BHINDI (OKRA) FRY

Okra -- 1/4 kg (small and tender)
Oil for cooking (about 1/4 cup)


Chickpea flour (besan) -- 1/2 cup
Coriander powder -- 1 1/2 tablespoons
Cumin powder -- 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds -- 1 teaspoon (roughly ground)
Turmeric powder -- 1/4 teaspoon
Chili powder -- 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar -- 1/2 teaspoon
Dry mango powder(amchur) -- 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida -- 1/8 teaspoon
Salt -- to taste

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a small bowl

Wash and dry okra thoroughly on paper towels. Remove the head part and slit them lenthwise with out completely seperating.

Fill the chickpea mixture into each okra.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and drop in these okras. Cook them covered on a low flame. Add a little water if it turns too dry. Cook until the okras are cooked.

This dish can be cooked with water to make a wet version. while cooking add enough water to immerse the okras and cook till done.

Serve hot with chapati.

HULI (SAMBHAR, HAVYAK STYLE)

for the Sambhar


Split pigeon peas (toor dal) -- 1/4 cup
Vegitable(s)(any) -- 1 cup (cubed)
salt to taste
Jaggery -- 1 teaspoon

for the Sambhar Masala

Coconut oil -- 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds -- 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander seeds -- 2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds -- 1/2 teaspoon
Red chillies -- 4-6 (according to taste)
Turmeric powder -- 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida -- 1/8 teaspoon
Curry leaves -- few

for Grinding

Coconut -- 1 cup (grated)
Tamarind pulp -- 3 teaspoons


for the Sambhar Masala


Heat the oil and roast all the ingredients for the sambhar masala in it.The ingredients should go into the frying pan in the same order as they are listed above.

Grind these masala with the coconut gratings and tamarind to a fine paste in a blender using a little water. Keep aside.


Wash and pressure cook the dal and vegitables with water.

When done, transfer it to a deep vessel.
Add the sambhar masala paste, salt, jaggery and 2-3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for around 10 minutes on low flame.

Serve hot.

PEANUT CHUTNEY

Peanuts -- 2 teaspoons(or 10-15)
green chillies/red chillies -- 2-3 (according to taste)
coconut grated - 1 cup
Sesame seeds - 3/4 teaspoon
coconut oil- 1/2 teaspoon
salt to taste

for the Tempering

3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
6 curry leaves
1 teaspoon oil


Heat oil and add peanuts and chillies. Once the peanuts are a bit brownish add sesame seeds. Be careful at this stage as the sesame seeds crackle almost immediately and fly around. Better cover the frying pan with a plate.

Mix this with the coconut and grind it to a smooth paste, using a little water.


Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and frying the mustard seeds, curry leaves until the mustard seeds crackle.
Mix it with the chutney and serve.

BALEKAI MASALA PALYA( RAW BANANA IN SPICY COCONUT SAUCE)

Raw banana -- 2-3
Oil -- 4 tablespoons
Mustard seeds -- 1 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder -- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves -- few

Coconut -- 2/3 cup (grated)
Smbhar powder -- 2 teaspoons
Tamarind to taste

Jaggery-- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Wash peel and cube the bananas into small cubes.

Grind together the coconut, tamarind and sambhar powder to a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pan and mustard seeds.

When Mustard seeds start crackling add turmeric powder and curry leaves. Stir for 1 minute.

Put cubed bananas mix it nicely and cover and cook until done. Add a little water if necessary.

Once done add the ground paste, jaggery and salt. Mix everything together and cover and cook for another minute.

Serve with roti or rice.

CAPSICUM WITH CHICKPEA FLOUR

Capsicum -- 5/6
Oil -- 4 tablespoons
Mustard seeds -- 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder -- 1/4 teaspoon
Asafoetida -- 1 pinch
Chickpea flour (besan) -- 4 tablespoons
Semolina (sooji) -- 1 teaspoon (optional)
Chilly Powder -- 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar -- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste


Cut capsicum into big pieces. Small pieces will make it watery.

Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard is crackling add turmeric powder and asafoetida, followed by the capsicum.

Cook capsicum on medium flame. Don't cover the pan as it will make them soggy. Keep spooning the capsicum for uniform cooking.

Once the colour of the capsicum changes lower the heat and add all the remaining ingredients.

Mix nicely until the chickpea flour is coated evenly and fry on low heat for about 2-3 minutes, or until you get a nice aroma of the chick pea flour.
Ready to serve.

AVALAKKI VAGGARANE (BEATEN RICE WITH TEMPERING)

Beaten rice (paper thin) -- 4 cups
Coconut -- 1/2 cup (grated)
Salt -- to taste
Sugar -- 2 teaspoons

Oil -- 2-3 tablespoons
Urad daal -- 1 teaspoon
Pea nut -- few
Coriander seeds -- 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds -- 1/4 teaspoon
Red chillies -- 5 (or to taste)
Curry leaves -- few
Turmeric powder -- 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida -- 1/8 teaspoon

Onion -- 1 small (chopped finely)(optional)
Coriander leaves -- 1 small bunch (chopped finely)


Mix coconut with salt and sugar in a wide bowl.

Heat oil in a small pan. Add urad daal and peanut. Fry until urad dal and peanuts turn slightly brownish.

Add coriander and cumin seeds, and broken red chilles. Fry for minute on low flame so that the chillies turn crisp.

Now put in the curry leaves followed by turmeric and asafoetida after a moment. Fry it for another minute on low flame. Pour it over the coconut.

Mix all the ingredients nicely. Crush the curry leaves and chillies(only if you like it spicy).
(Sprinkle a little water if u like to swallow your food without much of chewing job. But it is more tasty with out water.)

Its time for the beaten rice to go into the bowl. Add the beaten rice and mix it with the tempering nicely.

finally the onion and coriander leaves are to be mixed with the beaten rice. Garnish with coconut or coriander leaves and serve.

Can be accompanied by sev or any other mixture.

BRINJAL (EGGPLANT) IN COCONUT GRAVY

Brinjal (eggplant) -- 8-10 small
Oil -- 4 tablespoons
Mustard seeds -- 1 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder -- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves -- few
Onion -- 2 medium
Garlic -- 8 cloves
Jaggery -- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

for THE GRAVY
Coconut oil -- 2 teaspoons
Coconut -- 1 cup (grated)
Coriander seeds -- 2 tablespoon
Red chillies -- 8-10
Poppy seeds -- 2 teaspoon
Tamarind -- to taste


Wash and slice brinjals length wise into 1 cm thick slices.
Slice onions finely.
Heat oil in a pan and mustard seeds.

When Mustard seeds start crackling add turmeric powder, garlic cloves and curry leaves. Stir for 1 minute.


Put in sliced onions and fry until the onions are cooked.

Add brinjal to the pan. Cover and cook on low flame until cooked but firm.

Heat coconut oil in a small pan and fry coriander seeds , red chillies and poppy seeds together (put them in in that order). Cool it.

Grind together all these ingredients with coconut and tamarind for gravy.

Add this paste to the cooked brinjal and mix it. Season it with salt jaggery. Add water if required.

Bring it to boil. Serve hot with roti/chapati.