Raw Banana Fry

Ingredients:

• Raw Bananas – 2
• Pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Garlic – 4 cloves
• Onion – 1
• Mustard – 1 teaspoon
• Red Chilli – 1
• Curry leaves – a few
• Oil

Method:
Skin the banana and slice it find. Grind pepper, cumin seed, garlic and onion well and apply on the banana slices. Season it with mustard, red chilli and curry leaves. Cook it with just enough water to get thick consistency. After the water dries up, the curry is ready to serve.

Pepper Water (Rasam)

Ingredients:

• Water – 1 liter
• Ripe Tomatoes – 3
• Salt – to taste
• Peppercorns – 1 teaspoon
• Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Onion – 1
• Garlic – 6 cloves
• Tamarind – 1 lime size piece
• Red Chillies – 3
• Curry leaves – 4
• Mustard seeds – ¼ teaspoon

Method:
Mix tamarind in water. Squeeze the pulp well and throw the pulp out. Squeeze tomato in the same water. Take out the seeds and skin. Keep the flesh. Add salt to it. Roast the pepper corns and cumin seeds. Crush and powder it roughly. Try all the rest of the ingredients in oil, after chopping them finely. Put the crushed cumin seed and peppercorns to the seasoning and stir once. Add the tomato and tamarind juice to it and keep it covered. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes and then remove.

Neer Dosa (Water Dosa)

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1 cup
• Cooked Rice (cooled) – ¼ cup
• Coconut (optional) – ½
• Salt – to taste
• Cardomom – 2 pods

Method:
Soak the rice in water for 2 hours. Add rest of the ingredients and grind to a very fine watery consistency (when pressed between fingers the mixture should not feel grainy). It should spread freely when poured on the hot Dosa Tava (pan). Hold the pan on either side soon after pouring the Dosa and tilt gently to spread the batter. It will be find and soft. Fold it into four quarters while on the Tava and then remove it.

Nooputtu (String hoppers)

Ingredients:

• Nooputtu thari (Rice rava or rice semolina) – 1 cup
• Water – 1 ½ cup
• Ghee – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – ¼ teaspoon or to taste
• Cardamom powder – from 1 pod

Method:
Cook this thari. Make the cooked mixture into big enough balls to fit into the mouth of the Nooputtu press. Steam these balls. Press the steamed balls in the Nooputtu press. Collect the Nooputtu on a saucer or banana leaf. When the balls are being steamed, tie the cardamom powder in a white cloth and keep it in the middle of the balls to get a nice aroma. While cooking the thair add a little Ghee to prevent it from getting stuck to the bottom of the vessel.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

• Coconut – 1
• Salt – 1 teaspoon (or to taste)
• Tamarind – a little (lime size)
• Green Chillies – 4
• Sugar – 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method:
Grind all the above ingredients but not to a very find consistency.

Fish Chutney

Ingredients:

• Dried sardine fist – 10
• Green chillies – 4
• Limes – 2
• Onion – 1

Method:
Roast the fish. Scale and debone it. Grind the green chillies into the fish. Chop onions fine and mix with the fish. Extract lime juice pour over the fish. Mix well. Keep for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.(Remember, dried fish is salty).

Rice Payasa

Ingredients:

• Rice (good variety) – 1 cup
• Coconut – ½ (extracting the milk from the coconut is desirable. If not simply grate it)
• Cardamom – 1 pod
• Salt – ¼ teaspoon (or to taste)
• Jaggery – 2 handfuls
• Water – 4 cups

Method:
Add the rice to the boiling water. Stir once when the rice is ¾ cooked. Add Jaggery syrup, salt and cardamom. After 5 minutes, add grated coconut or coconut milk. Stir well and serve.

Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients:

Method:
Follow the same directions as for meat pulav. Fry chopped vegetables in ghee to cook it partially just like the meat was cooked.

Meat Pulav

Ingredients:

• Good Quality Rice – 1 Cup (with fine grains and fragrance : Basumathi or Jeera Sanna)
• Meat pieces (any kind except pork) – 1 ½ cups
• Cloves – 6
• Cinnamon – 2” stick
• Cardamom – 6 pods
• Onions – 5
• Garlic – 5 Cloves
• Green Chilles – 4
• Poppy seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Ginger – 1 Piece (about 2 inches long)
• Coriander leaves – 5 Sprigs
• Ghee – ½ cup
• Coconut -1
• Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon
• Salt – To taste
• Chilli Powder – ½ teaspoon

Method:
Mix meat with salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Cook it partially for a while and keep aside. Fry chopped onions, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom in ghee. Grind the remaining ingredients to a fine paste. When the fried onion turns brown add the washed rice and stir twice. Then add the meat and ground masala, mix well. Cover the vessel with banana leaf and place a lid on top of it. It would be better if a few burning embers of coal are kept on the lid. Once the rice and meat are cooked the pulav is ready.

Lime Rice

Method:
This is also prepared as the Tamarind Rice. Instead of the Tamarind juice, extract juice from limes and add.