Baby Potato Fry

Ingredients

Baby Potato : 1/2 kg
Puffed Gram (Pottu kadalai) : 4 tbsp

Fennel seeds (Saunf/Sombu) : 1 tsp
Garlic : 3-4 flakes
Chilli powder : to taste
Salt : to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Pressure cook potatoes for 1 whistle. Peel skin, deep fry till golden brown and keep aside.
2. Take pottu kadalai, garlic, fennel seeds, salt and chilli powder and dry grind to a smooth powder.
3. Take some oil in a pan and add the fried potatoes and the powder. Mix well till all the potatoes are evenly coated with the powder.
4. Toss a few times and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Note : This can also be made with regular potatoes. You can either dice them or chop them fine like I did in the picture. When I chop the potatoes fine, I do not deep fry them. I just let them roast on medium heat. This way it consumes lesser oil and is also done faster.

Chinna Vengaya Sambar

Ingredients

Small Onions : 20 nos
Toor dal : 1/4 cup
Tamarind : 1 small lime size
Sambar powder : 3/4 tsp
Chana Dal : 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds : 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies : 9 nos
Fenugreek seeds (Methi) : 1 tsp
Grated coconut : 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Oil and ghee
Salt to taste
Coriander and curry leaves : 1 tbsp, chopped fine

Method

1. Soak tamarind in hot water for about half an hour and extract the juice.
2. Pressure cook toor dal and keep aside.
3. Saute onions in a little ghee till transluscent. Add tamarind extract, sambar powder and salt and bring to a boil.
4. Mash the toor dal well and add to the boiling sambar.
5. Meanwhile, take 1 tsp oil in a kadai and add chana dal, coriander seeds, red chillies and fenugreek seeds and saute till golden brown. Turn off heat and add grated coconut and toss. Allow to cool a little and grind to a smooth paste by adding some water.
6. Add this mixture to the sambar and allow to boil. If the sambar is too thick, dilute by adding some water. Check for salt.
7. Add spluttered mustard seeds and 1 tsp ghee.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander and curry leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Vazhaikkai Podimas

Ingredients

Raw Banana (Vazhaikkai) : 2 nos
Ginger : 1" piece
Grated Coconut : 1/4 cup
Curry leaves : a few
Green chillies : 4-5 nos, slit lengthwise
Mustard seeds : 1tsp
Urad dal : 2 tsp
Asafoetida : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 2 tbsp
Juice of 1/2 a big lime
Salt to taste

Method

1. Cut raw banana into 2 to 3 pieces and boil in water till skin turns black. Then take off skin with hand.
2. Grate the raw banana and ginger and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add urad dal and saute till golden brown. Then add curry leaves, slit green chillies and asafoetida. Saute for a few seconds.
4. Now add the grated raw banana and ginger. Add salt. Mix well.
5. Add grated coconut and mix well.
6. Turn off heat and add lime juice. Mix well.