Recipe Fundas!-Simple,Tasty, Healthy Vegetarian recipes for a Vibrant Living!

Garlic has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and its regular usage, helps to lower cholesterol levels in the body. This recipe, is adapted from an Indian cookery program and I tried this today and it was great and hence i am sharing it in my blog. To Grind: 1. Tomato- 1 big To saute: 1.Mustard seeds- 1/2 tbsp 2.Curry leaves - 1 handful Other ingredients 1. Brinjal- 2 - chopped as small cubes 2. Onion- 2- finely chopped 3. Garlic pods- 12 (peeled) 4. Coriander powder- 1/2 tbsp 5. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tbsp 6. Sambar powder or chilli powder- 1 tbsp 7. Tamarind- 1 lemon size (soaked in water) 8. Salt and Oil- as needed. 9. Jaggery- 2 tbsp (optional) and Sesame oil - 2 tbsp (optional) Take a big pan and add oil and add ingredients for sauting. Once mustard starts splattering, add brinjal, onion and garlic and add turmeric powder and let this cook. Then, add the tomato paste, coriander powder, sambar powder and let this cook as a gravy. Once it starts to ...

This is an alternative of More Kuzhambu and is done using Tamarind. Ingredients: 1.Coconut-6 tbsp 2.Red chilli-4 3.Fenugreek -1 tbsp 4.Raw Rice - 1 tbsp 5.Some vegetables- Brinjal pieces or Okra pieces 6.Tamarind- 1 small lemon size, soaked in water 7. To saute: Mustard seeds, urad dhal (1/2 tbsp) and a bunch of curry leaves How to make this Thengaai Puli Kozhambu? 1. Boil the vegetables in tamarind water 2. Grind coconut, fenugreek, red  chillies and raw rice and add this mixture 3. Add this grounded mixture and let this come to a boil 4. Saute Mustard, curry leaves and urad dhal and add to this yummy gravy.

Ingredients: 1. Sour Butter milk- 2 glasses 2. Rice flour- 1 tbsp 3. Salt- as required 4. Green chillies -3 5. Omam- 1/2 tbsp (Ajwain). Procedure: 1. Mix butter milk, rice flour and salt and keep aside. 2. Grind Ajwain and green chillies in the blender. In a pan, add oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal (1/2 tbsp), and a pinch of curry leaves. 3. Add butter milk and the grinded mixture, let this come to a boil. This is just an alternate version of the different types of more kuzhambu. Can be used for people, who cannot consume coconut.

This is a typical TamilNadu dish. Ingredients: 1. To Saute: Mustard seeds (1/2 tbsp), curry leaves, Hing- Asaefoetida (1 pinch), fenugreek- 1/2 tbsp 2. Toor dhal- 1 cup soaked in water for about 30 min 3. Tamarind- 1 small lemon size (soaked in water) and juice extracted 4. Red chillies- 4 5. Sambar Powder- 1.5 tbsp to 2 tbsp 6. Salt How to make: 1. Grind the soaked toor dhal (aft.filtering water) and the red chillies coarsely. 2. In a pan, add oil and add this grounded mixture and stir well for 2-3 minutes. 3. Then, make balls of this mixture, before it gets cool 4. In a pan, add oil and add all the ingredients to saute. When the mustard starts splattering, add tamarind juice and sambar powder. 5. When the sambar is boiling, add the lentil balls one by one and let this boil for 3-5 minutes. 6. This can be served with Rice.

1. Buttermilk- 1 glass 2. Vegetables- Winter melon(Poosanikaai)- cut into small cubes 3. Coconut- 1 handful (grated) 4. Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp 5. Green chillies- 5 Procedure: 1. Boil the winter melon, adding lil water and haldi(turmeric powder). 2. Grind buttermilk, coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies in blender 3. Now, add the mixture and reduce the heat. 4. Add salt. Once this boils, switch off the stove 5. Saute with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves. Dont overboil, as the taste will get spoiled. Alternately, if you are using ladies finger, Saute first and fry with haldi (instead of adding water). Rest of the steps remain the same. You can also use Seppangkizhangu. A special form of more kozhambu, can be with ripe mangoes. (Exactly the same procedure as Winter melon). But, this can be a special recipe!!

Ingredients: 1. Coconut- Grated - 1cup 2. Tamarind juice (1 lemon of tamarind based). 3. Red chillies- 5 4. Raw Rice- 1 handful 1. Dry roast coconut, red chillies and raw rice, adding 1 tbsp of oil and grind this 2. Boil any vegetable (pumpkin/ ladies finger), in tamarind water. 3. Then add the grounded mixture and let this come to a boil. Add salt. 4. Saute with Mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves

Ingredients: 1. Onion -1 2. Tomato- 1 3. Sambar powder- 1 tbsp 4. Moong dhal- 1 cup cooked. Jaggery ( 1 pinch). Procedure: 1. In a kadai, add oil, mustard seeds, red chillies, hing and curry leaves. 2. Once they start splattering, add chopped onion. 3. Once the onion is fried, add tomato and add lil salt so that the tomato will dissolve. 4. Add 1 tbsp of sambar powder and add a glass of water. 5. Let this mixture cook. Then add the cooked moong dhal, jaggery and salt. This is an ideal choice for tiffin items and is less spicy.

Ingredients: 1. Tamarind- 1 small lemon size 2. Any vegetable- Okra/ Pumpkin/ Winter Melon/ Brinjal 3. Toor dhal- 1 cup cooked 4. Sambar powder - 1 tbsp 5. Jaggery- 1 small pinch. How to make the ideal sambar: 1. In a kadai, add oil, mustard seeds, hing (asaefoetida), red chillies and curry leaves. 2. Once this is all sauted, then add the vegetable of your choice. Add a small pinch of haldi (turmeric powder). 3. Add the tamarind extract and 1 tbsp of sambar powder. Let this boil for a while. 4. Once the vegetable is cooked, add salt, toor dhall and jaggery. Add 2-3 ounces of water if required and let this all boil. 5. Before serving you can add ghee to enhance the taste.

To Saute: Take 1tbsp of mustard, 1/2 tbsp of fenugreek, 1 tbsp of channa dhal, few curry leaves and asafoetida to saute. Soak a small lemon size tamarind in water. (You can use any vegetable like ladies finger or brinjal or use any vadam for vatha kuzhambu.) In a dry pan, add oil, and add all the ingredients mentioned above for sauting. When the mustard starts splattering, add the vegetables/vadam and fry for 1/2 a min and add 1-2 tbsp of sambar powder and mix with a spoon. When the sambar powder is roasted well in oil, add tamarind juice. Add salt and let this cook simmer for about 10-15 mins. (Adding lil jaggery will improve the taste: Optional). As it starts boiling, I usually add 2 tbsp of gingelly oil. (it smells good) "

1.Fry pepper corns (1 tbsp), 2-3 red chillies, 3 tbsp of Dhania, and 1-2 tbsp of toor dhal in a dry pan. 2. Add a small piece of tamarind and grind the roasted mixture and tamarind in mixie. 3.Add oil in a dry pan, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and add the ground mixture. 4.Add a lil more water and add 2-3 tbsp of gingelly oil and salt. 5.Let this boil. Add a pinch of jaggery to improve the taste This kozhambu has a longer shelf life and is good for reducing body ache.

Ingredients: 1. Tamarind: 1 Small lemon size 2. To Saute: Gingelly oil, Mustard seeds,1/2 tbsp of toor dhal, fenugreek and curry leaves. 3.Vegetable: Brinjal/ Ladies finger. 4.Onion: 1, Garlic: 4-5 shells, Tomatoes: 2 How to make? Soak a small lemon size tamarind. In a pan, add gingelly oil, mustard seeds, 1/2 tbsp of toor dhal, fenugreek and curry leaves. When the mustard starts splattering, add 1 chopped onion and 4-5 pieces of peeled garlic, 1 chopped tomato. Let this cook. Add 2 tbsp of sambar powder and add tamarind juice, and few pieces of brinjal/okra. Grind 2-3 tbsp of grated coconut and 1 tomatao in mixie and add this. Add salt and lil jaggery. Note: Mix of grated coconut and tomato will give a consistency unique to this recipe. Shelf life: Not more than a day, as Coconut is added.

Ingredients to roast: Curry leaves: 1 cup Red chillies- 3-5 nos Dhania (coriander seeds)- 2-3 tbsp 1. Roast all the above ingredients and grind these, along with a small piece of tamarind into a fine powder, after cooling. 2. Add 2 tbsp of oil in a dry pan. Add mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds, curry leaves. 3. Once these start splattering, add the blended mixture and add 1/2 cup of water. 4. Add 2-3 tbsp of gingelly oil (to add nice flavor). 5. Add salt once this mixture comes to a boil. You can also add a small piece of Jaggery. Shelf life: 2-3 days, with refrigeration. Tastes good with: Vadam, Appalam etc

Wonderful sidedish for VenPongal!!! =================================== Key Ingredients: 1. Bittergourd- 2 Nos 2. Curd- 4 tbsp 3. Tamarind- a small lemon size 4. Channa Dhal- 1 handful 5. Coriander seeds (dhania)- 1 handful 6. Red chillies- 6-7 Nos 7. Jaggery (a pinch) 8. Salt- as required 9. Mustard, hing,curry leaves for seasoning. 10.Turmeric powder- a pinch 11. Toor dhal- 3 tbsp (cooked in pressure cooker) How to make: 1. Cut bittergourd into small pieces. Remove the inner seed portion and soak it in curd for 15 mins. 2. Soak tamarind in water. 3. In a dry pan, roast channa dhal, coriander seeds and red chillies, till they are hot. Roast these ingredients and grind them into a fine powder. 4. In a pan, add oil, add mustard, curry leaves, asoefoetida. When the mustard splatters, add the bittergourd mixture slowly. (Switch off the stove when adding bittergourd). 5. Add turmeric powder and let the bittergourd cook in sim for 1-2 mins. Then add the grounded mixture and let this cook fo...