Ceylon/ kuthu pasalai keerai paruppu / Paruppu keerai / Spinach with moong dal

How many of you know this kind of (Pasalai keerai) green leafy vegetable which has cute pink flowers and N number of health benefits? If its news for you please share and spread the awarness amongst family and friends. I wish the new generation gets aware of these natural superfoods and make use of them. 

Benefits:

• Improves Immunity
• Increases blood cell production
• Fast healing of wounds
• Cures kidney related ailments
• Helps reduce constipation and
• Joint related issues

Ingredients:

Yellow moong dal / Paasi paruppu - washed

Ceylon/ kuttu pasalai keerai – washed and chopped

Garlic cloves - 3

Tomato – 1, chopped

Green chilies – sliced

Curry leaves

Oil, mustard and cumin seeds for tempering

Sambar masala or simply turmeric powder and chili powder

 

Instructions:

• Ø  Pressure cook split moong dal and kasini keerai along with turmeric powder, garlic cloves and salt
• Ø  Once cooked, heat oil in a wok and add mustard and cumin seeds
• Ø  Add curry leaves, green chilies and chopped tomatoes – saute
• Ø  Add the cooked dal to it and add sambar masala – mix well
• Ø  Add water if you want it in liquidy consistency and let it boil
• Ø  Adjust taste and turn off the burner
• Ø  Serve with steamed white rice

 

Beetroot Poriyal / Beetroot Stir-fry

 

Ingredients:

·         Beetroot – 3, chopped into small pieces

·         Onion – 1, chopped

·         Green chilies – sliced

·         Curry leaves

·         Turmeric powder

·         Pepper powder

·         Salt

·         Grated Fresh Coconut (not kopra)

·         Water to cook

·         Oil, mustard and Cumin seeds for tempering

 

Instructions:

• ·         Heat oil in a iron wok
• ·         Add mustard and cumin seeds
• ·         When it crackles add chopped onions, curry leaves and green chilies – saute
• ·         Add chopped beetroot and stir fry for few minutes
• ·         Add turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt, mix well
• ·         Add little water, only enough to cook the beetroot as the stir-fry is a dry recipe
• ·         Let it cook covered till the veg is cooked enough, but not too soft
• ·         Turn off the burner and add the grated fresh coconut and mix well

 
     Serve with any rice dish

       Good for health watchers as it has very less oil and no masala

Mango Thokku / Mango Chutney with Steamed Rice

Ingredients:

• Sesame / Gingelly oil - 1/2 cup
• Mustard seeds / Rai / Kadugu 
• Dry Red Chilies
• Raw Mango - 2 to 3, Finely chopped
• Haldi/Turmeric powder / Manjal thool
• Chili powder
• Hing / Asafoetida powder / Perungaya thool
• Salt to taste
• Roasted Methi seeds powder / Venthaya podi

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a pan and add hing, Red chilies and mustard seeds
• Saute and add the chopped raw mango pieces - saute for few minutes and add haldi, chili powder and salt
• When the mango is cooked, add roasted methi seeds powder and cook without adding water as this can be stored for long in the refridgerator
• This chutney / thokku can be mixed with hot steamed rice and ghee for delicious quick fix meal or lunch box recipe

Simple Rava Idli

Ingredients:

• Idli Rava - 2 cup
• Urad dal / White Ulundu Paruppu - 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Idli cooker/Steamer

Instructions:

• Soak the urad dal in water for atleast 4 hours and make a smooth paste 
• Wash the Idli rava twice with water, squeeze out the water and mix with the Urad dal paste and salt in a big vessel
• Let it ferment overnight/8 to 10 hours in room temperature
• When fermented, mix well and start pouring the batter in oiled / greased idli steamer plates and steam for 12 to 15 minutes 
• when you stick a spoon edge inside the idli, the batter should not stick to the spoon. This indicates that the idli is cooked so turn off the heat
• Dont let it cook too long, it might become hard
• Serve hot with Chutney/Sambar/both

Daliya Upma / Broken Wheat Upma / Daliya Kichdi

Ingredients:

• Daliya /Broken wheat/Sooji/Godumai Ravai - 1 cup
• Broken Bengal gram / yellow split moong dal / Paasi paruppu - 1 tbsp
• Tempering - Oil, Chana dal/kadala paruppu - 1 tsp, Urad dal/Ulundu paruppu - 1 tsp, Mustard seeds/Rai/Kadugu, Cumin seeds/Jeera/Jeeragam, Curry leaves, Dry Red Chilies, Roasted peanuts (optional)
• Thinely Sliced Potato - 1 (optional, can also add other finely chopped veggies like carrot and peas)
• Chopped Onion 
• Chopped Tomato
• Haldi/Turmeric powder/Manjal thool, Chili powder and Salt to taste
• Water to cook
• Coriander leaves - chopped

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a small pressure cooker and add all the tempering ingredients one by one in medium flame and let them fry for a minute
• Add chopped potato, onion and other veggies - saute for few minutes
• Add the turmeric, chili powder, salt - mix well
• Add the Daliya and moong dal - mix and saute for few minutes 
• Now add 2 to 3 cups water and pressure cook in slow medium flame for 3 minutes
• Turn off the heat, let the pressure be off and open the lid
• The upma should be in a slightly watery consistency like kichdi
• garnish with chopped coriander leaves and 1 tbsp ghee/neiy - serve hot

Bhel Puri

Ingredients:

• Murmura / Pori / Puffed Rice - 1 cup
• Papdi / Broken puris - 5 puris
• Haldiram Mixture /Any mixture available - a handful
• Homemade Poha Chiwda (optional)
• Pani Puri's Mint-Coriander water (already contains flavours of pani puri masala /chat masala/jeera powder)
• Green chutney
• Imli Chutney
• Sev / Oma podi
• Finely chopped Onion
• Finely chopped Coriander leaves
• If not using pani puri's water, add - Cumin powder and Chat masala

Instructions:

• In a mixing bowl, add all the mentioned ingredients and mix well
• Adjust the masala and salt as per taste preference, garnish with more sev, chopped onion, coriander leaves and serve

Besan ki sabzi / Chickpea flour Curry / Kadala Maavu Curry

This is a quick, simple and tasty sidedish my mother in law prepares often. It tastes good with roti as well as with rice or khichdi

Ingredients:

• Chick pea flour / Kadala maavu / Besan - 1/2 cup
• Chopped Onion - 1
• Chopped Tomato- 1
• Chopped Green chilies
• Curry leaves (optional)
• Tempering - oil, mustard and cumin seeds, hing
• Turmeric powder
• Chili powder
• Coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• Water
• Chopped Coriander leaves

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a kadai and add the tempering ingredients
• After a minute add chopped onion, curry leaves, green chilies and ginger garlic paste (optional)
• Saute for few minutes and add chopped tomatoes and the masala powders along with salt
• Mix well and 1 cup of water 
• When the water is about to boil add the besan and mix in a way that there should be few lumps and also the besan mixes with the water to form thick gravy
• This process only takes few minutes in medium flame
• Once the raw smell subsides and the gravy thickens turn off the heat
• Garnish with coriander eaves and serve hot with roti or rice 

Aam ki Khadi / Khatti Meethi Mango Khadi

Ingredients:

• Raw Mango - 1, grated
• Besan / Chick pea flour - 1/2 cup
• Buttermilk/Beaten yogurt - 1 cup
• Tempering - oil, mustard, cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing, chopped green chilies
• Jaggery or sugar- as per taste preference
• Turmeric powder
• Chili powder (optional)
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the tempering ingredients
• saute for a minute and add the grated raw mango - toss for few minutes
• Add water enough to cook the mangoes till mushy
• Add the jaggery to the water so that melts and becomes a nice khatti meethi pulp
• When its done add mixture of besan and buttermilk (without lumps), turmeric powder and salt
• Keep stirring while it boils for about 10 minutes and looses its raw smell or taste
• Adjust the taste and turn off the heat as the gravy reaches the desired thickness
• Serve hot with Khichdi, along with salad and papad for a simple yet wholesome meal

Simple Curd Rice / Thayir Sadham

Ingredients:

• Homemade Curd (sour) - 1 cup
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Steamed Rice - Cooled or Use leftover Rice
• Tadka/Tempering:- 
• Oil, Mustard seeds
• Hing/Perungaya thool
• Urad dal/ulunthu paruppu - 1 tsp
• Chana dal/Kadala paruppu - 1 tsp
• Peanuts, Cashew nuts (optional)
• Curry leaves
• Dry Red chilies / Chopped Green chilies 
• Finely chopped Ginger pieces of 1/2 inch ginger
• Chopped Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a kadai and add tempering ingredients one by one in medium flame and make sure doesnt get burnt. It will be ready in a minute or 2 so keep all the ingredients ready before heating the oil
• Turn off the heat and let it cool
• Mix chilled curd and milk - pour into the tempering in the kadai after its back to normal temperature
• Add Salt, Coriander leaves and the cold steamed rice only few minutes before serving. otherwise the rice might soak all the curd and milk and become dry to eat
• I prefer it chilled and spicy so dont like to add pomegranate. This is the simple and easy normal homemade curd rice for summers

Egg Curry - South style / Muttai Kulambu

Ingredients:

• Boiled Eggs - 6, without the shell
• Spices - Bay leaf, Cloves, Cinnamon, Star anise, Cardamom, Black Cumin, Pepper, etc
• Chopped Onions - 2, big
• Chopped Tomatoes - 2, big
• Curry leaves
• Red Chilies
• Fresh or Dry coconut - Handful, grated
• Whole Cashew nuts - 5 (optional)
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Garlic cloves - 5 to 6
• Masalas - Turmeric powder, Chili powder, Coriander powder, Garam Masala and Salt
• Chopped Coriander leaves and lemon squeeze for garnishing
• oil 

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottom sauce pan and add the spices
• Saute for a minute and add the onions, curry leaves, red chilies, grated coconut, cashewnuts  and garlic - saute for few minutes and grind into a smooth paste along with ginger 
• In the same pan, heat oil, add the masala paste and the masalas - let it boil by adding enough quantity of water
• Meanwhile prick the boiled eggs with fork and drop them inside the boiling gravy
• Its always better to avoid frying the boiled eggs so that we get the whole nutrition of the egg white and pricking helps the masala flavors to seep into the eggs 
• Let the curry boil for around 10 minutes so that the raw smell vanishes completely, oil gathers on the sides and the gravy thickens
• Turn off the burner, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice / Chapathi