Tomato Rasam

This is a simple and easy version of rasam that can be made in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

3-4 medium sized plum tomatoes
1 1/2 cup water (approx)
2 green chillies,slit
1 tsp (heaped) MTR rasam powder
1 tsp sasam (black mustard seeds)
a few curry leaves
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar
1 tsp coriander leaves, chopped

How it's made:

Cut tomatoes in half and cook with 1/2 cup of water until soft. Once cool, blend tomatoes in blender. Return  tomato puree back to sauce pan. Add green chillies and 1 cup water. More water can be added. Boil for 5 mins. In a "Phanna Davlo"or small frying pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add rasam powder & curry leaves. Add seasoning to tomatoes. Adjust salt, sugar & garnish with coriander leaves.

Serves: 4

Kulitha Idli (Horsegram Idli)

Ingredients:

1 cup Kulithu (Horsegram)
1 cup urad dal (Black gram dal)
1 1/2 cups idli rava
salt to taste

How it's made:

Wash, soak horsegram and ural dal for 4-5 hours. Grind to a paste. Do not add to much water while grinding. Remove batter into a bowl. Wash idli rava under running water. Drain well. Add idli rava to the ground batter. Mix well and set aside for 6-8 hours to ferment. Add salt.
Steam idli for 10-12 mins & serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Chicken Green Masala (Chicken Curry)

My son was always under the impression that this dish was made with spinach & he refused to eat it for many years. A few months ago, on a day that he was bored, he decided to help me in the kitchen when he realized what went into making the dish.

The freshness of mint and coriander leaves gives a wonderful taste & aroma to the curry. Overall its a simple curry, but its all in frying the ground masala. If the masala is not fried enough, it leaves behind a raw taste of spices. The curry tastes better if refrigerated for a day.

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken, cut into medium pieces

1 can coconut milk

2 Onions, sliced

2 medium tomato, chopped

1 cup Coriander leaves, chopped

1/2 cup Mint leaves

1"Ginger

6 cloves garlic

8- 10 green chillies(adjust as per taste)

6 cloves

1"cinnamon

3 green caradmom

1 tsp pepper corns

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp Oil

salt to taste

How it's made:

Grind coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom  pepper corns, coriander seeds, jeera to a fine paste.

Heat oil, fry onions until light brown. Add ground masala. Fry on low flame until the masala colors changes to deep green (takes about 20 mins). Add chicken, tomatoes, haldi & 1/2 cup water. Cover and let it cook until chicken is well done. Add coconut milk. Boil for 2 mins. Serve hot with rice/roti.

Serves: 6

Palak with Tori dal (Spinach with Pigeon peas)

I love the simplicity of this dish. A good friend of mine made this for an event and I loved the taste. When I got the recipe, I loved it even more since it was healthy and so easy to cook! This dish was done in 15 mins and goes well with rice/ roti/ bread.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen tori (pigeon peas)
1- 10 oz box frozen palak (spinach)
1 small onion, chopped fine
Marble size tamarind (I substitued with 2 green tomatoes)
2 green chillies, slit
1"ginger, chopped fine
1/4 cup toor dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 dried red chillies
oil
salt to taste

How it's made:

Wash toor dal. In a pressure cooker pan, add pigeon peas, spinach, toor dal, green chillies, ginger, onions & tamarind. Pressure cook 10 minutes.
In a "Phanna davlo"or frying pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add hing, garlic and red chillies. Add seasoning to the cooked dal/palak. Boil. Adjust salt to taste.

Serves: 4