Manathakkali Chutney/ Manathakkali thogayal

This chutney is a special dish in kongunadu places and it is very common here in all kitchens.

Ingredients:

Small onion - 1 cup

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - few

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Dhaniya seeds/ Powder - 2 tbsp

Manathakkali leaves - 2 to 3 cups

Oil - 1 tbsp

Tamarind - small lemon size

Salt

Method:

1. In a kadai, add manathakkali leaves and fry in a slow flame. When all the water evaporates from the leaves, add 1/2 tsp oil at the end and cook it for 2 min.

2. Remove from fire and keep it aside.

3. In the same kadai, add small onions, red chillies and curry leaves and oil 1 tbsp and fry till the onion boils well in slow flame.

4. When onion boiled, add jeera nd coriander powder and cook it in low flame for 2 min.

5. Cool it and add tamarind, salt along with this and grind to a fine paste.

6. Goes well with rice, ghee rice..

Lemon rasam

Ingredients:

Tamarind - 1 lemon size.

Tomatoes - 1 ( chopped fine)

Dhal water - 1 cup

Lemon - 1

Salt

Oil

To grind to a fine paste:

Garlic - 4

Curry leaves - few

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Dhaniya - 1 tsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Hing - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

To Garnish:

Coriander leaves - finely chopped

Method:

1. Wash and soak tamarind in water for 10 - 15 minutes. Squeeze out only pulp using water to about 1 - 1/2 cups.

2. Heat oil and temper with the given ingredients.

3. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook for a while.

4. Add dhal water, grounded paste and tamarind water, salt.

5. When it is about to froth, remove from the stove.

6. Meanwhile, squeeze out juice from half of lemon.

7. Pour into the rasam and garnish.

Tip:

a). Dont add lemon while rasam is about to froth. It will be so sour. Pour lemon after you remove rasam from the stove.

b). If you wont like tomatoes to float in rasam, we can grind tomatoes with the given ingredients itself.