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.

Spinach/dal shundal (lentil fry)

Ingredients:
1 packet frozen or fresh spinach
1/2 cup mung dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
4 red chilies
A few curry leaves
Pinch of asafoetida
1 tbsp oil
3 tbsp shreded coconut
2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method:
Add oil in a deep pan, when heated, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chili, and asafoetida. When the mustard seeds pop, add one glass of water, the mung dal and let it cook.
When the dal is tender, add spinach and allow it to cook. After the spinach is cooked add salt and stir. Allow the water to evaporate, then add the coconut, sugar, and stir fry. Remove from stove once cooked.

Thenkuzhal (crispy snack)

Ingredients:
5 cups rice flour
1 cup urad dal roasted powder
100 grams butter
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 tbsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
First dry roast the rice flour, then add urad dal powder, salt, asafoetida, cumin seeds, butter and roll into a soft dough.
Heat up oil for deep frying. Put the dough mix in the maker and squeeze into the oil. Fry both sides until it turns golden color and crispy. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
Store it in an airtight container. Serve as snack with coffee, tea.

Rava (semolina) kesari

Ingredients:
1 cup semolina
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water
50 grams butter
2 pinches of food color
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
Handful of cashews

Method:
Melt the butter, add semolina and fry until golden. Add water and cook without creating lumps. Now add the sugar, food color and fried cashews. Keep stirring on a medium flame until the mixture does not stick to the pan.
Serve this dessert hot or cold.

Potato and onion pakoda

 











Ingredients:
4 onions
2 potatoes
1 green chili chopped
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Pinch of asafoetida
3 handfuls gram flour
1 handful rice flour
1 tbsp cilantro
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Method:
Thinly slice the onions. Wash, peel and grate the potatoes.
Mix the onions, potatoes, green chili, asafoetida, gram flour, rice flour, cumin powder, cilantro and salt. Add 2 tbsp of hot oil and mix well. Add a little water to make a thick batter. Drop the batter in small quantities into hot oil and deep fry.
Serve with tomato ketchup or chili sauce.