Ridge gourd (Peerkangai) peel(thole/skin)thick chutney(thuvayal). Quick chutney from the ridge gourd skin.
Fish cooked in tamarind coconut gravy. Normally in South India, any fish kuzhambu is simmered in tamarind sauce, with Kerala being an exception. They add little bit of sweetness to their preparation, by cooking them with coconut milk. Back in India a good friend of mine use to make this gravy and happened to learn this dish from her. Original recipe includes lemon juice, for which I substituted with tomatoes. Just to suit my taste I've included seasonings like cumin and fennel seeds, which are purely optional.
Authentic south Indian style lemon flavored rice!
Vatral Kuzhambu is an authentic South Indian speciality. Vatrals are nothing but sun dried vegetables, which are added to this spicy, slightly sour lentil gravy. It can be made with either one variety or a combination of different vatrals and fresh vegetables. Most popular ones are Sundakkai, manathakkali, brinjal and bitter gourd. Quite easy when you have ready made sambar powder or vatha kuzhambu powder on hand. If not you need to make one and then proceed. (Vatha Kuzhambu / Vathal Kulambu / Vatra Kuzhambu / Vatha Kulambu / Vatha kolambu / Vatha kolumbu)
Pottukadalai / Split roasted gram / roasted channa / Split roasted Chickpeas can be used in a variety of chutney preparations. Here is a recipe using it with onion, tomato and coconut.
Quick Cauliflower fry with store bought ground black and red pepper.
Spicy Chettinad style Mushroom Masala!
Pakoda kurma is a lentil based sauce which is decadently creamy. Small deep fried lentil dumplings cooked in rich coconut milk gravy. This recipe might sound very unfamiliar to many, as its confined only to certain communities in Tamil Nadu. Quite hard to find online, as it sparingly shows up on searches. There are a couple of ways of making it, here's how we make it in our family. Quite a lengthly process, that's why I guess they make it only during special occassions. Ghee is a must as far as the original recipe goes, but its Ok to substitute with oil. (Padoka Kuzhambu / Pakora Korma / Pakora Kurma )
Here is a home style curry made with Kovakkai / Tindora / Dondakaya / Ivy gourd.
Paneer and green peas cooked in sweet tomato onion gravy. Authentic punjabi version, which I learned from a good friend of mine. (Matar Paneer / Mutter Paneer)