Mambala Kulambu/Mango Fruit Kulambu

Mangoes are sweet, so we would only think of sweet dishes to make out of it, but this recipe says no, a sweet sour mango can be made into a no-sweet dish and guess what, it goes very well with rice!

Mambala Kulambu/Mango Fruit Kulambu

Ingredients (serves 2-3 persons) 

Mango fruits medium size - 2
Tamarind paste – 2-3 tbsp
Vellam (jaggery) – optional
Coconut - 3tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp (optional)
Sambar powder – 2 tbsp
Curry leaves 
Salt - to taste 

Seasoning 
Oil

Mustard seeds
Urad dhal
Asafoetida 
Curry leaves 

Preparation 
Grind the grated coconut, sambar powder, red chilli powder, curry leaves and turmeric powder along with some salt and keep aside.

Cut Mango fruits into medium size pieces along with the skin. Use the mango seed (kottai) along with some of the outer covering skin in this recipe. 

Method 
In a pan heat some oil and add the ingredients mentioned for seasoning.

Then, add the mango pieces and also the seed (mabala kottai) into the pan with tamarind paste and cook until the mango skin becomes soft.

Handle the mango pieces carefully without messing. Now add the ground coconut paste and salt to taste. 

If the taste of the mango is not so sweet, add some jaggery to taste. 

Let all the items in the pan get heated but do not let it boil. 

Pour it out of the pan on heating and serve with rice. 

Tips 
Good combination for Varagu and Kuthiraivalli rice and also for our regular white rice.

Home-Burger

Burgers as we know is not a healthy option when it comes to fast-food, but a burger made at home with the simplest of items is something that grabs our attention. Yes! With less oil and a balanced nutrient content, we can make this fast-food a healthy snack.

Home-Burger

Ingredients (serves for 3 members)

Bun - 3
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Lettuce Leaves - 3
Cheese slice - 3
Tomato sauce/ketchup - 6 tsp
Any bread spread/cheese spread/normal butter - 1 spoon (per person)
Maida - 1 tsp
Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Oil - 2 or 3 tsp
Salt - as required

For Potato Patty (cutlet)

Potatoes - 2
Beans - 6
Carrot - 1
Peas - a handful
Sweet corn - half a handful
Cottage cheese (Home-made Paneer) - half cup
Chilly powder - as required
Pepper powder - as required
Asafoetida -  1 pinch
Sambar powder - as required (optional)
Chat masala - 1 tsp
Omam (ajwain seeds) - 1 small pinch
Corn flour - 1 tbsp

Preparation

For Potato Patty (cutlet):

Cut and boil together the potatoes, beans, carrot, peas and sweet corn along with some salt. (You can use a microwave or a pressure cooker)

Mash the boiled vegetables as much as possible, so that there are no pieces seen in them.

Add paneer, corn flour, chilly powder, salt, pepper powder, asafoetida, sambar powder, chat masala, ajwain seeds and a drop of oil and mix them to a ball.

Make patties/cutlets to the size of the bun you are taking and keep aside.

Toast 2 or 3 bread slices and grind them to crumbs.

Make a watery paste from the maida flour and keep aside

Slice the tomato and onion into rings.

Method

In a tava (preferably non-stick) add 2 or 3 drops of oil and heat it.

Coat the patty/cutlet first in the maida-water mix and then in the bread crumbs and place it on the tava.

Make sure both the sides of the cutlet is crisp and slightly golden color on the outside.

Keep aside the cutlet once finished.

Cut the bun into halves along the horizontal direction.

Spread some bread spread/cheese spread/normal butter on the inner sides of the two halves.

Next, spread some tomato sauce/ketchup on the lower half.

Place the toasted patty/cutlet.

Now place the onion and tomato rings (3 rings for each)

Place a cheese slice on the top.

Now fold the lettuce leaf to fit the bun and place it on top.

Close the arrangement with the other half of the bun and place a tooth-pick to make them stay in place.

Serve with tomato sauce or plain.

Kosmari Salad/Cucumber-Moong Salad

A dish very close to my heart, as a child I had never preferred eating moong dhal in such a form, but then my grandmother added cucumbers and lemon and changed the complete way it tasted. I then started asking her to make this for me often. Mouth-watering!! Yum!!

Ingredients

Cucumber (medium size) - 1 to 2 no’s

Soaked or half boiled Pasi paruppu (yellow moong dhal) – 1/2 to ¾ of a cup (as per taste)

Green chilies - 4

For Dressing

Black salt - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Lemon juice - 1to 3 tsp (as per taste)

Coriander leaves (optional)

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Preparation 
Soak the moong dhal for 2 to 3 hours.

Grate the cucumbers.

Make a paste out of the green chilies.

Method 
Put the grated cucumber, soaked moong dhal and green chili paste in a mixing bowl. (If you do not like to eat raw dhal they can half boil it and then add along with cucumber).

Keep the mixture in refrigerator for at least half an hour. (Optional)

Add the items given for dressing in the mixing bowl before serving.

Health Benefits

Cucumber is cooling agent to our body during summer time and moong dhal is good protein source.