Pudina Karuveppilai Sadam

This green Rice is cooked with Mint and curry leaves.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 1/4 cup

To Grind:
Mint - 1 pack
Curry leaves - 5 twigs
Red chilli - 4
Corriander seeds - 2 spoons
cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon
pepper corn- 1/2 spoon
Grated coconut - 2 spoons
Ginger - 2 bits
Tamarind - 1/4 spoon
Salt - 1 spoon or as needed

Preparation:
Saute Mint leaves in a spoon of oil
grind it with all other ingredients in "To grind" list.
Add the paste to rice and boil it with 3 times of water
Pressure cook it for 4 whistles

Servings: 2 or 3

Aloo Palak

This mild green colored gravy is mainly cooked in Northern parts of India like Punjab, Haryana States.

Ingredients:
Potato - 3
Spinach - 1 bag / 1 large bowl
salt - 1.5 spoon or as needed
green chilli - 2
Red chilli powder - 1/4 spoon
Tomato - 1

To Temper:
cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon
cardamom - 2
clove - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Ghee - 2 spoons
oil - 1 spoon

Preparation:
Boil potatoes with 1 spoon of salt
boil spinach with 1/2 spoon of salt
Temper cumin seeds in oil. Add tomato to it. Saute it for couple of mins and add chilli powder. Saute again
Grind cooked spinach and tomato mixture
In Ghee, temper cardamom, clove and bay leaf. Pour the green paste and add cooked cut potatoes. Add Salt as needed
Let it cook for 2 mins in simmer and switch off the flame
Mild Aloo Palak gravy is ready !!

Servings: 3
Serve with Roti or steamed rice

Navarathri Recipes

Day1: Yellow Peas Sundal
Ingredients:
yellow peas - 1 small bowl
carrot - 1
grated coconut - 2 spoons
salt - 1/2 spoon or as needed

To temper:
mustard - 1/2 spoon
red chilli - 1
gingelly oil - 1 spoon

Preparation:
soak the peas for 4 hrs and pressure cook it to 2 whistles in high. Add salt while cooking.
Tear off red chilli into pieces. In a fry pan, splutter mustard seeds and red chilli
Add grated carrot, coconut and cooked peas. Mix all the ingredients and switch off the flame

Servings: 8

Day2: Rajma Sundal

Ingredients:
Rajma - 1 small bowl
salt - 1/2 spoon or as needed

To grind:
green chilli- 1
red chilli - 2
grated coconut - 2 spoons

To temper:
mustard - 1/2 spoon
urud dal - 1/2 spoon
gingelly oil - 1 spoon

Preparation:
soak Rajma for 6 hrs in water
Add salt and pressure cook it to 2 whistles in high.To cook, you can use soaked water.
Grind all the ingredients given
In a fry pan, splutter mustard seeds and Urud dal
Add grinded mix, cooked rajma. Mix all the ingredients and switch off the flame

Servings: 5

Day3: Peas Sundal

Ingredients:
Peas - 3/4 small bowl
salt - 1/2 spoon or as needed
green chilli- 2 (finely chopped)
grated coconut - 2 spoons

To temper:
mustard - 1/2 spoon
gingelly oil - 1 spoon

Preparation:
soak Peas for 6 hrs in water
Add salt and pressure cook it to 4 whistles in high.To cook, you can use soaked water
Temper mustard, add cooked peas, chopped chilli and coconut.
Mix all the ingredients and switch off the flame

Servings: 3-4

Day5: Black chenna Sundal

Ingredients:
black chenna - 3/4 small bowl
salt - 1/2 spoon or as needed
grated coconut - 2 spoons

To temper:
mustard - 1/2 spoon
gingelly oil - 1 spoon
Red chilli - 1 1/2

Preparation:
soak black chenna overnight
Add salt and pressure cook it to 4 whistles in high.To cook, you can use soaked water.
Temper mustard and red chilli, add cooked chenna and coconut.
Mix all the ingredients and switch off the flame

Servings: 3-4

Day6: Moong dal Sundal

Ingredients:
Moong dal - 1/2 small bowl
salt - 1/2 spoon or as needed
red chilli powder - 1/4 spoon
cumin powder - 1/2 spoon
amchur powder - 1/2 spoon

To temper:
mustard - 1/2 spoon
gingelly oil - 1 spoon

Preparation:
Boil 2 cups of water well. wash moong dal and put it in boiled water. Add salt and Keep it for 45 minutes in boiled water.
Temper mustard, add moong dal, red chilli powder, cumin powder and amchur powder.
Slightly fry in sim for 5 minutes.

Servings: 3-4

Day7: green gram Sundal

Ingredients:
Moong dal - 1/2 small bowl
salt - 1/2 spoon or as needed

To Grind:
red chilli - 1
green chilli - 1 1/2
chenna dal - 1/2 spoon

To temper:
mustard - 1/2 spoon
gingelly oil - 1 spoon

Preparation:
Pressure cook moong dal with salt
Slightly fry the ingredients to grind and grind it to coarse
temper mustard and add cooked dal with ground powder
Mix all the ingredients and switch off the flame

Servings: 5

Aloo Palak

This mild green colored gravy is mainly cooked in Northern parts of India like Punjab, Haryana States.

Ingredients:
Potato - 3
Spinach - 1 bag / 1 large bowl
salt - 1.5 spoon or as needed
green chilli - 2
Red chilli powder - 1/4 spoon
Tomato - 1

To Temper:
cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon
cardamom - 2
clove - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Ghee - 2 spoons
oil - 1 spoon

Preparation:
Boil potatoes with 1 spoon of salt
boil spinach with 1/2 spoon of salt
Temper cumin seeds in oil. Add tomato to it. Saute it for couple of mins and add chilli powder. Saute again
Grind cooked spinach and tomato mixture
In Ghee, temper cardamom, clove and bay leaf. Pour the green paste and add cooked cut potatoes. Add Salt as needed
Let it cook for 2 mins in simmer and switch off the flame
Mild Aloo Palak gravy is ready !!

Servings: 3
Serve with Roti or steamed rice

Masal Vadai

Masal Vadai is one of the easiest favourite snacks anyone would love to have in the evening hours with tea.

Pudina Masal Vadai

Ingredients:
chana Dal - 1/2 cup
Thoor Dal - 1/2 cup
Urud Dal - < 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 3
Red Chillies - 3
salt - 1/2 spoon or as needed
curry leaves - 1 twig
corriander leaves - 1 fistful
Mint leaves - 1 fistful
onion - 3 small
Refined oil to fry

Preparation:
Soak all the dals for an hour and half in water.
Coarse grind it with all other ingredients.
Heat oil in a pan. Once its hot, make patties and fry it golden brown. Hot yummy vadas ready !!!

Servings: 20 - 25

Masal Vadai

Variation: 
Add a spoon of cumin seeds and leave out the green leaves to make plain masal vadai.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Any vegetables of your choice can be used for this rice. I have just mentioned few.

Ingredients:
Carrot - 3
Broccoli - 1/4
green chillies - 3
Salt - 1 spoon
Rice - 1 cup
ghee - 1 spoon

To temper:
Red chilli flakes - 1 spoon
Olive oil - 4 spoons
cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon

Preparation:
Pressure cook rice with 3 cups of water
In a pan, Temper cumin seeds with olive oil. Add chilli flakes to it
Immediately add carrot. Saute with little salt for mins
Add Brocolli, green chillies and some more sale. Saute it
Add 1/4 cup of water and close the pan with lid. Let the vegetables cook for 5 mins
Now add rice, needed salt and a spoon of ghee
Mix all the ingredients well without any lumps in rice. Switch off the flame

Servings: 3

Serve it with any Raita. 

Moong dal

Tastier Moong dal side dish for those who prefer mild side dish without more masala/ spices. This would be the best soothing dish for the day after fasting.
Slight variations will be present in other cuisines too.

Ingredients:
Moong dal - 1 cup
tomato - 1 large
ginger (grated) - 1 spoon
green chillies - 3 if it is lengthy
curry leaves - 1 twig
turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
salt - 1 spoon
hing - a pinch
Lemon - 1/4

For tempering:
ghee - 1 spoon
cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon

Preparation:
Put cleaned Monng dal in pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water
cut tomato into 4 pieces. slit open the chillies. Add both in cooker
Then add grated ginger, curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt and hing
Pressure cook all the above ingredients for 5 - 6 whistles ( 3 in high and the rest in sim)
once cooked, take out the dal, smash it well and squeeze lemon in it
Splutter cumin seeds in ghee and add it to dal

Servings: 4

Usage: Serve it with Roti or steamed Rice

Vella kuruma

This Vegetable kuruma is a delicious mild side dish from chettinad Cuisine. This will be white in color. Few will add turmeric and prepare yellow kuruma.

Ingredients:
Carrot - 2
cauliflower - 1/4
small onions - 3
tomato - 1 small
salt - 2 spoons

To Grind:
split dal - 2 spoons
cashewnut - 3
cloves - 2
cardamom - 2
cinnamon stick - 1 inch
cumin seeds - 1 spoon
poppy seeds / kasakasa - 1 spoon
coconut - less than 1/4 cup
green chillies - 3

To temper:
ghee - 1 spoon
green chillies - 2
curry leaves - 1 twig

Preparation:
Boil chopped vegetables in water for 7 mins. Add a spoon of salt while boiling
Grind all the ingredients given in "To grind" , to a fine paste.
Dilute the paste with 2 cups of water
In a large pan, temper green chillies and curry leaves in a spoon of ghee
Pour the diluted liquid in tempering and add a cup of water.
Add a spoon of salt and let it boil for 5 mins
Now add the boiled vegetables and Keep the kuruma in sim for 5 more mins
Once the raw smell goes off, switch off the flame

Servings: 3

Usage: 
Serve it vella appam or Dosa or chappathi or Barotta

Vendhaya Keerai Kuzhambhu

Ingredients:
Fenugreek leaves - 1 bunch
Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball / 1 spoon if its a concentrate
sambar powder - 1 spoon (heapful)
turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
hing - 1/4 tea spoon
Green chilly - 2
salt - 1 spoon or as needed
tomato -1 large
Gingelly oil - 1 spoon

To Grind:
Grated coconut - 2 spoons
poppy seeds - 3/4 spoon
ginger - a small bit
black pepper - 1/2 spoon

For seasoning:
Mustard - 1 spoon
channa dal - 1/2 spoon
gingelly oil - 1 spoon

Boil the fenugreek leaves in seperate pan with little bit of salt for 5 mins
slighlty saute chopped tomato in oil, add finely sliced chillies
add 3 cups of tamarind water in it
Add sambar powder and let it boil for 5 mins
In the mean time, grind the above ingredients and pour it into the boiling mixture.
add salt, boiled fenugreek leaves and let the kuzhambu boil well for another 5 - 10 mins or until it thickens leaving the raw smell off
Temper mustard seeds and channa dal in gingelly oil. Add it to kuzhambu.

Servings: 4
Can be taken with rice , Dosa or Roti