Thanks for the recipe contributed by my friend Sumathi.

Ingredients:

Prawns – 100 gm

Onion sliced – 1 no

Tomato – 1/2 piece

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves and curry leaves – to garnish

Mustard seed – 1 tsp

salt – to taste

To grind:

Coconut – 1 1/2 cup

Red chillies – 10

Sombu ( Big jeera) – 2 tsp

Grind the above with little water

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds allow it to splatter.

2. Add the onions and curry leaves and let onion fry for about 2- 4 minutes until they are pale pink.

3. Then add the tomatoes and the grounded coconut paste along with little water.

4. Let the paste cook for about 10 minutes in low flame, add 1 tsp of turmeric powder and add salt.

5. Cook until oil suspends on top of the gravy.

6. Then add the prawns and cook for 5 – 6 minutes. Do not over cook.

7. Remove from the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Do not over cook the prawns as their texture and taste will change.

Ingredients:

Carrot, beans, potato, peas – 3 cups

Coconut – 2 tablespoon

Channa Dhal – 1 tablespoon

Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon

Dry Red Chilli – 5 nos.

Pepper – 5 -6 nos

Curry leaves -  to garnish

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Coconut Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Method:

1. Fry channa dhal, coriander seeds, pepper and little curry leaves in 1 tsp oil. Fry until golden brown.

2. Get it grinded along with coconut into a fine paste.

3. Chop all the vegetables, add turmeric powder and cook them adding water.

4. Once the vegetables are cooked add the grounded paste and add the required salt and allow it to boil for few mins in low flame.

5. Season it with mustard and curry leaves.

This sambar does not need tamarind or toor/moong dhal. This sambar will be an alternative if bored to cook the usual ones.

Tasty and simple sambar ready to be served with rice.

Ingredients:

Meal maker or soya chunks – 100 gms

Small onion – 20

Garlic – 5-10

Tomato – 1

Ginger – small piece

Coriander powder – 11/2 table spoon

Chilli powder – 1 table spoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Lime juice – 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

For seasoning:

Cardomom – 2

Cinnamom – 2 small pieces

Clove – 2

Brinji leaf – small piece

Curry leaf – little

Sombu or fennel seed – 1 tsp

To grind:

Coconut grated – 3 to 4 table spoons

Sombu – 1 tsp

Small jeera-1 teaspoon

Cashews – 10 ( or pottukadalai 1 table spoon)

Method:

1. Boil 4 cups of water and soak the meal maker balls in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain the water. Wash in cold water. Squeeze out the extra water and cut to 4 pieces.

2. Keep a pressure pan in the stove and heat one tablespoon of oil. Season the gravy with the items given under ‘for seasoning’.

3. Now add chopped onion, crushed garlic and chopped tomato and sauté for few mins.

4. Add coriander, chilli and turmeric powder and mix well in low fire.

5. Now add the meal maker pieces and mix well.

6. Add 3 cups of water and add required salt. Close the pan and leave them to cook for 6 to 7 mins in medium flame.

7. Keep grinded the items given in ‘to grind’ to a fine paste.

8. After pressure subsides, open the cooker and add the grinded masala. As the curry boils, the gravy will start thickening.

Note: If gravy is too thick you can add a cup of water. Also check for the salt and add if required.

9. Add lemon juice at the end after turning off the stove.

Soya Gravy

Ingredients:

For Peas cheese Balls:

Green Peas – 2 cup

Cooked Potato – 2

Capsicum – 2

Onion – 2

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Green chilli -4

Grated cheese – 1 cup

Coriander leaves – little

Rice flour or corn flour – 1/2 cup

Salt – to taste

Oil – for frying

For Malai:

Fresh cream – 1 cup

Cashew – 10

Oil – little

To be Soaked in milk for 10 mins:

Cinnamom, Clove and Cardamom or elachi – little

Red Chilli – 4

Milk – 1 cup

Small onion – 4

For Garnishing:

Spring Onions – 2 tsp

Grated cheese – little

Coriander leaves – little

Note: After grating the cheese add little oil and mix it gently so that cheese is greased with oil. This will prevent the cheese from melting while frying.

Method:

For Peas Cheese Balls:

1. Grind Peas, 1 onion, green chilli and coriander leaves. (Do not grind it finely)

2. Take a tawa, heat 2 tsp oil add chopped onion 1, ginger garlic paste and capsicum along with the grinded peas mixture.

3. Now add mashed potato, cheese, rice flour or corn flour along with salt.

4. Mix well and prepare a dough like consistency.

5. Take a tawa, heat sufficient oil and prepare small balls of the mixture and deep fry in oil.

Peas Cheese ball

For Malai:

1. Grind the milk soaked ingredients to a fine paste.

2. Now take a tawa, heat 1tsp oil and add the mixture and fry till the raw flavour fades.

3. Now add little milk and allow it to boil.

4. Add salt and prepare this gravy.

5. Remove from stove and add fresh cream and mix well.

6. Now add the prepared peas cheese balls to this gravy and garnish with the garnishing ingredients and serve hot.

Peas Cheese Balls Malai Kofta

Ingredients:

Vendakkai or lady’s finger – 5-6

Tomato – 1

Onion – 2

Garlic – 4

Tamarind – medium lemon size

Green chilli – 1 sliced

Grated Coconut – 1 tablespoon

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Mustard – 1/2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Curry leaves – to garnish

Method:

1. Extract the tamarind juice by adding water.

2. Grind coconut, tomato, garlic, 1 onion and curry leaves. Keep it aside.

3. Keep one onion finely chopped. Cut the lady’s finger to 1 inch pieces.

4. Take a pan, heat oil, add mustard, onion and green chilli and fry for few mins.

5. Add the lady’s finger and allow it for few mins.

6. Now add the tamarind juice and add turmeric, chilli powder, corainder powder, asafoetida and salt.

7. Allow it to boil. After 10 mins add the ground coconut masala and mix well.

8. When oil starts suspending on the top, turn off the stove and garnish with curry leaves.

Vendaikkai Kara Kuzhambu

Delicious and aromatic kara kuzhambu is ready.