5. Avakkai urugai

 Avakkai is one of the best pickle that has long shelf life.

Prepraration:

For 6 fist sized mango. 

1. Better to choose a sour variety of raw mangoes.
2. Cut the mangoes into 8 pieces or more than that. Try to retain the hard shell.Through away the seed.
3. Use two white clothes. 
4. Have clean water in a bowl and dip one of the cloth, squeeze and wipe few pieces so that you clean all the dirt.
5.  Immediately wipe them with dry cloth and keep it on a newspaper or plate so that the skin portion touches the ground.
6.  Leave them to  dry. 
7. Repeat the process for the rest of the pieces. Allow them to dry under fan.

Powder to grind 

Ingredients

1. Red chilli powder -200 gms

2. Mustard seeds -200gms

3. Methi seeds - 200 gms

4. Salt

5. Idayam gingely oil - 1/2 kg

 Preparing the powder: 

1. Dry mustard seeds and methi seeds in the hot sun at least for 3 to 4 hrs. So that it can be powdered well and also keeps the pickle for long shelf life.
2. First add mustard seeds in a mixie jar and powder it well.
3. Now measure the powder in a cup  and add equal quantity of chilli powder and salt.
4. Just whip it to mix well in the jar itself.

Method:

1. Take a big container(can be glass/ stailess steal or plastic) But storage should be done preferably in glass or good quality of plastic.
2. Keep the dried mangoes, chilli mustarda salt powder mixer, methi seeds and oil.
3. First add few pieces of mango over which sprinkle the powder using a laddle or spoon so the that it falls on all the pieces.
4. Now sprinkle some methy seeds using a spoon.
5. Now using a laddle pour oil uniformly all over the mangoes. This is the first layer.
6. Repeat the process. Add mangoes then powder then methi seeds and then oil. This will be second layer.
7. Repeat till you complete all the mangoes. 
8. If some powder or oil is left behind, add the powder completely and then add the oil over that.
9. Close the vessel tightly. Leave it aside.
10. After 3 days check if the oil is floating on the top. If not, pour more oil. 
11. Mix thoroughly. Care should be taken that your hands or the laddle you use to mix the pickle are completely dry.
12. Check the next day. Oil should be floating. If not add some more and mix.
13. Keep mixing once daily for 3 days and store it in a air tight container. 
14. Take little in a small container for daily use. 
15. No need to refrigerate.

Yummy avakkai is ready to use. 

karadayan nonbu adai

Karadayan nonbu adai is very easy to make and delicious to eat with butter.

Uppu adai

Ingredients: 

Rice flour - 1 cup
water - 1 cup
Salt - as required
Sliced/Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
 (preferably sliced coconut and the slice should the size of the teeth of a comb)
Black eyed peas - 1/4 cup

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Channa dal - 1/2 teaspoon
Urid dal -1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 1
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Curry leaves - few
Hinge  - a pinch
Coconut oil - 1tbs

Method:

1.  Dry roast black eyed peas till it turns brown and a strong aroma comes.
2.  Soak the peas in boiled water till you prepare the flour for the adai or for 10 minutes.
3. Chop green chillis and grate the ginger.
4. Heat coconut oil add mustard seeds. 
5. After the mustard seeds splutter, add channa dal, urid dal and hinge. Roast till the dals turn brown.
6. Add chopped green chillis, grated ginger and curry leaves and saute.
7. Add water, salt, soaked peas and chopped/grated coconut. Allow it to boil.
8. Minimize the flame and add rice flour slowly and stir continuously.
9. Water will be absorbed by the rice flour. Switch off the flame and close it with a lid. Set aside.
10. Grease the base plate of the idli plates with coconut oil.
11. After two minutes take a small portion of the flour and make it a ball then flatten it. Make a hole in the center with your index finger(like ulundu vadai). Keep it on the idli plate coated with coconut oil.
12. Make the entire dough into this shape. Keep all the adai in one idli plate one above the other. You need not use all the plates as we do for idli.
13. Steam cook for 20 minutes.
14. Serve hot with butter.

Vella adai

Ingredients: 

Rice flour - 1 cup
water - 1 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
cardamom : 1 (powdered)
Sliced/Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
 (preferably sliced coconut and the slice should the size of the teeth of a comb)
Black eyed peas - 1/4 cup

Method:

1.  Dissolve jaggery in water just to immerse it. Filter and remove the dust and sand particles.
2. Dry roast black eyed peas till it turns dark brown till you get a good aroma and pour 1/2 cup of  boiled water. Soak till you prepare rice flour or for 10 minutes.
3.  Heat the rest of the water and add jaggery water, cardamom powder, black eyed peas, and coconut slices.
4. Once it starts boiling, switch off the stove and add the rice flour slowly with constant stirring.
5. Cover it for a while. When the heat is bearable you can roll the dough and flatten it and make a hole in the center.
6. Arrange them on the coconut oil creased plate and steam cook for 20 minutes.

Preparing rice flour: (Those who don't have time to prepare the rice flour can buy idiyappam flour from the shop)

• Take two cups of rice flour for both the adai, wash and soak for half an hour.
• Drain the water completely and dry on a clean towel or cotton cloth.
• After half an hour, Grind it to fine powder. Then sieve it. Grind the coarse powder left in the sieve plat again to avoid wastage. Sieve it again. You can use the left over coarse powder along with dosa batter.

27. Ennai Kathirikai

Ennai kathirikai is an excellent gravy. Though the name has oil in it, we actually need very little oil.
Deep fried thali vadam or appalam or arisi appalam will be a good combination with hot rice.

Ingridients: (2 persons)

Small baby brinjal - 250 gms
Tamarind - small lemon size
Salt -1tbs or to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Hinge - a pinch

For grinding:

Channa dal - 1tbs
Daniya - 1tbs
Red chilli - 4
Meth seeds - 1/2tsp
Hinge a pinch
cooking oil - 3tbs

Seasoning:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Curry leaves- a few.

Method:

1. Extract tamarind juice and keep aside.
2. Add1/2 tsp of oil and roast the ingredients mentioned till channa dal turns brown and grind it to coarse powder with few curry leaves.
3. Wash  brinjal and split on top into 4 quarters leaving the bottom of the brinjal. This makes it easy to stuff.
4. Stuff the brinjal with ground powder.
5. Add the rest of the oil and season as mentioned.
6. Add the brinjals and saute for a minute.
7. Add tamarind extract, turmeric powder, hinge, salt and curry leaves.
8. Allow it to boil then bring it to medium flame. Close the kadai and leave it till the brinjal gets cooked.
9. If the consistency is not thick enough. add a spoon of rice flour made into thick paste and stir immediately. Serve hot with chips or anything of your choice. 

22. Parupu urundai kuzhambu

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu is a delecious and nurtitious gravy/kuzhambu. Keerai and any vegetable will be a good combination along with rice.

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 1 cup
Red chilli - 5 or 6
Tamarind - 1 lemon size
Turmeric powder - a pinch
salt - 1tbs or as required
Hinge - a pinch
Sambar powder - 2 1/2 tsp




Seasoning:
Oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hinge - a pinch
Red chilli - 1
Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Soak Toor dal in hot water for 15mins.
2. Extract tamarind paste.
3. Boil tamarind water with salt, turmeric powder and hinge.
4. Allow the tamarind water to boil for 5mins, meanwhile grind soaked dal, red chiili, salt and a pinch of hinge with few curry leaves into a coarse paste with minimum water. When it is rolled into balls it should retain the shape for some time. 
5. Now add sambar powder to boiling tamarind water after adding it in a small cup of water so that there won't be any lumps. Allow it to boil for 5 more minutes.
6. Use a flat vessel or kadai for boiling tamarind water. This helps the dal balls to have enough space to get cooked.
7. While the water is boiling, bring the flame to sim and drop the dal balls one by one gently with out they touching each other.
8. Do not disturb the setup and allow it boil in medium flame.
9. The balls which get immersed first will start to float once it is cooked. Now gently stir the gravy without disturbing the balls.
10. The ground paste of dal can be kept a little, and can be added to the gravy after mixing with some water. This gives a little thickness to the gravy.
11. Season the gravy and serve it hot or cold.

Note: Care should be taken that the gravy may get stick to the bottom of the vessel which may lead to char.
If the dal paste is too watery, the balls will loose its shape once dropped in the gravy.
If stirred before the dal balls are cooked also will collapse the balls and they will not stay in shape. It should not be too dry which will make the balls hard after cooking. 

23. Mambazha kuzhambu

Mambazha kuzhambu is another kuzhambu/gravy which can be prepared only during mango season. It's delicious and different. Actually mango has lot of nutrients and available only during summer season. So to make use of maximum use during this season, this gravy can be a good option.

Ingredients: (For 4 to 6 persons) 
Ripe mangoes small in size ; 5/6
Tamarind - a lemon size
Hinge : a pinch
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Salt: to taste (1tbs)
Curry leaves: a few


For grinding: 
Channa dal: 2tbs
Daniya: 2tbs
Red chilli : 5 or 6
Methi seeds : 1tsp
Hinge: a pinch


For seasoning: Method:
Mustard seed : 1tsp
Hinge : a pinch
Red chilli: 1
Curry leaves : a few

1.  Extract tamarind juice, add turmeric powder, hinge and salt.
2. Allow it to boil. Take something hard and just pierce the mangoes on three or four points and drop them in boiling tamarind water.
3. Allow the mangoes to get cooked.
4. Grind the ingredients mentioned into a fine paste.
5. Mix well to the tamarind water and mix well.
6. Allow it boil for 2 mins, season and serve with rice and any vegetable

24. Pidikaranai Masiyal

Pidikaranai Masiyal is a simple kuzhambu/ gravy with out dal. Pidikarani is in between size of yam and colocasia . It looks like sweet potato and is a variety of yam. It hels reduce constipation , decreases bad cholesterol and fights agains colon cancer. 

 Ingredient: (4persons)

Pidikaranai - 3 or 4

Tamarind -  lemon size

Green chilli - 5/6

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hinge - a pinch

Curry leaves- few

Salt - 1tbs or to taste

Seasoning: 

Mustard seed - 1tsp

Methi seeds - 1/2 a tsp

Hinge - a pinch

Curry leaves - a few

Method:

1. pressure cook karanai kizhangu.
2. Season and add green chillies cut in lenght wise and saute for a second.
3. Extract and add the tamarind juice. 
4. Boil tamarind extract, seasoned items along with turmeric powder, hinge and salt.
5. Peel the skin of the karanai kizhangu carefully with out touching the pulpy portion as it may cause itching. Smash it.
6. Mix it with tamarind extract. Boil it for 2 mins.

26 Uppuchaar

Uppuchaar is a kuzhambu/gravy. It is a Tirunelveli special dish. It's different than other kuzhambu varieities. Keerai masiyal, dangar(a type of raitha) and uppuchaar are a good combination.

Ingredients:

Tamarind - a lemon size

Brinjal - 2

Lady's finger - 4

Kothavarangai/cluster beans(optional) - few

Salt - 1tbs or to taste

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Hinge - a pinch

Curry leaves

For grinding:

Urid dal -2tbs
Sesame seeds - 1tbs
Methi seeds - 1/2 tbs
Raw rice - 1/2tbs
Red chilli - 6
Hinge - a pinch

For seasoning:

Gingely oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds
Hinge a pinch
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Cut the vegetables into two or four pieces each.
2. Extract tamarind juice and add salt, turmeric powder, hinge and the cut vegetables. 
3. Allow it to boil till the vegetables get cooked.
4. Dry roast sesame seeds seperately till it splutters. Keep aside
5.  Dry roast urid dal, methi seeds and raw rice.Keep aside
6. Add little seasame oil and roast the red chilli with hinge.
7. Grind red chilli hinge and sesame seeds into fine powder with few curry leaves. Add roasted urid dal, methi seeds and raw rice and grind it to coarse powder.
8. Add gingely oil and season. To this add the ground powder and saute slightly then add it to the tamarind juice with the cooked vegetables. 
9. Allow it to boil for a minute.
10. If the consistancy is not thick enough, take 1tsp of rice flour made into thick paste, add and stir well.

Dangar

Ingredients:
A cup of thick fresh curd
 Dry roasted urid dal powder-1tsp
Salt to taste
coriander leaves
Hinge - a pinch

For seasoning:

mustard seeds - 1,2tsp
hinge- a pinch
Urid dal-1/2 tsp 
Red chilli-1
Green chilli -1 (cut into small bits) 
grated ginger -a pinch
Few curry leaves.

Method:

1. It is a curd pacchadi (raitha).
2. Add a 1tsp of dry roasted urid dal powder to a cup or curd. Add salt to taste. 
3. Season . Add coriander leaves cut into very small pieces.