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Cabbage/chowchow/snake gourd-Moong Dhal Gravy

Ingredients:

  • Pasiparuppu (Moong Dhal/broken green-gram dhal)-1 cup-wash in water and drain
  • Cabbage/Chowchow/Snake-gourd – 250g-finely chopped
  • Green chilli 5 no/ more or less according to taste -1″ long & longitudinally split
  • Big Onion 1 no – cut into small pieces
  • Tomato – 1 no – cut into small pieces
  • Cumin (Jeera) seeds – 1 tsp
  • mustard seeds 1 tsp
  • oil – 3 tsp
  • curry leaves 10
  • turmeric powder half tsp
  • salt to taste
  • Coconut – grated 1 cup

Method:

  1. Heat 5 cups of water in a pan till it starts boiling
  2. Add the moong dhal and cook in open pan for 5 min
  3. Add onion, tomato, green chilli and cook for 10 min
  4. Add cabbage, turmeric powder, salt and cook for 5 min with the pan covered with a lid
  5. Heat oil in a small kadai add mustard seeds, while it splutters add cumin seeds and as it splutters add curry leaves
  6. Add the above to the Cabbage gravy and cook till done
  7. Remove from heat, add chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. Goes well with rice, chappathi, or dosa
  • Tips: While cooking the gravy add boiling water at any stage for desired consistency

Thin Coconut-Red Chilli Chutney for idli/dosa

Ingredients:

  • Grated coconut – 1 cup
  • Red chillies – 5 no
  • Oil – 1 tbs
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Split Urad dhal – 1 tsp
  • Asafoedita – 1 pinch
  • Curry leaves – 5 no
  • Salt to taste

Procedure:

  1. Grind coconut, red chillies and salt into a thick paste.
  2. Add a little water and grind again to get a smooth paste.
  3. Add 2 cups of water to make a thin chutney.
  4. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and urad dhal.
  5. When they splutter add asafoedita and curry leaves. Mix it well with the chutney.

To have another variant of this chutney try the following:

6. Cut 4 small onions into thin slices and saute in oil till they turn golden brown and add it to chutney.

Thin Coconut-Green Chilli Chutney for idli/dosa

Ingredients:

  • Grated coconut – 1 cup
  • Green chillies – 5 no
  • Ginger – nail size
  • Oil – 1 tbs
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Split Urad dhal – 1 tsp
  • Asafoedita – 1 pinch
  • Curry leaves – 5 no
  • Salt to taste

Procedure:

  1. Grind coconut, green chillies, ginger and salt into a thick paste.
  2. Add a little water and grind again to get a smooth paste.
  3. Add 2 cups of water to make a thin chutney.
  4. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and urad dhal.
  5. When they splutter add asafoedita and curry leaves. Mix it well with the chutney.

To have another variant of this chutney try the following:

6. Cut 4 small onions into thin slices and saute in oil till they turn golden brown and add it to chutney.

Thick Red Chiili-Garlic Paste for Idli/dosa

Ingredients:

  • Red chilli – 10 no
  • Garlic gloves – 4 no
  • Salt to taste

Procedure:

  1. Grind all the ingredients into thick paste. Add a little water to make a smooth paste.
  2. Before serving add one tbs gingelly/sesame oil to enhance the taste.

Roasted Red Chilli-Garlic Chutney for idli/dosa

Ingredients:

  • Red chillies – 10 no
  • Garlic gloves – 4 no
  • Gingelly/sesame oil – 2 tbs
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Asafoedita – one pinch
  • Curry leaves – 5 no
  • Salt to taste

Procodure:

  1. Heat one tsp gingelly oil in a kadai.
  2. Saute red chilli and garlic till they turn golden brown. Allow it to cool and add salt.
  3. Grind all the ingredients into thick paste. Add a little water to make a thin, smooth paste.
  4. Heat one tsp gigelly oil in a kadai, add half tsp mustard seeds. When it splutters, add a pinch of asafoedita and five curry leaves.
  5. Mix it well with the chutney.

Thick Coconut-Red Chilli Chutney for idli/dosa

Ingredients:

  • Grated coconut – 1 cup
  • Red chilli – 3 no
  • Small onions – 3 no
  • Salt to taste

Procedure:

  1. Grind all the ingredients into a thick paste. Add a little water and grind again to make a smooth paste.
  2. Before serving add one tbs of gingelly/sesame oil to the chutney to enhance its taste.

Thick Coconut-Green Chilli Chutney for idly/dosa

Ingredients:

  • Grated coconut – 1 cup
  • Green chilli – 3 no
  • Small onions – 3 no
  • Ginger – nail size
  • Salt to taste

Procedure:

  1. Grind all the ingredients into a thick paste. Add a little water and grind again to make a smooth paste.
  2. Before serving add one tbs of gingelly/sesame oil to the chutney to enhance its taste.
  3. Add coriander leaves while grinding to have another variant of this chutney.

Ragi Porridge (Kelvaragu Koozh)

Ingredients:

  • Ragi Powder – 4 cups (250g)
  • Cooked rice – 1 cup
  • Curd – 2 cups
  • Salt to taste

Procedure:

  1. Add 3 cups of water to ragi powder and mix well. Cover it and leave to ferment for 24 hours.
  2. Mix again with one cup of  water and boil on a thick bottomed vessel with constant stirring. Otherwise the bottom layer will get burned, stick to the vessel and turn black creating burnt smell.
  3. Add cooked rice and mix well.
  4. Continue to boil in medium fire with constant stirring to make a thick paste.
  5. Remove from heat. Wet your hand and touch the paste. If it is non-sticky then it is fully cooked. If it sticks, boil the paste further to get it cooked. Allow it to cool.
  6. Mix two cups of curd with salt. Add this to ragi paste and mix well.
  7. This porridge tastes well with raw small onions, fried puppets, thick dry fish kulambu/fry, vathal/garlic kulambu, any type of pickle.


Fresh Lime-Mint Juice

Ingredients: ( to make 6 servings – 120 ml each)

  • Lemon – 1
  • Mint leaves – 25
  • sugar – 100g

Procedure:

  1. Grind mint leaves with a little water in a mixer and filter the juice
  2. Extract the juice of lemon and mix with mint juice
  3. Add required amount of sugar and water to the juice mix to suit your taste
  4. Add ice cubes and serve in a high glass with a slice of lemon/leaf of mint

Vegetable Sandwich

Ingredients:

  • Bread – 2 slices
  • Egg 1
  • Cucumber – 4 to 5 slices
  • Tomato – 4 to 5 slices
  • Onions – sliced
  • Bell peppers (Capsicum) – sliced
  • Potato chips (I like Lays Plain)
  • Ketchup (I love Maggi Hot & Sweet)
  • Mayonnaise

Procedure:

  1. Toast the bread slices with a little butter
  2. Make a omelet (omelette) with the egg; add salt and crushed black peppers according to your taste
  3. Take one slice of toast and spread mayonnaise on it
  4. Start adding layers of the different vegetables, chips, and omelet
  5. Spread the ketchup on the other slice of bread and put it on the top
  6. Then apply pressure on the top to crush the chips and reduce the sandwich thickness so that it fits the mouth
  7. Here is how I make mine:
    • Bread (top)
    • Ketchup
    • Chips
    • Cucumbers
    • Omelet
    • Onions
    • Bell peppers
    • Mayo
    • Bread (bottom)