Tomato Methi Rasam

Ingredients:

1 medium sized Tomato

1/4 bunch of Fenugreek leaves / Menthe soppu

1/4 small sized Onion

2-3 Green Chillies

1-2 Red Chilly pieces

Small piece of Ginger

Small piece of Garlic

4-5 strands of Coriander leaves

5-6 Curry leaves

Grape sized Tamarind

1 tsp Sugar / Small piece of Jaggary

Salt to taste

Big pinch of Asafetida powder / Hingu

Pinch of Turmeric powder

1-1.5 cups cooked Yellow Lentils/Toor dal /Togaribele

1 tsp Mustard seeds

3/4 tsp Cumin seeds

2 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Chop fenugreek leaves, onion, ginger, garlic into small pieces as shown in the picture below. Chop the tomato into long thin pieces as shown in the picture below. Cut the green chillies vertically into two long halves as shown in the picture below.

Put tamarind in a bowl and add little amount of water. Squeeze it and keep it aside.

Put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilly pieces and oil in a thick bottomed vessel/pan. Once it starts spluttering, add finely chopped ginger, garlic and fry them for about 1 min. Add curry leaves, green chillies, asafetida powder, chopped onion and turmeric powder. Fry them for about 3-4 mins in medium flame until onion becomes light golden in color. Add chopped fenugreek leaves and fry them for about 2-3 mins in medium flame. Add chopped tomato and fry them for about 1 min.

Add tamarind water, salt, jaggary/sugar and sufficient amount of water and cook them well by covering a lid for about 20-30 mins. Add cooked yellow lentils and bring them to boil. (Cook the yellow lentils in a pressure cooker (3-4 whistles)by adding sufficient amount of water. The cooked yellow lentils can preserved in refrigerator for about 8-10 days.) Add salt, tamarind pulp, water if required. Keep the rasam in medium/low flame for about 4-5 mins. Add chopped coriander leaves, mix them well and cover the lid. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice.

Sabudana Vada / Sabbakki Vade

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Sago / Sabudana / Sabbakki
2 medium sized Potatoes
4-5 tsp Rice flour
1 small Onion

5-6 Green Chillies

8-10 Curry leaves
Small piece of Ginger
10-15 Coriander leaves
1/2 tsp Red Chilly flakes
Salt to taste
Oil

Recipe:
Soak sago in water for about 3-4 hrs. Wash them properly, drain the water and keep them aside. Cook the potatoes in pressure cooker by adding sufficient amount of water(2-3 whistles). Once the pressure goes off, remove the outer cover of cooked potatoes and grate them.

Chop onion, curry leaves, coriander leaves, ginger and green chillies into small pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put all the chopped ingredients, soaked sago, grated potato, salt, red chilly flakes in a bowl and mix. Add rice flour and mix.

Take one plastic sheet and apply 1 tsp oil over the sheet. Make lemon sized balls from the mixture and pat them on plastic sheet as shown in the picture below.

Keep oil in a thick bottomed vessel and heat. Put patted vada in oil and deep fry until they turn golden in color.

Serve hot along with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.