Hot and Sour Tomato Pickle

Ingredients
1 lb. green tomatoes(Red ones can be used too)
15-20 red chillies
1 cup chopped ginger
1 cup chopped garlic
2 cups vinegar
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek
1 1/2 cups oil
Salt to taste
 
Method
Slice the tomaotes, smear turmeric and salt on them and soak them in 1 cup vinegar.Leave for about 2 hours.
Blend together the garlic, ginger, red chillies and 3/4 of the mustard, with a little vinegar.
 Heat the oil and add the remaining mustard. When the mustard crackles, add the fenugreek.
Fry for 2 minutes and then add the blended mixture and fry well for over 20 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the remaining vinegar.
Stir continuously as the mixture comes to a boil.
When the pickle is almost done, the oil begins to float
at the top.
Take it off the heat and let it cool.
Store in a clean bottle.
Will keep for a year.

Gonkura Thokku

Wash the gonkura leaves and dry them on a sheet of paper. Cut into fine pieces.To 5 spoons of oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, and add 1 cup of chopped leaves. Fry with constant stirring.Add 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp red chillie powder and cook until it becomes a non-sticky paste.

Mango pickle

sour mango pieces(medium sized)- 5 cups
mustard seed powder - 1 cup
red chilli powder - 1 cup
salt - 1 cup
turmeric powder- a pinch,  fenugreek seed powder - little
mix the above ingredients and add 3 cups of sesame oil.
Store it

Tender mango pickle

Grind mustard seeds, crystalline salt, whole red peppers and turmeric powder- a pinch into a thick paste.Wash the tender mangoes and spread the ground paste on it.

Tamarind pickle

coriander seeds (Dhaniya), fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds - each 1 spoon
asafoetida - 1/4 spoon
Slightly roast the above without oil and grind into fine powder. Pour 3 spoons of oil in a fry pan and add some gram dal and whole red peppers and fry slightly.
Add tamarind juice to this and bring it to boil.Add salt and heat with constant stirring until the mixture becomes thick. Now add the ground powder and stir constantly with heating until it becomes a non-sticky paste.Store in refrigerator.

Ginger Pickle

Grate ginger finely.Take oil and add mustard seeds.When it splatters, add fenugreek seed powder an asafoetida. Add  grated ginger and fry well till the moisture is gone and it becomes a non-sticky paste.

Lime pickle

Fresh lime(large size, thin skin, ripe) - 6
Cut into medium pieces.(Preseve the juice while cutting).Add salt- 4 spoons,red chilli powder - 4 spoons, asafoetida - 1/2  spoon and mix well. Next day add 1/4 cup of sesame oil and leave it aside.
Next day, add mustard seeds to 4 spoons of oil and when it splatters add fenugreek seeds and asafoetida.Add this to the poickle and mix.Store in refrigerator.

Tomato pickle

Cut the tomatoes into large pieces.Add red chilli powder,  a small piece of tamarind and salt.  Grind it in a blender to make it into a thick juice.Pout 5 teaspoons of oil in a frypan. Add mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds, and asafoetida. When the mustard splatters,add the tomato mixture and fry at low heat with constant frying until it becomes a thick paste.

This will taste great with curd rice.

Sweet Corn Soup

An old-time favourite.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 30 minutes.Serves 6.

(450 grams) cream style corn
½ teaspoon Ajinomoto powder
½ teaspoon soya sauce
2 tablespoons cornflour
salt to taste

To serve
green chillies in vinegar
chilli sause

1. Mix all the ingredients with 4 to 5 teacups of water.
2. Cook for 25 minutes.
Serve hot with chillies in vinegar and chilli sauce.

Healthy Tomato soup

The ever popular tomato soup made in a healthier way.
Preparation time : 5 minutes. Cooking time : 25 minutes. Serves 6.

Ingredients
400 grams chopped tomatoes
½ teacup yellow moong dal
2 teaspoons butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon cornflour or plain flour
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
½ teacup warm milk salt and prepper to taste
For serving
fresh cream
bread croutons
How to proceed
1. Boil the tomatoes with the moong dal in 3 to 4 cups of water till cooked.
2. Blend in a blender and strain.
3. Melt the butter, add the onion and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the strained mixture.
5. Mix the cornflour with a little water and pour into the soup. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring ocassionaly.
6. Add the sugar, milk, salt and pepper.
Serve hot with cream and bread croutons.

PADDU/GUNDPONGLU

Ingredients:

• Rice -3 Measurements.
• Urad dal-1 Measurement.
• Green Gram dal- 1 Measurement.
• Toor Dal - 1 Measurement
• Flat Beaten rice-1 measurement.
• Methi dana (fenugreek seeds) 1 tea spoon.

Soak it for 6-7 hours and grind it to nice paste. Leave it overnight for fermentation. Morning u can make hot paddus, U can also add chopped onions, chopped green chillis, coriander leaves chopped, and curry leaves to the batter.

Serve hot with green chutney.   

Sambar powder

Whole red peppers - 1/4 kg
Coriander seeds - 1/4 kg
Toor Dal - 200 g
Gram dal - 200 g
whole black peppers - 25 g
asafoetida - a pinch Dry the above ingredients and grind into a nice powder

Malai Ladoo

Ingredients
1/2 cup condensed milk
250 gms. paneer (cottage cheese)
2-3 drops kewra essence
1/4 tsp. yellow colour

Method
1.Mash paneer.
2.Add condensed milk and cook on slow flame, stirring continously.
3.Cook till thick and sides leave.
4.Add essence and remove from flame.
5.Mix well.
6.Pour on plate.
7.Cool. Make ladoos.
8.Sprinkle powdered elaichi and decorate.