SuvaiArusuvai - Veg Recipes of India

 When we say Vathakuzhambu we in our family end up voting for either shallots vathakuzhambu or Poondu Vathakuzhambu . But my personal favourite is the manathakkali vathakuzhambu made using dried manathakkali vathal. Mom used to make it with fresh green manathakkali too. But this one gets thicker by the day and tastes too good in the night or the next day. Though the best combination with this is Keerai koottu or Keerai masiya l, I also prefer it with potato kara curry . Here's the recipe for delicious Manathakkali Vathakuzhambu: Ingredients: 2 tablespoons Manathakkali Vathal (unsalted) 8 tablespoons Tamarind Paste 4 tablespoons Vathakuzhambu Podi Few Curry Leaves (optional) 6 tablespoons Gingelly Oil Salt, to taste 200 ml Water For tempering: 1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds 1 teaspoon Channa Dal 1/2 teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida) Method: Heat gingelly oil in a hard-bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add channa dal and hing to the pan. Mix well until the dal turns golden

Ingredients: Toor Dal - 1 tablespoon Urad Dal - 1/2 tablespoon Bengal Gram Dal - 1 tablespoon Black Pepper - 3/4 tablespoon Cumin Seeds - 1 tablespoon Red Chillies - 2-4 (optional) Curry Leaves - 15-20 strings Asafoetida - 1-2 pinches Methi Seeds - 1 teaspoon Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon (optional) Tamarind - medium lemon-sized Gingelly Oil - for seasoning Mustard Seeds and Turmeric Powder - for seasoning Salt - as needed Method: Prepare Spice Paste: Dry roast the ingredients from 1 to 9 until fragrant and slightly golden. Grind them into a smooth paste along with grated coconut, tamarind, and salt. Adjust water as needed. Seasoning: Heat gingelly oil in a kadai (pan). Add mustard seeds and turmeric powder. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the ground paste to the kadai. Cooking: Stir well and add water to achieve your desired consistency for the kuzhambu. Let it boil well until it thickens to your liking. Serving: Once the kuzhambu reaches the desired consistency, it is ready to s

Brinjal Contest entry by  Shripriya Ramakrishnan Ingredients: Small Brinjals - Around 15 Peanuts - 1 cup Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup Dry coconut pieces - 1/2 cup Green Chillies - 7-8 (use 10-12 if you want it to be very spicy) Garlic - 6 clovesRed onion - 1 big Ginger - 1 inch piece Tamarind - gooseberry sized. Small piece of cinnamon, 2 cloves, cumin seeds, turmeric - for seasoning. Coriander leaves for garnishing. Salt - as needed. Oil - If you want to deep fry the brinjals. Method: 1. Wash the brinjals, wipe it, and slit them with the stem intact. 2. You can deep fry these slit brinjals in oil. If you are diet-conscious, microwave the slit brinjals in a microwavable plate for 5-6 minutes on high until they are almost done. Alternatively, you can shallow fry the slit brinjals. 3. Dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds, and dry coconut. Chop onion. Fry green chillies, garlic, ginger, chopped onion, tamarind in a teaspoon of oil. Grind all of these into a paste. 4. Heat 2-3 tablespoons o

Brinjal Contest entry posted by  Shripriya Ramakrishnan Ingredients: Brinjal - 6 chopped fine Potato - 2 boiled and cut into pieces Tomato - 1chopped fine Onion - 1 chopped fine Ginger(1 inch)-Garlic(5 Cloves)-Green chillies (4 )- grind into a paste Coconut milk  - 2 cups Garam masala powder  - 1 tblspn For seasoning: oil, sombu, mustard, turmeric Salt - as needed Coriander leaves for garnishing. Method:   1. In a kadai put oil, add the items mentioned for seasoning. 2. Add the chopped onion, and fry till it is cooked fine. 3. Add the Ginger, garlic, greenchillies paste and fry until raw smell disappears. 4. Add the tomatos and cook well. 5. Add the cut brinjals. Fry until they get nicely cooked. 6. Add the boiled and cut potatoes, garam masala powder, salt, and the coconut milk. 7. Once it boils upto desired consistency, turn the stove off, garnish with coriader leaves. Goes well with chappathis, puris, and also plain rice. Variations: 1. We can add cho

Pathiya Samahyal Contest Entry by  Malini Ingredients: Pumpkin seeds - 2 cups(Use only the seeds & fibre portion of the pumpkin wedge) Tamarind - 1/2 the size of a lemon Coconut scraped - 1/2 cup Dry red chillies - 3 or 4 Urad dhal - 2 tablespoons  Perungayam,S alt - as per taste Oil - 2 tsp. Method: Take out the tender seeds alongwith the small fibres (only the seeds and soft portion) from the pumpkinThe seeds should be very tender , else the thogayal will not taste good. Fry chillies, perungayam and seeds in oil, till it shrinks well & the raw smell goes away. Fry urad dhal till golden brown. Allow it to cool. In a mixie, grind scraped coconut, chillies, e urad dhal, tamarind and salt. Then add the seeds and grind it till soft.

Ingredients: Tomato – 2 Toor dal – 1/2 cup Turmeric powder, Salt, Perungayam (Asafoetida) – to taste Coriander leaves and Curry leaves for garnishing Ghee – 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon To be ground into a paste: Dhaniya (Coriander Seeds) – 1 tablespoon Channa dal (Bengal Gram) - 1/2 tablespoon Milagu (Black Pepper) – 8 nos. Jeera (Cumin Seeds) – 1 teaspoon Red chillies – 2 Oil – 2 teaspoons (for roasting) Method: Prepare Tomato Base: Cut tomatoes into pieces and place them in a vessel. Add water, salt, and perungayam (asafoetida), and cook until the tomato pieces are soft and cooked through. Cook Toor Dal: Pressure cook the toor dal until soft and mushy. Set aside. Prepare Spice Paste: Heat oil in a kadai (pan). Add dhaniya, channa dal, milagu, and jeera, and roast until they turn aromatic and golden brown. Then add the red chilies and turn off the stove. Allow the mixture to cool. Grind the roasted spices into a smooth paste in a mixer, adding a little water. Make Rasam: Add