Thakkali Kulambu

Thakkali kulambu is a very easy to prepare gravy which goes very well with rice, idli or dosas. This gravy can be put together in 10minutes and this saves you when there are unexpected guests. My mom usually prepares this with coconut, but being calorie conscious I just skipped it. You can have roasted peanuts as a side for this gravy and rice. That tastes wonderful.

Ingredients:
Tomato-4
Onion-1
Oil-2tsp
Mustard and Urad dhal-1tsp
Sambar Powder-1tsp
Turmeric Powder-1/4tsp
Salt-to taste


Procedure:
1. Chop tomatoes and grind it to a fine paste.
2. Chop onions.
3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard and urad dhal.
4. Add onions and saute until golden.
5. Add the tomato paste to the pan. 
6. Add turmeric, sambar powder and salt.
7. Give it a nice stir and when it starts boiling, cover and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
8. When the raw smell vanishes and the gravy is of right consistency, switch off stove and transfer gravy to a serving dish.
9. Serve along with rice/idli/dosa.

Red Chilly Powder

Red Chilly powder is an important ingredient in Indian recipes. Though you can buy it at stores, preparing it at home gives a nice colourful hot powder. While selecting red chillies, look for bright coloured chillies. Don't buy dark coloured chillies because the colour of the powder will be darker which inturn darkens the gravy.

I usually prepare for 1 whole year. The quantity of red chilly depends upon the size of the family and the amount of powder you use in gravies. For a family of three, I buy 1kg red chillies and prepare the powder which can last up to a year. Grinding is always done in flour mill. But preparing the chillies for grinding is very important to get fine powder. 
On your terrace, spread a clean cloth or news paper and place the red chillies on it. Let it dry for the whole day. If the sun is fierce, one day is enough. But if the climate it little cloudy, then you need to do this procedure for 2-3days. when you break a red chilly, it should break in a snap. You need to hear a sharp sound while breaking. If you hear, then the chilly is perfect for grinding. If the chilly bends with out breaking, then you need to dry it for another day.
After the red chillies are completely dry, transfer them to a large jar and take it to flour mill. Ensure that the powder is very fine. Flour mills have plates and they will help you cool the powder before you take it home. If the powder is hot and you close the lid the powder will burn. So always cool it in the mill and take it back home.
In home, spread the powder on two to three sheet of news papers and allow the powder to cool completely. Sift with a sieve and remove any big particles. Transfer powder to airtight jar. Transfer a small amount of powder for daily use and keep the remaining powder untouched so that it stays fresh even for a year.
Pickles using home made chilly powder isa always flavourful and colourful.