Making of pulikachal/puliyodharai paste (Tamarind gravy for rice)

Making of pulikachal/puliyodharai paste (Tamarind gravy) - preparation time 15 mins
You can prepare this pulikachal, refrigerate and use for few days. 

Ingredients:-
Tamarind juice - mix 2 table spoon of tamarind paste in water or extract juice from tamarind and keep (goose berry size)
Red chili - 4 or 6 (split each into 2 piece. you can increase chilies if you want)
Urad dhal - 2 teaspoon
Mustard seed - ½ tsp
Fenugreek (Venthayam) seed - ¼ tsp
Split Channa dhal - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Sambar powder - ½ tsp (optional to give additional flavor)
Jaggery/Sugar - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 10 to 15 leaves finely chopped

Preparation method:-
Heat the tawa/kadai in low flame with oil & mustard seed. Once mustard splutters add the dhal and roast till dhal becomes light brown.
Add fenugreek seed, chili, curry leaves, turmeric, tamarind juice (optional sambar powder i use for my pulikachal as the ingredients in the sambhar thickens the pulikachal ), jaggery and salt.
Boil till it becomes thick (oil will come over the gravy if the gravy is cooked well).

Make below pulisadam powder finally with the rice
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
Coriander seed - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp or less (optional)
Red chili - 1
Pepper corns - 10

Dry roast above spices and cool it. Grind to coarse powder and keep. This can be added to puli sadam along with above pulikachal to enhance the taste of pulisadam. For fully recipe refer pulisadam in this blog.

Kondakadalai and thenkai puli kuzhambhu (or karakuzhambhu)

Kondakadalai and thenkai Puli kuzhambhu (or karakuzhambhu)
When we were kids mom used to make this kuzhambu. For this we need the coconut to be tender (not very tender) and brown small channa dal. This will be tasty and protein rich recipe.

Ingredients:-
Tamarind extract - Got from small gooseberry size tamarind ball
Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery - small piece
Thalikkum vadagam - 1
Coconut - cut into small thin pieces 2 tbsp
Sesame oil (nalla ennai) - 1 tbsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Bengal gram - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp

Preparation method:-
Soak the small brown channa dal over night and pressure cook for 5 whistle along with required amount of water and salt. 
Heat kadai, add sesame oil, thalikkum vadagam, urad dhal, bengal gram. When nice aroma come add fenugreek seeds.
Add turmeric, sambhar powder, salt, sortae for few mins.
Add the tamarind extract and boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off. Check the spice level and adjust to your taste at this stage. 
Add the chopped coconut pieces to the gravy along with cooked small brown channa dal.
When the gravy become thick and oil start to separate add jaggery and boil.
Take this with white rice, fried arisi vadagam. As channa is rich in protein you can consume in this way also.
Try it out it will be a delicious gravy for rice.

Kezhvaraghu mavu and vellam paniyaram (Ragi flour and jaggery sweet)

Kezhvaraghu mavu and vellam paniyaram (Ragi flour and jaggery sweet) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
Another slightly healthy snack. Ragi (rich in calcium and b vitamins) flour and jaggery (rich in iron) to make this sweet. Easy and quick to make yummy and tasty snack. Let try to include all healthy food in our daily food and snacks we are taking. Can be made in few minutes with the ingredients in our home.

Ingredients:-
Ragi flour - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Powdered cardamon - 1/2 tbsp
Jaggery syrup - 2 tbsp or Powdered jaggery  - 1/2 cup (take same cup you measured for ragi flour)
Water - as required
Cashew - 6 to 10 (broken to small pieces)
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
In a vessel add sugar with few water. Boil and remove the dirt in jaggery using a filter. Make the jaggery syrup. You keep this syrup refrigerated for few days in a clean glass bottle. This readily available syrup can be used in kanchi, idiyappam, paniyaram, etc.
To the ragi flour add the jaggery syrup along with grated coconut,rice flour, cardamon powder, broken cashew pieces. Mix well so that no lumps exist.
If taken in laddle it should be in pouring consistency ( take care that in should not be very liquid because the shape on paniyaram wont be good).
In kadai heat oil. and slow down the flame.
When oil is hot pour one small laddle of the flour mixture. It will rise to the surface of the oil. Keep turning the paniyaram so that it will be cooked evenly. The color changes slightly and bubbles will come down.
Take out from oil and transfer to tissue paper to take out the excess oil from the sweet.
You and your family might like this sweet.