Crispy Kunuku

Ingredients

Boiled Idli rice - 1 cup

Toor dal - 1/2 cup

Moong dal - 3 spoons

Chana dal - 3 spoons

Urad dal - 3 spoons

Red Chilli - 6 or 7

Salt - 1 spoon. 

Coconut (cut into small pieces) - one small cup OR Onion (cut into small pieces) - 1 cup

Coriander leaves & curry leaves - little

Method of Preparation

1)      Soak rice and all dals in water for 3 to 4 hours

2)      Grind rice, dal, red chilies and salt together into a coarse paste

3)      Add cut coriander and curry  leaves to the ground mixture

4)      Add coconut pieces OR cut onion pieces

5)      Mix well

6)      Take oil in a kadai and heat.

7)      Make small round balls of batter and fry to get golden brownish color.

Nice crispy kunuku is ready to serve with green chutney or tomato sauce. This is an ideal snack for all age groups.

Appalam Vathakuzhambu

Ingredients

Appalam/Papad - 2 or 3 (cut into pieces)

Tamarind - "small lemon" size

Salt – 1 spoon

Sesame oil - 4 or 5 spoons

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek/methi seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Toor dal/pigeon peas - 1 spoon

Sambar powder - 2 spoons

Curry leaves - 10 leaves

Dry red chilli - 2 or 3

Jaggery - little

Asofoetida/Hing - small piece

Method of preparation

1. Soak tamarind in hot water and make around 1 and 1/2 cups of tamarind juice out of it.
2. Take a kadai, pour 4 spoons of sesame oil, fry the appalam pieces and keep it aside.
3. Take oil in the kadai, add mustard seeds. After the seeds splutter, add fenugreek seeds, toor dal, curry leaves and asafoetida. Allow the mixture to turn golden brown and then add sambar powder. Fry for a minute.
4. Add the tamarind juice, salt, jaggery and cook for 10 minutes. 
5. Add the fried appalam pieces and cook for 2 minutes.

Delicious appalam vathakuzhambu is now ready. Serve with hot rice. This recipe makes enough to serve 4 people.

"Instant" Tomato rasam

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 2

Salt - 1 spoon (or to taste)

Pepper - 1/2 spoon

Asafoetida - small piece

Jeera - 1/2 spoon

Sugar - a pinch

Curry leaves - 4-5

Coriander leaves - little

Method of preparation

1. Grind tomatoes, pepper and jeera in a mixer. Mix the same with 1 ½ cups of water in a vessel.

2. Add salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, coriander leaves and a pinch of sugar. Boil it for 3 to 4 minutes

3. Heat oil in a kadai or pan and add mustard or jeera to this. Add this tempering mixture to the boiling rasam

The "super quick" delicious tomato rasam is ready to server. This serves a family of four.