VADAGA THOGAYAL

One of the most easiest and tastiest Thogayal....

INGREDIENTS:

Vadagam-1

Coconut-1/2 cup(grated)

Red chilli-to taste

Salt- to taste

Tamarind- gooseberry size.(according to taste)

Oil- to fry

METHOD:

1) Heat oil in a pan.

2) Fry red chillies and keep it seperately

3)Fry Vadagam(broken) till the aroma comes.(we can see the onion in the vadagam will fry and become big and sort of golden brown)

4)Grind fried vadagam, red chillies along with coconut and salt. Serve with rice. Can be mixed with rice or as side dish .Goes well with Curd rice.

VALLAARAI/BRAHMI THOGAYAL

Vallaarai /Brahmi/Asiatic or Indian penny wort is a  perennial herb that grows in wet area .According to Ayurveda scripts this is used to improve memory(Its interesting to note in Telugu its known by the name saraswati aku/saraswathi plant!!) Anyways...other than this it is also said its mildly anti-inflammatory, anti viral and anti bacterial. It can also act as circulatory stimulant and diuretic .It also helps heal woulds and revitalise brain and nervous system and combat ageing :)wow!Isn't that great.

One more info that i came across was its used in Thailand for opium detoxification .

Before my marriage my dad(ayurvedic/siddha doctor and manufacturer) used to buy lots of  herbs like pirandai,vallarai, ponnankanni,adathodai,mudakaththan,thoodhuvalai etc,for making medicines . so we used to use these in  for our day today cooking too.

I happened to get one such herb during my recent Visit to India.Yes I was able to get vallarai...If i had stayed for couple of more months i could have had other herbs too.

After a long time i had this Vallarai thogayal.We also me chutney and kootu and Rice powder(podi) too(will post the recipe for rice powder soon)

For Thogayal-

                                            

INGREDIENTS:(approximate measurements)

Vallarai-2 cups

Urad dhal-2 tbs

Red chilli-8-10(according to taste)

Salt- to taste

Tamarind-1 tsp pulp or small

Jaggery- 1 tsp

Asefotida-1/4 tsp

Ghee or oil-1tbs

METHOD:

1) Clean and wash(remove the steams from the leafs if its not tender)

2)Heat oil in a pan and fry urad,asefotida and chilli  and keep aside.

3)Heat oil or ghee in a pan and saute the leaves well and cool.

4) Grind the urad ,chilli, tamarind,jaggery,salt and asefotida to lightly coarse powder.

5)Add the leaves and grind to lightly coarse paste.(i prefer it lightly coarse. but my mom grinds it little more smooth)

6)MIX WITH RICE AND SESAME OIL AND NSOY THIS HEALTHY AND TASTY DISH.

PALAK THOKKU(SPINACH PICKLE)

'Palak',Spinach also known as 'Delhi palak' in Tamilnadu is a green which is loved by many.I tried pickle(thokku)yesterday and it was so tasty that  i am planning to  do more and storing it to make instant rice variety for lunch :)
Since i was trying it for the first time i did not make any note of the measurements... so its all approximate. next time when i make i will make a not and update it here .

INGREDIENTS:(Approximate measurements)
Palak- 1 bunch
Tamarind paste-2 tbs
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder-11/2 tbs(according to taste )
Oil-4-5 tbs
SEASONING
Mustard- 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek-1/4 tsp(i used whole . but can also use powder)
Asefotida-1/4 tsp


METHOD:
1)Wash and Grind palak to slightly coarse paste using little water.
2)Heat oil in a pan. add mustard and fenugreek. Add Asefotida.
3)Add ground palak, salt, chilli powder and tamarind paste and cook till oil oozes out.
Can be mixed with rice...tastes yummy.

CORIANDER(CILANTRO/KOTHAMALLI)PICKLE(THOKKU)

As a told in my earlier post Curry leaf Pickle, Coriander pickle is another Grand sweet popular instant food mix variety,which I tried and again it turned out good :))
Though i am not sure of the ingredients I tried same method as curry leaf but for chilli powder..(which i ran out )so added curry powder ,which i bought from a Korean store.It was a mix of coriander, turmeric and chilli.And for me the proportion of this mix looked like more of coriander and turmeric and less of chilli so I had mixed some chilli powder to suit our sambar taste.
Other than that every thing is same .
INGREDIENTS:(approximate measurements)
Coriander-2 bunches
Salt- to taste
Curry powder-about 2 tbs
Tamarind and jaggery pulp- 1/4 cup
Methi and mustard powder mixed-1/4 tsp(approximately)
Asefotida-1/4 tsp
Turmeric- 1 pinch
Water- little if needed  to grind.
Oil-1/2 cup(approximately)
Mustard- for seasoning

METHOD:
1)Wash and grind coriander to paste.
2)Heat oil and season with mustard .Add asefotida ,turmeric and mustard-methi powder.
3)Add little water to tamarind-jaggery pulp(i soaked 1 small amala size tamarid and 1/2 tbs of jaggery and took the pulp)and cook for couple of minutes.
4)Add coriander paste and cook along with jaggery-tamarind pulp till raw smell goes.
5)Cool and store in air tight container (inside fridge )

This goes well with idly, dosa,rice or even as spread on sandwich.

Please try out and let me know your views .

GREEN CHILLI THOKKU

This is a very tasty side dish for curd rice Just like chilli pickle.It can also can be mixed with plain rice.It also goes along very well with dosa or idly. In fact i used it as spread for my sandwich too.Salem pati ma taught me this.The measurement are as she told me.   

INGREDIENTS:    

Ginger- 1cup

Garlic- 4 or 5

Green chilli-1 cup(chopped)

Methi -1/4tsp(I used approximately 1/4 tsp) 

Asefotida-pinch

Mustard-1/2 tsp

Turmeric-1tsp

Tamarind-1 lime

Jaggery-to taste(i added little more than 1 tsp grated )

Chilli Powder-1 tsp(optional)

Oil-about 200 gram

Small onion-1/2 cup(i used ordinary onion 1/2)

METHOD:

1)Heat oil , add mustard methi power and asefotida and finely chopped ginger and half of finely chopped chilli.(I used 4 jalapeño pepper and ground ginger and chilli to coarse paste)and saute well.

2)Grind Onion, garlic and green chilli to paste. Add this to the above and sauté well till raw smell goes.

3)Add  tamarind extract to this and Cook well.

4)Add chilli powder can also be added now if preferred. And cook till oil oozes out.

5)  Serve with curd rice or idly or dosa and enjoy :)

                                 

RAGI(Finger Millet) DOSA(Crepes) AND KAARA(spicy) CHUTNEY(dip)

Ragi ,also know as Kezhvaragu/Kaypai(in tamil) or Finger millet is very good for health. It is a very good source of fiber , low in glycemic index ,so good for diabetes.Its also rich in Iron,Calcium and Thiamine, low in fat... so what else ... its also tasty and lots of dishes like Idly,Dosa, Porridge,Pudding(Kali)Adai, Noodles ,Puttu and Uppma using ragi rava


I have just done Puttu,Noodles,Porridge,Uppma ,pudding  and adai but have not tried idly and dosai.My neighbour Madhavi recently gave me this dosai...It was so tasty..that too with kara chutney  it was yummyyyy...
This recipe goes to  Lisa's Celebration of Indian food contest

INGREDIENTS:

Ragi flour-3 cups

Urad dhal-1cup
Salt to taste
Water- to grind and mix.

METHOD:

1)Add some water to Ragi(to get thick batter) flour.
2)Soak Urad dhal for 4-5 hours and grind along with Ragi flour adding enough water to make dosa batter consistency.
3)Add salt and leave it to ferment over night.

Make Dosa or idly and ensoy with kara chutney ;)

Now very simple and tasty kara chutney which my neighbour taught me....

KAARA CHUTNEY:

INGREDIENTS:(approximate measurement)

Red dry chilli-8(According to taste and quantity)
Salt-to taste
Tamarind- 1tbs  (according to chilli)
Onion- about 2tbs chopped
Oil- 1tsp(seasoning)
Mustard(seasoning)

METHOD:

1)Grind all the ingredients raw.
2) Heat oil and season with mustard ,add this paste, saute for few seconds.

NOTE:Its a small tip..Rub a cut onion on the tava (if you wish you can use just brush a drop of oil on the onion)if you wish to avoid oil in dosa to get crisp dosa.

ZUCCHINI CHUTNEY(dip)

Name may sound different for my Indian friend.But its a vegetable that looks like out cucumber.This vegetable tastes good when used in sambar, or salad, or our raita.For a change i tried chutney and it tasted good.
INGREDIENTS:
Zucchini-1
Urad dhal-1tbs
Red chilli- according to taste
Salt- to taste
Tamarind- pea size
METHOD:
1)Dry fry urad dhal and red chilli.
2)Heat oil in a pan and saute cut zucchini well.
3)Grind urad, red chilli, salt and tamarind along with zucchini.
4)Season with mustard. serve with idly or dosa

MINT CHUTNEY(Mint dip)

Another chutney which is very healthy. As many of us know Mint has lot of medicinal values.It aides digestion,helps treat stomach ache and chest pain.mint oil is also used in cosmetics.It also helps whiten the teeth .... and i can say many more about mint.
But lets come to cooking......dishes that are done using mint.....
Mint chutney is made in different ways and one among that is
INGREDIENTS:
Mint- 1 bunch
Urad dhal-2 tbs
Red or green chilli- according to taste
Salt -to taste
Tamarind- very small piece.
Coconut-2tbs
Asefotida- pinch
oil- 1 tsp
Mustard , curry leaf and urad for seasoning
METHOD:
1)Heat oil and fry urad dhal(if using red chilli, fry them too) asefotida and keep aside.
2)Wash and clean Mint leaves and saute them just for a mint or two (for the raw smell to go. but other wise i do not prefer this as it will loose some vitamin during this process)
3)Grind urad dhal ,chillies,tamarind.Then add coconut and mint and grind to paste.
4)Season it with urad, mustard and curry leaf and serve with idly, dosa or vadai.
Note: if this is ground to thick paste we can mix with rice and eat . its called thogayal.
IN THIS PHOTO YOU MAY NOTICE ITS GROUND COARSELY .....THAT'S BECAUSE MY BLUNT MIXER BLADE :(

COCONUT CHUTNEY(Coconut dip)

It is a well known dish... but i would like to share the way my Amma(mom) does, which i like the most.Presenting u all my favorite......
COCONUT CHUTNEY, which goes very well with almost all the south Indian snack or breakfast items . It tastes very well even with chapati... surprised?? Ok... Ok... at least for some people like me, my cousins and my sil we all love having chapati with coconut chutney.Its simple and almost all south Indian know how to make this .
INGREDIENTS:(approximate measurements)
Coconut-3/4cup grated
Rosted bengal gram/dhalia-1 1/4 cup
Green chilli-according to taste
Onion- 1 small onion( sambar vengayam or pearl onion)
Garlic-1
Salt- to taste
Tamarind- very little
Asefotida-1 pinch
Mustard-for seasoning
Oil-for seasoning
METHOD:
1)Grind coconut along with all the ingredients except mustard and asefotida well using water.
2)Heat oil and add mustard,asefotida,curry leaves
3)Add this to the prepared coconut paste and serve.
Serve with any snack or tiffin.

GINGER THOKKU

Ginger ,which is commonly used in cooking all over the world is also used as medicine for various illness in Siddha/Ayurveda. It is rich in B6, copper ,potassium and magnesium . Ginger is supposed to decrease the joint pain in arthritis,boost immune system,protect against various cancer,and also digestive problems.It is recognised as safe by FDA . It is also said to have blood thinning properties .
This recipe was taught by Aranganur paati,my cousins grandma..I loved it when i tasted it .so got recipe from her immediately.The measurements arexactly what she gave me.

INGREDIENTS:
Ginger-1cup
Samabar Onion-1 cup(since i didn't have samabar onion i used big onion )
Garlic-1
Salt- to taste
Methi powder- 1tsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
tamarind- 1 big lemon size
oil-200 Gram
Turmeric powder-1 tsp
Asefotida- pinch
Jaggery-1 tbs
METHOD:
1)Grind ginger,garlic,onion to fine paste.
2)Soak tamarind in water and extract thick pulp.
3)Heat oil add ginger paste and cook well.
4)Add tamarind paste,salt, chilli powder and cook well.
5)Add jaggery and cook.
6)Before removing this thokku from fire add methi powder and asfetodia.
Goes well with rice.Mix thokku with hot plain rice along with gingelly oil....tastes yummy......

KADAMBA CHUTNEY

Kadamba (mixed)chutney , this was my mom's speciality.She used to use pottukadalai(roasted bengal gram) instead of urad dhal and she also adds coconut along with other ingredients .She said she learnt this from renuka akka(our family friend). But this kadamba chutney that i do is the recipe from our neighbour's servant maid,selvi(she was one of my best friend, above all she was best friend of my dear banjo,you can read about them in my blog navarasa .)

INGREDIENTS:

Onion-1 big

Tomato-2 medium

Red chilli-6(according to taste)

Curry leaf-1/2 cup

Urad dhal-2 tbs

Salt- to taste

Asefotida-pinch

METHOD:

1)Chop onions and tomatoes.

2)Heat oil and add urad dhal ,chilli and asefotida.saute till urad turns golden brown.

3)Add onion and fry till it turns pink.

4)Add tomatoes,curry leaf and saute along with salt.

5)Saute till the ingredients turn dry.

6)Cool and grind to coarse paste.

Goes well with idly and dosa.

KOLLU THOGAYAL

Kollu also known as Horse gram is lesser known legume. It is high in Iron.It is said to be good for high BP ,Cholesterol and also obesity.In Tamil there is a saying"ilaithavanukku yelum kozhuthavanukku kollum"meaning "give Sesame seed for thin people and horse gram for obese people."

My mom used to make Thogayal and rasam . I love both these recipes.Since i felt this is very healthy one among legumes...i am sending this too for the

INGREDIENTS:

Kollu/Horse gram-1/2 cup

Red chilli-according to taste

Salt-according to taste

Tamarind-turkey berry size(sundakai size)

Coconut-1/4 cup (opt)

METHOD:

1)Dry roast horse gram till it starts popping up.

2)Dry roast red chillies separately.

3)Grind roasted horse gram,red chillies,salt,tamarind, coconut adding little water.

Tastes good when mixed with hot rice and gingelly oil.It also goes well with curd rice.

CARROT-PERKANKAI CHUTNEY

Chutney.. my grandfather used to say 'chutney 'got its name because its (chattunu )quick to make :) I love trying out new chutney and thogayal. My husband loves thogayal and chutney.. but he dosent know the differnce hahaha... he says every thing as thogayal.

As i didnt have enough of carrot or perkankai(Ridge gaurd)skin(usually perkankai skin is used to make chutney) to make carrot or perkankai chutney i combained both and tried ..my husband couldnt find out it had carrot in it(for some reason he doesnt like carrot :))

INGREDIENTS:

Perkankai(ridge gaurd)chopped

carrot(grated)

Red chilli-to taste

salt-to taste

Tamarind-little(pea size)

urad dhal

MANGAI INJI THOKKU

Maa inji,very aromatic, healthy root belonging to ginger-turmeric family.My mom used to make pickle and thokku.So... here is my favorite recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Mango ginger-1 cup

Green chilli - ot taste

Tamarind- pea size

Salt- to taste

Oil

Mustard- seasoning

Asfetodia-seasoning

Fenugreek-seasoning(opt)

METHOD:

1)Grate or chop manga inji and green chilli

2)Grind manga inji, greem chilli, tamarind and salt to smooth paste.(add water only if necessary)

3)Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard,asefotida and add the ground paste.

4)Cook till oil oozes out.

5) Finally add powdered(dry fried) fenugreek.

This thokku goes well with any rice variety , idly dosa.I also tastes good when mixed with rice.

Brinjal-Ladies finger

Learnt this dish from my neighbour madhavi... different and tasty, but don't know the name ( she told some the name in telugu). This goes well with Dosa, Idly or even rice.

INGREDIENTS:

Red chillies-according to taste.

Bindi/Okra/Ladies finger- approx 1/2cup cut

Brinjal-approx 1cup cut

Onion-approx 1/4 cup cut

Tamarind- pea size

Jaggery-little

Salt- to taste

METHOD:

1)Fry red chillies and keep aside.

2)Add little oil and fry brinjal and ladies finger well.

3)Grind chillies with salt .

4) Add brinjal,ladiesfinger,onion,tamarind and jaggery and grind coarsely.

The amount i have given here are approx..Actually she did not tell me about the proportion of bindi and brinjal.The one i made was bit sticky as i added equal amount to bindi and brinjal... so try using the amount which i have given here and let me know.

ZUCCINI THOGAYAL

Zucchini... name sounds funny for me... anyway its very similar to our Cucumber.

INGREDIENTS:

Zucchini-2(medium)
Urad Dhal-3tbs
Red chilli-according to taste
Salt-according to tasteOil

METHOD:

1)Heat pan and dry roast urad dhal and chilli and keep separately.
2)Heat oil and add finely chopped zucchini and fry for few minutes.
3)Add salt and grind zucchini, urad and chilli to paste.(Add water if necessary)

Tastes well with any rice variety

RED AND HABANERO PEPPER CHUTNEY

Looks yummy right? yes it is ... this recipe was told to me by my neighbour.Actually i made little modification... that too by mistake...heehee:) Her recipe did not have peanut and Habanero pepper(my husband's favourite, he calls this Nei milagai as this gives a very nice aroma when added to sambar)

INGREDIENTS:

Red Capsicum(big)-1
Tomato-1
Onion-1
Habanero(or 4-5 green chillies)-1/4 or 1/2(depends on your taste)
Peanut-1/2 cup(opt)
Coriander leaves-little
Mustard-for seasoning
Oil
Salt- to taste

METHOD:
1)Cut all the vegetables.
2) Heat oil and saute all the vegetables well.
3)Powder peanut and add salt and the vegetables .Grind coarsely.(don't have to add water)
4)Season with mustard.

Really SSPICYYYY chutney ready.

CAUTION: Habanero pepper is veryyyyyyy spicy so plz be careful.

NOTE:We can also use green capsicum instead of red.Actually i use just 1/2 of this pepper to my sambar instead of sambar powder.