Saambaar Rice

Ingredients
Raw rice -3/4 cup
thuvar dhal - 1/3 cup
Tamarind - a small lemon sized ball
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Ghee -2 tsp
Vegetables
small onions -10 (Cut it into 2 pieces if it is big)
Carrot-1
Beans-7
Potato-1
radish-1
brinjal-5
ash guord-6or7pieces cut into square shape
bitter gourd-half piece

For the Masala

Channa dhal-1 tbsp
Coriander seeds-1 tbsp
Red chilli-5
Whole black pepper-5
Grated coconut-1/4 cup

Fry everything in a tsp of oil till dhal turns golden brown, adding coconut in the end. Grind it to a smooth paste. Keep it aside. Now your masala is ready.

For sauting
Asafoetida-a generous pinch
Mustard-1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Red chilli-1
Curry leaves-few

Method

Cook rice and thuvar dhal together with  water and keep it aside.(boil the rice and thuvar dhal litttle mushy)
Soak thuvar dhal in hot water (just enough water to soak the dal) for 15-20 minutes. Pressure cook dal with a pinch of turmeric powder. so that the dhal will boil with rice easily .
Soak tamarind in warm water and extract its juice (around 1 & 3/4 cup) and discard the pulp.
Peel onions and chop all the vegetables
Keep the vegetables ready.
Heat oil, and add asafoetida, mustard seeds, after mustard seeds splutter, add the other ingredients mentioned under seasoning. Then add small onions and saute till it turns pink.
After that, add the chopped vegetables. Saute for a few seconds. Add tamarind water, turmeric powder and salt needed. Close it and let it boil well till the raw smell of the tamarind goes.
Now add the grounded masala and cooked thuvarur dhal and rice
Add 1 1/4 cup of water and let it boil.  Simmer and cook for a few seconds so that it gets mixed well with the masala. Check for salt.
Add ghee and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve piping hot with onion raita.

Tomato Rice

INGREDIENTS:
Basmathi Rice- 1 cup
Water – the ratio is for one cup one and hal cup water needed.
Ripe red sour varietied tomatoes – 4 medium or 5 small sized, sliced
Oil ,ghee – 2 tbsp
2 pcs each of cinnamon, cardamom and clove
Big Onion- 1 - sliced lengthwise
Green chillies- 5 slit lengthwise
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Fresh coriander and mint leaves – one stalk each
garam masala -half tspn

METHOD:
Wash and soak rice in water for 30 minutes
Heat oil + ghee in your pressure cooker and add the spices cardomom,cinnamon,bayleaves then little garam masala to that.
Saute the onions till translucent followed by the green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes in order.
Let the tomatoes turn a bit mushy Stir in the herbs which are coriander leaves,mint leaves and curry patha leaves
Pour the measured water and bring to a boil.
Add rice and stir in salt.
Cook until 3 whistles.
Let the steam went off by itself.
Open the cooker and fluff the rice gently with a fork.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot with onion raitha.

Sakkarai Pongal(sweet Pongal)

1.Raw rice                              1/2 cup
2.Moong dal/ pasi paruppu      2-3 tblsp
3.Jaggery                                 1/2 cup heaped
4.Water                                    2 & 1/2 cups
5.Ghee                                     3 tblsp
6.Salt                                        according to the taste
7.Cashews                                5-6
8.Raisin                                     1-2 tblsp
9.Elachi                                     1
10.Cloves                                  1
11.milk                                       1/4 cup
12.Edible camphor                     A tiny pinch

Method:
1. In a pan, add 1/4 tsp ghee and roast the moong dal.
2. Add water, washed rice,roasted moong dhal and salt altogether.
3. Pressure cook for 4 whistles.
4. Mash it once done.
5. Powder jaggery and heat it with water just to immerse it and bring to boil.
6. Let the jaggery completely dissolve and  filter it so that the impurities in jaggery will be out.
7. Then add the jaggery to the  mashed rice in the cooker.
8. In a separate pan, heat a tsp of ghee and roast cashews to golden
9. Once it roasted transfer it and keep aside.Take out elaichi and powder it,add the
   powdered elaichi,edible camphor to the pongal.
10.Mix all well and cook for five minutes in medium flame.Atlast add 1/4cup of milk and stir it well
11.Add little ghee to give tasty.Atlast add cashews.