Karonda Dal - Vakkai Pappu

Ingredients: 

• Karonda/ Vakkai- 100-120 gms (Karonda has a bitter, sour taste) 
• Tur dal- 1 cup
• Salt- 1 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp 
• Water- 3-4 cup

For Tempering:

• Oil- 1 tsp 
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Cumin- 1/4 tsp (Jeera) 
• Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp (Methi)
• Dry red chili- 3 broken into pieces
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp (Hing) 
• Green chili- 3-4 vertically slit
• Curry leaves- 8 leaves
• Garlic cloves- 3-4 peeled (optional)

Method: 

1. Wash and cut the karonda into 4 pieces each. Remove the seeds. 
2. Dry roast the tur dal and then wash twice. 
3. Add to a dish along with water and cook till soft. Not mushy.
4. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
5. Next, add the karonda pieces to the cooked dal and mix well. Cover with lid. 
6. Make sure the heat is in simmer to medium. 
7. Add salt and turmeric powder. Keep mixing occasionally to prevent the dal from sticking to the bottom. 
8. Prepare the tempering in a small pan. 
9. Heat oil. Add the mustard, cumin, fenugreek seeds, dry red chili, and asafoetida.
10. As the mustard splutters, add the slit green chilies, curry leaves, and crushed garlic cloves (optional). 
11. Turn off the heat. Add to the cooking dal. 
12. Mix well. Cook until the karonda pieces look soft. 
13. Turn off the heat. Serve with rice, roti, puri, dosa, parantha, etc.

Note: 

1. Or Simply add the washed dal and karonda pieces into a cooker. Pour 1 cup water. Add salt, turmeric powder. Cook for 3 whistles. 
2. Prepare the tempering and add to cooked dal. Simmer without the lid for 5 minutes. Serve. Add more water if required.

Elephant Yam Fry - Suran Fry - Kanda Fry

Ingredients:

• Elephant Yam/ Suran/ Kanda - 1 small-medium )Yam is basically a root,
• Oil- 2 tbsp
• Salt- 1/2 tsp (or to taste) 
• Red Chili powder- 3/4 tsp 
• Roasted Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp (Jeera powder)
• Coriander powder- 1/4 tsp (Dhaniya powder)

Method:

1. Soak the muddy yam in water (use a small bucket) for 15-20 minutes. Change the water and wash thrice until all the mud sticking to the yam is removed.  
2. You can do this on the day before. Let it dry. No need to place it in the refrigerator. 
3. For cooking, peel the thick skin using a knife. The skin will be thick. 
4. Yam has a tendency to cause itchiness, so apply some oil to hands before peeling and chopping it. 
5. Remove any extra dark-colored bits and chop into half (or one) inch pieces. 
6. Add 2 tbsp oil to a nonstick shallow pan. Heat the oil and add the chopped yam pieces. 
7. Cover with lid and keep the heat on simmer to medium. 
8. Stir gently and cover again after 3 minutes. 
9. Repeat the process until the pieces go golden brown on most of the sides. Add salt and mix again. 
10. The yam will get almost soft by now. If it doesn't, sprinkle some water and cover with lid. 
11. The process will take about 15-20 minutes in total. 
12. Simmer the heat, add red chili powder, jeera powder, dhaniya powder. 
13. Mix well. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve with rice, roti, etc. 

Tip: Soak the chopped yam pieces for 10 minutes in the water we get after washing the rice. It will remove the itching property of the yam.

Lemon Rasam

Ingredients:

• Moong dal- 30- 40 gms (Pesara pappu) 
• Water- 1 to 1 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice- of 1 big lemon
• Peppercorns- 12-15
• Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp 
• Salt- 3-4 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp 
• Garlic cloves- 2 crushed (optional)
• Green chili- 3 vertically slit
• Coriander leaves- a small handful, roughly chopped
• Curry leaves- 6-8 washed

For Tempering:

• Ghee- 1 tsp (Clarified butter)
• Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp (Rai/Aavalu)
• Cumin seeds- 1/8 tsp (Jeera)
• Asafoetida- 1/8 tsp (Hing)
• Dry red chili- 2 broken into 6 pieces

Method:
For a detailed recipe, please watch the video.

1. Wash and soak the moong dal for 15-20 minutes. It's not compulsory. The dal can be cooked without soaking It will take a few more minutes to cook. 
2. Cook the dal in 1 cup of water until it becomes mushy. 
3. Do not strain the excess water after cooking the dal. Add another 1/4 cup of water to it if required. 
4. Keep the heat on simmer and add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. 
5. Prepare the tempering using ghee. 
6. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chili, and asafoetida. As the mustard seeds splutter, add slit green chilies, curry leaves, crushed garlic (optional).
7. Add the tempering to the rasam and mix well. Keep the heat on simmer. 
8. Stir occasionally to make sure it dal does not stick to the bottom. Add chopped coriander leaves. 
9. Let it boil for 2 minutes. 
10. Turn off heat. And after another 10 minutes, squeeze the juice of a lemon and mix. 
11. Serve with hot rice, idli, dosa, vada, etc