Beetroot halwa

Ingredients:

Beetroot-1 cup

Milk-1/2cup(1/4 cup water+1/4 cup milk)

sugar-1/2cup

cardamom-1-2

cashew-few

cucumber seeds-1tsp(optional)

ghee-2tbsp

Method:

Peel the skin of beetroot, grate and kept aside.Heat little ghee in the pan. (I always use rice cooker to make halwas and it comes out well).Fry the cashews and kept aside. In the same ghee fry beetroot until raw smell disappears.Add the milk to the beetroot and close the pan.Wait until beets are cooked well and milk is entirely absorbed. Now add sugar and ghee ,stir well until the mixture turns semisolid.close the pan again. wait until it comes to automatic warm or ghee seperates on top and the halwa doesn't stick to the sides of the pan.Garnish with fried cashews/cucumber seeds.

Mutton masala chops(Spicy)

Ingredients:

Mutton-1/2 kg

onion-2

Tomato-2

Red chillies-3

garlic-7 pods

Ginger-1 inch

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Chilli powder-1-1/2 tsp

Curry leaves-few

Pepper-1tsp

Oil-2-3 tbsp

Salt-as required

Method:

Wash and clean mutton by adding little turmeric powder .Grind all the ingredients except mutton. Mix the paste to the cleaned mutton. Heat oil in a kadai and add the mixture.Stir well and close the pan until mutton is cooked well and oil seperates on top. Fry until golden brown. Serve hot.

Note-This masala chops is easy to prepare in one go.It is a perfect side dish for plain hot rice,dosas,idlies.

Vendayakeerai/Methi vadai

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dhal-1 cup

Somf-1/2 tsp

Garlic-3 pods

Red chillies-2-3

vendaya keerai/Methi-1 bunch

curry leaves-few

Oil-for frying

Salt-as required

Method:

Soak bengal gram in water for 2-3 hours along with red chillies.Then coarsely grind it without adding water.Crush garlic along with somf and mix with the batter.Now mix finely cut methi along with curry leaves.Add salt as required.Heat oil in kadai.Make small ball from the batter,flatten it and deep fry till golden brown.Serve hot with coconut chutney.

P.S:keep the flame in medium so the inner portion of the vadai is cooked well.

Surakkai Halwa

Ingredients:

Surakkai/Bottle guard-2 medium

2 medium lauki gives around 6-7 cups

sugar-21/2 cups

Milk-1 cup

Condensed milk-1/2 cup(optional)

Cardamom-4

ghee-4 tbsp

cashews-few

raisin-few

Method:Peel the skin and cut into long pieces. Remove the seeds and grate. Heat ghee in a non-stick vessel and fry the cashews and raisins until cashews turn golden brown and set aside.In the same ghee fry the surakkai until all the water is absorbed.(I used rice cooker for whole of the procedure).Now add milk to the surakkai mix and close the cooker and wait until it comes to automatic warm or until the surakkai is cooked well. Then add the sugar and condensed milk and stir thoroughly until it becomes semi solid.Now add the remaining ghee, stir well and close the lid until almost all the liquid is absorbed and halwa does not stick to the sides of the pan.Now halwa is ready.Garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

badhusha

Ingredients:

Maida-1 cup

Baking soda-1 pinch

Curd-3 tbsp

Ghee-2 tbsp

Orange food colouring-1 pinch(Optional)

Sugar-1 cup

Water-1/4th cup

Cashew-few

Badam-a few

oil-for frying

Method:In a wide mouth pan mix ghee and baking soda well.Then add orange food colour,curd and maida, mix thoroughly using hands.Mix well to a soft dough.Now make small balls from the dough and flatten them about 1/2 inch thickness.Make a depression with the thumb in the centre. Do the same procedure for the remaining. Now heat oil in a kadai.Keep it in low flame and fry all the badushas until golden brown. At the same time take a pan and put the sugar adding the water .Bring it to 1 string consistency.Dip the fried badushas in sugar syrup for 10-15 minutes.Remove from syrup keep aside and decorate with grated cashew/almonds.

Channa Kuruma

Ingredients:

Channa-1 cup

Onions-2

Tomatoes-2

Ginger-1 inch

green chillies-3

somf/fennel-1 tsp

bay leaf-1

cardamom-1

Cloves-2

coconut-1 handful

cashews-3

haldi-1/4tsp

chilli powder-1 tsp

mint leaves-few(Optional)

coriander leaves-few

Oil-3 tbsp

Method:

Pressure cook the channa adding salt and keep aside. Now in the same cooker add little oil and fry ginger,somf(1/2 tsp),and green chillies for sometime.Mix this with coconut along with cashews and grind it to a smooth paste and keep aside. In the same cooker add oil, after it gets heated add the masalas and allow it to splutter.Add onions and fry until golden brown.Add tomatoes and mint,fry for sometime.Add haldi,chilli powder,channa,salt and water (1/2cup) .close the lid and allow 1 or 2 whistles.When the pressure comes down open the lid and add the coconut paste.Mix well.Allow it to boil for sometime and turn off the stove.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note:

Channa should be soaked overnight or atleast 6 hrs. When adding water always reuse the same water that was used to cook channa.Neve throw this water as it contains many water soluble vitamins.

Milagu sambar/Pepper sambhar

Ingredients:

Toor Dhal:1/2 cup

onion:1

garlic:4

haldi:1/4 tsp

asafoetida:1/4 tsp

Red chillies:4

pepper:1-2 tsp(powdered coarsely)

tamarind-golf ball size

curry leaves-a few

Oil-2 tbsp

Method:

Pressure cook toor dhal along with onion,garlic,haldi,asafoetida until it is well cooked. Now, soak the tamarind in water (1/4 cup of water)and squeeze out the juice from it.Add the juice to the mashed toor dhal along with little water and mix well by adding required amount of salt and keep aside.Take a kadai add oil.once the oil is heated add red chillies and powdered pepper . Wait for few seconds and add this to the mashed toor dhal.Mix well and again keep on the stove for few minutes .Switch off the stove after 2 or 3 boils.Garnish with curry leaves.

Note:This is a very different type of sambhar with more medicinal taste.It is neither thick like our usual sambhar nor thin like rasam.Its somewhere in between with very good flavour.It really helps to have it during cough/cold.try it and please post your comments.