Kommu Senagalu Talimpu

1 cup black chickpeas/kala channa/kommu senagalu

salt to taste

Seasoning/Tadka/Poppu:

1 1/2 tsps oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp split gram dal/minappapu/urad dal

1-2 chopped green chillis

1 sprig fresh curry leaves

 Pressure cook chick peas till soft. Add salt and combine.
 Drizzle oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let them pop, add the urad dal and as it turns red, add the asafoetida, chopped green chillis and curry leaves. Saute for 15-20 secs. Add the cooked chick peas and combine. Adjust salt and turn off heat.

Note: Grated coconut is optional. Add 2 tbsps of grated coconut and combine.

Rava Kesari

Rava/Sooji	1/2 cup
Sugar	1 cup
Water	1.5 cups
Ghee	1/4 cup
Cashew nuts	6
Saffron	a pinch
Warm Milk	1 tsp
Cardomom powder	1/8 tsp
Kesar food color	a pinch

Take 1 tsp of ghee and roast the cashewnuts.Soak the saffron in 1 tsp of warm milk (optional)

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan and roast the rava until it turns pink in low - medium flame.A nices aroma comes out at this stage.Transfer it to a separate bowl and keep this aside

Boil 1.5 cups of water.Now add roasted rava slowly with constantly stirring so that no lumps are formed. Switch off the flame and leave it for 5 minutes so that all the water is absorbed

The rava would be now cooked in the hot water. Switch on the flame and add sugar and kesar color.The mixture will dilute at this stage. Stir it continuously to avoid lumps

Add the remaining ghee little by little until the mixture thickens.Also add the cardamom powder & soaked saffron. Switch off the flame once the required consistency is reached

Note that the consistency will get thicker after some time.So switch off the flame just before the required consistency is reached

Garnish with fried cashews

Venn Pongal

Cashew	piece	4-8
Cuminseeds	tbsp	1 1/2
Curry Leaves	leaf	6 or 7
Ghee	tbsp	2
Ginger	tbsp	1
Moong Dal	cup	1/2
Oil	to fry	3
Pepper Corns	tbsp	1
Rice	cup	1 1/2
Salt	to taste
Water	cup	6
Directions | How to make Venn Pongal
Clean and wash the moongdal and rice. In a pressure cooker, add 2-3tsp of oil, cumin, pepper corns, cashews and sauté them for a minute. Now add the ginger, curry leaves and sauté them altogether. Add the rice, moongdal, water and salt to the cooker. In a medium heat, cook until 1 whistle comes up. Remove from the heat after 1 whistle. Wait until release of the pressure of the cooker. Open the pressure cooker, add the ghee and mix them together. Serve hot with sambhar and chutney.

Double layered Vegetable sandwich

Toast two slices (on one side only) of whole wheat bread. Apply egg less mayo to the non toasted side of a bread slice. Layer lettuce leaves and cucumber slices. Place a bread slice over it. Place a cheese slice over this, layer the sauteed vegetables and place the toasted bread slice over it. Serve.

For sauteed vegetables - Grate a small carrot, finely chop capsicum and a shallot. Heat a tsp of olive oil in a pan, add the shallot and saute for 2 mts. Add bell pepper and carrot and saute for 2 more minutes. Add a large pinch of paprika and pinch of salt and mix.

Vegetable Egg Noodles

Ingredients:
1 packet egg noodles (boiled, drained in cold water and tossed in 2 tsps oil)
1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped
2 cups julienned vegetables (carrots, beans, cabbage and capsicum)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp soya sauce
3/4 tbsp vinegar
pepper pwd as required
salt as required
2-3 tbsps sesame oil or peanut oil
1 Heat sesame oil in a large wok and once the oil is piping hot, add the spring onions and stir fry for 1 mt on high.
2 Add the rest of the vegetables and toss them on high heat for 4 mts.
3 Break two eggs and combine with the vegetables and place lid. On low to medium flame, let it cook for 3 mts. Scramble on high flame. Add salt, pepper pwd, soya sauce and combine. Add the drained noodles and combine well.
4 Add vinegar and toss the noodles and vegetables on high heat for a few seconds. Turn off heat. Garnish with chopped spring onion greens.

Egg Chaat

Boil 3-4 eggs. Quarter them and keep aside. In a bowl, combine 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped tomato, 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 1 tsp chaat masala pwd, pinch of red chilli pwd, 1 tbsp tamarind-jaggery chutney and pinch of salt. Mix well. Place a little of this onion-tomato mixture on each egg quarter and serve.

Puri Bhaji

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, boiled and peeled
2 onions, finely sliced
2-3 green chillis. slit
1 tomato, finely chopped (optional)
1″ inch ginger, finely minced
large pinch turmeric pwd
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
1 1/2 tbsps oil
For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida/inguva
2-3 green chillis, slit
10-12 curry leaves
1 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add asafeotida and saute for a few secs. Add fresh curry leaves, green chillis and ginger and saute for a few secs.
2 Add the sliced onions and saute on medium heat for 4-5 mts or till the onions turn transparent. Add the turmeric pwd and combine. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for 5 mts.
3 Add the crumbled boiled potatoes and adjust salt. Cook for a mt. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook for 7-8 mts or till the curry is almost dry. Turn off heat.
4 Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with puris.

Sago Upma

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sago (medium size pearls) wash, drain and let it stand overnight
1/2 cup yellow moong dal/pesara pappu, soak in water for 30 mts
1 small onion, sliced
2 tbsps coarsely pound roasted peanuts
1/2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
For poppu/tempering/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal/minapappu
1 tsp channa dal/senaga pappu
3-4 green chillis, finely chopped
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 Wash the sago thoroughly, drain off the water and let it stand over night. Next day morning, run your fingers through the sago pearls and loosen the lumps if any. The sago should appear clear, translucent, swelled up and separate pearls.
2 Combine coarsely pounded roasted peanuts, sugar and salt to the sago and keep aside.
3 Heat both oil and once hot, add mustard seeds and let them sputter, add the cumin seeds, urad dal and channa dal and allow them to brown a bit. Add the chopped green chilli-ginger paste and saute for a mt. Add the curry leaves and toss for a few seconds till the flavors come out.
4 Add the sliced onions and saute for 3 mts. Add the soaked moong dal and allow to cook for 3-4 mts.
5 Finally add the sago-peanut mixture and combine well with the onion base and toss the sago mixture continuously for 8-9 mts. Serve hot.

Vegetable Sandwich Toast

Butter two slices. Liberally apply green chutney on the unbuttered sides of both the bread slices. On one of the slices, start layering with boiled potato slices, cucumber slices, tomato slices, onion slices and capsicum rounds. Sprinkle chaat masala pwd and black pepper pwd on top. Layer with a cheese slice (optional). Top with the bread slice and toast till golden brown. Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Green chutney recipe: Grind 1 cup chopped coriander leaves, few mint leaves, 1-2 green chilli, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to a fine paste, adding little water.

Aloo Kurma

Aloo Kurma:

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, washed, boiled, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 green chillis, slit length wise
2 tomatoes, quartered
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
pinch of turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd (adjust)
1 tsp coriander pwd
salt to taste
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1/2 tbsp oil
Make a paste by adding little water:
2 tbsps grated fresh coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds/khus-khus/ghasagasalu

1 Heat oil in a vessel, add the chopped onions, green chillis and curry leaves and saute for 4-5 mts or till the onions turn transparent.
2 Add ginger garlic paste and fry further for another 3 mts. Add the chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, coriander pwd and salt. Combine well.
3 Add the quartered tomatoes and boiled and cubed potatoes and cook on medium heat for 6-7 mts. Reduce heat, add the ground coconut-poppy seeds paste and combine. Cook for 3-4 mts.
4 Add a glass of water, adjust salt and cook covered till you get the desired gravy consistency.
5 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis, coconut rice or any flavored rice.