Capsicum Sabji

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup peanuts
1 big onion
2 big tomatoes
2 capsicums - different colors if possible
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp chili powder (or to spice level)
1/2 tbsp dhania powder
1 tsp methi powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1 small lemon size tamarind soaked in water - to take the juice out
Salt to taste

Masala preparation:
1. Dry roast sesame seeds and peanuts separately. Keep them aside.
2. Slightly sauté onions.
3. Grind roasted sesame seeds and peanuts (step 1) with sautéed onions (step 2) and some chopped tomatoes together in a mixer, to get a smooth paste.

Curry preparation:
1. Slice capsicums into big chunks. Pour some oil in a heated pan and sauté capsicum pieces that pan and keep them aside.
2. In the same pan, heat more oil and put in mustard seeds, cumin seeds (Jeera) and curry leaves. After tempering them, add the masala paste (from above). After frying a little, add turmeric, ginger garlic paste, chili powder, dhaniya powder, methi powder, garam masala and some salt.
3. Once the oil starts to separate from the above paste, add some tamarind paste and after boiling for a bit, add the sautéed capsicum pieces to this paste and cook with lid covered for about 10 min.
4. You can add cilantro for garnish.

It goes well with Idly/Dosa, Roti, and/or Rice. I got this recipe from my friend Raji again.

Meal Maker (Soy chunks) Kurma

1/2 packet meal maker (Boil the water and then add the meal maker. After 10 mins, remove the meal maker pieces and squeeze the water out, cut into small pieces if needed)

1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp aniseed powder (sonbu - big jeera)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp urud dhal
5 curry leaves
Coriander leaves, chopped

To Grind:
4 or 5 red chili (or according to your spice level)
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp aniseed
Little bit tamarind
2 tbsp roasted Bengal gram
2 tsp coconut
2 tbsp almond powder

Prepare the soy chunks as mentioned. In a pan, add mustard seeds and urud dhal with little curry leaves. Allow it to splutter and then add cinnamon powder and aniseed powder. Add the onions and garlic together and sauté well. Then add tomatoes and add a little salt and close the lid for it to mash completely. Add turmeric powder and the soy chunks. let it mix thoroughly. After 5 mins, add the ground mixture to this. Add a cup of water and close the lid. Allow it to boil and become thick gravy. Add needed salt and sprinkle some coriander leaves.

This dish goes well with rice/roti. This is one of the best hit in my kitchen. Enjoy!

Bottle Gourd Kootu (Sorakkai kootu)

1 lb sorakkai cut into small pieces

Less than 1/4 onion finely chopped
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp urud dhal
4 curry leaves
Little coriander leaves
1/2 cup moong dhal
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp sambar powder

Take a pan, boil moong dhal in water, by closing the lid, with a little turmeric powder in it. When the dhal is mostly cooked (it shouldn’t be mashed), add sorakkai, onion and add sambar powder, then close the lid back again. Once Sorakkai is cooked, add salt to taste. Then in a separate pan, tamper mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves and put it in the mixture. Sprinkle coriander leaves on top.

This is amma's kootu recipe, which is mild and tastes good.

Optional: you can add grated coconut in the end to this, which will add more taste to the dish.

Spicy Kovakkaai(Tindora) Masal

1 lb Kovakkaai - cut in your style

1 onion chopped
1 and 1/2 tomato chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urud dhal
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp sambar powder
Salt to taste
3 or 4 curry leaves
Coriander leaves chopped

Spice Powder - grind the following
1 tsp whole pepper
2 tsp gram dhal
2 tsp thoor dhal
1 red chili
1 tsp jeera

Take a pan, pour 2 tbsp oil, tamper with mustard seeds, urud dhal,jeera and curry leaves. Once they start spluttering, add onions and kovakkaai and let it cook. Don’t close the lid. The pan should be left open and toss it once a while so that it doesn’t get stuck to it. Once its 3/4 cooked, and then add chopped tomatoes. Add salt, sambar powder, turmeric powder to it and then close the lid of the pan and simmer the gas, until the tomatoes are mashed and the raw smell of the powders are gone. Finally add the spice powder grounded and mix it thoroughly. Sprinkle the coriander leaves and switch off the stove.

My kids loved it by mixing rice with Ghee and kovakkaai masal together. It also goes well with Roti.

Amma's Sambar Powder

Red Chili (kaanja milagaai) - 1 kg

Coriander seeds(malli) - 1 kg

Thoor Dhal (thuravaram paruppu) - 200 gms (1 ulakku)

Channa Dhal (kadalai paruppu) - 200 gms (1 ulakku)

Raw Rice (Pachai arisi) - 200 gms (1 ulakku)

Jeera (seeragam) - 150 gms

Pepper (melagu) - 100 gms

Fennel Seeds (sonbu - perunjeeragam) - little

Methi seeds (vendhayam) - little

Turmeric (virali manjal)

Curry leaves (karuveppilai)

Salt

Dry the red chili in sun. Except red chilies, dry roast the rest and grind it along with red chili.

Amma's sambar powder is ready!!!