EGG GRAVY

Ingredients
Eggs - 3 (boiled)
Grated coconut - A handful
Ginger chopped - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 1 big
Red chilly - 3
Sombu - 1 tsp
Cloves - 3 pieces
Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
Kasa kasa - ½ tsp
Cashews - 6-8 nuts
Coriander - small amount
Method
Fry in oil grated coconut, ginger, red chilly, cloves, cashews, sombu, kasa kasa and tomato and grind to paste. Boil eggs and keep them aside. In a frying pan sauté onions. When the onions turn golden brown add the ground masala and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water and bring the curry to boil. Add desired amount of salt. Make small slits in the egg so that the gravy enters the egg. Garnish with coriander and serve.

A scoop of butter over the cooked gravy makes the curry richer and tastier.

It is a good accompaniment for CHAPATTI and COCONUT PULAO

SOYA MANCHURIAN

Ingredients
Soya - 10 pieces
Corn flour - 4 tbsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Capsicum - 1 (small)
Onion - 1
Green chillies - 1
Tomato Sauce - 2 tbsp
Soya Sauce - 2 tbsp
Chilli Sauce - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 5 tbsp
Spring onion for garnishing
Method
Soak the soya pieces in warm water for 10 mins. Drain water and add salt, chilli powder and cornflour to the soaked soya. After 10 mins, fry the soya in oil till golden brown and crisp. Remove from oil and keep it aside. For gravy, fry sliced onions in the same kadai. Add garam masala, ginger garlic paste, green chillies and the diced capsicum. Saute till the onions and capsicum pieces become soft. Then add the sauces. After a minute, add 1 cup of water. Mix 2 tsp of corn flour with water to make a paste, and then add it with the boiling mixture. Keep stirring till the gravy becomes thick. Add salt to taste. Garnish with spring onion. Serve hot as an accompaniment for rice dishes.

SOYA MANCHURIAN will be good side dish for COCONUT PULAO

SAMBAR

Ingredients

Toor Dhal 150gms (pressure cooked)

Drum sticks - 2

Bringal - 2

Sambar onion - 5

Tomato - 1 (medium size)

Sambar powder - 5 tsp

Green chillies - 2

Fenugreek powder - ¼ tsp

Asoefotida - 1 pinch

Gingelly oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Tamarind pulp - ½ cup

Method

Pressure cook toor dhal with 5 pieces of garlic, ½ tsp of turmeric powder, a pinch of asoefotida and 1 tsp of cumin seeds (jeerakam). Take a kadai and boil the vegetables with little salt and 2 tsp of sambar powder. When the vegetables are soft, add the cooked dhal into the vegetable mixture. Allow all the contents to boil for 5 minutes and then add the tamarind pulp. For tempering take another small kadai and add oil, few mustard seeds, fenugreek powder, asoefotida, curry leaves and 3 tsp of sambar powder. When the flavor arises and the masala turns light brown, transfer the tempered masala into the kadai with dhal and vegetables. Allow the entire mixture to boil for 2-3 mins. Garnish with coriander and serve.

P.S: Fenugreek Powder can be prepared in advance and stored. Fry in a dry kadai fenugreek, mustard and curry leaves and grind to fine powder. This can be used for sambar and other traditional south Indian preparations like Fish gravy and Kara Kozhambu. It gives an aromatic and rich flavor during tempering.