BADAM/ALMOND BURFI

Yields: 16 nos (of 1.5 inch each)

Ingredients 

Badam/almond: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 cup
Milk: ¼-½ cup (as required for grinding)
Badam/almond pieces: ½ tsp

Preparation 

1. Soak almond for 15 minutes in hot water and remove the skin.
2. Grind the almond into paste by adding milk. Use as little milk as required to grind the almond into a paste. Lesser the milk used in grinding, quicker the cooking process.
3. Take a pan, add almond paste, sugar and cook till it comes together or leaves the pan.
4. Grease a square plate, transfer the mixture and garnish with almond pieces. The output will be thick enough for you to draw marks/lines on it for cutting later.
5. Once cool cut into pieces.

KALLE SUNDAL

Ingredients

Brown Kalle/Kala chana: 1 cup(soaked overnight)
Salt: as required
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Water: as required
Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
Green chilli: 2 nos(cut into pieces)
Ginger: 1 tsp(chopped)
Curry leaves: 5-6 leaves
Hing powder: 1/4 tsp
Fresh grated coconut: 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp (chopped)


Preparation

1. Pressure cook kalle by adding salt, turmeric powder and water(kalle should be fully immersed in water). Once done drain water and keep aside.
2. Make tempering by adding oil, mustard seeds to a pan. After mustard seeds splutters, add green chilli, ginger and saute for a minute. Add curry leaves, hing powder and mix.
3. Now add cooked kalle to the tempering, mix it and cook for couple of minutes(till water evaporates fully).
4. Switch off stove and add lemon juice.
5. Garnish with fresh coconut and coriander leaves.
6. A healthy evening snack is ready to serve.

TOMATO SABJI/TOMATO PALYA/TOMATO CHUTNEY

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

Tomato: 6 nos
Green chilli: 1 no
Curry leaves: 5-6 leaves
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp(chopped)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: ½ tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Fenugreek powder: ¼ tsp(dry roasted and powdered)
Hing powder: ¼ tsp
Salt: as required

Preparation

1. Cut tomatoes into small pieces, slit green chilli into half and keep aside.
2. Take a pan add oil and mustard seeds. After mustard seeds crackles, add green chilli, saute for a minute and add curry leaves, hing powder, fenugreek powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix it.
3. Add cut tomatoes and salt. Mix and cook for 10-15 minutes, till tomatoes become soft.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves. 
5. A very tasty side dish for dosa, chapati, poori.
6. Can be mixed with rice as tomato rice.

BESAN LADDU/KADLEHITTU UNDE

Yields: 10 nos 

Ingredients 

Besan/Kadlehittu: 1 cup
Powdered Sugar: ¾ cup
Ghee: 4 tbsp
Cardamom powder: ½ tsp
Cashewnuts/kaju: 1 tbsp

Preparation 

1. Take a pan add ½ tsp of ghee fry cashewnuts to golden color,transfer to a plate and keep aside.
2. Add remaining ghee to the same pan and add Kadlehittu, fry till it changes color and can smell the aroma.
3. Remove from flame and add powdered sugar, cardamom powder, cashewnuts, mix and keep for cooling.
4. Once cool make balls and serve.
5. A very quick and easy to make sweet.

POTATO SABJI/POTATO GRAVY/POTATO CURRY

Yields: 3-4 servings 

Ingredients 

Potato: 3 nos (large, boiled and skin removed)
Tomato: 1 no (large, cut into pieces)
Green chilli: 2 nos(cut into pieces)
Ginger: 1 tsp  (chopped)
Curry leaves: 6 leaves
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp(chopped)
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Hing powder: 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Preparation 

1. Cut potatoes into desired size and shape. I prefer cutting it to about ¾ inch cubes.
2. Take a pan add oil, mustard seeds after mustard seeds crackles add green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, hing powder, turmeric powder and tomato.
3. Cook for 5-6 minutes till tomato becomes soft. 
4. Add cut potatoes leaving 5-6 pieces aside. Add half glass of water and bring it to boil.
5. Mash the left over 5-6 pieces of potatoes and add to the boiling potato gravy. Adding the mashed potatoes will thicken the otherwise watery gravy.
6. Cook for 5 minutes in low flame or till you get a desired consistency.
7. Switch off the stove and add lemon juice, mix it.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.
9. Relish with chapati, poori or dosa.

Notes:

1. This recipe is very mild in spice/heat. However those who prefer their sides to be spicy can add desired quantity of red chilli powder while cooking.

INSTANT CAPSICUM PICKLE

Yields: 1 small bowl(5 servings)

Ingredients 

Capsicum(cut into small pieces): 1 no (big)
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Fenugreek(dry roasted and powdered): 1/2 tsp
Hing: 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Gingelly oil: 2 tsp
Salt: as required

Preparation 

1. Take a mixing bowl and add cut capsicum, turmeric powder, fenugreek powder, hing, chilli powder, lemon juice, gingelly oil, salt.
2. Mix all the ingredients and transfer it to a glass jar.
3. Serve after an hour.
4. Can be stored for 5-6 days in a cool place.

KALSAKKARE AKKI PAYASA/KALKAND PAYASAM

Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients

Cooked rice: 1/2 cup
Kalsakkare/kalkand/rock candy/mishri: 1/2 cup
Dry fruits(kaju/draksh/badam): 1 tbsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
Saffron: 2-3 strings(soaked in 1 tbsp of hot milk)

Preparation

1. Take kalsakkare in a pan, add 2 tsp of water and dissolve by heating.
2. Remove from flame, add rice and mix properly.
3. Bring it to boil. Switch off stove, add soaked saffron, cardamon powder and mix.  
4. Take another pan add ghee and fry dry fruits till golden color.
5. Garnish with dry fruits.
6. While boiling hot the consistency of the payasa will be semi solid. As the payasa cools it gets very thicker and drier. It can be enjoyed both ways based on your preference.

Notes 

A very handy recipe, when we have lot of kalsakkare accumulated by the way of prasada from temples.

OMPUDI/SEV

Ingredients 

Kadlehittu/Besan: 2 cups
Akki hittu/rice flour: ¼ cup
Omaha/ajvain powder: 1½ tbsp
Salt: as required
Hing: ½ tsp
Butter: 2 tbsp
Water: for binding dough
Oil: for frying

Preparation 

1. Take a mixing bowl, add kadale hittu, Akki hittu, omaha powder, salt, hing, butter and mix properly.
2. Add water and knead into a soft dough. Consistency should be soft enough to come out of the ompudi machine(softer than chapati dough).
3. Heat oil(don't over heat) and put the dough into the ompudi machine. Now directly press into the oil.
4. Flame should be medium. Flip over the ompudi, fry till golden color, drain oil and remove.
5. Cool and store in an air tight container.

Notes

1. Fry in low to medium  flame. 
2. It gets cooked fast so after flip over do not keep for long.

PANEER STICKS

Yields: 20 sticks(1½"length-½"width)

Ingredients

Paneer: 100gms(store bought)
Salt: as required
Pepper powder: ½ tsp
Chilli powder: ¼ tsp
Hing: ¼ tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Corn flour: 1 tbsp
Oil: as required for shallow frying

Preparation

1. Cut paneer into sticks of desired length.
2. Take a mixing bowl, add cut paneer, sprinkle salt, pepper powder, chilli powder, hing.
3. Add lemon juice and mix. Give it a rest for 15 minutes for marination.
4. Dust the paneer with corn flour and keep aside.
5. Take a pan and shallow fry the paneer sticks till golden color on all the sides by turning it in intervals.
6. Once done remove from pan and serve hot as it is or with tomato ketchup.
7. A very quick and tasty evening snack.

PATTANI SUNDAL/PEAS SUNDAL/MATAR SUNDAL

Yields: 3 servings 

Ingredients 

Dry pattani/dry peas/matar: 1/4 cup(soaked overnight)

Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Salt: as required 

Oil: 1 tsp 

Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp 

Hing powder:  1/4 tsp 

Green chilli: 2 nos

Curry leaves: 5-6 nos

Ginger: 1 tsp(chopped)

Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp(chopped)

Fresh grated coconut: 2 tbsp 

Lemon juice: 1 tsp 

Preparation 

1. Pressure cook soaked peas by adding salt, turmeric powder and water(water should  be enough to soak the peas completely). Once cooked drain water and keep aside.
2. Take a pan, add oil, mustard seeds. After mustard seeds crackles add green chilli, ginger and saute for a minute. Add curry leaves, hing powder and mix.
3. Add cooked peas, mix for couple of minutes and switch off stove. Add lemon juice and mix.
4. Garnish with fresh coconut and coriander leaves.
5. A very healthy evening snack is ready to be enjoyed either hot or cold.