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.

Kootu varieties 1. Plain kootu

1.       Plain paasiparuppu (moongdal) kootu 

Vegetables that can be used: Cabbage, chow chow, pudalangai/ snake guard,avaraikai, karamani, beans, carrot, kothavarangai, drumstick, noolkol, peerkangai, vazhai thandu, cauliflower and keerai (mulai keerai, ponnaganni keerai, pasalai keerai, parupu keerai, vendhya keerai, murungai keerai, manathakkali keerai).

 Ingredients: (4person)
 Pasi parupu/Moongdal - 1/2 cup
 Vegetable - 150/200gms
 Jeera - 1tsp
 Pepper - 5/6
 Turmeric powder - a pinch
 Asafoetida - a pinch
 Salt - 1ts p

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

 

1.     Pressure cook moongdal or you can cook straight away adding a pinch of turemeric powder, asafoetida. Smash and keep it aside.

2.      Wash and chop the vegetable into small pieces and cook adding the salt.

3.      Grind jeera and pepper into powder.

4.      Add smashed dal and add jeera-pepper powder.

5.      Boil it for 2 seconds. If the consistency is too watery sprinkle rice flour slowly.

6.      Season all the ingredients listed under seasoning.

Tips:

1. To cut vazhaithandu: Fibre of the vegetable should be removed. Peel off the external layer. Cut in horizontaly into thin circular pieces. While making the slice, use your fore finger to remove the fibre part. Cut into small cubes and put it in butter milk water to avoid blackening. vazhai thandu dissolves kidney stones. It can be used once or twice a month only. But regular use helps in bowel movement.

2. If you cook moong dal directly, it will over flow. So add a spoon of cooking oil, keep the karandi in the vessel and add turmeric powder after the dal is half cooked. While pressure cooking, add more water to avoid the stickiness in the dal.

3. All or some of the above vegetables not exceeding 200gms can be used to make mixed vegetable kootu. A small potato and brinjal can also be added to this kootu