This can be done in many methods. Garlic has more medicinal value though it also have some mild side effects like halitosis or bad breath. It is claimed to help preventing heart diseases like artherosclerosis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is also believed to control the blood sugar level to certain limit. So here is a nice recipe with garlic...the garlic kuzhambu...
Ingredients:
- Garlic-15(even size)
- Onion-2
- Tomato-2 (small size)
- Cumin seeds -1/2 teaspoon
- Sambar powder-1 and 1/2 heaped teaspoon
- Tamarind- size of a small lemon
- Oil-1 tablespoon
- Salt
For seasoning: Mustard, Urad dal, Cumin seeds, Curry leaves.
Method:
- Soak the tamarind in hot water for 10 -15 minutes and extract juice.
- Cut 1 onion and two tomatoes into large pieces.
- Heat oil in pan and add mustard.
- When the mustard starts spluttering, add the urad dal and cumin seeds, and the curry leaves.
- Add onions and garlic.
- Fry till it become glassy and then add the tomatoes.
- Add little water and allow it to cook with the lid closed.
- Grind the remaining 1 onion and cumin seeds into a fine paste.
- When the onions and garlics are half cooked add the paste and sambar powder.
- Add enough water and allow it cook well.
- When the garlic is cooked well enough, add the tamarind juice and allow it to boil for few more minutes.
- Allow it to boil till a thick consistency is reached.
- Suits well with plain rice, curd rice, dosa and idli.
Whenever I want to do a quick side dish for dosa and idli, I use to do this. It is very easy and faster to do.
Ingredients:
- Tomato -3 large size
- Onion-2
- Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
- Oil-2 teaspoon
- Salt
To grind:
- Coconut-2 tablespoons
- Green chillies-2 ( or 3)
- Cumin seeds-1/2 teaspoon
- Fennel(Sombu)-1/2 teaspoon
- Poppy seeds (kasakasa)-1 teaspoon
- Cashew-3(or 4)
For seasoning:
Method:
- Boil the tomatoes in water seperately.
- Peel off the skin and smash it into paste.
- Heat oil in pan and add mustard and curry leaves for seasoning.
- When it starts to splutter, add the onions and turmeric powder.
- When the onions are cooked well add tomato and required salt.
- Grind the grated coconut, cumin seeds, fennel, poppy seeds(soak for few minutes before grinding), cashew and green chillies into fine paste.
- Add the paste to the pan and allow it to cook for 5-6 minutes with the lid closed.
- When the kuruma boils well remove it from the flame.
- This kuruma will be thinner in consistency than the regular ones.
- Suits well with idli and all kinds of dosa.
Ingredients: - Brinjal-4 or 5
- Sambar powder (see previous posts)-1/2 teaspoon
- ( or chilli powder)
- Cumin powder-1/4 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder (if chilli powder is used)-1/4 teaspoon
- Tomato -1
- Salt
- Oil-1 tablespoon
- For seasoning:Mustard, Urad dal,Curry leaves
Method: - Cut brinjal and tomato into small pieces.
- Heat oil in pan and add mustard.
- When it starts spluttering, add the urad dal and the curry leaves.
- Now add the brinjal and allow it to cook in medium flame with the lid closed.
- When the brinjal is half cooked, add required salt.
- Sprinkle water, only if needed.
- When the brinjals are cooked well, add the sambar powder (or turmeric and chilli powder) and finally the tomato pieces.
- Do not add the tomato till the brinjal is cooked well.
- When the tomato pieces are cooked, remove it from flame.
- Serve it with any kind of rice. Especially suits well with sambar rice.
I use the creamed (Rahm) spinach in the same method.
(See previous post for ingredients)
Method:
- Heat oil in pan and add cumin seeds, asafoetida, red chillies and then onions as said before.
- Instead of cooking in water seperately, just add creamed spinach directly.
- Add very little amount of water.
- Add cumin pepper powder and required salt.
- Allow it to cook well in closed lid.
- Suits well with plain rice.
In India, my mother used to do with siru keerai or arai keerai (a variety of spinach). But since it is not available here in Germany, I used to do with the creamed spinach, called Rahm spinach in the same method.
Ingredients:
- Arai keerai / Sirukeerai- 1 bunch
- ( or Rahm spinach -3oo gms)
- Red chilli-2 or 3
- Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
- Asafoetida - 1 /4 teaspoon
- Small onion-2 or 3 (cut vertically)
- Cumin-Pepper powder- 1/2 teaspoon
- Oil- 2 teaspoon
- Salt
Method:
- Cook the spinach in water with salt and drain the water.
- Smash the spinach.
- Heat oil in pan and add cumin seeds, asafoetida and red chillies.
- When it splutters, add the finely cut small onions and fry it.
- Add the smashed spinach into the pan.
- Add cumin-pepper powder and cook it for 2 minutes.
- Suits good with plain rice.
Though easy to make, it is a delicious perfect dessert. Any kind of fruits can be used.
Ingredients:- Milk-300 ml
- Custard powder-2 1/2 tablespoons
- Sugar-3 1/2 tablespoons
- 3 or more kind of Fruits
- (banana, apple, pineapple, orange, plums, cherry, etc)
- Nuts and dry grapes- if desired.
Methods:- Take a small bowl and mix the custard powder in 3 tablespoon of cold milk into a thin paste without any clumps.
- Custard powder can be of any desired flavour.I used mixed fruit flavour.
- Heat the remaining milk with sugar in a pan.
- When the milk is boiled, add the custard mixture while stirring with a spoon in the other hand.
- Just continue stirring for few seconds (it takes not more than a minute) till you get a thick paste.
- Cut the fruits into even big squares and take it in the required bowl.
- Add the paste to this bowl with fruits and cool it in refrigerator.
- Do not cool it in freezer.
- Garnish with fried nuts and dry grapes while serving.
Pongal with sambar and chutney is the favorite dish for most of the South Indians, I guess.
Ingredients:
- Basmathi Rice-300 gms
- Moong dal( Pasiparuppu)-100 gms
- Water- 2 and 1/2 times that of the combined amount of rice and moong dal.Use same measuring cups.
- Ghee/ Butter-50 gms
- Cumin seeds (jeera)-2 tablespoons
- Pepper-1 tablespoon
- Cashew-6 or 7
- Curry leaves -1 tablespoon
Methods:
- Wash the Basmathi rice and Moong dal and cook it together in a pressure cooker.
- The rice needs a little more water than usual.
- Heat small amount of ghee or butter in pan.
- Fry the cashews in ghee till golden brown and keep it aside.
- Make half of the pepper and cumin seeds as coarse powder.
- Heat the remaining ghee and add curry leaves,pepper-cumin powder and the remaining cumin seeds and pepper.
- When it splutters, add it with the cooked pongal and mix it.
- Garnish it with cashews.
- Pongal- Sambar- Coconut Chutney is the perfect combination.Can be served with one of the either.
