Vendaikkai pachadi

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Vendaikkai-15-20
Small onions(sambar onions tastes good in this dish )-10
Green chillies-5
Tomatoes-2
Tamarind-1inch size

method

Heat oil in a pan and add 

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Methi seeds n jeera -1tsp

Hing a pinch

Now add the cut chillies n onions ...fry for a while and add the tomatoes then the ladies finger ...fry till the stickyness of the ladies finger goes...add a little sambar powder  (for the aroma ..its optional)..then the tamarind juice...let it boil for a while...at the end add the cooked toor dhal n simmer for a few minutes .

Vendaikkai pachadi is ready...this tastes good with rice n chappathis too...

Badam alva

One of the major hits with my family and friends....is this mouth watering dish..badam alva.
Chettinad marriages usually have this in their menu atleast once either in breakfast or dinner menu..
Long back only the master cook (in marriages)will prepare this ..as it includes all expensive materials..in a large scale...
    It seems easy..but to get the right pakkuvam is really difficult.
But it comes with practice...
I have mastered this technique somehow!!!
Recipe:
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Ingredients :
Badam -1 cup
Sugar -1 1/2 cup
Saffron -1 pinch
Milk -little (required to grind the badam)
Ghee-11/4 cup.
Method  :
      Soak the badam in water overnight or for a few hours.Alternatively you can boil the badam in hot water for five mins n switch off the  stove and let it cool .
Peel it n grind it with little milk.just add milk to get a smooth paste..
        Now add the sugar to it and keep it in a thick bottomed kadai on a low flame (non stick tava  can also b used).
    Stir it continuously...dissolve the saffron in one table spoon warm milk  n add to it ...you can also add food color if u prefer..keep on stirring for 15 - 20 minutes
       To find out the right time to switch off the stove....place one drop of it in a plate of water... If it does not loose its shape.... Time to switch off the flame.
        Keep the kadai away from the stove n start adding the ghee...
        You can see the alva taking all the ghee u add....add the ghee little by little fully n keep on stirring it ..
Once all the ghee is taken by the alva ...its over!!
Tasty ...melting badam alva is ready!!!!!