VazhaiKai Podimas / Paruppu Usli

Ingredients

To Grind - Dry Roast
Pottu Kadalai (Roasted Gram) - 2 spoons
Khas Khas - 1 spoon
Jeeragam - 1 spoon
Ellu - 1 spoon

Vazhaikai / Green Plantain - 1 (1/2 for 2 people if a big plantain)
Onion - Chopped - 1
Green chillies - sliced - 3
Desicated Coconut - 2 spoon
Urad Dhal - 1 spoon
Mustard - 1spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Coconut oil - 2 spoons
Salt - to taste
Garlic pods - 3 big, cut to small pieces

Method
1. Cut Plaintain into half and boil in water till half done. This can be boiled in microwave for 4 minutes. Allow it to cool.
2. Remove the skin and grate the plaintain is small pieces.
3. Add oil to pan and add mustard and ural dhal till golden brown. Add curry leaves. and sliced chillies.
4. Now add onion, garlic and little salt. Salt helps to roast onion with a nice taste and avoids sticking to pan if it iron pan(Not a non stick one).
5. Once onion is roasted, add the grated plantain. Saute for few minutes. Add turmeric powder and desicated coconut. Saute for few more minutes.
6. Now add the ground powder and mix well, and remove from heat.

Stuffed Brinjal Curry

Stuffing (Extract from another site)

Dry roast:

1 cup peanuts - roast them, when they are cooled, rub and remove the skins
1 cup sesame seeds - dry roast them

8 to 10 dried red chillies
One tablespoon of coriander seeds
Half teaspoon of cumin
4 cloves, one small piece of cinnamon stick
5 to 6 fenugreek seeds (menthulu)(They taste bitter so limit the number)
1 teaspoon of salt
Tamarind
Soak key-lime size tamarind in half cup of water and microwave it for about 15 to 30 seconds. Let the water cool down and squeeze the tamarind to get the paste.

Make a tight paste: Grind all of the above ingredients to a fine, smooth paste. You have to stuff this paste into brinjals so while grinding, under any circumstances, do not add water. Take this paste onto a plate and divide it into two portions. One is for stuffing and the other half is for sauce/gravy.

Method

1. Wash and dry the Brinjals

2. Make a horizontal and vertical slit.

3. Hold the brinjal in left hand, splitting, and fill with the stuffing. Keep them aside. Note that the brinjal stem/head should not be removed, this gives a good look :)

4. In a pressure cooker, saute mustard and cumin in a spoon of oil. Now add the remaining filling, and add water, little tamarind, a pinch of jaggery, salt, chilli powder if required. Place the brinjals in the gravy spread across. Add a glass of water, and allow it to be cooked for a whistle in pressure cooker. Now remove the whistle, slowly and saute for few minutes. The gravy is ready now with nice stuffed brinjals.

Other stuffing options:

Type 1:
Dry red chillies + dry or fresh coconut+ chana dal & urad dal + cumin, coriander, fenugreek seeds and salt. Sauté and make a paste of them without adding water. Add cashews to make it rich.

Type2:
Besan or gram flour+onions+green chillies+ginger garlic paste+dry coconut powder+coriander powder and salt, make a paste by adding little bit of water.

Type 3:
red onions + dried red chillies roasted in oil then make a paste of them.

Type4:
Fresh coconut+ roasted peanuts+ roasted sesame seeds+dried red chillies+Coriander seeds+Cumin seeds+cloves+cinnamon stick+ chana dal+ urad dal+tamarind +jaggery and salt.

Methi Pulav

Ingredients:

• 5 -6 Tblspns Oil
• 2 Tblspn Ghee
• 5 cloves
• 2 small pieces of cinnamon
• 2 cardamom
• 1 Tomato chopped
• 1 large onion sliced thin and slit widthwise
• 3 Garic cloves(the fat ones) chopped
• Pudina(mint) leaves picked from 5 sticks and chopped coarse
• Methi(Fenugreek) leaves picked from 1 huge bunch and chopped coarse
• 1 1/2 cups Rice
• 1 1/2 cup peas
• water
• salt to taste

To grind(Masala):

• 1 onion
• 8 green chillies(as per your tolerance)
• Pudina leaves from 6 sticks
• 7 garlic cloves(fat ones)
  4 cloves
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 3 cardamom
• 1" ginger
• 1 heaped tblspn Coriander(Dhania) powder
• 10 sticks fresh coriander
• 3 Tblspns grated coconut(optional)
• 2 pinches Turmeric powder

Procedure:

1. Grind all the ingredients listed in the masala section to a smooth paste and keep aside
2. Wash and soak the rice in water for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom vessel.
4. Add the spices-cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and fry until you get a nice aroma.
5. Add the garlic followed by sliced onions and fry till soft.
6. Now add the tomato and greens(pudina and Methi). fry for 1 minute .
7. Lower the heat ,add the masala and fry till you get rid of the raw smell.
8. Now drain the water from the rice and add the rice along with the peas and fry for a while.
9. Add the required amount of boiling water to cook the rice. (here i do not mension the amount of water since it varies depending on the variety of rice. Generally the rice to water proportion is 1:2. For Basmati , water added is a little less ).add the salt to taste.
10. Cook till the rice is done.
11. Serve hot.
    

Tips:

1. Goes well with a onion and tomato raita, or a fried curry like Potato or green plantain fry
2. One variation can be to soak a handful rof channa overnight and replace green peas with soaked Channa.
   

Kidney Stone - Home Medicine

Extract from Mangayar Malar
Ingredients
Nigella(English) - Karun Jeeragam(Tamizh) - Kalonji (Hindi)
Honey

Preparation
Slightly heat it in a dry vessel, and make powder of it and store in a air tight container.
Early in the morning, in a empty stomach, to half spoon of the powder , add half spoon of honey, and mix well, and have it.
Have for about continuous seven days, and all Kidney stones should get dissolved and come out along with urine.

Home made Hot Chocolate - From cocoa

Ingredients (for 1 cup)
Milk - 1 Cup - Hot Boiling
Sugar - 1spoon
Water - little bit
Cinnamon - a pinch
Cocoa - 1 spoon

Method
1. Add Sugar, and cocoa to and add about 2 spoons of boiling water and we the cocoa well, and stir in.
2. Now add little hot milk, to an inch and stir well.
3. Add the remaining hot milk.
4. Stir in cinnamon.
5. Enjoy Home made chocolate on a real cold day :)

Ennai Kathirikai Kozhambu

http://sashiga.blogspot.com/

Kollu Kozhambu

From Aval Vikatan
Ingredients :
Horse Gram - 1 Cup
Dhaniya - 3 spoons
Red Chilli - 5
Jeeragam - 1 spoon
Garlic - 4-5
Chinna Vengayam - about a cup
Curry Leaves - 2 strands
Coconut milk - 1 cup

Preparation
1. Soak Kollu overnight, and next tie in a cloth to sprout for a day or two.
2. Pressure cook the kollu for about 3-4 whistles.
3. Fry - Dhania, Chilli, Jeeragam, onion, curry leaves, garlic, and grind the mixture with few spoons of the Boiled kollu.
4. Season with Kadugu, Vendhayam, Curry leaves, Chinna onion.
5. Add the remaining kollu, ground masala, salt, and the ground coconut or coconut milk and bring to a boil.
6. Tastes good with hot rice.


Note : Kollu allows to dissolve kidney stones.