Sweet appam

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
3/4 cup grated jaggery
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 small banana or 3/4 of a big banana
Oil to fry
Appam mould

Method:
Soak the rice for an hour, then drain and put in a blender along with coconut. Grind well, then add the jaggery and banana. Grind into a thick mixture like pancake or idly batter.
Put oil in a nonstick mould and pour the dough into each hole. Fill only 3/4 of each hole. When one side is done, turnover until both sides turn golden.Remove onto a paper towel to soak any excess oil. Sprinkle a dusting of sugar on top.
Store in an airtight container. Serve warm.

Flat beans (guvar) kootu

Ingredients:
1/2 kg flat beans (guvar or kothavarakkai)
1 piece tamarind gooseberry size
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp sambar powder
1 tbsp jaggery
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp urad dal
6 red chilies whole
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
Pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method:
Chop the beans and wash nicely. Cook them in water along with turmeric, sambar powder and a little salt.
When the beans are cooked, add the tamarind water, jaggery, and allow to cook well until the tamarind juice reduces.
In a separate pan put 1 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and a pinch of asafoetida. When the mustard pops add the grated coconut. Sauté until the coconut turns slightly golden, add then cook with the beans for a little while. Remove from the fire.
Serve with rice or chapati.

Lentil dumplings rasam

Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal
4 red chilies whole
2 green chilies
1 gooseberry-sized tamarind
Curry leaves
2 tsp sambar powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp jaggery
1 pinch asafoetida
1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
Salt to taste

Method:
First soak the dal, red chilies, and green chilies for half an hour.
Extract the tamarind juice and add turmeric, salt, sambar powder, curry leaves, jaggery, asafoetida and allow to boil.
Grind the soaked dal with red chilies, green chilies, and asafoetida, add a little salt and water to make a thick paste. Remove and make into small dumplings and drop it into the boiling tamarind water. Drop 6 to 8 dumplings and when cooked they will rise. Remove them and make the rest of the dough in the same way. When everything is done, put all the balls in it and add one glass of water. Let everything cook together. Sprinkle cilantro and remove from the stove.
In a separate pan, add one teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter), mustard seeds, cumin, and curry leaves. Sauté until the mustard seeds pop. Top the rasam with this mixture.
Serve with rice or as a soup.