Green Bell Pepper or Capsicum Curry

Ingredients:
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1-Green Bell Pepper
1-small Onion chopped
3-cloves of garlic smashed
1 tsp -cumin seeds
Coriander leaves for garnish
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
2 tbsp-Coconut oil or Veg oil

Toast and Grind:
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1 tbsp-Coriander seeds
2 tbsp-grated coconut
2 Dry red chili
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup Peanuts

Method:
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Dry Toast and Grind all the ingredients listed under toast and grind .Keep aside.

Heat a wok,add Veg or Coconut oil.Add cumin seeds,chopped onion,smashed garlic.Saute until onions turn soft and add 1 chopped green pepper,saute until the pepper turns tender for abt 2 or 3 mins.

Add the ground powder,saute for a min and add about a cup of water and salt.

Cook to a gravy consistency until oil floats on top.Remove and Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve with roti.

TIP:I personally use coconut oil for all my sauteing recipes since it is a good source of fat and tastes absolutely delicious.

Rasam

Ingredients:
Lime size Tamarind
1 small tomato
1/2 tbsp Rasam Powder
3 Garlic pods
salt
a pinch turmeric
chopped Coriander leaves

Seasoning:
a pinch of Hing
Mustard seeds
cumin seeds
urad dhal
channa dhal
3 red chillies

Method:
Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water.squeeze the tomato in the tamarind water.
Heat a kadai,add a tsp of oil and add all the seasonings.Add the tamarind ,tomato juice extract ,turmeric powder, salt, hing, rasam powder ,garlic pods and coriander leaves,cover and bring to boil.switch of the stove.serve.

Tip:Do not overboil the rasam.

Sambhar

Sambar is a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toor dal, and is very popular in the cooking of southern regions of India especially in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Each state in the South prepares it with a typical variation, adapted to its taste and environment.
A wide variety of vegetables are added to sambhar often served with plain rice,idli and dosa.The taste of the sambhar is derived from the spices added to it.This is a almost a everyday dish in south india.

Ingredients:

1 small lime sized ball Tamarind
1/4 cup Toor Dal
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
2 slit green chillies
few Curry Leaves
1 medium chopped onions or can use a handful of small onions
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 small tomato
2 tablespoons sambar powder
few chopped coriander leaves
1 cup of a vegetable of your choice(i use carrot,beans and Drumstick)
Seasonings(Hing,mustard,cumin seeds,urad dhal,channa dhal and curry leaves)

Preparation:
Cook Dhal in a pressue cooker adding a pinch of turmeric and hing.Boil the vegetables in water separately.Once done Keep both aside.
In a kadai add all the seasonings.Once it splutters add green chillies,chopped onions and a little salt,saute for a while and add tomatoes.once the tomatoes soften add the sambhar powder,turmeric, saute and then add the tamarind extract.Boil for a min and add the dhal and the boiled vegetables.Add salt mix well add a little water if required and simmer for a while.Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve.

Veg Stew

This is a very simple kerala dish often had with Iddiyapam.The cooking time is very less.Just have to combine all the ingredients and let it boil. It is amazingly delicious and a simple dish.Yum!!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 cup diced potato
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup cauliflower
1/4 cup peas
salt
1/8 tsp Pepper powder
6 garlic
1 small chopped onion
lemon
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp ginger garlic(gg)
1 or 2 slit green chilies

Method:

Heat a pan and add a little oil and butter.Add Bay Leaf ,Cardamom ,Cinnamon,Cloves.
Add chopped onion,gg and vegetables.Add salt,pepper powder,coconut milk,green chillies and water.cook until the vegeatbles are tender.and serve with Iddiyapam.