Mysore rasam

Pressure cook 1/2 cup of dhal in 1 and half cup of water for 4 whistles and set aside.
1. Roast the below in few drops of ghee on low flame until slighlty brown:
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of toor dhal
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds (optional)
1 or 2 long red chilly
1/2 tsp of pepper
2. After roasting, add 1 and a half tsp of grated coconut or a 1 inch coconut piece to the above spices and grind to a fine paste.
3. Soak about a big gooseberry size tamarind in water for few minutes and squeeze out the tamarind juice.
4. In a pan, add the tamarind juice, 1 large tomato finely chopped, salt, 1 tsp of turmeric and a spring of curry leaves and bring the mixture to a boil or until the tamarind is void of its raw flavor.
5. Add the ground paste, cooked toor dhal (must be about 1 and a half cup after cooking) to the boiling tamarind water. You may add about 2 more cups of water depending on the consistency you want.
6. Lower the flame and let it simmer until froth collects on the sides of the pan. Do not let it to a rolling boil.
7. When froths form, remove the pan from heat. In another pan, heat 1 tsp of oil.
8. When the oil is hot enough, temper it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 spring of curry leaves, 1 red chilly (optional), 1 coarsely crushed garlic pod and toss the seasoning into the rasam.
9. Garnish with few cilantro leaves. It is not only for garnishing but cilantro is a good source of iron. So include it wherever you can in your diet.
Your Mysore Rasam is ready to serve. Serve hot as a soup or with plain hot rice. It is a sure comfort food for common cold and digestion.
Alternatively, you may use 1 tbsp of coconut milk instead of the grated coconut. If doing so, add the coconut less paste first and let it cook on low flame for couple of mins. Then add the milk and let it froth. That way, you won't be cooking the milk for long time than is required and also get the masala/spices cooked enough. This rasam is usually little thicker than other rasams.

This time, I did 'thalicha paruppu' (season the dhal with sauteed onions, green chilly, red chilly) and added a cup of it to the rasam instead of plain dhal. That added some extra flavor and Tamil loved it. Try it if you have any left over seasoned toor dhal. You may love it too.

French Toast

This is a very easy breakfast or snack for kids. I loved it as a kid and love it as a mom with the same passion. The toast will be extra soft and little sweet and heavenly.

Well, I have no clue why it is called 'French Toast'. All I know is that this is an excellent way to disguise that egg if yours is an 'I-hate-egg' kid. So should we call it the "I can't believe it is egg' Toast?!

In a bowl beat an egg, 1 tbsp of milk (whole milk preferably), a pinch of salt, 1stp of sugar (for those sweet tooths..add more sugar to your taste..2 or 3 tsp but not more guys)
This mixture will be just enough to coat 3 slices of bread.

Just place one slice at a time into this bowl for 20 seconds and flip it and leave for another 20 secs so both sides soak up enough egg coating.

Now in a hot pan or griddle, melt a tsp of butter and toast this slice on both sides for about 3o secs or until they turn golden brown as in the picture above. Repeat the procedure for the rest of the slices.

Serve hot/cold with maple syrup or as is. Use whole wheat bread to make it extra nutritious. Egg has the complete protein our body needs. So try to include it in your kids' diet as much as possible.

Pudalangai Moru Kootu (புடலங்காய் மோர் கூட்டு)

• Cut the snake gourd ( 1 long) and scoop & discard the seeds. Chop the gourd into small pieces.
• Boil the vegetable in sufficient water (do not add more water. just add water till the veges are fully immersed..Add salt when the vege is half done - if you add at the very beginning, vege will take longer time to cook) until the vege is done
• While it is cooking, Grind 1 and half  tbsp of grated coconut, 1 green chilly, 1/4 tsp raw rice, 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds, 3 curry leaves into a smooth paste
• Once the vege is done, do not drain the excess water, add this coconut paste to the vegetable and let it come to a boil (may table abt 3 to 4 mins)
• Now lower the flame and let the boiling slows down
• While the kootu is settling, beat 1 tbsp of  curd with  1 tbsp od water into a buttermilk consistency
• Add this buttermilk to the kootu and let it simmer in the lowest flame for 2 to 3  mins - keep stirring to prevent the curd from breaking down. If you prefer, you may skip the curd and instead add more coconut paste.
• Turn off the heat and immediately take the pan off the stove so the cooking stops right there.
• Now heat a separate pan, add 1 tsp of oil. When oil is hot enough, season it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds. When it splutters add 1 spring of curry leaves, 1 red chilly(optional) .
• Pour this seasoning over the kootu
• Serve hot with rice. Do not reheat this kootu if you add curd.

Sri Ganesa Chaturthi (விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி) 2009

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Sweet Kolukattai (இனிப்பு கொழுக்கட்டை)

1/3 cup of rice flour/puttu podi
1/3 cup of coconut
1/3 cup of jaggery
1/4 tsp of cardomom powder

Sundal (சுண்டல்)

x

• For convenience I generally use canned garbazo beans for sundal. If you prefer, you may soak the chana the previous night and pressure cook it with a little salt & water.The chana should not be mashy so do not over cook it. That is one other reason I go with canned beans..
• If using canned garbanzo, drain the liquid and wash them gently thrice to get rid of the preservatice smell. Drain the water gently and set the beans aside
• In a hot pan add 1 tsp of oil and season it with 1 spring of curry leaves, pinch of hing, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 tsp of urid dhal, 1 tsp of chana dhal, 2 red chillies (broken into small pieces), half green chilly (optional), 1/4 of medium onion finely sliced (you may use peral onions too)
• Saute until onions go translucent (do not brown them)
• Sprinkle very little salt as the canned/cooked garbanzo has enough salt already
• Now add the cooked garbanzo and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the contents get incorporated and the beans get an even oil coating
• Cover the pan and cook for an additional 5 mins on very low flame
• Optional: Add 1 tbsp of grated coconut powder, stir for 1 minute
• Serve hot as a snack

Pasi Paruppu Payasam (பாசி பருப்பு பாயசம்)

2/3 cup of milk
1/3 cup of Moong dhal, roasted in ghee
1/3 cup of water
2/3 cup of jaggery
nuts

Aval Urundai (அவல் உருண்டை)

This is an easy sweet you can make in less than 10 mins. I always include this as Neivedhyam for Vinayagar Chaturthi not only for it's no-brainer recipe but for it's status as Lord Ganesha's favorite dish and it's unparalleled taste. For kids with sweet tooth, this is a sure keeper.

Makes about 5 balls

• Just soak 1/3 cup of thin poha in 1/3 cup of water for 5 minutes
• While it soaks, in a bowl add 1/3 cup of grated coconut (store bought is also fine but fresh one is preferred. If you do not have a grater, just grind the coconut to a coarse powder in a mixie) 
• Add 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tsp of grated jaggery
• Add very little salt (less than a pinch - little salt brings out the sweetness more)
• Add 1/4 tsp of cardomom powder (builds a nice aroma. but go easy on the amount if you don't like cardomom smell)
• Now gently squeeze the poha and add it to the bowl (Do not press hard as it will mash up the poha. You have added only less amount of water so a gentle squeeze is enough to elliminate the excess water so you can make balls
• Now mix up the contents in the bowl and make even sized balls
• Once the balls are made, in a plate spread some grated coconut (about 2 tbsp) & thinly sliced almonds/pistas or any nuts.
• Roll the balls over them so the outer surface gets coated with the coconuts and nuts for additional flavor (this is optional.)
• The Aval Urundais are ready to be served
• This sweet and soft balls are good to keep in fridge for couple of days and tastes even more delicious when chilled

Kara Kolukattai

Cabbage Kofta Curry

Makes about 5 servings
Kofta:

• Soak 1/4 cup of chana dhal in little water for about 2 hrs
• Microwave the dhal for about 4 mins. The dhal must be 90% cooked.
• (you may even directly cook the dhal without soaking. Just that it takes only 4 mins in the microwave if it is well soaked)
• Finely chop 1/2 of a small size cabbage
• In a vessel with just enough water to cover the cabbage, add very little salt and cook the cabbage, dhal together for about 5 mins on high flame
• Drain all the water and save it for the curry
• Squeeze out any extra water. The cabbage must be as dry as possible and soft at the same time. If the cabbage is not soft enough, just pulse it in a mixie once. It must not become a paste but should be in a state where you must be able to make balls
• Mix some salt (little), 1 finely chopped green chilly, 1/4 tsp of kala jeera (black cumin seeds), 1 tbsp of chana besan flour, 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder and make a nice dough
• Adjust the spice and salt
• Now make small lemon sized kofta balls out of the cabbage dough
• You will be able to make about 8 to 10 koftas
• Deep fry them in oil until the koftas turn golden brown
• Set them aside

Curry:

• In a hot pan add 3 tsp of oil and temper with 1 tsp of kala jeera, 1tsp of curry leaves, 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• Add 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped and saute until the onions turn light brown
• Add a bit of salt (as you will be adding salt in various steps, carefully ration the salt in every step), 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and stir once
• Add 1 tsp of red chilly powder, 2 tsp of dhania powder, 1/4 tsp of cumin powder and stir well for 1 minute
• Now add the drained cabbage water (about 1.5 cups ) and mix well
• In a cup mix 3 tbsp of curd, 2 tsp of water and make buttermilk
• Add this buttermilk to the curry and reduce the flame to medium and stir continuously so the curd won't break down
• Once the gravy is coming together, stop stirring and allow the gravy to come to a boil
• It may take about 5 to 7 mins
• Now add the fried koftas. Cover and simmer the pan for another 7 mins in low flame
• If the gravy is watery, thicken it up using dhalia powder or fried cashew nut powder. But if you go with the given measurements, it will turn out perfect.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Chapathi or Dosa/Idli

Oats Upma

Makes about just ONE serving
Oats is not a new comer to our kitchen. Karthik and I, being devoted fans to oatmeal, it has become a permanent resident, so to speak. But it is yet an alien to Tamil, my 'no-goey-meal-please' husband. Ever since I learnt about the goodness of Oats and Flaxseeds, it is hard to stop pester/traumatise him with a bag full of those goodies. I spotted this '5 grain hot cereal with Rolled Oats and Flaxseeds' pack and can't resist the urge to welcome it to my pantry. After days of waiting, one fine day, Tamil settled for a deal to try them for breakfast as a porridge with buttermilk & salt. Out of the blue moon, last night he suggested, "why not make Upma out of Oats?" That sounded feasible. He even pitched in with the tips - soak the oats instead of cook in boiling water and end up in a goey stuff. Can't wait till breakfast the next morning..so we decided to venture in the kitchen and try it for dinner. He absolutely loved it! He loved the chewy texture and upma tasted divine - he certified it as "tastier than regular rava upma". So here is to all those 'Oat haters'..Now hail, "I can't believe it is Oats" and enjoy this savory dish.
Ingredients:
whole rolled oats - 1/4 cup
water - 1/4 cup
frozen peas-carrots - 1/4 cup
onion - 1/2 medium size, finely chopped
green chilly - 1 long, finely sliced
ginger - 1/4 inch piece, diced into bits
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
peanuts - 1 tbsp
To season:
oil - 2 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
chana dhal - 1 tsp
urid dhal - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 4
salt - 1/4 tsp
Procedure:

• Soak the rolled oats in water for about 3 mins
• While it is soaking, cut your onion, green chilly, ginger
• In a hot pan, add 2 tsp of oil, season it with mustard seeds, chana dhal, urid dhal, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, ginger, raw peanuts (you can add them as is or coarsely crush them and add) and saute until chana dhal, peanuts are golden brown and crispy. Do not brown them all.
• Now add the onions and saute until they turn translucent
• sprinkle some salt, turmeric powder
• Add the vegetables (I added frozen peas and carrot - they cook very quick) and saute well
• When the veges are done, (you may cobver and cook if they are not frozen), drain the oats really well and add them to the pan. Do not squeeze the oats though. It will get mushy.
• Saute the oats for about 3 mins with frequent stirring. You may sprinlke the drained water now and then, to get the oats cooked. Cover and cook for another minute on really low flame.
• Adjust salt and serve hot as is or with any chutney/chai/tea.
• This is a healthy, tasty, easy breakfast for those 'no-no to oats' eaters.

Just in case, you wonder: The Oats pack I used is Bob's Red Mill 5 grain Hot cereal. It contains Oats, Wheat, Barley, Rye, Triticale & Flaxseeds. Never attempt this Upma with instant oats.

Murungai Masala