Masala buttermilk, Masala majjiga, masala majjige

Ingredients

1. Buttermilk - 2 cups
2. Lemon juice - 1 table spoon
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
4. Curry leaves - 4
5. Coriander or cilantro - 2 strands
6. Green chilli - 1
7. Asafoetida - a pinch
8. Salt - 1/4 tea spoon or as needed
9. Oil - 1 table spoon

Method

1. Take buttermilk, lemon juice, salt and coriander in a blender and blend it for 30 seconds
2. Take oil in a small sauce pan
3. Add mustard seeds and as they splutter, add asafoetida,curry leaves and finely chopped green chilli.
4. Strictly ensure that mustard seeds do not get charred.
5. As they fry add them to the blended buttermilk.
6. Let the flavor sink in a for a minute by closing the lid.
7. Enjoy the masala buttermilk post lunch or dinner.

Lemon rice, Pulihora, chitraanna

Ingredients

1. Boiled Rice - 2 cups
2. Lemon - 1/2 (juice squeezed)
3. Curry leaves - 10
4. Green chillies - 3
5. Asafoetida - a pinch
6. Oil - 2 table spoons
7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
8. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
9. Chana dal - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Urad dal - 1/2 tea spoon
11. Cashew - 10
12. Ground nuts - 10 (skin peeled)
13. Coriander or cilantro - 1/4 bunch
14. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
15. Onion - 1 (medium sized)
16. Ginger - 1/4" (Finely chopped)
17. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed

Method

1. Cook rice and keep it aside.
2. Take oil in a saucepan.
3. Add mustard,cumin, chana dal, urad dal and as they splutter, add asafoetida and curry leaves.
4. Keep stirring for a minute, add ginger, green chillies, ground nut, cashew and fry for a minute
5. Add finely chopped onions and stir till the onions turn brown.
6. Add turmeric powder and coriander, stir the entire mixture for 2 minutes.
7. Switch off the flame, add the mixture to boiled rice and mix the rice gently without spoiling the coarse texture of the rice grains.
8. Add salt and lemon juice as needed.
9. Close the lid and serve after 10 minutes to enjoy the flavors.

Spinach soup or Palak soup

Ingredients

1. Spinach - 1/2 bunch
2. Green chillies - 2
3. Potato - 1
4. Cinnamon stick - 1 small piece
5. Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tea spoon
6. Garlic cloves - 2
7. Onion - 1
8. Celery - 1/2 stalk chopped
9. Ginger - 1/4 " piece finely chopped
10. Butter - 2 table spoons
11. Milk - 1 cup
12. Salt - 1/2 tablespoon or as needed
13. Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
14. Pepper - 1/2 tea spoon or as needed
15. Lemon juice - 1 table spoon (Optional)

Method

1. Boil the potato, peel the skin off and keep it aside.
2. Heat butter in a sauce pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, celery and onion.
3. As the onions turn brown, add green chillies and fry for a minute.
4. Add chopped spinach and fry for 5 minutes, adding a little water if needed.
5. Take the spinach mixture in a blender, add boiled potato, add salt and blend into a puree.
6. Transfer the puree into a sauce pan, add 1 cup of milk, keep stirring.
7. Add a small piece of cinnamon and nutmeg powder, heat the mixture while stirring continuously for 2 minutes.
8. Optional is a tablespoon of lemon juice in the end before serving to get the tangy taste.
9. Serve hot with pepper as needed.

Beerakaya pachadi or Ridge Gourd churney or Heerekayi chutney

Needed

1. Ridge gourd or beerekaya or heerekaayi - 1
2. Oil - 1 table spoon
3. Urad dal - 1 table spoon
4. Tamarind paste - 1 tea spoon
5. Coconut - 1/2 cup
6. Green chillies - 2
7. Asafoetida - a pinch
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
9. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed

Method

1. Without peeling the skin, wash the ridge gourd thorouhly and cut into small cubes.
2. Add 1/2 table spoon oil to the saucepan and fry the green chillies and ridgegourd pieces.
3. Once they become tender, transfer hem to another plate and keep them aside.
4. In the same saucepan, fry 1 tablespoon of urad dal till they turn brown.
5. To the blender, add fried urad dal, green chillies,coconut, tamarind,salt and grind to a coarse paste.
6. Now, add the fried ridge gourd pieces and grind again into coarse paste.
7. Heat 1/2 table spoon oil, add mustard seeds and asafoetida and as they splutter, add the seasoning to the coarse paste.
8. Close the lid and let the flavors sink in for 10 minutes, serve the cutney with hot rice.

Ginger Chutney

Ingredients

1. Ginger - 1" piece
2. Onions - 1
3. Red chillies - 3
4. Grated Jaggery - 1 tea spoon
5. Cilantro or Coriander - 3 strands
6. Oil - 1 table spoon
7. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed

Method

1. Heat 1 table spoon of oil in a saucepan
2. Add ginger,onion,red chillies and fry them till the onions turn brown
3. Switch off the stove, let them cool to room temperature for 2 minutes before adding them into a blender. (Saves the blender blades from heat and improves the taste)
4. Add salt, grated jaggery, coriander and the above mixture to the blender and grind to a coarse paste.

Pesarattu or Moong dal dosa

Ingredients

1. Whole Moong dal - 2 cups
2. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed
3. Onion - 1
4. Cilantro or Coriander - 1/2 bunch
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
6. Green chillies - 2
7. Oil as needed

Method

1. Soak moongdal overnight in 4 cups of water
2. In the morning, drain the water and grind them into coarse paste.
3. Add salt as needed.
4. Coarse filling for these dosas are made by grinding cumin, green chillies, coriander and onion into a coarse paste.
5. Take 4 drops of oil and coat the tava.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto the tava and spread it in anti-clockwise direction
7. Place the tava on stove on medium heat with a closed lid.
8. After a minute, open the lid, add 2 table spoons of coarse filling in the center of the dosa, close the lid and cook it for 1 minute.
9. Open the lid, fold the dosa and serve it hot with ginger chutney.

Potato Curry - Kerala Style

Ingredients

1. Medium sized Potatoes - 3 
2. Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
3. Onion - 1 (finely sliced)
4. Green chilli - 2 (cut into small pieces)
5. Ginger - 1/4" piece (finely chopped)
6. Butter - 2 table spoons
7. Cumin seed - 1 tea spoon
8. Asafoetida - a pinch
9. Cilantro/Coriander - 4 strands of leaves finely chopped
10. Cumin powder - 1 tea spoon
11. Coriander powder - 1 tea spoon
12. Turmeric - 1/4 tea spoon
13. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon
14. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed
15. Water - 2 1/2 cups
16. Lemon juice - 2 tablespoon

Method :

1. Wash and cut the potatoes into cubes and boil them in 2 cups of water till they get cooked.
2. Peel the skin off the boiled potatoes.
3. In a saucepan, take 2 tablespoons of butter, add asafoetida,cumin seeds and let them splutter.
4. Add onions ginger,green chillies and fry till the onions turn brown
5. Add tomatoes and fry them for 2 minutes.
6. Add boiled potatoes,1/2 cup of water to this mixture and let it boil for a minute with closed lid.
7. Add turmeric, salt, cumin,coriander and red chilli powders, mix and cook with the closed lid for 1 minute.
8. Add cilantro and lemon juice to the cooked mixture, switch off the stove and let it cook with the closed lid.
9. Wait for 10 minutes and then serve with rotis to enjoy the flavors.