It makes things easier , if you can see a simple laid out plate for lunch and the options are there right in front of you.
It is almost as if you can choose the plate with the dishes and ordering from a menu. My humble lunch plate which I will try to post as many as possible during the coming days. I had been posting such pics almost everyday in various food groups, and then a thought struck me.Why not post the same here for you to pick and choose. Desserts are left out as we do not eat desserts everyday and it is thing of rarity. Yo can choose from the list of desserts , a small collection to fix your sweet tooth.:-)

Rasam

Ingredients:

3 small tomatoes quartered. 

sprigs of curry leaves to garnish.

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

A small piece of ginger

1 green chilli

To roast and grind:

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black pepper

2 red dry chillies

Pinch of asafoetida

2 tsp Coriander seeds

1 tsp Toor dal/Red gram

A pinch of turmeric powder

salt to taste

For seasoning

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chilly

2 tsp oil.

Method:

Keep the tomatoes, washed  and quartered.

You can make a tomato puree by adding the green chilli, and ginger to tomatoes and make a puree.

Add some water to the puree to thin it , around 3 cups. Another method is to add the quartered tomatoes with little water, green chilli,, ginger and sprigs of curry leaves, turmeric powder, and pinch of asafoetida powder to boil for a few minutes till the tomatoes soften and gets cooked. Or make a puree.

Keep the tomato puree in the vessel in which you will prepare the rasam, add turmeric powder, salt, pinch of asafoetida and also some curry leaves to let the flavors get infused in the rasam.

While the mixture is boiling, roast and grind the ingredients given under the heading and add the powder to the rasam boiling.

Check for salt, add some chopped coriander leaves.

When the rasam comes to a boil and starts frothing, remove and cover immediately.

Prepare the seasoning by heating the oil, crackling the mustard seeds, and let the red chilli crisp a bit, add some curry leaves also to crisp and pour this seasoning over the hot rasam.

Enjoy this hot rasam with rice or good enough to drink as it is.

This rasam is good to soak some vadas and prepare Rasa vadas too.

If you have noticed this is the easiest rasam which does not require prepared rasam powder, or cooked dal and when one is in a hurry , this quick rasam comes to the rescue.

Check here formore rasam varieties

Arachavitta sambar

Ingredients:

1 cup of mixed vegetables like pumpkin, turnips, drumsticks, or any of your choice.
1 tomato chopped into pieces or tomato puree.
1 small lime size tamarind. ( soaking in water or warm water helps quick easy extraction of pulp)
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 cup Toor dal ( Red gram )  cooked and mashed  well.

To roast and grind

1 tbsp coriander seeds/dhaniya seeds
1 tsp chana dal/Kadala parupu
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
2-3 red dry chillis. ( either small rounded ones or long red chillis.)
1 tsp rice flour
Generous pinch of asafoetida powder.
1/2 cup of a small coconut ( Freshly grated coconut/dry can also be used but fresh tastes good.)

• For seasoning

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 2 tbsp oil ( 1 tbsp of this for roasting  the spices )

• 2 red dry chillis

• sprigs of curry leaves

Method: 

Pressure cook the dal with little water and mash the dal when cooled and keep this aside.

1. Chop all the veggies you plan to use in the sambhar into small cubes. Sambhar can be prepared with one kind of vegetables also like only drumsticks, pumpkins, carrots or only shallots too.

2. Extract tamarind water to make around 1 1/2 cups.

3. Keep the tamarind water to boil by adding turmeric powder, salt and pinch of asafoetida powder.

 Add the chopped vegetables  including the chopped tomato or tomato puree along with some sprigs of curry leaves to enhance the flavor. Add some chopped coriander leaves also at this stage.

4.Roast  all spices except coconut and grind along with coconut when cooled in small mixie jar with little water.Keep the ground paste aside. Rice flour also to be added while grinding the roasted spices , to help thicken the sambhar .

5. When the vegetables seem to be cooked and soft , and when the boiling tamarind mixture with the vegetables starts emanating a good aroma,and seems little reduced in quantity  by becoming slightly thick,  add the cooked dal and ground paste and keep the flame on a low.

6  If the consistency now appears to be very thick, thin it by adding little water from the dal.. Do not boil for long after adding the ground paste, take it off when the sambhar starts to boil.

7. Prepare the seasoning by heating oil in  a tadka pan, crackle mustard seeds, add red chillis, and some more curry leaves and pour this on the prepared hot smabhar.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

This is an excellent sambhar to go with rice, dosas, pongal or idlis.

Serve hot with rice and papad. Truly yum!

Check here for more sambar related recipes .

Spicy jeera Aloo

Ingredients:

250 grams small baby potatoes

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp cumin toasted and crushed

1 tsp coriander toasted and crushed

2 tbsp oil

Pinch of asafoetida powder

Pinch of turmeric powder

salt to taste

Pinch of mango powder   ( optional )

For tempering

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Sprigs of curry leaves and chopped cilantro.

Method:

Wash the baby potatoes to remove the dirt if any and pressure cook upto 2 whistles , with little water or microwave them to soften.

When cooled, peel the potatoes and keep aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil. crackle mustard seeds and  toss the 1 tsp of cumin seeds, sautee till golden and aromatic,taking care not to blacken the cumin seeds.

Add the potatoes and keep stirring to get even coating of the cumin seeds on the potatoes.

Add rest of the spices and salt  and keep stirring as the potatoes sizzle in the oil and spices.

Sprinkle barely drops of water to help cook yet retain the crunch .Cover and cook till the potatoes appears nicely roasted and cooked dry.

This can be done well in a microwave too .

When the potatoes, appear roasted, browned and get a light crunchy exterior, you can remove from te gas and garnish with curry leaves or chopped cilantro.

This makes a terrific dish to go with rice or rotis.

Check here for more side dishes

Chow chow kootu

Ingredients

2 or 3 small tender chow chow/chayotes

½ cup moong dal/paasi parp

2 tbsp of brown or white cow peas/karamani ( optional)

Pinch of turmeric powder

2 dry red chillies

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp of split udad dal

½ tsp of chana dal

1 tbsp oil

Pinch of rasam powder

1 tsp of rice flour to thicken the gravy if necessary.

Pinch of Asafoetida

Sprigs of curry leaves for garnishing

Salt to taste

To grind to a paste

3 tbsp fresh grated coconut

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 dry red chilli

Method

1. Wash the chow chow, dry well, peel and remove the seed inside and the thick inner seed cover , slice it into small squares , not too small though as they will get mashed while cooking.

2. Wash the moong dal. Drain and cook.

3. There are two ways to cook , one is to pressure cook the chow chow with turmeric powder, salt and the moong dal together to one or two whistles.

4. I do the other way on a stove top as pressure cooker can mash the chow chow too much and you end up with a smooth gravy with not much bits of chow chow or dal to be seen.

5. I cook on the stove top by taking a hard pan, cook both dal and chow chow together, moong dal also cooks quickly and so also the chow chow, you can determine how you want the gravy to look in terms of texture.

6. Cook both chow chow and moong dal in a broad pan with little water, salt, turmeric powder, pinch of asafoetida and a pinch of rasam powder, you can cover and cook till the veggies appear soft and the dal also cooked .

7. Meanwhile grate the coconut, and grind with 1 or 2 red chillies and ½ tsp of cumin seeds with little water to get a paste. Paste to be like chutney consistency, not a watery paste. Keep aside.

8. After the gravy looks cooked, it is time to add the coconut ground paste and little rice flour to thicken. I usually don’t have to add the flour as I use just enough water to cover the veggies and dal to cook, so not much watery gravy. Stir well and when it thickens a bit, remove form stove.

9. Prepare the tempering with 1 tbsp oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, allow to crackle, add the split udad dal, let it brown a bit and also the ½ tsp chana dal. Pour the seasoning on the simmering gravy, stir well. Garnish with sprigs of curry leaves.                 

Check here for more kootu recipes