Lemon Sevai /Lemon Idiyappam -South Indian Recipe

Ingredients
Idiyappam prepared from 1/2 cup of rice flour
( take out the strings and loosen it)

Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste 

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
Dried Red Chilli - 1 (broken into two)
Green Chilli - 1 (chopped)
Hing/asafoetida - a pinch
Bengal gram/channa dal - 1 tsp
Onion(small size) - 1/2  (chopped)
Cashew nuts or Roasted peanuts - 2 tblsp (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn
Curry leaves - a spring

Preparation

1.In a broad vessel, add lemon juice and salt. Keep it aside.

2.Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add hing, red chilli, bengal gram, cashew nuts, turmeric powder,curry leaves and green chilli.Saute for a few seconds till dal turns golden brown.
3.Add onion and saute it.

4.Add the seasoning to the lemon juice mix.

5.Add plain idiyappam to the above and mix well. Adjust salt and lemon juice according to your taste.

Rava/Semolina/Sooji Kichadi - Indian Recipe

Ingredients

Semolina (Rava/Sooji) - 2 cups

Big onion - 1 (chopped)

Green chillies -5 (chopped)

Carrots - 1/2 cup ( cut into small bits)

Frozen green peas - 1/2 cup

Beans - 1/2 cup (chopped)
A small piece of ginger

Garlic pearls - 4 (chopped)

Bay leaf - 1 

Cloves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 small piece
Cardamom - 1 whole\Ghee - 1 tblspn
Extra Virgin Olive oil - 2 tblspn

Mustard Seeds - 1 tspn

Dried red chillies - 2 (broken into two)

Fennel Seeds - 1 tspn

turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Tomato - 1 (chopped) {Optional}

Curry leaves - 1 spring
Few coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Water - 4 cups approximately
Cashewnuts - few for garnishing

Preparation

1.Fry Semolina/Rava in a tablespoon of ghee for five minutes on medium flame.

2.Heat Oil in a pan . Splutter mustard seeds .Add dried red chillies,curry leaves,cashew nuts,bay leaf,fennel seeds,cardamom,cloves and cinnamon stick and fry for a while.

3.Add onion ,garlic ,ginger and green chillies. saute it until become soft.

4.Add tomato and saute it.

5.Add carrot ,green peas and beans.Add turmeric powder and sprinkle salt. Saute for 5 minutes in medium heat.

6.Add required water and salt.Bring to Boil.

7.When it starts boiling, reduce the flame and add the fried rawa and mix well.

8.Cook on slow fire till the rawa becomes soft and absorb the water.

Serve with chutney.

Poha/Avil (Flattened Rice) Recipe -Indian Recipe

Ingredients

Poha/Flattened Rice - 2 cups

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn

Chilli powder - 1/4 tspn

Salt to taste

Olive oil - 2 tblspn

Mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Cardamom - 3

Green chilli -1 (chopped)

Ginger - 1 tspn (chopped)

Onion - 1/2 (medium size-chopped)

Lemon Juice - 1 tspn

Cilantro - 2 tblspn (chopped)

Preparation

1.Gently wash poha  and let it sit/drain for approximately 10 minutes.
2.Sprinkle turmeric, chili powder and salt and toss with a fork.

3.Heat oil in a pan.

4.Add cardamom, ginger and green chili and stir for a few seconds. Then add Onions and saute until they are tender.

5.Add poha and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, mixing gently.

6.Remove from heat and add lemon juice and cilantro. Mix and cover for few minutes.

Serve with Chutney

Plain Dosa -South Indian Breakfast

Ingredients
Raw rice - 3 cups
Black gram lentil(Urad dal) - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tspn
Fenugreek seeds- 1 tspn
Oil as required
Preparation
1.Soak Rice,Urad dal and fenugreek seeds for 6 hours.
2.Grind them to a fine thin batter by adding little water.
3.Leave it covered for 12 hours for fermentation.Add salt while using.
4.Now heat a non stick pan and spread 1 tblspn of the batter on the whole of the pan in a round shape.
5.Grease all the corners and then cook it on the other side also.
Serve with Sambar or Chutneys

Avil (Rice flakes-poha) Upma - South Indian Recipe

Ingredients
Olive oil - 2 tspn
Mustard seeds- 1 tspn
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Dried red chillies - 2 (broken into two)
Channa dal - 1 tspn
Frozen green peas - 1 tblspn
Onion- 1 (small size-chopped)
Green chillies - 4 (sliced)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Lemon Juice - 2 tspn
Salt to taste 
Avil (Rice flakes) - 1 cup
Preparation
1.Heat oil in a pan
2.Splutter Mustard seeds.Add channa dal,red chillies and curry leaves.Fry it for 1 mint.
3.Add onions and green chillies.sprinkle salt and Saute well.
4.Add the frozen greenn peas and stir for 2 mins.
5.Meanwhile wash and drain the avil.Keep aside.
6.Add the washed avil to the pan.
7.Add turmeric powder and salt. Stir well for 3 mints.
8.Add lemon juice and stir for 2 mins.Romove from the stove and serve hot.

Idly -South Indian Breakfast

Ingredients
Rice –2 cups
Urad dal – ¾ cup
Fenugreek seeds – 2 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil for greasing
Preparation
1.Wash and soak the urad daal along with fenugreek seeds overnight or for 8 hours.
2.Wash and soak the rice also for 8 hours.
3.Grind the daal into a smooth and forthy paste.
4.Then grind the rice.
5.Now mix the grinded rice and daal together by hand into a batter.
6.Mix salt and set aside in a warm place for 8-9 hours or overnight for fermenting.
7.Idlis are ready to be cooked when the batter is well fermented.
8.Grease the idle holder or pan well and fill each of thm with 3/4th full of batter
9.Steam cook idlis on medium flame for about 10 minutes or until done.
10.Use a butter knife or spoon to remove the idlis.
Serve them with  Sambar or coconut chutney or tomato chutney.

Godhambu Upma - Sooji or Samba Broken Wheat Uppuma

Ingredients
Godhambu rava (Broken Wheat )– 2 Cups
Ghee – 2 tblpn
Mustard seeds – 1 tspn
Dried red chilli – 2 ( broken into two)
Green chilli – 3 ( sliced)
Ginger (chopped) – 1 tblspn
Curry leaves – 2 springs
Channa dal – 2 tspn
Urad dal – 2 tspn
Carrot (chopped) – ½ piece ( optional)
Green peas – ¼ cup (optional)
Water – 2 ½ cups
Salt to taste
Preparation
1.Heat ghee in a pan,add mustard seeds and allow to splutter .
2.Add dry red chilli ,curry leaves, urad dal and channa dal .Stir it well.
3.Add ginger ,green chilli.carrot  and green peas.stir for a while.
4.Add 2 ½ cups of water and salt to it and bring to boil.
5.Add the broken wheat slowly & stir well evenly.
6.Cook for 2-3 minutes at low flame.
7.Upma is ready to serve.


Serve with any chutney

Adai ( Lentil Pancake) and Avial - Tamil traditional breakfast dish

Ingredients
Raw rice – 1 cup
Par boiled rice – 1 cup
Red chilli – 10 nos
Channa dal – ¼  cup
Thur dal – ¼ cup
Urad dal – ¼ cup
Onion – 1 big size (chopped)
Salt to taste
Black pepper corns – ½ tspn
Cumin seeds – 1 tspn
Asafoetida powder – a pinch
Preparation
1.Soak the rice and dals in water for 4-5 hours.
2. Drain the water and grind along with the red chillies, peppercorns and cumin to a coarse paste, without adding too much water.The batter will be thick with pieces of dal not fully ground. This gives crisper adais.
3. To the batter add grated asafoetida and salt. Add the chopped onions to the batter just before making the adais.
4. Heat a non stick griddle or a dosa tava and pour one ladle of the batter; spread gently into a medium circle which will be a bit thick. 
5. Drizzle half a tsp of oil all around the adai and cook on a medium high flame for about 3-4 minutes, once it becomes golden brown on the bottom flip it over and cook the other side for another 2-3. minutes.
6. Serve hot with Avial or jaggery on the side.


For Avial recipe Click here

Bread Upma

Ingredients

Bread slices - 5 to 6 ( cubed)

Olive oil- 2 tblspn

Mustard seeds-1tspn

Onion-1(chopped)

Frozen green peas - 1/2 cup

Tomato-1(chopped)

Red chilli powder- 1/2 tspn

Turmeric powder-1/4 tspn

Coriander powder- 1/2 tspn

Salt to taste

Preparation

1.Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds.

2.Add onions and fry until golden brown.

3.Add frozen green peas,tomatoes,chilli powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and salt.

saute well.

4.Add bread cubes and combine well and remove from heat.

Puttu

Ingredients

Puttu Powder - 2 cups

Salt - 1 tspn 

Grated Coconut -1/2 Cup 

Water as required (almost ½ a cup)

Preparation

1.Add salt to the Puttu powder. Sprinkle water on it till moist. 

2.Spread little coconut to the bottom of the puttu vessel.Spread moist puttu powder over it followed by coconut topping. Continue several layers and end it with coconut at the top. 

3.Cover it with the lid and steam it until strong steam comes out through the holes of the lid.


Serve with Kadala curry

Poori Masala ( Potato Masala)

Ingredients

Potato-2

Onions(chopped) - 1

Tomato(chopped)-1

A Few curry leaves

Mustard seeds- 1 tspn

Red chillies- 2 nos(broken into two)

Ginger -2' inch piece (finely chopped)

Garlic -   4-5 cloves ( crushed)

Turmeric powder -½ tspn

Green chilli -2 (sliced)

A few Coriander leaves

Oil- 2 tblspn

Water as required

Salt to taste

Preparation

1.Cut the potato into 4 equal pieces and Cook it in a pressure cooker with salt.Let it cool and peel the potatoes.Again cut into small bite size pieces. keep it aside.

2.Heat oil in a pan

3.Add mustard seeds and let it crackle.

4.Add the chopped ginger ,crushed garlic,dried red chillies ,green chillies ,curry leaves and stir it.

5.Add chopped onions. Sauté till the onions turn golden brown.Then add chopped tomatoes.

6.Add turmeric powder and saute it.

7.Add the cooked potatoes and mix well.Add a little water if necessary .

8.Once it starts boiling, keep the lid closed and let cook for 15-20 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with poori.

Poori

Ingredients

Wheat flour – 2 cups

Water – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

1.Stir the flour and salt in a bowl

2.Add water little by little to the dough.

3.Knead well till you get a uniform dough.The final consistency should not be too tight (dry) or too soft(wet).

4.Make small balls out of it and roll it out into small circles with thin-medium thickness..

5.Heat plenty of oil in a deep frying pan until very hot.

6.Drop the poori into the oil.

7.While the poori is slowly coming to the surface turn it so that it gets evenly reddish brown or golden yellow.

8.Place it on paper towel to drain off any oil.


Serve hot with poori masala (potato masala).

Ven Pongal (Kara Pongal)

Ingredients
Rice- 1 cup
split/yellow moong dal- 1/2 cup
cashews-a few broken into small pieces or halved
cumin-seeds- 1tspn
Pepper corn - 1 tspn
green chillies(slited) - 1
ginger - a small piece chopped finely
Asafetida powder(Hing)- a couple of pinches
curry leaves- a few
salt to taste
oil-1tblspn
ghee- 1 tblspn
Water to cook (5 cups)
Preparation
1.Take a Pressure cooker put the Rice, dal,salt and oil together and cook to get 4-5 whistles.
2.Take another pan and put Ghee,Cashew nuts and ginger  . Roast till it turns into golden colour.
3.Add green chilies, Cumin seeds, Peppercorns, asafetida powder ,and Curry leaves, stir for 1    or 2 minutes.
4.pour this mix to cooked ven pongal and mix well.


Tastes well with Sambar,chutney and vada.