Kachori

Ingredients for puris:
3 handfuls maida (all purpose flour)
1 tbsp oil
Pinch of salt

Ingredients for masala stuffing:
3 tbsp besan (chickpea) flour
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin powder
3 cloves
3 cardamom
1/2 cinnamon stick

Method:
First make a dough out of maida, salt and oil, and set it aside.
Finely powder the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon, add cumin powder.
In a nonstick pan, add oil and heat. Add the chickpea flour and fry until the aroma releases.
Reduce heat and add turmeric and red chili. Sauté for a while, then add the other spice powder along with a little salt. Let it cool down.
Make the dough into small balls and roll like puris. In the center add the masala stuffing powder and seal it. Roll out again into small puris, then deep fry.
Serve with ketchup and yoghurt spread on top.

Bisibela bath (sambar rice cooked with vegetables)

Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal
1 cup rice
1 carrot
2 medium-sized onions
1 potato
3 drumsticks
2 bunches of cauliflower
1/2 cup peas

Ingredients for masala:
1 tbs chana dal
1 tbs coriander seeds
8 red chilies whole
1/2 tsp whole pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
Few curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 small lime-sized tamarind

Method:
Fry the masala ingredients in a little oil, then grind it and keep aside.
Take a deep vessel and cook the dal with turmeric. When the dal is half cooked add the rice.
When the rice is half cooked, cut the vegetables into large cubes and add to the rice and dal. Squeeze the tamarind juice and add to the mixture with the required amount of salt.
Add the masala powder and let everything cook together on a low flame. Add cilantro and a little jaggery.

Eggplant ennai kozhambu

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo small-sized eggplant
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 small lemon-sized tamarind
1 tbsp jaggery
6-7 curry leaves
Pinch of asafoetida
Handful of cilantro leaves
Salt to taste

Ingredients for stuffing:
1 tbsp chana dal (chickpea lentils)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp urad dal
10 red chilies whole
2 small cardamom
1 small cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp cloves

Method:
Dry fry all the stuffing ingredients until golden color, powder it with the required amount of salt and set aside.
Slit the eggplant, put them in a bowl of water with pinch of turmeric and keep aside.
After some time the eggplant will bloom like a flower. Remove from water and stuff with the spice filling.
In a nonstick frying pan, add oil and when heated put in the mustard seeds and curry leaves, pinch of asafoetida, and 1/2 tsp turmeric. When the mustard pops, add the eggplant and keep the flame on low. Fry the eggplant. Take the tamarind, soak in water and extract the juice. Pour it on top of the eggplant, add a little jaggery and allow it to boil. When the gravy is thick remove from the flame and garnish with cilantro.
Serve with rice and chapati.

Pal poli

Ingredients:
1 liter milk
1 cup semolina
1 1/2 glass sugar
Orange food coloring (optional)
Oil for deep frying








Method:
If the semolina is coarse, put it in a blender and powder. Add water and make a soft dough and set aside for half an hour.
In a deep saucepan add milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce flame to low.
Roll out small pooris from the semolina dough, then fold it into a semicircle and roll it out again. Deep fry the pooris and soak them in the milk. When it is nicely soaked, remove and put it on a plate.
Serve this sweet dish warm or cold.

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.