Kara kozhambu-Chettinad style

One day, my mother-in-law had cooked this Kara kozhambu which was awesome in taste.
I learnt this recipe from her and I would like to share the same.This is supposed to be famous in Chettinad(somehting u may get in Ponnusamy's or Anjappar's)

Procedure:
In a kadai, heat 4 to 5 tspns of oil. Add mustard.Once it splutters, add some fenugreek seeds(2 tspns) and fry for some time. Now add 1 chopped onion,2 chopped tomatoes, about 8 to 10 garlic flakes,curry leaves and fry well. You may add any vegetable of your choice.You may even add some Black-eyed peas(soaked overnight )to this.If you add some shallots too,if you like them, instead of big onions. I added a few chopped pieces of radish and ladies finger while frying.
Allow it to fry well.

Grind half a cup of grated coconut adding 1 cup of water.Extract the coconut milk by filtering the ground mixture.
Add this coconut milk in the fried mixture , add salt and allow to boil well.Add turmeric powder(a pinch),chilly powder(a pinch),sambar powder(2 tspns) and a pinch of asafoetida. Once it starts to boil, add 2 cups of tamarind extract and continue to boil well.

The dish is ready to be served with rice now. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Paanagam

It was Ram Navami last Friday. How can Ramnavami go without Panagam?Here is the recipe of the drink(non-alcoholic:P) which can be prepared in no less than 5 minutes.

Procedure :

Just mix the following ingredients in water.
1/2 spoon ginger grated.
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tspns powdered jaggery
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp lemon extract

Thats it...Allow these to be dissolved in water. You may filter the contents and drink it or have it without filtering if you like to bite some ginger. You may increase the strength of ginger if you like. This also serves as a good cure for cough and throat infection.

Gangayum gowriyum- Devotional Song in Malayalam

Gangayum gowriyum
Out of the few Malayalam devotional songs which I know, here is my favorite. Simply like the tune of this song.

A song on Goddess Kanyakumari-purana nilavinilum

purana nilavinilum

Here s a song on Goddess Kanyakumari which I had learnt during childhood.

Mission America!!!

After having known to have a work experience of more than 6 years in India,its hard to believe that I resigned my job. I was all prepared to go for it from the time Srini flew without me.Nothing in the world was important at that moment other than joining him.I waited for my notice period of 2 months(which was like 200 months for me) to get over soon.Being without your loved one around is the worst thing I have ever experienced.And guess what!!!Time flew and I boarded my first international flight to London.Hurrah!!!Here I come, America!!!I thought aloud.

The excitement and anxiety to meet Srini after two long months grew higher as I flew higher.Disembarked at London and boarded the next ongoing flight.Smooth enough so far!!!I started watching English Vinglish movie as soon as I boarded this flight. Enjoyed the complete  movie thoroughly only to find out that the plane had not budged a bit from the terminal.Due to some technical issues, all of us, passengers, were kept waiting for 3 hours.Not delaying further, the plane took off and I reached Chicago airport. The queue for immigration was so long(The Tirupati darshan queues were better, I should say).Here comes Ripleys believe it or not. The transition time of 5 and a half hours were not enough and I missed my connecting flight to Tampa.(Not another eternity before meeting my dear one).I headed towards the British airways counter only to find a few more passengers in a similar state as I.All of us were given coupons for dinner and accommodation at Holiday Inn.You may ask why!!!The next flight was available only the next morning.Phewwww!!!

Thanks to Lavanya,a passenger who I befriended quickly,I was able to convey the info to Srini, who was already waiting at the Tampa airport.The whole lot of us, including Lavanya and me, headed towards Holiday Inn and somehow killed the night.I got a creepy feeling and imagined all the horror movie characters live around me.Hard night it was and I did not sleep for fear of missing the next flight,too, which was scheduled @5 am.
The next morning, the whole journey was about to end when I was stopped at the United Airlines counter for having one of the baggages overweighed. I was asked to swap some items from the bag to another.Now, now,the zipper of the other bag had got jammed as I had waited for more than an hour in the freezing cold the previous night (-2 degrees Celcius). I managed to put some stuff in my cabin baggage and also managed to gain some sympathy from the lady at the counter. She warned me once and wished me a safe journey. I thanked God for this and moved on praying for no more delays.
There I was , after 2 hours of journey, in front of Srini, at the airport, who had equally been stressed out and anxious on not having seen me so long.
And yeah, the king and the queen happily lived everafter. Thats the usual ending of the story. Wow. I was happy too that the whole problem is over.
And now,a new problem. How do I kill my time everyday?????

Ignorance is not BLISS,its FOOLISHNESS

Have you ever known about a massive conversion from Hindus/Christians to Muslims which is on the roll for many years now...I bet most of you are not aware, or rather, choose to be ignorant even if you have heard of it....
I am sad and ashamed to quote here that our own Kerala, God's own country, known for its rich cultural heritage, has fallen a prey to the most dangerous virus, known as Love Jihad.(Other states have their part , too...but Kerala tops the list)

Let me elaborate or try to educate all of you who are ignorant on this.....
Jihadi Romeos are found in almost every street in India. You may find them all over our neighbourhood. They are none other than our own Muslim brothers(just trying to relate the line of our pledge, which has no value in today's world...."All Indians are my brothers and sisters")......Many girls get wooed away with the Jihadi romeos(I must say, they have that goddamn talent). They have the ability to control the girl's mind whom they target as a prey and in turn, innocent and naive young girls, even school-going kids start believing in their philosophies and become victims of Love Jihad. Those guys succeed in getting these little girls converted to Islam, making them believe that it is the only religion,making them believe that the girls' loving families, their culture which they have been bred with from birth, is all fake. How clever these people are at hypnotising young girls(Hindus and Christians) and trap them!!


Now you may be thinking that this is what happens to anyone who falls in love with an inter-caste/inter-religious person.If you think so, you are wrong, my dear friend..Its time for us to open our eyes and understand more about these Jihadis and give a helping hand to all those who are being victimised. You may be wondering this is just news which you read on papers. This might not happen in your family to your daughters and sisters.

Wake up...If you dont want to see your daughter or sister in a burqa, married to Jihadis as one of their wives(Polygamy is legal in Islam, if you dont know that)...
Wake up, if you dont want to see your sister helping increase the Islamic population(This is exactly the motive of Jihadis)...
Wake up, if you dont want to see your sister suffering the brutalities after marriage.
Wake up, to save your sister, to save your daughter.
Stop blaming your girls for have fallen in love and start educating them, counselling them right now about these known facts.
Stop reading about murders and rapes in the newspapers and start acquainting yourself with something which will help you save your culture as well as the girls in your families.

What if...such a gruesome thing happens to your daughter/sister.....The number of victims have been innumerous so far....It is better to be aware and start taking the necessary steps instead of being ignorant and regret later. It is high time we all join together and do this to revive back our Kerala, our India, our HINDUSTAN.......

For more facts and details and to increase your knowledge on this, please visit the website,www.haindavakeralam.org.


I am not a fanatic.I am not a preacher. I am not part of any community. I am not an activist. I am an ordinary citizen of India who am deeply ashamed of these happenings and with tears in my eyes, writing this post and trying to awaken people's minds. JAIHIND!!!

Paal Payasam(Kheer)

Procedure to make Kheer/Paal payasam.

Boil 8 cups of milk in a vessel.
Grease a kadai with ghee and add 5 spoons of raw rice and fry for some time.Then turn off the stove and coarsely powder this fried rice(not too fine).Put it back in the kadai. Add the boiled milk , close the lid and cook on medium flame. Keep stirring often to avoid the contents from getting burnt at the bottom.This may take more than 45 minutes as the whole procedure should be done on medium flame only and the rice has to be cooked well, too.When the quantity shrinks to half, add 1 full cup of sugar and keep stirring.Once it gets thick, check if the rice is boiled well and switch off the flame.Now sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.

Finally, take a kadai. Heat some ghee and add the nuts(cashews,raisins).Fry them for a while and add this into the payasam.

Yummy fragrant pal payasam is now ready.

Aama vadai or paruppu vadai

Soak channa dal(3 cups) for 3 hours. Then drain out dal and grind along with red chillies(6),hing or asafoetida(2 spoons), salt,green chillies(3) and curry leaves without adding water(You may sprinkle a few drops if it is too hard)

You may fry some onions and add them to this vadai batter.Since I made it on New years day, I avoided onions.
Now make round balls of this mixture.Flatten them with your hands(like the shell of a tortoise).

Heat a kadai with oil. The kadai should be heated really well in order to prepare this vadais.
Drop a pinch of the batter in oil . If it floats up immediately, then the oil is ready to be cooked.Hurray.
Now drop the flattened doughs carefully into the oil and allow them to cook till they are brown in color. You may need to turn the vadais after some time so that both the sides get an even color.

I got 31 vadais using this quantity enough to be stored for 3 days and eaten.

Kaalan

This dish tastes best with yam, but I made it with ladies finger(okra) this time.
Heat oil in a kadai and fry a few pieces of ladies finger(chopped into long pieces) adding a pinch of salt.Once it is fried, keep them aside.

Make a paste out of coconut(add in large quantity), 4-5 green chillies and cumin.
Add the cumin to the paste towards the end when the paste is almost ready only.

Whip curd (should be a little sour, neither too sour nor void of it) in the mixie and keep aside.

To a little water, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and pepper powder.
Once it comes to a boil, add the fried okra and salt to taste and mix it well.
Add the coconut paste to this and allow to boil well.
Once the above mixture boils well, add the curd and cook for a minute or so. Add curry leaves and switch off the stove.

In a kadai heat a little coconut oil, add mustard seeds, methi, red chilly and curry leaves. Add this to the above.

The main difference between this and mor kozhambu is in the consistency. Mor kozhambu is a little watery and we eat it with cooked moong dal and rice. Kaalan has to be real thick and is eaten with rice .

Potato curry

Most of you must be knowing how to prepare potato curry, but I have my own version here.

Chop each potato into two halves and boil them enough to peel off the skin.
Once they are boiled, peel off the skin and cut them into small pieces.
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard. Once it splutters, add turmeric powder(a pinch),chilly powder(half spoon) and salt and fry for a few seconds. Now add the boiled and cut potatoes and fry them well.You may close the kadai with a lid for faster cooking.But make sure to keep turning the potatoes to avoid them from getting burnt.

Potato curry is ready once it is cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves.
I prefer making it this way as it consumes less oil and less time for preparation.

Beans paruppu usili

Paruppu usili is a well-known Tanjore dish which can be made with Beans , Avarakkai(Broad beans) , Kothavarangai,and Vazha poo(the flower of a banana plant) mainly, the fourth version being the most healthiest.I have mentioned here about beans paruppu usili. The process is similar to all the other versions.

Grind chana dal(1/2 a cup) along with red chillies(2), green chillies(4), salt and hing or asafoetida(1/4 spoon) by just sprinkling water if needed.

Now, prepare round doughs with this mixture and steam them in a cooker for 10 minutes without placing the whistle placing them on a plate inside.Once this done, allow the pressure to be released before opening the cooker. Transfer the steamed doughs onto a plate and break the doughs with your hand to make them powdery.

Chop beans into really small pieces and boil them well.


Heat little oil in a kadai, add urad dal(1 spoon) and then add the powdered batter.Fry this for a while. Then add the boiled beans and fry the whole mixture for some time till the batter stops sticking to the sides of the kadai.

Bean parupu usili is ready to be served.

New year celebrations

I was very excited to celebrate Tamil New year/Vishu this year as this was the first time my hubby and I got to celebrate it all alone. So I had the freedom of cooking all what I wanted in my own style.:)

Apr 14,2013

Srini and I woke up early in the morning to have a vision of Chithirai Kani/Vishu Kani.The tradition asks us to walk out of our bed with closed eyes till one reaches the place where the Kani is kept and then see it as the first thing on this D-day.This feeling has always been divine every year.

The eldest in the house, then offers a precious ornament(like a ring) to all in the family to be touched and kept on both the eyes and then back in the Kani.
Then after prostrating before God, the elders give Vishu kaineetam (money) to the young ones.Once all this is done, all the family members join together and burst crackers welcoming the New year.

This time, however, we could not burst crackers here, but managed to follow all the other practices possible.

Now comes the feast part(Virundhu(as in Tamil) or Sadhya(as in Malayalam)).

My menu this year consisted of the following:

1. Pal Payasam(Kheer)
2. Paruppu Vadai or Aama Vadai
3. Kaalan( a dish similar to Kadhi)
4. Tomato Rasam
5. Potato curry
6. Beans paruppu usili(one of my favs)
7. Rice

Please click on each of the links to view the recipe.

The toughest part in preparing a feast on auspicious days is that one is not allowed to taste any of the dishes unless they are offered as naivedhyam for God.

Luckily, this time, all the dishes were perfect in their taste and we enjoyed the day to the fullest having a hearty meal. 

Happy New year once again ...:)

Jetboarding weekend..:)

After having an amazing weekend, I would not be doing the right thing if I dont pen about it here.Let me share with you my experience of Jetboarding(Not Jet ski) .

My hubby and I are lovers of adventure sports , trekking, travelling, etc... As soon as we had come across this deal, we instantly booked our dates for jetboarding. The deal had a promotional offer of 109$ per person instead of the actual 250$.We waited for April 13,Saturday.

Holding our spirits high, we started towards St. Pete beach(about 22 miles from my place). The beach looked a lovely blue, calm and serene, a lot different from our Besant Nagar and Marina. (Dont get me wrong, I love the beaches in Chennai..:))...Off we went looking out for Ironmon(not ironman) sports. I was skeptical about this whole deal(wondered if Ironmon actually existed) as the name sounded funny.Luckily, we found a red banner with Jetboarding written on it. And guess what, Ironmon was true(he he).

The lady-in-charge gave us some forms to be filled out and then asked us to go to a boat which was anchored in the middle of the sea.(Wait!!!!Isnt there any transportation for us to reach the boat). We had to paddle our way towards the boat on a surfboard.This was a Herculean task for both of us as we did not know swimming.After a struggle against the waves and keeping our focus towards the boat, we reached it safe. The people in charge of jetboarding(the Ironmons, not ironmen:P) were amused that we had paddled all the way without knowing to swim and (hold your breath) without life jackets on. We came to know that the sea got very deep near the boat.(God , thank you!!)

I had seen videos of jetboarding and thought that it was so easy. But it was totally not true. We were given all the gears and equipment and pushed into the water. We had to control the propulsion using our feet,which was damn difficult as the shoes were not two separate ones(It was like our feet were tied together)and I did not do well..:(
It was a pleasant sight to watch my hubby propel it well enough to fly high and then fall (like a dolphin).Its more lovely to watch than to do it yourself. I dont have any pictures of the experience as you all know about the struggle we had with the paddle boats.But lemmepost some pic of the sport so that you may visulaize what I have been talking about.

We paddled our way back to the shore deciding that we will return some time later to experience the thrill of paddling(not jetboarding, he he!)..

Adai Dosa and Onion Tomato chutney

Fond of dosas, but have no time to grind the batter and ferment it. Here is the recipe of simple adai, another spicy version of dosas which you can make by just allowing the dals to soak for 2 hours.

Procedure:

1/4 cup-raw rice
1/4 cup-moong dal
1/4 cup-toor dal
1/4 cup-chana dal(kadala paruppu)

Wash and soak all the above together in water. Wait for 2 hours or  3 hours(if you have time).
Grind the mixture along with 4 red chillies, 2 green chillies and asafetida(hing- 1 spoon) and salt in a mixer/grinder to form a batter. The batter should not be very watery. It can be moderately thick.

Now you may use this immediately to prepare dosas.

Onion tomato chutney:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard. Once it splutters, add chana dal, jeera,curry leaves,4 red chillies,turmeric powder,salt and fry for sometime. Now add onion(1 big onion) and 1 tomato(both chopped into fairly big pieces) and sauté them well till the raw smell of onion and tomatoes are gone.

Once they are sauted well, allow it to cool and then grind it without adding water.

Chutney is ready to be served with adai mentioned above.

Rava laddoo(Sooji laddoo)

Have been missing the traditional "laddoo" for some time now. I thought, " why not have it today as a tea-time snack.Thats how it started today and this is how I prepared this.

Heat 2 tspns of ghee in a kadai. Add the dry fruits(almonds, pista,raisins, cashewnuts, anything you want). Allow them to be roasted for a while. Keeping the stove on low flame, add 1 cup grated coconut. Fry for 2 minutes till it changes color. Now, add 1 cup rava(sooji) and roast it well for 10 mins stirring continuously so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. When you smell the aroma of rava, add 1/2 cup sugar and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Then switch off the flame. Add half a cup water little at a time and mix well. It should not become too watery nor too thick. So add little by little.Now transfer the mixture into a plate and start making laddoos. It will be hot, maybe too hot,for some. But hold your breath and think of the taste once you finish it. Sprinkle drops of water if the heat is unbearable and hten make laddoos. Allow it to cool for 2 hours .

Laddos are ready.

Milk enhances the taste,but you may not be able to store the laddoos for many days. But you may add 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 water, if you want a different flavor.
I did not add milk .I didn't even add nuts to the mixture.As I am going to consume them this evening, it should not be a problem .Yippe yay, laddoos with tea today...:)

Rava laddoos are possible with just rava, sugar, ghee and water.:)

Kadhalikka neram illai- serial title song

ennai thedi kadhal endra


Remember this title song?It was a rage at those times.The best teleserial title song  ever.

"Sorry, I dont have time"

"I don't have time." How many times and from how many have we heard this cliche.
Well, I am no exception to this too.Sooner or later one realises that the actual meaning of that phrase does not talk about time itself,but the importance or priority one gives to those tasks.

Having said that,lets talk about how you feel when you are actually running out of time.Are you happy? or lemme ask,do you give priority to think if you are upset or happy..Yes,of course,unless you are God.But you dont.need to prioritize this.

Contrary to the above, what do you do an  how do you feel when you have all the time.You have time to be happy,feel upset and.what not go mad.

The choice is yours.Do you want time or not.

Rasam varieties- 4 types

"Rasam" is mostly the favorite of most of the South Indians. No wonder it is known as "Saathamudhu"(meaning, the nectar with rice). People may know the dish, rasam, but may not know that there are different types of it. Here , I have listed down the preparation of 4 types of rasams which I know. You may enjoy each type each day.

1. Tomato rasam

This is the normal rasam which is mostly made in many of our households.

Procedure:

• Boil toor dal well so that it can be mashed well( quarter cup will do, as rasam has to be watery).
• Take tamarind(1 lemon size ball) and soak it in warm water for 5 mins so that it becomes soft enough to extract out the juice.Extract tamarind juice .
• To this add turmeric(1/4 spoon), asafetida(1/4 spoon), salt and sambar powder(1 spoon).
• Add 1 tomato, cut into fairly big pieces. Add one green chilly (slit across) and allow this to boil well.
• Once it boils, add the mashed dal along with water and bring to a boil
• Now take ghee in a kadai. Add mustard. Once it splutters, add curry leaves. Add this to the rasam above. Now it is ready to be served.

2. Molagu Jeera rasam(pepper n jeera rasam)

This type of rasam is a great medicine for cough and cold.I usually add garlic to this. If you don't like, you can omit garlic. My mom used to grind some cooked rice along with this rasam and make it as a thin gruel and ask me to drink it while I was sick during childhood days.

• Prepare tamarind juice extract as mentioned in the tomato rasam recipe mentioned above.
• Grind pepper(1 spoon), jeera(1 spoon) in a blender to a co arse powder.
• Mash 2 to 3 garlic flakes(need not chop it).
• In a kadai, take oil. Once it becomes hot , add the garlic and the ground powder and fry for 2 to 3 minutes till you get the aroma.
• Transfer this into the container with tamarind juice. Add turmeric(1/4 spoon),asafetida(1/4 spoon), salt  and allow it to boil well.
• Now take ghee in a kadai. Add mustard. Once it splutters, add curry leaves. Add this to the rasam above. Now it is ready to be served.

3. Lemon rasam

This type does not need tamarind.

• Boil toor dal well so that it can be mashed well( quarter cup will do, as rasam has to be watery).
• Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard. Once it splutters,fry green chillies(2 or 3) with curry levaes.
• Add turmeric powder(1/4 spoon) and add water(2 cups). Cut 1 tomato (chopped into fairly big pieces) and add it into the water. Add salt and allow to boil.
• Now add the mashed dal and bring to boil.
• Switch off the flame  and squeeze half a lemon in it.
• Serve hot with rice.

4. Pudina rasam(Mint rasam)

• Take tamarind(1 lemon size ball) and soak it in warm water for 5 mins so that it becomes soft enough to extract out the juice.Extract tamarind juice .
• To this add turmeric(1/4 spoon), asafetida(1/4 spoon), salt and sambar powder(1 spoon).
• Grind pudina leaves(1 bunch) along with 2 to 3 flakes of garlic(if you need) and add it to the tamrind juice.
• Allow it boil well.
• Now take ghee in a kadai. Add mustard. Once it splutters, add curry leaves. Add this to the rasam above. Now it is ready to be served.
• You may also add dal(cooked , as with the other rasam types mentioned above)

Enjoy the different types of rasam everyday.

Ashai Mugam

Audio Recording on Wednesday afternoon


This is one of my favorite songs by Bharathiar(the great Subramania Bharathi). Thanks to the latest version by the Iyer sisters, I have learnt and recorded my version here.

Tiffin sambar

Here is a variation to the conventional sambar prepared at home. This version is what is supposed to be "hotel sambar". Guess what, you don't need tamarind for this. You can make a fine dish for idlies and dosas just with onions and tomatoes as the main ingredients in just five steps.Check this out.

1. Pressure cook 1 onion, 1 tomato (all finely chopped)and 1 cup dal.
Allow them to be cooked well so that they can be mashed well.

2. Grind 1 onion,1 tomato, 1 spoon dhaniya powder, 2 tspns shredded coconut without adding water and keep it aside.

3. In a kadai, heat oil. Add mustard, curry leaves(finely chopped),2 green chilies(chopped),urad dal(1 tspn),cumin seeds/jeera(1 tspn). Saute 1/4 onion(finely chopped).

4. Mix the ground mixture with the pressure cooked items and allow it to boil for 2 to 3 mins till the raw smell of tomatoes vanish.

5. Garnish with the fried items mentioned in Step 3.

Sambar is ready to be served with idlis or dosas. :)

Shanti Nilava Vendum

Shanti Nilava Vendum

A very good Tamil patriotic song.

Govind Bolo- Bhajan

Govind Bolo- Bhajan

An easy bhajan which was taught to me in school.

Moong Dal ki Kachori

A simple and easy version of a tea-time snack.

Procedure:
Take maida/all-purpose flour(1 cup). Add salt, oil and knead it into a soft dough adding water very little at a time.Once the dough is ready, keep it aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Take moong dal(1/2 cup) in a container. Mix it well with turmeric, chilly powder, garam masala,coriander powder,salt and little oil .Fry this mixture in a kadai till aroma arises.

Allow it to cool. Then add little water and mix well.
Now knead the dough and then start making soft balls.  Flatten each ball and place 2 tspns of the fried mixture like a stuffing. Now close the stuffed dough and flatten it a bit with the palm.

This then needs to be fried in oil till it puffs up and changes color.

Kachoris are now ready to be served with tamarind chutney or sauce.

Rajeeva Lochane-Chottanikara Bhagavathi song

Rajeeva Lochane-Chottanikara Bhagavathi song

Ondra Renda Asaigal

Ondra Renda Asaigal

Vande Mataram

Vande Mataram

Click the link above to hear one of my renditions of the song" Vande Mataram" .
This is the original one with all the stanzas taught during my school days.

Please bear with the recording as Im an amateur in this. Feedback is welcome.

Cabbage Thogaiyal

I had once prepared thogaiyal or thuvaiyal with cabbage and there is this friend of mine who kept on pestering me on how to prepare this.She  used to hate cabbage and now she loves to eat it this way.

Here is the recipe for all those like her who would like to know this.

Ingredients:
Cabbage- 1/2
Urad dal-4 tspns
Oil
Salt
Tamarind-1 lemon size
Hind or asafetida- 1/2 spoon
Red chillies- 4 to 5(if you want, you may make it more spicy)
Salt


Take oil in a kadai and heat it.Add mustard. Once it splutters, add urad dal and fry till it changes color.

You may transfer the fried urad dal to a plate or container.

Now , in the kadai, fry cabbage(chopped well). While it is being fried, add salt, red chillies, tamarind(1 ball),hing.
Fry well till the cabbage is cooked well.

Grind all the above along with the fried urad dal in a mixer. If it is too thick, you may very little water while grinding. Generally it is not needed as thogaiyal needs to be thick.

Cabbage Thogaiyal is ready to be served with rice. The usual procedure to eat this is to mix this with rice along with 2 tspns of oil.

Rajma Masala

Back in my hostel days, when I saw Rajma Masala at the mess downstairs, I instantly knew it was a Thursday. Those were the first few days when I had tasted this new dish. Being from the down south, I was not aware of this dish. And now, after so many years, its still one of my favorite dishes. I love to prepare this , especially,when I have guests at home, especially.

Ingredients needed:

Rajma- 2cups(I like the dark brown ones than the lighter ,coz it gives a nice color).This has to be soaked overnight.

Onion-2
Tomatoes-2
Red chillies-4
Chilly powder
Turmeric powder
Garam masala
Salt
Ginger Garlic paste
Oil
Mustard
Jeera


Procedure:
Boil the rajma(soaked overnight) in a pressure cooker. Allow upto 8 to 9 whistles.(It has to boil well)
Cut the onions and tomatoes into fairly big pieces.
Grind onions , tomatoes and red chillies without adding water.

Now in a kadai, heat oil and add mustard.
Once it splutters, add jeera(1 tspn).
Then add ginger garlic paste(1 tspn) and fry.
Now add the ground mixture.
To this , add turmeric powder and salt.
Allow it to cook well till the raw smell disappears.
Now add the cooked and drained rajma(do not throw away the rajma water which was used to boil).
Add garam masala and chilli powder.
Mix this well and allow it to thicken. If it is very thick, you may add the water which was kept aside.

Garnish with coriander leaves, raw onion(finely chopped),finely chopped green chillies and lemon juice(few drops).

Rajma masala is ready to be served with rice or roti/parathas.