Sakara/Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:
1.)Rice - 1 cup
2.)pesara pappu - 1/4 the cup
3.)cardamon powder - 1tsp
4.)jaggery 3/4 cup(depending on how sweet u want the dish to be vary the amount of jaggery)
5.)Ghee - 1tbsp
6.)raisins - 8
7.)cashews - 8(or any nut that u like)
8.)milk - 2 cups

Procedure:
Wash rice and pesara papu. In a pan add rice and pesara papu and add 2 cups of water and tow cups of milk and let it boil. Ina presuure cooker cook it for about 6-7 whistles.
In the meanwhile take the jaggery and dissolve it it hotwater (to disolve jagerry faster, take jagerry ina bowl add a little water and put it in the microwave for a couple of mins until u find the jaggery dissolved.).Then once the steam is gone add the dissolved jaggery and mash the rice and dal mixture to a coarse paste.Now again put the mixture back on to the stove.To it add cardamon powder and mixwell. Keep mixing occasionally other wise the misture stick to the bottom of the pan. Leave it on the stove for about 5 mins.
In another pan, add ghee/oil. When it is hot add Cashews and raisins. When the raisins and puffed and cashews are brown add this to the rice and dal mixture and mix well. Pongal is ready to serve.

Zucchini snack

This is one of the quick recipes which goes extremely well as an party snack or appetizer. Or it is good even for an evening snack on a rainy day.

Ingredients:
1.)Zucchini - 2
2.)Salt-to taste
3.)oil - to deep fry

Procedure:
Wash the zucchini well and pat dry. Now using a peeler keep peeling the zucchini until u start to hit the seeds(do not peel the seeds part of zucchini, leave the core and use it in sambar.Follow the kheera/cucumber sambar recipe.)
Now heat the oil and fry the zucchini strips till golden brown. Do not brown it much, because it will start tasting bitter. The main thing to get zucchini to right color is to make sure that oil is really hot.
Now remove the golden brown zucchini skins and sprinkle salt. Make sure u sprinkle salt when the zucchini skins are hot. This ensures it sticks to the snack.

Bagara Baingan

Bagara Baingan
Ingredients:
1.)brinjal/eggplant - 6 samll round(slit into four with its stem intact.After slitting put them into salt water.)
2.)onion - 1 medium (pureed)
3.)seasme seeds/til/nuvulu - 3/4tbsp(roasted and ground to powder)
4.)groundut - 2tsps(roasted and made to paste. Can use peanut butter too.)
5.)coconut powder - 1tbsp
6.)tamarind - juice from lime size ball
7.)chilli powder - 2tsps
8.)turmeric - pinch
9.)oil - 2tbsps
10.)salt - to taste
11.)cumin seeds - 1tsp
12.)curry leaves - 5
13.)coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
14.)ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

Procedure:
Take oil ina pan.When it is hot add cumin seeds and curry leaves. When they start spluttering add onions(ideally would require onion paste, but can be subtituted with very finely chopped onions).Once the onions get transparent,add turmeic,ginger garlic paste and salt. Saute till they get golden brown.At this point add the add the brinjals and saute till their skin gets discolored and the brinjals get a little soft.keep stiring often to avaoid the onions from getting burnt. To this add peanut,seasmea and coconut mixture and mix well. Now add tamrind juice and mix well. To this add chilli powder,coriander powder and salt. Mix well and close the lid. Keep stiring occasionally.Once the birnjal is cooked, bagara baingan is ready to be served.This goes extremely well with birani ,pulav ,plain rice or roti.