Pickled Mangoes

Overview
Ripe mango slices pickled this way goes very well with grilled chicken or fish. The vinegar and spices compliments the sweet taste of mango here.  This pickle taste better after a day or two and stays in the refrigerator for about 10 days. This is a very good pickle to try with your summer grilling.

Pickled Mangoes

Ingredients
3 ripe mangoes cut in to thin long slices
Whole red dry chilly -4
Whole black pepper -1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cardamom - 3
Cinnamon stick one big one
Lemon juice of one big lemon
Salt - about 5 teaspoon
Vinegar - 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Sugar - 3 teaspoon

Steps
1. Put the sliced mangoes in a clean pickle jar.

2. To make the brine combine water, vinegar and all other spices with salt and sugar in a pot and bring to boil. Heat for 5 minutes. and turn off the heat.

3. When the prepared brine cools fill the pickle jar with mangoes with the brine to the top. Close lid and store in refrigerator.

Serve with grilled fish or chicken.

Uttapam( Savory Rice & Lentil Pancake)

Overview
Uttapams are made with dosa batter. The dosa batter is mixed with finely chopped red onions, ginger green chillies , curry leaves and tomatoes. Uttapams are made on traditional cast iron griddles. Unlike dosas which are thin and crisp Uttapams are made thick. They go very well with coconut chutney and sambar.



Uttapam

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Ingredients
Plain long grain while rice - 1 cups
Urdu Dal while( Black lentil split) - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
Red Onions - 1 medium finely chopped
Green chillies - 2  - 3 finely chopped
Tomatoes - cheery tomatoes - 10 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Olive oil  to oil the iron griddle
Salt to taste.

Steps
1. Wash the rice and Urdu Dal in several changes of water and soak separately. Add one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds to the rice. Let this soak for about 8 hours

2. In a blender make a thick batter by grinding the rice and Urdu Dal mixture along with the fenugreek seeds.

3. Add salt to the batter and keep this in a warm place overnight to ferment.

4. To the fermented batter add the finely chopped red onions, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and tomatoes.

5. Heat the dosa griddle. When it gets hot smear some oil on it and then add a spoonful of the batter mixture and spread to a round. Do not spread too much the dosa should be thick.

6. When  bubbles start to come on the sides just like when you make pancakes flip it and brown the other side too.

Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar. Makes about 10 Uttapams

Chilly Chicken

Overview
A very popular Indo-Chinese dish made through out India. There are different recipes for Chilly chicken with gravy and dry. This is a dry version of Chilly Chicken. You can adjust the  amount of pepper and chilly powder to your taste. Chilly chicken goes very well with Nan or Fried rice.

Chilly Chicken

Ingredients
Chicken breast cut into cubes - 3 pounds
Besan( Chick pea flour) - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Whole Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Cloves powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
Soya sauce - 1 Tablespoon
Vinegar - 2 tablespoon
Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
Tomatoes finely chopped - 1 1/2 cups
Garlic 6 cloves - finely chopped
Ginger - 2 inch finely chopped
Red Onion chopped into chunks - 2
Green Bell peppers - 2 cut into chunks
Crushed red pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon(optional)
Salt to Taste
Olive oil - 6 tablespoons
Oil to deep fry chicken pieces

Steps
1. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes and keep aside

2. Make a thick batter with besan, chilly powder, pepper powder, cloves and cinnamon powder, salt, vinegar, soya sauce and egg.

3. Marinate the prepared chicken pieces in this batter for  about 1 -3  hours in refrigerator.

5. Heat oil to deep fry the chicken pieces. When the oil gets hot add the chicken pieces and fry them till golden brown. Keep them aside

4. Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add the chopped ginger garlic to this and saute till it turns color. Add crushed red pepper flakes, Saute few more minutes and add the chopped tomatoes to this.

5. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the tomatoes and cover and cook till the tomatoes and cooked well and gravy is  thickened.

6. IN another pan heat 3 tablespoons of oil and saute the Red onions and Bell peppers for till the onions are just soft. Do not over do them.

7. Add the fried chicken to the prepared tomato sauce and mix well. Add the sauteed green pepper and onions and mix well

Serve hot with Nan or Fried rice.

Masala Vada

Overview
Masala Vada or Parippu Vada is a traditional South Indian snack . You will find the street vendors selling this through out Kerala. Channa Dal(Split chick pea) is used for this Vada.

Masala Vada

Ingredients
Channa Dal - 2 cups
Red Onions - 2 small ones chopped finely
Ginger 2 inches finely chopped
Green chillies - 3 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying the Vadas

Steps
1. Wash and soak the Dal is plenty of water over night.

2. In a food processor coarsely grind the soaked Dal with out water.

3. Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves to this mix well. Add salt to taste and mix again.

4. Heat oil for deep frying vada in a pan. When the oil is hot make the Vedas. Take a lemon size ball of the Dal mixture. Flat it with your hand and add this slowly to the hot oil.

5. Fry both sides till they are golden brown.

Serve hot. Makes about 15 Vada's.

Pavakka Thoran (Bitter Melon dry Curry)

Overview
Pavakka  or Bitter melon as the name sounds is a very bitter vegetable. But made this way with lots of onions reduces the bitterness and gives this dish a nice flavor. This is a good side dish to have with rice and other curries.

Ingredients
Pavakka  or bitter melon - 4 small ones
Red Onion - 2 medium ones finely chopped
Green chilly - 3 finely chopped
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fresg grated coc conut - 1/2 cup(optional)
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 3 tablespoon

Steps
1. Clean the Pavvaka remove seeds and finely dice them and keep aside

2. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add the finely chopped red onions, green chillies and curry leaves to it

3. Saute till the onions are soft. add the turmeric powder, finely chopped pavakka and salt to this and mix well. Cover lid and cook for about 6 - 8 minutes till the pavakka is cooked well.

4. Add Fresh grated coconuts and mix well till all liquid has evaporated.

Serve hot with rice and curries.

Gulab Jamun

Overview
Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian Dessert made with milk powder and sugar syrup. The sugar syrup is flavored with rose essence or cardamom. Here I have flavored the syrup with Cardamom powder. Traditional these are made with thickened or reduced milk and does take a long time to make. This is an easy recipe to make Gulab Jamun with Bisquick pancake mix and milk powder.

Ingredients
Bisquick pancake mix - 1/4 cup
Non Fat milk powder - 1/4 cup
Milk to make the dough
Sugar 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Cardamom - 6 - 8
Oil for deep frying the Jamuns

Steps
1.To make the sugar syrup add 2 cups sugar to 2 cups water and bring to boil. Add powdered cardamom seeds to this. Let the syrup boil for about 5 minutes and then turn it off.

2. Mix the Bisquick mix and Milk powder well and add the milk to it little at a time to make smooth dough.

3. Oil your hands and make small smooth marble size balls and keep aside.

4. Heat oil for deep drying the dough balls. When the oil is hot put few of the balls at a time and fry then till golden brown all around. Strain oil and keep aside

4. Add the fried dough balls to the syrup.

Makes about 25 Gulab Jamuns.

Serve hot or cold. Goes well cold with Vanilla ice cream

Ripe Mango Curry ( Mambazha Pullissery)

Overview
This is a very common Kerala Dish made with ripe mangoes. It has this special sweet and sour taste. The sweet taste from the ripe luscious mangoes and the sour taste from the yogurt makes this dish a very good side dish for plain white rice. A similar Pullisery can be made with pineapple too.

Mambazha Pullissery

Ingredients
Ripe mango - 2
Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 2 cloves
Yogurt - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 3 teaspoon

For Garnish
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Whole red chillies broken to pieces - 4
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Steps
1. Skin  and cut the mangoes to small pieces.

2. Cook the mango pieces in 1/2 cup water, red chilly powder and salt. Cook for about 6 - 8 minutes till the mangoes are cooked well.

3. Grind the coconut with the garlic, turmeric and cumin seeds to a smooth paste.

4. Mix the ground coconut to the cooked mangoes and turn on the heat and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and keep it aside till it cools.

5. Beat the yogurt well with about 1/2 cup water. Add this yogurt to the cooked mangoes(after it has cooled . If it is hot the yogurt would curdle) and mix well.

6. Heat oil in pan. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds till it splutters. Add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, whole red chillies and curry leaves. Saute few minutes and add this to the mango curry.

Serve this with plain white rice.

Green Bean Poriyal

Overview
Poriyals are dry vegetable side dishes that are made with different kinds of vegetables in South India. Here I have made it with fresh green beans. Poriyals are garnished with Urdu Dal that gives this dish a nutty flavor. 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut can be added to this dish but it is equally good with out coconut too.

Ingredients for Green Beans Poriyal

Green Bean Poriyal

Ingredients
Green beans - 1 pound - finely chopped
Red onion - 1/2 thin sliced
Green chillies - 5 - split length wise
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urdu Dal - 1 Tablespoons
Fresh grated cocconut - 1/2 cup
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Heat oil in pan. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the Urdu Dal and saute till the Dal is brown.

2. Add the red onions, green chillies and curry leaves to this and saute well till the onions are soft.

3. Add the chopped green beans, salt and turmeric to this. Mix well, cover the pan and cook for about five minutes till the green beans are cooked well.

4. Remove the lid and saute till all liquid has evaporated.

Serve hot with plain rice and other curries.

Beetroot Stir Fry

Overview
The sweet taste of beetroots mixed with the sour taste of lemon juice makes this dish very delicious. This is a very common South Indian dry side dish usually eaten with plain rice. This also goes well with chapati. The beetroots are finely chopped and mixed with the stems and greens which gives this dish a unique taste and texture. This can be used as a side dish for meats too.

Beetroot Stir Fry

Ingredients
A bunch of beets with stem and greens( 3 or 4 small ones)
Lemon juice of 1 lemon
1/2 finely chopped red onion
Garlic - 4 cloves finely chopped
Red crushed pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 3 teaspoon

Steps
1. Separate the stems and greens from the beets. Wash the stem and greens and finely chop them and keep aside

2. Peel the skin of the beets and finely dice them.

3. Heat oil in pan. When the oil gets hot add the fine chopped red onions and garlic to this and saute till the onions become light brown.

4. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and saute for few minutes then add the chopped stem and green along with the diced beets, salt, turmeric and lemon juice. Mix well cover the dish and cook for about 5 - 8 minutes till the beets are cooked.

5. Removed lid and saute till all the liquid from the dish has evaporated.

Serve hot with Plain rice or chapati

Mixed Berry Pancakes

Overview
My boys love this pancake with mixed berries. Frozen berries work very well for this. These fluffy pancakes with berries in them are a real treat. Quick and easy to make. Serve them with butter and syrup. This recipe can be easily doubled if you need to make more pancakes.

Mixed Berry Pancakes

Ingredients
Flour - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Milk - 1 cup
Salt a pinch
Sugar - 2 tablespoons
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Mixed berries - 1 cup
Powder sugar for dusting
Oil for the griddle

Steps
1. Mix all the dry ingredients flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.

2. Beat the eggs with a fork and add it to the flour mixture along with the milk. Whisk well and make the batter. Do not over mix.

3. Add the mixed berries to this. If using frozen berries let it thaw and then add to the batter.

4. Let the prepared batter sit for about 15 minutes.

5. Heat griddle. When the griddle is hot oil it and pout the batter mixture one large spoon at a time

6. When you see bubbles on the sides after few minutes flip it and cook the other side too.

7. Dust the pancakes with powdered sugar and top with fresh berries.

Serve hot with butter and your favorite syrup. Makes about 8 pancakes

Mango Lassi

Overview
A simple yogurt drink made with mangoes. Luscious ripe mangoes are blended with yogurt to make this simple smoothie. Mango Lassi is very popular in North India and all Indian restaurants do serve them. Very simple and easy to make at home. Fresh ripe mangoes and yogurt are the main ingredients.

Mango Lassi

Ingredients
Ripe mangoes - peeled and chopped - 2 cups
(2 Cups can mango pulp can also be used in place of fresh mangoes)
Non Fat Plain yogurt - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
Crushed ice - 1 cup
Water 1 cup

Steps

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well. Pour into chilled glasses and Garnish with slices of fresh ripe mangoes and mint leaves.

Mango Salsa

Overview

This salsa was a sweet and tangy taste and goes well with chips and even fish and meat. The sweet taste from the ripe mango compliments the hot taste of the green chilly. I try to make this whenever I get ripe mangoes. Quick and easy to make and yellow color of the mangoes make this a unique salsa

Mango Salsa

Ingredients

Ripe mangoes  - 2

Red onion – 1 medium size – finely chopped

Green chilly – 2 finely chopped

Cilantro  or mint and handful finely chopped

Salt to taste

Olive oil 2 teaspoon

Steps

1. Peel and chop the mangoes finely and keep aside.

2. Mix the chopped red onions, green chillies, cilantro, salt and olive oil to this and mix well.

1

Transfer to  serving dish and serve with chips or fish.

Stir-Fried Tindora (Kovakka Mezhukkupuratti )

Overview
This is one of my favorite vegetable side dish.  This green vegetable is popular in India and can be cooked by itself or mixed with other vegetables. Thin sliced tindora are stir fried with garlic and onion to make a wonderful side dish which can be served with rice or chapati.

Ingredients

Tindora Stir fry

Ingredients
Tindora (kovakka) 1 pound
Red onion - 1/2 medium thin sliced
Garlic - 4 cloves thin slices
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Crushed red pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Wash the tindora well  and drain. Cut each tindora in half then into thin slices length wise as shown in the picture. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the thin sliced onions and garlic to it and saute well till the onions are light brown.

3. Add crushed red pepper flakes, turmeric and curry leaves to this and saute for few more minutes.

4. Add the sliced tindora to this. Add salt and 1/4 cup water and mix well. Cook covered on low heat for about 5 minutes.

5. Remove lid and saute uncovered till all liquid has evaporated.

Serve hot with Chapati or rice.

Methi Paratha ( Indian flat bread with Fenugreek leaves)

Overview

Fenugreek leaves have lot of medical benefits.  They are rich sources of potassium, iron, and calcium. In addition they contain vitamins C and K and dietary fiber. They do have a bitter taste but flat breads made this way over comes the bitterness and gives this bread a distinctive and  delicious flavor and texture.

Ingredients

Methi leaves( fenugreek leaves) - chopped 3 cups

Garlic - 2 finely chopped

Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped

Red onion - 1/2 finely chopped

Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

Salt  to taste

Olive oil - 2 tablespoons for methi

Oil for paratha(flat bread)

Steps

1. Mix the wheat flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add water and make  smooth dough. Knead well and cover with damp cloth and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in pan. When the oil gets hot add the cumin seeds saute for a minute and then add the chopped garlic, ginger and onions to it and saute well. When the onions get soft add the prepared methi leaves o it with salt.  Cook covered for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

3. Once the methi mixture cools add it to the prepared chapati dough and knead well till the methi mixture is mixed well.

4. Take a lemon size ball off the dough. Dip in flour and  roll to a thin round chapati.

5. Cook the chapati on a hot girdle adding 1/2 teaspoon oil on both sides.

Serve hot with any curries and pickles.

Jalapeno Fritters (Bajji)

Overview
 These crispy fritters are very delicious and make good appetizers. These kinds of Fritters(Bajjis) are made through out India with various kinds of vegetables and even meat. Usually served with tomato sauce, tamarind sauce or cilantro chutney. The batter to dip the Jalapenos is made with chickpea flour.

Jalapeno Bajji

Ingredients
Jalapeno peppers - 10
Chickpea flour - 1 cup
red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Water to make batter
Oil for deep frying

Steps
1. Mix the chickpea flour with salt, chilly powder and asafoetida powder.  Add water slowly and make a thick batter with out lumps. It should be kind of like a pancake batter.

2. Clean and dry the Jalapeno. Cut the jalapeno length wise. Remove seeds and ribs.

3. Dip the cut Jalapeno slices in the batter and deep fry in hot oil. Brown both sides and serve hot

Serve hot with Tomato Sauce and tamarind chutney

Baby Eggplant Curry

Overview
Baby eggplants cooked whole  makes this dish very elegant. The whole baby eggplants are split in four with out going all  the way to the top so that it cooks well and looks very fresh. This eggplant curry goes very well with the Indian breads like Chapati or Naan.

Ingredients
Baby purple eggplants - 10
Tomatoes - 2 large finely chopped
Red Onion - 2 thin sliced length wise
Cilantro - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Olive oil - 5 tablespoons
Salt to taste

To Grind
Garlic - 4 - 6 cloves
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilly powder - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
Whole black peppers - 1/2 teaspoon
Whole coriander seeds - 3 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Steps
1. Wash the eggs plants. keep the tip of the stem on them. They looks good cooked with the stem. Slit the bottom of egg plant length wise into four and don't cut it all the way so that the slices don't split apart.

2. Put the cut eggplants in salt water and keep it soaked in water for about 30  minutes to one hour. This helps reduce the bitterness of the eggplant.

3. Grind all the ingredients to be ground to a smooth paste and keep aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil gets hot  add the onion slices to the oil and saute till the onions get brown.

5. Add the ground paste to the brown oil and saute till the oil separates. Add the chopped tomatoes to this mix well, add salt and cook covered till the tomatoes are cooked well and the oil begins to separate.

6. Add the prepared eggplants to this mix well and cook covered for about 25 - 35 minutes till the eggplants are cooked well and the gravy is thick.

7. Add the chopped cilantro and mix well

Serve hot with Chapati or rice.

Healthy Chili

Overview
A bowl of hot Chili is a satisfying comfort food on a cold or rainy day. Chilli's are good hearty meal and making it with lots of vegetables makes it healthy for you. You can use Ground lean turkey or beef. I. have used store brought hot chili seasoning for this dish

Chili with vegetables

Chili Ingredients

Ingredients
Ground lean turkey or  beef - one pound
Yellow squash - 2 large - Chopped finely
Celery sticks - 4 - 5 - chopped finely
Green pepper one - finely chopped
Red kidney beans - 1 can  - washed and drained
Fire roasted tomatoes - 1 can
Red Onion - 1 large - finely chopped
Garlic - 6 - 8 cloves finely chopped
Chili seasoning hot  - 1 packet
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
Crushed red pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon
Beef or chicken broth fat free - 1 cartoon( 3 -4 cups)
Chopped Cilantro for garnish
Grated cheese and sour cream for topping(optional)
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Brown the meat in pan and keep aside.

2. In another vessel add the olive oil. When the oil gets hot add the chopped garlic and onions and saute till the onions are soft and translucent. Add the pepper flakes and saute for few more minutes.

3. Add the chopped vegetables to this and saute for few minutes. Add the  red beans tomatoes and meat to this along with chili seasoning mix. Mix well and  bring it to a boil.

4. Simmer the chilly in low heat for about 30 - 40 minutes covered so that all the vegetables are cooked well and all flavors mingle well with the sauce. Add salt if needed.

Serve hot.

Tacos

Overview
This is a semi home made meal since I did get the store brought taco shells and taco seasoning. This is my boys favorite dinner and they like it both with hard or soft taco shell. I like to get all the fixings ready ahead of time and let my boys assemble the tacos on their own. This is a good way to have a taco buffet and would not take much time. I used both beef and chicken for the tacos.

My Taco Buffet

Ingredients
Ground beef - 1 pound
Chicken breast - 1 pound - cut into small slices
Taco seasoning - 2 packets( one for beef and one for Chicken)
Store brought Taco shells( soft shells can be used too)

For the toppings
One large onion chopped finely
Cilantro chopped finely - a handful
Tomatoes - 1 cup finely chopped
Lettuce - finely chopped
Re fried beans - 1 can
Sour cream   - 1 cup
Cut lemon or lime wedges optional
Mixed grated cheese - 1 cup
Salsa - one cup

Steps
1. Brown the ground beef and chicken in two separate pans.  for the Chicken you would need to add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

2. When  the meat browns add the taco seasoning and enough water and cook for few minutes in low heat.

3.Transfer to serving bowls to make tacos.

Assemble tacos with toppings - Re fried beans, meat, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, sour cream and cheese and enjoy

Kappa and Fish Curry

Overview
Kappa and fish curry is a very popular and traditional food of Kerala. Kappa and Fish Curry is kind of like the meat and potatoes here in U.S. Kappa (Yucca) is cooked and mashed and is eaten with red fish curry. This unique combination is an acquired taste of all Keralites.

Ingredients for Mashed Kappa
Fresh Yucca root or frozen - 2 pounds cleaned and cut into chunks
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 4 cloves
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilly - 4 - 6
Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Red whole chilly broken into pieces - 4
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tablespoons

Steps for Kappa
1. Boil water in large vessel. Add the cleaned chopped Kappa chunks to it. Let it boil for about 5 - 10 minutes till the Kappa is almost cooked. Drain out the water and keep aside.

2. Coarsely grind the coconut with garlic, cumin seeds, turmeric and green chillies.

3. Add the ground coconut paste to the tapioca along with 1 cup water and mix well and bring to boil. Cook till the Kappa is cooked well. Turn off  heat and mash the Kappa with the spoon.

4. Heat the oil in a pan to garnish the Kappa. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds when the mustard seeds splutter add the red chilly pieces and Curry leaves to the oil. Turn off the heat and add this to the prepared kappa.

Ingredients for Red Fish Curry
Salmon fillet 2 pounds
Red Onions - 1/2 thin sliced
Ginger 2 inch - thin sliced
Green chilly - 6  - 8 cut length wise
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilly powder - 3 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoons
Kerala Tamarind(Kodampulli ) 4  thin slices
Oil - 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps for Fish curry
1. Clean and cut the fish to pieces and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan. when the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters add the fenugreek seeds and saute well. Add the sliced onions, ginger, green chilly and curry leaves to this and saute few minutes. When the onions are soft add the chilly powder and turmeric and saute well.

3. Add the Kerala tamarind, water( about a cup) and salt to this and mix well. Bring this to a boil and then add the fish pieces gently to this. Bring it back to  boil and then simmer and cook till the fish is cooked about 10 - 15 minutes.

Serve hot with mashed Kappa.

Celery with Green Moong Dal curry

Overview
A very healthy dish with unique combination of celery and green moong Dal. Green Moong Dal is good for you since it has both protein and fiber. Combining this with celery gives this dish a very nice texture and flavor. I got this recipe from my cousin. This dish goes very well with Rice or Chapati.

Ingredients
Green moong Dal - 1 cup
Celery - 1 bunch(almost 3 cups chopped)
Red onion - 1 medium finely chopped
Garlic - 8 - 10 cloves finely chopped
Red pepper flakes - 2 tables spoon or as needed
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Soak the Green moong Dal is water over night.

2. Cook with 1/4 cup of water till it is done. Do not over cook the Dal it should not get mushy.

3. Chop the celery into strips and then finely chop them.

4. Once the Green moong Dal is cooked add the celery to this and mix well with salt and turmeric. Bring it to a boil and turn off heat.

5. Heat oil in pan. add the chopped red onions and garlic. Saute till the onions are light brown. Add the  red pepper flakes and saute for few minutes add the curry leaves to this and then the prepared Green moong Dal and celery mixture.

6. Mix well and saute till all the liquid has evaporated.

Serve hot with Plain Rice or Chapati

Uppama

Overview
Uppama is one of the famous South Indian Breakfast dish. It is cooked as  thick porridge with dry roasted semolina(Rava). Seasoning for the Uppama are done in many different ways here I have used roasted peanuts, Urdu Dal and Channa Dal. Vegetables can also be added to this dish. Uppama can be eaten with banana or plain with chutney and pickles. This is a n easy and quick breakfast dish ready in minutes. Cream of wheat can also be substituted in place of Rava.

Uppama

Seasoning ingredients for Uppama

Ingredients
Rava dry roasted - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Salt to taste
Red onion finely chopped - one medium
Green chilly  - 4 finely chopped
Ginger - 2 inch piece finely chopped
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Urdu Dal - 1 tablespoon
Channa Dal - 1 tablespoon
Roasted peanuts - 1/4 cups
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 4 tablespoons

Steps

1. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add the Urdu Dal and Channa Dal and saute till the Dal's are light brown.

2. Add the chopped red onions, ginger, green chilly, peanuts and curry leaves to this and saute till the onions are soft.

3. Add the water and salt about 1 teaspoon to this and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil. Add Rava little at a time stirring constantly . Mix well and turn off the heat when it is porridge like consistency.

Serve hot

Masala Dosa

Overview
Dosa are crepes made with fermented batter of rice and black lentils. This is a staple dish of south India and there are many versions of Dosa. Plain dosa are usually eaten with chutney and sambhar. Masala Dosa are stuffed with spiced potatoes.

Masala Dosa with chutney and Sambhar

Ingredients for the Dosa Batter
Rice 2 cups
Urdu Dal - 1cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Soak the rice with fenugreek seeds and the Urdu Dal separately overnight. Grind to a smooth paste in a blender. The batter should be little thinner than the pancake batter. Add salt and leave to ferment over night in a warm dry place .

Ingredients for potato filling
Potatoes 4 medium size ones
Red onion - 1 chopped finely
Green chillies - 4
Ginger 1 inch piece finely chopped
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cilantro a  handful finely chopped
Urdu Dal - 1 teaspoon
Channa Dal - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
Oil to make dosa

Steps for potato masala
1. Skin and clean the potatoes. Cut into small bite size cubes and put in water.

2. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add the Channa Dal first and then the Urdu Dal and brown them.

3. Add the chopped onions, green chilly and ginger to this and saute for few more minutes. When the onions are light brown add the potatoes with salt and turmeric. Mix well, add 1/2 cup water and cover pan and cook till the potatoes are cooked well and all liquid evaporated.

4. Add the chopped cilantro to this and mix well

Steps to make the Masala Dosa

1. Heat the dosa Griddle put few drops of oil and spread well. When the griddle is hot add the dosa batter about 1/4 cup and spread in circular motion to make a big circular crepe.

2. Add few drops of oil on top of the dosa too. When the bottom of the dosa begins to brown flip it over and brown the other side too.

3. Put some of the prepared potato masala in the middle and fold the dosa.

Serve hot with Coconut chutney and Sambhar.