Lunch Menu
Sometimes lunch is as simple and yummy as this Thogayal rice / chutney . Thogayal is an indispensable part of a Tamil household, maybe other parts of south india also , But a typical Tanjore, Tambram , Tirunelveli family will make a thogayal almost every week with either lentils or any vegetable with lentils . This thogayal serves as the main dish or as an accompaniment to have with pepper rasam rice or as a mixed rice to be enjoyed with papad.
Thogayal varieties are many with veggies such as chow chow/ chayaote, yam, green tomatoes, turkey berries, many vegetables are also used , and also lentils only thogayal prepared for more nutrition such as paruppu thogayal which gives sufficient nutrition when one feels under the weather .
Thogayal recipe is posted seperately in this blog .However to recap , the recipe goes like this .
Ingredients
2 cups or required quantity of chopped ridgegourd after washing and peeling off the thorny skin .
1 tsp split udad dal
1 tsp chana dal
some curry leaves
1 small pinch of tamrind
salt as needed
3 red chilies
big pinch of asafoetida
3-4 tbsp grated coconut
Method
Wash and peel the ridgegourd well .
Do not remove the entire peel but scrape off the rough thorny exterior .
chop into smaller pieces .
Take a pan, add 1 tsp oil , add the lentils, red chilies, tamrind piece and sautee till the lentils are fragrant and change colour lightly .
transfer to a plate , in the same pan add 1 tsp oil , add the chopped ridgegourd pieces, sautee till tender, add some handful of curry leaves , coconut sautee for aminute , and remove .
when the dry ingredients are cooled, powder finely in mixie jar, add the ridgegourd pieces with curry leaves, salt, coconut and tamrind .
grind to a paste , though not too smooth .
serve with hot rice, sesame oil and papad.
Spicy sweet potatoes baked or stirfry .
Recipe:
4 sweet potatoes, washed and peeled, chopped into small cubes .
Spices
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 red chillis minced ( can use serrano )
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves.
1 lime cut into wedges
Pinch of pepper powder or crushed pepper .
1 tbsp of peeled minced, ginger of about one inch.
2 tbsp cooking oil, neutral
Procedure
Pre heat oven to 200 C
Toss the sweet potato cubes with half the oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast until caramelized and tender.May take around 15 minutes.
In a small skillet take the remaining oil and add ginger, chillis,stirring them until nicely fragrant and then add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and pinch of salt.
Let the spices toast in oil, being careful not to burn, for at least one minute. Add the sweet potatoes and toss well in spices. Cook for two more minutes, Adjust seasoning to taste with salt.
Stir in cilantro and serve with rice,and lime wedges.
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Ganesh chaturthi is an important Hindu festival celeberated with great fervour all over India . Many sweets and snacks are prepred as offering in Neivediyam , one such is the popular karchikai/somas or karanji as it is called in many states .
Delicious tasty addictive thattai for Krishna Jayanthi , is very easy to prepare and requires no special skill . check the recipe .
Omapodi, a delightful tea-time snack, is incredibly easy to make, with besan (gram flour) and rice flour being staple ingredients in most households. In just about 30 minutes, you can fry up a batch of these crispy omapodi discs, making it a perfect addition to your snack repertoire. Traditionally prepared during festivals like Diwali to be included in the festive Diwali mixture, omapodi can also be made into a thicker variety of sev by incorporating additional spices and flavors, resembling the taste of ghatiya.
Delicious Chettinad special snacks called seepu seedai .Seepu Seedai or Surulu Murukku is a delightful specialty from Chettinad. Traditionally, it involves a distinct wooden flat board with etched horizontal lines, resembling a comb, on which the dough is flattened and curled to achieve its unique shape. The term "Seepu" translates to a comb in Tamil.