Rava Laddu

Ingredients

• Rava - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Ghee -  1/2 cup
• Shredded coconut - handful
• Nuts (crushed) - handful
• Cardamon - 3

Method

• Add little ghee & roast the rava separately & blend it in the blender along with the sugar & cardamon. Keep this aside.
• Heat 1-2 tbsp of ghee on low flame. Roast raisins. Then add the nuts. Take care not to burnt the nuts. Immediately add the grated coconut and semolina in it, stir continously & switch off the stove. 
• Add a spoon of ghee only to the small portion of rava mixture & make balls. Adding few drops of milk or water will make the work easy but the ladoos will turn hard after few hours.

Selavu Rasam

Ingredients
Group I

• Tamarind - Small gooseberry size
• Turmeric - 2 pinches
• Coriander - few
• Salt to taste
• Oil as required

Group II

• Garlic - 8
• Cumin- 1 tsp
• Coriander - 1 tsp
• Pepper corn - 1 tsp
• Red chilly - 1
• Curry leaves - few
• Tomato - 3/4 medium size

Group III

• Mustard - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly - 1
• Hing - a pinch
• Curry leaves - few
• Shallot - 2 chopped

Method

• Soak tamarind in a cup of water for few mints.Then extract the juice & keep it aside.
• Heat oil to the pan & roast all the group II ingredients.Allow it to cool & grind it with the turmeric. Then add tamarind juice & salt to it & keep aside.
• Now heat the kadai with a spoon of oil & season the group III ingredients. Pour the rasam & bring it to boil. Remove it from flame by adding coriander leaves.

Tips for the recipe - Red onions can be used instead of shallots.  Spice flavour should be the dominant in this rasam. Adding too much of tomatoes will change the taste of the rasam.

Chicken Rasam

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1 split breast
• Tomatoes - 2 (pureed)
• Onions - 1 finely chopped
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
• Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 - 2
• Curry leaves - few
• Mustard - 1/4 tsp

Group II

• Garlic - 4 crushed
• Green chillies 4 Crushed
• Coriander leaves - chopped

Group III (rasam powder)

• Cumin - 1 tsp
• Corinader seeds - 1 tsp
• Aniseeds - 1 tsp
• Pepper corns - 1 tsp

Method

• Make a powder of group III ingredients & keep aside. This the rasam powder needs to be added finally.
• Heat enough oil & add cinnamon, ginger-garlic paste on medium flame & fry till the oil separates.
• Now add onions & curry leaves. Fry till it becomes transparent.
• Add the pureed tomato & fry well. 
• Then add the chicken pieces, salt, chilly & turmeric powder.
• Fry for 5 mints & add enough water & cook the chicken.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken & cinnamon when its done & keep it aside. Chicken pieces can be fried later. 
• Heat enough oil to the pan & do the seasoning for the rasam by spluttering some mustard seeds & add all the group II ingredients & fry for few mints on medium flame.
• Pour the rasam in this & allow to boil for 2 mints. Add the rasam powder (group III) & switch off the flame.

I fried the chicken pieces & here is the recipe.

• Heat enough oil & add a tsp of ginger garlic(paste or chopped), onions (2- big), curry leaves(2-3 sprig), tomato (1big), & chilly powder. then add the chicken & fry well. Finally add some pepper & coriander leaves.

Tips for the recipe 

• No need to drain the rasam completely. Slotted spoon will work well for this recipe.
• A spoon of more oil will make this fry taste great.
• Add 1/2 tsp of sambhar power for the fry along with the chilly powder.

horse gram rasam

Ingredients
Group I

• Horse gram - 2-3 tbsps
• Tomato - 1
• Tamarind - small gooseberry size
• Mustard- 1/4 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Garlic - 4 (crushed)
• Red chilli - 1(optional)

Group II

• Cumin - 1/4tsp
• Coriander - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper corns  - 1/4tsp

Group III

• Coriander leaves - little
• Green chillies - 3(adjust)
• Shallot - 3-4
• Curry leaves - few

Method

• Boil horse gram with Group II ingredents.
• Allow it to cool & coarsly grind it with Group III ingredients. Add salt to it.
• Boil tomato & tamarind(3-5 mints) on high medium flame & keep aside. Allow it to cool. Then mash it well, remove the pulp & add the juice to the horsegram. Add more water if needed.
• Now heat the pan, pour a spoon of oil. Splutter mustard, garlic, hing, red chilly & now pour the rasam. Bring it to boil & remove it from the stove.

Tips for the recipe - No need to add rasam powder for this recipe because we are grinding the spices with the horse gram. Add more water to cook horse gram. You can also use red onions instead of shallot.

Beetroot rasam

Ingredients

• Beetroot - 1 small size (chopped into small pieces)
• Garlic - 2
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies - 2
• Tamarind - little
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
• Salt to taste

Seasoning

• Mustard - few pinches
• Curry leaves - few
• Hing - 1-2 pinches
• Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Method

• Heat a spoon of oil in the pan & fry cumin, coriander seeds, chillies, garlic, tamarind & beetroot.
• Fry around 5 mints on medium flame.
• Allow it to cool, add salt & grind it.
• Now add enough water & check for salt & tamarind.
• If u need more (salt or tamarind) you can add some. Also add coriander leaves.
• Finally do the seasoning with ingredients mention above & pour it over the rasam.

I am not boiling the rasam because i roasted all the ingredients. If u wish u can bring it slight boil & granish it with coriander.

Pineapple rasam

Ingredients (Group I)

• Pineapple - 2 round slices (chopped)
• Toor dal - 2 tsp
• Tomato - 1 small or medium size
• Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
• Lemon juice - 1/2 lime
• Salt to taste

Group II

• Tamarind - medium gooseberry size (soak it in hot water & extract the juice)
• Garlic - 3 (crushed)
• Green chillies - 2 (crushed)

To powder (Group III)

• Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin - 1/4 tsp
• Pepper - 1/4 tsp

For Seasoning (Group IV)

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard - 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
• Hing - 2 pinches
• Curry leaves - few
• Chilly powder - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp or adjust

Method

• Pressure cook toor dal & tomatoes. Allow it to cool & mash it.
• Add all the group II ingredients to the mashed dal.
• Crush the pineapple in the blender (not completely, few pieces should be visible) & add it to the dal. Now bring this dal mixture to boil.
• Add the coriander leaves & lemon juice. Remove it from flame.
• Now do the seasoning.
• Heat oil to the pan & add all the group IV ingredients one by one in the same order.
• Take care do not burn the chilly powder.
• Pour the mixture in the rasam & serve it with rice.

Garlic bread

Ingredients

• Garlic (grated) - 6
• Butter - 1/2 - 1 cup
• Parmesan Cheese (finely grated or powdered) - 1/4 cup
• Bread of your choice - 1 loaf(I used french loaf)
• Fresh or dried parsley - few

Method

• Mix garlic, butter & cheese together. Add salt if needed. You may not need salt if the butter is already salted.
• Spread the butter mixture over the bread(both the sides).
• Toast the bread in the grill pan. Or preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the tray by spraying some oil. Arrange it on the tray & sprinkle some parsley leaves.
• Roast it till it becomes golden color.
• Toast the bread if you need a soft garlic bread. If you want it really crispy then go for oven method.