Diwali Special Lunch Menu

Diwali Lunch Menu (in the order of serving)

Pal Payasam (Rice Kheer)

• Take a pressure cooker and add 1 teaspoon ghee. Add ¼ cup rice and saute the rice for couple of minutes.
• Then, add    and stir well. Wait till the milk start to boil.
• Cover the cooker, also put the cooker whistle and allow the mixture to cook for about 20 mins in a low flame. Switch off the flame. Don’t bother if you don’t get a whistle. Wait for approximately 10 mins for the steam to go off and then open the cooker.
• Switch on the flame again. Add 1 cup  sugar and stir well. Wait till the milk start to boil(again)
• Now, close the cooker and also put the whistle. Cook for another 20 mins in a low flame. Switch off the flame after 20 mins and wait till the steam goes off (approx 10 mins)
• Open the cooker, add  cardamom powder and mix well.
• Fry 1 teaspoon of the cashews in 1 teaspoon of ghee and add the same with the Pal payasam (Milk Kheer)
• The Paal Paayasam (Milk Kheer) is ready to serve! Serve hot or cold and enjoy this delectable kheer!

For the recipe with step by step pictures and video, please click here

Vellarikkai Thayir Pachadi (Cucumber Raitha)

• Take ½ cup of yogurt (curd) in a bowl
• Peel the cucumber skin, grate it and add it to a bowl along with the curd.
• Grind the 3 teaspoon of grated coconut, salt (as per your taste) and green chili (1 nos.)  to nice paste by adding little water
• Add this ground mixture to the curd kept in the bowl
• Heat 1tsp oil in the pan, add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds once the oil is hot. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter add the curry leaves and fry it and take the seasoned ingredients out of the flame and add it to the curd mixture
• The yummy Cucumber thayir pachidi is ready to serve

For the recipe with step by step pictures, please click here

Urulaikizhangu Kara curry (Potato curry)

• Wash & Cut the 500 grams Potatoes into two and pressure cook it. The number of whistles in pressure cooker depends on the type of potatoes. Usually we keep it for 3 whsitles. If the potato is really starchy even 1 whistle itself is enough.
• Wait till the potatoes gets completely cool down. Remove the skin of the Potatoes and chop them into cubes. You can also roughly mash them with hand
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begins to sputter add 1 teaspoon Urad dal and 1 sprig of curry leaves and fry for 5 seconds.
• Reduce the flame to low and add the spice mixture - Add the 2 teaspoon chili powder, pinch of turmeric powder,   Cumin Powder,   hing and salt (to taste) and mix well in the oil. This is to ensure that the spice mixture gets coated unifromly to all the potatoe cubes
• Immediately add the cubed potatoes and mix gently. Keep the flame low
• Stir it occassionaly. When the you find the crust are roasted enough add the besan flour and mix well. Adding besan flour roast the potatoes evenly and we can get golden brown potatoes which are not sticky with each other.
• Leave this mixture for about 5 minutes in low flame. Do not mix the potatoes very frequently with the ladle as it may result in mashing of potatoes.
• Switch off the flame. The delicious urulai kizhangu kara curry(potato curry) is ready to serve.

For the recipe with step by step pictures, please click here

Aviyal

• Chop the vegetable lengthwise (1 carrot, 1 potato, cucumber, 1 handful(each) of snake gourd-yellow pumpkin- ash gourd, ½ Raw Banana) and soak it in water
• Add the chopped vegetables in a pan and add some water and turmeric powder. Allow the vegetables to cook completely and salt
• In a mixer, add ½ cup coconut, 2 nos green chili and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Grind them without adding any water
• When the vegetables are cooked completely, add the ground paste and mix it well
• Now add the sour curd (½ cup) and mix it properly
• Heat another pan and add 1 teaspoon coconut oil. When the oil is hot add curry leaves and remove from flame. Add the seasoned ingredients to the aviyal and mix well and remove from flame
• The delicious Aviyal is ready to serve.

Paruppu Vadai

• Mix all the dals (    Whole Urad Dal,   Toor Dal) and raw rice (1tsp) and soak this mixture in water for 3 hours. After 3 hours filter the water and keep the dal for 1 more hour to remove moisture.
• After an hour, Grind half quantity of dals with green chilli (2), ginger(1"), green chili (2), salt and hing(a pinch) without adding water till the ginger, green chillies are ground smooth. Take this aside.
• Add the remaining half of dal to the mixer and just give a couple of pulse. Add this ground coarse dal with the smooth ground dal and mix well. Also add curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves and mix wel
• Heat the oil in a kadai and once the oil is hot, take small quantity of ground dhal and and press it in the center and gently drop it in the oil and deep fry it. Once the Vadai becomes brownish color take it out in a bowl with a paper towel to dry the oil and serve hot. Repeat the step for the remaining vada batter.
• The yummy and crispy paruppu vadai are now ready for neivedhyam or for serving

For the recipe with step by step pictures, please click here

Mangai Oorukai (Raw Mango Pickle)

• Finely Chop the mangoes  into smaller pieces and keep it aside. Depending upon the sourness of mangoes the spice has to be adjusted. If the mangoes are very sour, then increase the spice i.e ratio should be 5:1 (For 5 measures of chopped mangoes need to add 1 measure of red chilli powder). Measure the quantity of the Mango (measure can be any like - cup, ladle, tumbler, bowl etc.,)
• Add the red chili powder (for 6 measures of mango add 1 measure of red chili powder) and turmeric powder (½ tsp) to the chopped mangoes and stir it well.
• Then add a measure of powdered salt (for 6 measures of mango add 1 measure of salt) and mix well
• In a pan dry fry the fenugreek seeds (¼ tsp)  and grind it to powder in a mixer. Add the fenugreek powder to the pickle and mix well
• Now pour the oil(   in the pan and add the mustard seeds (1 tsp) once the oil is hot. When the mustard sees begins to sputter add the hing and add these seasoned items to the mangoes. Finally stir well all the ingredients.

For the recipe with step by step pictures, please click here

Arachuvitta Sambar (Sambar with fresh Masala)

• Take ½ cup toor dal in a vessel. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and water (till the dal is immersed in water) and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles or until it is mushy. Mash the cooked dal and set it aside
• Soak tamarind (1 small lemon size) in warm water for 10 mins and extract the juice and set it aside
• Clean and chop all the vegetables - 1 chopped drumstick, 1 cubed carrot, 1 cubed Potato, 1 cubed capsicum, 1 tomato.
• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the grinding ingredients (2 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon bengal gram dal, 0.5 teaspoon peppercorns, ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 6 nos red chili)  and fry them till the dal turns light brown color. Cool the roasted ingredients and take it to mixer jar and add grated coconut (0.25 cup) and grind them to a fine paste and set it aside
• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. With this also 1 slit green chili and 1 sprigs of curry leaves and sauté for few seconds.
• Now add tomato along with other veggies and saute for 2 mins. Add water and cook the veggies till they are half done
• When the veggies are half-done, add tamarind extract along with salt and asafoetida and allow the tamarind to boil till its raw smell goes off
• When the raw smell of tamarind goes off, add mashed dal and mix well. Allow the sambar to boil for a minute. Add ground paste and stir well. Add water to adjust the consistency of sambar
• Boil the sambar in medium flame for 2 mins and garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the flame
• Serve the delicious Arachuvitta Sambar | Sambar with Fresh Ground Masala with hot steaming rice along with ghee and relish this yummy sambar

For the recipe with step by step pictures, please click here

Tomato Rasam

• Soak tamarind (1 gooseberry size)  in warm water for 10 mins and extract the juice
• Wash the dal (2 tablespoon cup toor dal) and add turmeric powder (a pinch)  and pressure cook for 4 whistles till the dal is completely cooked and becomes soft and mushy. Mash the dal and set it aside
• Take pepper (1 tsp) and cumin seeds (1vtsp) in mixer jar and grind it to coarse powder and set aside
• In a brass vessel or stainless steel sauce pan, pour the tamarind juice. Add chopped tomato (1 nos), salt, green chili (2 nos), broken red chili (3 nos), ginger (1 inch), hing (a pinch) and grated jaggery (1 tbsp). Boil the tamarind mixture for 10 mins in medium flame
• Add mashed dal to the cooked tamarind and spice mixture and stir well. Add 2 cups of water and keep the flame in low. We don't want the rasam to boil anymore
• Add pepper-cumin powder and stir once. Finally garnish with coriander leaves. Keep the rasam in low flame till you get a frothy layer on top. Then Switch off the flame. Do not boil the rasam anymore
• Heat ghee (1 tsp) in a pan. Add mustard seeds (1 tsp) and allow it to sputter. Then add curry leaves (few) and mix. Pour this tempering to the rasam.
• Serve the delicious Rasam with hot steaming rice and a spoon of ghee and enjoy the real yummy Rasam

Diwali Special Lunch Menu