How to Sprout Whole Green Moong?

Ingredients:

1. Whole Green Moong - 1 1/2 cups

Method:

1. Wash and soak the moong overnight (about 7-8 hours) in about 3 cups of water.
2. Drain the water completely.
3. Tie the moong in a muslin cloth/clean towel.
4. Place the cloth in a container and close the lid.
5. Check in 24 hours to see if the moong has sprouted.
6. If you want longer sprouts, let it stay in the container for another 12 hours.
7. Remove the cloth and transfer the moong to a container
8. Can be kept refrigerated upto 3 days. 

Mint Thogayal

Ingredients:

1. Mint - 1 bunch (packed tightly). (Wash the leaves well!)
2. Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized ball
3. Red chilies - 3-4 (adjust according to taste)
4. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
5. Urad dal - 1 1/2 tsp
6. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil - 1 table spoon

Method:

1. In a pan, heat oil.
2. Add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add asafoetida and urad dal.
3. When the dal starts to change color, add the red chilies.
4. Saute for a minute in medium flame. (Do not let the dals to turn black)
5. Switch off the flame and add the mint leaves and saute for 1 minute.
6. Let this mixture cool. 
7. Grind with tamarind and salt to taste.
8. Add little water if required to get a thogayal consistency.
9. Goes well with hot steamed rice!

Karuvepillai Kozhambu

My mom's recipe! :-)

Ingredients:

1. Karuvepillai (Curry leaves) - 8-9 strands
2. Urad dal - 11/2 tsp
3. Red chilies - 4 
4. Peppercorns - 3-4
5. Tamarind - a lemon sized ball
6. Asafoetida
7. Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
8. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4th tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Oil

Method:

For the powder:

1. In a small pan, heat about 1 table spoon of oil.
2. Add the urad dal, red chilies, pepper corns and little asafoetida.
3. Add the curry leaves and saute till the dals turn brown.
4. Let this cool and grind without adding water.

For the kozhambu:

1. Soak the tamarind in 2 1/2 cups of hot water for 5 minutes and extract the juice.
2. In a kadai, heat a table spoon of oil and add mustard seeds.
3. When it splutters, add the fenugreek seeds and little asafoetida.
4. Add the tamarind water and salt to taste.
5. When it comes to a boil, add the karuvepillai powder.
6. Allow this mixture to boil till it becomes a little thick.
7. Serve hot! This dish goes really well with rice, paruppu thogayal and aloo fry.

Aloo Paratha

For about 6-7 parathas

Ingredients:For the stuffing

1. Potatoes - 4 medium sized 
2. Green chilies - 2 (chop into tiny pieces)
3. Red chili powder - 1 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Garam masala - 1/2  tsp
7.  Salt - to taste
8. Fresh coriander leaves - handful (chop finely)

For the dough

1. Atta (whole wheat flour) - 6-7 scoops with a ladle
2. Water
3. Oil - 1 table spoon
4. Salt - to taste

Method:

To prepare the dough

1. Take the atta in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Add salt and oil.
3. Use required amount of water to knead into soft dough

To prepare the stuffing

1. Pressure cook the potatoes for 3 whistles, peal the skin and mash it in a pan.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Make lemon sized balls from this mixture.

To prepare the parathas

1. Take some dough on your hand and make it into a round ball.
2. Roll the dough into a small round shape.
3. Keep the stuffing in the middle of the dough and seal it.
4. Roll this out into a bigger round shape.
5. Cook the paratha on a hot tawa. Spread some oil on top of the paratha and flip it. 
6. Cook till you see spots of golden brown on the paratha.
7. Repeat the process for all the dough.
8. Serve hot with mint/coriander and/or any raita or pickle.

Tomato Basil Soup

I took this recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor and made some changes to it.

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - about 10-12 medium size, quartered (I used about 5 big greenhouse tomatoes).
2. Onion - 1 medium sized (cut lengthwise)
3. Carrot - 1 (cut into roundels)
4. Garlic - 2 cloves (cut into small pieces)
5. Coriander stalk - a handful
6. Basil leaves - 5-6
7. Butter - 1 tablespoon, oil - 1 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. In a pan, heat butter and oil. Add onions, garlic and saute until transparent.
2. Add the tomatoes, carrots, coriander stalks along with 4 basil leaves. Saute for a minute and add 2 cups of water.
3. Cover the pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes. Switch off the flame and filter the water. Reserve it for later.
4. When the mixture cools, grind it in batches and pass it through a sieve and collect the puree in a pan.
5. Repeat the process for rest of the mixture. 
6. Adjust consistency by adding the required amount of the reserved liquid.
7. Add salt  and freshly ground pepper and heat the soup till it comes to a boil.
8. Garnish with chopped basil leaves.
9.  Serve hot with croutons.

Note:

1. Add some fresh cream if you want your soup a little richer.