Ari Unda/Rice Ladu

A sweetie evening snack, ari unda which goes well with tea and also can be enjoyed as a chit-chat snack...

Ingredients:

Matta Rice	1 cup
Grated Coconut	1/2 cup
Jaggery(powdered)	1/2 cup
Cardamom(optional)	4 cloves

Preparation:

(1) Wash matta rice in water for multiple times till clear water comes. Drain the water and keep aside. Below picture includes grated coconut and powdered jaggery too.

(2) Heat a pan and add rice to it. Saute till color of rice changes brownish and it starts to breaks(pops up). Saute in low to medium heat to avoid burning. It will take some 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

(3) Now grind rice and cardamom(i didn't used) in a mixer and make powder. Don't make coarse or very fine powder .

(4) Add powdered jaggery and coconut to the rice powder and grind once again. Grind only for few seconds just to combine them.

(5) Take it in a bowl and make ball shapes using hand. Your ari unda is ready.

Have it with your tea.

Tips:

• Since we are using fresh coconut, it won't last for more than two days unless refrigerated.
• Saute rice till it starts breaking and avoid burning.
• Above quantity yield some 8 to 10 ari unda

Tomato Rasam

Another rasam recipe which i got from my MIL.Try and enjoy this delicious rasam…..

Ingredients:

Tomato	1(big,chopped)
Garlic	5 cloves(crushed)
Chilly Powder	1/4 tspoon
Pepper Powder	1/2 tspoon
Coriander Powder	1/4 tspoon
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tspoon
Asafoetida Powder	1 pinch
Cumin Seed Powder	3/4 tspoon
Coriander Leaves	1 sprig
Tamarind	1 lemon size
Salt	to taste
Oil	1 tspoon

To Temper:

Oil	1 tspoon
Dry red chilly	2
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Curry leaves	1 sprig

Preparation:

(1) Soak tamarind in hot water and extract the juice. Add 3 cups of water to it. Mix with salt and keep it aside.

(2) Heat oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic to it and saute till the raw smell goes off. To this add chopped tomato and turmeric powder with little salt.

(3) Saute till tomato turns juicy. Now add chilly powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and cumin seed powder to it and stir till the raw smell goes off.

(4) Pour prepared tamarind juice to it and allow to heat. Mean while temper (kaduvarukkal) with the ingredients shown under the table "to temper". Add it to rasam. Also add asafoetida powder and garnish with  coriander leaves(i didn't used due to out of stock). Your rasam is ready. Close the vessel with a lid to retain the flavor.

Have it with rice…

Tips:

• Don't allow rasam to boil.

Home Made Sambar Powder

Home made sambar powder is easy to make even though it takes time. You can store and use it for 6 months and tastes too good than sambar powder from market. In India people used to grind it in mills and i have no choice other than grinding in a mixer. Hope you will like it.

Ingredients:

Dry red chilly	1/2 kg
Coriander seed	1/4 kg
Toor Dal	100 gm
Channa Dal	50 gm
Fenugreek Seed	4 tspn
Cumin Seed	4 tspn
Black Pepper	3 tspn
Curry Leaves	1/2 cup
Oil	3 tspn
Turmeric Powder	2 tspn

Preparation:

(1) Keep the dry ingredients separately in direct sunlight for about 5 hours.
(2) Heat a kadai or pan. Add coriander seeds to it and saute for 5 to 10 minutes in low to medium flame till the color changes brownish. Remove from fire and keep aside.

(3) In the same pan add toor dal, channa dal and saute for some 8 min till the color changes light brown and emanates its flavor. Remove from fire and keep aside.

(4) Again add fenugreek seed and saute it till they turn reddish. Remove from fire and keep aside.

(5) Now add cumin seed, black pepper and curry leaves to the pan. Saute for 3 to 5 mints. Remove from fire and keep aside.

(6) Finally heat oil in the same pan and add dry red chilly. Saute till chilly gets coated with oil that is  for some 2 to 3 minutes (You can saute it in 3 or 4 batches by adding little oil if you are using a small pan). Remove from fire and keep aside.

(6) Now grind everything in a mixer and make a fine powder. Take it in a large bowl and add turmeric powder. Mix well with a spoon(I grinned it once again to ensure even mixing).

Your sambar powder is ready. Spread it in a paper and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container or ziplock.

Tips:

• You can use it for more than 5 months. If so keep in refrigerator to retain its flavor.
• I used half of the above ingredients. Adjust according to your need.
• Channa dal is the source which gives thickness to the sambar.
• While roasting, keep an eye for not burning the ingredients.