Tomato Rice

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice:1 cup
Onion:1 medium(chopped)
Tomato:3 medium(chopped)
Ginger garlc paste:1tspn
curry leaves
mint leaves:1/2 bunch(optional)
Coriander leaves:1/4 bunch
fennel seeds:1/2 tspn
turmeric powder:1/4 tspn
Green chilli:2
Chilli powder:1 tspn
Sambhar powder:1/2 tspn
cloves:3 to 4
Cinnamon:1 stick
Salt to taste
Oil:1tbsp
Water:1 1/2cups

Wash and soak the rice and keep aside.Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cloves,cinnamon sticks and fennel seed.To this add the chopped onion and ginger garlic paste.When onion gets slightly brown add the tomatoes and green chilli.Add curry leaves,chopped coriander and mint leaves.saute for some time.Add chilli powder and sambhar powder.Add 1 1/2 cups of water and salt to taste.Drain the water from the soaked rice and add the rice in the cooker.Close the lid and keep it in high flame till the first whistle comes and simmer the flame for five more minutes.Switch of the flame and open the lid only after the pressure from the pressure cooker completely goes.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:
Spinach:1 bunch
Paneer:15 cubes
Ginger garlic paste:2 tspn
Green chilli:4 to 5
Cardamom:1
Clove:3 to 4
Cinnamon:1 stick
cumin:1/2 tspn
Onion :2 medium(chopped)
Tomato:1 medium(chopped)
Coriander powder:1tspn
Salt to taste
Cream:1/2 cup(optional)
Oil:2tspn
Butter:1 tspn

Heat oil in pan.Add jeera and the whole spices.Fry for some time and add chopped onions and ginger garlic.Add some salt so that the onion absorbs the moisture.Once the onion gets cooked add the chopped tomato.Saute till tomato gets cooked.Remove the pan from the stove.Let it cool and grind the whole thing to a paste.In the same pan add some butter and to that add the onion paste.Bring to boil and simmer the flame.Meanwhile cook spinach in another vessel and grind that also into a paste.Add the spinach paste into the pan and add salt.Keep in simmered flame for some time and to it add paneer.Stir slowly.Keep it for some time.Switch of the flame and add the cream and again stir slowly.Serve with chappathi or nan.

Rava Ladoo

Ingredients:
Sooji rava:1 cup
Coconut:1/2 cup
Sugar:1 cup(3/4cup for less sweetness)
Milk:1/2 cup
Cardamom powder:1/2 tspn
Cashews:1 tbspn(broken)
Raisins:1tbspn
Ghee:2tbspn

Heat up ghee in a deep pan and fry cashews and raisins.Add coconut and fry for 5 minutes.Add rava and fry till the color changes slightly brown.Add cardamom powder,sugar and milk and stir fry till the mixture becomes thick.Remove the pan from the stove.Make into small balls when it is warm.Serve when cool and dry.

Kadala curry

Ingredients:
Black chana:1 cup
Onion:1 medium
Green chilli:2
Salt to taste
turmeric powder:a pinch

For grinding
coconut:1/2 cup
Coriander seeds:2 tbspn
Dry red chilli:3

For seasoning
Oil:1tspn
Mustard:1tspn
Curry leaves

Actually this is one of the simplest versions of preparing kadala curry which goes well with puttu,vella appam and even chappathi.Soak the chana overnight.Cook it with onion(cut lengthwise),salt,green chilli and turmeric powder.In a small pan take 1tspn oil and fry the coriander seeds and red chilli till the color changes slightly brown.Grind with coconut and make into a paste.Add this paste to the cooked Kadala and bring to boil.Season with mustard and curry leaves.

Aloo Methi

Ingredients:
1 bunch methi leaves
Potatoes:2 nos
Green chilli:1(chopped)
Cumin:1/4 tspn
Minced garlic:1/2tspn
Onion:1 medium(chopped)
Tomato:1(chopped)
Oil:1tbsp
Salt to taste
Chilli powder:1 tspn
coriander powder:1/2 tspn
turmeric powder:a pinch

Heat oil in a pan.Add cumin seeds,garlic,onion and green chilli.Saute till the colour of onion changes to slightly brown.Add tomato and potato.Add coriander powder,chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt.When potato gets just cooked add the cleaned methi leaves.Cook until done.It will take only few more minutes to get the methi leaves cooked.Switch off the flame.Serve with chappathi.

Meatball Curry

Ingredients:
Table 1
Minced chicken : 250gm
Minced ginger and garlic:2 tspn
Onion chopped:1 medium
Coriander powder:1/4 tspn
Green chilli(chopped):4 nos
Turmeric powder:a pinch
Salt to taste

Table 2
Cloves:7 to 8
Cinnamon:2sticks broken
Curry leaves
Fennel seeds:1/4 tspn
Ginger garlic paste:2tspn
Onion chopped:2 medium
Tomato chopped:1 medium
Turmeric powder:a pinch
Coriander powder:2tspn
Chilli powder:1tspn
Salt to taste

To cook meatball:Heat oven to 375 degrees.Mix all the ingredients in table one and shape into meat balls.Pop into the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until done.Cut one half to check.
Heat oil in a pan.Add cloves,cinnamon,curry leaves,fennel seeds and ginger garlic paste.Fry till the raw smell goes.Add chopped onion and saute till it changes to light brown color.Pop in the chopped tomato and add all the powders.Once the tomato is cooked,add little water.Cook the gravy for 10 minutes.Add the cooked meatballs.Cook covered in simmered flame for 30 minutes till the gravy thickens.Garnish with chopped cilantro.Serve with chappathi or idiyappam.

Puli Inji

Ingredients:

Ginger:25g
green chilli:4
Tamarind:lemon size
water:2 cups
turmeric powder:a pinch
jaggery:as per the taste
salt: as required
chilli powder:1/2 tspn
asfoetida powder:1/4 tspn
mustard:1 tspn
curry leves
red chilli:2
fenugreek seeds:1/4

Cut the ginger and green chillies into small pieces and crush it.Soak the tamarind in water for some time and extract the liquid.Pour into a pan and add more water and bring it to boil.Add ginger and green chilli.After 10 minutes add the grated jaggery.Add chilli powder.Simmer the flame and cook until the liquid becomes thick.Add asfoetida powder.Remove the pan from the stove and season it with mustard,fenugreek seeds,dry red chilliesand curry leaves in oil.Serve with rice.