Dondakaya (Tindora) Ulli Karam Fry

Ingredients:
Tindora - 1 lb
Onions - 4 small
Cumin Seeds - 2 Tsp
Red Chilli - 6
Salt & Oil - To Taste
Method:

Wash the Tindora and cut off the edges. Then split it to 3/4 and turn it over and split it in the opposite direction to 3/4, so that the tindora looks like a flower.

Take a microwave safe bowl and put tindora, add 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of oil, put the lid and heat it on high temperature for 5 mins. If the tindora doesn't feel soft cook it for 5 more mins on high power.
Let it stand for 5 mins.

While the tindora is cooking cut the onions into small pieces and keep it aside.

Take a pan and add cumin seeds and red chilli and fry it for some time.

Then add this to blender, add turmeric powder , salt and make a coarse powder.
Now add the chopped onions to this paste and grind it for very less time, so that half the onions remain pieces.

Take a pan and heat it, add oil and add the tindora along with the oozed out water from microwave cooking.

spread the tindora nicely on the pan and put a lid on it and cook it for 8 mins by stirring the tindora for every 2 mins.

Now the tindora becomes light brown in color. Take off the lid and add the grinded onion paste and mix it thoroughly and fry it till the onions become dark brown in color and all the water from the tindora and onion paste goes away.

Tindora Ulli Karam Fry is ready to eat. Serve it hot with hot Rice!!!

Sambar

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 2 cups
Bottle Guard (thin) - half
Carrots - 2
Tomato - 1
Onions - 1 Big
Green Chilli - 5-6
Ginger - 2 inches
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Red Chilli - 5
Curry Leaves - 4
Garlic Cloves - 6
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi Seeds) - 1/4 Tsp
Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
MTR Sambar Powder - 2 Tsp
Oil & Salt - To Taste
Tamarind Paste - 1/4 cup
Method:

Cut the vegetables(bottle guard, carrots, tomato, onion, green chilli) and boil them in pressure cooker. I prefer boiling the veggies and dal in separate bowls so that the dal cooks nicely and we can mash it easily to make a thick paste.
Give it 7-8 whistles.

Let it cool for some time then open the lid and mash the boiled dal to make it a thick paste. Take a pan and pour this paste then add the boiled veggies to this and switch on the stove. Add salt, finely chopped ginger and water and let it cook for some time.

Take tamarind, add water and out it in the microwave for 30 secs and squeeze out the tamarind to make it a paste.

Add this paste to the veggies and dal and let it cook for some more time.

Take another pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, red chilli, garlic and let it fry for some time. Then add chilli powder and sambar powder and fry for 1 min. Then add this mixture to the veggies. Now garnish with coriander and switch off the stove.

Sambar looks yummy, Isn't it??

Potato Fry

I prefer Red potatoes for potato fry. The red potatoes will not get mashed while we mix it in the preparation.

Ingredients:
Red Potatoes - 3
Green Chilli - 4
Fried Onions - 3-4 Tbsp (you can get it in indian store)
Urad Dal - 1 Tsp
Chana Dal - 2 Tsp
Curry Leaves - 4-5
Red Chilli - 3
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Garlic Cloves - 5-6
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Oil & Salt - To Taste
Method:

Heat a pan, add oil, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal, garlic and fry it until the mustard seeds starts to crackle.

Then add green chilli and let it fry for few mins.

Add salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder and mix it thoroughly.

Now add chopped potatoes to this and fry it till the potatoes are brown in color.

Add fried onions to this 5 mins before switching off the stove.

Lovely potato fry is ready. 

Rava Kesari ( Sooji Halwa/Dessert made with Semolina)

Ingedients:
Semolina/Sooji/Upma Ravva - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 1/4 cups
Water - 5 cups
Cashew Nuts (Whole) - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Food color (Any color) - 1/4 Tsp
Method: 

Take a pan and heat the ghee. Then fry the Cahew and raisins for some time until the cashews get light golden color. When raisins bloat like balloons it means they are nicely cooked.

Add sooji to this and fry it for some time until sooji gets golden color. This is to take away the raw flavor from sooji.

Then add sugar to this and mix it thoroughly. Adding sugar before water makes the mix lumps free.
Take the food color and add little water to it and mix it well.

After few mins add water and also the food color mix and mix it nicely.

Cook it to your consistency. If you want it thick use less water. If you want the halwa thin add more water.

After it is cooked put a lid and lower the flame and let it cook for few more mins.

Super Sooji Dessert is ready to eat now.

Majjiga Charu

Many people know about Majjiga Pulusu which is made like this but with vegetables.

This dish doesn't contain vegetables. All it has is Onions.

Ingredients:
Curd - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Onion - 1 Big
Green Chilli - 4
Ginger - 1-2 Inches
Mustard Seeds - 2 Tsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 Tsp
Red Chilli - 3
Garlic Cloves - 4
Curry Leaves - 5
Methi Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Coriander Leaves - 6-7
Oil & Salt - To Taste
Method:

Take Curd into a bowl, add water and salt to it and mix it thoroughly to get rid of the lumps. Keep it aside.

Take a pan, heat it and add oil, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, Methi seeds, curry leaves, garlic, red chilli and fry it for 3 mins.

Then add finely chopped onions, green chilli, garlic, little bit of salt and turmeric powder and fry it for 5 mins. Don't let the onions cook too much. For this dish little raw flavor from the onions gives a very good taste.

Add this mixture to the curd and garnish with coriander leaves.

This dish is a very good combination with plain dal or any varierty of dal.

Kids will love this along with the Gold Fingers :)

Bottle-guard Dal (Anapakaya Pappu)

Ingredients:
Dal - 1 1/2 cup
Water -  4 cups
Thin Bottle-Guard - Half
Onions - 2 small
Green Chilli - 5
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Red Chilli - 3
Garlic Cloves - 5
Curry Leaves - 5
Oil & Salt - To Taste
Method:

Wash the dal, add water, sliced onions and green chilli and put it in the pressure cooker.

Cook it until 6-7 whistles.

Let it cool for some time and open the lid, add salt to the cooked dal.

Now heat a pan, add oil, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilli, garlic cloves and fry it for 5 mins.

Garnish the Dal with this mixture.

Fri Dal (Putnala pappu/Vepudu Senagapappu) Chutney

Ingredients:
Fri Dal - 2 Cups
Cumin Seeds - 2 Tsp
Dhaniya (Coriander Seeds) - 2 Tsp
Curry Leaves - 5-6
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chilli - 10
Tamarind Paste - 1 Tbsp
Oil & Salt - To Taste
Method:

Heat a pan, add cumin seeds, dhaniya and curry leaves and fry it for 5 mins.

Add ginger and green chilli to this and let it fry until the green chillis are nicely cooked.

Add Fry Dal and fry it for 5 mins, then add tamarind paste to this and let it cool.

After 10-15 mins add all these ingredients and add salt then grind it to a fine paste.

Yummy chutney is ready.

Its a nice combination with Idli or Dosa.