karela

The way D likes it. The LM way is to cut karela (take out the middle seed part) into small bits or semi circles and pressure cook with turmeric, tamarind and salt using very less water. 

When it is cooked, squeeze out the water and set aside. In a kadhai, heat oil. Splutter mustard, hing, turmeric, red chilli powder, kadi patta if you like, and add the squeezed out karela. Cook until the oil separates. Add salt, cook some more. Then add a bit of jaggery. Cook until the karela gets glistening coat. That's it.

You can also fry the karela directly in the kadhai first. This needs more oil and 45 mins... 

You asked me for this D just this morning :)

vadu manga

D and I went out o find Vada pav and we found this. So...get them young and green. Wipe each vadu with a dry cloth dipped in castor oil (haha no..didn't have, but that's the wisdom). Salt them in layers. Add a bit ( a wee bit so as not to be jaundiced) of turmeric...curcumin yayyy. And leave it out in the sun. Jiggle bottle twice during the sunbathing. In 3 days, they'll start to wrinkle just a bit. They should remain plump(ish) if they are good vadus. It's important to see no fungus grows. When it's done, it's done. You can add some mustard powder and some chilli powder. But also just have them as they are. With TS :) I remember one year, we sat in Vidya's house in Madurai and made Jadis and Jadis of vadu. Her mum makes it best ones. Btw D...do you remember the counter top?

Capsitofu + mango salad - served with bao or rice

Capsi Tofu and mango salad - with rice or bao

Capsitofu

In a cup, mix soy sauce, palm sugar/honey, rice vinegar, chilli sauce , tomato ketchup, a bit of cornflour, salt. Cut tofu into strips and let marinate in this marinade. 5 mins.

Slice garlic, green chilli, ginger, onion, capsicum. 

In a wok, heat sesame oil, add garlic, ginger, green chilli, onion, capsicum. In athar order. Saute till onion soft and capsicum still crunchy. 

Add soaked tofu. Toss till dry. In high heat.

(Okay okay fine...I added some dhania..and it tasted just fine!)

Mango salad

Slice thin slivers of semi ripe mangoes. Soak, finely dice, one deseeded red chilli. Dry roast white sesame seeds. Mix these three ingredients. Add salt and a pinch of sugar. 

sundal

Super easy. Boiled chana. (You can use lobia, green gram, chana dal,groundnut also).  

1 tsp oil. Mustard, kadipatta, green chilli, hing. Splutter. Add the boiled chana. Toss for a few seconds. Turn off heat. Add grated coconut and lemon. 

Manga cut small makes great addition

lemon pickle

This one's for you O. Call if you need to :)

Lemon pickle #1

Cut lemons into one cm². Small thin rind lemons into 8. Take out seeds. If large with thick rind, shave off some of the white pith. Julliene ginger. Slit green chillies.

Heat oil (2tbsp per cup). Add mustard, when it splutters, add Methi seeds, Hing. Add the lemons. Saute for a little bit. 5 mins tops. It should not cook. Just heated.  Add turmeric, red chilli powder. Add salt. It softens then. Saute for another 3 mins. Add 1tsp (per cup) brown sugar/jaggery. It will caramelize. Switch off. Cool. Store in glass jars.

#2

Cut lemons. Deseed. Add salt, turmeric. Leave in the sun for 4 days, shaking it up twice a day. It softens then.  Roast Methi and grind with mustard seeds. And add this mixture to the hot oil. Switch off. Add the tempering to the softened lemons. This pickle keeps upto a year. The lemons keep softening.

#3

Sweet lemon pickle (chunda)

Soak lemons overnight to take out the oil. Wipe clean. Cut into chunks, take out seeds and blitz. Add salt, sugar (lots of), redchilli. Cover the mouth of jar with muslin and leave for 15 days. Add roast jeera powder. (This recipe works for raw mango too). This pickle/chutney is great with parathas 

Paruppu usli

Soak chana dal and one dry red chilli for about an hour. Drain water. Grind coarse. Heat 2 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add kadi patta, Hing, add the ground mixture. Roast till cooked. Add salt.

On the side, lightly boil or saute veg (any of these work - any kind of beans/cabbage/capsicum/carrot/ even greens). Add salt.

Add to roasted chanadal usli. Done.

Avial

Avial.... Boil veggies cut lengthwise in pressure cooker. one whistle. cool and remove. Drain. Add salt. 

Veggies used - mix of squishy, root, fresh. pumpkin/gourd, arbi/raw banana/potato/sweet potato, beans, cauliflower, carrot, peas, flat beans

Grind coconut, or a mix of coconut milk and dry coconut,  jeera, green chilly.  Add to cooked veg. Heat.

Add some curd. 

Temper/chownk mustard seeds and kadi patta in a spoon of oil (coconut oil if available). Done.