Pumpkin Sweet

From my sister Karpagam.

Ingredients
½ Kg Pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 pinch sunambu (In Tamil)

Method 
Cut pumpkin into small pieces. Add Pinch of sunambu in little water and apply it on all pumpkin pieces and leave it aside for 5 mins.
Poke the pumpkin using fork and then wash pumpkin pieces thoroughly to remove sunambu.
Heat ½ cup water and add the sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the pumpkin pieces to the boiling sugar syrup. Cook pumpkin in high flame for 15 mins.Allow it to cool and remove pumpkin pieces from the syrup. Add dry fruits and enjoy the tasty Pumpkin sweet.

Pumpkin Sambar

From my sister Karpagam.

Ingredients
1/2 cup toor dal cooked
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Asaofoetida
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 cup White pumpkin
1 tsp chilli powder
Turmeric powder – little
1 tsp Sambar powder
1 small lemon size tamarind
Salt to taste
Curry and coriander leaves

Method
Pressure cook the toor dal and keep aside.

Heat oil and season with mustard seeds and add asaofoetida, Add Onion and sauté until onion is cooked. Next add tomatoes and pumpkin. Add salt / chilli powder and turmeric powder and fry for few mins then add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Once pumpkin is cooked add cooked toor dal to it and allow it to boil for few mins .Now add tamarind juice extract and sambar powder and boil for 5 mins and finally add curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Pepper – Garlic Kuzhambu

Ingredients - Kuzhambu
1 tsp oil
10 Garlic flakes
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
Lemon size tamarind (1 cup juice roughly)
Salt to taste
Curry leaves

For Masala Powder
1 tsp pepper corns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp Channa dal
3 red chillies

Method

Prepare masala powder for kuzhambu first.
Roast pepper corns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, red chillies , urad dal , channa dal each one separately in 1 tsp of Oil. Allow it to cool and grind in a blender and leave it aside.

Heat Oil in a pan and season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves .Fry chopped garlic until golden brown.Add the extracted tamarind juice and allow it to boil.Add salt as per taste and tumeric powder.Let it boil for 10 mins and then finally add the masala powder and keep stirring.Turn off the stove when the Kuzhambu is thick.

Aloo Garlic podimas

Ingredients
2 medium size potatoes
2 green chillies - chopped
8 garlic flakes – Chopped
1 onion -Big
Salt
½ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Oil
Curry leaves

Method

Steam potatoes and smash it.

Heat Oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and fry until golden brown .Add finely chopped chillies and onion and fry till it turns golden brown .Add turmeric powder and salt to it.
Now add the smashed potatoes and fry for few more mins.Garnish with curry leaves.

Tasty Aloo garlic podimas ready to be served with Kuzhambu rice.

Banana Plantain Stem Soup

This is from my sister Karpagam. This seems to be a different soup and healthy too.

Ingredients

Banana Steam -1 cup

Toor dal – 1 tsp

Onion – 1

Tomato – 1

Ginger paste – 1 tsp

Pepper – as per reqd

Salt

Cinnanmon – 1

Cloves – 2

Corinader leaves

Method

Cut Banana plantain stem into small pieces.

Heat Oil in a Pressure cooker and add cinnamon / cloves / toor dal / ginger past and fry for few secs and then add onion / tomato / banana plaintain stem and 2 cups of water and finally add  little pepper and salt . Close the cooker.Turn off the stove after 5 whistles.Garnish with coriander leaves

Hot healthy soup ready to be served

Jilabi Paratha

This is from my sister Karpagam. The circular folds are clearly seen and the paratha looks so flaky.

Ingredients

Maida – 1 cup

Salt

Oil

Method

Take maida / salt in a vessel .Add little water and start mixing with hands.It takes crumbly form .Add little oil and make smooth dough and leave it aside for 1 hour

Make a big ball and start making a pipe out of it.

Once the pipes are done start making a circle (like jilabi) and roll it and place it on the hot tawa

Dry roast one side and turn it over and dry roast the other side too.When it is golden brown remove from tawa.Apply ghee on both sides.

Serve hot with Onion Raita or Aloo chilly gravy

Soya Chunks Tikki

This is from my sister Karpagam. Soya Chunks Tikki look inviting and healthy.

Ingredients

Soya chunks – 1 cup

Carrot / Potato / capsicum – 1 cup (cut into small pieces)

Garlic – 1

Ginger – small piece

Maida- 1/2  cup

Salt

Oil

Method

Soak Soya chunks in hot water for 10 mins.

Squeeze and wash soya chunks again in cold water for several times and drain the water completely

Grind Soya chunks / Garlic / Ginger piece and leave it aside.

Cut vegetables into small pieces and add it to the soya chunks mixture.

Add 1 tsp maida to it and make small balls.Flatten the balls and keep it ready .

Take the remaining maida in the plate .Put the flatten tikki’s in maida  .

Heat the tawa and add little oil. Place the flatten balls on the tawa .Dry roast one side and turn it over and dry roast the other side too.When it is golden brown remove from tawa.

Hot Soya chunks tiiki ready to be served with tomato sauce.

Rajma Bread Toast

This is from my sister Karpagam. Love the cute capsicum cup :).

Ingredients

Bread slices

Rajma – 1 cup

Onion – 1

Tomato – 2

Chilli Powder – 1tsp

Tumeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Pudina leaves – 1 bunch

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Tamarind – lemon size

Salt

Oil

Method

For Pudina Paste

Clean a bunch of Pudina leaves with water

Take a pan heat little oil and add urad dal / pudina leaves / tamarind / green chilli and fry until pudina is cooked will .Let it not be deep fried.Cool and grind the above mixture with little salt .Now pudina paste is ready.

For preparing gravy

Soak Rajma in water over nite.

Cook Rajma in pressure cooker and leave it aside

Prepare Tomato puree by grinding tomato

Heat oil in a pan .Add Onion and fry till it turn golden brown and then add the tomato puree.

Add Rajma / Chilli powder / Turmeric powder / Salt and 1 cup of water .Cover and cook until gravy is of desired thickness.

Add coriander leaves for garnishing.

Now take Bread slice and apply Pudina paste and gravy on top and cover it with another pudina pasted bread.

Take a  Dosa pan and heat little oil.

Place the Bread on the dosa pan and press it with a heavy vessel for few mins .Turn the bread and repeat the same on the other side too.

Now remove the Bread Toast from the kadai and do the same with other bread slices.

Rajma Bread Toast ready to taste.

Healthy Soya Chunks Manchurian (Microwave method)

This is from my sister Karpagam. It is a healthy version grilled in the microwave. 

Ingredients

Soya Chunks – 1 cup

Corn flour Powder – 1 tsp

BESAN flour – ½ tsp

Rice flour – 2 tsp

Chilli Powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric Powder- ¼ tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Cashew nuts – 4 or 5

Method

Soak Soya chunks in hot water for 10 mins.

Squeeze and wash soya chunks again in cold water for several times and drain the water completely

Take Corn flour Powder / Bengal Gram Powder/ Rice flour / Chilli Powder / Turmeric Powder in a vessel and mix well.

Now add the drained soya chunks to the mixture and let it NOT be watery .It should be thick. Leave it aside for 30 mins

Take Microwave oven plate and apply oil on the plate and add soya chunks and place in the oven and cook for 5 mins

Remove and place the plate on the grill and again let it cook for 5 mins.

Now crunchy Soya chunks Manchurian ready to be served

Fry Cashew / curry leaves in little oil and use it for garnishing

Serve it with Tomato sauce

Wilted Spinach with Garlic Chips

From my friend Lacey. Thanks Lacey for your participation and for the crisp pictures.


i made this wilted spinach with garlic chips. the garlic was amazing!! it was my first time making it and i will be making it again soon! this was what i followed: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/06/spinach-with-garlic-chips/
we put it over pasta. it was low fat (no butter or cream used) and tasted great. attached are my pictures.

Palak - Bell Pepper - Dal fry

This is from my sister Karpagam. Yummy and healthy and is on my todo list now. Thank you !!

Ingredients

Palak – 1 bunch

Garlic- 4 ( cut into small pieces)

Onion – 1

Green chilli – 3

Toor dal – ½ cup

Channa – ½ cup

Bell pepper -1

Oil – 2 tsp

Musturd seeds- ½ tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Salt – as per taste

Graaram masala – 1 pinch

Method

Cook Toor dal and channa in pressure cooker and keep it a side.

Heat the pan and add oil / mustard seeds /cumin seeds / green chillies / garlic and fry

Add onion and fry until brown .Now add the bell pepper and fry for 2 more mins .

add palak followed by a pinch of graaram masala and let it boil for 10mins. Once Palak is cooked add channa / toor dal to it and cook for few more mins .

Serve hot with roti or rice