Moong sprout salad

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh moong sprouts
1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped/grated carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped raw mango pieces
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp chopped dried apricots or dates or raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

for the dressing:
3-4 finely chopped/minced green chillies
1/2 tsp grated ginger(optional)
1/4 tsp chat masala(optional)
generous drizzle of lemon juice
few drops of honey(optional)
salt to taste

Fry the moong sprouts in a pan with few spoons of water for about 5 min. Take mixing bowl add the all ingredients one by one.(if you give lunch box you have to separate the tomato and cucumber) Then add dressing mix.

Variations: You can avoid honey,ginger in the above salad and add grated coconut to the salad.You can even add raw soaked groundnuts,chopped fresh grapes,sliced oranges/Mesambi for different flavors.

Bagara Baingan

Ingredients:
7 to 9 brinjals
1 cup of groundnuts
2 tbs sesame seeds
small qty of cocount
1 stick of cinnamon
4 cloves
1 tbs of coriander pdr
1 tbs cumin pdr
few elachi
Oil for frying
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 onion
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
few g. chilli
ginger & garlic paste
tamarind juice 

small piece jaggery

Cut the brinjals into four parts but don't cut off the ends
Immediately put them in oil, fry slowly stirring occasionally till they are 70% softened.

Fry peanuts fully dont burn (add oil optionally) then add sesame seeds fry till the colour changes. Before you turn off the stove add coconut. Grind into a paste.
Heat large pot of oil fry whole garam masala, add continuously mustard, cumin and fenugreek seeds. When they start to splatter add onions, curry leafs, turmeric, g&g paste.
Now add masalas (powders) one by one, and add the grounded paste with water cook for 15 min, you have to slow flame otherwise it will burn.
Add tamrind, and jaggery and cook till oil oozes out.
Add the fried bringals into the gravy
Wait for few mins, then serve hot with rice, pulaos, and chapatis and even with biryanis.

Vermicelli / Semiya Upma

Ingredients:
1 cup semiya (vermicelli)
1 onion medium size
3 to 4 green chillies
1\2 inch ginger
6 to 8 leaves curry leaves
1 tea spoon Mustard
1 tea spoon Urad dal
2 tea spoons Chana dal
1 and 1\2 tea spoons oil
1 tea spoon salt (as per taste)
1\2 tea spoon lemon juice (optional)

Method:
Heat half tea spoon of oil/ghee in a pan and fry semiya to golden color and keep it aside. Heat 1 tea spoon of oil in a pan. Add mustard seed, urad dal and chana dal. When they starts spluttering add finely sliced onions, green chillies,curry leaves and finely chopped ginger. Fry in a low flame until onions turn pink. Now add fried semiya, mix well with salt. Then cook while occasional sprinkle some water, reduce the flame and cook for 5 mins until cooked. Switch off the flame and add lemon juice (optional).
Take it into a serving bowl and garnish with fried cashew nuts.Serve hot... with chutney.

Wheat / Gothumai Dosa

Ingredients
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Salt per taste - about 1 tsp
Black pepper - 1 tsp(optional)
Water - 2 to 3

Thoroughly mix the batter without any lumps. The consistency of batter must be like thick buttermilk, not too watery or not too tight. Don’t let the batter sit for long time.Heat the tava over medium high and pour a ladleful of batter on the hot tawa and spread it in the shape of a dosa .sprinkle little oil on the surroundings of the dosa and cook for a minute or two.
Wait until the underside of the dosa turns to be golden and then gently turn it to the other side.cook for another minute or two.
Remove and serve hot with any chutney.


For variety 
1. You can add egg with some water instead of full water.
2. Add onions, chilli, curry and coriander leaves.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients 

3 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs olive oil
3/4 cups finely chopped shallots
2 tbs chopped garlic
2 pounds white or any mushrooms -- thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves(optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper per taste
3 tbs all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups veg broth -- reserving 1/2 cup or 1 bullion
1/2 cup milk or few tbs of cream
ground nutmeg to taste -- about 1/4 teaspoon

In a large saucepan melt butter with the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the
shallots and garlic cook until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms,thyme leaves, salt and pepper, cooking until all of the liquid rendered from the mushrooms evaporates. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add veg broth or bullion water, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.Now you can add the milk or cream, bring to boil for another few minutes.

Serve warm soup with bread slices.
In a blender puree the soup until smooth.

Adai

Ingredients:
1 cup - Rice
1 cup - mixed dals -Chana dal, toor dal, green moong and urad dal
3 nos - dried Red chillies or to taste
1 tbs fenugreek seeds
A pinch of hing/asafoetida
A sprig of curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking the dosa - approx 2 Tbsp

Optional: 1" inch - ginger piece, Chopped onion, Cilantro

Method:
Soak the rice, dals and red chillies in water for about 3 - 4 hrs even over a night .
Grind the soaking ingredients with the curry leaves to a coarse paste. The coarseness is what gives the adai the crisp texture.
Add salt to taste and the asafoetida and mix well. Heat a shallow, wide pan for making the dosas and spread a little oil on the pan and get started with the adais.
The adai should be a little thicker than the normal dosa. 

You can sprinkle those optional items on top of the adai.
Serve hot with Avial, sambar even Chutney also.
For an extra touch, my mom would also add a small dollop of home made butter or ghee.

Andhra-style Brinjal Chutney / Vankaya Pachadi

Ingredients:
Brinjal – 1 no (Big size) / (small-5)
Green chilly – 4 –5 nos
Garlic 3-5 pods
Urad dal 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds 1 tbsp
Jeera 2 tsp
Tamarind – Small berry size
Salt – as needed
Oil – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – A pinch

Tempering:
Oil for fry
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Split moong dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves few
Red chilli - 1

Method
Heat the pan pour some oil add urad dal, coriander seeds and jeera. After it is fried add garlic and chillis. After a minute add cut brinjals fry it till tender with a tsp of turmeric powder and salt.
Let it cool,grind it with tamarind pulp to the coarse paste.
Prepare tempering and ¼ cup raw onions pour it over the chutney.
Mix well, it is spicy and goes well with rice or even with tiffins.