RIDGE GOURD PEEL CHUTNEY

Method

1. Heat pan with 1-2 tsp of oil, add 1 tsp of urad dal, cumin seeds, chana dal, few curry leaves, 3-4 red chilies and saute them.

2. Add the peels and saute them for 4-5 minutes until it turns little soft.

3. Add ¼ cup of coconut or 3-4 tsp of shredded coconut and saute for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep aside.

4. Once it cools down, grind the mixture with marble size tamarind and salt.

SPICY PARATHA

Method for making Parathas

1. Mix 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, required amount of water to form a thick batter. Leave it for 10- 15 minutes.

2. Heat a flat pan, pour a ladle full of batter on the pan and spread it evenly like a circle.

3. Spray or apply oil at the edges of the batter. Heat for about a minute and flip to the other side and cook for another minute.

4. Cut them into square pieces, I used scissors to cut them into small pieces. Take an oven safe flat pan and put the aluminum foil. Arrange the pieces evenly.

5. Bake at 300 F for 10-12 minutes and broil at high for 3-4 minutes. While broiling keep an eye on the pieces, once it turns little crisper take it out and keep aside.
Method for making Chili Parathas

6. Heat non-stick pan with oil, add 1 onion cut into small pieces, few curry leaves, 1 tsp of ginger, 1 tsp of garlic, 2 green chilies finely chopped, ½ tsp chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, ¼ tsp garam masala and sauté them for a minute.

7. Now add 1 green bell pepper finely chopped or chopped length wise. Sauté them for another one minutes until it turns soft.

8. Add 1 big tomato grinded into a paste with ½ tsp soya sauce into the mixture and cook for another one minute.

9. Add the baked and broiled pieces into the mixture and saute them until all the spice covered with pieces.

10. Serve them hot with raita. I made raita very bland since the chili parathas were spicy. Just added onion, cilantro leaves, yogurt, salt, and mixed them together.

CUCUMBER RAITA

Peel the skin of Cucumber and finely chop them.

Grind (½ cup coconut, 3 green chilies, 1tsp mustard, and ½ tsp cumin seeds)
½ cup - 1 cup curd or yogurt.

Method

1. Heat pan with little oil, and add the cucumber with 2-3 tsp of water and salt and cover cook for few minutes until the cucumber gets cooked.

2. Add the ground paste to it and cook in medium heat. You can add little water if you need --the mixture should be thick.

3. Mean while- heat oil in another pan, splutter mustard seeds, 2-3 red chilies, and curry leaves. Add the above seasoning to the cucumber mixture and switch off the heat.

4. Allow the mixture to cool and add ½ to 1 cup of beaten curd or yogurt to the mixture.

Plantain Fry

Ingredients:

Plantain - 1 large
Garlic - 1 minced
Tamarind paste - 1/4 spoon
Red chili powder - 1 spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 spoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves - 1 cup
Oil 1-2 cup
Salt

Method:

1. In a deep bottomed vessel add 1/2 cup of water. When the water is warm enough add salt, turmeric powder and chili powder.

2. To this masala add plantain pieces and cook with lid. Sim cook with lid. Never add extra water to this. The plantain should be cooked with this masala alone.

3. When the vegetable is almost cooked without leaving any water. Add Tamarind paste and rotate them to all sides with spatula. While using spatula make sure of not cutting the vegetable. Better to have wooden spatula.

4. In a deep frying pan add oil. When the oil is hot enough. Add Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, garlic. Fry them for a while and add plantain. Do not cover them now. Maintain the stove in low heat.

5. Let the plantain get well fried the other side too. The plantain should be crispy outside and yet bajji like inside. This is the correct time to serve.

6. This fry is good combo with simple Dal rice, Curd rice or Rasam rice.

BUTTER BEANS FRY

Ingredients:
Butter Beans - 1 cup
Small Onions - 5 to 6 (chopped)
Tomato - 1/2 ( Crushed in hand)
Garlic Pods - 4
Coconut - 3 tsp
Red Chilly - 3
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves - small amount
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Wash Butter Beans and cook it for 5-6 whistle in a cooker with water and salt. Drain it and keep it away.

2. Grind small onions, red chilly, garlic, cumin seeds and coconut corsair.

3. Take a pan, add oil mustard,urad dal, curry leaves, and fry it.

4. Add the grind masala, salt, fry it for 3-5 minutes.

5. Finally add the butter beans with the masala mix and cook it for another 5 mins.

This is a very good side dish for Rice and Roti.

Kollu (Horse gram) Dosa

Ingredients :

Horse gram - 1/2 cup
Idli rice - 2 cup
Salt

Method :

For making Batter:

1. You can find some stones in horse gram so keep an eye on it to remove all those.
2. Wash it with water and soak it overnight or atleast 6 hrs.
3. Soak the rice for atleast 3 hrs.
4. Grind the horse gram seperately it foams like urad dhal when we grind for idli batter.
5. Grind the soaked idli rice too. Mix both batters by adding salt and ferment it overnight.
6. Then You can make dosas and Idli. The consistency of the batter should be like normal idli batter.

For making Dosa:

1. Pour ladle full of batter in the middle of hot skillet the go towards the edges of the skillet.
2. Put tsp of oil when it gets slightly brown at the bottom flip over the other side.
3. Add tsp of oil and make crisp.

CUTLET - LEFT OVER

Ingredients:

Left over rice - 1 1/2 cups
Boiled Potato - 1
Any cooked veggies - little (left over Poriyal)
Green chillies - 2 chopped
Onion - 1 small chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Bread crumbs - 1 cup( or as needed)
Oil - for frying
Salt

Method:

1. Mash the cooked rice well

2. Add the vegetables( potato and veggies), green chillies, onion, ginger garlic paste, salt and mix well.

3. Make balls and press to desired shapes.

4. Mix all purpose flour with water(must not be too watery)

5. Dip the balls in this paste and roll them in bread crumbs

6. Shallow fry both sides in oil until golden brown

7. Serve with Tomato Ketchup