Saturday Lunch Thali...

Saturday lunch thali 

1. Dhal 
2. Cabbage usli
3. Bhindi Vetha Kuzhambu
4. Avial (Beans, Keerai thandu, cucumber, carrot, capsicum)
5. JackFruit / Coconut milk Idichi Puzincha payasam
6. Tomato/ Cocum Rasam
7. Smoked Brinjal Thuhayal
8. Mango Thokku
9. Keerai masiyal
10. Andhra Style Pulihora
11. Dhal Vadai (in Air Fryer)
12. Fresh RaspBerries from the backyard
13. White Rice
14. Cold Pressed Sesame oil

Srimanis Dinner Plate..

Menu:

1. Carrot thuruval
2. Cucumber / flax seeds raita
3. Bhindi gravy
4. Ambad Bhaji or Puli Keerai
5. Aloo Fry
6. Tomato pickle
7. Cut Fruits
8. Mint/Coriander Thepla
9. Honey (Then kathali)Banana
10. Apple/mango/Cherry

Recipe

Carrot Thuruval

1.  Grate 1-2 carrots
2. Add salt, hing, green chilies, coriander and lemon juice
3. Now give a nice tadka with mustard / u dhal.
4. Aromatic Carrot thuruval is ready.

Cucumber Raita / Pachadi

1. Grate 1-2 cucumbers.
2. Squeeze all the juice from cucumber (you can drink that separately.)
3. In thick curd (not very sour)add some flax seed powder , salt, and hing. 
4. Mix it very well.
5. Optionally you can add some ground - ginger, green chilies and coconut paste.
6. Add some green chilies(finely chopped) & coriander leaves.
7. Now add the cucumber.
8. Give nice tadka with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Enjoy the raita with chapathi, or any other chitranna.

Thepla

1. Add 2 cups of wheat flour, fistful of finely chopped mint and coriander leaves.
2. Add some hing, turmeric, jira, salt, grated red chilies, and finely chopped green chilies.
3. add 1-2 tbsps of cooking oil, some water and mix the dough.
4. Make small balls and press them into small chapathis.
5. Fry it in a tawa with oil on both sides.
6. Yummy thepla is ready!

Aloo Fry

1. Take 5-10 baby potatoes and apply some oil.
2. Cook in air fryer - in 370. for 15 mins.
3. Now peel the skin of aloo.
4. In a small crup mix 1tsp corn starch, 1 tsp, turmeric powder,smabar powder, 1 tsp salt(to taste), 1/2 tsp amchur powder, a pinch of hing and keep mix well.
5. In a separate pan heat 2-3 tbsps of oil, then add some jira.
6. After jira splutters, add this aloo and fry for 2-3 mins.
7. Now add the powder mixture and cook on low-med heat for 5-10 mins.
8. Super yummy and crispy aloo fry with less oil is ready.

Srimanis Tiffin Thali!

Main Items:

1. Dosa 
2. Idli
3. Oats Pongal
4. Ulundu Bonda

Dosa Side dish

1. Aloo masala
2. Gobi masala

Chutneys & Sambar

1. Tiffin Smabar (with moong dhal/ mango/tomato)
2. Coconut chutney
3. Urad Dhal & Pranut Chutney
4. Pudina chutney

Sweet

1. Fresh Jack Fruit / Chakkai varatti 
   

Tiffin Sambar:(One Pot Sambar)

Ingredients

1. TuarDhal 1/2 cup
2. Moong Dhal 1/2 cup
3. Veggies Sliced and diced - Aloo, Pumpkin, carrots, capsicum / cauliflower - 2 cups
4. Tamarind water - 42 tbsps (lemon sized tamarind)
5. mango - sliced and dice d- 1/4th cup
6. tomato - sliced and diced - 1/4th cup
7. sambar powder - 2 tsp
8. water - 2 cups
9. salt as needed
10. seasoning - oil, mustard seeds, u dhal , hing & fenugreek seeds
11. garnishing - curry leaves and coriander

Procedure:

1. First start with a tadka in a cooker.
2. Then add water, veggies,tamarind water etc.. and all ingredients.
3. Cook it on medium flame.
4. After it's cooked & cooled add a tsp of ghee .
5. Add garnishing.
6. Super tasty tiffin smabar is ready

Peanut/ Tomato Chutney:

1. Peanuts - 1/3rd of a cup
2. U Dhal - 1 tsp
3. Red Chilly 0 3-4
4. Tamarind - on e small gooseberry size
5. Tomatoes - sliced and diced - 3/4th of a cup
6. salt - to taste
7. seasoning - oil 2 tsp, mustard, curry leaves, red chilies powder - 1/2 tsp, u dhal - 1 tsp, hing a pinch

Procedure

1. Heat a pan and add oil.
2. Add peanuts and u dhal.
3. fry on medium flame until u dhal give nice aroma.
4. Now add tomatoes, red chilies, salt.
5. fry it well until tomato oozes all water.
6. then add the tamarind.
7. Allot this mixture to cool.
8. Grind it to a fine paste.
9. Give tadka with all seasoning items!
10. Super yummy peanut chutney is ready.

Pudina Chutney (AP Style)

1. Add oil to a pan.
2. Now add little mustard, fenugreek, 1tsp channa dhal, 1 tsp U dhal, 2-4 red chilies, some cumin seeds and fry well.
3. Then add some tamarind (small gooseberry size).
4. Finally turn off the sa and add the mint leaves and fry well.
5. Allow it to cool.
6. Grind it with some slat and coconut.
7. Super yummy pudina chutney is ready.
8. Enjoy it with rice, tiffin etc..

Coconut Chutney

1. In a mixie container add some 1/3 cup of grated coconut,
2. 1/4th cup of roasted gram,
3. 3-4 green chillies,
4. one thumb size ginger,
5. Hing,
6. 1 tsp seasame seeds,
7. fistful of coriander leaves
8. i tsp almonds/ cashew (optional).
9. Salt - to taste.
10. Grind without adding water.
11. Add water little by little and grind.
12. Optionally you can grind this in grinder to give an excellent texture and taste.
13. Finally give a nice tadka with coconut oil, mustard, u dhal , red chilies and curry leaves.

Enjoy it with all tiffin items.

Srimanis Standard Thali..

Here's my standard thali...

I didnt want to add sambar to it - as I liked to have spicy Vatha kulambu...

Here's the menu:

1. Green gram Sweet Sundal
2. Carrot/ Moong Dhal Kosambari
3. Curd/Raw banana Khadi
4. Capsicum,Brinjal/Bhindu Vatha Kuzambu
5. Spinach masiyal
6. Snake Gourd Koottu
7. Cabbage/ Mung Dhal curry
8. Potato / Raw Banana Spicy (kara) curry
9. Cabbage Stem/ Snakegourd seeds chutney / thogayal
10. Curd
11. Kefir Lime Leaves / Cocum rasam
12. Lemon rice
13. Moong dhal/ ghee
14. Quinoa rice

Greengram Sweet Sundal:

Ingredients:

1. Whole Moong - 1 cup
2. jaggery - 1/2 cup
3. coconut - 1/4th cup, one peice dry ginger or sunthi , 2-3 cardamoms - for grinding / seasoning.
4. ghee - 1 tea spoon

1. Dry Roast whole moong until a nice aroma comes.
2. Pressure cook it well.
3. After cooking - filter the water and allow it to cool.
4. Heat jaggery in a pan untuil it becomes a thick sypru.
5. Add this moong and fry for 2-3 mins.
6. Add Coconut/ Dry ginger/ Cardamom mixture & mix it well.
7. Add one teas spoon ghee on top for flavor.

Sweet Sundal is ready.

Vazhaikkai Mor Kuzhambu or kadi

1. Pressure cook 2-3 raw bananas.
2. After cooked - peel the bananas.
3. Grind coconut, green chilies, ginger and raw bananas.
4. Add thick curd and grind again.
5. Boil the mixture (add water if needed).
6. Add Salt.
7. Season it with coconut oil/ mustard and u. dhal/ curry leaves.

Yummy Raw banana Kadi is ready!

Keerai masiyal

1. Boil spinach  with less water and some salt.
2. After it's cooked - allow it to cool.
3. Grind the spinach to a semi-fine paste.
4. If it's too thin, add some rice flour.
5. Boil the mixture with salt (as per your tate).
6. Give tadka with Mor / Curd Milakai, mustard seeds, U. dhal & hing in coconut oil.

Masiyal is ready.

Ahara Niyamanam - Pasuram 5

Swamy Desikan has listed these (leaves) not to be consumed :

5th pasuram of aahara niyamanam. (Except for ammanthaal - I could track everything else in this pasuram).

சிறுகீரை செவ்வகத்தி முறுக்கிறாண்டும்

சிறுபசலை பெரும்பசலை அம்மணன்தாள்

பரித்தொருவர் கொடாதிருக்கத் தானே சென்று

பாய்ந்தெடுத்துக் கொள்ளுமவை பகிராக் கூறுங்

கூறிட்டாலும் தின்னவோனாக கைப்பு வார்ப்புங்

கூர்க்குமாவை யசலும் அவை கொடும்புளிப்புங்

கறிக்காகா விவையென்று கண்டுரைத்தார்

கார்மேனி யருளாளர் கடகத்தாரே .

1. Kalyana Murungai (கல்யாண முருங்கை லை)
2. Muringai (முருங்கை இலை)
3. அம்மணந்தாள் - a medicinal plant.
4. Pannai keerai ( பண்ணை கீரை / கோழிக்கொண்டை இலை )
5. Perum Pasalai (பெரும் பசலை / malabar spinach)
6. Puli arai keerai (புளிச்சாம் கீரை / ஆரை கீரை)
7. Red agathi keerai (செவ்வகத்தி கீரை)
8. Shanal or Gongura (சணல் / புளி மிஞ்சிக் கீரை)
9. Siru Keerai (சிறு கீரை) Siru Pasalai (சிறு பசலை கீரை )
10. Thoyyal or Kattu Keerai (தொய்யால் / காட்டு கீரை )

——————————-////

Edible ones are :

1. Agathi only white
2. Appa kovai
3. Ara Keerai
4. Brammi
5. Kalavan keerai - pumpkin, avarai leaves , long beans leaves
6. Karisalanganni - Brungaraja pathram (used in Neeli brundadhi thailam)
7. Kasini Keerai (dandoline greens?)
8. Kothamalli keerai
9. Kovai keerai
10. kuppai keerai
11. Kuppai meni keerai
12. Mani Thakkali keerai
13. Mookkiratrai
14. Mudakku aruthan or mudakkathan
15. mul keerai (with thorns)
16. Musu Musukkai
17. Nachu kottai keerai
18. Nayuruvi keerai
19. Palakeerai
20. Paruppu keerai
21. Poduthalai keerai
22. Ponnankanni - 3 types
23. Puliyan keerai (tamarind leaves)
24. Puthina keerai
25. Sembu ilai/ thandu
26. Thandu keerai
27. Thavasi keerai (very nutritious )
28. Thoothuvalai
29. Tuthi Keerai (Cures piles)
30. Vallai keerai (water plant)
31. Vallarai
32. Venthaya Keerai

If you know any pls add . I will update the list .

Ahara Niyamanam Pasuram - 5

Swamy Desikan has listed these (leaves) not to be consumed :
5th pasuram of aahara niyamanam. (Except for ammanthaal - I could track everything else in this pasuram).

சிறுகீரை செவ்வகத்தி  முறுக்கிறாண்டும் 
சிறுபசலை  பெரும்பசலை  அம்மணன்தாள் 
பரித்தொருவர்  கொடாதிருக்கத்  தானே  சென்று 
பாய்ந்தெடுத்துக்  கொள்ளுமவை  பகிராக்  கூறுங் 
கூறிட்டாலும்      தின்னவோனாக  கைப்பு  வார்ப்புங் 
கூர்க்குமாவை  யசலும் அவை கொடும்புளிப்புங் 
கறிக்காகா  விவையென்று  கண்டுரைத்தார் 
கார்மேனி  யருளாளர்  கடகத்தாரே .

1. Kalyana Murungai (கல்யாண முருங்கை லை)   
2. Muringai   (முருங்கை இலை)
3. அம்மணந்தாள்  - a medicinal plant.
4.  Pannai keerai ( பண்ணை கீரை /   கோழிக்கொண்டை இலை ) 
5. Perum Pasalai (பெரும் பசலை /   malabar spinach)
6. Puli arai keerai (புளிச்சாம்   கீரை / ஆரை கீரை)
7. Red agathi keerai (செவ்வகத்தி   கீரை)
8.  Shanal or Gongura (சணல் / புளி   மிஞ்சிக் கீரை) 
9. Siru Keerai (சிறு கீரை)   Siru Pasalai (சிறு பசலை கீரை ) 
10. Thoyyal or Kattu Keerai   (தொய்யால் / காட்டு கீரை )

Edible ones are :

1. Agathi only white 
2. Appa kovai 
3. Ara Keerai
4. Brammi 
5. Kalavan keerai - pumpkin, avarai leaves , long beans leaves
6. Karisalanganni - Brungaraja pathram (used in Neeli brundadhi thailam)
7. Kasini Keerai (dandoline greens?)
8. Kothamalli keerai
9. Kovai keerai
10. kuppai keerai
11. Kuppai meni keerai 
12. Mani Thakkali keerai
13. Mookkiratrai 
14. Mudakku aruthan or mudakkathan
15. mul keerai (with thorns)
16. Musu Musukkai 
17. Nachu kottai keerai
18. Nayuruvi keerai
19. Palakeerai 
20. Paruppu keerai
21. Poduthalai keerai
22. Ponnankanni - 3 types
23. Puliyan keerai (tamarind leaves)
24. Puthina keerai
25. Sembu ilai/ thandu
26. Thandu keerai 
27. Thavasi keerai (very nutritious )
28. Thoothuvalai
29. Tuthi Keerai (Cures piles)
30. Vallai keerai (water plant)
31. Vallarai 
32. Venthaya Keerai

If you know any pls add . I will update the list .

ghee rice and manchurian

Something different - veg fried / ghee rice and manchurian ! Maharaja Nalan in his Paka Darppanam talks about riced cooked with ghee , herbs etc and then flavored with kewda - thazhampoo water - so biriyani was not invented in desert - instead they stole our recipe ! And of course we cook it with no onions , mushrooms etc .. ! We should be very proud of our culture and heritage ! 🙏🏻🙏🏻 Veg fried rice with lots of pepper & veg manchruian prepared in air fryer .

Veg fried rice

1. Take 1 cup of basmati rice and wash well in water .
2. In a dry pan add the washed rice and dry roast until all water goes away and the rice becomes dry .
3. Put the rice ina plate and add 2 tsps of ghee to the hot pan .
4. Add cardamom , cloves , cinnamon , jeera ,bay leaves to that ghee and fry .
5. Now add the dry rice and fry it all together .
6. After the rice gets fried well it turns color and becomes a dark or fluorescent white .
7. Now add 1 cup water and cook in open .
8. If the water dries add little by little and make sure that rice is completely cooked
9. Add some saffron to the rice - for coloration .
10. When the rice cooks , add diced veggies - capsicum , beans , carrots , cauliflowers to hhot water and salt and cook then we’ll .
11. Now filter the water from veggies and add them to rice .
12. Add 2 more tsps of ghee and stir it well .
13. Rice is done .
14. Now take 2-3 tsps of black pepper and powder and add it to the rice .

—————————-

Manchuria

1. Grated bell pepper , carrots , finely chopped cauliflower , cabbage - 2-3 cups
2. Rice flour , corn starch , maida mixture - 3 tbsps
3. Soy sauce - 1/2 cup
4. Salt , cooking oil - 3 tbsp s , grated red pepper - 2 tsps
5. Har am masala - 2 tsps

Mix all these and make them to small balls and coat with oil and cook for 20 mins in air fryer for 20 mins

Gravy

1. Keep a little bit of Manchuria balls for gravy
2. If need cut and add more veggies.
3. Gribd 2-3 tomatoes with 5 green chilies , ginger to a fine paste
4. Now add it to the veggie mixture
5. Add more soy sauce, sugar / jaggery .
6. Since soy says is salty - adjust your salt
7. Add 1-2 tsps of corn starch
8. Now add 1-2 tsps of cooking oil to a pan
9. Add some Jira to it
10. Add the gravy base
11. When it starts to boil , check if sweetness , salt etc is all good .
12. Now add lsome me juice to make it tangy .
13. Add the air fried Manchuria balls to this gravy .
14. Super tasty yummy Manchuria balls with gravy is ready .
15. Enjoy it with rice or roti or bread !

Sanskrit names for our food items

Sanskrit names for our food items..

1. Pachai payaru sundal - mudgha daanya upakaari or upakaaram
2. Mochai - raja maasha dhaanyam
3. Kadalai - kshanakam
4. Rice - thandulam
5. Avil or puha- pruthula thandulam
6. Ellu Mavu - guda mishra thila churnam / pishtam
7. Orange - naranga phalam
8. Apple - kashmira phalam
9. Banana curry - kathali shaaka vyanjanam
10. Dhal - shoopam
11. All curries - nana vyanjanaani
12. Pulao, fried rice - odanam
13. Akkara vadisal - snighdhannam
    
14. Sweet pongal - guda mudhghaannam
15. Ven Pongal - swetha mudghaannam
16. Vella Chatham - sharkkaraannam
17. Ghee rice - aajyodhanam
18. Pepper rice - mareechaannam
19. Kollu - kulitha dhaanyam
20. More / butter milk - takram
21. Coriander rice - kustumbari shaakaannnam
22. Tuvar dhal - tuvari shoopam
23. Tuvar kichdi - tuvara misrannam ! Tavarodanam
24. Banana leaf - Kathali pathram
25. Lotus leaf - kamala / pundareeka pathram
26. Coconut oil - naarkela thailam
27. Vellam / jaggery - sharkkara
28. Dried ginger / sukku - sunthi
29. Pepper- marichika
30. Red pepper - rakshaks marichika
31. Yellow silk - pithanbaram
32. White silk - swethambaram
33. Red silk - rakthanbaram
34. Scent - vasanaathi thailam
35. Hot water - hitha ushnodakam
36. Cold water - sheetodakam
37. Boli/Uppittu - kshanapoopam
38. Dosa/ aappam- apoopam
39. Pancha bakshya paramaannam - five types of bakshanam and paayasam
40. Red banana - raktha kadhali phalam
41. Honey banana / then vazhai- madhu (Bharitha) kathali
42. Grapes 🍇- draksha
43. Mango - aamra palam
44. Jack fruit - phanasa phalam
45. Ilanthai- pathari phalam
46. Kalakkai - klavanga phalam or shaakam
47. Lemon- jambeera phalam
48. Mullai flower - kundha pushpam

Karpoora Veetika

Lalitha 1000 talks about karpoora veetika - which spreads its fragrance equally in all 10 directions ! Powder cloves, cardamom, jathikkai, jathipathri , edible camphor , saffron / kumkuma poo and store in air tight container - helps in digestion also .

Ahara Niyamanam - Dos and Donts of Eating Paan - Pasuram 19

Ahara Niyamanam Pasuram 19
--------------------------------------------

வெற்றிலைமுன்  தின்னாதே  தின்னும்  பாக்கும்
வெற்றிலையின்  அடியுமுனியும்  நடுவில் ஈர்க்கும்
வெற்றிலையும்  பாக்குமுடன்  கூட்டித்  தின்னும்
விதவைக்கு  முதன்முடிவாச்  சிரமத்தார்க்கும்
வெற்றிலையும்  சுண்ணாம்பின்  நிலையுமற்றும்
விரதங்கொண்டிடுநாள் வெற்றிலையும்  பாக்கும்
வெற்றிலை திண்ணனாநிற்கப்  பருகு  நீரும்
விதையென வைத்தது தினலும்  விளக்கினாரே

Swamy Desikan explains to us the rules about chewing paan or betel.

Do not chew betel nuts before you start chewing betel leaves. (no tobacco of-course)
Tip, Bottom (kaambu) and the stems/ thick nerves behind the leaves must be removed.
Betel leaves must be chewed first and then the nuts- we cannot chew both of them at the same time.
Widows, Unmarried Brahmacharis and Sanyasis cannot chew Betel leaves.
The betel leaf, in which calcium or sunnaambu is kept cannot be used. (Yes it has more calcium and will burn the mouth).
On days of religious fasting like ekadashi etc.. (utnil that Vrutham is over) one must not chew betelleaves or Paan.
When eating betel leaves due to those betel nuts - it get struck in the throat - we must never drink water during that.
Betel nuts, which are preserved to be seeds (raw betel nuts - for making seeval) - must not be consumed.

It's very important for us to know the dos and donts of our culture. Swamy Desikan out of his immesnse mercy for this mankind ahd documented all this here.
+
There's also pramanam for this in Dharma Sastras:

वेदोऽखिलो धर्ममूलं स्मृतिशीले च तद्विदाम् ।
आचारश्चैव साधूनामात्मनस्तुष्टिरेव च ॥ २.६॥

Vedas are the ultimate source of our sastras + the lifestyle(s) of learned men and then finally - one's own perception when the above two doesnt give us a clear idea. Swamy Desikan has clearly combined the pramanam from vedas and the way of great Asthikas and given it to us as one grantha for our benefit!