Ingredients:

• Plaintain flower – 1 medium size
• Gram Dal (Channa dal) – 1/4 cup
• turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Method:

Remove the outer cover of the plaintain flower, and pull a bunch of the florets out. Pull out of each of them the stamens and a little transparent covering at the bottom. Repeat these for all the florets in the flower. Then group a bunch of the florets and cut them into 1/4 inch size pieces. Rinse the diced florets in water and set aside. In a large vessel, add the diced florets, turmeric powder, salt, chilli, coriander powders, gram dal and ginger garlic paste with about 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook.

In a pan, heat oil and then add the pressure cooked contents and fry well till all the water is drained and oil starts to come out on top/sides. A very ytummy dish.

Goes well as a side dish for rice with sambhar.

Ingredients:

• Brinjals – 4 medium cut into 1/4 inch thick long slices
• Onions – 2 medium chopped
• Tomatoes – 2 medium chopped
• Chilli-coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves – a few

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds. Then, add the onions and saute till golden brown. Then. add the ginger garlic paste, saute for a while. Then add in the turmeric, chilli-coriander powder and asafoetida and fry well. To this add the brinjals and saute for a few minutes till the brinjals start wilting. Then, add in the tomatoes, salt and curry leaves and a little water and mix well. Allow the brinjals to cook well. Finally add in the tamarind paste and allow the mixture to come to a boil.

Goes well as a side dish for rice or rotis

Ingredients:

• Raw Rice – 3 cups
• Coconut grated – 1/2 cup (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method:

Soak rice in water for 4 hrs, then dry it. Grind to make fine powder. In a dry pan, warm the powder for 5 min or until slightly roasted. Sieve. Mix warm water and salt to make a smooth dough. Take a ball sized dough and put into the idiyyapam/murukku mould (with tiny holes plate) and make it in a thread like form on idli plates. Steam this for 5 minutes in the pressure cooker. Remove and toss with grated coconut.

Served with any khurmas or plain coconut milk and sugar.

Ingredients:

• Dosa batter – 4 cups

For making Potato Masala:

• Potatoes – 3
• Onions – 2 small (sliced lengthwise)
• Green chillies – 3 slit lengthwise
• Tomatoes – 1 small (diced) (Optional)
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Split urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Garlic flakes – 3 (optional)
• Gram dal – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli-coriander powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Curry leaves – a few (optional)
• Coriander leaves – 2 tsp (optional)
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Method:

Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and smash/cut into medium sized pieces. In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds, add the urad dal and gram dal and fry for a few seconds. Then, add the onions, garlic and green chillies and saute for a few minutes. Then, add the tomatoes, curry leaves, and cooked potatoes. Add the turmeric and chilli powder (if preferred) and about 3/4 cup of water and mix well. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Add in the coriander leaves and mix. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a tawa (flat pan), smear some oil on top, and then pour about 8 tbsp of the batter into a round shape on the tawa. Spread the batter into a wider area so as to make a thin crispy dosa. Pour a little oil on the sides to make it crispy. Once cooked and crispy brown on one side, turn over and allow to cook on the other side for about 30 seconds, turn around once again and put around 3-4 tbsp of potato masala and fold the dosa and serve.? Can be served with all chutneys or sambhar or just plain.

Ingredients:

• Bread – 4 slices
• Milk – 1/4 cup
• Sugar – 3 tbsp
• Eggs – 1 (optional)
• Oil/Butter

Method:

Beat the eggs and milk and sugar together. In a flat pan/tawa, heat a little butter/oil. Soak the bread slices in the milk mixture (just a quick dip) and place on tawa. Cook on both sides. Be careful not to break the bread slices as it will be very soft. Make sure you don’t use very soft bread for making french toast otherwise it will get too soggy.

Ingredients:

• Semiya (Vermicelli)- 200g
• Onions – 1 (chopped lengthwise)
• Chilli powder – 3/4 tsp
• Cinnamom Stick – 1 stick
• Garlic – 4 cloves – roughly chopped
• Salt to taste
• Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

Slightly roast the semiya in a dry pan and set aside. In another pan, heat the oil, add cinnamon, then add the onions and garlic and saute for a while. Pour about 2-3 cups of water to this. Add some salt and mix well and allow the water to boil. When the water is boiling, add in the semiya and cook till done. (till the water all evaporates). If you add too much water, the upma might become sticky.

Ingredients:

• Idlis – 4
• Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Split Urad Dal? – 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chillies – 2
• Salt to taste
• Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:
In a bowl, break the idlis into small pieces.

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds. To this, add the urad dal and red chillies and fry for 1/2 min. Then, add the idli pieces, chilli powder and salt. Sprinkle a little water and fry for a while till the raw chilli powder smell disappears.

Ingredients:

• Dosa batter – 8 cups
• Onions – 2 (finely chopped)
• Green chillies – 3 (finely chopped)
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Split urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Oil -2 tbsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add urad dal, and then half the chopped onions and all green chillies and saute for a while. Add this to the dosa batter. Mix well. Can also add in curry leaves and coriander leaves for extra flavor.

Heat a tawa (flat pan), smear some oil on top, and then pour about 8 tbsp of the batter into a thick round shape on the tawa. Pour a little oil on the sides to make it crispy. Once half cooked on one side, sprinkle some of the chopped onions on top and turn over and allow to cook on the other side.

Can be served with all chutneys or sambhar.

Ingredients:

• Dosa batter – 8 cups (slightly overfermented)
• Onions – 2 (finely chopped)
• Green chillies – 3 (finely chopped)
• Ginger – 1/4 inch (finely chopped)
• Gram Dal – 2 tbsp (soaked in water for 1/2 hr)
• Salt – 1/2 tsp

Method:

This dosa dish uses batter which has slightly overfermented so will taste a bit sour. Add the soaked gram dal, onions, ginger and green chillies with salt to the dosa batter and mix well.

Heat a tawa (flat pan), smear some oil on top, and then pour about 8 tbsp of the batter into a thick round shape on the tawa. Pour a little oil on the sides. Once cooked on one side, turn over and allow to cook on the other side.

Can be served with all chutneys or sambhar.

Ingredients:

• Ragi flour – 2 cups
• Onions – 1 chopped finely
• Green Chillies – 2 finely chopped
• Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
• Curry leaves – 3-4
• Salt to taste

Method:

In a large bowl, mix raagi flour with little water and salt and make a thick dough (like chappathi dough consistency), adding in the onions, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander. Make round balls and flatten them on your palm to make a flat patty.

Heat a tawa (flat pan)/nonstick pan, brush the pan with very little oil just to make sure the dough doesnt stick to it. Then place the patty on it and spread it into a round shape. (If you are not able to handle the slight heat of the tawa, alternatively, you can flatten the dough balls on to a plastic sheet and then put it to cook on the tawa). Pour a little oil on the sides if preferred. Allow the adai to cook on one side and then turn over and cook on the other side.

Goes well with hot chutneys and butter or can be taken plain with butter. You can mix in some sauteed drumstick leaves to the raagi dough and make the adais. A very healthy and flavorful tiffin.