Peerkangai Masiyal ( Ridge Gourd)

Ingredients

1. Peerkangai Medium size 3- 4
2. Green Chili  medium length 4
3. Red Chilli whole 4
4. Ginger 2 inch piece cleaned and Cut
5. Curry leaves
6. Hing 1/2 tea spoon
7. Channa Dhal - 2 table spoon
8. Grated coconut 1/2 cup
9. Tamraind Juice 3 cups
10. Mustard seeds
11. oil 1 table spoon
12. boiled thoor dhar 1/2 cup

Prepare the Channa Dhal And Coconut Paste

In a small frying pan heat 1 tea spoon of oil
fry 1 table spoon of channa dhal to golden brown and add 1/2 cup grated coconut and fry till golden brown
allow it to cool down and grind it to a fine paste

Peel and Cut Ridge Gourd

 

Cooking

1. In a 3 quart sauce pan heat oil
2. allow mustard seeds to splutter
3. add 1 table spoon of channa dhal
4. add Ginger, cut green chilli and whole red chilli ( red chilli need not be cut)

1. Add 1/2 tea spoon hing
2. Add curry leaves
3. Add the cut peerkangai

1. Allow it to soften
2. pour the tamarind juice and salt to taste
3. Allow the flavor to come out
4. Pour boiled thoor dhal

1. After 3 minutes, add the ground paste of channa dhal and Coconut

Pagarkai Pitlai ( Bitter gourd Pitlai)

Pagarkai Pitlai

Ingredients

1. Pagarkai (bitter gourd ) medium size 4 
2. Tamarind Juice 3 cups
3. Red chilli ( lengthy variety) 4 to 5
4. Channa dhal 3 tea spoon
5. Urad dhal 2 tea spoon
6. Hing 1 pinch
7. Grated Coconut - 2 to 3 table spoon
8. Boiled Thoor dhal 1 cup
9. Dhania Powder 3 tea spoon 
10. sesame oil or Olive oil 2 table spoon

Prepare Pitlai

• Heat 2 quart saue pan with 1 table spoon sesame oil 
• Add 2 tea spoons of channa dhal fry till golden brown
• Add pagarkai ( Bitter gourd ) Saute  for 2 mins in sesame oil 

• Pour tamarind juice wait for 5 mins or till the pagarkai is tender 
• add salt to taste
• mix the spice powder, wait for it to boil for 3 mins

• Once the veggie is boiled \cooked fully
• Mix the boiled thoor dhal mix and wait  for 3 mins

• Mix the coconut paste and wait for 3 mins
• switch off the pan
• Garnish with tadka ( mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot coconut oil or sesame oil or olive oil)

Prepare Spice mix 

for the Sambhar powder mix, you can use if you already have , or you can prepare as mentioned below

• Fry Red Chiili , channa dhal and Dhania powder in oil till golden brown keep it aside to cool down
• grind to make a powder

Grated Coconut Mix

• Fry Urad dhal  Coconut and Hing in oil  till golden brown keep it aside to cool down

1. Grind to make a paste 

alternate method  for the first 5 steps mentioned above 
Boil the mixture of Pagarkkai, spice powder, salt  and tamarind juice in a pressure cooker.( 2 whistles if its Indian pressure cooker, if its american pressure cooker which doesn't whistle, after the weight starts to move due to pressure, wait for 7 mins) .

1. once the cooker steam is released add boiled toor dhal and wait for 3-5 mins
2. add the coconut mixture and wait for 3-5 mins 
3. then garnish with tadka as mentioned above

Vengaya Sambhar (Pearl Onion Sambhar )

Vengaya Sambar

Ingredients

1. Perl onion 1 cup, 
2. tamarind juice 2 cups
3. Sambhar powder - 2 tea spoons
4. boiled Toor dhal half cup 
5. channa dhal - 1 table sppon
6. Grated coconut 3 table spoon
7. asafoedita
8. Olive oil or sesame oil 2 tea spoons
9. Green Chili 2 
10. Curry Leaves
11. Mustard seeds- 1 tea spoon
12. Methi seeds 2 tea spoons
13. Salt - depending on taste or 1 tea spoon
14. cilantro 1/4 cup

Preparation

1. Clean the onion and keep it aside

1. Cut Green Chilli Lengthwise 
2. Soak Tamarind in warm water and make tamarind juice. you can use tamarind paste to get 2 cups of tamarind juice
3. Boil Toor dhal and keep it ready

1. In a pan put channa dhal fry till its golden brown and put coconut and fry for 30 seconds

1. grind and keep it aside

Cooking

in a 2 quart sauce pan put 2 tea spoons of olive oil and bring to medium heat
put Mustard seeds, wait till mustard seeds splutter and put methi seeds,curry leaves and Green Chilli

put onions and wait till its softened or 2 mins

pour tamarind juice salt and pinch of asafoedita

wait till the tamarind juice boils
Put 2 tea spoon full of sambhar powder wait for 3 mins ( if you don't have sambhar powder you have to make sambhar powder i have given the recipe for sambhar powder below )

after 3 mins put boiled toor dhal wait for 2 mins
put the Channa dhal , coconut mixture wait for 2 mins

garnish with cilantro leaves
if you don't have sambhar powder ready make the sambhar powder as given below

Channa Dhal - 4 tea spoons
Coriander seeds - 5 tea spoons
Red chilli  lengthy variety - 4

fry the contents in pan till it is golden brown and grind it to powder
this you can use it instead of the sambhar powder mentioned above

Quick Guacamole

Prep time 15 mins

Ripe avocado medium size - 3
Chopped red Onion  1/2 cup
Lemon Medium Size 1
Cilantro 1 cup
chopped tomato  1/2 cup
Salt 1/2 teaspoon.
paprika powder 1/4 spoon

Picking avocado ( ripe avocados are very important for guacamole)
if you find only hard avocados in grocery store then wait for it to ripen, ( you can place it in paper towel or bag  for 1 to 2 days)
Picking  ripe avocado ( it should not be mushy but it should yield to pressure when you push it).



Cutting  the avocado

• Holding avocado on one side cut it around the seed lengthwise.

• cut it open to expose seed 

• Scoop out the pit and flesh with a spoon

Preparing....

1. put the avocado in a bowl.
2. coat the avocado with lime juice and keep it aside.
3. keep little lemon juice for later. 
4. chop onion and tomato's while the avocado is soaked lemon juice.
5. once you have all the ingredients ready ( onion, tomato, cilantro, salt..paprika..)
6. Mash the avocado with a fork or heavy serving spoon
7. add tomato, onion salt and paprika  powder
8. add the chopped cilantro, mix it well .
9. add the remaining lemon juice to the mix.
10. you can use a hand blender  for a min to mix thoroughly 
11. keep it in refrigerator for 30 mins ..

Indian Style Vegetable Fajitas

This recipe can be cooked in minutes and can be taken with Chipotle style veggie bowl.
Prep time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins

Ingredients
Vegetables cut into thin slices

1. Red Onion - 1
2. Green Bell pepper - 1
3. Carrots 2 or 3
4. Spring Beans - a bunch ( 6-7)
5.  ( you can add Zucchini or yellow squash)
6. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
7. 
   

Spice Mix

1/2 tea spoon Ground Cumin

1/2 tea spoon Garlic Powder

1/2 tea spoon salt

1/2 tea spoon ground black pepper
1/2 tea spoon Mango Powder ( My Style)

1 tea spoon olive oil

in a 10 inch skillet add little oil and bring it to medium heat

i would prefer to add one veggie at a time and add pinch of the salt and spice mix individually to each veggie

start with the hardest veggie and  add the softer ones at the end

Add red onions - fry for a min , sprinkle salt and the spice mixture

Add Spring beans -coat with the oil and sprinkle salt and spice mix

do the same for the below veggies in order

Carrots

Green pepper

Saute for 5 mins after all the veggies are added

Make sure the spice mix is sprinkled evenly and coated on all the veggies.

you can add cilantro to garnish

you have Veggie Fajita ready....

Before 

After

 - 

Stuffed Kathirikkai

Stuffed Kathirikkai
prep time 20 mins
cooking time 20 mins

Ingredients 

1. Brinjal Medium Size  6
2. red chilli lengthy variety 5 - 7 
3. dhaniya powder 3 1/2 spoon  or dhaniya seeds (4 spoons)
4. channa dhal 3 spoons
5. urad dhal  1 spoon
6. coconut grated - 1/2 cup or 4 spoon
7. asafoedita pinch
8. tamarind - small grapes size - soak in hot water
9. Salt  1 spoon or depending on your taste

1. Make the spice powder first 
2. Always keep the gas stove in medium flame
3. fry  red chilli, channa dhal, urad dhal to golden brown ( with little oil)
4. add Grated coconut and Asfoedita and Dhaniya powder 
5. Coconut needs to be fried to golden brown.
6. put it in  a blender and make it a powder
7. Add salt to this powder
8. cut brinjal into Four still holding it together at the base .
9. stuff the powder into the brinjal
10. make tamarind paste

After Cooking

Before Cooking

in a sauce pan take 1/2 cup of oil (sesame oil or olive oil )
deep fry till the brinjal becomes soft,
whe it is half cooked pour the tamarind juice
making sure it doesn't stick to pan
frequently turing the brinjal for even frying