Ridge Gourd Skin ( outer layer ) Chutney.

Ridge Gourd Chutney can be eaten with  Rice and Chapatis too.
Things Needed:
Ridge Guard outer layers ; 1 cup
Urd Daal : 1 Table spoon
Curry Leaves : 8 to10
Red Chilly : 4 to 6
Coconut : 1 cup
Tamarind : 1/2 Lemon size
Turmeric : a pinch
Ingh : a pinch
Salt : to taste
Oil : 2 Tea spoons
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 Tea spoon
Method :  Remove the outer layer of  Ridge Guard after washing the vegetable. Scrape the sharp edges and throw it out. now take a knife and slowly remove the skin. Cook this Ridge Gourd skin with tamarind, salt and turmeric adding little water for 5 minutes. Now let it cool.
Take a pan and put a spoon of oil.  Put Urd daal and red chillies.   Fry them until Urd daal is golden brown . Now add curry leaves and fry it . Add ingh and coconut. and put off the fire. Let this mixture also cool.
Now Grind the cooked Ridge Gourd and coconut , urd daal mixture nicely with little water into paste consistency.  Remove from the jar and put it in a bowl.
Now keep  a pan and heat the remaining oil. Put mustard seeds and let it spurt. Add curry leaves and ingh and put this mixture to ground Chutney. Serve Ridge Gourd Chutney with Hot Rice and little ghee on the top of hot rice.

Note : You can roast Urd daal and chillies instead of frying . But fried daal gives a better taste. Also excess water which you get after cooking ridge gourd can be used while grinding.
Serves: 3 to 4

Garlic - Ghee Rice

Garlic - Ghee Rice is normally used for lunch or dinner.
Things Needed :

Cooked Rice : 1 Cup
Garlic Pods : 6 to 8
Red Chillies : 2 to 3
Salt : to taste
Coconut : Fresh and Grated : 2 Table spoons.
Curry leaves : 5 to 6
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon .
Urd Daal :1/2 Tea spoon
Cashew Nuts: 2 Table spoons
Ghee : 2 Table spoons.

Method :
Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Put 1 table spoon of ghee. Put mustard seeds and Urd daal . Let the Mustard spurt. Add Garlic pods and fry for 3 seconds . Add cashew nuts and red chillies. ( Cut chillies and put it to the mixture).  Now add curry leaves and fry for 2 to 3 seconds. Add  cooked rice and stir . Then add  salt and mix well. Add coconut and put of the gas.  Add the remaining Ghee and mix well and Serve Garlic - Ghee rice with some chips or Papad.
Note:  Do not use over cooked rice.  You can add little Jeera  while frying . Left over rice can be used for preparing Gharlic - Ghee rice for  breakfast. Do not use the whole ghee in the beginning....since it gives a burnt smell. ...use little ghee to fry the mustard spurt and  add the remaining ghee at the end. It gives very good Aroma and taste better.
Serves :2 

Nendra Baale and Wheat Sweet Dosa

Nendra Bale  is a kind of Banana mostly used in Dakshina Kannada and in Kerala. 
Things Needed :
Nendra Bale : 1
Wheat Flour : 2 cups
Rice Powder : 2 Table spoons
Jaggery: 2 to 3 Table spoon
Coconut : 1 Table spoon ( Optional).
Salt : to taste
Ghee: 4 Table spoons.

Water: Required water.

Method:
Mix wheat flour and rice powder and jaggery with pinch of salt, adding required water. ( Consistency should be like ldli dough).  Keep this dough aside. Wash and remove Banana skin and cut fruit  in to  thin circle shape..
Keep dosa tava  or a pan on the fire and heat for 10 seconds. Sprinkle ghee and spread that all over the pan . Now take that cut bananas and dip one by one and keep it on the hot pan. Arrange the bananas in a circle joining the ends like dosa.  Cook on low fire . Put a spoonful of Ghee on the top and turn the dosa and cook it other side of dosa. Cook till its golden brown.   Repeat the same with the remaining batter and banana pieces. Banana dosa is ready to serve.

Note : The dough should not be watery or too thick. Can do this dosas with  Besan also.  Can use sugar instead of jaggery. It gives a different taste.
Must use when it is completely ripe. ( Banana skin starts turning black shows the fruit is completely ripe. Do not allow it to be too soft).
You can pressure cook  this Nendra bale  and can have the whole banana for breakfast.
4 to 5 Dosas can be made.

Veggy Modak..

Veggy Modak is a snack ..and you can have them as break-fast or  as evening snack.

Things Needed:
Rice powder: 2 cups
Carrot : 1 cup
Beans : 1 cup
Capsicum:1 cup
Green chilly : 2
Coriander Leaves : 2 Table spoons.
Salt : to taste.
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Urd Daal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Curry leaves : 6 to 8 leaves.
Oil: 1 Tea spoon
Method:
Wash and cut all the vegetables, Green chillies and coriander leaves  in to small pieces and keep it aside.
Take a pan and keep it on fire and heat. Put 1 tea spoon of oil . Put mustard seeds and urd daal. let the mustard seed spurt.  Add curry leaves and cut vegetables . Mix well and  cook on low flame adding little water. Add little salt to it. Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes until the water disappear. Put cut coriander leaves and remove from the pan.
Now take an another pan and put  4 cups of water and add little salt to it. .  Bring to boil and  add rice powder little by little while the water boiling. Mix it well and stir the dough for at least 5 minutes. The dough gets thickens .Stir well and remove from the pan and keep it aside. Make balls when the dough when it becomes cool and flatten them with your palm place a spoon full of  vegetable dry curry prepared and close them with your finger giving it Modaka shape. Prepare this kind of modakas placing vegetables in it.  Arrange in a  steam cooker  or pressure cooker and steam them  for 10 minutes and serve hot Modaks with Coconut chutney and a spoonful of pure ghee on hot Modakas.

Mote : Wet your hands while making balls . So that it will be easy to make Modakas. Can add Green peas to the vegetables also.

You can use Maida flour instead of rice powder. ( Roast Maida flour and leaving for cooling . Add plain water and mix as chapati dough and  kneed well and make small balls and then flatten them one by one add the filling and prepare Modakas).
Note on  steaming Modakas in a steamer or Pressure cooker:  Add 2 glasses of water put a small bowl ( any pressure cooker container will do or similar vessel). upside down.  Place a plate on it and arrange the Modakas on the plate and cover the pressure cooker and cook for  10 minutes.

10 to 15  Modakas can be prepared.