1. parupu kuzhambu

Parupu kuzhambu is the simplest gravy.
Vegetables that can be used - Brinjal, ash guard, carrot, raddish, drumstick, lady's finger,capsicum etc
Ingredients:
Thur dhal - 1cup
Tamrind - 1 big lemon size
Salt - 1tbs
Hinge - apinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Sambar/ kuzhambu podi - 2 and 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
coriander leaves
Green chilli - 3

For seasoning:
Mustartd seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Red chilli -1
Curry leaves
Gingely oil/ ghee - 1tsp

Method:

1. Soak thur dhal and tamrind in separate vessels in hot water.
2. Pressure cook thur dhal adding hinge and turmeric powder.
3. Add salt to the soaked tamarind and extract the juice. (you can use two cups of water to squeeze the tamarind)
4. Cook the vegetable in tamarind water adding turmeric powder.
5. Fry the sambar powder adding very little gingely oil and add to the tamarind juice.
6. Mash the cooked thur dhal and add to the tamarind, sambar powder gravy.
7. Add green chillies (choped lenght wise) and boil the mixture for 2 mins.
8. Season it using the items given under seasoning.

2. Sambar

2.       Sambar (Freshly roasted araithuvitta sambar)

Vegetables that can be used
Drumstick, raddish, capsicum, carrot, ashguard, brinjal and lady's finger.

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 1cup
any vegetable -200gm
Tamarind -1 lemon size ball
Salt - 2tbs
Hinge - a pinch
Oil - 1tbs
Turmeric powder - a pinch
For grinding:
Grated coconut - 3tbs
Daniya/coriander seeds - 2tbs
Channa dal - 2tbs
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Redchilli - 8
Curry leaves few
For tempering:
Gingely oil/ ghee - 1tbs
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Red chilli - 2
Methi seeds - few
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves
Preparation: 1. Soak toor dal for 20 minutes in hot water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
2. Roast all the ingredients (till the dal turns brown) given under grinding except coconut  and grind with grated coconut into a coarse paste.
3. Chop the vegetables (1 inch size).
4. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract 2cups of syrup.
Method:
1. Cook the vegetable in tamarind extract along with salt, hinge and turmeric powder.
2. Add the the ground past, cooked and smashed toor dal to the tamrind extract.
3. Mix well and boil it for 2 seconds.
4. Temper with the ingredients given under tempering.

3. Simple sambar

3.       Simple sambar
Vegetables can be used same as parupu kuzhambu. Ash guard is the best suited.you can dd potato when you make mixed vegetable sambar. Sambar onions can be used.
Ingredients:
Same as parupu kuzhambu
For grinding
Grated coconut -2tbs
For tempering
Refer parupu kuzhambu
Method:
Repeat steps 1 to 3 from parupu kuzhambu.
4. Grind the grated coconut along with sambar powder into fine paste and add to the tamrind extract.
    and add fresh curry leaves liberally.
5. Repeat steps 5 to 7 from parupu kzuhambu.
Tips: For onion sambar fry small sambar onions in ghee and then add to the tamarind extract.

9. Avial

8.       Avial

Ingredients

Ash guard - 200gm
Snake guard - 100gm
yam - 100gm
potato - 1(big)
Drumstick - 1
Brinjal - 50gm
Arvi/colacasia -5
Raw banana -1
Carrot - 2 
Brinjal - 2
Beans - 50gm
Kothavarangai/cluster beans -50gm
Avaraikai - 50gm
Salt - 2tbs
Optional
Fresh Green peas - 50gm
Sweet potato -1
 For grinding
 Coconut - 1/2 shell(big size)
Jeera - 1tsp
Green chilli -10
Red chilli -1

For tempering
Coconut oil - 2tbs
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves
For spreading
Grated Coconut - 2tsp
Coconut oil - 2tbs
Curd - 2tbs

Method:

1.       Peel the skin of yam, raw banana and yam. Wash all the vegetables and cut length wise (1 ½ inch approx).

2.       Pressure cook arvi separately and peel off the skin and keep aside.

3.       Cook all the vegetables in a non stick container adding salt.

4.       Meanwhile grind all the ingredients given under grinding coarsely.

5.       Once the vegetables are cooked, peel the skin of arvi and add.

6.       Add the ground coconut to the vegetables and mix thoroughly.

7.       Allow it  to boil for 2 seconds.

8.       Heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds. Add curry leaves after mustard seeds splutters.

9.       Spread grated coconut and coconut oil.

10.   After it is cool add curd and mix well.

Note: You can even add curd to the quantity which you are going to use immediately. Adding to the whole lot may turn sour after sometime. So it is to be refrigerated. 

7. Paal kootu

7.       Paal kootu

Snake guard, pala keerai, seemai ponnaganni keerai can be used to make this dish. Ashguard can also be used.
Ingredients:
Snake guard - 1/4kg
Milk - 1cup
Green chilli -2
cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
Rice flour - 2tbs
Salt -1tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch
For tempering:
Mustard seeds -1tsp
Urid dal - 1tsp
curry leaves
Method:

1.       Chop into very small pieces and cook in little water, salt and turmeric powder.

2.       Add chopped (lengthwise) chillies and milk. Boil it for 5 minutes. Add rice flour paste.

3.       Temper all the items given under seasoning in oil.

6.Morkootu

6.       Morkoottu

Ashguard/poosanikai. chow chow and banana stem are the suitable vegetables for this type of kootu.
Ingredients:
Pumpkin - 1/2kg
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Red chilli - 2
Cumin seeds/jeera - 1tsp
Rice flour - 1 tbs
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Curd/ thick butter milk - 2tbs
For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Coconut oil - 2tsp
Urid dal - 1/2tsp
Asafoetida -a pinch
Cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
Red chilli (broken) - 1
Curry leaves
Method:

1.       Peel off the skin of the pumpkin and chop into very small pieces and cook adding, curd, salt and turmeric powder.

2.       Grind coconut, cumin seeds and red chilli.

3.       Mix with the rice flour, cooked vegetable well and boil it for a 2 seconds. Mix well.

4.       Temper all the items given under seasoning in oil.

Tips: Pumpkin will liberate water. So use less water for cooking.