Akara

Ingredients:

1 cup black eyed peas - soaked overnight
1 onion - finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 red chilli (Optional)
Salt
Oil

Method:
1) Grind black eyed peas, chilli to a fine paste
2) Mix with onion, flour, baking soda. Check for salt
3) Heat oil in a deep frying pan (medium heat). Once done, take a spoonful of batter and deep fry it until it turns reddish brown. Many akaras can be fried at a time in a batch and they do not stick together.
DONE!!!

Tip:
1) Serve with sweet chilli sauce :)
2) You may also add finely chopped herbs like coriander/curry leaves or spices like pepper powder, cumin seeds :)

Masala idli

Ingredients:

12 idlis - cut into chunks
1 medium sized onion - sliced along length
1 small tomato - finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 green chilli - finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp kasoori methi/coriander leaves
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
Salt
Oil

Method:
1) Take 2 tbsp oil and heat in a pan. Add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter. Add cumin and fennel seeds. Add green chili and ginger.
2) Add onion and fry until it changes colour. Add tomato and fry until it blends in.
3) Add corn, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Fry for a minute.
4) Add idli and mix. Drizzle lemon juice and mix. Check for salt.
5) Garnish with kasoori methi
DONE!!
Serve with yogurt or raita :)

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 :)

Stuffed bull horn chilli

Ingredients:

5 ripe bull horn/sweet chilli

For the stuffing:
1/2 cup cottage cheese/pander - crumbled
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
1 coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp carrom seeds
Oil
Salt

For the gravy:
1 onion - diced
2 tomato - diced
1 garlic - diced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 pepper corns
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 hot green chilli
1/2 cup yogurt
3 tbsp finely diced coriander leaves
Oil
Water
Salt

Method:
Stuffed chilli:
1) Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil.
2) Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add cumin, fennel and carrom seeds and fry for 10 seconds.
3) Add corn, peas, cottage cheese with coriander powder, turmeric powder and fry for a minute. Check for salt.
4) Remove the stalks of green chilli and cut vertically at the centre.
5) Stuff the filling above. Place in baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes

Gravy:
1) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Fry garlic for a minute. Add ginger, green chilli, pepper corns, coriander seeds and fry for a minute.
2) Add onion and fry until it starts to turn brown. Add tomato and fry until it is soft. Add turmeric powder. Keep aside.
3) Once cool, grind it into a fine paste with sufficient water.
4) Bring this to a boil in a pan. Mix yogurt. Check for salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Done!!!
Serve with roti :)

Green gram Idli

Ingredients:

1 cup green gram - soaked overnight
1 cup idli rava
1/2 cup black dal(uddina bele) - soaked overnight
1 tbsp mustard seeds - soaked overnight
1/2 cm ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 sprigs of coriander
1/2 tsp baking soda
Salt
Oil
Water

Method:
1) Grind green gram, black dal, mustard seeds, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander leaves with water.
2) Add idli rava and mix it into a thick idli batter like consistency.
3) Keep it aside and allow it to ferment. Add baking soda to the batter and check for salt.
4) Grease idli moulds with oil.  Fill the idli moulds with batter.
5) In a pressure cooker/steamer bring a glass of water to boil. Place the idli stand in it. Lower to medium heat. Cover and cook for 12-15 mins. Pierce a fork through the idli to check if it done (if done, it will come out clean).
Serve with chutney :)
DONE!!!

Karigadubu/Karjikai

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fine semolina (chiroti rava)
1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)
1 cup grated desiccated coconut
1/2-1 cup powdered jaggery/sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Water
Salt
Oil

Method:
1) Mix semolina, maida, pinch of salt with sufficient water. Dough should be thicker than that for roti. Smear with a tbsp of oil. Cover and keep aside
2) For the filling, mix desiccated coconut with jaggery/sugar and cardamom powder. As I prefer a less sweet version, I used 1/2 cup of jaggery. Keep aside.
3) Take a small ball of dough and roll it into a thin circle. Cut it into a 7-8 cm circle(I used lid of a jar).
4) Place a Tbsp of filling slightly left of centre, fold over the right side onto the left to make a semicircle, with the filling inside.
5) Seal the sides. With a fork, crease the edges.
6) Do this for the rest of the dough. Keep aside.
7) Heat oil in a frying pan for deep frying (medium heat). Add the karigadabu and fry until golden brown.

DONE!!!

Mandakki kosambari

Ingredients:

4-5 cups mandakki (puffed rice)
1 carrot - grated
1/2 medium sized onion - finely chopped
2 green chilli - finely chopped
1/2 cup grated coconut
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2-3 sprigs of coriander leaves - finely chopped
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
2 tbsp oil
Salt

Method:
1) Mix carrot, onion, green chilli, coconut, lemon juice, coriander leaves in a salad bowl.
2) Heat oil in a skillet, add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds. Wait for it to splutter. Add asafoetida and curry leaves. Mix with above.
3) Add puffed rice. Check for salt.
DONE!!!

Tip: If you have coconut oil in stock, it would taste much better with it :)