NO Onion-Garlic Meal

White Rice:

Ingredients:

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Water – 2 cups

Procedure:

• Wash the rice completely and add 2 cups of water for a cup of rice. Pressure cook it for about 3 whistles or cook it for about 10 mins under low flame.

Note:

• For Naivedyam, we always use raw rice.

Arachuvitta Sambar:

Mixed Veggie-Arachuvitta Sambar

Arachuvitta sambar is a very aromatic and refreshing sambar. I use to make during all Pooja and festival times. Feel divine… the freshly grounded spices adds additional value to the sambar. You can add any of your favorite veggies to this sambar, but mixed veggie arachuvitta sambar is my hubby’s favorite one. You can have this delicious sambar even for tiffin like idli, dosai, vadai, upma etc.,

Ingredient:

• Tuvaram paruppu/Toor dhal – 1 cup
• Mixed veggies – 1 cup
• Cumin seeds/ seeragam – 1 tsp
• Tomato – 1 (sliced)
• Asafetida – ¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Puli karasal/ tamarind paste – 1/3 cup
• Water – as req
• Salt – as req
• Coriander leaves – 1 tsp (finely chopped)

Homemade Sambar paste/ powder:

• Coriander seeds – 2 tblsp
• Split chickpeas – 1 tblsp
• Urad dhal – 1 tblsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
• Grated coconut – 1.5 tbslp
• Byadgi chilli – 4 nos

 For tempering: 

• Ghee –  2 tsp
• Kadugu/ mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
• Seeragam/cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
• Vendayam/fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
• Dry red chilli – 2 nos
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Procedure:

Homemade sambar powder:

• Dry roast all the ingredients, cool completely. Grind it coarsely and store it in an air-tight container. Since we have added coconut to this mixture, keep refrigerate and you can keep this for more than 2 weeks.

 Homemade sambar paste:

• In a small kadai add a tblps of coconut oil or mild cooking oil and roast all the ingredients, cool completely. Make a paste of it and keep it aside.
• Storing this paste is not advisable.

Making Sambar:

• In a pressure cooker add toor dhal, tomato, cumin seeds, asafetida, and turmeric powder and pour some amount of water as required to your dhal and pressure cook it
• Place a kadai add a tsp of ghee, once the ghee get hot add mustard seeds ,fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and let it splutter, now add the broken red chilies and curry leaves, saute for a while.
• Add the mixed veggies and saute for about 3-4 mins with some salt and add the puli karasal along with sambar powder/paste. Bring it to boil.
• Pour the cooked dhal mixture into the sambar mixture and ends it with a tsp of ghee and coriander leaves. The delicious and aromatic arachivitta sambar is ready to serve. Serve with hot rice/ idli/ dosai.

NOTE/TIP:

• Both powder and paste has some unique flavor, do try it individually.
• Ends with a tsp of ghee will definitely give you the classic sambar flavor.
• Donot add more amount of sambar powder to the sambar. It will turns into kuzhambu (like puli kuzhambu/ tamarind gravy)
• Tempering you may change the ingredients as per your wish- this is way my mom used to temper our sambar.
• Adding coriander leaves towards the end will enhance the flavor.

Cabbage-Carrot Poriyal:

Ingredient:

• Grated Carrots – 1 cup
• Grated Cabbage – 1 cup
• Grated coconut – ¼ cup
• Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
• Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
• Green chilies – 1 no (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Cooking/ coconut oil – 1 tblsp
• Salt – as req
• Water – 1 tblsp

Procedure:

• Wash and grate the carrots and cabbage using grater and chop/slit the green chilies
• In a kadai add about a tblsp of coconut oil/ cooking oil, once the oil get enough hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add the green chilies along with some fresh curry leaves. Saute for a while
• Add the grated carrots and cabbage to the tempering mixture and saute for few mins with required amount of salt. Once the carrot and cabbage are half-way cooked, now sprinkle some water and covered with a lid and allow it cook for few more mins.
• Once the carrot-cabbage are almost done, add the grated coconut and turn off the flame.

NOTE:

• You can even add about 2 tblsp of semi cooked moong dhal to this dish.
• You can add coriander leaves towards the end.

Potato Masiyal:

Ingredients:

• Boiled potatoes – 4 nos (medium)
• Tomatoes – 2 nos( medium)
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Asafetida – ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Plain red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Cooking oil- 2 tblsp
• Grated coconut – 1 tblsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Salt – as req

 Procedure:

• In a wide pan add oil, once the oil get hot. Add mustard seeds, let it splutter.
• Now add asafetida, finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt.
• Allow it to cook until the oil separates. Now add some curry leaves and boiled-mashed potatoes.
• Meanwhile, grind the coconut and cumin seeds finely.
• Once the potatoes and masala are halfway through, add the grounded coconut paste. Cook it for few more mins
• Within 5-7 mins the potatoes are ready.

Instant Bonda:

Ingredients:

• Rice flour – ¼ cup
• Maida/ all-purpose flour – ½ cup
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Green chilies – 1 no
• Asafetida – ¼ tsp
• Baking soda – ½ tsp
• Salt – as req
• Curd – ½ cup
• Water – if req
• Cooking oil – to deep fry

Procedure:

• In a mixing bowl, add rice flour, AP flour, finely chopped green chilies, asafetida, salt, cumin seeds, chopped curry leaves. Mix roughly
• Now add curd to the mixture, mix without any lumps.
• If desired sprinkle some water, the batter should be like vada batter.
• Rest the batter for about 20 mins.
• Meanwhile heat the oil to deep fry.
• Add the baking soda to the batter. Mix finely (We have to add the baking soda, only the batter is ready to drop into the oil)
• Now wet your palms, take about scoop of batter and gently drop it into the medium-hot oil
• Flip occasionally, once the sizzle sounds off. Take the crispy “Instant Bonda” from the oil and place over paper towel to drain off the excess oil.

NOTE:

• Resting the batter, really helps to achieve the bonda fluffiness.

Nellikai/Indian-Gooseberry Pachadi:

Ingredients:

• Gooseberry – 10 nos
• Thick curd – ½ cup
• Coconut – 1 tblsp
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Green chili- 1 no (medium)
• Mustard seed – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – ½ sprig
• Coconut oil – 1 tsp
• Salt – as req

Procedure:

• Clean and cut the gooseberry into equal halves
• Steam the berries for about 6-8 mins
• Grind the coconut, green chili and cumin seeds smoothly.
• In a mixing bowl, add the steamed gooseberries, thick curd and grounded paste along with required amount of salt.
• Meanwhile in a small kadai, add a tsp of coconut oil, add mustards seeds. Let it splutter and add some fresh curry leaves.
• Pour the tempering mixture to the pachadi.
• Pachadi is ready to serve.