Red Beans, Pepper Salad

Red Beans Pepper Salad

Ingredients

• Cooked Red Beans.......... 1cup
• Yellow Pepper...................1
• Red Pepper.......................1
• Onion................................1
• Black Olive........................1/4 cup
• Scallion..............................1
• Salt and Pepper..................to Taste
• Olive Oil...........................1tsp
• Lemon Juice.....................1tbsp

Method

• Chop the onion, red pepper, yellow pepper onion and scallion. 
• Mix all including red beans, olives, salt and pepper.
•  Mix all nicely add olive oil and lemon juice.

Green Apple, Pumpkin Soup

Green Apple, Pumpkin Soup

Green Apple , Pumpkin Soup












Ingredients

• Chopped Green Apple.................1cup
• Chopped Onion............................1/2 cup
• Chopped Pumpkin.........................1 cup
• Chopped Celery.............................1/2 cup
• Olive Oil........................................2tsp
• Vegetable Stock.............................3cups
• Coriander Leaves...........................few
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• Combine every thing in a pan with oil . Saute them for 5 minutes. 
• Add vegetable stock salt and pepper. 
• Cook till the apple and pumpkin become soft. 
• Puree them. Remove to a serving bowl sprinkle chopped coriander.

Making Vegetable stock

• Vegetable stock is a good substitute for chicken stock.
• To make 2 cups of vegetable stock use 2 onions, 2 ribs of celery, 1 carrot, small piece ginger (optional) 3 garlic pearls, 1/2 tsp pepper powder. chop all the vegetable add 4 cups of water.Let it boil .
• Cook them in low flame for 1 hour.Strain the water and keep it in fridge. 
• Whenever you need you can use it.

Avial

Avial

Avial

Ingredients

• Cut Beans.................1 packet
• Carrot.......................2
• Green Pepper...........1
• Potato.......................2
• Raw Banana.............1
• Tamarind Juice.........1tsp
• Coconut Oil..............2tsp
• Turmeric Powder.......1/2tsp
• Curry Leaves.............few
• Salt to taste

To grind

• Grated Coconut........1 cup
• Green Chili...............6
• CurryLleaves.............few
  Method

• Wash and cut the vegetable 1" long. 
• Heat a pan with 2cups of water and add vegetables, tamarind paste, turmeric powder and boil it.
• Grind the coconut, chili and curry leaves coarsely with little water.
• When the vegetables are cooked. add the coconut paste, salt and curry leaves.
• If there is excess water , remove it. It should thick. 
• Add the coconut oil and mix it. Eat with rice chapathi or poori. (Instead of tamarind paste you can also use yogurt).
• Onam festival Avial curry must be there in the sadya ( feast).

Peerkankai Thogayal

Peerkan kai Thogayal(ridge gourd chutney) 

• Peerkankai……………………….2
• Urad Dhal………………………  2tsp
• Red Chilli…………………………6
• Asafoetida………………………  1/2 tsp
• Tamarind…………………………1tsp
• Mustard Seeds……………………1tsp
• Oil……………………………….3tsp
• Salt to Taste

Method

• Peel the skin of the peerkankai and cut into pieces.
• Heat pan and fry the red chili, urad dhal asafoetida. 
• When the dhal becomes red remove and keep aside.
• Fry the the peerkankai pieces little.  
• Grind the dhal chilli tamarind with little water. 
• Add the fried peerkankai ,salti and asafoetida and grind into coarse paste.
• Heat a pan with little oil add mustard seeds. 
• When it splutters add to the thogayal. 
• It is very tasty and goes with rice, chapathi, idli and dosa. 
• I love to eat with rice and fried vadaam/applam….

Sambar

Sambar

Sambar

Ingredients

• Tur Dhal......................2cups
• Okra (Vendakai).........5
• Pumpkin.....................100gms
• Green Pepper.............1
• Drumstick..................1
• Tamarind....................lemon size
• Mustard Seeds......,,,,,1tsp
• Salt to Taste

To fry

• Red chili............6
• Coriander seeds....3 tsp
• Chana Dhal..........3 tsp
• Asafoetida............small piece
• Coconut...............2tsp
• Turmeric Powder...1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves........few
• Coriander Leaves....few

Method

• Cook the dhal in pressure cooker.
• Fry the chili, coriander seeds, chana dhal and Asafoetida with little oil and grind with coconut. 
• Extract tamarind juice. Wash and cut the vegetables into pieces. 
• Boil them in water and turmeric powder. 
• When the vegetables are cooked add the tamarind water , curry leaves and salt. 
• Let it boil for some time. Add the dhal and ground paste. 
• Stir nicely. When it is boiled remove to a bowl. 
• Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds and when it splutters add to the sambar. 
• Sprinkle the chopped coriander.
• You can use powder asafoetida but the other solid LG perungayam smell very good.
• Instead of grinding the masala you can use sambar powder. .

Pazha Nurukku/Nendra Pazham Nurukku (Ripe plantain Dessert)

Pazha nurukkuu/Nedra Pazham Nurukku (Ripe Plantain dessert)

Pazham puzhugiyathu in Malayalam I make this in USA, because you can get the ripe plantain plenty here but the taste is different here. I just keep in the pazhams in microwave after chopping both sides. It is very healthy breakfast and very filling too.The sweet dessert is very tasty and we prepare on Onam day.

Ingredients

• Nendran pazham(Ripe Plantain)…….2
• Powdered Jaggery…………………1cup
• Ghee……………………………….1tsp

Method

• Cut the banana into 2” pieces with the skin .
• Heat a pan with little water add the jaggery powder and banana pieces.
• Keep the flame in low. Cover the pan. 
• Stir from time to time. The jaggery becomes thick and banana pieces are cooked and incorporated with jaggery well.
• Remove and serve. Remove the skin and eat it
• In Kerala we prepare this recipe very often and especially children love this pazham nurukku.
• This is one of the dish for Onam Sadya.

Athirasam (Sweet Athirasam)

Athirasam

 
Ingredients

• Raw rice………………….2 cups
• Jaggery...............................2 cup
• Cardamom Powder………1/2 tsp
• Dry Ginger Powder……….1 pinch

Method

• Soak the rice for two hours. Remove the water and spread in a towel.
• When it dries grind in a blender
• Sieve it to get fine powder. 
• The powder should be slightly wet.
• Heat a pan with little water add the jaggery and make a syrup.
• Filter this syrup to remove the stone.
• Boil again till it forms one thread consistency Kambi padam(Put a drop jaggery in cold water then it should be like soft gel). 
• Add this syrup, cardamom powder to the rice flour to a soft dough.
• Heat a pan with oil to fry. 
• Apply oil in plantain leaf of plastic, take small amount dough and spread like small discs. 
• Deep fry them and keep them in paper towel.

Cucumber Raitha

Cucumber Raitha

 
This raitha is very soothing dish.

Ingredients

• Cucumber..............1
• Yogurt....................1cup
• Mustard Seeds.......1/2 tsp
• Red Chili.................1
• Curry Leaves.............few
• Salt to taste

Method

• Peel the skin of the cucumber and grate it. 
• Add yogurt and salt.Heat a pan with oil,mustard seeds, chili and curry leaves.
• When the mustard splutters add to the raitha.
• This dish goes with vegetable pulav.
• Make dhuthi raitha with grated dhuthi. 
• You can make okra raitha , karela  raitha, spinach raitha the same way.
• But fry chopped spinach/chopped okra/ chopped bitter gourd and add to the yogurt.

Home remedy

Dry, lustreless hair

Good ole' grandma's warm coconut oil works best. Massage in about half hour before you shampoo.

You could also use a heavy duty conditioner like Boots' Honey Acacia (Rs 225, available at any store which houses imported products).

Amongst the Indian brands, you could use Ultra Doux with wheatgerm for dry hair, which will cost your approximately Rs 130.

Natural remedies!

For those who don't want to settle for anything less than 100 per cent natural, here are some home remedies you can concoct:

For that satiny feeling, apply virgin olive oil on your body, lips and nails; it's a great skin revitalizer.

Mix equal parts of boroglycerine (Rs 3 a vial, available at any chemist), rosewater and a few drops of lemon juice. Apply this at bedtime on your face, hands and feet for magical results.

Mix a teaspoon each of milk cream, honey and oats. Apply on your face for 10 minutes and scrub off. It not only moisturizes but exfoliates gently, leaving your skin radiant. Use this pack once a week.

Whip up this pre-bath body scrub, massage all over your body and then shower:

Grind three tablespoons of sesame seeds (til) with three to four teaspoons of rosewater and half a teaspoon of sandalwood paste.

You now have a fragrant, hydrating pre-bath body scrub.

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Murukku(Kai Murukku)

Murukku

Murukku by hand

Making murukku is an art.In south Indian wedding we prepare plate sized murukkus and display them.This is main item in the wedding.

Kai Murukku

• Ponni Boiled Rice…………….2cups
• Urad Dhal Powder…………….3tbsp
• Melted Butter…………………3 tbsp
• Cumin Seed …………………..2tsp
• Hing………………………….1tsp
• Salt to Taste.

Method

• Soak the rice for 4 to 5 hours and grind finely in the wet grinder. 
• Add salt butter, cumin seeds, hing and urad dhal powder.
• Mix well and knead to a thick dough. 
• First apply oil on your fingers. take little dough and roll them between your palm make spiral form. 
• While twisting press the end with finger and make two or three rounds. 
• By practicing it can be done easily. 
• Heat coconut oil and drop the murukkus when it is hot. 
• And fry them both sides. Remove from the oil and place in a paper towel.

• Murukku with coffee /tea is good combination
• Murukku can be prepared with raw rice flour.
• Soak the raw rice for an hour and remove the water, spread on paper towel to dry. 
• Grind this rice into fine powder. 
• And sieve it Uraddhal powder
• Dry roast the 1 cup dhal for 2 minutes to remove the raw smell, powder it in ablender. 
• Sieve it into a fine powder