Ingredients:

• Greens – a bunch (1/2 lb) diced
• Moong Dal – 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Onions – 1/2 diced
• Green chillies – 1 slit (optional)
• Dry red chillies – 2
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Oil – 1/2 tbsp
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Salt to taste
• Grated coconut – 1/4 cup

Method:

Pressure cook the greens with the moong dal adding some turmeric powder and half the required salt.

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add the urad dal, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves. Then add the onions and saute for a while. Then add the pressure cooked contents to this and bring to a boil adding the rest of the salt. Finally top with grated coconut and mix well. Allow to cook for a minute and remove from heat. Goes well with rice or as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• Cabbage – 1/2 lb diced
• Gram Dal – 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Onions – 1/2 diced
• Green chillies – 1 slit (optional)
• Dry red chillies – 2
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Oil – 1/2 tbsp
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Salt to taste
• Grated coconut – 1/4 cup (optional)

Method:

Pressure cook the cabbage along with the gram dal adding some turmeric powder and half the required salt.

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add the urad dal, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves. Then add the onions and saute for a while. Then add the pressure cooked contents to this and bring to a boil adding the rest of the salt. Finally top with grated coconut and mix well. Allow to cook for a minute and remove from heat. Note: Can substitute toor dal or moong dal instead of gram dal for the kootu. Goes well with rice or as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• Greens – 1/2 lb diced
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Onions – 1/2 diced
• Tamarind paste – 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 1/2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds. Then add the onions and saute for a while. Then add the greens with a little bit of water and allow to cook. When it is half done, add the turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Allow to cook well. Then add the tamarind paste with a little bit of water and allow to come to a boil. Goes well with rice or as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• Greens – 1/2 lb diced
• Moong Dal – 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Onions – 1/2 diced (or fried onions)
• Green chillies – 1 or 2 slit
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 1/2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

Pressure cook the greens along with the dal, green chillies adding some turmeric powder and salt.

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds. Then add the onions (or fried onions) and saute for a while. Then add the pressure cooked contents to this and bring to a boil. Smash the greens and dal well as they cook so they blend together (or smash the pressure cooked contents using a “mathhu” – make sure you set aside the green chillies before you do this, or else the masiyal might become too “hot”). Can substitute toor dal instead of moong dal as well. Can use this method for any of the greens varieties. Goes well with rice or as a side dish with puli kozhambu or kaara kozhambu.

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal – 1/2 cup
• Garlic flakes – 2 to 3
• Tomatoes – 2 medium cut into medium sized pieces
• Onions – 1 medium (sliced long) (if using, Sambhar small onions – around 8)
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – a few
• Green Chillies – 2 small (optional)
• Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
• Sambhar powder – 2 tsp (if not available, substitute with 1 tsp of Chilli powder and 1 tsp of Coriander powder)
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Tamarind – a pinch (soaked in water) or 1/4 tsp of tamarind paste
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Veggies – Can use any of the following veggies or a combination of some – Carrot, Brinjal, Drumstick, Chow Chow/Bangalore kathirikaai, Radish, Ash Gourd, Greens, Mango, Ladies finger

Method:

Pressure cook the dal with garlic flakes, asafoetida and turmeric powder adding required amount of water (for 1/2 cup of dal, add around 1.5 cups of water). Mash the dal well with a wooden spoon. If there is a lot of water in the dal, drain it separately and then mash the dal. The water drained can be added to rasam (will give it a very good flavor) or add it later to the sambhar mixture when it is boiling.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add urad dal and fenugreek. Then, add in the onions, saute for a while. Then, add the curry leaves, tomatoes, green chillies and saute. Then, add the veggies and mix well. Add to this, the sambhar powder and salt and mix well. Add in enough water for the veggies to cook. Once the veggies are cooked, add the tamarind extract to this and bring to a boil. Finally, add in the mashed dal and cilantro and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Note that you can make sambhar with just tomatoes (and without any other veggies) and also without any tamarind extract and just using green chillies. Each of these methods bring a different flavor to the sambhar. Also, each of the veggies bring a unique flavor to the sambhar.

Ingredients:

• Tamarind – 1 marble sized ball (or 3/4 tsp tamarind paste)
• Tomatoes – 2 medium
• Garlic – 2 flakes
• Curry Leaves – a few
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Rasam Powder – 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies – 2
• Salt – to taste
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 2 tsp

Method:

Soak the tamarind in little water and squeeze out the juice to make a thick pulp. Add about 2 cups of water to this. Crush 2 flakes of garlic and add in. Crush the tomatoes into this mix; break up the red chillies and add in. Add the curry and coriander leaves. Finally add salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add in the mustard seeds. Once they begin sputtering, add the tamarind water mix to this. When the mix starts boiling, add in the rasam powder and allow to come to a boil. Delicious hot rasam is ready. Serve hot with rice. Note that you can add cooked toor dal to the mix to make paruppu rasam (Dal Rasam).

Ingredients:

• Mixed veggies – 2 cups (diced and boiled) (Beans, Carrot, Cauliflower, potatoes, peas)
• Onions – 1 big (sliced)
• Tomatoes – 1 medium (diced)
• Green Chillies – 2
• Ginger – 1/2 inch chopped
• Coconut grated – 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Saunf – 1 tsp
• Garam masala items – 1 tsp (cloves – 1, cinnamon stick – 1, bay leaf – 1)
• Salt – to taste
• Oil
• Coriander leaves(Cilantro)

Method:

Grind the ginger, saunf, green chillies, tomatoes with half the onions (with little water) and set aside. Grind the grated coconut with some water and set aside.? In a pan, heat oil and add the garam masala items and then add the rest of the onions. Saute the onions for a while. To this, add the boiled veggies, turmeric, coriander, cumin powder. Bring to a boil after adding a little water. Finally, stir in the coconut paste with some water and bring to a boil. Add the coriander leaves for garnish.

Note that you can make a variation of this korma without the coconut paste also. Another richer flavorful variation would be to add cashew paste (soak cashews in water and grind to a paste) along with coconut paste.

Ingredients:

• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 2 (small) chopped
• Garlic – 4 cloves (small) – chopped roughly
• or Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsps
• Salt to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic (ginger garlic paste) and curry leaves and saute for a while. Then, add? the tomatoes and fry for a while.? Then, add the chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to the mix along with some water and bring to a boil. Then add the tamarind paste and allow to boil. Allow the oil to come out on top. Note: Can also add veggies like brinjals, capsicum, yams, ladies finger, drumsticks, potatoes, etc to the kozhambu.

Ingredients:

• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 2 (small) chopped
• Garlic – 8 cloves (small) – chopped roughly
• Curry leaves – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsps
• Salt to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic and curry leaves and saute for a while. Then, add? the tomatoes and fry for a while. Then, add the chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to the mix along with some water and bring to a boil. Then add the tamarind paste and allow to boil. Allow the oil to come out on top.? Goes well with rice.

Ingredients:

• Brinjals (small) – 4
• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 2 (small) chopped
• Garlic – 4 cloves (small)
• Curry leaves – a few
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsps
• Coconut gratings – 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste

Method:

Grind the coconut gratings with a little water into a paste and set aside. Slit the brinjals lengthwise on 4 sides halfway through.? In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic and curry leaves and saute for a while. Then, add? the tomatoes and fry for a while. To this, add the brinjals and allow to cook for a few minutes. Then, add the chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to the mix along with some water and bring to a boil. Then add the tamarind paste and allow to boil. Allow the oil to come out on top. Finally stir in the coconut paste and bring the mixture to a boil.