Ingredients:
Cauliflower – 1 (cut into small florets)
Onion – 1
Green Chillies – 2
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Srilankan curry masala – 1 tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Coconut milk powder – 1 tbsp (optional)
Salt – as required

For garnishing:
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Corriander leaves – chopped for garnish

Method:
1) Immerse the cut florets in salted hot water for 10 minutes and then wash in cold water.
2) In a pan, heat little oil and fry the onions till golden brown. Now add green chillies and garlic paste.
3) Add cauliflower and fry till it turns golden.
4) Add chilli, cumin and curry powders and salt as well.
5) If preferred, add coconut at this stage.
6) Squeeze lemon and garnish with corriander leaves.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 3 (roughly chopped)
Onions – 2 (chopped lengthwise)
Ginger – ½ inch
Garlic – 5 pods
Dried red chillies – 6
Corriander seeds – ¼ tsp
Tamarind – cherry size
Salt – as required

For garnishing:
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Bengal gram – ¼ tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch

Method:
1) In a frying pan, heat little oil and fry red chillies, corriander seeds, ginger, garlic, onion and tomatoes and fry till tomatoes become soft.
2) Transfer to a plate and allow it to cool.
3) Grind together with tamarind and salt.
4) Heat little oil on the same pan again and fry the seasonings and mix with the ground chutney.

Ingredients:
Snake gourd – 2 small ones (scrape the skin & cut roughly)
Bengal gram – ¼ cup
Split green gram – 2 tbsp
Small onions – 4
Rice flour – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Salt – as required

For masala paste:
Coconut – ¼ cup
Red chillies – 4
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Aniseed – ¼ tsp

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Black gram – 1 ½ tsp
Curry leaves – few

Method:
1) Pressure cook the lentils and the gourd pieces together along with turmeric powder till 3 whistles.
2) Grind the ingredients mentioned above for masala paste.
3) In a pan, heat little oil and fry onions till translucent.
4) Add the cooked lentils-gourds.
5) Add the ground masala paste and rice flour and cook till thick. Add salt.
6) In a small pan, heat oil, fry seasonings and this to the kootu.

Ingredients:
Eggplant – 5-6 (slit into four)
Onion – 1 big (sliced lengthwise)
Garlic- 8 pods (sliced lengthwise)
Green chillies – 7
Tomatoes -3 (finely chopped)
Tamarind – small lemon size
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Sambhar powder- 1 tsp
Salt – as required

For masala paste:
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup (i used frozen)
Poppy seeds – 2 tsp

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram – 1/2 tsp
vadagam – 2 tsp (optional)
curry leaves – few

Method:
1) In a pan, heat sesame oil and fry the seasonings. Then, add onion, garlic and green chillies and fry till onions turn into golden brown.
2) Add eggplant and stir fry for 2 minutes.
3) Add tomatoes and stir fry for another couple of minutes.
4) Add turmeric, sambhar powder, salt and mix well.
5) Now add the tamarind extract and required amount of water and cook till eggplant becomes soft.
6) Now add the ground paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Ingredients:
Rice – 1 cup
Green gram – 1/2 cup
Crushed jaggery – 1 1/4 cup
Cashewnuts – 15
Raisins – 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
Ground nutmeg – 1/4 tsp (optional)
Edible camphor – a pinch (optional)
Ghee – 4 tbsp
Milk – 4 tbsp
Saffron – few strands

Method:
1) In a pan, dry roast green gram lentils till it changes its color to golden brown.
2) Wash it along with rice and pressure cook using 4 cups of water, allow 4-5 whistles.
3) In a shallow pan, add a cup of water and jaggery and heat till it dissolves completely and till it reaches one string consistency.
4) Add this jaggery to the cooked rice and lentils and mix well in a low flame for few minutes.
5) In a small pan, heat ghee and fry cashewnuts and raisins and add this to cooked pongal.
6) Lastly, add saffron soaked in milk, cardamom powder and ground nutmeg.

Ingredients:
Brown-skinned lentils – 2 cups
Organic vegetable broth – 1 Qt
Organic diced tomatoes – 1 can
Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic – 5 or 6 (minced)
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Corriander powder – 1 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
Salt – as required
Oil/butter – a little

For seasonings:
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

For garnishing:
Corriander leaves or baby spinach leaves

Method:
1) Cook lentils in a pressure cooker till three whistles.
2) Heat little oil in a deep pan and fry the seasonings.
3) Add onions and garlic and fry till the onions become translucent.
4) Now add the chilli, corriander and black pepper powder and fry for couple more minutes.
5) Add the cooked lentils and vegetable broth and simmer it for about 15 minutes. If you are adding uncooked lentils, simmer it for about 40 minutes.
6) Add diced tomatoes and simmer for another 15 minutes.
7) Add salt and garish with corriander or baby spinach leaves.

This dish is similar to “kollu rasam” made from horse gram.

Ingredients:
French beans – ½ lb
Carrot – 1 (shredded)
Onion – ¼ (chopped finely)
Green chillies – 3
Grated fresh coconut – ½ tbsp
Oil – a little
Salt – as required

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Broken black gram – ½ tsp

Method:
1) Wash the beans, cut ends and remove side fibers. Chop into pieces.
2) In a pan, heat oil, fry seasonings and add onions and green chillies and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3) Now add the beans and cook. Sprinkle water if needed.
3) When the beans are half-cooked, add the shredded carrots and salt and cook till it is completely done.
4) Add grated coconut at the end.

Ingredients:
Mulai keerai/Chinese spinach – 1 bunch
Peeled broken green gram – ¾ cup
Onion – ½ (cut into small pieces)
Tomato – ½ (diced)
Green chillies – 5
Cumin powder – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Coconut powder – 1 tsp
Salt – as required

For seasoning:
Mustard seed – ½ tsp
Homemade vadagam – a small piece (optional)

Method:
1) Pressure cook lentils.
2) In a pan, heat little oil or ghee and fry the seasonings.
3) Add onion, tomatoes, green chillies and fry for few minutes.
4) Add the fried ingredients to the cooked lentils.
5) Add turmeric powder, spinach, little water and cook till the spinach gets cooked well.
6) Add cumin powder and coconut powder at the end.

Ingredients:
Idiappam flour – 2 cups (I use red flour from Periyar brand)
Water – 1½ to 2 cups
Salt – as required

Method:
1) Boil water.
2) In a large bowl mix the flour and salt.
3) Add the boiling water little by little and knead the dough to a soft consistency or knead till the flour does not stick to your hand or vessel anymore.
4) Fill the idiappam press with the dough and in a circular motion press it to squeeze the dough out though the tiny holes as thin noodles over the idiappam plates.
5) Boil water in a steamer and place the idiappam plates in it and cook for 6-8 minutes.
6) Remove the idiappam from the plates and serve it along with sothi or coconut milk with sugar.

Ingredients:
Ghirardeli ground chocolate powder – 1 cup
Unbleached all-purpose flour – 2/3 cup
Sugar – ½ cup
Butter – ½ cup
Baking powder – ¼ tsp
Salt – ¼
Eggs – 2
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
Chopped walnuts or pecans – ½ cup
Chocolate chips – ½ cup

Method:
1) Pre-heat oven to 350′ F.
2) In a small pan, melt butter.
2) Using a spoon, stir eggs with sugar and vanilla.
3) Add the melted butter and mix well.
4) Sift ground chocolate with flour, baking powder and salt.
5) Stir flour mixture into egg mixture.
6) Add nuts and chocolate chips and fold into mixture.
7) Spread evenly into a non-stick or greased 9” x 9” pan.
Bake 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.