Drumstick Leaves Adai

Adai with drumstick leaves is nutritious and filling. Makes a good breakfast or a snack.

Ingredients

2 cups - Raw rice

3/4 cup - Toor dal

1 tsp - Cumin seeds

1 medium - Onion

6 to 8 - Dry red chili, as to taste

1/2 tsp - Asafotida

2 springs - Curry leaves

1/2 cup - Drumstick leaves

Salt to taste

Method

1 ) Soak rice for 3 to 4 hours and toor dal for one hour separately.

2 ) Grind rice and dal with cumin, chili, curry leaves and onion to a rawa consistency. Transfer to a utensil.

3 ) Add drum stick leaves and salt to taste to the batter.

4 ) Heat a non-stick tawa. Pour batter with a big ladle on the tawa and spread in a circular motion like for dosa. Drizzle sesame oil and cook on both sides till done. Transfer to a plate. Use up rest of the batter to make more adai.

Serve hot with chutney..

Manthanga/ Pumpkin Curry

Usually pumpkin is not in my grocery list, since it imparts a sweet taste to the curry. But when the grocery shopping was done by my better half, there comes the pumpkin to my kitchen. I had this recipe with me, which i had not tried. So tried it and it was not so bad.

Ingredients

2 cups - Pumpkin, chopped to small pieces
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste

To grind

1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut
3 to 4 - Big shallots/ small onion

To crush & powder

4 to 5 - Big garlic flakes, crushed
1/4 tsp - Perumjeerakam / Fennel seeds, powdered

Season

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
3 to 4 - Big shallots, chopped
2 tbsp - Grated coconut
2 - Dry red chili
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Cook chopped pumpkin in enough water ( 1 to 1.5 cup ) along with turmeric powder, red chili powder, curry leaves and salt to taste. Cook till pumpkin is well cooked.

2 ) Grind the coconut and shallot without adding any water. If needed add 1 or 2 tbsp water and grind - but not to very smooth paste. It can be slightly coarse.

3 ) Add the ground paste to the pumpkin pan and bring to a boil. Add little water, if only it is necessary. The gravy should not be watery. When it is starting to boil, add crushed garlic and perumjeerakam powder. Adjust salt to taste and bring to a boil. Take off the stove.

4 ) Heat a pan with coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and pop it, then add shallots, red chili and coconut. Fry till the shallot and coconut turns lightly brown. Pour this seasoning over the pumpkin curry and cover with a lid.

Serve as a side dish with steamed white rice and to complete the menu have something spicy like a fried fish and pappad.

Bottle gourd Khichadi

Bottle gourd is an easily available and common vegetable. It's got many beneficial values, when consumed cooked or uncooked. Here is a khichadi, just like a pachadi made out of this vegetable.

Ingredients

1 Medium size - Bottle gourd,peeled & chopped to small pieces
1 cup - Thick creamy & sour yogurt/curds
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

3/4 to 1 cup - Freshly grated Coconut
4 - Green chili
4 to 5 - Garlic flakes
1'' piece - Ginger
1/2 tsp - Jeera
1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
2 to 3 - Dry red chili
1 to 2 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) First boil chopped bottle gourd pieces in enough water, till it's well cooked.

2 ) Grind coconut, green chili, ginger, garlic and jeera to a smooth paste with little water. Then add mustard seeds and pulse 2 to 3 times to crush the mustard seeds.

3 ) Add the paste to the cooked bottle gourd. Bring to a a slight boil on medium heat. Add salt to taste. Turn off the stove. Then add yogurt ( beat/ blend yogurt well and then add )

4 ) Heat a pan with little sesame oil. Add mustard seeds and pop it. Then add red chili and curry leaves. Fry for second and then pour this seasoning on top of the cooked khichadi. Cover with a lid immediately.


Serve with rice as a side dish.