Pesarattu/ Green gram dosa

Ingredients:

1. Green gram - 1 cup
2. Ginger - 1"
3. Green chilly - 1 or 2
4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
5. Cumin - 1 tsp
6. Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped
7. Oil for drizzling
8. Salt to taste


Method:

1. Soak green gram overnight  or for over 8 hrs.
2. Grind the green gram along with ginger, green chilly, cumin and curry leaves. Just add enough water required for grinding.
3. Transfer the batter to a bowl . Add salt and required water to make the consistency of dosa batter.
4. Heat the dosa pan. Pour a ladle full of batter to the center of the pan and spread it in circle.
5. Drizzle some oil on the top of the dosa and a teaspoon of chopped onion.
6. Once the dosa starts to turn brown, flip it over and cook till the other side is also cooked.


Serve hot with chutney!.

Beetroot leaf thoran/poriyal

Ingredients

1. Onion - 1 small , chopped
2. Beetroot leaves -  l bunch ( It had leaves from 3 beetroots)
3. Grated Coconut - 1/3 cup
4. Dry red chilly - 1
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Salt to taste

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilly - 1 or 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig or 5-6 leaves


Methods:

1. Wash and cleans the leaves along with the stem.
2. Chop it into small pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds, urad dal and dry red chilly. When  the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves followed by the chopped onions.
4. Saute till the onions are slightly translucent.
5. Add the chopped beetroot leaves to it followed by turmeric powder, salt and little water. No need to add more water as water will ooze out from the leaves.
6.  Mix well and cook till the water is fully absorbed and the leaves are cooked.
7. Meanwhile crush the coconut and red chilly in the chopper or mixie.
8. Once the beetroot leaves are cooked completely, add these crushed coconut to it and mix well. Cook it for another minutes and switch of the flame.

Serve it as a side dish for rice!

Avocado milk shake/smoothie

Ingredients:

1. Avocado - 1
2. Milk - 1 cup
3 Sugar - 2 tbsp
4. Water - 1/4 cup
5. Ice cubes - 2 or 3

Method:

1. Cut avocado into half and scoop off the avocado flesh.
2. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend till cream and smooth.

Serve cold!

Sweet diamond cuts

Ingredients :

1. All purpose flour - 2 cups
2. Butter - 1 tbsp, at room temperature
3. Egg - 1
4. Salt - 1/4 tsp
5. Sugar - 1 cup
6. Water as needed

Method:

1. Take all purpose flour, salt and butter in a mixing bowl. Gently mix it.
2. Beat the egg and add it to the above mixture and fold it.
3. Add water 1 tsp at a time to make a soft dough. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
4. Make small balls and roll them round like we make roti. Then with a pizza cutter cut the rounds diagonally first from left and then from right to make small diamonds.
5. Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry these diamond cuts until golden brown and drain it in a paper towel.
6. Meanwhile, add sugar to a wide pan along with 1/4 cup water . Boil this to make a sugar syrup with one with one string consistency.
7. Once the sugar syrup is ready ,  switch off the stove and allow it to cool down a little. Then add the fried diamond cuts to the sugar syrup and mix well.
8. The sugar will crystallize and coat the diamond cuts. Store it in airtight containers.

Unniappam

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour - 2 cups
2. Grated jaggery - 1 cup
3. Banana - 2 small (Palayan kudan pazham preferred)
4. Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup
5. Water as required
6. Ghee - 1 tbsp
7. Black sesame - 1/2 tsp (optional)
8. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
9. Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
10. Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Melt grated jaggery in about 1 cup water. Allow it to cool completely. Strain for any impurities.
2. Grind the  banana and keep aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, take rice flour. Add the melted and cooled jaggery and the pureed banana to it. Mix it gently. Add water little by little if required to make an idli batter consistency.
4. Fry the coconut pieces in ghee till it is golden brown . Then add this to the above batter and mix well.
5. Finally add the baking soda, black sesame seeds and cardamom powder, if you are using, to the mixture and mix well.
6. Keep this aside in a warm place for around 5-6 hours.
7. After the batter is kept for 5-6 hours, check for the consistency.If it is too thick, add a little water.
8. Now heat oil to the unniappam chatti . When the oil is hot , reduce it to medium and add about a tbsp of batter to each of its hole. The batter should fill up only till 3/4th of each hole. Deep fry for about 2-3 minutes and flip it with a fork and fry till both sides are golden brown. Remove it into a paper towel.

Thiruvathira puzhukku

Ingredients:

1.  Suran/Chena - 1 cup
2. Ratalu/Kaachil - 1 cup / 1 medium sized
3. Taro root/ Chembu - 1 cup / 1 medium sized
4. Chinese potato/ Koorka - 1 cup
5. Raw Plantain/ Kaya - 1
6. Sweet potato - 1 small/ 1 cup
7. Van payar/ Red cow peas - 1/2 cup
8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
9. Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp(optional)
10. Curry leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
11. Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
12. Salt to taste

To grind

1. Grated Coconut - 1 cup
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Dry red chilly - 5-6

Method:

1. Soak vanpayar overnight and pressure cook it with very little water (just enough to cover it) for 3-4 whistles.
2. Peel and cut chena, kaachil, chembu, koorka, sweet potato and kaya into cubes. Pressure cook all these with just enough water(about 2 cups), salt and turmeric powder for about 2-3 whistles.
3. Meanwhile grind the ingredients under 'To grind' to a coarse paste. Add very little or no water at all.
4. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the cooked vanpayar  and ground coconut to it.
5. Bring the pressure cooker back to medium heat and mix well. Add the coconut oil and curry leaves and give a quick stir. Switch off the stove.

Serve warm!!