Potato fry or cutlet

Ingredients (group I)

• Potatoes - 2 big size (chopped lengthwise)
• Onion - 1
• Mustard & urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Tomato - 1
• Curry leaves - few
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

To grind(group II)

• Garlic - 4
• Ginger - equal to garlic
• Aniseed - 1 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1/2 - 3/4 inch
• Cloves - 4
• Cardamon - 2
• Coconut - 1 tbsp

Method

• Grind the group II ingredients & keep it aside.
• Half boil the potatoes & transfer it to the tissue towel, so that the moisture is absorbed. Then deep fry them.
• In the wok pan add some more oil & put it on high medium flame.
• Then through some mustard & urad dal. Add curry leaves & onions. Fry till the onions turn slight brown color.
• Now add tomatoes, chilly powder & salt.When the tomatoes turns mashy, add the grind masala & mix well.
• Slowly add the potatoes & mix gently. Reduce the flame to medium & keep mixing every 5 mints.
• Remove from the flame, when you see some oil from the sides.

Tips for the recipe - This fry requires 2 or 3 spoons of more oil. For this recipe & i normally dont put the potatoes in the tissue towel after deep frying it(to remove the excess oil). I just directly put them in to the masala, since this requires oil. Instead of potatoes, you can also add plantains. You can chop them into cubes or 1/4 inch round slices.

Thalicha Dosai

Ingredient

• Dosa batter - 1 cup
• Onion - 1/2 small size onion (Chopped)
• Curry leaves - few (chopped)
• Channa dal - 1 tsp (optional)
• Mustard & Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger - 1 tsp (chopped)
• Green chillies - 1 (chopped)
• Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
• Red chillies - 1 (halved)
• Oil - 1-2 tbsp
• Salt for taste

Method

• Heat oil in kadai on high medium flame.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal, channa dal, curry leaves, ginger & green chilies one by one.
• Add onions, salt and fry well.
• Now switch off the flame & add the onion mixture & coriander leaves to the batter. Mix well.
• Heat the Dosa tawah on medium high.
• Rub the pan with oil dipped cloth or tissue towel.
• Spread one or two ladle of batter on the tawa, starting from the middle in a rotating motion to make dosa.
• Drizzle some oil &amp cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Now flip the dosa using spatula & cook both the side till it becomes brown in color.

Tips for the recipe - This type of dosa is little thick. Old batter works good for this type of dosa. Normally dosa wont taste that good if the batter is old & very sour. In that case you can make this method of dosa & it tasty. You can serve this dosa with any chutney or idly podi or even sugar taste good for this dosa.

Dal & Broccoli

Ingredients

• Split moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Broccoli florets - 10- 15(medium size florets)
• Garlic - 5 (crushed & finely chopped)
• Onions - 1 small (chopped)
• Curry leaves - few
• Green chillies - 5 (slitted & chopped)
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin - 1/2 tsp 
• Mustard - few pinches
• Pepper corns(optional)- 1/4 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil as required

Method

• Boil the dal till it becomes mashy.
• Clean the broccoli florets using salty warm water & keep it aside.
• Heat oil in the wok pan on medium heat & splutter some mustard, cumin & pepper corns.
• Then add hing, curry leaves, green chillies & garlic one by one.
• Roast the garlic well. Then add onions, salt & turmeric powder.
• Fry till the onions turn transparent. Then add the broccoli & continue to fry for another 5 minutes.
• Finally add the dal & some water if needed.
• Remove from stove, when the dal reaches the desired consistency & the vegetable is done.

It is simple yet tasty & healthy recipe. This goes well with rice & roti. 

Pumpkin Poriyal

Ingredients

• Pumpkin - 1/4 medium size pumpkin or 2-3 cups
• Onion - 1 small size onion (Chopped)
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Mustard & Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut - 1 tbsp (grated)
• Green chillies - 4 or adjust
• Chilly or sambar powder - 1-2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt for taste

Method

• Wash the pumkin, deseed & cut it into small cubes.
• Cover & cook the vegetable on low flame by adding water, a spoon of chilly powder & salt.
• Remove from heat & keep it aside once it is done.
• Heat oil in the pan on high medium flame.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal, curry leaves & green chilies one by one.
• Add onions, sambar powder, salt and fry till it becomes light brown in color.
• Now add the cooked vegetable and fry carefully, not to mash it.
• Finally add the coconut & jaggery.
• Remove from heat & serve as side dish for rice.

Tips for the recipe - If the pumpkin is already sweet & taste, then little jaggery will do. or else add some more jaggery for better taste. The one in the pic i cooked today was really soft & so tasty. so i added very less jaggery.

Cholam(Jowar) dosai

Ingredients

• Cholam - 3 cups
• Idly rice - 1 cup
• urad dal - 1 cup
• Salt to taste

Method

• Soak cholam, rice & urad dal overnight.
• Grind it to smooth batter & add salt.
• Keep it in the warm place for fermentation. It may take 8-14 hours, depends upon the temperature.

Tips for the recipe - I soak the ingredients separately, so that i can grind the urad dal to more fluffy & smooth which gives good dosa.

Olive fried rice

Ingredients

• Black olives (coarsely chopped) - handfull
• Capsicum (chopped) - 1/4 cup
• Garlic (finely chopped) - 4
• Cooked rice - 1 cup
• Red chillies (crushed) - to taste
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil to the pan & roast the chopped garlic.
• Then add the capsicum, chillies & olives. Saute it for a min.
• Now mix cooked rice & salt to it. Serve hot.

Tips for the recipe - Too much of frying will make the capsicum soggy & not crunchy.You can also add some sliced olives to the rice finally for more flavor. You can also add scrambled eggs if you wish.

Onion Pickle

Ingredients (group I)

• Red onions(chopped & slightly crushed) - 2 big size
• Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp(adjust)
• Sambhar powder/chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Tempering (group II)

• Sesame oil
• Mustard - 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Garlic crushed or chopped - 6
• Hing - 1/4 tsp

Method

• Heat the pan on medium flame with 1/4 cup of sesame oil.
• Add the onions & fry. Now add sambar powder & tamarind paste to it. 
• Add the jaggery & keep mixing.
• Finally do the tempering with group II ingredients & add it to the onions.
• Remove it from the stove when the oil separates.
• Once cooled, this can be bottled & refrigerated.

Tips for the recipe - No need to fry the onions much. It should be crunchy.