My Moms Cookbook

  Mixed Vegetable Cootu  Growing up as a kid Saturday night dinner at our grannies place used to be chapati and Mixed Vegetable Cootu. It served the purpose of gravy and a healthy fill of all the vegetables. Good way to ensure that we get our portion of the vitamins. Ingredients: Carrot - 2 nos Beans - 100 gms Green peas - 1 cup Potato - 1 no Cabbage (optional) 1/2 cup grated coconut 1 tbsp pepper  Hing ( Asofoetida) Salt to taste ( 1 tsp)  1 tsp Jeera  1 tsp ghee, hing, jeera, mustard, curry leaves for saute Mung Dal 1 cup boiled in Cooker or boil in water for 15 minutes until its tender and well cooked.  Preparation Method and Time taken (20 minutes): Cut the vegetables evenly and then bring them to a boil. Add boiled mung dal and salt and let it boil for 5 minutes. Grind together coconut, jeera, black pepper, salt, hing together and bring it to a boil. Take 1 tsp ghee and add mustard , pinch of hing, jeera, curry leaves and saute it. Add to the curry and...

  Velrikai Pachi Morukuzhambu  Ingredients: Cucumber peeled and diced.  1/2 coconut grated 1/2 tsp mustard 2 green chillies. You can add more depending on your spice levels.  1 cup yoghurt Salt to taste  ( 1tsp) 1 tsp rice powder.  1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp Mustard and Curry leaves for saute, hing (Asafoetida) Preparation Method and Time (15 minutes) Boil cucumber in 2 cups water with 1 tsp salt for 5 minutes. Take coconut, mustard, rice powder, green chillies, hing and grind them together in a blender. Now add the paste to the cucumber and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Now take oil in a small pan and saute mustard, curry leaves, pinch of hing and add to the cucumber gravy.  Let it cool and now add 1 cup of yoghurt to the cooled curry. Pachi Velrikai (Cucumber ) morukuzhambu is ready.  Cucumber Kadugu Vella Pachidhi Ingredients: 1/2 coconut grated  1/2 tsp mustard 2 Red chillies ( Guntur/ Bydegi) . You can add more depending on your spice le...

 Courgette- Tomato Chutney This is a simple lip smacking chutney prepared with Courgette and Tomatoes,  which can be used as a side dish with idly, dosa or simply with rice. You can also replace Courgette with Zucchini or  Ingredients:  3 - 4 courgettes skin peeled and diced into small pieces.  3 - 4 tomatoes.  1 onion (optional) diced  Garlic - 3 to 4 nos.  2 -3 tsp oil 8 - 10 curry leaves  1 tsp mustard seeds.  1/2 small lemon sized tamarind.  3 - 5 green chillies ( take as many as you want depending on your spice intake) Preparation Method & Time (15 minutes):  Take 1 tsp oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once it starts to splatter keep it aside. Now take 1 - 2 tsp oil and fry the onions and garlic. Now add courgette and tomatoes and fry them aprox for 8 - 10 minutes or until they are soft and tender. Let it cool for a 5 minutes and then add it to the grinding jar. Add tamarind, salt, green chilli...

  Bendekai Gojju This is a wonderful delicacy which is prepared in most of the Brahmin families in Karnataka. Its made with Bendekai ( called Bhendi ) . Its a slightly sweet, tangy gravy which can be mixed with rice or can be used as a side dish with chapathi. You can also replace Okra/ Bhendi with Pineapple.  Prepation time:  Ingredients:  Bendekai ( Bhendi) - Bhendi cut to 1/2 inch long (1/2 kg.) Tamarind - size of one small lemon soaked in water for 15 - 20 minutes. You can alternatively used 1 tsp tamarind paste.   Grated Coconut - 1/2 coconut or 1 cup.  Dry Red Chillies - 5 to 6 nos. Can take more or less depending on how spicy you want it.  Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.  Jaggery - Size of small lemon . Use more or less depending on the taste.  Salt to Taste (1 tsp).  Hing ( Asafoetida powder)  1 tbsp oil.  Preparation Method:  Take coconut, red chillies, salt and hing and grind it to a fine paste. Now take the chopped ...