Vendakkai poriyal / okra (or) lady’s finger stir fry is a tasty south Indian side dish and I make often at home. Also this is worldwide used versatile vegetable. I use this vegetable to make sambhar, puli kulambhu , subzi and stir fries. Lady’s finger is very good for our health and My mom used to tell that eating raw lady’s finger helps us to solve maths problems quickly. But I don’t know the scientific reason behind that and here it comes the delicious okra stir fry without coconut,onion and garlic, that goes well with sambhar and rice.



    Ingredients

            15 Lady’s Finger / Okra, Medium Size
            2 Tsp of Oil
            1/2 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
            1/2 Tsp of Urad Dal
            Few Curry Leaves
            1 Tsp of Sambhar Powder
            Salt to Taste


    Method

• Wash the okra / lady’s finger in a cold running tap water. Wipe it dry with a paper towel. Cut the head and tail part and then cut into thin pieces.

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves, after it splutters, add the lady’s finger, fry well for a min.
• Add sambhar powder and salt, fry well for 2 mins, sprinkle little water, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-5 mins until it turns soft and reduces in volume. Give a quick stir and turn off the flame.
• Vendakkai poriyal is ready to serve with rice and sambhar.

    Tips

• If you don’t have sambhar powder, add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of red chilly powder.
• You can add 2 tbsp of chopped red onion while tempering.
• Add grated coconut at the end if you like coconut flavor.
• Always use tender okra for frying, you can check that by bending the tail part,  if it is broken easily, then it is tender in nature.

        
    Health Benefits of Okra/ Lady’s finger

• Rich source of vitamin A and Antioxidants.
• Fiber in okra helps to maintain the health of GI tract.
• Ideal vegetable for weight loss and lot of health benefits provided it is cooked in a medium flame to retain its properties.
• Okra has laxative treats irritable bowels and treats ulcers.
• Excellent for feeding the good bacteria(probiotics)
• Protects you from pimples and helps in maintaining beautiful skin. 
• Normalizes blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

                Lentil Powder are also called Paruppu Podi in tamil. Paruppu podi is a blend of spices and lentils, with full of fresh flavors and aroma. I always prefer homemade podi than store bought podi, as they are preservative free and less spicy and no adulterants added. They are very simple to make instant mix powder and can be done in less than 15 mins.This is my mom’s recipe. My mom always prepares them in large quantities, but I always prepare them in small quantities as just for me and my husband. This is my husband’s fav podi too and he always starts his lunch with this podi, rice and ghee. Try this healthy, protein rich powder with rice and let me know your feedback.


     Ingredients

          1 Cup of Toor Dal / Tuvaram Paruppu
          1/4 Cup of Roasted Bengal Gram / Pottukadalai
          6 Red Chillies
          1 Tsp of Black Pepper
          1 Tsp of Cumin
          10 Curry Leaves
          1/4 Tsp of Asafoetida
          1/4 Tsp of Gingelly Oil(Indian Sesame Oil)
          Salt to Taste

    Method

• Heat oil in a pan, roast all the ingredients except roasted bengal gram and salt, till they turn golden brown color and aroma arises. Once it done, turn off the flame.
• Let it cool down for 5-10 mins.
• In a blender (Mixie), grind all the roasted ingredients, roasted bengal gram and salt to a fine powder. Store it in an airtight container.
• Serve it with hot white rice and ghee or gingelly oil and sutta appalam on side. Also it tastes great with any kootu.

    Tips

• Roast the ingredients in medium low flame and stir constantly , to avoid burning.
• Always store it in an airtight container, otherwise it loses all the flavors and aroma.
• Adjust the amount of red chillies according to your taste.
• If you are not sure about salt measurement, just add a tsp of salt and grind it, if you think it is less, then add it to the rice while mixing.

     Health Benefits of Lentil Powder / Paruppu Podi

• Lentils are high in fiber and protein, and low in fat. Eating lentils that are rich in soluble dietary fiber can help decrease high cholesterol 
• A dish of  rice with toor dal powder gives carbohydrates, protein, fiber and fats to get a healthy, balanced meal. The rice provides carbohydrates for quick-release energy and toor dal gives protein.
• Toor dal is useful in the treatment of internal organ swelling.
• Toor dal contains folic acid, good for women health.

    Tags : paruppu podi, podi recipe, south Indian podi recipes, how to make paruppu podi, podi, lentil powder, instant mix podi, bachelor recipe, instant mix, toor dal powder

Capsicum are known by different names and available in different bright colors. I like the green capsicum. I often use green capsicum to make sambar, for topping the pizza and for subzis. I found this capsicum chutney recipe  in a Tv show so I thought of making this as a side dish for idly. Green bell pepper chutney is very simple and easy to make chutney and great in taste and flavor. Capsicum, onion, tomato, red chillies and dals are roasted in oil, ground to a fine paste and finally tempering added to it. Try this kudai milagai chutney for idly or dosa.

Ingredients

• 2 Green Medium Size Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
• 1 Large Red onion
• 1 Large Tomato
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 2-3 Red Chillies
• 2 Tsp of Urad dal
• 1 Tsp of Chenna dal
• Blueberry or Small Gooseberry Size of Tamarind
• 1 -2 Tbsp of Coriander Leaves, chopped
• 2 Tsp of Oil
• Salt and Water as Needed

To Temper

• 2 Tsp of Gingelly Oil (Indian Sesame Oil)
• 1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tsp of Urad Dal
• Few Curry Leaves

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, add urad dal and channa dal, roast this for few mins until it turns golden brown. Transfer the contents to a plate and keep this aside.
• In the same pan, add oil, red chillies, garlic cloves, onion fry this for 2 mins until onion turns golden brown.
• Add tomato, fry this until it turns mushy.
• Add capsicum, fry this for a min, add tamarind and coriander leaves, fry this for another min and turn off the flame. Let this mixture cool down for 5 mins.
• In a blender(mixie), add urad dal, chenna dal and capsicum-tomato mixture, add 1/4 cup of water and grind it to a smooth paste.
• Heat oil in a pan, when it is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves, after it splutters, pour this over the chutney.
• Capsicum chutney is ready to be served with idly or dosa.

Tips

• You can do the same recipe with red capsicum.
• If you don’t want tamarind in your chutney, instead you can add 2 tomatoes, for tangy taste.
• Adjust the amount of red chillies according to your taste.
• You can use green chillies instead of red chillies.

Health Benefits of Capsicum/Bell Pepper

• Low in calories and fat.
• Reduces triglycerides levels, thereby enhancing the metabolism.
• Rich source of vitamin A, C, betacarotene and anti-oxidants.
• Good for digestion.
• Treat arthritis and shingles.
• Blood clotting properties & prevents cancer.