Pagarkkai Puli kuzhambhu (Bittergourd and tamarind gravy)

Pagarkkai Puli kuzhambhu (Bittergourd and tamarind gravy) - preparation time 15 mins
I used to make kootu/poriyal/ orundai kuzhambu with bitter gourd(pagarkkai). One day i tried puli kozhambhu using pagarkkai. This gravy contains very slight taste of bitter, tangy, sweet, spicy and salt. This goes very well with white rice  or side dish for adai.

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
Bitter gourd - 1  (sliced thinly)
Sesame oil (nalla ennai) - 1 tbsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Toor dhal - 1/4 tsp
Bengal gram - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp

Preparation method:-
Heat kadai, add sesame oil, thalikkum vadagam, urad dhal, bengal gram, toor dhal. When nice aroma come add fenugreek seed along with chopped bitter gourd.
Fry till the bitter gourd is cooked to soft. 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.
When the gravy become thick and oil separates add jaggery and boil.
The bitter gourd puli kuzhambhu will be in mixed taste (sweet, bitter, tangy, salty,etc). Try it out.

Varagu and Thenai aarisi adai (Kodo, Foxtail millet and pulses pan cake)

Varagu and Thenai aarisi adai - preparation time 2 to 2.5 hrs 
Millets are very rich source of protien, minerals, fibre, calcium, phosphorus, etc. In all the millets we have foxtail millet is richest source of all the specified nutrition so try to include this millet in your menu in some way.

I have started my creations using millets according to my Dr's advice. I am going to share those recipe to you all for your health benefit. First i tried sweet dish using thenai flour and jaggery which became hard to eat after 2 days need some more modification.

But when i tried making adai using the Foxtail millet and Kodo millet (Thenai and Varagu) it came out very well. You can try this nutritional adai. This recipe is gluten free, rich source of protien, minerals, etc and i am using coconut oil to prepare adai to enrich the taste of adai.

Ingredients:-
Varagu rice - 3/4 cup and Theenai rice - 1 and 1/4 cup (wash both rice together and soak for 2 hrs)
Bengal gram(Kadalai paruppu) - 3/4 cup 
Toor dal (Thuvaram paruppu) - ½ cup 
Moong dal (Pasi paruppu) - 1/4 cup (wash all dal and soak for 2 hrs)
Mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Sesame oil -4 tsp
Urad dhal - 3 tbsp
Chili - 6 (can increase according to your spice)(soak in water)
Coriander seed (Dhaniya) - 2 tbsp (soak in water)
Cumin seed (Jeera) - 2 tbsp (soak in water)
Salt to taste
Water - to grind
Asafoetida - ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - 10 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 2 inch piece (cleaned, washed and chopped finely)
Small onion - 20 (peeled and chopped fine) or 2 medium size big onion

Preparation method:-

Grinding method 1:-
In mixer grind coriander seed, cumin seed, chili with required water. Add varagu and thenai rice along with the spice and grind coarsely.
In mixer grind soaked dal's and mix with grounded rice mixture. 
We have to be careful while grinding the dal else it will become like a paste.Also don't add water to dal while grinding. If required just sprinkle some.     (or)

Grinding method 2:-
Another way is grind half rice mixture is you can add half portion of dal mixture and grind and remove similarly you can grind the remaining rice and dal.
Note that the grinding time of rice will be slightly more when compared to dal so we have to grind rice slightly and then add the dal to grind.

Garnishing:-
Heat a kadai add oil, add mustard seed. Once it splutters add urad dal and roast till golden brown.
Add chopped small onion, chopped ginger, curry leaves and fry till onion is cooked in goes asafoetida. Add this to ground rice & dal mixture.
Mix all the ingredients well along with salt and keep aside for 1/2 hr (you can also use immediately.
Take required amount of adai flour, add required amount of water to make adai in tawa.
Use this adai flour (mavu) and make adai in heated tawa. You can use sesame oil or coconut oil to cook adai. Delicious, healthy Varagu and Thenai adai is ready to eat.
It will be soft to eat. As chili and ginger are added you can consume without any side dish else you can take it with coconut chutney or sambhar.

Making of channa masala powder

Home made channa masala powder - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins
I love to share the recipes i made so that people who want to learn can search and find out what they need.  When we visit some place and if they make some dishes new or different i will ask them how they made this recipe. But some won't share the recipe clearly and say just you put these things and do that way. I will simply move on thinking that why not we try creating it and share. Nothing harm will come in sharing the food or recipe it is a credit for you if you share and others make them tasty. :-)

I like channa masala and battura, but we can eat them occasionally. My mom used to prepare channa masala by buying the channa masala powder from specific brand. I thought of making it in home, so I can make only amount needed. If i go to store i have to buy the minimum amount they sell. I did my searching and found out want ingredients should go in for this spice powder.

I adjusted the spice to my preference and added(also excluded) the spice which i don't want. This came out well. I prepared masala in small quantity used required amount and refrigerated the remaining spice powder.

Ingredients:-
Coriander seed - 1 cup
Cumin seed - 3/4 cup
Cloves - 10
Cinnamon - 2 inch strips 2
Ajwain - a pinch
Cardamom - 4 (optional. I don't like cardamom flavor in spicy dishes so i won't use)
Bay leaf - 1

Preparation method:-
Dry roast all the above ingredients separately till aroma comes from each spices.
Cool all the roasted spices and grind to fine powder.
Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate.
You can use this for few months (if the spices you used to prepare are good grade). Home made channa masala powder is ready.

Elumichai and thakkali rasam (Tomato & Lemon rasam)

Tomato & Lemon rasam - preparation time 15 mins
Tomato along with fresh lemon juice will be nutrition rich rasam. You can take this rasam as soup also.

Ingredients:-
Rasam powder - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1 (chopped to cubes)
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Green chili - 1
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Toor dhal - 2 tbsp (Boil/pressure cook to soft and keep)
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a tawa add 1/4 tsp oil, slited green chili and chopped tomato. Soartae for few mins.
Boil 1 tumbler of water to that add rasam powder, turmeric, salt and tomato along with chili.
Once the added ingredients cooked and starts boiling add cooked dhal with 1 tumbler of water. Once it starts bubbling switch of the flame.
To one teaspoon of oil add jeera, asafoetida roast it and add to rasam. Add finely chopped curry, lemon juice and coriander leaves to rasam. 

Pachai karamani and urulai kizhangu poriyal (Thin beans and potato dry curry)

Pachai karamani and urulai kizhangu poriyal (Thin beans and potato dry curry) - Preparation time 15 mins
Today asked mom to make karamani poriyal differently as my husband don't like this vegetable much so she made this poriyal. It was bit different and good.

Ingredients:-
Karamani - 1 cup (cleaned and chopped to small pieces)
Potato - 1/2 cup (chopped finely)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp or chilli powder 1/2 tsp along with little coriander and cumin powder 
Salt - as required
Water to cook karamani - 3/4 cup or less
Mustard seed - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp (optional)

Preparation method:-
Boil required amount of water (till the vegetable get immersed) with turmeric, salt and sambar powder (if using chilli, coriander and cumin powder we can add in later stage).
When water starts boiling add chopped karamani and cover the vessel with lid and boil till karamani is cooked softly (for 10 to 15 mins) in low flame.
Heat kadai add oil, mustard to splutter, urad dhal to become brown. Add chopped potato and fry. Sprinkle little water and cover with lid so the potato gets cooked.
Now add boiled karamani and sortae till the water dries (If you are using chilli, coriander and cumin powder add at this stage).
If you want you can add grated coconut at this stage and mix well.
Hot and tasty karamani and urulai kara poriyal can be taken with sambhar or rasam or curd rice.