Plantain masala curry (dry)

Ingredients
2 large Plantain
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
2-3 green chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
handful of curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp split black gram dal (husked)
a dash of asafoetida
2 dry red chillies
2 tbsp oil

Preparation

Boil the palntain in a pressure cooker along with the skin for 3 whistles. After it cools down, remove the skin and mash the plantain roughly.
Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil, and temper with mustard seeds, split black gram, chana dal, curry leaves, asafoetida, red chillies and green chillies.
To this tempering add coconut on low heat, when it changes colour to slightly golden, add the mashed plantain, salt, turmeric, coriander powder, amchoor powder and chilli powder and mix well. Cook this for 10 minutes on low heat covering with lid till all the flavors blend well. If you do not cover, the plantain tends to get very dry. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve with rice or rotis.

Tomato-kothmira pachadi(Tomato-Coriander chutney)

Ingredients

1 cup fresh coriander leaves (washed and roughly chopped)
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium lime sized tamarind
2 tbsp split black gram dal (husked)
4 -6 dry red chillies
2 green chillies
1 tsp jaggery (optional)
salt to taste
2 tsp oil

For tempering
handful of curry leaves
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp split black gram dal (husked)
4-5 fenugreek seeds
a dash of asafoetida

Preparation

Heat a pan and add 1 tsp oil. On low heat add coriander leaves and saute for 2 minutes till the leaves get soft. Remove the coriander leaves from the pan and set aside. In the same pan heat 1 tsp oil, add split black gram dal and fry till golden ,turn off the heat and add redchillies, green chillies and tamarind. If you wish you can even cook the tomatoes slightly in oil till the rawness is gone. You can also reduce the amount of chillies if you wish.
Grind together, coriander, tomato, tamarind and fried dal mixture, salt and jaggery into chutney.
Temper it with the given ingredients and serve with rice, idly or dosa.

A trip to the Jungle!

Evening sky outside my house...



We had been to the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary and here are some captures:)
This picture we were getting deep into the jungle (safari):)



Spotted some deers!


Pretty peacock walking by ...

Baby elephant kept safe from public so that it does not get infected...

mommy elephant:)

this little monkey snatched a packet of chips from the tourist.... and gave them a panic...


while we were getting down the ghat roads....