KAIMA IDLY

Ingredients:
Mini idli - 15
Onion - 2 (medium size)(sliced thin)
Capsicum - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1
Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Gr. chilies -2
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Red chili powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 2tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds -1 tsp
Salt
Oil
Green peas (optional)

Preparation :

• Deep fry the idlies till golden brown and keep it aside. 
• Take some oil in a pan. When hot add the fennel seeds and curry leaves. 
• Add the onion and green chilies and saute until the onion becomes soft. 
• Add the ginger garlic paste and cook it till the raw smell disappears. Add the tomatoes and ketchup and cook it until the tomatoes soften. 
• Add the chili pdr, coriander pdr, garam masala, and salt and add some water and allow it to boil. 
• When the gravy thickens add the capsicum and the fried idli and simmer it for two minutes and finish it up with coriander leaves. 

Tips:

1. Refrigerate the idlies for a couple of hours before frying. This will make the frying easy and also the idlies won't drink up the oil. 
2. The gravy should have a little water before adding the idlies. This way the idlies will not be dry. 
3. If not using ketchup add some sugar to get that little hint of sweetness. 
4. This dish is best served hot. The idlies will be crunchy and also saucy. 

MASALA VADAI

Ingredients:

Chana Dal - 1 cup
Onion - 2 (medium size, finely chopped)
Coriander Leaves - a bunch (finely chopped)
Mint Leaves - 2 sprigs (finely chopped)
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs (finely chopped)
Fennel Seeds - 2 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1 Tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

• Soak the chana dal overnight or preferably 5-6 hrs
• Drain the water from the dal and grind it along with fennel seeds into a coarse paste by adding very little water.
  
  
• Mix all the other ingredients and mix well using hands.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Deep fry the vadas in hot oil.
  
  .This Vadai is the perfect combination for Nombu Kanji.

Tips:

1. Grind the dal in two batches. Grind the first batches very roughly without adding water. Grind the next batch smoothly by adding little water. Mix well. This way you will get perfectly crisp yet soft vadas.
2. Mix the onion and leaves only before frying. Otherwise, the batter will become watery.
3. For crispy vadai do not shape the vadai. Just take some batter and drop it in oil without shaping.
4. For variations, spinach or drumstick leaves can be added instead of coriander and mint leaves.

NOMBU KANJI

Nombu kanji is a traditional food prepared in Tamilnadu during Ramadhan. This is a very nutritious and wholesome meal by itself. 

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Moong Dal - 1/3 cup

Onion - 1 medium size sliced

Garlic - 6 sliced

Carrot Cabbage Green Beans - 1 cup (finely chopped)

Coriander Leaves - a bunch (finely chopped)

Mint Leaves - finely chopped

Green Chillies -2

Coconut - 1/2 cup (shredded)

Cinnamon - 2 small piece

Cardamom - 4

Cloves - 4

Oil - 3 tsp (preferably coconut)

Salt to taste

Preparations:

• Soak the rice for at least two or three hours.
• Take the oil in a pressure cooker and heat it
  
• Once the oil is smoking hot add the cinnamon cardamom and cloves.
  
  Add the moong dal and fry in a very low flame. Do not brown the dal. 
  
• Add the sliced garlic and onion and saute it.
  
• Add all the vegetables, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and green chili and saute it well.
  
• Add four cups of water and let it boil.
  
•  once the water boils add the soaked rice and cook for 3 whistles in high flame and three whistles in low flame.
  
• Open the cooker and remove all the whole garam masala and green chillis
• Add salt and coconut and mash well until it becomes mushy.
  
  
  
•  Add required water to adjust the consistency to make it like a thick soup. Boil it once after adding water and switch off.
• Serve the kanji along with masala vadai or pakoda or bajji
  

Tips:

• Adding coconut oil will give a distinct flavor.
• Do not add salt before cooking. Add salt only after cooking before mashing.
• Add the coconut and mash well so that the coconut flavor will be infused well.
• Remove all the whole garam masala before mashing otherwise the smell will be overpowering.
• Be careful while frying the dal otherwise, it will brown really fast and the taste won't be perfect.

PEANUT CHUTNEY

       PEANUT CHUTNEY is always my favourite chutney. But in my house peanut chutney is not a regularly made thing. I tasted this chutney from my school friend once and it became my favourite instantly. I always wanted to make the best peanut chutney. I tried from many websites and blogs. But i didn't get the taste i was having in my mind. Then last week i combined all the things i learned from the blogs and created my own recipe out of it. Surprisingly that was the taste i was searching for. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Peanut- 1 cup

Grated coconut- 1 cup

dhalia- 1 tbsp

Onion- 1(medium)

Green chillies- 2-3

Red chilly- 2

Tamarind paste- 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Salt

Preparation:

1. Pour some oil in a pan. Add the peanuts in the oil and saute till it becomes golden color.
2. Add the dhalia and fry for two seconds. Add the red and green chillies and saute well
3. Add the onion and saute until the raw smell of onion goes away.
4. Add the grated coconut and salt and saute for a minute.
5. Switch off the flame and add the tamarind paste to it.
6. Put the mixture in a grinder or blender and grind it into a fine paste.
7. Tempering is optional

CHILLI IDLY

Ingredients:

Idly- 4(cubed)

Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Greenchilli sauce- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

salt to taste

a little water

Red color (optional)

For tempering:

Onion

Green chillies

Curry leaves

Mustard seeds

Oil

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients from ginger garlic paste to red color nicely.
2. Toss the cubed idly in it and mix gently without breaking the idlis.Keep this for atleast 1/2 an hour
3. Heat the oil. The oil should be in highest temperature. There should be smokes coming. Thats when the idly will come out crispy. Otherwise the fried idly will be chewy.
4. Put the idlis in hot oil and fry until it becomes crispy.
5. Heat a little oil in a pan and add a little mustard seeds and then add the finely sliced onion, curry leaves and green chillies and saute well 
6. Put it on top of the idlis and serve

Serve this idly with peanut chutney.

ADUKKU PATIRI- SPICY VERSION

Ingredients:

For stuffing:

Onion - (finely chopped)

Chicken (minced)
Green chillies(finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste
Salt
Garam masala

Pour some oil and add the green chillies and add the chicken and saute well with some salt until it becomes a little dry and all the water is dried
Remove the chicken and add some more oil and add the onions and ginger garlic paste and cook well with some salt and turmeric powder . Adding chilli powder is optional . Add the chicken to the onion mixture and mix well and switch off the flame

For the layers:
Make regular dough with maida, salt and water. Roll it out according to the shape of the pan and put it on a hot tawa and turn it once and take it out
Make sufficient amount of rotis and keep it aside

Assembling:

Beat 5-6 eggs with a little salt and pepper
Butter the pan well and turn on the oven to 350 deg

Take roti and dip it in the beaten eggs and keep it on the pan. Then put some chicken mixture and again dip a roti in the egg and keep it. Do this process step by step until the pan is full

Pour the remaining egg over it and sprinkle some poppey seeds and some cashews on top and cover it with and keep it in the oven
Stick a tooth pick to see it is cooked
Cut it into pieces and serve

PONGAL

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Green Gram - 1/4 cup

Ghee - 100 gm

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Whole black pepper - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - a bunch

Cashew nuts

Salt

Preparation:

1. Soak rice and moong dal together for atleast half an hour and add half of cumin seeds and half of black pepper and pressure cook it along with four cups of water.

2. When the rice and dhal mixture is completely cooked take a spoon and mash it

3. Pour the ghee in a pan and add cashew nuts and fry until it becomes golden brown. Drain the cashew nut and add it to the rice dhal mixture

4. Heat the same ghee again and add the remaining cumin seeds and black pepper. When it splutters add the curry leaves and switch off the flame

5. Add this also to the mixture and mix well

Serve this pongal with coconut chutney and sambhar

PURI AND KURMA

Ingredients for kurma:

Potato - 1

Carrot - 1 cup

Cauli flower - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1(medium)

Tomato - 1 small

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Yoghurt - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves

Mint leaves

Coconut milk - 3 tbsp

Minced chicken - (optional)

Method:

1. Pour some oil in the pressure cooker and put chopped onion and saute it well

2. Add ginger garlic paste and add all the powders and salt and add tomatoes

3. Add the minced chicken and all the vegetables and saute well

4. Add the coriander leaves and mint leaves and add the coconut milk and enough water and put the lid on and cook it

5. After cooking mash the vegetables slightly

Serve it along with puri