Mysore Rasam

It really gets boring to have a lunch which is almost the same everyday. But what else do we do, thats the staple diet. So atleast to bring in variety today we had mysore rasam, instead of the usual Dal Rasam. The Dried Coconut (Kopra) adds a totally new dimension to the rasam, taste wise and color wise!!

Coconut Barfi

Me and hubby both have a sweet tooth!! My MIL had prepared these sweet coconut barfi and sent it thru a friend to us.

Coconut Rice

Thengai Sadam - definately not one of my favorites, but yeah my hubby's loves it. Very simple and easy to make. Once all the ingredients are availabale the dish can be made in a jiffy. Full of carbs, this dish is a definite no if you are a diet freak.

Ingredients
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp
Green Chilies - 3 medium sized
Curry Leaves - a little
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Method
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and once they splutter add all the other ingredients. Stir once and switch off the heat before the coconut turns brown.
Mix well with rice and garnish with cashew nuts. Tastes awesome with Aviyal/ More kolambu

Coconut Chutney

This recipe is the most commonest of all. Its a great accompaniment to idlis, dosas, chapathis and even puris.

Ingredients
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 2
Fried Gram - 3 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp
Salt to taste
For the seasoning
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
Curry Leaves - a little
Oil for cooking

Method
Grind all the Ingredients with some water to form a paste.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add urad dal.
Switch off the heat and add curry leaves and add it to the chutney.

There are variations of this chutney. We can include coriander/pudina to give the chutney a nice green color or use red chillies instead of green chillies to get a reddish color. You can even add peanuts instead of fried gram to give a different flavor.

Bon Appetit!!
Rudra