Tomato saaru

Ingredients: Serves 6

1 cup toor dal
9-12 cups water
2 tomato - sliced in half
1-2 tbsp rasam powder
1 tbsp jaggery powder - optional
1 tsp coriander powder - optional
Salt
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 sprigs coriander leaves - finely chopped
3 dry red chilli - optional
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida

Ingredients:
1) In a pressure cooker, wash toor dal, add 8 cups of water and tomato. Close the lid, place the weight and wait for two-three whistles. Keep aside and wait for pressure to be released.
2) Open the lid, add more water if you want a thinner consistency. I added 2 more cups :)
3) Add 1 1/2 tbsp of rasam powder, jaggery powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and bring to boil. Check for salt. Add remaining rasam powder if you want it spicy.
4) Heat oil in a skillet for a minute. Add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter. Add cumin seeds, red chilli, asafoetida and fry for 10 seconds. Add it to saaru. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Done!

Tip 1: Do what appa does and add 1 garlic pod to the tadka.
Tip 2: I like to try different herbs for garnish. Dill goes really well as well :)

Masala semiya (Pakistani style)

Ingredients:

300 g thin vermicelli (Its much thinner than Indian variety)
1 large onion - finely chopped
4 medium sized tomato  - finely chopped
1 cup peas
2 green chilli - chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 - 1 1/2 cups of water
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
2 Tbsp finely chopped coriander/kasoori methi
Salt

Method:
1) Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seed and wait for it to splutter. Add onion and fry until it changes colour.
2) Add ginger, green chilli and fry for another minute.
3) Add tomato and fry for 3-4 minutes (tomato by now would have blended in). Add peas and fry for another minute
4) Make a thick paste of red chilli powder, turmeric powder, corainder powder and 1 Tbsp salt. Mix and fry for a minute. Lower the heat if it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5) Add the vermicelli, add 1 cup of water initially - cover and cook on lowest setting for 3 minutes.
6) If water is not enough, and it feels a bit dry - sprinkle about 1/4 cup of water. Check for salt. Mix it up - cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
7) Garnish with coriander/kasoori methi
DONE!!! :)

Tips:
1) Most Indian stores stock the Pakistani variety of vermicelli - its golden brown in colour and much more thinner than the Indian variety
2) I feel its easier if you crush the vermicelli in the packet before taking it out - it's much easier to mix in the pan once crushed.

Channa Tomato Baath

Ingredients:
1 cup chick peas (channa)
1 tomato - finely chopped
1 onion - finely chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
2 Tbsp kasuri methi
1 cup rice
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
3 green chilli - finely chopped
1/4 tsp pepper powder
Salt
Oil

Method:
1) Soak chick peas overnight. Boil to soften in microwave for 5-10 minutes or in a pressure cooker (1 whistle) with a pinch of salt
2) Cook rice. Spread it on a plate - to cool it down and ensure it does not clump.
3) Heat 2-3 Tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and fry until it splutters. Add ginger, onion, green chilli and fry until it changes colour. Add chopped tomato and fry until water leaves the sides
4) Add turmeric powder, garam masala powder and pepper powder and fry for a minute. Mix with tomato paste, 1 tsp salt and fry for a minute.
5) Mix with rice. Check for salt. Garnish with kasuri methi
DONE!!!

Serve with raita.
Tip: If you prefer it more tangy, add an extra spoon of tomato paste :)

Tomato onion chutney

Ingredients:
1 Tomato - coarsely chopped
1 onion - coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp peanuts
1 garlic pod - coarsely chopped
3 green chilli
1/2 tsp jaggery powder
4-5 pepper corns
1/2 cm ginger
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 dry red chilli
9-10 curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 cup water
Salt

Method:
1) Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a frying pan. Fry garlic pod, ginger, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, pepper corns, green chilli and peanuts for a minute.
2) Add onion and fry for a minute. Add tomato and fry for 3-4 mins. Allow it to cool.
3) Grind it into a fine paste with jaggery. Add water if you want to water it down. Check for salt.
4) Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a skillet. Add mustard seeds - wait for it to splutter. Add red chilli, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. Mix with chutney.
DONE!!!

Tip: I like this chutney lil more spicy than usual - so I use 3 green chillis. If you like it a lil bit mild, use 2 instead.
This chutney goes well with dosa, chapati, rotti.. but I feel it goes best with ragi dosa and ragi rotti :)

Iyengar Tomato Gojju

Owe this mouth-watering Iyengar special to my friends' moms.. Nagajyothi and Divya :)

Ingredients:
2 tomato - finely chopped
1/2 onion - finely chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1-2 tsp rasam powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 Tbsp Jaggery powder
1/4 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp urad dal
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 green chilli
1/2 to 1 cup of water
Salt

Method:
1) Heat oil in a frying pan. Add urad dal and fry until it starts to change colour. Add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter.
2) Add curry leaves and green chilli and fry. Add onion and fry until it starts to change its colour.
3) Add tomato and fry for a minute or two
4) Reduce heat to medium heat. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp jaggery powder, 1 tsp rasam powder, turmeric powder and fry for a minute or two.
5) Add 1/2 cup of water, tamarind concentrate. Check for salt. And boil for 2-3 minutes.
6) Add more jaggery/rasam powder depending on whether you like it sweet/hot. Boil for 5 minutes until tomato pieces are squashed.
DONE!!

Tomato-capsicum Bruschetta

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
8 slices bruschetta bread
2 medium sized tomato - finely chopped
1/2 medium sized green capsicum - finely chopped
1/4 medium sized red onion - finely chopped
2 Tbsp Italian herbs
2 Tbsp olive oil
Pinch of pepper powder
1 garlic pod
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 200 C. Cut garlic and rub it on one side of bruschetta bread.
2) Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Let it rest for 15-20 mins and separate out the liquid.
3) Check for salt. Spoon the topping on the bread. Bake in oven for 5 mins.

DONE!!!

Gnocchi in tomato-mushroom-basil sauce

Ingredients (Serves 2):
Gnocchi 1 pack - 300g
2 tomato finely diced
10 mushrooms finely diced
3-4 sprigs of basil finely chopped
2 garlic pod - finely diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
Vinegar - 2 Tbsp (just felt like! ;))
pepper powder
salt
grated cheese - 2 Tbs

Method:
1) Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and wait until it turns golden brown.
2) Add tomato and fry for a minute. Add mushroom. Fry for another minute. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat
3) Add basil and vinegar. Add pepper and salt as needed.
4) Prepare gnocchi as instructed on the packet ;) Duh! :) Mix with sauce, garnish with cheese (i skipped this) and serve!

DONE!!!