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Cut all veges above into long pieces, 1 inch long, and 0.5 cm thick. You can avoid either or both squash if you like to; also banana if it is too gluggy. But you need all the others. You can add chena, padavalam, muringakkaya, etc. if you can get them. Cut them all in the same way (except muringakkaya, cut it into 1.5" long pieces and split into half), same length and thickness as others.  Put them in a pot in layers, beans and carrot at the bottom, then chokko, then banana, then potato, then zuchini, then add the onion slices, cut green chillies and curry leaves, then put the coconut, turmeric and chilli powder (spread it on the top, all three), then put tomato slices, and then cucumber on the top. Then pour water, cover with a lid and cook in low-medium flame. When it is cooked, add salt, and then stir well, careful not to break the vegetable pieces. If there is plenty water, keep it for a while to be dried up.  Heat the oil, add mustard seeds, and curry leaves, add it to the above mix. Then add the yogurt and stir well, adding enough salt of your taste. Serve and enjoy!

Masoor Dal - 1 cup
Large onion sliced into large pieces- 1 cup
Split Green Chillies - 2
Chopped Tomato  - 1
Crushed Garlic  - Half teaspoon
Lime Juice   - 1 tsp
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1 dsp
Jeera seeds  - Half tsp
Dried Red Chillies chopped  - 1
Salt - to taste
Water - in proportion

         Boil all the ingredients together except the Jeera seeds, Red chillies and the Ghee. After boiling, saute the red chillies and Jeera Seeds in the Ghee and add it to the boiled mixture. 

Kootu Theeyal

Lady's finger, Small Brinjal, Cucumber and Potato pieces - 3 cups
Slit button onions - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut- 21/2 cups
Red Chillies - 12
Fenugreek - 3/4 tea spoon
Tamarind- size of a lime
Coconut Oil - 2 Ounce
Mustard - 1/2 tea spoon
Small Onions -2
Salt - to taste

      Fry eight red chillies, grated coconut and fenugreek in one teaspoon of oil. Grind all the fried ingredients to a fine paste. Cut all the vegetables into small pieces. Heat 1/2 oz. of oil in a vessel and add the sliced vegetables and onions and keep stirring till they are cooked. Remove the vegetables, pour the remaining oil and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, fry two onions sliced and the four broken red chillies. Mix all together. Dilute the tamarind in two cups water, strain and add salt to taste. Mix the ground masala to it. Add this to the vegetables. when it froths, remove the curry from the fire.

Cabbage Peera(uncoocked)l

Shredded Cabbage - 1 heaped cup
Green Chillies - 4
Onions sliced fine - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Coconut Oil - 1 dsp
Lime Juice - 1 dsp

      Mix the shredded cabbage and grated coconut. Put the finely chopped onions in salt water for a few seconds and squeeze it out. Mix the onions, minced chillies, lime juice, salt and coconut oil to the cabbage and coconut.

Finely chopped Beet Root- 1 1/2 cups
Onion pieces - 1 cup
Chopped Green Chillies- 4 
Ginger chopped   - 1/4 tea spoon
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 2 dessert spoons

      Heat ghee in a frying pan and add chopped onions, ginger, green chillies and beet root. Add salt, stir well and keep the pan covered for a short while. Then add pepper powder and stir the whole thing till it is dry. Remove from fire. 

      Cook the plantain with the skin on in water. Now peel it and mash it. Heat oil in a frying pan,put mustard seeds and when they crackle, fry the red chillies cut into big pieces. Add chopped onions and green chillies. Stir the cooked plantain , add salt to taste and add enough lime juice to make it little sour. Stir and mix together. Remove from fire.

      Peel the cucumber, remove seeds and cut into very long pieces. Keep aside mixed with a little salt (1 table spoon). Squeeze out the water from the cucumber pieces, add 2 cups curd and salt to taste. Crush 3/4th spoon mustard and green chillies and add it to the cucumber, together with grated coconut. In a frying pan, heat 1oz. ghee, put the remaining mustard into it. On crackling, add the crushed red chillies and fry. Pour the whole thing into the Kichadi, stir well and use. 

      Crush the carrots on the grinder and gring it together with salt, green chillies, 6 onions, ginger and sufficient mango. Pour oil and temper the chutney with mustard, black gram and two tamarind pieces. Heat the remaining sliced onions till dry. Remove from fire.

      Cook the red gram in water. When there is very little water left, add all the vegetables and slit chillies and cook. Pour salt, add 3/4th cup water to the coconut and squeeze out the milk. Strain it into the curry. Crush the curry leaves and put it into the curry along with the ghee. Serve hot.

Garlic Rasam

1 cup garlic flakes peeled 
2 cups water
2 tomatoes (large)
2 cups cooked and mashed dhal mixed in water
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
A small piece of asafoetader
Salt to taste
1 dsp. rasam powder
1 tsp. melted ghee or gingelly oil
1/6 tsp. mustard
2 dry chillies each cut into 3
1 spring coriander leaves
2 pinches sugar
1 dsp. lime juice

    &bbsp; Spread garlic flakes in a tray and steam cook until it is very soft. Take out the garlic and keep aside.Boil 4 cups of water and cook dhal in it. Mash and strain. Add chopped tomatoes, asafoetida, turmeric powder and boil together. Mix salt and rasam powder and bring to boil again. Temper mustard and dry chilly pieces in ghee or gingelly oil and add to the rasam. Lastly add coriander leaves, sugar, lime juice and the garlic. Let it boil again. Remove and serve hot. 

     Dry the ingredients in the sun and powder coarsely and keep in airtight bottle. Prepare the rasam powder only in small quantities.

Vegetable Kootu 

1 cup of cooked Bengal gram dal
2 potatoes
5 string beans
1 bit snake gourd
1 bitter gourd
1 stem of spinach
3/4 cup first milk drawn from grated coconut
3 cups second and third extractions
1/2 tsp. turmeric paste
1 pinch aniseed
1 pinch cumin seeds
1 pinch mustard
1/8 tsp. black gram dhal
2 pieces cinnamon, 1 inch long
1/2 cup small onions sliced long
1/2 cup onions sliced thin
10 green chillies sliced round
4 flakes garlic
1/2 dsp. ginger sliced
1 stalk curry leaves
3 dsp. coconut oil
Salt to taste
Lime juice from half a lime.

      Cut the vegetables into 1 inch long slices. Grind roasted aniseed and cumin seeds. Heat coconut oil and fry mustard, black gram dhal and cinnamon, small onions, one after the other. Add sliced onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger and curry leaves and sauté. Add vegetables and the second and third extractions of coconut milk. Mix turmeric and salt and cook covering the pan. When vegetables are done mix the gourd, aniseed and cumin seeds, boiled Bengal gram dhal and first extraction of coconut milk. When it is hot remove and sprinkle lime juice

Koottu Thoran 

1/2 cup each string beans, yam, plantain
Flower (vazha koombu) and brinjal chopped fine
1 cup raw plantain chopped
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp. mustard
3dry chillies each cut into 2
1 cup red onion sliced roound
1/8 to 1/4 cup green chillies cut round (to taste )
1 stalk curry leaves
1 cup grated coconut
2 dsp. bengal gram dhal
1 dsp. tur dhal

      Boil the vegetables without over cooking. Add salt. Broil bengal gram dhal and tur dhhal in a greased skillet, and powder coarsely. Heat coconut oil and fry mustard first and then dry chilli pieces. Add curry leaves and grated coconut and fry without changing colour. Add boiled vegetables including plantain chopped and salt to taste. Let it get dry. Before removing sprinkle coarsely powdered dhals. 

      Mix the ingredients of the first item. Heat gingelly oil and fry mustard first and then black gram dhal. When it is brown add dry chillies and fry. Remove and cool. Mix this with the first ingredients. Lastly add curd and mix everything well. A little grated coconut can be added.

1/2 cup churned (curd made out of milk-powder or milk)
1/2 cup water
Little turmeric powder
1 tsp. oil
A pinch of mustard
A pinch of fenugreek 6 small pieces ginger sliced long
1 dry chilli cut into two or three
1 stalk curry leaves

       Mix the ingredients of the first item. Heat oil and fry mustard and fenugreek. Add the ingredients of the fourth item and when sauted add the buttermilk. Reduce heat and keep stirring for a few minutes. 

      Slice mangoes into four without separating from the kernel. Cook the mangoes adding ingredients of the second item with sufficient water. Grind the red chilli seeds and cumin seeds smoothly and the grated coconut coarsely. Mix the paste with crushed mustard and dilute with a little water. Add this to the cooked mangoes and cook for a few minutes. Heat oil and crackle mustard and fry chillies. Add little gravy from the curry , mix and pour into the curry. The mango pieces should be coated with the masala. If it is too sour mix a little jaggery or sugar. 

24 pieces brinjals (long white variety) cut into 1 1/2 inches long 
6 green chillies split on one end
1 cup tur dhal
10 dry chillies
3 dsp. coriander
1 tsp. fenugreek
Asafoetida to taste
2 or 3 stalks curry leaves
1 dsp. coconut oil
Tamarind and salt as required mixed in 3 cups of water
For Tempering
2 dsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. mustard
3 dry chillies cut into 6
1 stalk curry leaves 

      Cook dhal and mash it. Heat 1 dsp. coconut oil and try the ingredients of the second item and grind together. Add tamarind and salt of the 4th item. Boil and add brinjal and green chillies. When it is cooked mix the ground masala paste. Bring to boil and add the cooked dhal. When it boils again add curry leaves and remove. Fry mustard, dry chilli pieces and curry leaves in coconut oil and add to the curry. 
NOTE: a small peeled onions can be added along with the brinjal . Tomatoes can be added with tamarind, but the quantity of tamarind should be lessened. Coriander leaves can be added to improve flavour. 

Drumstick Leaves Erissery 

3 cups drumstick leaves, pressed and measured 
1/4 cup tur dhal
1 cup grated coconut
3 small garlics
1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. chilli powder
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
For Tempering
3 dsp. coconut oil
1/4 tsp. mustard
1 dsp. small onion cut round
3 dry chillies each cut into two
3 stalks curry leaves
3 dsp. coconut, grated finely

Grind grated coconut coarsely. Crush garlic and cumin seeds and mix with the ground coconut, chilli and turmeric powders.Boil water and cook dhal in it. When it is soft and water is about 1/2 cup add drumstick leaves and salt, cover and cook. Fry mustard in hot oil. Add garlic and when sauted add dry chillies and curry leaves. When fried add grated coconut and stir till brown. Add the masala mixed with coarsely ground coconut and add to the curry. Serve hot. 

1/2 kg. cabbage beans, string beans, pumpkin, cucumber, potato, carrot, spinnach - all these cut into 1 inch long thick slices 
1/2 cup Bengal gram dhal or tur dhal
1/4 tsp. oil
1 dsp. coriander
6 dry chillies
1/8 tsp. each of cumin seeds & aniseeds
4 garlic flakes
1 small piece ginger
4 cloves
2 cardamom
1 small piece cinnamon
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 cup oil
1/2 dsp. mustard
1 cup onion sliced long
1/2 tsp. ginger sliced long
1/2 tsp. garlic flakes
4 green chillies split
1 tsp lime juice

      Cook dhal and keep aside. Fry dry chillies, coriander, cumin seeds and aniseeds one by one in 1/4 tsp. oil and remove. Grind these together with the ingredients of the fifth item.Heat 1/4 cup of oil and fry mustard. Add the ingredients in the eighth item and saute. Add the ground ingredients and brown over low heat. Add water sufficient to cook the vegetables and salt to taste. cover and cook. When the vegetables are nearly done add the cooked dhal. Let it simmer till the gravy is fairly thick. Sprinkle lime juice, remove the curry and serve hot. (Finely shredded cabbage and bengal dhal similarly prepared makes a delicious curry. ) 

     Cook snake gourd with green chillies and a little water. When it is nearly done add the cooked dhal.Meanwhile grind the ingredients of the third item. Place the paste in the snake gourd and dhal and cover it up. Bring the boil and when the steam comes out, stir well with the handle of the ladle and mix tamarind in a little water, salt and curry leaves. When the gravy is thick remove. The dhal and snake gourd should not be over cooked. Heat oil in a skillet and fry ingredients of the sixth to the ninth items and pour into the snake gourd koottu and mix well.

      Heat a heavy- bottomed skillet and add ingredients from items 1 to 6 and broil stirring constantly till the grated coconut is of uniform brown colour. Remove from fire. Pick out chillies from the coconut and powder with salt. Add all the other fried ingredients and pound together. When oil starts coming out of the coconut add onion, ginger and tamarind and pound. (These absorb the drained oil ). When all the ingredients are powdered properly store in bottles. 

Crush dry chillies and onion and mix with mango. Lastly mix the other ingredients. Instead of using small mangoes, large tart mangoes cut into desired shapes may be used. 

Onion - 1/2, cut into small pieces.
Green chilli - 2 or 3, cut long.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon.
Chilli powder - 1/2 spoon
Methi (uluva/fenugreek) powder - 1/5 teaspoon.
Cummin (jeerakam) powder - 1/5 spoon.
Oil, salt, mustard seeds, curry leaves.
Zuchini squash/chayote squash/green apple (grannysmith) - 1 or 2,
Cut into pieces.
Yogurt (wholemilk one is better) - 2 cups, whip well.

      Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, then add onion, green chilli and stir for a while Then add curry leaves (optional), and then all the powders and salt. Stir for a few seconds, then add the veg. pieces, and a cup of water. Cover it and cook. When cooked, take it off the stove, and after a while (when cooled down a bit) add the yogurt to it, stir well. And it is ready! 
Note: You can use ripe mango instead of squash/apple if you like. Also, you can add coriander leaves if you like. 

Thoran 

       You can use Beans/Carrot/Yellow or Mexican Squash/Beetroot - 1/2 lbs. If using Carrot or Beetroot, grate them. If others, cut them into small pieces (cubes). You can also use carrot and beans together; then cut carrots too into small cubes. 

      Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, then add onion, and stir until it turns light brown. Then add salt, then chilli and turmeric, and stir well. Add coconut, stir well for while, and then add the veg. Cover it and cook on a low flame. Give a stir once a while between a couple of minutes, until it is cooked. Thoran ready!
Note: You can add cummin powder [a pinch] too if you like.

Cabbage Thoran 

Cabbage - 1/3 - 1/2, cut into thin long.
Green chilli - 2 or 3, cut round, 0.5cm thick.
Desicated/shredded coconut - 1/2 cup.
Turmeric powder - a pinch.
Onion - 1/3, cut into small pieces.
Oil, mustard seeds, salt.
Curry leaves --> optional.

     Mix cabbage, turmeric, green chilli, onion, salt, coconut, curry leaves, and a few drops of oil together in a vessel, with your hand or a spoon (hand is better). Heat the oil, fry mustard seeds, and add this mixture to it, stir well, cover it and cook in a low flame. Give a stir once a while, and it is ready! (Add a pinch of cummin powder too [when you mix] if you like.) 

Mezhukkupuratti/Upperi

You can use Beans/Carrot/Snow peas/Asparagus/potato/etc. - 3/4 lbs.
Cut them into small pieces (grate carrot/beetroot - optional).
Onion - 1/3, cut into small pieces.
Crushed chilli (red chilli) - 3/4 spoon.
Oil, salt (mustard seeds and curry leaves are optional).
(You can use garlic if you like; crush them).

     Heat oil, add mustard seeds (if you are using it), then add onion (and garlic if you are using it), stir until it turns light brown, add salt, and then crsushed chilli; stir well for a while until the chilli is well fried (mookkunnathuvare). Then add veg., stir well, cover it and cook in a low flame, and it is ready!You can cook parippu [split peas]/cherupayar [mung dal]/vanpayar [puna dal?]/kadala/etc. too the same way. First you have to cook (boil) them, and add salt to it when cooked. Also to the split peas and cherupayar, you can add 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, after frying crushed chilli, if you like. When cooking kadala, you can add a teaspoon of garam masala too if you like, after adding crushed chilli. 

Pachadi

Raw mango/cucumber/chayote squash - 1 or 2,cut into small cubical pieces.
Onion - 1/2, cut into small pieces.
Green chilli - 2 or 3, cut round, 1cm thick.
Desicated/shredded coconut - 2 spoon.
Coconut milk - 1/2 can (7 oz.).
Fenugreek powder - 1/5 teaspoon.
Shallots - 1, cut into round, thin slices.
Red whole chilli - 1, cut into round pieces, 2cm thick (optional).
Oil, salt, mustard seeds. Curry leaves is optional.
Yogurt - you need to add only if you are using cucumber/squash; if
using mango, dont add yogurt.

      Put veg., onion, green chilli, coconut, coconut milk, fenugreek powder, and salt in a vessel, add a cup of water, stir well, cover it and cook in a medium flame, until it is well cooked.Heat oil in a pan, fry mustard seeds, then add shallots and red whole chilli & curry leaves, and add to the above mixture when shallots turn brown and chilli is well fried. Whip the yogurt well and add that too. Stir well, and pachadi is ready! 

Katti Paruppu

Yellow split peas - 1-2 cup.
Potato (optional) - 1, cut into cubes.
Onion - 1/4, cut long.
Green chilli - 2 or 3, cut long.
Shallots - 1, cut into small thin pieces.
Oil, salt, crushed chilli/red whole chilli. Mustard seeds and curry
leaves are optional.

      Cook parippu with onion, green chilli, potato, and a few drops of oil. When cooked, add salt, stir well. Smash the potato pieces well. Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, add shallots,then red chilli and curry leaves, add it to the parippu when the shallots turn brown.Stir well, and it is ready!

Yellow split peas - 1 cup.
Pumpkin/tomato/papaya (not very ripe)/muringayila or chena (if you can get them) - 1/4-1/2 lb. Cut into small pieces. If using muringayila,
take them off from the 'thandu' (wash it first).
Desicated/shredded coconut - 1/2 cup.
Green chilli (optional) - 2 or 3, cut long.
Onion (optional) - 1/4, cut long.
Shallots - 1, cut into small, thin pieces.
Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon.
Chilli powder - 1/2 spoon.
Oil, salt, mustard seeds, red whole chilli, 1 tablespoon of
Shredded coconut. Curry leaves --> optional.

     Cook parippu with onion, green chilli and a few drops of oil. When cooked, add salt, veg., turmeric, chilli, and coconut, and cook again in a low flame until everything is cooked. Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, add shallots, red whole chilli, and curry leaves, stir well, and add 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut when the shallots turn light brown, stir for a while, and add it to the curry. Stir well & it is ready! 

Cut into small pieces, if using squash/pavakka. (Also you can cut pavakka into thin round pieces if you like). If using mango/ apple/brinjal, cut into long pieces, 3cm long and 1.5cm thick. If using shallots, either use them whole or cut into halves.

     Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, add onion and green chilli, stir for a few minutes, and then add curry leaves, stir for a while, then add salt, sugar, and all the powders, stir for a while until the mixture turns brown, then add veg., and a cup of water. Then add tamarind paste. (If not using tamarind paste, then put tamarind in a cup of boiled water for a few minutes, and squeeze it well to get the juice out of it, and you can add that tamarind water instead of adding just water to the mixture). Stir well, cover it and cook until it is well cooked. (You can add coconut milk if you like; tastes better without it.) It is ready to serve! 

Potato - 2 or 3, cut into round slices, 5mm thick.
Chilli powder - 1 spoon.
Plain flour - 1/4 spoon.
Oil, Salt.

     Mix the potato slices with chilli powder, plain flour, and salt. And then heat the oil and fry them (like you fry fish) in low flame. That is it! It is so yummy!! 

Varutharachu Curry

Potato/kadachakka(bread fruit) - 1 lb.,cut into small cubes/pieces.
Chilli powder - 1/2 spoon.
Turmeric powder - 1/5 teaspoon.
Coriander powder - 2 spoon.
Garam masala - 1 or 1 1/2 spoon.
Coconut milk (optional) - 1/3 can.
Onion - 1/3, cut into small pieces.
Green chilli (optional) - 2, cut long.
Oil, Salt, Mustard seeds. Curry leaves --> optional.

     Heat oil, fry mustard seeds, add onion, green chilli & curry leaves, stir until it turns light brown. Then add salt, all the powders and masala, stir until it turns brown, then add coconut milk and veg., stir well, cover it and cook until well cooked. (If not adding coconut milk, add a cup of water instead). It is ready to serve! (Infact, it should be made by roasting coconut and all the spices, and blending them very nicely, but it is not easy to do it here. So I made up this version.) (You can cook kadala too the same way. For kadala, you can use just the garam masala and chilli powder only. Either way, it tastes good.) 

Brinjal (Eggplant) Curry

     Cut brinjals into square pieces and put in water. Grind together coriander, chilly, garlic, cumin, turmeric, ginger and cocnut to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a vessel. Saught the chopped onion and curryleaves. Then saught the ground masala. Add the brinjal pieces and saught for a while.Add 1 cup water and salt to taste and cook till the brinjal pieces are tender.Mix the tamarind paste in 1/4 cup water and add to it.Allow to simmer for a few minutes and remove from fire.