Thengai kuzhambu

Thengai kuzhambu is a simple side easy to do and very tasty with any vegetable curry. Vegetables like lady's finger, brinjal, capsicum, drum stick and ash guard can be used.

Ingredients:
Vegetable pieces - 1 cup.
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Rice flour - 1tbs
Salt - 1tbs

For grinding:
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cumin seeds(jeera) - 1/2tsp
Daniya seeds (coriander seeds) - 1/2tsp
Red chilli - 7
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
Hinge - a pinch

For seasoning:
Oil - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Cook the vegetable in one cup of water adding salt, turmeric powder and hinge.
2. Soak tamarind in hot water. Remove the seeds and seed coats if any.
3. Grind coconut, cleaned tamarind, jeera, red chilli, daniya and hinge into a thick paste.
4. Add the paste to the cooked vegetable and mix well. Add 2 cups of water.
5. Boil it for 3 minutes. Add rice flour paste and mix well. Boil again for a minute.
6. Season with the given ingredients.

Note: If the consistency is thin add some more rice flour paste.

4. Onion sambar

Onion Sambar
Hot rice, ghee, onion sambar with fried potatoes or deep fried appalams are the best combo.
Best side dish for dosa, idli and upma.
Along with onions other vegetables used for sambar can also be used for a different taste.
Ingredients:
Sambar onion - 1/4kg
Toor dal - 1cup
Tamarind - Lemon size
Hinge - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - 2tbs
Grated coconut -2tbs
For roasting:
Channa dall -2tbs
Daniya - 2tbs
Methi seeds - 1/2tsp
Red chilli - 8
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves
Oil - 2 tsp
Ghee - 1tsp
For tempering:
Gingely oil - 1tsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Red chilli - 1
Curry leaves

Method:

1.       Peel off the skin of onion. (If you soak it in water and peel, your eyes may not water while peeling). Trim out the top and bottom portion of onions.

2.       Soak toor dal in hot water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

3.       Roast all the items given under for roasting till channa dal turns brown. Keep it aside.

4.       Fry onions in ghee till the aroma come and onions turn transparent.

5.       Grind the toasted items with grated coconut and 2 or 3 fried onions into fine paste.

6.       Soak tamrind in hot water and get 2 cups of extract. Add turmeric powder, salt, hinge and onions. Allow it to boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off and onions are cooked well.

7.       Add ground paste and cooked and smashed toor dal to the tamrind extract. Allow it to boil for 2 minutes.

8.       Temper all the items given under tempering in gigngely oil.

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. 

8. Eriseri

9.       Eriseri

Ingredients: 
Senai/yam - 200g
vazhakai/raw banana - 1
Pepper- 8
Red chilli - 1
Salt - 1tbs
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1tsp
For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urid dal - 1/2tsp
Grated coconut - 2tsp
Coconut oil - 2tbs
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method: 

1.       Grind pepper and redchilli and leave it aside(paste 1). Grind coconut separately.

2.       Peel the skin of yam and cut into small cubes and wash well.  Cook in a vessel in little water adding salt, asafetida, paste 1 and turmeric powder.

3.       When yam is 3/4^th cooked add peeled and chopped raw banana.

4.       After the vegetables are cooked well, add ground coconut and boil it for a minute. Sprinkle rice flour and mix well.

Tempering:

      Heat coconut oil add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Add urid dal after mustard splutters. When urid dal turns brown, add grated coconut and fry till it turns golden brown. Add curry leaves, stir well and add it to eriseri.

 

4. Avial kootu

4.       Avial kootu

All the vegetables that are mentioned in plain kootu can be used for making avial kootu.
Ingredients(4persons)
Vegetable - 200/250gms
coconut (grated ) - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1/2tsp
greenchili - 2
Rice flour - 1tbs
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional)

Seasoning
Coconut oil -2tsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Jeera -1/2 tsp
Urid dal -1/2tsp
Red chili -1
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves
Method

1.       Wash and cut the vegetables into small pieces. Cook the vegetable in a cup of water, salt and asafoetida.

2.       Grind coconut, green chili and jeera into fine paste.

3.       Mix with cooked vegetable and boil it for 2 seconds.

4.       Add rice flour paste and mix thoroughly and allow it to just boil.

5.       Season with all the ingredients mentioned for seasoning.

Tips: You can add a spoonful of grated coconut while seasoning and fry slightly and add. This gives a nice aroma and special taste.