Bisi bele bath

1 cup of Sona Masuri rice
1 cup of Toor dal
1 lime sized tamarind soaked in hot water
3 cups of veggies (onion, tomato, carrots, beans and peas
For seasoning
3 tsps of oil
2 tsps of udad dal, 2 tsps of mustard seeds, dried red chilly and few sprigs of curry leaves
MTR Bisi bele bath powder 3 tsps
Water 3 cups
For garnishing
Ghee 3 tsps, few tsps of groundnuts and cashewnuts

Cook dal and rice together with 3 cups of water. Use pressure cooker or open pan. Do the seasoning with oil, udad dal, mustard seeds, dried red chilly and curry leaves. Add veggies and cook till it is soft. Mix cooked rice and dal. Add tamarind juice, masala, salt and simmer for 10-15 minutes. in the end u can garnish with groundnuts, cashewnuts fried in ghee.

Puri sathi (a side dish for puris)

2 large potatoes cut into half and pressure-cooked for 5-6 whistles
1 small tomato
half carrot
1 small red onion
turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 cups of water
a handful of peas
Dry roast 1 tsp of coriander seeds, half tsp of jeera and 1/4th tsp of pepper corns and powder it.

for seasoning
2 tsps of udad dal, 2 tsps of mustard seeds, one dried red chilly and few sprigs of curry leaves

For garnishing
few sprigs of coriander leaves

Do the seasoning with udad dal, mustard seeds, red chilly and curry leaves. Fry onions till it is transparent. Fry carrots till it is soft. Then add tomato and peas and cook further for few minutes. Then add boiled and peeled potatoes, 1/4th tsp of turmeric powder, one and a half tsps of salt, 2 cups of water. Close the lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes till gravy thickens. Garnish with coriander leaves

Home made Ghee

Buy an unsalted butter. Melt and cook on sim in a copper bottomed vessel. It will start making sound and melting gradually. When it stops making noise and when it turns reddish, switch off the gas. Let it cool and transfer to your storage container.

Homemade Sambar powder

1 cup of coriander seeds
(Roast till it pops up and strong smell starts coming)
1/4th cup of mustard seeds
(Roast till it pops up)
1/4 th cup of fenugreek seeds
(Roast till it pops up and light brown. Do not burn it)
1/4th cup of chana dal
(Roast till pale red)
1/4th cup of tuvar dal
(Roast till pale red)
1/4th cup of udad dal
(Roast till pale red in colour)
2 tsps of pepper corns
(Roast lightly till is pops up)
1-2 cups of dried red chillies
(Microwave on high power for a minute or two just to heat it up)
2 tsps of turmeric powder
(for finishing touch)

Note: for 6 tbsps of coriander seeds use 10-15 dried red chillies
Other method is to grind all the above except dried red chillies.Grind red chillies separately. red chilli powder should be half the measure of all other ground ingredients.

Butter Murukku

Plain Rice Flour 3 cups
Roasted gram flour half cup
Fresh white butter one and a half tablespoon
salt one and a half tsp
Oil for deep frying

Mix rice flour, roasted gram flour together and sieve.
Mix salt, butter to the flour and mix well.
Divide the flour into 2 or 3 equal parts
Sprinkle water to one part and prepare thick dough. Using a single star disc in a greased oiled murukku maker squeeze murukkus in hot oil.
Fry till golden colour and crisp. Remove excess oil and store in airtight container.

Note: Murukkus retain its colour only when it is mixed with water just before frying. If all the dough is mixed at a time, murukkus of later portion will become red in colour

Sprouted mung curry

Ingredients:

1 cup whole moong (raw) to make 4 cups of sprouts
1 tbsp oil
half tsp rai
half tsp methi
20 pepper corns
2 tbsp coriander seeds
half tsp of turmeric
5 red chillies
1 cup of coconut
a pinch of asafoetida
one onion
two tomatoes
two and a half cups of water
few sprig of curry leaves
salt to taste
coriander leaves
lime juice

Method:

Heat 1 tsp of oil. Add mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add fenugreek seeds. Add whole black peppercorns, coriander seeds. Then add red chillies. Roast. Then grind the masala (fresh masala enhances taste). Roast till nice aroma comes and black pepper changes its colour (becomes darker). Stir constantly. Then add shredded fresh coconut in the last. Stir nicely. When conconut looks dried up, switch off the stove. Grind it. Heat oil. Add hing, haldi, onions. Fry onions till golder brown. Add these onions to masala mixture. Then add little water. Grind to smooth paste. In a pressure cooker add sprouted moong, masala paste, water, little salt. Add curry leaves, chopped tomatoes (tomatoes should be cut into big cubes). Mix properly. Pressure cook for one whistle. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves for garnishing.

Gobhi Paratha

Ingredients:
1/4th cup grated cabbage
2 cups of wheat flour
a pinch of turmeric
1 small tsp of coriander seeds plus half tsp of jeera plus two peppercorns freshly roasted and powdered
3/4th tsp of salt
Water

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients except water. Add little water and mix well for two minutes nicely. Then again add little water. Mix very well. Slow mixing is an important step because cabbage leaves out water. Do not add more water to this dish.
Consistency: Dough should be soft enough to make balls conveniently.
Heat the griddle. Roast well on both sides. Apply ghee.