vividha(various) palya / dry subzi

Let me first explain how a palya is prepared.
Take the vegetable of your choice. Cut into peices of same size and shape(small or large shape depends on the type of vegetable chosen. Vegetables which get cooked faster can be cut into medium/ bit larger in size. Similarly the ones which get cooked slowly can be cut into smaller pieces.)
In a tava, take one tea spoon oil, add mustard, urad dal. When the mustard starts spluttering add 2 or 3 small pieces of dried red chillies and small pieces of curry leaves. When mustard stops spluttering, add the chopped vegetables. Now add salt and red chilly powder according to your taste. Mix well. Add required amount of water. Close the pan. Let it cook for 10 or 15 minutes. Open the pan and check if cooked well. Just before turning off the flame add 1/2 cup of grated cocunut and mix well. You can leave it for 2 or 3 minutes and then put off the flame. Note one can wait for the water to evaporate completely. this can be served with Rice or Chapathis.

The variations on this recipe depends on some vegetables. I will post the different varietes of palya done one by one with photos.

chapathi and various paratas

1. Chapathi (Indian wheat bread)

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour - 1 cup

Water 1/2 cup(can vary depending on the amount of ghee/oil quantity)

Ghee/Oil - 1/2 tea spoon (optional)

Mixing bowl 
Round Tava
Spatula

Method:

First prepare the dough. Take wheat flour in a mixing bowl and add ghee/oil to this. Now heat water and pour it into the bowl containing the flour slowly, little by little(dont add fully). Mix well. Add some more water if required and mix well. Dough becomes soft if you mix for more time thoroughly. 


Now make big lemon sized balls out of the dough and then roll into a round chapathi. While rolling use little flour, sprinkle and roll again. Use a roller that is light in weight and which is thin. Tip for making round chapathi is that you should hold the roller with two fingers on each side of the roller. Roll fast without putting much pressure. Rolling this way, you can rotate the roller along with the chapathi. This is a trick one has to learn. :)  Make sure you roll chapathi thin enough so that it is cooked well.


Heat the tava. Once you see the hot air blowing on the tava you can place the rolled chapathi on the tava. Once you roast for 30 seconds, you will see small bubbles coming. Flip the chapathi using a spatula and repeat the same process for this side as well. You can now put the chapathi directly to the flame using tongs. Flip chapathi with the tongs. You see that chapathi puffs out like a balloon :D. 
Make note that flame adjustment during Chapathi roasting is very important. Use a thick round tava, with long handle on one side for chapathi roasting. One can add oil/ghee while roasting. This is optional. The one which is done without oil/ghee is called pulka(which puffed out like a balloon).


Chapathi is now ready to serve along with a side dish of your choice... :)

kodilu/sambhar

1. Sambhar

Ingredients:

Vegetables like beans or carrot or potato or sambhar cucumber, etc (or mixture of all the vegetables)

1/2 cup toor dhal (optional)

jaggery and salt as per taste

small gooseberry sized

For Masala:

2 or 3 dry red chilly
2 and 1/2 tea spoon corriander seeds

1 tea spoon Urad dal

1/4 tea spoon Jeera

1/4 tea spoon Methi seeds

pinch of turmeric 

pinch of asafoetida

8 curry leaves

1 cup Grated coconut 

Fry all the masala ingredients except grated coconut. now grind these spices along with grated coconut to a fine paste. keep it aside.

Method:

Cook the vegetable of your desire along with salt and tamarind and water. Keep it aside. Cook toor dhal in a pressure cooker with pinch of turmeric and 1 drop of oil and desired amount of water. Now mash the cooked dhal and mix with the cooked vegetable. Let this boil for 5 minutes. Now add the ground masala and 1 and 1/2 cup of water and boil well. 

Season with mustard seeds and dry red chilly, required amount of oil and curry leaves. Delicious sambhar is ready to serve.

saaru

Tomato Saaru:
1. Saada Saaru:
Ingredients:
2 Tomatoes sliced
1/4 cup Toor Daal
1/4 piece Green Chilli
1 inch fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp Saarina Powder (or MTR Rasam powder)
31/2 cup water
Small pinch of Turmeric
Small groundbut sized Tamarind (Optional)
Salt and jaggery to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method:
Wash the toor daal and cook in a pressure cooker/pan with 1 cup of water, pinch of turmeric, and 2 drops of cooking oil. In a vessel take the tomato slices, 2 1/2 cup water, green chilli, ginger, tamarind and salt. When tomatoes get cooked, add the cooked and mashed daal, jaggery and boil for 10 to 15 minutes and switch off the stove. Now add the fresh cilantro pieces. Season with mustard, dry red chilli, pinch of asafoetida and fresh curry leaves.
PS:: One can use onions as well. Onions can be either fried and added or can be added directly at the beginning along with tomatoes.


2. Ground saaru (kadada saaru)
Ingredients:
3 tomatoes cut into pieces
1/2 green chilly
Jaggery and salt as per taste

For masala:
2 and 1/2 dry red chilly (can be varied according to taste)
2 tea spoon coriander seeds
1/4 tea spoon jeera
1 tea spoon toor dal
1/4 tea spoon methi seeds
small pinch of asafoetida
small pinch of turmeric
coriander leaves 8 to 10
small gooseberry sized tamarind
grated coconut -1/2 cup

Fry all the masala ingredients except coconut and tamarind. grind the fried spices along with tamarind and grated coconut to a fine paste(add required amount of water to make it a fine paste).

Method: Boil the tomato peices along with green chilly with 3/4 cup water. Add salt according to your taste. Once tomatoes get cooked, add the ground masala and add 1 and 1/2 cups of water and jaggery as per your taste. Bring to boil. Season with oil, mustard seeds, coriander, red chilly and pinch of asafoetida.

3. Andhra Rasam:
Ingredients:
4 to 5 medium sized ripen tomatoes cut into peices
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of fired jeera powder
Pepper powder - 1 tea spoon
Salt as per taste

For seasoning:
10 to 12 cloves of garlic
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Red chilly - small cut into pieces
Coriander leaves - 5 to 6

Method:
Cook the tomatoes with sufficient amount of water along with pinch of turmeric powder and jeera powder. Let this cool down. Now grind the cooked tomatoes in the mixer to fine paste. Filter the paste and throw away the residue. Now in a tava season the garlic and other seasoning ingredients with 1 tea spoon of oil. When the garlic changes the color, and mustard spultters, add the tomato paste and 1 and 1/2 cup of water. Add salt according to your taste and add the pepper powder. Boil this and let the rasam reduce to 1 cup. Turn off the flame and serve hot with rice and ghee.


Dry Co cum soup/saaru:
Ingredients:
Dried cocum - 2 or 3
Green Chilly - 1
Salt and Jaggery as per your taste

For seasoning:
Garlic cloves -10
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Coriander leaves - 10
Dried red chilly: 1 small cut into small pieces
Oil 1/2 tea spoon

Method: Wash the cocum and put all ingredients in a vessel. Add two cups of water. Bring to boil. Let it boil for 15 to 20 min in low flame. Now season with the seasoning ingredients. Serve hot with rice. Yummy taste :-P

Lemon Saaru:
Ingredients:
Green chilli - 1/2 or 1 small
1 lemon
2 cups water
salt and jaggery to taste

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds-1/2 tea spoon
Oil
Dried red chilly - 1 small cut into pieces
Coriander leaves - 8

Method: Take all the ingredients in a vessel except lemon. Bring to boil. Let this boil for another 10 or 15 minutes in low flame. Take off the flame and season. Add lemon juice to this. Serve hot with rice.


Happy cooking!

Shall add the photos soon..