Adai/ Lentil Crepes

About the recipe:
This healthy and filling snack is my most favorite breakfast option. 

Ingredients:

• Toor dal, - 3/4 cup
• Channa dal - 3/4 cup
• Moong dal - 1/4 cup
• Urad dal - 1/4 cup 
• Idli rice - 2 cups
• Red chillies - 13 nos. 
• Ginger

Soak the above in water for 2 hours and grind coarsely to form the batter. Add salt to taste. 

For Seasoning: 

• Jeera - spoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
• Hing
• Curry leaves - few
• Oil

Heat oil in a small pan, add the above ingredients and once the mustard and jeera splutter add the rest of the ingredients. Add this seasoning to the batter. 

Additional toppings: 

• Onion - 2-3 finely chopped
• Coriander - a few sprigs
• Ginger - 1 piece

Chop the above and add to the batter. 

Heat a flat pan/ tava and take a ladle of this mixture to make a flat dosa like shape. This will be thicker than a normal dosa. Add oil on sides to roast, cook each side for about 1 minute and flip sides until it turns golden brown. 

This tastes best when served piping hot with coconut chutney, a piece of jaggery and a dollop of amul butter! 

Spicy Lemon Rasam

About the recipe:
This aromatic,tangy Indian soup is the ultimate accompaniment to steamed rice on a nice rainy day! 

Ingredients:

• Oil
• Toor dal, - 2tsbsp (boiled)
• Tomatoes - 2 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• Coriander powder - 1 spoon
• Coriander leaves to garnish
• Salt to taste

For Masala: 

• Black pepper corn - 1 tbsp
• Jeera - 1 tbsp
• Hing
• Curry leaves - few
• Garlic - 2 pods

Coarsely grind the above

How to:

• Pressure cook the toor dal with some turmeric and mash well
• Mash the tomatoes well
• In a pan add the above 2 ingredients then add coriander powder and the ground masala
• Add water to adjust the consistency
• Add salt and turn off the heat as soon as it turns to a boil. Boiling it too much might in fact turn it bitter. 

For seasoning:

• Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
• Jeera - 1spoon
• Curry leaves - few
• Hing (Asafoetida) - a pinch
• Red chillies - 2
• Oil for tempering

Heat oil, add the above ingredients to prepare the seasoning and add this to the rasam after turning off the heat. 

Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and add juice of 1 lemon for the tangy flavor. 

Masala Potato Mash

About the recipe:
My take on a south Indian potato poriyal, I like to mash it now and then as it incorporates the masala evenly. Hope you give it a try!


Ingredients:

• Potatoes (any kind really, I used red potatoes)- 3
• Onion- 1
• Green Chilli (Serrano peppers in the US)- 1 large
• Tomatoes diced - 2
• Garlic/Garlic paste -1 tsp
• Oil - enough to saute onions

Seasoning:

• Split urad dal (for crunch)
• Black Mustard seeds
• Red chilli powder  - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder -1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves -  about 10
• Tomato ketchup -1 tsp 
• Salt to taste

How to:

• Boil potatoes 
• Mash boiled potatoes, keep aside
• Heat oil in a pan, add urad dal, mustard, green chillis and ginger garlic paste
• Stir for a few secs till raw garlic smell is gone
• Add onions and wilt them, you can add a bit of sugar to speed up the caramelization
• Spices in, stir.
• Tomatoes in, integrate with masala and stew till a paste is formed
• Add curry leaves
• Add a dash of tomato ketchup, stir
• Add potatoes and vigorously mix the masala with the potato
• Cook for 2 min and remove.
• Serve hot with rice and sambar.

Tomato Thokku

About the recipe:
A spicy, versatile chutney that goes with just about anything!

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 3
Red chilly powder  - 1 spoon 


Seasoning:
Oil - 2 spoons
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Turmeric - 1 spoon
Curry leaves - few
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt to taste


How to:
Blanch the tomatoes for just about 5 minutes or less until the skin cracks. Peel off the skin and grind it to a puree. Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter and add the curry leaves, asafoetida, turmeric and red chilly powder. Add the tomato puree and cook on low flame for a few minutes until the oil separates. It is done when the mixture thickens. Add some salt to taste. 
Goes well with idli, dosa, bread or just mix it with steamed rice and a dab of ghee! 

Spinach and yogurt dip

About the recipe:
This is my innovative recipe. Cool and absolutely refreshing for a warm summer afternoon. 

Ingredients:
Spinach - 1 bunch
Green chilly  - 2 nos. 
Onion - 1 medium
Yogurt - 2 tablespoons


Seasoning:
Cumin seeds - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Oil - 1 spoon
Garlic - 2 pods
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt to taste


How to:
Blanch the spinach for just about 3 minutes. Overdoing will rob it of its valuable nutrients and give you a soggy mess in the name of Spinach. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin and mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter and add the onions, asafoetida, toss in the garlic and remove from heat. Grind this mixture along with the spinach, yogurt to a rich creamy consistency like the one showed in the picture blow. Add some salt to taste. 
Goes well with fresh cut veggies, nachos, chips, french fries or just mix it with rice! 

Sambhar Podi/Powder

About the recipe:
The Sambhar podi is the most crucial ingredient that can decide the fate of your Sambhar. Different people have different versions of the Sambhar podi, this one is from my Mom's kitchen and on the request of a number of friends who love the taste of my Sambhar I have included the much coveted recipe here! 
Please note: This is the recipe of the Sambhar powder and not the actual Sambhar. That should follow sometime soon. 
The quantities given below are for 1/2 kg worth of Sambhar podi which can last easily for a couple of months. 

Ingredients:
Dhania/ Coriander seeds - 1/2 Kg
Red chilly (long ones) - 250 gms
Tur dal - 50 gms
Channa dal - 50 gms
Urad dal - 50 gms
Hing (asafoetida) - a bit
Rice - 25 gms
Peppercorn - 100 gms
Methi/ Fenugreek seeds - 25 gms
Turmeric pieces/powder- 100 gms
Cumin seeds - 50 gms

How to:
Dry all the above mentioned items in the sun for a day or two depending upon how much sunlight you have access to - keep the chilly separate and the others you could dry them together
If you live in a place where you just don't have enough sunlight you could even dry roast the ingredients - a compromise
Gather them all and grind them to a fine powder either at your local flour mill or at home
Use this to make yummy vegetable sambhar! 
Tip: For that extra aroma roast a bunch curry leaves and add to the mixture before you grind them all. 

Yellu (or Ellu) Podi (Sesame aka Til Powder)

About the recipe:
This one too is from my Mom's collection! A very yummy accompaniment to plain rice served hot with ghee. 



Ingredients:
Black sesame seeds/ Til - 100 gms
Urad dal/ Black gram - 2 spoons
Red chilly - 10 nos.


Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 3,4 numbers
Asafoetida/Hing - a very small piece
Salt to taste


How to:
Roast the red chillies in oil and keep aside
Dry roast (no oil) the sesame seeds and keep aside
Roast the other ingredients in the remaining oil - the dal, curry leaves and asafoetida together and keep side
Coarsely grind the dal, chilly, curry leaf and asafoetida mixture first and finally add the sesame seeds for one final whirl before you end.
Add salt in the end and mix well. Goes well with steaming hot rice and a blob of ghee/ clarified butter! 
When stored appropriately it stays for over a month. 
Bon appetit! 

Healthy Cabbage Soup

About the recipe:
Here's a simple,healthy and low-maintenance soup that wont make you wash a bunch of vessels or smoke up your kitchen.Great if you're trying to lose weight/watch your cholesterol. Note: This is a very mild soup,if you want something spicy this is not for you!


Ingredients:
You can use whatever veggies you have, so its a great leftover-utilization dish. And please don't use the frozen stuff as there is very little seasoning all the taste comes from the veggies, so the higher quality veggies you use, the better results you will get. Here's what I used:
(All cut bite sized )

• Carrots - 3
• Cabbage - Half a head
• Green Peppers(Capsicum) - 1 large
• Spring onions(scallions) - 6
• Tomatoes - 3 medium
• Celery - 3 stalks
• Baby Bok Choy - 1lb or how much ever you have (optional)
• Mushrooms-0.5 lbs or how much ever you have (optional, I used a combination of Shiitake and Baby Bella)
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Oil - 1 tsp or less 
• Vegetable stock - as per your level of "soupiness"! Usually at least 500ml. (Water would also work)

Seasoning:

• Bay leaves -2
• Thyme - Fresh is best,dried also works, season to your choice.
• Fresh ground pepper (normal pepper also works fine)
• Salt

How to:

• Heat oil in stock pot or large pot
• Add garlic and bay leaf, saute for a min.
• Add spring onion,saute for a min.
• Dump all other ingredients and add good amount of stock.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 2 hours or so with stirring maybe once in the middle.
• Go watch TV.
• Serve hot.