SuvaiArusuvai - Veg Recipes of India

Though the title says Bachelor Cooking, this section caters to some easy recipes any one can cook at any time. Some basics that can be made and kept ready are also given in this section which will make cooking quite easy. Home made powders - Its significance To make a fine paste of Khus Khus to make kormas or gravies thick Tomato Rice without Garlic To make soft dough for chappatis Easy Veg Paneer Cutlet Milagu Kuzhambu Podi Instant Rawa Mix Rawa Idly using Rawa Mix Rawa Upma using home made Rawa Mix Hot and Sour Paste Idly Dosa Chilly Powder Curry Leaves Powder Garlic Chilly Powder Simple and Easy Vazhaippaza Pachadi Recipe for Multipurpose Powder Instant Idly Mix Wheat Halwa Paruppu thogayal using Bengal Gram Lady's finger Pachadi Goddu Rasam - No Dal Rasam Basic Tomato Gravy Instant Rasam Powder Simple and Tasty Rasam Rice Kheer in Microwave Hot and Sour Paste Lemon Dal

Ingredients: Thoor Dal - 1 cup Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Urad Dal whole - 1 tbsp Red chillies - 2 nos Ghee - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Garlic - 3 cloves Asafodeita - 1 pinch Lemon - 1 no Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup Salt to taste Method: Pressure cook thoor dal with turmeric powder. When cooked, let it cool, mash thoroughly. Peel and chop the garlic pods. Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal, red chillies, garlic cloves and cumin seeds. Add the thoor dal, salt and 2 cups of water. Cook till the dal boils. Add finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves. Remove from flame and add lemon juice. Serve it with chappati or hot white rice.

North Indian dishes and Kormas ask for Khus Khus or Poppy seeds. At times, it stays as it is without getting ground properly. To avoid, that soak the seeds in hot water for about 15 mins and then drain the water and grind it separately or along with other ingredients.

Tomato rice can be done in different ways. Many dont like the taste of masalas and garlic while having this delicay. Here is a method to make tomato rice without garlic. Ingredients: Tomato - 1/2  kg (Red ripe, banglore vareity) Green Chilly - 2 to 3 nos Onion - 2 nos (medium size) Salt to taste Ghee - 2 tbsp Oil - 1 tbsp Curry Leaves - a few Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup Rice - 2 cups Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Bengal Gram Dal - 2 tbsp Broken Urad dal - 2 tbsp Asafodeita - 1 tsp Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp Method: Pressure cook rice with 4 cups of water and spread it on a plate. Add ghee to it and mix well with the handle of a laddle so that the rice dont break. In a pan heat oil and when it splutters add bengal gram, broken urad dal and asafodeita. Slit green chillies and add it to the pan. Chop onion finely and add it to the pan and when it turns glassy add finely chopped tomates. Mix well. Add turmeric powder, salt and mash well. Add half a cup of water, reduce the flame

Ingredients: Wheat flour - 4 cups Salt to taste Ghee - 2 tbsp Water - 3 cups How to make soft dough: Put the flour in the large bowl. Add salt and ghee to it and mix well. Make a well in the middle and pour 2 cups of water to it. Mix the flour and water by rotating it from centre to the outside of the bowl till all the flour is moist and becomes rough and scrambled. Sprinkle a little water and sart mixing it to a non sticky dough. The dough knead to be elastic and smooth. How to test the dough: Press it with the tip of the finger and it have to spring back, then it is of the right consistency. How to make soft chappatis: Rest the dough for half an hour by covering it with a wet towel. Make lemon sized balls and roll it into thin rounds. Heat a tawa and place one chappati in it. Reduce the flame and keep turning the chappati in rounds, when it starts fluffing up turn it to the other side and heat it again. Remove from the flame when done. How to store the excess chappati

Ingredients: Potato - 2 nos Carrot - 1 no. Onion -  1 no. Peas - 1/4 cup Paneer - 100 gms Corn flour - 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp Salt to taste Roasted Rawa - 1/4 cup Oil for shallow frying Method: Pressure cook potatoes. Mash well. Heat oil in a pan and add ginger garlic paste and finely chopped onion. When the onion turns glassy, add the grated carrot, peas. Add red  chilly powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt and mix well. Remove from flame add the grated paneer.  Make a watery batter of the corn flour .Make the potato mixture into small balls and flatten it. Coat both the sides in the corn flour batter and roasted rawa. Heat oil in a shallow pan and shallow fry the cutlets. Turn it both the sides till they become golden brown in colour. (Care should be taken not to over brown it). Serve it hot with tomato ketchup and gr

Ingredients: Coriander seeds - 3/4 cup Bengal Gram - 1 cup Black Pepper - 1/2 cup Asafodeita - 1 inch piece Curry Leaves - 2 cups Method: Dry roast all the ingredients one by one till the aroma is released. Spread on a plate and let it cool. Grind it to a coarse powder. Store it in an air tight container. This powder can be stored and used for about 3 to 4 months to make Milagu Kuzhambu ( Spicy pepper gravy south Indian style )

Ingredients: Rawa Mix - 1 cup Onion - 2 medium sized Water - 2 cups Salt to taste Oil - 2 tbsp Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup Method: In a pan heat oil and add the onion. Pour water, add curry leaves and salt. When it boils add the Rawa mix. Mix thoroughly without forming any lumps. Reduce the flame and cover it with a lid. Cook for about 10 mins. Decorate it with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chutney, sambar . But the best side dish is sugar.

Ingredients: Rawa Idly Mix - 2 cups Butter milk - 1 cup Water - 1 cup Salt to taste Method: In a shallow vessel add the mix, butter milk, water and salt and mix thoroughly without forming any lumps. Keep it aside for about an hour. Pour it into idly moulds and steam for about 10 minutes. Serve hot with coconut chutney or mint chutney or coriander thokku.

Ingredients: Rawa - 1 kg Mustard seeds - 2 tbsp Urad Dal - 6 tbsp Channa Dal - 8 tbsp Cashew Nut - 24 nos Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Red Chillies - 8 nos Asafodeita - 2 tbsp Ghee - 6 tbsp Oil - 4 tbsp Method: Fry Rawa in a dry pan and let it cool. Add ghee and oil to the pan and add mustard seeds when it splutters add Urad dal, channa dal and cashew nuts. When the dals start turning  golden brown in colour add the red chillies. Reduce the flame to medium and add the rawa and fry well. Remove from flame and add asafodeita and mix well. Store in airtight container. Can be used to make rawa idly, rawa upma or rawa dosa whenever needed.

Ingredients: Milk - 2 1/2 cups Basmati Rice - 1/2 cup Sugar - 3/4 cup Ghee - 1/4 cup Cashew nuts - 6 to 8 nos Method: Wash and soak the rice in water for 30 mins. Drain completely. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan and fry the rice in medium flame till all the grains are coated with ghee. In a microwave safe bowl add the milk and microwave it high for about 8 mins stirring it constantly in between. Add the rice and keep it in high for another 12 minutes. By this time the rice will also have got cooked and the milk would also have reduced to 3/4th. Remove and transfer it to a serving bowl. Garnish it with nuts fried in ghee.

There are lots of homemade powders listed out in this website. They all can be easily made at home using the simple dry grinder (mixie), that one have in the kitchen. A little time taken to fry and grind these powders will definitely be of great help, while cooking and also will enhance the taste. As the quantity made is small, storage is easy and they dont go bad very easily. As the proverb says, the best way to reach a man's heart is through his stomach, these powders will definitely do that wonder as they give an enhanced taste to the cooking. Now a days, we have to add kids also to the proverb as they demand a lot more tastier foods. With just one powder, one can make different dishes. Like using Sambar powder , one can make sambar and also Vathalkuzhambu (though there is a separate Vathakuzhambu powder too). This can aslo be added to veggies like potato, lady's finger, brinjal etc while making them a bit fried, instead of plain chilly powder. Powders like Dhal Powde

Ingredients : Tamarind paste - 2 tsp Tomatoes - 2 Coriander seeds - 1 tsp Pepper - 1/2 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Thuvar Dal - 1 tsp Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch Curry Leaves - a few Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup Ghee - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Red chillies - 2 nos Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp Salt to taste Water - 3 cups Method: Grind tomatoes, tamarind paste, curry leaves, pepper, 1/2 tsp of Jeera, coriander seeds and thuvar dal to a fine paste. Add 3 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder and mix well. Keep the vessel inside a pressure pan and cook for one whistle. In a tempering ladle heat ghee, add mustard seeds and when it splutters add jeera, red chilly and asafodeita. Add it to the rasam. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Can be had with rice and also as a soup.

If there is no Rasam Powder stock at home, an instant powder can be made. This can be stored for about 2 weeks. Ingredients: Coriander seeds (Daniya) - 3 cups Thoor Dal - 1/2 cup Jeera - 1/4 cup Red Chilly - 1/2 cup Method: Fry all the ingredients one by one in a dry pan till the raw smell is gone. When cool, grind them to a fine powder and store it in an airtight container.  Note:  1/2 cup of Curry leaves can also be fried and ground along with the other ingredients.

One of the simplest sweet that can be made very easily. Ingredients: Wheat flour - 1 cups Sugar - 2 cups Ghee - 1 1/2 cups Cashew Nuts - 10 to 12 nos Cardamom - 6 to 8 nos Water - 2 cups Method: Fry Wheat flour in 1/4 cup of ghee. When fried nicely add a little more ghee and make it paste. In the mean time heat 2 cups of water, bring it to boil. In a hard bottom pan add the fried wheat and water and make it a fine paste. Add the sugar to it and bring it to boil. Add cardamom powder to it and mix well. Keep stirring and keep adding the remaining ghee. Add the fried cashew nuts to it. When it turns glassy remove from fire and spread on a ghee greased plate. 

This recipe is definitely a boon for the working women.  Ingredients: Boiled Rice - 2 cups Raw Rice - 2 cups Urad Dal - 2 cups Method: Wash and soak the dal and rice for about 1/2 an hour. Drain the rice and dal. Spread them in a clean cloth and let them dry. Grind the dal and rice together into coarse powder and store it in freezer.  When it is needed to make dosa or idly, the required quantity can be taken and add hot water to it to make the right batter. Add right kind of salt.  To make dosas let the batter set for 3 to 4 hours. To make idlies set the batter for almost 12 hours.

This multipurpose powder can be used to make so many items in a jiffy. This powder can be used to make instant Puliyotharai, Araithu vitta sambar, podi potta kaai, Brinjal bath etc. This is very easy to make and easy to use too. Ingredients : Dhaniya (Coriander seeds) - 2 cups Channa Dal (Bengal Gram Dal) - 2 cups Solid Asafodeita - 1/2 inch sized Oil - 1 tbsp Method : Add oil in a hot pan and fry all the ingredients one by one till they turn golden brown. Grind them to a coarse powder and store it in an airtight container in deep freezer. It can be used whenever needed.

It is raining and I want to have something real hot and spicy. The first thing that came out of my husband's mouth is, I would prefer a Paruppu thogayal and milagu rasam. I then made the Paruppu Thogayal, but as I had already made Rasam in the morning skipped the Milagu Rasam, though I made it the next day. This is ofcourse a very simple and easy to make recipe, which can be made within 10 mins. Ingredients: Thuvar Dal - 1 cup Salt - To taste Hing - a pinch Curry Leaves - a few Coriander Leaves - a few Red Chillies - 8 to 12 (depending upon the spiciness). Oil - 1 tbsp Method: In a pan heat oil. Fry the Thuvar Dal till it becomes golden brown. Add hing, red chillies and curry leaves and fry again. Grind everything together along with coriander leaves. This can be had with hot rice and ghee. A great side dish for poondu rasam or milagu rasam too.

Almost all North Indian gravies use Tomato gravy as the base gravy. Once this is done adding other ingredients to it and making different kind of gravies or subjis is very easy. Ingredients : Tomatoes - 6 nos ripe Onion - 2 nos Garlic pods - 6 nos Ginger - 1 inch piece Green Chillies - 4 nos Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1 pinch Salt to taste Cloves - 4 nos (optional) Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Method : In a flat bottom pan add oil and when it is hot add cloves, cardomom and cinnamon. Add finely chopped onions and chopped garlic and fry till it becomes golden brown. Chop the tomatoes and add to the oil. Slit the green chillies into half and add it to the tomatoes along with chilli powder and turmeric. Heat  oil  and add cloves, cardomom and cinnamon. Keep the stove sim and let the gravy thicken. Add salt to it. When the gravy becomes deep red in colour and oil starts floating remove from flame. Alternatively tomatoes can be pureed and added to

This rasam can be made in a jiffy. Can be made with or without tomatoes. Ingredients: Tamrind Paste - 1 tbsp Jeera - 2 tbsp Pepper Powder - 1/2 tbsp Hing Powder - 1/4tsp Tomatoes - 2 nos Turmeric Powder - a pinch Salt to Taste Ghee - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Red Chilly - 2 nos Curry Leaves - few Method to make Goddu Rasam In a vessel add ghee and mustard seeds and when they splutter add 1 tbsp of jeera. Add red chillies and curry leaves. Add tamrind paste and 2 cups of water. Add the remaining 1 tbsp jeera, turmeric powder, hing, salt, diced tomatoes, pepper powder and let it boil. When it bubbles, remove from fire. Alternatively, you can add thuvar dal to it by dry roasting it and adding it to the tamrind water.