Onion Rava Upma

Ingredients:

1 cup Semolina (Rava)

1 Red Onion (Finely chopped)

2 green chillies (Halved)

1 tsp freshly chopped ginger

1 strand of Curry leaves

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Urad dhal

1/2 tsp Channa dhal

2 cups water

2 tsp Oil

salt to taste

Method:

• Heat a non stick pan and dry roast the semolina on medium low flame till it changes into light brown colour. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in the same pan, splutter the mustard, urad and channa dhal then add the onion, chillies and curry leaves. Fry for few mins.
• Then add water and salt and bring it to rolling boil.
• Then add the roasted semolina in a steady stream, while stirring continuously to avoid the formation of lumps. 
• Cover the pan and let it cook for a couple of mins under low flame. 
• Serve upma hot with any of your favourite pickle or sugar.

Milagai Bajji

Ingredients:

5 Bajji Milagai

1/2 cup Besan Flour

2 tbsp Rice flour

A pinch of Baking powder

A pinch of hing

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

salt to taste

water

Oil for deep frying

Method:

• In a large bowl, Combine all the ingredients for the bajji batter except oil and milagai.
• Mix well and make sure the consistency of the batter is not too thin or too thick. Keep aside for 15 mins.
• Meanwhile, wash the chillies and slit them into half while keeping the tips intact.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.
• Dip the milagai in the batter to coat it well and drop them in the hot oil.
• Keep the flame medium high. Bajjis are ready when they turn golden brown on both sides.
• Serve the milagai bajjis hot with tomato ketchup.

Spicy Vegetable Noodles

Ingredients:

2 pkt Instant noodles

1 onion (Finely chopped)

2 Green chillies (thinly sliced)

2 cloves Garlic (finely minced)

1 cup Frozen mixed vegetables (Carrot, Peas, Corn)

1 tomato (Quartered)

1 Spring onion (sliced into 1" inch thickness)

1 tsp Chicken masala powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Cook the noodles, drain and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok, add garlic, onion and green chillies. Fry for 2 mins.
• Add the defrosted mixed vegetables, tomato, garam masala and chicken masala. Cook for couple of mins.
• Season the contents with pepper and salt. Then add the cooked noodles, and stir well to mix all the ingredients together.
• Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve immediately.

Prawn Masala

Ingredients:

250 gms Tiger prawns

2 Onions (Finely chopped)

1 Tomato (Quartered)

5 strands of curry leaves

1 tbsp Garlic ginger paste

1 tsp Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tbsp Kashmiri Chilli powder

1 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

Few stalks of Coriander leaves

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Clean, shell, devein the prawns and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok and add the fennel seeds. Fry for a min.
• Add the garlic ginger pastes and fry till the raw smell leaves, then add the onion and curry leaves. Fry for 2 mins.
• Then add the prawn and tomatoes together with turmeric and chilli powders. Stir everything together, cover the wok and cook for 5 mins under medium high flame.
• Then add cumin, pepper, garam masala and salt. Stir fry for couple of mins under high flame till prawns are cooked and the content is dry. Switch off the stove.
• Serve it hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Agathi Keerai Sambar

Ingredients:
1 cup of Toor dhal

1/2 cup Agathi keerai

2 green chillies (Slit)

3 cloves of Garlic (Chopped)

2 Ripe tomato (Quartered)

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

2 cups of water

1 small lime size tamarind ball

1 tbsp Sambar powder

For tempering:

1 tbsp Gingerly oil

1 small onion (thinly sliced)

2 dried red chillies

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Urad dhal

Method:

• Cook the toor dhal in a pressure cooker with a pinch of salt, turmeric powder and hing. Keep aside.
• Clean and remove the agathi keerai leaves from its stem. Wash and keep aside.
• Boil the washed agathi keerai leaves together with garlic, chillies, tomato, turmeric powder and salt in a deep bottomed pan.
• Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup of warm water. Extract the thick pulp and set aside.
• To the tamarind pulp, add the sambar powder.
• When the keerai is cooked, add the cooked toor dhal and the tamarind extract.
• In a small pan, heat gingerly oil, splutter mustard seeds and urad dhal. Add the onions, dry chillies and fry till golden brown.
• Add the tempering to the sambar and let it boil for 2 mins.
• Serve hot with rice and pappadam.

Potato Puli Thokku

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes (Peeled and diced)

1 Onion (Finely chopped)

6 cloves of Garlic (peeled and quartered)

2 strands of curry leaves

1 Tomato (Finely chopped)

1 small lime size tamarind ball

1/2 tsp Vadagam

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seed

1/4 tsp Mustard seed

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Sambar powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp grated Jaggery

1 tbsp coconut milk

1 tbsp Gingerly oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 15 mins, mash the pulp and strain the water.
• Heat the oil in a wok and splutter the mustard, fenugreek seeds and vadagam. Take care not to burn the vadagam as it gives bitter taste to the dish.
• Then add garlic, onion and curry leaves. Stir fry for few mins.
• Then add the potatoes, salt and turmeric powder with few tablespoons of water. Cover the wok and cook till potatoes are 3/4 done.
• Then add the tomatoes, sambar and coriander powders. Fry till the oil separates from the masala.
• Now add the strained tamarind water and cover the wok.
• When the potatoes are cooked till tender, add the grated Jaggery and coconut milk and cook for 5 more mins on low flame.
• Serve the spicy Potato Puli Thokku with plain rice and pappadam.

Bread Pakoda

Ingredients:

4 slices of white Bread

1 tbsp Yogurt

1 tbsp Besan flour

1 Red Onion (Finely chopped)

2 green chillies (Finely chopped)

1 strand of Curry leaves (Finely chopped)

1 coriander stalk (Finely chopped)

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Oil for Deep frying

salt to taste

Method:

• Lightly beat the curd with a fork to smoothen and set aside.
• Cut the brown edges of the bread and tear the slices into small pieces.
• In a bowl, mix the bread pieces with yogurt and let it rest for 15 -20 mins.
• Now add rest of the ingredients to the bread mixture except oil. Mix everything together.
• Heat oil in a deep pan. When the oil is hot, shape the bread mixture using hands and drop into the hot oil.
• Fry till they are golden brown and drain the pakodas in a kitchen towel.
• Serve pakodas hot with tomato ketchup or chutney.