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.