Sweet Kelvaragu(Ragi) Adai

Though this dish doesn't look attractive but it tastes very delicious and is filled with calcium and is very low in cholesterol this is a perfect dish for those who are very health conscious. As in this dish we mix drumstick leaves to ragi its very rich in iron and makes more nutritious.
This can be taken as an early meal or snack.
Note: Adai can be prepared without drumstick leaves if not available.

Ingredients:

1. Ragi flour - 2 cups
2. Drumstick leaves - 1/2 cup
3. Jaggery grated - 1/2 cup
4. Oil

Procedure:

• In a kadai saute drumstick leaves few minutes.
• Add fried sauted drumstick leaves,grated jaggery to the ragi flour and mix it well by adding water to make it a dough.
• Take a portion of ragi and flatten it with your fingers on a plastic sheet or banana leaf.
• Now transfer this flattened adai on a heat pan which is coated with oil,cook on both the side by adding little oil until its done.repeat the same for left over dough.
• Transfer it on a serving plate and its ready to serve.

Ridge Gourd Tomato curry (Beerakaya/peerkangai curry)

Ridge gourd's are consumed when it is normally tender and green.It is mostly used in vegetable cuisine  This can be cooked in many ways,it tastes good when eaten with rotis and rice .The nutritional value of gourd makes it suitable for maintaining optimum health,weight loss and as cooling property.

Ingredients:

1. Ridge gourd - 2 cup (sliced)
2. Tomato - 2
3. Onion - 1 
4. Green chilli - 3
5. Red chilli - 1 tbps
6. Turmeric 
7. Jeera powder - 1/4 tbps
8. Coriander powder - 1/4 tbps
9. Salt

For Tempring:

1. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbps
2. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbps
3. Urad dal - 1/4 tbps
4. Curry leaves
5. Oil

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a cooking vessel on medium flame,add tempering ingredients and allow it to splutter.
• Add chopped onions,green chilli  and saute it for few minutes then add tomato and ridge gourd .Cover them add cook it for almost 10 mins.
• Now add turmeric powder,redchilli powder,jeera, coriander powder and saute them for another cover cook for 10min.(you can add water if the consistency is too thick)
• Cook on medium flame till it reaches curry consistency and releases oil.Once done transfer it into a serving bowl and serve hot with roti or rice. :) 

Eggy Bread...

Now a days sandwiches/toast are very popular,you can almost find sandwich stalls at many places like railway stations , theaters,malls,restaurant etc.,This recipe is for egg and bread lovers,which is very simple and easy to prepare for breakfast or you can take it as a snack.I learnt this simple and yummy dish from my hubby..:) 

Ingredients:

1. Eggs - 2
2. Bread - 4
3. Sugar - 4 tbps
4. Salt - pinch (very little)
5. Milk - 1cup
6. Butter

Procedure:

• Break eggs in a bowl beat lightly with a fork,now add milk,salt and sugar and stir them well.
• Meanwhile over medium flame,heat a pan coated with a layer of butter.
• Let the pan heat for few seconds,in the mean time soak the bread slices in egg mixture for seconds one at a time.Take care that both the side of slices should soak well.
• Transfer the soaked slices on the pan,heat it slowly until it turns golden brown on both sides.
• Serve them hot.

Idli/Dosa Batter

This post is for beginners, definetly it would be a challenging task for beginners making soft idli's and crispy dosa. This batter can be used in making/cooking many more different yummy dishes.

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 2 cups
2. Boiled Rice - 3 cups
3. Urad dal - 1 cup
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbps
5. Salt
6. Water for soaking

Preparation:

• First wash and soak the rice for 2 hrs,next wash and soak urad dal seperatly for 2 hrs,soak fenugreek seeds along with urad dal i.e rice and dal should soak for minimum 4hrs.
• After soaking grind urad dal by sprinkling water now and then.
• Once the urad dal batter is smooth transfer it to a bowl.
• Now grind rice by sprinkling water,Once the batter gets smooth,check the texture using finger,batter should be smooth,silky but with little grainy like texture.
• Now transfer the rice batter in to another bowl
• Mix both the batters add salt,mix well using hand and allow it to ferment overnight or for 8hrs minimum.
• After fermentation you will  notice that the volume of batter is little raised,the batter after fermentation should be light and fluffy
• If you feel the batter is too thick you can add little water,now the batter is ready.
• Take a large saucepan or idli vessel add 2 cups of water into it and turn on the flame in medium heat
• Now grease the idli plates with oil/ghee,pour a ladle of batter in each plate and keep it in the vessel and cook it for 10-12mins.(i.e.,5mins on low flame and 5mins on high flame)
• Check the idli by inserting knife,if knife comes out clean without any batter turn off the stove.
• Allow it to cool for 2mins,Using idli spoon remove the idlis from idli plate and serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Masala Chai

Masala chai means literally mixed spice tea,is a flavored tea mixed of aromatic Indian spices and herbs.

The simplest traditional method of preparing masala chai is through decoction,by simmering or boiling a mixture of milk,water with loose leaf tea, sweetener and whole spices.There are various brands who sell chai masala. We can blend this by our own in our households.

Ingredients

1. Water - 1/2 glass
2. Milk - 1/2 glass
3. Green cardamom - 2
4. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
5. Ginger 3-4 thin slices
6. Star anise - 1
7. Cloves - 2
8. Black tea leaves - 1 1/2 teaspoon
9. Sweetener - honey or sugar

Preparation

• In a small saucepan add water,cardamom, cinnamon stick,star anise,cloves,ginger and bring this mixture to boil for few minutes until the mixture is fragrant.
• Now add the milk and tea leaves and simmer for another 2 mins,keep steering this mixture with a spoon so that the spices would blind.
• Now pour into a cup with a fine mesh and add sweetener to taste .Serve it hot with biscuits :) 

Murungai Keerai Parupu Kadayal (Drumstick leaf dal)

Drumstick Leaf/Murungai keerai is high in vitamins,proteins etc., and is very high in nutritious.

These leaves provides essential amount of iron and calcium for women especially,these are also widely used in siddha medicine in India.Here in my dish i have added toor dal to these leaves so that in enhances the taste.

Ingredients

1. Drumstick leaves - 1 big bunch
2. toordal(half boiled) - 1 cup
3. Greenchilli - 4
4. Onion - 1
5. Garlic - 6 cloves
6. salt

For Tempering:

1. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbps
2. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbps
3. Urad dal - 1/4 tbps
4. Redchilli-2
5. Asafoetida - pinch (optional)
6. Oil

Preparation

• Take a vessel add boiled toordal,drumstick leaves(murungai keerai),green chilli,garlic,onion.Put this on a low flame and allow into boil.
• Once its boiled grind this into a paste as soon in the picture.
• Take another kadai add oil and add all tempering ingredients into it.
• Once tempering is done add this to the murungai keerai paste.
• Its ready to serve,tastes more yummy with hot rice mixed with ghee.

Vazhaithandu Poriyal(Plantain stem curry)

This a healthy and tasty recipe,first step of cooking is there will be a outer shield to vazhaithandu remove this outer layer so that there are no more layers seen.As shown below

Now slice the remaining part of vazhaithandu thinly into disk shape,while slicing we get a fiber out of it,remove this fiber with help of one of your finger while slicing them, I am sure you would get frustrated by doing this whole procedure but be patience at the end you will have a yummy poriyal.

Keep these cut slices immersed in water mixed with lime or butter milk to prevent change of color.

Ingredients

vazhaithandu - 2

Turmeric - 1/2 tbps

Moongdal - 3 tbps

Salt

Curry leaves

For Tempering:

Mustard - 1 tbps

Urad dal - 1 tbps

Jeera - 1/2 tbps

Red chilli - 3

Preparation:

• Chop the slices finely add moong dal,salt,turmeric and mix well and keep aside for 15 min as this mixture will release water from it, its better place it on a strainer plate.
• Heat the kadai add the tempering ingredients,followed by curry leaves,now add the chopped vazhaithandu mixture by squeezing out excess water.
• Frey for 2 mins and cover cook till soft.You can notice it becomes transparent after cooked
• Serve hot with rice or pulka goes well with both.