Bisibela bath - No onion(Marathi Style)

INGREDIENTS: Serves 3 to 4

1. Rice - 2 cups(around 250ml)
2. Toor Dhal - 1 cup
3. Peanuts - 1/2 cup
4. Mix Veg - carrot or beans or peas or potato or chow chow or sweet potato.(any of them can be added in single or in mix) - 1 cup
5. Chickpeas(Optional) - 1/4 cup
6. Tamarind - small gooseberry size
7. Curry leaves,mustard seeds,turmeric powder - for seasoning.
8. Gingelly oil - for seasoning
9. Salt - to taste
10. Small Onions - 15 to 20 peeled and chopped
11. Cloves - 3 pieces to season 
12. Elachi powder(1/4 teaspoon) or Whole elachi - 2 

TO DRY ROAST AND GRIND: 

1. Coconut shredded - 1 tablespoon 
2. Coriander seeds/dhaniya - 1 table spoon 
3. Chana dhal/bengal gram -  1 table spoon
4. Fenugreek/methi seeds/vendayam  - 1 teaspoon
5. Asafoetida cube - 1 small cube (To be roasted with a drop of oil)
6. Seasame seeds/ Ellu - 1 teaspoon
7. Red chillies (Dry) - 8 to 10. 
8. Marati moggu - take 2 inch pieces

METHOD:

1. Boil the peanuts and the veggies together and keep aside.
2. Extract the tamarind water from the tamarind.
3. Put the rice and dhal(after soaking together for 15 minutes or so) together in a pressure cooker and allow 5 to 6 whistles.Add additional cup of water to make the mixture get mashed in the cooker.For 3 cups(2 cups rice and 1 cup dhal) add 6 to 7 cups of water.
4. Dry roast the ingredients given in the section above and grind well.You can use water to grind if needed.
5. Take a pan for seasoning. Add 6 to 7 spoons of gingelly oil and allow the mustard seeds to splutter.Add the cloves and elachi .Add curry leaves and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and few peanuts (optional) and keep this aside.In the same pan roast the small onions and add this to the tamarind water.
6. Once the rice and dhal has been cooked, add the tamarind water,salt needed and stir well. After 5 minutes,add the boiled veggies with peanuts and stir well. After stirring well add the ground paste and mix well.Add water if needed in this stage as the rice will get thicken soon. Keep the flame in low.
7. After the raw smell goes ,add the seasoning prepared in step 5 and bisibela bath is ready to serve.

NOTE: When switching off the stove the rice should be in semi solid state so that it thickens after some time.

Vepampoo Rasam(Neem Flower Rasam)

INGREDIENTS:

• Vepampoo(Dried Neem Flower ) - 2 teaspoons
• Salt - To taste
• Curry leaves - to season
• Mustard seeds - for seasoning
• Dry Red chillies- 3 or 4 
• Tamarind - size of 3 gems(button size)
• Ghee  - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida cube or powder

METHOD:

• Extract the tamarind juice from the tamarind
• Take a seasoning pan and add the ghee. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida cube or powder ,2 red chillies(Break into 2 pieces) , curry leaves and at last add the vepampoo. 
• Remove from flame after adding the vepampoo and keep it aside.
• Take a deep bottomed vessel and add the tamarind juice.Add the salt needed and spilt the red chillies (1 or 2) and allow this mixture to boil well.
• Once the raw smell of the tamarind goes well,remove from flame and add the already seasoned vepampoo.
• I have added this under medicine category since vepampoo kills all the germs in stomach.Having this weekly once will keep your stomach clean.
• NOTE: If the vempampoo is added when the rasam is in stove the rasam will be very bitter.

Moong Dhal Laddoo(Payatha Laddu)

INGREDIENTS:Makes around 15 medium sized laddoos

1. Moong dhal(Payatham paruppu) - 250g
2. Sugar- 250g
3. Cardomom(powdered) - 1/2 teaspoon
4. Cashews - 10 
5. Ghee - around 100 to 150gms

METHOD:

1. Dry roast the moong dhal until the flavour comes out well and allow it to cool.
2. Fry the cashews in a pan using a teaspoon of ghee and keep aside.
3. Grind the moong dhal to a fine powder using a mixer.Also grind the sugar finely using  a mixer.
4. Take a mixing bowl and add the roasted cashews,cardomom powder,powdered sugar and powdered moong dhal.
5. Take  deep vessel and heat the ghee. Remove from fire and add it to the mixing bowl. 
6. Once the ghee cools down a little,start mixing and start making ladoos.This is my first attempt in making a laddoo and I have achieved an Oval shaped laddoo not a round one:).Also,I dint want to use more ghee just to give it a better shape:). If you are not able to make laddoo , heat some more ghee and add to this mixture and keep making laddoos.:)

Pepper & Jeera Aval Upma(Poha)

INGREDIENTS:(Serves 2)

1. Aval - Thick or thin variety - around 400g
2. Peanuts - handful
3. Mustard seeds,coriander leaves,urad dhal,bengal gram dhal,Asafoetida powder,Green or Red chillies - For seasoning
4. Jeera seeds - 3 teaspoons
5. Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
6. Salt - To taste
7. Onion finely cut - 2 medium sized
8. Oil - 2 teaspoons

METHOD:

1. Take a heavy bottomed vessel and add cooking oil.Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.Add the other items in step 3 for seasoning.
2. Add the jeera seeds,peanuts,cut onions and salt to taste.
3. Once the onions are fried you can add the soaked aval to the onions.
4. In case of thin aval, 2 to 3 mins is enough. Take a separate vessel, and sprinkle a cup of water and leave for 2 minutes.You can do this after the onions are fried well.
5. In case of thick variety you can soak the aval in water and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.You can check by pressing a piece of aval. 
6. After adding the aval,switch off the stove ,add the pepper powder ,mix well and serve.

Milagu(Pepper) kozhambu with curry leaves base

INGREDIENTS:(Serves 4)

1. Pepper - around 3 to 4 teaspoons
2. Curry leaves - 1 cup (around 2 handful)
3. Salt - to taste
4. Dhaniya/Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoons
5. Bengal Gram dhal - 2 teaspoons
6. Urad dhal - 2 teaspoons
7. Red chillies - 1 or increase if you need spicy version.
8. Asafoetida cube - 1 small
9. Jeera seeds - 1 teaspoon
10. Gingelly oil - for seasoning
11. Mustard seeds, bengal gram dhal,urad dhal - for seasoning
12. Tamarind - about the size of half gooseberry

METHOD:

1. Extract the tamarind water from the tamarind.
2. Dry roast all the items - Pepper,dhaniya,urad dhal,jeera seeds,bengal gram dhal,Red chillies,Asafoetida with a pinch of oil.Grind all these along with curry leaves and keep aside.You can used water if needed.
3. Take a heavy bottomed pan, add 5 to 6 teaspoons of gingelly oil.Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the urad dhal and bengal gram dhal.Add asafoetida powder if you are using the powder version.
4. Add the extracted tamarind water and once it boils well and the raw smell leaves add the ground paste.
5. Allow this mixture to boil for 5 to 10 minutes and serve with piping hot rice.
6. This kozhambu helps to clear out stomach bloating or loss of appetite and hence including this once in a week will be well appreciated by your stomach:)

Kothamalli Rice/Coriander Leaves Rice

INGREDIENTS: Serves 2 to 3.

1. Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
2. Coconut shredded - 1 tablespoon
3. Mustard seeds,Bengal gram dhal,urad dhal,asafoetida powder,Cashews(optional) - For garnishing
4. Ghee/Oil - 2 teaspoons
5. Onion finely cut - 2 medium sized
6. Rock salt - To taste
7. Green chillies - 3 (increase if you need spicy version)

METHOD:

1. Grind the coriander leaves after taking the leaves from the bunch along with salt,green chillies,coconut.
2. Take a heavy bottomed pan,add 2 teaspoons of oil and splutter the mustard seeds.Add the items in step 3 for seasoning.
3. Add the cut onions and fry well.
4. Once the onions get fried, add the ground paste and allow the mixture to fry well. 
5. Once the raw smell of the coriander leaves goes,add the paste to rice and mix well and serve.
6. Optional step is to add boiled potatoes or boiled channa along with this.
7. Coriander leaves cures many liver problems and hence i have tagged it as a medicine from your kitchen:).Most often we do not swallow the leaves used in garnishing, this is the best way to make your kids eat coriander leaves:)

Avial (Mix veg stew)

INGREDIENTS: Serves 4

1. Mix veggies - Carrot,Beans,Potatoes,Peas,Groundnuts,Sweet potato - Any 3 or more of your choice.
2. Rock Salt - As per taste
3. Curry Leaves ,Jeera seeds - For garnishing
4.  To Grind - Coconut(About half of a coconut), jeera seeds - 2 teaspoons , Green chillies - 2 medium sized. 
5. Cooking Oil - 1 teaspoon
6. Red chillies - 2 medium sized

METHOD:

1. Grind using mixer all the items given in "To Grind" list using little water and make it a paste and keep aside.
2. Boil all the veggies after adding required salt in a cooker.
3. Take a heavy bottomed pan add a spoon of oil and add jeera seeds,red chillies,curry leaves for seasoning.
4. Add the boiled vegetables,ground paste and after it reaches the desired consistency switch off the stove.
5. Optional is - Adding 1 teaspoon of coconut oil after switching off stove will increase the taste. 
6. Another option is adding 1 tablespoon of curd after switching off the stove.