Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients:
-------------
Strawberry - 10
Milk - 200 ml
Sugar - 1 cup

1. Blend Strawberry, milk, sugar in a blender.
2. Refrigerate for 30 mins.

Avocado

Ingredients:
------------
Avocado - 1
Sugar - 2 tsp

1. Mash Avocado and mix sugar.
2. This is a delicious and healthy recipe for babies.

Ragi puttu

Ingredients:
--------------
Ragi - 2 cups
salt
Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup
grated coconut - 1/2 cup
ghee - 4 tsps

1. Mix salt and few drops of water to Ragi and keep aside for ~ 20 mins
2. Steam Ragi mixture for ~ 20 mins
3. Add jaggery, ghee and grated coconut to Ragi and mix well.

cabbage kootu

Ingredients:
-------------
Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Shredded cabbage - 2 cups
Salt
Hing - pinch
Turmeric - pinch
Chopped onion - 1/2 cup
Oil
mustard, jeera, red chilli
Hing

1. Cook dhal, cabbage, salt, turmeric, onion in a cooker for 1 whistle
2. In a wok, add oil and fry mustard, jeera, red chilli, hing
3. Add the dhal mixture and cook till the mixture gets thick.

brinjal kothsu ( side dish for pongal )

Ingredients:
-------------
moong dhal - 1/2 cup
onion - 1/2
green chilli - 2
red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - pinch
Tomato - 1
brinjal - 1
hing -pinch
mustard - 1 tsp
jeera - 1 tsp
curry leaves
oil

1. In a cooker add moong dhal, chopped onion, slit green chilli, red chilli powder, turmeric, tomato, brinjal and cook for 1 whistle.
2. In awok, add oil and fry mustard, jeera, curry leaves.
3. Add hing.
4. Add this to the dhal mixture.

pongal

Ingredients:
------------
Rice - 1 cup
moong dhal ( payatham/pasi paruppu) - 1/2 cup
salt
water - 4 cups
chopped ginger - few
hing - few
green chili - 3
black pepper corn - few
cumin seeds ( jeera) - few
cashew nuts - few
oil
ghee
curry leaves
coriander leaves

1. Saute moong dhal
2. Soak moong dhal and rice in water for ~ 30 mins
3. In a cooker, add rice, moong dhal, salt
4. Switch off after 2 whistles
5. In a wok, add 1:1 oil : ghee
6. Fry cashew nuts, pepper corn, jeera, green chilli, curry leaves, chopped ginger
7. Add this to the pongal in cooker.
8. Add hing and garnish with coriander leaves.
9. Finally add 2 tsps ghee.

Butter Biscuit

Ingredients:
-------------
Maida - 1 Cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Powdered Sugar- 3/4 Cup
Butter

1. Mix Maida ,Baking Powder, Powdered Sugar and sieve.
2. Add melted butter to this mixture and make a dough.
3. Leave the dough for 15 mins
4. Make small balls and slightly press with hand.
5. Preheat oven at 350 degree F.
6. Place the biscuits in oven and bake for 30 mins.

Healthy Salad

Ingredients:
------------
Onion finely chopped - 1/4 cup
Red cabbage shredded - 1/4 cup
sprouts - 1/4 cup
Red/yellow/green capsicum - 1/4 cup
lemon juice - 2 tsp
salt
white pepper - 1/4 tsp

1. In a bowl mix salt, white pepper, lemon juice, shredded red cabbage, sprouts, onion, capsicum.
2. To Garnish - Place a lettuce leaf in a bowl and place the above mixture on the lettuce.

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:
--------------
Carrot - 5
ghee - 4 tsp
milk - ~250 ml
sugar - 2 cups

1. Grate carrots.
2. In a wok add 2 tsp ghee.
3. Add the grated carrots and saute for 10 mins
4. Add enough milk. Make sure it just covers the carrot mixture.
5. Cook until all the milk gets absorbed by the carrot.
6. Add sugar
7. Cook until halwa becomes thick.
8. Finally add 2 tsp ghee.

Shrimp curry ( prawn/yera masala )

Ingredients:
============
Shrimp - 1 lb
Onion - 1/2
Tomato - 1
Garlic - 6 cloves
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves - to garnish
oil

1. Devein shrimp/prawn/yera. ( how to Devein ? - Slit the top of the shrimp using knife and devein )
2. In a wok, add oil, saute onion till it is translucent
3. Add garlic pieces and saute
4. Add tomato and saute till tomato is well cooked.
5. Add shrimp, Red chilli powder ,coriander powder, turmeric
6. Close the wok with lid and cook for ~ 15 mins.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves.

keerai kuzhambu(spinach kuzhambu)

Ingredients
------------
Spinach - 1 bunch
Onion - 1
Tomato - 2
tamarind - small piece
green chilli - 3
Red chilli - 1
Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
mustard, jeera, urad dhal ( or vadagam )
hing ( asafoetida) - pinch
Oil

1. Clean and cut spinach
2. In a wok , add oil
3. Add 1/2 chopped onion and saute
4. Add green and red chilli
5. Add sliced tomatoes, tamarind and saute
6. Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.
7. Whip the above mixture in a mixie. DO NOT make into a fine paste.
8. Cook Dhal.
9. In a wok, add oil and vadagam ( or mustard, jeera, urad dhal )
10. Add remaining chopped onions and saute till it is translucent.
11. Add cooked dhal and the spinach mixture
12. Add turnmeric
13. Add required amount of water and cook for ~ 5 mins
14. Add hing at the end

crab curry (nandu curry)

Shrimp fry

Ingredients:
-------------
Shirmp/prawn/yera - 1 lb
soy sauce - 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
salt
turmeric - pinch
Beaten egg ( Add pepper and salt to the egg and whip)
Corn flour
oil

1. Mix soy sauce and ginger garlic .
2. Add little salt and turmeric to it.
3. Dip shrimp in this mixture and keep aside for ~ 15 mins
4. After 15 mins, dip the shrimp in corn flour and then in the egg.
5. Deep fry in oil.

Fish Fry

Ingredients:
-----------------
Fish (Tilapia, cat fish, salmon, snapper, Golden thread or any kind of fish of choice)
Ginger - small piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
tamarind - small piece
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
salt
pepper - 1/2 tsp
corn flour ( optional)
oil

1.Grind Ginger, garlic, tamarind
2. Add red chilli powder, pepper powder, salt, corn flour
3. Marinate fish with the above paste for ~ 30 mins
4. In a wok , add oil and fry fish on one side
5. Flip the other side and cook until done.

Vazhakkai podimas ( plantain podimas )

Ingredients:
===========
Plantain - 1
mustard - 1/2 tsp
urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
channa dhal - 1/2 tsp
green chillies - 1
Red chillies - 2
Onion - 1/2
ginger
curry leaves
Hing ( Asafoetida )
Grated coconut

1. Peel and cut Plantain in to small pieces
2. Boil in microwave oven or stove for 5 mins with salt.
3. In a wok, fry mustard, urad and channa dhal .
4. Add green and Red chillies, curry leaves, onion , ginger pieces and saute.
5. add little bit salt and hing.
6. Add cooked plantain pieces and saute until done.
7. Add coconut after switching off the stove.

Fish Fingers

Ingredients:
=========
1. Fish fillets ( Tilapia, salmon or any other)
2. lime juice - 1/2
3. turmeric - 1/4 tsp
4. chilli powder- 1 tsp
5. coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
6. little garam masala - 1/4 tsp
7. cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Ginger Garlic paste
9. salt.
10. oil
11. 1:1 Besan flour : Bread crumbs

1. Cut fish fillets ( like french fries )
2. Mix ingredients 2 to 9.
3. Marinate fish in the above mixture for 30 mins
4. Mix 1:1 Besan flour : Bread Crumbs.
5. Toss marinated fish in the above mixture.
6. Fry in oil

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:
=========

1. Oil - 1/4 cup
2. ghee - 1/4 cup
3. cinnamon, cloves - few
4. mint - 1 cup
5. coriander leaves - 1 cup
6. green chillies - 4
7. red chillie paste ( 6 chillies soak in water and grind)
8. ginger + garlic + 2 green chillies + 1 cinnamon stick + 1 clove paste
9. Chicken pieces - 1 lb
10. Jeera sambha rice - 2 cups
11. Water - 4 cups
12. Onion - 2
13. Tomato - 1

• In cooker, add Oil + ghee , cinnamon and cloves.
• Saute Onion, mint, coriander, green chillies. Fry till the onion is golden brown.
• Add chicken pieces and fry
• Add ginger + garlic + 2 green chillies + 1 cinnamon stick + 1 clove paste
• Fry till no ginger garlic odour
• Now add Red chilli paste
• Close the lid and allow chicken to cook.
• Wait until the oil floats.
• Then add water ( 1 cup rice : 2 cups water )
• Add rice ( If the rice is soaked in water for 30 mins then add 1 cup rice : 1 3/4 cups water )
• Close the lid and allow rice to cook.
• wait until the rice is 3/4 th cooked. There should be no water on top of the rice.
• Now add weight and simmer for 10 mins
• squeeze little lime on top of the rice (optional)

Rava Kichadi

Ingredients:
==========

1. Sooji(rava) - 1 cup
2. Water - 2 cups
3. Vegetables of your choice. I use carrot, beans, peas.
4. tomato - 1/2
5. Onion - 1
6. curry leaves - few
7. Roasted cashew nuts - few
8. salt
9. green chillies - 3
10. mustard , cinnamon, cloves, cumin
11. oil
12. Coriander Leaves

- Steam vegetables.
- Fry mustard , cinnamon, cloves, cumin in oil.
- Add Onion, curry leaves,Roasted cashew nuts , slit green chillies, tomato, steamed vegetables
and saute.
- Add Sooji and roast it till slight brown.
- Add water and keep stirring on a medium flame.
- garnish with coriander leaves .

Chicken Drumstick Roast

Ingredients:
============
1. Chicken Drumstick pieces
2. Ginger garlic paste
3. pepper corns
4. Salt
5. Vinegar or Tamarind
6. Oil

Grind ingredients 2 to 5. Marinate chicken drumsticks with this paste for 1 hour.
Then shallow roast in oil in medium flame.

How to grow Garlic at home

How to Grow Garlic at Home
---------------------------------------

Garlic is grown from the individual cloves. Each clove will produce one plant with a single bulb - which may in turn contain up to twenty cloves. When planting garlic, choose a garden site that gets plenty of sun and where the soil is not too damp. The cloves should be planted individually, upright and about an inch (25 mm) under the surface. Plant the cloves about 4 inches (100 mm) apart. Rows should be about 18 inches (450 mm) apart.garlic can protect other plants growing nearby against many ailments

Harvesting Garlic
-----------------------------

As garlic reaches maturity, the leaves will brown then die away. This is the cue that it is time to harvest your garlic crop. If you harvest too early the cloves will be very small, too late and the bulb will have split.Proper handling of garlic after it's been picked is almost as important as looking after it whilst it's growing. It's essential that garlic is dried properly, otherwise it will rot. The bulbs are often hung up in a cool, dry place. After a week or so, take them down and brush the dirt off gently - don't wash the bulbs at this stage.