Amarapayar Carrot Thoran / Gour Beans and Carrot Stir Fry

Cluster beans / Gour Beans / Amarakka have several health benefits. Gour Beans contains Vitamins, folate, iron and potassium. Cluster beans are rich in the protein and fiber which regulate the bowel movements and relieve constipation.

cluster beans have a little bitter taste, but the sweetness of carrot and the bitter taste of beans gives this thoran a delicious taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• Finely chopped Carrot- ½ cup
• Finely chopped Amarapayar / Gour Beans - ½ cup
• Roundly cut Green chillies - 6 nos
• Finely chopped Onion - ½ cup
• Grated Coconut - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Red Chilly- 2 nos
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 stem
• Salt - As required

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Cook Carrot, Onion, Amara Payar / Gour Beans and Green Chilly with turmeric powder and salt in little Water.
• Add Grated coconut and mix well.
• Heat Oil in a pan.
• Add Mustard seeds and Red Chilli and let it splutter.
• Add Cooked Vegetables and Curry leaves.
• Stir well and slow down the flame and cook it for 2 mins.

Recommended Combination: Serve hot with Rice

Ottada

Ottada can be served during breakfast or at snack time. Ottada is a traditional food, ada wrapped in banana leaf roasted in 'cheena chatti'. The smell of roasted banana leaf takes me back to my childhood days.

INGREDIENTS:

• Roasted rice flour  - 2 cups
• Grated coconut - 1cup 
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Water  - As required to make dough
• Banana Leaves

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Mix the Grated Coconut and sugar for filling.
• Add Water and Salt to rice flour and make a dough like chappathi dough.
• Make the dough into small balls.
• Flatten the dough on a rectangular banana leaf using finger tips and little water. 
• Put a some coconut mix and spread it in one half of the ada.
• Fold the banana leaf in half. 
• Heat a Pan / Thava / Chatti.
• Put each ada in it and sprinkle some water.
• Cover it with a pan and cook in medium heat.
• Roast the ottada on both sides till the banana leaf turns brown and the ada detaches from the leaf.

Cabbage Vada

It is a quick and delicious snack. It tastes similar to parippu vada.

INGREDIENTS:

• Finely Chopped Cabbage - 1½ cup
• Finely chopped shallot - 10 nos or  Onion - ½ cup 
• Besan Flour / Gram Flour / Kadala Maavu  -  1½  cup
• Finely chopped Ginger - 1 tsp
• Red Chilly - 3 nos
• Curry Leaves - 1 stem
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Mix chopped shallot, chopped Ginger, chopped Red chilly, Curry leaves, Cabbage, salt and gram flour/ Kadala maavu.
• Make a thick batter using little water (like parippu vada consistency).
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Take small amount of the mixture and make a ball. 
• Flatten the ball in to a round shape using hand.
• When the oil is hot put each one slowly and fry both sides to a golden brown colour.

Recommended Combination: Serve hot with Black Coffee or Tea

Cauliflower Mutta Thoran / Cauliflower Egg Stir fry

Combination of Egg and Cauliflower results in a delicious thoran.

INGREDIENTS:

• Finely chopped Cauliflower- 1 cup
• Onion(finely Chopped)- 1 nos
• Green Chilly(roundly cut) - 3
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Grated Coconut-¼ cup
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Red Chilly-2 nos
• Egg - 3 nos
• Salt – to taste
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Curry leaves- few

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Cook Cauliflower in little water, Turmeric powder and Salt.
• Beat the Eggs and keep aside.
• Heat Oil in a pan and allow Mustard seeds and Red chilly to splutter.
• Add Chopped Onion and Green Chilly and saute well.
• When Onion turns transparent, add the beaten egg,  grated Coconut and salt and stir continuously.
• Add Cooked Cauliflower along with Curry leaves  and saute well.
• When the thoran becomes dry, remove from fire.

Recommended Combination: Serve with Rice / Chappathi / Dosa.

Rava Idli

Rava, usually used to prepare Upma can also be used to prepare delicious idli.

INGREDIENTS:

• Roasted Rava - 1 cup
• Curd - 1 ½ cup
• Finely Chopped Ginger -  ½ tsp
• Grated Carrot - 2 tbsp
• Green Chillies - 2 nos
• Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
• Channa Daal - 1 tsp
• Urad Daal - 1 tsp
• Cashewnut - 10 nos
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves - A few
• Chopped corriander leaves -2 tbsp
• Sugar - ½ tsp
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Heat ghee in the pan and fry cashewnut and take it aside.
• Add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. 
• Add channa daal, urad daal and fry it.
• Add green chilies and chopped ginger and saute for a minute. 
• Add rava, mix well and roast for a minute.
• Remove from fire and add grated carrot, chopped corriander leaves, salt, sugar, curry leaves and curd and mix well.
• Now the Idli batter is ready.
• Grease the idli mould with oil.
• Put fried cashewnut in the center of each idli mould.
• Pour the batter in the mould .
• Steam the vessel for about 10 - 12 minutes.
• Turn off the stove and let it cool.
• Remove the idlis from the mould and serve.

Recommended Combination: Serve with Chutney or sambar.

Red Beans and Raw banana stir fry / Vanpayar Kaya Thoran

This is a delicious thoran which can be a good side dish for rice. Its rich in protein and iron.

INGREDIENTS:

• Red Beans -  ½ Cup
• Raw Banana(cut into small pieces) - ½ Cup
• Grated Coconut – 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds- pinch
• Garlic pod - 1 nos 
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp 
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 2 nos
• Coconut Oil - 1 tsp 
• Curry leaves - A few
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Cook Red Beans/ Vanpayar in a Pressure cooker with Turmeric Powder and Water for 3 -4 whistle. 
• Crush Coconut, Cumin seed, Chilly Powder and Garlic. 
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Cook the banana with Turmeric powder, Salt and Water.
• Once the Banana is cooked well, add crushed Coconut mix and cooked Beans.
• Mix well.
• Heat Oil in a Pan.
• Add Mustrard seeds and Red chillies into it, allow to Splutter.
• When it starts to splutter, add the Urad dal and fry it.
• Add Thoran and Curry leaves and stir for a minute and remove from fire.

Recommended Combination: Serve hot with Rice.

Mint Chutney / Pudina Chutney

Mint leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh aromatic flavour with a cool after taste.Mint leaves can be used to prepare teas, syrups and side dishes like chutney or chammandi.Mint leave's extract is good for stomach.

INGREDIENTS:

• Mint leaves - ¼ cup
• Grated Coconut - 1 cup
• Green chilly - 1 nos
• Tamarind - 1 gooseberry ball size
• Pearl Onion - 1 
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Red Chilly-2 nos
• Channa Daal - 1 tsp
• Urad Daal - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Heat 1 tsp Oil  in a Pan.
• Add Channa Daal, Urad daal and fry it.
• Add Mint leaves and saute for a minute.
• Grind Mint leaves, fried daal, Tamarind, Green Chilly, Pearl Onion, Coconut and Salt together to a fine paste.
• Heat  1 tsp Oil and splutter Mustard seed and Red Chilly.
• Add this to the Chutney. 

Recommended Combination: Serve with Idli / Dosa.

Chicken Pakora

Pakoras are delicious snacks , often served as appetizer.Bone chicken pieces can be used to prepare delicious Chicken Pakoras.

INGREDIENTS:

• Boneless Chicken Pieces - 250 gm or  ½ lb
• Besan Flour - 3 tbsp
• Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
• Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Corriander powder -  ½  tsp
• Red chilly powder -  ½  tsp
• Garam Masala Powder -  ¼   tsp
• Egg - 1 nos
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Pepper Powder - ¼ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Mix all the ingredients together .
• Marinate the chicken and keep it aside for 5 minutes.
• Heat Oil in a Pan
• When the oil is hot put each pieces slowly and deep fry both sides to a golden brown colour.

Recommended Combination: Serve with sauce.

Veluthulli / Garlic chammanthi

Including Garlic to our diet through variety of dishes is a healthy practice. Garlic  is generally good for our stomach and will help digestion.

INGREDIENTS:

• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Garlic - 2 nos
• Red Chilly  - 4 nos
• Curry leaves - 2 -3 leaves
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Crush all the other ingredients together.

Recommended Combination: Garlic Chammandi can be served with Kappa Puzhukku.

Apple Banana Milk Shake

This ia  variety and tasty milk shake prepared using apple and banana.

INGREDIENTS: 

• Chilled Milk - 1 cup
• Rippened Plantain - 1 no
• Apple - 1 no
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Cashewnut - 5 nos
• Almond - 5 nos

PREPARATION METHOD:

• Peel the Skin of  the Apple and cut it into small pieces.
• Chop the Plantain. 
• Blend Plantain, apple, sugar, cashewnut and almond smoothly.
• Add chilled milk and blend together.
• Pour it into a glass and serve.