Padavalanga Parippu Curry /Snake gourd curry -South Indian Recipe

Ingredients
Toor dal/tuvara parippu - 1/4 cup
padavalanga /snake gourd(cut into cubes)-2cup
Tomato - 1 (diced)
Onion - 1 (diced)
Green chilly - 2 (sliced)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Chilli powder - 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Small onion - 4
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tspn
Mustard seeds - 1tspn
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Dried Red chillies - 2 (broken into two)
Preparation
1.Pressure cook the toor dal and keep aside.
2.Cook snake gourd along with turmeric powder,chilli powder,green chillies,onion ,tomato ,salt and required water.
3.Add the cooked dal to it.Boil for 5 minutes.
6.Heat oil in a pan.Splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red chillies and curry leaves.Pour this into the curry for seasoning.
Serve with rice.

Grilled Asparagus and Baby Brussel sprouts

Ingredients

Asparagus - 1 bunch

Baby Brussel sprouts - 4
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tblspn
salt & pepper to taste

Lemon-1/2 piece

Preparation

1.Trim bottoms of asparagus. Lightly brush spears with olive oil. 

2.Cut the Baby brussels into half.Lightly brush spears with olive oil.

3.Grill them over medium heat (or under broiler) turning once for a minute and a half on each side.
4.Serve on a platter and drizzle with lemon juice.Add salt and pepper to taste.

Thakkali Chutney/Curry - Tomato Curry - South Indian Recipe

Ingredients

Oil - 2 tblspn

Mustard seeds- 1 tspn

Dried red chillies- 2 (broken into two)

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Onion - 1 (medium size) chopped

Tomato - 3 (medium size) chopped

Chilli powder - 1 tspn

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn

Green chilli - 2 (sliced)

Salt to taste

Required water (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

1.Heat oil in a pan.

2.Splutter mustard seeds and add red chillies and curry leaves.

3.Add onions and green chillies.sprinkle salt and Saute it .

4.Add the tomatoes and saute it.(smashing the tomatoes ll give extra taste)

5.Add red chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt. stir well for 5 to 10 mins in medium heat.

6.Add required water and salt .Keep the lid and Bring to boil.simmer for 5 minutes and remove from the stove.

Serve with Dosa or Idli.

Chena Varuthath - Yam Fries - Kerala Recipe

Ingredients
Yam-1 cup (cut into small cube size)
Chilli powder-1 tspn
Coriander powder-1 tspn
Turmeric powder-½ tspn
Cumin powder-½ tspn
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 2 tblspn
Preparation
1.Peel the yam and cut them into small cube size. 
2.Take yam pieces in a pan and add chilli powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and cumin powder.
3.Add salt to taste and mix well.
4.Add oil and place the pan in stove.stir well.Fry till soft in a medium heat.
5.Shake the pan frequently to brown yam on all sides.

Churakka Curry(Bottle gourd/Lauki/Surakai curry) -Indian Recipe

Ingredients
Toor dal/tuvara parippu - 1/4 cup
Churakka/Bottle gourd(cut into cubes)-2cup
Tomato - 1 (diced)
Onion - 1 (diced)
Green chilly - 2 (sliced)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Chilli powder - 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Small onion - 4
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tspn
Mustard seeds - 1tspn
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Dried Red chillies - 2 (broken into two)
Preparation
1.Pressure cook the toor dal and keep aside.
2.Cook bottle gourd along with turmeric powder,chilli powder,green chillies,onion ,tomato ,salt and required water.
3.Add the cooked dal to it.Boil for 5 minutes.
6.Heat oil in a pan.Splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red chillies and curry leaves.Pour this into the curry for seasoning.
Serve with rice.

Pazham Pori / Ethakka appam / Plantain Fritters - Kerala Recipe

Ingredients

Ethapazham / Nenthram pazham / Ripe plantain (the riper and blacker the skin, the better)-1
All purpose flour or maida -1cup

Sugar- 1tspn
Salt -1/2 tspn

Turmeric powder - a pinch
Water (more or less) - 3/4 cup
Coconut oil to deep fry (you can use any oil you like)

Preparation

1.In a large bowl mix all purpose flour,sugar,salt and turmeric powder.

2.Add 1/2 cup of water.(add more if necessary-batter should not be thick like dosa batter)

3.Whisk it together or mix well with spoon.

4.Cut the plantain into half and then slice each half midway vertically. Further slice each of the quarters into 2-3 thin pieces.

5.Dip this banana into the batter.

6.Heat oil in a deep fry pan.

7.Fry the banana pieces coated with the batter.

8.Fry until golden brown and drain on paper napkins.
Serve hot.

Happy Valentine's Day

My valentine's day preparations..

Heart shape Dosa

Fruit Cake

Chocolate Cake

Eggless Banana Cake

Ingredients

Unsalted butter - 1 cube

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Ripe banana - 2 (mash into a smooth paste)

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

All purpose flour - 1.5 cup

Baking powder- 1/2 tspn

Baking soda- 1/2 tspn

Salt to taste

Milk - 1 tblspn

Cashew,Almond Walnuts - 1/2 cup (chop into small pieces)

Preparation

1.Bring butter to room temperature and beat it in a bowl.

2.Add sugar to the butter mixter and beat it again.

3.Add vannila extract to mashed banana and keep it aside.

4.In a medium size bowl mix the flour ,baking powder,baking soda and salt.

5.Add 1 tblspn milk to this.

6.Add mashed banana to the butter + sugar mixture.Beat it into a smooth consistency.

7.Add all purpose floor to this and beat it again.

8.Preheat the oven to 350 degree.

9.Grease the baking pan with butter and dust it with floor.

10.Add cashew, almond, walnut to the dough.

11.Fill the pan halfway with the dough.

12.Bake it for 45 mins,until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Kappa kizhangu (Roasted Spicy Tapioca)-Yezhu ilai kizhangu poriyal/Maravalli kizhangu

Ingredients:
Kappa kizhangu (Tapioca)- 2 lb (or) 1 (big)
Green chillies - 3 (sliced)
Red chilles -2 (broken into two)
salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp 
Shredded fresh coconut - 1/2 cup (optional)
Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leavws - 1 spring
Preparation
1.Cut the Tapioca into big chunks (4 inch long) and Peel the skin of the Tapioca
Then wash it and put the chunks in a big vessel and add enough water. Add the turmeric powder and 1 tbsp salt. COver it with lid.Cook till it becomes soft.
2.Drain the cooked tapioca.Chop it into 1 inch cubes.
3.Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.  add red chilles,curry leaves and green chillies.
4.Add the cooked tapioca and stir well.Sprinkle a handful of water and cook covered to make more moist.
5.Switch off and add the fresh shredded coconut.