1. Pepper Rasam

Rasam means juice or extract and is served as a digestive accompaniment.

Ingredients

• Gingelly oil – 100 ml
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
• Toor dal – 300 gm
• Tomatoes – 4 nos
• Tamarind – 100 gm
• Garlic cloves – 10 nos
• Black peppercorn – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Jaggery – 30 gm
• Curry leaves & coriander – as required
• Asafoetida – 1 tsp
• Salt – to taste

Rasam Powder

• Coriander seeds – 110 gm
• Dried red chillies – 6 nos
• Black peppercorn – 20 gm
• Cumin seeds – 15 gm
• Asafoetida – 10 gm

Cooking

Cook toor dal until mashed. Extract tamarind water and grind rasam powder. Heat oil, crackle mustard and fenugreek seeds, add asafoetida and red chillies. Add ground masala, crushed pepper, curry leaves and sauté. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy. Pour tamarind water, dal, jaggery and salt. Simmer and finish with coriander.

To Serve: Serve hot in a soup bowl.

2. Cabbage Thoran

Stir-fried cabbage with coconut.

Ingredients

• Cabbage – 1 kg
• Grated coconut – 200 gm
• Shallots – 150 gm
• Dried red chillies – 2 pcs
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Green chillies – 4 nos
• Ginger – 10 gm
• Turmeric & red chilli powder – a pinch
• Curry leaves – few sprigs
• Salt – to taste

Cooking

Heat coconut oil and crackle mustard seeds. Add red chillies, curry leaves, shallots, ginger and green chillies. Add cabbage, turmeric and salt. Sauté on high flame. Finish with grated coconut.

To Serve: Serve hot on a banana leaf.

3. Cheera Parippu

Yellow lentils cooked with shredded spinach and mild spices.

Ingredients

• Spinach – 1 bunch
• Toor dal – 300 gm
• Onion – 1 medium
• Tomato – 1 medium
• Green chillies – 2 nos
• Garlic – 10 cloves
• Ginger – 1 inch
• Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Desi ghee – 1 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Cooking

Cook dal until soft. Sauté onion, garlic and red chillies in oil till golden. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add spinach, ginger, green chillies and salt. Mix cooked dal and boil. Temper with ghee, mustard, cumin and red chillies.

To Serve: Serve hot in a dal bowl.

4. Kambam Pal Pradaman

Broken pearl millet stewed in jaggery and coconut milk.

Ingredients

• Coconut milk – 1 litre
• Bajra (Kambam) – 1.5 cups
• Jaggery – 2 tea cups
• Ghee – 2 tbsp
• Green cardamom – 4 nos
• Clove – 4 nos

Garnish

• Grated coconut – 10 gm
• Cashew nuts – 10 gm

Cooking

Pound soaked bajra coarsely. Heat ghee, add crushed cardamom and clove. Add bajra and sauté lightly. Pour coconut milk and stir continuously. Cook on low flame for 20 minutes. Add jaggery and garnish.

To Serve: Serve hot or at room temperature.