Dry Black - Nightshade Roasted or Manathakali Vathaal

Manathakali seeds or otherwise called as Black Nightshade seeds. Down south of India these seeds are separated from the black nightshade spinach leaves. They would be black /green colour.
Traditional process of dehydrating and using it as and when required. It is believed to have medicinal properties that can heal mouth ulcers and also clears of worms in the stomach.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms  - Black Nightshade seeds or Manathakali vedhai
• 100 ml     - Buttermilk
• 1 tbs        - Rock Salt
• 50 ml       - Oil

Method / Vidhiee:
1. Wash the Manathakali seeds and dry them.
2. Mix rock salt to the buttermilk. Beat them well.
3. Soak the seeds into the buttermilk for 2 days under sunlight.
4. After 2 days drain excess fluids and dry them under the sun for at least 4 days.
5. You can see the seeds shrink and turned into brown and black.
6. Once they are crisp store them into an air tight container.

7. When needed heat oil and slow or switch of the flame.
8. Put in some dried seeds into it and roast them. Beware they get roasted in seconds.

9. Once they turn into filled seeds into a round shape drain them.

You can crush them and mix it with rice and use them.
It can also be used for making the famous Varthal Kozambu of south India.

Note: Drying time may vary depending upon the humidity the seeds are kept. Hence, it might take less or more days to dry.

Dry Fruit Nan

Raining evening and hot Indian bread with full of hidden treat.

Ingredients:

• 15          - Almonds/Badam
• 15          - Pistachios 
• 200 gms - Maida/Refined Flour
• 1/2 tbs   - Baking Soda
• 50 ml     - Yogurt
• 20 gms   - Butter
• 10 ml     - Water
• 1/2 tbs   - Salt
• 1 tbs      - Oil
• 1 tbs      - Sugar 

Method/Vidhiee:

1. Sieve the maida. In a large bowl add in the maida, salt,baking soda, sugar and mix well.

2. To it add yogurt and mix to make a tight dough.

 3. If required add in the water. Make a tight dough and gloss it with oil.

4. Wrap a wet cloth around it and put it to rest for at least 30-45 mins.

5. Meanwhile, grind the almonds and pistachios in a blender. It is up to your taste to powder them or finely  crumble them.

6. I converted them into powder.

7. Mix them into the dough and knead them well. You can also use this powder as a filling by flattening the dough and filling the powder and again making them into balls to flatten again to naans.

8. In a tawa put the naan and bake them in slow flame.

9. Once you find light brown spots add in the butter on both sides.

Serve hot with any basic gravy like Aaloo gobi or any Kashmiri gravy.

Mysore Rasam

You can say this Indian soup is bit spicy filled with luxury. Different from a usual rasam option. It gets its name from one of the most historical places of India -- Mysore. It is certainly bit different from the usual ones and ought to be sorted into a occasional or festival dish.

Ingredients:

2             - Medium red tomatoes

3             - Dry red chilly

2 tbs        - Dry coriander seeds/Sabuth dhania/Kothamalli verrai

2 tbs        - Cumin seeds/Jeera/Jeeragam

1 tbs        - Pepper/Kali mirch/Millagu

1 tbs        - Asafatida

1 tbs        - Channa dal

4 tbs        - Dry coconut scraps or Koppra

2 tbs        - Jaggery/Gudd/Vellam

2 tbs        - Ghee

2 tbs        - Oil

1 tbs        - Mustard Seeds/Rai/Kadugu

75 gms     - Tamarind/Imli/Puli (4 tbs of tamrind paste)

500 ml      - Water

100 gms   - Boiled Thoor dal/Thovaram Parupu

1 tbs         - Rasam powder

1 tbs         - Turmeric powder

4 arcs       - Curry Leaves

1 slit          - Green Chilly

Generous amount of green coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method/Vidhiee:

1. Soak the tamarind in 250 ml water for half and hour.

2. Extract the pulp and keep aside.

3. Finely chop the tomatoes and slit the green chilly. Add them to the tamarind pulp.

4. Add turmeric powder to the pulp and keep it on flame to boil.

5. Meanwhile, add 1/2 tbs of oil in a pan and roast channa dal, dry coriander seeds,pepper, cumin seeds, 1/2 tbs Asafatida,dry coconut.

6. Roast them till they turn golden brown.

7. Cool them and grind them into a powder.

8. Alongside boil the toor dal and bring it to mashed state.

9. Once you feel the metallic taste of the tamarind has gone add in the salt,remaining water and boiled toor dal.

10. Boil it for another 10 mins. Add in the ground powder along with powdered jaggery.

11. Lower the flame add the remaining asafatida to it and chopped green coriander.

12. In a tempering pan add in ghee and remaining oil. Add in the mustard seeds,remaining jeera and 1 dry red chilly,curry leaves.

13. Once the spices have spluttered add them to the boiling rasam 

14. Close the rasam vessel with a lid to retain the flavors.

Serve hot rasam with white rice along with a gentleness of ghee over it. It would certainly would be a feast once you serve this rasam.

Coconut Rice/Thengai Sadam

Coconut rice authentic simple,yummy, aromatic south Indian mixed rice.
It's mostly made during festivals. A perfect lunch box item.

Ingredients:
200 gms - Fresh grated coconut
2 tbs      - Coconut oil
1 tbs      - Mustard
1 tbs      - Broken urad dal/Odecha ullatham parupu
1 tbs      - Channa dal/Kadala parupu
4 arcs    - Curry leaves
400 gms - Cooked boiled rice (do not use basmati rice)
2            - Green chilly
10 pcs   - Cashew nuts (not mandatory)
1/4 tbs   - Asafatida/Hing/Peerungayam
2-3        - Dry red chilly
Salt to taste

Method/Vidhiee:
1.Grate the coconut one part of the shell and keep it aside.
2. Finely chop green chilly.
3. Cook the rice in the proportion of 1 cup rice : 1.5 cups of water.
4. Rice should be cooked in such away that each grain cooked stays separate and dosen't stick to each other.
5. In a pan heat oil. Add in the broken urad dal,asafatida,mustard seeds,dry red chilly,cashew nuts.
6. Temper them. Then add in the curry leaves,green chilly.
7. Add salt. Over it add in the cooked rice and mix gently.
8. Now add in the fresh grated coconut over the rice and mix well.
Serve hot with chutneys,papads,chips,kosthusus