Ragi Puttu

Ingredients:

11/2 cups Ragi flour

1/2 cup Red rice puttu flour

A pinch of Cardamon powder

water

salt to taste

1/4 cup grated jaggery

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

Method:

• Heat a non stick pan and dry roast the ragi and red rice flour on a very low flame till it emits a nice aroma. Cool the flour and sieve it.
• In a wide bowl, add the ragi, red rice flour, cardamon powder and salt and rub well to mix.  
• Sprinkle water little by little to the flour and mix well till it resembles bread crumbs. 
• In the meanwhile, boil water in the idli maker pan.
• Now place the puttu flour on a clean wet cloth and steam for 5-7 mins.
• Remove the puttu to a wide bowl, add the grated jaggery and coconut. Stir well to mix everything.
• Serve the puttu hot.

Kathirikai Chutney

Ingredients:

4 small Brinjals (Chopped)

1 Potato (Chopped)

3 Tomatoes (Chopped)

10 Shallots

5 cloves of garlic

3 Green chillies

A small tamarind piece

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Cumin

2 strands of Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Urad dhal

2 Dry chillies

Oil for seasoning

salt to taste

Method:

• Heat a tsp of oil in the pressure cooker, splutter the cumin seeds.
• Then add the brinjals, potato, tomatoes, shallots, garlic, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt. Stir fry for few mins.
• Now add the tamarind piece and water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
• When the pressure is down, open the cooker and mash the content coarsely with the masher while it is still hot.
• Heat oil in a small pan, splutter the mustard seeds and urad dhal. Add the dry chillies and curry leaves. Fry for a min.
• Then add the seasoning to the mashed brinjal chutney and stir well. 
• Serve it hot with Idly or dosa.

Tuna Sambal

Ingredients:

1 can Tuna in olive oil

2 Onions (Chopped)

2 Tomatoes (Chopped)

4 Red chilli padi (Chopped)

1 tbsp Garlic ginger paste

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder

1 tbsp Tomato puree/sauce

1/2 tsp Lime juice

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Open the tuna tin, drain the oil to a pan. Keep tuna aside on a plate. 
• Heat the drained oil and 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the garlic ginger paste and fry till the raw smell leaves, then add the onion and chilli padi and fry till onion turns translucent.
• Now add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and chopped tomatoes. Stir fry for few mins till tomatoes are mushy. 
• Then add the tomato puree and salt and stir everything together.
• Now add the drained tuna and lime juice.  Stir everything together, cover the pan and cook till the oil separates from the sambal.
• Serve it hot with steamed Thai rice or toasted bread and Fresh salad.

Iced Lemon Tea

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Lemon

2 tbsp Caster sugar

2 Black tea bags

1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice

Few mint leaves

Method:

• Peel the skin from the lemon. In a pan, boil 2 cups of water with the lemon peel and sugar for about 5 mins till all the sugar is dissolved. 
• Now add the tea bags to the sugar mixture and let it seep for 10-15 mins.
• Then add the lemon juice and water. Taste and adjust accordingly.
• To serve, strain the tea into a tall glass filled with ice cubes and garnish with lemon slice and mint leaves.

Aloo Bonda

Ingredients:

For the filling:
2 medium Potatoes
1 Onion (Finely chopped)
1 tsp Ginger (Finely chopped)
2 Green chillies (Finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Few pinches of Garam masala
Few stalks of Coriander leaves (Finely chopped)
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

For the batter:
1/2 cup Besan Flour

2 tbsp Rice flour

A pinch of Baking soda

A pinch of hing

1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

salt to taste

water

Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Wash the potatoes, cut into big chunks and boil it in salted water till cooked. Cool and peel the skin and smash a bit. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard and cumin seeds.
• Then add onion, ginger, green chillies and turmeric powder and fry for few mins.
• Then add the onion and fry till it is well browned.
• Then add the smashed potatoes and salt. Stir fry for 2 mins.
• Sprinkle the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.
• Stir fry for couple of mins under medium flame till the potatoes are well coated with the masala mixture. Switch off the stove.
• Cool the filling and roll into small lime size rounds. Keep aside.
• Now for the outer cover, prepare the batter.
• In a large bowl, Combine all the ingredients for the batter except oil.
• Mix well and make sure the consistency of the batter is not too thin or too thick.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan over medium high heat.
• Now dip the potato balls in the batter to coat it well and drop them in the hot oil.
• Turn the bondas around the pan till they are golden brown on both sides. Drain in a kitchen towel.
• Serve the hot aloo bondas with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups Cooked sona masoori/Basmati rice

3/4 cup Finely grated fresh coconut

1/4 cup Boiled peanuts

6 Cashew nuts (Broken into small pieces)

1 tsp Mustard seed

1/2 tsp Urad dhal

1/2 tbsp Chana dhal

5 Dry red chillies (Broken into 2/3 pieces)

A pinch of hing

3 Strands of Curry leaves

1 tbsp Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat coconut oil in a wide pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Then add urad dhal, chana dhal, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for few mins till the dhals are well roasted.
• Then add a pinch of hing and cashew nuts.
• Now add grated coconut and salt. Fry on low heat till the coconut get roasted.
• Then add the boiled peanuts and cooked rice.
• Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
• Serve tasty coconut rice with the spicy Garlic Potato Masala.

Fish fry with Curry Leaves

Ingredients:

5 slices of Fish

6 strands of curry leaves

2 tbsp Kashmiri Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tbsp Whole Black pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

2 Cloves of garlic

3 Shallots

1 tsp lime juice

salt to taste

Oil to shallow fry

Method:

• Wash, clean the fish and pat it dry with kitchen towel. Keep aside.
• In a spice grinder, grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste except 2 stands of curry leaves.
• Rub the fish slices with the  grounded spice paste and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours .
• Heat enough oil in a pan to shallow fry the fish pieces. Once the fish is crispy and browned, flip it over and fry on the other side also.
• Fry the 2 strands of curry leaves also in the hot oil. Drain to a paper towel.
• Serve the spicy fish fry garnished with crispy fragrant curry leaves.