Omam Kuzhambu

Omam aka Ajwain/Caraway is an excellent carminative.

Method to prepare:
In the Karuveppilai kuzhambu recipe, simply substitute curry leaves with 1 tsp of Omam. You can garnish with curry leaves.

Karuveppilai Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Gingelly oil 2-3 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp (vary based on preference

Masala to grind:
Hing - a pinch
Dhaniya 2 tsp
Kadalai paruppu 1 tsp
Methi ½ tsp
Pepper ¾ tsp
Red chillies 2-3 (or Byadige chillies 4-5)
Handful of curry leaves washed and dried


Method:
Roast all masala including curry leaves, in 1 tsp oil. Optionally add about 1.5 tsp sambar powder and roast.

Heat 2 tbsp Gingelly oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add tamarind paste, and 1-2 glasses water. Add ground mixture, mix well and boil for 5-10 mins. Optionally add powdered jaggery. Serve mixed with hot rice. You can store this for several days in the fridge if you let most water evaporate and make a thick paste.

Pulikaachal

Puliyogare/Puliyodarai mix is also known as Pulikaachal. This mix can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a month. Take care not to touch the mix with your fingers while or after cooking, and to store in an airtight container for longer shelf life.

Ingredients:
Tamarind – 2 large lemons size
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Peanuts – ½ cup
Jaggery – 1 lemon size
Turmeric powdr- ½ tsp
Gingely Oil – 1 cup
Black Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Hing – size of 2 pepper corns
Curry leaves 10 bunches
Salt to taste

To Grind:
Black Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Methi – 1 tsp
Black Pepper corns – ½ tsp
Whole Dhaniya – 1 tsp
Channa dal – 1½ tbsp
Jeera – ½ tsp
Dry Red chillies – 6 or 7

Preparation:
Extract juice from tamarind and dilute it to make 2 glasses.
Wash curry leaves well, and let them dry for a while.
Roast groundnuts and 5-6 bunches of washed and dried curry leaves in 1 tbsp oil. Keep aside.

Method:

Take 1 tbsp oil in tava, and fry all the ingredients for grinding along with 4-5 washed and dried curry leaf bunches. Set to cool, and grind to a semi-fine powder.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in tava. Splutter mustard seeds, add sesame seeds, hing and 2-3 red chillies. Add turmeric powder and sauté. Pour the tamarind extract (2 glasses), add salt and jaggery and let boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the ground mixture and mix well.
If it looks dry, add more oil and simmer till the right consistency is reached. Turn off heat and add the roasted groundnuts and curry leaves.

To serve, cook rice and let cool well. Mix with 2 tsp gingelly oil. Add required pulikaachal and mix well. Enjoy with appalam or a vegetable of your choice or plain thick curds!

Sarkarai Pongal

Ingredients:
Mung dal/Payatham paruppu – 2 teaspoon dry roasted
Raw rice (normal cooking rice) – ½ cup
Milk – ½ cup
Jaggery – 1 cup
Pachai karpuram
Elaichi powder - a pinch
Cashews, raisins - handful

Method:
Cook rice, mung dal together along with milk and 3 cups water in a pressure cooker.
Powder the jaggery and add 2 spoons water and heat. After jaggery melts, add the cooked and mashed rice mixture and mix well. Add ghee and roasted cashwes and raisins. Add a pinch of pachai karpuram and elaichi powder.

Onion Pakoda

Ingredients:
Besan (kadalai maavu) – 50 gms
Rice flour – 100 gms
Maida – 10 gms
Groundnuts or cashews – 1 tbsp
Finely chopped onion – 3 small
Curry leaves
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Hing (asofoetida)
Oil to fry

Method:
Fry ground nuts or cashews in oil and keep aside. Mix all the flours in a bowl. Add chopped onions, chilli powder, salt, hing, curry leaves to the flour mixture. Add 1 tbsp of hot oil to the mixture. (The hot oil adds crispiness to the pakoda. This is a healthier option compared to the alternative of adding 1 tsp baking soda.) Add water gradually to make pakoda dough. (Dough consistency should be similar to paratha dough). Set aside for 5 mins.
Heat the oil in a pan. Reduce flame to medium after oil becomes hot. Deep fry small portions of the dough, and fry till pakodas becomes golden brown. Serve hot with coconut chutney and tea :)

Rava laddu

Ingredients:
Rava – ½ kg
Sugar – ½ kg
Ghee – 1 cup
Cashews – 50 gm
Elaichi – 5 or 6
(Sugar and ghee quantities can be varied as per taste)

Method:
Dry roast rava in a pan till light brown. Set aside to cool. Grind the cooled rava to a smooth powder. Powder sugar separately and mix with powdered rava. Heat ghee in a kadai, fry the cashews (cut into tiny pieces) and keep aside. Pour heated ghee along with fried cashews and powdered elaichi to the sugar-rava mixture. While the mixture is still hot, make laddus. If required, add more heated ghee so that it can be molded easily into a laddu. Alternatively heat the mixture in low flame on gas stove for few minutes and make the laddus.

Rava Kesari

Ingredients:
Rava/Sooji (unroasted) – 1 cup
Sugar – 2 cups
Ghee – ½ cup
Kesari powder/coloring powder - red colour
Cashews, raisins
Elaichi
(Sugar and ghee quantities can be varied as per taste)

Method:
Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and keep aside. Heat remaining of the ghee in a pan, add rava and fry till it becomes light brown. In a separate vessel, boil 2 and a half cups water. Simmer the pan with rava, and add the boiled water to the fried rava and stir well. Ensure no lumps are formed. After rava is cooked, add the sugar and kesari powder. Keep stirring and add the remaining ghee, keeping the gas in low flame. Add fried cashews and raisins.