Onion Pakoda

Ingredients:


Besan / Gram flour - 1 cup
Sliced Onions - 1 
Salt to taste
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Cooking Soda - a pinch 
Oil for Deep fry
Water as required


Method:


1) In a bowl add Besan ,cooking soda,salt, red chili powder , water and mix well to make not too thick and not too thin batter. 
2) Add curry leaves and Onions and mix well.
3) Heat oil in a pan and drop the mixture in small portions into the pan and fry well till golden brown.
4) Drop the Pakoda on the tissue to drain excess oil.
5) Serve hot with Coffee or Tea.

Kakarakai Fry /Bitter gourd Fry

Ingredients:


Bitter Gourd - 4
Garlic cloves - 2
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil for Deep fry


Method:


1) Scrap outside of  Bitter gourd and set aside.
2) Nip the two ends of the bitter gourd.
3) Now cut the bitter gourd into circuar shape and remove the seeds from them.
4) Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the pieces till golden brown.
5) Set the fried bitter gourd on tissue to drain excess oil.
6) Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add mashed garlic cloves, curry leaves and fry well.
7) Add fried bitter gourd to the pan and mix well.
8) Add salt and red chili powder and mix well.
9) Serve as a side dish with Mudda Pappu and rice.

Thai Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked Jasmine Rice - 1 cup
Garlic cloves - 4
Chopped Onions - 1/2
Chopped Bell Pepper - 1 cup
Sliced Carrots - 1
Green chillies - 2
Eggs- 2
Salt to taste
Oyster Sauce - 2 tsp
Fish Sauce - 2 tsp
Soy sauce - 2 tsp
Spring Onions - 1/2 cup
Oil - 4 tsp


Method:


1) Mash the Garlic cloves and green chillies into a paste.
2) Heat oil in a pan and add the above paste , sliced Onions and fry well.
3) Add sliced carrot and fry well.
4) Add Oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and mix well.
5) Add cooked rice to the pan and stir it for 5 minutes.
6) crack eggs into the pan and mix well.
7) Add chopped bell pepper and Basil leaves and stir for 2 minutes.
8) Garnish with spring Onions and serve hot.

Mudda Pappu

Ingredients:


Toor Dal/Kandi Pappu - 1 cup
Salt to taste 
Water - 3 cups


Method:

1) Clean the toor dal thourougly with water and set aside.

2) In a pressure cooker add Toor dal, salt and water and cook it on low flames for about 5 whistels.

3) Open the lid of the pressure cooker once all the pressure is out and drain any excess water remaining into a bowl , this water can be used for rasam preparation(See recipe for Pappu chaaru).

4) Mash the boiled Toor dal to paste and serve hot with Rice, ghee and Mango pickle.

Palak Parata

Ingredients:

Palak/Spinach - 1 cup
Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Curd/ Yogurt - 1 cup
Garlic cloves - 3
Wheat Flour - 2 n half cups
Water if required
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1) Boil Spinach for 5 minutes , drain all excess water and set aside to cool.
2) In a blender add spinach, curd, salt, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, garlic cloves and grind it to a fine paste.
3) Take a bowl and add wehat flour, 1 tsp oil and mix well so that ther eare no lumps.
4) Add the bended mixture to the bowl and mix well to form parata dough.
5) Add water if required.
6) Make small balls out of the dough and roll them in flour on all sides so that they will not stick to rolling pin while rolling.
7) Take a rolling pin and flatten the dough to a small circular disk.
8) Apply oil on one side of circlular disk  and sprikle some flour.
9) Now fold the other half  in the form of a semicircle.
10) Now apply oil on 1/4 circle,sprinkle some flour and fold the other side on top of  it to make a triangle.
11) This method helps in getting layers when you fry the parata.
12) Now roll the dough in the form of a triangle .
13) fofllow similar fashion with other dough balls also.
14) Heat a flat pan and fry the flattened dough on both sides till golden brown.
15) Serve hot with Pickle and Raitha.

Beans and Peanut sauce Curry

Ingredients:

Cooked Beans -1  cup
Finely chopped Onions 0 1
Green chillies - 3
Dry red chilli- 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Roasted peanuts - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbs
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Water - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - few

Method:

1) Dry Roast, cumin seeds, Coriander seeds and set aside to cool.
2) In a blender add above roasted seeds and roasted peanuts ,water and grind it to make thick paste.
3) Heat oil in a pan and add Cumin seeds, curry leaves, Dry red chilli, green chillies , Onions and fry well till golden brown.
4) Add salt , turmeric powder and mix well.
5) Add cooked beans to the pan and saute them for another 3 minutes.
6) Now add the grinded paste to the pan and mix well.
7) Saute it for another 5 minutes.
8) Serve hot with Rice or Roti.

Vegetable Vermicelli Pulao

Ingredients:


Vermicelli/Semiya - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbs
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp 
Curry leaves - few
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp 
Cashew nuts - few
Finely chopped Onions - 1
Salt to taste 
Biryani masala or Pulao Masala - 1 tsp
Cooked vegetables ( Carrot, beans and green peas) - 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste -1 tsp
Water as required 


Method:


1) Heat oil in a pan and add Vermicelli and fry till golden brown and set aside.
2) Heat oil in the pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves , urad dal,channa dal and cashew nuts and fry well till golden brown.
3) Don't fry them longer as they may burn.
4) Add finely chopped Onions , salt and saute them till golden brown.
5) Add ginger garlic paste and mix well.
6) Add cooked vegetables and saute them for 5 minutes.
7) Add water and bring it to boil.
8) Add Biryani powder or Pulao powder and mix well.
9) Add fried Vermicelli and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes.
10) Serve hot.