Beet root Curry / Beet root Palya / Beet root Koora

Needed

1. Beet root - 3
2. Red chillies - 2
3. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
4. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
5. Salt as needed
6. Chana dal - 1/2 tea spoon
7. Urad dal - 1/2 tea spoon
8. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
9. Cumin Seeds  - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Oil - 2 table spoons
11. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tablespoon

Method

1. Cut the beet roots into tiny cubes.
2. Chop red chillies into halves.
3. Heat the 1 table spoon of oil in a sauce pan
4. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal and urad dal.
5. As they splutter, add chopped red chillies..
6. Fry ensuring that red chillies do not turn brown.
7. Add beet root pieces, add another tablespoon of oil and fry them.
8. Keep the lid closed and keep stirring the mixture to avoid the vegetable getting charred.
9. Add 1/4 cup water or 1 table spoon oil to prevent charring.
10. As the beet roots get cooked, add chilli powder, turmeric and salt.
11. Fry for a minute, add coconut, stir the mixture, close the lid and let it cook for two minutes.
12. Coconut adds a fresh flavor to the curry.
13. Serve it with rice/roti.

Carrot Curry / Carrot Palya / Carrot Koora

Needed

1. Carrots - 5
2. Peas - 1/2 cup
3. Onion - 1 
4. Small Green chillies - 4
5. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
6. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
7. Salt as needed
8. Chana dal - 1/2 tea spoon
9. Urad dal - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
11. Cumin Seeds  - 1/2 tea spoon
12. Oil - 2 table spoons

Method

1. Cut the carrots into tiny cubes.
2. Chop green chillies and onions into small pieces.
3. Heat the 1 table spoon of oil in a sauce pan
4. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal and urad dal.
5. As they splutter, add chopped green chillies and onions.
6. Fry till the onions turn brown.
7. Add carrots and peas, add another tablespoon of oil and fry them with onion mixture.
8. Keep the lid closed and keep stirring the mixture to avoid the vegetable getting charred.
9. As the carrots get cooked, add turmeric and salt.
10. Fry for a minute, add coconut, stir the mixture, close the lid and let it cook for two minutes.
11. Coconut adds a fresh flavor to the curry.
12. Serve it with rice/roti.
    

Tomato Rasam / Tomato Chaaru

Needed

1. Tomatoes - 2
2. Green chillies - 3
3. Onion - 1/2
4. Curry leaves - 1 strand
5. Coriander - 1/4 bunch
6. Toor dal/ Red lenthils - 1 cup
7. Water - 1 1/2 cup
8. Rasam Powder - 2 table spoons ( heap)
9. Asofaetida - a pinch
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
11. Cumin Seeds - 1 tea spoon
12. Ghee- 1 tablespoon
13. Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
14. Salt as needed
15. Turmeric Powder - 1 tea spoon
16. Tamarind paste - 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Wash and chop tomatoes into quarter pieces.
2. Cut the half onion vertically into thin slices.
3. Chop the green chillies into tiny bits.
4. Wash the toor dal and place it with tomatoes, onion, green chillies and curry leaves in a pressure cooker.
5. Add 1 1/2 cup water for 1 cup of toor dal.
6. Heat the mixture and let the cooker whistle for 3 times.
7. Instead of pressure cooker, you can also directly boil the ingredients in 1 1/2 cup of water in a vessel on medium flame.
8. Once the tomatoes and dal are cooked, place the mixture again on low flame.
9. Add rasam powder, salt, tamarind paste, turmeric, jaggery and let it boil for about 10 minutes.
10. Now add coriander and boil for another 10 minutes.
11. Switch off the burner.
12. Place a small sauce pan on another burner on low flame, add the ghee.
13. Once the oil gets heated up, add mustard and cumin seeds.
14. As they splutter, add asofaetida and as the aroma spreads, put the mixture into the rasam prepared.
15. Close the lid of the rasam mixture immediately so that the aroma sinks in.
16. Serve this rasam after half an hour to enjoy the mouth-watering flavors.

Rasam Powder

Needed

1. Coriander seeds - 1 cup
2. Guntur Red chillies - 1 fistful
3. Byadige Red chillies - 1 fistful
4. Cumin Seeds - 1/4 cup
5. Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 cup
6. Pepper - 1/8 cup
7. Mustard seeds - 2 tablespoon
8. Curry Leaves - 4 strands

Method

1. Fry each of the above ingredients in a sauce pan independently without oil.
2. Ensure that the items are fried only till the raw smell vanishes.
3. The chillies should not turn black and none of the ingredients should get charred.
4. Combine all the fried ingredients in a grinder and grind to a coarse powder.
5. Place the Rasam powder in an air tight container to preserve the aroma.

Carrot and Fruit Raitha

I would highly recommend packing this for lunch every other day.
Its rich in beta-carotene, probiotics,vitamin C and antioxidants.

Needed

1. Yoghurt/Curd - 5 table spoons
2. Pomegranate - 1/4 fruit
3. Seedless Green Grapes - 10
4. Grated Carrot - 1
5. Sugar - 1/2 tablespoon
6. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed
7. Green chillies - 2
8. Cilantro/Coriander - about 2 few strands

Method

• Chop the green chillies, cilantro, grapes into tiny pieces.
• Mix all the ingredients together and pack it in a small box for lunch.
• This is one of the easiest ways to get the daily dose of fruit, carrot and yogurt to your family.

Bendekaayi Chutney / Ladysfinger chutney / Bendakaaya Chutney

Needed 

1. Okra/ Ladysfinger - 10 to 15
2. Green chillies - 5
3. Coriander - 1/2 bunch
4. Asofaetida - a teaspoon
5. Coriander powder - 2 tablespoons
6. Oil - a tablespoon
7. Tamarind paste - 1 table spoon
8. Salt as needed
9. Coconut - 1/4 coconut

Method

1. Fry in tablespoon , green chillies and okra.
2. Grind with coriander powder, tamarind,salt,coriander,asofaetida and coconut to make into coarse paste.

Tomato Chutney

I should say this is a chutney which works just fine for the last minute cravings. Takes extremely small amount of time and hardly any chopping of vegetables.

(Serves 4)
Needed

1. Tomatoes - 3
2. Greeen chillies - 4
3. Red chillies - 2
4. Turmeric - a pinch
5. Salt - 1 tablespoon or as needed.
6. Sugar - 1 tablespoon
7. Coriander - 1/2 bunch
8. Oil - 1 tea spoon
9. Urad Dal - 1 tea spoon
10. Chana dal - 1 tea spoon
11. Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon squeezed

Method 

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan.
2. Add chana dal and urad dal, let them fry for half a minute.
3. Add green chillies, tomatoes and fry them till the tomatoes get half cooked.
4. Add turmeric and fry for a minute.
5. Once cooked add the mixture to the grinder.
6. Put coriander, salt, sugar to the mixture and grind to a coarse paste.
7. Add lemon juice to the mixture and serve.

This has been one of my favorite chutneys. Apart from satiating your taste buds with the tangy taste, it provides an antioxidant called "Lycopene". When tomatoes are heat processed, the bioavailability of Lycopene actually increases rather than the anticipated decrease. Two bucks and one arrow , isn't it !!

Beerakaya Pappu / Ridgegourd dal

(Serves 4 )

Needed :

1. Beerakaya/Ridgegourd - 1
2. Toordal - 1 cup
3. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
4. Jeera - 2 table spoons
5. Green chillies - 4
6. Turmeric - a pinch
7. Salt - a pinch
8. Oil - 1 table spoon
9. Chana dal - 1 tea spoon
10. Urad dal - 1 tea spoon
11. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
12. Asofaetida - a pinch

Method :

• Scrape the edges of the outer skin of the ridgegourd.
• Wash the vegetable and cut it into pieces.
• Boil the vegetable in water till it gets cooked.
• Cook toor dal in water in a pressure cooker or microwave it for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile grind coconut, green chillies and jeera into a coarse paste.
• Once the vegetable is cooked, add the cooked toor dal, grinded mixture, turmeric and salt.
• Add half cup of water and cook on low flame.
• After 10 minutes, season the dish with  oil, chana dal, urad dal, mustard seads and asofaetida.

Potato Fry / Alu Fry

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

1. Potato - 2
2. Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
3. Curry leaves - 6
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
6. Turmeric Powder - 1 tablespoon
7. Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
8. Salt as required
9. Oil - 2 tablespoons
10. Asofaetida - a pinch
11. Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,once they start spluttering, add asofaetida and curry leaves.
• As they are frying, add cut garlic pieces and fry till they turn brown.
• Meanwhile cut the potatoes into quarters and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes,add the potatoes to the fried garlic mixture.
• Close the lid and stir the vegetable every five minutes to prevent from being charred.Once the potatoes become soft, add turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, lemon juice and cook in low flame and closed lid for 3 minutes.

Note : I toss a tea spoon of tomato ketchup at the end to give it a tangy taste, but its purely optional.

Mirchi Bajji/Chilli Bajji

Serves 4
Ingredients

1. Green Hot Peppers - 5
2. Ginger - 10 medium pieces
3. Red Onion - 1/2
4. Cilantro - 1/4 bunch
5. Red chillis - 3 to 4
6. Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
7. Ajwan - 1 table spoon
8. Salt as required
9. Sugar - 1 tablespoon
10. Tamarind - 1/2 tablespoon
11. Besan/Chickpea flour - 1 cup
12. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tablespoon
13. Baking soda - 1 teaspoon (optional)
14. Oil - sufficient to fry

Method

• Heat oil in a saucepan, add onions,ginger and red chillis.
• Fry till the onions turn brown
• Add the above mixture to a grinder along with jeera,ajwan,sugar,salt,tamarind and cilantro
• Grind into a coarse paste.
• Cut the peppers into various pieces finger length as shown in the picture
• Stuff the peppers with the coarse paste
• Take besan/chick pea powder in a bowl, add red chilli powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add water to mix it into a thick paste.
• Heat the oil on a medium flame for a while.
• Immerse the stuffed peppers into besan/chickpea flour mixture and fry in the oil.

Masala Lassi

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. Yoghurt or Curd - 1 cup
2. Water - 2 cups
3. Ginger - 6 small pieces
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Salt - 1/2 tea spoon
6. Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
7. Cilantro or Corinader - 1/4 bunch
8. Asoefatida - a pinch

Method

• Blend all the above ingredients until the drink becomes frothy.
• A quick and easy way to relisha a healthy drink rich in calcium.
• Its renowned for its health benefits such as easy digestion, Proteins, B-complex as per Ayurveda.

Beerakaya Koora / Ridgegourd curry

Ingredients

1. Ridge gourd - 2
2. Onion - 1
3. Green chilly - 1
4. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoons
6. Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
7. Asoefatida - a pinch
8. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
9. Salt as needed
10. Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
11. Milk - 1/2 cup
12. Oil - 2 tablespoons
13. Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Method

• Peel the skin of ridge gourd and wash them thouroughly.
• Cut them into pieces and have them aside.
• Chop onions and green chillies.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard, cumin and urad dal.
• Fry them till they splutter.
• Add a pinch of asoefatida and saute the mixture.
• Add onions and greenchillies and fry till the onions turn brown.
• Add the ridge gourd pieces and saute with the mixture.
• Add a spoon of oil if needed.
• Close the lid and cook the vegetable in steam on a medium flame.
• Saute the mixture every 5 minutes to ensure that vegetable doesn't get charred.
• Once the vegetable is half cooked, add milk and cook again with closed lid.
• Keep sauting in between and once the vegetable is totally cooked add turmeric and salt.
• If you need the curry a little spicy, add a teaspoon of red chilly powder at this stage.
• Saute the entire mixture for a minute, add a table spoon of sugar, mix and cook for half a minute with closed lid.
• Switch off the flame, place the pan with the closed lid aside.
• Serve after 10 minutes to enjoy the aroma and taste.

Avalakki Oggarane/ Flattened Rice fry/ Atukula Pulihora/ Poha Pulihora

Needed

1. Flattened Rice - 2 cups
2. Capscicum - 1/2
3. Onion - 1
4. Green chillies - 1 or 2
5. Ginger - a small piece
6. Cashew - 5
7. Raisins - 8
8. Almonds - 2
9. Coriander/Cilantro - 1/4 bunch
10. Curry leaves - 5
11. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
12. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
13. Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon
14. Red gram - 1/2 teaspoon
15. Lemon - 1/2
16. Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
17. Oil - 2 tablespoons
18. Salt as needed

Method

• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard, cumin, urad dal and red gram.
• Fry till they splutter.
• Add almonds, cashew, raisins, curry leaves and fry for few minutes.
• Add ginger, green chillies and onion and fry for few minutes.
• This order of frying is crucial to ensure that none of the ingredients get charred.
• Add turmeric and capscicum and fry for few minutes.
• Wash the flattened rice and keep it aside for just a minute.
• I use the medium flattened rice to have the crispy texture.
• Add the flattened rice to the pan and saute it.
• Add salt, lemon juice and coriander leaves, saute the mixture.
• Minimze the heat and place a lid on the pan.
• After a minute, saute it again, switch of the heat.
• Keep the pan away from the heat with a closed lid.
• Serve it after 5 minutes to enjoy the aroma and taste.

Flattened Rice Fry can be prepared with carrots, beans , peas, cauliflower and many other vegetables as per the taste. I use capscicum as it takes less time to cook and gives a kick start for a busy morning.

Banana Milk Shake

Serves 4

Needed

1. Spotted Bananas - 2
2. Cold Milk - 4 cups
3. Almonds - 4
4. MTR Badamfeast - 2 tablespoons
5. Vanilla ice cream - 1 scoop

Method

• Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy it without sugar.
• A healthy drink with Potassium, Calcium and Vitamin E, cool way to pamper your tastebuds.

Gawar Beans Curry / Goru Chikkudukaya Koora

(Serves 2)
Ingredients

1. Gawar Beans - 1/2 kg
2. Water - 1 cup
3. Green chilly - 1
4. Coconut - 2 table spoons
5. Mustard Seeds - 1 table spoon
6. Jeera - 1 table spoon
7. Oil - 2 table spoons
8. Salt as needed

Method

• Wash the Gawar beans thoroughly and cut them into small pieces.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and jeera.
• Once they start spluttering, add cut green chilly.
• Once the chilli is fried, add the cut gawar beans.
• Add 1/2 cup water, stir and cook with a closed lid.
• After 5 minutes, stir again and add another 1/2 cup water.
• Close the lid and let it cook for a while.
• Keep stirring in between to avoid the vegetable from being charred.
• Once cooked, add coconut, salt and stir for a while.
• This curry is easy to cook and highly rich in fiber.

Bottle Gourd Curry / Sorakaya Koora

(Serves 2)
Ingredients

1. Bottle Gourd - 1/2
2. Turmeric - 1 table spoon
3. Red Chilli Powder - 1 table spoon
4. Salt as needed
5. Besan or Gram flour - 3 table spoons
6. Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
7. Oil - 2 tablespoons
8. Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
9. Jeera - 1 table spoon
10. Water - 1/2 cup

Method

• Heat the oil in a pan
• Add mustard seeds and jeera seeds
• Once they start spluttering, add the cut bottle gourd pieces
• Boil the vegetable with a closed lid.
• Keep stirring to avoid the pan base from getting charred.
• Once the vegetable is cooked, add turmeric, red chilli powder, jaggery and salt.
• Let it cook for a while with closed lid.
• Mix the besan or gram flour in 1/2 cup of water.
• Add this water to the cooked vegetable and stir till a consistency is achieved.
• This curry is easy to prepare and tastes very good with roti/rice.

Brinjal Tomato chutney

(Serves two)

Ingredients

1. Smal round brinjal - 3
2. Tomato -1
3. Tamarind Paste - 1 tablespoon
4. Salt as needed
5. Coriander - 1/4 bunch
6. Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
7. Oil - 2 tablespoons
8. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
9. Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
10. Green Chillies - 1
11. Asofaetida - a pinch

Method

• Heat the oil in a sauce pan.
• Add mustard,jeera and asofaetida and fry till they splutter.
• Fry the green chillies in the same oil.
• Add tomato pieces and fry till the tomato gets half cooked.
• Add brinjal pieces and cook till they get soft.
• Tamarind paste has to be added and mixed with the veggies.
• Transfer the entire content into a grinder.
• Add salt, coriander and grind into coarse paste.

Kalchina vankaaya chutney/Smoky Brinjal chutney

(Serves 2 people)

Needed:
Tiny round Brinjal - 5
Oil - 2tablespoons
Green chillies - 1
Tamarind Chutney - 1 teaspoon
Coriander - 1/4 bunch
Salt as needed
Asofaetida - a pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

1. Peel the skin of the brinjal stem on the body. Let the s
2. tem remain intact to help us burn the vegetable.
3. Coat the brinjal with a thin layer of vegetable oil.
4. Place it on the stove and burn the vegetable till the skin turns black.
5. Let the brinjal cool down. Meanwhile fry the green chilly in oil.
6. Peel the binjal skin.
7. Add brinjal, gree chilli, salt, tamarind paste, coriander and Asofaetida to a grinder and turn it into a coarse paste.
8. Season the chutney with mustard and urad dal.

Tomato Spring Onion Gojju

No ample time to cook ? Here is a shortcut recipe for a 15 minute delicacy.

Ingredients :
Diced Tomatoes - 2 cans
Spring onions - 1 set
Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
Coriander power - 1/2 tea spoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Rasam powder - 11/2 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
Asofaetida - pinch
Oil - 2 table spoons
Salt as required

1. Add the oil to a pan and heat on medium flame
2. As it gets hot, sprinkle the cumin seeds and wait for them to splutter
3. Add asofaetida and fry till a tasty aroma spreads.
4. Add the cut spring onions and fry them till they get a little cooked
5. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes, mix well and heat with a closed lid on medium flame for 10 minutes
6. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder,Rasam powder and salt.
7. Mix well and heat again with closed lid for 5 minutes.

Serve this gojju with chapathi or rice and enjoy the tangy taste

Aagalkaayi Gojju/ Bittergourd Gravy

Bittergourd - 6
Onion -1
Red chillies - 4
Jeera - 1 teaspoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Crushed Jaggery - 4 teaspoons
Tamarind - 1 teapoon
Oil - 3 tea spoons
Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
Salt as required
Red chilli powder as desired.

1. Chop the bittergourd into thin circle and sprinkle turmeric.
2. Close the lid and keep it overnight in the fridge.
3. This ensures that bitterness is reduced.
4. Start with the seasoning of mustard, jeera  red chillies and onions
5. Fry till the onions turn brown.
6. Add the bittergourd, sprinkle a little water and close the lid.
7. This prevents the vegetable being charred.
8. As the bittergourd gets softer, add 1/2 cup of water.
9. Mix tamarind paste and jaggery to get a thick gravy.
10. Heat it on low flame for 5 minutes.
11. Add red chilli powder if more spice is needed.
12. Heat for another 2 minutes while stirring.
13. Relish the bitter and sweet combo.

Tomato Bisi uppinakayi

Needed

1. Ripe Tomatoes - 6
2. Red Chillies - 5
3. Sesame seeds -2 teaspoons
4. Fenugreek Seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Oil - 2 tespoons
6. Asoefatida - a pinch
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Salt as desired

Method

1. Add 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan.
2. As the oil gets heated up, add the tomatoes and boil on medium flame,with a close lid.
3. Keep stirring in between to avoid the puree getting burnt.
4. Boil the tomatoes till the raw smell vanishes resulting in a thick puree. 
5. Meanwhile fry the sesame and fenugreek seeds in a pan on medium flame.
6. Grind them into soft powder.
7. Heat a teaspoon of oil in another pan, add few sesame seeds, a pinch of asoefatida and red chillies.
8. Fry till the red chillies turn light brown.
9. Add the boiled tomato puree to this mixture.
10. While stirring add the sesame and fenugreek powder,turmeric, chili powder and salt.
11. Heat the mixture on low flame with close lid for 3 minutes.
12. Serve with rotis to enjoy the tangy uppinakayi.

Sweet Potato Gojju

Sweet Potatoes - 5 to 6
Onion -1
Garlic cloves - 4
Ginger cut pieces - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 10
Coriander - 1 bunch
Coconut Milk - 1can
Green chillies - 3
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Asoefatida - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
MTR Multipurpose curry powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Sesame seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cashews - 8
Tomato ketchup - 1 teaspoon
Salt - as desired
Cut coriander - handful

1. Boil sweet potatoes in water or microwave them for 20 minutes. 
2. Peel the skin and keep them aside.
3. Take 3 teaspoons of vegetable oil, fry the sesame and cumin seeds.
4. As they start spluttering, add curry leaves and asoefatida.
5. Add cut ginger, garlic cloves, onions and green chillies.
6. Saute them till onions turn golden brown.
7. Add turmeric powder, cashews and saute again.
8. Add the boiled and peeled sweet potatoes.
9. Saute the sweet potatoes till they get mixed evenly with the contents.
10. Lower the flame and add one can of coconut milk.
11. Keep stirring the contents to get even spread.
12. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and MTR multipurpose curry powder in given proportions while stirring.
13. Add salt as desired, 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup and handful of coriander.
14. Stir for a while and close the lid for 2 minutes on low flame.

Yummy Sweet Potato Gojju is ready.

Little patience check but great to taste.

Mango Milk Shake

Tired from work, friends' surprise visit or just a craving to drink something cool but lazy enough to put in efforts ? Take a chill pill. Here's a super cool, ulti-fast milk shake you can prepare in 5 minutes.

Kesar Mango Pulp - 1 cup
Cold Milk - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
MTR Badam Feast - 2 tablespoons

Blend everything together and relish it.