Mango Pachadi –Kerala Recipe

Ingredients
Raw mango (cut into small pieces or grated) – 1 – 2 cups
Curd/Yoghurt – 1 cup
Grated coconut – 3 tblsp
Coconut oil – 2 tspn
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds(Jeera) – 1/2 tsp
Green chillies – 4
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies – 2
Curry leaves – A few
Preparation
1)Cook the raw mango in water with turmeric powder and salt.
2)Grind together the grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds and add this mixture to the cooked mango and cook again.

3)Heat oil a pan. splutter mustard seeds.Add curry leaves and red chillies and pour it to the mixture.

4)Allow this mixture to cool.
5)Finally, add the required yogurt/curd into this mixture and mix well.
Serve it with meals

Mint Raita (Mint yogurt salad)

Ingredients

Thick yogurt - 1 cup

Onion(medium size) - 1 (chopped)

Mint leaves- a handful (washed and chopped)

Green chilli -2 (chopped)

Ginger - a small piece (chopped)

Salt to taste

Preparation

1.Take yoghurt in a bowl, then add salt and beat it for a min.

2.Add onion,mint leaves,green chilli and ginger.Mix well

Serve with Variety rice

Kollu Rasam(Horse gram soup)- Kerala Recipe

Ingredients

Horse gram - 1/4 cup

Tomato - 1

Garlic - 3 clove

Black peppercorn - 1tsn

Cumin seeds - 1tspn

Dry red chili - 2 (broken into two)

Mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Curry leaves - 2 springs

Asafoetida - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn

Salt (or to taste)

Thick tamarind (1 lemon size) pulp

Water - 3 cups

Coriander leaves - 5 sticks

Olive oil - 2 tspn

Preparation 

1. Pressure cook the horse gram with 3 cups of water for upto 5 to 6 whistles. 
2. Drain all the water and keep it aside.( Cooked kollu can use for chutney) 
3. Crush the pepper and cumin seeds. 
4. Heat Oil in a  pan, splutter mustard seeds, add crushed black pepper, cumin, dry red chili, curry leaves. 
5. Sprinkle asafoetida and add the chopped tomatoes. Let them cook until soft and mushy.  
6. Add the retained Horse gram water along with turmeric powder, tamarind pulp and salt. 
7. Add the coriander leaves and let the whole thing come to one boil. Switch off and serve hot.

Green Salad

Ingredients
Cucumber(peeled & diced) - 1/4 cup
Celery (diced) - 1/4 Cup
Avocado – 1 peeled, pitted, and diced
Grape tomato - 1/4 cup (cut one tomato into two)
Lettuce (chopped) - 1/4 cup.
Red onion – ½ (chopped)
Banana pepper – ½ cup (diced) (optional)
Honey – 2 tblspn
Fresh lemon juice – 2 tblspn
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
1.Combine the cucumber, celery, avocado, red onion, banana peppers, grape tomato, lettuce ,honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl
2.Allow mixture to set 20 minutes before serving.

Black Channa Soup - Indian Recipe

Ingredients
Black channa (kadala) -1 cup (soaked over night or soaked 1 hour in hot water)
Onions(chopped) – 1 (medium size)
Tomato(chopped)-1
Ginger-Ginger -2' inch piece (finely chopped)
Garlic - 4-5 cloves ( minced)
Chilli powder- 1 tspn
Coriander powder- ½ tspn
Turmeric powder-½ tspn
Coriander leaves
Oil- 2 tblspn
Water as required
Salt to taste
Lemon juice – 1 tblspn
Black pepper as you needed
Preparation
1.Cook Black channa in a pressure cooker with salt and keep aside.
2.Heat oil in a deep pan
3.Add the chopped ginger and crushed garlic stir it.
4.Add chopped onions. Sauté till the onions turn golden brown.Then add chopped tomatoes.
5.Add turmeric powder,chilli powder and coriander powder and saute it
6.Add the cooked black channa and mix well
7.Once it starts boiling, keep the lid closed and let cook for 15 minutes.
8.Remove from heat and add lemon juice and black pepper.
9.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Fennel Cucumber Salsa

Ingredients
Cucumber – 1 (diced)
Fennel bulb – 1 large (diced)
Avocado – 1 peeled, pitted, and diced
Red onion – ½ (chopped)
Banana pepper – ½ cup (diced) (optional)
Cilantro – 1 bunch (chopped)
Honey – 2 tblspn
Fresh lemon juice – 2 tblspn
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
1.Combine the cucumber, fennel, avocado, red onion, banana peppers, cilantro, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl
2.Allow mixture to sit 20 minutes before serving.


Serve with tortillas or use it as appetizer

Thakkali Rasam(Tomato Rasam)-Indian Soup with Lentil and Tomato

Ingredients

Toor Dal (yellow lentils) -1/4 cup

Tomato -2 nos (chopped)

Tamarind- lemon size

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tspn

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves

Mustard seeds – 1 tspn

Oil – 2 tblspn

Curry leaves

Green chillies-2 nos (sliced)

Dried red chilli – 2 ( broken into two)

Asafoetida (hing)- a pinch

Garlic clove- 5-6 ( crushed)

For Rasam powder( or you can use instant rasam powder-2 tspn)

Cumin seeds – 1 tblspn

Whole black pepper – 1 tblspn

Fenugreek seeds – ½ tspn

Coriander seeds-1 tblspn

Dried red chilli-2

Channa dal – 1 tspn

Urad dal- 1 tspn

Preparation

1.Dry roast the ingredients for rasam powder.And grind it to make powder.keep aside.

2.Pressure cook tuvar dal with turmeric in a cup of water till soft and keep aside.

3.Heat 1 tsp oil in a deep pan, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add the asafoetida, rasam powder(which kept aside early- or  instant rasam powder), garlic,dried red chillies and curry leaves.

4.Add tomatoes and sauté it.

5.Add the tamarind extract  with water,green chili and salt.

6.Bring it to boil.

7.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Black Bean Soup - Southwestern Flavored

Ingredients

Black beans -1 cup (soaked over night or soaked 1 hour in hot water)

Onions(chopped) – 1 (medium size)

Tomato(chopped)-1

Ginger-Ginger -2' inch piece (finely chopped)

Garlic - 4-5 cloves ( minced)

Chilli powder- 1 tspn

Coriander powder- ½ tspn

Turmeric powder-½ tspn

Coriander leaves

Oil- 2 tblspn

Water as required

Salt to taste

Lemon juice – 1 tblspn

Preparation

1.Cook Black beans in a pressure cooker with salt and keep aside.

2.Heat oil in a deep pan

3..Add the chopped ginger and crushed garlic stir it.

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

5.Add turmeric powder,chilli powder and coriander powder and saute it

6.Add the cooked black beans and mix well

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

8.Remove from heat and add lemon juice.

9.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it hot with chappathies,rice and bread.

Pineapple Rasam - Kaithachakka Rasam -Tamil kerala Recipe

Ingredients

Toor Dal (yellow lentils) -1/4 cup

Ripe pineapple(chopped) – ¼ cup

Tomato -1 nos (chopped)

Tamarind- lemon size

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tspn

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves

Mustard seeds

Oil

Curry leaves

Green chillies-2 nos (sliced)

Dried red chilli – 2 ( broken into two)

Asafoetida (hing)- a pinch

Garlic clove- 5-6 ( crushed)

For Rasam powder( or you can use instant rasam powder-2 tspn)

Cumin seeds – 1 tblspn

Whole black pepper – 1 tblspn

Fenugreek seeds – ½ tspn

Coriander seeds-1 tblspn

Dried red chilli-2

Channa dal – 1 tspn

Urad dal- 1 tspn

Preparation

1.Dry roast the ingredients for rasam powder.And grind it to make powder.keep aside.

2.Cook the chopped pineapple pieces in 2 to 3 cups of water until they are done, Meanwhile pressure cook tuvar dal with turmeric in a cup of water till soft and keep aside.

3.Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add the asafoetida, rasam powder(which kept aside early- or  instant rasam powder), garlic,dried red chillies and curry leaves.

4.Add tomatoes and sauté it.

5.Add the tamarind extract, cooked pineapple with water,green chili and salt.

6.Bring it to a boil.

7.Garnish with coriander leaves

Serve with rice.

Onion Bell Pepper Salad

Ingredients

Onion-1 (sliced)

Yellow Bell pepper - 1 (sliced)

Cucumber - 1/2 piece (chopped)

Olive oil - 2 tblspn

Lemon juice- 2 tspn

Pepper-1 tspn

Salt to taste

A few coriander leaves

Preparation

1.In a large bowl mix together olive oil,onions,cucumber,bell pepper and salt .

2.Microwave it until tender(About 3 to 4 mins)

3.Sprinkle Lemon juice and pepper.Mix well.

4.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Great as a side dish for many meals.

Tomato Lentil soup

Ingredients

yellow lentils(Toor dal)-1 cup

Olive oil-1 tblspn

Mustard seeds-1 tspn

Coriander powder-1 tspn

Cumin powder-1 tspn

Black pepper-1 tspn

Onion- 1 (chopped)

Garlic clove-3 (chopped)

Tomatoes(crushed)-1 cup

Tamarind paste-1 tblspn( optional)

Salt to taste

Water as required

Sugar-1 tspn( optional)

Preparation

1.Cook the lentils in pressure cooker for 3 whistles.

2.Heat oil in a deep pan and splutter mustard seeds.

3.Add onions,garlic,coriander powder,cumin powder and black pepper.Stir well until the onions turn golden brown.

4.Add curry leaves,tomatoes,sugar,tamarind paste,cooked lentils,salt and water.Simmer until lentils are very tender.

 Serve warm