Tomato Kulambu

Ingredients:

1. Onion (big) - 1 no
2. Tomatoes - 5 nos.
3. Vegetable: 2 nos(Drumstick / potatoes)
4. Garlic - 7 pods
5. Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)
6. Tamarind - Gooseberry size (soak and extract the juice
7. Kulambu milagai podi - 2 teaspoon
8. Green chillies - 2 nos. slit
9. Coconut milk - 1 cup
10. Salt to taste

For the masala paste:

1. Coconut - 2 tablespoon
2. poppy seeds - 1 table spoon
3. fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

for tempering:

1. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
2. Urad Dhal broken - 1/2 teaspoon
3. Channa Dhal - 1 teaspoon
4. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Garnishing : Coriander leaves chopped

Preparation:

Wash and cut the drumstick in to 11/2 inch pieces. For potatoes peel the skin and cut into 1 inch cubes. Chop the onions length wise. Chop 3 tomatoes length wise and 2 cubed. Heat oil in a pan, add ingredients for tempering . When the mustard seeds splutters, add garlic, ginger, onions and greenchillies fry for a while then add in vegetables, fry for a minute, then goes the tomatoes, fry for a while, then add in kulambu chilly powder and salt fry for a minute or two. Now add the tamarind water and let the vegetables get cooked. Now add in the ground paste and coconut milk, little water, let the gravy come to a boil then garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot. you can also make this gravy without the vegetables.

Masala Egg Fry

Ingredients:

1. Hard boiled Eggs - 4 Nos.
2. Red Chilli Powder - 2 teaspoon
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
4. Coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
5. pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Black salt - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
8. Thick Curd - 1 Table spoon
9. Oil - 1 tablespoon + for frying
10. Salt to taste

Preparation:

Shell the eggs and cut it in to halves. Take a plate, put all the powders, Salt, curd and oil mix it all well into a paste, adjusting curd and oil if it is too thick. You can also use lemon instead of curd. Coat each piece with the masala mixture nicely. Keep it aside and let it marinate for some time. Now heat a pan with little oil spread over it, place all the pieces, pouring over the remaining masalas over the eggs. Drizzle some oil over all the pieces, fry on both the sides and take it out. Decorate it with some chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Vathakal chutney

Ingredients:

1. Onion big - 2 Nos. / Shallots - 15 Nos.
2. Tomatoes big - 1 No.
3. Dry Red Chillies - 3 Nos.
4. Mint leaves - Few
5. Garlic - 5 pods
6. Curry leaves - few (optional)
7. Coconut grated - 2 tablespoon
8. Tamarind - little
9. Rock salt to taste

Tempering:

1. Oil - 2 Tablespoon
2. Red chillies - 2 Nos.
3. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
4. Asafoetida - little

Preparation:

Heat a pan with little oil, now add in Redchillies fry for a minute, add in onions, fry till transulent. Then add in curry leaves, mint leaves and garlic fry for a minute, then add in tomatoes, fry for a while. Then add the coconut, take it off the fire. Cool it and grind it along with tamarind and salt. Now heat the rest of the oil for tempering add mustard seeds, redchillies and asafoetida, when the mustard splutters pour it over the chutney.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

1. Coconut Grated - 1 cup
2. Fresh green chillies - 2-3 Nos
3. Tamarind - two pinch
4. Ginger - little
5. Rock salt to taste

Tempering:

1. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
2. Oil - 1 tablespoon
3. Red chillies - 2 Nos.
4. Asafoetida - little

Preparation:

Place the coconut, green chillies, tamarind, ginger and salt in the mixer and grind it with little water. Take it out and temper it with oil, mustard seeds, red chillies and asafoetida. Serve with Idly, dosa, appam, adai, pongal etc. Most people add chutney dhal / Fried gram dhal for making cocnut chutney but I don't use it because it changes the taste.

Kara Chutney

Ingredients:

1. Onions (big) - 2 Nos.(cubed) / Shallots - 15-20 Nos.
2. Tomatoes - 2 Nos. (cubed)
3. Red Chillies - 3 Nos.
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon.
5. Oil - 2 tablespoon
6. Asafoetida powder - little
7. Salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan. Fry the redchillies for a minute and add in onions and fry till it become transulent. Now, add in tomatoes and fry for two minutes. Take it off the stove. Cool it and grind it in the mixer with little salt (preferably rock salt). I always use rock salt for making chutneys and podis. Now heat a pan with the rest of the oil, splutter in mustard seeds, two red chillies and asafoetida. Pour the tempering over the chutney and serve with Idlis, dosas and appams.