Puttu kadalai curry

Ingredients(for the puttu)

• Puttu flour or rice flour - 1 cup
• a pinch of cumin seeds
• lightly salted water
• Sugar to taste
• Coconut - 1/4 - 1/2 cup

Method

• Sprinkle the cumin seeds & the salted water to the puttu flour & mix well.
• Tips for the consistency - I should look crumbled.If u press it tightly, it must be able to hold it shape.When you mix it back it should fall loosely like a sand.
• Now fill the puttu maker with one layer of puttu flour & the next layer with coconut. Again third layer with puttu flour & fouth with coconut. 
• Steam the puttu till it is done.

Tips for the recipe - You can make puttu with either rice flour or puttu flour.Puttu flour taste much better than rice flour.

Puttu flour - (soak raw rice for 1 hr & pat dry it on wet cloth till all the water is absorbed. Then powder it immediately when there is some moisture.)

Kadalai Curry(group I)

• Boiled black chickpeas - 1-11/2 cup
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Mustard - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Green chillies - 3
• Chilli powder - 1/2tsp
• Onions - 1 
• Tomato - 1 big
• Sliced coconut
• Oil as required
• Salt to taste

Dry roast & powder(group II)

• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon- 1 inch

Method

• Roast & powder the group II ingredients & keep it aside.
• Heat the pan on medium flame with some oil. Splutter some mustard & add ginger garlic paste to it. Fry till the oil seperates.
• Now add curry leaves, chillies & onions. Fry till onions turn medium brown color.
• Add tomatoes, salt & chilly powder. Fry till it becomes mashy.
• Pour some water & allow to boil for 10 minutes.
• Now add sliced coconut & the masala powder. Allow to boil for another 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat & serve it with hot puttu.

Sweet puttu

Ingredients

• Ragi - 1 cup
• lightly salted water
• Sugar to taste
• Coconut - 1/4 - 1/2 cup

Method

• Sprinkle the salted water to the ragi flour & mix well.
• Tips for the consistency - I should look crumbled.If u press it tightly, it must be able to hold it shape.When you mix it back it should fall loosely like a sand.
• Now fill the puttu maker with one layer of puttu flour & the next layer with coconut. Again third layer with puttu flour & fouth with coconut. 
• Steam the puttu till it is done.
• Serve it with sugar & banana.

Tomato pickle

Ingredients (group I)

• Tomatoes - 10 medium size
• Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp(adjust)
• Sambhar powder/chilly powder - 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 - 15
• Hing - 1/4 tsp

Method

• Heat 1/2 cup of sesame oil in the pan.
• Add the tomatoes & fry well. Now add sambar powder & tamarind paste to it. 
• Add the salt & allow to cook till it becomes completely mashy & no raw smell.
• Finally do the tempering with group II ingredients & add it to the pickle.
• Remove it from the stove when the oil separates.
• Once cooled, this can be bottled & refrigerated.

Takkali vadakal for roti

Ingredients

• Tomatoes (chopped) - 3 medium size
• Onion(chopped lengthwise) - 2 medium size
• Garlic (finely chopped) - 2
• Curry leaves - few
• Green chillies(slitted) - 3 or adjust
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp or adjust
• Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
• Mustard & urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil as required

Method

• Over medium flame heat oil to the wok & splutter mustard.
• Add curry leaves, garlic, chillies & then onions.
• Fry till onions turns medium brown color.
• Now add the tomatoes & fry well. Add salt, chilly & sambar powder.
• Fry till the tomatoes becomes completely mashy & no raw smell.

Tomato sevai (Idiyappam)

Ingredients

• Par Boiled rice -1/4 kg 
• Green peas - 1/2 cup (optional) 
• Ginger - 1 inch (chopped) 
• Coconut - 1/2 cup (shredded) 
• Tomatoes - 3 medium size (chopped) 
• Green chillies - 7 (chopped) 
• Aniseeds coarsely powdered (optional)- 1 tsp 
• Curry leaves - 2 spring 
• Onions - 1 big (chopped) 
• Channa dal - 1 tsp 
• Oil - 2 Tbsp 
• Mustard & urad dal- 1 tsp 
• Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp (Chopped) 
• Salt for taste 

Method

• Soak rice for 2 hours and grind to a smooth batter by adding salt. 
• The consistency of the batter should be watery. 
• Prepare idlies of out this batter. 
• Press 2 idlies at a-time using the idiyapam instrument. 
• Now the idiyappam is ready. 
• Heat oil in the pan and add mustard, urad, channa dal, aniseeds, curry leaves, green chillies, ginger & onions one by one. 
• Add green peas, salt & saute well. 
• Now add the tomatoes & fry till it becomes mashy. 
• Add the idiyappam & mix well till it incorporates with the mixture. 
• Finally add coconut & coriander leaves. 
• Mix well & serve hot. 

Tips for the recipe - Press the idilies when it is hot or warm. It is difficult to press once it is cool. Take care while mixing the idiyapam that it should not get mashed. Cool down the idiyapam completely before mixing it to the tomato mixture. If the batter is watery then it is easy to press the idiyappam.

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.