Fried Plantain

Difficulty rating 2 (Special Ingredients required)

2 small plantain sliced
1 large onion (finely chopped)
pinch of turmuric
salt to taste
oil

seasoning
2 tsp shredded coconut
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp red chilli powder

1. Heat oil and add all off the seasoning ingredients until they begin to crackel then add onions and fry till they become transparent.
2. Add the plantain pieces, turmuric and salt and mix.  Cover and cook until the plantain pieces become soft.
3. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, and coconut and mix well and fry for few minutes. Serve hot rice and rasam, sambhar or pappu.

Green Mango Pappu (Lentils)

Difficulty rating 3 (pressure cooker needed, special ingredients required)

1 bag of frozen green mango (or about 2 mangos fresh)
1 medium large onion – diced into big chunks
1 ½ cups toor dahl
1 tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric
salt to taste

Seasoning:
Oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp urad dal
2 tsp chana dal
4 to 6 dried red chillies
2 sprigs curry leaves
4 garlic cloves - finely chopped

Put toor dahl, mango, onion, chilli powder, salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker with about 4 cups of water.Cook for about 3 whistles. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release on its own and then remove the lid.
Heat oil and roast the seasoning ingredients in this order: dried red chilli, garlic and chana dal, urad dal and curry leaves, and finally cumin and mustard seeds.Add the seasoning to the ingredients in the pressure cooker and stir. Serve hot with Rice, a vegetable fry and papadam.

Ginger Pachadi

Difficulty rating 3 (Grinding required, Special Ingredients required)


1 1/2″ to 2″ ginger root (remove skin and slice)

1 Tbsp urad dal

1 1/2 Tbsp chana gram

1 green chilli (adjust)

2 dry red chillis (adjust)

2 garlic cloves

small lemon sized tamarind (soaked in ½ cup water and seeds removed)

2-3 Tbsp grated jaggery

¼ cup water (adjust)

salt to taste

Oil

For seasoning:

½ tsp mustard seeds

6-7 fresh curry leaves

1 tsp oil or ghee

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the dals and stir continuously until they turn slightly red.
2. Add the red chillis, green chilli and garlic and saute for a minute. Remove and keep aside.
3. In the same pan, add ginger and saute till it turns red. Remove from heat and cool.
4. Grind the roasted dal mixture, sauteed ginger, tamarind (with the tamerind and the water it was cooked in), jaggery along with salt, to a slightly coarse paste by adding water as needed.
5. Heat oil or ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds, let them pop and add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add this seasoning to the ground pachadi. Serve with idlis or dosas.

Chamadada (Taro) Kadhi

Difficulty rating 3 (Amount of prep required, special ingredients used, grinding required)

½ Lb Taro roots
4 Tbsp Corn flour
1 tsp Red chilli power
3 cups Yogurt
2 Tbsp Besan / chickpea flour
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
¼ tsp Asafoetida
2 tsp Garam masala
2 tsp Mustard
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 spigs Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil

1. Boil the taro roots but make sure they are still a little firm. Peel the skins and cut into large bite size chunks.
2. Take corn flour, salt and a little red chilli powder and mix well.
3. Gently mix the taro chunks in this mixture till they are well coated.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the taro till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
5. In a blender, churn yogurt, besan, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water.
6. Heat a teaspoon oil in a pan and put in mustard, cumin, asafetida, curry leaves
7. When the mustard splutters turn the heat way down. Once the heat is very low, add the blended yogurt mixture and then slowly increase the heat until it simmers. (If you add the yogurt to high heat, the yogurt will curdle.)
8. Add chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
9. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add a little water if it is too thick and simmer longer if it is too watery.
10. Just before removing from flame, add the garam masala and the fried taro and mix well.

Pudina (Mint) Chutney

Difficulty rating 3 (Grinding required, special ingredients needed)

2 small or 1 large bunch Pudina (Mint)
1 cup Groundnut (peanuts)
1 1/2 Tbsp Tamarind (soaked in about 3/4 cup warm water)
3-4 Red chilies
1 tsp Poppy seeds (optional)
6-8 pods Garlic
1 tsp Urad dal (optional)
2 tsp Jeera (cumin seeds)

1. Pluck the pudina leaves and wash. fry red chilies, groundnut , poppy Seeds , garlic , urad dal and jeera without oil until the groundnuts start to brown in some places. 
2. Grind the above mixture into a fine powder and keep aside.
3. Saute pudina leaves with the tamarind water until the leaves all wilt. 
4. Let the leaves mixture cool and then add the the previously ground mixture.
5. Grind to a smooth paste adding water and salt as needed.
6. Serve with idly, kichidi, utappam, dosa or plain rice.

Uttapam

Difficulty Rating 5 (Preparation Time required, Grinding Required, Special Ingredients needed, Technique involved)


1 Cup Urad Dahl
1 Cup Idli rice (or plain white rice from the regular grocery store, ie not basmati or soona masoori)
1 tsp Methi (Fenugreek) seeds


1 cup Plain Yogurt
Salt to taste
1 tsp Baking soda
2 tsp ginger paste


finely diced onion
finely diced tomato
chopped coriander leaves
other vegetables (cabbage, carrots, peas etc) as desired


1.  Soak the first 3 ingredients overnight.
2.  Drain the water and add the remaining ingredients.
3.  In a mixie or food processor grind the ingredients into a fine paste adding water as needed.  It should be like a water pancake mix.
4.  On a hot griddle, pour about 3/4 of a cup of the batter.  Do not spread it, just let it settle by itself.  It should be like a think pancake maybe about 6 inches around.
5.  Quickly sprinkle some vegetables on the top and then use the back of a spatula to press them into the uttapam.
6.  If you wish you make cover the uttapam with a lid while it is cooking.
7.  Let it continue to cook until the edges start to curl up from the pan.
8.  Turn the uttapam and let it cook for a short time.
9.  Serve hot with sambar and coconut chutney or other chutney of your choice.


This batter can also be used to make dosa if desired.