Cheera Thoran (Palak Fry)

Ingredients
Green cheera - 1 bunch
Shallots - 5 - 6no.s
Garlic - 2 - 3 cloves (if its big one)
Green chilly - 2 - 3no.s
Cooking Oil - 1 table spoon
Salt - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Coconut grated - 3 tablespoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Preparation :

1. Chop the green cheeras. Slice shallots, garlic lengthwise, split green chilly lengthwise.
2. Heat a pan and add cooking oil.
3. Add sliced shallots, garlic, green chilly and saute it well. (If needed you can splutter mustard seeds also)
4. Add chopped cheera, turmeric powder, salt & grated coconut and mix it well.
5. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2  to 3 mins.
6. Its now ready to serve with rice. Good combination with rice & dal.

Fish Fry (Sting Ray)

Ingredients:
Sting Ray - 1no.(I have taken 8'' length chopped sting ray piece from market)
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Salt - 1 t spoon (to taste)
Cooking oil / Coconut oil - 5 - 6 table spoon

Marination:
Marinate the cleaned chopped sting ray pieces with turmeric, chilly powder, salt and keep it aside for 10 - 15 mins.

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan and add cooking oil to it.Wait for oil to get hot and bubbles to appear.
2. Add the marinated fish pieces to it , cover it with a lid so that oil wont spread outside, cook over medium flame one side of fish for 3 to 5 min.(Depends on what kinda fish) Repeat the same the other side too.
3. Off the flame and add curry leaves.
4. Transfer to a bowl & garnish with sliced onions.

Tips:
Coconut oil is best for frying fish since it add flavor to it..
Remove the excess oil from fish by keeping it on a tissue paper.
A very simple way of frying fish and saves time.

Unakka Chemmeen Chammandi

Ingredients:
Unakka chemmeen(Dried Prawns) - 20 - 30gms
Coconut - 1cup
Shallots - 5no.s
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Dried Red Chilly - 3 big
Salt  - to taste (1 t spoon)

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan and add unakka chemeen(Dried Prawns) and pat it well for 3 to 5mins (without any oil) and keep it aside and when its cooled add it in a mixer and make it in a powder form.
2. Mix it with coconut, dried red chilly, shallots, salt, curry leaves.Blend it well for just 30 sec.
3. Its ready and a very good combination for Rice, Porridge.

Mushroom Coconut Stir Fry

Ingredients:
Button Mushrooms - 10 to 12 nos (Cut 1 into 6 pieces)
Onion - 1 medium size (Slice lengthwise)
Grated Coconut - 1/7 th of mushroom
Green Chilly - 2 nos (Splitted)
Curry Leaves - 1 strip
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Coriander Powder - 1 t spoon
Pepper Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Cooking Oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Salt - To taste

Marination:
Marinate chopped mushrooms with turmeric powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, salt and grated coconut and keep for 15 minutes.

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan with cooking oil.
2. Add onion, green chilly and curry leaves, and saute it well until becomes golden brown.
3. Transfer the marinated mushrooms to the pan, mix it well. Cover with a lid and cook over low flame for about 5-7 minutes.
4. Now it is ready to serve for 4 people.

Aavoli Pollichathu (Pomphret Fry in Banana Leaf)

Ingredients:
Pomphret - 1 medium
Banana Leaf - 1 leaf
Turmeric Powder - 1 t spoon
Red Chilly Powder - 2 table spoon
Garlic - 2 cloves (Slice it thin and long)
Ginger - 1 small (1" in length) (Slice it thin and long)
Onion - 1 medium (Slice it length wise)
Salt - To taste

Marination:
Take turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle some water and mix it well. Make sure that the mixture is not too solid.
Make thin slits width wise on the fish on both sides and apply the above mixture evenly on the fish and keep it for around 20-30 minutes.

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 banana leaf directly on the flames till it becomes soft.
2. Apply 1 tspoon oil evenly on the banana leaf.
3. Keep the marinated fish on the banana leaf.
4. Add the sliced ginger, garlic and onions along the side of the fish.
5. Pour one table spoon of oil on and around the fish.
6. Fold the banana leaf.
7. Heat a pan and place the folded banana leaf with fish and keep it over medium/low flame.
8. Cover the pan with the lid.
9. After around 5-7 minutes turn the fish, and keep the other side for frying around 5-7 minutes.
10. Now it is ready to serve. Garnish it with roundly sliced onions and curry leaves.

Tips:

If banana leaf is too long, don't fold it too many times over the fish. Just fold it on the sides and use a tooth pick to stick it.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:
Basmati rice / Jeera rice - 2 cups
Tomato - 2 medium sliced lengthwise
Onion - 1 medium sliced as for omlette
Green chilly - 2 split length wise
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 strip chopped
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

1. Wash rice and allow water to drain. Keep it aside for 20 mins.
2. Heat a deep sauce-pan and add cooking oil.
3. Add sliced onions,green chilly. Add salt & turmeric. Saute it well for 2 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and saute well till it becomes tender.
5. Add chilly powder and mix well.
6. Add rice and stir it well for 2 to 3 mins. Then add 4 cups of water and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, cover the pan with a well fitting lid and cook for 15 to 20 mins.
7. Uncover the lid and transfer to a bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
8. Now its ready to serve for 2 to 4 people.

Chicken Masala

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 Kg (Sliced in medium pieces)
Onion - 3 medium (Sliced length wise)
Tomato - 3 medium (Sliced length wise)
Green chilly - 3 (Split lengthwise)
Ginger - 1 small (2" in length)(Sliced thin and long)
Garlic - 5 cloves (Sliced length wise)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspoon
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 table spoon for medium spicy. (If you want more spicy take more)
Coriander powder - 1 table spoon
Pepper powder - 1 table spoon
Chicken masala - 1/2 table spoon
Lime juice - 1 small lime
Cooking oil - 4 table spoon
Curry leaves - 2 strips
Fennel seeds -  1/2 tspoon

Clove - 5

Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1 small (Split into pieces)

Marination:
Apply lime juice on the chopped chicken pieces & marinate with salt, turmeric, half the chilly powder, coriander powder & pepper powder specified above. Keep it aside for 20 to 30 mins.

Preparation:

1. Heat the cooking vessel and add the oil.
2. Once heated add the onions and cook it till it becomes tender.Add salt to taste.
3. Add the remaining chilly powder, coriander powder, pepper powder & chicken masala and stir well.
4. Add tomatoes, green chilly, ginger, garlic and fennel seeds and stir for around 20-30 secs.
5. Add the marinated chicken, close the lid and cook it over low flame. (There will be enough water coming from chicken and tomato. So don't add any water at all)
6. Check in between and stir to make sure that it doesn't stick to bottom.
7. Once chicken is cooked add curry leaves, clove, cardamom, cinnamon stick and close the lid for 2-3 minutes.
8. Now it is ready and transfer to a bowl and garnish with sliced carrots, sliced tomatoes and coriander leaves.

Koondal Molishan (Squid Molly)

Ingredients:
Koondhal(Squid) - 2 medium
Onion - 1 medium (Sliced length wise)
Tomato - 2 medium (Slice it in small square shape)
Green chilly - 2 (Split length wise)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 t spoon
Chilly powder - 1 t spoon
Salt -  To taste
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon
Curry leaves - 1 strip

Preparation:

1. Clean and slice squid into square shapes.
2. Add sliced squids, salt, turmeric powder and water(500 ml) in a pressure cooker and cook till three whistles.
3. Heat a pan and cooking oil.
4. Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute it well until turns golden brown.
5. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric, chilly, and saute till tomatoes turns tender.Mash the tomatoes.
6. Add cooked squid pieces and mix it well.
7. Add a cup of water and cook for 3 to 5mins.
8. Garnish with curry leaves.
9. Ready to serve for 2 to 4 people.

Spicy Chemmeen

Ingredients:
Chemmen / Prawns - 1/4 kilo / 15no.s
Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 2 medium
Green chilly - 2no.s
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder -  1/2 t spoon
Coriander powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

For Marinating:
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1 t spoon
Salt - 1/2 t spoon

Marination:
Remove the shell of  chemeen(Prawns) & Clean it well. Then marinate with turmeric, chilly, salt (kept aside for marinating) and keep it aside for 10mins.

Preparation:

1. Slice onions lengthwise, tomatoes in square shape and split green chilly into half.
2. Heat a pan and add cooking oil. Add the sliced onions & green chilly and saute it well.
3. Add salt, turmeric, chilly & coriander powder.Stir well.
4. Add sliced tomatoes. Saute it well till the tomatoes become tender.
5. Add 1 cup water. Bring to boil.
6. Once boiled, add chemmeen (Prawns) and cover the pan with well fitting lid and allow to cook for 10 mins.
7. Add curry leaves.
8. Ready to serve for 2 to 3 people.

Peas - Carrot Pulav

Ingredients:
Basmati rice / Jeera rice / White rice - 2 cups
Shelled Green Peas - 3/4 cup
Diced Carrot - 3/4 cup
Whole cloves - 4No.s
Cinnamon stick -1small
Cardamom pods - 3 or 4  bruised
Cumin Seeds - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Ghee - 2 table spoon
Coriander leaves - 1strip

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice and allow to dry. (30 - 40 min)
2. Heat a heavy sauce-pan and melt ghee. Saute cloves, cardamom, cinnamon. Add  cumn seeds.and saute it for a minute
3. Add turmeric & rice and stir it well on medium heat for about 2 to 3minutes.
4. Add salt to taste, peas, carrots & 4 cups hot water and bring to boil.
5. Then cover the sauce-pan with a tight lid. Cook on low flame for about 15 - 20minutes.
6. Once cooked, uncover the lid for steam to escape.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves.
8. Its now ready to serve for 4 to 5 people.

Potato Pepper Masala

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 medium size
Onion - 1 medium
Ghee - 1 1/2  table spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Red chilly Powder - 1 t spoon (If you prefer)
Pepper Powder - 1 full t spoon
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 cup
Curry Leaves - 1 strip
Coriander leaves - 2 strips

Preparation:

1. Peel the potato outer layer.Clean the potatoes well..
2. Slice the potatoes into small pieces.Slice the onions too into fine pieces.
3. Take a bowl. Add sliced potatoes, turmeric,red chilly powder,salt to taste and mix it well.Keep it aside for 5 minutes.
4. Heat a kadai and add ghee.Add the sliced onions and saute it well until it turns golden brown.
5. Add the mixed potatoes and add pepper to it.Taste the salt and if needed,add accordingly.
6. Add 1 cup of water.
7. Cover the kadai . Wait for 5 minutes.
8. Open the cover and stir the potatoes well.Keep in medium flame.
9. Add curry leaves.
10. Ready to serve.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves..
12. A great combination with chapatis and rotis.

Achinga Thoran (Yard Long Beans Fry)

Ingredients:
Achinga/yard long beans - 250gm/10 - 15 no.s
Onion - 1no.
Green chilly - 3no.s
Mustard seeds - 1/4 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Grated coconut - 3 table spoon
Cooking oil - 2 table spoon
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash & clean achinga / long beans and chop into fine pieces.
2. Slice onions as we slice for omlette. ( very fine pieces )
3. Tear in the middle of green chilly.Chop Curry leaves.
4. Heat a pan and add cooking oil.
5. Splutter mustard seeds. Then add sliced onions. Saute it well till it turns translucent.You can add 1/2 t spoon of salt while sauting .It allows onions to cook soon.
6. Add green chilly & turmeric powder 
7. Add chopped beans and 3 table spoon of grated coconut and salt to taste & mix it well.
8. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 to 10min on medium flame. In between open the lid and stir the contents.
9. Add chopped curry leaves / garnish with curry leaves.
10. Its ready to serve.

        Tips

• Always cook veggie on low or medium flame.
• Its better to put chopped curry leaves while making thoran, so that we never keep it out while eating.

Dal Tomato Curry

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 1cup
Tomato   - 2no.s/3no.s
Onion - 1no.(medium)
Ginger - 1small cut.
Garlic - 2 no.s from 1 pod.
Green chilly - 2no.s
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t spoon
Red chilly Powder - 1 t spoon
Salt  - to taste
Ghee - 1 t spoon
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon.

Preparation:

1. Soak toor dal for about 1/2 hour. 
2. Slice Onion lengthwise, green chilly into half, slice tomatoes into small pieces.Chop garlic and ginger into minute pieces.Keep it aside.
3. Add the soaked toor dal in a pressure cooker. Into it Pour 3 cups of water,1/4 t spoon of turmeric,1 tspoon of red chilly powder, salt to taste, half of sliced onions, sliced green chilly.Cook toor dal for 3 whistles. Remove the lid only when the steam is gone completely.
4. Meanwhile heat a pan with 1 cooking oil and add ginger, garlic, saute it for a minute.Add sliced Tomatoes, Saute it very well until the tomatoes becomes soft.
5. Once the tomatoes are ready add these contents to the cooked dal on very low flame.Stir it well.
6. Heat a pan add 1 t spoon of ghee, Add the other half of onions and saute it till it turns brown.
7. Transfer the cooked dal to a serving dish and garnish with sauted onions & curry leaves.
8. Now its ready to serve .A very good combination with white rice, chappathi, Rotis.

Sambar With Left Over Veggies

Ingredients:
Ladies Finger - 4no.s (left over)
Brinjal - 1no. medium (left over)
Potato - 1no.medium (left over)
Cauliflower - 4 - 5 florets (left over)
Onion - 1 small
Tomato - 1 small
Garlic  - 2 big no.s from a garlic pod
Green chilly - 2no.s
Tamarind - 1 gooseberry size (Soak in 1 cup of water for 10 -15min)
Turmeric powder - 1 t spoon
Red chilly powder - 1 t spoon
Sambar powder - 1 table spoon (which i got from market)
Coriander powder - 1 t spoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 t spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Red Dried chilly - 3 no.s
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Coriander leaves - 3 strips chopped .
Coconut grated - 1  cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup (Soak it for 1/2hour)
Cooking oil
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan and roast coconut,When coconut changes it color to slight brown add red chilly powder,  coriander powder, sambar powder & roast it till it become brownish.Keep it aside.
2. Chop all the left over veggies ,slice onions & tomato lengthwise,green chilly,chop garlic into fine pieces.
3. Grind the roasted coconut and make it a coarse paste.
4. Take a vessel with a lid. Add dal with enough water.Boil the dal with pinch of turmeric and 1/2 t spoon of  salt.
5. When dal is half cooked,add the potato pieces,Continue cooking, Add sliced onions,chopped veggies. & green chilly. Add enough water for veggies to cook.Close the vessel with the lid.
6. Once veggies starts cooking up,add sliced tomatoes & 1 cup of tamarind water.
7. Add the coconut paste to the cooked veggies.Cook for 5 mins.
8. Heat a frying pan. Add cooking oil , splutter mustard seeds, then add chopped garlic,red dried chilly,curry leaves & a 1/4 t spoon of asafoetida. 
9. Transfer these contents on to sambar and mix it well.
10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Pavakka Thoran (Bittergourd Fry)

Ingredients:
Pavakka (Bitter gourd) - 300 gm/2 no.s
Onion - 1 medium
Green chilly - 1 no.
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Mustard seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

1. Chop the cleaned pavakka (bitter gourd) into small pieces and transfer to a bowl.
2. Add 1/2 t spoon salt and knead it for 10 - 15 sec.
3. Slice onion into small pieces (as for omlette).
4. Chop green chilly & curry leaves to very fine pieces.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds.
6. Add finely sliced onions & saute it till golden brown.
7. Add pavakka, green chilly & curry leaves to the pan.
8. Add turmeric, remaining salt & stir well.
9. Cook for around 3 - 5 mins with the lids closed.
10. Pavakka thoran is ready to serve.

Kappa (Tapioca)

Ingredients:
Kappa (Tapioca) - 1kg
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 t spoon
Red Dried Chilly (full) - 2 to 3
Curry Leaves - 1 strip
Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt - To taste

Preparation:

1. Cut the cleaned Kappa into small pieces (2cm cubes).
2. Boil kappa in a vessel with enough water.
3. Once boiling add turmeric and salt. Cook till kappa becomes soft.
4. Drain the water from kappa and transfer to a bowl.
5. Heat a pan and add cooking oil. Splutter mustard. Then add red chilly and curry leaves.
6. Transfer these contents on to kappa and mix it.
7. Ready to serve for 4 people.