Gobi manchurian

Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Boil them iwater with salt and turmeric powder. Drain and keep aside. Make a thick batter with cornflour, salt, chilli powder, pepper powder, soya sauce and a little water. Dip the florets in the batter and deep fry in oil.

For gravy, grind together onions, cashew nuts, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, bayleaf. Saute ginger, garlic and add soya sauce to it. Add onions, bell peppers and saute till onion is translucent. Add the ground mixture to it and cook till the raw smell goes off. Add tomato puree to the mix. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala, clove, bay leaf and cinnamon to it. Add some tomato sauce for colour. Add the fried florets to the gravy and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with roti or fried rice.

The fried florets can be eaten as snack as well. The gravy can be replaced with a dry one if desired: saute ginger, garlic, onion, green chillies, bell peppers with salt, turmeric powder, soya sauce and tomato sauce. To this, add the fried florets. Garnish worth coriander leaves and serve.

Semia payasam

Dry roast 1/4 glass semia (vermicelli) till golden brown. Pressure cook one handful of semia in 3 glasses of milk. Remove whistle and add another 3 glasses of milk and boil well. Add sugar and elachi powder. Add cashew nuts and raisins if required (dont fry in ghee or else milk might get curdled)

Aval upma

Soak aval in tamarind water (thick), salt and turmeric powder. Cook potatoes with salt and turmeric powder and mash it close to bite-sized pieces. Splutter mustard, peanuts, cashew nuts and urd dal. Add onions and saute till translucent. Add mashed potatoes and green chillies. Drain excess water if any and add aval (poha). Add salt if necessary. Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Brinjal Kothsu

Temper mustard, urd dal and red chillies. Once done, add onions and fry till translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Once mushy add the brinjals that have been cut into long pieces. Add water and cook well. Add tamarind water and boil. If the gravy is not thick enough, you can add some arisi mavu to it. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve with idli, dosa or pongal.

Pongal

Boil 1 handful of pasi paruppu (moong dal) with turmeric powder. Add rice (1 glass), salt, pepper powder and water (4 glasses). Pressure cook. Once done, add ghee and roasted cashew nuts and raisins. Serve hot with Brinjal kothsu.

Aloo Baingan

Splutter mustar and jeera in a kadai. Add ginger garlic paste and green chilli. Add onion and saute till soft. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Add potatoes and fry for 4-5 minutes with some water. Add eggplant and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Add some water if required and simmer till potatoes and egg plant are fully cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rotis or rice.

Lemon Sevai/ Lemon Rice

Add boiling water to desired quantity of sevai. Add salt and keep aside till it gets cooked. In a kadai, add mustard, urd dal, kadala paruppu. Once it splutters, add some groundnut and/ or cashewnut and fry. To this, add the sevai after draining excess water. Add turmeric powder and squeeze lemon juice. Garnish with coriander leaves and curry leaves. Lemon sevai is ready.

The same procedure can be used to make lemon rice by substituting rice instead of sevai.