Cauliflower curry

Ingredients
Cauliflower - 1 (cut them into florets)
Onions - 1 cup (chopped)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1 small stick
Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Jeera - 1 ½ tsp
Ginger - 1’ inch (optional)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Carry leaves - few
Curry or chilli powder - 1½ tbsp
Salt to taste
oil for frying

Method
In hot water add 1 tsp of salt and soak cauliflower florets for 3 minutes, then strain water and wash.
Heat oil in a pan add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, coriander seeds and jeera once they change colour add ½ cup onion, ginger and garlic, fry till soft. Let it cool.
Grind the fried onions along with poppy seeds and tomatoes to a smooth paste. Add tomatoes last into the blender.
In a pan heat oil fry mustard seeds, then add onion, chillies and curry leaves. Fry till transparent now add cauliflowers stir well and close the lid fry for about 5 minutes.
Now add ground paste along with chilli powder, salt and required water.
Mix well and cook (covered with lid) till cauliflower soften.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.

Green gram dal / Pasi payaru kulambu

Ingredients:

Whole green gram dal - ½ cup (Pasi Payaru)
Sambar onion - ¼ cup (chopped)
Garlic - 3 pods
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3 to 4
Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil for frying
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt as per taste

Method
Pressure cook the dal along with oil and turmeric powder for 5-6 whistles (if you have excess water in the dal you can use that for rasam).
In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds. When it pops add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, onion, garlic, chillies and curry leaves, fry till it softens.
Now add the cooked dal and salt and mix well. Cover with a lid, cook it for another 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool then mash into a fine paste.
Pour some ghee before serving with hot rice.

Ven pongal

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 cup
Split moong dal - ½ cup
Ghee (clarified butter) or butter - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Fresh ginger - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Cashewnuts - 10 to 15
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Water - 5-6 cups (you may replace ½ of it with milk)
Salt as per taste

Mehtod
Fry the cashew nuts in ghee for golden colour.
Wash and rinse the rice and dal then cook along with salt for 5 to 6 whistles. If you use a small cooker then milk will boil over, so use a big one. Or do it in the pan so you can stir well.
After they are done, take a small pan and fry the mustard seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, asafoetida, ginger and curry leaves in the ghee.
Pour this and the cashews into the cooked rice and mix well. Serve hot with sambar.

Tomato-nut pasta

This is an Indian style pasta with a spicy flavor. Even if you don't enjoy the usual kinds of pasta you may still like this one.

Ingredients

Pasta - 2 cups (any type)
Onion - 1 medium
Chillies - 3
Curry leaves - a few
Tomato paste - 3 tbsp (I use the tinned one)
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Clove - 3
Bay leaf - 1, small
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tsp
Curry powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Cheddar cheese - ¼ cup (optional)
Mixed nuts - 3 tbsp (grind and make a coarse powder)
Oil - for frying

Method

Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the pasta box.
Take a kadai/wok pour some oil then add cinnamon, bay leaf and clove, after it is fried add onion and chillies. After a minute add ginger and garlic paste. Fry it for a few minutes then add tomato paste or puree. Pour some water and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until the raw tomato smell goes, then add cheese and make a sauce.

Now add powder ingredients along with salt, mix well.
Cover it and wait for another 5 minutes then add pasta and mix well. Let it stand for 5 minutes to let pasta absorb the flavour. Sprinkle nut powder and mix before you turn off the stove.
Serve hot. I promise you will like it.

Sesame seeds poha / Ellu aval

Ingredients

Poha - 1 cup
Red chillies - 3
Sesame seeds (till) - 3 to 4 tbps
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Spilt moong dal - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method
Fry sesame seeds and red chillies until the seeds turn reddish-brown. Don't burn it. Ground this to a coarse powder.
Soak the poha in water before starting for not more than 5 minutes.
Heat the oil add mustard seeds. When it pops, add dal. After dal is fried
add onion and curry leaves. Fry until onion turns translucent.
Now filter the poha from the water and mix with onion. After a few minutes add sesame seeds, powder and salt, stir for few minutes.
When poha is hot remove from heat and serve with chutney.

Spinach dal

Ingredients
Spinach - 1 bunch washed and chopped into big pieces
Toor dal - 1 cup
Tomato - 1 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Turmeric - ½ tsp

For seasoning
Oil - 1 tbsp or ghee
Cumin, mustard seeds, channa dal, urad dal - 1 tsp each
Garlic - 3 pods (minced)
Curry leaves - a few
Asafoetida - ¼ tsp
Red chillies - 2

Pressure cook all of the above ingredients, then mash the dal. In a saucepan, add one tsp of oil or ghee and lightly fry the minced garlic, urad dal, channa dal, cumin and mustard seeds, red chilli pieces, asafoetida and curry leaves. Add the spinach-dal to the seasoning bring to boil for another few minutes. Pour some ghee on the top of the dal before serving. Serve with hot rice or roti.

Beans stir fry

Beans - 1 lb

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Split moong dal - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 Medium
Chillies - 4 to 5
Curry leaves - 6
Curry powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - pinch
Salt to taste
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp(optional)
Oil for frying

Method:
Chop the beans into small pieces and boil with some salt, till half-cooked.
Remove and filter the excess water.
In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, when it crackles add cumin seeds and dals. After its changes color add onion, chillies and curry leaves.
Saute till translucent then add beans. Fry it for another few minutes.
Now add powder ingredients and saute until oil separates. Adjust the salt.
Keep stirring, sprinkle coconut before you turn off the stove.
Remove and serve with hot rice.