Poori sagu with Potato

Ingredients:

Potatoes- 3 (boiled, peeled and cut into small pieces)
Onions - 1 (finely chopped)
Finely chopped tomato - 1
Finely chopped ginger -1 small piece
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves

For seasoning/tadka:

Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Slitted green chillies - 2-3 (adjust to ur spice level)
Curry leaves -10 -12

Method:
Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.Add urad dal and fry for a min.
Then add asafeotida and saute for a few secs. Add fresh curry leaves, slitted green chillies, ginger and saute for a few secs.
Add the sliced onions and saute on medium heat until the onions turn transparent.
Then add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add chopped tomatoes and saute for 5 mins.
Then add the crumbled boiled potatoes and add salt.
Mix well & fry for a minute. At this stage,add 1/2 cup of water and cook until the curry is almost dry. Turn off stove.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with pooris..

Idly Upma

Ingredients:
Left over idlis - 5-6 (crumbled)
Finely chopped onion -1
Chopped green chillies - 1-2 (adjust to ur spice level)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida -1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Finely chopped coriander leaves
Oil -1 tbsp
For tempering/tadka:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal -1 tsp
Few strings curry leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
then add urad dal and let it turn red. Add curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder.
Add the chopped onions and saute till they turn transparent.
At this stage,add the crumbled idlis and mix well.
Saute/Cook for 2 mts.
Adjust the salt and turn off the stove.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Simple Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

Grated coconut -1 cup
Roasted gram dal -1/2 cup
Green chillies -2 -3 (adjust to ur spice level)
Tamarind juice - 2 tsp
Salt

For seasoning/Tadka:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal -1 tsp
Finely chopped onions - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
curry leaves

Method:

In a blender add grated coconut, raosted gram dhal(Pottu kadalai in tamil), green chillies, tamarind juice, salt & little water and then grind to paste.
remove the ground chutney from the blender & keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add urad dhal, cumin seeds & onions.
Saute until the onions become transparent.
Finally add curry leaves & turn off the stove.
Put this tadka into the ground chutney & it is ready to serve with hot idlies/dosas.

Aval Dosa (Poha Dosa)

Ingredients:

Aval/Poha - 3/4 cup
Rice -2 cups
Urad dal -1 tsp
salt
Oil

Method:

Soak rice, aval, urad dal in water for almost 1 -2 hour.
Grind the above mixture in a blender/wet grinder to a fine batter.
Keep the batter at room temperature for 8-12 hours for fermentation.
Heat a tawa & spread 1 tsp of oil in it.
Spread a big spoon of fermented batter on the tawa & put 1 tsp of oil around it.
Cook the dosa, until it becomes slightly brown color & then turn the dosa & cook.
Once it'cooked, it's ready to serve with coconut chutney/sambar.

Capsicum Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 2 cups (each grain should be seperate.add a tsp of ghee to the rice and mix)
Butter - 1 tsp
Ghee -1/2 tsp (optional)
Green chilli paste - 1 tsp
Green capsicum - 1
Curry leaves
Pepper powder
Salt

For seasoning / tadka:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal -1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Roasted broken cashew nuts - 5 nos
Cinnamon stick -1"
Grated coconut - 2 tsps (optional)

Method:

Heat Ghee & butter in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds & urad dal.
Once the musterd seeds splutter, add cinnamon stick and saute till the dal turns light brown color.
Add curry leaves & green chilli paste and then fry for a min.
Then add chopped capsicums and fry them for 7-8 mins. (don't over cook capsicums. it should maintain the crunchy texture)
At this stage add salt & pepper powder and mix well.
Minimise the heat and then add the cooked rice, roasted broken cashew nuts to this mixture and cook for 2 mins.
Then add grated coconut to the rice mixture, if u r using.
Turn off the heat & serve it hot with sabji/curry/pickle.

Note:
if u want, you can replace capsicums with vegetables like carrot, potatoes, egg plants, bitter gourd etc..

Carrot Methi Pachadi (Carrot Methi Chutney)

Ingredients:

Grated carrot - 2 cups
Methi leaves - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Bengal gram - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 1-2 (adjust to suit ur spice levels)
Green chillies - 1-2 (adjust to suit ur spice levels)
Garlic flakes - 4-5
Gratted Jaggery - 1 tsp (Optional)
Lemon juice/Tamarind juice - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Salt

Method:

Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan, add the garlic, cumin, bengal gram, red chillies, mustard seeds and urad dal and fry on a medium heat till the dals turn slightly red and a nice aroma emanates.Keep this aside & let it cool.
In a pan add 1/2 tsp oil, add the spilled greenchillies and grated carrot on a medium flame & saute till the raw smell of the carrot disappears. Remove & keep it aside.
In a pan add 1/2 tsp of oil and saute the methi leaves for nearly 3-4 mins.Remove & keep it aside.
Grind the roasted dal mixture, then followed by sauted carrot and methi leaves, jaggery along with salt without adding any water.
If ur using tamarind, then add tamarind while grinding to this mixture, otherwise add the lemon juice to the grounded pachadi  before serving.
Don't grind it softly, it should be a coarse paste.
For tadka (optional)
Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, wait until it pops, then add urad dal, curry leaves.
Add this seasoning to the ground pachadi.

Serve it with White rice/Idlies/dosas/chappathi.

Wheat flour Halwa (Atta ka Halwa)

cipeIngredients:

Wheat flour - 1cup
Sugar - 1 cup (if u want more sweetness, then add 1 and 1/4 cup sugar)
Ghee - 1 cup
powdered Elachi - 1-2 tsp (optional)
cahshew nuts /Badam/Pista - 1 Tsp
Water - 3 cups

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup ghee in a pan, then add the wheat flour & fry.
Fry the wheat flour untill it becomes light brown color & nice aroma will come.(it looks like a puttu - uthir uthiriya irukkum)
Keep it aside & let it cool for some time.
Heat the pan, then add 1 cup of sugar & 3 cups of water.
Once the sugar got diluted, then add the fried wheat flour into it very slowly.
Mix it thoroughly and add the remaining 1/2 cup ghee to this & saute well..
Once the ghee started coming out of the halwa & the halwa should not stick in the pan, then switch off the stove.
At this stage add the elachi powder, fried nuts into the halwa & put the same in a greased plate.
Once it's cooled down,then cut into small pieces using a knife.
Now wheat flour halwa is ready to serve.

Cauliflower Poriyal or Cauliflower fry

Ingredients:

Cauliflower-1 (small size)
Finely chopped onion -1
Oil - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal - 1tsp
Channa dhal- 1tsp (optional)
Coriander powder- 1tsp
Red chilly powder- 1tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
Cut the Cauliflower florets and dip it in the boiling water, along with little salt and turmeric powder.
Heat oil in a pan , then add mustard seeds,urad dal,channa dhal and fry.
Wait till the mustard seeds splutter and add curry leaves and onions.
Saute the onions till it become little transparent.
Now add the half cooked cauliflower to the kadai and then add coriander powder, red chilli powder,garam masala and salt to the kadai.
Mix and saute well until the cauliflower florets become soft.
Now swith off the stove & garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy the Cauliflower fry with chappathi or with white rice.

Note:
While saute the cauliflower, no need to add water, because the cauliflower will give out liquid. 

Oats Upma

Ingredients:

Oats – 1 Cup
Finely chopped onion – 1
Chopped green chillies – 1
Finely chopped ginger - 1 small piece
Oil – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Curry Leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt
water

Method:

Heat oil in the pan, then add mustard seeds and urad dal.
Wait till the mustard seeds splutter and add curry Leaves and chopped ginger, green ghillies and fry for a minute.
Then add chopped onions and turmeric powder and fry.
Once the onions become little transparent, then add Salt to the the above mixture and fry for a minute.
At this stage, add Oats to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes and  a nice aroma will come and the colour of the Oats wll turn into light brown.
Now sprinkle about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water to the above fried Oats mixture in the pan and mix well all the ingredients with a spatulla and cook till the Oats turn soft.
Once the oats become soft, then switch off the stove & add Lemon Juice to the upma and mix well & finally garnish with Coriander leaves.

Now the Oats Upma is ready to serve.

Note: Make sure not to add excess water to the Oats Upma, as the whole mixture can become too soggy.

Pooran Poli

Ingredients:
Bengal gram dal - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Maida - 1 1/2 cups
Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional)
Cardamom - 4 or 1 tsp
Oil - to knead the dough soft
Ghee for frying

Method:
Soak the channa dal for 1-2 hours.
Cook the dal in pressure cooker. Drain all the excess water.Keep it aside & allow it to cool.
Then add the powdered jaggery & cardamom to this dal.
Grind the dal + jaggery + cardamom mixture without adding water in the blender/mixie.
Heat this mixture for few min. and make small lemon size balls.
In a bowl, mix maida, oil, water, salt and turmeric powder. Make very soft & sticky dough. Knead very well. Use oil to knead.
Cover the dough and keep this aside for 1hr, so that the dough will be very soft.
Take a ball of dough and spread with hand & make a cheppu. Keep a ball of channa mixture and cover with the dough and seal all the ends completely.
Roll this using palms or even you can roll it like chappathi. But do it very carefully, because the inner mixture shouldnot come out.
Heat a tawa & roast this with ghee.
Delicious Pooran Poli is ready to serve.