COCONUT UPMA

This is a very traditional  recipe followed in our houses, which has rich taste and rich coconut flavour.  Very simple ingredients and but a little bit effort is required to prepare this recipe.


Ingredients:


1. Raw rice / Boiled rice - 1 cup
2. Red chillies - 5-6 or as required
3. Salt - as required
4. Jaggery - 1/4 cup ( less or more as required)
5. Freshly grated coconut - 1 cup ( even you can cook with 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup)

Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Curry leaves - 2 twig
4. Channa dhal - 1 tbs
5. Oil - for cooking


Method:


1. Wash and soak rice for 1-2 hours .  Add red chillies, salt , freshly grated coconut , raw rice and grind to a thin batter by adding enough water. Then dilute the jaggery with this batter.


2. The texture of the batter can be watery like rava dosa batter. 

3. Take a heavy thick bottom pan for making this upma.  Heat oil in the pan. Once the oil gets heated add mustard seeds, jeera, channa dhal and curry leaves, 

4. Once the seasonings got popped, pour the grind batter to the pan.  Close it with the lid, open the lid and  mix the batter for every 5 minutes. Like all other uppuma, this recipe also tastes good with little more oil.

5. It takes minimum of 25-30 minutes or depends upon your stove. Its better to cook this upma in the medium flame, as it easily gets stick to the pan and turns black. The golden coloured crust forms under the upma along with the pan will be very tastier than the upma. You can use your spatula to remove this crust.

6. Once it gets cooked, you can see the texture well cooked, non sticky and don't have the raw taste.

7. Even it is cooked with coconut, the shelf life will be good for a day and you can  take this during your travel instead of variety rice for a change.

GARLIC RICE

This is a trational rice recipe followed in South Indian houses. This is  generally done when someone in the house has digestion problem. Its given to kids when they don't have hunger. Even if we don't have any problem we can do it monthly once. Its that good for health.


Ingredients:


1. Cooked white rice - 1 cup
2. Garlic cloves - 1/2 cup
3. Freshly crushed pepper powder - 1 tsp or as required
4. Salt - as required
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp or as required
6. Dried neem flowers -  1/4 cup (optional)
7. Ghee or gingelly oil - 1 tbs or as required 
8. omam - 1 tsp (ajvain in hindi)

Method:


1. Take the required amount of freshly cooked rice and keep it in a separate bowl.

2. Heat ghee or oil in a pan, add the omam for seasoning. Once it got popped, add peeled garlic cloves and fry to golden brown.


3. Add turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt and give a stir. 


4. If you are adding neem flowers add it  now and fry just for a minute. Otherwise the flowers will get over cooked. 


5. Remove the pan from the stove. Add the cooked rice and give a nice stir and serve to your family members.

NELLIKAI THUVAYAL ( GOOSEBERRY CHUTNEY)

Our ancestors have given us a plenty of nutritional recipes. This chutney is also one among the nutritional recipe. Nellikai thuvyal , a tangy spicy rice mix for everyone in the family. A must recipe to try in your house. This recipe's speciality is it contains all 6 flavours. This dish is prepared for sure on dvadasi , the next day to ekadasi upavas in our houses. But we can prepare it whenever we want and enjoy the taste.

Ingredients:
1. Big gooseberries - 4
2. Freshly grated coconut - 1/4 cup
3. Green chillies - 3-4 ( less or more as required)
4. Curd - to grind instead of water ( approximately 1/4 cup)
5. Salt - as requried

Seasoning:


1. mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Sundakkai vathal - 10 ( in telugu it is called as usthakaya)
4. Curry leaves - 1 twig
5. Powdered Hing - 1 pinch

Method:

1. Chop the gooseberry into pieces and remove the seeds.

2. Add green chillies, salt, chopped gooseberries and grated coconut to the blender and grind it to fine paste  by adding fresh yogurt or curd without adding any water to the mixture. The consistency can be little bit loose than the thick paste, like chutney form and the colour of this thuvayal will be pale pink.
3. Transfer it to the serving bowl.  Heat oil in a pan, add dried sundakkai vathal and roast it nicely and add it to the thuvayal.

4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and powdered hing . Once they got fried, transfer it to the thuvayal and mix it together before serving.

5. Serve it with hot white rice.

RIDGE GOURD THUVAYAL (NOORUPINDI) - FIBRE RICH, PRESSURE COOKED

This is one of the traditional and my mom's specialty dish. This is a fibre rich, no oil food.  Its a tasty rice mix.  I have allready posted 2 recipes based on ridge gourd, you can try this too with a different flavour. Its a recipe with simple preperation, so you can try it with the available house hold items and no need to run for any special ingrdients to get this tasty noorupindi.

Ingredients :

1. Ridge gourd - 1 medium size
2. Coconut - 1/4 cup
3. Fried gram - 1/4 cup
4. Black pepper corns or freshly ground pepper - according to taste
5. Salt - according to taste

Seasoning :

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Urud dhal - 1/2 tsp
4. Curry leaves - 1 twig
5. Any cooking oil

Method:

1. Wash the ridge gourd without any dirt. Trim off both the ends from the gourd. Cut the ridge gourd into bigger chunks, Pressure cook with little water added to the bowl. Give 2 - 3 whisltes or until it becomes soft.

2. Once the pressure is completely gone and completely cool to the room temperature. Take the ridge gourd alone, leaving the water and keep it seperately. You can use to cooked water for some other purpose in the cooking.

4. Add fried gram, pepper corns, salt and freshly grated coconut to the mixer or to a blender and grind it dry without adding any water to a fine powder. 

5. Now add the cooked ridge gourd to the same blender and grind it to a smooth paste.

6. Transfer the grinded paste to a serving bowl. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera, urud dhal and curry leaves.  Once they get popped and nicely fried transfer it to the the ground ridge gourd thuvayal.

7. Mix it with hot hot white rice and have a tasty dish. If  you add 2 tsp of gingely oil to the white rice, it will enhance the taste.

SOJJI

This receipe's name is a mystery, no way connected to the name and the food. The name is followed for generations and it is passed to our generation. If you search with the name sojji, you will get the recipe of rava sojji uppuma or sojji appam from kerala and not this recipe. The readers if you are aware of this recipe in your family, kindly send me the name you followed to this recipe.

Regarding this recipe, its a easy and a pakka indian flavoured recipe with simple ingredients available at home and you can choose this recipe for your breakfast or evening tiffen.

Ingredients:

1. Raw rice - 1 cup
2. moong dhal - 1/2 cup
3. Water - 2 1/2 cups
4. Salt - as required
5.Oil - for cooking

Seasoning:

1. Red chillies - 4-5 or according to your taste buds
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. Urud dhal - 1 tsp
4. Channa dhal - 1 tsp
5. Curry leaves - 1 twig
6. Jeera - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Clean and wash the rice and dhal and dry it out without any water. You can even make this process a day b.fore and keep it ready.

2. Heat a pan, add a tablespoon of oil. First add moong dhal, fry it to golden brown. Add rice, and fry for 2 minutes. Do all the frying in a slow flame.

3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a wide, thick bottom wok. Add mustard seeds, jeera, urud dhal and channa dhal. Once they got fried, add red chillies and curry leaves. 

4. Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the vessel. Once they started to boil add salt, fried moong dhal and rice.

5. Mix it then and there to avoid sticking to the pan.

6. serve it hot with channa dhal chutney.

THAVALA VADAI

This is a protein rich, traditional tamilnadu recipe from the banks of river cauvery. This is my favorite vada, you too will get stick to this vada, if you taste it.

Ingredients:

1. Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
2. Channa dhal - 1/2 cup
3. Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
4. Urud dhal - 1/2 cup
5. Raw rice - 1/2 cup
6. Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
7.  chopped coconut pieces - 1 tbs ( chopped it into fine pieces)
8. Salt - as required
9. Curry leaves - 5-6
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
11. Oil - for deep frying
12. Red Chillies - 4-5 or as required

Method:

1. Soak  all the dhals and rice for a minimum for 3 hours.

2. Add the soked dhals, rice, grated coconut, salt, red chillies to a blender and grind it to a thick paste, corsely.

3. Transfer the grind paste to a bowl, add coconut pieces.

4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once they got popped, trasfer that to the vada batter. Mix it well.

5. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.  Make small balls from the vada batter, flat it with your palms and drop it to the hot oil. Once it gets cooked, flip to the other side. Allow to cook golden brown on both the sides.

6. Serve it hot to your guests and family.

UPPU KOLAKATTAI

This is a healthy and traditional  south indian breakfast and a evening tiffen. This is called as uppu kolakattai, because of its shape and the same cooking procedure we use to cook kolakattai. Even though it is a traditional recipe, most of the people are not aware. So I thought of sharing this recipe to all. This food have a very common and simple taste, as you can serve to anyone with confidence as there is no point to dislike this food.

Ingredients:

1.Broken  Raw rice - 1 cup
2. Salt - as required
3. Water - 2  cups

Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
2. Urud dhal - 2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - 5-6
4. Green chillies - 1 or 2 as required
5. Jeera - 1 tsp

Method:

1. There are broken raw rice available in shops, if you don't get that you can grind the raw rice coarsely and keep it ready before you start the cooking process.

2. Boil 2 cups of water in a big vessel. Once it starts to boil, add the required amount of salt and the broken rice to the water. Add the rice slowly to water and stir continously on the other hand to avoid having lumps. 

3. Once the rice is completely cooked, remove that from the stove and trasfer it to a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature.

4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera, urud dhal, curry leaves, chopped green chillies or red chillies. Once they got popped transfer it to the cooked rice mixture and mix it well.

5. Make small dumplings from the rice mixture with your hands in oval shapes. Just take the rice mixture, give a shape by just closing your palms . Arrange all the prepared dumplings in a cooker vessel or in the idly plates to pressure cook. Cook it for 10 -15 minutes.

6. Once the dumplings are ready, serve it hot with tomato or onion chutney.

Note:- You can add even finely chopped onions to the seasoning.

VENPONGAL

Venpongal the name indicates, the white pongal in Tamil language. This is a traditional food, generally taken as breakfast. It is also a famous prasadham in south indian temples during special occasions. The consistency of this recipe should be well cooked and in smashed consistency. As this is a traditional recipe, it has different measurement and consistency in each house. I hope the following measurement will gives you, how we use to get it in hotels.

Ingredients:

1. Raw rice - 1 cup
2. Moong dhal - 1/2  cup
3. Salt - 1 1/2 tsp or as required
4. Water - 5 cups
5. Turmeric powder - a pinch , optional

Seasoning:

1. Ghee - 2 tbs or as required for seasoning
2. Pepper - 2 tsp , whole or crushed
3. Jeera - 2 tsp
4. Curry leaves - 1 twig
5. Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
6. Cashew pieces - 2 tbs or as required

Method:

1. Clean and wash rice and dhal. Transfer to a pressure cooker or a pressure pan, add 5 cups of water, salt, turmeric powder and close the cooker. Pressure cook, until it gives 1 whistle and not more than that.

2. Once the gas is completely released, mix and smash the cooked rice and dhal completely. If you want the pongal to be more watery consistency, you can add the required amount of water and allow the cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

3. Heat ghee in a pan, add pepper, jeera, ginger, cashew pieces and curry leaves one by one. Fry until the cashews become golden brown.  Trasfer the seasoning to the cooked pongal and mix it well.

4. Transfer it to a serving bowl, serve hot with coconut chutney or sambhar or any kind of tranditional servings like pachi pulusu ( watery tamarind gravy), brinjal kothsu etc..

BASIC IDLY / DOSA BATTER

This is a very basic recipe known to everyone, still I feel some of the friends of other states are not aware.  So I just want to share this recipe.

Ingredients :

1. Urud dhal - 1 cup
2. Idly rice / Boiled rice - 4 cups
3. Methi seeds - 2 tsp
4. Salt - 4 tsp

Method:

1. Clean and wash urud dhal and rice twice and soak it in two different bowls.  Soak for a minimum of 3 hours - 6 hours.  Soak methi seeds with the urud dhal. Soak urud dhal with 3 cups of water.

2. First grind the urud dhal by adding a little quantity of water by each time to a fine batter. Use the same water you used to soak. Pour the batter to a wider bowl.

3. Drain the water you have used to soak the rice. Grind the rice to a fine paste by adding little water at different intrevals while grinding. If you are using the blender, grind it in two batches or depends upon the size of the blender.

4. Pour the  ground batter with the urud dhal batter, add salt. Mix well with your hands until both the batter blends nicely.

5. Leave to fermention, overnight or 6-8 hrs.

6. Use the batter to pour idly and dosa after 6-8 hrs. Serve it hot with sambhar or any kind of chutney you prefer

RIDGE GOURD THUVAYAL

This is a fibre rich food, which we got from my father's mom, who use to measure the quantity of the water to keep the  white rice through finger levels without having any measurement.  I always use to admire about our Indian traditional cooking which was developed without having any electronic gadgets in the kitchen and not having any english vegetables like, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower in those days.  Let we try to explore our traditional cooking and accoustom to our day to life, which is healthy and tasty. This recipe is one of those, try it out.

Ingredients:

1. Ridge gourd - 1
2. Black pepper - 9-10 or as required
3. Salt - as required
4. Garlic - 2 cloves
5.Freshly grated  Coconut - 1/4 cup

Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Urud dhal - 1 tsp
4. Curry leaves - 4-5

Method:

1. Wash the ridge gourd without any dirt. Cut into two, pressure cook the ridge gourd in cooker with the skin.

2. Once the pressure is gone is completely gone, take the ridge gourd out. Once it completely comes to room temperature, transfer it to the blender.

3. Add black pepper, rock salt, fresh garlic cloves, coconut to the blender and grind to a fine paste.

4. Transfer the paste to a serving bowl. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera, urud dhal and curry leaves and transfer the sizzling seasoning to the ground paste.

5. This should be mixed with white rice. Preferably with gingely oil with the rice, enhance the taste.

TAMILNADU BIANGAN BARTHA ( SUTTA KATHIRIKKA BHAJI)

This is a very traditional recipe. But slowly its getting vanished in cities. Its a very easy and yummy side dish with lesser efforts. This tangy bhaji  is a great combination with hot white rice. Dont miss to try this recipe in your house.

Ingredients:

1. Big brinjal - 1
2. Onion - 1 finely chopped ( if its available use tamilnadu sambhar onions 10-12)
3. Garlic - 7-8 cloves ( chopped into smaller pieces)
4. Red chilli powder - as required
5. Sambhar powder - 1 tbs
6. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
7. Tamarind extract - 1/4 cup or as required
8. Asfotedia powder - 1 tsp
9. Salt - as requried

Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Red chillies - 2-4
4. Curry leaves - 4-5

Method:

1. Wash the big size brinjal  and wipe it out with a clean towel. If it is a gas stove, keep the brinjal as it is in the burning stove burner. Rotate the brinjal every 5 minutes, so that it gets cooked all the sides. Probaby it takes 15-20 minutes to get cooked completely. At one point of time, the brinjal's skin becomes like dark coloured ash and the juice started to come out. Remove it from the fire and transfer to a wider plate and allow to cool.

2. Once it get cooled, remove the skin and the head part of the brinjal. Smash it well with your hands and keep it seperately in a bowl.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera and red chillies. Once they got fried, add chopped onions and garlic and fry nicely.

4. Add tamarind extract to the pan, add salt, turmeric powder, asfotedia powder, red chilli powder and sambhar powder and add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Allow to boil for 1-2 minutes.

5. Add the smashed brinjal to the the tamarind mixture and allow to boil for another 2 minutes.

6. Transfer to a serving bowl, add the curry leaves on top of the bhaji  and serve hot with white rice.

Note:- Its a traditional way in tamilnadu of using gingely oil to mix with the white rice and bhaji which will gives you a nutty, smoky flavor.

TOMATO RAITA

Now a days we are getting served by so many raitas in a fancy way. There are some traditional raitas, which are getting disappered.  I would like to share some of those.  This tomato raita is a very traditional raita, which can be mixed with hot white rice , if it is seasoned spicy. I feel traditional recipes carry more nutricious values and simple cooking which suits our traditional life style.  My father use to do this raita, very excellently and I love to have this in our weekend lunch menu. I learned from my father, that even a simple cooking tastes good by the way we use to do and on the balancing the flavor. You too try this and enjoy with  your lunch.

Ingredients:

1. Tomato - 1 big size
2. Thick yogurt - 2 tbs

Seasoning:

1. urud dhal - 1 tsp
2. Green chillies - 2 ( splitted) or red chillies
3. Curry leaves - 3-4
4. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
5. Asfotedia powder (hing) - 1 pinch
6. Ghee - 1 tbs for seasoning

Method:

1. Cut the tomato into four pieces and pressure cook in a small bowl without adding any water for 3-4 minutes. Or you can blanch it by adding the tomato into boiling water for 5 minutes.

2. Once the Tomato is cooked, remove the skin and smash it nicely with your hands or with a fork.

3. Mix the yogurt to the smashed tomato. Season it with urud dhal, green chillies, curry leaves, murstard seeds and hing.

4. It can be served as an accompaniment or mixed with hot white rice or also taken with rotis.

RAGI FLOUR UPPUMA

This is a healthy tiffen, you can serve for your family. The colour and taste may not easily accustom to the kids, but once you practice them,  sure they may have it regularily and enjoy the benefits of ragi. Still you can serve this tangy, spicy uppuma to the family members with a satisfaction that you have served a healthy rich food.

Ingredients :

1. Ragi flour - 1 cup
2. Red chillies or green chillies - 3-4
3. Onions - 1 big size (finely chopped)
4. Garlic - 3-4 cloves ( chopped into small pieces)
5. Tamarind juice - 1/4 cup or as required
6. Salt - as required
7. Water - 1 1/2 - 2 cups

Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Channa dhal - 2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - 5-6

Method:

1. Heat a wok. Add 2 -3 tbs of oil to the wok. Add Mustard seeds, channa dhal and curry leaves. Once they got fried, add chopped red chillies, chopped onion and garlic to the wok and fry for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add water and tamarind juice to the wok. Add salt. Once the water started to boil add the ragi flour the wok and close with a lid. Don't stir the flour. Cook it a medium heat, to avoid browning. Check out the water level after 5 minutes. Now give a nice stir, so that the flour gets blend well.

3. Close the lid and cook for 10 -15 minutes in a medium heat or until it gets cooked completely.

4. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve it hot to your family members.

(BOTTLE GOURD) SURAKKAI ADAI

This is my grand father's favorite tiffen. This is a  healthy dosa which can be prepared in lesser time. The difference between adai and dosa is, the adai should be poured in thicker cosistency and let to get golden brown on both the sides but the dosa is poured very thin and taken crispy.  Generally adai is the mixture of dhal and rice. But here it is the mixture of rice and a watery vegetable. Everyone in the family will sure enjoy this adai for a healthy dinner.

Ingredients:

1. Bottle gourd - 2 cups (chopped)
2. Raw rice or boiled rice - 1 1/2 cups
3. Red chillies - 4-5 ( less or more as required)
4. Tamarind - a marble size ball
5. Salt - as required
6. Asafotedia - 1 tsp
7. Soaked channa dhal - 1/4 cup ( soaked for 1 hr)

Seasoning :

1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. curry leaves - 10

Method:

1. Peel the outer skin from the bottle gourd and chop into pieces.

2. Soak the rice for 2-3 hrs in the water. Add soaked rice, chopped bottlegourd, red chillies, tamarind, salt, asafotedia and grind to a fine batter in the blender. The consistency of the batter should be medium  not be either thick or watery.

3. This batter can be used immediately after grinding. Transfer the grind batter to a bowl. Add soaked channa dhal to it, draining all the water from it and mix it well in the batter.

4. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves. Once it got fried transfer it to the batter.

5. Heat a dosa pan or a skillet. Once it gets heated pour the batter to a circular form. Pour oil around the batter. Cook for 1 -2 minutes without turning black. Flip it to the other side with the spatula. Cook for 1-2 mintues.

6. Transfer to a serving bowl.  Serve hot with onion chutney, jagger or yogurt.

PASI PARUPPU PITTU ( MOONG DHAL AND CHANNA DHAL UPPUMA)

This is a traditional food from a particualar community which is in use for centuries. This is a protein rich food tastes well and good. Generally this food is made under special occasions or when inviting guests to our house. The procedure takes little bit time, but you can prepare half of the procedure a day before itself and store in fridge itself. The interesting thing about is recipe is,  the same base can be prepared both as a savory dish and also as a  sweet dish.

Ingredients:

1. Moong dhal - 1 cup
2. Channa dhal - 1 cup
3. Salt - as required

For savory :

1. Green chillies - as required
2. Seasoning - mustard seeds, urud dhal and curry leaves
3. Tamarind juice or lemon juice - as required

For sweet :

1. Sugar - as required
2. Ghee - 2 -3 tbs or as required
3. Seasoning - elachi and cashew pieces

Method:

1. Soak channa dhal and moong dhal for 1 - 3 hours in  water. Grind it to a coarse thick batter like idly batter consistency.

2. Pour the batter in idly plates and cook for 15 minutes or until the batter is completely cooked.
3. Once the idly is cooked, cool it to room temperature. Crush it into a fine powder and keep it seperately.

4. Seperate it into 2 bowls, the amount you required for savory and sweet dish.

5. For savory, heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urud dhal, curry leaves and chopped green chillies. Once it got fried, add tamarind juice. Allow the tamarind juice to cook for a minute. Add the powdered idly, which  you have kept seperately for savory, add salt and mix nicely. If you are adding lemon juice instead of tamarind juice, add it finally.

6. For sweet, heat ghee in a pan. Add elachi and cashew pieces. Once it turns golden brown add the powdered idly, which you have kept seperately for sweet dish, add required amount of sugar and mix it well and keep on stirring for  2-3 minutes. So that the sugar melts and blend well with the dish.  Keep stirring without taking hand, as it gets stick to the pan easily.

7. You can serve the savory dish with onion or tomato chutney.

note: you can grind and prepare the batter and store it in the fridge a day before itself. Its not required for the batter to get fermented. If you are doing at larger quantity, you can even cook the idly and powder it and store in the fridge a day before itself.  You can even sprinkle grated coconut for both savory or sweet dish.