Tomato Thokku (with onions)

We use onions for preparing this thokku. To prepare without onion, Click here.

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1. Onion - 3 finely chopped
2. Tomato - 7 finely chopped
3. Garlic - 15
4. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Urud dhal - 2 teaspoon
6. Curry leaves - 6
7. Asafoetida - a pinch
8. Oil - 6 to 7 tablespoon
9. Sambhar powder - 2 tablespoon
10. Salt - to taste

Preparation:1. Chop Onions and tomatoes into fine pieces. Peel the skin of garlic.
2. Heat oil in a pan, and when hot, add mustard seeds.
3. When it splutters, add urud dhal, asafoetida and fry until it turns golden brown.
4. Now add the onions, tomatoes, garlic and curry leaves and cook.
5. Add the sambhar powder and salt and mix well.
6. Now start cooking the mixture in a medium flame and stirring every 7 to 8 minutes until the tomatoes are completely smashed and cooked.
7. When the oil starts separating and the tomatoes and onions are perfectly cooked, thokku is ready to serve.
8. Garinsh with coriander leaves.

This mouth watery dish is a very good combination for idly, dosa, rotis, and also goes well with variety rice.

Tomato Thokku (without onions)

We donot use Onion for this one. This dish can also be prepared using onion. For preparation of that one, Click here.

Ingredients:
Tomoato -4
Turmeric powder - 1 Teaspoon
Chilli powder - 2 Tablespoon
Asafoetida - 1/2 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Fenugreek powder (methi) (fry dry methi seeds and powder it) - 2 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 Tablespoon

Preparation:
1. Boil tomatoes and peel the skin and make a puree.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and asafoetida.
3. Add the tomato puree and turmeric powder and salt and stir well.
4. Add chilli powder and fenugreek powder and mix well and close it with lid and cook till the raw tomato smell goes away oil floats.

Tomato thokku is good combination for Idly/Dosa/Rice. Especially this is a lovely combination for curd rice/lemon rice. You can also stock this in an air tight container in refrigerator for 1 week.

Brinjal Gothsu

Ingredients:
1. Brinjal - 6
2. Onion - 2 medium size
3. Tamarind juice - 300 ml (you can make the juice from either a tamarind of small lemon size or can use 2 spoons of tamarind paste).
4. Red chillies - 2
5. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
6. Urud dhal - 2 teaspoon
7. Asafoetida - a pinch
8. Curry leaves - 4
9. Oil - 2 tablespoon
10. Salt - to taste
11. Coriander leaves - to garnish

To make Powder:1. Channa dhal - 3 tablespoon
2. Red chillies - 4 (vary it according to your requirement)
3. Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
4. Methi seeds - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:
1. Chop brinjal into fine pieces and onions lengthwise.
2. Dry roast all ingredients given for powdering and make a coarse powder.
3. Heat oil in pan and when hot add mustard seeds.
4. When it splutters, add urud dhal, red chillies and asafoetida and fry until it turns golden brown.
5. Add the chopped onions and curry leaves and cook until onions turn transparent.
6. Now add the brinjals and salt and mix well for next 5 minutes
7. Add the tamarind juice and bring it to boil in a medium flame.
8. When it comes to boil, add the powder and keep it in a low flame and cook for another 15 minutes.

Garnish it with coriander leaves and tasty, yummy brinjal gothsu is ready to serve. This is a very good combination for Idly and Ven Pongal.

Based on the sourness of the tamarind you use, make sure to adjust the quantity.
A cup of cooked moong dhal canalso be added to have an additional taste.

Paneer Kofta

Ingredients:

1. Paneer - 50 gms
2. Potato - 2
3. Corn flour - 3 tablespoon
4. Onion - 2
5. Tomato - 3
6. Cashews - 20
7. Cumin Seeds - 2 teaspoon
8. Red chilli powder - 2 tablespoon
9. Garam masala - 2 teaspoon
10. Curd - 1/2 cup
11. Oil
12. Coriander leaves


Preparation:
1. Boil potatoes and mash them nicely. Grate the paneer into fine pieces.
2. Add Corn flour, 1 tablespoon of red chilli powder, and required salt and add little water and mix well.
3. Heat oil in pan. Make small balls of the mix and deep fry them till it turns golden brown.
For Gravy
1. Grind onions and tomatoes into fine paste.
2. Powder cashew and cumin seeds separately.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add the onion/tomato paste and stir well till it is cooked and oil separates.
4. Add curd, cashew powder, cumin powder, 1 tablespoon of chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix well. Add little water and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Add the balls into the gravy and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathi or Naan or Paratha and enjoy the delicious dish.

Kadappa (கடப்பா)

Ingredients:
1. Moong dhal - 1 cup
2. Onion - 2 finely chopped(big onions)
3. Tomato - 1 finely chopped
4. Potato - 2 (small)
5. Garlic - 10 pods
6. Ginger garlic paste -1 teaspoon
7. Green chillies - 4
8. Cloves - 6
9. Cinnamon - 3 small pieces
10. Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoon
11. Bay leaves - 1
12. Coconut - 1/4 cup
13. Oil
14. Salt to taste
15. Coriander leaves - for garnish


Preparation:
1. Boil potatoes and cut into small pieces.
2. Boil Moong dhal separately and smash it well.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and fry half the amount of onions along with green chillies and ginger garlic paste till onion turns golden brown.
4. Grind the fried ingredients along with coconut, fennel seeds, 1 cinnamon piece and 3 cloves to a thick paste.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a vessel and add the remaining spices when the oil becomes hot.
6. Add the remaining onions and garlic saute them well.
7. Add tomatoes and when it is almost cooked add the boiled potatoes and mix well.
8. Add the smashed moong dhal and bring it to boil. You can add some water if it is very thick. Cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add the ground mixture and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves

Vadaikari (வடைகறி)

Ingredients:
For Vadai: (10 numbers)
Channa Dhal - 200 gms
Onions - 2 medium (finely chopped)
Green Chillies - 4 (finely chopped)
Fennel Seeds - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - to fry
Coraiander leaves
Curry leaves



For Gravy:
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
Onions - 3 medium (finely chopped lengthwise)
Tomato - 2 medium (finely chopped)
Green Chillies - 3 (split lengthwise)
Red Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tablespoon
Coriander leaves - to garnish

Preparation:
Vadai:
1. Soak Channa dhal in water for 1 hour
2. Grind dhal with fennel seeds coarsely with little water.
3. Mix chopped onions, green chillies, required chillies, finely chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves and required salts with the ground dhal.
4. Heat oil in pan and deep fry vadais till it gets good texture and flavor.



Gravy:
1. Heat oil in pan and add spices when it oil is heat.
2. Add onions and green chillies and fry till onions turn golden brown.
3. Add tomatoes, salt and chilli powder and fry it well till it becomes a good paste.
4. Break the vadas into small pieces and add it to the pan.
5. Add very little water and cook the mixture in low flame for next 5 to 7 minutes till the water evaporates and the gravy is ready.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves and ready to serve.

Rava Pongal/Sooji Pongal

Ingredients
Rava - 1 cup
Moong dal (pasi paruppu) - 1/3 cup
Ginger finely chopped - 1 tsp
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts - 5-6
Salt as required

Preparation
Roast rava in a tsp of ghee till it becomes hot to touch.(do not over roast it)
Cook moong dal till soft but not mushy.
Grind cumin seeds and pepper coarsely.

Method
1. Heat ghee in a pan, add finely chopped ginger, grounded pepper+ cumin seeds, cashew nuts and curry leaves.
2. Saute for a few seconds, then add 2 cups of boiling water. Add salt to taste.
3. Simmer the flames and then slowly add rava, stirring continuously.
4. After the rava gets cooked, add the cooked moong dal and cook till all the water evaporates.
Serve hot rava pongal with coconut chutney or quick sambar

Pongal Sambar

This is a very simple and quick sambar which goes well with pongal.

Ingredients
Onion -2
Tomato -2
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Vegetables - 1 medium sized brinjal, 1 potato and 1 carrot.
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt as required
Oil -2 tsp

Seasoning
Hing/asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Mustard -1 tsp
Urad dal -3/4 tsp
Curry leaves -little

Preparation
Chop all the vegetables including onion and tomato finely. Wash and peel the skin of carrot and potato and then chop finely.
Take a pressure pan, add chopped carrots, potato, brinjal, moong dal and pressure cook for 3 whistles.Keep aside.
Heat 2 tsps of oil in a pan, add the ingredients mentioned under seasoning in the same order.
Then add finely chopped onions, saute till it becomes transparent, now add the tomatoes and cook till tomatoes become mushy.
Add sambar powder, pressure cooked vegetables + dal mix, needed salt, 1 cup of water and boil for 5-10 minutes.

Ven Pongal

Ingredients:
Raw rice - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1/2 cup
(green gram dal-the split yellow variety-pasi parupu)
Water -5 cups
Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
Whole black pepper -1 1/2 tsp
Cumin/jeera seeds -1 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - little
Oil -1/4 cup
Ghee - 2 1/2 tbsp
Salt as required
Cashew nuts - 5-7

Preparation:
Dry roast rice and dal separately till it becomes slightly hot. Do not fry till dal changes color.
Wash and pressure cook rice+dal together with 5 cups of water, adding salt and a tsp of oil. I have used old rice, if you are using new rice, add 4 cups of water.The quantity of water differs according to the type of rice used.The point to be noted is - the rice should be cooked in such a way that it should be mushy. Mash it well and keep it aside. Check for salt. If needed, add and mix it well.

Roast cashew nuts in a little ghee and keep it aside.
Slightly crush half of pepper and jeera - or grind half of it in the blender just for a second.You can even add as such but I prefer to crush half of it slightly and add the remaining as such.

Method:
Heat ghee + oil in a pan/kadai , add pepper + jeera , saute for a few minutes, then add finely chopped ginger and curry leaves.
Add the above to the mashed rice and mix well.
Garnish with cashew nuts and serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.

Moong Dal Dosa

Ingredients:
Split Moong dal -1 cup
Ginger -1/2 inch piece
Green chillies -2
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida/hing - a pinch
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp finely chopped
Onion -1 finely chopped (optional)

Method:
Clean and soak moong dal for 3 - 4 hours.
Grind it to a smooth paste with ginger, green chillies and salt.
The consistency of the batter should neither be thick nor thin.
Add cumin seeds, asafoetida and finely chopped coriander leaves. You can add onions if needed.
Heat a nonstick tawa/Cast-iron tawa. Pour a ladle of the batter in the centre of the tawa and spread it out from the centre making round shapes.
Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa.
After it is cooked, flip it over to the other side. Wait for a few seconds till the other side is cooked, remove the dosa from tawa and serve hot.

Plantain Flower Kootu

Ingredients:
Plantain flower-1
Toor dal-1/4 cup (pressure cook dal)
Tamarind -gooseberry size ball (Soak it in hot water)
Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
Channa (chick peas) -handful
Salt to taste

For grinding:
Channa dal or bengal gram-1 tbsp
Coriander seeds-1 tbsp
Red chillies- 3-4
Raw rice -1/2 tsp
Coconut -2 tbsp
Fry the above ingredients in a tsp of oil, adding coconut at the end and grind it to a fine paste

For seasoning:
Oil -2 tsp
Mustard -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-little
Asafoetida- a pinch

Preparation:
Remove the style and the small white cover from the flower.(shown in the picture) .
Cut banana flower finely. Keep it in diluted buttermilk to prevent discoloration.
Remove from buttermilk, rinse and pressure cook adding turmeric powder and salt.
Soak channa overnight and pressure cook it with a little salt,keep in a small bowl.

Method:
Heat 2 tsp of oil in a kadai and add the ingredients for seasoning.
Then add the cooked banana flower and the tamarind extract .
Boil well 6-7 minutes till the raw smell goes.
Then add the cooked toor dal, cooked channa and the grounded paste and boil for a few minutes.
Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or as an accompaniment to rice.

Parupu Rasam

Ingredients:
Toor dal - ¼ cup
Tamarind - small gooseberry sized ball
Tomatoes -2
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Rasam powder -1 ¼ tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - little
Salt as required

Preparation:
Soak toor dal in a cup of warm water for 15 minutes. I do this so that it will takes less time to get cooked.
Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water .

For seasoning:
Ghee -1 tsp
Mustard - ¼ tsp
Jeera - ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - little

Method:
Pressure cook toor dal, mash it well and keep it aside.
Take tamarind extract, add chopped tomatoes, rasam powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, curry leaves and salt.
Boil till the raw flavour goes.
Add mashed toor dal along with needed water.
Remove from flame when rasam is frothy. Do not boil rasam as it will not taste good.
Heat a tsp of ghee and add the ingredients for seasoning. Season the rasam.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
You will get approximately 4 cups of rasam for this measurement.

Baingan Bartha

Ingredients:
Brinjal -1 large
Onion -1 finely chopped
Tomatoes -2 finely chopped
Green chillies- 1 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
Garlic - 3-4 cloves finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp

Spice Powder:
Chillie powder -3/4 tsp or as required
Coriander powder -1 1/2 tsp
Cumin/jeera seed powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Garam masala -1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnishing.

For seasoning:
Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 tsp
How to Roast Brinjal /Eggplant
Wash brinjal well, wipe it dry and apply oil all over the brinjal.
I left the stem intact to hold it but you could use a skewer if you want.
Roast the brinjal over gas stove ( medium flame) by turning it all the sides so that skin turns black evenly all over.The skin will become charred all over as shown in picture 3. This gives the smoky flavour to the dish.
Submerge it in a bowl of cold water for a few seconds to cool.
Peel off the black skin. ( see pic 4).
Mash it well and keep it aside.

Method:
Heat oil in a pan, add jeera/cumin seeds, when it crackles, add onions, green chillies and saute till onions becomes translucent.
Add ginger, garlic and saute for a few more minutes.
Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, chillie powder,coriander powder, cumin seed powder and cook till tomatoes become mushy and oil separates.
Add mashed brinjal, garam masala, salt needed, mix well and cook for a few more minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Baingan Bartha is ready to be served with any Indian bread.
Meet you all again with an interesting post, till then it is bye from Padhu of padhuskitchen.

Brinjal Mochai Kulambu

Ingredients :
Tamarind- small lemon sized ball
Onion -1 chopped
Baby onion /Pearl onion -1/2 cup
Garlic - 12 cloves
Mochai (field beans) -1/2 cup fresh ones
Tomato -1
Brinjal - 1
Oil - 3 tbsp ( Sesame seed oil preferable)
Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
Chilli Powder -2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt

For the Masala Paste:
Fennel seeds (sombu)-1 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds/jeera - 1 tsp
Coconut -1/3 cup
Poppy seeds (Khus khus-kasa kasa) - 3 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Heat a tsp of oil and fry cumin seeds, fennel seeds, khus khus and cinnamon separately.
Fry coconut till golden brown.
Grind all the ingredients together to a smooth paste and keep it aside.

For Seasoning:
Mustard - 1 tsp
Hing/Asafoetida - a generous pinch
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli -3
Curry leaves - little

Preparation:
Pressure cooks field beans with a little salt till soft.
Soak tamarind in about 2 3/4 cups of hot water and extract it juice.Throw the pulp.

Method:
1.Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing, fenugreek seeds, red chilli, curry leaves,onion (chopped) and baby onions. Saute till it turns pink.
2.Add garlic, saute for some more time .
3.Now add cooked mochai, brinjal and tomato. Fry a little and add tamarind water.
4.When it starts boiling, add grounded masala paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder,coriander powder and needed salt
5.Cook until oil separates and the gravy reaches a saucy consistency.

Ennai kathirikkai Kulambu

Ingredients:
Small Brinjals - 10-12
Tamarind – Amla size
Spice powder:
Channa dal/bengal gram - 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds/Dhania -3 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 1/2 tbsp
Red chillies -10-12
Coconut - 2 tbsp
For Seasoning:
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/hing - a generous pinch
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 4 1/2 tbsp
Crystal Salt - 1 1/4 tbsp or as required.
( use less when using table salt)
Preparation:
Soak tamarind in about 4 cups of hot water for 15 minutes. Extract tamarind juice and discard its pulp.

Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai and fry the ingredients mentioned under spice powder adding coconut at the end. ie- Bengal gram,coriander seeds,urad dal,red chillies and coconut.

Then powder it coarsely in the blender. Now your spice powder for ennai kathirikkai kuzhambu is ready.

Wash brinjals, discard the stem and make a + cut leaving the bottom intact.
Now stuff the brinjals with the spice powder we prepared. Keep it aside.Now the brinjals are ready to be cooked
Now we shall start making the Ennai kathirikai kulambu

Method:
1.Heat oil in a kadai. Add Coriander seed, Sombu, Onion and tomato, Coconut one by one and fry.
2. Grind those.
3. Heat oil fry onions, add the brinjals and let it boil in low flame, then add tamarind water.
4. Then at last add the ground paste and let it boil for some time.

Mor Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Pumpkin (cubed pieces )- 1 cup (ash gourd)
Thick Buttermilk-3 cups
Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
Green chillies-4
Grated Coconut -1/4 cup
Salt as required

For Grinding :
Toor dal -1 tsp
Coriander seeds- 2 tsp
Jeera -1 tsp
Raw rice -1/4 tsp
Soak the ingredients for grinding in a little water for 5 minutes
Grind it along with green chillies and coconut to a smooth paste and keep aside.

For seasoning :
Mustard -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-little
Coconut oil -1 tsp

Method :
1.Cook pumpkin in a little water till tender.
2.Take buttermilk, add turmeric powder, salt and cooked pumpkin.
3.Now dissolve the grounded paste in buttermilk.
4.Bring it to boil. Remove from flame.
5.Heat a tsp of coconut oil and add the ingredients for seasoning.
6.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tomato kuzhambu

Ingredients
Ripe red tomatoes-4 chopped finely
Onions-1 cut into thin strips
Green chillie-1
Potato – 1 small cut into medium pieces
Drumstick- 3 small pieces(3 inches length) slit half
Curry leaves- a few
Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Coconut milk- 4 to 5 tsp

To grind
Coconut-3 tsp
Red chillies-2 if long or acc to taste
Ginger- 1 small piece
Khus khus- ½ to 1 tsp
Jeera-1/2 to 1tsp
Coriander seeds-1 tsp

Method
Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add onions, green chillie& curryleaves. Saute till the onions become transparent and add the tomatoes. Saute till it becomes soft and add the ground masala. Add 1 glass of water . when it boils add the potato pieces and drumstick pieces. Cook in a medium flame covered. After 5 mins add the coconut milk. Cook till the vegetables are cooked and the oil seperates. Serve hot with rice.