Thiruvathirai kaali (Roasted rice sweet)

Thiruvathirai kaali (Roasted rice sweet) - Preparation time 20 mins

During fasting mom used to make this. It is a mild sweet dish which will be very good for a snack also. First you try in small quantity and serve . This will be a light to eat and filling also. 

Ingredients:-
Rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 and 3/4 cup
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Cardamon - 2 (ground to powder)
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew - 10  (broken to pieces)

Preparation method:-
In a kadai dry roast the rice till it becomes slightly brownish white.

Leave it to cool and grind to coarse powder using a mixer.

In a vessel melt the jaggery with the given amount of water and filter the dirt from the jaggery. 

To the coarse roasted rice powder add the filtered jaggery water.

In a pressure cooker keep the rice, jaggery mixture and pressure cook for 5 whistle

Keep the flame on low for 5 mins and switch of the flame.
When the pressure is released.

To the cooked rice jaggery kaali add the grated coconut, cashew roasted in ghee, cardamon powder (or can be added to the jaggery syrup as above). Mix well and serve hot.
This will be a tasty and satisfactory dish to take. Also healthy one with less ghee and jaggery.

Sambhar for idli or dosai

Sambhar for idli or dosai - Preparation time 20 mins

 

We love holidays because mom used to serve with hot and tasty idli sambhar. The idli's soaked in sambhar will be very delicious. We used to fight for the potato's which she used to boil and put in the sambhar because she used to boil one or two potato's, break them and add to sambhar.
When we go to restaurant we will get sambhar for idli but for me idli will be bit spicy but it will be to our taste when cooked in home. We use only small sambhar onion's to make this gravy which adds taste to this dish. 
One day when my brother came to my home i made this idli sambhar. When i asked him to come for breakfast after seeing the sambhar quantity (3/4 in a serving vessel) he asked me why you prepared sambhar for me alone and not for you people :-( i was stunned) i told him wait we all will take breakfast together :-) . This how it will be when we were kids and fighting for breakfast.

Ingredients:-
Small onion - 15 (peeled and cut to 4 pieces all the onion)
Curry leaves - 1 string
Coriander leaves - 3 strings
Tomato - 1 (cut into pieces)
Boiled potato - 2 (medium size) peeled and break to small pieces
Mustard seed - 1/4 tsp
Red chili - 5 (break into pieces remove the seeds)
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Channa dhal - 1 tsp
fenugreek seed - little (optional)
Peppercorns - 5
Coriander seed - 1 tbsp
Tamarind - little (only if you don't have sour tomato)
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Boiled toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Water required amount (roughly 1.5 or 2 cup)
Milk - 1 tbsp

Preparation method:-
In a kadai add coriander seed, pepper, channa dhal and 1 red chili. Dry roast till nice aroma comes and ground to coarse powder. Keep this aside.
In kadai add sesame oil, mustard to splutter, red chili , fenugreek (optional) roasted to brown add chopped onion.

Fry till the onion's are transparent and add chopped tomato along with little curry leaves and coriander leaves.

When tomato is cooked add sambhar powder, turmeric powder and fry. Now add required amount of water to the ingredients, close kadai with a lid  and leave to boils.
Once raw smell of sambhar powder goes off and onions are cooked (if you use tamarinf add at this stage and boil till the raw smell goes) add the potato pieces. Let this cook for few mins so the potato's absorbs the taste of sambhar.

Now mix softly boiled toor dhal with milk and add to the boiling gravy. The sambhar will becomes thick.

Finally add 1 tbsp ghee, chopped curry and coriander leaves. The powder (channa dhal, pepper, coriander and red chili) to sambhar. When in boils switch of and transfer to serving bowl.

Make idli's, keep in plate (minimum 3 to 4 ) and pour the sambhar over the idli's so that the whole idli is covered with sambhar. Over this add 1 tsp of sesame oil.

When you start eating (be careful it is really hot) you will feel the taste which i felt when i am writing this recipe. Happy and Healthy eating.

Kabuli channa and green mung dhal snack (Kondai kadalai and pachai payaru vadai)

Kabuli channa and green mung dhal snack (Kondai kadalai and pachai payaru vadai) - Preparation time 10 to 15 mins if soaked dhal is available

One day i made channa masala with half of the soaked channa dhal and don't know what to do with remaining half of soaked channa. I also had sprouted mung dhal to make sundal. Since i don't want to waste both the legume thought to make some new dish. 

I then tried making vadai using both. This vadai tasted very good and full of nutrition ( i know deep fried items are not good for health but occasionally it is okay). Vadai was soft in inside and crispy from outside. As we are adding ginger and saunf the digestion will also be easy.

Ingredients:-
Soaked channa dhal and mung dhal - 1/2 cup 
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chili - 1 or 2 
Fennel seed - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 10 finely chopped
Salt - to taste
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Oil - to deep fry

Preparation method:-
In a grinder coarsely grind channa and mung dhal along with ginger, fennel seed and chili.
In a bowl mix the ground dhal, chopped curry leaves, salt and onion.
Make small balls from the mixed dough and keep.
Check the salt and spice level ( if you want you can add red chili powder to increase the spice).
Heat oil in a kadai. Once the oil is hot bring the flame to medium. Flatten the ball you made using the dough and slowly drop in the oil. 
Leave it for few mins and turn the vadai. Cook the vadai well by flipping the sides of vadai.
When the color of vadai is turned to golden brown remove from the oil and serve hot.
Surely everyone will love this yummy, tasty and healthy vadai and ask for more vada's.

Tuduvalai/Thuthuvalai keerai thogayal (Solanum trilobatum chutney or thick paste)

Tuduvalai/Thuthuvalai keerai thogayal (Solanum trilobatum chutney) - preparation time 15 to 20 mins

I made thuthuvalai soup for my husband when he suffered from cold. Actually it worked well and brought down the cold and removed the flum without any medicine. I thought of trying thogayal so we can take with rice. It was tasty when i made it. So another healthy recipe got added into our cooking menu.

Health benefits/tips: One of the best medicine to remove the chest cold. Thuthuvalai is good for lungs, for asthma treatment and respiratory problems, gives strength to body, for eye diseases. Good antioxidant

Ingredients:-
Thuthuvalai keerai - 1 bunch (clean and drain the water)
Grated coconut - 4 tbsp
Roasted red chili -  4 - 5 (you can add according to your spice level)
Roasted urad dhal - 2 tbsp
Mustard - ¼ tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Tamarind - ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Water - required amount

Preparation method:-
Roast 2 tsp of urad dhal in 1 tsp of oil till it becomes light brown. Add the chili till it becomes deep red. Let it cool.
Fry thuthuvalai keerai & salt in little oil.
In a mixer add grated coconut, thuthuvalai keerai, chili, urad dhal, tamarind and little water (Add water which is required to grind).
Grind to slight coarse paste else it will be sticky when mixed with rice.
In a tawa add 1 tsp oil, mustard, urad dhal and fry till dhal is light brown. Add this to thuthuvalai thogayal you can mix and take with white rice and roasted papad or as a side dish to idli/dosai. 

Fresh pudina elai theneer (Mint tea)

Fresh pudina tea (Mint tea) - Preparation time 5 mins
One day i accidentally tried this tea and which surprisingly turned to taste good so when fresh mint leaves are available i started making this tea also. I dunno whether all will like this flavor, but i am sure it will be a healthy tea.
Do you have fresh mints available now and is it your tea time then this is right time to experiment this tea in your kitchen right away. It will take only 5 mins if your milk is already in the stove and if milk is boiling then only few mins. Try it out this new, interesting and tasty tea.

Ingredients:-
Milk - 1 cup
Fresh Mint leaves - 4
Sugar - to your taste
Tea leaves - 1 tsp (I am using tata gold tea because it smell & taste good)

Preparation method:-
In a vessel heat 1 cup of milk. When it boils add the tea leaves.
Once nice aroma of tea come along with nice color, tear the mint leaves using your fingers, crush slightly and add to the boiling tea.
Leave the tea to boil for few seconds. Add required sugar and dissolve.
Filter the tea. Transfer to serving cup and surprise everyone with this healthy and fresh aromatic mint tea.

Masala dosai (Dosa with potato stuffing)

Masala dosai - Preparation time 20mins  if dosa batter is available

We usually use the potato gravy that was prepared for puri. Potato masala can be prepared little more than the required quantity so we can use it for making masala dosai if the dosa dough is readily available. 

Ingredients:-
Dosa batter - 2 cup
Ghee or sesame oil - to prepare dosa
Boiled potato - 3 (pressure cook the potato, peel off the skin and chop to big cubes)
Carrot - 1 finely chopped (optional)
Small onion - 10 (chopped to thin strips)
Green chili - 2 (chopped to small pieces)
urad dhal - 1 tbsp
mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Sesame oil - 2 or 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Coriander leaves - finely chopped 1 tbsp
Curry leave 1 string - finely chopped  

Preparation method:-
For making dosa flour refer making of dosa flour
First refer puri masala or we will make the potato masala which is required to keep in the dosai.
In a pan add oil, mustard, urad dhal and fry till the dhal is golden brown. 
Add the chopped green chili, onion, carrot (optional), curry leaves, salt and fry till the onion is cooked softly.
Add turmeric powder, required water to cook. Add mashed potato pieces and coriander leaves to fried items. 
Let the masala be slightly thick so that it can be spread over the dosa we are going to make.
Heat the dosa tawa.

Make a thin dosa using dosa batter and leave it to cook for few seconds. When the color of dosa flour changes it has been cooked.
Spread the masal over the dosa as thin as possible and leave the dosa to roast. 

When done fold the dosa and serve with coconut chutney and sambhar (which we used to make for idli).

Vellai poosanikai kootu (ash gourd gravy)

Vellai poosanikai kootu (ash gourd gravy) - preparation time 15 mins
We used to make vellarikai kootu every fortnight but when i tried the poosanikai kootu it turned out to be more tasty than vellarikai kootu so started included in our weekly lunch or dinner. Actually ash gourd (poosanikai) contains many nutrient values like vitamins, minerals, anti oxidant, etc and heard from my friends and Dr it is really good for health.

Ingredients:-
Poosanikai (ash gourd) - Chopped to small cubes 1 cup (150 gm)
Coconut - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Toor dhal (thuvaram paruppu) - 3 tbsp (softly pressured cooked along with required water)
Cummin seeds - 1 tsp
Pepper  - 1/2 tsp
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 string
Water required amount
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Thalikkum vadagam or (mustard, urad dhal) to garnish
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Green chili - 1

Preparation method:-
In a vessel add water, turmeric, sambhar powder, salt and boil along with ash gourd. When it is cooked softly add cooked and mashed toor dhal and switch of the flame.
Grind cummin, pepper, green chili to coarse paste along with coconut and little water.
Add this paste to cooked poosanikai (ash gourd) and boil for few second. This will become thick. Transfer to serving bowl.
For garnishing - Heat a tawa. Add sesame oil, mustard to splutter, urad dhal to golden brown or used thalikkum vada, curry leaves and add to the poosanikai kootu.
This will go well with any rice and deep fried pappad.

Baby corn crispy fry

Baby corn crispy fry or cholam baji - Preparation time 10 mins

When I bought baby corn to make some side dish for chapathi i thought of making this fry. It was

tasty and a good for a snack. It is easy to make.

Ingredients:-

Baby corn - 4 (medium size)

Oil - to deep fry

Salt - to taste

Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp (as your spice level)

Bengal gram flour (kadalai mavu) - 1 tbsp

Rice flour(aarisi mavu) - 3/4 tbsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Water - little (to bind the flour)

Preparation method:-

Cut the baby corn into four piece remove the soft portion in the middle of the baby corn. 

In a bowl 2 inch in length and thinly cut baby corn, the flour's, salt, red chili powder, asafoetida along with little water (sprinkle). 

Mix well all the ingredients along with the baby corn. Sprinkle some water so the mixture will be coated over the baby corn. 

Heat the oil , drop into heated oil so that they don't stick together.

When cooked and bubbles goes off remove from oil . Cook in slow flame.

Sirukeerai kootu (Tropical Amaranth leaf gravy)

Sirukeerai kootu (Tropical Amaranth leaf gravy) - preparation time 20 to 25 mins 
Sirukeerai is rich in calcium and have anti inflammation properties. You can use the leaves and tender stems of this green. If the stem is hard it won't boil properly and will spoil the taste of the kootu. This green is rich in calcium

Ingredients:-
Sirukeeria - 2 cups (wash, remove the root and chopped well). 
Turmeric - ¼ tsp
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 cup (till the greens get immersed)
Mustard seed - ¼ tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Toor dhal (Thuvaram paruppu) - one cup (pressure cooked).
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Cumin seed - ½ tsp  {Grind this with coconut and pepper make a paste}
Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Preparation method:-
Boil water with little cumin seed, turmeric, sambar powder and salt. When water boils add sirukeerai and cook till the greens are tender/cooked. 
Add cooked dhal to greens and boil.
In a tawa add mustard seed (it splutters), urad dhal (turns golden brown), cumin seed (jeera will splutter) or if you have thalikkum vadagam (which contains jeera, urad dhal, onion, mustard, etc) it can be used.
Add to boiling sirukeerai and paruppu kootu
Add coconut paste to kootu and serve with white rice and ghee. 
Sirukeerai kootu rice will goes well with spicy sepankizhangu or potato spicy dry curry or vazhakai poriyal.

Note: While cooking any greens don't cover the vessel with lid because greens color 
will become dark. 

Easy Channa masala (Vellai kondakadalai kuruma )

Easy Channa masala (Kondakadalai kuruma ) - Preparation time 20 mins for soaked and boiled channa
My mom used to prepare channa masala for puri. It is a very long process because she used the proper method of grinding tomato paste, onion paste, ginger garlic paste, etc it will be really delicious and we all used to take some extra puri's if she prepare's this side dish. I want to prepare the dish for puri's but i don't want the long process so i used to prepare in my way (with minimum or no grinding process). I also don't use the readily available channa masala powder because i don't know what ingredients or spice's they use to prepare it.

After few research and analysis from internet i thought of adding the spice which we like at the same time i have to get the flavor and taste of the channa masala. For example i don't like the cardamom flavor in kuruma or rice so i don't add that spice. This is the advantage when we prepare the masala in our home another important thing is we have to refrigerate the masala because i don't know what will be the shelf live of the masala. We can prepare this easily when it is required provide the spices are available in our home. Refer channa masala powder

Ingredients:-
Kabuli Channa (Vellai kondakadalai) - 1 cup  (soaked overnight and pressure cooked with required water for 4 to 5 whistle)
Onion - 1 ( chopped finely to small cubes)
Tomato - 2 chopped finely to small cubes
Green chili - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Fresh coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch (chopped to fine strips or crushed)
Garlic - 4 ( chopped finely)
Bay leaf - 1 (split to small pieces)
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp (roasted and powdered)
Cloves - 2
Channa masala - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil - 3 tbsp

Preparation method:-
In a pressure pan (or some heavy bottomed pan) add oil, bay leaf and roast. Add finely chopped ginger, garlic, sortae for few mins. Nice aroma will come.
Add chopped onion, green chili,little and fry till the onion is slightly cooked. Now add turmeric powder,coriander and cumin powder.
Fry for few seconds and add chopped tomato and sortae till the tomato is cooked.
Now goes in the softly cooked channa dhal,1 tbsp of coriander leaves, channa masala andmix well.
Add extra water in the boiled channa and pressure cook for one whistle. Switch of the flame.
The juice of the gravy will get into the boiled channa. This will be very tasty. If you want cook till the gravy is thick and oil separates.
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve this with hot chapathi or puri.

Fresh Garlic podi for idli and dosai (Poondu podi )

Making of Garlic powder for idli and dosai (Poondu podi ) - Preparation time 15 mins
This podi will be on great demand when mom prepare vendhaya dosai. The dosa will smell awesome and tasty sooo good because of that we will keep on eating. The dosa will be thick and very soft.
When mom prepare vendaya dosa she will make sure to prepare poondu podi also.

 She used to make in the hand grinding stone in which she used to make idli flour. You know sometimes in last minute only she will prepare this poondu podi so after preparing & removing the podi she will keep the stone closed with a plate. When she prepares the dosai we will put the hot dosai with sesame oil in the middle part of the stone to remove the podi and also to coat the hot dosa with the spicy poondu podi and will enjoy eating.

At any cost we won't get that good old golden days back in life :-). Those tasty mom made food will be ever lasting. Okay now we will see how to make this very simple poondu podi. This is another healthy way to consume the fresh garlic

Ingredients:-
Garlic pods - 20
Red chili - 8 to 10 (Roast to dark brown with little sesame oil in low flame)
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a kadai roast the red chili and cool it. Using mixer grind this to fine powder and transfer to a air tight container.
In the mixer add the peeled and crushed garlic pods, the ground red chili powder according to spice level. 
The garlic will also be spicy so add the chili powder in little quantity along with required amount of salt. (You can always add chili powder even afterwards if you want more spice and mix).
Using whipper button grind the mixture(garlic, salt, red chili powder).
Garlic naturally contains oil so it will be sticky only. You have to open the mixer jar and mix the ingredients with a dry spoon to get the garlic mashed well.
This will be an aromatic and somewhat paste like podi. Goes very well with idly and dosai. Particularly with vendhaya dosai :-).

Tomato Gravy (Thakkali Kosthu )

Tomato Kosthu in mom's method - preparation time 20 mins
This method of making tomato kosthu is slightly long, but mom used to cook in this way only. She used to make the kosthu powder when ever she makes but i used to make and store for few days. When compared to other chutneys this is bit special and will be cooked occasionally.

Ingredients:-
Tomato - 2 (Boil in water, when skin's break switch of and leave it to cool. Then peel the skin and finely chop or grind it along with two or three small peeled onion).
Onion - 2 (finely chopped i.e. small strips of 1/2 inch)
Red chili - 2 (make to 2 pieces each. Usually i remove the seeds in red chili in all my dishes)
Green chili - 1 slit in middle
Curry leaves - 5 (washed and finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - 4 (washed and finely chopped)
Small onion - 10 (Keep 3 onions if u want to grind with tomato and fresh coriander leave else chop)
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Water - 1 cup
Mustard - ¼ tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Roasted and powdered 2 tbspn of coriander seed, 1 tsp gram dhal, 4 pepper & 1 red chili
Salt to taste

Preparation method:-
Boil in water, when skin's break switch of and leave it to cool.
Then peel the skin and finely chop or grind it along with two or three small peeled onion and little fresh coriander leaves (if available).
In a tawa add 1 tsp oil, mustard, urad dhal, green chili & chili. When dhal is golden brown add the chopped onion fry to transparent color. Add turmeric, water, salt and boil till the onion is cooked.
Add boiled and grind tomato paste and cook till the raw smell of ground onion goes off or finely chopped boiled tomato.
Add coriander, chili powder,coarse ground powder (roasted coriander seed, gram dhal, pepper & chili) to the gravy and boil for few minutes.
Due to dhal in the kosthu powder the gravy will become slightly thick.
Finally transfer to a bowl and garnish with curry and coriander leaves.
Goes well with dosa and idli.

Fresh pudina tea (Mint tea) - Prepartion time 5 mins

Fresh pudina tea (Mint tea) - Prepartion time 5 mins
One day i accidentally tried this tea. Which surprisingly turned to taste good so when i have fresh mint leaves started making this tea also. I dunno whether all will like this flavor, but i am sure it will be a healthy tea.

Do you have fresh mints available now and is it your tea time then this is right time to experiment this tea in your kitchen right away. It will take only 5 mins if your milk is already in the stove and if milk is boiling then only few mins. Try it out this new, interesting and tasty tea.

Ingredients:-
Milk - 1 cup
Fresh Mint leaves - 4 (washed and clean)
Sugar - to your taste
Tea leaves - 1 tsp (I used to use tata gold tea because it smell & taste good)

Preparation method:-
In a vessel heat 1 cup of milk. When it boils add the tea leaves.
Once nice aroma of tea come along with nice color, tear the mint leaves using your fingers, crush slightly and add to the boiling tea.
Leave the tea to boil for few seconds. Add required sugar and dissolve.
Filter the tea. Transfer to serving cup and surprise everyone with this healthy and fresh aromatic mint tea.

Ullunthu milagu methu vadai (Soft urad dhal & pepper vada)

Ullunthu milagu methu vadai (Soft urad dhal & pepper vada) - Preparation time 1 hr 10 mins
Mom used to make this two types of vadai during pongal festival (Bhogi). Vellam vadai and milagu vadai. These vadai's will be different but tasty.For a change try making this simple vadai.

Ingredients:-
Urad dhal - 1 cup (washed and soaked for 1 hr)
Salt - a pinch
Crushed pepper - 1/2 tbsp
Water - Only to sprinkle while grinding
Oil - To deep fry

Preparation method:-
Remove water from soaked urad dhal and grind in the grinder/mixer till the flour is fluffy.
Add required amount of salt and grind. Mix the coarsely ground pepper and mix with the flour.
Heat the oil for deep frying. 
Take a silver foil. Make small ball in the flour and make vada using the silver foil and fry in medium hot oil.
When cooked and golden brown, remove from oil and transfer to bowl. If excess oil remove using tissue.

Making of Sesame seed rice powder (Ellu podi)

Making of Sesame rice powder (Ellu podi) - Preparation time 10 to 15 minutes
You can make this podi, refrigerate and use for few days. Make this health podi and serve to kids and family along with rice.

Ingredients:-
Sesame seed - 50 g (I used black sesame seed)
Red chili - 7
Salt - to taste

Preparation method:-
In a dry kadai add sesame seed and roast in medium flame. When sesame (ellu) starts spluttering transfer to a plate and leave it to cool.
Roast the chilli and add to roasted sesame seed along with required amount of salt.
When the roasted ingredients are cool grind to coarse powder and transfer to an air tight container.

Varagu arisi appam & thengai paal (Kodu millet thin pancake with coconut milk)

Varagu arisi appam & thengai paal (Kodu millet thin pancake with coconut milk) - Preparation time 8 to 10 hrs for dough fermentation
I thought of replacing rice quantity with a healthy millet in our daily food items so i started experimenting some of the dishes which will be gluten free and rich in fiber. Mostly the taste won't differ but some times we might not get the same taste of the food which we are eating from childhood. 

Ingredients:-
Boiled rice 3/4 cup
Varagu rice - 1/4  cup or slightly more
Urad dhal - one medium ladle
Fenugreek seed - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - little to grind
Aappa soda - a pinch
Coconut - 1 grated , ground and extract the milk
Cardamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Organic sugar or brown sugar - As required (because some coconut will be very sweet some won't)

Preparation method:-
Soak boiled rice, varagu rice, urad dhal and fenugreek seed for 4 hrs. Grind in a mixer to smooth paste (use less water then only dough will be soft) and leave to ferment for 10 hrs (according to your climate). Dough should be fermented well. 
Next day in a vessel take two ladle of fermented aapam dough, mix water, pinch salt & aappa soda.
Make the dough little bit thin than dosa flour. If you rotate the kadai the dough should spread evenly.
Heat a kadai, spread little oil and pour the dough in the sides of the kadai and rotatae the kadai.
This will make the dough spread evenly and middle portion will be little soft. Pour little oil over the edge of appam.
Close the kadai with a lid and cook in slow flame. 
After few minutes when the edges or slightly brown remove from kadai.
Serve this appam with coconut milk over it (appam). This will be very tasty and healthy.
If you mix appa soda and keep for long time the appam will lose its texture and won't taste good so mix required quantity at the time of preparing the appam.

Karuveppillai arachuvita kuzhambu (Curry leaves paste gravy)

Karuveppillai arachuvita kuzhambu - Preparation time 15 to 20 mins
Curry leaves (Karuveppillai) is rich in iron content. I most of the recipe it will be used only as a garnishing ingredient and thrown away while eating. The best way to make people eat is chop the curry leaves finely and add to sambar, rasam, kootu and dry curry. In my home we do that way and consume while eating.
Yesterday i tried this karuveppilai arachuvita kuzhambu it came out well and tasted different. We can also consume more amount of curry leaves. We can make this out of ingredients which will be always available in our anjarai petti. Contains all healthy ingredients try it out.

Ingredients:-
Curry leaves - Fresh leaves, washed and dried handful (might be 10 to 15 strings)
Dhania seed (dry coriander) -2 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Black Pepper - 10
Red chili - 4
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Garlic pods - 10
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp or less
Mustard seed - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation method:-
Roast dhania, cumin, black pepper along with little oil when half done add red chili, fenugreek seed and curry leaves.
When roasted nice aroma comes and color will be slightly changed (take care, don't burn while roasting).
Grind the roasted ingredients to coarse powder. Add little water and grind to paste (it won't be very smooth).
In a kadai add oil, mustard to splutter. Add the garlic pods and roast slightly. Now mix the paste with tamarind, turmeric and salt.
Check for spice level and salt. If you want this to be bit spicy you can always add few red chili while garnishing (i.e after garlic pods add red chili). Add this gravy to the garnishing and boil till oil separates.
Goes very well with white rice and roasted appalam.

Puzhungal arisi and pachai payaru soochi (Boiled rice and green gram sundal)

Puzhungal arisi and pachai payaru soochi (Boiled rice and green gram sundal) - Preparation time 15 to 20 mins

Felt very hungry one night and didn't have stamina to cook vegetable soochi or make dosa so my husband asked to prepare this payaru sundal. Actually it is a healthy tiffen. It is also easy to make and tasty sundal with limited ingredients.

As it didn't came well when i prepared first time, so before starting i called my mom and checked the recipe again. I want to know from her particularly the water and rice proportion. After that i started preparing. It took hardly 5 mins to fry and put in a pressure pan. Within half an hour it will be ready to eat.

Ingredients:-
Boiled rice - 1 cup
Green mung dhal (Pachai payaru) - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cup
Salt - To taste
Red chili - 2 (i removed the seeds in the chili as we don't want to be spicy)
Curry leaves - 2 string
Onion - 1 chopped finely (optional)
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
Split urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a kadai dry roast the rice till it become white and slightly brownish. Transfer to a cooking vessel.

Now roast in medium flame the full green mung dhal till it starts cracking.

Transfer the roasted green mung dhal to same vessel which contains rice.

Wash rice and mung dhal well to remove any dirt. Add 3 cups of water to rice and mung dhal mixture. 
Heat oil and add mustard seed to splutter, urad dhal to become golden brown. Add the red chili, curry leaves along with asfoetida and switch of the flame.  I have included onion you can skip onion.

Add the garnishing along with required amount of salt, grated coconut, to the rice, mungdhal and water.

Now pressure cook this for 4 to 5 whistle and cook in very low flame for 10 mins before switching off.
Leave for few mins to release the pressure and then serve hot with ghee and jaggery. If you like you can garnish with fresh curry leaves.
Yummy, healthy, filling and easy to make breakfast or dinner is ready to eat. 

Cluster beans and Carrot gravy (Kothavarangai and carrot kootu)

Cluster beans and Carrot gravy (Kothavarangai and carrot kootu) - Preparation time 15 mins

To avoid the slight bitter taste of kothavarangai i tried adding carrot and prepared the kootu. The kootu tasted good. I prepared this when mom and dad visited my home. They liked this kootu very much.


Ingredients:-
Kothavarangai - 1 cup (chopped to small pieces)
Carrot - 1 small size (Skin peeled and chopped to small pieces)
Turmeric - ¼ tsp
Sambar powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1 or 1 ½ cup water (till the greens get immersed)
Thalikkum vadagam - 1
Pepper corn, cumin seed - 1 tsp  {Grind this with coconut and make a paste}
Toor dhal (Thuvaram paruppu) - one cup (pressure cooked).
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp (optional)
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6 (finely chopped)


Preparation method:-
Boil water with turmeric, salt & sambar powder. When water boils add kothavarankai and carrot to cook.
Add cooked dhal to cooked vegetable and boil.  When the gravy starts boiling add the ground paste of coconut, cumin and pepper. Switch of the flame
In a tawa add thalikum vadagam (which is made of jeera, urad dhal, onion, mustard, castor oil, etc) to splutter. It you don't have thalikum vadagam you can roast mustard, urad dhal, cumin seed and curry leaves with little oil for garnishing
Finally curry leaves. Kootu and 1/4 tsp of ghee can be mixed with rice and taken along with some deep fried pappad. It will be very tasty. Sorry forgot to take pics will add later :-).

Pachai Sundaikai, Vengayam, Poondu Puli kuzhambhu (Turkey berry gravy)

Pachai Sundaikai, Vengayam, Poondu Puli kuzhambhu (Turkey berry gravy) - Preparation time 15 to 20 mins

Always mom used to make sundaikai poricha kootu when she buys fresh sundaikai. We all love that kootu because this vegetable has unique flavour and taste. When we used to get this in small quantity we will use brinjal along with sundaikai to make kootu.

When i went to native last month, our neighbour gave freshly pricked sundaikai. It was very tender and i want to try making puli kuzhambu using that. When i asked my mom she told that she haven't tried using fresh sundaikai. I called my aunt and asked she explained the procedure and also told it will be very tasty. I made this puli kuzhambhu for lunch and told mom that this alone is enough for lunch along with some fried pappad.

You know after cooking this we got some guest for lunch so we cooked all dishes (sambhar, rasam and dry curry). Informed mom we haven't tasted sundaikai puli kuzhambhu so don't serve them to guest. People who came for lunch insisted to serve puli kuzhambhu also so mom served them. To our surprise all loved sundaikai puli kuzhambhu gave some to neighbor they liked this very much and told that they will also start making fresh sundaikai puli kuzhambhu. This is the story of my sundaikai puli kuzhambhu evolution :-)

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
Sundaikai (Turkey berry) - 1 cup or 100 to 125 gm  (slit in the middle)
Small onion - 10
Garlic (peeled) - 10 to 15
Sesame oil (nalla ennai) - 1 tbsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Toor dhal - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/4 tsp

Preparation method:-
In a kadai roast the fresh sundaikai with little sesame oil till nice aroma comes (slightly it will be brown) and keep in a cup.

To the hot kadai, add sesame oil, thalikkum vadagam, toordhal, urad dhal. When nice aroma come add fenugreek seed along with garlic and onion.
Fry till onion become glossy and transparent and add the roasted turkey berry (sundaikai) . 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 start to separate add jaggery and boil.

Actually the turkey berry will taste like peas and the gravy will have the flavor of sundaikai along with all other taste.
Hope you like this recipe.