredded)

11/2 cups Brown sugar

1 cup Cooking oil
3 eggs (@ room temp)

1 tsp Bicarbonate Soda

11/2 tsp Cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder

1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts

A pinch of salt

For the Frosting:

200 gms Cream Cheese (@ room temp)

50 gms Unsalted butter (@ room temp)

250 gms Icing sugar

A splash of vanilla Essence

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
• Grease and flour the baking tin.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, bicarbonate soda, cinnamon, nutmeg powder and salt. Mix well .
• Now add eggs one at a time and blend well.
• Then add the oil and mix well till all is blended.
• Now stir in the carrots and walnuts. Do not over work the flour.
• Pour the mixture into the well greased prepared baking tray/tin.
• Bake it in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• Turn onto a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
• Now for the icing, cream the butter and cream cheese together till it turns smooth. Then add in the icing sugar and vanilla essence and beat for few more minutes till all is blended and turns thick.
• Frost the cake and decorate it with any roasted nuts or carrot strips.

Garlic Potato Masala

Ingredients:

2 New Potatoes

1 Onion (Sliced)

8 cloves of Garlic (Sliced)

1/2 Tomato (Chopped)

2 strands of curry leaves

1 cinnamon stick

1 whole Cardamom

2 cloves

1 Star anise 

1 tsp Fennel seeds

1 tbsp Kashmiri Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

Few stalks of Coriander leaves

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp Ghee

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash potatoes, cut into big chunks and boil it in salted water till 3/4 cooked. Cool and peel the skin and cut into big bite size pieces. Keep aside.
• Heat oil and ghee in a non stick pan and add the whole garam masala (Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and Star anise). Fry for a min. 
• Then add fennel seeds.
• Then add the garlic slices, onion and curry leaves and fry for 2 mins.
• Then add the tomatoes and masala powders. Stir everything together, then add the potatoes and salt. 
• Stir fry for couple of mins under medium flame till the potatoes are well coated with the masala mixture, then add chopped coriander leaves and keep it on very low flame for another 5 mins till potatoes are well roasted. Switch off the stove.
• Serve it hot with steamed rice and Rasam .

Peppered Tuna Masala

Ingredients:

2 cans of Tuna in olive oil

10 cloves of Garlic (peeled and finely chopped)

2 inch Ginger (peeled and finely chopped)

2 onions (Finely Chopped)

1/2 Tomato (Finely Chopped) 

3 Red chillies (Slit)

2 Red dried chillies

2 tbsp Coriander leaves (Finely chopped)

3 strands of curry leaves (Finely chopped)

2 tbsp Freshly ground black pepper powder

1 tbsp Fish curry powder

1/2 tbsp Fennel seed

1 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat the oil in a wok and splutter the fennel seeds and red dried chillies. Then add garlic, ginger, onion, curry leaves and red chillies. Stir fry for few mins.
• Then add the tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are smashed and the oil comes to the surface.
• Now add the fish curry powder and coriander leaves. Stir well to combine everything together.
• Then add the tuna with its oil, grounded black pepper and salt and stir everything together to mix well.
• Keep it on low flame till oil separates and comes on the surface.
• Serve it warm.