8. Nellikai Urugai/Amla pickle

 Amla/ Nellikai is rich in vitamin C. One small piece of Amla a day gives enough vitamin c.

Ingredients:

Amla -  1/2kg

Gingely oil - 2 tbsp.

Chili powder - 1tbs

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Hinge - 1/2tsp

Methi seeds - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Clean amla well and wipe it with a cloth. 
2. Dry roast methi seeds, dry grind it and keep it aside.
3. Add gingely oil to the pan and add mustard seeds. 
4. Add hinge after the mustard seeds splutter.
5. Add amla, turmeric powder, salt and methi powder.
   
   
   
6. Stir well and close it with a lid. Keep stirring now and then.
7. Amla gets cooked in 10mins. If you smash with the ladle it splits on its lines.
   
   
   
8. Finally add chili powder. Now the pickle is ready. 
9. Store it in a dry glass/ plastic container.
10. It has shelf life of more than 6months. If refrigerated, stays very long period. Sometimes if the salt is excess, it sediments on the pickle. If you mix thoroughly it will be fine.

Poosanikai vathal/ Kuzhambu vathal/Ash gourd vathal

Poosanikai vathal is the easiest and very tasty vathal. Also we can use the entire ash gourd unlike the other ash gourd dishes. It is a South Indian dish.

Ingredients: 

Ash gourd / white poosanikai - 1/2 kg

Urid dal - 1 cup

Red chili - 10 to 15

Hinge- 1/4tsp

Fresh curry leaves - few

Salt - as required (1tbs)

Method:

1. Wash the ash gourd and remove the skin and keep aside. you can cut off the skin along with some flesh which will be easier.
2. Take the urid dal and red chili in a broad vessel.
3.  Cut the flesh part along with the seed into small pieces and add over the urid dal. Mix well. Leave it aside for at least 2hrs. Urid dal gets soaked by the water in ash gourd pieces.
   
   
   
4. Grind the skin first well and then grind the urid dal, red chili, salt, hinge, curry leaves and ash gourd pieces into a coarse paste.
   
   
   

 5. Using a table spoon, drop on a plastic sheet and dry under the sun for two days and store in an air           tight container.

Tips:

• You can cut the ash gourd and soak the urid dal the previous day evening, grind and refrigerate. 
• Next day morning you can put the vathal before 8am.
•  Do not soak urid dal separately which will increase the water and it might affect the consistency.
• This can be fried in very little oil and used for verum kuzhambu , more kuzhambu instead of the vegetable as a than.
• This can be used in seasoning keerai masiyal by breaking it into bits along with vepambu and other ingredients.
  
  
  
  

20. Killi thirumari parupu kuzhambu

This is a modified form of parupu kuzhambu, Vegetables like brinjal and okra(both or any one) or drumstick can be used.

Ingredients: 
Toor dal - 1 cup
Chopped vegetable - 1 cup
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
salt - 1tbs
Hinge - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Curry leaves

For grinding:
Channa dal - 1tbs
Daniya - 1tbs
Hinge - a pinch
Fresh curry leaves - few

For seasoning:
Oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 7 ( broken)
Methi/vendhayam - 1tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Dry fry the items given under grinding and make it a coarse powder. Leave it aside.
2. Pressure cook the dal.
3. Extract 3 cups tamarind juice and cook the chopped vegetable in it adding turmeric powder, hinge, curry leaves and salt.
4. Smash the cooked dal and mix the ground powder.
5. Season the items and add the mixture and tamarind juice with cooked vegetables. Allow it boil.

7. Milagu kuzhambu

Milagu kuzhambu is the best dish during the winter season.

Ingredients: 
Tamarind - A large lemon size
salt - 1tb
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Fresh curry leaves - 1/2 cup

For frying
Gingely oil - 1tbs
channa dal/ kadalai parupu -1/4 tsp
Thur dal - 1tbs
Daniya - 1bs
Red chilli -4
Pepper -1/2 tbp
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
For seasoning
Gingely oil- 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
Hinge - a pinch
curry leaves
optional - Sundaikai vathal/ brinjal
Method:

1. Soak tamrind in hot water for half an hour and remove the seeds or seed coat if any.
2. Fry all the items given under frying till the dhal turnd into golden brown with a good aroma.
3. Grind all the fried items along with tamrind and salt into a fine paste.
4. Heat the oil and add mustard seeds. Add turmeric powder after the seeds splutter. Add hinge and curry leaves. 
5. Add the paste and saute for two minutes.

Tips: You can make a large quantity and preserve it by making it into a thick paste adding more gingely oil. It lasts for 6 months if refrigerated and handled carefully with dry hands and spoon.

If you are doing for 1 day, you can have a the consistency as that of other kuzhambu adding sufficient water. For this either you can fry sundaikai before seasoning and keep aside and do the rest of the method then finally add the sundaikai after switching off the stove(This leaves sundaikai cripsy when you eat). Or you can use brinjal after cooking in tamarind water.

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.

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.

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.

5. Maakootal or milagoottal

5.       Milagootal or makkootal

Spinach/keerai (mulai keerai, manathakali keerai, parupu keerai, pasalai keerai and ponanganni keerai) are the best for this dish. Cabbage, beans, chow chow, snake guard and other vegetables used for plain kootu can be used.
Ingredients:
Keerai/ spinach - 1 bunch
Thoor dal/moong dal - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
pepper - 5
cumin seed/jeera - 1tbs
optional urid dal- 2tsp
Red chilli - 1
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - 1tbs
For tempering
Coconut oil/cooking oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
urid dal - 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
Broken red chilli - 1
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves
Method:

1.       Clean the spinach and chop into very small pieces and cook adding salt and turmeric powder.

2.       Pressure cook thoor dal adding a pinch of turmeric powder and asafetida.

3.       If you used urid dal, fry it with cumin seeds and pepper in dry pan and grind it with coconut. If you do not use urid dal grind the rest of the items raw.

4.       Smash the dal well .Mix all the three well and boil it for a 2 seconds. If the consistency is thin add rice flour.

5.       Temper all the items given under seasoning in oil.
Note: This is makes a best combo with vathakuzhambu. This can be used as a main gravy with ghee rich and pickles can be used as a side dish.
It is a good side dish for chappathi.