Ingredients:

• Raw plantain:2, medium-sized, cubed

• Elephant Yam :1.5 cup cubed (I used frozen yam)

• Carrot, pumpkin: 1 cup (optional)

• Black chickpeas/kadala/chana cooked :1 cup

• Chilly powder: 1 tsp

• Turmeric powder:½ tsp

• Curry leaves :2 sprigs

• Salt :To taste

• Jaggery:3-4 tbsp or to taste

For grinding

• Grated coconut :1 cup

• Whole pepper corns : 1 tsp

• Cumin seeds :½ tsp

For seasoning

• Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp

• Dry red chillies :2-3

• Curry leaves :1 sprig

• Coconut slices :¼ cup

• Grated coconut:1/2-3/4  cup

• Whole pepper corns:5 crushed

• Ghee / coconut oil: 1 tbsp

• Coconut oil : 2 tsp, to season

Directions:

1. Soak the kadala / black chana in enough water for at least 8 – 10 hrs. Pressure cook it in enough water adding salt till 4 – 5 whistles or until it is fully done.

2. Add the raw plantain, elephant yam, carrot , chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and enough water in a pan and cook till they are done. Add 3 – 4 tbsp jaggery and mix well.

3. Coarsely grind the grated coconut, cumin seeds and pepper corns in a mixer. Add this ground mixture to the cooked vegetables and mix well. Check for salt. Cook for a few minutes or until the raw taste of coconut is gone. Add the cooked chickpeas to the above mixture. Mix well. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Switch off.

4. In another pan add oil, pop mustard seeds, fry dry red chillies, curry leaves, crushed whole pepper corns, grated coconut and coconut slices. Roast the grated coconut and coconut slices(I didnt add them here) till they are reddish-brown in color. Add the roasted coconut mixture to the curry and mix well. Finally add 1 tbsp of ghee / coconut oil for that extra taste. Serve hot with rice. 

Ingredients:
• Vermicelli: 1 cup
• Water: 3/4 cup
• Sugar: 1 cup
• A pinch Saffron
• Milk: 1 cup
• Cashew nuts: 3-4
• Raisins: 7-8
• Cardamom: 2-3
Directions:
1. Sauté the vermicelli in ghee till it turns brown.
2. Boil water in another vessel.
3. Put vermicelli in boiling water and cover it, stirring occasionally.
4. After the vermicelli becomes soft, add the sugar stirring continuously.
5. Dissolve in the milk and add this to the vermicelli.
6. Powder the cardamom and add it to the mixture.
7. Flavor the desert with fried cashew nuts and almonds.
8. Simmer the vermicelli for about two minutes. Your delicious payasam is ready to be served.

Ingredients:
• Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
• Green chilies: 5
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp.
• Yam thinly sliced into 11/2" length pieces: 1cup
• Cucumber sliced lengthy into 11/2" length pieces: 1cup
• Snake gourd Sliced into 11/2" length pieces: 1cup
• Carrot Sliced into 11/2" length pieces: 1/4cup
• Long runner-beans sliced into 11/2" length pieces: 1/2cup
• Drumstick cut into 2" length pieces: 2
• Curry leaves
• Coconut oil: 3 tbsp.
• Raw bananas sliced into 11/2" length pieces : 1
• Raw mango pieces : 1
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Grind coconut with green chilies and cumin seeds in paste and keep it aside.
2. Heat coconut oil in a thick bottom vessel, add vegetables and cook it on a low flame without adding water.
3. When the vegetables are cooked, add turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
4. Put bananas and mango pieces in cooked vegetables and cover the vessel.
5. When steam comes out, add the coconut paste and stir well.
6. Remove from fire and garnish it with curry leaves .

Ingredients:
• Toor dal (tuvaram parippu) : 1/2 cup
• Tamarind water: 1 cup
• Onion (sliced long): 1
• Carrot (cubed): 1
• Potato (cubed): 1
• Drumstick (cut into 4" pieces): 1
• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp.
• Green chilies (slit): 2
• Fresh sambar powder: 3 tbsp.
• Coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish: 1 small bunch
For tempering:
• Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds (kaduku)  : 1/2 tsp.
• Fenugreek seeds (uluva, vendhayam) : 5-6 nos.
• Hing (kaaya podi, perungaayam) : 1/2 tsp
• A few curry leaves
• Shallots (cheriya ulli, chinna vengaayam), sliced: 4-5 nos
Directions:
1. Cook the toor dal with water in a pressure cooker until it's soft and completely mushy.
2. Soak a small ball of tamarind in warm water and squeeze to extract the juice. Discard pulp and seeds. You should have a cup of liquid at the end. The level or sourness is up to you so add more tamarind if you require. Start will lesser than what you think you require.
3. Cook the vegetables and green chillies in the tamarind water + one more cup of water until soft. Add the sambar powder and the cooked toor dal. Bring to boil. If the sambar is too thick, add more water and bring to boil and if it's too watery, boil until the right consistency is reached.
4. Heat the oil for tempering in a small pan. Add the mustard and when they pop, add the rest of the ingredients. When the shallots turn golden brown, dunk into the prepared sambar. Mix well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Ingredients:

• Unripe plantain (ethakka): 3
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp.
• Salt: 1 tbsp.
• Coconut oil: 4-5 cups.

Directions:

1. Make grooves into the skin of the plantain and peel it off gently.
2. Mix the turmeric powder in a bowl of water and immerse the peeled plantain in this. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pan and let it reach almost-smoking point
4. Pat the soaked plantain dry using kitchen towels, it's ok if it's a bit moist
5. Using a slicer, slice the plantain into thin discs. You can directly do this into the hot oil (which needs more practice) or do this into another bowl and then add it to the hot oil
6. The chips will sizzle A LOT and then start to brown a bit. Don't let it turn too red, that will spoil the taste. The sizzling will almost subside when the chips are ready
7. Mix the salt in about 2 cups water and keep ready
8. Sprinkle this salt water over the chips when they are still in the oil but ready. Be careful while doing this since the oil is hot - just sprinkle, don't pour
9. Give it a mix and then drain the chips to a kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil
10. Fry all the banana pieces, let cool, and store in airtight containers. Since coconut oil tends to go rancid pretty quickly, finish off the chips within 2-3 days or store in the refrigerator for up to a month

Ingredients:

• Cucumber pieces:                  2 cups 

• Grated Coconut:                    1/2 cup 

• Cumin seeds:                         1 tea spoon

• Mustard seeds:                       1/2 tea spoon

• Green chilies:                       2

• Salt                                      to taste

• Yogurt (Curd):                      1 cup approximately.

For seasoning:

• Mustard seeds                                         1 tea spoon

• Cumin seeds                                            1 tea spoon

• Vegetable oil or Coconut oil                     1 tea spoon 

• Curry leaves                                             few

Directions: 

1. Take cleaned Madras Cucumber cut it into half. 

2. Remove the skin of cucumber. And discord the seeds for center part of cucumber.

3. Now cut into small pieces.

4. Take grated Coconut and Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds in a small mixer grinder jar grind it well with little amount of water. Take this coconut masala paste in a separate bowl keep it aside.

5. Heat pan add cucumber pieces and 1/2 a cup  of water and cook for 2 to 3 min.till pieces has to cook well.

6. Now add salt and green chili (split it into half) and cook for few more min till water to evaporate.

7. Then add Coconut masala paste to cooked Cucumber pieces mix well in high flame for few seconds and switch off the flame.

8. Now take out in a separate bowl and add Yogurt in to Cucumber spice mix'

9. Heat Vegetable oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds fry for few minute. till seeds to splutter.

10. Now add Split green chili fry for few minute .then add Curry leaves and off the flame.

11. Add this seasoning into Mix.

12. Serve as a side accomplishment with Rice.

Homemade Pickles are the best. I always prefer them because they are fresh with less sodium and other preservatives. Mango pickle is one of the easiest pickle to make at home. If you have 6 to 7 mangos in your pantry you can pickle them and store it in the refrigerator or gift it to your friends

Ingredients:

·         Raw mangoes: 500 gms.

·         Fenugreek seeds: 3 tbsp.

·         Fennel seeds: 4 tbsp.

·         Red chili powder: 2 tbsp.

·         Turmeric powder: 2 tsp.

·         Mustard seeds: 3 tbsp.

·         Mustard oil: 350 mls.

·         Salt As per taste

Directions:

1. Cut raw mangoes into half, remove seed and then cut ¾th inch sized

pieces.

2. Apply turmeric powder and salt, rub nicely and then keep it for half an

hour. Drain out excess moisture.

3. Grind fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds and mustard seeds to a coarse

powder.

4. Heat mustard oil until smoking point, remove and let it cool.

5. Mix fenugreek seeds, fennel and mustard powder with red chili powder.

Add half of the mustard oil to this mixture and rub this spice and oil mixture

to the mango pieces. Mix thoroughly.

6. Put this into an earthenware jar and pour the remaining mustard oil.

Cover the jar with a muslin cloth and keep it in the sun for 5-6 days.

7. Make sure you stir the contents of the jar for the first two weeks at least

once a day. This is to ensure that the mango pieces are always in contact

with the oil.

Note: In most of the Indian pickles, salt and oil are used as preservatives.

Homemade Pickles are the best. I always prefer them because they are fresh with less sodium and other preservatives. Lemon pickle is one of the easiest pickle to make at home. If you have a bag of lemons lying around in your pantry you can pickle them and store it in the refrigerator or gift it to your friends
Ingredients:
• Lemons: 6
• Salt: 5 tsp.
• Chili powder: 5 tsp.
• Turmeric pinch
• Hing: 1 tsp.
• Fenugreek seed (Methi): 1 tsp.
• Sesame Oil: 5 tbsp.
Directions:
1. Cut lemons into small pieces and remove the seeds. Add salt and keep for about 12 hours.
2. Add chili powder, turmeric, and methi
3. In a pan heat the oil and throw in the mustard seeds and asafetida.
4. Spread this mixture over the lemons.
5. Mix thoroughly and transfer this to the glass bottle
6. Keep this in sunlight for 3 –4 weeks ( inside the home where you get bright sunlight)
7. Every day with the help of a dry spoon mix the pickle nicely and close it.
8. No need to keep in the refrigerator.
9. After 4 weeks the skin of the lemon  will be soft and the lemon must have absorbed the spices.
10. Now keep it in the fridge and enjoy with rice.

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