Vendakkai kuzhambu

Ingredients 1:
Vendakkai - 1 cup, chopped
Onion - 1 chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Tamarind - a small ball
Curry leaves
Coriander (dhaniya) leaves
mustard seeds and urad dal for seasoning

Ingredients 2:
Coriander (Dhaniya) seeds  - 3 tsp
Dry red chillies - 3 (vary according to your taste)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Jeera - 1 tsp
Black Peppercorns- 5-6
Methi seeds - 4

Method:
Soak the tamarind. Grind the Ingredients 2 into a paste.
Heat oil in a pan and season it with mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves. Add the onion and saute until soft. Then add the ground paste and mix well. Add the vendakkai pieces and mix. Let it cook in low heat for 2-3 min. Then mix in the tomato. Let it cook until  the oil separates. Add tamarind extract, required water and salt. Let it boil and then simmer for 10 min. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Kovakkai poriyal

Ingredients:

Kovakkai - 250gm
Onion - 1
curry leaves
Mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera for seasoning
Bengal gram - 1 tbsp
Coriander (dhaniya) leaves
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Cut the kovakkai lenghtwise and then into two. Marinate it with turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and keep aside. Chop the onion almost the same size as the kovakkai. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera and curry leaves. Add the bengal gram and let it turn light brown. Add in the onion and saute unti lit turns light brown. Then add the kovakkai and mix well. Add little water and let it cook in medium heat. Once the water evaporates, let it cook for some more time mixing in between. Once the kovakkai is cooked, garnish with coriander leaves and remove from heat. Serve with rice.

It tastes so yummy!

Mullangi keerai poriyal

Mullangi keerai poriyal (Radish leaves)

Ingredients:

Mullangi keerai - chopped
Onion - 1 chopped
Moong dal - 1 tbsp

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera - 1/4 tsp each
Curry leaves
Dry red chillies -3
Coconut - grated 2 tsp

Method:
Wash and soak the moong dal for 20-30 min.

Heat oil in a pan and season it with the seasoning. Add the onion and saute till soft. Then add the keerai and saute it for a min. Then add in the soaked dal, salt and let it cook in low heat until done. Mix the coconut and remove from heat. Serve with rice.

Pavakkai Kuzhambu

Pavakkai Kuzhambu (Bitterguard Curry)

Ingredients:

Pavakkai - 1 (long)

Onion - 1, chopped

Tomato - 1, chopped

Garlic - 3 cloves

Sambar powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya (Coriander) powder - 3 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves

turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

tamarind - nellikkai alavu (gooseberry size)

Mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera 1/4 tsp each for seasoning

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and season it with mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal and curry leaves. Add the onion and saute with a pinch of salt, until soft. Then add the garlic and saute for few seconds. Add in the pavakkai, pinch of salt and saute for a min. Let it cook for 3-4 min, mixing in between. Then add the tomato, little salt and saute till its cooked. Mix in the sambar and dhaniya powders. Pour in the tamarind extract. Add 1 cup of water, salt and let it boil. Then simmer and let it cook for 10 min. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice.

Note: I add salt little by little in the process of cooking, and the most pat of the salt required, at the end to retain the iodine content.