Corn Curry

Ingredients: 
Boiled Corn- 400 ml 
Onions- 2- chopped fine 
Coconut milk- from 1/2 coconut or reconstitute from powder 
Oil- 3 tbsp 
Salt to taste 

Grind together: 
Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
Green chillies-5 small 
Cloves-3 
Cinnamon- 1 inch piece 
Khus Khus- 3 tsps 
Garlic- 6 pods 

Method: 
Heat oil in a pan, add onions. After some time, add the ground masala paste. Fry on low flame till the raw smell disappears and then add corn and the coconut milk. Add salt and boil for some time. Remove from fire and serve with rotis or parathas.

Onion Chutney

Ingredients: 
2 large onions- chop into long slices 
4 red chillies (round) 
1 tbsp urad dal 
Tamarind- the size of a small gooseberry 
Jaggery- 1 tsp 
Salt to taste 
Oil for cooking 

Method: Heat 2 tsps of oil in a kadai. Add urad dal and red chillies and fry over medium flame. When the dal turns light brown, add the chopped onion and fry for 2 minutes over medium flame. Remove from fire, cool and grind with tamarind, salt and jaggery. Serve with adai.

Vegetable Adai

Ingredients: 
Raw rice- 180 ml 
Channa dal- 30 ml 
Urad dal- 30ml 
Toor dal-30 ml 
Onion- 1 large- chopped fine 
Carrot- 1- grated 
Cabbage- chopped fine- 100 ml 
Coriander leaves- chopped fine- 2 tbsp 
Curry leaves- 10- chopped fine 
Grated coconut- 2 tbsp 
Green chillies-3- chopped fine 
Red chillies (round)- 6 (If long chillies are used, adjust number suitably) 
A pinch of hing powder (optional) 
Grated ginger- 2 tsp 
Salt to taste 
Oil for Cooking

Method:
Wash rice and dals and soak together with red chillies for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Drain and grind to a coarse batter- not too coarse. Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) and mix together. Let it stand for 15 minutes. Add a little water if required. Heat a heavy tava. When it is hot, pour half a spoon of oil and spread well. Sprinkle a little water. This helps spread the oil. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread like dosa. Apply a little oil along the periphery of the adai. Make a couple of holes on the surface of the adai with the spoon and apply half a spoon on the adai and holes to improve the cooking. You can optionally cover the adai with a lid for a minute. When the edges turn brown, turn the adai over and cook the other side.

Chop Suey

Ingredients: 
Noodles- 300 gm 
Onion- 2 medium 
French Beans- 6 
Carrot- one 
Capsicum- 1 small 
Cabbage- chopped- 150 ml 
Spring onion- half a cup 
Baby corn- chopped into juliennes- 1/3 cup 
Corn Flour- 1 tbsp 
Soy sauce- 2 tsp 
Tomato Sauce- 60 ml 
Pepper powder 1/2 tsp 
Salt to taste 
Aji no moto- 1/4 tsp 
Oil- 4 tbsp 

Method: Cook noodles in plenty of boiling water to which salt and a tsp of oil has been added. Do not cook too soft. Drain and wash in cold water to prevent further cooking. Drain. Dry out one third of the noodles on a kitchen towel. Deep fry the dried out noodles till crisp and golden in colour and set aside. Heat a spoon of oil in a pan and fry the rest of the noodles with a dash of salt till they change colour a little. Transfer to a serving plate. Chop all vegetables into juliennes. Heat two tbsp oil in a pan and saute all the vegetables for a few minutes. Add the sauces, salt, pepper, aji no moto and the cornflour mixed in 1.5 cups of water. Simmer till thick and remove from fire. Pour the gravy over the noodles on the serving plate. Top with fried noodles and serve.

Raw Banana Gravy

Ingredients:
Raw Banana Cubed: 1 Cup (250 ml)
Onion Chopped: Half a cup
Tomato Chopped: 2/3 cup
A handful each of Mint and Coriander leaves
2 green chillies
1 inch ginger root
Half tsp each of Chilli powder and Garam masala powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp cummin seed
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp Coconut milk powder
salt
Oil

Method:

Heat some oil and deep fry the banana pieces till slightly brown and set aside. Take some of the same oil and saute tomato, onion, ginger, chillies and the green leaves for a couple minutes and grind into a paste. Heat two tsp of oil, add mustard, jeera and after they crackle, add the ground paste and saute for a few minutes. Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and sugar. After a while add the fried pieces. When everything has blended mix the coconut milk. If needed, add a little water to bring it to gravy consistency. Remove from fire and add the lime juice. Mix well and serve with plain rice or any fried rice or jeera rice.

Quick Sambhar

Ingredients:
1 Large onion- chopped
2 medium tomatoes- chopped
2 green chillies slit
Half inch of ginger root- chopped
A few curry leaves
Mustard- half tsp
Urad dal- half tsp
channa dal- Half tsp
1 red chilli
A pinch of asafoetida powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
Green gram dal- 60 ml
salt to taste

Heat a tsp of oil in a pressure pan, add mustard, urad dal, channa dal in that order followed by red chilly, green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and onion. Saute for two minutes, add tomato, asafoetida powder, washed dal and turmeric powder. Saute for a minute and then add 300 ml water and salt. Cook with weight for 3 or 4 whistles. After pressure reduces, mash well and adjust salt if needed. This is a lovely filling soup and makes also a good accompaniment for pongal, idli, dosais etc.

Karthigai Pori Urundai

Ingredients:
Nel Pori- 2 cups (500 ml)
Fried gram- 2 Tbsps
Roasted Groundnut- 1 Tbsp
Roasted Coconut pieces: 1 Tbsp
Jaggery (powdered)- 125 ml
Cardamom powder- half a tsp

Mix all ingredients except Jaggery and cardamom powder well and keep aside. Add just enough water to cover the jaggery in a thick pan and heat until it froths and forms single string consistency syrup. Add cardamom powder. Mix well and pour into the ingredient mixture. Mix well with a spatula and when a little cool, make balls. If the syrup is too sticky, use a little rice flour to dab on your hands to avoid the stickiness. This is traditionally made with Nel pori and Aval pori for Karthigai.